SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON, DECEMBER 17,2017, TOPIC: DEALING WITH DECEPTION

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON, DECEMBER 17,2017

TOPIC: Dealing with Deception

Memory Verse: Jeremiah 29:8.  Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed (KJV)

Lesson Text: Jeremiah 26:1-16; 28:1-17;29:1-32

CENTRAL TRUTH: Deception is exposed by the proclamation of the gospel.
FOCUS: To examine how Jeremiah dealth with deception and contend for the truth.

                 OUTLINE: 
1. Self-Deceived People
A. God Judges Sin
B. Truth Brings Opposition
C. Stay True to the Message

2. A Deceptive Prophet
A. Deception Can Ring True
B. God will Silence the Deceiver

3. False Messengers
A. Messenger of False Hope
B. Error Must Be Exposed

                 Learning Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Warn the self-deceived that they are on road that lead to Judgement.
2. Confront the deception of False teachings.
3. Commit to follow God and study the teachings of His Word faithfully.

              
                 INTRODUCING THE LESSON
    Reading the Old Testament prophets can sometimes sound repetitive. They were continually warning people about the deceptiveness of sin and the danger of judgment. Yet their words often went unheeded.
 QUESTION: How do you respond when confronted by deception?
      As Christians, we must be prepared to recognize deception and respond effectively. This lesson will give you tolls to recognize deception, warn the deceived, and expose and confront deceivers.

1. Self-Deceived People
A. God Judges Sin. Jeremiah 26:1-6
          When it comes to being patient and longsuffering, God is without equal. This is certainly demonstrated in the ministry of Jeremiah, a prophet to Judah during the last few decades before being taken into captivity. God had indeed been patient with Judah. However, when the people continued to sin, the prophet Jeremiah declared that there would be consequences for their rebellion. As the nation of Judah strayed further from God, He sent stern warnings of Judgment through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:1).
        The reign of Jehoiakim is believed to have begun around 609 BC, or almost twenty-five years before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. By that time, the people were in open rebellion against God.
         Jeremiah had been assigned to a particularly difficult task ( verse 2). He was to stand in the outer court of the temple on a feast day and declare God’s impending judgment upon the people for their sin.
QUESTION: What does verse 3 tell us about Jeremiah’s message and God’s attitude toward Hiss people?
       Even after all of Judah’s sin and rebellion, God still held out to them the possibility of forgiveness and restoration. He was willing to refrain from judgment if the people will repent.
        Jeremiah’s message would be sober and unwavering: turn from sin or suffer the wrath of God ( verse 4-6). Contained in this message was an interesting analogy. God said He would make Jerusalem to be like Shiloh.
QUESTION: What made Shiloh an ideal example of what would happen to Jerusalem if the people did not repent?
    Shiloh has previously been the centre of worship for all Israel; it was the first resting place for the ark of covenant in the land, and was home to the tabernacle that was designed by God(see Joshua 18:1). It serves this role for about three hundred years, up through the time of the judges, until it was captured by the Philistines ( see 1 Samuel 4). Because Shiloh was near Jerusalem, the ruins of that city would have been familiar to the people. Just as God allowed Shiloh to be destroyed because of sin, He would bring the same calamity upon Jerusalem if the people did not repent.

B. Truth Brings Opposition.  Jeremiah 26:7-11
       Jeremiah spoke God’s message precisely as God had given it to him. But, not surprisingly, the response was extremely negative. In fact, the people wanted to kill him (Jeremiah 26:7-8).
      They regarded Jeremiah’s words as false prophecy and by death under the Law. It seemed inconceivable to them that Jerusalem could be destroyed like Shiloh (verse 9).
       The scene caused such a stir that the court officials became aware of the situation. Had they not, Jeremiah might have been killed by the mo. Instead, he was taken to the New Gate, the place where trails were held. There the false prophets and leaders of those opposed to the Lord’s prophets presented their case against Jeremiah ( verse 10-11),arguing that his prophecy against the city deserved a death sentence.

C. Stay True to the Message. Jeremiah 26:12-16
    It is one thing to speak God’s message when our words are met with little resistance. But it can be quite challenging to speak out when our words bring very real negative experiences. That’s what Jeremiah experienced, yet he remained true to his calling.
QUESTION: How did Jeremiah respond to the charges against him?
    Jeremiah responded to his accuser directly, courageously, and without compromising his message. He began by identifying the source and authority of his declaration: the Lord ( Jeremiah 26:12). If they were going to dispute his message, that dispute will be with God himself.
   Jeremiah’s words were clear and unwavering: Repent of your ways or face disaster (verse 13). The prophet held firmly to his calling. Their threats would not prompt him to vacillate or equivocate. It is a good reminder to God’s people even today. Fidelity to the Lord doesn’t just mean avoiding an outright denial of Him. We must also guard against altering our message to appease critics and skeptics.
   Jeremiah stood strong, and his honest conviction had an impact on the people and the officials ( verses 14-16). They sided against the false prophets and recognized that Jeremiah did indeed speak from God. As a result, his life was spared.

2. A Deceptive Prophet
A. Deception Can Ring True. Jeremiah 28:1-4
      During difficult times people are eager for good news. If someone says what people want to hear, he or she is sure to gain a following
      Jeremiah 28 describes a false prophet named Hananiah; he was just such a person. In one incident during the reign of King Zedekiah, he went to the temple courtyard and proclaimed a message that was blatantly false, yet it provided the people with words and hopes they desperately wanted to hear; Within two years, Hananiah explained, the exiles would return from Babylon. The articles from the temple that had been taken would also be returned ( verse 1-4).
    It is especially noteworthy that Hananiah’s words stood in stark contradiction to a message Jeremiah had just given to King Zedekiah ( Jeremiah 27:12-17). Note how Hananiah even utilized the same terminology, including the reference to the yoke in 28:2 ( compare to 27:12). Jeremiah had warned them not to listen to any prophet who declared that they would not serve the king of Babylon(27:14)
    And so the contrast was set. Jeremiah’s message was hard and sobering, but true. Hananiah stated what people wanted to hear, but his words were blatant lies. The people would have to choose. Would they heed a word of deception or humble themselves in response to truth?
   We, too, can be wooed by deceptive words that ring true and say what we want to hear. Our world delivers many such messages.
QUESTION: What are some deceptive messages we hear today, and where do they come from?
   Media, culture, and even friends, neigbours and family can convey untrue messages regarding spiritual matters. We must commit to practice discernment, no matter how appealing the messages might be.

B. God Will Silence the Deceiver. Jeremiah 28:5-17
QUESTION: How did Jeremiah respond to Hananiah and his false prophecy?
      Jeremiah’s initial response reflects a prophet who was concerned about the people he addressed ( Jeremiah 28:5-6). But in spite of his own desire that Hananiah’s word would be true, he had to bring the people back to the reality of the situation. Hananiah’s words not only contradicted Jeremiah, but numerous prophets before him.  Furthermore the true test of a prophet was the fulfillment of his prophecies. Past prophets had been proven right, and Jeremiah echoed their words did not ( verse 7-9). Like so many other false prophets, Hananiah promised prosperity without repentance. Again and again, such prophecies crumbled in the light of reality.
     Hananiah could not counter this argument, so he resorted to violence by snatching the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and breaking it-symbolically restating his prophecy that Nebuchadnezzar would lose his power in two years ( verse 10-11). [NOTE: In 27:3, God had instructed Jeremiah to place a yoke around his neck, symbolizing that God would use nations, including Judah, as judgment for sin] By breaking the yoke, Hananiah captured the attention of the people and masked his own shortcoming in not being able to counter Jeremiah.
      Soon after that, Jeremiah heard from God ( verse 12-14). The hopes Hananiah raised were false; in fact, the wooden yoke- signifying submission-wound be replaced by the iron yoke of slavery in Babylon. Through his deception, Hananiah had only aggravated the situation.
   Hananiah would pay heavily for raising false hopes and delivering false prophecy ( verse 15-17). Jeremiah declared that God would remove Hananiah from the earth. Two months later, Hananiah was dead.

QUESTION: How should we deal with false prophets today?
     Matters of life and death rest only in God’s hands. But we, like Jeremiah, can confront deception with truth. We should not speak in anger or for personal reasons. Our comments should be confined to biblical principles. Biblical truth is always the most effective response to false teaching.

3. False Messengers.
A. Message of False Hope. Jeremiah 29:1,15-19.
      God also gave Jeremiah a message to be delivered to the exiles living Babylon, who had heard the hopeful prophecies of the false prophets. They lamented their plight, a result of those false prophecies that only encouraged dissatisfaction with the situation ( Jeremiah 29:15). Why, they wondered, did Jeremiah insist they suffer?
      In a letter to these exiles, Jeremiah asserted that the false prophets were wrong ( verse 16-19). Those deceivers would perish because of their deception, so it would be foolish to depend on their prophecies.
Furthermore, the Jews in Jerusalem were about to experience the same kind of suffering and judgment that those in Babylon endured. This was noteworthy because a Davidic king still reigned in Jerusalem. On that basic, the false prophets declared Jerusalem to be immune from calamity.
QUESTION: How can we avoid giving false hope to those who do not know Christ and are on the path toward God’s judgment?
     Blatant false teaching can include messages that people are okay as they are, that a loving God does not judge sin, and that spiritual truth is relative. Most Christians can recognize and refute this reality. But there is also subtle deception that delivers only positive promises of God without the responsibility of rejecting sin. It can be challenging to declare a message people do not want to hear. But we must be willing to deliver the whole truth of the gospel, that Jesus is Saviou to all who will repent, believe, and follow Him.

B. Error Must Be Exposed. Jeremiah 29:20-32
           Jeremiah was well aware of the situation in Babylon. Two false prophets identified only by name and grossly immoral character had been the source of the lies they heard ( Jeremiah 29:20-23). Their deceit played a part in the misery felt by the Jews in Babylon, and God would surely judge them their evil ways ( Jeremiah 29:20-23). They , like Hananiah, would become illustrations of God’s wrath.
      Jeremiah also proclaimed judgement on a third false prophet, Shemiah, who was angry about Jeremiah’s sobering prophecy and had written back to Jerusalem in an effort to have Jeremiah silenced. He, too, would suffer the ultimate penalty for his deception; not only would he die, but he would have no descendants to carry on his name ( verse 24-28)
QUESTION: How can verse 29-32 help us maintain a proper perspective when preaching about Judgment?
       Jeremiah had another message-one that was overlooked by Shemiah and it contained a ray of hope ( verse 32; see also verses 10-14). God still had plans for His people, plans in which Shemiah would have no part. At the end of seventy years of captivity, God would restore His people and return them to their land of promise. Even amid the dark and tumultuous days of exile, God shined a ray of hope into the lives of His people. His promises would endure.

                          DISCIPLESHIP IN ACTION.
      Look around you. Who are the people in your world, the people closest to you? Now think about the people God has asked you to care for-a son, a daughter, a sibling, a neighbor, a friend, a grandchild.
      Take a moment to think about the spiritual state of those closest to you. How are you responding to their spiritual needs?
      Today’s lesson reminds us of the horrible consequence of sin- as well as the marvelous blessings of salvation. While the thought of judgment is sobering, we cannot forget that God graciously offers a promise of hope for all who believe. Take time this week to pray for people you know who need salvation. Ask God to help you seek out and respond to opportunities for witness.
                           
                  MINISTRY IN ACTION

    At the close of class, discuss the evangelistic ministries of your church. Challenge students to think about ways they can become involved in these ministries. This might include taking an active role, serving behind the scenes, or committing to pray for the ministry. Close in a time of prayer, asking God to help students reach their world with the gospel.