Though I usually
avoid four-letter words, today I’m going to break that rule. The four-letter
word I have in mind is offensive to many. It often creates a strong reaction. It
would just be easier to ignore it – but we will dare to declare it from this
pulpit. It’s the word … OBEY! Yes, OBEY!
We’ll go even
farther. Obey God or be lost forever!
Could Jesus’
disciples – could we – after hearing His true teaching, ever succumb to false
teachers, who dress as sheep but are in fact wolves? We must inspect the fruit!
Bad trees are cut down and burned! We must test ourselves as well. At the
judgment Jesus will welcome into heaven only those who by faith have genuinely
obeyed His Father’s will. Let’s do it!
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Reading: Matt 7:15-23
Be on Guard! False
Prophets
Mt 7:15 “Beware of the
false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous
wolves.
Mt 7:15 Προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἵτινες ἔρχονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασιν
προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσιν λύκοι ἅρπαγες.
Jesus assumed and
taught that …
There would be false
teachers.
They would appear as
harmless, innocent sheep.
They would
infiltrate the flock.
They would claim to
present God’s inspired truth.
They would fool any
sheep that was not on guard against them.
They would be both deadly
and deceptive.
Their number and
influence would increase after His return to heaven.
There is an
objective standard of truth. No postmodern, pluralistic, approach. If God says
something is right, then everything and everyone else are wrong.
Stott: Jesus was no syncretist, teaching that
contradictory opinions were in reality complementary insights into the same
truth. No. He held that truth and falsehood excluded one another, and that
those who propagate lies in God’s name are false prophets, of whom his
followers must beware.
Sheep who are alert
can avoid being eaten!
The key to survival
is alertness. Awareness.
We must know the
true Shepherd so intimately, so authentically … We must be able to distinguish
His voice from all others …
A Strong Word – “Beware!”
Mt 6:1 “Beware of
practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you
have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
Mt 16:6 And Jesus said to
them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Lk 20:46 “Beware of the
scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings
in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at
banquets.
OT and NT are full of multiple warnings against false
teachers.
Mt 24:11 “Many false
prophets will arise and will mislead many.”
Mt 24:24 “For false Christs
and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to
mislead, if possible, even the elect.”
Mk 13:22 for false Christs
and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to
lead astray, if possible, the elect.
Lk 6:26 “Woe to you when
all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets
in the same way.
Ac 13:6 When they had gone
through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish
false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus,
2 Pe 2:1 But false prophets
also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among
you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master
who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
1 Jn 4:1 Beloved, do not
believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Re 16:13 And I saw coming
out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the
mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;
Re 19:20 And the beast was
seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence,
by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who
worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which
burns with brimstone.
Re 20:10 And the devil who
deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast
and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night
forever and ever.
Matt 24:4-5, 11
False Christs, false prophets.
1 Tim 4:1-5 Some
will fall away from the faith.
2 Tim 4:1-5 Itching
ears, from truths to myths.
2 Pet 2:1-3 False
teachers, destructive heresies.
2 Pet 3:14-18 Some
will distort the Scriptures.
3 John 9-11
Diotrephes sought pre-eminence.
Rev 2:1-7 Church in
Ephesus: already fallen!
Note below how Paul
repeated the same “sheep” and “savage wolves” analogy that Jesus used.
Ac 20:28 “Be on guard for
yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you,
not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise,
speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31
“Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of
three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32 “And now
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you
up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Also note a statement about elders / overseers /
pastors, found only in Titus 1.
Tt 1:9 Appoint elders …
The overseer must be … holding fast the
faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able
both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. 10
For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially
those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are
upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of
sordid gain. … 16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny
Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
2 Co 11:13 For such men are
false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15
Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as
servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
Mt 15:14 “Let them alone;
they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both
will fall into a pit.”
Jn 10:11 “I am the good
shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 “He who
is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees
the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and
scatters them. 13 “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not
concerned about the sheep.
Stott: The good shepherd feeds the flock with
truth, the false teacher like a wolf divides it by error, while the
time-serving professional does nothing to protect it but abandons it to false
teachers.
Stott: It is surely not an accident, therefore,
that Jesus’ warning about false prophets in the Sermon on the Mount immediately
follows his teaching about the two gates, ways, crowds and destinations. For
false prophets are adept at blurring the issue of salvation. Some so muddle or
distort the gospel that they make it hard for seekers to find the narrow gate.
Others try to make out that the narrow way is in reality much broader than
Jesus implied, and that to walk it requires little if any restriction on one’s
belief or behaviour. Yet others, perhaps the most pernicious of all, dare to
contradict Jesus and to assert that the broad road does not lead to
destruction, but that as a matter of fact all roads lead to God, and that even
the broad and the narrow roads, although they lead off in opposite directions,
ultimately both end in life.
Several ways to
identify a false teacher.
Scripture.
Authority. Thus says the Lord. Boldness. Clarity. Preaching sin and judgment,
as well as grace and forgiveness. No fear or favor.
Colin Smith – Authentic
or Counterfeit?
How would you recognize counterfeit Christianity?
In 2 Peter 1 we read about genuine believers. And in 2 Peter
2 we read about counterfeit believers. If you put these chapters side by
side you will see the difference between authentic and counterfeit believers.
1. Different
Source—Where does the message come from?
Peter says, “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when
we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:16). And
then he says the false teachers exploit you “with stories they have made up”
(2:3). So the true teacher sources what he says from the Bible. The false
teacher relies on his own creativity. He makes up his own message.
2. Different
Message—What is the substance of the message?
For the true teacher, Jesus Christ is central. “We have everything we
need for life and godliness in Him” (1:3). For the false teacher, Jesus is at
the margins: “They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying
the sovereign Lord who bought them” (2:1).
Notice the word secretly. It’s rare for someone in church to
openly deny Jesus. Movement away from the centrality of Christ is subtle. The
false teacher will speak about how other people can help change your life, but
if you listen carefully to what he is saying, you will see that Jesus Christ is
not essential to his message.
3. Different Position—In what position will the message leave you?
The true Christian “escapes the corruption in the world caused by evil
desires” (1:4). Listen to how Peter describes the counterfeit
Christian: “They promise . . . freedom, while they themselves are slaves
of depravity, for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2:19).
The true believer is escaping corruption, while the counterfeit believer is
mastered by it.
4. Different Character—What kind of people does the message produce?
The true believer pursues goodness, knowledge, self-control,
perseverance, godliness, brother kindness, and love (1:5). The counterfeit
Christian is marked by arrogance and slander (2:10). They are “experts in
greed” and “their eyes are full of adultery” (2:14). They also “despise authority”
(2:10). This is a general characteristic of a counterfeit believer.
5. Different
Appeal—Why should you listen to the message?
The true teacher appeals to Scripture. “We have the word of the prophets
made more certain and you will do well to pay attention to it” (1:19).
God has spoken, and the true teacher appeals to his Word. The false teacher
makes a rather different appeal: “By appealing to the lustful desires of sinful
human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in
error” (2:18). So the true teacher asks, “What has God said in his Word?” The
false teacher asks, “What do people want to hear? What will appeal to their
flesh?”
6. Different
Fruit—What result does the message have in people’s lives?
The true believer is effective and productive in his or her knowledge of
Jesus Christ (1:8). The counterfeit is “like a spring without water” (2:17).
This is an extraordinary picture! They promise much but produce little.
7. Different
End—Where does the message ultimately lead you?
Here we find the most disturbing contrast of all. The true believer will
receive “a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ”
(1:11). The false believer will experience “swift destruction” (2:1). “Their
condemnation has long been hanging over them and their destruction has not been
sleeping” (2:3).
Jesus tells us that there will be many who have been
involved in ministry in his name, to whom he will say, “Depart from me; I never
knew you” (Matthew 7:21). Who are these people? Surely Peter is
describing them in this passage.
Don’t Be Naïve
We must not be ignorant: “There will be false teachers among
you” (2:1). So how do we apply this warning?
First, Peter’s plain statement reminds us that the church needs to be
protected. Among the many wonderful people who come to through the doors of the
church each year, some would do more harm than good.
They may seem the nicest of people, but they do not believe in the
authority of the Bible or the exclusivity of salvation in Christ.
Check the Fruit! Rotten
Trees
16 “You will know them
by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from
thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad
tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can
a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “So then, you will know
them by their fruits.
16 ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς. μήτι συλλέγουσιν ἀπὸ ἀκανθῶν
σταφυλὰς ἢ ἀπὸ τριβόλων σῦκα; 17 οὕτως πᾶν δένδρον ἀγαθὸν
καρποὺς καλοὺς ποιεῖ, τὸ δὲ σαπρὸν δένδρον καρποὺς πονηροὺς ποιεῖ. 18 οὐ δύναται δένδρον ἀγαθὸν καρποὺς πονηροὺς ποιεῖν οὐδὲ δένδρον σαπρὸν καρποὺς
καλοὺς ποιεῖν. 19 πᾶν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται. 20 ἄρα γε ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς.
“I’m not a judge. I
am a fruit inspector!”
Lk 6:45 “The good man out
of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man
out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from
that which fills his heart.
The fruit of the Spirit
Just Do It! Mere
Pretenders
Talkers and Doers
21 “Not everyone who
says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the
will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me
on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name
cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I
will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness.’
21 Οὐ πᾶς ὁ λέγων μοι· κύριε κύριε, εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν,
ἀλλʼ ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. 22 πολλοὶ ἐροῦσίν μοι ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ· κύριε κύριε, οὐ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι ἐπροφητεύσαμεν,
καὶ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι δαιμόνια ἐξεβάλομεν, καὶ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι δυνάμεις πολλὰς ἐποιήσαμεν;
23 καὶ τότε ὁμολογήσω αὐτοῖς ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἔγνων ὑμᾶς· ἀποχωρεῖτε ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι
τὴν ἀνομίαν.
Mt 21:28 “But what do you
think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work
today in the vineyard.’ 29 “And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward
he regretted it and went. 30 “The man came to the second and said the
same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. 31 “Which
of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to
them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into
the kingdom of God before you. 32 “For John came to you in the way of
righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and
prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse
afterward so as to believe him.
Lk 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I
say?
Stott: But our final destiny will be settled, Jesus
insists, neither by what we are saying to him today, nor by what we shall say
to him on the last day, but by whether we do what we say, whether our verbal
profession is accompanied by moral obedience.
Application:
As you read your Bible, keep a blank sheet of paper
handy.
Whenever you see
something that your Father wants His children to do, write it down. Make a
list. Pray about it. Seek ways to do it. Better yet, make opportunities to do
it.
Possible hymns:
Where He Leads I’ll
Follow
Footprints of Jesus
He Leadeth Me
Savior, Lead Me Lest
I Stray
Prince of Peace,
Control My Will
None of Self and All
of Thee
