There is only one thing worse than our being deceived by someone, that is, deceiving ourselves. We deceive ourselves when we hear the word of God but do not obey. We deceive ourselves when we think we can associate with sinners and it not affect us. We deceive ourselves when we we say we have no sin. We deceive ourselves when we think our sin is not our fault. We deceive ourselves when we think too highly of ourselves. We deceive ourselves when we defile the temple of God. We deceive ourselves when we think we are wise in this age. We deceive ourselves when we do not control our tongue. We deceive ourselves when we think we can sow one thing and reap another. We deceive ourselves when we can be unrighteous and still make it to heaven.

1. THE SELF-DECEIVED

2. Deuteronomy 11:13-17 'And it shall be that if you
earnestly obey My commandments which I command
you today, to love the LORD your God and serve Him
with all your heart and with all your soul, (14) then I
will give you the rain for your land in its season, the
early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in
your grain, your new wine, and your oil. (15) And I will
send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you
may eat and be filled.' (16) Take heed to yourselves,
lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and
serve other gods and worship them, (17) lest the
LORD'S anger be aroused against you, and He shut up
the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield
no produce, and you perish quickly from the good
land which the LORD is giving you.

3. DECEIVED
A. Job 12:16 With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
B. Job 15:31 Let him not trust in futile things,
deceiving himself, For futility will be his reward.
C. Obadiah 1:3 The pride of your heart has deceived
you, You who dwell in the clefts of the rock, Whose
habitation is high; You who say in your heart, 'Who
will bring me down to the ground?'
D. (2 Tim 3:13) But evil men and impostors will grow
worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
E. (Titus 3:3) For we ourselves were also once
foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various
lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy,
hateful and hating one another.
F. There is only one thing worse than our being
deceived by someone, that is, deceiving ourselves.

4. I. ONE WHO HEARS THE WORD
AND FAILS TO OBEY
A.(James 1:22-25) But be doers of the word,
and not hearers only, deceiving
yourselves. {23} For if anyone is a hearer
of the word and not a doer, he is like a man
observing his natural face in a mirror; {24}
for he observes himself, goes away, and
immediately forgets what kind of man he
was. {25} But he who looks into the perfect
law of liberty and continues in it, and is not
a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work,
this one will be blessed in what he does.

5. I. ONE WHO HEARS THE WORD
AND FAILS TO OBEY
B. (Mat 7:24-27) "Therefore whoever hears
these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will
liken him to a wise man who built his house
on the rock: {25} "and the rain descended,
the floods came, and the winds blew and beat
on that house; and it did not fall, for it was
founded on the rock. {26} "But everyone who
hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do
them, will be like a foolish man who built his
house on the sand: {27} "and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And
great was its fall."

6. II. ONE WHO THINKS HE CAN
ASSOCIATE WITH SINNERS
WITHOUT IT AFFECTING HIM
A. (1 Cor 15:33-34) Do not be deceived: "Evil
company corrupts good habits." {34} Awake to
righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not
have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your
shame.
B. (Psa 1:1-3) Blessed is the man Who walks not in
the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path
of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; {2}
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in
His law he meditates day and night. {3} He shall be
like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That
brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also
shall not wither; And whatever he does shall
prosper.

7. III. ONE WHO CLAIMS HE DOES
NOT SIN
A. (1 John 1:8) If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us.
B. (Rom 3:23) for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God,

8. IV. ONE WHO THINKS SIN IS
NOT HIS FAULT
A. (James 1:13-16) Let no one say when he
is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for
God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does
He Himself tempt anyone. {14} But each
one is tempted when he is drawn away by
his own desires and enticed. {15} Then,
when desire has conceived, it gives birth
to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
brings forth death. {16} Do not be
deceived, my beloved brethren.

9. IV. ONE WHO THINKS SIN IS
NOT HIS FAULT
B. (Gen 3:9-13) Then the LORD God called to
Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" {10}
So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden,
and I was afraid because I was naked; and I
hid myself." {11} And He said, "Who told you
that you were naked? Have you eaten from
the tree of which I commanded you that you
should not eat?" {12} Then the man said,
"The woman whom You gave to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I ate." {13} And
the LORD God said to the woman, "What is
this you have done?" The woman said, "The
serpent deceived me, and I ate."

10. V. ONE WHO THINKS TOO
HIGHLY OF HIMSELF
A. (Gal 6:3) For if anyone thinks himself to
be something, when he is nothing, he
deceives himself.
B. (Rom 12:3) For I say, through the grace
given to me, to everyone who is among
you, not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think, but to think soberly,
as God has dealt to each one a measure of
faith.

11. VI. ONE WHO DEFILES THE
TEMPLE OR THINKS HE IS WISE
IN THIS AGE
A. (1 Cor 3:16-21) Do you not know that you are the
temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in
you? {17} If anyone defiles the temple of God, God
will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy,
which temple you are. {18} Let no one deceive
himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in
this age, let him become a fool that he may
become wise. {19} For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches
the wise in their own craftiness"; {20} and again,
"The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that
they are futile." {21} Therefore let no one boast in
men. For all things are yours:

12. VI. ONE WHO DEFILES THE
TEMPLE OR THINKS HE IS WISE
IN THIS AGE
B. (1 Cor 6:19-20) or do you not know that
your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
who is in you, whom you have from God,
and you are not your own? {20} for you
were bought at a price; therefore glorify
God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's.

13. VII. ONE WHO DOES NOT
CONTROL HIS TONGUE
A. (James 1:26) If anyone among you thinks he is
religious, and does not bridle his tongue but
deceives his own heart, this one's religion is
useless.
B. (Mat 15:11) "Not what goes into the mouth defiles
a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this
defiles a man."
C. (Mat 15:18-20) "But those things which proceed
out of the mouth come from the heart, and they
defile a man. {19} "For out of the heart proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasphemies. {20} "These are the
things which defile a man, but to eat with
unwashed hands does not defile a man."

14. VIII. ONE WHO THINKS HE CAN SOW
ONE THING AND REAP ANOTHER
A. (Gal 6:7-10) Do not be deceived, God is not
mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he
will also reap. {8} For he who sows to his
flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he
who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap
everlasting life. {9} And let us not grow weary
while doing good, for in due season we shall
reap if we do not lose heart. {10} Therefore,
as we have opportunity, let us do good to all,
especially to those who are of the household
of faith.

15. VIII. ONE WHO THINKS HE CAN SOW
ONE THING AND REAP ANOTHER
B. (Rom 2:1-10) Therefore you are inexcusable, O
man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever
you judge another you condemn yourself; for
you who judge practice the same things. {2} But
we know that the judgment of God is according
to truth against those who practice such things.
{3} And do you think this, O man, you who judge
those practicing such things, and doing the
same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
{4} Or do you despise the riches of His
goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not
knowing that the goodness of God leads you to
repentance? >>>

16. VIII. ONE WHO THINKS HE CAN SOW
ONE THING AND REAP ANOTHER
{5} But in accordance with your hardness and your
impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself
wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God, {6} who "will render to
each one according to his deeds": {7} eternal life to
those who by patient continuance in doing good
seek for glory, honor, and immortality; {8} but to
those who are self-seeking and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and
wrath, {9} tribulation and anguish, on every soul of
man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the
Greek; {10} but glory, honor, and peace to everyone
who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to
the Greek.

17. IX. ONE WHO THINKS HE CAN
BE UNRIGHTEOUS AND STILL
INHERIT THE KINGDOM
A. (1 Cor 6:9-11) Do you not know that the unrighteous
will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, {10}
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of
God. {11} And such were some of you. But you were
washed, but you were sanctified, but you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the
Spirit of our God.
B. (Rom 1:18) For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness,

18. ARE YOU DECEIVING YOURSELF?
A. Have you heard the word but not obeyed it?
B. Do you think you can associate with sinners
without it affecting you?
C. Do you claim you do not have sin in your life?
D. Do you blame others for your sin?
E. Do you think too highly of yourself ?
F. Have you defiled yourself as God’s temple?
G. Do you put more confidence in this world’s
wisdom than in God’s wisdom?
H. Have you failed to control your tongue?
I. Do you think you can sow one thing and reap
another?
J. Do you think you can be unrighteous and still
inherit the kingdom?