Ephesians Lesson 39 of 39 part 5

Looking at what the Lord Himself says in this great chapter 24 of Matthew. As we look at this keep in mind, this is in the Lord’s earthly ministry to Israel, first the carnal man then the spiritual man (of 1Corinthians 15:47-49). The twelve have approached him with a question. But sadly few very very truly get to be the spiritual man, as like myself for years I remain deceived and in deceptions grip. It is NOT until the ontological essence of Christ within us truly takes hold of us do we become spiritual, until then all things remain as if in a fog and distant to us. The reality and Truth of scripture remains hidden from view, perception and our understanding. We do not see John the Baptist's and then Jesus being at odds with the establishment of Judaism and the culture which Israel had which sprung from the spirit of Religion. Nor do we understand the power of that deception until, until we are set free in Christ's victory, over Religion and our own flesh voice, the other man of sin within us all.

Matthew 24:3-4

"And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (this age)? And Jesus (the God of glory Himself) answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

So what is it? Deception and heresies is a sign of the end times, and we are seeing it like never before in all of Church history. For those trapped in the worlds deception of Religion are bound by the enemy within and do not see nor hear correctly. Their perception being veiled by the literal things of Religions great deceptions. The various ideals and contraptions that are coming at people from every direction are deceiving many, many people today. You can hear and see everything but this Gospel proclaimed today. When is the last time you heard the plan of salvation as outlined by the Apostle Paul for the Body of Christ believers proclaimed anywhere? We are seeing this wave of deception and the only way we can confront it is to have, know, and understand the Truth, and our faith in this Word of God. That is our only defense, because the masses are going to fall for these deceptions, and we are seeing it on every front. Alright, so it is through our faith that we rest on what God has said, and what He has promised, and with it we deflect all these deceptive statements, teachings and doctrines that are being spewed out from every direction.

Transparency and Freedom by Michael Clark

“However, their minds were hardened, for to this day the same veil is still there when they read the old covenant. Only in union with Christ is this veil removed. Yet even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are being transformed into the same image with ever-increasing glory by the Lord’s Spirit.” 2Corinthians 3:14-18 ISV

There is the spiritual man and then there is the carnal or worldly man. The world has been all about hiding and intrigue ever since Adam and Even sinned and covered themselves with fig leaves and hid from God. Men prefer darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.

It is interesting to read in the synoptic gospels and Jesus’ encounter with the people of Israel in light of transparency or the lack thereof. Most did not have a clue where He was coming from or what He was saying, just as the many to this very day still have NO clue. His greatest appeal to most of them was the fact that He could heal or give them a free meal when hungry. But there were a small handful that He could speak to who had an unveiled face and nothing to hide. Take the Samaritan woman at the well, for instance. What a contrast this “sinner” was with the learned (Religious leaders of the) Jews who constantly sough to trap Him from behind their veiled faces…..the very meaning of the word hypocrite! To her He revealed great spiritual truths, that the learned Pharisee, Nicodemus, could not begin to understand and she was a “sinner” and a “dog” in their eyes. Her unveiled face and honesty made all the difference.

The root of the word hypocrite according to Merrium-Webster:

Middle English ypocrite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrita, from Greek hypokritēs actor, hypocrite, from hypokrinesthai

These Greek actors wore masks to deceive and play the part of the person they portrayed. Their faces were “veiled.” So we see Jesus calling these sanctimonious, learned Jews who sought to trap him, hypocrites. John the Baptist called them serpents and vipers with the poison of asps under their tongues. He never once called a sinner, harlot, or a publican or even a hated Roman by that name. They all knew that they needed help and came to Jesus, the Great Physician, for that help and He turned none of them away. When criticized by the religious Jews for having contact with the sinners Jesus said, “Those who are whole need not a physician, but those who are sick.” They knew they were sick but the Religious never will acknowledge their need.

Have you, as one of His saints, every had a religious person come up to you and fain that they really liked you and wanted to be taken into their confidence, only to find that once you revealed to them what you really felt or believed, they then turn on you and tried to capture or attack you in their vein philosophies and self-righteousness? Have you ever been wounded by such people simply because you laid open your heart to them and then were trampled into the ground? I have.

Jesus warned us to “be wise as serpents, but harmless as doves.” He warned us not to spill our pearls before swine because first they will stomp your pearls in the mud and then turn and tare you apart! Transparency is something that makes us vulnerable, but you will see in the synoptic Gospels that Jesus was cautious with the Pharisees, Sadducee's and Scribes, but open with those who the Father gave Him. In fact He prayed regarding this contrast saying,

“’O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank You for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased You to do it this way.’ My Father has given Me authority over everything. No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” (Luke 10:21-22 NLT)

Dear saints, we should be able to be “open faced” with one another, because the love of God compels us to reach out to one another in the bond of Christ as members of His Body. If we find that we are being betrayed by a person we confided in or that they never reveal what is in their heart to us in heart to heart communication, as a one way street, chances are that we are dealing with either a wounded person that has not been healed or a hypocrite. Remember, our enemy has sown tares in among the wheat in the Father’s field.

Oh, what a joy it is when we can communicate in loving safety with anothers in the Spirit and go away knowing we have found a true member of our Spiritual family and just been edified by the experience. This experience keeps us searching and hoping for a broader manifestation of the kingdom of God and heaven, where unveiled faces abound. Remember, “Only in union with Christ is that veil removed.”