The Expansion of Apostasy
Part 3
Pastor David L. Brown,
Ph.D.
Sermon Delivered 9/21/03
Text: "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of
Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished
in the gainsaying of Core." Jude 1:11
In my past two messages, we have been talking about
apostasy. We are living in a day of escalating apostasy!
This past spring Linda and I, accompanied by Tim and
Sarah Thoenes visited Boston. As we were following the redline historic
tour, we came to a Staples office supply store. On the side of the
building there is a brass plaque noting that this was the former location
of Holton's Shoe Store where Edward D. Kimball lead shoe clerk Dwight L.
Moody to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Moody left his boyhood home
of Northfield, Massachusetts, at age seventeen to seek a career in Boston.
He ended up living with his uncle, his mother’s brother, and working as a
clerk in his uncle’s shoe store. One of the conditions of his employment
was that he attend Sunday School. Kimball, Moody’s Sunday school teacher,
was burdened for Moody. He decided he would go to where Moody worked and
share Christ with him. In his own words Mr. Kimball said,
"I found I had gone by the door, I determined to make
a dash for it and have it over at once. I found Moody in the back part
of the store wrapping up shoes in paper and putting them on shelves. I
went up to him and put my hand on his shoulder, and as I leaned over I
placed my foot upon a shoe box. Then I made my plea, and I feel that it
was really a very weak one. I don't know just what words I used, nor
could Mr. Moody tell. I simply told him of Christ's love for him and the
love Christ wanted in return. That was all there was of it. I think Mr.
Moody said afterward that there were tears in my eyes. It seemed that
the young man was just ready for the light that then broke upon him, for
there at once in the back of that shoe store in Boston the future great
evangelist gave himself and his life to Christ."
As Moody used to tell folks, "I was born of the
flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856. That which is
born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live
forever."
Moody soon left Boston, moving in 1856 to Chicago,
where in a few years he developed a very successful business as a shoe
salesman. In the meantime he was touched by the enthusiasm of the city
revivals that spread through America in 1858, and he turned more and more
toward Christian work. He started Moody Church and preached in the slums,
emphasizing literal interpretation of the Bible and the need to prepare
for the Second Coming. In 1870 he met a young songleader in Indianapolis,
said bluntly, "You're the man I've been looking for for eight years. Throw
up your job and come with me." Ira D. Sankey did just that;
thereafter it was "Moody will preach; Sankey will sing." They began a
series of highly popular revival tours in Britain and the U.S.
His message was essentially simple. It has been
characterized by the "Three R’s: Ruin by sin,
Redemption by Christ, and Regeneration by the Holy Ghost."
Moody focused his ministry on saving souls. His most famous remark was, "I
look upon this world as a wrecked vessel. God has given me a lifeboat and
said to me, ‘Moody, save all you can.’"
Other than through his personal work, Moody’s principal
means for perpetuating the Gospel message was through establishing
educational institutions. In 1879 he founded a school for girls at his
home base, which was in Northfield, Massachusetts, and in 1881 followed it
with the Mount Hermon School for boys. In 1886 he adopted Emma Dryer’s
recently founded Bible training school, the Chicago Bible Institute (later
Moody Bible Institute) to quickly train "gapmen" or laymen in those things
necessary for them to become effective Christian workers. Perhaps more
important at the time were Moody’s summer Bible conferences held at
Northfield beginning in 1880. At these conferences Christian leaders from
all parts of the English-speaking world assembled to learn particularly
about evangelism and the necessity of Spirit-filled lives of holiness. The
outstanding outgrowth of these Northfield conferences was the formation of
the immensely influential Student Volunteer Movement in 1886. This
movement inspired missionary efforts by thousands of young persons during
the succeeding decades, carrying with them the motto of the Student
Volunteers, which also summarized the goal of the lifework of D. L. Moody,
"the evangelization of the world in this generation."
Perhaps you are wondering why I am telling you this
when I am talking about apostasy. I got an email from Dean
Holloway this week. He lives not far from where Moody was born and buried
in Northfield. Here is what he said about the schools Moody founded –
"Moody, after his North American and European crusades he retired here and
started two prep schools. Both schools have since gone a little
awry. The campus pastor of the Unitarian church is none other than Mary
(Travers) of "Peter, Paul and Mary.’"
Unitarians neither believe in the deity of Christ nor
the saving grace of Christ. Moody started these schools right! Yet, slowly
but surely, the school moved from the absolutes of Bible truth and the
preaching of Salvation by Grace to "The Answer Is Blowin’ In The Wind."
This is a prime example of apostasy, abandoning the Christian
faith. It fits the pattern of 2 Timothy 4:2-4
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will
come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts
shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And
they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned
unto fables."
In our last message we looked at the first of Four
Dimensions of Apostasy…Rejection of God’s Authority. The
second dimension is…
Conceivably the most widespread areas of apostasy in
the "church" today is rejecting God’s grace. The theology in many modern
churches is focused on meeting people’s physical needs and solving their
problems. To them it is the physical body that is important. However, this
is NOT the primary purpose of the church. The church is to preach the Word
of God and preach the Gospel. Many so-called churches are preaching
religion instead of a relationship (with Jesus Christ). They preach
the gospel of works, the gospel of baptismal regeneration, the social
gospel, the new age gospel, the non-repentance gospel and even the
bloodless gospel. But anyone who believes these false gospels is accursed.
Turn with me to Galatians 1:6-9
"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the
grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but
there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any
other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
Apostasy embodies the rejection of God’s grace. Again,
an example of this kind of apostasy is found in
Jude 1:11. "Woe unto them! for they have gone
in the way of Cain…" The account of the apostasy of Cain is found in
Genesis 4:1-12. "The
way of Cain" stands forever of one who refused the Grace of God in
salvation and offered their own works. Abel offered a blood sacrifice in
faith and but Cain offered a bloodless sacrifice and it is only "the blood
of Jesus Christ his Son [that] cleanseth us from all sin." (1
John 1:7).
I like what J.C. Ryle says about the merit of good
works in gaining salvation…
"Whatever merit they may see in their own works
here in this world, they will discover none in them when they stand
before the bar of Christ. The light of that great day of assize
[judgment] will make a wonderful difference in the appearance of all
their doings. It will strip off the tinsel, shrivel up the complexion,
expose the rottenness of many a deed that is now called good. Their
wheat will prove nothing but chaff: their gold will be found nothing
but dross. Millions of so-called Christian actions will turn out to
have been utterly defective and graceless. They will be found to have
been like whitened sepulchers of old, fair and beautiful without, but
full of corruption within."
The way of Cain is the way of apostasy.
Apostates reject God’s grace.
I will conclude by saying, in this era of apostasy, we
who love the Lord must stand for the authority of the Word of God and not
back down regardless of the pressure apostates exert upon us to
compromise. And when it comes to the Gospel, we must proclaim its pure
truth far and wide. People need to know that they have been lied to and
they need to know the truth.
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