30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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Luke 20 19-26 THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CRAFTY LEADERS 04 Luke 20 19-20 False prophets and false teaching
📖 Luke 20:19-26
07Mar2021 - *False prophets and false teaching* _Luke 20:19-26_ - THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CRAFTY LEADERS 4 – Bible reading: _Ephesians 4:13-15_
We are here to be bold of Jesus. We are under heavy scrutiny by the world that does not want to come under the lordship of Christ. This is how those who opposed Jesus, dealt with Him. They watched Him.
_Luke 20:19-20 And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them. (20) So they watched Him, and *sent spies who pretended to be righteous*, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor._
They then spies to Jesus, *who pretended to be righteous*. Their agenda was to destroy Jesus. This is the strategy of the devil, whose agenda is to steal, kill and to destroy.
*Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.*
There will be and there are false prophets in the church. What is their agenda, which the false prophets themselves may not be aware of?
Many of the false prophets, who are amongst us, may sincerely consider that they are doing good for the church but the Lord categorises them as ravenous wolves.
Who are false prophets and how can we know them? _Matthew 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them._
We have been repeatedly emphasising that fruit-bearing is about bearing the nature and character of Christ and to reach and bless others. The ‘self’ is taken out of the equation in a fruit-bearing Christian. Fruit-bearing of the type that God expects of us is not optional and the kind of fruit that we bear identifies who we are.
Are we His sheep or are we wolves in sheep’s clothing?
The true prophets in the church are those who are teaching the church to grow into the fullness of Christ.
_Ephesians 4:13-15 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to *the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ*; (14) 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*—_
The outcome of the life of Christ will be to serve others and not be focussed on our own needs and wellbeing.
_Philippians 2:4-8 *Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (5) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus*, (6) who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, (7) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross._
When the emphasis of the teaching is heavily tilted towards personal wellbeing, of God meeting our needs, of God’s material provision, of God, solving our temporal crisis, and all of these taught at the expense of not stressing on being a disciple of Jesus and growing into His nature and image, then this is false teaching and the person teaching such content is a false prophet.
When we succumb to such false teachers and teaching then when persecution will arise, because of our faith in Jesus, we will not be able to stand up to the test.
Paul’s emphasis in his teaching was to present every man, perfect in Christ.
_Colossians 1:27-29 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is *Christ in you, the hope of glory*. (28) *Him we preach*, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may *present every man perfect in Christ Jesus*. (29) To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily._
To destroy Jesus, His enemies sent to Him spies, who pretended to be righteous. Satan’s agenda is to destroy the church and he sends amongst us, wolves.
*Thought to ponder*
```Our task is not to attack the wolves but to be aware of them. This is also a good opportunity for each of us to check if we are a wolf or a sheep```