Pastor Loran Livingston 🔥The Deception Many Christians Never See Coming

We welcome again all those who are watching us through a lens. May the Lord bless you. May his word be potent in your life.

And may we all recognize that this could be the last service we ever attend on this earth. >> One way or another, we're leaving this place. >> And I'm glad to hear about it.

How about you? >> Amen. >> I'm going to ask you to read that.

>> [applause] >> You know, I'm standing here with a smile on my face, but I've been wrestling with the Lord a long time this morning. You never win. I have this sense of eternity that if I'm not careful, will make me almost uh morbid around people.

I got up this morning thinking, I wonder how many people will slip out into eternity this morning, this Sunday, without Jesus Christ. Thousands upon thousands will leave this world unprepared to meet God. Every time I stand here, I recognize that I could be talking to someone for the last time.

You could be called out of this world. So, even with the smile, my heart is pounding wildly inside of me. I want you to be ready to meet Jesus.

Amen. >> I don't want you to be deceived into thinking that because you know about Jesus that you think you know Jesus. Please don't be tricked into thinking because you come to church and go to a class and love it and have great Christian friends that you're ready to meet God.

Please don't even think that if you know scripture and can quote it that you're prepared for eternity. Don't think that because you were brought up in a Christian home and you don't say bad words that you are qualified to stand before Jesus. You have to make sure that you yourself have humbled before him and confessed your sins and believe that he is Lord and Savior of your life.

nothing else will suffice. It's just that simple and it's just that eternal. So, having said that, I'm going to ask you to join me in First Timothy chapter 4, beginning with verse one because, see, I'm getting older and you're getting older and it's never been this late before and we're closer to that time than we've ever been.

I, as a shepherd, am watching over the sheep. I'm not only feeding the flock, I'm protecting the flock. So, as we read these verses, you will see the shepherd's heart of Paul.

And I wish to convey this same feeling to you today. So, join me. We'll read down through verse six.

I think now the spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused, if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.

I want to be a good minister of Jesus Christ today. Now, Father, you'll have to do a supernatural thing to open our understanding, but that's why you sent the Holy Spirit. And I trust that we will hear from you and then do it in Jesus name.

Amen. >> Thank you for being seated. When you get settled, let me have your attention.

I want to ask you to do something. Don't shut me off or don't shut me out early. Listen to the whole thing and then go home and test what I say with scripture.

Can we agree on that? >> We agree. We agree, everybody.

>> All right. So, you're not going to shut me out. But you're going to take it home and test what I say with scripture.

Hasn't been long ago that in one of these aisles here in church after a service, someone caught me and said, "Pastor, you've been pretty rough on the people lately." But I guess we need that sometimes. I thought I was just preaching. And we do need it sometimes.

A while back, and it's been a long while back, I don't know why it sticks out of my mind. I was watching on the Military Channel one of these old films about how they used to train army uh soldiers in World War II to jump out of airplanes. And it showed the plane flying and the men were given the signal to stand up.

They had their parachute packs, their rifles, their helmets, all their gear. Another signal was given and they hooked their zipline to the cord and they were back to front tied up against one another. And the jump master went down the line beginning with the first one and he jerked on the pack and he pulled on the cord and he arranged the man's helmet and he shook his shoulder and he went to the next and he slapped one guy in the face and told him to focus and he started jerking on his cords and on his equipment to make sure that it was secure and tight.

He went all the way down the line slapping and pulling and jerking and making sure because he knew that when that door opens and that man jumps out, you can't jump back in. Would you say that that jump master was being mean or hard? I say not.

I say he was making sure and he wanted them to be sure that when they go out that everything is prepared and all the equipment is there because without proper preparation, without that parachute being packed correctly, he would never survive the fall. So, I stand here today as a jump master >> and I'm looking at people who have already clipped their zip lines to the cord. What I'm trying to do when I preach to you is jerk on your equipment and make sure that it's secure.

I'm trying to get you to focus. I'm slapping you in the helmet. I'm trying to get you to understand that once you leave, you cannot come back and you must be prepared now.

Today, you cannot take a chance. It is a oneway trip and you don't get to reconsider. Do not be upset with me if I jerk on you too hard or push you or slap you to get you to understand that this will be a onetime event.

You will pass from this line or this life to the next and if I don't do my job, God will hold me accountable. Amen. >> So that brings me to our text and I'm reading Paul as he as a master jump master says to the young man Timothy that the spirit is expressly saying that in the latter times or the last times some will depart from the faith.

He didn't say from faith. He said the faith, the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel message that Jesus Christ is the virgin-born son of the only true and living God who was born into this world sinless and lived a sinless life and was crucified, buried, and rose again and ascended into heaven and right now sit sits at the right hand of the father and intercedes for us who is coming back again one of these days first in the clouds to catch away the church and then we're all coming back to this earth for him to set up his kingdom. That's the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And he says that in the last days there are actually some people who will depart from that because they listen to deceiving spirits and they give heed to doctrines of devils. Now understand me brother and sister. There is a deceiving spirit in the world.

It's operating right now and it's powerful and what it's doing is perpetuating, teaching doctrines of devils. It looks like the doctrines of the faith, but it's anything but that. If it were doctrines of the faith, men and women would not be deceived.

They would not be tricked into this so-called worldly mindset of Christ and the faith. He says that they will speak lies in hypocrisy because their own conscience is hardened as though it's been burned with a hot iron. I tell you brothers and sisters, God's men and women not only preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, they are required by God to warn people of false prophets and deceivers in the last days.

No man or woman of God who is given oversight over a congregation dare bypass the warnings that are given to us in scripture because those deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons are fully capable of grabbing a hold of the men and women that are not prepared through prayer and through a knowledge of the holy word of God. These false prophets are evident. They're in oper in operation right now in front of you every day of your life.

You see them. Some of you follow them. You've not studied their doctrine, but you like what they said last week.

You like them because they affirm you and build you up and make you feel like somebody, but you don't even know what they believe about the entire scripture. You like the way that they provoke you to be a better person. And of course, the scriptures teach that all of that is just falsehood.

It's deception. Even Jude says it like this. Let me see if I can find that.

He calls them certain men that have crept in unnoticed who were marked out a long time ago for condemnation. These are ungodly men. He says they defile the flesh.

They live with dreams. They teach you to dream. They reject authority and they speak evil of people in authority.

He says they corrupt themselves. Woe to them for they have gone in the way of Cain. Why did Cain kill Abel?

Because Abel believed that salvation came through the shed blood OF A LAMB. WHY DID CAIN kill Abel? because he wanted to have salvation his way by his works and his hands and God rejected him.

He wanted a way besides the shed blood of Jesus. He goes on to say they have run greedily in the error of Balum for profit. They do it all for money.

Everything is about money. They teach that money comes if you have enough faith. More money will come if you give them the money you've got.

That God wants you to have more. He wants you to live the high life. And nobody's living a higher life than they live because they are deceiving the people.

I'm going to say this again. I have never met a person who was confessing it and believing for it that ever lived the life they were confessing. They are still struggling while the teachers and the deceivers are doing quite well.

Thank you. All of those under them are struggling, trying to believe, trying to figure out why their faith isn't stronger. And that is a doctrine of the devil.

It is a deception from hell itself. And it says these people operate on the power of money. And he says they also perished in the the rebellion of Kora.

Who was Kora? He rose up against Moses and he defied the man of God that God himself appointed. These people tell you you don't have to be under anybody in a church.

They'll tell you, "You can follow me, but you can't find them." They run all over the place. They tell you not to submit to someone who doesn't have great faith like they have. Jude says, "These people are like clouds without water.

You are thirsty. Here comes a cloud. YOU THINK NOW WE'RE GOING TO GET a shower.

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR thirst quench." But it passes right on by and leaves you just as thirsty as you were before. The Bible teaches that they don't know how to tell the truth because their own conscience has been seared beyond understanding, beyond the touch of the Holy Spirit, beyond the voice of God. They have no sensitivity to holy things.

What do they preach? AND I TELL YOU, I cannot figure it out for the life of me. When when most Christians these days, and this has simply uh inflamed the Pentecostal charismatic bunch, every time a new book comes out by one of these guys, it becomes a bestseller because Christians everywhere are looking for a better you.

They want to be somebody else. They want to be improved. They want their life to take on a new meaning.

Let me tell you something. God's not interested in you being a better you. He came to do away with you.

Now, that was a good statement right there. HE IS NOT [screaming] INTERESTED in you becoming a better you. He is not interested in you achieving your goals and dreams and desires and ambitions.

JESUS CAME TO DESTROY YOUR DREAMS and goals and desires and ambitions. He came to GIVE YOU A DESIRE FOR HIM and him alone. OH, BUT PASTOR, IF YOU TRUST GOD, WON'T HE GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART?

YES. AND THE DESIRE OF YOUR HEART WILL BE TO KNOW HIM IN THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION, THE LIKENESS OF HIS SUFFERINGS, being made conformable unto his death. WHAT IS IT ABOUT Christians that they just can't be satisfied with Jesus?

WHY DO WE BUY THOSE BOOKS LEFT AND RIGHT? WHY DO WE DO ALL OF THAT FOOLISHNESS? Why do we not UNDERSTAND THAT THE FAITH message is a doctrine of demons?

Oh, the prosperity message is a doctrine of demons. Because the faith message and the prosperity message, which are one and the same, are all about manipulating and maneuvering God so you can get what you want. More money, more things.

materialism goals. Let me say it a different way. I think sir, Jesus Christ did not come to this earth so you could be successful.

He came so you could die. >> To you and be alive unto Christ. >> Jesus does not send the Holy Spirit to enable you to make a better business decision than the next guy.

So you can achieve, so you can own, so you can have. Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to guide you into all the truth and teach you that as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you have to lay down your own life, your own ideas, your own ambitions, and take up his cross and follow him every day. If you listen [clears throat] to Joel Ostein, if you are basing your salvation on what he teaches, on his gospel, which is another gospel, you will die in your sins.

Wait. If you are basing your salvation on what Kenneth Copelan teaches and all of his little underlings, these word of faith people, if that's what you're basing your salvation on, you will die in your sins and you will go to hell because it's another gospel. If you are enamored with Joyce Meyer >> and your salvation is based on what she teaches, you will die and face Christ without any hope of going to heaven >> Crelo Dollar.

>> If you base your salvation on what he teaches, >> and I know all of you say, "Well, I heard him say Jesus." That's not the point. You see, a real man or woman of God will preach the whole council of God. You do you understand what I'm saying?

It's a false doctrine and a false teacher that only preaches one thing. They say, "My thing is faith." Another says, "My thing is healing." Another says, "My thing is marriages being made better." And another GUY HAS ANOTHER THING. NO, SIR.

THE REAL GOSPEL IS NOT ABOUT ONE SUBJECT. It's not about, you know, some say, "Well, my gift is to teach on the Holy Spirit, and my gift is to teach." No, it's the whole council of God. It's heaven and hell.

It's Jesus Christ and him crucified. It's right and wrong. IT'S A HOLY LIFE THAT THE GOSPEL DEMANDS FROM US EVERY single day.

And if you base, listen to me, your knowledge and your salvation on this stuff, you will die in your sins. But pastor, they're helping people. Helping them what?

>> HELPING THEM DO WHAT? HELPING THEM TO BECOME WHAT? >> A better you, A BETTER THEM.

LIVE A HIGHER LIFE, WALK IN A HIGHER SPIRITUAL PLANE. NO, you're not helped if you're motivated to live more robustly who you are. Instead of laying down at the feet of Jesus Christ and having the Holy Spirit break you to the point that you say, "I don't need anything but Jesus." To the point that you repeat Paul when he says, "I have learned in every state I find myself to be content.

I have learned to have it and I've learned to do without it. I've learned to be hungry and I've learned to be full. It doesn't matter because I know Jesus and that's all I care about is Jesus.

Paul, the last thing on Paul's mind was being successful. The last thing on his mind was having more things. >> And that's why he writes to Timothy and says, "You better warn the people because these false prophets are everywhere.

Their spirit is saturating even the churches today. False teaching, false prophets, doctrines of devils. And he says that's why in the last days some will depart from the faith.

Well, h how do you depart from the faith? You become obsessed with a personality. You say, "That's my man.

He is He's teaching what I like to hear." Well, see, the real man of God is not going to teach what you like to hear all the time. >> No. Some love Apollos and some love Paul and some love Peter in the Corinthian church.

And Paul says, "You're all wrong." It's about Jesus, >> Christ. >> It's about a heart that throbs for more of Jesus, to know Jesus, and walk with Jesus, to experience the power of Jesus. How do you depart from the faith?

By reading more books than you read the Bible. every time one comes out. I went to excuse I went to I went to Walmart the other day.

I don't know why. By by that I mean I forgot what she sent me to get because just like a man, I really didn't listen when she told me. Then I got there and said, "Uh oh, I forgot." And then I got to call her and say, "Listen, I forgot what you told me.

Can you tell me again? Well, if you had listened the first time, well, I had something else on my mind. Didn't even want to be on this errand to start with.

So, and I just walked down the aisle and I saw the book aisle. It blew me away how many how-to books, self-improvement books, not by worldly people, but by Christians. Because there's money, money in writing to Christians about how they can have more, be better, and do everything they've wanted to do.

Folks, let me tell you from my heart, you will never go wrong or be confused if you decide that this is going to be your textbook right here. I'm serious. I would not waste my time reading a book that one of these men or women wrote on how to because I can tell you what it is before you hand it to me.

It's a bunch of instances of a miracle that took place and then they throw in a scripture that says, "See there it works." It's one miracle after another. One miracle after another. And because we are not satisfied with Jesus alone, we buy this stuff because he is not our only reason for living.

Because Jesus is not our goal, we start looking for everything in the periphery except Jesus. Folks, when are we going to realize that deceptive spirits are all wrapped up in these books? All kinds of spirits in ideology is on every page of this stuff because the very motive for writing it was wrong to start with.

To pay the bills, to keep revenue coming into the ministry, to keep what we've started going. I say this having never written a book and never planning to. I say this as just a preacher of the gospel.

I don't want to go anywhere else. This is all I do till Jesus calls me home. I You don't have to clap.

I'm just doing my job. I say this because I have been there. I have been broken.

I have been torn to shreds by life itself. I've been there where I did not know if God heard me or not. I've even wondered if there is a God.

I haven't seen prayers answered. I've seen things get worse. Yet, I know my redeemer lives.

[applause] And I know this, you will never be satisfied till you are satisfied in Jesus Christ alone. You know, I know I sound radical to a lot of people, but it's time to get radical as far as I'm concerned. When Paul went to a certain city and preached the gospel, they were so convicted about their wizardry and witchcraft and all of the foolish books that were written that they under conviction they all started bringing their books out and pile them up in the middle of the street and burned them because they had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Oh, as radical as it sounds, and I know somebody's going to pick on up on this somewhere, it wouldn't do YOU ANY HARM AT ALL TO GATHER UP ALL YOUR LITTLE HOWTO BOOKS AND GO OUT SOMEWHERE. YOU CAN'T DO IT IN THE CITY LIMIT, BUT YOU GOT TO FIND SOME PLACE, PILE THEM UP AND throw some ladder fluid on it and stick a match TO IT AND SAY, "AWAY WITH THIS. I'M DONE WITH THIS.

JUST GIVE ME JESUS. GIVE ME GOD'S WORD. GIVE ME THE SCRIPTURES.

GIVE ME WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE church [applause] and BE DONE WITH THIS FOOLISHNESS. BE DONE WITH THIS FOOLISHNESS. BE DONE WITH FOLLOWING PERSONALITIES.

BE DONE WITH YOUR FAMOUS CHRISTIAN TV STARS. BE DONE WITH YOUR JET RIDING MONEY RAISING FALSE PROPHETS. BE [screaming] DONE WITH THE FOOLISHNESS OF DOCTRINES OF DEVILS.

GET BACK TO THE FOOT OF THE CROSS. LOOK UP TOWARDS HEAVEN AND SAY, "FEED ME, GOD. FILL ME, [screaming] GOD.

HELP ME, GOD. LET ME LIVE FOR YOU, GOD. I've watched some of these giant conferences on TV.

Giant Christian conferences, thousands and thousands of people coming for God knows what. Trying to get loose, trying to get free, trying to get direction. trying to be built up, trying to discover their call, trying to get their marriage back, trying to get their HEALTH BACK.

ONLY GOD knows all the reasons that people show up by the thousands and pay5 to hundred to $1,000 before the conference is over. And at some point, every co every session, the speaker brings a house down. Brings a house down.

People twirling in circles and jerking and quickening and all THAT STUFF SAYING, "I GOT IT. I [screaming] GOT IT. I GOT IT." Going crazy, running up and down the aisles, people knocking others down, slinging oil on them, blowing on them.

There's not a bit of difference between that and what happened when Elijah called the 450 prophets of Baal and said, "We're going to find out who's God today. >> You call on your God AND I'LL CALL ON MY GOD AND THE GOD THAT ANSWERS BY FIRE. HE'LL BE THE GOD OF ISRAEL." [applause] They they wish they'd never made that deal.

He said, "YOU GO FIRST. I'M going to rest." And they started crying out to their God. And for hours THEY CRIED OUT, "OH BA!

OH BAAL! OH BA!" NOT A THING HAPPENED. Then they got desperate and started dancing, SWIRLING IN CIRCLES.

"OH BA! OH BA!" STARTED KNOCKING ONE ANOTHER DOWN. "OH, BALE!" ELIJAH SAID, "MAYBE YOU NEED to scream a little louder.

You know, he's an old god. Maybe you need to knock on his bathroom door. Maybe you need to try to figure out the RIGHT WORD TO SAY AT THE RIGHT TIME." OH, BAIL.

THAT DIDN'T WORK. SO THEY STARTED PICKING up rocks and cutting themselves. The Bible says the blood spewed as THEY CALLED ON BAAL.

THIS MAY SOUND WILD AND WACKY to you, BUT I'VE SEEN SOME OF THOSE conferences and people are so desperate to get a miracle to have an experience. They almost look like prophets of Baal dancing around in circles. LISTEN TO ME, CHURCH.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT. GOD IS NOT DEAF. GOD IS [screaming] NOT OLD.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACT LIKE A FOOL. YOU DON'T HAVE TO PROVE ANYTHING TO GOD. GOD IS A GOOD GOD.

GOD TAKES CARE OF HIS PEOPLE. [applause] >> If God's God, serve him. >> Quit searching.

IF YOU HAVEN'T FOUND him by now, you won't find him any other way except on your knees. Quit being so confused and desperate to the point that you confess things. Confess things.

I'm going to get this. God said, "I can have this." some quarter of scripture. Sandra knows I've been preaching this for 30 years.

I've known people to write down their prayer requests, put them up on the refrigerator. Every time they walk by, I say, "I claim it in Jesus name. I claim it in Jesus name." They still don't have it.

AND GUESS WHAT? HELLO. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT.

you're not going to get it >> because the thing you're after is not the thing God says you need. >> Amen. >> I've known people get up every morning and like a Catholic.

Oh, you wouldn't say that because you're a Pentecostal. No, no. Catholics think they can get things by works.

>> Catholics like to repeat things. I've known people get up and say, "Today I claim this and I claim that and I claim more and I claim this and they still don't have it and you're not going to get it >> because you got inspired by cloud with no water. >> You heard a false prophet with great swelling words.

You got built up. You got teased into thinking this can be mine now because I have faith. And so faith becomes your goal rather than Jesus.

>> Faith becomes the reason you live. It's the thing you're after. More faith.

More faith. More faith. When it's faith that gets you to Jesus.

>> Faith doesn't get you stuff. It gets you Jesus. Amen.

>> So I ask you to stay. Nobody left that I could see. And I want you to test what I just preached with the Bible.

Get down and tell me. Come back Wednesday or whenever we're back again. Tell me where I'm wrong.

Even if I insulted your favorite fella [laughter] or gal see I could give you a list as long as from me to him of false prophets who don't believe the whole Bible rightly divided. They know enough and teach enough to make us say that that's a good man right there. But every time I look into it, I mean, dig into what they believe, I find, well, oh, I didn't know that.

And I bet the people don't know that either. So, I'm asking you, brother and sister, as sheep of my flock. Now, now, don't make this a personal thing.

Well, she's a woman, and you just don't like woman preachers. One of the best woman pastors I ever knew in my life. Pastored in Ohio.

She was an example to me. Don't tell me that. Well, Crelo, he's black.

Well, I know that. But what's that got to do with it? Wrong is wrong if an angel preaches it.

YOU DIDN'T HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID. PAUL SAID, "IF ANYBODY PREACHES ANY OTHER GOSPEL THAN THE ONE WE'VE PREACHED, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. EVEN IF AN ANGEL PREACHES ANYTHING ELSE THAN WHAT YOU'VE HEARD, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.

>> SO, here's what our church needs to do. Get down to business with God. >> We need to pray like we've never prayed and study God's word as we've never studied it.

And we need to make sure that we don't allow deception and doctrines of devils to influence our knowledge of the scriptures and our way of living. Folks, Jesus is coming. >> The Antichrist is in the wings.

Even if the rapture takes place, the Antichrist will come on the scene not as Satan incarnate at that point. He'll come on as a smooth and suave, able, a consiliatory speaker that can unite people and give them hope because he's a devil. Did you know devils uh Satan's angels or devils can dress themselves as angels?

And if people don't pray and read, they won't know the difference between a devil angel and a true angel of God. I want you as those under my care to live your life on your knees and in God's word because deception is going to get greater. It's going to be harder and harder to tell who's right and who's wrong UNLESS YOU ARE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.

>> Can I get an amen from somebody? >> Stand with me. I'm just glad to have that one over with.

God, God, because I know what's coming next. >> I stand before you, Almighty God. and say to you from my heart, I believe I obeyed you this morning.

I stand before you, Almighty God, and I heard you whisper early today these truths. I only pray that I delivered it with compassion and yet with conviction. And I pray that our people now Lord, not everyone's here is saved and I know it and you know it, but I'm praying for those who know you, but but they don't have a deep knowledge of you because they've never sought you with everything they have and are.

I pray that a a spirit of of hunger for Jesus, for righteousness [music] will envelop our people, that they will take God's word to their heart and live on their knees. Deliver us from deception, oh Lord. deliver us from doctrines of devils and false prophets that are so much more convincing and whose words are much more beautiful at times than your words.

Help us to be discerning enough to know the difference between you and them. And I ask it in Jesus name. I don't know what to do now.

I'm a little uncomfortable. I feel by like I'm by myself. Feel like I'm wearing a fig leaf up here in front of everybody.

I don't know if to give an altar call or to say how many will do this or that. I don't know what to do today. I'm just being honest with you.

How many of you want to be so filled with the Holy Spirit that you can immediately recognize the difference? Flip your hand up. I do too.

And this is the only way to do it, brother. Stay in this book and stay on your knees. That's the only way to do it.

Father, I pray that you'll fill every one of your children with the Holy Spirit till it starts flowing over inside of us. Help us not to want anything but Jesus. Help us not to want anybody but Jesus.

Help Jesus to be our life, our very reason for getting up every day. Help us to be more excited ABOUT OPENING GOD'S WORD THAN WE ARE ANYTHING ELSE. I ask this in the sweet, powerful, lovely name of Almighty God, whose savior is Jesus.

Just one time, David, give me Jesus. >> Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus.

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