In our world, there are various warning stickers placed on things. Cars have warning stickers on the fan shroud, warning people to keep their hands away from the fan. On the farm, grain augers have warning stickers reminding the user to lower the auger before moving it so they do not come in contact with live power lines or to avoid the auger tipping over and hurting or killing someone. These are just two of many warnings given to us. In spite of all the warnings, we still hear of people getting hurt or killed by the very thing that has the warning on it.
The Bible gives us many warnings against deception. It is sad to see so many people push those warnings aside and choose to go with their ‘gut feeling’ instead. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. God has given warnings of the deception that will be. The prime communicator of deception is the devil. In Genesis 3:1 we read:

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Jesus warned us of the nature of the devil in John 8:44:

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 cannot sit back and blame the devil for everything and take no responsibility ourselves. He is a liar. He is also a murderer. Abel chose not to believe in this liar. Cain chose to believe him. Noah chose not to believe this liar until after the flood. He brought shame upon his family when he gave in to the lies of the devil. We can go on and see that life is based on choices. We can also see that God gave man the ability to make wise choices. We can know the truth.
In our opening verse, Jesus warned of false christs. There have been many of those in history and there will be more to come. The greatest human deceiver will be the antichrist. He will declare himself to be God after he has deceived many Jews and Gentiles to follow him. He will then turn to seek to destroy the Jews and anyone else who will not accept him as God.
It is a shame that there are so many today who cannot discern truth from error. The mainstream media is not the friend of man. They have money and they can post pictures. They speak with smooth words. However, they see money as their god. They will do whatever they can to make lots of it. It takes effort to discern where the truth is on the human level.
The greatest truth that we need to know is spiritual truth. We need to know Who the true God is and we need to know what He has said. God is not giving us any new revelation today. We do not need any new revelation. We need to know the Truth and we need to be students of the Truth.
In our church we have been studying the books of Hosea and Ezekiel of late. Both of those men were chosen by God to write about the fall of Judah and Israel. In both of those books God was very clear in pointing out the problem. The nation of Israel had chosen idolatry over truth. There were a few in every generation who chose to believe the truth. However, they were in the minority and God was not punishing the faithful Jews, but He was punishing the unfaithful Jews. The faithful Jews would suffer due to the sins of their ‘brethren’. They rejected God and they would be punished for their continued rebellion. The sad reality is that they are still suffering today for their rebellion. Many Jewish generations have lived and died in their sin. This week Israel found 6 more hostages in a tunnel in Gaza. They were all murdered. It does not have to be this way, but Israel is still choosing to have it this way.
Many Gentiles do not know the true God and they cannot see what God is doing and what He wants to do. Jesus gave the warning of false christs to help each person to understand that deception knows no bounds. God could silence all the deceivers in a moment of time and He will do that one day.
We have noted before that God did not create man to be a robot. He gave Adam intelligence. He gave Adam work to do and He gave him clear instructions. Adam chose to accept a lie and plunged all of humanity into sin. God revealed His Word to man over a period of 1600 years. He chose holy men who would obey Him and write down exactly what He wanted written. God did not need to use men. He used a donkey at one time. He speaks through the thunder. He reveals His greatness to man in many ways.
The greatest need that man has is to know the true God and the true Christ. He also needs to know the working of the Holy Spirit. It is imperative for those who are saved to study God’s Word faithfully so that we can point people to the true God. Those who are saved need discernment. We need to know whom we can trust and who we cannot trust.
Not only did Jesus warn of false christs, but He also warned of false teachers.
There is a verse that is very plain on the matter of truth, but that verse is not heeded very well.

Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

God has given us His Word. He has preserved His Word “from this generation and for ever”. We all need teachers. We cannot grow properly if we will not submit to a true local church and be a part of that church. Internet teachers might be helpful. They can only be helpful if they are men of God who are not ashamed to stand upon the sure and true Word of God. When we choose men who are compromised they will weaken us. We need to be strengthened, not weakened.

Matthew 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

The context of that verse is during the Tribulation time. However, application can be made to our time as well. The apostle Paul warned:

II Corinthians 11:12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

God has been gracious to us and given us His Word. If we are not willing to believe His Word and hold it above all else, we cannot know Him as we must. Those who are saved do not need to walk around on tip toes as if we are walking on egg shells. We can walk with confidence if we will take God’s Word as our authority. We need to be faithful students of God’s Word. We need to be part of a true, local church that opens God’s Word and expounds it faithfully. We need the whole counsel of God.
The apostle John was directed to write:

I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.