Sermon Overview
Scripture Passage: Genesis 3:1-6
“When a man ceases to believe in God, he doesn’t believe in nothing; he believes in anything,” observed writer G. K. Chesterton.
New Age-ism is a melting pot of Eastern philosophy. It’s a cosmic sponge that absorbs all religions, cultures, and governments together. It’s not a new thought at all; it’s simply an age-old heresy repurposed for the modern world. But it is dangerously deceptive and must be viewed as such. There is no basis of morality for the New Ager, which results in the destruction of our values and our faith.
Adrian Rogers says it this way, “New Age-ism is a repackaging of the mustiest lies around that go all the way back to the Garden of Eden.”
Our Enemy, Satan, enforces belief in New Ageism first by applying satanic deception. He packages it as the potential for self-development, self-discernment, self-deification (the idea that we are all God, and God is in all), and self-determination.
The Enemy also appeals to our selfish desires. We see this in the Garden of Eden, when Eve saw that the fruit was good food and desired the wisdom that the serpent told her it would give her. So she ate the fruit.
Then, the Enemy appropriates a subtle disguise. Deception works best when dealt with in the details. The devil today appears as an angel of light. He reshapes evil until it looks good, useful, and harmless.
Lastly, the Enemy achieves the scattering of New Age-ism through strategic dissemination. He mass-markets it, incorporates it into everyday life. Children adopt these seemingly innocent principles in primary school. These thoughts are folded into exercise routines and big-brand mission statements. It is widely popularized and made to seem inescapable.
But we can escape it. And we must. Everything is not what it seems. We must treat every myth as a missile meant to attack our faith, and we must be ready for it.
Apply it to your life
It is important to identify Satan’s deception around you, through the media, the marketplace, and modern thinkers. Are there thoughts or ideas you need to dispel today? Read Scripture, the truth that never changes, and pray through these things carefully, and ask the Lord to give you discernment