WEBVTT 00:00:02.665 --> 00:00:13.512 We're in the last portion of this, this final section of the Sermon on the Mount, the great sermon by Jesus, and this last section covers chapter 7, verses 13 through 29. 00:00:13.512 --> 00:00:25.027 And if we've been following along from the beginning, we know that Jesus has challenged us with the principles and the practices and the values of the kingdom of God, and it's been wonderful. 00:00:25.027 --> 00:00:31.149 Now, at the closing points of his message, he's giving us basically some choices to make about the kingdom. 00:00:31.149 --> 00:00:36.033 He's going to let us decide, and so the choices are three. 00:00:36.033 --> 00:00:37.798 They're basically three illustrations. 00:00:37.798 --> 00:00:42.341 Let me just kind of go through these and we're going to work on the second one today and the last one next week. 00:00:42.722 --> 00:00:46.749 The first choice, which Tyler did such a great job last week on, is between two gates. 00:00:46.749 --> 00:00:49.192 Do you remember the wide and the narrow gate? 00:00:49.192 --> 00:00:56.743 And the warnings for each of these are also included, and the warning for that is don't follow the crowd, don't follow the crowd. 00:00:56.743 --> 00:01:08.644 The second illustration, the one we'll look at today, the choice between two trees, and there's the healthy or unhealthy, or the good and bad tree, and the warning there is don't be deceived. 00:01:08.644 --> 00:01:20.141 And then the last one, which we'll look at next week, is the two foundations, and the foundations between having being built on the sand or building your life on the rock. 00:01:20.141 --> 00:01:23.730 And the warning is don't build your life in the wrong place. 00:01:23.730 --> 00:01:28.745 So verses 13 through 14, the last week. 00:01:28.745 --> 00:01:31.450 I just kind of want to bring you back, to bring this to your mind. 00:01:31.450 --> 00:01:35.347 Jesus says For the gate is wide and the way is easy. 00:01:35.347 --> 00:01:43.287 That leads to destruction and those who enter by it are many underline that many For the gate is narrow and the way is hard. 00:01:43.287 --> 00:01:49.424 That leads to life and those who find it are few. 00:01:49.424 --> 00:01:50.224 Let that sink in. 00:01:50.224 --> 00:01:55.373 Those who find it are few, what are the odds of missing the gate? 00:01:55.373 --> 00:02:01.781 And you think about through history, billions and billions, he says, few are. 00:02:01.781 --> 00:02:03.266 Those is the way it reads in Greek. 00:02:03.266 --> 00:02:04.990 Few are those who find it. 00:02:04.990 --> 00:02:16.793 Today we're going to see that the greatest gap between that exists for us is between what we believe and what actually is. 00:02:16.793 --> 00:02:24.572 So read that again the greatest gap that exists for us is between what we believe and what actually is. 00:02:24.572 --> 00:02:35.782 Jesus warns us about how we could miss this gate and then he tells us why it's possible to miss it, and that's what we're going to look at today. 00:02:35.782 --> 00:02:38.429 Matthew 7, verses 15 through 23. 00:02:38.429 --> 00:02:41.503 Would you read along with me in your Bible, where you can watch it on the screen. 00:02:42.445 --> 00:02:49.646 Jesus said beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 00:02:49.646 --> 00:02:52.752 You will recognize them by their fruits. 00:02:52.752 --> 00:02:58.090 Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 00:02:58.090 --> 00:02:59.942 That's kind of hard to say figs from thistles. 00:02:59.942 --> 00:03:05.954 So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 00:03:05.954 --> 00:03:11.331 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 00:03:11.331 --> 00:03:16.831 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 00:03:16.831 --> 00:03:20.528 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 00:03:22.961 --> 00:03:30.403 Not everyone who says to me, lord, lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 00:03:30.403 --> 00:03:49.461 On that day, many will say to me Lord, lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name, works in your name? 00:03:49.461 --> 00:03:53.147 And then, while I declare to them I never knew you Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. 00:03:53.147 --> 00:03:54.389 Let's pray, our Father. 00:03:54.389 --> 00:04:13.381 We're just so grateful today that we can open your word and we ask you, holy Spirit, that you'd even now open our eyes and minds and hearts that we can understand what you want to show us, lord. 00:04:13.381 --> 00:04:15.926 Remove anything in our lives that would smack of deception. 00:04:15.926 --> 00:04:23.326 Anything any lies in us that we've believed, that we are holding on to that doesn't adhere to your truth, and, lord, we just ask you to show us your ways today. 00:04:23.326 --> 00:04:26.052 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:04:28.100 --> 00:04:41.127 Death by GPS that's a phenomena that is kind of well-known for those who have been a little bit familiar with it, but it's not an uncommon thing. 00:04:41.127 --> 00:04:56.704 Death by GPS kind of refers to the times when someone's GPS brings them into terrible and sometimes unattractable places and it leads to their death, and there's a lot of examples of that. 00:04:56.704 --> 00:05:06.134 I was looking this last week and one of the examples is pretty recent 2023, a man in North Carolina was driving on a dark and rainy night. 00:05:06.134 --> 00:05:17.072 His GPS was telling him to go across this bridge and he did so and the bridge ended and he drove off into the river and died True story. 00:05:17.072 --> 00:05:31.930 You know the order of magnitude in making an error like that in your spiritual life is unimaginably tragic and has incredibly unimaginable consequences. 00:05:31.930 --> 00:05:33.913 So you know what? 00:05:33.913 --> 00:05:48.160 There's a global positioning system that our enemy uses, and his positioning system will take us into the most destructive places we can ever imagine and this is why Jesus first talks about the danger posed by these false teachers will take us into the most destructive places we can ever imagine. 00:05:49.500 --> 00:05:51.163 And this is why Jesus first talks about the danger posed by these false teachers. 00:05:51.163 --> 00:05:55.810 He says there beware of false prophets who come to you Verse 15. 00:05:55.810 --> 00:05:59.035 And that problem is really nothing new. 00:05:59.035 --> 00:06:08.040 If you look through the history of the church, it's fraught with all kinds of false teaching and the church is trying to come against it. 00:06:08.040 --> 00:06:27.896 In fact, from Genesis you look in your Bible, from Genesis to Revelation that you know the same issue false teachers is warned against and it's told to us it's a thing that we're supposed to do is we're to guard against, be cautious about. 00:06:27.896 --> 00:06:34.928 Here's what Peter said Be sober-minded, be watchful. 00:06:34.928 --> 00:06:41.413 Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. 00:06:41.413 --> 00:06:44.307 The question is, do you believe that? 00:06:44.307 --> 00:06:48.702 Do you really believe that? 00:06:48.702 --> 00:06:52.889 You say, well, that sounds kind of paranoid, like somebody's out to get me. 00:06:52.889 --> 00:06:56.475 Yes, they are. 00:06:56.475 --> 00:07:02.461 His name is Satan and he's real. 00:07:02.461 --> 00:07:03.242 He's not a figment of your imagination. 00:07:03.242 --> 00:07:08.994 And part of what we need to do as a church is and I'm talking about church in general, our church included is to gain a biblical worldview about reality. 00:07:08.994 --> 00:07:17.452 There are things that we don't see that are real and are true, and let me tell you why this should matter to us. 00:07:17.452 --> 00:07:24.107 First of all, because you may not think it, but this is happening even now, even though it's happened throughout church history. 00:07:24.107 --> 00:07:26.810 It's happening today, even now. 00:07:27.951 --> 00:07:31.714 Bart Ehrman is a world-renowned biblical scholar. 00:07:31.714 --> 00:07:49.535 He teaches in a school over a university in North Carolina and he started out as a Bible-believing Christian and his spiritual journey sort of took him down a path that ultimately led him to reject the claims of Christianity. 00:07:49.535 --> 00:07:52.726 But he's an influencer. 00:07:52.726 --> 00:08:00.413 At last count I looked this up on the internet Bart Ehrman has written 34 books. 00:08:00.413 --> 00:08:08.644 Seven of these are on the bestseller or six of these are on the New York Times bestseller list, and he is. 00:08:08.644 --> 00:08:12.050 Those books have been translated into 134 countries. 00:08:12.050 --> 00:08:13.713 He's an influencer. 00:08:13.713 --> 00:08:16.642 In his own words. 00:08:16.682 --> 00:08:23.379 We get a taste of his brand of Christianity, and this is an interview. 00:08:23.379 --> 00:08:25.761 I don't want to put words in his mouth, so I'll let him talk. 00:08:25.761 --> 00:08:27.103 Here's what he believes. 00:08:27.103 --> 00:08:30.892 A lot of people, he says, wonder why I am not a Christian. 00:08:30.892 --> 00:08:34.264 Is Bart Ehrman a Christian? 00:08:34.264 --> 00:08:39.221 Is a very popular question and I don't quite get this. 00:08:39.221 --> 00:08:48.645 He says just now, 15 minutes ago, I came to realize with the most clarity the crystal clarity I've ever had of why I am not a Christian. 00:08:49.990 --> 00:09:00.498 Of course, as most of you know, I have not called myself a Christian publicly for a very long time 20 years or so, I suppose and then listen to this. 00:09:00.498 --> 00:09:09.745 But a number of people tell me that they think at heart I'm a Christian and I sometimes think of myself as a Christian, agnostic, atheist. 00:09:09.745 --> 00:09:12.572 Let that mess with your mind. 00:09:12.572 --> 00:09:13.974 I'll read it again. 00:09:13.974 --> 00:09:17.647 I think of myself as a Christian, agnostic, atheist. 00:09:17.647 --> 00:09:35.485 Their thinking and mine has been that if I do my best to follow the teachings of Jesus, in some respect I'm a Christian, even if I don't believe that Jesus was the son of God or that he was raised from the dead, or even that God exists. 00:09:35.485 --> 00:09:38.331 In fact, I don't believe all these things. 00:09:38.331 --> 00:09:46.511 But can't I be a Christian in a different sense, one who follows Jesus' teachings? 00:09:46.511 --> 00:10:01.062 Wow, and many of these people that are reading his books and listening to him, many go to him for the true put that in quotes true version of Christianity, and they are. 00:10:02.344 --> 00:10:11.336 I think there's unknown numbers of former Christians who now follow his teachings to its logical end. 00:10:11.336 --> 00:10:14.791 They have rejected the faith and they no longer believe either. 00:10:14.791 --> 00:10:18.883 You know, remember that. 00:10:18.883 --> 00:10:23.873 You can know your Bible yet reject its truth. 00:10:23.873 --> 00:10:28.432 You can know your Bible yet reject its truth. 00:10:28.432 --> 00:10:31.960 You can know your Bible but reject its truth, and sometimes we do that unconsciously. 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:35.427 We don't even think about how we're rejecting the truth. 00:10:35.427 --> 00:10:37.592 That's in the scriptures. 00:10:37.592 --> 00:10:42.629 Seems to me like there was someone who said this that we all know. 00:10:42.629 --> 00:10:43.572 He said this. 00:10:43.572 --> 00:10:46.422 He said if the blind lead the blind, they'll both fall into the ditch. 00:10:50.107 --> 00:10:54.174 The voices like Bart Ehrman's are everywhere in our culture. 00:10:54.174 --> 00:10:59.711 They're found in our education system, they're found in our political sphere. 00:10:59.711 --> 00:11:03.327 They're found in our media and our social media. 00:11:03.327 --> 00:11:14.393 They're talking, and you don't have to have a title, you just have to have a platform to make a truth claim. 00:11:14.393 --> 00:11:23.125 But the most sinister place that we find this false teaching occurs in the most unlikely place that you could imagine. 00:11:23.125 --> 00:11:32.455 It's found in the most unlikely place that you could imagine, found in the church, find false prophets, right where the enemy can do the most damage. 00:11:33.496 --> 00:11:34.399 And how do I know that? 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:36.585 Because Peter in second Peter talks about it. 00:11:36.585 --> 00:11:40.926 You could and let me encourage you to read the whole chapter go back and read chapter two of second Peter. 00:11:40.926 --> 00:11:42.751 He gives a complete description of what the character of these false teachers are like. 00:11:42.751 --> 00:11:46.383 Complete description of what the character of these false teachers are like. 00:11:46.383 --> 00:11:48.610 Let me just read the first couple of verses to you. 00:11:48.669 --> 00:11:52.826 He says but false prophets also arose among the people. 00:11:52.826 --> 00:12:08.304 Just as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 00:12:08.304 --> 00:12:14.144 And many will follow their sensuality and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 00:12:14.144 --> 00:12:38.871 You know and if I you know I've had the time I could talk about church after church after church that has turned away in our away in our nation, away from the gospel, teaching things that are now contrary to the scriptures, and it's kind of mind-boggling and mind-blowing, but they're all led by men who have rejected the truth of scripture. 00:12:38.871 --> 00:12:56.855 You know, as we move closer and closer to the end of history, where I think we're fast moving there now don't know how far away we are, but I think you can sense it too we'll see the problem becoming more real. 00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:18.928 Listen to what Paul says in 2 Thessalonians the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan, with all power and all false signs and wonders and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. 00:13:18.928 --> 00:13:25.399 Even Jesus said this the end of his chapter that is written in Matthew. 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:49.926 He says and I'm kind of astounded even now, like what we can actually see with things like deep fakes and things that are able to be put out there in the media that looks real but it's not. 00:13:49.926 --> 00:13:55.270 That couldn't have been done just a few short years ago, but it can be done now. 00:13:55.270 --> 00:14:01.250 How easy it would be to deceive the whole world and, if possible, the elect. 00:14:01.250 --> 00:14:05.206 Who are the false prophets of our day? 00:14:05.206 --> 00:14:06.750 Ever thought about that? 00:14:06.750 --> 00:14:10.368 It's just kind of like a definition for us. 00:14:10.368 --> 00:14:25.879 Let me just kind of give this to you False teachers any teacher who distorts the truth of the Scriptures and ultimately distorts the gospel of grace Distorts the truth of the Scriptures and ultimately distorts the gospel of grace. 00:14:26.019 --> 00:14:31.067 It is the grace that's found in the ministry, the working ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:14:31.067 --> 00:14:38.527 You know, I started to provide us a list of examples, writing them out, but it got too long. 00:14:38.527 --> 00:14:48.513 It got too long, but I think it was surprising to learn that many of our favorite Bible teachers teach heresy. 00:14:48.513 --> 00:14:52.850 But they're out there. 00:14:52.850 --> 00:15:00.517 You just have to look under the covers a bit, see. 00:15:00.557 --> 00:15:07.826 False teaching can run along a spectrum, I think, if you will, from minor errors in theology to what we call heresy. 00:15:07.826 --> 00:15:13.404 And I'm not talking when I say minor errors, I don't mean the things like when we have minor disagreements with Christians. 00:15:13.404 --> 00:15:14.639 Those will always be there. 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:23.126 We know, in part, right, and those are some things that Romans 14 talks about non-essentials. 00:15:23.126 --> 00:15:40.703 But I'm talking about errors that deny the foundational truths of Christianity, things like the resurrection and the virgin birth and the nature of sin and its effects and the Trinity, things like that. 00:15:40.703 --> 00:15:43.379 They're common in our day. 00:15:44.702 --> 00:16:05.006 You just have to listen, you see, when teaching becomes destructive, divisive and really it just turns the gospel on its head in relation to our salvation, then we can actually say, and rightly say, it comes from false teachers. 00:16:05.006 --> 00:16:08.442 And that's why we all listen. 00:16:08.442 --> 00:16:13.504 We all have to know the gospel, believe the gospel and guard the gospel. 00:16:13.504 --> 00:16:18.278 This is critical, folks, in our day. 00:16:18.278 --> 00:16:18.940 We have have to. 00:16:18.940 --> 00:16:20.184 We just have to. 00:16:20.184 --> 00:16:23.442 So why is it? 00:16:23.442 --> 00:16:24.224 Why is it important? 00:16:24.224 --> 00:16:27.674 Because it's not only important for you, it's important for the next generation. 00:16:32.063 --> 00:16:35.631 So we see the danger of false teachers jesus describes here. 00:16:35.631 --> 00:16:41.683 Now he tells us of the deception of these false teachers In verse 15 again, who come, he says. 00:16:41.683 --> 00:16:52.976 They described who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 00:16:52.976 --> 00:16:55.403 The people appear innocent and harmless, but they may actually be out to destroy you. 00:16:55.403 --> 00:16:57.067 They may be out to tear you to pieces. 00:16:57.067 --> 00:16:58.870 They want to have you, they want to make you, make a mutton burger out of you. 00:16:58.870 --> 00:16:59.812 They may be out to tear you to pieces. 00:16:59.812 --> 00:17:06.772 They want to have you, they want to make a mutton burger out of you. 00:17:06.815 --> 00:17:17.461 So this idea that the gospel's enemies may initially sound really good, they may look really good, they may be very charismatic and have a great personality and draw lots of crowds, but underneath they're hiding something. 00:17:17.461 --> 00:17:24.042 And Jesus' point is that they're indistinguishable from true teachers. 00:17:24.042 --> 00:17:38.317 You see, just because somebody draws a large crowd or has a PhD or has a weekly podcast, it doesn't mean they can be trusted. 00:17:38.317 --> 00:17:41.546 And so what do we have to do? 00:17:41.546 --> 00:17:46.644 We have to lift up the fleece and kind of look underneath so we don't get fleeced right. 00:17:46.644 --> 00:17:51.898 We have to look beyond the appearance to see the reality of things. 00:17:54.644 --> 00:17:58.750 Paul continues in describing these kind of people. 00:17:58.750 --> 00:18:00.561 He says in 2 Corinthians 11,. 00:18:00.561 --> 00:18:08.064 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 00:18:08.064 --> 00:18:13.748 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 00:18:13.748 --> 00:18:20.567 So it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. 00:18:20.567 --> 00:18:23.500 Their end will correspond to their deeds. 00:18:23.500 --> 00:18:26.288 And so he says these guys are in disguise. 00:18:26.288 --> 00:18:35.384 These guys are in disguise, and his idea behind that is that you couldn't tell it if you wanted to by looking at them. 00:18:35.384 --> 00:18:42.932 But behind them is a darkest deceiver. 00:18:42.932 --> 00:18:47.727 The father of lies is behind these false prophets. 00:18:47.727 --> 00:18:55.424 He's motivating them to teach what they teach, and behind their deep fake, which is what it is. 00:18:55.424 --> 00:18:58.284 These folks are master manipulators. 00:18:58.284 --> 00:19:05.186 I mean, you can watch them on TV and listen to them, and they're directly influenced by Satan himself. 00:19:05.186 --> 00:19:06.477 This is what Paul is saying here. 00:19:06.477 --> 00:19:17.344 And they're often positioned inside our churches and inside our Christian organizations, and this was a really significant concern in the early church. 00:19:17.364 --> 00:19:21.471 Did you realize that almost every New Testament letter talks about false teachers? 00:19:21.471 --> 00:19:26.141 Let me give you a couple examples. 00:19:26.141 --> 00:19:34.542 In the letter to Jude, for example, in the last book before the book of Revelation, right at the beginning. 00:19:34.542 --> 00:19:35.705 Here's what Jude tells us. 00:19:35.705 --> 00:19:45.007 He says I was going to talk to you about our common salvation, but he said I changed my mind because there's something I need to address right now. 00:19:45.007 --> 00:19:55.925 He says I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints, for certain people have crept in unnoticed. 00:19:55.925 --> 00:19:58.682 He's talking about the false teachers. 00:20:12.005 --> 00:20:27.484 Paul in 2 Corinthians 11 says proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you received a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 00:20:27.484 --> 00:20:30.494 And Paul is, what is he doing? 00:20:30.494 --> 00:20:37.980 He's correcting this church for their indifference Big deal, and so they blew it off. 00:20:37.980 --> 00:20:45.240 But Paul's understanding goes way beyond the surface here. 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:51.295 He goes all the way back to the original deception in the garden and there's some instruction for us here. 00:20:51.295 --> 00:20:58.106 Paul knew that that Satan, the very first false prophet, uses tactics that never change. 00:20:58.106 --> 00:21:08.618 I want us to see him this morning because of that life altering exchange, that day that we remember, in the garden between Adam and Eve, satan and Satan. 00:21:08.699 --> 00:21:13.202 In Genesis, chapter three, we learn how Satan operates to deceive. 00:21:13.202 --> 00:21:14.546 And let me just give you. 00:21:14.546 --> 00:21:16.335 There's four things here that are instructive. 00:21:16.335 --> 00:21:25.124 Number one Satan there subtly twists the words of God, and we see this in this conversation. 00:21:25.124 --> 00:21:31.989 Satan is talking to Eve and Satan says did God actually say you shall not eat of any tree in the garden? 00:21:31.989 --> 00:21:35.599 And the woman listens to that. 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:38.467 And then she adds to his suggestion. 00:21:38.467 --> 00:21:50.347 And the woman said to the serpent we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God says you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden. 00:21:50.347 --> 00:21:54.967 And then she adds this neither shall you touch it, lest you die. 00:21:54.967 --> 00:21:56.941 You see what Satan's doing there. 00:21:56.941 --> 00:22:02.163 He's starting to mess with her mind, the way she remembers the scriptures, and sometimes he can do that with us. 00:22:02.163 --> 00:22:07.265 You ever thought you remembered a verse and it was like you go back and it's like that's not what it said at all. 00:22:07.265 --> 00:22:11.080 You think Satan does that still? 00:22:11.080 --> 00:22:11.682 Yes, he does. 00:22:11.682 --> 00:22:14.173 Satan subtly twists the words of God. 00:22:14.193 --> 00:22:16.961 Second, satan denies the truthfulness of God. 00:22:16.961 --> 00:22:21.699 Look at it in verse four, genesis, chapter three. 00:22:21.699 --> 00:22:25.807 But the serpent said to the woman you shall not surely die. 00:22:25.807 --> 00:22:31.623 You hear that he's directly contradicting what God has said. 00:22:31.623 --> 00:22:37.825 He says well, god is really not being honest with you. 00:22:37.825 --> 00:22:43.732 Well, god is really not being honest with you. 00:22:43.732 --> 00:22:47.689 How many times does he do that with us? 00:22:47.689 --> 00:22:49.238 Satan denies the truthfulness of God. 00:22:49.238 --> 00:22:51.444 Thirdly, satan questions the character of God. 00:22:51.444 --> 00:22:54.260 This is really dark. 00:22:55.916 --> 00:23:04.325 Chapter 3, verse 5, for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 00:23:04.325 --> 00:23:08.185 You see, what he's putting in mind is that God is holding out on you. 00:23:08.185 --> 00:23:11.965 He just doesn't want you to experience everything that ought to be coming to you. 00:23:11.965 --> 00:23:14.762 He's making your life miserable. 00:23:14.762 --> 00:23:17.363 The reason he tells you no is so you won't be happy. 00:23:17.363 --> 00:23:21.417 He doesn't want you to have everything. 00:23:21.417 --> 00:23:23.521 He's not a good God. 00:23:27.428 --> 00:23:39.328 And then, number four, satan appeals to human desires, and I'm talking about what is here in the scripture the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the boastful pride of life. 00:23:39.328 --> 00:23:42.584 He says there, so in scripture. 00:23:42.584 --> 00:24:06.382 So when the woman in verse six and seven saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate, eve was deceived, and Adam just. 00:24:06.382 --> 00:24:07.545 You know how. 00:24:07.545 --> 00:24:10.349 You know you women have lots of influence on us. 00:24:10.349 --> 00:24:13.201 He did that with his eyes open. 00:24:13.201 --> 00:24:22.857 He knew what he was doing right, but these are the same methods Satan uses to tempt Jesus as he did in the wilderness. 00:24:22.857 --> 00:24:28.076 These are the same methods that are seen in most, if not all, false teachers. 00:24:28.076 --> 00:24:40.066 Satan's tactics never change, and one recent example of this kind of deception, which actually twists the scriptures, is called the Mirror Bible. 00:24:40.066 --> 00:24:42.005 Has anybody heard of the Mirror Bible? 00:24:42.005 --> 00:24:43.775 Probably hasn't. 00:24:43.835 --> 00:24:45.147 It came out in 2021. 00:24:45.147 --> 00:24:48.443 And it was written by one man. 00:24:48.443 --> 00:24:58.366 His name is Francois Dutoy and he's actually South African, and so his readers described this Bible. 00:24:58.366 --> 00:25:08.637 After reading it, some of the people have written and said it's a refreshing and enlightening experience that offers a new perspective on familiar passages. 00:25:08.637 --> 00:25:11.263 When you hear something like that, it offers something new. 00:25:11.263 --> 00:25:15.596 Red flag Right. 00:25:15.596 --> 00:25:30.396 And yet, as you look a little bit deeper, you find that the Bible du toi, as written, is chock full of false teaching, and this is a Bible, by the way, that I don't know how many people are reading. 00:25:30.396 --> 00:25:31.138 I've heard it. 00:25:31.138 --> 00:25:40.307 You go to Google and you say, wow, you've got all these rave reviews, five-star reviews, and I understand what Google does sometimes, but there's a lot of people who read this Bible. 00:25:41.275 --> 00:25:49.680 It's called a translation, I think, a paraphrase, translation, paraphrase. 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:52.483 Those two don't go together, by the way. 00:25:52.483 --> 00:25:58.174 But he says he worked from the original Greek and it's really, in his mind, the right thing. 00:25:58.174 --> 00:26:05.026 But here's what you find, for example, in his exposition on what about the sinful nature? 00:26:05.026 --> 00:26:06.067 Here's what Dutoy writes. 00:26:06.067 --> 00:26:15.869 He says we theologically created the idea of humanity being sinful by nature, as if humans are flawed by design. 00:26:15.869 --> 00:26:16.050 Well duh. 00:26:16.050 --> 00:26:21.575 As if humans are flawed by design, well duh. 00:26:21.575 --> 00:26:27.057 In fact, it is a distorted mindset that we inherited from Adam, from which Jesus had to free us. 00:26:27.077 --> 00:26:32.326 The point of the mirror Bible is that we don't need to believe in order to become children of God. 00:26:32.326 --> 00:26:34.769 We already are because of Jesus. 00:26:34.769 --> 00:26:38.605 You see how twisted that is. 00:26:38.605 --> 00:26:42.942 But this is what people are getting from this false teacher. 00:26:42.942 --> 00:26:45.209 He goes on and finishes. 00:26:45.209 --> 00:26:59.147 He says everyone who realizes their association in him, that is, in Jesus, convinced that he is their original life and that his name defines them, god gives the assurance that they are indeed his offspring, begotten of him. 00:26:59.147 --> 00:27:01.019 That is a damning. 00:27:01.019 --> 00:27:10.749 A damning teaching, because it takes millions of people to hell because they're believing a lie. 00:27:12.974 --> 00:27:33.463 And so Jesus tells us, beware of false teachers, adding that any of us can be deceived If we're not careful to pay attention to what the Word of God says and treat it like it is a lamp shining in a dark place, and you may be sitting here this morning going well, not me. 00:27:33.463 --> 00:27:36.160 Think about this. 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:41.288 The very nature of deception is that you don't know that you're being deceived. 00:27:41.288 --> 00:27:47.323 So how then do we guard against this? 00:27:47.323 --> 00:27:50.038 We need discernment. 00:27:50.038 --> 00:27:51.083 You know what discernment is. 00:27:51.083 --> 00:27:55.066 Discernment is the God-given ability to see through the lies. 00:27:55.066 --> 00:27:58.742 Discernment is the God-given ability to see through the lies. 00:27:58.742 --> 00:28:03.944 Discernment is the God-given ability to see through the lies, and Jesus doesn't leave us without help here. 00:28:03.944 --> 00:28:12.724 He cuts to the chase and he gives us what we need to know, and we see it in this next point, the discerning of false teachers, in verses 16 through 20. 00:28:13.394 --> 00:28:16.164 In verse 16, he says you, here's the thing. 00:28:16.164 --> 00:28:21.579 You will recognize them by their fruits and the way he communicates this. 00:28:21.579 --> 00:28:33.567 He gives us the illustration, he gives us a picture of two trees with their associated fruits, and really, this is a simple test to know who is real and who is not. 00:28:33.567 --> 00:28:38.201 Look at their fruits and, by the way it's plural fruits. 00:28:38.201 --> 00:28:40.134 Look at their fruits, look at all that's and, by the way, it's plural fruits. 00:28:40.134 --> 00:28:42.601 Look at their fruits, look at all that's produced by the tree. 00:28:44.416 --> 00:28:45.539 And what do the fruits reveal? 00:28:45.539 --> 00:28:48.047 Three things. 00:28:48.047 --> 00:28:54.266 First of all, their fruits, he says, reveal their nature. 00:28:54.266 --> 00:28:55.896 He says. 00:28:55.896 --> 00:29:00.116 He asked the question are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 00:29:00.116 --> 00:29:04.185 The nature of the tree is what the tree is, right, can't change. 00:29:04.185 --> 00:29:05.816 It's the Old Testament. 00:29:05.816 --> 00:29:07.220 Can a leopard change its spots? 00:29:07.220 --> 00:29:08.362 Well, no, it's a leopard. 00:29:08.362 --> 00:29:12.538 The fruits reveal their nature, and so let's make this practical. 00:29:12.538 --> 00:29:16.407 I got some things to ask as we're considering these things. 00:29:16.407 --> 00:29:20.759 And the question here is do their words and their teaching line up with the scriptures? 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:26.957 Simple thing, simple test the fruits reveal their nature. 00:29:26.977 --> 00:29:30.066 The second one is that their fruits expose their character. 00:29:30.066 --> 00:29:34.440 Their fruits expose their character, he says in verses. 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:39.868 He says in verses is that next phrase there in 17? 00:29:39.868 --> 00:29:47.378 Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 00:29:47.378 --> 00:29:51.248 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, a diseased tree cannot bear good fruit. 00:29:51.248 --> 00:29:56.720 It's impossible for them to bear what they are not right. 00:29:56.720 --> 00:30:01.696 And here's the question we ask Does their character reflect the teaching of the scriptures? 00:30:01.696 --> 00:30:05.964 I mean what's their character, and pretty soon, if you're around them long enough, you know. 00:30:05.964 --> 00:30:15.749 It's kind of like what the scripture says out of the heart words reveal what's in our heart. 00:30:15.749 --> 00:30:19.480 So just listen to what they say and you'll know. 00:30:19.480 --> 00:30:20.944 Their fruits expose their character. 00:30:20.944 --> 00:30:24.565 And then, third, their fruits predict their destiny. 00:30:24.565 --> 00:30:40.387 He says every tree verse 10 that does not bear fruit good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire, and the question we can ask here is what is the outcome of their teaching and what is their is the effect of their teaching on the people who listen to them? 00:30:40.387 --> 00:30:44.623 How have they influenced the lives of their hearers? 00:30:45.335 --> 00:30:53.625 These are simple tests, and Jesus tells us, though, that by looking at their fruits we can know whether false or true. 00:30:53.625 --> 00:31:12.709 Now, jesus has been just, I think, instructing us about those who claim to be what they're not, and in verses 15 through 20, we've warned he's been warning us as he has with the danger of false prophets, and now he kind of switches gears. 00:31:12.709 --> 00:31:17.923 In verses 21 through 23, he now speaks about being false followers. 00:31:17.923 --> 00:31:24.267 Now we begin to squirm. 00:31:24.267 --> 00:31:45.944 To me, this is the most sobering portion of Scripture in all the Bible, because it tells about people who are standing at the door to heaven and they're hoping and expecting to get in, thinking that they're Christians, but they're in fact revealed not to be. 00:31:45.944 --> 00:31:51.203 Does that concern you? 00:31:51.203 --> 00:31:53.096 Does that frighten you, boy? 00:31:53.096 --> 00:31:57.259 It does me, and I know whom I have believed. 00:31:57.259 --> 00:32:09.281 But here's the disaster from false teaching, verses 21 through 23. 00:32:09.695 --> 00:32:16.824 I was thinking about this and you know, we all feel that weakness, don't we? 00:32:16.824 --> 00:32:20.942 Of the flesh and just our sinful nature, and it's like we're not what we ought to be. 00:32:20.942 --> 00:32:26.463 There's those question marks that the enemy brings in and saying, well, you're not this or you're not that. 00:32:26.463 --> 00:32:29.942 And he puts a question mark on us. 00:32:29.942 --> 00:32:37.605 John Newton, who's him we know so well, you know what Amazing grace. 00:32:37.605 --> 00:32:47.105 He was so aware of this feeling that he said if I ever reach heaven, I expect to find three wonders there. 00:32:47.105 --> 00:32:55.002 First, to meet some I had not thought to see there, and that will be true. 00:32:55.002 --> 00:32:58.324 To miss some I had thought to meet there. 00:32:58.324 --> 00:33:03.924 And third, the greatest wonder of all, to find myself there. 00:33:03.924 --> 00:33:10.314 Yeah, yeah, this is a serious warning for all of us to find myself there. 00:33:10.314 --> 00:33:12.243 Yeah, yeah, this is a serious warning for all of us. 00:33:12.243 --> 00:33:12.887 To consider it. 00:33:12.994 --> 00:33:19.815 Jesus imagines now for us what it will be like for someone on that day of judgment. 00:33:19.815 --> 00:33:28.080 And they stand as they stand, horrified, at the door to heaven, thinking they're going to get in and they're turned away. 00:33:28.080 --> 00:33:37.865 So notice, they're turned away from the door of heaven. 00:33:37.865 --> 00:33:41.084 There are, I would just say, two panicked professions. 00:33:41.084 --> 00:33:45.778 Can you imagine Panic would set in the first? 00:33:45.778 --> 00:33:48.086 And these are claims. 00:33:48.086 --> 00:33:55.179 But I called you Lord, verse 21,. 00:33:55.179 --> 00:34:03.575 Jesus said not everyone who says to me, lord, lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father, who is in heaven. 00:34:03.575 --> 00:34:05.923 You know this is about lip service. 00:34:05.923 --> 00:34:09.302 Lip service is in heaven. 00:34:09.302 --> 00:34:11.132 You know this is about lip service. 00:34:11.132 --> 00:34:11.655 Lip service is not enough. 00:34:11.655 --> 00:34:15.065 Using his name doesn't prove anything. 00:34:15.065 --> 00:34:21.422 You can wear the moniker Christian and not be a Christian. 00:34:21.422 --> 00:34:26.322 But I called you Lord. 00:34:26.322 --> 00:34:29.137 And then the second one. 00:34:29.137 --> 00:34:31.606 But I did great things for you. 00:34:31.606 --> 00:34:33.800 We did great things for you. 00:34:33.800 --> 00:34:34.516 He says. 00:34:34.617 --> 00:34:43.722 On that day, many will say to me Lord, lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do mighty works in your name? 00:34:43.722 --> 00:34:53.923 And here's someone who is busy in ministry, counting on his sensational works to do what? 00:34:53.923 --> 00:34:54.465 To save him. 00:34:54.465 --> 00:34:58.300 He does a lot of great things. 00:34:58.300 --> 00:35:11.742 In fact he lists them A lot of great results maybe, but he's also too inflated by what he's done, by the things he's done himself. 00:35:11.742 --> 00:35:16.025 It kind of gives you a little clue about something's not quite right. 00:35:18.315 --> 00:35:27.153 But prophecy casting out demons mighty works don't those say anything. 00:35:27.153 --> 00:35:30.731 And we might have thought that Jesus would Mighty works. 00:35:30.731 --> 00:35:31.275 Don't those say anything. 00:35:31.275 --> 00:35:41.672 And we might have thought that Jesus would handed the guy an A for all the effort, right. 00:35:41.672 --> 00:35:47.875 But spiritual power doesn't prove anything and we kind of gravitate to that, thinking wow, that's a powerful preacher, that's a powerful ministry or that's a super mega church. 00:35:47.875 --> 00:35:52.085 It must be something to that church or that person. 00:35:52.085 --> 00:36:07.068 Spiritual power doesn't prove anything Because he says then will I declare to them I never knew you. 00:36:07.068 --> 00:36:09.983 Depart from me, you, workers of lawlessness. 00:36:10.235 --> 00:36:17.827 This is the ultimate deception, a disaster that you and I don't want to encounter, right? 00:36:17.827 --> 00:36:28.288 You know there's a scripture in Proverbs that says there is a path that seems right to a person, but it ends in death. 00:36:28.288 --> 00:36:36.228 You know, there's only one thing, only one thing that matters according to Jesus. 00:36:36.228 --> 00:36:39.485 Do you know him? 00:36:39.485 --> 00:36:43.704 Do you know him in a personal relationship? 00:36:43.704 --> 00:36:51.119 Do you know him in deep fellowship and this is a word that talks about intimacy, you spent time with him. 00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:52.744 He knows you, you know him. 00:36:52.744 --> 00:37:02.228 It's not about all the things we do or things that we claim or the words that we use, and this is where it's deceptive. 00:37:02.228 --> 00:37:22.447 John Calvin once wrote the human heart has so many crannies where vanity hides, so many holes where falsehood lurks, is so decked out with deceiving hypocrisy that it often dupes itself. 00:37:22.447 --> 00:37:26.561 So what are we to do? 00:37:26.561 --> 00:37:30.001 So what are we to do? 00:37:30.001 --> 00:37:33.789 Make sure that you and I have not misunderstood the way. 00:37:33.789 --> 00:37:36.400 The way is Jesus. 00:37:36.400 --> 00:37:40.327 He's a way and the truth and the life. 00:37:40.327 --> 00:37:46.097 Grab hold of the truth like it's your best friend, because it is love the truth. 00:37:46.097 --> 00:37:48.905 Believe is Love the truth, believe the truth, live the truth. 00:37:52.817 --> 00:37:56.655 Here's a good piece of advice from 2 Corinthians Paul. 00:37:56.655 --> 00:38:01.286 He says examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. 00:38:01.286 --> 00:38:07.664 Test yourselves, surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you. 00:38:07.664 --> 00:38:11.585 If not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 00:38:11.585 --> 00:38:16.523 See, our faith is it's grace that God gives. 00:38:16.523 --> 00:38:18.168 We don't work for it, it's by grace. 00:38:18.168 --> 00:38:20.623 You don't boast because you've done it yourself. 00:38:20.623 --> 00:38:28.750 You can't boast, but it's something God has given to you as a gift, but guess what it's by grace. 00:38:28.750 --> 00:38:37.204 Has given to you as a gift, but guess what it's by grace, through what Faith we have, steps, so we do as was shared this morning. 00:38:37.204 --> 00:38:39.048 We have to do what we do ourselves too. 00:38:39.048 --> 00:38:44.563 There's a part we play, you know. 00:38:44.583 --> 00:38:46.869 See, the message is the cure for deception. 00:38:46.869 --> 00:39:14.215 The cure for deception is Jesus, and when we fail to be discerning about the teaching and beliefs we embrace, we become vulnerable to the lies of the enemy and to the most tragic deception of all To hear on that day Jesus say to us I never knew you. 00:39:14.215 --> 00:39:21.592 Ultimately, only God knows who belongs to him. 00:39:21.592 --> 00:39:32.451 Right, but here's the thing Today, if you have doubts about your salvation or if you think I don't know Jesus, you can know him today. 00:39:32.451 --> 00:39:34.061 There'll be people down here in just a minute. 00:39:34.101 --> 00:39:48.523 I want you to stand, we're going to pray, but I want you to know there'll be people down here and ready to talk to you about those doubts and about any question that you have, or tell you how you can know Jesus in a personal way. 00:39:48.523 --> 00:40:04.360 Here's the truth, because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 00:40:04.360 --> 00:40:13.085 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 00:40:13.085 --> 00:40:20.985 Father, we thank you for your word today and we ask you, lord, to speak your words to our hearts. 00:40:20.985 --> 00:40:41.543 Lord, lord, we have questions sometimes about where we are with you, and I pray today that if we have questions in any way, whether we don't know you or we have doubts about you, lord, we'll nail those down today and make certain that we've not misunderstood and that we're not deceived. 00:40:41.543 --> 00:40:45.362 Lord, in Jesus' name, we pray Amen.