“Look out for false prophets, who come to you under the guise of sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves. You must recognize them by their fruits. People do not pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles, do they? So any healthy tree bears good fruit and a sickly tree bears poor fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear poor fruit, and a sickly tree cannot bear good fruit. Any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and burned up. So you must recognize them by their fruits.”
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom of heaven, but only those who practice doing the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on the day, ‘Lord, Lord, was it not in your name that we prophesied, and in your name that we drove out demons, and in your name that we did many wonder-works?’ And then I will say to them openly, ‘I never knew you at all. Go away from me, you who practiced doing wrong.’ ” Matthew 7:15-23
Williams New Testament
Helps study note on the ‘false prophet’ from the Discovery bible:
5578/pseudoprophētēs ("a false prophet") specializes in the art of misimpression to "validate" they are "commissioned" by the Lord. In fact, they operate by self and for self.
While the New Testament has much to say about false prophets, and all of it has increasing importance in the chaotic days we find ourselves drifting towards, none of it is more fundamental than Jesus’ own words from his passage.
From his last statement above, we discover both his bottom line and a long-noticed ministry phenomenon. Namely, one can prophesy, exorcise demons, and work miracles and still not be right with God. The acid test of having been touched by God is not the ability to dabble in the supernatural realm with spirits and miracles; it is to be free of practicing wrong.
I recently heard a teacher give a plausible explanation for how a minister can operate within the anointing while having sin or un-dealt with character issues in his life. This is a very real and dangerous place to be for the minister, as it seems to say to him God’s endorsement is on his life or miracles and ministry would not be bearing fruit, but this is not the kind of fruit Jesus is speaking of. The Bible teacher made this point: in essence, God has chosen faith as man's main connection to Him. He went on to say that faith is always rewarded. But a rewarded faith is not always the endorsement of our lives we think it is.
This is also a very dangerous place for those watching and receiving the minister. It suggests, as the minister’s practices are observed that God is not who he says He is: namely, a Holy God.
Notice by using the word ‘practiced’ that Jesus is not saying the prophet has to be a perfect man. There will always be places to stumble, but when we own them and confess He is righteous to forgive and cleanse us. “Practicing doing wrong,” however, is long past faults to be worked on and has become a lifestyle.
This is the simple beauty of Jesus' point. We are to know those who labour among us. We must have some intimate knowledge of the planting before we can unguardedly eat its fruit. If the plant has something growing on it that should not be there, such as thorns and thistles, you have reason to think the fruit is suffering from some unhealthy cross-pollination. If the messenger's outward presence seems to cover a different person inwardly, you might conclude motives and agendas aren’t matched properly.
In the picture Jesus painted for us, no one seems more surprised at the outcome than the false prophets who, supposing they could use their accomplishments to justify themselves, discovered that beyond their works, they had never found their way into an intimate relationship with the Lord.
“I never knew you at all,” accompanied with, ”Go away from me,” shows plainly there comes a day when it will be too late to find that intimacy. We, ourselves, and those we allow to influence our walk must have more than ministry results as their badge. We and they must bear the inner markings of knowing him.
My thanks to my husband David, for writing this week's Good Word.