(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai)
This evening, we're going to be looking at the Apostle Paul's first epistle to Timothy, chapter four, the first five verses of chapter four. Apostasy in the latter times, apostasy in the latter times. I think we can just read those verses as we start, go straight to 1 Timothy, chapter four, verse one.
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. You may recall, you may recall a week ago when we looked at the last verse of the previous chapter, chapter three, we considered the mystery of godliness, great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifested in the flesh and that mystery of godliness which is revealed by the Spirit of God and the mystery is salvation essentially, God manifest in the flesh and he came into this world to save sinners and we're saved through faith in the Son of God who was manifested in the flesh.
Today we'll be looking at another mystery which is revealed by the Spirit of God but it is one that stands in stark contrast to the redemption in the blood of Jesus that we considered last Sunday evening in that last verse of chapter three. It is what the Apostle Paul describes as the mystery of iniquity in his second epistle to the Thessalonians, the word that separates the two very different mysteries, the mystery in chapter three, the last verse of chapter three and then the mystery that is revealed to us in chapter four verse one, you see that the word that separates them both is that first word in verse one of chapter four, now, which more often than not is translated but, it's the same Greek word, translated now, I don't know maybe you've got but in if you've got another translation and that's separating these two very different mysteries, one's a mystery of redemption in God manifest in the flesh and the second one, today's one, is the mystery of iniquity. Even though the subject matter of this evening's mystery is not particularly uplifting like the mystery of godliness that we considered last week, as always be encouraged to know that God is completely sovereign over all things, not 99.9% sovereign, 100% sovereign over everything.
As King David rightly said, thine O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine, thine is the kingdom O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all and you can be sure that the Lord Jesus Christ who has been given all power, all authority in heaven and earth continues to build his church through the proclamation of the gospel and the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church. Day by day many people from all nations, people who have been ordained in eternity to eternal life are showing repentance towards the living God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Day by day Jesus is adding to his church such as should be saved so we have nothing to be downcast about even as we can this evening we consider this mystery of iniquity in the latter days, the latter times.
That said the sombre things that we're going to consider this evening concerning a falling away, things that were revealed to Paul by God the Holy Spirit are nevertheless being fulfilled in these dark days as any discerning Christian in here must surely be aware of unless you're walking around with your eyes closed and in cloud cuckoo land you must realise that there is apostasy in the visible church in the day that we live in. Let's have a look at our passage now, 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Some years earlier, when the apostle Paul was in Miletus, he called the elders of Ephesus to him.
This is relevant because this letter that Paul has written to Timothy, Timothy was in Ephesus so years before Paul wrote this letter to Timothy in Ephesus he summoned the elders of Ephesus to him in Miletus and he said to them for I know this that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. So Paul predicted these things in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 20 verse 29 and verse 30, some years before this letter was written to Timothy. Even then Paul was predicting that there would be people, disciples no less, who would be drawn away by false teachers whom he described as grievous wolves.
In a similar passage to Thessalonians chapter 2 Paul refers to being drawn away as a falling away, which is just one word in the Greek apostasia from which we get the word apostasy. So this evening's passage is about apostasy or falling away in the latter times. Clearly as a finite creature, Paul did not have the power to see into the future but the spirit who revealed those things to him does have that power and that is in itself a clear testimony to the spirit being very God.
The very fact that the spirit was speaking to Paul about things that must surely happen it speaks of the spirit being God and while I'm on that subject I've met certain disciples who have departed from the faith into the ranks of heretics and they are people who deny the trinity. They deny the divinity of the Holy Spirit despite the fact that there are many examples in the Bible of God the Holy Spirit speaking about future events and not just in this evening's passage. I'll give you two other examples.
About a thousand years before the Son of God was manifested in the flesh Acts chapter 1 verse 16 tells us that the Holy Ghost spoke to David about Judas who was a guide to them that took Jesus and crucified him. Again the Holy Ghost spoke to David a thousand years before God was manifest in the flesh. The Holy Ghost spoke to David about Judas Iscariot betraying the Lord Jesus Christ.
On a happier note according to Hebrews chapter 10 verses 15 and 16 it was none other than the Holy Ghost who spoke through the prophet Jeremiah 600 years before the incarnation about a new covenant of which the Lord Jesus Christ is mediator and guarantor. Again 600 years before Jesus came into the world the Holy Ghost spoke through Jeremiah about the new covenant in Christ. Anyway coming back to our passage for this evening verse one let's have a look at it again.
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. The words that were spoken to Paul and not just Paul others as well by God the Holy Spirit about a departure from the faith in the latter times were spoken in clear and unambiguous terms and not in dark and difficult to understand riddles clear as daylight. The latter times are eras or periods of times which in this case are marked by a falling away or apostasy and I hasten to add only happen in accordance with God's eternal purposes and according to God's permissive will.
God allows these things to happen otherwise they would not happen. Again we have a God who is 100 sovereign over everything. Even and especially on that very solemn occasion when the King of glory was taken by sinful men nailed to a cross and lifted up to die even that was done in accordance with the predeterminate counsel and the foreknowledge of God.
In fact even before the foundation of the world before God ever said let there be light before Adam sinned and because of that sin came into the world like the floodgates of sin were opened and like a tsunami sin entered this world through that man that one man Adam. Even before all of that the Lord Jesus Christ is declared to be the lamb slain. Before the foundation of the world God decreed that the Lord Jesus Christ would be crucified that he would lay down his life as sacrifice for sin.
In verse one we're forewarned that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith and giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. The spirits and the devils are one and the same they are demons doing the bidding of the God of this world the devil who walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. What does that roaring speak of the devil walking around like a roaring lion surely the roaring speaks of the ferocity of the devil.
However the devil is not obvious in his presence like a roaring lion far from it in fact he masquerades as an angel of light. He is very cunning far more cunning than the first woman Eve whom he beguiled through the agency of a serpent in the garden of Eden. In the latter times which include now the devil and his demons are busy seducing and corrupting minds from the simplicity that is found through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In his epistle to the church in Ephesus Paul plainly said to the believers and to us put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places. You should not underestimate just how active the powers of darkness are in this world. Again I do think that a lot of Christians are in cloud cuckoo land.
Maybe it's a benefit in a way having lived in India for five years you can almost smell the presence of the powers of darkness in that land. It's here just the same it's just not quite so obvious. We're more sophisticated here when it comes to that or not we but the devil he employs different tactics here in our land than he does in places like India where it's so obvious it's so in your face the presence of demons everywhere but no different here I'm sure.
For me the fact that Paul describes the devil as the god of this world in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 4 says it all. Again just think of that Paul's description of the devil the god of this world 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 4 4 rather that says it all for me I don't know if it does for you when you just think about that but if it doesn't say it all for you how about the Old Testament? The Old Testament conveys something of the magnitude of the demonic activity throughout the entire world. For example in Daniel chapter 10 you can see the power of demons over earthly empires.
For me another no-brainer and plainly observable fact is that the leaders of the world are greatly influenced by seducing spirits but that's not what Paul is talking about in verse 1 he's not talking about the wicked leaders of this world he's not talking about world leaders at all rather he's talking about what will happen in the churches with some departing from the faith in the latter times talking about the churches. I want to emphasise that Paul was not saying that some born-again Christians will lose their faith and their salvation look at verse 1. Now the spirits speak of expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith. Again he is not talking about people losing their faith and their salvation he was talking about professing Christians who having outwardly held to the doctrines of the Christian faith will abandon them for the doctrines of demons.
The some who depart from the faith in verse 1 are people who may have professed faith for many years even had a powerful testimony and were even baptised upon their profession of faith that powerful profession of faith however in reality they are people who never truly possessed a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The very fact that there are now many cults such as the Latter-day Saints the Watchtower Society as well as the Roman Catholic Church which which has nearly one and a half billion Catholics worldwide listening to the doctrines of devils from the mouths of nearly half a million priests Roman Catholic priests is evidence that the latter times are very much upon us with some departing from the faith. But it doesn't end there does it even within what is regarded by many to be regular Christian churches the doctrine of devils is being proclaimed by false teachers.
I'm talking about churches that teach that your works and your compliance with God's law are essential for your salvation and for a favourable standing with God. Yes faith they won't dismiss faith entirely but they will insist on works in order to secure your salvation. Perhaps you were once part of that scene but by the grace of God you no longer are.
In his epistle to the Galatians the Apostle Paul called the doctrine in those churches another gospel and he declared the curse of God to be on those who preach it. In 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 2 a description is given of those who teach the doctrine of demons. Let's have a look at verse 2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy having their conscience seared with a hot iron.
Speaking lies in hypocrisy. Hypocrisy refers to stage players or actors. The teachers who speak lies in hypocrisy are like stage actors who hide behind masks.
Their words and promises are not sincere even so they are good actors some of them are very good actors indeed and their audiences are taken in by what they what they what these preachers say what they hear what the audience hears. The audiences are beguiled they are foolish hearers and they are lured into a big net with the lies of those false teachers. False teachers who do the lusts of their father the devil who is the father of lies.
Furthermore not only do they deceive others those false teachers they deceive themselves with their lies and so the conscience of the teachers is seared with a hot iron. Maybe you've seen cattle being seared or branded with hot irons in cowboy films. Well that's what has happened to those hypocrites those false teachers those stage actors their conscience has been suppressed to the extent that it has been seared or cauterised against the word of God so much so that it has become insensitive and without feeling or and without guilt.
In verse three we'll see a couple of examples of the doctrine of demons. Verse three forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats. Meats can be meat in animal flesh but it doesn't have to be.
Meats is any kind of food. Commanding to abstain from meats which God have created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. Paul's prediction concerning marriage came to pass in the Roman Catholic Church which traditionally has insisted on its priests being celibate or single although there are various exceptions these days.
The Roman Catholic Church's position on marriage can be clearly seen in its decree of the Council of Trent which says whosoever shall say that the married state is to be preferred to a state of virginity or celibacy and that it is not better and more blessed to remain in virginity or celibacy than to be joined in marriage let him be accursed. There you go that's the Roman Catholic doctrine let him be accursed. As for abstaining from certain meats whenever I stayed at my grandparents home in Belgium when I was a kid we always ate fish on Fridays.
My grandparents were Catholics and apparently that little ritual eating fish on Fridays is a form of self-denial that serves to unite Catholics with the suffering of Christ on the cross. The hypocrisy of those who teach and command ascetism or self-denial is that they are themselves far from God having seared consciences. When it comes to marriage between a man and his wife that is something that God has instituted at the very beginning and when it comes to food God has given us all sorts of food to be eaten and to be enjoyed therefore no prohibitions or restrictions should be placed concerning such things.
Even so what is happening as it is that instead of joyfully giving thanks to God for what he has graciously given people end up thinking that by denying themselves maybe denying themselves in marriage or what they eat denying themselves in some way concerning what God has given us. They are growing in holiness and doing what is pleasing to God despite what they are doing being opposed to the word of God and despite it amounting to a religion of works. That's not to say that there is no legitimate self-denial for disciples of the Jesus Christ.
For example from time to time you may be someone who combines prayer with fasting as you seek God's will in your life. Nothing wrong with that. Also Jesus calls on his disciples to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow him.
Not take up his cross, take up their cross. A cross is a symbol of suffering and without a doubt it is given unto all of you who are trusting in Jesus to suffer for his sake and that is a great privilege. But ultimately there is nothing that you or anyone can do or abstain from doing in order in order to secure your salvation from sin.
As the apostle Paul said in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9, for by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. What will set you apart from those who in time to come depart from the faith of the gospel is a genuine faith in the son of God who was manifested in the flesh truly believing that the son of God loved you and that he gave himself for you and that your acceptance before God is and always will be in the beloved son of God who has reconciled you to God by the blood of his cross. Amen.
We will finish with Psalm 1, look for Psalm 1 and we'll sing the whole psalm. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil, he shall preserve thy soul, the Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even for evermore. Amen.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai.)