Sermon OTM – Matthew 7:15-20

Podcast

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord join us here today

We know that not everyone who calls on your name is known by you.
Help us Lord
We know that flashy public displays of devotion are empty
Help us Lord
We know it is easier to pretend to be your follower than it is to follow you in our bodies, in our lives, moment by moment, day by day
Help us Lord
We know that it is easy to deceive ourselves, justify ourselves, and wear a mask that is acceptable in our circles but buffers us from your calling
Help us Lord
We know that common sense, the status quo, and standard operating procedures can lead us away from you
Help us Lord
We know that money and wealth and power are calling for our devotion
Help us Lord
We know your yoke is easy and that picking up our cross is a sacrifice
Help us Lord

Help us Lord
Help us know you and to be known by you
Make this our first thought, the organizing principle in our lives
Letting go of our other ambitions
Our claims to righteousness on our own terms

Instead let us be found loving others
Not blaming
Not demeaning
Not criticizing
Not condemning
Not judging
Heal our impatience
Heal our pride
Heal our anxiety
Heal our anger
Heal our loathing

Let us be found loving
Which is worthy of you
Loving the poor
Loving those without enough food and water, in war zones, in regions with famine, in the schools where there is chronic poverty
Loving the sick, the mentally ill, the addicted
Loving those in jail and prison
Loving strangers, aliens, foreigners
Those different, from other places, with different ways and different languages
Loving forgotten people,
Elderly, homeless, orphans, those emotionally isolated, and those living alone

Help us Lord
Let our faith be simple and true
Quiet and content
Let us be found loving
Give us a little something to do
Not all of it at once
Nothing too big
But our little opportunity to
Live life giving honor to you
And all you have done for us
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15

Intro: Before we explore what Jesus is saying in these verses,

There are three issues that need to be addressed
First:
– belonging to a church family can sometimes be devastating
• I’ve met people whose first real family was their church
◦ it became their lifeline, until one day it fractured
◦ an angry and hostile faction split the church
• those on sidelines were so disillusioned, and so hurt,
◦ they never ventured into another church
◦ their church became their second destructive and dysfunctional family
– a similar sadness occurs when we discover a particular religious leader’s true colors,
• when the mask comes off and the real person is exposed
◦ maybe they were with us during a difficult time,
◦ maybe they quoted scripture and prayed with us
but now we see them for what they are
• perhaps what happened is they began as a sincere minister, but changed over time,
◦ or maybe they always had a different agenda from what their spiritual role required
◦ either way, eventually their true commitments and concerns came to the surface
“He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me . . . and I lay down my life for the sheep” (Jn. 10:12-14)
– so we need to be aware that the discovery of a false prophet is not only dangerous,
• it can also be very sad

Second:
There’s never been a time when Jesus’ warning wasn’t relevant
– it seems especially relevant for us in our own times
• I think this will be come clear as we work through it

Third
– how do we harmonize what Jesus says here this with verse 1?
“Judge not, that you be not judged”
• aren’t we “judging” a person when identify them as a false prophet?
• we will try to tackle this question now

Take a close look at the words Jesus uses

In verse 16 he says, “You will recognize them” – and the same thing again in v. 20
– condemning someone is not the same as recognizing someone for what they are
• but Jesus says, Do not judge, at the beginning of this section as a warning for us,
◦ because it’s almost always the first thing we do
(it is in our human neural system to immediately judge if a person or situation is dangerous or safe)
◦ “judge not” is a reminder; it is a practice that creates a boundary
◦ “recognize,” but don’t pass judgment (condemn)
• if someone poses a threat to the community, we must be aware of that
“I appeal to you, [my friends], to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the [teaching] that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive” (Rom. 16:17-18)
– when Jesus pronounced his predictions of what was to come,
• the very first words he spoke were:
“See that no one leads you astray” – further into his talk he says,
“And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” – and, again,
“For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” (Mt. 24:4, 11, 24)
◦ we have to exercise discernment and recognize the danger
◦ but we also need to proceed with caution and with safeguards
• that means we must harness our attitude, indignation, and self-righteousness
“Brothers and sisters, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore [them] in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted” (Gal. 6:1)

“Beware of False Prophets”

I’m convinced, many Christians in U.S. do not take this seriously
– some of us are eager to follow anyone with generous promises
• that our every prayer will be answered,
◦ that we’ll enjoy prosperity or uninterrupted happiness
• or we’re suckers for religious celebrities and follow them around
◦ we confuse personal charisma for God’s anointing
◦ or we think the gifted Bible teacher is the one who entertains us
– perhaps we imagine a false prophet would look sinister
• not like that nice woman always inviting people to her home for meals
◦ or a false prophet wouldn’t quote scripture (especially not by heart)
◦ or it couldn’t be the televangelist with millions of followers
(in our American culture we frequently confuse material success and a large following with God’s blessing. We forget the Son of Man had nowhere to lay his head)
• anyone posing as a servant or messenger of God, can turn out to be a fraud
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn. 4:1)

The false prophets who become cult leaders are typically very demanding
– in the same era as Jesus Movement two large cults emerged
• the Unification Church (founded by Sun Myung Moon)
and the Children of God (founded by David “Moses” Berg)
◦ they were demanding of their followers and treated them harshly
• their devotees were required to abandon their families, live in compounds, and turn their belongings over to the cult
◦ each morning they were driven into cities in fans to canvas the streets with tracts and beg for money to support their cult
– other false prophets are nicer and we meet them at the wide gate or on the easy trail (cf. v. 13)
• these leaders are kinder and oftentimes charming
“And no wonder,” Paul says, “for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:14-15)

Can you feel the tension in the two words, false-prophet?
– there should be no such thing
• yet they have appeared everywhere in biblical history and in the world
◦ Moses was already warning Israel against false prophets at founding of their religion (De. 13:1-3; 18:20)
◦ and they appear, with great influence, in the Book of Revelation
• what is most upsetting to me, is false prophets prey on innocent and vulnerable people
◦ they have compunction about exploiting people’s love for God – or fear of God
– in a sermon one Sunday morning, at least forty years ago, I said,
“You don’t have to send money to televangelists or religious organizations that send you newsletters, telling you that you must support them to carry on their mission. Most of them are already well-funded.”
• afterward, an elderly woman took my hand, looked in my eyes, and said,
“Thank you, so much. I needed to hear that”

Jesus returns to a familiar theme in his Sermon

Wolves in sheep’s clothing illustrate his emphasis on integrity
– he insists that our exterior life must be consistent with our interior life
• in this instance, the contrast is extreme and intentional — wolves and sheep
• they “look right” and at first they seem to fit in
◦ but the exterior is a disguise worn in a deliberate attempt to deceive others
– Jesus describes them a “ravenous” – greedy, insatiable
• some of them have a voracious appetite for money, others for power and total control
“I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30)

To help us recognize false prophets, , Jesus switches metaphors
“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 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. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire Matthew 7:16-19

My suspicion is aroused when I hear a teacher give a flawed interpretation of scripture
– then, instead of using discernment, I make an assumption–and I “judge” that person
• but the truth is, no one has the one perfect interpretation of the entire Bible
• unfortunately, I also tend to make snap judgments regarding a person’s political stance
– so what are some legitimate criteria of fruit inspection?
▫ when people promote themselves, like Simon who we find “saying he himself was someone great” (Acts 8:9)
▫ “jealousy and strife” and “selfish ambition” (1 Cor. 3:3; Jas. 3:14-16)
▫ people who create and foment conflict (Jas. 4:1-2)
▫ seriously bad teaching – for instance, those who dismiss the Sermon on Mount, saying it doesn’t apply to Jesus’ followers today
– or who dismiss judgment Jesus describes in Mt. 25:31-46 “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me”
▫ all of Matthew chapter 23 provides examples
▫ then there is the ongoing care for orphans, widows, and resident aliens, repeated frequently (De. 24:19-21; Jas. 1:26)
▫ when a religious leader causes followers to suffer physical, financial, relational, or emotional damage

We find In Galatians 5 a famous list of the fruit of the Spirit
– not just one fruit, but more like a fruit salad
• fruits carry seeds that reproduce more fruit, so the DNA of love produces more love,
the DNA of joy produces more joy, the DNA of peace produces more peace, etcetera
• we can ask regarding leaders and followers (and ourselves):
◦ what does the fruit of love look like?
what does the fruit of joy look like?
◦ and so on, through the whole list
– in verse 19 we learn the destiny of false prophets;
• they’re not going anywhere

Conclusion: Jesus gives a recap in v. 20,
“Thus you will recognize them by their fruits”

Not by their clothing, their big Bibles or pious demeanor
(Jesus told us already in chapter 6, looks can be for show, not for God)
Not by their success, their religious jargon, or their passion
But especially by their love (see also John 13:37-38)
Amy-Jill Levine, “Leave the walking on water to Jesus; instead, feed the hungry. Leave the signs and wonders to the prophets of Israel and John the Baptist; instead, clothe the naked. Leave the deeds of power, the ‘mighty works of God,’ to God; instead, welcome the stranger. To do that is miracle enough.”