Wolves & Trees

Intro

Matthew 7

I love magic.

Here’s what I mean by magic; not harry potter and Lord of the Rings, though those are great books that we love at our house.

What I REALLY love, is illusions; magicians that can do things that make it where you KNOW you can’t believe what you just saw. I love seeing the intricacies that go into these tricks, the dedication it takes these guys to be able to pull them off.

What I HATE, is when a magician does a trick, whether it’s an illusion, some type of mentalism, or anything else…and they claim that it’s REAL magic.

So, knowing these things about me, you can imagine how happy I was when I stumbled across a documentary about a man named JAMES RANDI.

“AN HONEST LIAR”

James is a magician. In fact, he’s a world renowned magician. But like me, he had no patience for those who claimed to be doing “real magic.”

There was a big rise in this in the 70s and beyond; whether these guys were claiming to read minds, bend spoons, talk to the dead, whatever; there was many many people who believed it.

So much so that the FBI had an entire task force dedicated to seeing if any of these psychic abilities were real.

Great use of your tax money there.

This so frustrated James Randi that he spend decades debunking each and every one of these people and their so-called powers.

He wrote books, he went on late night shows, and over and over, he proved that these powers weren’t real, and they were nothing but phonies.

He’s got a $1 Million Dollar prize for anyone who proves any kind of paranormal power that is still active, so, if you’ve got some secret powers out there, go get that prize money. Just be sure to tithe off of it.

Might be surprising for a magician to do this; to care so much about proving to people that magic powers weren’t real;

But it actually sort of makes sense, doesn’t it? these people claiming to be from the same camp he is, claiming to be a magician like he is, but they’re misrepresenting what it’s all about. They’re exploiting it for selfish gain.

He wanted people to be able to know what’s REALLY going on, so he made it his mission to show people the truth behind these fakers.

False Teachers

Today, Jesus is going to try to do the same thing. He’s going to warn us about false teachers.

Last week, Jesus gives the golden rule, then warns that the way that leads to life is narrow, and few find it.

Today we are going to see part 2 of that warning.

It’s a warning meant to steer us away from the broad path, and towards the narrow path.

To steer us away from death, and instead to life, by telling us to WATCH OUT for false teachers.

This is DIFFERENT than those that teach things other than Christ.

There are of course teachers that we disagree with, who teach other religions or philosophies that disagree with Jesus.

This is NOT what Jesus is talking about. So when you hear “false teacher,” today, don’t think just anyone who teaches something false.

This is specifically addressing teachers who outwardly appear to be teaching the truth of Jesus, but inwardly, don’t even know him.

Counterfeits

A good way to think of them is to think of a counterfeit.

Some counterfeits are hilariously bad;

missing a letter, spelled wrong, or instead of a ninja turtle they call it like a karate tortoise.

But the goal of a counterfeit is to imitate the real thing to the point that you can’t tell the difference.

Becomes really serious when it comes to things like money, or expensive items like jewelry or paintings.

The more VALUABLE something is, the more important it is to make sure it’s AUTHENTIC; not a counterfeit.

This can be so important, and so difficult, that there are entire career fields dedicated to sorting out the difference.

Secret Service, that is most known for defending the president, was actually founded after the Civil War to address this problem, and they still actively investigate counterfeit cases to this day.

Why? Because when a forgery passes for the real thing, it can cause serious problems.

We HAVE to be able to tell the difference between what’s real, and what’s counterfeit.

That’s what we will see today when it comes to false teachers; they aren’t teaching outright lies that are easy to spot and avoid; instead, they teach a counterfeit Gospel. One that might look okay at first glance, but upon closer inspection, is worthless.

That which makes it valuable has been changed or removed.

What we’ll see, is that Jesus tells us that the stakes couldn’t be higher. We HAVE to get this right.

Main Point: Jesus commands his followers to recognize and guard against false teachers.

We’re going to see 2 illustrations that Jesus gives, and then a reminder of how important this really is.

Matthew 7:15-23

Matthew 7:15–23 ESV

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

First, two illustrations jesus gives us, then a reminder of the stakes.

First, wolves and trees

What Jesus means by “I never knew you.”

Wolves and Trees

These are the two things that Jesus compares false teachers.

Ravenous wolves, and unhealthy trees.

He only briefly mentions that they’re like wolves, before expanding more on how they’re like trees.

But it’s really important to not overlook that part.

If he were to only compare them to bad trees that produce bad fruit, we might have had the false idea that this is something we have the luxury of being passive about.

Here’s what I mean; if false teachers are just bad trees producing bad fruit, well then it’s simple; just avoid that tree. Don’t eat that fruit. As long as I don’t do that, I have nothing to worry about.

A wolf among sheep is different.

A sheep doesn’t get the benefit of ignoring the wolf.

Sheep don’t get to just ignore the wolf and hope he goes away!

If the wolf isn’t actively guarded against, watched out for, avoided, then guess what? The wolf is having lamb chops!

It’s the exact same way with false teaching. It’s not enough to say, “Oh, I’ll be fine, I’ll just avoid bad teachers.”

They aren’t just fruit you can decide to not pick up, they are WOLVES, that are actively seeking to deceive you. You can’t be passive. You can’t assume that YOU could never be led astray by a false teacher.

“Only dumb sheep get attacked by wolves.”

NO. ANY sheep that’s near a wolf gets attacked!

You have to constantly be evaluating what is forming your thoughts.

How do you react to things? When you mess up, when someone sins against you, when there’s a tragedy…how do you react?

How we react is based on what we’ve allowed to teach us. And if how we’re reacting is NOT the way Jesus would react, then you might have been being preyed on by wolves without even knowing it.

So how are we supposed to know? How can we identify wolves, when Jesus tells us that they’ll be in sheep’s clothing. That they’ll look like us, sound like us, act like us…but inwardly, be nothing like us.

It’s to answer this question that Jesus then compares these false teachers to trees and their fruit.

Trees and Fruits

In v. 16, he tells us that we will know them by their fruits.

I don’t know a ton about trees…or gardening, or really growing anything.

Pretty much the only type of tree I can identify by sight is a Christmas tree.

But you know what, I’m pretty good at fruit.

I’ve been watching the baby shows with Harper, and I’ve pretty much got all the fruit names down pat.

So you know what, when I look at a tree, I just see a tree. But if on that tree, I see some apples? I see an orange hanging from a branch? Man, I got it; that’s an apple tree! That’s an orange tree. Boom. Easy.

Jesus tells us it’s the same thing with false teachers.

We look at their fruit. We look at their lives. We look PAST their appearance, PAST their smooth delivery, PAST their popularity, or their number of facebook followers... and we look at their fruit.

What are they doing? What are they saying? Do these things line up with what Jesus said? With what Jesus did?

Obviously the standard isn’t perfection.

“ope, I saw Pastor Nick yell at his kids in the parking lot, he’s a false teacher.”

Jesus is telling us here to look at who someone has shown themselves to be over time.

Trees don’t bare fruit in a day. A ton of fruit trees look almost identical when they’re planted, when they’re young, even when they’re mature. And it’s not until seasons have gone by, and the fruit begins to show, that you can tell the difference.

False teachers will always have fruit that reveals their true identity.

that reveals them to be counterfeits.

that reveals the message their teaching to be ultimately empty.

This might take time;

False teachers don’t usually look like false teachers from day 1.

another reminder to be constantly evaluating what we consume.

How many times have we seen people in the Christian world rise to prominence quickly, only to later oppose some teaching of Jesus or God’s Word?

We have to be proactive; you can’t just let things into your heart/mind unfiltered.

When you see a new book, a sermon clip on facebook, a blog post your friend sends you...

Are you approaching it with eyes wide open, diligently comparing it to the words of Jesus?

THERE’S NO WAY we should be caught off guard by this. We have been told so many times in Scripture that false teachers were coming.

2 Peter 2:1 ESV

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Jude 4 ESV

4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

What do these false teachers have in common? Their message looks and sounds good, but it denies the Master. The only part of the message that matters, is missing or perverted.

Far too often, Christians lower their guards against false teachers.

And meanwhile, the false teachers, the ravenous wolves are growing fat on sheep who didn’t think they had to worry.

On Christians, who unknowingly consume and spread teachings that are contrary to that of Jesus.

You’ll know them by their fruit, but you won’t know their fruit unless you take the time to look for it.

Take time to evaluate what you’re consuming, what you’re allowing to shape you.

“well, it’s so much harder now than it used to be, we see these false teachers on Facebook and on tv, and it’s hard to tell.”

LOOK WHAT THEIR FALSE TEACHERS WERE DOING!

Matthew 7:22 ESV

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

meanwhile, we get fooled because a guy has a big church, or his video has a lot of likes and shares, or he’s in the same political party as us, or a million other reasons

And we ignore the fruit the produce; the words they say that are contrary to scripture, the things they do that don’t line up with scripture.

Even the most convincing false teachers will always be revealed

First, they’ll be revealed by their fruit; by the things they’re doing and saying that are opposed to God.

Second, they’ll be exposed when they stand before Jesus one day, and he tells them that he never knew them.

I Never Knew You

Matthew 7:23 ESV

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

A quick note, Remember who he’s speaking to…“I never knew you,” NOT “I knew you, but now I don’t.”

This is NOT a verse that suggests that you can lose your salvation.

So many have read this and thought, “Well dang, I’m not casting out demons, I’m not doing miracles; if those guys aren’t getting in, I don’t have a chance!”

And you dwell in this fear that is rooted in the idea that God only loves you as much as you’re willing to do for him.

But this passage says the exact opposite.

He’s telling these false teachers, EVEN THOUGH you did all of these amazing things, they are WORTHLESS, because I NEVER KNEW YOU.

They may have known him; it’s likely that the false teachers Jesus is talking about here have the same kind of belief in Jesus that the demons do. They know Jesus, but Jesus doesn’t know them.

It’s like me and The Rock. Man, I love The Rock. I read an article the other day about how every movie he does is a success, and the main reason is because statistically he is one of the most likable people in our entire country.

So man, I know his movies, I know he used to wrestle, I know he played football in college. I know The Rock.

But you know what? The Rock doesn’t know me.

And if I showed up at his house, and told him that I was his biggest fan, I’d thrown Rock parties, I got his face tattooed on my leg, (not yet, still trying to convince Emily on that one), that I owned all his movies; and i show up, tell him all that, and say, “So, can I come stay with you for a while?”

He’s gonna call security on me so fast. Why? Because HE DOESN’T KNOW ME! So it doesn’t matter if I did all of these things for me, He doesn’t know me!

Now, imagine one of his daughters shows up at the door.

Is he checking her credentials before he lets her in? Is he asking her to prove that she loves him? NO. He’s whipping that door open, bringing her in, and probably wondering why she were outside in the first place!?

Why? Because he knows her. He loves her. She doesn’t have to justify anything. Being his daughter is all she needs to be to be loved, to be known.

These false teachers know Jesus, but Jesus doesn’t know them.

And THAT is what matters. If He doesn’t know you, it doesn’t matter what good things you do. And if He does, then no act of yours will ever change his love for you, or take away the righteousness he’s bestowed upon you.

To those false teachers who are not known by Jesus, their fate is made clear.

They are told to depart from him; they are sent away to spend eternity apart from Jesus.

Conclusion

This is a somber warning for these teachers, but it should also be a wake up call for us. Because it isn’t just false teachers who will hear those words on that day. It’s ANYONE who doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus.

It’s not enough to know about him. It’s not enough to do good things in his name.

We must know and be known by him.

1 John 1:9 ESV

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 10:9 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

This is all that is required.

An acknowledgment of your sin.

A desire to repent, turn away from them, and pursue Jesus instead.

Willingness to make Jesus the LORD of your life; meaning that HE gets to call the shots. You’re not in charge of you anymore, HE is.

To to this is to be called righteous. To be KNOWN by Jesus.

When the day comes that you stand before him; and you WILL stand before him one day; ALL that will matter is if he knows you.

If you’ve spent your life knowing ABOUT Jesus, but you’re unsure if Jesus knows you; in a moment, you’re going to have a chance to be sure today.

And if you’re here, and you know that you have that relationship with Jesus; let this be a reminder of the stakes.

Right behind all of these false teachers will be a multitude of people who followed them. Who were led astray by counterfeits, teaching a message that DOES NOT SAVE.

Jesus commands his followers to recognize and actively be on guard against false teachers.

This is not for our benefit alone. We are to call out false teachers, yes, so that we are not led astray, but ALSO so that others are not led astray either.

To us, Jesus gives the same warning that Paul gave Timothy.

2 Timothy 4:3 ESV

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

That time is hear. The teachers that only desire to tickle our ears, and lead us away from the truth, is here.

Jesus died that we might be free, that we might have life.

False teachers tell us only what we want to hear;

and we settle for tickled ears instead of transformed lives.

It is our duty, if we want to truly love our neighbor well, to recognize false teachings, call it what it is, and stay committed to nothing but the true message of who Jesus is and why he came.