This was a problem during the Old Testament era as well

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1 Week 6: Not for the False or the Faithless. Text: Matthew 7:15-29 o False Prophets The Kingdom way is not going to be the popular way It s restrictive, risky and, yet, rewarding Not everyone will choose the Kingdom way There will always be those who promote other ways Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. vs 15 Jesus provides us with another warning Watch out for false prophets Pseudoprophētēs from the Greek word pseudēs which means lying, deceitful, false These individuals will be imposters and posers Jesus tells us to be on the lookout for such people Paul gave Timothy a similar warning For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3 NLT This was a problem during the Old Testament era as well How can you say, We are wise! We have the law of the Lord? The truth is, those who teach it have used their writings to make it say what it does not really mean. Your wise men will be put to shame. They will be dumbfounded and be brought to judgment. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what wisdom do they really have? Jeremiah 8:8-9 NLT Jesus compares them to ravenous wolves How do you spot a false prophet? You will recognize them by their fruits. vs 16

2 Don t judge them superficially, but spiritually Good fruit = good tree Bad fruit = bad tree Thornbushes don t produce grapes Thistles don t yield figs False prophets don t speak truth They are liars and deceivers So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. vs Who is Jesus talking about? Matthew provides us with some insight later on in his gospel He tells about an encounter between Jesus and His disciples Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. Watch out! Jesus warned them. Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:5-6 NLT The disciples misunderstand what Jesus is saying At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don t you understand even yet? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? Matthew 16:7-9 NLT They have missed the whole point Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? Why can t you understand that I m not talking about bread? So again I say, Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:10-11 NLT Then they finally got it Then at last they understood that he wasn t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:12 NLT He had pronounced another indictment against them earlier in Matthew s gospel they teach man-made ideas as commands from God. Matthew 15:9 NLT Here s a contemporary example

3 o This is an actual quote from a man who calls himself a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ For over three years Jesus trained the twelve, lost one, but after His death the disciples appointed Matthias to be the twelfth. Why twelve you say, because twelve represents the government of God, there are twelve hours that govern the day, twelve hours govern the night, twelve months in the year and in Revelation 21 you will see the number twelve exhibited multiple times in the New Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven. o Is this taught in the Bible? o Did Jesus or His disciples teach this? o It is not heresy, but it sets a dangerous precedent Here s what an article in Christianity Today said were the false teachings Evangelical Christians are most tempted to believe in: o Jesus was not a man o Jesus was not a God o Grace is not enough o Jesus didn t die on a cross o The resurrection didn t happen o Good works get us into God s good favor So, how do you spot false teachers? By their fruit o By what they produce Self-confidence Self-reliance Disunity Pride Confusion Doubt But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control Galatians 5:22-23 ESV Do not listen to these prophets when they prophesy to you, filling you with futile hopes. They are making up everything they say. They do not speak for the Lord! They keep saying to those who despise my word, Don t worry! The Lord says you will have peace! And to those who stubbornly follow their own desires, they say, No harm will come your way! Jeremiah 23:16-17 NLT

4 Their fruit will ultimately get exposed for what it is: bad Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. vs o Even John the Baptist recognized their fruitlessness But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:7-8, 10 ESV The Sad State of Pseudo-Saints Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. vs o They had prophesied, case out demons and done mighty works o But Jesus will say, I never knew you Why? o They were doing the wrong works Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. John 6:27 ESV What must we do, to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. John 6:28-29 ESV There have been and always will be those who claim to be followers of Christ, but who are really nothing more than false professors. Their spirituality is not what saves them. Their use of Jesus name and regular attendance in church do not bring them approval with God. They refuse to do the will of God, to believe on Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Instead, they believe that their religious fervor will save them. They put their trust in their good deeds, prayers, fasts, and acts of generosity. They go to church. They attend Bible studies. They listen to countless sermons. But they refuse to do the one thing God has commanded that all would do if they desire to be made right with Him and gain His approval: Believe in His Son as their sin substitute. Ken Miller, vesselsofclay.org o The Solid Rock

5 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25 ESV The two ways illustrate the start of the life of faith; the two trees illustrate the growth and results of the life of faith here and now; and the two houses illustrate the end of this life of faith, when God shall call everything to judgment. Warren Wiersbe o Jesus has been speaking about Kingdom life o He has been talking about belief in a new means of being made right with God Those who obey His words will end well They will endure the storms of life They will enjoy the blessings of eternal life And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. vs o Acknowledgement of Jesus is not enough o Doing good things for Jesus won t cut it o Believe in Jesus is the key And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. vs o Are you amazed at Jesus words? o Or are you amazed at Jesus offer? There were those in the crowd that day who would hear Jesus words and ignore them. Years, later, after His crucifixion, the word of His miraculous resurrection and ascension would spread, and His offer of salvation would be heard throughout all Judea, but most would still refuse to accept it. And their lives would be like a house built on sand, unstable and insecure, completely susceptible to the storms of life and unavoidably destined for a great fall. Ken Miller, vesselsofclay.org

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