Daily Devotional For Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Well, it’s Teachable Tuesday. We are making our way through Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount. We come now to Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:15-20:
“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. (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” (NASB).
After giving the invitation to “enter by the narrow gate,” to come to God by the only way He has provided – through Jesus Christ, we come to one reason so many people choose the wide gate instead of being diligent and intentional to find the narrow gate – false teachers. No one likes to be played as a fool, but there are times we do make very foolish decisions. When it comes to spiritual doctrine, we must know the truth of God’s word less we be misled by spiritual predators to believe lies presented as the truth,
Jesus begins verse 15 with the word “beware.” This is the Greek New Testament word [προσέχω, prosecho]. It is not a call simply to notice or sense something, but to be on guard against it because it is so harmful. Jesus’ point is yes false prophets are wrong, but they are very dangerous. They are like a bite from a cobra, whose venom poisons the body. In this case, they poison one’s spiritual heart.
I know the Apostle Peter had not seen the movie Jaws, but he certainly seems to be aware of “spiritual sharks.” Look at 2 Peter 2:12, “But these (false prophets), like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed” (NASB). We see almost the exact word we find in 2 Peter 2:12 in Jude 10, “But these men (false prophets) revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed” (NASB).
The number one predator of sheep in Palestine were wolves. They looked for that lone sheep that had strayed from the flock. When they found it, they ripped it to pieces. No sheep, no matter its size, was a match for a wolf. Wolves are known for being ferocious and non-merciful. We see this expressed in Ezekiel 22:27, “Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain” (MASB).
Jesus describes wolves as being “ravenous.” The Greek New Testament word Jesus uses here is [ἅρπαξ, harpax]. This word is often translated as “swindler” or “swindle” in the New Testament. Here are a few examples:
- Luke 18:11, “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector” (NASB),
- 1 Corinthians 5:10-11, “I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. (11) But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one” (NASB).
- 1 Corinthians 6:10, “. . . nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God” (NASB).
False prophets/teachers/preachers/pastors are always on the lookout for vulnerable people they can savagely ravage with their ferocious false doctrine. They do this to manipulate and to gain something over people. This is why we must know God’s Word – not just know about it. To know God’s word is to know God. Look at Jude 21-22, “. . . keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. (22) And have mercy on some, who are doubting” (NASB). Jude warns us about false prophets and how we are to respond to them. False prophets and those who follow false prophets are as dangerous to God’s people as ravenous wolves are to sheep.
False prophets are dangerous because they hide in plain sight. If you were approaching your bank and you saw several people running in with masks on their faces and guns in their hands, you would be on high alert. Why? Those would-be bank robbers would be obvious. Pastor and author John MacArthur writes this:
“In Old Testament times prophets were often recognizable by what they wore. Like Elijah, they often wore rough, hairy, uncomfortable clothing as a symbol of their foregoing the normal comforts of life for the cause of God. John the Baptist, as the last prophet of the Old Covenant, wore a camel’s hair coat and ate locusts and wild honey. There were exceptions, but prophets generally could be identified by their plain, coarse clothing. For that reason, a person who wanted to impersonate a prophet would sometimes wear such clothing. Zechariah speaks of such men in Zechariah 13:4, “Also it will come about in that day that the prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not put on a hairy robe in order to deceive” (NASB).
Similarly, shepherds invariably wore woolen clothing, made from the wool of the sheep they tended. That is the sheep’s clothing of which Jesus here speaks. False prophets do not deceive the flock by impersonating sheep but by impersonating the shepherd, who wears sheep’s clothing in the form of his wool garments. Just as the ancient false prophets often wore the garments of the true prophet, so false shepherds often disguise themselves as true shepherds. satan’s man goes under the guise of God’s man, claiming to teach the truth in order to deceive, mislead, and, if possible, destroy God’s people” ((Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 464-465).
If I were to name a few false prophets/teachers/preachers today, it would include so-called “faith healers” such as Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, and Peter Popoff to name a few. False preachers and teachers would be Joel Osteen, Steve Furtick, Andy Stanley, TD Jakes, Mark Driscoll, Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore and Paula White. The airways are filled with these “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” They are predators. In the 1980s, it was PTL with Jim & Tammy Faye Baker. Other predators in the church are those in lay leadership who mock God with their coarse, crude and vulgar language, their immoral lifestyles and their arrogance that their sin does not bother God. If we are not careful, we will begin to emulate them, affirm them and agree with them.
Questions To Consider
- When have you ever been impacted by a false prophet/teacher/preacher/pastor/church leader? How did you handle it?
- False prophets/teachers/preachers/pastors/church leaders are swindlers? Why? How do such people swindle you?
- Why is knowing God’s word one of the best weapons against such false religious leaders who are in Jesus’ words “wolves in sheep’s clothing”?
Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 10:16, Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, give me wisdom to spot a false teacher/preacher/leader so that I am not swindled by them. Convict me to know Your word because it is truth that sets me free. Give me the courage to call such people out so that others are not swindled. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly