The Demas Syndrome
2Timothy 4-10
There is a growing concern in many churches today over why so many people are leaving the church and not coming back. They are abandoning the churches in record numbers. It seems to affect the young people the most.
I will call it the Demas Syndrome.
I will use just two verses for this message; they are found in 2 Timothy 4:9-10.
Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens (kreskayns) to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia
Demas is an interesting character. We find him in two other passages of scripture;
Colossians 4:14 where we read “ Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you.”
Since this letter to Timothy was believed to be written from Paul’s first imprisonment at Rome, then we can see that Demas was with Paul and was supporting him while Paul was in prison.
The second time we see the name of Demas is in Philemon verses 22-24 where we read this; “But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. There salute thee Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus; Marcus, Aristarchus (Aris-star-cos), Demas, Lucas, my fellow labourers.
Here again we find Demas listed among those that are the fellow-laborers of Paul.
So, what has happened in the life of Demas that has caused him to forsake Paul and evidently the work of the Lord? He had been very active in the work, because Paul referred to him as a fellow-laborer.
The word forsake is an interesting word; the Greek word is “eng-kat-al-i-po.” It means to absolutely abandon, to utterly leave behind. It is like saying that a soldier has deserted and not simply A.W.O.L. He has no intention of returning to active duty.
This is the intention of Demas. He had utterly left Paul behind and left the work of the Lord.
How do we know that Demas had forsaken the work as well as Paul?
We can correctly understand that if Demas had simply left Paul and went to the field of the Lord’s service in another place, Paul would have referred to his departure as he did Crescans and Titus. It says simply that they had departed for different regions and for other reasons.
However, Paul makes it clear that Demas had left him and no doubt the work, for other considerations.
What has caused Demas to abandoned Paul and the work?
Well, we might say that he was tired; or that he had a lot of stress, or maybe he had family problems. It could have been that he had financial worries, or that there were difficulties that had entered and caused a problem. This has happened to many Christian workers. Some just get burned out. As I have heard it said, “It is better to wear out than to rust out.”
Have you ever thought that you were tired, or had worries or stress and that you would just leave the church? It seemed that it was too much for you to worry about to have to go to church every Sunday morning, night and Wednesday night for prayer and Bible study?
Pastors are very vulnerable to the problems of stress. Long hours and short pay will add to many pastors leaving the work. Then there is the stress of low attendance, little spiritual growth, not enough financials resources and seemingly little appreciation for their labors.
It is surprising that more preachers have not left their calling.
But we do not see these things as the reason for Demas leaving the work.
Demas might as well have used any one of these reasons for leaving, but Paul says that the real reason was that Demas loved this present world.
It can be summed up in these words found in 1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away. And the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
We as well might come up with a variety of excuses for the neglect of the work of the Lord, but behind most of it is the same reason that drew Demas away.
As brother Tom has said, “We walk around with a pocket full of excuses ready to pull out one when nee
But they are just that, excuses, and the Lord isn’t buying it. Most of the time it is the “Demas syndrome.”
But the word of God tells us in our text that Demas had forsaken Paul and the work because he loved this present world.
Here at Temple Baptist Church, we have seen many people leave the church for the same reason. There have been numerous teen-agers that have left and no longer a part of this ministry.
Why? Well I can’t speak for the absent teens or any other person that has forsaken the Lord’s work, but I will propose some reasons that seem to be indicative of much of the desertion today.
1. It seems as though they have forgotten what they were saved from; they had been delivered from their old life-styles and sin that had separated them from God. Perhaps it was drugs or other addictions. Maybe it was toxic relationships, or it could have been just a rebellious attitude. Whatever the reasons, they have forgot that they had been delivered from all their past sins.
They forgot that they had been bought with a price and were not their own.
They forgot that they were now a new creature in Christ.
This seems to be the most prominent reason. It is not taught enough nor is it preached about enough. Most people want to be delivered from hell but not from their wicked life-styles.
They either forgot or don’t stop and think what our sin cost the Savior.
He that was seated at the right hand of God left thaa exalted position to come to the earth and become a man.
He left the glory and splendor and beauty of heaven for the earth that He created.
He laid aside the glory of being the second person of the Godhead to become as a man. He still remained God; He was God in the flesh.
He took on Himself the human life. He became the last Adam.
He suffered rejection and ridicule from the very ones He created.
He was a homeless man in His own creation and had no place to lay His head.
He eventually, after three and a half years, suffered humiliation, rejection and the pain of the Roman soldiers beating Him.
A crown of thorns was forced onto His head.
He had his beard yanked out and ultimately allowed nails to be driven into His hands and feet.
Yes, our sins cost our Savior his very precious blood.
We should never forget what our sin cost Him before we engage in some sinful behavior.
Had Demas forgot what the Lord had saved him from? I would venture to say yes.
It seems that people forget that Jesus saved them from an eternity in hell. It should not be understood that these people should fear losing what they had, salvation, but rather they should respond in love and with thanksgiving.
Some people are saved from wrecking their lives in sin. Others are saved from wrecking their homes and families. While others are delivered from losing careers and dreams.
Sin has shattered more than one dream, home, family, or a person’s health, life, wealth and reputation.
2. They have set their affections on the earth and not things above (Colossians 3:1-2 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth.).
This is something so easy to get caught up in. It seems that there is a growing dissatisfaction with many people and it is causing many to fall away from the Lord.
People want more, bigger, and better, and they can’t be satisfied.
The world, at the direction of the god of this world, Satan, has placed many temptations in front of us.
Worldly amusements, worldly fashions and worldly lusts are just a few of these. To the world it is no sin to commit fornication. Paul says in 1 Corinthians: Nevertheless to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife and let every woman have her own husband.
People have it backwards today, they are engaging in fornication to avoid marriage.
To the world it is no longer a sin to take the life of an unborn child, it again is preferable to suffering the inconvenience of raising a child.
To the world it is no longer a sin to lust after another man’s wife or husband, as a matter of fact, it is promoted by Hollywood, and Madison Avenue.
Chastity before marriage is ridiculed and shunned.
According to the world’s standards it is no longer a sin to engage in same sex fornication. It is only an alternate life-style. Not only is it not sin but it is being promoted in many ways as a good thing.
Isaiah 3:9 says that “the shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.”
Isaiah 5:20-21 Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight.
Doesn’t that sound like America today?
Let me tell you how wise and prudent they are. They will claim that anyone that doesn’t agree with them about climate change is refusing to believe science; and yet they deny science that a growing healthy baby in its mother’s womb is living. They deny science that there are only two genders, not the many they claim exists.
They even deny the science of archaeology by saying that the Jews never held possession of Israel in history.
These things may or may not have been a temptation to Demas but they are a great temptation for many people today including Christians.
For many Christians they are following the example of Demas and forsaking the work of the Lord for the love of the world.
3. They have placed their values in the temporal and not in the eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
If we are going to remain faithful to the Lord’s work, we must see this life for what it is; a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4;14).
I remember a plaque that read; “One life, and it will soon be past, only what is done for Christ will last.” How true. When we think that all of this world will be burned up with everything in it, it shows us where our heart and our love should be directed.
Jesus said for us to lay up our treasures in heaven where neither moth not rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
We work so hard to get things we do not really need, only to see them wear out, rust away, get eaten up or be discarded as no longer needed or wanted.
People today will cheat, steal, kill and use any means to get something that they do not have to work for, and are never satisfied.
Ecclesiastes tells us of a man that is never satisfied with riches or things that could be purchased. He occupied himself with pleasures and enjoyments so that his heart could want of nothing. But he soon learned it was all folly and vanity.
People that work and live for riches are never are satisfied. Enough is never enough.
For a Christian to forsake the work of the Lord and the eternal rewards for the temporal rewards is getting short-changed. First, they will never be satisfied and second, they forfeit their eternal rewards. I wonder if Demas had misplaced his priorities. He must have because he loved the present world more than Jesus.
Remember what is written in 2 Peter 3:11 about how the things of this world is to be burned up.
4. The work of the Lord had become secondary and pleasure primary.
I realize that sometimes working for the Lord seems laborious, and unappreciated, but that is why it is called work.
And I realize that there are many amusements that can bring pleasure for a short time. However, they do not last for long until they start wanting more.
The bible tells us in the book of Hebrews that there is pleasure in sin for a season.
Working for the Lord Jesus brings eternal satisfaction that the world cannot give.
They had let the world and its pleasures distract them from what is really important. Had that been the case with Demas? Maybe, maybe not, but one thing is certain, anytime we let the things of the world take first place in our time or affections we are in danger of following Demas in his desertion.
So, what are some of the indications that a person has the Demas syndrome?
First is losing interest in the things of God such as praying, going to church and Sunday School, reading and studying the Bible, fellowshipping with other believers and serving God with your Spiritual gifts, talents and abilities. It also shows up when we lose a desire to share the gospel with others.
This doesn’t happen overnight. You do not just wake up one morning and decide that these things don’t appeal to you any longer. It happens over a longer period of time.
You slowly begin to draw back from the Lord. You gradually begin to lose interest in the things of God. You begin to lose your first love and start the process of being lukewarm. You begin to miss church more frequently, pray less, read your bibles more erratically and give less to the church financially.
The Laodicean Church did not become lukewarm overnight, it was a gradual process.
It seems they have lost interest in spiritual matters. They had fallen in love with the world as Demas had. Yes, they had left their first love.
Second, we notice it when we our desires become not my will but thine be done.
When we place more emphasis on what we want than what the Lord wants.
“The Lord wants me to teach a Sunday School class but I want to sleep in on Sunday mornings, it is the only day of the week that I can.”
The Lord wants me to work in the bus ministry but I want to be able to go to my children’s ball games or play golf or go fishing.
The Lord wants me to meet with the men or women for prayer time but I want to sleep in a little longer.
The Lord wants me to give sacrificially but I want that new suit, dress, car or anything that you want to put in there.
Isn’t that a little bit like idolatry? Isn’t that putting yourself ahead of God? No! It is not a little bit like idolatry, it is idolatry!
We also see the Demas syndrome when we lose our zeal for the Lord.
We get lax and lazy. This leads to carelessness in our personal spiritual lives.
We begin to watch what we shouldn’t; we begin to listen to what we shouldn’t, and we begin to go where we shouldn’t and gather with people we shouldn’t.
And lastly, we notice that the Demas syndrome when we find it too much trouble to remain faithful, or it takes too much of our time, or when it demands too much effort.
How often have we used the excuse that we have too little time to work for the Lord? It seems that we have plenty of time for our own pleasure.
The fact is that we do find time for what we want to do.
How can we avoid the Demas syndrome that has afflicted so many?
It is simple if one wants to.
First it takes recognizing that you are on the road that Demas walked. It is reading your bible and being convicted of short comings.
Remember, conviction is not a bad thing, it is your best friend. Without conviction, we would continue on our downward spiral and then comes chastisement. Chastisement can sometimes be rather severe. However, even severe chastisement is a good thing. Rebuke is a blessing too.
It means having the same mindset that David did when he prayed that the Lord would search his heart to see if there was any wicked way in him.
Second, it just means getting alone with the Lord, confess that things aren’t right, and recommit to serving Him with your whole heart, not just part of it. That is all He wants is your heart, if He has that He has it all.
Paul was in prison for the testimony of Jesus Christ; The Lord had his whole heart.
Demas forsake the work of the Lord, it is evident that the Lord did not have his entire heart.
We don’t tithe our hearts by giving Him ten percent, He wants it all.
Remember the Lords Day is not the time from 10:30 to 12:00. It means the whole day.
Why do we want to short-change the Lord when He has given His all for us? Is it too hard to tear ourselves away for another hour in the evening on Sunday or Wednesday?
If you find yourself saying yes, then perhaps you have been infected with the Demas syndrome.
It can be deadly but there is a cure. Swallow your pride and talk to Jesus about it.
Confess it for what it is, a sin.
If you find yourself being tempted or drawn away like Demas, pray harder, serve more, be more faithful. Don’t let the enemy of your soul get an advantage or the victory.
Remember what your salvation cost the Lord; rethink or reset your priorities;
Make Jesus preeminent in your life. That is the only way to be used of the Lord.