We are nearing the end of our series on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount—just a few more weeks to go. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount our Lord’s foundational teaching in the New Testament. It outlines the ethics of the Kingdom of Heaven. If you want to be a Christian, you should understand these principles in Jesus' sermon.
I challenge you to go back over Jesus’ sermon, found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. You can find the sermons I’ve preached on it here on this blog over the last 21 or so weeks. These could be a resource for you as you study Jesus’ core teachings.
Today's focus is Matthew
7:15-20, discerning what’s true from false in our spiritual journey.
15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.
The Warning Against False
Prophets
Jesus warned
his people to watch out for false prophets. Jesus' followers were poor. They were
oppressed. They were hungry. They were desperate. They needed a savior. This made them especially vulnerable to false prophets who would lie and tell
people what they wanted to hear in order to use them for their own selfish
gain. Some real life examples we know of false prophets are:
- In 4 BC, Simon of Persia proclaimed himself as Messiah during the time of Herod's death, leading a rebellion against Roman rule; he was killed by Roman forces, and his movement was crushed.
- In 6 AD, Judas of Galilee led a violent resistance against the Roman census taxation, claiming to be the messiah who would deliver the Israel, ultimately leading his followers to a failed revolt and increased Roman repression.
- A false prophet mentioned in the Bible (in Acts 8) was Simon the Magician. He used magic tricks to convince Samaritans he was full of God’s power for his own personal gain. Simon’s influence was finally destroyed when the Apostle’s Peter and John brought the true power of God to Samaria and exposed Simon’s magic tricks as false.
One may ask why people would follow a false prophet. When people feel desperate, they often will cling to anything or anyone who seems to offer hope. But that’s when you need to be especially careful. You must understand how vulnerable you are. And Jesus gives some practical advise about how to discern if someone is a false prophet.
16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
Understanding "By
Their Fruits"
Jesus says
you can tell a tree (or a prophet) by their fruit. That’s great advice. It means look at the visible results of a person’s ministry. But even here we have to be careful. False prophets also often produce “signs” that may seem look like good fruit. A magician can do tricks that seem like impossible miracles. Charismatic leaders can often speak and act in ways that accomplish things that seem to be good. You may think magic tricks are real or the accomplishment of a charismatic personality are show they are from God. But that is not necessarily true. You have to look closely at what kind of fruit they really produce.
Hitler came to power in Germany during a time when people were desperate for hope. Germans were in a state of deep economic despair, national humiliation, and the
devastating effects of the Great Depression.
Hitler was a charismatic leader who could stir national pride. He was going to make Germany great
again! And initially, Hitler had success. Through hate, bigotry, and racism, Hitler rallied Germans to revitalize their
country. But they did so by evil means and, in the process, they committed the most terrible atrocities the world has
ever seen. Approximately 6 million Jews died because of the Holocaust. Is that good fruit? Absolutely not. That’s rotten, poisonous fruit.
I want to warn you. As you look to the leaders you admire—whether they be political or buisiness or spiritual leaders. Consider the fruit they produce. Is it good fruit or bad fruit? And be careful becuase some will say the ends justify the means. They may argue, "Yeah I wish they didn't do or say those bad things, but look at what they accomplish." In other words, the good they accomplish is justified by the bad things the do to accomplish them.
Jesus is clear about who to tell a false prophet that is a wolf in sheep's clothing who will tear you apart. You have to look at their fruit. And the fruit is not the results of their work but the fruits of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 names the good spiritual fruit a true prophet (and an authentic Christian) produces: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Just as we’ve seen bad false prophets (like Hitler, Jim Jones, and David Koresh), we have also seen true prophets lead movements to produce great fruit of the spirit (as defined by Galatians). The early Methodists, guided by John Wesley's teachings, demonstrated the fruits of the Spirit in various impactful ways that reflected their deep commitment to living out their faith in practical acts of love and service. Their work led to:
- Evangelism: passionately preaching the gospel in open fields, towns, and cities, reaching out to the marginalized and working-class people, leading to widespread spiritual revivals and the rapid growth of the Methodist movement.
- Social Reforms: Embodying the fruits of love, kindness, and goodness, they took strong stands against the societal ills of their time, including the abolition of slavery, prison reform, and the promotion of education for the poor.
- Visiting the Sick and Prisoners: Demonstrating compassion and faithfulness, early Methodists took seriously the call to visit the sick and those in prison to offer comfort, healing, and encouragement to those in need.
- Small Group Meetings: The early Methodist movement was marked by its innovative structure of small group meetings that met regularly for prayer, study, and mutual accountability. These meetings were essential for spiritual growth and community, fostering the fruits of peace, patience, gentleness, and self-control.
Christians can’t just
believe in Jesus as an intellectual thing.
True Christians must live out an inward holiness that transforms our
thoughts, words, and actions. It’s not
about moral superiority, but about being filled with the love of God and
neighbor, a love that manifests in every aspect of your life. Christian holiness is not static but dynamic
and constantly growing and bearing fruit like a living tree. It’s characterized by continuous
self-examination, prayer, and participation in the means of grace, such as Holy
Communion, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers.
Now, we understand the life of a Christian is a journey. Fruitfulness is not something that happens over night (just like a fruit tree does not bear fruit overnight). But your life should definitely be heading in the right direction—toward fruitfulness. God is the one who makes us grow and bear fruit. But what are you doing to tend the garden in your heart that nurtures fruitfulness? There are several things you can do to nurture the development of spiritual fruit God wants to grow in your life.
There is worship where you gather with other Christian believers and honor God. Do you regularly in worship God with other Christians?
There is fellowship. We may have many different groups we socialize with on a weekly basis at school and work. But if you are a Christian whose heart's truest desire is to bear fruit for the Kingdom, other Christian friends should be your main social group. Are you deeply involved with Christian fellowship?
Prayer is the heart of the Christian faith. Are you investing deeply in regular prayer throughout your day?
Bible Study is essential. How else are you going to know how we are supposed to think and live unless we study God's Word--His official method for speaking to His people?
Are you in a small group where you talk about your prayer life and what you’ve read in your Bible and where people intentional hold you accountable and offer encouragement to live more fully for Jesus?
Are you practicing the means of grace Jesus specifically commanded His followers in practice in the Bible--Baptism and Holy Communion?
- Baptism is the initiation ceremony for Christians in the New Covenant that replaced the circumcision ceremony of the Old Covenant. Baptism is a means for God to pour out His grace upon those being baptized and those who stand with them to help everyone know and walk with Jesus. It is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.
- Holy Communion is as a means to receive God’s grace where we have our eyes opened as we experience the presence of Christ and receive spiritual nourishment for our faith journey. Communion is a sacramental act of thanksgiving and remembrance, commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples, where bread and wine symbolize the body and blood of Christ. This sacred practice fosters a deeper communion with Christ and with one another, strengthening our bonds with the church and empowering us to live out our Christian discipleship in the world.
