To Depart From The Faith

So often do we hear of people that once loved the Lord and walked in His ways, but later on in life departed from the faith. Even some have done this unknowingly, for their faith was dead and the works of their flesh and their sinful state overshadowed God. Others have gone so far as to leave the faith and then go against it in their newfound beliefs like atheism or other world religion. This was prophesied by Paul when he said, ²“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.” (1 Timothy 4:1) And unlike popular belief in false churches today, once saved always saved is a false teaching. For such people that walk away from the faith, or live willfully in sin and die in this fashion are not saved. Instead, God’s wrath is upon such people while they are alive and in judgment. This teaching is all throughout the Bible, my friends. And one example is a man named Joash, the king. It is said that at the beginning of his reign, that he ¹“did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.” (2 Chronicles 24:2) He even ¹“minded to repair the house of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 24:4) He did many other things also for the building up of God’s house and made sure that His treasury was carefully looked over. ¹“And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 24:12) This all took place until Jehoiada, the priest died. Then, Joash’s whole life changed. And how this happened? We learn that next.

It is said that ¹“after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord. Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it.” (2 Chronicles 24:18-22) So we have a man that walked in the ways of the Lord, but then, later on, went after idolatry and even killed the son of the priest he ministered to. Wow. It was then that ¹“his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died.” (2 Chronicles 24:25) God tried to warn him through his prophets, but he would not listen. Therefore, he died in his unbelief. This, my friends, is a person who is now in hell because of his wicked choices, even at the end of his life. Please don’t be like him, but choose to live for Jesus and repent of any of your sins now, while you have breath. God bless you.

Let us pray:
Oh Lord, I pray that people will remember the importance of living for you and not the flesh. To many people, I am afraid of, are losing their salvation because of their unbelief and sinful state. People now love the things of the flesh and what they have in their possessions more than You. People can’t even put down their phones, but still, they cannot lift up a finger to read the Bible, or even sit for a while to pray. This is very sad to see in our day, but surely this has been prophesied of long ago. That only those people that will endure in the faith shall be saved. Surely, people will come to You in judgment saying they did all these great and mighty things in Your Name, but really they never made it a priority to know You personally. If they had, then they would have lived their entire lives for you and not just a moment of time. Lord, our time on earth is so vital for our salvation. Therefore, we need to make every breath that we take to be counted for Your kingdom. We can’t be doing our own things and still think that You are ok with our actions. What people need is Your light in their lives. They need Your strength. They need Your shield. They need your arms to carry them forth, lest they fall deeper and deeper into sin. The enemy has a stronghold upon people and if people do not wake up to their sins, they will die in this fashion. Lord, I wish that more people would be saved, but it is getting harder and harder to reach people with the gospel. People are so stuck in their ways that they don’t wish to have the Bible speak truth to their lives. If they did, then maybe they would be living differently. And maybe You would be the center point of their lives. Lord, I am grateful to know You. I love You with all my heart. Amen.

Let us read the Bible:
Note: Any Numbered References, found above, are listed below.

2 Chronicles 24

¹2 Chronicles 24 (KJV)
1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
3 And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.
4 And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord.
5 And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.
6 And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?
7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they bestow upon Baalim.
8 And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the Lord.
9 And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the Lord the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.
10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.
11 Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king’s office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.
12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the Lord, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the Lord, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the Lord.
13 So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it.
14 And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the Lord, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 But Jehoiada waxed old, and was full of days when he died; an hundred and thirty years old was he when he died.
16 And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.
17 Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.
18 And they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass.
19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the Lord; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.
20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you.
21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord.
22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it.
23 And it came to pass at the end of the year, that the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.
24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.
25 And when they were departed from him, (for they left him in great diseases,) his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died: and they buried him in the city of David, but they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings.
26 And these are they that conspired against him; Zabad the son of Shimeath an Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith a Moabitess.
27 Now concerning his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid upon him, and the repairing of the house of God, behold, they are written in the story of the book of the kings. And Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.

1 Timothy 4 (KJV)

²1 Timothy 4 (KJV)
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;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 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.
4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
6 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, whereunto thou hast attained.
7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 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.