How to Guard Yourself Against Deception (Mark 13:1–23)

CPT: Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is protecting his sheep from future deception.

Purpose: Deception is prevalent in our culture. Protect the sheep from deception.

CPS: Guard your soul against deception by clinging to the truth of Christ.

Introduction

Attention

I’m thrilled to have my parents with us here today, and to have my Dad here singing in our church is a dream come true for me. My Dad wrote that song Like an Eagle when I was a kid, and he recorded it with a music group about 30 years ago. You can hear the song on Spotify, and we’ll share a link to it this week.

I love the line in the song that says, “Like an eagle, let me rise above, let me feel your power, hold me in your wondrous love.” Christians are called to be people who rise above. The world is constantly trying to drag us down, but God gives us the power of his Spirit to rise above.

How does the world try to drag us down? The enemy uses all kinds of deception and lies to tempt us away from keeping our eyes on Christ. The Lord know’s the enemy’s tactics. In the passage in Mark that we’ll read today, the Lord is talking about the future, but in it you’ll hear the heart of the Good Shepherd protecting his sheep against deception. We guard our souls against deception by clinging to Christ and his truth.

Deception is tricky, and it is tragic. In the 90’s in NYC, we had a guy on the radio named Harold Camping. He was the president of Family Radio in NYC. In 1994, he claimed to have figured out through biblical numerology a date for the rapture of the church. It was going to be September 6, 1994.

People listened to him. He started telling people to leave the churches and be ready for the rapture. People sold their possessions, quit their jobs, and spent their savings to prepare for the rapture. But he proved to be a false teacher. The date came and went, and nothing happened.

There was a tragic picture on the news that day. A man who had sold everything he had was standing in Times Square on that day. He was waiting for the rapture, and people were standing around him, mocking him. It was sad to see. Deception is tragic and has real consequences.

Problem

How can we guard ourselves against deception? We’ll take a look at that today as we get into Mark 13:1-23. It is in your pew Bible, page 901.

Context

Chapter 12, Jesus has been confronted at the Temple by various religious leaders. He answers their questions, warns people about their religious leaders, and then ends his teaching at the temple describing a widow’s gift.

As he leaves the temple, he gives his disciples a final lesson about the future of the temple.

What will be interesting is, as Jesus is heading to the cross, he is already looking beyond the cross and using this time of teaching to warn his disciples about what is to come.

Scripture Reading

Mark 13:1–23 CSB

1 As he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” 2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down.” 3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 Jesus told them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed; these things must take place, but it is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to local courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them. 10 And it is necessary that the gospel be preached to all nations. 11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 “When you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be” (let the reader understand), “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house, 16 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 17 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 18 “Pray it won’t happen in winter. 19 For those will be days of tribulation, the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning of creation until now and never will be again. 20 If the Lord had not cut those days short, no one would be saved. But he cut those days short for the sake of the elect, whom he chose. 21 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘See, here is the Messiah! See, there!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.

Pray

As we look into these prophetic words of Jesus, there are all kinds of questions that come out from this text. What is the abomination of desolation? What period of time is Jesus describing? What do all these different signs and warnings mean?

But at the heart of what Jesus is saying, we are witnessing the Good Shepherd protecting his sheep.

In the computer industry today, when a new software is created, the software creators have to anticipate that there will be bad actors in the world who will look for loopholes in the software, some way to get in and cause damage

So what they do is hire ethical hackers, people who are good at finding vulnerabilities in the software. Ethical hackers try to attack the software to find out what the vulnerabilities are.

In a similar way, Jesus already knows a vulnerability in his church. He is already anticipating a period where he will go to the cross, resurrect from the dead, and ascend into heaven. His disciples will live through a period where they are anticipating his return. It is a time that we, followers of Jesus, are still in today.

Yet, when you love someone so much, you want to see them return. That brings a vulnerability to the church, a vulnerability that Jesus is anticipating. The enemy comes in and attempts to deceive the church using the prospect of his return. Jesus is anticipating that there will be false messiahs and all kinds of things that the enemy will use to attempt to deceive people.

Warnings against four deceptions in Mark 13:1-23.

First,

Deception of the grandeur of things (the Temple)

The beauty of the Temple (Mark 13:1-2)

In the beginning of the passage, the disciples remark about what a massive and impressive building the temple was. The Temple built by Herod the Great was one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was built with a white limestone, which would gleam in the sunlight. Parts of the temple were overlaid with gold, with all kinds of intricate carvings and tapestries. It was about 35 acres in size, about the size of 26 football fields. The Temple was a symbol of Judaism and was their place of worship, the place where they met God.

Yet, Jesus calls them to get their eyes off the building, because the building is temporary. Don’t be deceived by the grandeur of things, because God’s plan is bigger than a building.

The beauty of impressive things

Do we get swayed by the grandeur of things? How many people choose a church because of a large show, because of the beauty of the building, because of organization of the programs, instead of on how does this church honor God? Jesus warns us not to be deceived by the grandeur of things.

Second,

Deception of false teachers (false messiahs and false prophets)

Warnings against false messiahs & false prophets (Mark 13:6, 21-22)

Jesus gives multiple warnings in this passage of false messiahs and false prophets. He says in Mark 13:6 that,“Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many.” In Mark 13:21–22 he says, “Then if anyone tells you, ‘See, here is the Messiah! See, there!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect.” We are warned to look out for people who teach false things and introduce heresy into our lives, and particularly into our church.

We will talk about this more as we discuss our need to be equipped with God’s Word.

Third,

Deception of current events in wars and natural disasters

Warnings against interpreting wars and natural disasters as a sign (Mark 13:7-8)

He warns us about interpreting current events as signs of his return. He says in Mark 13:7–8 that “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed; these things must take place, but it is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” Some of these things may be a beginning of birth pains, but interpreting God’s plan through what’s happening in the news is never reliable.

Multiple horrible wars and natural disasters throughout history

Since Jesus ascended into heaven, there have been multiple wars. Nations have risen against nations, kingdoms have risen against kingdoms. There have been earthquakes, famines, floods, all kinds of natural disasters. But God does not call us to interpret God’s Word through the news. We simply trust him at his Word, and know he will come according to his time.

Fourth,

Deception of persecutions and hatred (the enemy claiming victory)

Persecutions and hatred will arise (Mark 13:9, 12-13)

Jesus warns his disciples to expect persecution. In Mark 13:9, you’ll be handed over to the courts and flogged in the synagogues.

This is part of God’s plan of the gospel going out to the nations (Mark 13:10)

This persecution will be part of God’s plan to get the gospel out to the nations.

God will have the victory amidst persecutions and guide his people (Mark 13:11)

You shouldn’t be deceived and lose heart, because God will have the victory amidst persecutions. We’ll talk more about this as we discuss spiritual discernment.

God has mercy amidst tribulations and persecutions (Mark 13:19-20)

Finally, as we see in Mark 13:19–20 God has mercy amongst tribulation and persecution for the sake of his people.

Final admonition from Christ

The final warning of Christ is we must be people who watch. In Mark 13:23

Mark 13:23 CSB

23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.

Christ says that we must be people who watch. What is he telling us to watch for? Watch for what? We need to watch out for deception. Christ tells his disciples to watch by guarding ourselves against deception. Deception is not just a first-century problem. It is a modern-day problem. He can we be people who guard ourselves against deception?

Three ways to guard yourself against deception. First,

Guard yourself against deception by being equipped with God’s Word.

Whenever Jesus is battling against deception, he often refers to the Scriptures. Even in this prophecy, he sets up how his disciples can understand the times. He quotes Daniel 9:27, which says:

Daniel 9:27 CSB

27 He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Jesus refers to this “abomination of desolation” in Mark 13:14 as a signal to his disciples to say, “When you see this fulfillment of prophecy standing where it should not be, the fulfillment of the prophecy from Daniel, then you will know that it is time to take cover.” In other words, we shouldn’t look for any other signs of the times. Instead, when God’s Word is fulfilled, then you will know the time of God’s plan.

Jesus often uses the tactic of being equipped with Scripture to defeat deception. The classic example of this is Matthew 4, where Jesus is battling the temptations of the devil. For instance, when the devil temps him against his physical hunger, Jesus says in Matthew 4:4:

Matthew 4:4 CSB

4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

And in each temptation, Jesus continues to use this tactic. He says, “It is written, it is written, it is written.” Being equipped with God’s Word will guard your heart and mind from deception.

The truth of God’s Word

The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12 that “the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” But how do we know that God’s Word is true?

The fact that Jesus taught Scripture and constantly referred to Scripture should be enough for us. However, there are many evidences surrounding the Bible. It is the most persecuted book in the world. It has been burned and banned. Yet, it has miraculously survived for thousands of years. We have thousands of years of God using the text of his book to change hearts and lives.

The evidence of prophecy is an amazing thing. We have hundreds of prophecies in Scripture, including some that we spoke of today. To know the future requires special information. To know what will happen in a hundred years, a thousand years, and to get it right every time, needs special information. Only God knows the future. He left a record of prophecy to point people to the Son of God.

Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy. His life, death, and resurrection confirms to us that God’s Word is true.

Being Equipped with God’s Word

What does it mean to be equipped with God’s Word? Being equipped with God’s Word is more than just having an app give you the Bible verse of the day. It’s more than an occasional five-minute reading of the Bible once a week. All of that is a good start.

But being equipped with God’s Word is to engage with Scripture, to meditate on Scripture, to allow God’s thoughts to be your thoughts, to rely on the Spirit of God to illuminate Scripture to your soul. When you are allowing the Spirit of God to transform your thoughts to his thoughts, it shapes your beliefs. It informs your decisions. It guides your actions.

Being equipped with God’s Word will guard your heart and mind. The psalmist said in Psalm 119:11:

Psalm 119:11 CSB

11 I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.

We are called to be people who treasure his Word. When we treasure his Word, it will guard us against false teaching. False teachers are a problem, and they introduce heresies in the church. Peter spoke about this in 2 Peter 2:1:

2 Peter 2:1 CSB

1 There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves.

False teaching is a real problem for people outside and inside the church. How do you guard yourself against the deception of false teachers? I ask you, whenever you hear a word preached from this pulpit or any other pulpit, to investigate it for yourself. Search the Scriptures and know if what is said is true. False teaching is destructive, and the Lord warns us against this deception.

When I was in law enforcement, I remember arresting an individual who had counterfeit money. I brought the individual into the precinct and up to the desk sergeant. I presented the counterfeit money to the sergeant.

To my surprise, I found out that the desk sergeant had to make a phone call to the US Secret Service. Someone from the Secret Service came into the precinct, examined the counterfeit money, and took it with him back to the experts at the Secret Service to examine the counterfeit funds.

Just like their ability to expose the counterfeit from the original, Christians are called to be the Secret Service with Scripture. We are called to examine Scripture, and then be able to expose false teaching because we know the truth of God’s Word. Being equipped with God’s Word will guard yourself against deception.

Guard yourself against deception by being equipped with God’s Word.

Second,

Guard yourself against deception by developing spiritual discernment.

Within the warnings of Mark 13:1-23, this is an implication the God’s people are people who are equipped with God’s Word. Jesus also describes a dependence of his Spirit to get you through persecution. By definition, spiritual discernment requires the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and a dependence on him.

Mark 13:9-11 is an interesting passage. The verses speak of an upcoming persecution upon the disciples. Mark 13:9 says,

Mark 13:9 CSB

9 “But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to local courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them.

Why is this coming persecution a warning against deception? The deception is that, by the persecution coming against you, you may be tempted to believe the enemy has had the victory. The enemy will gloat over you, and you may be tempted to believe that it is all lost.

But the truth is that God has the victory. Verse 10 says that the persecution is part of God’s plan to get the gospel out to the nations. Then verse 11 says how you combat this kind of deception, the temptation to believe that it’s all lost. You do this through a reliance on God’s Spirit to get you through. In Mark 13:11:

Mark 13:11 CSB

11 So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

In other words, when persecution comes, don’t let your mind get filled with worry and anxiety. Don’t let your thoughts hold you captive. Instead, resist this temptation by relying on the Spirit of God to get you through any hard time.

Spiritual discernment comes through the Spirit of God using the Word of God in your life. Jesus referred to the Spirit of God as the Counselor. In John 16, Jesus is telling his disciples a similar warning as we see in Mark 13, where he describes upcoming persecutions. How will his disciples get through the upcoming persecution? By the power and guidance of the Spirit. Look at John 16:13-14:

John 16:13–14 CSB

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.

Spiritual discernment is a trust and reliance on the Spirit of God. The Spirit works in your life. He will bring up Scripture during hard times and glorify Jesus Christ in your life.

I was watching an episode of Deadliest Catch, which if you don’t know, is a reality show about fishermen. On this episode, there was a woman who was the captain of this ship. The crew were men who were fishing for crab.

As she navigated the ship through the waters, she used a sophisticated navigation system. She looked at the waters, and saw a school of dolphin jumping in the waves of the water. Then she looked at the navigation system, and the it let her know that the waters in that are were particularly cold.

She told the men to drop the cage, and they came up with a huge catch of crab.

In a similar way, for many of us, we look around at life and see what is happening around us. Maybe there is conflict in the home, or conflict at work. We look at the God’s Word to understand. Yet, there is the power of a Person in our life, the Holy Spirit, navigating us through, illuminating the different spots in our life, glorifying Jesus, and guiding us to where he wants us to be.

When we practice spiritual discernment through relying on the Spirit of God, he will counsel us and guard us against deception.

Guard yourself against deception by being equipped with God’s Word.

Guard yourself against deception by developing spiritual discernment.

Last,

Guard yourself against deception by being accountable to a community of believers.

This is an interesting part of our passage today. Jesus says this in Mark 13:23:

Mark 13:23 CSB

23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.

But when you read this within the context of Mark 13:1-23, who is the “you”? We might read “you” as an individual, but Jesus is not speaking to any one individual. He is speaking to a community of his people.

In the Greek, the word for “You” is plural, meaning, “You all.” The term for watch is plural, meaning “all of you as a community must watch out.” The church, as a community of believers, is called to hold each other accountable, to support one another, and to love one another. Part of that is to guard one another against deception and anything that would come into the church.

Christians are called to a community of believers for mutual support and accountability. Many of the letters in our New Testament are written to communities of believers, to churches. There is accountability within the church that comes through our love for one another. Galatians 6:1-2 says:

Galatians 6:1–2 CSB

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. 2 Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

The community of believers are a blessing. We support each other as we grow in the Lord. Notice also, as we have seen in this past week, the importance of the church in times of grief and in better times. 1 Corinthians 12:26:

1 Corinthians 12:26 CSB

26 So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

As a community of believers, we are interconnected with one another because of Christ. For some of us, maybe the family you were given wasn’t the best. Maybe they were. But as we look around, we are all a family in Jesus Christ.

The church is a blessing. Look at how we are to encourage one another in Hebrews 10:24-25:

Hebrews 10:24–25 CSB

24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

The gathering of God’s people is for our mutual good. It is not an optional area in the life of a believer, but the church is a community of blessing where we love one another, grieve with one another, rejoice with one another, and worship Christ together as his body.

When I worked at a homeless shelter, the individuals coming in layers of issues. It was a Christian shelter. The goal was to see people leave the shelter knowing God and in a healthier place in their life.

Say a guy named John came in. He would meet with a counselor once a week. He would also have residential advisors who would interact with him during the day and evening. He would go to groups where there were teachers, and the teachers would interact with him there. Supervisors might see him in the hallway, greet him, and have conversations with him.

Once a week, this whole community of people would gather together, and Johnny might come up in conversation. The counselor would speak to what she has seen in him. The teacher may say what he has seen of him in his class. The advisor may speak to how he has engaged during the week in his residence. The supervisor might also speak to what she or he has seen.

This whole community would come together, and there was a better support system than if one individual were navigating life alone.

God loves his church, and provides for his church through a community of people. We are a people commanded by our Lord to love one another, because he first loved us. We are a people purchased by the blood of Christ.

We are not lone ranger Christians. We are a people brought together by God. Jesus loves you, he sent his Son for you, and does not want you to fall into anything that would harm you. He guides us through his Word. He protects us and illuminates the Word of God to our souls through the counsel of his Spirit. He protects us and calls us to one another as a community of believers, a family of God in his church. Let us guard against deception by falling more in love with God today, and loving one another as a people of God.

Conclusion

Guard yourself against deception by being equipped with God’s Word.

Guard yourself against deception by developing spiritual discernment.

Guard yourself against deception by being accountable to a community of believers.

Conclude

Prayer

Communion

We will have communion, remembering Jesus and his sacrifice for us. Meditate on the Lord and where your heart is with him.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 CSB

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Last Song

Doxology

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Jude 24–25 CSB

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!