False Prophets/Teachers
Matthew 7:13-29
Pastor Matthias Haeusel
Part of There Are Answers
October 3, 2021

THERE ARE ANSWERS: FALSE PROPHETS/TEACHERS

(We will use the terms interchangeably)

Matthew 7:13-29

Truth matters!

The Narrow Gate:

Matthew 7:13-14
• The Narrow Gate -vs- The Wide Gate
• The Hard Way -vs- The Easy Way
• The Few -vs- The Many
• LIFE -vs- DESTRUCTION

False Prophets:

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

New Testament Terminology:
• False Prophets - Mt.7, 2 Peter 2:1-2
• False Teachers - 2 Peter 2:1-2
• Wolves - Acts 20:29-31
• Waterless Clouds - Jude 12
• Waterless Springs - 2 Peter2:17
• Dogs & Evil Doers - Phil.3:2
• Empty Deceit - Col.2:8
• Blasphemers - 2 Peter 2, Jude
• Puffed up without reason - Col.2:18
• Demonic Liars 1 Tim. 4:1-2
• Peddlers of the Word of God - 2 Cor. 2:17
• Arrogant Fools with depraved minds - 1 Tim. 6:3-5
• Foolish & ignorant - 2 Tim. 2:23
• Deceivers - Titus 1:10-14
• Antichrists - 1 John 2:18
• Heretics - 2 Peter2:1

BEWARE!
• Matthew 24:4,11,24
• 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 4:3-4
• Jude 10-13
• 2 Peter 2
• Acts 20:29-31

What are we not talking about:
• Non-Christians & World Religions
• New Christians
• Christians that hold a different view on non-essential / non-salvific doctrine

What are we talking about:
• Christian Cults
• People claiming to be Christians (often in leadership roles) who knowingly and unrepentantly believe and teach false doctrine.

Matthew 7:16-20: You will recognize them by their fruit.

Characteristics of False Teachers:
• Jude 4: For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

  1. Their Teaching:
    • regarding Jesus
    • regarding God / Trinity
    • regarding Heaven and Hell
    • regarding Salvation
    • regarding Scripture

  2. Their Lives:
    • Lust
    • Greed
    • Power
    • Popularity
    • Rebellion
    • Blasphemy

INSPECT THEIR FRUIT!

How can we spot False Teachers:
• Examine their alignment to Scripture
• Examine their lives
• Examine their motives
• Examine their products

Cross & Crown’s 5 Fundamentals:
• The Deity of Christ
• The Trinity
• Salvation by Grace alone, through Faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone
• Inerrancy and Authority of Scripture
• The Return of Christ to rule and to judge

FOR CG’s:
For a great Small Group exercise compare true and false teachers in 1 Peter chapters one and two:
1. Primacy of God’s Word (1:16) -vs- myths and imagination (2:3)
2. Centrality of Jesus (1:3) -vs- denigrating Jesus to the margins (2:1)
3. Partakers of the divine nature (1:4) -vs- enslavement to depravity (2:19)
4.Character of godliness (1:5-7) -vs- slander, greed, adultery, etc (2:2.3.11,14)
5. Appeal to Scripture (1:19) -vs- appeal to people’s lust (2:18)
6. Different Fruit: “effective and productive”(1:8) -vs- “waterless springs” (2:17)
7. Different End: “entrance into the eternal kingdom” (1:11) -vs- “swift destruction” (2:1-3)