Sermons

Becoming Heaven's Hands

Biblical Text: 2 Timothy 4:10

"For Demas hath forsaken, having loved this present world, and has departed unto Thessalonica..."
The Apostle Paul is writing from his jail cell in Rome. It's winter….I know it's winter because he asks Timothy to bring him his coat. But that is not the purpose of his writing. He writes to young Timothy to say that there is a problem. Paul is not writing about the problem of his jail sentence. Not at all…..instead he says, "I've got a problem with Demas...." Some writers have suggested that Demas was short for Demetrius. Paul says, "I've got a problem with Demas."
And what is the problem? Demas is gone! This young protégé that Paul has carried all over the land with him, is now gone. He's "jumped ship", as we say, and gone off to Thessalonica. Maybe that's where some of our church folks have gone.
Paul is no longer this young, vibrant fireball. It is now some 20, 25, 30 years after the Damascus Road experience. He is now the seasoned saint. We need the wisdom of the aged. The Bible says that young men are for war, and old men for counsel. Paul is in his counseling years, and needs faithful younger men around him to carry out the more difficult tasks of ministry. But Demas is gone.
So this Apostle laments in a letter to Timothy that he has lost his right-hand man. He's feeling deserted and forsaken. Paul has been listening to the taunts from the guards. They've been telling him, "Nero is going to get you". They heard that the axe-man was called in to sharpen his ax. Nero had a price on Paul's head. Whenever you serve the Lord, there's a price to pay. Detrich Barnhoffer says that the call of the Christ is not a call to come and glory….it is a call to come and die. And after a while, Paul would be a victim of Nero's chopping block.
The threatenings from the guards were getting more and more frequent….Paul knew what was coming…..And the text says that Demas was gone!
Don't be too hard on Demas. The Bible is filled with stories of people who took off when the heat was on. And the church suffers from the same dilemma today. The disciples fled when Jesus was crucified, and the church folk flee when their pastor is "crucified". Some things just never change.
I wonder how many Demas's have fled from our churches, associations and our convention? They were there for a little while and now, when the requirements of real service are pressed upon them, and the work cries out for committed souls, and a committed purse, some of them are gone.

One writer simply suggests that apostasy has set in. Apostasy is when you leave the teachings or the faith. The writer suggests that it's easy to do when you've never had a real conversion experience to begin with. Maybe that's why Demas was gone.

Paul continues…."Not only has he left me.....but Demas has fallen in love." There's nothing wrong with falling in love. Some of you ought to try it…..as long as you're careful who or what you fall in love with! The Bible says Demas has fallen in love with the world.

That bears repeating. Demas has fallen in love with the World. In the original Greek, interestingly enough, the word used is "agape", which is the same word used to describe the love of God or our relationship with God. The use of the word agape suggests that the love that Demas has for the world is just like the love we have for the Lord.
Imagine loving the world that much! Some don't have to imagine.

They love crack.
They love homosexuality.
They love money and fame.
They love power and position.
Or maybe they just love Sunday's at the beach.

Don't be too hard on Demas. At least he made a choice. Some folks do a Christian performance on one foot. The other foot is out in the world. They dress like the world…they talk like world….they live like the world….and then they have the audacity to come to church and sit next to us, and wave their hands in God's face and say "Praise the Lord".

Paul says Demas is in love with the world. In the Greek it suggests "naw-kash", which means he's fallen in a trap.
He was with Paul, but he fell into a trap.
He was with the Man of God, but he fell into a trap.
He went to worship, but he fell into a trap.
He studied the scriptures, but he fell into a trap.
He prayed with Paul, but he fell into a trap.
He fell into a trap and got weak in the knees.

I wonder what it was that drew Demas back into the world? I wonder if it was the fine women in Thessalonica? I wonder if it was the bright lights and big city that caught his attention? Maybe it was the desire for recognition and power. After all, that's what gets some of us. Some things never change.

It's easy to fall in love with the world. Satan whispers that a little bit of drugs can't hurt anybody. That joint right next to the Bible in your purse won't make you a junkie. A little nip is good for the belly's sake. One trip to Atlantic City with your tithes won't hurt the church much. Am I meddling? Some things never change.

Satan not only wants your soul and your church, he's also after our associations and our convention. He's after all of us in here, from the pastor on down. He doesn't care if you wear white, black, purple, polka dot, or blue - He's after all of us. He knows exactly what we like. The Bible says Delilah was "fair to look upon". Satan knows what we like.
And everything isn't sexual. There's pride, lust, greed, power-grabbing. It's all sin. And Demas got caught up in it and fell in love with the bright lights and big city. He decided that he would rather serve the world than serve the One who made the world.

Demas was gone. He moved to Thessalonica. Paul is in Rome, all alone. Thessalonica is due east past the Aegean sea. Titus is down in the south, pastoring a new congregation. Timothy is doing the same. And Demas has deserted Paul and gone off to Thessalonica.

Thessalonica is a four hundred year old city named after one of the conqueror's wives. They gathered together some of the small towns and made it into one great city to live in. They had all kinds of things going on in Thessalonica. Demas was headed for the right place if his purpose was to minister to the people. But instead, Demas was headed for the right place for the wrong purpose.

That would have been a great place to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was just like our city, full of godless people going about their daily lives, oblivious to the presence of Almighty God. Thessalonica was full of soldiers coming in and out, and tourism bringing people in from around the world. It was a vacation paradise filled with hotels. And that's what got Demas….it was the worldly paradise!

Demas went to Thessalonica for a brief visit. But he never came back to Rome. Sin was so comfortable to slip into. Have you ever noticed how comfortable Satan makes sin? Look around at those missing around us. Some of them have gone off to Thessalonica with Demas.

I don't mean any harm, but we're up against a powerful enemy. Satan makes the world comfortable. What are we doing to compete? Are we making people feel comfortable in the Lord's presence?

They go to the bar and someone offers them a seat right next to them.
They go to the club and someone offers them a free drink with a cherry on top. They turn the lights down low, and play soft music.
The ambiance is enticing. Sin is comfortable.

People aren't crazy anymore….They have emotional disorders.
People aren't drunk anymore…they're dealing with deep emotional issues.

Sin is comfortable.

Then they come to church, and what do they get?….the latest in Church Soaps.

Momma's still fightin' with the choir. Daddy's still criticizing the Deacons. Sister Sally wants you out of her seat. Sister Lucy won't let you sing her song. The members won't let you forget your sinful past. They just know that you're going back out into the world anyway, so they might as well give you a little shove. No welcome mat. No friendly handshake. We're making things uncomfortable for the newcomers, and the newcomers are fleeing to Thessalonica where Demas has gone.
If you check out the history of Thessalonica, you will find out they had an unusual religious makeup. Some practiced Judaism, there were Christians there, and some practiced polytheism. Most of the gods were named after Roman leaders. A person could easily get lost in the crowd. No commitment….no decision….just lost in a sea wave of religion…without much faith.

Demas is gone. He has fallen in love. He's moved to Thessalonica. It might have looked like a bad situation. It looked bad for Paul to be in Rome all by himself. When the crowd thins, the nay-sayers are always around to criticize the leader. "Why did Demas leave you, Paul? Where have all your followers gone?"

Yes, Demas is gone. But he didn't leave Paul. He didn't desert the Apostle. Demas deserted the Lord. Some things ought to change, but they don't. Paul was by himself, but he wasn't alone.
When a husband walks out on his wife, she's not alone.
When a wife leaves her husband, he's not alone.

When the child you've bought hundred dollar tennis shoes for, tells you to go to hell and walks out the door, you're not all alone.
A child of God is never alone.

I hear Jesus saying, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you."
In the Great Commission He says, "….and lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the world."

Somebody in here today knows what I'm talking about. It's not about Demas…It's not about Thessalonica. It's not about the Apostle Paul. It's about you.

The Lord has needed you, but you've been in Thessalonica with the boys.

Jesus Christ has been calling you but you've been hanging up on Him.
He's been singing a love song to your heart, but you love another….you love the world.
It's time to come home.
It's time to answer the call.
Some things should change.