False Prophets
(Matthew 7:15-27)
There are some who disguise themselves as prophets, even if they are not sent by God. The words they have spoken of are far from God’s will, but the problem is that it is not easy to discern who the false prophets are.
1. Discern Them by Their Fruits
No matter how much false prophets dress up, their true personality is finally revealed through their fruits. “Fruits” refers to deeds and the deeds that people perform are a reflection of their attitude. Those who belong to Christ will have repentant hearts, and good deeds will flow from their hearts. In contrast, false prophets will inevitably perform evil deeds because greed has taken hold of their hearts.
2. Those Who are Deceived Will Surely Perish
Why does God allow them to exist and not remove them? This is because each person must overcome this challenge through their own faith. God desires that each person has a repentant heart, and only those with repentant hearts will dwell in heaven eternally. If someone is deceived by false prophets, it means they are being moved by their own greed, just like false prophets, and it also indicates that they do not have a repentant heart. Therefore, both those who deceive others and those who are deceived have no choice but to fall down.
3. We Can Win with a Repentant Heart
We should discern false prophets from truthful shepherds, but we must first change ourselves so that we are not unknowingly swayed by them. If we believe in God’s holiness, we should consider the nature of sin within ourselves as nasty and take it as a warning. Also, if we believe in the approaching judgment, we should prepare and make plans by trembling with fear. Let us bear fruits worthy of our salvation, so that we will not be revealed as false prophets before the Lord. Let us not be motivated by greed or be against God. Instead, let our hearts be motivated by the cross of the Lord. Let us hold onto a repentant heart until the end.
April 2, 2023
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
