REVIEW
FLIP CHART: SOM’S KEY VERSE, GOAL, MOTTO
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness ….” (Mt. 6:33a).
The law sends us to Christ for justification; Christ sends us back to the law for sanctification.
FLIP CHART: Show new “Perfect Righteousness” chart explaining steps to coming to Christ (As a worm, mourning, meek, spiritual hunger/thirst with the result of legal righteousness). Explain: moral righteousness, immediate moral change at conversion, gradual change through life’s challenges and speeding up moral change via CCRC (Concentration, Choice, Reflection and Confession/Thanksgiving). Key verse, “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14).
FLIP CHART: John Stott’s outline of SOM.
TEACHING GOAL: To help the church spot false teachers, false prophets.
To finish up his sermon, Jesus gives four powerful illustrations, all with a goal to pressing his listeners for a decision. All of the illustrations have within them a dire warning: destruction, fire, rejection, destruction.
Mt. 7:13-14 crystallizes our choices concerning the Sermon on the Mount, the previous 2 ½ chapters.
INTRODUCTION:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. (Mt. 7:15-20)
REVIEW: . . . . ”SO WHATS?” From previous lesson.
1. Because most people do not prefer the truth and because in one sense it is not easy to get through the narrow gate, we need true teachers and leaders to point the way.
2. False prophets plagued the New Testament church, plagued the church through history and are with us today.
3. We must pay close attention to warnings our Lord gives us. He plainly warns us to beware of, be vigilant concerning false teachers. Are we vigilant?
4. We can not be passive and easy going, complaisant and laid back about the warning about false prophets because these people are very difficult to spot.
5. Just because a person seems harmless and gives a positive appearance does not mean he is not a false prophet.
6. Our Lord gives us some keys to detecting false prophets, keys that we need to use.
OUTLINE:
1. Warning Against False Prophets
2. Spotting a False Prophet
3. Character of a False Prophet
4. Spotting False Teaching
5. The Gospel of Gaps
6. The Five “Solas” of the Reformation
SPOTTING FALSE PROPHETS – (B) THE CHARACTER TEST
III. CHARACTER OF A FALSE PROPHET / TEACHER
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.
Remember: We are not to be censorious, fault-finding, hyper-critical, judgmental but we are to make judgment calls about false prophets. We are commanded to judge whether a person is or is not a false prophet.
When evaluating a fruit tree you check the good and keep your eye open for the bad. Here our Lord starts by helping us spot bad fruit using the wolf analogy.
QUESTION: What are the characteristics of a wolf?
Tricky, treacherous, subtle, sly, cunning, savage, ravenous, vicious, cruel, predatory, exceedingly greedy.
ILL: The Fairy Tale “Little Red Riding Hood.” LRRH is taking food to grandmother’s house. Meets wolf who disguises himself. Wolf encourages LRRH to pick flowers. She gets off the trail and while distracted picking flowers, wolf goes to grandma’s house and eats her up. Then the wolf gets in bed. When LRRH arrives later in the evening she sees the wolf who is posing as the grandmother and says: What big ears you have. (The better to hear you with.) What big eyes you have. (The better to see you with.) What big hands you have. (The better to hold you with.) What a big mouth you have. (The better to eat you with.) Then the wolf eats LRRH. The wolf is tired, climbs back in bed, sleeps and snores. A hunter returning home hears the snores, finds the wolf and perceives that the grandmother has been eaten. He uses scissors to open the wolf’s stomach and presto LRRH and the grandmother escape. All are tired so they have a cup of tea. Then they fill the wolf’s stomach with rocks so that he won’t pester grandmothers and little girls anymore.
GREEDY
Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. (Ezekiel 22:27)
. . . . her prophets tell fortunes for money. (Micah 3:11)
Her officials are roaring lions, her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. (Zephaniah 3:3)
I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:29-30)
In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up . . . . (II Peter2:3)
The word “ferocious” in the Greek is harpax which is also translated swindler or extortioner four times in the NT. I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers (harpax), or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. (I Corinthians 5:9-10)
There is no question that wolf, at least as portrayed in the Bible and in Fairy Tales, is all about self-interest. The wolf is not portrayed as an animal that cares for others.
We talk about a person being as greedy as a pig but we also tell a person not to “wolf it all down” like a glutton, thinking only of himself.
A false prophet is a shepherd’s worse nightmare because he would destroy the flock for his own benefit. The wolf and the false prophet are all about self-interest.
“The basic fault of the false prophet is self-interest. The true shepherd cares for the flock more than he cares for his life; the wolf cares for nothing but to satisfy his own gluttony and his own greed. The false prophet is in the business of teaching, not for what he can give to others, but for what he can get for himself.” (W. Barclay, 284)
In the Didache (“Teaching” – Early Christian Manual, dating around 100-120AD) there is a section dealing with false prophets where they are called Christemporos, which mean’s “Christ Merchants.” False prophets use Jesus Christ and His gospel and church as a means for serving their own ends. They use the things of God as mere merchandise to add to their own bottom line. (Adapted from John MacArthur, 466)
READING: The Didache on a true prophet: A true prophet was to be held in the highest honor; he was to be welcomed; his word must never be disregarded, and his freedom must never be curtailed; but “He shall remain one day, and, if necessary another day also; but if he remain three days, he is a false prophet.” He must never ask for anything but bread. “If he asks for money, he is a false prophet.” Prophets all claim to speak in the Spirit, but there is one acid test: “By their character a true and false prophet shall be known.” “Every prophet that teacheth the truth, if he do not what he teacheth, is a false prophet.” If a prophet, claiming to speak in the Spirit, orders a table and a meal to be set before him he is a false prophet. (W. Barclay, 282-283)
DECEITFUL
READING: “In Old Testament times prophets were often recognizable by what they wore. Like Elijah, they often wore rough, hairy, uncomfortable clothing as a symbol of their foregoing the normal comforts of life for the cause of God. John the Baptist, as the last prophet of the Old Covenant, wore a camel’s hair coat and ate locusts and wild honey. . . . a person who wanted to impersonate a prophet would sometimes wear such clothing. Zechariah speaks of such men who ‘put on a hairy robe in order to deceive.’” (Zech. 13:4) Similarly, shepherds invariably wore woolen clothing, made from the wool of the sheep they tended. That is the sheep’s clothing of which Jesus here speaks. False prophets do not deceive the flock by impersonating sheep but by impersonating the shepherd, who wear’s sheep clothing in the form of his wool garments. Just as the ancient prophets in the OT wore hairy robes, the garment of the true prophet, so false shepherds often disguise themselves as true shepherds. (MacArthur, 465)
Satan masquerades as an “Angel of Light” and False Prophets masquerade “Prophets of Light.”
. . . . I’d die before taking your money. I’m giving nobody grounds for lumping me in with those money-grubbing “preachers,” vaunting themselves as something special. They’re a sorry bunch—pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers—posing as Christ’s agents but sham to the core. And no wonder! Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. So it shouldn’t surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God. . . . (II Corinthians 11:12-15, The Message)
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (I Tim. 4:1, NIV)
The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth. (I Timothy 4:1-2, The Message)
SECRETIVE
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. (II Peter 2:1)
We don’t want anyone suspecting us of taking one penny of this money for ourselves. We’re being as careful in our reputation with the public as in our reputation with God. That’s why we’re sending another trusted friend along. (I Cor. 8:20-21)
THE CHARACTER TEST
“Nothing is more difficult to counterfeit than virtue.” (John Calvin)
QUESTION # 1 – Are the first four beatitudes evident in his life?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . .” (Mt. 5:3).
Free Translation of the first beatitude: “God applauds the shrinking, cowering, beggarly poor in spirit, the spiritual zeroes who realize they are empty before God, spiritually bankrupt and cannot save themselves for theirs is membership in the Kingdom of Heaven that is present wherever what God wants done is done, around us and within us (the range of His effective will).”
Blessed are those who mourn . . . (Mt. 5:4).
Deep anguish and sorrow for sin in his life.
Blessed are the meek . . . (Mt. 5:5).
A synonym for meekness in our text could be: “God-Confidence, God-Controlled.” Thus we would translate Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the God-confident, the God-controlled for they will inherit the earth.”
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness . . . (Mt. 5:6)
Not only is he interested in understanding theology but does he really long to live a righteous life.
CLASS ACTIVITY: Go through the Sermon on the Mount from Mt. 5:3 – 7:12 developing character questions that you would ask yourself if evaluating the character of a possible false prophet, false teacher? They will be questions that start with “Does he . . . “Is he . . . . “ etc.
QUESTION # 2 – How does he line up with the ethical teaching in the Sermon on the Mount?
Is he angry or forgiving? (Mt. 5:21-24; Mt. 6:12, 14)
Does he settle grievances quickly? (Mt. 5:25-26)
Is he free from lust and adultery? (Mt. 5:27-32)
Does he tell the truth, keep his word? (Mt. 5:33-37)
Does he treat his enemies kindly or is he combative? (5:38-42)
Does he pray for, love his enemies? (Mt. 5:43-48)
Does he wear his giving, praying, fasting on his sleeve? (Mt. 6:1-18)
Is it obvious that his sole concern is for the glory of God? (Mt. 6:9-10)
Is he living for gain, luxury or is he generous? (Mt. 6:19-24)
Is he trusting God for his daily needs? (Mt. 6:25-34)
Is it clear that the goal of his life is the kingdom of God? (Mt. 6:33)
Is he hypercritical, censorious, fault-finding of others (Mt. 7:1-5)
Is he a person of prayer and faith? (Mt. 7:7-11)
Does he practice the Golden Rule? (Mt. 7:12)
QUESTION # 3 – Is his life focused on the external (form) or on the internal (spirit)?
FLIP-CHART: Refer to the flip-chart about the wedding, the chart that shows that all was perfect but there was no love present in the wedding, marriage.
QUESTION # 4 –
Are the fruit of the Spirit evident in his life? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control? (Gal. 5:22-23)
QUESTION # 5 – – Is it clear that the primary goal of his life is to glorify the Triune God or is his goal to feather his own nest and gain position and power?
READING: “A Christian can generally be known by his very appearance. The man who really believes in the holiness of God, and who knows his own sinfulness and the blackness of his own heart, the man who really believes that he himself is so vile and helpless that nothing but the coming of the Son of God from heaven to earth and His going to the bitter shame and agony and cruelty of the cross could ever save him and reconcile him to God – this man is going to show all that in his personality. He is a man who is bound to give the impression of meekness, he is bound to be humble. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones as quoted in J. MacArthur, 470).
“A wolf can wear sheep’s clothing but it can’t grow a sheep’s coat.”
SO WHAT???
1. We, as the body of Christ, the family of God, are challenged by our Savior to watch for false prophets, make judgment calls about false prophets.
2. Like a wolf, a false prophet / false teacher will tend to be deceitful, secretive and greedy.
3. Since it is very difficult to counterfeit virtue, we need to evaluate the character of a perceived false prophet.
4. Evaluating a person’s character based on the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount and the nine Fruit of the Spirit will help us to discover a false prophet.