Mountains and Molehills

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False Prophets
"Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it. But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few who find it" (7:13-14).

Most people think there is "safety in numbers." The traditional idea of a false prophet is someone on the lunatic fringe, leading a small sect of religious zealots. But Christ saw the popular, respectable, powerful religious establishment as the real breeding ground for false prophets. Orthodoxy is no guarantee of soundness in doctrine (Lk 6:26).

"Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but on the inside they are like wolves" (7:15).

"Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart" (I Samuel 16:7). People were easily convinced that Jesus was a devil-possessed madman, motivated by evil desires (Jn 8:48, 10:20). True Prophets tend to be rough on the outside... sheep in wolves' clothing. But false prophets are just the opposite. They have everything going their way, and anything that threatens their privileged positions is labelled "of the devil" (cf Mt 23:29-36; Jn 11:47-48). Yet, it is really the establishment that is of the devil (James 4:4). Paul said devilish leaders in the Christian establishment would claim to have the authority of the early apostles (II Cor 11:13-15).

"You will know them by what they do. Thornbushes do not bear grapes, and briars do not bear figs" (7:16).

Do you want the sweet fruit of love, or the thorny bricks and mortar of the religious system? To the temple caretakers, Christ is a definite threat (Mk 14:58, 15:29-30). And the threat is quite real! (Lk 21:5-6; Mt 27:50-51) The lie has been exposed: God doesn't live in those buildings. You can't put God in a box! (Acts 7:48) He lives in people now! (I Cor 3:16) If you want buildings, join a big Church; if you want love, follow Christ.

A healthy tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a poor tree cannot bear good fruit" (7:17-18).

Love and its attendant qualities are the proof of God's spirit in us (Gal 5:22-23). And sharing your wealth is proof of your love (I Jn 3:17-18). Love is not emotional experiences, plastic smiles, or fancy talk; it is action (II Jn 6-9).

"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire" (7:19).

Water baptism, speaking in tongues, church attendance, and evangelical cliches won't save you. John the Baptist refused to baptise religious people without proof of their "repentance" (Lk 3:7-11). He said if they would not share their wealth, they would be thrown in the "fire."

Whenever we get away from the teachings of Christ, we begin to die, and we are headed for hell (Jn 15:6-8; cf Lk 13:6-10). One day the truth of what Christ said will grind the false religious system to powder, unless they truly repent (II Pt 2:1-3).

"So then, you will know the false prophets by what they do" (7:20).

If Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, then anyone who opposes the teachings of Christ is lost, lying, and dead. Anyone can say "Lord, Lord!" but only a genuine believer can obey Christ (Lk 6:46).

"Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do" (7:21).

You are not my "brother" just because you say "Lord, Lord!" or go to the same church I attend. I will not defend hypocrisy in churches for the sake of "unity." The teachings of Jesus can be the only basis for unity amongst Christians.

My wife took my name when she married me. If she is faithful, she will share all that I receive from my father. But if she leaves me, she has taken my name in vain, and every time she uses it she will anger my father more. The name of Jesus does not belong to disobedient "Christians," and just saying it will not impress God at all... in fact, it'll only anger him more!

"When the Day of Judgement comes, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!' Then I will say to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you wicked people!" (7:22-23).

Paul warned that Satan himself would appear to perform miracles for the benefit of his followers, and that he would do so from inside the apostate church just before Christ returns (II Thess 2:3-4, 8-11). Charismania, with its emphasis on "prophesying," exorcisms, and miracles, is probably the biggest thing to hit the church this century, But the movement also leads the way in dishonesty and opposition to the teachings of Christ. It teaches people that health and wealth are signs of their god's blessing (I Tim6:3-5), and encourages people to claim they are healed when they are not, supposedly as proof of their faith

Miracles prove nothing... even if they are genuine. An evil world desires miracles (Mt 16:4), but all we offer is the truth of God's judgement (Mt 12:33-41).

"So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock" (7:24-25).

Traditions can blind people to the Work of God (Mt 15:7-9). The teachings of Christ challenge many of the traditions of our day. We have sought to "earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). We have dug deep and found in Christ the Rock of Ages. The truth gives us great confidence. Criticisms bounce off Christ's teachings, like waves off a rock. We are not so smart, but we know who is, and if we stay close to him, nothing will be able to shake our faith.

The false prophets know this. Their commitment is to their own positions and authority. They cannot admit publicly that they oppose Christ's teachings, so they will have to resort to secret attack, lies, and rumours. But none of it alters the Rock on which our faith is built.

"But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!" (7:26-27)

About 20 years ago, my wife had a dream. In it people were waiting in line to jump through a ring of fire. If they were right with God, they would jump through unharmed, but if they were not, the fire would devour them. While the line was long, we chatted together quite happily, certain that our "born again" experience was sufficient to protect us. But as it came closer to our turn, we became a little more nervous.

What if we weren't ready? What if a religious experience was not good enough? What if our religious leaders had left something out in their formulas for salvation?

After discussing the dream we decided that the risk was too great for us to rely on the opinions of men for our salvation. We had to find proof where Christ himself told people all they had to do was say a little prayer and ask Jesus into their hearts to have eternal life. And as we began to look we were startled by what we found. We had been sold a phoney plan of salvation. We had been building on sand.

These "born againers," with their arrogant boasts that they "know that they know that they know" that they are saved didn't know anything at all. It was all a colossal con job.

One day you are going to stand before God. You can argue that you followed your pastor, that you followed the Pope, that you followed St. Paul, but God is going to ask, "Did you follow my Son?" You can say that you didn't think you had to obey Christ, as long as you believed that he died for your sins, and God will say "Were you 'believing' my Son when you ignored everything that he said? Depart from me, I never knew you!"

"He that says, 'I know Christ,' and does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (I Jn 2:3). What are you doing with the commandments of Christ?

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