Do Not Be Deceived, my beloved brethren. James 1:16
Don’t be Deceived When it comes to deception Christians are given strong caution. John 8:44 – the devil is a murderer who works through lies 1 Tim. 2:14 – Eve was deceived by the lie of the devil; cf. Gen. 3 2 Tim. 3:13 – the devil has his workers who teach their deception as they have been deceived; cf. 2 Cor. 11:13-15
Don’t be Deceived How might the devil deceive us? Through the allure of sin – Heb. 3:12-13 – the deceitfulness of sin might lead us to say that it is not that bad Through the allure of riches – Mark 4:19 – the deceitfulness of riches keeps us focused on this world
Don’t be Deceived Through the allure of wisdom – Col. 2:8 – the plundering of philosophy and empty deceit Through the allure of misusing God’s word – 2 Cor. 4:2 – the use of God’s word as a means of gain or power; cf. 2 Cor. 2:17 Through the allure of... – 2 Thess. 2:3 – the use of whatever is available to entice others away from the truth
Don’t be Deceived We are warned to be aware of the devil. 2 Cor. 2:11 – we should not be ignorant of the devil and his ways 1 Peter 5:8-9 – be aware that the devil is on the prowl
Don’t be Deceived If we are aware then we do not have to be deceived. John 7:16-17 – if we want to do the will of God we will know His will Matt. 13:14-16 – some will be deceived because they do not have ears to hear but if you have ears to hear you will
Don’t be Deceived We have several warnings about being deceived. 1 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 5:6; 2 Thess. 2:3; 1 John 3:7 – let no one deceive you, not even yourself
Don’t be Deceived To avoid deception: John 8:32 – “and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” Acts 4:12 – salvation comes in no other name Acts 17:11 – study to prove the things taught
Don’t be Deceived To avoid deception: Rom. 6:17 – obey from the heart Titus 3:3-5 – do not be deceived in believing that baptism isn’t essential to salvation 2 Chron. 34:8-12 – the men did the work faithfully Eph. 2:10 – we ought to do likewise
Don’t be Deceived Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely depart from us,” for they will not depart. Jer. 37:9 ------------------------------------------ Will you deceive yourself or be deceived from your salvation?