entergrace - Matthew 7: 15-21

Beware of the dog,
Beware of the false prophet.

“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

As a part-time electrician, I go out and about with my electrical work. At times, I come to a gate that says, beware of the dog. This sign is usually nailed to a large secure gate attached to a still larger fence. These signs make me feel extremely uncomfortable and nervous. The thought of what kind of leg tearing beast awaits me behind the fence makes it very difficult for me to continue. As a resolution, I send a desperate prayer and sound the horn on the car until someone comes out of the house. They hold the dog by the collar as it strains to get free. The dog growls and snarls showing me its wonderful and most effective leg tearing teeth. Its chewed and severed toys of wood, boot, and bone are scattered over the front yard as a displayed portfolio of its attributes. The person barely managing to hold the dog says to me, “He won’t hurt you, he’s harmless, and he’s a real baby”. “That’s what all one-eyed dog lovers say”, I replied casting doubt upon their assertion. I quickly enter the house to carry out the required electrical work. The sign on the gate should read, beware of the dog, beware of the false prophet.

The Prayer of the Church says that we are strangers and pilgrims on earth, on the way to the kingdom of heaven. Likewise, the opening line in the film Patch Adams has a similar thought where the narrator says, “Life is a coming home”. So, as we journey through life, our daily life, our Christian life, and the life of our congregation we are faced with difficulties on the way. The way to true life is narrow and difficult. These difficulties come to us more often as temptations to sin that lead us in a different direction away from true life. They are brought to us by robbers of life, highwaymen, and false prophets.

Jesus, our Lord and saviour warns his disciples to beware of the false prophets. Through that message Jesus is warning you, the rank-and-file members of the church, the whole congregation, and the church to beware of false prophets. I don’t mean those that hold back ferocious, leg tearing dogs, but those who come to you as Christ like figures, as charismatic leaders who offer you a form of salvation. They are the anti-christs, the false prophets. Are you one? Let us not forget our own sinful nature that desires to be like God and is easily tempted into sin.

Christ-like figures come to us in all sort of sizes, shapes and manner. In the wider community, the politicians promise us a form of salvation through a particular economic policy that will deliver greater wealth to us. We listen to them because we want more money to spend which would makes us feel good. But so far, the greater part of what they have delivered is a larger national debt and more taxes to pay for it.

We find as many false prophets in the church as anywhere else. Jill and I visited one large congregation where they actively spoke in tongues. The service was full of people, over 500. During the service the minister led them all in a chorus of speaking in tongues. He did interpret at the end and also offered classes for those who couldn’t as yet speak in tongues. If you couldn’t you were considered an outsider and there was pressure direct and indirect placed on you to conform. Those who were persuaded and conformed, no doubt felt a certain pride of achievement, felt that they belonged, felt that they were somebody, felt that they had attained to a higher level of spirituality and therefore closer to God. But God views them as far removed.

Are you sure that you are not a false prophet? At times I am. Our sinful nature betrays us and we long to look good in front of others and before God. We devise schemes to serve others in order to satisfy our pride. The outward appearance is that of a Christ-like figure, but inwardly the voice is saying, “Look what I have done, I deserve recognition, I’m a real Christian”. People listening would feel compelled to compete, especially if that means getting a step closer in becoming a complete Christian and finding favour with God. We may look wonderful on the outside, but if we entrap ourselves and others in believing that we need to serve and work towards being right with God then we have committed a great evil. It is in fact denying what Jesus Christ has done for us in our place. God views them as far removed and not on the true path to life.

God does want us to serve, but from the right motivation. That motivation comes from hearing, seeing and believing what God has done through his son Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus all that we do is sin and evil in the eyes of God.

The good news for all of us is that while we were busy trying to please our selves or please God in our own little way, Jesus the Christ, the true Prophet died on the cross for our selfishness. God saw our selfish acts and works as evil and could no longer look upon them without bringing punishment upon us. Yet, God loved us and for this reason Jesus Christ came to save us from eternal punishment. Jesus did this because he loved God the Father and knew what he wanted. The work that Christ did was the one work that did please God because it was a work of selfless love. His work was one of doing the will of God the Father, serving and giving his life for others, for you and me because of the love for one another. Jesus’ work is sufficient to cover all our sins. He has made us right with God now and forever.

Jesus has set us free and has set us on the right path to the kingdom of heaven, to life eternal. His work, his death on the cross in our place has set us free from having to work our way to heaven. Jesus has set us free from having to be baptised with water, set free from having to speak in tongues, set free from having to prophesy, set free from having to pray with others in a prayer circle, set free from having to serve; and yet he would like us to and much more.

Does it mean that we no longer have to serve in the church or help our neighbour? Certainly not! God does want us to serve, but through the motivation of love for Jesus, and love for one another. If you feel that you lack love to serve God and one another, then come and hear God’s word from the Bible. There you will learn about God’s love for you. From hearing God’s word he will change you to love and serve freely. It is through cleaving to God’s word that we can keep on the right path to eternal life and have the strength to deal with those wild dogs and false prophets on the way

Amen.