Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We bring to your attention and study the sermon by Pastor Sunday from an evening service of the Summer fast called “Who falls into delusion”.
Flattery, delusion and deception do not catch people just for nothing.
People who fall into deception, may outwardly seem to be good people. But God does not look at appearances, but at the invisible – the hearts of people. Delusion does not “catch” normal people, it touches those who have something wrong in their heart.
1. People who did not love the truth
According to 2 Thess.2:10, “and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved….”
2. People who refused to love the truth – “… They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thes.2:10). There are people who seem to be fine, but there is something that they loveso much that they cannot part withit.
There are people who have not left fornication, smoking, council of unbelievers, love for money. It is the untruth that they love. And the devil will most likely cling to these very lies.
The devil will take the things we do not wish to give to God.
If there is something that we love, we need to give it to God. However, more often than not this is exactly what we do not want to do. Usualy we say to God, “I give you everything, but do not touch this one. I am ready to sacrifice everything, but I will not give you that…”. In such a state people are most prone to delusions.
God wants us to belong to him completely and totally. He says: “If you want me to become your Lord, give me yourself fully”.
3. People who act contrary to the covenant. These are people who cannot be faithful to the end. Daniel 11:32 “With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him”.
Covenant is a vow, a promise to be faithful to each other. At the time of the Old Testament, people were ready to die but not to break the covenant. For people who are in the covenant, it is better to die than to betray each other. A covenant is made in order not to betray each other. As believers we are in a covenant relationship with Christ.
Examples of breaking the covenant:
1) Judas, who betrayed Jesus,
2) Absalom, who betrayed his father David
– Both of them broke the covenant of relationship.
When such people have an opportunity to take something for themselves, they completely forget about the covenant, and compromise with their conscience.
People who are not able to be faithful till the end easily fall prey to the spirit of flattery, delusion and deception. If the seed of unfaithfulness is in us, there is a danger to yield to delusion.
4. People who judge other people by themselves
Titus 1:15 “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted”.
Whata person has inside of their heart and the way they behave is exactly what they expect from others.
Most of the people,who believed that Pastor Sunday is able to cheat and steal from people, are the kind of people who are able to do such a thing. Thus, people who have something unclean inside, too, are proneto the spirit of delusion.
5. People who have a secret sin Heb. 3:13 “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness..”
Even if people go to churchbut they have a secret sin, delusion willtouch them as well. Secret sin makes oneso weak that theycan not opposethe lies and delusion, and areprone to the spirit of lies and delusion.
6. People who are simple and naive
Many people fall into deception and lies because of theirnaivityand innocence.
Eph. 4:14 “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming”.
Features of simple-minded people:
– Simple-minded as children
– Believe in everything
– Do not analyze themselves.
Such people may also be influenced by the spirit of delusion, because other people can mislead them.They are naive like children and believe in everything.
People who fall into delusion, cannot be persuaded.
Deceit, flattery and delusion make a person:
– Insane
– Blinded
One can tell the truth to such a person, but they will hold to their own, because of the action of the spirit of flattery, lies and delusions, one does not hear sensible arguments, logic and loses his mind.
The influenceof the spirit of flattery and delusion on a person:
People blindly believe in a lie:
– have glazed eyes
– do not hear,
– It is impossible to bring them to their senses.
They have their”own” truth, whish is right, – everything else is wrong. And even if they see something that is right, they only look at one side of it and do not see the other side of the coin.
How to recognize the action of lies, deception and delusion, and how to avoid it?
1. Delusion produces seperation
Rom. 16:17-18 “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.”
Some ministers and bishops in every possible way persuade people to leave the Embassy of God church and to join their or other churches, dividing the Body of Christ. It is much easier to destroy a building than to build it.
Where there is creation – there is God, but if you see destruction; itis the first sign that you need to run away from there.
Recipe: Beware of people who bring separation. If you see someone who promotes separation of the church and the body of Christ, this is the first indication that such people should be avoided. Such people should be loved, but keep them at a distance.
2. People who produce temptations
For such people there is nothing good, they constantly accuse someone. Thus, they produce temptations. We need to beware of those who produce temptations and keep them at a distance.
If someone comes to church, calls the church members, uses the pulpit to persuade members of another church in the dishonesty of their pastor, it is the action of the spirit of delusion. This is done with a single purpose – to deceive believers in the church and their pastor and to lose faith.
3. Self-interested people
Greed is a sign that helps us to distinguish the effect of the spirit of lies and delusions. The danger of such people is that they may lure you too to this delusion. If you see that a person is looking for their own, stay away from them.
4. People who deceive by eloquence and flattery.
Romans 16:18 ” These people talk a lot, but it does not have a business”.
Recipe: Beware of people who speak more than do. If people criticize others, they have to show their fruits first. One should look more at the deeds, not at their words. Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matt.7: 16).
5. People who are afraid of persecution.
One has to beaware of them, because if people are afraid of persecution, it shows that they have some kind of impurity, or hidden thoughts.
2 Timothy 3:12-14 “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,. “
There are people who stopped to go to the church or moved to another church because of persecution. Fear of persecution is a sign that such people can be deceived by the spirit of delusion.
Sincere and righteous men are afraid of nothing.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love“. (1 John.4: 18). When a person walks in truth, they have peace with themselves; but if they are unclean in their intentions, then there is fear.
A righteous manisready to go through any persecution. Even when facing accusations, if one knows inside of them, that they are innocent, they stand in their adherence to the truth, and can overcome any persecution. It is written that “the righteous are as bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). Truth can be defeated only temporarily, in the end, it will still prevail.
Fear and worries area sign of not abiding in the truth. If a person is afraid of something, it means that there is no close relationship with God, this is a clue that they do not walk in the truth. The worst thing that can happen: people will not understand us correctly, but in fact, it’s not so bad. The main thing is that God understands us.
6. People who are deluded and draw others into this
“For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil” (Rom.16: 18,19).
Recipe: Beware of those who, being losts heep themselves, begin to persuade others and sow doubts in the minds of people.
Delusion – this is the way God brings judgment and justice
1 Pet. 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
If a person cannot stand on the judgment of God, they are deluded by the spirit of delusion and deception.
How do we avoid the action of the spirit of seduction? Obedience, submission to the highest power helps a person to recognize the action of the spirit of deception and delusion, and how to avoid it.
God will work with everyone in the following ways:
1. He will take us through flattery and will do it repeatedly, we can not avoid that process.
2. In a lifetime, we will hear different kinds of flattery – either about our husband, or our pastor.
3. But we will make a choice by ourselves whether to believe it or not.
Homework Questions:
1. 2 Thes. 2:9-12 – why did God send the spirit of deception and delusion?
2. What is the difference between knowing the truth and loving the truth?
3. Why did Jesus say that in order to become His disciple, you must renounce everything, even yourself (Matt.10)?
4. According to Daniel 11:32 – why people, who are not able to keep the word given to someone (keep a covenant), fallunder the spirit of delusion and deception?
5. Why people,who see the mote in the eye of another, fall under the spirit of deception and delusion (those who accuse, looking for sins of others)?
6. Why do naive, simple, non-analytical thinking people fall under the spirit of delusion and deception?
7. According to Romans 16:17-18, what are the symptoms of people who have fallen under the spirit of delusion?
8. Why do selfish people fall under the spirit of delusion?
9. Why do people who speak more than do – talkers and demagogues – fall under the spirit of delusion?
10. Why do people, who have a fear for themselves, for family, for children, fall under the spirit of delusion?
May God bless you!
Fromthe Summer fast
July 31, 2013, Kyiv, Ukraine
Press Center of theEmbassyofGodChurch
