OUTLINE:

Satanic Deception
We must always remember that Satan is a MASTER of deception. The most effective deceptions are the least obvious. Only the Word of God is able to shine light on them to reveal their insidiousness.

Being Ready
Some people will reject truth the first time they hear it because they aren’t ready for it yet. To be accurate, God isn’t willing to give them understanding yet (ala Lk 9:43-45; 24:44-53). Individual readiness is a function of God’s timing.

“concealed to them”
The sovereign God of the Universe withheld divine viewpoint from Jesus’ disciples for His own purposes and in accordance with His own desires (ala Isa 55:8).

Being Ready
Some people will reject truth the first time they hear it because they aren’t ready for it yet. To be accurate, God isn’t willing to give them understanding yet (ala Lk 9:43-45; 24:44-53). Individual readiness is a function of God’s timing.

Boasting
If anyone should boast, it should be God over His grace in you. He doesn’t need or want you boasting about yourself. The greatest boasting is when you attribute credit where credit is due (1Co 15:10; 4:7).

Pr 31:30
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain.

2Co 11:14-15 [Message]
Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. So it shouldn’t surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God. But they’re not getting by with anything. They’ll pay for it in the end.

Satanic Deception
We must always remember that Satan is a MASTER of deception. The most effective deceptions are the least obvious. Only the Word of God is able to shine light on them to reveal their insidiousness.

“shrewd as serpents”
- “cunning as a snake” (Message)
- “wise as serpents” (Amplified)
- “prudent as serpents” (Darby)

Perspective Is Everything!
With proper perspective, we ALWAYS end up giving thanks to God! This is pleasing to Him (1Th 5:16-18).

John Piper On Bible Reading
Satan is not opposed to all Bible reading. Bible reading that only collects facts, or relieves a guilty conscience, or gathers doctrinal arguments, or titillates aesthetic literary tastes, or feeds historical curiosities — this kind of Bible reading Satan is perfectly happy to leave alone.

John Piper On Bible Reading
He has already won the battle. He himself is quite a student of the Scriptures, and quotes it to Jesus shrewdly in the wilderness temptations (Mt 4:1-11).

John Piper On Bible Reading
But reading that aims to see the supreme worth and beauty of God — reading that aims to be satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ, reading that seeks to “taste and see that the Lord is good” —

John Piper On Bible Reading
…this reading, and all that goes into it, Satan will oppose with all his might. And his might is supernatural. Therefore, any reading that hopes to overcome his blinding power must be a supernatural reading.

Jas 1:21
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

Salvation
Regardless of whether we are speaking of being saved from the penalty of sin or the power of it, salvation is ALWAYS a function of the Word of God.