Giving Heed to Seducing Spirits (1 Timothy 4:1-7)

Seducing spirit = a spirit that causes one to wander, to rove, to mislead, to lead into error. It is an imposter and deceiver. To draw aside or entice from the path of right by any manner.

There is a reason why people are turning their ears from the truth. It’s because they’re giving heed to seducing spirits.

Directing of the Spirit

Speaketh expressly = plain speaking

John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

Departing of Saints

2 Timothy 4:1–4 “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Jude 3–4 “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There will be those that depart from THE FAITH. Not necessarily lose their salvation, but depart from sound doctrine.

Distracting of the spirits

Romans 16:17–18 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

Giving heed - to bring near, to turn the mind to, to be attentive, to apply oneself to, to be given or addicted to, to devote thought and effort to.

If you know someone is not right in their doctrine, why would you study what they have to say?

John MacArthur say’s this about the blood: “We see that the death of Christ was an atonement for sin. He died a sacrificial blood-shed death but there’s nothing in the blood to save, or Jesus could have bled on people and not died.”

Why study after this man if he can’t get the blood right? (He’s also Calvinist)

There’s a false claim that John Nelson Darby invented the rapture of the church. HE JUST TOOK THE BIBLE LITERALLY AND DECIPHERED HIS BIBLE RIGHT. That’s what the early church fathers done. The one time I see where is something not literal, Paul declares it to be an allegory (Galatians 4:24) A seducing spirit has drove people away from the pretribulation rapture of the church.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–2 KJV 1900

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

Comfort one another! The day of Christ is not the day of the Lord! They had no idea when it was coming so they didn’t write about it! Look for the blessed hope!

Those that think they can lose their salvation has obviously given heed to a seducing spirit.

A works based salvation is derived from a seducing spirit.

Those that say music doesn’t matter in the church is deceived.

It should be holy, hallowed, and about Him! Not like hell or hollywood.

Danger of Searing

Just as a steak when you sear it gets hard and black, giving heed to seducing spirits will make your heart hard and dim the light of truth in understanding the word of God.

Ephesians 4:17–19 “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”

When you give heed to seducing spirits, there’s a greater chance of you going on in false doctrine than coming back to the truth.

Greg Locke - wrote a book on Benny Hinn called “Blinded By Benny”

Here’s what’s on the back

With Bible in hand and a firm foundation in Scripture, Evangelist Greg Locke strips away the glamour and glitter of Hinn’s “ministry.” Using Hinn’s own words from his books, television programs and newscasts, Locke reveals Hinn’s deceptive spell and exposes his “damnable heresies” and “pernicious ways” in point after point, falsehood after falsehood, deception after deception. While Benny Hinn has claimed this kind of unscriptural nonsense for many years, Greg Locke has a burden to place the truth into the hands of those who wish to know it. It is his prayer that you will read this book with an open Bible and discover for yourself the lies, the hype and the price tags Hinn has attached to everything he does.

This book was published by Sword of the Lord (John R. Rice, Curtis Hutson, a fundamental book publisher)

Locke noted that he "literally had no affinity whatsoever for anybody in healing ministry [or] deliverance ministry."

"I was Baptist amongst Baptists. I was an absolute Cessationist," Locke continued. "I was taught that the apostles had power, and when they died, the power died with them. So when I would see you on TV, I would immediately have this bitterness that would well up in me towards anybody that was on, you know, TBN or CBN or the 700 Club."

Locke also told Hinn about his previous "aversion to anything that was supernatural" but noted that he came to realize the ministry of the Holy Spirit the more he read the Bible.

"I tell people the theology of God's Word ruined my man-made theology because I was always taught, 'Well, you know, they just believe in experience over theology," Locke said.

"But what I found out is that's not the truth," he continued. "You believe in experiential theology. You believe your theology."

Locke credits God for using his wife's unfiltered view of the Bible to show him the power God grants his followers through the Holy Spirit.

In addition to reading the Bible, Locke shared that his wife also encouraged him to look at how people carried out miracles through the Holy Spirit.

"My wife and I] would lay in bed at night, and she would read the Bible, and she would be like, 'Honey, do you realize we have power to cast out devils? We have power to lay hands on the sick. We have power to speak in unknown tongues,'" Locke said.

However, he added he was cautious in his responses because he didn't want to "take her fire away from her because she was just so passionate. "She was so innocent in what she was learning from the Holy Spirit," he said.

Now Locke has a deliverance ministry at his church and has hooked up with Benny and apologized to him for all the bad that he said about him. He’s not coming back to the faith. He’s long gone

Delivering of the Scriptures (vs.6)

Titus 1:9–14 “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.”

We go by the Scriptures and when the Holy Spirit lines up with the Scriptures, we have confirmation. Seducing spirits never line up wholly with the word of God.

Disallowing of Suspicion (vs.7)

1 Timothy 1:3–4 “As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.”

2 Timothy 2:14–19 “Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

2 Timothy 2:22–26 “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”