Deception and Its Cure

Alright, brethren, many products are designed to imitate the real thing. There's plastic decking that looks like real wood. There are hardwood floors that aren't wood at all. They claim to be, but they're not even wood. There's vinyl flooring that appears to be ceramic tile. You can purchase fake furs or fake jewelry. Phony noses, even. You can have a phony nose or a phony hairpiece. Even other body parts, I believe. The purpose behind all of these items is fairly obvious, but what about a can of spray-on-mud?

I thought I'd heard of just about everything, but I hadn't heard of all things because there is spray-on-mud. Maybe you've heard of it, maybe you haven't. But it's designed for use on the outside of your SUV. So how many of you have ever used spray-on-mud? It was actually designed, I think it was invented, maybe eight or ten years ago, somewhere like that. But you can put it on your SUV, and that way it appears that you use your expensive gas guzzler for more than taking the kids to soccer practice.

Spray it on and friends might think you've just returned from a wilderness adventure. An off-road experience. Cells of the product, I believe, at least when it was introduced, were going well, particularly here in America and in London where the concept originated. The originator, his name is Colin Dowles, D-O-W-S-E. He says if you want an authentic look, there's not a lot else you can do because there's not a lot of mud here in Chelsea, England. Apparently a $15 can of mud seems a reasonable price for the appearance of authenticity.

Obviously, all of these products in some ways are designed to deceive, to look like they're the real thing. And it seems that there is no end to the deception around us. There's an awful lot of deception around us. In fact, we've all been deceived before, haven't we? Many times, I'm sure. I know I've been deceived a number of times. I've deceived myself a number of times. Eve was deceived in the Garden of Eden.

The Scriptures tell us that she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because she was deceived by Satan's lie and by the deceptive beauty of the fruit on that tree. God told her the truth regarding what would happen if she ate of the tree. She would surely die. She's been dead a long time. She did die. Satan, on the other hand, said, you shall not surely die. I'm sure God instructed them on what death was, so they understood it to a point.

Frankly, that ought to be a good enough reason not to eat. You should not eat of the tree because you're going to die. So why did they do it? Why did they eat of that tree? Let's go to Genesis 3 and consider this for a moment. Genesis 3, verse 4. Then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die after they had been instructed by God regarding the trees in the garden. You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day that you eat of it, your eyes will be opened.

Your eyes will be opened. You'll really be able to see clearly then. And you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So the woman saw that the tree was good for food. It looked good. It looked desirable. It looked like it would be tasty. But it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, become like God. So she took of its fruit, and she ate it.

She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. So they certainly, Eve was deceived. It doesn't necessarily say that Adam was deceived, but Adam may have just been a wimp and didn't want to disappoint his wife, and went along at least partially because of that. He was weak. He should have known better. He should have stood up.

He should have said, there's no way I'm eating that fruit, and there's no way you're eating that fruit. Of course, she ate it before he came on the scene, I think, so there probably wasn't much he could have done about that. But neither one really believed God and took him at his word. They both lacked faith. The world we live in today is certainly a world of deception, and it's always been a world of deception.

So many things look good, but they often lead to destruction. They lead to death. There's only one real cure for deception. What is that cure? That's the title of the sermon today, deception and its cure. So we're going to talk about deception, and we're also going to talk about how to cure deception. Now, we've already seen the deceitfulness of sin at work in the lies of Adam and Eve. Eve admitted that she was deceived, that the serpent deceived her. She believed what he said. She believed the lie. She really didn't think she was going to die.

She evidently thought that God was just keeping that from her because he didn't want her to have the same kind of power that he has. So she thought God was deceiving her, but it was obviously Satan. So who is behind all the lying and the deceit that goes on in this world today? I think we all know the answer. Christ certainly revealed his identity in John 8, verse 44. This is an important topic today because this being is still alive, and he is still in the business of deceiving people.

John 8, verse 44. Jesus Christ talking to, I believe, the Pharisees in this case. He says, "'You are of your father, the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.' He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me." It seems that we oftentimes don't really want to believe the truth.

"'Which of you convicts me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears God's words. Therefore you do not hear because you are not of God.'" So Satan is indeed the father of lies. He was the first to tell a lie. He's continuing to tell lies today.

He initially deceived himself because at one point he was perfect. But he deceived himself and he was lifted up in pride and in vanity against God. He deceived a third of the angels. They also listened to him. A third of the angels. And then, of course, he deceived mankind. chapter 12 tells us that Satan is the God of this world. In Revelation 12.9, let's go there. It says that Satan has deceived the entire the whole world. Revelation 12.9, "'So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, the serpent in the garden, who lied to Eve, who deceived Eve, the serpent called the devil, and Satan, who deceived the whole world, he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.'" Satan has deceived the entire world.

So why are you not deceived? At least in the main. I believe there's a reason why you're here today. And it has to do with the cure to deception. We'll talk more about it as we go along. You know, God tells it like it really is. Satan doesn't. Satan's very deceptive. God clearly promised blessings for obedience, and he promised curses for disobedience.

In fact, there are chapters dedicated to that. Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. We call them the blessings and the cursings chapters. God lays it out very clearly that if you disobey, there will be consequences for that disobedience. On the other hand, if you obey, there will also be consequences, very wonderful consequences, because there will be blessings. And when we look back at the world and the way it is today, we have some context of why things are the way they are.

Because people don't believe God. They don't trust Him. They don't believe Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. They didn't back then, and they don't today. Do you believe what God says in these chapters? Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Often we deceive ourselves as we are plagued with self-deception. It's easy to deceive oneself, because we're clouded by our vanity. Satan was clouded by His vanity.

Satan was clouded by His pride. He was blinded by His pride and His vanity. And you're all Texans. At least a lot of you are, so you really have to fight against that. Texans are known to be proud, right? That's right. So it's easy to become deceived. We're clouded by our vanity.

We're pride. We're clouded by our lusts. We don't see clearly. We see through a glass darkly. So it's very important that we are close to God, because God will tell us the truth. God will truly tell us the way it really is if we'll listen to Him. Now, I'd like to share a good example of self-deception that caused a lot of pain for a young man named Eric.

During the nine months that Eric Admanson spent at a Bible college in Quito, Ecuador, he learned more than what was taught in the classroom. The 18-year-old from suburban Chicago also discovered the risk of flirting with danger. On February 5, 2005, it's been a while, but Eric and some of his fellow classmates visited a bullfight in the outskirts of the Ecuadorian capital of Quito. When the stadium announcer invited those in the stands to enter the ring in an attempt to get as close to the bull as they could, not wise to begin with, the adventure-loving teen responded. Convinced he could sneak up behind the bull, touch its hindquarters, and then bolt back to the stands unharmed.

Eric approached the beast from behind. Before Eric even touched the bull, the animal sensed his presence. Turned around and charged Eric, who defended himself or tried to by extending his arms in front of his body. Upon impact, Eric was catapulted on top of the bull's head. The animal proceeded to throw the boy to the ground. Eric landed on his neck. Before he could stand up and run, the bull charged him again, this time goring him in the right leg. He's lucky to be alive! That was a big bull. In fact, you can watch it on YouTube video. Eric the Matador. You can just Google that if you want to see it. Eric the Matador. So he paid a price for his foolishness and for deceiving himself into thinking that he could pull this thing off unscathed. Really consequential reasoning is really important. I was taught that back in college, at Ambassador College, that you should think about the consequences of what you're thinking about doing. What are the consequences? Say you pull it off. What are the great consequences? If he'd pulled it off, we wouldn't be talking about him today. I don't think anyone would even have known it. It's only because he didn't pull it off that now he has YouTube videos of his stupidity and his foolishness. So the consequences of getting gored by a bull should have been enough to think, it's not really worth the risk. So we need to think things through before we do them in the future. Eric was rushed to a keto hospital for treatment. For two days he was unable to get out of bed. For two weeks he was unable to walk. This is just a young man. For a month he could only walk with the aid of a cane. He said I was foolish to think that I could get away with it. I guess I just thought I could get close and then run away. I was wrong. Well, at least he was wrong. Of course, you should admit you're wrong after you have to go through that. But it's hard for us to admit that we're wrong. Unless God allows something really tragic to happen like that, it's difficult to admit that we're wrong. Because we do pay some huge consequences, oftentimes we're not willing to say, you know, I was wrong. I shouldn't have done that. Oftentimes we are foolish thinking that we can get away with something. Scripture says be sure your sins will find you out. One way or another, your sins will find you out. One way or another, there will be consequences.

You know, God's very merciful, and we don't get what we deserve because the consequences is death. You know, that's what the wages of sin is death. That's what we deserve when we decide to sin. And sin allures. It seduces us. It's destructive. It's murderous. But it seems quite innocent at times. It even seems enjoyable and may be enjoyable for a short time. It is destructive. But sometimes we crave how it makes us feel temporarily. We have to be smart enough to realize it's not worth it. It's not worth it. And that's not the way we were designed to live. That's not the way God wants us to live. In Hosea 10, it talks about self-deception. Let's go to Hosea. Hosea was a prophet, as we know. Very interesting book, the book of Hosea. Hosea was asked to do quite a lot by God. He was a faithful prophet. Hosea 10, verse 12, he says, So for yourselves righteousness, this is his advice to the children of Israel. So for yourselves righteousness, reap in mercy. If you will sow righteousness, then you will reap in mercy. God will be merciful toward you if you are striving to be righteous. Break up your fallow ground, for it's time to seek the Lord. It's time to seek God. It's always time to seek the Eternal till he comes and reigns righteousness on you. You know, God will help us grow. He will help us overcome. He will help us become more like him. But we have to continue to always fight the good fight and believe that God will give us victory over sin. And know that he's there for us and that he will help us. He will be merciful toward us. He says, you have plowed wickedness. You have reaped iniquity. You've reaped sin. You have eaten the fruit of lies because you trusted in your own way. You trusted in yourselves and the multitude of your mighty men. Therefore, two molts shall arise among your people and all your fortresses shall be plundered. Now we know that the children of Israel, both houses, the house of Israel and the house of Judah, both suffered greatly because of their sins. They were to be a unique people, chosen by God to be a model nation, a model people, but obviously they knew better. They decided not to do it God's way. They decided to do it their way and not to really trust God and believe in Him. Even though God revealed Himself to them in dramatic and miraculous ways, yet they were still stiff-necked and wanted to do it their way. You trusted in your own way in the multitude of your mighty men. Therefore, two molts shall arise among your people. Your fortresses shall be plundered. Their fortresses were plundered. They were all taken into captivity in Assyria and in the land of Babylon. They suffered greatly. There was tremendous suffering. There was famine. There was disease. There were all of the plagues, basically. All of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 came to roost on these people. There are curses for disobedience. They paid a heavy price for it. And yet, look where we are today.

The world surely hasn't learned from Israel's example. In 1 John chapter 1 verse 8, it talks again about self-deception, how easy it is to deceive ourselves. 1 John chapter 1 verse 8, If we say that we have no sin, if there's anyone that believes they have no sin or very little sin, that they're nearly perfect, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. We deceive ourselves. The truth is not in us. But on the other hand, if we confess our sins, if we just admit what we've done, if we just admit it and mean it, then He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I mean, God is so wonderful and merciful that He will forgive your sins. He doesn't want you to sin. You should strive not to sin, but in your weakness, if you do sin, admit it. Don't allow that self-deception to continue. Don't continue in your sins. Repent of your sins. With God's help, you will grow and overcome and do better in the future. So if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. We don't need to turn to Proverbs 14, 12, and Proverbs 16, 25, because it says the same thing in both places. It says there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death.

It seems right, but it's not right, because God says it isn't right. God instructs us on how to live. And there are times when we justify ourselves, when we rationalize why it's okay to do a certain thing, why it's okay to continue in whatever it is you're doing that's harmful. Whatever it is, there are many things that are harmful. Whatever it is, you are just deceiving yourself to think that God's okay with that.

God isn't okay with that. You have to admit it. You have to repent of it. And you need to grow. You need to do better. So don't make excuses for yourself. Otherwise, you just continue to deceive yourself. And you think you're in good standing, when really you aren't in such good standing. In Hebrews 3, it talks about the deceitfulness of sin. Sin is very deceitful. And the more we engage in sin, the more deceived we're going to be. Hebrews 3, I mean, this world... You know, Satan has deceived the whole world, and the world's full of sin.

It goes hand in hand together. Hebrews 3, verse 12. Hebrews 3 and verse 12. Beware, brethren, there are many warnings in the Bible. Here's a warning. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any view an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.

Now, if we don't have that faith, then we will depart from God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today, while there's still time, while you still breathe, while you're living, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Okay, we become hardened. The more we practice sin, the more hardened we become to it. The more difficult it is to admit it, to face it. That's why it's so important to repent quickly when you sinned. Otherwise, you will continue going down that path that leads to destruction. If you can see it for what it is and admit it and pull away from it, then you have God's help in overcoming it.

But if you continue to go down that road and you don't repent and you don't go to God and ask Him to forgive you for what you've done and you just continue down that path, then you become hardened and you become more and more deceived, thinking again that you may be in good standing with God.

You know, the Bible says God is not mocked. God is not mocked. You can't fool God. There are consequences for our decisions. Every decision, a good decision, has good consequences, typically, especially in an eternal sense. A good, sound, godly decision in the long run will always keep you in good stead. But the opposite is also true. An unrighteous and ungodly decision will have its consequences that you will surely pay for. Being hardened to sin means that you have progressed down sin's road far enough that you are no longer alarmed by its early warning signals. You have gotten too comfortable with sin. You become too calloused to maybe a particular type of sin.

You made excuses that, well, I'm just too weak. I'm just made this way. I can't overcome this. It's just too hard. And then you continue in that, and it hardens you, and you become more and more deceived. Satan has basically set up a stronghold in your life, and you are practicing sin. The warning signals aren't there anymore because it was our conscience that was sending out the warnings, the conscience that was stirred by God's Spirit, working and dwelling in us.

God was talking to you. God was trying to get your attention. There were early warning signs. But if you continue, then your conscience will be seared. First Timothy 4. Let's see that it is possible to sear one's conscience. First Timothy chapter 1. First Timothy, I'm sorry, First Timothy chapter 4. First Timothy chapter 4, verse 1. Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

Okay, the truth tells us which foods are acceptable to eat, which foods aren't acceptable. The Bible clearly tells us those things, and it also instructs us in regard to marriage. So it is possible to know when someone is lying. If it goes against God's truth, they're lying. You know, if they're contradicting what God says, they're clearly lying, because God cannot lie.

God doesn't lie, He cannot lie. So speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron. That's what happens when we continue down that road and continue in our sins. We sear our conscience, and it will take greater consequences to wake us up in the future. It isn't that God might not still wake you up. It's just that you'll have to go through greater consequences.

It's happened so many times in people's lives. You know, we hear about it, you know, eventually someone's caught in a sin. Something maybe they've done for years, but they were just never caught. And so they were emboldened by that fact, rather than just repenting and stopping. So they would not have to go through the consequences of their reputation being ruined. Perhaps it's happened. Even though people continued down that road of sin, instead of stopping, they allowed their conscience to be seared, and they continued until God could only wake them up with greater consequences.

That's not the best way to learn. That's a very painful way to learn. And being in the ministry, I probably see this in some ways more than the average person, especially as a regional pastor now. I have more understanding of everything that goes on in this area anyway, and I hear probably a few more things. So I just know that be sure your sins will find you out. It's a warning. If you're sinning, stop it. You'll be glad you did, because there will be good consequences for stopping the sin before anyone else finds out about it. Not that that should be your motivation. We should hate sin. God says we should abhor sin. He hates sin. He abhors it.

We need to learn to hate it as well and love God so that we're not prone to doing those things that are abominable in God's sight. Some have been seduced by sin's pleasures. I know I have.

It's easy to be seduced by sin's pleasures. Some have lost control of their lives. Some are like the flies and the carrion beetles that are attracted to a certain flower. Have you ever heard of the corpse flower? There is such a thing, and you can go on YouTube. You can look at it. It's really quite a beautiful flower. The thing can be 10 feet tall. It's big. Titan arum is its real name, but it's called the corpse flower.

It's native to the equatorial forests of Sumatra, out in the jungles. It can grow up to at least 10 feet tall. Once opened, the spiked, bright red bloom even looks like rotten meat. It looks like rotten meat, and worse, it smells like rotten meat. It's a veritable welcome mat for insects. God designed it this way to pull in the insects, to pollinate it.

And I think maybe He designed it so I could talk about it. Today, flies and carrion beetles are attracted to this gigantic flower. According to the University of Connecticut research assistant Matthew Opel, the corpse flower looks like something has died. It smells like something has died. I think it was actually quite beautiful when you just look at it.

Maybe if you look right, maybe there are certain angles where it looks worse. I don't know about that. He says it looks like something has died, especially after it starts decaying. I think that might be where it really looks bad when it starts decaying. He says it smells like something has died. It has the same chemicals that dead bodies produce. The flower, however, which begins to disintegrate after just two days, is nothing but a big practical joke to the flies and other carrion insects, says Opel.

Unlike other plants that offer nectar, there's no real reward here with the corpse flower. They think they're going to get a meal because it smells like something dead and they're attracted to that. You know, frankly, it's repulsive. We had a freezer that stopped working this week. It had some venison, a lot of venison in it. It wasn't all ruined, but some of it I did throw away just in case. Some of it was still frozen, but some of it, for some reason, it didn't all thaw out.

I frankly took most of it and just took it out in the country and dumped it because it stunk. I knew it was going to stink like crazy and my trash man doesn't come for like a week. So I had to get rid of it. So the vast majority of it, I just took it out and it was just me.

I took all the plastic off. I didn't litter anything. It was just biodegradable. It'll go back. It'll attract coyotes and whatever else. But there were some that got in the trash thing and it still stunk. We had Bible study last night and I moved the can all the way away from the garage and from the house because I didn't want any of our guests to get a whiff of how horrible rotting meat smells.

So I think it's an interesting analogy, this flower, this carry-on corpse flower. So there was no real reward to it. It was just, I mean, it drew them in. They were able to pollinate the plant, so it served that purpose. And that's the way it was designed, no doubt. But in a way, that's the story of sin. It's attractive to the one being tempted. Those carry-on beetles, the flies, they loved it. It smelled great to them. They were attracted. But sin holds out promises, yet has no true rewards. It ends in death. And that's how we need to look at that. What I just read, part of it was from rednova.com.

It was submitted by a fellow named Van Morris from Kentucky. But you can go and look it up. It's pretty fascinating. It's a beautiful flower in some ways. Let's go to Galatians 6. Galatians 6. Galatians 6. We'll start in verse 1.

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Look at yourself, too. Make sure that you're right with God. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. I think he's talking to all of us, don't you?

All of us are really nothing in the whole scheme of things unless we stick with it. Unless we learn to do it God's way, we won't exist eventually. We will be nothing unless we listen to God and learn to obey Him and follow Him and come under His mercy. Because if anyone thinks he's something when he's nothing, then he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another.

For each one shall bear his own load. We do need to examine ourselves from time to time and be honest with ourselves. And the only way to really be clean is to admit your sins and repent of them. And then you can have that clearing of yourself that it talks about in the Bible. True repentance. There's nothing better than true repentance. It's the greatest feeling ever to truly be repentant and to know that God has forgiven you, to know that you're cleansed. For each one shall bear his own load. And let him who has taught the Word share in all good things with him who teaches, and do not be deceived, God is not mocked.

God is not mocked for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. There are consequences for everything that we do. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. So it is important that we encourage one another. That's what Galatians is also telling us, that we should bear one another's burdens and encourage one another and help each other, realizing that we all have to bear our own load in the final analysis.

But if we can get some help along the way from each other, then that's a good thing. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. We should strive to do good for one another and help each other out as best we can. The scripture says in Proverbs 11, verse 8, you don't need to go there. It says, the wicked works a deceitful work, but to him that sows righteousness shall be a sure reward.

A good reward, a blessing. Let's go to Revelation and let's see where the Laodiceans, the church at Laodicea, they deceive themselves. We want to make sure that we don't have the attitude of the Laodiceans. Revelation chapter 3, verse 14, And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things, says the Amen, the faithful and the true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish that you were cold or hot.

So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. God wants us to be on fire for His truth, His way of life. He wants us, in a sense, to be refreshing and cold. There was cold water, there was hot water that came into Laodicea. The lukewarm water, that was the water that served no purpose.

The cool water will refresh us. I mean, there's nothing better than some cool water if you're feeling tired and you need refreshed. Sometimes I'll turn the cold water on at the end of my shower. I don't take a cold shower, but sometimes I'll turn it on at the very end because it kind of wakes me up more and I enjoy it. It's refreshing. But I also like the hot, steamy water as well. The lukewarm water, I don't like that so much. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.

Because you say, I am rich, I have become wealthy, I have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. So that's a deceived person, isn't it? Someone who thinks he's one way, but when he's totally the opposite. You are wretched. You are miserable. You are poor. You are blind. You are naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed.

Again, we were talking about that Psalm as there will be consequences. Your nakedness will be revealed eventually if you continue going down the road of sin.

That the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed and anoint your eyes with eyesab that you may see. As many as I have, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, therefore be zealous and repent. He says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him. I will dine with him and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne.

As I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. God wants us to overcome. He doesn't want us to stay the same. He doesn't want us to become stagnant or lukewarm. He wants us to continue to grow. He who has an ear, let him hear with the Spirit what God's Spirit says to the churches. He says in Psalm 5 or 6 that God abhors the bloody and the deceitful man. He doesn't want us to be deceived.

He also doesn't want us to be deceitful. He doesn't want us engaging in deceit, in deceiving others into sin. So we have to be very circumspect. We call ourselves Christians, true Christians. So we have to live up to that calling. We have to live up to that name. Christ was perfect. He was without sin. So if you call yourself a Christian, then that should be your goal to become like Christ.

God abhors the deceitful man. Okay, what are some of the biggest lies ever told? You know, we've all heard a number of big lies. The check is in the mail.

You get this one, I'll get the next time. You know, hopefully... I've said that before, and I do try to follow through on that. But oftentimes these do tend to be lies. My wife doesn't understand me. Trust me, I'll take care of everything. Of course I love you. She means nothing to me. I'll call you later. I've never done anything like this before.

Sorry, we can't come to the phone right now. We just can't. It's impossible. We should be careful what we say and how we say it. Let's not be deceitful. So what is the cure for deception? We've talked a lot about deception. I think we all realize we are all subject to being deceived. We live in a very deceptive world. We have a deceptive nature. Our heart is deceitful above all things, the Scripture says.

Your human heart, influenced by Satan the devil, is deceitful above all things. It's desperately wicked. Let's go to John 16, where we find a cure for this deceitfulness. John 16. John 16, verse 5. But now I go away to him who sent me. This is Christ talking about going back to the Father. And none of you asked me, Where are you going?

But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Of course, this is Christ just shortly before he was taken. We read this at the Passover. Shortly before he was taken, or we read many segments of this. We don't necessarily read these exact words here, but we read all the context around it at Passover.

So he says, verse 6. But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away, that Christ goes away. For if I do not go away, the Helper, the parocletos, speaking of God's Holy Spirit, will not come to you, but if I depart, I will send it to you. And when it has come, and it uses the masculine here, but this is a neuter, should be a neuter term instead of using he. It's not a person. It's not a man. It's not a being. It's the power of God.

It's His Spirit. God is Spirit. And when it has come, it will convict the world of sin. God's Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, eventually, and of righteousness and of judgment, of sin because they do not believe in Me, of righteousness because I go to My Father and you see Me no more, of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. Satan is being judged. He has been judged, and he will be dealt with in the future. It's a sure thing. We can count on it. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

However, when it, the Spirit of truth, has come, it will guide you into all truth, for it will not speak on its own authority, but whatever it hears it will speak. It will tell you things to come. Yes, God's Spirit can speak to us in various ways. I believe God speaks to us in our prayers through the power of His Holy Spirit. He guides us and directs us daily through the power of His Spirit, and we should listen to His Spirit. Not that it's an audible voice in our head, but God can surely get through to us if we allow Him to.

It will glorify Me, for it will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth. The key to overcoming deceitfulness is to allow God's Spirit to guide you, because God's Spirit is not a spirit of deception.

God's Spirit is a spirit of truth. It's a spirit of love. It will guide you into all truth. That's why we're told to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh.

If we walk in the flesh, we'll produce the works of the flesh, the sins that are so prevalent. Galatians 5 lists a bunch of sins. If you don't know what they are, there's plenty of them, and there's more than that. The Galatians also mentions the fruit of God's Spirit there as well. The Spirit will guide you into all truth.

Also, another aspect, along with God's Spirit, let's go to Hebrews 4. This is also a vital part of being able to cure this problem of deceitfulness, of us being deceived, of deceiving ourselves and deceiving others. Hebrews 4.

Hebrews 4, verse 11. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful. This is the important point. God's word is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God will help you see who you are if you will read and study His word and believe it. If you're diligent and faithful in studying God's word, then God will speak to you through His word. The Holy Spirit working with the word of God, I mean, the Bible was written down for our admonition, for our warning, for our teaching, so that we could become disciples of Jesus Christ and of God the Father. So God's word is very, very important. It's our daily manual that we should be living by, and we need to read it and study it. God's Spirit will be stirred up within us when we read and study His word. When we pray, God's Spirit will be stirred up within us. When we fast, God's Spirit will be stirred up within us, and it will allow us to see the truth. The reason we're here today is because God called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2. The reason we're here is because God has opened our minds to truth and understanding through His Spirit, through the power of His Spirit. Now, that doesn't mean we can't be deceived in many other ways, but we can surely be grateful that we're here today where we can be taught, where we can hear these words of life. 1 Peter 2, verse 9. And this is in the context of Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone, being the head of God's church. He says, when He talks about stumbling, He says that Christ will be a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense. Many people have stumbled and don't understand who Christ is. People hate true Christianity. They hate it. He says, they stumble being disobedient to the Word, to which they also were appointed, but you are a chosen generation. Now, He says, all people will be appointed to know the truth in time. All people will come to a knowledge of the truth. But you are a chosen generation. You're a royal priesthood. You're a holy nation. You are His own special people that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy because we have repented of our sins. God has opened our mind to His truth, to His way of life. We've been taken out of darkness. We've been given the light, the marvelous light of God's truth. And we are to live by it. And we are to become honorable, it says, in our conduct. I won't read any further, but we are to be honorable in our conduct, coming out of spiritual darkness and deception into God's marvelous light. So the Holy Spirit, coupled with God's holy Word, that God has preserved for us. Study the Bible. Make it a part of your mind and your heart. The Scripture says we should write God's laws in our hearts and in our minds. That's what we need in order to stay from being deceived. To keep from being deceived, we have to be led by the Spirit of God. We have to be led by truth. The truth will make us free.

We all know that we live in a very immoral, a very permissive society today. You know, it's disgusting how permissive people are when it comes to the truth of God. God clearly tells us in His Word how to live our lives. Here's something that I noticed. It was an interview. It came from the Chicago Tribune. It was a citation or an article called Miss Manners of Adultery. Judith E. Brant, a woman in her 40s, has written a book called The Fifty Mile Rule, Your Guide to Infidelity and Extramarital Etiquette. Here is an excerpt of an interview that Brant did with the Chicago Tribune. Question. You work for a humor magazine. Is your book some form of wicked satire?

No, this is not a national lampoon take on adultery. This is serious information presented in a fun way. There are no books out there on this subject in a format that is not judgmental. God is very judgmental. God is the judge. I want to help people make smart decisions before they make that step.

Question. What about the ethics and morality of extramarital affairs? There is a simple answer. Affairs are immoral and wrong. But the reality is that people are having them anyway. So you have to meet people where they are. For a lot of people, morality doesn't end up in it. So if people are doing it anyway, you have to try to mitigate the hard edges. Question. You say in your book, don't feel guilty.

The answer is that guilt is basically something built into society to keep you in line. Don't buy that rationale, that thinking. God is the God of absolute truth. He tells us how we ought to live. If you are going about your business in a discreet way, and you are continuing to take care of your wife, and most importantly, your children, there is no reason to feel guilt.

That is utterly against God's law. Utterly against His way. Question. Say a friend said they were considering getting involved in an extramarital affair, and asked for your advice, what would you tell them? The advice I would give is that it is based on your needs. People enter into it, that is affairs, for many reasons.

There are emotional needs, as far as I am concerned. Affairs can serve some short-term blah blah blah. I don't even want to read any more of it. That is the way it is. That is the world we live in. It is a permissive world. It is an ungodly world.

Her words sound strangely different from God's very simple statement, You shall not commit adultery.

And Christ went even further. If you look at a woman to lust for her, you have committed adultery in your heart.

Those are the plain words of God Almighty and His Son Jesus Christ. Again, our lusts and the works of the flesh do blind us spiritually.

Our human reasoning alone isn't enough to discern truth from error. We can't do it on our own. The best protection against deception is to know God's revealed truth, to know the Bible, to be convicted of that truth, and to be committed to living it. That is the solution.

In Mark 4, verse 19, it talks about the cares of the world. It says, In the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. God's word becomes unfruitful in a person's life when they get too involved in the world. We're told to come out of the world, to be separate, to be different. That is a command. God wants us to do that. So this is a very serious topic. It's one that God does want us to take to heart. He wants us to put deceit out of our lives. He wants us to stop deceiving ourselves. And He wants us to get a bit more serious in obeying and following Him. Now, granted, I commend you all. You're here.

That's a wonderful thing that you're here. God has called you. He's chosen you. But it also makes you more accountable. So that's why it's important that these kinds of sermons are given to help us stay on the right track. It's not to discourage anyone. It's to help us be encouraged to continue to fight the good fight. It shouldn't discourage you. It actually should inspire you to just do better. And just admit, when you are being deceived and when you've deceived others, ask God to help you see your sin and not to be deceived. Because if we're deceived, we don't know we're deceived. But that's the bad thing about deception.

If you're deceived, then you don't know you're deceived. So ask God to help you see any deception. Some things we can see because we're only partially deceived. We're only partially deceived so we can see it and we can come out of it. But when we're totally deceived, then we're blinded. God can open our minds. He can help us see spiritually. And God will do that. So I would encourage you to take to heart this message. I do want to leave on a little bit of a lighter note, though, so I want to tell you a story. Years ago, there was a San Diego bank and it hired a private investigator to track down a bank robber and retrieve stolen funds. The search led to Mexico. The investigator crossed the border and then, realizing he would need a Spanish interpreter, he opened up the telephone book and he hired the first interpreter that was listed in the Yellow Pages. After many days, he finally captured the bandit. The investigator captured the bandit and, through the interpreter, asked him, where did you hide the money? In Spanish, the thief replied, what money? What de naro? I do know that Spanish word. What money? I have no idea what you're talking about. With that, the investigator drew his pistol, pointed it at the suspect, and said to the interpreter, tell him that if he doesn't tell me where the money is, I will shoot him where he stands. Upon receiving this message, the bank robber said to the interpreter, Señor, I have hidden the money in a coffee can, under the fourth floorboard, in the second floor men's room of the Palacio Hotel on Villa del Rio in La Paz, gave him very good instructions on how to find the money. What did he say? The investigator asked the interpreter. Señor said the interpreter, as he thought for a moment, he says he is prepared to die like a man. I think God wants us to have a sense of humor, too. Of course, the interpreter was deceiving the investigator, and probably the investigator figured it out and shot him, too. So, I don't know. Take it for what it's worth. You know, it talks about, in the end time, there will be a false prophet who will arise and will deceive many. Back to some more serious things. There will be a false prophet who will arise. He will deceive many. This whole world is going to be steeped in deception just before Christ returns. We are told to put on the new man in Ephesians 4. We're told to put on the new man and put off the old man, which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Again, it's our sins that cloud us, that blind us, that deceive us. So, we have to pull out of sin if we don't want to be deceived. So, yield to God's Spirit, study His Word, thank God for His truth on a continual basis, because Satan is the God of this world now. But we know the true God. Satan continues to inspire lots of lies and tons of deception all around us, but God is the God of all truth.

Thankfully, by putting on the new man and by allowing Jesus Christ to live in us through the power of His Spirit, we will have victory over deception, even self-deception. By studying God's Word today, by stirring up His Spirit, then you will have a cure for deception. You don't have to be deceived. One day we shall no longer be subject to deception. Instead, we shall be like our Savior, like Jesus Christ, and like His Father. We shall become like God. So, let's pray that God will speed that day for all of mankind, because everyone is suffering today, because of deception. And we do need the return of Christ badly, so that things can get a whole lot better in the future. So, let's thank God that we've been caught out of darkness into His marvelous light.