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Scripture for the day: Matthew 7:15-20 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
Thought for the day: Jesus knew what was coming for the disciples. He’d been there before; he’d seen it all before. Once He was gone to the Father, false prophets would begin to infest the kingdom, just as they’d done since the early days of Israel. He knew the disciples would succumb to these false prophets unless they kept securely on their guard. And so, the warning: “Beware the false prophets, they’re like wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
So, how do I recognize this false prophet in sheep’s clothing when I see him (or her)? The false prophet will almost always sound good, presenting a feel-good, all is well, religion that emphasizes comfort, health and wealth as the result of following Jesus. With the false prophet there is no narrow gate, no narrow way, no emphasis on doing right as a result of being right. The false prophet, and his message, are always attractive, always pleasant, always comforting and always comfortable. He is always pleasant to listen to because he tells me what I most want to hear; there is never an “ouch” moment in the message. Jeremiah 8:11 says, “They have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.”
The false prophet never quite gets to the truth. There’s often no judgment, no holiness before the Lord, no righteousness, and certainly no justice. The false prophet never talks about sin and its consequences. Heaven forbid that the sinful nature of mankind ever be discussed; don’t tell us about being utterly hopeless and helplessly lost, of being “dead in trespasses and sins.”
Oh, don’t misunderstand, Jesus is very popular, but not for what He did for us on the cross. The popularity of Jesus comes from the idea that He’s like our best friend who stands with us no matter what we’ve done (He is, but there’s so much more). Never, from the false prophet, do we hear the words, “We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God.” The cross of Christ wasn’t just an act of love, it was a judicial act of atonement as well. The price of our rebellion was paid and the law was satisfied.
With the false prophet we don’t hear much about repentance. There’s no need to mourn, to hunger, or to thirst. There’s no need for poverty of the spirit or humility; after all, God loves us just the way we are. Well, He does, but that love compels Him to confront us with our sin, with the truth that without repentance and a turning to Him, we can do nothing for our own good or that of anyone else.
Wait! Bill, do you really think a loving God actually meant all that “wages of sin” stuff? Don’t you think that whole “straight and narrow” story was just something meant to nudge others back into line? After all, God loves us and He knows our weaknesses and our needs. God loves you and He wants you to be happy. Hogwash! He wants us to be right, and when we’ve gotten right, then we’ll be happy.
The Word of God says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Then we’re told “the wages of sin is death;” spiritual death and separation from God for eternity. And the only way we avoid that eternal separation is by way of the cross.
Now go take on your world. - Bill