Matthew 24:3-5 ESV
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.”
I believe that someone saying, “I am the Christ,” may
or may not be in literal words, for we have many liars and deceivers today who
proclaim Christ as Savior of their lives who are morally corrupt, manipulators,
fakes, opportunists, egocentric, and not trustworthy people who use
Christianity and the preaching of “the gospel” as a coverup for who they really
are and as inroads into people’s lives so that they can lead them astray.
Basically what they end up doing is becoming “Christ” to the
people because they deceive them into believing in a false Christ and a false
gospel created in the minds of deceptive and evil people who want to destroy
the gospel and those who are teaching the true gospel. They want to be gods to
the people. In fact, I had one pastor tell me that I was just to sit back and
listen to him and to let him be God’s voice to me. Wow! That is egocentric!
They give off the impression that what they are teaching is
the truth but it is a lie straight from hell. They put on a show of being
ministers of the true gospel but they are really wolves in sheep’s clothing out
to deceive the sheep and anyone who might be thinking of becoming one of Christ’s
sheep. They put on a false persona of being Christians but they are really
liars, cheats, manipulators and deceivers whose goal it is to deceive.
For they cling to what is dishonorable and debase, and they
are thus sinking even further into what is corrupt, vile, and immoral all the while
they put on a show of righteousness. They know the truth, though. They know the
way of righteousness but they are avoiding it and bypassing it in order to live
however they want and in order to keep on lying, deceiving, manipulating and
using Christianity and the gospel as coverups for their evil practices.
So, they resist true faith in Jesus Christ and they refuse
to repent of their sins and to be honest, trustworthy, and morally pure. For
they refuse to put to death their sinful practices so that they can walk in
holiness and righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ. And so they lead their
followers to also skirt the true gospel and repentance and obedience to the
Lord and they lead them to profess faith in Jesus Christ while they continue in
deliberate and habitual sin against God and against their fellow humans.
Matthew 24:9-14 ESV
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The True Gospel
Well, the true gospel is that Jesus Christ died on that
cross to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we might now
become slaves of God and of his righteousness. Jesus died that we might die
with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might
no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us and who
was raised from the dead. And he shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us
back for God (to redeem us) so we would now honor God with our bodies.
[Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15,21; 1 Co
6:19-20]
And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him he must
deny self, take up his cross daily (daily die to sin and to self) and follow
(obey) him. For, if we hold on to our lives (of living in sin and for self) we
will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our lives (die with Christ to sin)
for the sake of Jesus Christ then we will live (with Christ for eternity). And Jesus
said that not everyone saying to him, “Lord, Lord,” is going to enter into the
kingdom of heaven but only the ones DOING the will of God who is in heaven.
For God’s grace to us is NOT just forgiveness of sins so
that when we die one day that we will get to go to heaven. His grace to us is
in delivering us from our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we can live holy
and godly lives in obedience to our Lord for the glory of God. God’s grace,
which brings salvation, thus instructs us to say “No!” to ungodliness and
fleshly lusts, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we
wait for his return.
[Luke 9:23-26; Matt 7:21-23; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Titus
2:11-14]
They Will Hate You
So, if you are living the true gospel, and if Christ is your
life, and your life is dedicated to following the Lord in obedience to his
commands and to no longer walking in sin but to now walking in righteousness in
the power of God, and if you are sharing the true gospel with others in person
or on the internet, including on social media, although there will be some
people who will be encouraged by what you are doing, many will not be, and so
they will either ignore you or they will fight against you to try to discourage
you.
Some of them will have the power to deliver you up to
tribulation and some may even be empowered to put you to death. For you are an
offense to them because the true gospel is an offense to them because they are
living in sin and they don’t want to forsake their sins and because they are
against Christ and his gospel and so you serve as a threat to their lies and
deceptions because you are exposing them for who and what they are.
And many today are falling away and betraying one another,
and many false teachers are indeed leading people astray by the masses, and the
hearts of many are growing cold to the truth of the gospel and they are just
living however they want, and they are being encouraged to do so. But we are to
be those who endure to the end, and who are saved, and who do not compromise
with the world but who remain faithful to our Lord.
Matthew 24:15 ESV
“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).”
An abomination is something that is an outrage, a disgrace,
something God abhors, that is revolting to him. And desolation is misery,
despair, sadness, and devastation (destruction, damage). And the “holy place”
is God’s temple, and we are his temple if we believe in him.
And what is happening in much of today’s church, and to the
gospel, and to the lives of many of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ is
an abomination, and it does cause much destruction and damage to human lives. And
it is this cheap grace gospel which is taking its stand in the gatherings of
the church, the body of Christ, and it is killing people.
So, please understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ
demands death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness. It demands
walks of obedience to our Lord and submission to Christ as owner-master of our
lives. For, if we walk according to our flesh, we will not inherit eternal
life, but we will die.
For
Our Nation
An
Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: we’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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