False Prophets and their Fruit

Introduction

The Nature of a False Prophet

The Appearance of Sheep

As Harmless

As Fellow Disciples

As Following Christ

The Reality: Ravenous Wolves

Harmful and Deadly

These prophets are, in reality, very harmful and even deadly to ones faith. They will not spare any, but will bring destruction and confusion wherever they go. But how do they harm us? Why do we need to be so careful of these wolves in sheep’s clothing?

They are on the broad road. As we saw last week, the way to death is wide but the way to life is narrow. That is, most people are not going to listen to Jesus in a genuine way. Now what makes the wide road so easy to get on is that many of the people on that road to death think they are on the road to life, as we will see next time. These teachers are dangerous because they are on the broad road and leading people on the broad road yet claim it to be the narrow road. What a dangerous thing. Imagine being in a burning building and seeing two staircases, one that leads to the exit and one that leads deeper into the burning building. To have someone dress up as a firefighter, stand by the two staircases and point evacuating people to the wrong one would be of upmost danger to them and it would be the primary directive of the real firemen to get that false fireman out of there. What could be more dangerous in that situation? Similarily, nothing is more dangerous spiritually than someone who points you onto the wrong path. The Pilgrims Progress tells of a person named Mr Worldly Wiseman who easily led Christian astray, and he almost dies as a result. That allegory is fitting as one wrong turn in the Christian life can separate you from God forever. Take care to stay on the right way.

They are dangerous because they will devour you. They will take up your time, convince you to part with money saying it is for God, drain your spiritual life of all its joy, and empty your future of eternal reward. An example would be the Roman Catholic Church in the medieval era where they would sell pricey indulgences, assuring those who bought them, maybe with all the money they had to live on, that it was as good as a ticket to heaven. Those who fell for this scam may have been true believers at times, but they were devoured by the selfishness of the wolves who demanded so much from them for eternal security.

Followers of Self and Satan

Identifying a False Prophet

The Need for Discernment

Conclusion