Dangerous Guides | Matthew 7:15-20

Scripture

• Matthew 7:15–20

About this sermon

Introduction: The proclamation of the Word of God could not be more consequential. Our Lord comes to the end of the sermon on the mount, and He calls for decision. As we said last time — what He does with THIS sermon is true for ALL sermons. We cannot meet with the Word of God and not be called to decision. OBEDIENCE is a decision. And, at the end of the day, all these decisions point to ONE GREAT DECISION. Which gate have we entered? Which pathway are we on? Which destination is our destination? Which crowd are we traveling with? Is Jesus truly our Lord? Are we truly His disciples? And now, in our verses for this morning, we see it described in yet another way. WHICH GUIDES DO WE LISTEN TO? The apostle John puts us to the test in exactly that way. DO WE LISTEN TO THOSE WHO REPRESENT APOSTOLIC DOCTRINE? ESV 1 John 4:6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. People of the truth listen to those who represent the truth. People who are not of the truth refuse to listen to those who represent the truth. OR, TO LOOK AT THIS IN KEEPING WITH THE ANALOGY THAT PRECEDES THESE VERSES — STANDING RIGHT AT THE POINT OF SPIRITUAL DECISION ARE DANGEROUS GUIDES WHO ARE USED BY SATAN TO STEER PEOPLE THROUGH THE WIDE GATE, ON TO THE BROAD PATH, THAT WILL END IN THEIR SPIRITUAL DESTRUCTION. What does our Lord say to us about those dangerous guides? This morning we consider three realities that our Lord gives concerning dangerous guides. • THE DANGER OF FALSE PROPHETS (vs.15) The first reality is that they are, indeed, dangerous. They exist. They have always existed. They will always exist, and we must never take these people lightly. Verse 15 opens with a command to be on the alert. It is the present active imperative second person plural form of προσέχω. Christ gives this command in the context of calling for decision. Here you stand at a point of decision, “Christ wants you to recognize that there will always be SOMEONE ready to assure you and affirm you as you find the RIGHT CHOICE to be a DIFFICULT CHOICE, and WANT TO TURN AWAY FROM IT. There will be someone ready to tell you that you are entering the right gate, onto the right road, with the right crowd, when in fact you are making a disastrous choice. The Lord Jesus never presented the way of righteousness as an easy decision. It is costly, though it is free. So, the narrowness of the gate is already offensive to the flesh. The difficulty of the pathway is already disturbing to the flesh. Now, realize that there are dangerous men ready to affirm your hesitancy, your fleshly avoidance, with respect to the truth. These dangerous men preach a message — they are prophets. They claim to represent the true God — they are FALSE prophets. But, in fact, they are the mouthpieces of the devil. They preach a message that greases the way into hell. They represent the wide gate, and the easy way. Notice how our Lord describes them. • FALSE PROPHETS COME YOUR WAY They come to you. There they are as you travel the path to decision. You are not necessarily looking for them. You are not necessarily trying to find them. They are looking for you. They find you. They promise to be guides. They promise to know the truth. But, in fact, they are very dangerous. • FALSE PROPHETS CLAIM TO BE SHEPHERDS There is debate about whether we are to understand this figuratively or literally. If we understand it figuratively, then they come appearing to be sheep. If we understand it literally, then Christ is saying that they come in the garments of a shepherd. Either way we arrive at the same place. These are men who give the appearance of being disciples of Jesus Christ, and spokesmen for God. Do not simply bypass this. False prophets do not wear badges. NOTICE THAT THE CONTRAST IS BETWEEN WHAT THEY ARE OUTWARDLY VERSUS WHAT THEY ARE INWARDLY. There is nothing, necessarily, at the point of APPEARANCE that would alarm you. False prophets can be nice. False prophets can be attractive. False prophets can give the appearance of gentleness. False prophets can have a magnetic personality. THEY ARE NOT IDENTIFIED BY HOW THEY APPEAR AT FIRST GLANCE. • FALSE PROPHETS ARE RAVENOUS WOLVES But what they are INWARDLY is the issue. They are not Christ’s disciples. They do not have the Holy Spirit. They are not full of the love of God. They do not grasp the truth. They are proud, vicious, selfish, and destructive, at the heart level. Our Lord might have had Ezekiel 22 in mind when He said this.