The Danger Of Self-Deception: When Doubting Yourself Is Good Series

The New Testament compares the church to a bride and God to the bridegroom. All through our New Testaments we see a familiar image to help us understand and appreciate the significance of the church. Yet, there are dangers to the church. Real dangers that may cause the bride to run from the bridegroom.

There are three dangers that threaten the building of God’s church. Last week we saw the first danger: defective builders: Church leaders who build with inferior materials on the foundation of the cross. There is only one foundation for the church: the cross of Jesus Christ. Yet, some church leaders build with inferior materials, shortcuts if you will. Yet there are two other dangers to God’s church: deceived believers and destructive ministers (next week). Today I want to identify two ways in which we are commonly deceived: self-sufficiency and insecurity.

“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.” (1 Corinthians 3:18-23)

Today’s Big Idea: Be Careful What You Praise

One of the many things that continually deepens my confidence in the Bible as God’s Word is its ability to lay bare the complex workings of the human mind and heart. The psychological wisdom of the Word of God is inexhaustible. It is always more relevant and up to date than the newest paradigm for interpreting emotional disorders.

1. Become a Fool in Order to Become Wise.

Thinking we already know sets up obstacles to our growth. It’s necessary that you admit how little in order to become wise. This is the second danger the Bible identifies for the church— the deceived believer.

1.1 Don’t Boast in Church Leadership

You remember the main problem in Corinth that Paul was dealing with is boasting in men (1 Corinthians 1:12, 29, 31; 3:4, 21). One of the chief ways the church is in danger is that people continually want to place church leaders forward as noteworthy. In order that these leaders would get the praise of men and that their followers could hop on the bandwagon of some noteworthy teacher to enjoy his praise vicariously. In our day of opinion polls and surveys, the church is affected by the times.

Time magazine ran an article entitled, “Time’s Person of the Year: You,” on December 13, 2006. Instead of choosing economist Ben Bernanke, as they did in 2009, or the American soldier, Time choose YOU. Their choice was the millions of anonymous contributors to websites such as Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, etc., was a recognition of user-generated content. Time wasn’t alone in their choice. ABC News listed bloggers as their “People of the Year” award for 2004. And CNN Money choose “You!” as number one in a list of fifty people on their list, WHO MATTERS NOW. YOU were chosen just above the creators of Goggle and the CEO’s of Qualcomm, Apple, and Toyota. CNN Money said YOU were chosen because the consumer was the creator. In their rationale on WHY YOU MATTER, CNN Money said:

“They’ve long said the customer is always right. But they never really meant it. Now they have no choice. You … the collaborative intelligence of tens of millions of people … continually create and filter new forms of content… You do it on it websites like Amazon, Flickr, and YouTube… In every case, you’ve become an integral part of the action…”

Each of these has rightly identified a change within American culture where… Like never before… Demand determines supply. The Bible saw this problem coming. The Bible is deftly afraid that the church will make a signal mistake – where the pulpit follows the empowered person in the pew. Where the demands of the people will determine what the leadership supplies. This is what the Corinthians church is attempting to do – the proverbial tail that wags the dog. Yet, the fear that the person in the pew will run the church is not a mechanism of self-defense. Here the people want to lift the leader to a place where he doesn’t belong. The fear that you might determine the church’s agenda isn’t a disguised attempt to protect the pastor’s job.

Instead, if you run the agenda of the church… The Bible say that you will then you cheat yourself from the full range of resources God has provided. Watch carefully how this is possible: “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise” (1 Corinthians 3:18). Paul returns back to his contrast between the foolishness of the outside world and what God considers wisdom from chapter one.