Changing Course

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at a passage of scripture but before we do, I wanted to tell you a little story.

Many years ago when I was still in high school one of my older brothers was entered into a sweepstakes of some sort and won a brand new 14 foot dolphin sailboat.

At the time he was living in town which was about 20 miles from our lake, so he simply left the boat at our house. We had permission to use it and that’s exactly what we did all summer long. I knew absolutely nothing about sailing, but basically taught myself through trial and error and flying by the seat of my pants.

3 years ago I finally had the opportunity to teach Andrew how to sail. We like to sail an older catamaran that we fixed up that moves across the lake at an incredible pace.

One of our neighbors has watched as we come up close to his shoreline at very high speed but then make a sudden unexpected change in direction, heading the complete opposite way with incredible momentum. When a sailboat “tacks” it means to change course and direction.

Did you know that there will also be people who enthusiastically profess to be a Christian but then all of a sudden make an unexpected tack heading off in completely the wrong direction. Instead of remaining and abiding in what they have been taught, they will turn away from biblical truth and deviate from the true Christian faith.

1 Tim 4:1 “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;”

When people depart it means that they turn away from an accepted, prescribed, or traditional course of action. In Christianity this course is found in our Lord Jesus Christ and in the teachings of Holy Scripture.

One of the main reasons in this passage that people will turn from the Christian faith is because they are led astray by others.

I’ve said this many many times before, but as we progress towards the end times, Christianity is not going to be on the increase but rather on the decline. The Lord Jesus taught that before his return it was going to be like the days of Noah. I ask you today, how many people believed in the true and living God in the days of Noah?

2 Tim 3:13 “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”

The Apostle also teaches us that there are false brethren in the church. False means insincere or disloyal. These men truly are not brothers in Christ, although they readily claim that. There were certain people who came out to hear Jesus and feigned themselves to be just men but they really didn’t believe in Jesus or what He preached and were only there to catch him in his words.

Insincere means not expressing genuine feelings. This is why the Apostle Paul taught that one of our battles is against…… spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph 6:12)

In the last 200 years there has been a huge decline in those who truly believe in the true Christian faith. Some have also attempted to twist and change certain passages of scripture to try to fit today’s modern day philosophies and teachings. They have had women preaching and teaching in churches for years, and a true spiritual man of God will understand and confess that this is both heretical and wrong.

I want you to think about this for a moment. Where would be the easiest place for the devil to find and attempt to turn the sheep away from their faith in Christ and His teachings? Wouldn’t it be the church?

I’ve read numerous commentaries about complete unbelievers who are infiltrating certain churches. They’re going so far as to get doctor of divinity degrees and be educated in religion at a college, but the truth of the matter is some are only trying to change the true Christian faith from the inside.

2 Cor 11:13-14

¹³ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

¹⁴ And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

The devil wants to get people to go against the commands and teachings of Christ. He’s been doing it since the Garden of Eden when he wanted Eve to disobey God and seduced her to do that very thing. Jesus taught not to judge by appearance. You’re not supposed to judge a three piece suit, a robe, or name tag on the shirt.

Eve is one of the earliest examples of someone who listened to and was a led away by a seducing spirit and the doctrine of the devil. The devil doesn’t want you to love and obey God or His commands from scripture but instead leads you in the complete opposite direction. He’s a liar and the father of lies.

Seduce means to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty or to lead astray, usually by persuasion. The devil’s function is to get you to completely go against biblical truth because he hates God. Ultimately he is the one that wants to be worshipped and will attempt through deception to get people to do so shortly before the return of Christ Jesus, who will destroy him and all that followed him and his ways.

The devil has always been a usurper and does not want to submit himself to the commands and teachings of Christ.

2 Peter 3:3 – Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts

The Christian faith is to have complete trust and confidence in the things that Jesus taught and the teachings of his apostles in the New Testament. Instead of believing the lies and philosophies of this world, we take heed and listen and follow the doctrines of Christ.

Doctrine is a belief or set of beliefs, especially religious ones, that are taught and accepted by a particular group:

Don’t listen and be deceived by the false teachings and philosophies of the world, but rather place your full faith and trust in Jesus Christ and teachings of scripture. Eve believed the lies of the devil. Don’t allow it to happen to you.

Let’s think about those things for today and Lord willing we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow till then bye-bye everybody.❤

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