Part 6 False Prophets

"Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few who find it" (7:13-14).

Most people think there is "safety in numbers." The traditional idea of a false prophet is someone on the lunatic fringe, leading a small sect of religious zealots. But Christ saw the popular, respectable, powerful religious establishment as the real breeding ground for false prophets. Being part of a main stream church is also no guarantee of safety or soundness in doctrine (Lk 6:26).

"Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but on the inside they are like wolves" (7:15).

"Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart" (I Samuel 16:7). People were easily convinced that Jesus was a devil-possessed madman, motivated by evil desires (Jn 8:48, 10:20). True Prophets tend to be rough on the outside. But false prophets are just the opposite. They have everything going their way, and anything that threatens their privileged positions is labelled "of the devil" (cf Mt 23:29-36; Jn 11:47-48). Yet, it is really the establishment that is of the devil (James 4:4). Paul said devilish leaders in the Christian establishment would claim to have the authority of the early apostles (II Cor 11:13-15). Beware of anyone who teaches the right things but does not practise what he preaches!

"You will know them by what they do. Thornbushes do not bear grapes, and briars do not bear figs" (7:16).

Do you want the sweet fruit of love, or the thorny bricks and mortar of the religious system? To the temple caretakers, Christ is a definite threat (Mk 14:58, 15:29-30). And the threat is quite real! (Lk 21:5-6; Mt 27:50-51) The lie has been exposed: God doesn't live in those buildings. You can't put God in a box! (Acts 7:48) He lives in people now! (I Cor 3:16) If you want buildings, join a mega Church; if you want love, follow Christ.

A healthy tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a poor tree cannot bear good fruit" (7:17-18).

Love and its attendant qualities are the proof of God's spirit in us (Gal 5:22-23). And sharing your wealth is proof of your love (I Jn 3:17-18). Love is not emotional experiences, plastic smiles, or fancy talk; it is shown in action (II Jn 6-9).

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire" (7:19).

Water baptism, speaking in tongues, church attendance, and evangelical clichés won't save you. John the Baptist refused to baptise religious people without proof of their "repentance" (Lk 3:7-11). He said if they would not share their wealth, they would be thrown in the "fire."

Whenever we get away from the teachings of Christ, we begin to die, and we are headed for hell (Jn 15:6-8; cf Lk 13:6-10). One day the truth of what Christ said will grind the false religious system to powder, unless they truly repent (II Pt 2:1-3).

"So then, you will know the false prophets by what they do" (7:20).

If Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, then anyone who opposes the teachings of Christ is lost, lying, and dead. Anyone can say "Lord, Lord!" but only a genuine believer is willing to obey Christ (Lk 6:46). Beware of religious teachers who do not PRACTICE what they preach!

"Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do" (7:21).

We are not Christians just because we say "Lord, Lord!" or go to the same church. We cannot defend hypocrisy in churches for the sake of "unity." The teachings of Jesus can be the only basis for unity amongst Christians. Going to church does not make someone a Christian any more than going to McDonalds makes one into a hamburger!

"When the Day of Judgement comes, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!' Then I will say to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you wicked people!" (7:22-23).

Paul warned that Satan himself would appear to perform miracles for the benefit of his followers, and that he would do so from inside the apostate church just before Christ returns (II Thess 2:3-4, 8-11). Pentecostalism, with its emphasis on "prophesying," exorcisms, and miracles, is probably the biggest thing to hit the church this century, But the movement also leads the way in dishonesty, greed, abuse of authority, and opposition to the teachings of Christ. It teaches people that health and wealth are signs of their god's blessing (I Tim6:3-5), and encourages people to claim they are healed when they are not, supposedly as proof of their faith. Miracles prove nothing... even if they are genuine. An evil world desires miracles (Mt 16:4). Religious people do not know what true love is because they are too busy playing religious games. That is why Jesus says he does not know them when they misuse his name for their own purposes. But all we need offer people is the good fruit of God's love given with words and actions of compassion (Mt 12:33-41).

"So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock" (7:24-25).

Traditions can blind people to the Work of God (Mt 15:7-9). The teachings of Christ challenge many of the traditions of our day. We need to "earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). Dig deep and we will find in the words of Christ, the Rock of Ages. The words of Christ will give us great encouragement that we are heading on the right track. False doctrines and religious attitudes are made clear to us by Christ's teachings. We are not so smart or holy, but we know who is, and if we stay close to those teachings, nothing will be able to destroy our faith. The false prophets in religious organisations are committed to their own positions of power and authority. They cannot admit publicly that they oppose Christ's teachings. But none of it alters the Rock on which true faith is built.

"But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!" (7:26-27)

About 20 years ago, a Christian woman had a dream. In it people were waiting in line to jump through a ring of fire. If they were right with God, they would jump through unharmed, but if they were not, the fire would devour them. While the line was long, people chatted together quite happily, certain that their "born again" experience was sufficient to protect them. But as it came closer to their turn, they became a little more nervous.

What if we aren't ready? What if a religious experience is not good enough? What if our religious leaders had left something out in their formulas for salvation?

The risk is too great for us to rely on the opinions of men for salvation. Go and find proof where Christ himself told people all they had to do was say a little prayer and ask Jesus into their hearts to have eternal life. When you began to look you may be startled by what you find. Many have been sold a phoney plan of salvation. They have been building on sand!

These "born againers," with their arrogant boasts that they "know that they know that they know" that they are saved don't know anything at all. It is all a colossal con job.

One day we are going to stand before God. We can argue that we followed our pastor, that we followed the Pope, that we followed St. Paul, but God is going to ask, "Did you follow my Son?" We can say that we didn't think we had to obey Christ, as long as we believed that he died for our sins, and God will say "Were you 'believing' my Son when you ignored everything that he said? Depart from me, I never knew you!"

"He that says, 'I know Christ,' and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (I Jn 2:3). How are we going to respond to the commandments of Christ?

CONCLUSION

This Sermon on the Mount contains the core teachings of Jesus Christ. We dont have to go to church to start following Jesus. We follow him whenever we follow what He said whether we realise it or not. We dont have to understand everything perfectly either. Just do our best with what we know and God will help us every step of the way, forgiving whatever mistakes we might make!

That's GOOD NEWS!

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