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Deceitful Things

1 Corinthians 15.33

Deceitful means full of guile, vain, evil. Strong’s gives the following words for deceit; decoy, to trick, guile. The idea is it tricks one to believing one thing while another is true; it simply misleads us. We read of numerous people that were deceived. Eve was deceived in the garden of Eden, 1 Timothy 2.11-14; Jacob was deceived by Laban when Leah was substituted for Rachel (Genesis 29.23-25); later on he was deceived and believed Joseph had been killed by a wild animal (Genesis 37.33). Satan has used and will use deception as one of his devices to trick us, Ephesians 6.11. There are numerous things the Bible says are deceitful.

1. They transform themselves, make themselves to appear to be one thing while being something else.

2. Apostles of Christ, word "apostle" means ambassador or representative. 2 Corinthians 11.13

3. This is similar to Ephesus 4.14

1. They were told to "test the spirits" 1 John 4.1

2. Paul was limited to what Jesus said. Galatians 1.

1. Some desires are proper and lawful – hunger, food, sexual desires, Hebrews 13.4

2. Others are against God and His law

3. Lust often offers one thing, immediate satisfaction

    a. Potiphar’s wife was offering Joseph immediate gratification, Genesis 39. It was unlawful, against God.

    b. Paul told Timothy to "flee youthful lust" 2 Timothy 2.22

4. Lust often gives or produces something else; rejection, guilt, only temporary pleasure at best, eternal damnation at the end.

1. What is lawful is in our best interest.

2, Numerous times Jesus was asked "Is it lawful…"

    a. To divorce for any reason, Matthew 19.3

    b. To heal on the Sabbath, Matthew 12.10

    c. To pay taxes to Caesar, Matthew 22.17

3. Lust is always unlawful.

1. Our emotions often mislead us; we feel one thing while another is true, Proverbs 14.12

2. The people of Israel were being lead by their heart and not God’s word

1. He believed Joseph to be dead when he was alive

2. Later on he was told Joseph was alive but refused to believe it

3. Jesus did not reply to their lawful question with "listen to your heart" but with the word of God.

A) The wicked are by definition against good, Psalm 109.2

1. They will lie, gossip, mislead you; they can not be trusted

2. They are selfish and will cause get misery and pain.

B) We need the counsel of the honest, Proverbs 12.5a; 27.6

1. Some times we need to be told we are wrong

2. Nathan the prophet convicted David of his sin with Bathsheba, 2 Samuel 12.

A) Charm and beauty is often used to hide what is underneath

1. A beautiful and charming lady can be cunning and crafty (remember the show Dallas?) Absalom was a man with long hair and may have been handsome; Saul was tall; but neither one was faithful to God.

2. Reminds me of Jesus statement about whitewashed tombs, they appear nice but inside are full of dead men’s bones. Matthew 23.27

B) We need to get to know a person, their character, Proverbs 31.30b

1. Interesting that the physical qualities of Jesus are never mentioned.

2. We are told about the outward beauty of Dorcas or Lydia.

3. Paul’s physical appearance was apparently underwhelming.

4. It is the character of a person that matters most.

5. David is described as being handsome, 1 Samuel 16.18; more importantly he was a man after God’s own heart, Acts 13.22

6. The best guard against being deceived is knowing, God’s word. Looking at people and situations with what the Bible calls "discernment", and not just our hearts or eyes.

A) We tend to think we have more than today, James 4.13-16

1. Today is all we have and we need to use it wisely

    a. The foolish farmer was told his soul would be required of him that night, Luke 12.20

    b. We are told to number our days, Psalm 90.12

2. Today is the day of salvation, 2 Corinthians 6.2

D.T. @ Westside Church of Christ 10.21.07