Preliminary Considerations:

1) What markes understanding the WHY (on this topic) so important?

2) Though apostasy is a loss, we need to be very careful to understand that it is not the loss of a lvoed one. It is a loss of betrayal.

Why People Go Apostate

1 They REFUSE to make God their greatest love. (Lk 14; 1 Pe 1:8; Joh 5:42; Rom 5:1-5)

1.1 Three things that lead to apostasy:

1.1.1 The things of God become foolishness

1.1.2 They don't experience God's guidance in their life.

1.1.3 They possess no emotional motivation or help in their obedience.

2. They REFUSE to trust the foreign over the familiar. (1 Joh 2:15-18)

3) The REFUSE to take seriously the dangers of remaining dumb and discounting sin. (Heb 5:11-6:8; Phi 2:13; Prov 22:3; Phi 1:9; Heb 12:15; Deu 29)

Why do they think this way? They don't believe three things:

1) They don't believe that sin needs to be mastered before it gets big.

2) They don't believe thir sins will end in apostasy.

3) They don't believe God takes their sin that serious.

Closing Contemplation:

If you are not actively/aggressively pursuing God as your greatest love, you are refusing Him. Progress or Regress. Are you ON FIRE for Christ?