Sermon – Defeating Dangerous Deception

Sermon – Defeating Dangerous Deception

Scripture - Psalm 12:1-8 “Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth! Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts. May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues. They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own—who can stop us?” The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.” The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over. Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation, even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land.”

Introduction: The Scripture warns believers over and over, not to be deceived. We are warned against false prophets and false Christ, what happened to the truth? Once upon a time we agreed on the truth. We read the same newspapers, watched the same three channels of television programs, and discussed the same issues. While we didn’t always share the same belief systems, we agreed on a common understanding of what made the world tick. We agreed on the truth. Then came the internet, a virtually limitless source of information, some of it is useful and others are chaotic. Suddenly we had infinite amounts of media at our fingertips providing divergent points of view. While some were more accurate than others, all were competing for our attention. The internet began to consume our lives, disconnecting us from the degrees of personal connection in favor of soundbites and click bait. With no clear authority or standard of truth, people have become hesitant about nearly every institution governing the church, country and the world. Truth has become confusing at best or a matter of interpretation at worst. Deception is the order of the day in our world today. Deception poses severe dangers by shattering trust, damaging relationships, and inducing guilt, fear, or shame in the deceiver. It undermines personal integrity, triggers self-deception, and can destroy one's reputation, ultimately leading to isolation and emotional distress. Long-term consequences include loss of intimacy, potential, and spiritual damage.

David finds himself surrounded by deception. Deception is a tool in the hands of the enemy to lure anyone who has a love for the world (1John 2:5). David seemed surprised that so many could be caught in this vicious circle due to their love for flattery and their lack of discernment.

Both the Old and New Testament warns believers about the spirit of deception and the danger it posed. Many will be caught due to their lust for the things of the world rather than their love for God (1 John 2:16). What does "be not deceived" mean? Do not be deceived. This word deceived in the original Greek means to stray, to wander, to roam into error, to be led astray, or to deviate from the correct path or the truth. In Matthew 24, Jesus said to his disciples: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.”

In Psalm 101:7, the psalmist says, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house. Then in Psalm 120:2, he prays, “Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.”

Scholars cannot identify with certainty when Psalms 12 was written. Some say it was when David was fleeing from Saul or when David was fleeing from Absalom. Seeing the weak, deceitfulness of men and considering the truthfulness of God, The psalmist David begs help of God, because there were none among men that he can trust.

1. Recognizing the Source of Deception is Crooked Men and Crooked Systems. Psalm 12:1-2 “Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

David boldly says out loud what many have pondered in their heart. This psalm furnishes good thoughts for bad times; a man may comfort himself with such meditations and prayers. Let us see what makes the times bad, and when they may be said to be so. Ask the children of this world, What makes the times bad? they will tell you, Scarcity of money, decline in trade, and the desolations of war, make the times bad: but the Scripture lays the badness of the times on causes of another nature.

2Timothy 3:1-5 “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”