Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20121118.htm

SPECIAL INTERLUDE
Guarding The Heart Through Scripture: Five Gems From Psalm 119
Part IV: Section Pe - Guarding The Heart From Deceptive Manipulation
(Psalm 119:129-136)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Our world is greatly afflicted by deceptive manipulators:

    (1) Locally, the November 12, 2012 Republican-American, p. 4A ran Rocco M. Pugliese's post-election letter to the editor in which he declared: "(I)f the Republican Party wants to deliver itself from darkness, I suggest that it engage reality . . ."

    However, on the same page, Susan Stamper Brown's op-ed, "GOP needs to attract young voters," complained about the Democratic victory, writing: "(A) majority - almost 60 million people . . . checked their brains at the door before pulling the polling booth's curtain."

    Such opposing views of reality exist in our nation's divided electorate, a sure sign of vast, deceptive manipulation somewhere!

    (2) Nationally, Ronald Kessler's November 9, 2012 newsmax.com article, "FBI Investigation Led to Petraeus Resignation," in light of recent CIA head, David H. Petraeus' extramarital affair, claimed "the White House, with concurrence by the FBI and Justice Department held off asking for Petraeus' resignation until after the election . . . avoiding the possibility that Obama's ill-fated appointment of Petraeus could become an issue in the election. FBI agents on the case . . . were outraged . . . (A)n FBI source says, To leave him in such a sensitive position where he was vulnerable to potential blackmail for months compromised our security and is inexcusable.'" (Ibid.)

    Thus, a large part of the administration deceptively manipulated public opinion at the risk of national security to keep Mr. Petraeus as head of the CIA until after the election to aid the president's reelection!

    (3) Yet, deceptive manipulation afflicts churches, too. A theistic evolutionist has told me that since our Church holds to the pure creationist view of Genesis 1, we keep people from trusting in Christ to be saved since our view looks so false to an evolution-indoctrinated public! He tried to make me feel guilty of keeping people from being saved to manipulative us to stop interpreting Genesis 1 literally!

    [To answer this, the preaching of the cross is foolishness to all who perish (1 Cor. 1:18), but that doesn't keep us from preaching it!]



    Thus, if Proverbs 4:23 NIV directs, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life," we ask, "How do I guard my heart from deceptive manipulation?!"

    Need: "How do I guard my heart from deceptive manipulation?!"

  1. Psalm 119 is written in an alphabetical arrangement of sections where each section is marked by the first word of each of its lines starting with a specific Hebrew letter, and the focus in the ENTIRE psalm is on the PRACTICAL VALUE of GOD'S WORD.
  2. The Psalm 119:129-136 letter "Pe" section describes the use of Scripture to guard the heart from deceptive manipulation:
    1. The Psalmist testifies that his life principle (nepesh, Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 1085 and 3 in citing Gen. 2:7 where God made man a nepesh with mental, emotional, spiritual and physical life) closely observes, obeys (nasar, B. D. B., A Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p. 665-666) God's solemn divine Scripture charges ( edut, Ibid., p. 730) "due to the fact that" (al-ken, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 487) they are so extraordinary (pala', Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 810), 119:129.
    2. To explain this, the Psalmist testified that just an initial exposure to Scripture frees even a naive person from deceptive manipulation since God's Word provides him potent discernment, Psalm 119:130:
      1. The mere doorway opening (petah, Ibid., p. 836) of God's Word causes illumination to come to exist (or, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 21; Hiphil = causative) in that even an initial glance at Scripture provides illumination [due to the power of the divine inspiration of God's written Word], Psa. 119:130a; Hebrews 4:12.
      2. Indeed, this initial glance at Scripture gives "understanding, discernment" (bin, Ibid., p. 106-107; Hiphil = causative) even to the "easily misled, naive" ( peti, Ibid., p. 834), Psalm 119:130b!
    3. Psalm 119:131-135 describes the dynamics behind this potent impact of Scripture in the Psalmist's personal walk (as follows):
      1. In facing oppressively deceptive manipulators, the Psalmist greatly longs for, desires (ya'ab, Ibid., p. 383 [used only here]) the insight of Scripture like a needy animal that opens wide its mouth ( sha'ap, Ibid., p. 983) to pant (sha'ap, Ibid., p. 983) for air, Psalm 119:131.
      2. In his intense need for Scripture, the Psalmist asks the Lord to turn to (panah, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 815) him and be gracious (hanan, Ibid., p. 335-336) unto him as is God's customary manner ( mishpat, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1048-1049) with those who love (ahab, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 12-13) His Name, with those who love and thus heed the Lord, Psalm 119:132.
      3. The Psalmist reads Scripture and in faith expects God to use it to order aright (kun, Ibid., p. 465-467; Hiphil = causative) his every footstep (pa'am , Ibid., p. 821-822), not letting any false, hollow, unreal form of evil (awen, Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 19-20; Robert B. Girdlestone, Synonyms of the O. T., 1973, 83) typical of deceptive manipulators, gain the mastery over or dominate (shalat, Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1020) him! (Psalm 119:133)
      4. The Psalmist asks God through exposure to His Word to "ransom" (padah, Ibid., p. 804) him from the "extortion" (osheq, Ibid., p. 799) of common man ( adam, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., Girdlestone, p. 45-50); that is, he figuratively asks God to rescue him from mental bondage in false guilt or an errant idea through which a deceptive manipulator has kidnapped his thinking for gain, Psalm 119:134a.
      5. This request is given that the Psalmist might replace the false view his foe has implanted into his mind to manipulate him with God's true, Scriptural, appointed charges (piqud, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 824), that the Psalmist might rather heed God (shamar, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 1036-1037), Psalm 119:134b.
      6. Thus, the Psalmist in faith asks God to "make His face shine upon" [favor] (or, cf. Psa. 119:130; Hiphil = causative) him as he has become a willing servant to God [versus an unwilling slave of the evil manipulator] as he asks God to teach him God's edifying statutes (hoq; Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 349), Psalm 119:135.
    4. Empathetic of those still suffering manipulation, the Psalmist claims tears flow down (yarad, Ibid., Kittel; Ibid., B. D. B., p. 432-434) from his eyes because God's Law is not being observed ( shamar, cf. Psalm 119:134b), and, via the context of shamar in v. 134b, this means it is not being heeded by other manipulated victims that they might replace false, destructive views with God's true, edifying Word, Psa. 119:136.
Application: May we (1) trust in Christ for salvation from sin and receive God's "parenting" Holy Spirit, John 3:16; 14:16-18. (2) May we then rely on the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-23) to exchange oppressively false manipulation viewpoints for God's true Scripture reality, and disciple others still facing false manipulation!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 We believers actually face oppressively deceptive manipulation in its most potent form, that of demonic teachings that 1 Timothy 4:1-3 predicted would arise. Yet, we handle it today by Scripture as follows:

Brannon Howse's, Religious Trojan Horse, 2012, p. 15-16 reports "Alice Bailey (1880-1949)" has greatly affected society and churches in claiming "to have written under the direction of a spirit guide [demon] called . . . the Tibetan . . . [who] made . . . claims about the future [like]: This coming age will be as predominantly the age of . . . group idealism and group consciousness . . . for the will of the individual will voluntarily be blended into group will.'" (Ibid., citing Bailey, The Rays and the Initiations, 1934-1947, p. 109; brackets ours)

Howse clarified: "The future, in other words, will be about socialism . . . group-thinking -- not individualism . . . "(G)roup consensus is now deliberately used in many . . . evangelical' churches to emotionally manipulate [sic] church members to conform to the . . . goals and philosophies of church leaders . . ." (Ibid., Howse, p. 16)

We also know socialism influences various secular rulers as we often hear them extol taking money from the rich to give to the poor.

Yet, Scripture delivers us from adopting such demonic error:

(1) First, Jesus in Matthew 20:25-28 told Christian leaders not selfishly to dominate their subordinates like secular rulers, but to be servant leaders who use their roles to meet the needs of subordinates.

(2) Second, Exodus 20:17 directs, "Thou shalt not covet," and Exodus 20:15, "Thou shalt not steal," countering socialistic coveting of what the rich possess and then seizing or stealing it in contrast to the God-ordained right of people to keep their personal property.

Especially applied to local churches, church leaders must not "put guilt trips" on the congregation to fill church coffers, but let each believer donate from what is his own wealth (Acts 5:4a) as "every man . . . purposeth in his heart . . . not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver," 2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV.

(5) Third, 1 Corinthians 12:21-26 notes the value of each local church individual with his spiritual gifting, the opposite of socialism!

Scripture thus delivers our minds from the oppressively deceptive, manipulative teaching that Alice Bailey received from a demon, for God's Word frees us from mental bondage to error.

May we trust in Christ and use the Bible for edifying truth!