Daily Devotional ForThursday, November 21, 2024
Today is a Testy Thursday because you’re one day away from it being Friday. Just one more day and your long awaited weekend is here. 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. Today, we come to how we recognize a false prophet/teacher/preacher. Jesus tells us in verse 16 – by their fruit. Fruit trees can be big, expansive and create a lot of shade in the summer, but that is not their purpose. Its purpose is to bear fruit. We judge a fruit tree less by its looks and more by its fruit. Jesus says we are to take the same approach to identify a false prophet/teacher/preacher.
A few are blatantly clear, while most hide their true selves, intentions and motives. Jesus says that if we look closely enough, we will know if they are real or false. If you look at any tree and in this case a fruit tree, and it is shriveled, discolored and its fruit is rotting or no fruit at all, you know the fruit is bad. Or if the tree appears healthy but does not produce fruit, it is deceptive. You are not going to get oranges from an apple tree. You are not going to get pears from an orange tree. Grapes and figs are not harvested from thorns and thistles. That does not mean that if proper care is not given, thorns and thistles may grow up in that fruit tree.
When we see this from a distance we might conclude all is well. Yet, it is possible for a believer to be deceived if they are not in the Word daily, if they are lazy about praying, and not filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ point is that when that happens they are in danger of becoming grapes on thorns and figs on thistles. The devil loves to use God’s own people to promote his agenda and purpose. His goal is to lead them away from Christ. Jesus talked about this in Matthew 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” (NASB).
But the opposite is also true. It is possible for a tree to produce fruit that looks luscious, ripe, good to eat but is actually bad for you or poisonous. For example, Lychee, raw cashews, Ackee, Cassava, Star Fruit (if you have kidney problems) and raw kidney beans to name a few (Source: Poisonous fruit. Pastor and author John MacArthur writes this:
“It is also possible for a tree itself to bear fruit that is colorful, well formed, and attractive, but which is bitter, distasteful, and even poisonous. That kind of bad tree with its bad fruit is much harder to judge than thorn bushes that have grapes on them or thistles that have figs on them. In the second case, both the tree and the fruit appear to be genuine. What it bears has to be examined carefully to determine if it is good fruit or bad fruit. A mature believer who has developed discernment can spot the bad tree and bad fruit. This is the point of Hebrews 5:14, But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (NASB) – (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 468).
Listen to the warnings of New Testament scholar Craig Bloomberg:
“The call to righteousness encompasses personal virtue, private devotion, and unselfish social behavior; and to these things seemingly supernatural powers are incidental.”101 It also is interesting that prophecy, exorcisms, and miracle workings all characterize “charismatic” activity, which has a tendency, by no means universal, to substitute enthusiasm and the spectacular for more unglamorous obedience in the midst of suffering. But these external demonstrations prove nothing. The question is whether one’s heart has been cleansed inwardly (v. 15) or whether apparent acts of ministry still serve only self, using others for one’s own ends” (Source: Craig Boomberg, The New American Commentary, “Matthew,” Vol. 22, p. 133).
Based on the context here, even though Jesus did not elaborate on what their false teaching was, it seems it has to do with anything that involved salvation that did not include the narrow gate and a hard road. British pastor and author John Stott writes this:
“We must not be dazzled by a person’s outward clothing—his charm, learning, doctorates and ecclesiastical honors. We must not be so naive as to suppose that because he is a Ph.D. or a D.D. or a professor or a bishop he must be a true and orthodox ambassador of Christ. We must look beneath the appearance to the reality. What lives under the fleece: a sheep or a wolf?” (Source: Quoted by Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 137).
Questions To Consider
- Do you think you have the discernment to spot a false prophet/teacher/preacher? Why or why not? If not, what is the danger to you and how should you deter this?
- Most people love some kind of fruit. It is easy to know the fruit is bad if it is moldy, rotting, or underdeveloped. In this case, it is not so much the fruit itself but the tree. Bad fruit equals bad trees. The same is true with false or bad prophets/teachers/preachers. We can’t let appearances or a charismatic attitude deceive us. Why do you think so many people get deceived?
- What you see is not always what you get? Why?
Scripture To Meditate On: James 3:12, “Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I can easily get caught up and lost in a preacher or teacher's charisma, personality and charm. I do not want to be deceived nor led astray. Nor do I want to be guilty of leading others astray. Please convict me to be in Your word, to pray in faith and to continually be filled with the Holy Spirit so that I can spot a false prophet/teacher/preacher. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly