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The Message – Guarding Against Deceptions
Brother Richie Juatco: When conflicts arise in life, whether it’s in an argument, a physical altercation, or even an internal battle, the way we protect and guard ourselves is something that must be practiced. In order to enhance this skill, it’s important to anticipate an opponent’s moves and plan countermoves. Knowing how an opponent attacks will help us train to better defend ourselves and use counterattacks.
This is what we will study today here on The Message.
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Guarding Against Deceptions
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The Message
Brother Richie Juatco: Hi! Thanks for joining us. I’m Brother Richie Juatco.
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Brother Mark Vasquez
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Richie Juatco
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Mark Vasquez: And I’m Brother Mark Vasquez.
The ultimate opponent we all have is the devil, and knowing his tactics is fundamental for us to prepare and defend ourselves. And since the devil is our ultimate enemy, then the Lord Jesus Christ is our ultimate example to follow—because He defeated the devil in every attempt to deceive Him.
The Bible records the devil’s attempt to trick the Lord Jesus Christ three times. By means of this recorded interaction, we can learn of the three main ways or the methods the devil tries to deceive people to lead them away from God.
Brother Richie: Now, in our last two episodes, we studied two different tactics the devil used, one being hardships or lack of necessities, and the other being the things of the material world—power, fame, glory, possessions.
In both these episodes, we were taught to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ by learning about what He used to protect and defend Himself.
Brother Mark: We encourage anyone that has not viewed these episodes to go ahead and watch them after this.
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Guarding Against Deceptions
Brother Richie: Now, today we will study the third method of the devil, which he used against Christ. And again, we are going to find out how our Lord Jesus Christ succeeded.
Brother Mark: Since the devil was yet again unsuccessful in convincing Jesus to disregard God and His words, he noticed that Christ kept holding on to what is written in the scriptures to defend Himself.
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The Message
How did the devil try tempting Christ?
Brother Richie: So what did the devil switch his tactic to? Let’s turn to, again, what’s recorded in the Book of Luke, chapter 4. We will read from verse 9 to 11 this time, and it says this,
Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down from here. For the scripture says, ‘God will order his angels to take good care of you.’ It also says, ‘They will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’”
[Luke 4:9-11 Today’s English Version]
Brother Richie: Here we see the devil brought our Lord Jesus Christ to a new location. Where was this? We read, “to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple.” Now, what then did the devil try to instigate our Lord Jesus Christ to do? He said,“If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down from here.”
Now, why in the world would our Lord Jesus Christ do such a thing and throw Himself down from that highest point? The devil said, “For the scripture says, ‘God will order his angels to take good care of you.’” It also says, “They will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.”
Brother Mark: Notice how the devil is now using what the Lord Jesus Christ has been holding onto to defend Himself. The devil started to use what the Scripture says as though he is preaching the truth. Because the devil is the ultimate false preacher, we should understand that false preachers use Bible verses too—but of course, they do not use them properly.
Brother Richie: That’s correct. So we have to examine how did he do that? If we examine the Bible verse the devil is using in comparison to what he is teaching, we can uncover his deception. Let’s go to the verse. The verse teaches that, “God will order his angels to take good care of you.”
Now, what will the angels of God do to take good care of those who trust in God and depend on Him for safety? The Scripture says, “They will hold you up with their hands.” Why will they do this? It says, “so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.”
If we read it in other translations, it reads, “lest you dash your foot against a stone.” And the definition of ‘lest’ is with the intention of preventing something undesirable to avoid the risk. But notice from that verse, what did the devil teach? Although the verse is what he is quoting, the devil said, “throw yourself down.” So, although quoting a Bible verse, what is being taught is actually very different from what is actually written.
Brother Mark: How did the apostles describe this tactic that’s used by the devil in quoting the words of God to deceive people to actually do what’s wrong?
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The Message
How did the apostles describe the devil?
Brother Richie: You know that skill that he has, right—he’s actually using Bible verses, but he’s telling lies—the apostles, they describe the devil this way, here in II Corinthians 11:3,
And that is my fear: the serpent that seduced Eve with cunning could also corrupt your minds and divert you from the sincerity which leads to Christ.
[II Corinthians 11:3 Christian Community Bible]
Brother Richie: Here, the serpent, or the devil, is not merely described as smart or intelligent but rather the Bible says “cunning” with the ability to seduce. No wonder he is able to actually use Bible verses to lie. Now, Brother Mark, [are] words the only thing the devil uses to deceive or to trick people?
Brother Mark: When the Bible described the devil as cunning, it’s not just words.
Brother Richie: So not just words.
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The Message
How else did the apostles describe the devil’s deceptiveness?
Brother Mark: No, the apostles go into more detail about the strategies that Satan might use to try to deceive people. Here, let’s read in the Book of II Thessalonians. We’ll read 2, we’ll read 9 up to verse 10,
This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction…
[II Thessalonians 2:9-10 New Living Translation]
Brother Mark: Here we could see that the devil, or Satan, and the false preachers he uses to deceive others, they not only use misleading words. What else is it that Satan will use? The Bible told us, “He will use every kind of wicked deception.” And what’s being used to deceive people, to consider the lies that they’re hearing, and consider them as truth? We read, “counterfeit power and signs and miracles.”
Therefore, not everyone who preaches, quotes the Bible, even performs miracles—not all of them are from God. That person might very well be counterfeit and doing the work of the devil.
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Guarding Against Deceptions
Brother Richie: You know, unfortunately, we see people who fall for this tactic all the time. Instead of hearing and following the actual message and instruction of God’s written word—they are deceived to do the opposite by a false preacher. The false preacher also reads the Bible and declares signs that may miraculously happen, but that is not proof of being sent by God to preach.
Brother Mark: We can’t use any kind of miracle as proof that they’re sent from God.
Brother Richie: No, because the devil can make miracles too.
Brother Mark: That’s true. And since the devil, as the ultimate false preacher, used God’s Scripture to entice the Lord Jesus Christ to test God’s words as though it were not true, how did the Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Richie, how did the Lord Jesus Christ handle this instigation?
Brother Richie: Let’s go back to what’s written in Luke, chapter 4. And the way you posed the question is really good, because he’s trying to instigate our Lord Jesus Christ as though God’s words are not real. You know, they are God’s words, they’re His instructions. So it’s like he’s saying, is it really true? Test it. What is it that our Lord Jesus Christ did?
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The Message
How did Jesus deal with the devil’s deceptions?
Brother Richie: How did he handle himself? So we’ll go back to Luke 4, we’ll read here in verse 12. It says,
But Jesus answered. The Scripture says, do not put the Lord your God to the test.
[Luke 4:12 Today’s English Version]
Brother Richie: We should follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? What did our Lord Jesus Christ—as the greatest messenger of God—what did He use to defend Himself against the misuse of God’s words? We read, “Jesus answered. The Scripture says.” Notice that Jesus was not tempted to let go of the scriptures to fight the devil on His own.
What scripture guided Christ to not doubt in God’s words or abuse the protection God provides Him? Our Lord Jesus Christ answered, “The Scripture says, do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Therefore, the devil was yet again unsuccessful, this time in misusing God’s words to tempt our Lord Jesus Christ to disobey God.
Brother Mark: He always held on to what is written, to what the Scripture says.
Brother Richie: That’s what He did. And can you imagine, as powerful, as strong as our Lord Jesus Christ is, if that’s what He keeps doing, now we see that’s the example that we should do. We should also hold onto them.
Brother Mark: What He used against the devil is what we could use too.
Brother Richie: Correct.
Brother Mark: So, for us not to be deceived by the false preachers that the devil uses, who should we trust to learn the truth, to learn what’s written in the scriptures?
Brother Richie: That’s a good question, Brother Mark, because we are learning that the devil, he can use the Bible, he can use the verses in the Bible and teach lies. So there are those that think that they have their own Bible and they can figure it out. But the devil is much more cunning and deceitful. So your question is, who do we go to then? How would we know what God wants? How would we be able to know the truth of the Bible?
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The Message
Who can help us understand the truth in the Bible?
Brother Richie: Well, let’s read God’s instruction. We’ll read here in Malachi, 2 and the verse is 7. It says,
It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the Lord Almighty.
[Malachi 2:7 Today’s English Version]
Brother Richie: The Bible clarifies that there are “messengers of the Lord Almighty.” Now what is God’s instruction for people? We read, He said, “People should go to them.” Now why should people look for and go to God’s messengers? God said, “to learn my will.” Therefore, we should not listen to just anyone. In fact, we should make sure that we look for and go only to God’s messengers.
Brother Mark: But, Brother Richie, what if someone were to claim that they are a messenger? What if someone were to say, oh, he or she has the authority to preach God’s words? Let’s ask this question: How can we differentiate between a true messenger of God and that of a counterfeit, between that and a counterfeit or a false preacher?
Brother Richie: You know, that’s another good question, because a lot of people can claim that they are a messenger of God, right? Even the false preacher will say they are a messenger from God. So, how would we know? How would we know the difference? Well, let’s find out. Apostle Paul actually describes those that are not true messengers of God.
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The Message
How can we know if someone is a true messenger of God or not?
Brother Richie: They’re going to claim to be. And we can read here in Galatians, chapter 1, we’ll read verses 6 to 7. And it says this,
I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who in his love and mercy called you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ. You are already following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.
[Galatians 1:6-7 New Living Translation]
Brother Richie: How did Apostle Paul describe those counterfeits, those false preachers? He said that they are “those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.” How then did he describe those who believed the false preachers? He said, “You are being fooled.” Now what is being done by those who feel they are following biblical teachings, but have actually been fooled or deceived? Apostle Paul said, “You are already following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all.”
Brother Mark: Brother Richie, just to clarify, the true messengers of God, they teach the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ.
Brother Richie: Of course.
Brother Mark: But the counterfeit preachers, how do they teach a different belief about the Lord Jesus Christ if they’re still reading from the scriptures? They’re still reading it word for word.
Brother Richie: That’s right. So they are reading it word for word, but what is it that we just read? It says that they will “twist and change the truth concerning Christ.”
Brother Mark: So that’s why it’s false.
Brother Richie: That’s all right. So, even though they’re reading the Bible, what they teach about Christ is very different from what the Bible teaches about our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Guarding Against Deceptions
Brother Richie: Now, you might be thinking, “Well, wouldn’t it be obvious to spot if someone is trying to twist and change the truth regarding our Lord Jesus Christ?” Obviously not, because to this day—there are many that are still fooled.
Brother Mark: There are many.
Brother Richie: That’s right. What’s the proof, Brother Mark, that even though many people, they want to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, they have the wrong belief about our Lord Jesus Christ?
Brother Mark: Brother Richie, and to all of our viewers, there’s a popular belief about the Lord Jesus Christ today that He is God. But it might be popular, but we have to remember that’s not what the Bible teaches.
Brother Richie: So let’s go to the Bible. What does the Bible teach about our Lord Jesus Christ?
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The Message
What did Christ teach about His true nature?
Brother Mark: Let’s read what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself taught concerning His own nature or His state of being. Let’s read here in the Book of John. We’ll read 8, we’ll read verse 40,
But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God….
[John 8:40 New King James Version]
Brother Mark: Here the Lord Jesus Christ describes Himself. He says, “Me, a Man.”
Brother Richie: So this is the reason why we, here inside the Church Of Christ, believe Jesus Christ is a man—and not God. Brother Mark, why do we believe that?
Brother Mark: Notice what the Lord Jesus Christ said here. He said that He is “a Man who has told you the truth.” Since the Lord Jesus Christ never lies, there’s no reason to doubt Him. From whom did the Lord Jesus Christ learn the truth that He teaches? He said here in the Bible verses, “the truth which I heard from God.” According to Christ’s own words, written in the Bible, He is different from God, Whom He heard the truth from.
Brother Richie: So, Brother Mark, who is the God that our Lord Jesus Christ learned the truth from, and is there any other God other than the one our Lord Jesus Christ recognizes?
Brother Mark: Let’s read here from the scriptures Who that true God is that the Lord Jesus Christ taught about, and this is also the true God that the messengers teach about. And this is proof that we know that they’re not counterfeit messengers—they’re not counterfeit preachers.
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The Message
Who is the only true God that Christ taught about?
Brother Mark: Here, let’s read what the Lord Jesus Christ taught in the Book of John. We’ll read 17, we’ll read 1 and also verse 3,
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,… And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
[John 17:1 & 3 New King James Version]
Brother Mark: Here we see that Jesus is speaking to the One in heaven while He was still here on earth. We read “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said.” And what did He call the One He was speaking to in heaven? Jesus said here,“Father,” and what did Jesus say about the Father in heaven? He said, “this is eternal life, that they may know You.” And what should people know about the Father in heaven in order to attain eternal life? The Lord Jesus Christ said that the Father is “the only true God.”
Therefore, according to our Lord Jesus Christ, there’s no one else that should be considered as the only one true God since He said, it is only the Father. Christ has closed the door on any other option. These words of the Lord Jesus Christ, recorded in the Bible, they’re not difficult to understand. There’s no need for any interpretation. The Father is the only true God, and Jesus Christ is the man sent by God. This is the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, the apostles said that people would twist.
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Guarding Against Deceptions
Brother Richie: Those that believe Christ is God may cite verse after verse and they’re trying to support their belief, but there is no verse in the Bible that will teach anything different from what our Lord Jesus Christ made clear—the Father is the only true God.
Now, even after hearing these biblical truths, why are there still people that refuse to accept the truth and they would rather follow the deception of the devil? Because most people in the world, they actually have that wrong belief about our Lord Jesus Christ, so those that are actually listening to us now, unfortunately, there are some that are going to refuse to listen to what they heard written in the Bible. Why is that, Brother Mark?
Brother Mark: Even though they hear the truth, and it’s being taught to them, there are some that aren’t able to accept that.
Brother Richie: They won’t, right?
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The Message
Why do some people reject the truth taught in the Bible
Brother Mark: The Bible will teach us why. Let’s read the reason why in the Book of II Thessalonians. We’ll read 2:11 to 12,
But those people refused to love the truth, so God sends them something powerful that leads them away from the truth. God sends them that power so that they will believe something that is not true. So all those people who don’t believe the truth will be condemned {judged guilty}. They did not believe the truth, and they enjoyed doing evil things.
[II Thessalonians 2:11-12 Easy-To-Read Version]
Brother Mark: The Bible mentions that some people “refused to love the truth.” So there really are those that won’t accept the truth, even if God sent His messenger to teach them. But what does God do to those kinds of people? We read here in these verses, “God sends them something powerful that leads them away from the truth… so that they will believe something that is not true.” And what is the consequence of not believing the truth, which is why God leads those people away? The Bible teaches here, “all those people who don’t believe the truth will be condemned {judged guilty}.”
Brother Richie: Now we should notice, being judged guilty to be condemned is the fate of the devil, and that is the reason why he works so hard to bring as many people with him. His tactics have deceived most of the world, which is why it’s so important to study the truth and follow the lead of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, based on what we’ve been learning today, regarding the value of God’s written word in the Bible and the messengers we need to seek and learn from, Brother Mark, what would be the blessing of following those instructions of accepting the truth that is in the Bible taught by God’s messengers?
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The Message
Why do some people reject the truth taught in the Bible?
Brother Mark: We’ll read in Acts 26:17 to 18, and when we read this verse, we’ll understand why it’s so important to receive the teachings taught by the messenger. This is what’s written in Acts 26:17 to 18,
I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’
[Acts 26:17-18 New King James Version]
Brother Mark: The Apostle Paul that was mentioned here, was a true messenger sent to preach the truth. And what is the goal of a true messenger? The Lord Jesus Christ told him here, “I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light.” Those who find and learn from a true messenger will have their eyes opened, or be able to understand the truth revealed to them.
What does it mean to go from darkness to light or from lies to the truth? The Bible clarified that it is going “from the power of Satan to God.” And what is the blessing for those that do not refuse the truth, but rather they accept it and they follow it? The Bible told us here “that they may receive forgiveness of sins.” And what is the result of learning the truth and being forgiven of our sins? We would be able to receive “an inheritance among those who are sanctified.” The inheritance of those sanctified or made holy is eternal life that the Lord Jesus Christ taught about.
Brother Richie: This is actually what we hope for for all those who hear the truth of this message. It must be understood that the true message of God’s written word are only taught by God’s messengers. So we have to be very careful who we listen to. Remember that the devil himself also quotes God’s words but does not teach God’s message, which is exactly what false preachers do.
In order to protect ourselves from the cunning tricks of the devil, may we all follow the example of the Lord Jesus Christ and hold on tight to God’s words written in the Bible. God’s words instruct us, “because they are the messengers of the Lord Almighty…. People should go to them to learn my will.” We heard that earlier in Malachi 2:7.
Brother Mark: To further encourage you in your journey of learning more about the true faith, let’s take a look at this short, inspiring video.
[Video source: https://incmedia.org/i-left-catholicism-to-find-the-true-church/]
Brother Mark: We hope this video inspires and encourages you to keep learning more of God’s written words taught here inside the Church Of Christ. Come visit a congregation near you, or if you want, ask us a question now by clicking the link in the description and inquire how to listen to the basic teachings of the Bible.
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Brother Mark Vasquez
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Richie Juatco
Minister of the Gospel
Brother Richie: Or you might be already going through those lessons, or really wherever you are in your spiritual journey, we hope that the message that you heard today has brought you closer to God and deepened your understanding of His truth taught inside the Church Of Christ.
On behalf of all of us here at The Message, we’re very thankful for you joining us in this episode. But before we conclude, please join us for a short prayer.
Brother Richie: Our Heavenly Father, we are so very grateful for once again being able to learn Your truth that is written in the Bible. We truly feel that You are protecting us. You are giving us the security that we need, because You have made very clear that we do have an enemy. The devil will always try to pull us away from You, and that is why we thank You for showing us how to defend ourselves and how to hold on tight to Your words written in the Bible.
We thank You also for the example that You left us, Your begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask that You please help us to always strive to live like Him.
In fact, our Lord Jesus Christ, we approach You now. Thank you, dear Lord, for teaching us how to defeat our enemy. Help us, dear Lord, that we will be able to have Your faith, we will be able to always obey our God and not let go of the true teachings written in the Holy Bible.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, please help us to always look to those that have been placed to guide us, to the messengers sent by You and the Father, and help us, dear Lord, that we will remain under the protection that You give us through them.
Dear Father, that is the reason why we pray for our leaders. We pray for the Church Administration. We know that You are using the Administration to bring the truth to Your people and to those that You are calling inside Your nation in these last days. Bless them always. Bless our Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo Manalo, and our Deputy Executive Minister, Brother Angelo Eraño Manalo. Guide them, bless them as You use them to bring us the truth of Your message.
We believe You hear our prayer and that You will continue to help us grow stronger in our faith. We pray for all these things through the name of Your son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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