6th February 2022 - CFC Sunday Church Service | Eight Ways To Deceive Ourselves - Zac Poonen
6th February 2022 - CFC Sunday Church Service | Eight Ways To Deceive Ourselves - Zac Poonen
Summary
The sermon warns believers about eight ways they can deceive themselves, drawing from the warning in 2 Corinthians 11:3. The core message is to guard the simplicity and purity of their devotion to Christ against deceptive teachings or false spirits. The speaker urges the congregation to heed these warnings to prevent being led astray from the true gospel.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Opening worship songsThe congregation joins together in singing hymns that exalt the name of Jesus Christ.
A prayer of thanksgivingThe speaker leads a moment of gratitude to God for His blessings and for delivering Him from darkness, sin, and shame.
Adoration of the KingThe worship continues with songs declaring the holiness of God and the glory of Jesus as the King of kings.
Opening prayer and worshipThe service begins with a period of musical worship and a prayer of gratitude to God for His faithfulness, strength, and presence in the lives of His people.
Reviewing scripture and introducing the themeAfter reviewing last week's promise and this week's command from Proverbs, the speaker introduces the sermon title 'Eight Ways To Deceive Ourselves' based on 2 Corinthians 11:3.2 Chronicles 15:2Proverbs 19:20
The persistence of human corruption and deceptionUsing Revelation to illustrate that even after a thousand years of Christ's visible reign, human nature is so corrupt that people will still follow the deceiver; therefore, we must study scripture to avoid self-deception.
Protecting yourself from self-deceptionTo avoid being misled by deceitful spirits, one must first recognize and guard against their own capacity for self-deception.
The first way: Do not rely on human clevernessTrue spiritual wisdom requires acknowledging that earthly intelligence is no substitute for a humble heart when approaching God's Word.
The second way: Do not assume past salvation excuses present sinBelievers must not deceive themselves into thinking they can live in unrepentant sin and still inherit the kingdom of God.
The slow corruption of bad companyBad company corrupts even well-behaved people through a gradual process that often goes unnoticed. We must examine whether we truly enjoy the company of worldly people or if we are being subtly influenced by them.
The tug-of-war in friendshipsUsing a tug-of-war illustration, the speaker suggests we should maintain friendships only if we are strong enough to pull others toward Christ rather than being pulled toward the world.
The danger of thinking you are somebodySelf-deception begins when believers with gifts or seniority start to think they are important. True spiritual health involves remembering our humble beginnings and recognizing that there is no seniority in heaven.
Sowing seeds to the Spirit or to the fleshEvery time we respond to the Holy Spirit's promptings, we are sowing a seed that leads to eternal life; conversely, following our fleshly desires sows a harvest of corruption.
The danger of being only a hearer of the WordBeing a hearer without being a doer is like looking in a mirror and forgetting what you saw; true blessing comes to those who act on what they see in God's Word.James 1:22–25
The deception of denying our sinClaiming we have no sin is a self-deception that blinds us to our own faults; instead, we should remain humble and recognize our constant possibility of sinning.
Related messages
- 20th February 2022 - CFC Sunday Church Service | Total Freedom From Self-Condemnation - Zac PoonenZac Poonen · 1h 37m
- 4th April 2021 - Sunday Church Service | How to Avoid Being Deceived - Zac PoonenZac Poonen · 1h 27m
- 13th February 2022 - CFC Sunday Church Service | A Reverential Fear Of God - Zac PoonenZac Poonen · 1h 35m
