2 Tim.4:3-5

let me invite you to turn in your bibles to…2 Timothy 4:3-5
Background:
Paul is troubled with the last days, 3:1 he is troubled with apostasy.
What is apostasy? It is the act of professed Christians who deliberately reject the revealed truth.
This could be due to many of reasons, such as ignorance(Acts19:1-6), or I believe heresy which is a snare of the devil (2Tim.2:25-26).
A apostate is perfectly describe in 2Tim.4:3-4 which we will study today.
Apostate will depart from the truth but will continue in calling themselves Christians (2Tim.3:5).
Apostasy can not be corrected (Heb.6:4-6) and will await the Judgment of Christ 2 Thess.2:10-12, 2.Pet.2:17,21, Jude11-15, and Rev.3:14-16.
This is caused by worldliness. Example (2Tim.4:10)

I. Prepositional Statement (#, Noun, Application, action)
I have 2 instructions from the Word of God to teach you on how NOT to become an Apostate.

II. Instructional Points-V.3-4 Don’t hear the Word on how you want it (Apostasy)
A. Illustration-“there is a beautiful example of this in The Lord of the Rings”
In Lord of the Rings we see the character of Gollum and how the ring had corrupted him from his original being, Sméagol. Sméagol was a hobbit which had fell into to the path of the ring. The world and the corruption of it has blinded him from what he was meant to be/do. What happens when the ring/world has corrupted our purpose and our ears and eyes to the Word. We lose focus, and miss the original mark or meaning to Gods Word.
B. Application-since when did God tell us we could hear what we want?
1. That men have preachers preach what they want, what they feel. Its up to their own desires on what they want to hear from the pulpit. So the pastors today want numbers and so they would rather compromise the Word for the people so they don’t convict one’s soul. People want to follow their own desires and don’t want the Word to confront it.
2. People want to know today’s philosophy, they want to think for themselves what may be right or wrong. Today we have stopped preaching about abortion, gays, lesbians, we have stopped preaching about divorce, lust, we have stopped preaching to all the things that offend us, or make us uncomfortable. I ask since when did God ask you or me about how we feel?
C. Interaction-Since when did God ask us how we want His Word?
1. People today want to know Jesus. They want a experience. They want something they can feel or see and touch. They want to see Jesus looking at the sun. They need to get to know Jesus by the Word! Since when did God stop using the Word? If it was good enough for Jesus to use over 2,000 years ago its good now! (Matt.4:4)
2. They want everything that opposes doctrine! Truth! We stop preaching against sin is what our churches have done. We start compromising the Word for what we think or what we feel at the time. Sunday morning becomes a time on how many cups a coffee I can get, or donuts, or talk to that hot girl, or the worship time sounding good, or maybe today I’ll get to see a drama in stead of hearing the Word! What it means to have your ears tickled is to have them entertained. Since when did God write the Word to be an entertainment show? Its meant to change lives! Its meant to change souls, change your heart, I’ll tell you what it did, it change an alcoholic, locked up man that had no home no family like my self and grabbed a hold my heart and change my life. That is what it was meant for, and I am not about to let today’s world start abusing it and raping the Word for themselves. What about yourself?

III. Instructional Points- V.5 Don’t fulfill your ministry on how you want it
A. Illustration-have you forgotten what has saved your souls?
There is another great example of this in Lord of the Rings when the fellowship of the ring takes the path of Canadheas, the mountains (with the snow coming down as Saruman is speaking from the his tower.) Gimli wants to pass through the mines of Moria, and then Boromir wants to pass through the gap of Rohan which would be the west road to his city. The fellowship had forgotten its purpose of their journey and wanted to see their people, and do what they knew best, and what they wanted. Do not forget the purpose which saved your so. Never forget the root of what has brought your life and bought your life. That is the gospel, and when you fall off of that, is when life gets dangerous. And that is when you can fall into the snares of today’s worldliness. (reread to you Rev.3:14-16.)
B. Application-are you compromising the Gospel?
Evangelist is a preacher of the Gospel, you are all workers of the gospel. Timothy was not an evangelist but a preacher, so how could Paul say this to him? Because Paul wants Timothy to never to stop the work of the gospel. Paul doesn’t call him to be an evangelist but do the work of one. That is way this is all about. When we compromise the doctrines, and the use of the Word. We have compromise the Gospel.
C. Interaction-how much have you lessen the work of the gospel?
Listen we must first start our truth, doctrines, and the Word with what is important. That is the Gospel. When we can understand this and study this and come to the love and realization of what Paul is telling Timothy to always remember the gospel then we will not fall out of Christianly but only fall yet more in love with our Savior. Your ministry is can only be fulfilled when you do the work of the gospel. Fill your life, your work here at camp, you friends, your ministry with the work of the evangelist, the work of the good news the work of the Gospel and then there is where we find fulfillment in the Word.