Beware of the Ferocious Wolves! - Part 1
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Take your Bibles and find Matthew chapter 7.
Matt.7:15-23
Matthew chapter 7 and verse 15 begins with a warning. Jesus said
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
This is a good warning for today, isn’t it?
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Have you ever walked by a house or a piece of land … and saw a sign that said, “Beware of Dog”? “Beware of Dog”
Have you ever seen that?
What do you do? You’re careful, aren’t you? When there’s a sign that says, “Beware of Dog,” you stop right there, look around, and wonder, “Should I go in there?”
But now I want you to picture yourself walking up to a house and seeing a sign that says, “Beware of ferocious Wolves.” — suppose instead of there being a dog in the yard, there is a wolves in the yard. What would you do in that situation? — do a double take … would you go in? What would you do? What if you were with your family there? … would you go in?
The title of our message today:
Beware of Ferocious Wolves
Beware of Ferocious Wolves
That’s what Jesus is saying. And these wolves disguise themselves by wearing sheep’s clothing.
They say that wolves are known for their boldness. They are known for the ferocity of their attacks.
They were the most feared and hated enemy of the shepherd – not the lion, not the bear, but the wolf.
They say that the wolf kills to eat, but when it gets a taste of blood, it goes into a frenzy and kills more than it can eat.
And Jesus said that false prophets are like wolves, and Jesus said, “Beware.”
Now when Jesus says, “Beware,” then we should be on our guard.
And Jesus says, "These wolves are not only dangerous; they are very deceitful.
They come to you in sheep's clothing.
Given this warning, you cannot help but beware. Because the Lord Jesus warned us, but the problem is that many times, the warnings are not taken seriously.
-It is said that the captain of the Titanic received a radio message when the Titanic was on its maiden voyage, and this radio message said that they were entering iceberg-laden waters. According to the account, Captain Smith took the message written on a piece of paper, crumpled it up, put it in his pocket, and the Titanic sailed on. And when it sank, 1,490 people died in the icy waters of the North Atlantic.
I read somewhere years ago about Sergeant Lockhart - Sergeant Joseph Lockhart. He was sitting on the radar at Pearl Harbor and noticed a squadron of planes approaching. The day was December 7, 1941. He reported to his commander, "I see some unidentified aircraft approaching." Do you know what the commander said? "Forget it." And three thousand people died on that infamous day.
Warnings - If ever there was a generation that needed to be warned about false prophets, it is this one.
And Jesus is saying, "Beware of false prophets." (Matthew 7:15)
Remember this: Satan is not opposed to religion.
Satan is opposed to biblical Christianity. And religion is one of Satan's primary weapons.
Satan works against the Church in two basic ways.
A. Satan comes against the Church through persecution
Satan comes against the Church through persecution. And he has not stopped persecuting the Church;
he has not stopped persecuting this church or any true New Testament church.
But often, persecution backfire on Satan.
Often, God's people, instead of bowing down, rise up against persecution.
Examples of this are: China, Romania, Iraq, Egypt, etc.
Many times God cuts off Goliath’s head with the sword that Goliath sharpened, amen?
Sometimes the devil comes against the Church through persecution.
B. Satan comes against the Church through infiltration
But he has a better way to attack the Church: it is not persecution; it is infiltration.
Write these verses down somewhere. I will show you the great danger to the church today. It is the infiltration of false prophets wearing sheep’s clothing. Acts, chapter 20, verses 28
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
Also, Note what the apostle Paul told the Christians in Corinth. 2 Cor. 11:13-14
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
Satan is the master of camouflage.
He is the master of deception. And so, repeatedly, the Bible warns us about false prophets.
Our Lord Jesus said in that same book of Matthew in chapter 24 and verse 24:
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
You know, every once in a while, someone will say, "Oh, the Bible is not true.
The Bible is a bunch of errors.
The Bible is a book of lies, and I'll tell you why..." They say the Bible is not true because of all these false religions, all these false prophets, all these crazy people.
Friend, let me tell you something: These people do not prove the Bible is not true; these people authenticate the Bible.
If there were no false prophets, the Bible would not be true, because the Bible says they are coming.
It was Jesus Christ who said the ... are coming. They are coming. “Beware” (Matthew 7:15), He said. These things confirm and authenticate our faith.
Now, here is what our Lord Jesus is telling us about these false prophets:
I. The Clothing They Wear
I. The Clothing They Wear
First, the clothing they wear. (Matthew 7:15
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
He says they “come in sheep’s clothing.”
That is, they appear to be part of the flock.
That is the disguise they wear.
Now, what I want to do today is simply to rip off the disguise.
What I want to do is to pull off the sheep’s clothing and allow you to see the wolf underneath.
Now, false prophets come in three categories.
There are three types of false prophets. If you only look for one type, you’re likely to miss the other two.
Now in the Bible there is a whole book written about false apostles, false prophets, and false shepherds. That’s what it’s all about.
And there, God’s Word has given us a description of all three types in one verse, so be sure to study that book.
Now, let me tell you what book of the Bible I am talking about: the book of Jude.
The book of Jude is a warning about false prophets and it describes all three types of false prophets in one verse—verse 11:
(Jude 1:11)
11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
“Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain;” – that’s one type of false prophet –
“they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error” – that’s another type of false prophet –
“they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. – that’s another type of false prophet.
Three types right here. They’ll all be wearing sheep’s clothing. But let’s take a closer look at them. What do they represent?
A. “Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain;” – Cain: Those Who Pervert the Gospel
Who is Cain? Well, you remember that God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and then God gave them sons: Cain and Abel. Do you remember that story? And the Bible says that Abel was a Shepard, but Cain was a farmer; he worked the land.
And back in Genesis chapter 4, verses 1 through 8, we have the story of two brothers. Two brothers went out to make two offerings. One brother offered to the Lord the firstborn of his flock. A perfect lamb was killed, and the blood of that lamb was offered to the Lord as an atonement for sin.
The other brother came—you may remember the story—and offered to God the fruit of his hands, of his labor, the sweat of his brow. That’s what he offered to the Lord.
And what we have here are two brothers, two offerings, two religions, and two destinies. (Genesis 4:1-8)
Abel, you may remember, offered the best firstborn of the flock—to the Lord.
Why? Because there, in the early days of civilization, God was teaching the lesson that we see stated in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 22, which is what? “Without shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22) //
And Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice." (Hebrews 11:4)
Abel had faith in the blood. Never forget that. He had faith in the blood. He was accepted because of the blood.
The blood we sing about this morning is not incidental; it is not accidental. It is fundamental; it is eternal.
For the Bible says in 1 John 1:7, “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
On the other hand, Cain offered the fruit of the ground.
His offering was not based on blood, but on the fruits of his own labor.
It may have been impressive. It may have been beautiful. It may have been expensive.
It may have looked like a beautiful basket of produce. It may have had beautiful flowers, aromatic herbs, and delicious fruit.
But God was not impressed. Why? You can’t get blood out of a melon.
My friend, “without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Hebrews 9:22)
What did Cain’s offering represent? Culture, not Calvary. Works, not grace.
Now, there are only two kinds of religion—mark it—true and false.
Now, we like to divide the world into Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Rheumatism, and so on.
We even take Christianity and subdivide it: Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Catholic, and so on.
But I want to say that there are only two types of religion: the way of Cain and the way of Abel. That's all.
The way of Cain - the way of the culture, the works, not calvary, not the blood. The way of Cain leads to hell.
The religion of Abel is the way of the cross leads to heaven.
Today, there are many people who go to churches all over the world, but did you know that they are not listening to the preaching of salvation by the blood?
They are not heeding the warning of the Lord Jesus: “beware of wolves in sheep's clothing.”
And many people do not discern that the man who is preaching is a false prophet, who is following the way of Cain.
It does not matter how organized/disorganized the service is.
It does not matter how hard they work; or how beautiful the praise group/choir is.
It doesn’t matter how many good works they do in the neighborhood.
It doesn’t matter how many congregations they have. None of that impresses God.
If they are offering to God the works of their hands instead of the blood of the Lamb. That man is a false prophet. That is the way of Cain—those who pervert the gospel.
B. Balaam: Those Who Prostitute the Gospel
“they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error” – that’s another type of false prophet –
Balaam represents those who prostitute the gospel.
You see, Balaam was orthodox. Many of the things that Balaam said were true.
Who was Balaam? Well, Balaam was an apostate prophet. You can read his story in Numbers 22.
The king of Moab was afraid of the Israelites. He couldn’t figure out a way to overcome them. And so he came up with this diabolical scheme. He thought, “Well, maybe I can get their God to curse them.” So he asked, “Well, who is the prophet who can curse them?” Someone said, “Well, Balaam, he knows all about this business of prophecy and curses and blessings.”
Balak, the king of Moab, went to Balaam and said, “Listen, I want you to curse Israel.” Balaam said, “Are you crazy? Do you think I’m going to curse them? God says, ‘Those who curse you, I will curse. And those who bless you, I will bless.’
Do you think I’m going to put a curse on them?” Balak said, “But I’ll pay you.” Balaam said, “You couldn’t pay me enough to do that. No, thank you.”
So Balak came back and increased the offer and included some additional benefits. And after a while Balaam began to think, “Now, how can I do that? How can I serve God and make some profits on the side?
How can I do that?” And then he said, "I'll tell you what, I can't curse them, but I'll tell you how you can make them curse themselves." And one of the most sinister things happened—one of the most diabolical things—that ever happened.
He said to the king of Moab, "If you make them sin, you don't have to curse them; I don't have to curse them; God will curse them."
And the daughters of Moab went into action and began flirting with the young men of Israel, and there was adultery, fornication, immorality, and all kinds of wickedness—the same thing that will cause God to curse the United States or Brazil or any other nation.
And, my friend, the man of God didn't want to stand up for purity and righteousness, so there was a sensual feast with the daughters of Moab. And God killed twenty-four thousand Israelites.
Now, what did Balaam do? He didn’t pervert the gospel. His problem was that he was greedy. Remember what verse 11 says about them
“they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error”
Learn one thing, there are not enough demons in hell or out of hell or wherever they are that can curse this church. But, friend, we can curse ourselves if we don’t live right.
And there are many false prophets today who do not preach or teach what the Bible says about sin, or unrighteousness.
And the reason many preachers and “pastors” today are watering down the message is for personal gain.
And that gain doesn’t have to be financial. Sometimes it’s for prestige. Sometimes it’s for popularity. Sometimes it’s for power.
Put this verse in your margin – 2 Peter, chapter 2, verse 1:
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
That’s what happened to Balaam
Now, there are a lot of false prophets. They’re in it for what they can get.
They can stand up and preach blood. They don’t pervert the gospel; they prostitute the gospel.
They sell the gospel like a salesman sells cars.
That’s why Paul said in 2 Corinthians, chapter 2 and verse 17, that they sell the Word of God. (2 Corinthians 2:17)
C. Korah: Those Who Protest the Gospel
Now, there's a third kind of false prophet that you need to know about.
They're all out there, friend.
They're among the people dressed in sheep's clothing, they look like the real deal, but they're not.
There are those who pervert the gospel; they follow and preach the way of Cain and not the way of Calvary.
There are those who prostitute the gospel; that's Balaam, they're looking to make some personal gain.
But then, Jude 11 says there are those - they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
There are those who protest the gospel; that's Korah,
Now, who was Korah? Well, you can read about him in Numbers chapter 16.
Korah was a gifted and privileged man. He was Moses' cousin.
He was a Levite. He was a prince of Israel. But somehow he got the idea that he didn't like Moses' leadership and he didn't like Aaron's leadership.
Now, remember, Moses was a Prophet and Aaron was a Priest.
The Bible prophesies the coming of Jesus, and it says that Jesus would be a prophet like Moses (Acts 3:20-22; 7:37), just as Aaron is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, because Christ is our High Priest.
Jesus Christ is the Prophet and Priest of the Church.
But here comes this man named Korah, who rebels against Moses and against Aaron. And you can go back and read the story for yourself (Numbers chapter 16).
But in short, He says, "You guys are so big on yourself… You're so big on yourself! We don't like your leadership. We don't like what you preach. We don't like what you do."
And he organized a rebellion against Moses and against Aaron. And the Bible says that Moses fell down before God and told God about it, and there was a judgment where the earth opened up and swallowed Korah. He went to hell—and everyone who followed him. (Numbers 16)
What was Korah's problem?
He didn't pervert the gospel.
He didn't prostitute the gospel.
He simply rebelled against the authorities that God installed as ministers of the gospel.
He hated God's choice, God's ways, God's plans, God's word.
Those who represent God's prophet and God's priest, portraying the Lord Jesus Christ, he rebelled against them.
And I'm telling you, my dear friend, there are people in this city... who absolutely hate the message that we preach in this church.
I mean, they hate it. They hate the blood - not that they deny it; they hate it. They hate the Word of God.
Oh, friend, listen, we have those today who despise the new and living blood-bought way.
We have those who prostitute the way of the blood, always seeking to get something out of the gospel.
We have those who pervert the way of the blood.
They are all false prophets - those who pervert the gospel, those who prostitute the gospel, those who protest against the gospel.
They are all wolves in sheep's clothing.
Conclusion:
What Should I Do? Be Wise and Not Foolish. Matthew 7:24
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Jesus warned: “Beware of false prophets” -
Be careful where you go to “worship God” because there will not be a sign saying “Beware of the Wolf” - “Beware of false prophets” - the false usually looks a lot like the real one.
Matthew 7:21 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt.7:22-23) Many will say to me on that day that they prophesied in my name, cast out demons, and performed miracles… Matthew 7:23 “23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
1 Be Wise:
“everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man…”
Listen/Study/Know the Word of God
Listen, study, and know the Word of the Lord, because many end up being drawn into and following false prophets because they do not know the voice of the Lord.
2. Practice your Faith
Put it into practice - don't just be a hearer of the Word, but a doer of it. Faith without works is dead.
Does the Bible tell you to forgive? Forgive!
Does the Bible tell you to be anxious about nothing? Pray!
Does the Bible tell you to help those in need? Help!
Does the Bible tell you to believe in God? Believe and don't doubt!
3. Support Your Faith
Do you know what the tragedy of today is?
That many good people are out of the church because they had bad experiences in churches run by wolves.
Join a church that preaches the Bible.
I'm not saying that this is the only one, and I'm not saying that we don't have room for improvement.
But you need to support your church.
Participate in the life of the church…(attend programs, invite people, help, be present) (be part of a PG)
Participate spiritually… give a good testimony out there… live an upright life in business and in personal relationships inside and outside the church.
Support your church financially, being faithful to God in tithes and offerings! Many good churches are suffering because they do not have financial support from their members!
4. Perhaps you do not have true faith in your heart.
If there was ever a message needed today, it is this one, in which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, says: "Beware of ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15) It is Jesus who is giving this warning.
And, if you are a mother or a father here today and have not yet given your heart to Jesus Christ, you better come and give your heart to Jesus Christ.
You better come and give your heart to Jesus Christ and put your family in the Word of God or your children and your family will be food for ravenous wolves.
I am talking about false prophets who deceive in order to destroy, steal, and kill. That is the nature of the enemy. And God has given His children true shepherds and prophets to guide them.
But even if you do not have children, you need Jesus. You need to be saved. You need to receive Christ as your personal Savior and Lord. You need to receive God’s forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit, because only He can help us discern the true way from the false way.
