Ways to Recognize a False Prophet
The Sermon on the Mount • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 11 viewsNotes
Transcript
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.
16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.
18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.
19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
Introduction:
A- A problem today: false prophets.
1. Contemporary examples.:
B- Not a new problem.
1. It was a problem in ancient Israel.
2. It was a problem in early New Testament days.
a. Paul’s Warning to the Ephesian elders: (Acts 20:30)
30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.
C- The question: How do you recognize a false prophet?
1. The Bible gives the answer.
T.S.: Here are some ways to see the difference.
I. Begin with a healthy caution of self-proclaimed prophets. (Matthew 7: 15).
I. Begin with a healthy caution of self-proclaimed prophets. (Matthew 7: 15).
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.
A. Not everyone who claims to be a prophet is.
A. Not everyone who claims to be a prophet is.
1. Some are real, some are false.
a) Note the warning given by God. (Deuteronomy 13:1- 5).
1 “Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles,
2 and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before—
3 do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul.
4 Serve only the Lord your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him.
5 The false prophets or visionaries who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the Lord your God, who redeemed you from slavery and brought you out of the land of Egypt. Since they try to lead you astray from the way the Lord your God commanded you to live, you must put them to death. In this way you will purge the evil from among you.
2. False prophets even misled God's people.
a) This happened in the town of Thyatira. (Revelation 2: 18-26 ).
18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.
20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.
22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.
24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you
25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.
B. False prophets will make themselves appear to be real.
B. False prophets will make themselves appear to be real.
1. Note Jesus's warning in our text. (Matthew 7:15)
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.
2. Note John's warning. ( 1 John 4: 1 ).
1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
3. Note Peter’s warning:
(2 Peter 11:13-15)
New Living Translation Chapter 11
13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.
14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.
II. Check out the fruit of self-proclaimed prophets. (Matthew 7: 16-18 ).
II. Check out the fruit of self-proclaimed prophets. (Matthew 7: 16-18 ).
16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.
18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.
A. The fruit of the true servant of God is evident. (Matthew 7:16)
A. The fruit of the true servant of God is evident. (Matthew 7:16)
16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
(Proverbs 14: 15 ).
15 Only simpletons believe everything they’re told! The prudent carefully consider their steps.
1. Souls won to Christ.
(Matthew 28: 18-20)
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
(Acts 1: 8 ).
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
2. Spiritual fruit. (Galatians 5: 22-23 ).
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
3. Their teachings will be consistent with Scripture; Does not deny the faith.
(2 Peter 2: 1)
1 But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.
( 1 Timothy 4: 1-3
1 Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.
2 These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.
3 They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth.
B. The fruit of a false prophet is evident. (Matthew 7:17-18)
B. The fruit of a false prophet is evident. (Matthew 7:17-18)
17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.
18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.
(Matthew 7:20)
20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
1. They seek to establish followers for themselves instead of Christ.
(Mark 13: 22 )
22 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
(Matthew 24: 11 ).
2. Their message points to self instead of Jesus. (1 Corinthians 3: 5-11 ).
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
a) The self-proclaimed Jezebel claimed to know deeper things from God. (Revelation 2: 24 ).
24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you.
3. They are guilty of adding to or subtracting from God's Word.
(Revelation 22: 18 ).
18 And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.
(Deuteronomy 4: 2 ).
2 Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you.
4. They pervert the gospel, teaching another gospel.
(Galatians 1:8-9)
8 Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.
9 I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.
5. They deny the truth about the Lord Jesus.
(1 John 4:1-3)
1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.
2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God.
3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.
III. Consider the end of false prophets. (Matthew 7: 19.)
III. Consider the end of false prophets. (Matthew 7: 19.)
19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire.
(Matthew 7: 21-23).
21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’
23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
A. Eternal punishment!
A. Eternal punishment!
B- Exposed to others
B- Exposed to others
(2 Timothy 3:8-9)
8 These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith.
9 But they won’t get away with this for long. Someday everyone will recognize what fools they are, just as with Jannes and Jambres.
Conclusion:
A- How are we to respond to false prophets?
A- How are we to respond to false prophets?
1- Recognize false teachers when they arise.
a. Examine their fruit.
b. Examine their teachings by God’s Word. (Acts 17:11)
11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.
2- Refuse to encourage them. (2 John 7-11)
7 I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.
9 Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.
10 If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement.
11 Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.
3- Refocus on the truth of God’s Word and live accordingly.
(2 Timothy 3:12-17)
12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.
15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
