Marketing people have helped companies make a lot of money from a simple Latin expression, Carpe Diem, meaning “Seize the Day.”  There is a wide variety of merchandise adorned with the words "Carpe Diem". The words come from a longer phrase, "Dum loquimur, fugerit invida aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero," which translates to, "While we speak, envious time is fleeing: seize the day, putting as little trust as possible in the next one.”  The line comes from the Roman poet, Horace, in his book, Odes, written around 23 BC.

Last week, I started a sermon series centered on the fleeting time of Jesus' last week.  We began studying that final week of his life and Jesus’ use of time, fleeing time to bring forward some crucial teachings for his disciples.  Jesus was seizing each day, but unlike the poet, Horace, Jesus was not foregoing trust in the future.  Jesus knew the future.  He would soon die and leave his disciples.  His disciples would naturally become discouraged and uncertain about the future.  Jesus wanted them to know what to expect and to trust Jesus’ words.  A central theme for the future until Jesus returned was these seven words: “Watch out that no one deceives you.”

What does it mean to be deceived?  The dictionary says to deceive someone is to “deliberately cause someone to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain.”  In Jesus’ presence for the last three years, the disciples could not be deceived because Jesus knew and was the truth. That was going to change quickly. In just a few days, one of their own, Judas Iscariot, would deceive the other disciples into believing he was still a loyal follower of Jesus.  Jesus knew Judas’ heart and that Judas had betrayed him.  But Jesus decided not to tell his other disciples about Judas’ plans and his treachery.

With the days fleeing, Mark shared with us from his gospel, “1 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!’  2 ‘Do you see all these great buildings?’ replied Jesus. ‘Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down’” (Mark 13:1-2).  Jesus had confidently spoken about the future and the destruction of the Temple, the visible heart of Judaism.  Jesus’ words are so casual that they downplay the shock of their meaning.  With the destruction of the Temple would come the end of atoning animal sacrifices, the end of Temple taxes, the end of the High Priests and priestly orders, the end of the Sadducees and the Pharisees, and the end of the Herodian dynasty of Herod the Great and his sons.  Every Jewish person and group that stood opposed to Jesus and his message would be gone with the Temple.  It would be to the Jewish people as if the world had come to an end.  Jesus’ disciples did not respond to Jesus’ words.

A little later, Jesus and his disciples were outside Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives, looking back toward the city, towards those buildings with their magnificent blocks.  As they sat there, the four disciples of Jesus’ inner circle, Peter and his brother Andrew, with James and his brother John, approached Jesus in private.  “4 Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” they asked Jesus (Mark 13:4).  Jesus’ predicted Temple destruction was very unsettling.  Jesus’ response did little to calm his much-disturbed disciples. Jesus said, “Watch out that no one deceives you.”  While the destruction of the Temple was of most concern to Jesus’ disciples, it was not foremost on Jesus's mind as his days were becoming fewer.  Jesus was concerned about the deceit, not the destruction that was coming.

“Watch out that no one deceives you.”  Jesus’ words were very personal and directed toward the men seated with him.  It was not the toppling of stones that was on Jesus’ mind; it was the collapse of faith. “5 Jesus said to them: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many’” (Mark 13:5-6).  Jesus laid bare his concern. Many will come in Jesus’ name, either claiming to be Him or claiming to be from Him, seeking to cause someone to believe something that is not true.  Jesus warned that many will be deceived.

Jesus’ disciples may have wished they had not had this conversation with Jesus.  At first, they thought their biggest concern was the destruction of the Temple.  Now, the biggest concern was people successfully deceiving others about who Jesus is and what his message was.

Jesus’ identity was a central question for Jesus’ disciples. One time, Jesus and his disciples were walking to the villages around Caesarea Philippi.  “27b On the way, Jesus asked them, ‘Who do people say I am?’  28 They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’  29 ‘But what about you?’ he asked. “Who do you say I am?’  Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah.’  30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him (Mark 27b-30). Knowing Jesus’ identity was a core part of Jesus’ mission and purpose.  Here, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” and Peter said, “You are the Messiah.”  So central was Peter’s answer that Mark, a close companion of Peter, began his entire gospel this way, “1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).  Mark wanted no doubt about the identity of Jesus because Mark knew from Jesus’ disciples that Jesus revealed that others would come as deceivers claiming “I am he,” the Messiah, the Son of God.

The early church did not need to wait long for Jesus’ prophesies to come true.  In 66 AD, the Jews revolted against the Romans.  Four years later, Roman legions overwhelmed Jerusalem and the Temple.  Shortly thereafter, the Romans knocked down the Temple completely.  The only remnant of the Temple is the western wall of the Temple complex, known today as the Wailing Wall.  False messiahs appeared in Israel and have continued to appear across the globe since that time, including into the 20th century, with Reverend Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies, claiming to be the Messiah.  Others held messianic beliefs in the United States, ranging from Ann Lee, leader of the Shakers in Colonie, to David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas.  The false messiahs and those with messianic behaviors deceived many.

How, then, might we apply Jesus's words of warning from his final days?  Let’s think about it this way.  The American comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, had a comic routine that went, “You might be a redneck if…”  And then Foxworthy would fill in the blank with something humorous, poking fun at people usually from the southern states.  Following Foxworthy’s model, we could say, “You might be a deceived person if…”

• You follow anyone other than Jesus. Salvation is tied to one person and one person alone, Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God.  One time, the Apostle Paul and his fellow evangelist were in the city of Lystra.  The residents of Lystra mistakenly believed Paul and Barnabas to be the Greek gods Hermes and Zeus after Paul miraculously healed a man who had been lame from birth. Believing the gods had visited in human form, the crowd attempted to offer sacrifices to worship Paul and Barnabas, but the apostles tore their clothes in horror, proclaiming themselves to be mere mortals and directing the people to the living God.  Watch out that no one deceives you.  We are to find our salvation in Jesus alone.
• “You might be a deceived person if you have faith in Jesus and works.”  The Apostle John tells us, “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  The Apostle Paul said, “28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Romans 3:28).  The Apostle Paul in a letter to the Christians at Colossae quoted one of the earliest Christian hymns which concluded with these words, “19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).  Watch out that no one deceives you.  Do not be deceived, it is by belief in Jesus Christ, not your own good works, that grants forgiveness and eternal life; good deeds, works, are the result of true faith, not a requirement for it.
• “You might be a deceived person if you believe all souls will eventually be reconciled to God.”  Multiple times in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28), Jesus made clear that judgment would be upon those who rejected God.  Such people would be excluded from God’s presence and experience a state of extreme sorrow, regret, and torment, weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Jesus also made clear that an impassable chasm exists between the realm of the saved (Abraham's bosom/Heaven) and the place of torment (Hades/Hell) after death.  Watch out that no one deceives you.  Do not believe the claims that everyone gets to heaven.
• “You might be a deceived person if you believe in the Ten Commandments, the Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity.” What are those Ten Commandments:
  1. Jesus is a model for living more than an object for worship.  Translation: Jesus is one of the best people to follow among many, but not God to be worshipped.
  2. Affirming people’s potential is more important than reminding them of their brokenness.  Translation: God is only interested in what you can do, not in having you repent from sin.
  3. The work of reconciliation should be valued over making judgments.  Translation: Focus on your relationships with other people, and do not be concerned with your relationship with God.
  4. Gracious behavior is more critical than right beliefs. Translation: It does not matter what you believe if you are a good person, as you would define good.
  5. Inviting questions is more valuable than supplying answers.  Translation: The Bible is to be used to foster a questioning attitude; it does not give you any reliable answers.
  6. Encouraging the personal search is more important than group uniformity.  Translation: You are at the center of all things as you seek “Your truth,” but there are no absolute truths, as the Bible claims.
  7. Meeting actual needs is more important than maintaining institutions. Translation:  Serving people’s physical needs and wants matters; helping them toward a relationship with God is unnecessary.
  8. Peacemaking is more important than power. Translation: Tolerate all human expressions, even if they defy God.
  9. We should care more about love and less about sex. Translation: All sexually intimate relationships, whether before, during, after, or outside of marriage, are inherently loving, even if they are not.
  10. Life in this world is more important than life in the hereafter. Translation: Live well now because hell does not exist and heaven is only a possibility.

You do not need to wonder if so-called Progressive Christian churches exist locally, because they do.  There are many.  Some are independent, but most are embedded in traditional denominations.  They match Jesus’ words that they come in Jesus’ name, but they are deceivers.  Jesus said to his disciples, “Watch out that no one deceives you.”

            How then do we avoid being deceived?  The Apostle Paul gave some simple advice.  Paul said, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22).  There are eight things we can do to avoid being deceived.

1. Rejoice always. Rejoice that you have Christ.
2. Pray continually. Make your relationship with God through Christ your most important relationship.
3. Give thanks to God in all things.  Keep your focus on God.
4. Do not quench the Holy Spirit.  Read God’s word and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.
5. Do not treat prophecies with contempt.  Accept God’s word and the discipleship efforts as a gift even when those teachings conflict with your worldview.
6. Test everything you hear.  How do I test?  Test what is said against what God has said.
7. After testing – hold on to what is good.  God wants you to have good gifts from Him.
8. Reject everything that Scripture does not support, because it is evil.

Jesus was soon to give his life for the truth and for our salvation.  He did not want his life to be wasted.  Therefore, He said, “Watch out that no one deceives you.”  If we keep our focus upon God, pray continually, test everything, hold on to what is good, and reject what is evil, we shall not be deceived.  God’s word tells us that God himself, the God of peace, will sanctify us completely, keeping us blameless at the coming of Jesus.  God is faithful, and he will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).  Watch out that no one deceives you.  Amen and Amen.