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WEEKLY
Volume 1 Number 37
11 February 2007
Let No Man Deceive You
(Message delivered by Pr Hien Nguyen at the Sunday
Worship Service, 2 pm, Feb 4, 2007)
Text:
1 John 3:4-10
How do you and I feel when we find out that we have
been deceived? Usually, we feel sad, disappointed, upset or angry. This
world is full of deceits. Many people have been deceived by the
seductive or nice words of those who intended to take advantage of them.
Many others have been deceived or misled by human religions with
unbiblical beliefs, teachings and practices or by worldly philosophies,
concepts, or values. Many do not know that they are being deceived or
misled, and even willing to die for their beliefs! Then at the end of
their lives or on the Judgment Day when they find out that they have
been deceived, how regretful they will be!
None of us wants to be
deceived. We love our children and never want them to be deceived, so we
usually warn them to be cautious and not to play with bad friends nor
follow strangers. Our Lord Jesus loves us and does not want us to be
deceived, warning us, “Take heed that no man deceive
you” (Matt 24:5). Paul has the same
warning, “Let no man deceive you with vain words” (Eph
5:6) and “Let no man deceive you by any means” (2 Thess
2:3). And here John even commands us, “Let no man deceive you”
(v 7). May the Lord graciously keep us close to Him and His Word from
all the deceits of this world of sins.
Who Is the Deceiver?
Satan, the Devil:
God’s Word tells us that Satan, the Devil, is the deceiver, who deceives
the whole world, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world”
(Rev 12:9). He often disguises himself as an angel of light, “And no
marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”
(2Co 11:14), with a very nice and bright appearance but full of deceits
and temptations to lure many people away from the living and true God
and from God’s truth, the Bible. He has attacked, twisted, and cast
doubt on God’s Word since the first human beings were on the earth.
Nowadays, Satan still attacks God’s Word through unbiblical preaching
and writings of false prophets, false teachers, deceitful workers and
wicked men! How cautious you and I should be so that we may not be
deceived or misled by unbiblical words! “Let no man deceive you
with vain (empty) words” (Eph 5:6), or “good
words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the
simple” (Ro 16:18), or “seducing (deceiving)
spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1Ti 4:1).
Satan also likes to attract and deceive people with
Satanic miracles, lying signs and wonders. Our Lord Jesus warns us, “For
there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall
shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible,
they shall deceive the very elect” (Matt 24:24).
When our Lord Jesus Christ comes back again, His
saints who are truly born again will be transformed and caught up to
meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess 4:16-17). Then Satan will freely use
great signs and wonders and sorceries to deceive the people on the earth
(2 Thess 2:9-10; Rev 13:13-14; 18:23) while God’s judgment and Great
Tribulation will be poured upon the earth. After this, our Lord and His
saints will come down from heaven and He will establish His millennial
kingdom of peace on earth. Satan will be cast into the bottomless pit
and shut up for one thousand years (Rev 20:3). Under the righteous reign
of our Lord Jesus Christ, those who are not born again and still survive
after the Great Tribulation will outwardly submit to our Lord. After one
thousand years, Satan will be released and “go out to deceive
the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom
is as the sand of the sea” to fight against the Lord and His
saints (Rev 20:7-9). This shows that without God’s gracious work of
salvation, how rebellious, corrupt and sinful the hearts of men are!
Then you and I should be sure that we are born again so that we will be
caught up to meet our Lord when He comes.
Human Heart:
God created the
heaven and the earth, everything in it, and human beings, and “God
saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good”
(Gen 1:31). However, due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve, the curse
of sin and death entered into the world (Gen 3; Rom 5:12). The Bible
says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9) and “Wherefore I
was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in
their heart; and they have not known my ways” (Heb 3:10). The
verb “err” is the same root word of “deceive.” Their hearts and minds
always go astray from God’s truth while
thinking that they are walking on the right way! My dear friends, many
do not admit that their hearts are deceitful, but God’s Word is truth.
If God does not graciously bring us back and regenerate us, we easily
deceive ourselves by thinking that we are right like sheep that do not
know they are going astray, “For ye were as sheep going astray;
but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls” (1
Peter 2:25). The verb “go astray” is the same root verb of “deceive.”
Nowadays the philosophy of the world is to promote
oneself by thinking, “I am good, I am smart, I am able” and denying, “I
am bad, I am sinful, I am helpless.” They do not know that they are
deceiving themselves as the Bible says, “If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”
(1John 1:8), and “Let no man deceive himself. If any
man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a
fool, that he may be wise” (1 Cor 3:18).
Many others live in sins and think that they still go
into Heaven through joining a religion or even going to church. They do
not know that they are deceiving themselves as the Bible says, “Know
ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God?
Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,
shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor
6:9-10), and “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal 6:7).
Our Lord Jesus warns us, “These things have I
spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out
of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you
will think that he doeth God service” (Joh 16:1-2). Many are
thinking they are serving the Lord while opposing, persecuting, or
fighting against God’s servants who magnify the Lord and His perfect
Word! My dear friends, how dangerous we are if we think that we are
right and serving the Lord while we are against the Lord and His Word!
How to Be Not Deceived
Be Born Again:
As human heart is deceitful above all things, the
first and crucial condition is to be born again. We are to receive the
Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour (John 1:12) and submit
ourselves to the Holy Spirit and God’s Word (John 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23).
The signs of a truly born-again Christian are to thirst for the Lord and
for God’s Word (Ps 42:2; 1 Peter 2:2) and to stop living in sins as a
habit. In 1 John 3:4-10, we learn that “sin is the transgression of
the law” (v 4) and that “he (Jesus) was manifested to take away
our sins” (v 5) and “destroy the works of the devil” (v 8),
and that “whosoever abideth in him (Jesus) sinneth not
(keeps on sinning)” (v 6), and that “whosoever is born of God
doth not commit sin (keeps on doing sin); for his
(God’s) seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born
of God” (v 9). This Bible text does not teach perfect
sinlessness of Christians since we are still living in the flesh on the
earth, we are not perfect yet (Phil 3:12-14) and still sometimes commit
sins due to our weaknesses or our lack of trust in and submission to the
Lord, but once convicted by the Holy Spirit we should repent right away
to restore our fellowship with God (1 John 1:7-10). However, with the
seed of God’s Word and divine nature in us (1 Peter 1:23; 2 Peter 1:4),
we will not purposely keep on sinning against the Lord. This Bible
text also tells us that there are only two kinds of children: the
children of God and the children of the devil: “whosoever sinneth
(keeps on sinning) hath not seen him (Jesus), neither
(experientially) known him (Jesus)” (v 6), and “He that
committeth sin (keeps on doing sin) is of the devil; for the
devil sinneth (keeps on sinning) from the beginning” (v 8),
and “whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that
loveth his brother” (v 10). Our Lord Jesus said to the Jewish
leaders who were against Him, “Ye are of your father the devil”
(John 8:44). Then are you and I the children of God or of the
devil?
Look unto the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Perfect Example:
In order not to be deceived,
we are to “look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our
faith” (Heb 12:2). “Little children, let no man deceive
you: he that doeth
righteousness is righteous, even
as he (Jesus) is righteous”
(v 7), and “purifieth himself, even as he (Jesus) is
pure” (v 3), and “He that saith he abideth in him ought
himself also so to walk, even as he (Jesus) walked”
(1 John 2:6). Satan and his followers can show great signs and wonders,
but they can never live in holiness and righteousness and walk as Jesus
walked, nor teach as Jesus taught, nor have the same motives as Jesus
had. Our Lord Jesus is our perfect example of a true Son and Servant of
God, seeking and doing God’s will, living by God’s Word in holiness and
righteousness without any compromise, teaching God’s Word without any
addition nor subtraction, exalting and glorifying God alone without
seeking honour and glory from men, ministering and not being ministered,
and obeying God unto death. Let us compare others with our Lord and His
Word so that we may discern whether they are true servants of the Lord.
Let us also look unto the Lord and compare ourselves with Him and His
Word so that we may be more humble, teachable and submissive.
Understand the Word of
God, the Perfect Standard:
Our Lord said to the Sadducees
who denied the resurrection, “Ye do err, not knowing
the scriptures, nor the power of God” (Matt 22:29). The verb
“err” is the same root verb of “deceive.” They deceived themselves by
their wrong and false judgment or understanding of the Scripture and
God’s power. Then let us diligently “study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). To
understand God’s truth, we are to humbly submit to the Spirit of Truth,
who teaches and guides us into all truth (John 14:26; 16:13). With the
anointing of the Holy Spirit, we may discern the truth from empty words,
deceiving words or heresies from false prophets and false teachers. “These
things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce (deceive)
you. But the anointing which ye have received of him
abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same
anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is
no lie, and even as it hath taught
you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John
2:26-27). The verb “seduce” is the same root verb of “deceive.” “We
are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of
God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the
spirit of error.” (1 John 4:6). The words of the apostle John
were inspired by the Holy Spirit and are God’s Word, so he that knows
God hears God’s Word, and by this we know the spirit of truth and the
spirit of error (deceit). The noun “error” is from the same root word of
“deceive.” We thank God that He has perfectly inspired and preserved His
Word for us today so that we may have the perfect standard for our
study, judgment and discernment of God’s truth. When we know God’s Word
and are familiar with our Shepherd’s voice, we may discern the
strangers’ voice and unbiblical teachings: (John 10: 5, 27).
Separate from Evil
Communications:
And in order not to be
deceived, we have to keep ourselves from evil communications, “Be
not deceived: evil communications
corrupt good manners”
(1 Cor 15:33). Communication here means association, companionship,
company or a speech, a sermon. Then we have to be discerning and
cautious as bad friends, evil companionship, unbiblical articles,
sermons, books, journals, websites may corrupt, ruin or destroy our good
manners, morals and character in the Lord. We have witnessed many
leaders and seminaries that used to be fundamental but now are new
evangelical, liberal or ecumenical due to their compromise and
acceptance of textual criticism and corrupt modern versions! Then we
should not be deceived: “evil communications corrupt good manners”
Conclusion
“Let no man deceive you” is a command.
It is vital that you and I are born again and keep ourselves close to
the Lord. May the Lord help us be cautious and discerning, looking unto
Him alone, hearing His voice alone, studying and understanding His Word
and separating ourselves from evil communications without any compromise
so that we may not be deceived. Amen.
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