Season 4 Podcast 80 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 7: The Sermon on the Mount Pt VIII, “False Prophets.”

Season 4 Podcast 80 “The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 7: The Sermon on the Mount Pt VIII, “False Prophets.”We offer a weekly podcast, Monday thru Friday. Each Friday we discuss the New Testament, King James’ Version. We are now on Matthew Chapter 7, the end of the Sermon on the Mount.  The final chapter contains five concepts.1.     Judging Others 2.     Prayer 3.     The Golden Rule 4.     The Strait and Narrow Path 5.     False Prophets In previous podcasts we discussed Judging Others, Prayer, the Golden Rule, and the Strait and Narrow Path.  In this podcast, we shall analyze “False Prophets.”Matthew 7: 15Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.Wolves devour sheep, but in nature wolves always appear as wolves. They are very easy to identify. In the church, however, they are dressed in sheep’s clothing. In other words, they appear as one of the flock. John Milton in Paradise Lost refers to this verse in Book 11. Adam asks Michael, the Archangel, if after Christ leaves will the leaders always treat members of his church with the same charity. Michael’s answer is profound. He talks about what happens in the church after the apostles are killed.  He said:Thus they win Great numbers of each Nation to receive With joy the tidings brought from Heav’n: at length Their Ministry performed, and race well run, Their doctrine and their story written left, They die; but in their room, as they forewarn, Wolves shall succeed for teachers, grievous Wolves, Who all the sacred mysteries of Heav’n To their own vile advantages shall turn Of lucre and ambition, and the truth With superstitions and traditions taint, Left only in those written Records pure, Though not but by the Spirit understood.Any denomination and any congregation may have false prophets. Jesus gives a clear definition of false prophets so that they will be easy to recognize. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.Thorns and thistles have sharp barbed points. I live in the South. I have been wounded by many different plants with sharp thorns. Thorns are often discrete and line a stem or vine. Thistles often appear in clusters. Some are poisonous like a bee sting and leave one sore for a very long time. One is even called stinging nettle, another is called devilheads. Those in desert country know the evils of cactus. Some seem to shoot barbs at you. Some are like fishhooks and hard to tear out of the flesh.Some are invisible. You don’t know they are there until you touch them. So it is with false prophets. They are subtle, camouflaged, and deadly. To recognize them by their fruits you must have contrast, the fruit of truth vs the fruit of lies, the sweet fruit vs the bitter fruit, the healing fruit of the gospel vs the stinging fruit of false prophets. To know the sweet you must have tasted the bitter. To know the bitter you must have tasted the sweet. The good fruit refers to the fruits of the true gospel taught by him on the Sermon on the Mount. The entire Sermon the Mount is teaching us of the fruits of the Gospel, which many Christians refer to as the fruit of the Tree of Life spoken of by John.