Chapter 4, stand with me as you turn there. I'll only speak a few minutes tonight. I'll be preaching just a few minutes. That's the goal anyway. But I'll just be a minute. But 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1. 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1. And we'll read through verse 6. Verse 6. 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 1 through 6, 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 and 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. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of a good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. Dear Lord, I love you, and I thank you so much for your goodness to us. I think of the songs that were sung. Lord, you truly are a good God, and you've truly blessed us beyond any measure that we would ever deserve. And, Lord, we love you. We thank you that the one thing you purchased was us, that we can know that we're saved and have a home in heaven. I pray, Lord, that I would be a good minister of the word, as you mentioned here, that I would preach the word as you would have it to be preached, say what you'd have to be said, nothing less and nothing more, that you would just bless tonight. We love you, and we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. This letter was a letter of Paul to Timothy. It's one of the pastoral epistles. It's what Paul gave Timothy as instruction as he went to pastor the church. He told him to be a good minister, to put the people in remembrance of things. And I want to preach tonight on Don't depart. Don't depart. You know, I was singing to the songs that were just sung and I can't, what makes those songs so special is the fact that we know the God those songs are about. Amen. I mean, you think about that relationship that we have with the Lord, that if you don't know Christ, you don't have. Without that relationship, you know, those songs don't mean much to you. But when you have a relationship with the Lord, boy, how special that is. That last song, I Have Been Blessed, man, I was replaying things in my mind that God has done for me in my life as that song was sunning. From salvation to the blessings that he's given me in my family to just different things that he's given me in my life and just thinking God is good. And as I think about that, I cannot think what would bring me to a place of departing from that. Can you imagine being in a place where what you just heard, what you just experienced, your personal relationship with a walk with God, and all of that, that you would depart from it. In other words, that someone would have it, turn their back on it, and walk away from it. Boy, there's folks who have and will do that very thing. And it's a sad thing. It breaks my heart to see it happen. I'm only 39 years of age. I keep saying that because they keep telling me 40 is over the hill and it's only a few months away. All right. So sorry for you that are there. All right. But I'm 39 years old and I know a lot of the guys that are my age who have walked away from the faith. Just turned around and walked away from it. Some of them have some semblance of faith, but that's about it. Denying the power thereof. And I've seen folks that the man that I was called to preach under sits in jail tonight. People who are shipwrecked and folks who have turned away and departed from it. And I know this, that it can happen to anybody. And that is what this portion of scripture is talking about. He says, don't depart. Paul is telling Timothy, don't you depart. And not only don't you depart, but you be aware some will depart. Don't let it get you too discouraged. Don't let it get you down, but don't you dare depart. And I just want to preach some things that I think tonight that will keep us, you know, that we need to be cautious of in our life in terms of not departing from the faith. The first one is this, I believe this, be cautious of the times. Look at this verse four and verse one. It says, now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the what? Can I ask you something? Who is the Spirit in this portion of Scripture? It's the Holy Spirit of God. It is the Holy Spirit of God. And it says, the Spirit speaketh what? Expressly, specifically. I think the Holy Spirit always speaks specifically, but evidently that needed to be emphasized here in this portion of Scripture. In other words, it's as if Paul was saying, look, I want you to get this. The Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith. Well, I think we are in that time. Look, there's coming a time when the trumpet's going to sound. We're going to be caught up to be the Lord. But I think we are in the latter times. We are rapidly approaching that time when the Lord comes. And I know what the Bible says. You know, the Bible says the latter times in Matthew chapter 24 will be as the days of Noah or Noah. People will eat and drink and be given in marriage, and yet iniquity shall abound because of the love of many shall wax cold. The Bible talks about the end times being a time when knowledge will abound. The Bible says about the days of Noah that every imagination of a man's heart was wicked continually. You know, when you look at the scriptural description of the latter days, we are in the latter days. We are in the latter days. I think of that one where it says about the days of Noah that the imagination of man's heart was wicked continually. You know what? I don't know what it was like in Noah's day, but I'm pretty sure we're pretty close to that. And I know this, and I think some of what's done it is media. There has never been a day, an age in which media can be pumped into your life 24 hours a day like it is today. Whether it's, not just what's on television, but the music that's constantly plays, the media that's constantly played, the phones that we hold in our hand, it's a constant playing of media that comes in our life. And I'll tell you this, generally speaking, unless we specifically control it, it is not good. It is not good. Be cautious of the times. See, the Bible tells us that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, and God said some shall. That means some will, that there's a good chance that some of us that sit in this room tonight, 10 years from now, may not be remotely close to God. 10 years from now, some of us tonight may not be remotely close to God. Because he said in his word, some shall depart from the faith. I believe this. You need to take a look around. And so many people are so culturally driven that the culture determines who they are, what they do, and how they live. The Bible says that to the Christian that the word of God should be that determining influence in our life. All scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto what? All good works. You know, it's okay for you not to be culturally relevant. Because the more the culture becomes like the devil, the less you should be relevant in it. Look, I'm for making the gospel and applying it to the folks where it is, but it's okay that the further the world gets away from God, the less you'll like it. The Bible said we're to be in this world, but not what? Of this world. Be cautious of the times. My friend, I tell you what, if you are following the trends of the world, then you are on your way to a departure from the Lord. If you are following trends and the world's philosophies, logic, education, media, and that is the driving force between you, you are on your way to a departure from the Lord. He says we are to be in this world, but not of this world. We're to be a citizen of a different country. And I believe this, you be cautious. Look, I have seen folks that follow the world so much, they have left off following Christ. They followed the world so much they left off following Christ. You can only follow one person. Hey, be cautious of the times. I think this, be cautious, be cautious of false prophets. Look what the Lord says here. It says, now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith. And then it says this, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. You know what, I think one of the problems here in following after the wrong people is first of all a devotional problem. Notice it says here, it says giving heed. Giving heed. Be careful what you heed. Be careful what you heed. I tell you what, We live in a day and age when media, books, and all of that are readily available to you. Be careful what you're following after. Be careful what you're reading after. I'm not telling you go out and have a book burning, okay, but for some of us it may not be a bad idea. But what I'm saying is be careful what you heed. Hey, there's some things the Lord specifically told me to give heed to, Him primarily. Be careful what you heed. Can I tell you, we live in a day and age in which Christians are following after all different people of all different doctrines. All different people of all different doctrines. Do you know doctrinal error leads to practical error? Doctrinal error leads to practical error. In other words, if you're doctrinally in error, you will practice an error. And we're not even careful sometimes of who we heed, who we read after, who we listen after, who we watch after. And I have watched people who have gone after and pursued, they follow so many of the different trends, especially when it comes to religious aspects, doctrinal aspects, they're following people of all different walks of faith, and then they get so far from what is biblically correct. Be careful what you heed. Notice he said this, not only be careful what you heed, he said they'll give heed to what? Seducing spirits. It looks good, and it sounds good. Dispositionally, they sound so wonderful. So wonderful. Matter of fact, some folks would say what I say tonight doesn't sound dispositionally very nice. I sound like a disposition is not very good preacher. But the reality is, he says in this portion of scripture, he said, there's some that sound good, but it isn't right. He said, be careful. Seducing spirits, he says, don't give heed to that which sounds good. We live in the day in love for all, grace used in the very wrong way. Matter of fact, it goes from giving heed to seducing spirits, and then what? Doctrines of devils. Something sounds good but is doctrinally wrong. I recently watched a video of a fellow who pastors a very large church somewhere in the Carolinas. I don't know much about him. I know he pastors a large church and he was preaching this about love. He's preaching about God's love. And it was a clip that his church had put out. And in his clip, he's preaching about love. And he's saying, God loves you so much. He loves you like you would love your child. He said, can you imagine for a moment that if your child falls and gets hurt, and you have to rush that child to the emergency room, and you put that kid in the car, and you drive to the emergency room? He said, you know what you're going to do? You're going to break every law you can on the way there. You're not going to pay attention to the red light, the speed limit, whatever. You're going to get him to the hospital. And I thought, well, that's true. It sounds really good. And then he said this, here's the thing about Christ. He broke the law for you. Oh, whoa. What? Did you just say my Savior was a sinner? He didn't break the law. The Bible specifically said he's the only one who completely kept it. That's how he could die for me. But I can tell you this, there's Christians who will read after that fellow. because he sounds good. They'll watch him because he sounds good. Boy, what a wonderful disposition he has. What a wonderful person he is. Can I tell you this? If you have to choose, and I pray to God that I'll never put someone on this point, but if you have to choose between someone having a right position and a right disposition, you better choose the right position every time. I would rather have the truth delivered to me with a bad attitude than someone with a wonderful attitude who couldn't deliver me the truth. See, we live in the day and age when people would rather have wonderful flowery words delivered to us in wonderful ways that make us feel good, and yet it would be completely absent of the truth. And the reality is the perfect mixture is a wonderful position with a wonderful disposition. It doesn't always happen, but you better choose the position over the disposition. And if we get too caught up, we're going to look around for seducing spirits. We're going to listen to some folks from all different denominations, folks who believe you can lose your salvation, people who believe in Calvinism and wrong views of grace and faith. And the next thing you know, we followed that off into practical error. Because we gave heed to someone's disposition. Their disposition. I think what I see today is much of what Paul saw on his day. Hey, wrong views of grace. Wrong views of grace. You know, Paul dealt with this over and over. He's written epistles about it, specifically Galatians. Here's the thing about grace. The Bible says, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath what? appeared unto all men. In other words, it's readily available for everybody. And then it says this about grace. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation has appeared unto all men. For the grace, I'm going to go back here so I don't mess it up. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Here's what grace does. Grace teaches me that I'm a sinner, first of all. I mentioned this in Sunday school, but the great hymn of the faith, Amazing Grace. Grace hath taught my heart to what? Fear. And grace my what? Fears relieved. In other words, grace first taught me that I was a sinner and I had hell to fear. But then grace stepped in and taught me about the Lord Jesus Christ and how he died on the cross and how he rose again. in Christ, and it relieved my fears. And then grace from salvation begins to teach me something, teaching me how to live right. It teaches me that the Holy Spirit of God lives within me to help me live right and empower me to live right. That's Christian liberty. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is what? Liberty. There's the liberty from sin, not the liberty to sin. If I came to you and said this as an American, what does it mean? What does liberty mean? Some of us would say freedom of speech. Some of us would immediately say, freedom of religion, the Second Amendment. And then I would ask you, well, then what does that mean if someone, would you say if the Second Amendment is important, that if someone showed up at your door to take your firearm, if the Columbus PD showed up at your door to take your firearms, is that right or wrong? You'd say that's wrong. Someone came to shut down your freedom of speech, you would say, well, that's wrong. But don't they have the liberty to do that? You say, no, liberty means you can't do that. Do you know liberty? The very definition of liberty means that some things are right and some things are wrong. Christian liberty is not the absence of right and wrong. It is the presence of it. It is that the Word of God tells me what is sin and what is righteousness and the Spirit of God empowers me to live right and not live wrong. But then there's lascivious living over here. The Bible says that some in Jude chapter 4 have turned grace into lasciviousness. They've erased right and wrong and said, just live however you want. Standards, convictions, whatever it is, out the door, grace. So over here is legalism. They've added to so much. And by the way, the specific definition of legalism is adding to salvation. the works for salvation, or the ability to lose your salvation legally, but the Christian ought to live in liberty. And we live in the day and age where it's one or the other, and we've got some folks over here teaching you works-based salvation and all of that, but we've got a huge crowd sweeping across, I don't care what denomination it is, that is lascivious living. that says grace says you don't need to have standards, you don't need to have convictions, there doesn't have to need to be right and wrong and we live in a day and age in which doctrinal error is running rampant and people are reading after it, following after it and it won't be long if they do that they will depart from the faith. Depart from the faith. Doctrines of grace being undermined. We live in a day and age when Calvinism is sweeping through Baptist circles, independent Baptist, Southern Baptist, doesn't matter who you are. This idea that somehow there's a limited atonement. Somehow Christ only died for the select few and you might be left out. You say, preacher, what are you saying all this? Because I'm telling you, you better be careful who you heed. Sometimes we're wondering, why are our family members going so awful? What's happening? And yet we'll sit there and, well, it's not important to just read after people who are doctrinally sound the way I am. It is. I'm not saying people don't have good things. But I'm telling you, if you're reading after and following after a whole bunch of people giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, that you're headed for departure. It will take you to a place where you will stray into areas you never thought you would go." He said, give heed. Be cautious of the times. Be cautious of those that you read after. Be careful, at the very least, know who you're reading after and what they believe. We live in a day and age of wrong views of holiness, wrong views of salvation, wrong views of the Word of God. The grass wither and the flower faded, but the Word of our God shall stand forever. This book. People treat it just as if it's another book on the shelf. You know, one of the things that define a Baptist is this, Bible authority is in all matter of faith and what practice. Matter of fact, that shouldn't just be Baptist, that should be Christian. But it's one of the defining aspects of a Baptist specifically, Bible authority in all matters of faith and practice. Recently, someone told me that the version that you use of the Bible is purely a matter of preference. Can I tell you something? When the Word of God becomes preference to you, your faith is a preference, and you are the definer of what that preference is. Bible authority in all matters of faith and practice tells me something has to be solid, and that which must be solid is the Word of God. And when this book becomes a matter of personal preference to me, then I define what is my faith. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the what? Word of God. We live in an age when people think, well, it's not doctrine. And I think we're coming there because I think during the tribulation period the Bible talks about there being a one world church. And in the last 20 years, people have dropped the name of what their church is off their sign. We've become River Church, Community Church, all kinds of different churches. Doctrine has been diminished, even in Baptist circles. Hey, you better be careful. You say, I don't think I'll depart. Some shall. And that wasn't me. That wasn't even Paul or Timothy. The spirit speaketh expressly that some shall depart from the faith. Hey, be cautious of the times. Be cautious of those. Look, I read after some folks that I don't agree with 100%. But I can tell you this, I'm gonna know exactly what they believe before I read after it. I'm not gonna let some person lead me off into some error that'll cost me my children, my family, my holiness, my walk with God. Be careful what you listen to, be careful who you heed. Hey, I think of this, be careful, be cautious, and I'll be finished of yourself. Look at the end of this chapter. He says this in verse 16. Take heed unto what? Thyself. And unto the doctrine, continue in them, for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee. Be cautious. Listen to the warning. I like verse six. It says this, Paul specifically told Timothy, if you don't warn people, you're not a good minister. Listen to the warning. Listen to the warning. Hey, I think it's important for us to give heed to sound preaching. 2 Timothy 4, 1-12, 2 says this, I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word. Be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. He says this, preach the word, Timothy. I think this, one of the ways that keeps you from departing is to saturate yourself with doctrinal, biblical preaching of the word of God. There is the antidote to the false teachings of this world. is doctrinal, biblical preaching of the Word of God. It is good for your family to be under doctrinal, biblical preaching of the Word of God. Be careful of doctrinal error. Get under the preaching of the Word of God. I think of this, refuse to have itching ears. Verse seven says this, but refuse profane and old wives' fables and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 2 Timothy 4, 3-4 says this, You know what a fable is? It's a fairy tale. It's a falsehood. It's a wonderful story that is untrue. That preacher I told you about, he told a fable. What a wonderful story about the love of God, but it's completely untrue. It's a fable. It's a fairy tale. I believe this, refuse, refuse, refuse to have itching ears. Refuse it. Refuse to get so caught up in someone's disposition that you will fall into biblical error. Refuse to get so caught up in someone's disposition that you can't hear the biblical position. We live in a world that is perpetually offended, and it drives me crazy. The politically correct world. You've got to say things just right. And if you don't say it just right, people shut you off. As a preacher, you fear that. I'm going to say a word that might offend somebody. Man, I don't know how many words I've spoken tonight, but I've spoken a lot. Sooner or later, I'm going to say one I shouldn't have said. All right? And some people get so fed up and so, oh, I'm going to turn that off. I'm going to go find someone who tickles my ears and itches my ears and tells me something exactly what I want to hear. And they'll depart from the truth. Quit teaching me doctrine. Quit telling me things I don't want to hear. Tell me what I want to hear. Tell me what makes me feel good. Christian refuse that. Flat out refuse to become that person. They sound so good, don't they? I just have a greater experience of grace. Grace has just had a greater impact in my life. You just haven't experienced that amount of grace yet. Hogwash. You just need to be more loving, more gracious. And we need to be loving and we need to be gracious. but not the doctrinal heir. No. You know, some people would have left Jesus by the wayside. You know, he called some folks a generation of vipers. You ever read John the Baptist preaching? I mean, I would be scared to have him here if he were alive. I mean, that guy, he didn't cut corners. You ever read Jesus' message and just put yourselves in the shoes of the audience? Some of the things Jesus said, it's like, eh. One time he told him, you just followed me for the food, man. You didn't follow me, you followed me for the miracles. You didn't follow me for any other reason. Can you imagine on a big day, you came here just for the grill outside. Brother Mike Miller's barbecue. We couldn't handle some of that preaching. Do you ever read the preaching of Isaiah? Jeremiah? Elijah? Elisha? And by the way, you say, well, I don't... That's Old Testament. Hang on a second. When Paul told Timothy to preach the Word, what would he have known about preaching? Jesus. John the Baptist. Jeremiah. Isaiah. He didn't know about Joe Osteen. He didn't know about that guy. He didn't know about flowery words. He just knew the preaching of God. And I have watched people after people depart from doctrine and sound preaching because it didn't tickle their ear. Because it didn't make them feel good. Because someone said a word they didn't like in a way they didn't like it. Refuse to be that person. We live in a perpetually offended society that you've got to be politically correct, refuse it. Take doctrine over disposition every time. He says, stand to the preaching, refuse to have itching ears, exercise thyself unto godliness. I have to go quick. Verse 7, but refuse profane and old wise fables and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. I've been trying to exercise a little bit lately, about four times a week, if I get there. It feels good to have exercised. But it profits little. It's going to help me feel good, help me live longer, maybe. Well, there's a time appointed when a man wants to die, and after this, the judgment. Maybe a better quality of life, maybe. But here it is. But the reality is this about it. It'll help me temporarily. But exercising thyself into godliness is profitable both in the life that now is and the one that is to come. Godly, exercising yourself in what is right, doing right activities will last you for an eternity. While the world is talking about grace as lasciviousness, you say I'm living holy and I'm living right. God said, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin continue any longer therein? When there's some in this world that says grace says it's okay, live how you want, do what you want, you look and say, no, I'm exercising myself into godliness because that is profitable in both in the life which now is and the life which is to come. Take heed of thyself. Exercise godliness. Stay under the preaching. Be careful of who you hear. Be careful of what you listen to. Weed it out in your life and learn, finally, learn biblical doctrine. In verse 6, it says this. It says, If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine. Verse 16 says, Take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee. Grab a hold of biblical doctrine. Learn the Bible and learn what it teaches. Recognize error when it's there. That's the importance of Sunday school. Discipleship. Biblical learning. You learn the doctrine. What does the Bible say about justification? What does the Bible say about sanctification? What does the Bible say about my salvation? What does the Bible say about grace? And instead of going after it because it just sounds good to us, but what does the Bible say? Give attendance to it. You better know it. Because we live in a day and age in which there's abundance of doctrines of devils. We live in a day and age in which there's abundance of error. In a day in which there's abundance of knowledge, not all of it is good knowledge. You can pick up your phone and there's more on your phone than in that huge encyclopedia you used to own, all right? Book and book and book after book. But not all of that's good. There's a lot that's bad. You can get online and you can listen to a lot of people preach. Some are gonna believe you lose your salvation. Some are gonna believe in Calvinism. If you don't think that it affects your practice, you're sincerely wrong. Those things have a huge impact on the way you live your life. It trickles down through your practice. Hey, be careful. I'm tired. In my personal life, I'm tired of seeing folks depart from the faith. You know, that's why Paul told Timothy, he said, he said, it's gonna happen, so better be ready for it. I also sit here and I look at my own life, say, if someone else can't, I sure can. And in this chapter, he says, here's some things you should do. You better be careful of the times. Some people are caught up in what the world's doing. And they're just getting swept along with it. Our families, I'll tell you what, if your family's too caught up in this world's philosophies, education systems, entertainment, that's a tidal wave you can't stop. You better be careful. Be careful of the false teachings. Once again, I'm not telling you to go out there and burn every book you have that's not written by an independent fundamental Baptist, all right? Now, it may not hurt some of them, okay? But I'm telling you this, when you pick one up, you better know what it says. you better know what that person believes. Because some of it sounds really nice. I've seen some guys talk so nicely, so softly, wave their hands just right. Bill Clinton, right there, that's old, all right. Do it just right, and yet be so incredibly wrong. And we follow after it, because it sounds so good. And it takes someone right off into air. And then be careful of yourself. Be careful of yourself. You better recognize some things. I need to make sure that I stay under good preaching. And it's okay for my feelings to get a little hurt sometimes. You know something about my feelings? I figured out they're just as tainted by sin nature as the rest of me. They are. They're just as tainted. Sometimes my feelings don't like things that are really good for me. Get into the sound preaching the word of God. Stay into the sound preaching of the word of God. Be careful of those you heed. Most of us could say here tonight that we know people who have departed from the faith. And if you are a parent, you've got to have a concern that your children might depart from the faith. You've got to. If you're a grandparent, if you're a parent with adult children who have sometimes departed from the faith, it scares you to death. Decide something. There's certain things I'm gonna do in my life. I'm gonna be careful the times. Number two, I'm gonna be cautious of those that I heed. Number three, I'm gonna do something in this life. I am. I'd be cautious of myself. I'm gonna pump my family full of the right preaching and teaching of the word of God, that which is doctrinally right, doctrinally sound, and I'm gonna be careful of who they follow. And Christian, you better be really careful of this attitude. It's not a big deal. They're good people. I didn't say they were bad. They were just wrong. And you follow wrong, and one day it will cost you. Some shall depart from the faith. And Paul's saying, Timothy, if you want to be a good minister, you better warn. I'm so thankful when I hear the songs tonight and I listen to those songs and I say, I don't ever want to leave behind what I have. I don't want everyone. Hey, that revival meeting last night, I don't want to ever lose God speaking in my heart. I want to lose what God speaking in my heart and the message. I don't want to ever lose what I get when God speaks in my heart through some songs. I don't ever lose that. But the reality is some will, no turn away from it and walk away from it. Because they followed the times. They followed some false teacher because it sounded good. Or they didn't give heed to themselves. This old flesh will take me some places I never thought I would have gone. Take heed to thyself. What we have in the Lord Jesus Christ is so much better than anything else you'll find. So much better. Be cautious in your life. Let's pray.