I know that several of you have recently driven to California. I was wondering if they still have the Agricultural Inspection Stations when you cross the border into California. I know they still had them when Mary and I vacationed there a couple of years ago. Those inspectors are tasked with inspecting any fruit that you might bring into the state in order to make sure that there are not any pests or diseases being carried into the state that might damage any of the fruit being grown there in California.
All of us who are followers of Jesus have also been tasked with being fruit inspectors in the kingdom of heaven. But obviously the inspections we are to make don’t deal with apples, oranges, pears and peaches, but rather with spiritual fruit. And that task is both more difficult and much more important than the one the inspectors at the California state lines have. Let’s read the words of Jesus that describe the task His followers have been given as spiritual fruit inspectors:
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Matthew 7:15-20 (ESV)
You’ll remember from last week that Jesus has just finished describing the narrow gate and path that leads to life and the wide, easy path that leads to destruction. And now He warns His followers to beware of those false prophets that would attempt to lead people to choose the wide, easy way.
Once again, there is a temptation on our part to think that this really isn’t something that those of us who are Christ followers need to worry about. But, like the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is primarily addressing His followers here. Even once we’ve become citizens of the kingdom it is still possible to be deceived into pursuing the wide easy way and there are false prophets within the body who would attempt to get us to do so.
So this morning we need to do two things. First we need to examine the words of Jesus to determine why these false prophets present such a grave danger to the body of Christ. And then we need to develop some principles that will help us to be effective spiritual fruit inspectors.
SOME OBERVATIONS ABOUT FALSE PROPHETS
1. They are dangerous
Jesus begins this section of His message with another command – beware! Like many of the commands in His sermon, this one is in the present imperative, which means that it is not something that we can do just once and move on. We have to constantly be on guard for false prophets.
The verb that Jesus uses here literally means to hold one’s mind back from something. The idea here is that we are to guard our minds so that they are not exposed to the influence of these false prophets because they are dangerous and if we don’t guard our minds they will pervert our minds and poison our souls.
The teaching of Jesus here is really nothing new. The problem of false prophets plagued the people of Israel from very early times. Even before they entered into the Promised Land, God gave them this warning:
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (ESV)
God warned His people that they needed to guard against false prophets. And it wasn’t going to be easy to do that since, at least in some cases, these false prophets would even be able to make predictions that came true.
And the problem of false prophets obviously continued well after the completion of Jesus’ earthly ministry. As Paul met with the elders in the church at Ephesus near the end of his ministry, he also warned about false prophets:
I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Acts 20:29-30 (ESV)
Paul even describes these false prophets using nearly the same language that Jesus used, picturing them as fierce wolves. Even that picture speaks to just how dangerous these false prophets are.
2. They are deceitful
Throughout the Sermon on the Mount Jesus has been distinguishing between outward appearances and the inner heart. And that is particularly important when attempting to identify false prophets. One reason that the false prophets are so dangerous is that they appear to be genuine.
They come in sheep’s clothing. What Jesus seems to be saying here is that the false prophets don’t deceive by impersonating the sheep, but rather by impersonating the shepherd. The shepherds would usually wear garments that were made from the wool of the sheep they tended and they could be identified by their clothing.
In Old Testament times, the prophets often wore distinctive garments and so the false prophets would dress in a similar manner in order to deceive others. The point Jesus is making here is that the false prophets are dangerous because they appear to be genuine on the outside. They have all the outward forms that make them appear to be reliable shepherds. They may have been ordained and have a title, like Reverend or Pastor. They may have graduated from a well known seminary. They may have written a number of books and be on TV. They might even wear some kind of religious garb which sets them apart.
They have every appearance of being genuine shepherds, caring for the flock. But in reality, they are ravenous wolves, looking to devour that flock. Paul describes the deceitful nature of these false prophets like this:
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (ESV)
One of the reasons that these false prophets are so dangerous is that they come from within the body of Christ. When Paul spoke to the elders in Ephesus, he pointed out that the false prophets would come from among them. And here He points out that they will disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.
It’s usually pretty easy to spot false teaching that comes from outside the body of Christ because the teaching is so clearly contrary to Scripture. But the false teaching that comes from within the body is much more subtle. These false teachers may even teach about Jesus. As we saw last week, they may even call Him “Lord” and perform great works in His name. But in subtle ways they will lead people off the narrow path and on to the wide, easy way that leads to destruction. But the good news here is that…
3. They are detectable
In this passage we have another “inclusio”. In both verse 16 and 20, Jesus says, “You will recognize them by their fruits.” In between those two verses, Jesus provides us with some more detail on how we can do that. In other words, even as deceptive as these false teachers are, they can be detected by examining their fruit. In just a few minutes we’ll look at three tests that we can use when we inspect spiritual fruit.
But for now, we’ll focus on some broader principles.
Jesus uses several pictures here to show that despite any appearance to the contrary, one’s true nature will determine the kind of fruit he will bear. First He asks, “Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” In Greek, this question is asked in a manner that expects a negative answer. The point is clear. In the same way that a thornbush can’t produce grapes or a thistle can’t produce figs, a false prophet cannot produce fruit that is consistent with the truth of Jesus.
This is the same principle that Jesus teaches to His followers shortly before His crucifixion:
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 (ESV)
Since these false teachers are clearly not abiding in Jesus, they are just not capable of producing the kind of fruit that is pleasing to Jesus.
Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes on to distinguish between two kinds of trees and the fruit they produce. Here is one place where the ESV does a really good job of translation. Many translations render verse 17 something like this:
… every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
You’ll notice that the adjectives “good” and “bad” are used to describe both the tree and the fruit. But Jesus uses two different Greek words here. The word used to describe the good tree describes something that is intrinsically good – thus the ESV renders that “healthy”. The tree is good because it has been planted by God, not man.
The word used to describe the good fruit has a wider range of meanings. It is used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe something that is outwardly beautiful, useful, competent, morally good, or noble.
The word used to describe the bad tree mean something that is rotten, decaying or corrupt – thus the ESV renders it “diseased”. The tree is bad because it has been planted by man, not by God, as Jesus points out later in His ministry:
He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up.
Matthew 15:13 (ESV)
The word used to describe the bad fruit describes that which is evil and actively opposed to that which is good.
The problem is that we can’t always determine whether a tree is healthy or diseased just by looking at it. The only way we can make that determination is to examine the fruit.
There is a tree that is quite common in the Caribbean that is called a Manchineel Tree. They often grow near the beach and seem to offer great shade. But there is only one problem. The fruit, which look quite innocuous, are poisonous. Even standing under the tree during a rainstorm can cause a rash or blistering of the skin. Appropriately, the fruit, which looks a lot like an apple, is referred to as the “little apple of death.”
False teachers, Jesus said, are just like that. They may appear to be good on the outside, but their fruit is poisonous and can kill spiritually.
4. They are destined for destruction
Jesus proclaims that “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” Not surprisingly, that same principle is confirmed frequently throughout both the Old and New Testaments as we’ve already seen this morning.
Earlier, we looked at God’s warning to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 13. In the next verse, God give a command about how to deal with those false prophets:
But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Deuteronomy 13:5 (ESV)
We also looked earlier at a passage from 2 Corinthians 11 where Paul wrote that “Their end will correspond to their deeds.”
We shouldn’t be surprised at the fact that these false teachers are destined for destruction. But here is the really scary part. Those who have been deceived by their teaching are also in danger of the same fate. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to develop that principle further this morning, but certainly the words of Jesus in verses 21-23 that we looked at last week apply to both the false teachers and their followers. And there are numerous other passages, including 2 Peter 2 and the book of Jude that also confirm that idea. That makes it all the more important that we learn how to be effective spiritual fruit inspectors.
HOW TO INSPECT SPIRITUAL FRUIT
Since the key to identifying false prophets is to examine the fruit that they produce, we need some simple, easy to apply tests that we can apply as we examine that fruit. Although there are probably some additional steps we could take, the three steps that we will look at this morning should be more than adequate.
1. Examine the doctrine
The first area we need to evaluate is the actual teaching of anyone who claims to be teaching in the name of Jesus. As I mentioned earlier, it’s usually pretty easy to identify false teaching from outside the body of Christ. There are usually some big red flags like denying the deity of Jesus. But the false teaching that comes from within the body is usually much more subtle. However, there do seem to be some common red flags that we need to watch out for.
Red flags:
• Not teaching the whole counsel of God
Most of the time, these false teachers do not completely ignore the Bible. But they have a tendency to only focus on certain aspects of the Bible while intentionally ignoring others. This can take several forms. Perhaps it is only teaching on the New Testament and ignoring the Old Testament. It could be topical teaching in which the teacher comes up with his own teaching which he then “proves” by “cherry-picking” verses that support his conclusions. Sometimes it takes the form of an unhealthy fixation on a certain principle or practice to the exclusion of others that are equally or perhaps even more important.
As Paul addressed the Ephesian elders, he pointed out the importance of teaching the whole counsel of God in order to guard against false teaching.
for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
Acts 20:27 (ESV)
This is one of the main reasons that I primarily try to teach from entire books of the Bible, or at least large chucks of Scripture that allow us to keep Scripture in its proper context. It is also why I am committed to preaching from both the Old and new Testaments.
• Over-reliance on extra-Biblical material
I am really thankful that there are some really good materials available that can assist us in our study of God’s Word. But these materials should only be used as a supplement to our study of the Bible itself.
One of the marks of a false teacher is that they often begin with these materials and then try to mold the Scriptures to fit that teaching. That seems to be one of the things Paul is warning about as He writes to the Colossian church:
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
Colossians 2:8 (ESV)
Again, this can take on many different forms. It might mean basing one’s teaching on some popular philosophy of the day and then throwing in a few Bible verses here and there to try and make that teaching appear Biblical. It might mean basing one’s teaching on only one particular commentator’s viewpoint. It might occur when one takes some secular research and uses that as a basis for examining the Scriptures. But what all these practices have in common is that they rely upon human tradition to some extent.
• Not being accountable to others
Unfortunately, I’ve observed this quite recently right here in our city. There was a pastor who was engaged in some false teaching, but it went unchecked because he was not accountable to anyone else for that teaching. There were no elders or other godly men who were holding him accountable for what he was teaching. And as a result a lot of people got hurt very deeply.
That is why I am so grateful that here in this church I have some godly people who hold me accountable for my teaching every week. Next month, we’re going to spend a few weeks looking at the Biblical model for church leadership which is based on leadership by a group of elders. One of the reasons God established that model is to guard the flock by providing accountability for our teaching. So each week, the elders get my sermon outline by the middle of the week so that they have a chance to look at it and make sure that only sound doctrine is being taught. Our teachers and the men who participate in the Monday Bible study also get that outline and I ask them to comment if they see anything that raises a red flag.
But for all of us, the ultimate accountability comes as each of us test all the teaching we receive against the Word of God, just as the Bereans did:
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Acts 17:11 (ESV)
• Teaching what people want to hear rather than what they need to hear
I’m not going to spend a lot of time here since the words of Paul to Timothy pretty much hit the nail on the head:
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (ESV)
The false teachers tend to say what they think people want to hear. But when they do that they are leading people to that wide road that leads to destruction.
2. Examine the demeanor
While words are important, we can’t stop at just evaluating doctrine as we examine the fruit. We also have to observe the person’s demeanor – how he conducts his life and whether it is consistent with what he teaches.
By demeanor here, I am not just referring to a person’s outward behavior – though that is quite important – but also to the heart attitude. Obviously that is much more difficult to discern.
Fortunately, Jesus has already dealt with this quite extensively throughout the Sermon on the Mount. When we examine the lives of teachers within the church, we should be measuring them against the criteria Jesus has established. Does that teacher conduct himself in a manner consistent with the beatitudes? Is he poor in spirit, recognizing his own sin and the need for a savior? Does he hunger and thirst for righteousness? Is his life pure? Is he a peacemaker? And is that person someone who does the will of God rather than pursuing his own will?
Obviously no human can live up to those standards perfectly. If that were a requirement, there is no way I could stand before you each week and teach. But at least that kind of character ought to be apparent consistently in the life of a teacher. If it’s not, then it probably means the fruit is not good.
Out of all those character traits, I think the one we should focus on most is humility. Certainly from what I’ve observed most false teachers are not humble at all. They won’t even entertain the idea that anything they are teaching could possibly be wrong. They are never willing to admit that they don’t know the answer to everything.
3. Examine the disciples
Finally, we need to examine the fruit by looking at those who are followers of that teacher. Jesus made reference to the significance of that standard in John 15:
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples…You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide…
John 15:8, 16 (ESV)
Although we don’t have time to go into great detail this morning, I’m convinced that the fruit Jesus is referring to here are those who will become followers of Jesus as a result of His followers engaging in the task of making disciples. Jesus desires that we not only bear much fruit, but also fruit that will abide.
In other words, we are to develop disciples who will hold to Jesus, obey His commands and live in a manner that is consistent with the one He lived. So we can evaluate our teachers based on the effect of their teaching on those they are teaching. Are people growing in their relationship with Jesus and demonstrating that growth in the way they interact with God and with other people? Or are people merely being entertained and eventually falling away from God?
In “Connections” this morning, we’re going to spend some time looking at 2 Peter 2, where Peter describes some of the consequences of false teaching. And we’ll have a chance to see in some more detail how the false teachers produce division and sensual living according to the flesh. And when those kinds of elements are abundantly present within the body, we can be pretty sure that the fruit is not good and that there is false teaching going on.
I pray that all of us will be effective spiritual fruit inspectors. Every one of us need to be on the lookout for bad fruit so that it won’t infiltrate and infect the body of Christ.
