Don’t Be Deceived!

 

Intro: We need to pay close attention to what is being said and taught as truth today, in the media, our government and churches. We need to be ready for the deception going on now and that which is to come in the future. God does not want us to be deceived so He warns us in His word.

I. The bible warns there will be much deception in the last days. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJV) ¹ Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, ² speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, The bible warns that there will be many false prophets in the last days. 1 John 4:1 (NKJV) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

II. Satan’s goal is to deceive the whole world. Satan is brilliantly clever at taking age-old lies, disguising them as realities, and gradually introducing them to even those churches who insist that they believe in the infallible authority of the Bible. Revelation 12:9 speaks of, " that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world." To deceive means to lead astray. Devil tries to lead astray by contradicting and twisting the word of God to say something other than what is true as he did Eve. The Lord put this and similar verses in his Word to warn us of a reality of world history: Global deception. Even those who profess to be Evangelical Christians are susceptible to the Serpent's lie. We already are and will continue to be exposed to deception about the intentions of other religions that are trying to establish a one world religion. There is deception by our government leaders about their intentions for a new world order to get control of the people.

III. Some examples of Satan’s deception. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) ⁸  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹  not of works, lest anyone should boast. Satan deceives people by the teaching of salvation by works instead of God’s grace. The bible tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9 the true way of salvation. What all the world’s religions and philosophies have in common is a form of self-righteousness that teaches salvation by works, that you earn salvation by what you do. They deny the Biblical Jesus and salvation by grace through faith in Him which is not of works lest any should boast. Jesus prayed to the Father that if there was any other way for mankind to be saved remove this cup from me. Jesus would not have had to go to the cross if there was any other way. Satan's is infiltrating the church with error through pastors and false teachers. Not only is Satan the "Father of lies," but he is also the "Author of confusion." It is getting harder and harder to tell the difference between the world views and the liberal church. The message and the priorities of the Church are becoming just like the World. There are books that teach on many different religions, philosophies and ideas. Beware of what you read and fill your mind with! Remember books written by mankind cannot replace the gospel. Only the gospel is error free. Christians are being deceived more and more with religious groups and movements which teach a mixture of beliefs and compromise of God's truth and priorities. The different religions are uniting for the purpose of solving the problems that create differences of religion in the world, thus one world religion. They do this in the name of God and peace. The only one world religion that will work is when Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom on this earth. The bible warns in; 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (NLT) ¹⁴ Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? Any religion that denies Jesus as God and Savior of the world is anti-Christ, evil and deceptive. It is of the devil. There is no harmony between Christ and the devil.

IV. The solution for avoiding deception is the Holy word of God. Christians are much more likely, these days, to not read their Bible for their convictions and world- view, but instead they follow the opinions of leaders they look up to. Celebrity preachers and some T.V. Ministers are likely to draw our attention and our allegiance. In these last days we cannot afford to follow human leaders as if they were experts; no matter who they are. We are to be disciples of Jesus and follow him alone. So how can we be sure we are not being deceived? The only way we will be able to spot deception is by having encounters with the truth. Knowledge of the truth exposes lies. Our only hope to not be deceived in these last days is to "abide in Jesus and His words"; according to John 15:7 We must surrender our hearts moment by moment to the Holy Spirit. We need to be like those in Acts 17:11 (NKJV) They searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. We should read our bibles every day if possible. That's the only way we will be able to spot deception is by having regular encounters with the truth of God’s word. When we read the bible John 8:32 says “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Invitation: Do not be deceived about your salvation. Romans 3:23 says “All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.” Romans 6:23 says “The wages of our sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, In Christ Jesus our Lord.” Be sure you have confessed your sins to Jesus and asked Him to forgive you so you can receive the gift of eternal life. Then invite Him into your heart to take charge of your life. Be baptized in His name to show you are sincere.

Bless the Lord

 

Psalms 103:1-2 (NKJV)
¹ A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!² Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: That’s our problem, we forget so easily! We must think before we can thank. We must ponder before we can praise. We must remember before we can rejoice. Here are five blessed benefits of the Lord that we must not forget.

I. There’s the Benefit of Pardon. “Who forgives all your iniquities!” David begins by reminding us that God forgives all our iniquity (sin -wickedness). Our greatest problem is the guilt we feel because of our sin, and our greatest need is to know forgiveness from the Lord. David says that God forgives “all” our iniquity. That’s good news, isn’t it? Some of us have really blown it big time, and we have messed up over and over and over again. And we’ve done the same dumb things repeatedly even after promising never to do them again. I’m glad the word “all” is included because it means that God intends to forgive my future sins. When Christ died, all our sins were in the future. And when we come to Christ, all our sins are forgiven, even the yet-to-be-committed sins. But we must not let our forgiveness be a license to sin! What a God we serve! What grace! He forgives all our sins—past, present and future. He’s more willing to forgive than we are to be forgiven. He is eager and ready to forgive. He wants to forgive us all.

II. Benefit of Healing. “Who heals all your diseases.” After doctors and nurses have done all they can do, and after we have used all the latest technology and taken the newest drugs, healing must come from the Lord. Good medicine and good prayer go together. That’s why we pray for the sick. We may be healed by medicine or by surgery or by some other course of treatment or we may find healing through prayer or by a miracle from the Lord. All of those things are possible. And remember that any healing in this life is limited and temporary. Our ultimate healing comes when we are raised immortal and incorruptible. In that happy resurrection day, when Jesus comes and the “dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16), then at last we will be totally, completely, and finally healed once and for all. Between now and then give thanks to the Lord for every bit of healing you experience. “Do you believe in divine healing?” That’s the only kind there is. It just comes in many different varieties.

III. Benefit of Deliverance from Destruction. “Who redeems your life from the destruction.” To redeem means to rescue from danger in the time of trouble. Destruction refers to death itself. That you are here today is proof positive that you are not dead. God has preserved you to this very moment and has protected you every step of your journey. If God willed it to be so, you would die today—and you might die today—but it cannot happen without God’s permission. Satan himself cannot touch you without God’s permission. Since all our days are written in God’s book (Psalm 139:16), and He alone knows how our earthly journey will end, we don’t have to live in fear of the future. Every day the Lord rescues us in a million ways that we don’t see. His angels encamp around us to deliver us from trouble. When the time comes to die, we will die. We are immortal until our work on earth is done. God is constantly at work behind the scenes, working to protect us from trouble, to clear the way ahead, and to give us strength for each new day.

IV. Benefit of a Coronation. “Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” We are crowned with the loyal, unending, unchanging love of God. He heaps up his blessings—and then he pours them out on us. Then he crowns us with “tender mercies.” Mercy implies our failures and defeat. Tender mercies means God knows what we are going through and He meets us where we are. If we were to receive what we truly deserve from God, we would stand no chance. Instead of justice or fairness, God give us “tender mercies.” The crown reminds us of our position as the children of God. Only kings and queens wear crowns, but it is the privilege of every Christian to be crowned with lovingkindness and the tender mercy of God.

V. Benefit of Satisfaction. ” Psalms 103:5 (NKJV) Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so your youth is renewed like the eagle's. God satisfies your life with good. That means there is nothing on earth that can satisfy us deeply except God Himself. Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of light with whom is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17) But the emphasis is not on what we possess but on what possesses us. To be satisfied means to be so full that you need nothing else. Here David speaks of satisfaction deeper than anything the world can offer. God says to His children, “I will give you whatever you need so you can soar like the eagle.” All of us need this. I know I need it. There is a way to renew yourself, your energy, your outlook and your attitude. And what is this “miracle cure”? Fill your life with God’s good gifts to you. If you will let him, the Lord will give you something the world cannot match. The end result will be everlasting immortal life. God says, “I want to satisfy you—not with gold but with good.” Not with that which glitters today and is gone tomorrow but with that which is permanent, eternal, and ever increasing in value.

Conclusion: We can thank God for all His benefits toward us and show our thanks by living for Him each day. What a wonderful God we serve!

Invitation: If you do not know these benefits of God, just confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and save you from hell. He will not turn you away and it will be the greatest day of your life and you will receive all of God's benefits.

THE PRVILEGE OF PRAYER

 

INTRO: God has not saved us and left us here on earth to get by the best we can. Our Father God has made us many promises in His word that we have the right and the privilege to ask for and receive from Him. If we are living in a right relationship with God, our potential in prayer is unlimited. God stands ever ready to help us as we ask Him to. Prayer is the strength of the church. We must be persistent in it!

I. God says we have an open door to heaven. THE Invitation to pray is found in Luke 11:9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. God has extended a special privilege to us His children! Open door policy! 24-7! THE PROMISE - Luke 11:10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. When we ask, we receive; when we seek, we find; when we knock, the door is opened unto us. The verbs ask, seek, and knock are all continuous action. We are to keep on asking and seeking and knocking, ever beseeching God to hear us. Jesus drove the point home: perseverance and endurance receives what it asks. The believer shall get what he asks if he...will not leave the throne of God- will not go away - will not let God alone. Don’t give up!

II.  God says when we speak according to the Word and will of God, heaven responds. Mark 11:23–24 (NKJV) ²³For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. ²⁴Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Our faith must be totally in God, nothing else. Mark 11:22 (NKJV) So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. WE must pray with our eyes on God and not the difficulty. When we pray to our Father in faith, heaven responds. WOW! What a promise and privilege. Notice the importance of what we say as we pray and after we pray! Mark 11: 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. These verses do not give a person authority to pray for miraculous powers for their own convenience or acclaim. Every act of faith must rest on the promise of God. If we know that it is God’s will to remove a certain difficulty, then we can pray with utter confidence that it will be done. In fact, we can pray with confidence on any subject as long as we are confident it is according to God’s will as revealed in the Bible or by the inner witness of the Spirit. When we are really living in touch with the Lord and praying in the Spirit, we can have the assurance of answered prayer before the answer actually comes.

III. If we ask what God has promised, in Jesus name, He will do it. To ask in Jesus name is to ask according to His will. Find it in His holy word and claim it. The reason He will do it. John 14:13 And whatever you ask in My name, [ in my will] that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

IV. When we pray according to God’s will we have confidence that He hears us and that we have what we have prayed for. 1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. There are many things that we know to be in accordance with his will, if we read His word and if they are sought in a proper manner. Our part is to know God’s will. All that God has promised we are justified in expecting; and what he has promised, we should pray for believing that we receive. Prayer is the language of the children of God. He who is begotten of God speaks this language. What a privilege and what promises God has given us through prayer. May we make the most of it!

INVITATION: If you have never asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins, then you need to pray that prayer right now. It is God’s will that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of Him. [2 Tim. 2:4] Confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive and save you. Invite Him into your life and then be baptized as a piblic testimony to your faith in Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. This will be the greatest prayer that you could ever pray.

Thoughts for the New Year

 

Intro: Since we have just entered the New Year; here are some thoughts from God's word we might want to remember so we can have a joyful and blessed year. God has some good advice for us, and we would be wise to heed what He has to say.

I. Forget the Past. Philippians 3:13–14 (NKJV) ¹³Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

a. Like Paul, we should be focusing on one goal: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. Our past sins should not be used as a barrier to the future, as an excuse for dropping out, or for avoiding a closeness in our relationship with God. We must repent of past and present sins. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Even the good we have done is past and we cannot hold on to that. We as Christians must forget the past, the good and bad things and press on toward the goal of perfection for which Christ saved us. In (Matthew 5:48) Jesus said to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. Paul did not consider that he had achieved perfection or spiritual maturity; he was not all that he knew he should be, but he lived his life growing in his relationship with God, pressing on toward the goal of ultimate perfection for which Christ died to give him.

II. Remember God is With You. [Rom. 8:29-31 ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. ³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

a. God who knew us in advance before we were born has predetermined us to be like Christ. He has called us by name, He has justified us, given us a right standing before Him and He has given us His glory, the glory of His Spirit within. We have a special relationship with the Lord as His covenant people. In verse 31 God says if we are His people then who can be against us? Because God has created us and called us, justified us and glorified us He will also care for us, He will continue as our Shepherd to guide us. Christ not only died for us but is now at God's right hand constantly pleading for us. Therefore, in difficult times, we should not give up and fear, for God is with us and will protect us and this makes us more than conquerors thru Him that loved us. He assures us that nothing in the heavens above or earth below, can separate us from His love which He has for us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Heb. 13:5 God promises He is always with us and He will never leave us nor forsake us.

III. Hold Fast to Your Faith. [Hebrews 6:13-20 (NLT)] ¹³ For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: ¹⁴ “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number.” ¹⁵ Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.

a. Abraham is our example. In verse 14 God made him a promise and in verse 15 the bible says that after he waited patiently, and he received what God had promised. God had confirmed his promise to Abraham with an oath, and these two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. God has promised us Christians His salvation and care for us. He has given His oath that He will provide for us a home in heaven. So we can have the sure hope of security because of the unchanging truth of His promise. It’s impossible for God to lie. Patience is our part whereby we hold on to his promise with confident hope just as Abraham did. We Christians have fled to God for refuge. Christ provides the safest place, the hope we count on, the encouragement we need. We must “hold on to his promise of salvation and blessings,” grasping it, refusing to let go no matter what happens around us. This confidence in God’s word is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, secure and immovable. Not only does this confidence in God’s promises hold us secure, but it leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. The inner sanctuary refers to the Most Holy Place in the Jewish Temple where God’s presence was. God’s presence was closed from the people by a curtain. The curtain was torn from top to bottom and the way into God’s presence was opened when Jesus died on the cross as payment for our sins. Because Jesus has provided access to God's presence; Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Invitation: Have you taken advantage of God’s promise to save you from Hell and give you a home in His Kingdom? When you confess your sins against Jesus and ask Him to forgive and save you, God has promised He will give you a home in His Kingdom. If you have not done that, do it right now before it’s eternally too late. Then use this year to draw close to Him as you read His word and communicate with Him in prayer.