07-30-2023 - Staying Strong

Stay Strong In These Days

Intro: I enjoy optical illusions, lets look at a few of them on the screen.

Link: In life there are many things that can trick our eyes and deceive us. The other night I was on the phone and thought I saw a large spider on the molding around the door, but quickly realized it was just a knot in the wood. When I told Carrie about it, she said she sees the same things sometimes. Last December, our DR, Randy and I went for Coffee in Jefferson City, MO. When walking out of th ecoffee shop, I looked up and saw a man that resembled the back of Dave Hernandez, our old DR. I took a photo of the man and when I showed it to sevearal of the staff from the VM home office, they all though it was Dave. Dave saw it once and said, “Its my long lost brother.”

Things can deceive even the best of us.

This morning I want to talk about the word Deceive

Deceive definition:

Dictionary: Webster defines deceive: To cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid.

Original Greek: Planao (Plan-Ah), meaning to roam from safety, truth or virtue, to go astray, seduce, wander...

Matthew 24:23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.”

It is not God’s will that anyone would be deceived.

Past: Satan & people have deceived others, here are just a few Biblical examples:

Satan in the Garden to Eve & Adam - Genesis 3:1-6

Rebekah & Jacob Deceive Isaac - Genesis 34:1-31

Notice with this one, the heart of deception continued on into the next generation. The 10 sons of Jacob deceived their father into thinking that Joseph had died.

As a side not, its interesting to see the parallel here between Joseph and Jesus:

Joseph: Jesus:

Favorite son called dead God’s one and only son did die

Sons of Israel deceived head of nation Sons of Israel deceived the nation that Jesus died and was not the Messiah

Son saved his blood & gentile nation from famine/death He saved his nation & the gentile nations form eternal death

Father & Son were together again Father & Son were together again

The Gibeonites Deceive Israel - Joshua 9:1-27

Abraham Deceives Abimelech - 2 John 7-11

Future: In the end days, during the time of tribulation, the Bible tells us that the Christians in the tribulation could easily be deceived that the false Messiah is the real Messiah.

Matthew 24:22-26 “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. 23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.”

Now: Today, as satan is still rampant and roaming around, he is trying to deceive us. Through so many outlets.

Media, neighbors relaying bad information, false teachers on T.V., really behind any pulpit, books, going off of feelings, etc.

We as the church need to, we must be counter cultural, anti-WOKE.

Woke defined: (adj.) A state of oblivion only achieved by those delusional enough to find injustice in everything but their own behavior.

How to guard against being deceived?

James 1:21-26 “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”

To be anti-woke, countercultural, not deceived we must

Lay aside all filthiness, overflow of wickedness

Mac Arthur said:

This gives two ideas here, taking off dirty clothes

This statement was sometimes used of earwax, of this that would impede the believer’s spiritual hearing. Wickedness refers to evil desire or intent

receive meekness, the implanted word

Wiersbe said:

James here saw your heart as a garden; if left to itself, the soil would produce only weeds. He urges you to “pull out the weeds” and prepare the soil for the “implanted Word of God.” Again it gives the picture of a garden overgrown with weeds that cannot be controlled. It is foolish to try to receive God’s Word into an unprepared heart.

be doers of the Word - Putting it into practice, as in Read it, Study it & Do it.

forget who you once were, focus on who you ought to be in Christ.

Challenge:

Being anti Woke & counterculture isn’t our main goal, these are the side effects though of not being deceived. I want you to listen to what one Scholar once said in regards to how we are protected from being deceived.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Four: Quit Kidding Yourself (James 1:19–27)

How do we prepare the soil of our hearts for God’s Word? First, by confessing our sins and asking the Father to forgive us (1 John 1:9). Then, by meditating on God’s love and grace and asking Him to “plow up” any hardness in our hearts, “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns” (Jer. 4:3). Finally, we must have an attitude of “meekness” (James 1:21). Meekness is the opposite of “wrath” in James 1:19–20. When you receive the Word with meekness, you accept it, do not argue with it, and honor it as the Word of God. You do not try to twist it to conform it to your thinking.

If we do not receive the implanted Word, then we are deceiving ourselves. Christians who like to argue various “points of view” may be only fooling themselves. They think that their “discussions” are promoting spiritual growth, when in reality they may only be cultivating the weeds.

Will you today and tomorrow continue to work on not being deceived. Satan wants you, Gospel Chapel, your family and community to be deceived. There is deceitfulness all around us, it creeps into many good churches and denominations over the years. But if you will stand on Gods Word, allow the HS to pull the weeds, break up the soil of your heart and allow the Word of God to penetrate into the garden of your heart, you wont be deceived.

So where is your heart today?

Does it need some weeding?

Does it need some tilling to loosen the hard ground?

Unsaved:

Perhaps your the most deceived of all, not even knowing Christ. Satan wants you to stay this way. However God loves you. ABC. John 3:16

Closing Song: