Transcript: Jesus Warns About False Prophets: Be Aware and Discern

Music Music Our subject for today's message is a very important and relevant one for these times in which we live in this year of 2022, with horrendous turmoil and rumors of war, kidnapping of children all around the world, human slavery, and perverse atrocities happening in every nation on this earth. Jesus specifically warned us that in the midst of all the chaos, the turmoil, and anarchy about false prophets, The name of this message today is, Jesus warned us about false prophets, so beware. In Matthew chapter 17 verse 15, the Lord declared, Beware of false prophets who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves. Verse 16, you will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? Verse 17 Even so, every healthy, sound tree bears good fruit, worthy of admiration. But the sickly, declaiming, worthless tree bears bad fruit, worthless fruit. Verse 18 A good, healthy tree cannot bear bad, worthless fruit, nor can a bad, diseased tree bear excellent fruit, worthy of admiration. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. Verse 20 Therefore you will fully know them by their fruit Many will say to me on that day Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name And driven out demons in your name And done mighty works in your name Verse 23 And then I will say to them openly, publicly I never knew you Depart from me You who act wickedly Disregarding my commands So everyone who hears these words of mine And acts upon them, obeying them will be like a sensible, prudent, practical, wise man who built his house upon the rock. In verse 15, Jesus sounded the warning that the Old Testament prophets also gave about false prophets, saying, Beware of them. Prophet Ezekiel, in chapter 22, beginning in verse 26, sounded the alarm by saying, Her priests have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the sacred and the secular, neither have they taught people the difference between unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbath, and I am profaned among them. Verse 27. Her princes, in the midst of her, are like wolves rendering and devouring the prey, shedding blood and destroying lives to get dishonest gain. Verse 28. and her prophets have daubed them over with whitewash, seeing false visions and divining lies to them, saying thus, says the Lord, when the Lord has not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression and extortion and have committed robbery. Yes, they have wronged and vexed the poor and needy. Yes, they have oppressed the stranger and the temporary resident wrongfully. You see, Jesus did not explain exactly what they would teach in their perversion of Aaron heresy. He only said that they would use deceptive misrepresentation of divine revelation. Understand please, this all covers a broad spectrum of false teachers as well. Their motive was, and still is today, one of an overall self-serving and selfish gain and the outcome of their victims would be destruction. These characteristics are very exact and complete in Jesus' description of them. The scribes and the Pharisees at the time controlled the narrow gate, so to speak, but it was not the gate that led to the narrow way leading to eternal life. Get this, it was controlling what the people were to believe. Sound familiar in today's time? You must know that Jesus Christ is the gate. He was the very one who created the world and all that is in it. Their Savior was standing before them, and they denied and refuted him as being the Messiah. In Colossians 2.8, Apostle Paul gave a warning. says see to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain to see idle fantasies and plain nonsense following human tradition men's idea of the material rather than the spiritual world just crude notions following the rudimentary and elementary teachings of the universe and disregarding the teachings of Christ the Messiah This is the day and the hour, dear church, that we need to heed our precious Savior's words in knowing that there are many false prophets on the loose today and we need to do our personal part and be on the alert. Jesus warned us to be aware of them. And basically, when Jesus gives a warning, it is to be aware of anything that competes with loyalty to him and him alone because he is the gate that leads to our eternal heavenly father. And also, it is loyalty to our God to believe and have faith in the written word of God. Believe me when I say there are many warnings beware in the Bible from the Old to the New Testament. The false prophets have been around at all times, otherwise Jesus would not have warned us of something which does not exist. Matthew 7.15 He said beware false prophets who come to dress you as sheep but inside they are devouring wolves When Jesus says beware he is giving notice that critical observations are necessary on our part In the Greek dictionary number 4337 the word beware is pronounced pros isko and means to figuratively hold in mind, pay attention to, be cautious about. So summing up the Greek meaning, we see it means be on guard, be cautious, pay attention, and apply yourself to this warning. A true believer in Jesus Christ cannot be indifferent to the fact these unscrupulous people exist and are agents of Satan the devil. but we cannot stop here with only the word beware in which Jesus warns us about but also we must look at two other key words these words are wolves and devouring which describes the horrible, heinous and atrocious evil that comes with the package in the false prophets Jesus' command is to beware of the false prophets It involves an astute, watchful attitude of the true believer in Jesus Christ. The wolf in the New Testament exclusively symbolizes people who are a threat to the Christian community. Followers or disciples of Christ are portrayed as sheep in the midst of the wolves. Jesus said in John 10 verse 12 what he says describes the wolf as the one who snatches the sheep from the fold False prophets are concealed in sheep clothing But Jesus tells us in our main scripture today that they are really ravenous wolves. Apostle Paul, when departing on his journey, warned with tears, telling the Ephesian church that after he left, he knew that the savage wolves would come in amongst them to tear them apart. Let's read that in Acts chapter 20 beginning in verse 29. I know that after I am gone, ferocious wolves will get in among you, not sparing the flock. Even from among your own selves will come men to the front, who by saying perverse, distorted, and corrupt things will endeavor to draw away the disciples after them to their own party. Verse 31. Therefore always be on the alert, be on your guard. Be mindful that for three years I never stopped day or night seriously to admonish and advise and exhort you one by one with tears. You see, we need to understand as well that false prophets are false teachers of Christian doctrine who come in sheep's clothing and assume the appearance of piety, godliness, and sound like they are the real thing. but they are ravenous wolves who take more than life dear church they destroy the soul they are agents of Satan the devil they have sold out to Satan and serve him they sound and appear like authorized expounders of the mind of God but what they do and say does not lead people to heaven they have a bland kind and gentle sounding exterior convincing people that the gate is not straight, nor is the way narrow. They teach that there are many ways to heaven, and some teach there is no hell. They are self-seeking liars who grow fat off the sheep. These people are willful, purposeful, self-deceived liars. Their perverted doctrine is so liberal and bigoted, and is exactly what the old prophets did who defiled God's truth. Let's look at Ezekiel chapter 13, verses 1 through 4, and see what God says about these liars who have no conscience. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own mind and heart, Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and say things they have not seen, and have seen nothing. O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among the ruins and waste places. You have not gone up to the gaps or the breaches nor built up the wall for the house of Israel that it might stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. They have seen falsehood in lying divination saying, The Lord says, but the Lord has not sent them. Yet they have hoped and made men to hope for the confirmation of their word. Have you not seen the false visions? Have you not spoken a lying divination when you say The Lord says, although I have not spoken? Verse 8 Therefore thus says the Lord God Because you have spoken empty false and elusive words and have seen lies Therefore behold, I am against you, says the Lord And my hands shall be against the prophets who see empty false and elusive visions and who give lying prophecies They shall not be in the secret council of my people Nor shall they be recorded in the register of the house of Israel Nor shall they enter into the land of Israel And you shall know and understand and realize That I am the Lord Verse 10 But even because they have seduced my people Saying peace when there is no peace And because when one builds up a flimsy wall Behold these prophets daub it over with whitewash Wow Prophet Ezekiel, through the word of the Lord, tells us that these deceivers are bent on devouring the flock for their own end and means. Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 2, echoes the same warning in his message as he relates to the Corinthians with a great concern for their spiritual well-being. For I am zealous with you with a godly eagerness and a divine jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one husband to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But now I am fearful, lest it even as a serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so that your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ. We're going to drop down to verses 13 through 15. For such men are false apostles, spurious, counterfeits, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles, special messengers of Christ the Messiah. And is it no wonder for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light? So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness, but their end will correspond with their deeds. Apostle Peter also gives warning of beware regarding the false prophets who masquerade as false teachers and foretell things to come their doctrine was distortion of the truth but they had pretenses of holiness and righteousness and used Christianese words so they would appear very real this is exactly what we hear and we read about in the news about the false prophets and teachers who have infiltrated the church big time today. Bottom line, in both the Old and the New Testament, even today, these people loathed and hated the truth of scripture and perverted it in order to gain a following whom they cheated out of their salvation and yet fill their own pockets with wealth that they have gained from them. And the megachurches and ministries are a prime example of this today. Look with me in 2 Peter 2, verse 1. be maligned and defamed. Verse 3, and in their covetousness, their lust and their greed, they will exploit you with false cunning arguments. From of old the sentence of condemnation for them has not been idle. Their destruction, their eternal misery has not been asleep. For God did not even spare the angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom until the judgment of their doom. and he spared not the ancient world but preserved Noah the preacher of righteousness with seven other persons when he brought a flood upon the world of ungodly people verse 6 and he condemned to ruin and extinction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah reducing them to ashes and thus set them forth in his example to those who would be ungodly and he rescued righteous lot greatly worn out and distressed by wanton ways of the ungodly and the lawless. All of our New Testament scriptures so far today, which give warning of the false prophets, describe the Pharisees who appeared to be holy, righteous, humble, and self-denying men, when inwardly Jesus called them whitewashed tombs who were full of hypocrisy iniquity and covetousness and full of extortion The description of the wolves being devouring or ravenous creatures, according to the Greek dictionary number 724, means robbery, pillage, seize, take by force. Jesus said these people are likened to ravenous wolves. Listen, the false prophets take more than a person's life, dear listener. They destroy the soul. They are agents of Satan the devil. They have willingly sold out to Satan. My intention in this word today is to make you as a believer in Jesus Christ to know and realize that you personally are responsible to recognize the false prophets. Jesus gave a direct command to beware, And this puts the command and the direct responsibility of each Christian follower of Christ to do their part in being watchful over their own souls. Beware in the Bible is also associated with the emphasis of something being imperative, crucial, and urgent. And this is something the believer must do for themselves and not think it is somebody else's responsibility to do for them. In the day of judgment, each one of us will give account for our own decisions in life. In 2 Corinthians 5, verse 10, the word declares, For we all must appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive his pay according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil, considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attentions to accomplishing. it comes down to this that knowing and understanding in Jesus' imperative command to beware you must realize the personal importance of knowing your Bible which is the divine truth of God and secondly you never want to be negligent in prayer and meditation of the word of God and your fellowship with your beloved Savior. The Holy Spirit will give every true believer who is earnest in their salvation the revelation knowledge of God's word and make it real and living in their interior being. Revelation knowledge is divine knowledge given by the Holy Spirit to the eyes of your spirit to know God and the word are real so you can know the hope that he has called you to. And this hope leads us to salvation, dear ones. Think about this. If you are a genuine believer in Jesus Christ, you are called to be an heir of Almighty God the Father. Galatians chapter 4 verses 6 and 7 declares, Because you really are his sons, God has sent the Holy Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father, Father, and therefore you're no longer a slave, a bondservant, but a son. And if a son, then it follows that you are an heir by the aid of God through Christ. Only through Christ, I say it again, only through Christ will we be called heirs of God and inherit a wonderful inheritance in eternity. What a wonderful promise we have in Jesus Christ, dear listener. So now we come to the point in our word today, and that is what constitutes some prophets as being false. Before Jesus gave the command to beware of false prophets in our opening scripture, he said in a few scriptures just before that, which lead up to his warning to beware, we'll begin in Matthew 7 verse 13. And he gives a prelude to the false prophets by saying, Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and spacious, and broad is the way that leads away to destruction. And many are those who are entering through it. But the gate is narrow, contracted by pressure, and the way is straightened and compressed that leads away to life. There are few who find it. In verse 15, we see the warning to beware of false prophets who come to you dressed as sheep's clothing but inside their devouring wolves. Dear listener, these people never entered into the narrow gate who is Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I am the gate. Who enters by me shall be saved. And that is in John chapter 10 verse 9. The good shepherd enters by the gate and leads his sheep out through the gate of the sheepfold. And this is figurative of Jesus keeping his sheep safe. And this is why he is called the good shepherd. Additionally, in our search of recognizing false prophets, we must further investigate the scripture for the answer. So in continuing in our main scripture in Matthew chapter 7, beginning in verse 15 again, and we read in our main scripture, which is the title of the message today, again the warning of beware. But how many of you know that repetition is the best teacher? We begin in verse 7 again. Beware of false prophets who come to you dressed as sheep, but inwardly they are devouring wolves. Verse 16 You will fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? Verse 17 Even so, every healthy sound tree bears good fruit worthy of admiration, but the sickly decaying worthless tree bears bad fruit. A good healthy tree cannot bear bad worthless fruit, nor can a bad diseased tree bear excellent fruit worthy of admiration. Verse 19, every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. Therefore you will fully know them by their fruits. Verse 21, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. many will say to me on that day Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name and driven out demons in your name and done mighty works in your name? Verse 23 And I'll have to say to them openly, publicly I never knew you depart from me, you who act wickedly, disregarding my commands so everyone who hears these words of mine and acts upon them, obeying them will be like a sensible, prudent, practical, wise man who built his house upon the rock and let it be known, dear listener, that Jesus Christ is that rock. Jesus says you will recognize these false prophets by their fruit. Additionally, Jesus tells us the false prophets can't produce good fruit because they have rejected him. Jesus was the greatest prophet who ever walked on this earth. His words were life and truth and the way to eternal salvation. these false prophets falsely claim to utter revelations that come from God which foretell future events or have God's power to produce miracles, signs and wonders you need to understand that these people operate in the power of the evil one they've sold out to Satan the devil and they've joined lead with him and his evil angels they have knowingly, willingly sold out to Satan the devil. People who say Satan is stupid, has no teeth or bite do not know what they are saying in their ignorance. We learn in the book of Daniel chapter 8 verse 16 and also in chapter 9 verse 21 that angel Gabriel tells Daniel that he was restricted by a demon called the Prince of Persia until Archangel Michael came to his assistance So we learn from Daniel account that angels and demons fight spiritual battles over the souls of men and nations and that the demons resist God's holy angels and try to prevent them from doing God's bidding. Now looking at the Bible, we see that false prophets fall into three main categories. 1. Those who worshipped false gods and served idols 2. Those who falsely claimed to receive messages from the Lord and 3. Those who wandered from the truth and ceased to be true prophets of the Lord. In this last category, these people knew the truth but there was something radically missing in their attachment with Jesus Christ. Bottom line, you can know the missing element was true love for Jesus Christ. They were never attached to the vine who is Christ. And usually it is money that takes people off course with him. Jesus warned about the love of money being the root of all evil. In the Old Testament, Moses spoke of the punishment of those who betrayed the faith. And he commanded that any prophet who advocated the worship of other gods be stoned to death in Deuteronomy. Well, it's interesting to note as well that a reoccurring characteristic of the false prophets is that they are often found in the employment and are used by powerful people who really are in control of them like a puppet because they are being paid money and other perks to perform for them. And it's interesting to note as well that they are careful to speak pleasing, positive, flattering words to their employers or as we say in today's vernacular, their handlers. we see this big time in the year of 2022 in the political scene where those who are powerful self-seeking deceivers have a big entourage of false prophets at their money-making meetings Jesus said woe to you when all men speak well of you so did their fathers to the false prophets and he warned his disciples to beware of false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves We read that several times in this message today. So when speaking of the signs of the time and at the end of the age, Jesus also said, Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive is possible even the elect. It seems in these times of social and political upheaval in the world, the number of false prophets seem to have increased And we see that Apostle Peter tells us that will be so for us, just as we are seeing with our eyes in our day today. In 2 Peter 2, verse 1, the word declares, But also in those days there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves, who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines, destructive heresies, even denying and disowning the master, who brought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. Verse 2 And many will follow their immoral ways and lascivious doings. And because of them the true way will be maligned. And in their covetousness, their lust and greed, they will exploit you with false cunning arguments. From of old the sentence of condemnation for them has not been idle. Their destruction, eternal misery, has not been asleep. Verses 4-7 describes the judgment and the punishment that was brought upon the ungodly people. Verse 4. God did not even spare the angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment of their doom. And he spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness with seven other persons, when he brought a flood upon the world, ungodly people, and he condemned to ruin the extinction of the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes, set them forth as an example to those who would be ungodly. And he rescued righteous lot, greatly worn out in distress by the wanton ways of the ungodly and lawless. Consequently, Mark chapter 13, verse 22, we see where Jesus speaks about the end times, warning his disciples about the false prophets who would come specifically to deceive the very elect of God. They will be empowered with great power by Satan the devil to deceive even the very elect of God if it were possible. Mark chapter 13. For at that time there will be such affliction, oppression, and tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until this particular time and positively never will be again. and unless the Lord has shortened the days no human being would be saved rescued but for the sake of the elect his chosen ones those whom he picked out for himself he has shortened the days and then if anyone says to you see here's the Christ the Messiah or look there he is do not believe it false Christ's messiahs and false prophets will arise and show signs and works and miracles to deceive and lead astray if possible even the elect, those God had chosen out for himself. But look to yourselves and be on your guard. I have told you everything beforehand. Well, you can see throughout this message today how the warning is about the false prophets and how they will be in the wings, so to speak, waiting like roaring lions seeking who they may devour. Many people are ignorant of the power of evil forces, and Satan knows those who are ignorant in their love for Jesus Christ and his word. They are easy prey for him to pick off. This word today is a trumpet call to wake up their church and know that you cannot enter into the narrow gate without first having genuine love for Jesus Christ. To enter through the narrow gate speaks of salvation through Jesus Christ. There is no other way. No one else can do this for you. Faith is personally exercised or personally rejected. everyone who believes what fallen false prophets teach about man being intrinsically good in himself and there are many different ways to heaven because God knows my heart sort of thing is absolutely not on the narrow way which leads to heaven but is on the broad way that leads to hell every true believer in Jesus Christ has to deal with the sin issue in their life before they can declare their allegiance to our holy God and love him with their whole heart, soul, and mind, and all that is in them. You see, God demands righteousness and holiness, and he patiently waits for all people to come to him. Isaiah chapter 30 verse 18 declares, Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him so he can show you his love. He will conquer you to bless you, just as he said he would. for the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are all those who wait for him. What a loving God and Father. What mercy God has for all of his people. Do not delay your personal responsibility to do your part in seeking the Lord your God while he may be found. Thank you.