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The Demas Syndrome |
II Timothy 4: 9 - 18 |
Every now and then a sermon must be preached that is so personal as to be painful to the preacher. Such sermons are never easy to preach, and care must be taken so that they do not become gaudy. But when they are done with taste and restraint, they can be the most memorable of sermons. This is one of those sermons for me, and I hope I have exercised taste and restraint. I first really became acquainted with Demas when I was looking for "minor" characters for a series I called, "Heroes, Villains, and Ne'er-Do-Wells" in the Bible. Not the big heros or villains, but supporting characters. I found Demas, was captivated by the three texts in which I found him, particularly this main one in Second Timothy. Demas was a deserter from Paul. Demas hit me hard. I, too, had for many years been a deserter from the Church. Later, I discovered that during my desertion from the Church, my father, back in Illinois, had preached a sermon on Demas, and, after hearing the tape of that sermon, I knew who he was thinking about, and hurting for. I decided it was necessary for me for preach, from my point of view, about Demas. This is one of the versions of that sermon that I preached. |