WEBVTT 00:00:19.890 --> 00:00:21.550 If you want to find your place in the scriptures 00:00:21.550 --> 00:00:24.910 as we resume our study in the book of Matthew, 00:00:24.949 --> 00:00:27.329 we're still in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 00:00:27.329 --> 00:00:31.730 chapter 7. Our text this morning will be considering 00:00:31.730 --> 00:00:43.770 verses 15 to 20. Our Lord speaking as he's coming 00:00:43.770 --> 00:00:47.770 to the end of the sermon, he issues a warning. 00:00:50.030 --> 00:00:54.869 He says, Beware of false prophets who come to 00:00:54.869 --> 00:00:57.509 you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are 00:00:57.509 --> 00:01:01.000 ravenous wolves. You will know them by their 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:04.299 fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes 00:01:04.299 --> 00:01:08.939 or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree 00:01:08.939 --> 00:01:12.840 bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:19.260 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a 00:01:19.260 --> 00:01:24.420 bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does 00:01:24.420 --> 00:01:28.819 not bear good fruit is cut down. and it is thrown 00:01:28.819 --> 00:01:33.780 into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits, you 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:40.560 will know them. Let's pray. Father, Lord, once 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:42.719 again, Lord, we hear the word of the Lord, and 00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:45.299 we hear the sober tone, and Lord, we do well 00:01:45.299 --> 00:01:47.379 to stop what we're doing, and Lord, God, to take 00:01:47.379 --> 00:01:50.180 heed, to listen. Father, would you give us ears 00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:52.680 to hear. Lord, God, may the Spirit of God work 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:55.719 in your church this morning. Lord, remove distractions, 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.459 remove anything that would take our focus from 00:01:58.459 --> 00:02:01.480 the word of God and help us, Lord, to see clearly, 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:04.640 Lord, what the meaning of this passage is and 00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:08.280 to see how we need your son, Jesus, and his protection 00:02:08.280 --> 00:02:11.259 over his people even more earnestly today. We 00:02:11.259 --> 00:02:16.340 ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. We live in an 00:02:16.340 --> 00:02:20.199 age of appearances. That's no surprise. So it's 00:02:20.199 --> 00:02:21.699 an age of appearances where you have photos being 00:02:21.699 --> 00:02:24.840 filtered and you have... online profiles. And 00:02:24.840 --> 00:02:26.840 when we look at these online profiles, we see 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:30.300 that they are carefully curated. Houses, if you're 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:32.060 going to buy a house, oftentimes you'll go into 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:35.819 a home and the home is staged. And they do these 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:38.780 things so that they can exert influence or they 00:02:38.780 --> 00:02:41.479 want to leave an impression. Usually the impression 00:02:41.479 --> 00:02:44.020 is that one of perfection, like this is how it 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:47.259 always is going to look. But sadly, the reality 00:02:47.259 --> 00:02:49.860 can never, ever live up to the hype. And we all 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:51.979 know that. We kind of have grown accustomed to 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:55.389 that. But what matters most in our culture is 00:02:55.389 --> 00:03:00.409 how things look, not necessarily how things are. 00:03:00.849 --> 00:03:03.550 It's just if it looks good, not that it is good. 00:03:04.169 --> 00:03:06.349 So it's no surprise to us that we live in an 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:09.789 age of superficiality. Our culture lacks depth. 00:03:09.870 --> 00:03:13.150 There's really no substance in our culture. But 00:03:13.150 --> 00:03:15.930 sadly, that same philosophy has been transferred 00:03:15.930 --> 00:03:20.030 into the church or the spiritual realm as well. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:23.639 There are many today who purport to speak for 00:03:23.639 --> 00:03:26.860 God. There are many, many voices, a plethora 00:03:26.860 --> 00:03:30.060 of voices, all claiming to be speaking the truth. 00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:34.080 And yet they have divergent opinions. Well, who 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:36.900 should you believe? When you have multiple voices 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:38.840 all claiming to be the mouthpiece for truth, 00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:42.240 who should you believe? Today, there are many 00:03:42.240 --> 00:03:45.199 charismatic leaders, and they look great, and 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:47.400 they sound great, they're great with rhetoric, 00:03:47.620 --> 00:03:52.120 but they're deceptively... leading people away 00:03:52.120 --> 00:03:55.879 from the truth. And our Lord gives us a warning 00:03:55.879 --> 00:03:59.080 in this particular passage. And basically we 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:01.240 start out and see that looks can be very deceiving. 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:05.639 Not everyone who is claiming to be speaking for 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:09.460 God actually has been sent by God. That's nothing 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:11.620 new from the earliest, from the dawn of time. 00:04:11.939 --> 00:04:14.580 So Jesus then says, listen, he's issuing this 00:04:14.580 --> 00:04:17.550 warning to his people. He says we are to be on 00:04:17.550 --> 00:04:20.269 guard because, here's why we need to be on guard. 00:04:20.470 --> 00:04:23.970 There are many counterfeits. There are many deceivers. 00:04:24.170 --> 00:04:27.170 There are many prophets who are falsely preaching 00:04:27.170 --> 00:04:30.269 who have infiltrated into the church of the Lord 00:04:30.269 --> 00:04:34.310 Jesus. And that's the chief danger. Where do 00:04:34.310 --> 00:04:36.910 these men come from? They don't come from without 00:04:36.910 --> 00:04:41.470 the church. They arise from within. Someone who 00:04:41.470 --> 00:04:44.720 openly denies Christ or someone who... comes 00:04:44.720 --> 00:04:47.920 and denying a core tenet of the faith, they are 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:51.379 easy to spot. We know immediately that is a false 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:55.699 prophet. But what do we do from someone who arises 00:04:55.699 --> 00:04:59.620 from within our own ranks and he begins to lead 00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:03.819 people away subtly from the truth? The Apostle 00:05:03.819 --> 00:05:06.079 Paul warned. He knew that he was going to be 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:07.759 leaving the earth. He knew that he was going 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:10.420 to die as a martyr. And he was very concerned 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:12.920 for what would take place upon his death. In 00:05:12.920 --> 00:05:16.279 Acts chapter 20, he writes this. For I know this, 00:05:16.399 --> 00:05:21.019 that after my departure, savage wolves will come 00:05:21.019 --> 00:05:24.199 in among you. He's talking to the church. Not 00:05:24.199 --> 00:05:27.259 sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves, 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:30.639 men will rise up, speaking perverse things. Now 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:34.399 notice this last phrase. To draw away the disciples 00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:39.120 after themselves. Most false prophets, one of 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:42.220 the hallmarks of a false teacher or false prophets 00:05:42.220 --> 00:05:45.600 is they want to make disciples or followers of 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.800 themselves rather than of Christ. And they're 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:52.399 going to do this ever so subtly. But the apostle 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:54.459 Peter, he issued the same warning. It wasn't 00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:56.600 just Paul. Peter saw the same thing, and we see 00:05:56.600 --> 00:05:58.959 that in 2 Peter. He says, but there were also 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:01.660 false prophets among the people. Go back to Old 00:06:01.660 --> 00:06:04.990 Testament Israel. You see all the prophets, Isaiah, 00:06:05.089 --> 00:06:08.269 Jeremiah, fighting against false prophets. He 00:06:08.269 --> 00:06:10.889 said, even as there will be false teachers among 00:06:10.889 --> 00:06:15.129 you in the church, who will secretly bring in 00:06:15.129 --> 00:06:19.250 destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who 00:06:19.250 --> 00:06:23.089 bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 00:06:23.610 --> 00:06:27.730 And many, many is going to follow their destructive 00:06:27.730 --> 00:06:31.550 ways because of whom the way of truth will be 00:06:31.550 --> 00:06:34.259 blasphemed. Peter's like, listen, there's going 00:06:34.259 --> 00:06:37.540 to be some people come into the church, and they're 00:06:37.540 --> 00:06:39.699 going to be preaching a false message, and many 00:06:39.699 --> 00:06:41.759 people will be led away, but they will be led 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:45.199 away to their destruction. The final judgment 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.560 of God. These deceivers, they claim to be Christians. 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.379 They look like Christians. They say they are 00:06:51.379 --> 00:06:54.819 disciples of Christ, and yet they come and they 00:06:54.819 --> 00:06:57.720 deceive others, but they also are deceived. See, 00:06:57.759 --> 00:06:59.639 I don't think all false teachers realize they 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:02.279 are a false teacher. Now, some do. They're charlatans. 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:05.060 But others are deceived, and in their own deception, 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:08.439 they start to deceive other people. Now the context, 00:07:08.620 --> 00:07:11.120 and we're in Matthew 7 here. This is the Sermon 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:13.579 on the Mount. Jesus has been speaking, and the 00:07:13.579 --> 00:07:16.399 last time we met, Jesus said, there are just 00:07:16.399 --> 00:07:19.180 two gates. There's a very wide gate. You can 00:07:19.180 --> 00:07:22.060 go into it, and it'll lead to hell. And there's 00:07:22.060 --> 00:07:25.220 a very narrow gate. And you enter into it, and 00:07:25.220 --> 00:07:28.220 it'll lead to life. But he said, that wide gate 00:07:28.220 --> 00:07:31.670 that leads to hell, it's an easy path. No briars, 00:07:31.670 --> 00:07:35.290 no thorns, man, it's good, smooth sailing. That 00:07:35.290 --> 00:07:39.230 narrow gate, it's a very difficult path. It's 00:07:39.230 --> 00:07:42.470 full of heartache and affliction. But there are 00:07:42.470 --> 00:07:45.769 also two groups. He said many people are going 00:07:45.769 --> 00:07:48.790 to go into that wide gate, and only few will 00:07:48.790 --> 00:07:52.629 go into that narrow gate. Now, immediately after 00:07:52.629 --> 00:07:55.240 mentioning the narrow gate, That leads to life. 00:07:55.339 --> 00:07:57.379 Jesus then issues this warning. Which is our 00:07:57.379 --> 00:07:59.680 text this morning. He's warning the people about 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.259 false prophets. And he's saying listen. There 00:08:02.259 --> 00:08:05.259 will be false teachers. They're going to come 00:08:05.259 --> 00:08:06.800 on the scene. They're going to look attractive. 00:08:07.459 --> 00:08:11.639 They're going to sound very persuasive. But they 00:08:11.639 --> 00:08:14.459 will be on that broad easy way. That leads to 00:08:14.459 --> 00:08:17.740 destruction. They're standing there. And they're 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:20.800 beckoning people. Come enter into this wide gate. 00:08:20.899 --> 00:08:24.110 There's plenty of room for you here. All is well. 00:08:25.250 --> 00:08:28.410 And it sounds good. And by the way, usually what 00:08:28.410 --> 00:08:31.910 they say has an element of truth. Almost every 00:08:31.910 --> 00:08:33.929 deceiver, they don't come with blatant lies. 00:08:34.029 --> 00:08:36.690 That's easy to detect. There's an element of 00:08:36.690 --> 00:08:39.870 truth. It's just not the whole truth. It's not 00:08:39.870 --> 00:08:43.429 completely revealed. So they dressed like sheep. 00:08:43.669 --> 00:08:45.429 They're dressed like sheep. That means they look 00:08:45.429 --> 00:08:48.129 the part of God's people. They sound and look 00:08:48.129 --> 00:08:50.110 like Christians. And that's what they claim. 00:08:50.149 --> 00:08:53.240 They claim to belong to God. So you and I, Should 00:08:53.240 --> 00:08:55.919 not be surprised at this at all. We should not 00:08:55.919 --> 00:08:57.820 be surprised that this is the case. Why? We have 00:08:57.820 --> 00:09:03.100 an enemy who hates God, hates Christ, hates the 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:06.620 gospel, hates the people of God, thus hates you. 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:11.379 We're told that he's a roaring lion going about 00:09:11.379 --> 00:09:14.120 seeking whom he may devour. But listen, here's 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:19.600 how he devours. He devours by deception. This 00:09:19.600 --> 00:09:24.129 is his chief tool. Satan and his demon horde 00:09:24.129 --> 00:09:26.409 have infiltrated the church and they look like 00:09:26.409 --> 00:09:29.870 they belong there. Paul wrote to the church at 00:09:29.870 --> 00:09:33.549 Corinth and this is what he said. For such are 00:09:33.549 --> 00:09:38.470 false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming 00:09:38.470 --> 00:09:41.210 themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no 00:09:41.210 --> 00:09:45.129 wonder, don't be surprised. For Satan himself 00:09:45.129 --> 00:09:51.299 transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, 00:09:51.419 --> 00:09:54.019 it is no great thing if his ministers, if his 00:09:54.019 --> 00:09:56.200 servants, the demons, the servants of Satan, 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:58.879 if they also transform themselves, notice, into 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:03.659 ministers of righteousness, whose end will be 00:10:03.659 --> 00:10:06.480 according to the works. Do you see why this is 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:09.279 hard? Do you see why discernment is so needed? 00:10:10.019 --> 00:10:12.240 Satan comes on the scene not looking like we 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:14.299 would expect Satan to look. It says he looks 00:10:14.299 --> 00:10:17.940 like an angel of light. He looks like he's leading 00:10:17.940 --> 00:10:21.730 people to the truth. And those whom he has sent, 00:10:21.950 --> 00:10:26.309 also they pose as ministers of righteousness. 00:10:28.090 --> 00:10:31.389 Looks indeed can be very deceptive. These people, 00:10:31.450 --> 00:10:35.269 they have a lot of truth, just not the whole 00:10:35.269 --> 00:10:38.169 truth. But how do you know they're not from God? 00:10:38.909 --> 00:10:41.769 How do you know we're not deceived? How can you 00:10:41.769 --> 00:10:45.990 tell the real from the counterfeit? Jesus said, 00:10:45.990 --> 00:10:48.250 by their fruit. Study them. Watch their lives. 00:10:49.539 --> 00:10:54.340 Ultimately, their works will reveal their character. 00:10:54.779 --> 00:11:00.580 The narrow way that leads to life, it is a way 00:11:00.580 --> 00:11:04.659 of self -denial and humility. The false prophets, 00:11:04.779 --> 00:11:06.519 they're going to come on the scene and they're 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:10.120 going to speak of self -fulfillment and even 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:15.620 comfort. They appeal to the flesh. They gather 00:11:15.620 --> 00:11:18.960 a following. They gather disciples. They promise 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:21.879 them an easy road. So what they're doing, they're 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:24.659 appealing to the sinfulness of man. But they 00:11:24.659 --> 00:11:27.299 don't say that, of course. What is the essence 00:11:27.299 --> 00:11:32.440 of sin? It is self -centeredness. Isaiah 53 verse 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:34.759 6 says, We all like sheep have gone astray and 00:11:34.759 --> 00:11:38.580 turned every man to his own way. So that means 00:11:38.580 --> 00:11:41.139 we've all turned away from God. That's what's 00:11:41.139 --> 00:11:44.190 wrong with the world today. We are born away 00:11:44.190 --> 00:11:47.970 from God. We're turned away from him. We've left 00:11:47.970 --> 00:11:51.049 following him and what do we do? We start to 00:11:51.049 --> 00:11:53.950 follow our own devices, our own imaginations, 00:11:53.990 --> 00:11:57.529 our own plans. And we don't factor God into the 00:11:57.529 --> 00:12:01.929 equation. So fallen man, there's only self -interest 00:12:01.929 --> 00:12:04.669 in view. That's all he can have. He can't have 00:12:04.669 --> 00:12:08.549 any God interest. It was Augustine and later 00:12:08.549 --> 00:12:11.929 Luther, centuries later, they... coined this 00:12:11.929 --> 00:12:14.009 Latin phrase, and they talked about man being 00:12:14.009 --> 00:12:18.450 curved in on himself. In Latin, it's incurvatus 00:12:18.450 --> 00:12:23.110 in se. Incurvatus, curved, in se, toward oneself. 00:12:23.509 --> 00:12:26.210 You are bent in on yourself, and this is the 00:12:26.210 --> 00:12:28.710 natural way of man. We would say at conversion, 00:12:28.909 --> 00:12:32.789 you're excurvatus ex se. You're bent away from 00:12:32.789 --> 00:12:35.490 yourself and toward God. We have turned inward. 00:12:36.129 --> 00:12:38.960 Not just as every man on the planet. Every woman 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:41.000 on the planet, we're turned away from God, and 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:43.320 we start to focus on our own desires, and man 00:12:43.320 --> 00:12:46.639 desires to be his own master. This is the essence 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:50.299 of sin. This is what it means. The sinner's anthem. 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:52.279 Some of you are probably familiar with this. 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:54.980 There's a famous poem called Invictus. You may 00:12:54.980 --> 00:12:56.279 not remember the poem, but you'll remember these 00:12:56.279 --> 00:12:59.059 lines. In this poem, Invictus, that last stanza, 00:12:59.059 --> 00:13:02.059 it says this. It matters not how straight the 00:13:02.059 --> 00:13:05.440 gate, how charged with punishment the scroll. 00:13:06.220 --> 00:13:10.539 I am the master of my fate. I am the captain 00:13:10.539 --> 00:13:14.159 of my soul. That's what man believes. That's 00:13:14.159 --> 00:13:17.879 what he truly is. Man wants no one to rule over 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:21.779 him except himself. And the false prophets will 00:13:21.779 --> 00:13:24.659 appeal to that all day long. Sinners can take 00:13:24.659 --> 00:13:27.299 God's gifts. They will even take God himself 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:30.039 and somehow they'll twist them and make them 00:13:30.039 --> 00:13:33.440 about themselves. That's how this works. The 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:38.100 gravitational pull of sin. is inward. It's as 00:13:38.100 --> 00:13:41.139 though we are walking black holes. We just suck 00:13:41.139 --> 00:13:43.899 everything in. You're connecting all the dots 00:13:43.899 --> 00:13:47.480 back to you. The sinner makes everything about 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:51.779 himself. And the false teachers, being very clever, 00:13:51.960 --> 00:13:56.080 they appeal to this self -interest. They know 00:13:56.080 --> 00:13:59.679 that man has a desire for gain. Man has a desire 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:03.830 for pleasure. Man has a desire for comfort. Well, 00:14:03.870 --> 00:14:06.370 let me package that and sell it in the name of 00:14:06.370 --> 00:14:10.789 Jesus. Yet the Lord Jesus said, no. He's the 00:14:10.789 --> 00:14:14.590 man of sorrows. He said that narrow gate, it's 00:14:14.590 --> 00:14:18.570 a hard way. It's a difficult way. Oh, it's worth 00:14:18.570 --> 00:14:22.299 it because it leads to life. So the question 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:24.039 we need to ask this morning is how can you and 00:14:24.039 --> 00:14:26.899 I safeguard ourselves against the false teachers 00:14:26.899 --> 00:14:30.480 of Christianity? Again, it would be easy if we're 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:32.720 a couple miles down the road on 141 and we're 00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:35.279 at the Arian church known as the Jehovah's Witnesses 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:38.440 and they deny the deity of Christ. That's an 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:40.879 easy thing to spot. It's low -hanging fruit. 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:44.539 But that's not what we're talking about. So how 00:14:44.539 --> 00:14:47.090 do you spot counterfeit? Well, we're told those 00:14:47.090 --> 00:14:49.549 who deal in counterfeit money, they don't spend 00:14:49.549 --> 00:14:51.330 their time studying counterfeit money. What do 00:14:51.330 --> 00:14:54.230 they spend their time studying? Real authentic 00:14:54.230 --> 00:14:57.450 currency. So I'm going to suggest to you at the 00:14:57.450 --> 00:15:00.750 very beginning, the lion's share of our time 00:15:00.750 --> 00:15:03.830 ought to be spent studying and meditating on 00:15:03.830 --> 00:15:07.269 the truth. Why? Because soon as you know the 00:15:07.269 --> 00:15:09.549 truth, then when something comes that deviates 00:15:09.549 --> 00:15:12.090 from it, you will immediately be able to spot 00:15:12.090 --> 00:15:15.779 it. I don't think it is helpful. To spend inordinate 00:15:15.779 --> 00:15:18.440 amounts of time studying heresies and false teachings. 00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:21.419 Now you need to know some. But I'm talking about 00:15:21.419 --> 00:15:23.120 spending all your time studying what's false. 00:15:23.320 --> 00:15:26.799 No. So acquaint yourself with the truth. You 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:29.639 have it so deeply ingrained it's in your DNA. 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:32.080 That when something comes and it doesn't measure 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:34.340 according to that rod of truth. You immediately 00:15:34.340 --> 00:15:40.000 reject it. J .C. Ryle said this. What is the 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:42.919 best safeguard against false teaching? Beyond 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:46.200 all doubt. The regular study of the word of God 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:49.360 with prayer for the teaching of the Holy Spirit. 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:52.659 Amen. The Bible was given to be a lamp to our 00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:55.679 feet and a light to our path. The man who reads 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:58.919 it aright will never be allowed greatly to err. 00:15:59.460 --> 00:16:02.000 It is neglect of the Bible which makes so many 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:05.179 a prey to the first false teacher whom they hear. 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:10.659 This is why people are rife with appealing to 00:16:10.659 --> 00:16:12.700 false teachers today is because doctrine is not 00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:16.600 taught. We don't have truth being presented. 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:20.940 We have a lot of TED Talks behind a pulpit. And 00:16:20.940 --> 00:16:22.559 that's not going to prepare you to stand against 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:26.100 the evil day. So Jesus says, beware. That means 00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:28.000 pay attention to, and by the way, it's a command. 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:30.379 He says, you better be cautious. You better be 00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:32.679 aware of the danger that is lurking about you. 00:16:33.480 --> 00:16:35.279 But how many of us live our lives like that? 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:38.700 There's danger around us. Most of us don't. But 00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:40.539 he said, this is the duty of every Christian, 00:16:40.620 --> 00:16:42.480 and it is certainly the duty of every church. 00:16:43.210 --> 00:16:46.029 Be on guard that not everyone who looks good 00:16:46.029 --> 00:16:48.889 is good. Not everyone who comes in the name of 00:16:48.889 --> 00:16:52.009 Christ has been sent from Christ. Let's just 00:16:52.009 --> 00:16:54.649 start there. Not everyone who says Jesus really 00:16:54.649 --> 00:16:57.909 means Jesus, the son of God, the divine one sent 00:16:57.909 --> 00:17:01.429 for the salvation of sinners. Now Satan's going 00:17:01.429 --> 00:17:04.309 to be sure that the truth of the gospel does 00:17:04.309 --> 00:17:07.509 not go unchallenged. Absolutely. So that means 00:17:07.509 --> 00:17:10.049 you and I can no longer be naive. Ignorance is 00:17:10.049 --> 00:17:12.390 not our friend. You and I are involved in a spiritual 00:17:12.390 --> 00:17:17.210 war. But as soon as I said spiritual war, some 00:17:17.210 --> 00:17:19.750 of you probably bristled a little bit. Oh, come 00:17:19.750 --> 00:17:22.829 on, Pastor. Spiritual war? I mean, doesn't that 00:17:22.829 --> 00:17:25.089 kind of like sound Star Wars, Star Trek -y? It's 00:17:25.089 --> 00:17:27.609 a little unsophisticated for our modern age. 00:17:28.410 --> 00:17:31.549 I mean, we're too enlightened. We're 21st century 00:17:31.549 --> 00:17:34.910 people. And I will admit it does not sound sophisticated 00:17:34.910 --> 00:17:37.049 and people will mock us for believing that you 00:17:37.049 --> 00:17:40.069 and I are in a war against unseen forces. But 00:17:40.069 --> 00:17:41.630 if I believe the word of God, that's exactly 00:17:41.630 --> 00:17:46.049 what it teaches. Ephesians 6, Paul, the erudite 00:17:46.049 --> 00:17:49.569 scholar, he says, put on the whole armor of God 00:17:49.569 --> 00:17:51.569 that you may be able to stand against the wiles, 00:17:51.630 --> 00:17:56.029 the schemes of the devil. Why? For we do not 00:17:56.029 --> 00:17:58.910 wrestle against flesh and blood, but against 00:17:58.910 --> 00:18:02.349 principalities, powers. the rulers in darkness 00:18:02.349 --> 00:18:05.250 of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness 00:18:05.250 --> 00:18:08.829 in the heavenly places. Therefore, because that 00:18:08.829 --> 00:18:12.849 is true, you better take up the whole armor of 00:18:12.849 --> 00:18:15.509 God so that you may be able to withstand in the 00:18:15.509 --> 00:18:17.849 evil day, having done all to stand. He says, 00:18:17.869 --> 00:18:19.910 listen, if you think this is funny, if you think 00:18:19.910 --> 00:18:21.930 this is just one big cosmic joke, you're going 00:18:21.930 --> 00:18:24.710 to fall and you will fall hard. If you're going 00:18:24.710 --> 00:18:26.230 to take seriously your walk with Christ, you're 00:18:26.230 --> 00:18:28.529 not going to go unopposed. We live in a world 00:18:28.529 --> 00:18:30.750 in which we are under attack and bombarded daily. 00:18:31.589 --> 00:18:34.269 We live in spiritual warfare, which is why we 00:18:34.269 --> 00:18:36.950 need to pray and we need the church and we need 00:18:36.950 --> 00:18:38.769 the ordinance and sacraments of the church and 00:18:38.769 --> 00:18:41.549 we need the prayers of God's people. We need 00:18:41.549 --> 00:18:45.430 the means of grace that God has given. Paul told 00:18:45.430 --> 00:18:48.140 the church, hey, listen, you do not. In 2 Corinthians 00:18:48.140 --> 00:18:51.500 11, he said, or yeah, 2 Corinthians 2, do not 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:54.720 be ignorant of Satan's schemes. Why? Because 00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:57.640 he's going to take advantage of you. That's what 00:18:57.640 --> 00:19:00.380 happens. Now, there's three different types of 00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:01.839 false prophets. We'll go through these quickly. 00:19:02.740 --> 00:19:05.839 There are heretics, there are apostates, and 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:07.339 then there's what we would call false teachers. 00:19:08.180 --> 00:19:10.299 So first of all, heretics. What's a heretic? 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:13.839 Heretics are those who openly reject the word 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:16.519 of God. and teach what is contrary to divine 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:20.119 truth. They're going to come on, deny the virgin 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:23.059 birth. They're like, come on, a virgin conceiving? 00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:25.259 No, that didn't happen. They're denying the supernatural. 00:19:25.619 --> 00:19:28.319 They're heretics. They're going to deny the bodily 00:19:28.319 --> 00:19:30.779 resurrection of Christ. Come on, the dead don't 00:19:30.779 --> 00:19:33.000 rise. They're not going to believe that. That's 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:37.839 a heretic. They deny revealed truth. They're 00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:40.339 heretics. Then you have the apostates. These 00:19:40.339 --> 00:19:43.799 people, they once followed the true faith. They 00:19:43.799 --> 00:19:47.579 were numbered amongst the people of God. But 00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:50.960 they turned away from it. They rejected it. They're 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:54.660 now leading others astray. Today, the modern 00:19:54.660 --> 00:19:56.599 term, you can see it online a lot, is these are 00:19:56.599 --> 00:19:59.579 those who have deconstructed. They no longer 00:19:59.579 --> 00:20:02.740 claim to be a Christian. So they once embraced 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:06.079 the truth, they once held the truth, and now 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:10.660 they openly deny it. They're apostates. Heretics 00:20:10.660 --> 00:20:14.940 and apostates do not represent biblical Christianity. 00:20:16.220 --> 00:20:18.859 But lastly, here's the most deceptive ones. We 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:20.980 come to the false shepherds, the false teachers. 00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:24.220 We can say in our text the false prophets. These 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:27.960 are the deceivers. They claim to be orthodox. 00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:31.299 They give the appearance of truth. So these people 00:20:31.299 --> 00:20:33.779 will speak favorably of Christ. They will talk 00:20:33.779 --> 00:20:36.200 about the cross. They will talk about the Bible, 00:20:36.259 --> 00:20:38.740 the Holy Spirit. They will associate and even 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:42.259 be among true believers. So they're given the 00:20:42.259 --> 00:20:43.960 appearance that they're one of us. They appear 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:46.619 orthodox. They appear fundamental. They appear 00:20:46.619 --> 00:20:49.140 evangelical. So that means they look like a believer. 00:20:49.259 --> 00:20:51.319 They sound like a believer. But they are deceptive 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:57.309 liars. Jude chapter 4. Jude says, listen, certain 00:20:57.309 --> 00:21:01.589 men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were 00:21:01.589 --> 00:21:03.430 marked out for this condemnation. Who are they? 00:21:03.950 --> 00:21:07.789 Ungodly men. But notice what they do. They turn 00:21:07.789 --> 00:21:10.970 the grace of our God into lewdness. They use 00:21:10.970 --> 00:21:14.569 grace as an excuse for sin. And they deny the 00:21:14.569 --> 00:21:16.509 only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. They 00:21:16.509 --> 00:21:19.410 deny him by their works, by the way. Now, in 00:21:19.410 --> 00:21:21.630 our passage, Jesus is speaking to a group of 00:21:21.630 --> 00:21:24.279 people that assembled on that hillside. But who 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:26.640 are the false teachers that Jesus is referencing? 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:29.980 Clearly, without a doubt, it's been in view the 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:33.019 whole time, the scribes and the Pharisees, the 00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:35.920 religious leaders of his day. These men were 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:39.380 claiming to be spokesmen for God. They were the 00:21:39.380 --> 00:21:41.579 self -proclaimed spiritual leaders. They were 00:21:41.579 --> 00:21:43.799 the guides of the blind, the people leading ones 00:21:43.799 --> 00:21:46.819 to God. They looked holy. They sounded holy. 00:21:47.779 --> 00:21:51.140 And Jesus said, oh, they're hypocrites. They 00:21:51.140 --> 00:21:53.279 were whitewashed tombs that looked only good 00:21:53.279 --> 00:21:56.819 on the outside, but inside were just dead. Self 00:21:56.819 --> 00:22:00.059 -serving men. But here's the problem. This is 00:22:00.059 --> 00:22:01.819 what you and I know for the word of God tells 00:22:01.819 --> 00:22:05.640 us this. They loved the praise and acclaim of 00:22:05.640 --> 00:22:08.660 man. In just one chapter back, the same sermon, 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:11.079 Jesus said these men, these religious leaders, 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:13.599 they do their charitable deeds before men to 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:16.119 be seen by them. They were hoping someone would 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:18.059 catch them in the act of praying and then compliment 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:22.200 them. Chapter 6, verse 2. So that they may have 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:26.099 glory from men. They love titles like rabbis. 00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:29.480 They love being called pious and holy. They love 00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:32.720 being invited to the feast. Verse 3, verse 5. 00:22:33.660 --> 00:22:38.500 They did everything to be seen by men. See, they 00:22:38.500 --> 00:22:40.099 looked religious. No one looked more religious 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:43.619 than Pharisees. But Jesus said, no, their true 00:22:43.619 --> 00:22:45.720 motivation was not to receive glory from God. 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:49.250 It was to receive glory from man. They were itching 00:22:49.250 --> 00:22:52.329 for commendation. I just hope someone notices. 00:22:52.930 --> 00:22:55.450 Let me sound a trumpet so that people can take 00:22:55.450 --> 00:22:58.150 notice of how much I'm giving right now. And 00:22:58.150 --> 00:23:01.430 they twisted the word of God and they elevated 00:23:01.430 --> 00:23:05.630 their own man -made traditions higher than the 00:23:05.630 --> 00:23:08.549 word of God. But listen, they didn't make life 00:23:08.549 --> 00:23:10.390 easier. They made it more strict. That was the 00:23:10.390 --> 00:23:14.009 irony here. In Mark chapter 7, Jesus speaking, 00:23:14.150 --> 00:23:16.680 he says, Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes 00:23:16.680 --> 00:23:19.039 came together to him. They came from Jerusalem. 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:22.140 So they came from the headquarters. Now, when 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:24.099 they saw some of the disciples eat bread, that's 00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:26.619 Jesus' disciples, eat bread with the file that 00:23:26.619 --> 00:23:29.440 is unwashed hands, they found fault. So they 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:32.420 were really upset. You know why? These guys just 00:23:32.420 --> 00:23:34.099 took a bite of a sandwich and didn't wash their 00:23:34.099 --> 00:23:36.640 hands first. Now, is there any command that you 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:40.079 must wash your hands? No. Is it a good idea? 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:42.380 Yeah, probably. But these people aren't doing 00:23:42.380 --> 00:23:44.769 it for the right reasons. For the Pharisees and 00:23:44.769 --> 00:23:48.130 all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their 00:23:48.130 --> 00:23:50.910 hands in a special way. Notice the phrase, holding 00:23:50.910 --> 00:23:55.730 to the tradition of the elders. Not God. Now 00:23:55.730 --> 00:23:58.869 when they come from the marketplace, they don't 00:23:58.869 --> 00:24:00.869 eat unless they wash. Why? Because sometimes 00:24:00.869 --> 00:24:02.970 you would interact with the Gentile and Gentiles 00:24:02.970 --> 00:24:04.910 to them were unclean. So we better wash that 00:24:04.910 --> 00:24:07.230 Gentile dust off of us. So when you come back 00:24:07.230 --> 00:24:09.160 from the market. And then he said, there are 00:24:09.160 --> 00:24:11.180 many other things which they have received and 00:24:11.180 --> 00:24:13.920 hold, like the washing of cups and pitchers and 00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:17.839 copper vessels and couches. Then the Pharisees 00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:21.700 and scribes asked him, hey, Jesus, why don't 00:24:21.700 --> 00:24:23.920 your disciples do what we do? Why don't they 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:27.640 walk, notice the phrase again, according to the 00:24:27.640 --> 00:24:30.420 tradition of the elders. But they're over there 00:24:30.420 --> 00:24:31.839 eating bread, and they didn't even wash their 00:24:31.839 --> 00:24:35.099 hands first. And in my mind, I'm thinking, you've 00:24:35.099 --> 00:24:36.240 got to be kidding. Who are they, the hygiene 00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:41.609 police? No, listen. Jesus said, well did Isaiah 00:24:41.609 --> 00:24:47.170 prophesy of you hypocrites. As it is written, 00:24:47.309 --> 00:24:49.150 you honor me with your lips, but their heart 00:24:49.150 --> 00:24:51.950 is far from me. He said, stop it, guys. He can 00:24:51.950 --> 00:24:54.069 see right through their charade here. He said, 00:24:54.089 --> 00:24:56.490 in vain they worship me. Why? Why is vanity? 00:24:56.690 --> 00:24:59.549 Why is worship vanity? They teach as doctrines 00:24:59.549 --> 00:25:03.029 the commandments of men, right? So that's the 00:25:03.029 --> 00:25:05.309 vanity there. You don't get to worship God in 00:25:05.309 --> 00:25:08.539 any way we choose. For laying aside the commandment 00:25:08.539 --> 00:25:12.559 of God, you hold the tradition of men. The Washington 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:15.680 pictures and cups and many other such things. 00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:21.240 He said them all too well. You reject the commandment 00:25:21.240 --> 00:25:24.440 of God in order that you may keep your tradition. 00:25:25.059 --> 00:25:28.930 Verse 13. Thus, making the word of God of no 00:25:28.930 --> 00:25:30.670 effect through your tradition, which you have 00:25:30.670 --> 00:25:33.250 handed down, and many such things you do. And 00:25:33.250 --> 00:25:36.450 friends, this is the absolute denunciation of 00:25:36.450 --> 00:25:40.690 these people. They sounded pious. If you looked 00:25:40.690 --> 00:25:43.509 at them, they looked pious. They sought to act 00:25:43.509 --> 00:25:47.069 pious. They gave. They prayed. They worshipped, 00:25:47.069 --> 00:25:51.609 supposedly. Strictly worshipped. And this is 00:25:51.609 --> 00:25:53.390 how they were able to deceive so many. Jesus 00:25:53.390 --> 00:25:55.490 said, you go and you make a proselyte twice the 00:25:55.490 --> 00:25:59.369 son of hell. These men aren't servants, guys. 00:26:00.230 --> 00:26:02.369 What did Jesus come to serve, right? Not to be 00:26:02.369 --> 00:26:04.230 served, but to give his life as a ransom for 00:26:04.230 --> 00:26:06.390 many. These guys didn't serve. They loved to 00:26:06.390 --> 00:26:08.170 be served. They loved position. They loved status. 00:26:08.329 --> 00:26:11.549 They loved elevation in the community. And Satan 00:26:11.549 --> 00:26:14.690 used their greed and their love of praise to 00:26:14.690 --> 00:26:19.130 blind them to the truth of Christ. Now notice 00:26:19.130 --> 00:26:21.930 the clothing. Jesus uses a great illustration. 00:26:22.410 --> 00:26:24.779 Christians are referred to as sheep. Who belong 00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:26.599 to the flock of God. He said, these guys come 00:26:26.599 --> 00:26:30.119 to you in sheep's clothing. But inside they're 00:26:30.119 --> 00:26:33.059 ravenous wolves. Now the natural enemy to the 00:26:33.059 --> 00:26:37.000 sheep is the wolf. Ferocious, will rip sheep 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:40.279 apart if allowed to. These false prophets, they 00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:43.559 come. Hey, I'm a part of you. I'm one of the 00:26:43.559 --> 00:26:47.960 flock. But inside, secretly, there are wolves 00:26:47.960 --> 00:26:51.680 who want to devour that flock. They don't want 00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:54.440 to. feed the flock of God. They want to feed 00:26:54.440 --> 00:26:58.740 upon the flock of God. And the problem is that 00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:01.099 these false teachers are more dangerous than 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:04.319 actual wolves. Oh yeah, a real wolf can hurt 00:27:04.319 --> 00:27:05.839 you physically. He could even take your life. 00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:08.299 But through deception, these false prophets lead 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:12.539 you to hell. Eternal run. They're going to use 00:27:12.539 --> 00:27:14.099 God's name. They're going to quote scriptures. 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:16.200 They're going to preach messages. But these messages 00:27:16.200 --> 00:27:19.220 will appeal to the flesh and they're going to 00:27:19.789 --> 00:27:22.230 actually seek to devour the very flock they're 00:27:22.230 --> 00:27:24.450 claiming to serve. This is why it's so dangerous. 00:27:24.509 --> 00:27:27.049 We live in a dangerous age. Now, if we know who 00:27:27.049 --> 00:27:29.450 our enemy is, it is much easier to be prepared. 00:27:29.690 --> 00:27:32.069 But the problem, what happens when the enemy 00:27:32.069 --> 00:27:34.849 comes looking like your friend? Remember in the 00:27:34.849 --> 00:27:38.009 Vietnam War, Vietnam conflict? That was one of 00:27:38.009 --> 00:27:39.890 the problems people had. You had the North Vietnamese 00:27:39.890 --> 00:27:41.769 and the South Vietnamese, and they looked exactly 00:27:41.769 --> 00:27:44.829 alike, which made it much more difficult to know 00:27:44.829 --> 00:27:47.970 who the real enemy was. See, false teachers, 00:27:48.109 --> 00:27:50.269 guys, false prophets are not going to come into 00:27:50.269 --> 00:27:53.349 the church and openly deny a core tenet of the 00:27:53.349 --> 00:27:56.049 faith. They're much too savvy for that. They 00:27:56.049 --> 00:27:59.329 won't do that. They will not deny out loud. In 00:27:59.329 --> 00:28:01.710 their heart, they may. They're not going to deny 00:28:01.710 --> 00:28:04.190 the deity of Christ or the virgin birth or salvation 00:28:04.190 --> 00:28:08.269 alone by grace alone through faith alone. But, 00:28:08.369 --> 00:28:11.950 listen, they will ignore those teachings. They're 00:28:11.950 --> 00:28:14.839 not going to preach on those things. They do 00:28:14.839 --> 00:28:17.640 not preach the whole counsel of God's word. They're 00:28:17.640 --> 00:28:19.160 going to cherry pick. They're going to pick and 00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:23.019 choose selective tasks, selective texts. They 00:28:23.019 --> 00:28:28.579 want to tickle ears. Why? They appear nice, charismatic 00:28:28.579 --> 00:28:32.440 guys, winsome guys. And the whole time they're 00:28:32.440 --> 00:28:35.119 drawing people toward themselves and drawing 00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:36.920 people toward themselves or drawing people away 00:28:36.920 --> 00:28:40.940 from Christ. Many times, this happens especially 00:28:40.940 --> 00:28:43.460 in our day, in our country, many of them are 00:28:43.460 --> 00:28:45.559 involved in Christian service for financial gain. 00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:49.460 That's all they do. They are merchants of Christ. 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:52.319 They peddle Christ. They sell him. When Paul 00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:54.460 was writing to Titus about false teachers, here's 00:28:54.460 --> 00:28:57.279 what he said. Whose mouths must be stopped, who 00:28:57.279 --> 00:28:59.559 subvert whole household, teaching things they 00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:02.420 ought not. Why do they do it? For the sake of 00:29:02.420 --> 00:29:05.759 dishonest gain. There's financial profit there. 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:10.099 This is sad. So many who claim to be Christian 00:29:10.099 --> 00:29:13.960 teachers, they make huge profits, live luxuriously. 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:20.859 How? Off of God's naive sheep. They have multiple 00:29:20.859 --> 00:29:23.380 mansions, luxury cars, private jets, and when 00:29:23.380 --> 00:29:25.039 they ask them about it, they're like, oh, that's 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:27.420 a sign of God's blessing. See, I must be preaching 00:29:27.420 --> 00:29:29.920 the truth. Look how God has blessed me. He wouldn't 00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:34.099 bless a sinner. And man's like, that's right. 00:29:34.339 --> 00:29:37.519 That is a sign of God's blessing. But true servants 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:40.559 don't peddle Christ. They preach Christ. They 00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:43.640 proclaim him as Lord and Savior. Why? Because 00:29:43.640 --> 00:29:46.119 we are not in need of his blessings. We are in 00:29:46.119 --> 00:29:50.900 need of his grace, being desperate sinners. So 00:29:50.900 --> 00:29:54.279 these false teachers, many live in luxury. But 00:29:54.279 --> 00:29:56.859 listen, there's an opposite spectrum. On the 00:29:56.859 --> 00:29:59.059 other hand, there are some who will take vows 00:29:59.059 --> 00:30:02.480 of poverty in order to faithfully serve Christ. 00:30:03.700 --> 00:30:07.660 Now some of them, I'm not saying all, Some of 00:30:07.660 --> 00:30:10.400 them become proud of their poverty. And they 00:30:10.400 --> 00:30:13.700 take pride in their ascetic lifestyle because 00:30:13.700 --> 00:30:17.539 somehow this earns them merit before God. But 00:30:17.539 --> 00:30:19.599 Paul, he denounced those who were in ministry 00:30:19.599 --> 00:30:21.809 for financial gain. But then over here to the 00:30:21.809 --> 00:30:23.890 Colossian churches, he said, listen, guys, stop 00:30:23.890 --> 00:30:26.069 it. Don't allow those people who just think because 00:30:26.069 --> 00:30:28.410 they can deny the body that they think that's 00:30:28.410 --> 00:30:31.569 impressive to God. Colossians 2. He says, therefore, 00:30:31.690 --> 00:30:34.509 if you died with Christ from the basic principles 00:30:34.509 --> 00:30:36.910 of the world, why, as though living the world, 00:30:36.970 --> 00:30:38.950 do you subject yourselves to regulations? What 00:30:38.950 --> 00:30:42.089 are they? Don't touch, don't taste, don't handle, 00:30:42.250 --> 00:30:45.630 which all concern things which perish with using, 00:30:45.829 --> 00:30:48.230 according to the commandments and doctrine of 00:30:48.230 --> 00:30:52.829 men. Now notice this last phrase. They do have 00:30:52.829 --> 00:30:57.309 an appearance of wisdom. They look good in self 00:30:57.309 --> 00:31:00.289 -imposed religion. This isn't command from God. 00:31:00.950 --> 00:31:02.829 You're not commanded to abstain from meat on 00:31:02.829 --> 00:31:04.170 a certain day of the week during a certain period 00:31:04.170 --> 00:31:09.650 of the year. False humility. Neglect of the body. 00:31:10.670 --> 00:31:13.269 But they're no value at all against the indulgence 00:31:13.269 --> 00:31:15.809 of the flesh. They don't help you because you 00:31:15.809 --> 00:31:19.119 can become proud of how strict you are. So what 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:23.859 do you do? You behold Christ. What is sad is 00:31:23.859 --> 00:31:25.480 that so many of these people, they're deceived, 00:31:25.640 --> 00:31:28.240 believing that they're serving God by what I'm 00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:30.599 doing. I'm living so very strictly. I'm living 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:35.920 so very tightly for God. They're deceived. And 00:31:35.920 --> 00:31:37.920 then you have some of the charlatans who know 00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:40.339 they're fleecing the sheep. They're just doing 00:31:40.339 --> 00:31:42.440 it because they can get rich off of you. Now 00:31:42.440 --> 00:31:44.400 if the situation is so dangerous and the outcome 00:31:44.400 --> 00:31:47.539 is so desire, heaven versus hell, We better be 00:31:47.539 --> 00:31:49.660 able to tell who's who. Jesus said, you will. 00:31:50.500 --> 00:31:53.599 A tree is known by what it produces, right? How 00:31:53.599 --> 00:31:55.859 do you know it's an apple tree? There's apples. 00:31:56.460 --> 00:31:57.880 How do you know it's a lemon tree? Well, there's 00:31:57.880 --> 00:32:01.500 lemons. Likewise, how do you know it is a servant 00:32:01.500 --> 00:32:04.839 of Christ? It will not be because how attractive 00:32:04.839 --> 00:32:08.519 he is or how winsome he may speak, but look at 00:32:08.519 --> 00:32:11.579 the fruit of his life. You better know these 00:32:11.579 --> 00:32:14.569 people. For instance, if you ever have to call 00:32:14.569 --> 00:32:16.710 another pastor, you better know what he's like 00:32:16.710 --> 00:32:19.430 before you call him. Look at the character of 00:32:19.430 --> 00:32:21.690 his life. And the fruit that's speaking here 00:32:21.690 --> 00:32:23.849 is a fruit of their actions, their character, 00:32:23.930 --> 00:32:25.750 their obedience to God, the way they rule their 00:32:25.750 --> 00:32:30.410 house. We know when Paul is laying down criteria 00:32:30.410 --> 00:32:33.369 for bishops. It's the same word. There's bishops, 00:32:33.430 --> 00:32:35.450 elders, and pastors. All three refer to the same 00:32:35.450 --> 00:32:39.309 office. Presbyteros, episkopos, and then poinos. 00:32:39.839 --> 00:32:41.880 So, point main, all those concerned in the same 00:32:41.880 --> 00:32:43.640 office here. But with laying down qualifications, 00:32:43.960 --> 00:32:46.200 1 Timothy 3, notice how he said this is how you 00:32:46.200 --> 00:32:48.680 evaluate him. Look at what Paul's looking at. 00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:54.200 Character. A bishop must be blameless, the husband 00:32:54.200 --> 00:32:58.000 of one wife, temperate, sober -minded, good behavior, 00:32:58.220 --> 00:33:01.160 hospitable. Now, he must be able to teach. Not 00:33:01.160 --> 00:33:05.180 given to wine. He can't be a drunkard. Not violent. 00:33:05.859 --> 00:33:10.650 Can't be greedy for money. Gentle. not quarrelsome, 00:33:10.730 --> 00:33:13.990 not covetous. He rules his own house well, having 00:33:13.990 --> 00:33:15.970 his children in submission with all reverence. 00:33:17.109 --> 00:33:19.049 Moreover, and that's by the way, I have little 00:33:19.049 --> 00:33:21.369 children. Here I have four of them. You all need 00:33:21.369 --> 00:33:23.230 to look and see if my children become insubordinate 00:33:23.230 --> 00:33:24.769 and absolutely out of control. You ought to remove 00:33:24.769 --> 00:33:26.869 me from this office. Now listen, they're going 00:33:26.869 --> 00:33:28.210 to run after church and if you're saying, hey, 00:33:28.210 --> 00:33:29.970 they're running, listen, that's not what we're 00:33:29.970 --> 00:33:32.190 talking about here. They will be running. I get 00:33:32.190 --> 00:33:33.730 on them. They're still going to run. They're 00:33:33.730 --> 00:33:37.980 kids. So they're not going to be perfect. But 00:33:37.980 --> 00:33:39.980 if they are insubordinate and I don't have control 00:33:39.980 --> 00:33:42.359 over my house and I'm being serious, I or Kyle, 00:33:42.480 --> 00:33:45.420 get us out. Take us out. That's what Paul said. 00:33:45.960 --> 00:33:47.920 Moreover, he must have a good testimony among 00:33:47.920 --> 00:33:49.720 the outside. If people outside in the community 00:33:49.720 --> 00:33:51.619 say, man, that guy is a shard, that guy rips 00:33:51.619 --> 00:33:55.160 us off, that guy doesn't pay anything, he deceives 00:33:55.160 --> 00:33:56.700 everyone, he takes advantage of everyone, get 00:33:56.700 --> 00:33:59.900 me out. Why? Lest you fall under approach and 00:33:59.900 --> 00:34:02.240 the snare of the devil. What did Paul focus on 00:34:02.240 --> 00:34:06.299 there? Character. That's what God's word, that's 00:34:06.299 --> 00:34:08.800 what is important to God. See, it's easy to look 00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:10.500 at a decaying, rotten old tree and say, well, 00:34:10.500 --> 00:34:13.400 that's a bad tree. That's not what Jesus is talking 00:34:13.400 --> 00:34:15.239 about. What about the tree that looks healthy 00:34:15.239 --> 00:34:17.920 and strong but has no fruit? That's a bad tree. 00:34:18.280 --> 00:34:20.320 What about the tree that looks healthy and strong 00:34:20.320 --> 00:34:22.659 but has bitter fruit or even poisonous fruit? 00:34:22.920 --> 00:34:26.159 That's a bad tree. Jesus said this is easy. If 00:34:26.159 --> 00:34:27.699 you see grapes, you know they're on a grapevine. 00:34:27.780 --> 00:34:29.739 They're not coming from a thorn bush. If you 00:34:29.739 --> 00:34:31.320 see figs, you know it came from a fig tree. It 00:34:31.320 --> 00:34:34.059 didn't come from thistles. And he says, the lives 00:34:34.059 --> 00:34:36.960 of false prophets cannot produce a godly fruit. 00:34:38.539 --> 00:34:41.920 They'll hide for a while. They can. But eventually, 00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:45.440 what's in here gets revealed out here. It always 00:34:45.440 --> 00:34:48.239 does. Do you remember when John the Baptist, 00:34:48.420 --> 00:34:50.440 and I'm trying to hurry up here. John the Baptist, 00:34:50.500 --> 00:34:52.159 when he's talking to the scribes and Pharisees, 00:34:52.159 --> 00:34:54.539 he said, you need to bring forth fruit in keeping 00:34:54.539 --> 00:34:57.780 with repentance. What did that mean? What he 00:34:57.780 --> 00:34:59.659 meant was your actions, not your words, will 00:34:59.659 --> 00:35:01.929 show if you really repented. He said, I don't 00:35:01.929 --> 00:35:02.969 care what you say, I want to see what you're 00:35:02.969 --> 00:35:05.909 doing. That shows your repentance. So how do 00:35:05.909 --> 00:35:08.030 you discern a false prophet? What do they teach? 00:35:08.809 --> 00:35:11.590 So first of all, listen, if he's teaching error, 00:35:11.670 --> 00:35:14.070 he's false. So do they teach the full counsel 00:35:14.070 --> 00:35:17.090 of God's word? Do they hold to an orthodox confession? 00:35:17.349 --> 00:35:19.130 This is why I'm a big fan of confessional Christianity. 00:35:19.449 --> 00:35:21.289 We have confessional statements. Can they agree 00:35:21.289 --> 00:35:25.590 to that? Do they preach the true gospel? Are 00:35:25.590 --> 00:35:28.030 their sermons centered on Christ or do they make 00:35:28.030 --> 00:35:30.940 it about you? False teachers make everything 00:35:30.940 --> 00:35:33.900 about you because sinners love that. How do they 00:35:33.900 --> 00:35:36.539 live? Are they serious? Take what they're doing 00:35:36.539 --> 00:35:39.980 seriously? Are they humble? And again, no one 00:35:39.980 --> 00:35:41.519 does this perfectly. You're saying, Pastor Ryan, 00:35:41.539 --> 00:35:43.900 you can be arrogant. Yes, God help me there. 00:35:44.280 --> 00:35:49.059 Self -controlled? Do they live modestly? Are 00:35:49.059 --> 00:35:52.460 they always wanting to talk about money and wealth 00:35:52.460 --> 00:35:56.519 and influence? Do they see those signs as a source 00:35:56.519 --> 00:36:00.920 of God's blessing? What is the result? Are people, 00:36:01.019 --> 00:36:02.739 and this is I think the key, are people made 00:36:02.739 --> 00:36:05.000 to be more disciples of Christ or are they making 00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:08.559 them disciples of themselves? Some people elevate 00:36:08.559 --> 00:36:11.579 themselves way too much. They want to have control 00:36:11.579 --> 00:36:13.719 over your life. Friends, I am not your priest. 00:36:14.059 --> 00:36:16.059 I am not your prophet. I can't tell you what 00:36:16.059 --> 00:36:18.559 to do. I am here as one who proclaims the word 00:36:18.559 --> 00:36:22.000 of God, period. Martin Lloyd -Jones spoke about 00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:25.409 this. He was a British doctor, was rising in 00:36:25.409 --> 00:36:27.650 the ranks there in London, had all the world 00:36:27.650 --> 00:36:30.650 before him. And he actually saw a man lose someone 00:36:30.650 --> 00:36:32.030 who's very carefully to him. And he said, that 00:36:32.030 --> 00:36:33.809 man sat there despondent, looking to the fire 00:36:33.809 --> 00:36:35.730 for two hours. And he said, it changed my life. 00:36:35.750 --> 00:36:37.389 And he left medicine to go into the ministry. 00:36:37.570 --> 00:36:39.690 That's Martyn Lloyd -Jones here. Became a very 00:36:39.690 --> 00:36:42.250 famous British pastor. He said, a Christian can 00:36:42.250 --> 00:36:44.679 generally be known by its very appearance. The 00:36:44.679 --> 00:36:46.920 man who believes in the holiness of God and who 00:36:46.920 --> 00:36:48.880 knows his own sinfulness and the blackness of 00:36:48.880 --> 00:36:51.019 his own heart, the man who believes in the judgment 00:36:51.019 --> 00:36:53.679 of God and the real possibility of hell and torment, 00:36:53.860 --> 00:36:56.460 the man who really believes that he himself is 00:36:56.460 --> 00:36:59.000 so vile and helpless that nothing but the coming 00:36:59.000 --> 00:37:01.139 of the Son of God from heaven to earth and his 00:37:01.139 --> 00:37:03.099 going to the bitter shame and agony and cruelty 00:37:03.099 --> 00:37:05.440 of the cross could ever save him and reconcile 00:37:05.440 --> 00:37:08.280 him to God, this man is going to show all that 00:37:08.280 --> 00:37:11.460 in his personality. He is a man who is bound 00:37:11.460 --> 00:37:13.559 to give the impression of meekness. He is bound 00:37:13.559 --> 00:37:15.960 to be humble. Our Lord reminds us here that if 00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:19.019 man is not humble, be wary of him. He can put 00:37:19.019 --> 00:37:21.280 on a kind of sheep's clothing, but that's not 00:37:21.280 --> 00:37:23.780 true humility. That's not true meekness. And 00:37:23.780 --> 00:37:25.860 if a man's doctrine is wrong, it will generally 00:37:25.860 --> 00:37:28.280 show itself at this point. He will be affable 00:37:28.280 --> 00:37:30.599 and pleasant. He will appeal to the natural man 00:37:30.599 --> 00:37:32.219 and the things that are physical and carnal, 00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:34.420 but he will not give the impression of being 00:37:34.420 --> 00:37:37.000 a man who has seen himself as a hell -bound sinner 00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:39.039 and who has been saved by the grace of God alone. 00:37:40.299 --> 00:37:43.880 Amen, Dr. Jones. False teachers, they're not 00:37:43.880 --> 00:37:45.880 going to preach the depravity of man. They're 00:37:45.880 --> 00:37:47.860 not going to preach repentance from sin. They 00:37:47.860 --> 00:37:49.840 don't preach the terms that the Lord Jesus laid 00:37:49.840 --> 00:37:52.099 down in discipleship, which include taking up 00:37:52.099 --> 00:37:54.400 your cross and being willing to follow him, even 00:37:54.400 --> 00:37:57.500 in suffering if need be. They're going to preach 00:37:57.500 --> 00:38:01.500 an easy road, an easy path, wide gate, broad 00:38:01.500 --> 00:38:04.420 way. They preach that you can have heaven on 00:38:04.420 --> 00:38:08.789 earth now. Arthur Pink says, any preacher who 00:38:08.789 --> 00:38:11.469 rejects God's law, who denies repentance to be 00:38:11.469 --> 00:38:13.070 a condition of salvation, and there are some 00:38:13.070 --> 00:38:16.369 here today in our land, in our county, who deny 00:38:16.369 --> 00:38:19.750 repentance, who assures the giddy and godless 00:38:19.750 --> 00:38:22.110 that they are loved by God, who declares that 00:38:22.110 --> 00:38:23.949 saving faith is nothing more than an act of the 00:38:23.949 --> 00:38:25.969 will, which every person has the power to perform, 00:38:26.190 --> 00:38:28.909 that man is a false prophet and should be shunned 00:38:28.909 --> 00:38:33.250 as a deadly plague. Wow. So what's the conclusion? 00:38:33.449 --> 00:38:35.969 Look at the last verse. Well, look at verse 19. 00:38:36.050 --> 00:38:39.150 I went to verse 20. Go back to verse 19. Every 00:38:39.150 --> 00:38:41.250 tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down 00:38:41.250 --> 00:38:44.429 and thrown into the fire. It's judgment time. 00:38:45.230 --> 00:38:47.929 The stakes could not be higher. Friends, God 00:38:47.929 --> 00:38:50.670 will hold men accountable. Those who have misled 00:38:50.670 --> 00:38:52.550 others will face the fierce judgment of God, 00:38:52.690 --> 00:38:54.690 which is why James says, don't be many teachers 00:38:54.690 --> 00:38:56.510 for you will receive the greater condemnation. 00:38:57.190 --> 00:38:59.289 God is not indifferent to what is taught into 00:38:59.289 --> 00:39:01.250 his people. He's not indifferent to what is being 00:39:01.250 --> 00:39:03.829 taught in his church. Corruption is taken very 00:39:03.829 --> 00:39:06.909 seriously. What's the point of a fruit tree that 00:39:06.909 --> 00:39:09.210 bears no fruit? It's just taking up space, cut 00:39:09.210 --> 00:39:12.550 it down and burn it. Jesus already told us, wide 00:39:12.550 --> 00:39:17.489 gate, easy road leads to destruction. They are 00:39:17.489 --> 00:39:21.710 so deceived and blinded by Satan. These men can't 00:39:21.710 --> 00:39:24.050 even perceive that they're on that way that is 00:39:24.050 --> 00:39:29.079 headed for hell. may allow false teachers to 00:39:29.079 --> 00:39:31.880 rise within the church for a season. He will, 00:39:31.980 --> 00:39:35.480 but not forever. See, friends, this is the truth 00:39:35.480 --> 00:39:37.840 of Scripture, and it's all throughout. Judgment 00:39:37.840 --> 00:39:40.760 Day is coming when all will be revealed. All 00:39:40.760 --> 00:39:43.900 the false teachers are going to be unmasked. 00:39:44.099 --> 00:39:46.159 They will be exposed for what they truly are. 00:39:47.199 --> 00:39:49.360 So knowing the stakes are so high, you and I, 00:39:49.400 --> 00:39:51.599 friend, today our call is to be more discerning. 00:39:52.460 --> 00:39:54.699 Be on guard in the pulpit. Be on guard in the 00:39:54.699 --> 00:39:57.380 pew. Examine carefully those who have influence 00:39:57.380 --> 00:40:00.500 in the church. Don't just allow anyone there. 00:40:00.699 --> 00:40:04.420 Be vigilant to guard against error. How do you 00:40:04.420 --> 00:40:09.940 do so? Love the truth. I close with this. Don't 00:40:09.940 --> 00:40:13.440 be gullible where you believe everything. Don't 00:40:13.440 --> 00:40:15.380 become so cynical and jaded that you believe 00:40:15.380 --> 00:40:18.960 nothing, but become discerning where you test 00:40:18.960 --> 00:40:22.489 all things by the word of God. Bad teaching, 00:40:22.610 --> 00:40:26.550 that'll lead to bad living. Jesus said, by your 00:40:26.550 --> 00:40:29.469 fruit you'll know them. Jim Boyce, that great 00:40:29.469 --> 00:40:32.750 preacher in Philadelphia, he said, true teaching 00:40:32.750 --> 00:40:36.349 involves realities of men's depravity and sin, 00:40:36.570 --> 00:40:40.289 God's wrath and coming judgment, the need for 00:40:40.289 --> 00:40:44.210 repentance, and the answer to man's sin in Christ's 00:40:44.210 --> 00:40:47.530 vicarious atonement. Any teaching that omits 00:40:47.530 --> 00:40:50.329 these truths or these elements is erroneous. 00:40:51.420 --> 00:40:54.539 Hold fast, church. Hold fast the pattern of sound 00:40:54.539 --> 00:40:57.079 words which you have heard from me, Paul said, 00:40:57.179 --> 00:40:59.320 in faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. 00:40:59.980 --> 00:41:01.980 Hold to this apostolic doctrine that was given 00:41:01.980 --> 00:41:04.099 and has been passed down. Don't let it go. You 00:41:04.099 --> 00:41:06.420 fight for your life and you absolutely stand 00:41:06.420 --> 00:41:09.219 on the truth of this. If any man, doesn't matter 00:41:09.219 --> 00:41:11.039 how good he looks and he comes and he's saying 00:41:11.039 --> 00:41:12.960 anything other than those things, you get him 00:41:12.960 --> 00:41:14.460 and remove him and don't allow him to have any 00:41:14.460 --> 00:41:17.559 influence whatsoever. This is the call of God's 00:41:17.559 --> 00:41:21.179 church to God's people. Let's pray. Father, I 00:41:21.179 --> 00:41:23.900 thank you this morning, Lord. God, help us, Lord 00:41:23.900 --> 00:41:24.019 God.