Discerning the Difference
(Matthew 7:15-20)
By
Note: The text below was prepared for oral delivery
rather than for publication in print. As
such, be aware that sentence fragments are intentionally used and that this
document has not been edited to correct the errors in grammar, sentence
structure, etc.
Today we will be continuing
our study on the Sermon on the Mount so turn again to Matthew, chapter 7. Our text for today is Matthew 7, verses 15-20. In our passage today, Christ sets forth a
warning at the very beginning of verse 15 with the command to “Beware of false
prophets…” and He proceeds from there to instruct us how to tell the difference
between the true and the false. Accordingly,
I’ve titled today’s message “Discerning the Difference.” As with the subject matter of this entire
sermon, Christ is speaking of the gospel of the kingdom, of the way of entrance
into the kingdom of heaven itself. And this warning in verse 15 should give us
all reason to carefully examine our own understanding of the way of entrance
into heaven. That is, when you peel away
all the clutter, just what do you believe to be the ultimate determining factor
regarding your own eternal destination? Previously,
we looked at Proverbs 16:25 which teaches us, “There is a way that seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death.”
That should make us all
think. If we have embraced the way that
leads to eternal life, that means that we must have discovered, by God’s
gracious providential intervention, that at some point in the past we were
mistaken about the way of salvation itself – heading the wrong way. Because the Bible states it clearly – the way
that initially and naturally seems right to every sinner is a way that ends in
eternal death. Using myself as an
example, for the first 30 + years of my life, I truly thought I was on my way
to heaven. I had done my part and
believed – I had accepted Jesus Christ as I knew Him to be at that time, but
nothing about this experience required a complete reversal of the way that
seemed right in my mind.
And as we pickup in Matthew 7:15 today, recall that it
was the “way” of salvation, to eternal life itself, that Christ had contrasted
with the way that naturally seems right – the way that leads to
destruction. In fact, to see this
passage in context, let’s begin our reading back in verse 13, where Christ
commands:
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait
is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it.”
And then, as we begin our text for today, He says, so “Beware of false prophets, which come to you
in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Here in verse 15 I want you to
consider that our Lord is warning us that there are false prophets and as such,
He’s telling us:
1) Discern (beware)
2) That they are Deceptive (wolves in sheep’s clothing,
in disguise)
3) That they are Dangerous (They’re not as they seem, but
rather ravening wolves).
The word “beware” is translated from a Greek word
meaning to take heed, to be cautious, pay attention – watch out! Be discerning! There is something here that is
deceptive and we need be able to identify it so that we can distinguish the
true from the false. And what are we to
beware of? – false prophets. That is
they are imposters. They are prophets in
the sense that they claim to speak God’s Word.
They are instructing men on the vital issues of salvation and eternal
life itself. But their way is a false
way. So in the immediate context then, a
false prophet is any who claims to speak God’s word but who, either openly or
with great subtlety, direct sinners to the broad road that leads to
destruction, though they suggest to their hearers (and most likely sincerely
believe) that they are speaking of the way to eternal life. And that’s a deadly deception by which the
souls of many are devoured.
The Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2:1, “But
there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, …” Just as Peterr
likened false prophets to false teachers, it is generally understood that the
reference to “prophets” here in Matthew 7 is to any who set up themselves to be
teachers of others. For a scriptural
description of a false prophet, be turning to Jeremiah chapter 23. I particularly want you to see here from
scripture that we would be misguided if we assume that the only false prophets we
need to beware of are those who would maliciously and intentionally mislead us.
In Jeremiah 23, look down at verse 16 where we read, “Thus
saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that
prophesy unto you: they make you vain: (Here vain means to be lead
astray) they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. 17They say
still (peace – this is the way) unto them that despise me, The LORD hath
said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the
imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.” And then look down further in verse
26: “How long shall this
be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of
their own heart;
So, we see that He is
speaking here of men who prophesy or teach what they sincerely believe. They speak from their own heart. They tell folks this is what the Lord hath
said. If you look down further there in
Jeremiah 23 at verse 30, we read, “Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words
every one from his neighbour. 31Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues,
and say, He saith.” They
use this book, the very words of God, and that adds to the deception.
Now back to Matthew 7, if we
consider the context, immediately following this warning given in verse 15, we find
down in verse 22, Christ setting forth how some of these very false prophets of
whom we are to beware, sadly approach the judgment fully expecting to be
admitted into heaven themselves as they say, “…Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name
done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I
never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Now these were prophesying in the
name of Christ and yet He says He knew them not. You see, anyone possessing a little worldly-wise
“street smarts” might well see through those who would intentionally try to
“pull the wool over their eyes” so to speak.
And certainly such con artists would fall into the category of an
imposter – a false prophet or false teacher.
But in our context, I believe He is speaking of men who are sincere in
their religion – they’re just sincerely wrong.
So, we can’t determine the true from the false simply by assessing their
sincerity or their integrity, or based upon what may be well-deserved
reputations as judged in the eyes of others.
Now with regards to their
deceptiveness, they are described here as those who come to you in sheep’s
clothing. In Hebrews 11:37, we read of
the persecuted true saints of old how “They were stoned, they were sawn asunder,
were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins
and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;” From this
passage we know that these Old Testament saints literally wore sheep’s
clothing. And in addition to this reference
to literal clothing, He may well be alluding to the “sheep” spoken of by Christ
in the book of John as the very elect of God, those sheep who Christ says hears
His voice in the Gospel message and come to the Father by Christ. Whether taken literally or figuratively, either
way it’s clear that this is referring to those who likewise claim (perhaps even
sincerely believe) that they’ve heard His voice in the gospel but whom, like
the preachers mentioned in verses 21-23, are sadly mistaken.
And so as we consider verse
15, recognize that simply because one speaks and teaches others in accordance
with their own heart-felt, sincere conviction (like these preachers), it doesn’t
change the reality of what they are on the inside. They may mean well, but they are what they
are. He says that inwardly they are
ravening wolves. That word “ravening” is
derived from a word that means to take for ones self or to seize or take
away. They lead astray.
So it’s clear from Matthew
7:15 that there are those who would deceive us, and would lead us down the
broad way that leads to destruction under the presumption that we’re actually on
the road to eternal life. This speaks of
a danger of eternal significance – the danger that we might remained fooled and
devoured by such ravenous wolves that outwardly appear to us as harmless, well
intending sheep. So how are we to
discern the difference? How are we to
distinguish the true from the false?
Well He tells us beginning in
verse 16 where we read, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17Even so every good
tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18A
good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is
hewn down, and cast into the fire. (And
I believe that is referring to their ultimate and eternal destruction) 20Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them.”
Ye shall know them by their fruits. What fruits?
Some suggest that this would refer to their converts; however if this
were the proper understanding we would have to judge Noah as a false
preacher. He had no converts but the
Bible tells us He was a preacher of righteousness.
Now some think that “fruits” here refers to the
outward character and conduct of a person.
But in this context, it must be referring to something more
specific. Paul spoke to Timothy about
corrupt men who “…had a form of godliness…”
In Matthew 23, Christ said of the Scribes and Pharisees, considered by
many to be the most religious folks who ever lived, that they “…outwardly
appear righteous unto men, but within… (they were)…full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
Hold your place there in Matthew 7 and be turning over
to Luke Chapter 6. While you’re turning
there, recognize that we are all trees according to this analogy. But we know that the fruit that is produced
cannot be distinguished by its outward manifestation. Many, such as these preachers mentioned in
verses 21-23 of Matthew 7, do many wonderful works yet Christ said He knew them
not. These works that appear outwardly
commendable before men, He calls works of iniquity (sin).
So this proves to us that He is not suggesting here
that we can distinguish the true from the false by simply looking at outward
character and conduct. Here in the
context of Matthew 7, the fruit spoken of is that which is produced by a
prophet or teacher in that specific role.
What does such a prophet, preacher, or teacher produce? A prophet prophesies – he tells forth. Likewise, a teacher or preacher provides
instruction to others to point them to a way of salvation – a way that
supposedly leads to eternal life? And in
so doing, they set forth doctrine.
And here in Matthew 7, that is the fruit by which we are to distinguish
the true from the false – by their doctrine – their body of faith – what they
purport to be the way to eternal life itself – that which they believe and
teach to others is the real determining factor as to one’s eternal destination,
heaven or hell.
In support of this, I want you to look with me now at
a parallel passage as recorded in Luke 6, beginning in verse 43 where Christ
says, “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44For every tree is known by
his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush
gather they grapes… (Now here in vs. 45, take particular note of Luke’s
record as he explains what this fruit is,)… 45A good man out of
the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil
man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil:
for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
So from this account, we know that what this “good
man” or “evil man” brings forth is the fruit that identifies the true or the false. And what is brought forth is that which is
spoken, told forth, or prophesied / taught.
He says this fruit that is brought forth comes from the treasure of the
heart of which the mouth speaks. Ultimately,
men with any degree of integrity can do no other. We eventually will major on that which we
believe in our hearts makes the vital difference.
Look back now in Matthew 7 at verses 17 and 18. There Christ says that a good tree brings
forth good fruit and a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. And then He says a good tree cannot
bring forth evil fruit, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. You see, the fruit comes from the essence of
the tree – from its heart as we apply the analogy. I have a peach tree on my property. What is the clearest evidence that it truly
is a peach tree? Its fruit – it produces
peaches. If it could reason, “I want to
produce apples this year,” it would do no good.
It couldn’t. Why? Because of what it is – it’s a peach
tree.
Likewise, it is not the good fruit that makes the tree
good. The fruit only manifests the type
of tree, whether good or corrupt. So we
see that the fruit is only good if it is being produced by one whom God has
made a good tree. And it is not called
good fruit because it now meets God’s standard of perfection. It’s not because God has somehow now enabled
the sinner to improve his or her performance.
The believer’s best efforts at obedience and the best efforts of true
Gospel preachers and teachers at directing others to God’s way of salvation
conditioned on Christ alone (the doctrine of Christ) both fall miserably short
of meeting the standard of perfection required before a holy God.
No, it is good fruit because it is that which is
produced by a good tree – one who has been judicially accounted perfect
(righteous) so that he and his efforts are made acceptable before a holy God –
not based on the efforts themselves – not based upon anything proceeding from
them, but based upon the perfection, the righteousness, of a suitable Substitute
being reckoned to their account – that which the Lord Jesus Christ alone
accomplished in His life and death on the cross. They are accepted in Christ – “accepted in the
beloved” to use the scriptural language.
In 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, beginning
in verse 13, Paul wrote, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves
into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers
also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be
according to their works.” So how are we to beware of them if they appear
to be ministers of the very righteousness that the scriptures indicate is set
forth in the true Gospel message – the doctrine of Christ? That word “transformed” has the connotation of
a temporary change. The key is
that they can’t hang there. A corrupt
tree eventually must speak from the evil treasure of its own heart. And so we’re taught in 2 John, verse 9: “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth
not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the
doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” Ultimately they are true to their own
heart – they can’t abide in the doctrine of Christ.
So what is the doctrine of Christ? It’s that which Christ has delivered here in
His sermon. Notice at the end of chapter
7, down in verse 28, it reads, “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended
these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:...” That’s what
this entire sermon delivered by Christ Himself has been all about. It’s the doctrine of Christ. If I’ve counted correctly, this is the 18th
message that I’ve brought in this series from the Sermon on the Mount. And for those of you who have heard most of
these you know that with all that we’ve studied, Christ has stayed on the same subject
throughout. It’s one simple
message.
In the Beatitudes, at the beginning of the sermon, He
spoke of the evidences of those who are the eternally blessed of God – of the
poor in spirit who find themselves spiritually destitute with nothing to plead
before a holy God but mercy – the unmerited favor of God by way of the perfect
satisfaction to law and justice required and produced by Christ, and by Him
alone. He said these eternally blessed
(“good trees”) are those who are brought to hunger and thirst after
righteousness. That rings true to the
theme of the entire sermon – the Gospel of the kingdom – this dominion, reign
or rule of grace (as Romans
And Christ made it clear that all of the salvation of
any who enter heaven is conditioned on Him.
He said in chapter 5, verses 17 & 18, “…that is why I came…” – to
fulfill the law perfectly, every jot and tittle. He goes on to say except your efforts (your
righteousness) exceeds that of the best of the best put together, the scribes
and the Pharisees, that you’ll in no case enter into heaven. And then in verse 48 of chapter 5, He tells
us just how much our efforts must exceed the presumed righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees when He tells us – “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect.”
Now where does this doctrine of Christ leave a
sinner? If you believe this, you know
that neither you nor any other sinner can do anything that will make the
difference. You’re convinced that you
must look to Jesus for it all – the author and finisher of our faith. You need mercy – you need this perfect righteousness
and you, being a sinner in thought and deed, cannot produce it. And yet Christ commands us in this very
chapter to ask, seek, and knock and asserts that if we ask, according to His
way, we shall receive, we shall find and that the door to eternal salvation
shall be opened. But we also read how
many desire to go to heaven, they’re seeking something / heaven itself but it is
not the specific, narrow way of salvation conditioned on Christ alone, that He
commands us to seek. Well, he told us specifically
what to seek for didn’t He? He said in
6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,”
referring to the very satisfaction that Christ alone made by His perfect
obedience, even unto death. You see,
only His Person and work merits any favor before a holy God and only His
vicarious death removes the guilt of sin.
There is no merit before a holy God to be found anywhere other than in
the impeccable, perfect obedience and infinitely valuable payment for sin made
by Christ, the God-man.
But these false prophets, (preachers or teachers), of
which we are to beware suggest just something contrary, in opposition to this
doctrine of Christ. While invoking His
name and twisting God’s own words, they suggest that salvation is ultimately
attained based upon some condition or requirement that the sinner is able to
meet. They tell their hearers that
something other than (or in addition to) the one righteousness produced by
Christ alone possesses merit before God.
They tell them that the determining factor in their eternal destiny is ultimately
in their hands – at least in some small way or to some degree. And that’s a false way.
It’s to promote that if you’ll do your part, be it
ever so small (i.e. - believe, accept Jesus, invite Him into your heart or
life, say the sinner’s prayer, be a good person, go to church, really get
serious about spiritual things, clean up your act, try to obey God or keep the
law, pray daily, confess Christ by walking an aisle or in baptism, – you name it, any one or any combination of
these things or any other conditions) – they suggest if you meet the
requirement prescribed by their particular religion or denomination, then you
shall be saved. And being deceived
themselves, they tell people that this is what God says and that they shall not
surely die eternally. That describes the
broad way that leads to destruction.
But those who enter the strait gate and the narrow way
that leads to eternal life, as they are convinced of the impossibility of either
their guilt before God being removed and/or of being found acceptable before God
based upon anything other than the one righteousness established by Christ in
His life and death being reckoned to their account – then they have no where
else to turn. They need that
righteousness (the righteousness of God) to be made theirs by God’s judicial
imputation of it to their account. They
need mercy and know that their salvation is not in their hands, but rather in
the hands of a sovereign God who says in Exodus 33 and is repeated for us again
in Romans 9, that He will have mercy on whom He will.
In closing, be turning to Isaiah 61. Some respond to this message of sovereign
grace by thinking, “I’m glad I don’t believe what you’re saying for I’d hate to
think that I could do nothing to procure my eternal destiny – how frightful
such thinking must be.” But what they
fail to realize is that none will adopt this, God’s way of salvation, apart
from God doing a miraculous work of grace in their heart that would cause them
to bow at His feet. And that gift of
faith and repentance is the certain fruit and effect of what Christ merited for
them in His life and death. And so this
revelation of faith is only given to those for whom He lived and died – those whose
sins He bore – for whom righteousness was established and imputed. So no one who truly pleads for mercy ever
fails to find it. They realize that
they’ve been blessed to have this revealed to them by God’s Spirit, knowing that
otherwise they couldn’t shuck off their own natural, sinful determination to go
the way that naturally seemed right to them and humbly and bow at the feet of a
sovereign God – not One who is sovereign in all things, including
salvation.
You see, they were made good trees when they were
justified by the blood of Christ at the cross of
It may seem a disturbing thing to have concluded that
you’re totally at God’s mercy when it comes to your eternal destiny. But once so convinced – the objects of God’s
mercy – they bow to that truth and rejoice for they know nothing else will do
for them, a sinner. They need a suitable
substitute. And they know that only
those for whom Christ died, to whom righteousness has been imputed, are made able
to see and embrace this radical change of heart and mind. So they find themselves in that number and
their distress turns into comfort and assurance. Christ said that all that the Father gave Him
shall come to Him. And they (and only
they) will!
In Isaiah 61, beginning in verse 1 we read, “The
Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon
me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;
he
hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, ...(and this list of things
that Christ is sent to do continues as we pickup in verse 3 where we see He was
sent) …To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for
ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of
the LORD, that he might be glorified.”
God will not share His glory. Salvation is of the Lord. And every tree of righteousness He planted,
will bow to that truth in God-given faith, submitting to God’s way of salvation
in Christ alone and repenting for ever having imagined anything else would do.
Did you notice in our text today that our Lord only
presents 2 alternatives? We’re all
either corrupt trees or good trees – trees of righteousness, planted by the Lord.
I pray that all who hear this message will be blessed by
God to discern the difference!
Footnote from the author: While this sermon was prepared and delivered
by me, I often utilize the commentaries, study helps, and teachings of others
to supplement my own prayerful study of the scriptures. Since this document was not originally
prepared for publication in print, please excuse and recognize that it was
unfeasible to properly identify and credit all of the various original sources
used to develop the content herein.
Ultimately, it is my sincere and foremost objective to accurately
present the gospel of God’s grace found in the only infallible source, God’s
word itself – the Bible.