TAKE HEED
by Richard Winstead
West End Bible Fellowship
Atlanta, GA
Toward the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth, his disciples asked him about the signs that would precede the end of the age.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
I want to focus on verse 5.
5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
The word translated "take heed" is the Greek word BLEPO, which is translated in the King James Version of the Bible "behold," "beware," "take heed." To put it in other words, BLEPO means, "Watch," or "Watch out!"
Ever since Christ ascended into heaven, there have been those who have tried to predict when he would return. These predictors of the time of Christ's return have never gotten it right. They're not going to. Jesus has already told us that no one, including himself, knows when this will occur, except for God, the Father..
Jesus warned us to watch out for deceivers and false messiahs. Some of these will look so good and be so persuasive that they can lead even those who have been saved astray if they don't watch out.
16 "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.
17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."
We are to watch out, or take care, how we listen.
I have heard this last verse taught in many different contexts. I’ve heard it taught by some to mean that you can lose your salvation if you are not careful. That can’t be the case. We are taught elsewhere in the scriptures that our salvation is a free gift from God. We did not gain it by our works, and we will not lose it by our works..
However, everyone in the body of Christ is called by God to do something, and is given the ability to do it. If you don't use what God has given you, you’ll lose it. If you do what God has called you to do, you grow better at it.
If God calls you to do something, do it faithfully, carefully. Pay attention as you do it.
The more you listen to God as to what He would have you do, the better you will fulfil your calling. Don't hide it under a bed. If you do, you’ll get rusty; you won't grow.
Another Greek word translated "take heed" in the King James Version is HERAO.
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
14 Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?"
15 Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Jesus provided godly counsel to many people in many different circumstances, but in this situation he refused to get involved. In verse 16, Jesus explained why he did this, and in doing so pinpointed the real issue here: greed.
HERAO is means "take heed to," or "behold."
16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
We are not told that this rich man did anything wrong, other than pursuing temporary wealth instead of eternal wealth.
17 He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
18 "Then he said, `This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."'
Do you know people whose trust and confidence is in their retirement plan? Recently I was chagrined when I got my investment statement and found that I had lost money in the stock market. But what should I be focusing on? Should I focus my attention on treasures on earth, or on treasures in heaven? Once I put things in proper perspective, my losses in the stock market no longer seemed so significant.
20 "But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
If I die before I reach retirement, someone else will get that nest egg. I need to be concerned about being rich toward God. No one can deprive me of those riches.
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
This man successfully pursued an abundance of goods, but forgot that all the things in the world are worthless if you don’t have life.
When we think of covetousness, we usually think in terms of the illicit desire for that which rightfully belongs to someone else. Jesus took this issue a step further: he pointed out that covetousness has its roots in an inordinate desire for things, even if those things can legitimately become your own. This is a message that is not likely to become popular in our consumption-driven society.
Another word translated "take heed" is PROSECHO. PROSECHO means "hold the mind toward," or "be careful about."
3 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.
4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, `I repent,' forgive him."
We are to be on guard to maintain a forgiving heart. This does not mean that you are to ignore wrongdoing. You are to rebuke and call attention to the wrong done you, but when your brother repents, you are to forgive him. If your brother stabs you in the back seven times in the same day, but honestly asks you to forgive him each time, you are to do it.
34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.
36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
Even your job can fall into the category of "the cares of this life" if you handle it wrong. Those who are "ashamed at his coming" will include not only those actively involved in sin, but also those who have used bad judgment in investing their resources..
25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Those of us who are leaders in the body of Christ are to be careful about how we watch over and lead God’s people. We are to take particular care to feed them God’s word.
9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of your's become a stumbling block to them that are weak.
Watch out how you present yourself to others. Yes, it is true that we are not under the law, but under grace. But when you're working with some people, you have to make sacrifices. You may have to forego certain things that could be a stumbling block to them. You may have to work harder to help them grow in their understanding of our liberty in Christ.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
We're walking by grace. If you think you're walking uprightly by your own efforts, you're headed for a fall.
Another word translated "take heed" is EPECHO.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Watch your life and doctrine closely. This verse is addressed to leaders, but it applies to all believers. Watch yourself. Others are watching you. What are they seeing?
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
You take heed to yourself by taking heed to God's word.
Our goal is to see to it that we are doing the will of the Father in everything we do.