What Did Jesus And The Apostles Reveal To Us About Self-Deception?
Good Morning Friends,
Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount with warnings about the narrow and the wide ways, two kinds of prophets, two claims, wise and foolish builders and the true and false disciples, and embedded in all of them is the warning against self-deception. Friends, it should become clear for us that reality denied will come back to haunt us. And let’s face it, we get pretty good at fooling our own subconscious, for we can believe what is not true as well as refuse to believe what is true. Both are forms of self-deception. So if we are listening to our own lies we start to lose perspective on the truth. We need to look in the mirror and stop deceiving ourselves and ask ourselves, What Did Jesus And The Apostles Reveal To Us About Self-Deception?
Scripture: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’
Matthew 7:21-23 (NRSV)
Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’, and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’ So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
1 Corinthians 3:18-3:23 (NRSV)
but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:7-1:10 (NRSV)
But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror;
James 1:21-1:23 (NRSV)
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:14-17(NRSV)
Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 (NRSV)
Message: There are many who are in Christian circles today that profess to know Jesus Christ but friends, if you don’t live it, you really don’t believe it. In my reading of the Bible and in the living of my life, I have found that my capacity to overlook imperfections seems limitless. I have found that my human reasoning is insufficient alone to mend what separates me. I have found that I need protection against the deception I would too easily accept. I need revealed truth. And for me I find it in the Bible… not just the words on a page…not just the history, poetry, humor, prophecy, romance, letters, biographies, songs, journals, stories and rules and advice… but the living Word…the powerful, energetic and sharp double-edged sword that pierces right to the core of my self-deception. It is the authoritative text on the topic of our Christian faith. It is all relevant for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. Certainly some of it we do not understand, but those things we do understand are sufficient to trouble us for a purpose. For here the Word of God judges the very desires and thoughts of our hearts… It shows us who we really are and calls us to apply what we learn so we can become what God wants us to be. That is why we should all recover our Biblical mind…This is why we should seek cover in Christ…This is why we should stop pretending we do not know. So let’s not kid ourselves about sin. It is a real force in the world today and a real problem in our daily lives. Only by acknowledging the problem and seeking God’s help can we overcome sin and guilt. This self-deception is rooted in our thinking, and visible in our activities. Or, if we look at it in reverse – what we do, or how we act is in reality a product of what we believe. So, if our believing is wrong then our acting will be wrong. If we have been deceived and are thinking wrong as a result of that deception, then we need to adjust and refocus areas of our thinking that have been subjected to deception…replacing them with truth, and ultimately seeing the healing of our actions helped through our relationship with the Word made flesh.
Pray we recognize the signs of a false faith. Pray we not love the world. Pray we not deny Jesus and the Word he brings. Pray we walk in the light. Pray we repent. Pray we encourage other believers. Pray we not sin. Pray we love. Pray we realize that how we treat others is how God will treat us. Pray that we rediscover the importance of the Bible. Pray that we discipline ourselves to study. Pray that we commit ourselves to apply what we learn in reading the Bible. Pray that we realize that nothing is hidden from the eyes of God and that someday we will have to give an account of ourselves. Pray that we claim the Holy Spirit’s power to help us live a life pleasing to God…that we not just read the Bible but use it to change our lives….too experience His revealed truth…Pray that our lives be inspired through our interaction with the Bible, with Christ… with one another. Pray we stop believing half-truths as we try to patch our image together. Pray we stop just reflecting other’s expectations of who they think we are. Pray we get a clear picture of who we are with the full clarity of the mind of Christ. Pray we place our faith and trust in Christ.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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