The Tragedy of Demas

Tom Shrader traces the brief but sobering biblical record of Demas, a fellow worker of Paul who ultimately deserted him because he loved the present world. Drawing on 2 Timothy 4:10, 1 John 2:15-16, and 1 Timothy 6:6-17, Shrader identifies six lessons from Demas's failure, including the importance of Christian community, the reality of adversity and betrayal, and the need for an eternal perspective. He urges believers to pursue the focused discipline of a soldier, the self-control of an athlete, and the diligence of a farmer in order to remain faithful to God's call.

“God will forgive you, and God will use you.”

— Tom Shrader

Series: Scottsdale Bible Church

Recorded: 2014 at Scottsdale Bible Church

Duration: 36 min

Themes: faithfulness, worldliness, betrayal, perseverance, eternal perspective, discipline, community, temptation, struggling with temptation, feeling spiritually distant, questioning commitment, new believer, young adult, mentor, recovering from failure, navigating betrayal

Scripture: Colossians 4:14, Philemon 1:24, 2 Timothy 4:9-11, Acts 15:37-41, 1 John 2:15-16, James 4:4, Genesis 3:6, Matthew 13:22, 1 Timothy 6:6-8, 1 Timothy 6:17, 2 Timothy 2:3

Theological Themes: apostasy, falling away, sanctification, love of the world, perseverance of the saints, biblical discipleship, spiritual warfare, eternal mindset

Full Transcript

Introduction to Demas

Demas is mentioned three times in the New Testament. The first two times appear in the book of Colossians and the book of Philemon, where he is part of a group Paul mentions in his closing greetings. In Colossians 4:14, Paul writes, "Luke, my beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas." In Philemon 1:24, he writes, "It is Luke, my fellow worker, and Demas as well."

As I began my study on Demas, I was able to discover four things about him. Number one, he was Paul's fellow worker — they worked together. I really want to make this point, because you and I are going to have to work on this together. I need you to come into this story with me.

He was not just a groupie tagging along with Paul. He was engaged in ministry with him. He was a traveling companion who was with Paul during Paul's first imprisonment, and this is a significant point: he was a recipient of Paul's personal investment. Paul was invested in him.

One author writes this: "Together they" — that is, Paul and Demas — "worked enduring various troubles and persecution to extend the kingdom of God." This speaks highly of Demas at that point in time, for Paul was very selective and careful about with whom he labored for the Lord.

Paul's Standards for Ministry Companions

This selectivity is apparent from the account recorded in Acts 15:37–41, where Paul rejected John, also known as Mark, for past unfaithfulness. Paul and Barnabas were setting out on their second missionary journey, and Barnabas said he wanted to bring along John Mark. Paul refused. Luke records in the book of Acts that a sharp disagreement arose between these two men — so strong that these co-workers and friends, Barnabas and Paul, split. Barnabas took John Mark, and Paul took Silas.

Paul's position was essentially this: I cannot afford to have someone unreliable with me. Barnabas saw it differently — John Mark had made a mistake, but he was worth another chance. Whatever the full reasoning on each side, they divided over it. Paul drew the line and said he could not afford to have weak or untested people around him.

So if Demas was counted among Paul's inner circle after that standard had been established, that speaks volumes about who Demas was.

The Relationship Between Demas and Paul

The relationship between Demas and Paul was a strong relationship, much more than something casual. It was an ongoing ministry of co-laborers, Paul investing time and energy and effort, perhaps even money, in Demas as they labored together.

Demas is mentioned three times in Scripture. The third mention is 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 9 and the first part of verse 10. Paul writes to Timothy: "Make every effort to come to me soon, for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me."

What "Deserted" Really Means

The word "deserted" — forsaken — carries the idea of leaving somebody in a dire strait, to utterly abandon. It is not just to walk away. It is stronger than that. It is to walk away and leave someone not in wonderful circumstances, but to abandon them in the midst of a moment of deep need. Here are these two men — here is Demas, who labored with Paul, worked with Paul, suffered with Paul, who was intimately involved in his ministry — and away he goes.

That brings us back to the verse: "Make every effort to come to me soon." What would pull a man like Demas away from a man like Paul? What could pull any of us away from this ministry, or from what God has for us? The answer is right there in the text: "Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me."

Looking at twenty-three translations and paraphrases of this verse, two color it in particularly well. Eugene Peterson's paraphrase in The Message reads: "Get here as fast as you can. Demas, chasing fads, went off to Thessalonica, left me here." The New Living Translation puts it this way: "Timothy, please come as soon as you can. Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life." What pulled Demas away was chasing fads — the things of this life.

The World System and the Either-Or Choice

John warns about this in 1 John chapter 2, verses 15 and 16: "Don't love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." It is an either-or. It has that ring of "you're either for Me or against Me." There is no spiritual Switzerland here, no neutral ground.

James puts it this way in James 4:4: "You adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." When we talk about "the world" here, it does not mean the planet, nor does it mean the people in it. It is the world system — the world's perspective, a worldview based on world values.

Returning to 1 John, those two worlds are in conflict. "Don't love the world or the things of the world, for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life — those are not from the Father." John identifies these as the areas of temptation.

The Three Avenues of Temptation

When we hear the word "lust," we tend to think of it in sexual terms. That is only a small part of it. It can be lust for anything. The lust of the flesh refers to natural desires in rebellion. The lust of the eyes speaks to something that simply looks so good — an avenue Satan uses to tempt us. The boastful pride of life is arrogance over circumstances, the idea that you can control things.

This pattern is so foundational that we can trace it all the way back to Genesis 3 and find its origin in the human race. Satan, the serpent, appears to Eve and tempts her. Genesis 3:6 records: "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food" — lust of the flesh — "a delight to the eyes" — lust of the eyes — "and that the tree was desirable to make her wise, she took from its fruit and ate." That is Satan's basic approach: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, boastful pride of life.

Not only is this approach standard, Satan has great confidence in it. As Jesus comes out of the desert after forty days, Satan is there waiting. He says, in essence, you must be hungry — take these rocks and turn them into bread: lust of the flesh. Look at all of this out there, it could all be Yours: lust of the eyes. If You really are God, throw Yourself off this cliff and angels will catch You: boastful pride of life. The strategy never changes.

The Parable of the Sower and the Warning of Wealth

Here is Demas, and the things of this world have caused him to desert Paul. What would Jesus say about it? In Matthew chapter 13, we see Jesus' parable of the seed and the sower. A man casts seed onto different soils and receives four different responses. The third response is the one we would associate with Demas: "Other seed fell on thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out." Jesus explains in verse 22: "The one on whom the seed is sown among thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word."

One of the most relevant passages on this theme is found just to the left of 2 Timothy — 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 6. Paul writes: "Godliness plus contentment is great gain." He continues by reminding us that we came into the world with nothing and we are leaving with nothing, that if we have food and covering, with those we should be content. He then goes on to speak about the dangers that follow when we are not.

Contentment and the Warning to the Rich

What I consider to be the missing ingredient — and a key ingredient in all of life if you are ever to have that satisfaction and that smoothness of an intimate relationship with Christ — is this idea of contentment. As Paul continues to write in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 17, he says, "Instruct those who are rich in this present world." From years of experience, that is a tough verse to apply, because when you hear the word "rich," what you think is anybody who has more money than you. This is still God's Bible, and my assumption is this is not a secret. By a world standard, everybody in this room is rich.

The warning here has two parts, so let me connect them and then give you some practical application. First: "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited." If you have some level of success, you have a tendency toward conceit. Let's say you are in a little office with ten people, and you are the top salesperson. At the end of the year, someone says, "Hey, we have a sales meeting next week — can you make a presentation?" And there is something in you that finds that appealing. If you are an author and your books are flying off the shelf, if you are an athlete and your stats are the best in the league — whatever it is, if you are successful, there is a tendency to be conceited. That is one mistake. Do not do it.

The Uncertainty of Riches

The second warning is: do not fix your hope on the uncertainty of riches. When Paul says "the uncertainty of riches," he does not just mean that we have money and then it leaves, though some of you in 2008, 2009, and 2010 experienced what we call asset erosion. You had some things, and now they are gone. The house was worth this; now it is worth that. That is part of the uncertainty of riches.

The other part of the uncertainty of riches is the belief that stuff can make you happy, that stuff will bring peace. I am currently reading a book on Steve Jobs — a fascinating man, clearly troubled, someone who accumulated thing after thing after thing while the whole world wanted a meeting with him, yet inside he was dying. There are a whole lot of people who think, "If I could be where Jobs was, that would make me happy." What Paul is saying is: watch out. The uncertainty of riches means it can buy you great health care, but it cannot buy you health. It can buy you a house, but it cannot buy you a home. It can buy you a bed, but it cannot buy you sleep. That is the uncertainty of riches.

Lessons from Demas

So here is the picture — let us connect it. Here is Demas, and here is you, walking along, intimately involved with Paul, intimately involved with Christ. What could cause you to walk away? What are the lessons from Demas?

Number one: the Christian life is a team sport. The very letter we have been looking at, 2 Timothy, is Paul writing what we have as his last written communication to the man he loves most in the whole world, Timothy — a mentor and a protégé. In the baptisms last night and again this morning, there was almost always another person involved: a mom, a fiancé, a spouse, a friend, a pastor. We need one another. Paul had Barnabas. Paul had Demas. You need people in your life, and you need simultaneously to be mentoring someone while also being mentored yourself.

I can speak to the church I am part of, and the problem we have in the older man to younger man, older woman to younger woman dynamic is that we do not have enough of the older folks showing up for it. The young people are there, but the older folks are not. For a variety of reasons — some of which feel legitimate to them — they will say, "I am an old man, I do not know what to do, I don't Twitter, hashtag I'm irrelevant." But here is the thing: these young people are not looking for you to unpack profound scriptures, though that is helpful. They are looking for you to unpack life with them. It is a team sport.

Do Not Be Surprised by Adversity

Number two: do not be surprised by adversity or betrayal. You are going to have adversity in your life. Because you are a Christian, you are not immune from the things around you. I right now have nine doctors — and so I have a lot of tests. This week is Mayo Clinic week, Tuesday and Wednesday. They call you and tell you when you can see them; they walk to their own beat up there. I have other independent specialists as well, and I go in regularly for tests. And then you get a call that goes something like, "Tom, this is Beth in Dr. Michael's office. If you need your test results —"

Failure Is Part of Life

Don't be surprised when bad news comes. Don't be surprised that you get a flat tire, your battery dies, your relationships explode, or there are people around you who walk away from you. As Ray Steadman writes about this, reflecting on his own life and the men in his life like Demas, he makes this observation: Demas is part of your network. You are going to have people like that whom you pour into, and they walk away.

Past Performance Doesn't Guarantee Future Results

Past performances are important, and I want to say this: maybe you are here today and you are really hurting — I understand that — but maybe you are here today and you are doing great, flying high. Two things to say to you. Number one, congratulations. It seems like we don't say that enough. We excel at ministering to people who are really hurting, and that is good, but if you are doing well, good for you. Number two, remember: this too shall pass.

Because you are doing well right now — and I am sure Demas was doing well, with people coming to him saying, "Hey, can you get me in with Paul? We can't get Paul for the men's retreat, but maybe you could come and speak" — that does not guarantee future results.

Failure Is Not Fatal

Failure is not fatal. We lose track of Demas after this. Some scholars suggest he may be mentioned again by John in his shorter letters under his complete name, Demas being an abbreviation of Demetrius, but we cannot be certain of that. What we can do is go back to a man we do know.

Remember the story Paul told about Mark? Look at 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 11: "Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service." You can be here today, perhaps having blown it in a very significant way, and not only will God forgive you — God will use you. I love this in Paul: he has only Luke with him, he is going through his Rolodex of who he could possibly call, and he lands on Mark, because Mark is useful to him for service. Failure is not fatal.

The Best Defense Is a Good Offense

The best defense is a good offense, which means we need to be proactive. Earlier in this book, 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 3, Paul writes these words: "Suffer hardship with me," and then he gives three images. As a good soldier — no soldier in active duty entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life; he is focused and dedicated. As an athlete who does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules — and that refers not merely to the discipline of the race itself, but to the discipline of preparation for the race. And as a hardworking farmer who wants to receive the first share of his crop.

How do I look at my life and make sure I do not fall into the Demas trap — having loved this present world and deserted Him? I need the focus and dedication of a soldier, the training and self-control of an athlete, and the hardworking diligence of a farmer.

You Need an Eternal Perspective

There is one final point: you need an eternal perspective. It is found in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 6 through 8 — godliness plus contentment is great gain. I came into the world with nothing and I am leaving with nothing. Someone more cynical than me has said that, considering the kind of world it is, he is lucky to break even. But if I came in with nothing and I am leaving with nothing, and if I have food and shelter, with those I should be content.

Here is the secret to contentment, which I believe is the secret to maintaining an eternal perspective. It is the secret that Job discovered and that Solomon discovered. Job lost everything; Solomon gained everything — and they arrived at the same conclusion. Solomon says, "As he came naked from his mother's womb, so he shall return as he came. He'll take nothing from the fruit of his labor." Job said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I shall return." For you and me to avoid becoming a victim of Demas's disease, we need an eternal perspective.

The Eternal Perspective

Here is Demas, walking with Paul, working with Paul — not on the fringes, but in that core group. And in Paul's arguably greatest hour of need, a time where Paul tells us he is about to die, Demas says, "Adios, buddy." Why? How can it happen? Love of this present world. Scripture is clear: do not love the world or the things of the world. You could almost put a warning label across it.

What struck me about Demas is that he becomes almost autobiographical for me. Maybe I'm the only one. But my prayer is that the Holy Spirit would apply this to your heart — not just this week, but for the rest of your life — and keep you focused and filled with self-control and hard work as unto the Lord.

Most of the things on your schedule this week are not critical. They may be important, but they don't carry that great eternal perspective. I'm not saying don't do them. I'm just saying don't let them consume you and ruin your day.

Think about those prayer requests that once felt so urgent. A year ago you were putting them on the prayer list in your small group, praying about them earnestly. Then you meet someone who keeps a notebook, and they ask, "We were praying about this last year — how did it turn out?" And you find yourself saying, "I forgot all about that." That is the danger of losing that eternal perspective of what really matters.

Closing Prayer

Father, we pray this morning for the people listening here and online. We pray it not in some abstract way for the room, but each one of us prays it for ourselves — that we would not become like Demas, that one who is so pulled away by the tugs of this present world that he abandons the call You placed in his life.

God, we know that we do not have the ability on our own to stay focused, disciplined, and committed to hard work. That is why we come to You. Your yoke is easy. We team up with You as You fill us with Your Spirit and bring us into Your family.

God, we pray for Jamie as he is away — that You would strengthen him physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and that he comes back ready to be the man You have called him to be as he leads this church. We pray for the chapel that opens in a couple of weeks, that You would use it for ministry beyond anything we can imagine. We pray these things in Christ's name, amen.