TEXT: Matthew 7:15-20

SUBJECT: Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount #22: False Prophets

The Christian life is a "narrow gate" and a "difficult way". The believer, therefore, will need help getting through the one and staying on the other. It won't take long for him to find people who are willing to help him. The problem is, however, not everyone's help will be helpful. Some help, in fact, will be positively destructive. Hence, the Lord issues a warning about those who would offer their help. He's not telling us to disregard all help, but to be discerning in the help we receive.

He begins with a directive, v.15a: "Beware of false prophets..." A prophet is one who speaks for God. A false prophet is one who claims to speak for God--but does not. The distinction was not lost on the first audience. True prophets were heroic figures in their history; false prophets were criminals of the worst sort. No name was more revered than Moses; none was more despised than Balaam. Both were prophets, but one spoke truly for God, the other falsely.

About these false prophets, Christ says "beware". His people must be able to detect them and willing to flee from their presence. In the words of Paul, "A man that is a heretic, after the first and second warning, reject". He doesn't say "respect their sincerity" or "enter into dialogue with them". He says "beware" of them. Based on the illustration that follows, He means avoid false prophets the way sheep avoid wolves.

The reason follows, v.15b: "...who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves". Heretics don't advertise: FALSE PROPHETS FOR HIRE! They are clever men, cunning in their tactics. They seem to belong to the Lord's flock. But they don't. They're not "goats" who are but hypocrites in the church, but "wolves" who seek to gobble up the disciples of Christ.

In fine, the reason we ought to "beware of false prophets" is because they can do us much harm.

This leads to a conclusion not every believer wants to draw: Theology matters. If it didn't "false prophets" would pose no danger to the people of God. Someone objects, "But these are wicked men". To which I reply: Yes they are. But their wickedness is expressed--not by embezzling church funds or molesting its children--but by prophesying falsely!

Is there no connection between false doctrine and wicked behavior? There is. Paul makes it quite explicit. "But shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like a cancer. Hymaneus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some", II Timothy 16-18.

And so, we must "beware of false prophets".

To do so, however, requires discernment. Because they are "wolves in sheep's clothing", they can't be easily spotted. But we're not left to ourselves. The Lord Jesus tells us how to detect a false prophet, vv.16-18: "You shall 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."

The illustration is an easy one: Nobody picks a grape off a thornbush or pulls a fig from a thistle. Why not? Two reasons: (1) Fruit doesn't grow on sticker bushes; (2) if you reach for it there, you'll get nothing but a bloody hand in return.

How does the metaphor apply to the subject of false prophets? Here's how: "You will know them by their fruits". There is a difference between true and false prophets. But what is it? It is their "fruit". This is another metaphor. To what does it correspond?

Some have answered "character". If a man doesn't practice what he preaches, he's the false prophet. In other words, "Beware of men who uphold high standards but don't live up to them". Is this true? It is. But these men are not false prophets; they're hypocrites. And, insofar as a hypocrite teaches the truth, he should be obeyed. Matthew 23:2-3: "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say and do not do."

Others have replied: "A false prophet can be identified by the disciples he makes". There is some truth to what they say. "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher" says our Lord in Luke 6:40. But this too is problematic. Judas had the Perfect Teacher. Is He to blame for the fall of Iscariot?

The true answer--it seems to me--is the most obvious one. A false prophet can be discovered by his false teaching. No verse is more plain than Isaiah 8:20: "To the law and the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them".

The false prophecy may take either of two forms--or both. It may be error by commission. Some teachers contradict the plain teaching of Scipture. Like the Old Serpent, they say, "You shall not surely die". But most teach with more subtlety than this. Many teach error by omission. What they leave out of their sermons teaches more than what they put into them. Arius, for example, was such a man. He was an outstanding preacher whose sermons were full of truth. In particular, he extolled the teaching of Jesus and His holy example. But he never brought up our Lord's divinity. For Arius didn't believe in it.

The "false prophets" our Lord had in mind, of course, were not the Serpent or Arius (although they both qualify). He had another teacher in mind. Who? The teacher who either denied or ignored His Sermon on the Mount. Two examples must do:

And so, a false prophet is known by his prophecy.

Why should we be so careful to avoid such men? Because of where their teaching leads, v.19: "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire". In a word, false prophets take themselves--and their students--to hell. Therefore, if you don't want to be damned, you must avoid false prophets.

V.20 sums it up: "Therefore, by their fruits you will know them". Our Lord is sure that His people will be able to recognize false teachers. But do we? We don't if we base our evaluations on anything but Scripture. Not the teacher's likable personality or good works; not the testimony of people who have been helped by him; not by the size of his church or ministry. Scripture alone is the standard by which we must judge a man's teaching. Therefore