Danger: Disguised, Deadly Deceivers! - Matthew 7:15-20 Series

Appeal to the flesh

Another characteristic of false teachers is that they tend to appeal to the flesh.

2 Peter 2:18 by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people

If you listen to their preaching, they are not appealing to godly desires. The people who are packing into their churches by the thousands are not attracted by promises of righteousness holiness and heavenly reward. They come because the sermons appeal to their earthly desires – their “felt needs.”

Conclusion: How Priceless is True Prophecy!

My goal in this sermon is that we would all re-do that list of the top five dangers you are on your guard against, and put the danger of being deceived or led in a wrong direction right up near the top. But there is one other thing I would like to point out, and we will close with this. The reason false prophecy is such a danger is because of how important true prophecy is. The more dependent we are on the real thing, the more dangerous the counterfeit. That is why Jesus is so concerned to warn us about the false, because the real thing is so unspeakably important. Without it we would die. Getting the silent treatment from heaven would mean zero possibility of knowing God, zero possibility of spiritual life. Everything depends on us hearing accurately from God. So we rejoice over the fact that God has not given us the silent treatment. In the Bible He gave us everything we need and nothing we do not need. The true prophecy, as recorded in God’s Word is 100 percent accurate, 100 percent reliable, it guides us, shapes us, feeds our souls, opens our eyes to reality, shows us the heart of God, displays the glory of God, it makes us holy, it convicts us, it cleanses us, it strengthens us, it comforts us, it restores us. It is sweeter to us than honey and more precious than gold. Every fact about God – every piece of information you could ever possibly need is in this book. And not only was all the necessary information included, but all non-necessary information was left out. Which is fantastic news, because it means we never have to wonder if some passage in Scripture is important for us to know or if it is just extraneous information. We never have to filter through any chaff to get to the good stuff.

With all of our being, dear God, we thank You for revealing Yourself to us in black and white. You have spoken to us, recorded it in the Bible, preserved it safely through thousands of years, delivered it to us intact, and You are willing to speak to us through it every day. And you have given us leaders and teachers to help us understand and receive the truth of it. You have given us models to show us how to obey. You have given us great men and women of faith who inspire us to walk according to Your Word. Oh, how we treasure the leaders You have given us. Guard us, dear Lord, from the wolves who are so cleverly disguised. Make us diligent in our discernment. Make us love the truth so much that we will do anything to avoid being deceived. And enable us as a church, dear Lord, to retrieve those who are in the jaws of the wolves. Let our proclamation of the truth ring clearly in Denver and wherever we go that many might be awakened to the danger of the false teachers.