A CHRISTIAN BIBLE BELIEVING CHURCH
Galatians 6:7-8 (KJV) DON'T BE DECIEVED
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.
Someone said, "We deceive ourselves and end up on a path of false beliefs."
Deception is often a lie wrapped in the truth. The oldest example is seen in the Garden of Eden, when Eve listened to Satan, accepting his version of the truth which was part of the truth, mixed with a lie-yet it all sounded so good.
Many scriptures in the Bible instruct on not being deceived.
Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 22:29 (KJV) Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. When we fail to study and meditate on the word of God and begin to listen to false teaching, we are led away from the foundation of truth. Let me tell you something, you better Scrutinize, inspect, examine, study, dissect, search, and analyze what is coming out of the pulpit. Don't be deceived by false teaching!
Jesus said, Luke 21:8 (KJV)
Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. Many will come but warns don't go running after them.
Paul warns the saints of the Church at Colossians 2:8 (KJV)
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Many are preaching stuff that tickles the ear, makes you feel good, you may a mistake, you turn your life around, you got great potential, God created you for greatness, tomorrow is your best day! that sounds really good, but what are you confessing YOUR sins, seeking God, repentant, I don't hear much of that.
1 Cor. 6:9 Paul writes to the Church, No sinner shall enter Heaven, none but the righteous. Look at what Paul says,
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, and he goes on to list those sins, worldly sins that bar the doors to Heaven, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with humankind. Every day sins that people commit today and revel in them. Sin is no longer a sin; it's a lifestyle.
Paul goes on to say,
13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived 2 Timothy 3:13 (KJV). Then John says, 1 John 3:7, "Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
The word "deceived" (planasthe) means to be led astray, seduced, and led out of the way. Some Galatians were being led astray in this matter. They were failing to share in the ministry of Paul, becoming critics instead of supporters.
Ephesians 5:6 (KJV) 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Words that mean nothing, do not add to your soul or spiritual growth, words that do not edify or build you up. Words that fail to strengthen the inner man.
Satan is the great deceiver; he is the father of lies and deceived Eve in the beginning. So now, Church, we can be deceived; false teachers and preachers deceive us, the world by teaching sin are not sins, we deceive ourselves into thinking we are right with God. 1 John 1:8 (KJV) 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
And many will deceive themselves as the last day approaches. We are deceived when we are made to think baptism saves; Lord supper saves, man can absolve sins we are being deceived. Satan will deceive you about what's right and what is wrong. Only the word of truth can be trusted; a man goes about establishing His truth. Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV) says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Man's heart, the core of his being, is sinful and will lie to himself. Listen, when you have not been born again, your father is wicked, and sin does not bother you. Sin leads to death but the wicked worry not about death. Satan deceives people into thinking they don't need God, the Church, or forgiveness for sins that we have plenty of time later for God.
Let us look at this deception thing for just a moment.
The world can deceive us! BUT YOUR WORST ENEMY IS YOURSELF. SELF-DECEPTION IS WHAT SATAN BANKS ON!
You are following after the world and doing as the world does. Don't be deceived everyone is not going to Heaven. Preachers preach a worldly doctrine to make everyone happy. No shame in it if everyone else is doing it, smoking dope, taking drugs, binging on alcohol, sleeping all over town, it's just having fun.
Satan deceives us by telling us sin is just enjoying life,
Revelation 12:9 (KJV)
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. He'll tell you there is no God, no hell. He tells people.
1 Corinthians 15:33-34 (KJV)
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
34 Awake to righteousness and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
Be on your guard watch as well as pray, Don't be deceived!
James 5:7-8 (KJV)
John Piper said,
"The center of Christianity is the coming of the Son of
God into the world as a real man to destroy the works of the devil and create a new people for His glory."
The very heart of our faith is that He did this by obeying the law of God, dying for the sins of His people, rising victorious over death, and ascending to God's right hand with all His enemies under his feet. The second coming of Christ is the completion of His saving work. If you take it away, the whole fabric of His saving work unravels.
John Calvin said,
"Let us not hesitate to await the Lord's coming, not only with longing but also with groaning and sighs, as the happiest thing of all. He will come to us as Redeemer."
I want to talk with you for a few moments about this and other great scriptures that talk about the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Sometimes called the Second Coming or Rapture but they are not the same. The Rapture will occur first, then the Second Coming.
Why is he coming again?
Christ is coming again to reward every person for his work.
Christ is coming again to separate the sheep from the goats.
Christ is coming again to judge both the living and the dead.
Christ is coming again to execute judgment upon the unbelievers or the ungodly of the earth.
Christ is coming again to judge believers.
There are over 300 scriptures in the Bible on the Return of Christ. Yet that is the very subject we never hear much on, and people act as if He will never return. We ought to be preparing as see the signs of the times in which we are living. The Rapture and Second Coming are two different and separate events. The Rapture could happen any moment, tomorrow, or the next day; it will happen without any warning, and only the saved in Christ Jesus alive and those who died in the Lord will be caught up, raptured, snatched away, to meet Him in the air. Glory to God.
The first coming of Jesus is the first time He came to earth to live here and fulfill a mission. The first coming happened about 2,000 years ago when He died for the sins of men. The Second Coming of Christ will occur when He comes again to live on earth to fulfill another mission—to reign as King of the whole world and put down all rebellion and Sin.
The second coming is at least seven years after the Rapture when Christ lands on earth to live among men as He did at His first advent.
Christ does not come to the earth at the Rapture. He comes only as far as the clouds, and the dead and living in Christ rise to meet Him in the air to go back to heaven with Him to be with Him forever.
The Christian ought to wait patiently in Joy, expecting, hoping, and looking forward to our Redeemer to appear. When He comes back, He will set all wrongs right, lift the poor and oppressed, cure all the ills of this evil world, put all rule under His feet, He will be King of kings and Lord overall. The righteous judge shall set over His kingdom and judge with pure Moral Judgment.
Now listen to me, Jesus spoke of His return, and He cannot lie. Matthew 25:31-32 (KJV) standing before the high priest He said,
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.
His return is Imminent. The word imminent means "likely to happen at any moment; impending." When we speak of the imminence of Christ's return, we mean that He could come back at any moment. There is nothing more in biblical prophecy that needs to happen before Jesus comes again. Now listen to me, Jesus must come back. Hebrews 9:28 (KJV) says, So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto Salvation.
James says, Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. The word patient means longsuffering, bearing, and suffering a long time, persevering, being constant, steadfast, and enduring. You got to hold on, fight a good fight through trials and temptations. Fight on! You must have spiritual patience. Spiritual patience is not passive; it's an active working spirit that says "I feel like going on, I feel like pressing on, I just can't turn around now. Glory. That's the Fruit of the spirit's power
James is encouraging the saints not to fret at what they see happening all around them. James here gives us an excellent analogy of the farmer waiting patiently on His crops. But the farmer must work to get a crop, He has to plow, sow and till, then wait for the crop to ripen, and then He receives the harvest. All the acts of nature He must fight against and wait. So be steadfast, work out your soul salvation, look to the hills; today is the day of Salvation. The master of the house is coming soon, don't let Him find you sleeping, better be watching and in prayer. Don't let Him catch you with your work undone.
1 Peter 1:13 (KJV) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Sinners take a look around the writing on the wall. Evil is in high places, corruption is everywhere. My sisters and brothers, don't lose your faith over the Rittenhouse's of the world and the Judicial system. God is going to turn it around, and the guilty will not go unpunished.
The hardships we face because of color will someday be over, and the persecution of the poor by the rich will soon be over. Sickness and disease will be no more; Jesus will heal the heart of man, and all things will be put under His feet. Isa 60: 18 No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
I look for a better day when the dark clouds of hatred or broken through the Sunshine of righteous justice. I look for a day beyond this day a day that shall never end when we shall bow in the presence of our redeemer and present our royal diadem. Oh, when Jesus comes, many will be running, crying rocks fall on me, Woe, I am a man undone. but I shall be crying " Come Lord Jesus" battle has been fought victory won. On Calvary and greater is He that is in me! Yeah, oh yeah.