The Sermon on the Mount – Who are You Listening To?

This week’s passage: Matthew 7:15-20

Cult leader David Koresh once told a reporter, “If the Bible is true, I’m Christ.”. That statement should have sent every one of his followers running for the hills, but honestly there were probably many smaller signs before that! Somehow this man was able to convince people that he was Christ, or at the very least a prophet. This incident had a very public and tragic end, but there are many other, less obvious situations that can cause believers to be deceived and non-believers to think they have been saved by Christ.

Jesus explained the dangers of listening to others instead of being in the Word ourselves. He warned that there would be those whose agenda would be to keep us from His loving salvation.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)

“And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces.” (Mark 12:38 ESV)

This warning was later echoed by Peter.

“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.” (2 Peter 3:17 ESV)

How do we know for sure that someone is not trying to deceive us? Thankfully, Jesus explained how we might recognize the righteous, so to avoid the wolves.

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-18 ESV)

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45 NKJV)

Paul explained the fruits of the Spirit to the churches of Galatia.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24 ESV)

He (Paul) also reminds the Philippians where these fruits come from (spoiler alert, it is not us!)

“filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:11 ESV)

So then, what happens to those who prey on believers? Jesus doesn’t leave that out, He goes on to explain, and it is not good.

“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:19 ESV)

We can also go back to the Old Testament and see that Isaiah had the same warning for those who were not producing the things of God.

“When its boughs are dry, they are broken; women come and make a fire of them. For this is a people without discernment; therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them; he who formed them will show them no favor.” (Isaiah 27:11 ESV)

Bottom line?

“Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:20 ESV)

When we know what to look for, we can avoid being led down the wrong path by “religious” leaders who prey on vulnerable people. Although faithful followers of Christ still sin, they will strive to live by the moral character that God expects and we will be able to see the fruits of the Spirit in their lives. To keep ourselves focused on the things of Christ we must also be aware of the influences that have the potential to pull us away from Him. Awareness of these small things is the first defense we have.

Look at our entertainment, for example. Movies, music, video games and TV – it is easy to see the in-your-face disrespect for God in much of what is out there today. Simply watch the movie trailer or hear part of the song and you can’t help but cringe. What about those movies or tv shows that sell themselves as being based on Christian beliefs or claiming to be biblical?

The popular series “The Chosen” claims to be biblically based and follows the life of Jesus and the disciples as they travel, sharing the gospel. The characters are relatable, and the story is very moving. Many people are watching and many claim to have accepted Jesus as their savior after watching this portrayal of the life of Christ. So, what could be wrong with that?

One specific scene comes to mind, it shows Jesus and Matthew working together on the Sermon on The Mount. Jesus is telling Matthew the sermon and Matthew is recording it in is notebook. They work together to write the Sermon, Jesus asking and accepting advise from Matthew about its content. This could not be further from the truth as we should know that no human authored any part of the bible and Matthew certainly did not tell Jesus what to say to the people who were gathered on the mountain! In fact, he heard the message at the same time as all those who were gathered and simply recorded what Jesus said when he was led by the Holy Spirit to do so, roughly 50 years after Christ was crucified.

We need to be careful that the story telling aspect of these programs don’t trick us into thinking that God is just “one of the good guys” or that we are in any way His equal. Thinking of Him in this way erodes our understanding of His sovereignty and starts us on the path to believing that we can save ourselves.

How can we apply this passage to the growth of our “salt and light”?

• Be involved in your church instead of simply attending so that you are more likely to understand the leadership’s priorities.
• Continue to pray for discernment over the things that motivate the church leadership.
• Compare God’s Word to those to those situations where someone or something is being presented as if it is from God. His Word is the test.

If you see other ways to apply this Word in your life, feel free to share in the comments.