DECEPTION
As you know, the Bible continues to be the greatest Best Seller ever. And, in the Bible, the lives of some 3000 people are presented to us. And even though many of these people have much to teach us by way of their examples, some of them are there as illustrations of what not to do. And, our place, as Christians, is to learn from both. Today, the LORD has sent to us someone who is not very honorable, yet his life is there as one of our teachers. His name is Abner.
It’s always my hope, whenever I teach or preach the Word of God, to, in some way; add value to your life. My hope today is to do just that through the life of this man.
As I began my preparation this past week for today’s sermon, I thought I’d like to present Abner as a deceiver. But as I searched and thought and read about his, I realized that God has given to us some powerful insights into the heart of some people. I discovered that he’s much more than a deceiver.
So, even though I’ve titled today’s sermon “Abner, the Deceiver,” I’ve sub-titled it “Abner, A Man After His Own Heart.” Shall we pray?
One of Satan’s titles is “Deceiver.” And, according to the Book of Revelation, one day soon, the devil will be cast into the bottomless pit and chained there for no less than one thousand years. Here’s what we read in Revelation 20. Revelation 20:1 “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Notice why he is thrown in to this bottomless pit, verse three. (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: ...”
Satan is the arch-deceiver. He is a liar. As a matter of fact, he originated deception. Here’s what Jesus said about him. (John 8:44) “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
We all know what it’s like to be deceived. Yet, our vulnerability to deception is surprisingly still freesh. Even if we’ve been deceived by someone, we still have a tendency to want to continue to believe them. And that might be because we want to see the good in people.
The stories in the Bible are true. And they’ve been recorded, in part, to grow us up in spiritual wisdom. And specific people have been chosen by God to be our teachers. In this case, He’s using a man named Abner to teach us, not to lie, of course, but rather, to show us the ways of the deceiver. And, in essence, we can learn to be discerning when it comes to such people.
II Samuel chapter 3, our study today takes us to a day and time when Israel and Judah were separated. King Saul had reined over one nation. It was called Israel. Now, Saul is dead and one of his sons, a man named Ishbosheth, has declared himself King over ten of the tribes of Israel while David rules over two, Judah and Benjamin. The general over the army of Judah is a man named Joab. The general over the Israeli army is a man named Abner. And Abner is about to jump ship. He’s about to defect, to give up on Israel and, in essence, go over to the other side. Look with me at the Book of II Samuel chapter three and verse twelve.
You see, up to this point, the kingdom has been divided in two, with a man named Ishbosheth, a son of Saul, reigning as King over Israel while David reigns over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
Abner, remember, had been the general in Saul’s army. He’s now general over the armies of Israel. And he’s just had a quote “falling out” with King Ishbosheth over Rizal, a concubine who had once belonged to King Saul. Abner had taken her for himself. Ishbosheth simply asks him why he did it.
It’s always my hope, whenever I teach or preach the Word of God, to, in some way; add value to your life. My hope today is to do just that through the life of this man.
As I began my preparation this past week for today’s sermon, I thought I’d like to present Abner as a deceiver. But as I searched and thought and read about his, I realized that God has given to us some powerful insights into the heart of some people. I discovered that he’s much more than a deceiver.
So, even though I’ve titled today’s sermon “Abner, the Deceiver,” I’ve sub-titled it “Abner, A Man After His Own Heart.” Shall we pray?
One of Satan’s titles is “Deceiver.” And, according to the Book of Revelation, one day soon, the devil will be cast into the bottomless pit and chained there for no less than one thousand years. Here’s what we read in Revelation 20. Revelation 20:1 “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Notice why he is thrown in to this bottomless pit, verse three. (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: ...”
Satan is the arch-deceiver. He is a liar. As a matter of fact, he originated deception. Here’s what Jesus said about him. (John 8:44) “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
We all know what it’s like to be deceived. Yet, our vulnerability to deception is surprisingly still freesh. Even if we’ve been deceived by someone, we still have a tendency to want to continue to believe them. And that might be because we want to see the good in people.
The stories in the Bible are true. And they’ve been recorded, in part, to grow us up in spiritual wisdom. And specific people have been chosen by God to be our teachers. In this case, He’s using a man named Abner to teach us, not to lie, of course, but rather, to show us the ways of the deceiver. And, in essence, we can learn to be discerning when it comes to such people.
II Samuel chapter 3, our study today takes us to a day and time when Israel and Judah were separated. King Saul had reined over one nation. It was called Israel. Now, Saul is dead and one of his sons, a man named Ishbosheth, has declared himself King over ten of the tribes of Israel while David rules over two, Judah and Benjamin. The general over the army of Judah is a man named Joab. The general over the Israeli army is a man named Abner. And Abner is about to jump ship. He’s about to defect, to give up on Israel and, in essence, go over to the other side. Look with me at the Book of II Samuel chapter three and verse twelve.
You see, up to this point, the kingdom has been divided in two, with a man named Ishbosheth, a son of Saul, reigning as King over Israel while David reigns over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
Abner, remember, had been the general in Saul’s army. He’s now general over the armies of Israel. And he’s just had a quote “falling out” with King Ishbosheth over Rizal, a concubine who had once belonged to King Saul. Abner had taken her for himself. Ishbosheth simply asks him why he did it.