August 11, 2019
Morning Service

As we draw close to the end of our study on the Sermon on the Mount, this will be our 13^th message on the 3-chapter sermon.  It has been a lot for us to try to absorb and digest, but can you imagine how the disciples felt?  Jesus taught this all to them at one sitting in one packed full teaching session.  As the Holy Spirit guided Matthew to write down the full content, I am sure he spent a lot of time rereading and digesting the deep meaning this sermon contains much like we have done here together over the last few months.  We have been given a very detailed picture of what the life of a Jesus follower should look like.  We have concluded that the teaching is easily understood, but is difficult (but not impossible) to apply to our lives.  We are expected to be “doers of the word and not hearers only.” This morning and continuing into tonight’s message we will see the powerful way Jesus closes this time they had together and stresses some very important topics we need to give great attention to.

Mat 7:15-20 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  (16)  You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?  (17)  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  (18)  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  (19)  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  (20)  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

            Jesus stresses to His flock to be careful that there is danger ahead and the danger will come from within.  The early church faced many difficult persecutions from outside their doors as the Jewish leaders constantly were seeking to stop this movement they called “The Way.”  The Roman government also persecuted the church even using Christians as sport to be killed in front of thousands of cheering onlookers. These persecutions actually back-fired as they caused great growth within the church scattering believers all over the world. (Ugly to beautiful)

            This danger Jesus is speaking of now however will come from inside the walls of the church.  False prophets claiming to be fellow Christians will come looking like sheep, but are really ravenous wolves.  They will seek to destroy the church through false teachings that would distort the truth by tickling the ears of those who hear it and being profitable to the ones who preach it.  Jesus, as a good leader, prepares us with tools to recognize that teaching, discern it to be not of God, and reject it along with the one who teaches it.  He again uses a simple fact of nature to “open the eyes of our heart” to a deep spiritual truth.  He commands us to be “Fruit inspectors.”  Just as we can tell an apple tree from a pear tree by the fruit it produces, so can we tell a false prophet from a true one.

 

 Does what they are teaching line up with the scriptures? 

Is the life they are living (fruit produced) resemble what we have just read in the Sermon on the Mount? 

Is the Holy Spirit within you at peace with their teaching or does it leave you uneasy and doubting?

            Ask, seek and knock and God will answer you with a clear view of the truth and protect you from being deceived.  Study the scriptures attending church and let the Word that is taught there equip you to be prepared when the deception comes so as Paul puts it:

 

Eph 4:14-15 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, (15) but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

            There is a knowledge and understanding of the Word that we need to grow into that will protect us from being deceived if we diligently seek it.  We need to be growing in the Lord and being in church is a vital part of that.  A time of stagnation in our lives is a dangerous time that we can be tempted and deceived to follow something that is not true.  We must always be on guard that “Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.”  These ravenous wolves are out there among us right now and they look just like our brothers, but look at the fruit they are bearing and discern if they are from God or not.  Jesus now take that thought a little deeper into a truth we all must truly understand.

 

Mat 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  (22)  Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'  (23)  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

        There will be those at the Day of Judgement that will try to justify themselves to God by the works they have done.  They have prophesied, cast out demons, and even done miracles all in the Name of Jesus; but that is not the criteria by which we will be judged.  Though they did these great things accomplishing much with their voices, hands and feet, it was the one part of their body that did not glorify God that will be their downfall.  God did not own their heart.  He did not know them and they did not know Him.  There was no personal relationship that fueled these good works for the glory of God.  “I never knew you” are words that none of us want to hear.  This is where putting God first in your life above everything else and seeking to yield your will to His reveals a relationship and not a religion. It is the key to having a real relationship with Jesus or just going through the motions.  Jesus ran into a man that struggled with this is Luke 18.

 

Luke 18:18-23 Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  (19)  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.  (20)  You know the commandments: 'DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,' 'DO NOT MURDER,' 'DO NOT STEAL,' 'DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,' 'HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER.' "  (21)  And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."  (22)  So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  (23)  But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.

            This rich ruler failed to understand what it truly meant to follow Jesus.  He did all the right things, keeping all the commandments his entire life but he lacked the true commitment it takes to follow Jesus.  It requires a total surrendering of ourselves to Christ by putting Him first in your life.  This can’t be done because it is the right thing to do, but it must come because you love Him that much.  You know Him and love Him and He knows you and loves you!  This ruler walked away sorrowful because he valued his riches more than a relationship with His Creator, Savior and Best Friend.  His riches were in first place in his life andJesus did not know him.

            What about you this morning?  Is there an obstacle standing between you and the Lord?  What is it you are not letting go of that hinders you to “have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me.”  That same invitation Jesus gave to the rich ruler He is now offering to you.  He is asking for you to give Him your heart; to enjoy the rich life of fellowship with your Creator that you were designed to have.  True peace, joy and contentment can only come from a relationship with Jesus.  Don’t leave this sanctuary this morning sorrowful, but be filled with joy that God has entered your heart and you will hear these magnificent words when you stand before Him:

 

Mat 25:21 His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'

            The choice lies totally on your shoulders this morning.  Do you know Him?  Does He know you?  Stop trying to earn your salvation by doing good works and just give your heart to Him.  Quit being a pretender and just going through the motions of living a Christian life.  Choose relationship over religion and give Him your heart this morning.  You will never regret it!

            As a Christ follower this is really where the rubber meets the road.  Do you have that personal relationship and love for Jesus that it takes to make it through?  Do you truly believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him?  Stop riding the fence, stop dipping your toe in the water and dive in head first!

 

Heavenly Father open the eyes of our hearts that we might see you fully and know you personally and allow our love for you to grow as we journey towards you each day.