https://youtu.be/1uKKPqRjJWY

Matthew 7:15-20 - Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

False prophets have been an issue within the church since before it began. The leader of the Local church is Jesus. It belongs to him, is for him, through him and because of himInevitably even when Jesus was on this earth, he warned his followers that there would be people that would come into the fold of the sheep that would present themselves as fellow sheep, but in reality they are wolvesThis is another colloquialism that the world has stolen and made its own with no reference to Christ- this was a term meant to protect God’s people from people who’s aim is destroy us

Beware of False Prophets

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. The problem is that we’re loving and trusting instead of testing- 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.The problem is people don’t trust the pastor of their churchJeremiah 3:15  And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.People assume pastors are self serving- but the best of us protect the sheep. With God’s heartThe problem is that people don’t pay attentionJude 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation,The problem is that people want to love peopleJohn 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.We’ve all seen it- people we assumed had good motives, and after time, it comes to light that they are in fact a wolf. A person bent on unholy destruction of Christians and christ’s church We must be careful- we must be diligent. We will never stop all false prophets and wolves, but we must beware of them. We must prepare and expel them from our midst. I’ve never seen a wolf get saved or change its fur. I just haven’t. Maybe you have- but in my years of ministry- I’ve seen lots of wolves- and as far as I know- they are still wolves from what I’ve seen and heardFour types of false prophets in the NTItinerant false prophets- These are the floaters. Their resume looks a lot like a jr high dating record. Typically they have been around Christianity for a while. They have been to many churches. They name drop. They share their ministerial resume as a cover for spirituality. They usually only stick around the church as long as they have Acts 20:30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.Apocalyptic false prophets these are the ones who are always claiming dates and times of Christ’s return. I’ve seen dozens of these predictors in my lifetime. Surprise, they’ve all been wrong. They claim to know when, how and why Christ is returning. Or even worse, they claim to be the return of Christ- matt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.Don’t listen to anyone who gives you a timeline of Christ’s return. Don’t Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.Even Jesus doesn’t know the time of his own return- but wolf so and so does?Pagan false prophets- These are the ones who usually easy to spot- but without discernment you’ll miss it- 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.These false prophets deny the diety, lordship and primacy of Christ. They bring Jesus down instead of lifting him up.