Have you ever been deceived? My wife and I owned a business for 17 years with some other partners. The main partner forced us to close down the company a few years ago. We were shocked and worst of all we were betrayed. The partner told us that we were like family before this happened. Then he didn’t pay us what he owed us for our share of the business. We were deceived and defrauded. I’m sharing this to warn you to be not deceived.
It’s easy to be deceived by those we trust. It hurts and it’s shocking, but it’s easy to be deceived; especially by those who are close to us. But in my business example as much as it hurt my wife and I, it was only material things. What about the really important things in life? Are you currently being deceived over what’s really important? By what’s most important?
The Bible gives us many warnings about not being deceived. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says: 9 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, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
The apostle Paul tells us to be not deceived. He also warns that the unrighteous will not make it to Heaven. We are all unrighteous. Jesus is the only righteous One, the only Just One. Only through his blood sacrifice can we be brought back into a right standing before God. That right standing only happens when we realize and acknowledge that we are sinners and we believe in Jesus to save us. We confess and forsake our sins. We repent by changing our minds about the sins we once loved and we fall broken at the feet of Jesus. We look to His finished work on the cross to save us from our sins; to save us from eternal damnation.
When you are saved, you stop trusting in yourself – your own goodness and your own good works and you trust in the sinless Son of the living God. When you are born-again, you walk after the Spirit and not the flesh (Romans 8:1). You live to please God and not man. You give up your sexual immorality, you give up alcohol, you give up stealing, you give up the temporary pleasures of the flesh and you focus on the eternal; you look for what really matters. You are interested in drawing closer to God and seeing others come to saving faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:1-7: Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
He again warns us that we shouldn’t let anyone deceive us and Paul names another whole list of sinners that will not make it into Heaven: fornicators, covetous persons, whoremongers nor idolaters. This last one is a catch all, just like when Jesus said that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire, in the same way all unbelievers are idolaters. You make an idol out of anything that you put first in your life, if what’s first isn’t God Himself. We have all been idolaters, just like we are all liars. None of us can escape this. None of us are righteous. All we have earned is death (Romans 6:23)
The wrath of God remains or abides on the children of disobedience. Who are the disobedient ones? All who live contrary to God; everyone who has not put their faith in Jesus. Everyone who still loves their sin and lives in outright rebellion against almighty God. Everyone who has not bowed their knee and confessed with their tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord. Everyone who is proud and has not had godly sorrow over their sin. These folks still have the wrath of God abiding against them and they are only storing up more wrath against themselves that will be revealed on the day of wrath; also known as Judgment Day.
This same apostle warns us even further in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-14: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14 Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul again warns: let no one deceive you, by any means. All those that are deceived concerning unrighteousness will perish. He points out that sinners enjoy their unrighteousness. Unrepentant sinners love their sins and they say no to God. These unbelievers will be damned because they believed a lie rather than the truth. Jesus is the Truth. He is the only Savior. Those who believe the lies are caught up in the pleasure of unrighteousness and choose to live ungodly lives.
Do not be deceived: your sin will find you out. The soul that sins, it shall die. Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death (Proverbs 11:4). Be not deceived. Righteousness leads to eternal life and unrighteousness leads to eternal damnation. God has set before you today life and death. Choose life; eternal life. Death is the second death and it is never ending. The suffering and torments of the lake of fire and brimstone last forever.
Jesus also warned us to be not deceived: 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many (Matthew 24:4-5). Jesus said that many will deceive. Look at all the false religions of the world: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholicism, Wicca and all the New Age religions.
Many will be deceived. Do not be deceived tonight. You need to trust Jesus and you need to make sure that you are trusting in the Jesus of the Bible and not a god that you have made in your own mind. If your god approves of your sinful lifestyle, then you are not following the God of the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 6:11 the apostle Paul had just named off a whole list of sinners that will not make it to Heaven and then he says: SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU. When God saves you, He cleans you up. He convicts you of sin and unrighteousness in your life because the Holy Spirit now lives inside you. If your god overlooks your sins, then you are following a false god. The Holy Spirit does not live inside of you.
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:7-8). Do not be deceived: God will not be mocked. If you are foolishly out here tonight mocking and scoffing God, you need to repent and cry out to God for mercy. You need to cry out to Jesus to save you. God will not be mocked. You will reap what you sow!
Unrepentant sinners are storing up wrath against the day of wrath. If you are a God mocker and scoffer, then you are sowing for your own fleshly pleasures and you will wind up being eternally damned by the great God of Heaven and earth. You will suffer horribly forever and ever for your disobedience, laughing and scoffing at God. You need to wake up tonight and you need to come to your senses and come to repentance and faith in Jesus.
Don’t let your friends deceive you. Don’t let a weak, prosperity, false gospel preacher deceive you either. Don’t let a one-time religious experience deceive you. If there has been no change in your life after you claimed Christ, you are deceived. You are lost and on the broad road to Hell. Don’t let your pride deceive you. Don’t let the pleasures of the flesh and the pleasures of the world deceive you. Don’t let the devil, the great deceiver, trick you. Don’t listen to the father of lies.
Don’t let anyone deceive you. Only Jesus can save you from the bondage of sin. Only Jesus Christ can set you free. But God resists the proud and He gives grace to the humble. Humbly come to Jesus tonight. Admit that you are a sinner. Own up to your sinful lifestyle. Cry out to Jesus to save you. Confess and forsake your sin. Come to Jesus with godly sorrow over your sin. Come to Jesus with a repentant and contrite heart. Oh be saved tonight. Repent and believe the Gospel. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
(This message was proclaimed in the open air on January 30, 2015 in downtown Springfield, MO)
I know that I AM most likely throwing pearls to swine here but I would not feel right if I do not say something in response after reading this article. You are in a very deep state of fear. You and others like you are the ones who are deceived. I did not read one single word that you wrote that came from a personal experience. Look deeply and honestly inside. Everything that spews forth from your lips are the words from others who wish to control and manipulate you along with the mindless masses. It is my hope that you are part of the mindless mass and not a knowingly deceitful pig because if you are then you sir will have a judgement day but it will be of your own making and not of an imaginary god. Try moving toward Love and away from fear. Try actually practicing the teachings of Jesus. Most of all keep your nasty, fearful comments to yourself please :).
Satan pretends to be an angel of light and he has you completely fooled. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). You are blinded by darkness and you are following the devil who is the father of lies. You need to repent and put your faith in Jesus. Your overactive imagination will do yo no good on Judgment Day and it will not be of your own making. Your imaginary god will do you no good on that terrible day (yes, your none belief in God is your false god). Turn from your sins and submit to the Lordship of Jesus. He is Lord. Don’t wait until Judgment Day to bow your knee and confess with your tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord. Do this now in this life; before you die in your sins and find out too late that you were wrong and that Hell is real.
You have done well in explaining our need for a Savior, that we must not be deceived about our sinfulness. You have not explained how to receive Jesus as your Savior. The message isn’t finished until you explain that Jesus died for our sins, and those who receive His death as payment for our sins will be saved. Your message is not finished.