If I am not mistaken, it is my understanding that a person who is studying to get their pilot’s license have various maneuvers they must master while learning to fly a small plane. One such maneuver is putting the plane into a ‘stall’ on purpose so as to learn what to do in the event that happens when they are not expecting it. Seems I’ve read they put their plane on a steep climb until the engine dies or ‘stalls’, then as it begins its downward descent, the pilot-to-be pulls it out of that stall and resumes flying.

I have a pretty strong hunch that is what has happened to so many sincere ‘believers’ who began a walk with Jesus early on. But somewhere along the way, that walk ‘stalled’; and sadly, no one ever really trained them how to ‘come out of a stall’ and resume the walk. No telling how many eventually ‘crashed and burned’. I’m speaking from personal experience now; but don’t think for a moment I will be short on offering scripture for you to examine for yourself today. And I cannot implore you strongly enough to do just that…look up these verses. (Act 17:11)

I have no idea how many people who read this message today that it will resonate with, but I am pretty confident I can explain to you where and how you ‘stalled’; and what you need to do to ‘pull out of it’. And here’s some really good news…unlike a physical plane/pilot who might have ‘crashed and burned’ for failure to overcome their stalled engine, there is hope for you if you already did- spiritually. God knows how to raise up beauty from the ashes. I am a living testimony of that. Now I don’t mean to say that I am ‘beautiful’, but my wife still thinks I’m kinda cute. (that’s what she tells me at least)

But we are going to have to take on a topic today that will be unnerving to some, yet liberating for others. I’ll leave that up to God and how it plays out.

Do you know what it means to be ‘deceived’? It means you were led to believe something that is not true. That is the definition of the word.

And here is something else to consider: Deceived people most likely are unaware of the fact they are deceived. Now I will agree that there are probably a lot of folks out there who may have been deceived about something that played out in their life before, and they had a gnawing sense within that something was not right. Maybe it was a betrayal of trust by a spouse or loved one; or a large purchase that seemed to good to be true. But other than that restless doubt within, you just opted to ‘believe the best’ hoping all would turn out well.

There is something difficult about coming to terms when the truth finally comes out though. We hate, with a passion, to admit we were…deceived. There are just so many factors that play into our psyche when it comes to that realization. One factor though has to do with pride. Pride refuses to believe we could ever have been so duped. So choose your poison you want to be blindsided with…outright deception…or pride. Either way, both are a bondage. The good news is that Jesus came to set captives free and it comes by having a reckoning with truth.

“You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free…and he whom the Son sets free will be free indeed.” (John 8:32,36).

Friends…can I just tell you now that this is very good news!?

For all the talk we hear these days regarding ‘End Times’ and the signs of the return of Christ, so many people get swept up with events taking place around the world. War breaks out in Israel and everyone goes in to “Rapture Watch”, which was promptly put on hold when the Rangers went on to win the World Series. (Yeah…that one really stuck with me). Yet, admittedly, it is an interesting topic that believers have always been interested in ever since Jesus left some 2000 years ago. The topic came up with His earliest followers shortly before He was arrested and eventually crucified.

We read in Matt. 24 where they had gathered on the Mount of Olives and some disciples came privately asking Jesus to tell them what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age.

It is no small thing that the very first words to come across the lips of Jesus were: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name saying, ‘I am the Christ’ (anointed from God) and will deceive many.” (4-5). Read a little further down and there He goes again- “many false prophets/teachers will rise up and deceive many.” (11). He repeats this warning once again in vs. 24 adding…”See, I have told you beforehand.” (25). And did you catch that part that if were even possible, the ‘very elect’ could be deceived as well?

Do you know what makes deception so ‘deceiving’? There is usually a thread of truth woven through it. (I’ll give you a moment to process that one)

Jesus was pretty blunt when He told us to ‘beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves’. (Matt. 7:15). Now He did not seem overly concerned about them given He told us how we could spot them: By their ‘fruit’. Yep…I’ve sat under teachers/preachers before that did an outstanding job in the pulpit, but gosh…why was I reluctant to acknowledge the ‘other fruit’ I saw being manifested? (Paul issues a similar warning as well in Acts 20:29)

But let’s examine other warnings we see woven throughout the NT. For example, James was explaining the process of how sin takes root in us which then leads to death in his opening chapter. Then he writes: “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” (1:16). Would that not imply that ‘brethren’ can be ‘deceived’?

Or how about John’s admonition where he writes: “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil.” (1 John 3:7-8)

And then there is Paul’s repeated warnings that we ‘let no one deceive you’; (Eph. 5:6) or ‘be not deceived’ (1 Cor. 6:9). Why I would go as far to suggest that it was one of Paul’s greatest concerns given how often he addressed this idea and issued repeated warnings. Thankfully, he even offers up the ‘playbook’ on how this deception will most likely occur: As in the same way Eve was deceived by the serpent. (2 Cor. 11:3). And how exactly did that take place? We need only to revisit the opening chapters of Genesis where God said one thing. (Gen. 2:17) and the ‘serpent’ (Satan) came and twisted God’s word around just enough to have Eve questioning before ‘believing the lie’. (Gen. 3:1-7). Hence this idea of ‘receiving another gospel’.

When you read further down in Paul’s letter there to the Corinthians, he even cites how ‘Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light, and his servants as ministers of righteousness’. (2 Cor. 11:14-15). I know….I know this talk of a real devil and ‘Satan’ is problematic for many people today…even amongst ‘believers’. But how do you get around the fact that John tells us outright that the whole world is under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19) as he (the devil) ‘blinds the minds of the unbelievers from seeing the light of the gospel’. (2 Cor. 4:3-4)

I mean, really…if this ‘devil character’ was nothing more than a metaphor or poetic language, then why so much talk about how he ‘deceives the whole world’ (Rev. 12:9) and it is only through the light of the truth of the gospel that will ‘open our eyes and turn us from the power of the evil one and towards the power of God’ that we might be set free. (Acts 26:18)

So…all that to simply ask: How would you know if you had been ‘deceived’ into believing ‘another gospel’ and ‘following another Jesus’ while even ‘receiving another spirit’? (2 Cor. 11:3-4) Did Paul not admonish us to ‘examine ourselves to see if we were truly in the faith and that Jesus was in us…to test ourselves’ even implying we might ‘fail the test’? (2 Cor. 13:5)

This is where one begins to get a tad anxious. Others might even accuse me of making people ‘question or doubt’ their experience. All I hope to do here is present a scenario that might explain why people ‘stalled’ in their walk and have no idea why they lost that ‘peace and joy’ that once filled their hearts early on when they …began…to walk with Jesus.

And it starts with a “What IF?”

What if…maybe the ‘gospel presentation’ you heard early on had a thread of truth woven into it, but was actually a misleading version of the real gospel. I may leave some of you ‘hanging’ here today…but you need to give some serious time of reflection to at least consider the possibility that this might have happened to you. If you are insistent that you are well grounded enough in ‘truth’ in such a way that You... could Never be deceived…well good luck with that companion of pride. (1 Cor. 10:12)

This I know…He is coming back for a bride who has ‘made herself ready’ and is pure and holy and spotless without stain or wrinkle. (Eph. 5:27). And everyone who has this hope in Him ‘purifies himself as He is pure.’ (1 John 3:3). Do you recall the sobering warning Jesus spoke to the church at Sardis in Rev. 3:1-3). Hence, Paul’s reminder that “Having these promises beloved, let us cleans ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Cor. 7:1). That sure makes sense given we are told in Heb. 12:14 that “without holiness, no one will see the Lord’.

Without sounding overly ‘dramatic’, I cannot help but to tell you that what God is trying to communicate to us here is far more serious and urgent than you could have ever imagined. And I will not shun from declaring to you the ‘whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27). When you hear it and study it out for yourself…you may very well experience a seismic shift in priorities and concerns. Those interests you have been consumed by won’t seem near as important to you as it did before when you rested in a false security. (Matt. 22:1-14). Please join me tomorrow.