Part 2-The Deception of Satan –Repent and Return to God
Lemie McGarity
June 23, 2018
continued to discuss how Satan has deceived the whole world, including the majority of the Christian Community, followers of Christ!
Rev12:9 Satan the devil has deceived the hold World.
We learned from prophecies given by the apostle Paul, 2 Tim 3:1-5 and 4:3-6, that just prior to the day of the Lord when Jesus deals out retribution upon them who sinned on the Earth; most of the people of God would willfully turn away from sound doctrine, the truth, and turn to fables. They would be lovers of pleasure rather than God.
In a prophecy revealed through the apostle John while projected out into the future, in a vision, to the same time, just prior to the day of the Lord and saw that the people of God were caught up in Babylon, a system of false religions devised by Satan to confuse the people of the world and cause chaos.
We address the seven churches recorded in Revelation 2 and 3 that reflect the condition of God’s people today. Five of the Churches represented 71 % of the people of God that needed repentance, and the two that didn’t, a small remnant, 29% would be keeping the instructions of God, and holding to the testimony of Jesus.
We went through these Churches in some detail, and it was revealed that some of the people had lost their first love for the way of life they were called to. Some had become complacent and were following the doctrine of Baalum, and the Nicolaitans, and tolerated Jezebel who led the people into idolatry, and rebellion against God.
We saw in Scripture where the people of God were caught up in this system called Babylon, devised by Satan which has the whole world in a state of darkness, confusion, and chaos. Rev 18:4
Jesus called on His people to come out of this system of darkness. The only way is what Jesus told these five churches to do and that was to repent
Rev 2:21– ‘I gave G1325 her time G5550 to repent, G3340 and she does not want G2309 to repent G3340 of her immorality. G4202
Rev 2:22
‘Behold, G2400 I will throw G906 her on a bed G2825 of sickness, and those G3588 who commit G3431adultery G3431 with her into great G3173 tribulation, G2347unless G1437 G3361 they repent G3340 of her deeds. G204
God is giving us time to repent, what does that mean?
The word repent is G3340 and means to turn or change directions “Repentance (metanoia, ‘change of mind’) involves a turning with contrition from sin to God.
Only then is forgiveness granted, upon repentance. Then the repentant sinner is in the proper condition to accept the divine forgiveness.” (F. F. Bruce. The Acts of the Apostles [Greek Text Commentary], London: Tyndale, 1952, p. 97.
Rom 12:1-2 Paul said Repentance is renewing our minds to prove what the will of God is:
Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Rom 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Notice the importance of this word repentance in the gospel message Christ sent out into the world.
This is the gospel message:
Luke 24:46-47
“Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
Matt 28:18-20
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G1325&t=NASB to Me in heaven and on earth ( not only am I your Savior, and am also your King; your Lord). Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Mark 16:15-20
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.“ These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.
The Jews who came to Peter were told to repent, and then be baptized for the remission of their sin.
Acts 2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
What are we to repent of upon believing that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died and rose on the third day, and that repentance should be claimed in His name?
At this point I think it would be good to refresh our minds as to what the Scriptures say sin is.
1. John 3:1-8
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins have seen Him or knows Him. Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
The Law of God is the Righteousness character of God that manifest the fruits of His Spirit; unity, peace and love as Jesus indicated when He Said I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love, John 15:10
Paul describes in Eph 4:3 where he we must diligently preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and Gal 5:22 But the fruit G2590 of the Spirit G4151 is love, G26 joy, G5479peace, G1515 patience, G3115 kindness, G5544goodness, G19 faithfulness, G4102
Gal 5:23 gentleness, G4240 self-control; G1466 against G2596such G5108 things G5108 there is no G3756 law. G3551
Gal 5:24 Now G1161 those G3588 who [fn]belong to Christ G5547Jesus G2424 have crucified G4717 the flesh G4561 with its passions G3804 and desires. G1939
Gal 5:25 If G1487 we live G2198 by the Spirit, G4151 let us also G2532[fn]walk G4748 by the Spirit. G4151
Gal 5:26 Let us not become G1096 boastful, G2755 challenging G4292one G240 another, G240 envying G5354 one G240another
Last we mentioned A scripture in Matt 5:17-20
This morning we are going to revisit that scripture because in more detail. Many believe that the word fulfill in verse 17 means that Jesus fulfilled the Law and now we are under grace and no longer need to obey the commandment (instructions for righteous living). We saw last week that Christ was talking about the things in Scriptures concerning Him.
Noted Commentary Jamison, Faussett and Brown on this passage puts it this way.
18. shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled–The meaning is that “not so much as the smallest loss of authority or vitality shall ever come over the law.” The expression, “till all be fulfilled,” is much the same in meaning as “it shall be had in undiminished and enduring honor, from its greatest to its least requirements.”
There are two categories of the Law the moral-the 10 Commandments and the Ceremonial the rituals that had to with sacrifices We need to know the difference.
19. Whosoever therefore shall break–rather, “dissolve,” “annul,” or make “invalid.”
one of these least commandments–an expression equivalent to “one of the least of these commandments.”
and shall teach men so–referring to the Pharisees and their teaching, as is plain from Mat 5:20, but of course embracing all similar schools and teaching in the Christian Church.
he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven—
As the thing spoken of is not the practical breaking, or disobeying, of the law, but annulling or enervating its obligation by a vicious system of interpretations, and teaching others to do the same;
the thing threatened is not exclusion from heaven, and still less the lowest place in it, but a degraded and contemptuous position in this present stage of the kingdom of God.
In other words, they shall be reduced by the retributive providence that overtakes them, to the same condition of dishonor to which, by their system and their teaching, they have brought down those eternal principles of God’s law.
If we do away with, annual, or abolish God law you are due whatever befalls you
but whosoever shall do and teach them–whose principles and teaching go to exalt the authority and honor of God’s law, in its lowest as well as highest requirements.
the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven–shall, by that providence which watches over the honor of God’s moral administration, be raised to the same position of authority and honor to which they exalt the law.
20. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees–The superiority to the Pharisaic righteousness here required is plainly talking about the kind of righteousness, and not degree;
For all Scripture teaches that entrance into God’s kingdom, whether in its present or future stage, depends, not on the degree of our excellence in anything, but solely on our having the character itself which God demands.
Our righteousness, then–in contrast with the outward and formal righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees must be inward, vital, spiritual.
but our Lord is speaking, not of persons, but of the system they represented and taught.
Jesus was asked which is the greatest Commandment.
Notice what He said:
Matt 22:37-40 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
And He said to him, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOURGOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ “This is the great and [foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “On these two commandments depends the whole Law and the Prophets.”
What does He mean? How do we love God with all our all of our heart, soul, and mind?
In this passage Jesus is telling us that we have to put our love for God above everything!
Jesus is referring to are the first 4 of the 10 Commandment
Ex 20: 1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Exo 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
Exo 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
Exo 20:5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Remember He was going to throw some of His people on to sick bed, and kill their children Rev 2 because they would not repent.
Exo 20:6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Exo 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
Remember what we read in Matt 7:23 Begone from me I know you not, ye who practice lawlessness.
Exo 20:8 -11 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you.
“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Referring to Gen 2:1-4)
This is what Christ meant when He say you shall love God with our whole heart, soul and mind.
Jesus said the second is an extension of the first! We must love our neighbor in the same manor.
Exo 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
Exo 20:13 “You shall not murder.
Exo 20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.
Exo 20:15 “You shall not steal.
Exo 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Exo 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Notice that each one of the commandments are instructions of love. They protect me from you and you from me which leads to joy, peace and happiness.
God is love, and the love of God covered our sins in His Son, John 3:16, 1 Pet 4:8; Prov 10:12,
You cannot put the second commandment before the first. Loving your neighbor as you love your self does not count for much without putting your love for God first.
God expects us to keep all 10 of His moral Law of love not just six.
1Jo 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.
God would not command us to something that we couldn’t do and if we miss the mark, sin, we have Jesus as our advocate, that if we repent He is faithful to forgive us.
Close:
Once again my time is about up for today, time sure fly when you are having fun. I hope you have found these messages enjoyable and enlightening as they have for me.
If you would like your own personal copy for your personal study you can call me at (770) 894-9829, or email me at [email protected]. Or you can download them from my website: www.biblicalresearchassociation.org.
If you don’t remember anything else I have said this morning please remember this.
Heb 10:26-29 For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
Heb 10:26-29 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
You really don’t want to do that.