“Beware of false prophets!”

Matthew 7:15

In Matthew 7:15 the Lord Jesus Christ gives us one of the most needed and yet most neglected words of warning found in Holy Scripture. He said, ”Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

It is my intention today to do what I can to echo that warning to you and to all who may hear this message. I know that most people say, “You must not judge or condemn another person’s religion. Only a bigot refuses to go along with and respect the religion of another man. We ought to treat all men as our brethren. We must never get the idea that we are right and others are wrong.”

There are just a couple of problems with that pretentious, sugarcoated, straddle-the-fence, effeminate mentality. We are not all brethren; and we are not all right! The fact is, if I am preaching free grace and the man down the road is preaching free will, we are not both right, we are not brethren, and we are not both the servants of God! Therefore our Lord demands that, if I would be faithful to him, faithful to his Word, and faithful to your souls, I must prophesy against those prophets of deceit who would destroy your souls by their doctrine. -- “Beware of false prophets!”

Take the time to read Ezekiel 13. In that book alone, the Lord God demanded on thirteen separate occasions that Ezekiel prophesy against the prophets of his day. Nothing in all the world is more dangerous and deadly than a false prophet. More warnings are given in the Word of God about false prophets and false religion than about any other thing. We will be wise to hear and heed those warnings. -- “Beware of false prophets!” Therefore, it is written, "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge" (Pro. 19:27). -- "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20). – “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). -- "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee" (Deut. 13:1-5). -- “Beware of false prophets!”