Deceived Travelers

Prov  14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Prov 16:25 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

God speaks through dreams. 

There is a way that seems right, but the end is death. Deception is you’re on a road and you think you’re going where you want to go, but you’re unaware that this way will kill you.

Where does this road lead? 

This could be sin or weight or pride or many different things. A lot of the things we think are good are just about ‘me’ and ‘what I want’ but not really good for anybody. It’s a sense of being blind and not having truth.

‘It seemed right at the time, but now I realize my mistake.’ 

In a story about going the wrong way on a highway, a ‘crazy’ guy saw us and tried to warn us. Sometimes, we make fun of the guy who’s trying to help us.

To please yourself only and never seek God is deadly. Self-deceivers are self-destroyers. 

People are going to wake up wondering where they are, thinking they should be in heaven, but finding out that their choices were not as good as they seemed at the time.

Are you deceived?

‘I never meant for it to turn out this way.’ ‘How could I have been so dumb?’

Gal 6:3 “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”

Mat 7:13 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:”

The gate we’re supposed to go in is at the strait gate.

Mat 7:14 “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

So, the wide road is for everybody. The correct road is private, narrow, skinny. 

The ones who are not on the wide and broad road are finding alternate routes.

There is a seeking that is necessary.

The road that is the right road is smaller and not many people find it. There are fewer people on it.

Just because ‘everybody is doing it’ doesn’t mean it’s necessarily ‘right.’ Few and narrow leads to life. It’s not hidden, but you do have to look for it.

Luke 13:24-28 “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”

Tune into what God is speaking to you. You must press in to hear Him. 

Jesus is saying, ‘I don’t know where you came from.’ Doing church is not enough. Being around the things of God is not enough. Jesus is trying to wake them up. It’s not a ‘road of religion’ or ‘going through the motions,’ and He wants you to ‘enter in the strait gate.’ No one will accidentally get into heaven.

You’ve got to know how to get there.

It seems that Jesus is talking to ‘religious people.’ These are the ones who paid their tithes, but didn’t help people. It’s not about the tie or the dress or the speech, it’s about loving God and people. Your abilities are not required for heaven.

In the end, people will say, ‘But wait, I thought I was a part of the church!’ That is a tragic ending.

How do you know if you’re deceived? 

Discover how you get deceived. It’s not about rebellion. It’s knowing truth and recognizing that our walk with God is real. It is a calling. It’s about walking with Jesus day in, day out, seeking His will and doing things His way.

James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

You’ve got to hear the Word and then DO it.

Obadiah 1:3 “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?”

2 Thes 2:8-12 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The anti-christ is already alive and well in spirit form. We already have the anti-christ system in place. When evil is called good and what is good is evil, this is the deception, the end time.

If you continually reject truth, God will let you believe those lies.

Jesus went down to hell and came back with the keys to death, hell, and the grave. We have the keys to heaven received from God’s Word. We love the truth. Truth unlocks the door. Gladly receiving this Word gives us the keys to heaven.

You’ve got to recognize sin for what it is. It’s always been sin, yet today so much is presented as okay that is not. You can’t mix good and evil. You’ve got to love truth.

Rev 3:17 “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:”

How can blind eyes be opened and get on the right road? Get on the right path. Wake up and open your eyes. 

God can use anybody and anything to speak to you. If you are hungry, God will speak to you. He wants to lead you to truth.

God calls you to truth and love and salvation.

Deut 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Choose life. 

Where are you?

God did the first sacrifice for Adam and Eve. He took a lamb and killed it and used those skins to cover Adam and Eve, a life for life.

In order to find life, there’s got to be a death. 

Jesus said we are to ‘take up your cross’ and in doing we will find life. Give up your life, your identity, your name, your reputation.

Give up what you think you’re ‘supposed’ to think or feel or do or be. Seek Jesus, He’s already provided the sacrifice for you. He will lead you and teach you and speak truth to you. The blood of Jesus covers all your sin and purifies you, a life for your life. You’ve got to repent and be forgiven and cleansed. He loves you enough to die for you. Repentance is getting on the right road.

Prov 16:17 “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.”

Isa 35:8-9 “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:”

More Questions for Personal or Group Study:

1. Have you ever been lost? How did it feel? What did you do to go the right way? 
2. How can you apply this sermon to your own life? Are you willing to perform a ‘self-edit’ and do what it takes to make sure you’re on the right path spiritually? 
3. Read Acts 2:21-28 and 38-42. Once you’re on the right path spiritually, what can you do to ensure you stay on that right path?
4. How has this sermon challenged your thinking and how can you encourage someone else?

Excerpted from a sermon preached by Pastor Anthony LoCascio.

For the full YouTube audio/video, click here.