This morning, I discussed the importance of sobriety, and now I will focus on being vigilant. Our proclamation today is a prayer aligned with this theme, taken from Philippians 1:9-11. We’ve personalized the words as follows: “We pray that our love may continue to abound more and more in knowledge and all discernment, so that we may approve the things that are excellent. We pray that we may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness, which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Amen.”

I’ve already shared the topic for today: Be vigilant. “Be sober, be vigilant” is based on 1 Peter 5:8. This morning, I spoke about the importance of sobriety in spiritual warfare, emphasizing a realistic approach, avoiding vague or unrealistic attitudes, and refraining from using language that is above our level of experience.

Tonight, I’ll delve into being vigilant, especially concerning the many warnings in the New Testament about being deceived. Almost every passage in the New Testament that speaks of the end of the age includes a warning about deception. I will refer to two passages from Matthew 24, spoken by Jesus Himself.

When asked, “What will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?” Jesus began His response by warning His disciples against being deceived. He said in Matthew 24:4-5, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.”

Jesus is a true prophet, and the Jewish encyclopedia records the names of approximately forty false messiahs who have come to the Jewish people since His time. One of the most famous was Bar Kochba, and all of them succeeded in deceiving some part of the Jewish people. But this warning extends far beyond the Jewish community.

Later in the same chapter, in verses 23 and following, Jesus warns, “If anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.”

Jesus makes it clear: “You can’t say I didn’t warn you!” He warns that false prophets and messiahs will come, performing great signs and wonders in an attempt to deceive, even the elect, if possible. This teaches us two critical lessons: First, miraculous signs do not necessarily prove that a message is true. Jesus says these deceivers will show “great signs and wonders,” yet they are still deceivers. We cannot determine the truth of a message merely based on supernatural signs or experiences. This attitude is dangerous.

Second, Jesus emphasizes that even the elect could be deceived if it were possible. The elect are God’s chosen people. Why is it not possible for the elect to be deceived? The answer lies in the fact that God chose them. Our security does not rest in how clever or spiritual we are but in God’s choosing of us.

To avoid deception, we must be able to identify the truth. In His interaction with Pilate, Jesus said, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth.” Pilate responded with the question, “What is truth?” It’s unclear whether he asked this cynically or out of genuine curiosity, but the question has been pondered for over 2,500 years in Western philosophy, with no satisfactory answer.

The Bible, however, provides a clear answer to the question, “What is truth?” It presents truth in three aspects, which I consider as three coordinates of truth. To ensure we possess the truth, we must verify all three coordinates are in alignment.

Firstly, in John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the truth,” meaning truth is embodied in Jesus. Secondly, in John 17:17, Jesus prays to the Father, saying, “Your word is truth,” indicating that God’s word—the Bible—is the truth. Lastly, in 1 John 5:6, John affirms that “the Spirit is truth,” as the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus. Thus, truth is found in three interconnected forms: Jesus, God’s word, and the Holy Spirit.