↓ Our Savior Lutheran Church, Grants Pass, OR
↓ Faith Lutheran Church, Medford OR
Matthew 7:15-23 “JUDGE FALSE PROPHETS”
In the Name of the One True LORD of the Church, Dear Fellow Redeemed;
DON’T JUDGE I saw a graphic a while back. It pictured the
Bible chapter from which our Gospel is taken. This is the 7th chapter of
Matthew and the final chapter of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The graphic
depicted verse one: Judge not. The rest of the chapter was blacked
out. The caption read: What most people know about the Bible. The Bible
says many things and most modern people only remember: Judge not. The
Bible tells us not to worship false gods. Don’t judge idolatry. It tells us not to
take the Name of our God in vain. Don’t judge blasphemy. It tells us to obey
authority: Don’t judge scofflaws. Also a while back a website that helps
people commit adultery was hacked: Don’t judge adulterers.
DO JUDGE In the same chapter Jesus told us not to
judge, He also told us TO judge. He said: Beware of False Prophets. We
can’t beware of False Prophets without first judging they are false
prophets. The command, “Judge not”, needs to be taken in context. Jesus
does not mean, “Under no circumstance ever should we judge”. If He
meant that, we wouldn’t dare judge prophets to be false. Jesus sincerely
warns us to watch out for those false prophets. And He has good reason:
SOME PREACHERS/TEACHERS ARE [JUST] WRONG!
LEAD ASTRAY False prophets can lead you astray
and devour you. There are false prophets, everywhere. People claim to
speak for God but do not. They may seem harmless innocent, even decent.
They may look like Christians. Jesus warns: Beware of false prophets,
who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous
wolves.
JUST LIKE US(?!) They look like the rest of the sheep to fool
us. They take on the appearance of those we love and trust to fool us. They
claim our welfare is their only concern. God described them saying:
“They have a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such
people turn away!” [2 Timothy 3:5]
SCARY SINCERITY If a false prophet announced he was a false
prophet we would be wary. If he said he wanted to hurt us, we would turn
away. False prophets are sincere. They think they are doing right. They
think they are right. Radical terrorist Moslems are so sincere they are willing
to commit suicide to kill us. Intellectuals who want to get us to turn from the
Bible are sincere in their belief that the Bible is outdated, backward and
mythical.
PREACH THE WORD Some false prophets preach God’s word,
mostly. They look like decent upright and trustworthy preachers but, ever so
slightly, they turn our focus away from Jesus. They are the most dangerous.
They’re the most difficult to recognize. Jesus said: Beware! There’s danger
here.
WARNING SIGNS Jesus helps us see through the sheep’s
clothing. He gives us warning signs. False prophets will appeal to our
nature. Their message is enticing. They appeal to our pride and our self-
interest. They sound logical. They are popular. Since all people have a
sinful and proud nature, people will listen.
THEY’RE ALL OVER They teach children in public schools. They
produce our entertainment: TV, movies, the news. They lead our
universities. They may be our neighbors and friends. Some friends like to
boast: “I don’t care what the Bible says, I think…” Or, “We all worship the
same God”. Or, “we all trying to get to the same place”. Or, “It doesn’t
matter what you believe as long as you believe”, or another hundred
different but enticing ideas.
FRUITS [BETRAY] THEM Jesus helps us recognize them. Their fruits
betray them. “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather
grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good
tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”
DON’T LET ‘EM CHEAT YOU And further, God said: Beware lest anyone
cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the
tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and
not according to Christ. [Colossians 2:8]
PROFITABLE WORD To be alert we need to be solid in the faith.
God taught us. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness. [2 Timothy 3:16] Our Fortress is God’s Word. Paul
instructed God’s preachers to: “Hold fast the faithful Word as he has
been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort
and convict those who contradict.” [Titus 1:9]
BE BEREA/N We protect ourselves by listening to those
who preach Jesus from the Bible. Even with preachers we trust, we
compare the message with God’s Word. We make sure that our preachers
all teach God’s word. In Acts we have an example, Acts 17:11: The
brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.
When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These
were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures
daily to find out whether these things were so.
STAY W/ TRUE PREACHERS We listen only to those who preach Jesus
from the Bible. We avoid those who divert our attention from Jesus and all
He did. Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and
offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid
them. [Romans 16:17]
AVOID FALSE PREACHERS When we avoid them, we make a statement
about their error. Paul wrote to Titus 3:9. But avoid foolish disputes,
genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are
unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and
second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and
sinning, being self-condemned. This is a God pleasing method of battling
error and false doctrine.
GENTLE CALL TO REPENT Our main work in life is to call sinners to
repentance. We find many examples in the Bible of God’s people inviting
those who oppose God to repentance and the Kingdom. Paul wrote: And a
servant of the LORD must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach,
patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God
perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.
[2 Timothy 2:24-25]
HAVE THEIR REWARD False prophets and those who follow them
receive a just reward. Many claim they lead people to Heaven. Many even
claim their way is the only way. But listen to Jesus. Not everyone who
says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he
who does the Will of My Father in Heaven.’ [Matthew 7:21]
HE DID IT ALL Only unbelief keeps us from Heaven. Jesus
is the only way. He said that Himself. He is the only Savior. Jesus did it all
for us all. Jesus is God. He does all things right. He said:
IT IS FINISHED. He
proclaimed His work complete. Nothing else needs be done.We do nothing
but believe. We can do nothing to make God inclined to love us. God loves
us because of what Jesus did. We read: God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life. Jesus said: “He who believes and is
baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be
condemned. Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Unbelief leads only to hell.
POURS OUT ABUNDANTLY False prophets elevate you and what you
can do. And God elevated Jesus and what He did for us. He says, in Titus
3:4-7: But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward
man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on
us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been
justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope
of eternal life.
THEY’RE STILL HERE False prophets abound. Non-Christian
religions direct us from Jesus. Worldly thinkers have no time for Jesus as
Savior. Faithful prophets preach the word of God. Faithful prophets set
Jesus before you, as your Savior and your God. Listen to faithful prophets
preach God’s word and be properly aware of, wary of and beware false
prophets. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen.