Matthew
7:15-20
Jesus
Teaches about False
Teachers
7:15
"Watch out for false prophets.
They come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are
ferocious wolves.
-
- 16
By their fruit you will
recognize
them.
-
- Do
people pick grapes from thorn
bushes, or figs from
thistles?
17
Likewise every good tree bears
good fruit, but a bad tree
bears bad
fruit.
-
- 18
A good tree cannot bear bad
fruit, and a bad tree cannot
bear good
fruit.
-
- 19
Every tree that does not bear
good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire.
-
20
Thus, by their fruit you will
recognize them."
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It
is meant to change the way
that we think, and the way
that we live.
Commentary
by Bob
Pardue
What
Jesus Says about false
prophets
- False
prophets were common in Old
Testament times. They
prophesied only what the king
and the people wanted to hear,
claiming it was God's
message.
-
- False
teachers are just as common
today. Jesus says to beware of
those whose words sound
religious but who are
motivated by money, fame, or
power.
-
- We see
these "prophets" all over the
TV and radio and many times
even in the traditional
churches. Am I saying all
evangelists are evil? Not at
all. There are many great
evangelists such as
Billy
Graham
who have made it their life's
work to spread the Gospel of
Jesus Christ to millions with
very little time to enjoy the
monetary rewards of their
ministry.
-
- It is
not that difficult to separate
the "good" from the "bad"
because the latter will tend
to minimize Christ and glorify
themselves. If you encounter a
sermon in which most of the
sermon is about the minister
or about the collection then
beware.
-
- When
Jesus talks about bad trees,he
means teachers who
deliberately teach false
doctrine. We must examine the
teachers' motives, the
direction they are taking, and
the results they are
seeking.
-
- Use
common sense and God's
guidance and you will know the
truth when you hear
it.
-
Love in
Christ
-
Bob
If you have
never made the commitment to
receive the love and
life-changing experience of Jesus
Christ, please take a moment to
go
here
and take the first
steps
to salvation.
Bob
Pardue
is a member of First
Baptist
Church
in Lancaster, SC. He is ordained
from Rich Hill Baptist in
Lancaster.
Want
to place this passage and
commentary on your website or
e-zine for
content?
This
article about Jesus telling about
false teachers and prophets may
be freely reprinted or
distributed in its entirety in
any e-zine, newsletter, blog, or
website. The author's name, bio,
and website links must remain
intact and be included
with every reproduction of this
report.
Bob
Verses are from Life
Application Study Bible: New
International Version
Comments are welcome.
Please email
me with any questions
or comments you may have.
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