Beware of Wolves In Sheep's Clothing
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Last Sunday morning we talked about the “Two Ways of Life”, the broad and the narrow path. I told you we were born into the wide gate and walk the broad path of this world because we are born sinners. But we do have a choice to leave the broad path as we seek and enter the narrow gate of Jesus Christ in salvation.
But many people continue to follow the broad path of destruction because they have been given faulty directions by false teachers. These false prophets/teachers claim to speak for God, but they are liars. They use the attractions of this world and throw in a little truth from God’s Word to make one feel good about themselves and that everything is gonna be okay. They come camouflaged, looking like sheep, when in reality they are ravenous wolves, destroying people’s lives.
This morning Jesus warns us to “Beware of Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing”
Text; Mt. 7:15-20
Matthew 7:15–20 (NKJV)
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
1. Beware of False Prophets; 15a
1. Beware of False Prophets; 15a
Beware- be on your guard, be alert; a nautical term meant to steer a ship in a certain direction or on a certain course or to sail toward a certain destination [confirmation that they are here]
What is a false prophet? False prophets claimed to receive messages from God, but they prophesied only what the king and the people wanted to hear.
30 “An astonishing and horrible thing Has been committed in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?
16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the Lord.
False teachers are just as common today as false prophets were back then. Jesus is warning us to watch out for those whose words sound religious but who are motivated by money, fame, or power.
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
2. Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing; 15b
2. Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing; 15b
Clothing- Shepherds 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. 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.
12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
Everybody remembers Jim Jones of the People’s Temple Christian Church in Jonestown, Guyana South America, where a 1000 of his faithful followers committed mass suicide. What most don’t remember is that the large majority of his followers came from Christian homes. So how did he deceive so many?
In his book Deceived, Mel White tries to determine why so many people could be so fatally misled. Among the reasons he suggests are:
He [Jim Jones] knew how to inspire hope. He was committed to people in need; he counseled prisoners and juvenile delinquents. He started a job placement center; he opened rest homes and homes for the retarded; he had a health clinic; he organized a vocational training center; he provided free legal aid; he founded a community center; he preached about God. He even claimed to cast out demons, do miracles and heal.
But on the other hand we find all the marks of a false prophet. He promoted himself through the use of celebrities, a very common vehicle for false prophets to gain credibility. He manipulated the press; he wanted certain favorable stories; he was big on playing the press.… And he used the language and the forms of faith to gain his power.
Jim Jones created a warm, purportedly Christian community. But he replaced Jesus Christ as the authority and more and more garnered loyalty to himself. He began demanding money for every service he offered and was preoccupied with sex, in both its normal and deviant forms. He would lie convincingly about anything in order to gain an advantage or make a desired impression. Before his bizarre death he had managed to gain the admiration and praises of countless church leaders, governors, senators, congressmen, and even the president of the United States.
Wolves- the greatest predator of sheep. Wolves are known for their boldness. They are known for the fierceness of their attack. They were the most dreaded and hated enemy of the shepherd—not the lion, not the bear, but the wolf. A wolf will kill for food, but once he gets a taste of blood, he goes into a frenzy and will kill far more than he can possibly eat.
Jim Jones and David Koresh were ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing.
But whole denominations are becoming ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing today. [Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness, Seven Day Adventist, Methodists, Baptists [CBF], Presbyterians USA, Pentecostals, Church of God and Assembly of God.]
They are destroying and attacking from within. It’s not so much about what they say, it’s more about what they don’t say or preach!
They don’t deny the Deity of Christ, but they won’t preach of the consequences of SIN! They never preach against abortion, or against divorce, or against homosexuality - because there would always be someone in their congregation who might be offended.
They never preach about repentance, brokenness, humility, or the Cross!
They never dare preach of the ugliness and torments of an eternal hell because they believe everybody going to heaven!
16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.
17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort,
18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
14 Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.
3. Be A Fruit Inspector; 16-20
3. Be A Fruit Inspector; 16-20
Jesus says, “You will know them by their fruits”.
The fruit from a tree reveals what type of tree it is, but the seed/root determines the health of the fruit.
If you pick a nice juicy apple from a tree, you know it is healthy tree because of the good seed/root system.
John 15:4–5 (NKJV)
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Fruit Inspecting- we can know the difference between good and bad trees by inspecting the fruit. Three ways to inspect fruit;
What does the teacher/person say about Jesus?
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
Does the teacher/person preach the biblical Gospel?
9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
Does the teacher/person exhibit godly character?
3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,
4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,
5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
Close;
The best way to spot a counterfeit is to know what the real thing is. The only way to know what’s real is for you to have experienced truth for yourself.
Do you know Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Are you growing daily in His Word?
Are you walking daily in HIs way?
What kind of tree are you and what type of fruit are you bearing?