Ephesians 6
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. —Matthew 24:1-13
There will come a day when the people of this world will witness and experience the very things Jesus spoke to His disciples about in this passage. But for any season, there are three important statements Jesus tells His disciples that will help us today:
1. Take heed that no man deceive you. When troubling times come, so does the fear of man and events and panic. People will rise up to deceive the hearts of the many who are fearful, unaware, or insecure. Some will come saying they are Christ or at least someone presenting themselves as one who can provide comfort or substance from the external pressures and events surrounding them. Their words will be carefully chosen and possibly be filled with a bit of truth, but their motives will be filled with deceit.
Matthew 12:43-45 – When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
1. Freedom is joyous. When you’re delivered or freed from an evil spirit or habit (i.e. pornography, smoking, drinking, etc.), you feel a great freedom and peace. The thoughts in your mind is silenced and your heart is happy. You’re full of peace and joy.
What is Doctrine?
Doctrine is considered an instruction or teaching that can be learned or developed through experience. Doctrine is associated with a person’s beliefs; the way they ‘see,’ perceive, or relate to the world around them. Each person has a countless number of doctrines on the issues, people, and situations they experience on a daily basis. The number of doctrines a person has is countless and continues to be shaped and expanded throughout a person’s lifetime.
Within Christianity, sound biblical doctrine is based on the biblical teachings, experiences, pastors, ministers, and interactions with fellow brothers and sisters in the local church community. Within the context of this message, doctrine will encompass God’s Word. God’s Word is the foundation of good sound doctrine:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
One of the reasons we’re unsuccessful against temptation and sin is we don’t take an active stance against it.
1 Peter 5:8-10 – Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
If you’ve ever watched a nature show with lions, you would witness how they select their prey. The female lions wait in a distance to select the weakest, youngest, animal that has strayed from the pack. They do not select the strongest, fastest, or one among the group. They choose the one they would have the most success in overtaking. Our adversary is the same.
He will wait for moments of weakness in our heart, mind, or lives to attack us and tempt us into sin. Honestly, you may notice that he uses the same tactics/things to get you over and over…and over again. Therefore, it is important that we understand what we must do to combat the attacks of the enemy.
Ephesians 4:27 – Neither give place to the devil.
Giving place (or a foothold) to the devil is dangerous beyond measure. The ‘place’ you give him will leave you and those connected to you in the crosshairs of sin. When you allow the devil to be given a place within your life (via disobedience, acceptance of temptation, sin), you open a doorway for every imaginable evil spirit to enter into your life.
There may come a time when you’re angry at one situation, and begin to break laws, yell at people, and do things you normally wouldn’t if you were in your ‘right’ mind. Your willingness to allow the devil to have a place in your life will bring continued death and destruction. Isn’t that the purpose of the devil: to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)?!
Remain with the Lord…He has come to give you life!
Why do I always have to go through trials and temptation? I don’t want to continue facing the same things over and over and over AND OVER again! I just want to be free.
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt like the Apostle Paul when he said that when he wants to do right, sin is right there (Romans 7:21)? OR the things you want to do you don’t do, but the things you don’t want to do, THAT you find yourself doing (Romans 7:15)? Many of us can relate to Paul’s statements of temptation and sin, but we often stop there without going any further. We continue to live in a cycle that goes from temptation-sin-repentance-temptation-sin-repentance and it never seems to stop. We want to get off the merry-go-round, but it doesn’t seem like we ever can. Why do I have to go through this? Why can’t God just take it away because He knows I want to serve Him. If I didn’t have this ‘sin’ issue, I could just run for Him.
Proverbs 13:24 – He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
When it comes to discipline or punishment, many of us believe if ‘you spare the rod, you spoil the child’ (Proverbs 13:24). And many take every opportunity to use the rod without understanding the purpose of discipline. For many people disciplining their children, they react based on emotions. Yes, they want to correct negative behavior, but may do so out of anger (sometimes uncontrolled). However, there’s a few reasons why this approach can be counterproductive:
1. Discipline is a corrective tool. In disciplining our children, our purpose must be to (1) isolate the behavior; (2) address it appropriately; and (3) place our children on the path toward good and godly success. Discipline is not a means for us to take out our anger on our children. If we know our children well, using a rod may not the most effective means to correct their behavior in every situation. Sometimes a short discussion can accomplish the same result.
The decisions we make and our attitudes throughout the day (that affects those decisions) are often based on the thoughts we allow to fill our minds. If I’m thinking about negative issues all day (people, places, and things), how can I expect to be happy and upbeat?! I’ll be just as negative as the thoughts I allow to run free within my mind.
You become what you think!
If you’ve been wondering why you’re mad and upset throughout the day, take time to inventory what you’ve been thinking about. A change of behavior is as close as a change in thought…well…that’s where it begins. Strive to keep your mind in perfect peace by thinking about the right things:
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