DRAWING NEAR

June 9

Avoiding Spiritual Delusion

"Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who
delude themselves" (James 1:22).

Matthew 7:21-23 records the tragic results of spiritual delusion.
Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter
the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is
in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your
name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I
never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"

Jesus made a clear distinction between those who merely claim to be
Christians and those who truly are. The difference is, true believers
do the will of the Father. In the words of James, they are doers of
the Word, not merely hearers who delude themselves.

"Hearers" in James 1:22 translates a Greek word that speaks of
auditing a class. Auditing students attend class and listen to the
instructor but don't do any work. Consequently, they don't receive
credit for the course. The phrase "delude themselves" speaks of being
victimized by one's own faulty reasoning.

People who listen to God's Word but never obey it are spiritual
auditors who delude themselves by thinking that hearing the Word is
all God requires of them. Unfortunately, many churches are full of
such people. They attend services and hear the sermons but their
lives never seem to change. They're content to hear the Word but
never apply it. Like those whom Jesus condemned in Matthew 7, they've
chosen religious activities over true faith in Christ.

How tragic to think you're saved, only to hear, "I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness" (Matt. 7:23). That will
never happen if you're a doer of the Word.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Take advantage of every opportunity to respond to the Word in
specific ways. Ask God for His grace to keep you faithful to that
goal.

For Further Study:

Read Matthew 7:13-29.

How did Jesus describe false prophets? How can you discern a
false from a true prophet? To what did Jesus liken those who
hear His words and act on them? Why?

Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.

All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org

~~~


Matthew 7:13-29
13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads
to life, and there are few who find it.
15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from
thornbushes or figs from thistles?
17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears
bad fruit.
18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good
fruit.
19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire.
20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many
wonders in Your name?'
23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from
Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I
will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and
beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the
rock.
26 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do
them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and
beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."
28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the
people were astonished at His teaching,
29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the
scribes.

~~~

These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.

In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.

If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.

You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:

http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/

and

http://www.gty.org.uk/

You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org



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In Christ,



Peter

Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com

STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner