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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Sunday, January 9, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Sermon on the Mount - False Prophets Bible Verse:Matthew 7:15-20 (NKJV) "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them." Message:
A false prophet is a teacher of incorrect doctrine, or one falsely and unjustly laying claims to divine inspiration. They were a plague upon the Jews; they were a plague upon the early church; and they are a plague among us still. Jesus coins the phrase, “wolves in sheeps' clothing,” to describe them.
Comparing false prophets to wolves was common in the Old Testament, e.g., Zephania 3:3,
Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are evening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning. (Zeph 3:3)
The dress of a shepherd was a sheepskin, and the prophets of Israel had adopted sheepskin or hair garments as a sign of their ministry. While many wore the hair of other animals — John the Baptist wore a robe of camel hair — Jesus’ play on words had a second level of meaning to the people of the day; for false prophets might literally be wearing “sheep’s clothing.”
Wolves kill and eat sheep, and the metaphor is widely known and clearly understood: hypocrites who pretend to serve as teachers of God, but actually seek to profit off those they teach.
We get two famous quotes in one short passage here, for it ends with the advice: “By their fruits you shall know them.” You can’t tell a bad tree or vine by looking at it; it is good if it produces good apples or sweet grapes. Just so, a false prophet may look and sound attractive and convincing. But how to tell a wolf from a saint?
By their fruits, of course. We can look at the idea of “fruits” in two ways. First, by integrity of someone’s life: Does he practice what he preaches?
It is difficult to admit that a teacher you have grown to depend upon, even to love, is corrupt; but con men are superb at seeming to be what they are not. Paul gives guidelines for church leaders in several epistles, which can be applied effectively to this point, e.g. 1 Timothy 3:1-13.
An overseer [bishop, elder, church official] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, . . .
Meditation : Prayer : Almighty God, who does freely pardon all who repent and turn to Him, now fulfill in my contrite heart the promise of redeeming grace; forgiving all my sins, and cleansing me from an evil conscience; through the perfect sacrifice of Christ Jesus our Lord. And turn my heart to your will at every moment, I pray......Amen |
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