Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Jesus does not say, “Try to understand false prophets; try to get along with them.” Rather, He says: Beware of them. Watch out for them. Be on your guard.
Jesus warns you about false prophets because He loves you. He is your Good Shepherd, and you are His dear lamb. He knows you by name. You were redeemed but with the blood of Christ.
You were baptized into Christ. He feeds you with His Word and with His own body and blood.
He forgives you sins. He cares about you. He protects you. And He does not want anyone to snatch you away from His fold.
We understand the instinct to protect the body. Parents protect their children from danger. We lock our doors. We teach our children not to run into the street. We go to the doctor when we are sick. We worry about our health and the health of those we love.
The body is important, but Jesus teaches us that faith in Christ is more precious than the body. Jesus asks, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” The answer is: nothing. False teaching is dangerous because it can lead a person away from Christ and His Word.
A thief may steal your money. Disease may take away your health. But false teaching attacks faith itself. It attacks your soul. It seeks to separate you from your Shepherd. Therefore, be vigilant in protecting your faith in Christ from false prophets who contradict God’s Word.
The difficulty is that false prophets do not usually look dangerous. Jesus says they come “in sheep’s clothing.” They may appear sincere and friendly. They may sound compassionate. They may even quote the Bible. They may have large audiences, popular podcasts, thousands of followers on social media, and bestselling books.
But Jesus goes on to say, “but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Outwardly they appear to belong to Jesus, but they do not. They look as though they are following Jesus, but they are not. They may appear pious and holy, but their teaching is false. They may preach in churches, but inwardly they are filled with lies and deception.
How can you identify a false prophet? Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.” In other words, listen carefully to their message. Examine the words they preach and the doctrine they teach.
The Apostle John said, “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” (1 John 4:1). We must “test” the message of the false prophet according to God’s Word.
Here is a simple test.
Does the preacher base truth according to public opinion or according to God’s Word? Does he see Jesus as a moral example or as the Son of God in human flesh? Does he tell people what they want to hear or does he preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins? Does he direct people toward their own experiences or toward Christ’s objective promises? Does he teach that eternal life depends on human works or upon Christ’s sacrifice on the cross? Does he think that Christianity is based on some vague spirituality or on the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus? Does he teach that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are of little importance, or do they actually deliver the blessings of the cross and resurrection?
These are very important questions.
The false prophets, during Jeremiah’s day, basically said to the unrepentant—those who despised God’s Word, “It shall be well with you. No disaster shall come upon you. Don’t worry about your sin. Follow your heart. Do what makes you happy. Live your own truth.” We hear the same thing today. And yet, God’s wrath against unrepentant sin is real. But also, the forgiveness of sins in Christ is our source of comfort.
During Jesus’ day, the Pharisees looked good on the outside. They prayed. They fasted. They gave money. They knew their Bible. Yet, they rejected Christ. Do not reject Christ as your one and only Savior.
St Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:3 that the time would come when people would not endure sound doctrine but would gather teachers who would tell them what their itching ears want to hear. False prophets only preach what sinful ears want to hear.
Not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. On the last day many will say to Jesus, “Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” And Jesus will say to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” Notice that their confidence is in what they did. But we cannot stand before God on the last day based on what we have done. Our works cannot save us. Our confidence is in what Jesus did for us by means of the cross and open tomb.
There are many dangerous voices in our culture. They preach to us every day through social media, movies, and music. Everyone seems to have something to say about what makes life meaningful, what makes something right or wrong, what marriage is, what a man is, what a woman is, and what will make you happy. They treat biblical teaching concerning creation, marriage, sexuality, life, and family as though they are outdated.
They will say that sin does not matter. If sin does not matter, then neither does the cross. Where there is no sin, there is no need for a Savior. That is why false teaching is so dangerous. Eventually, it attacks the Gospel itself. It attacks the truth of the Scriptures.
So what does Scripture reveal? What does it say? Scripture reveals a Creator who gave us life and who continues to sustain our lives with daily bread. It reveals the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden. It reveals Jesus as our one and only Savior from sin, death, and the devil. It reveals the blessings of life, marriage, and family.
What does Scripture reveal? It reveals God’s will for us. We are to fear, love and trust in God above all things and we are to love one another. God’s law teaches us what we are to do and not to do. It teaches us what is right and what is wrong. God’s law is good.
But God’s law also reveals something about us. Jesus said, “Every diseased tree bears bad fruit.”
That describes us according to our sinful nature. From our hearts come unbelief, pride, lust, greed, envy, anger, selfishness, and countless other sins. We cannot make ourselves into good trees by trying harder. So, we repent.
And here is the Good News: Jesus came to our rescue for us and for our salvation. The eternal Son of God took on flesh and became like us in every way, yet without sin. Jesus had a human body just like ours, but He remained divine and holy.
Right after Jesus was baptized, He was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Throughout that battle, Satan misquoted Scripture and took God’s Word out of context. But Jesus did not listen to Satan. Jesus answered Satan with the Word of God. Jesus rejected Satan’s lies and remained faithful to His mission.
Our text says that every good tree bears good fruit. Jesus is the good tree who bore good fruit.
Jesus never lied. He always spoke the truth. He cast out demons not in someone else’s name, but by His own authority and power. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cleansed the lepers, and even raised the dead.
And then He went to the cross. The cross looked like a dead tree, but for us it became our tree of life. On that tree hung the Son of God as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. There Jesus bore our sins. There He suffered the judgment we deserved. There the price of our redemption was paid in full. And because His sacrifice was complete and sufficient, God the Father raised His Son from the dead. Jesus lives forevermore.
Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, there is forgiveness of sins. The Good News is that you are declared righteous on account of what Christ did upon the cross. His death and resurrection have opened heaven for you and for all who believe.
There is a difference between the false prophet and Jesus. The false prophet says, “Look within yourself.” Jesus points you outside of yourself to Himself. The false prophet points to your feelings. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The false prophet leaves you with no certainty. Jesus gives you His promises. The false prophet tells you to rest upon yourself. Jesus tells you to rest upon Him. Jesus is the One true prophet whom you can trust.
So, how do you beware of false prophets? What are we to do? Bring your family to the Divine Service every Sunday. Hear the Word of God read. Listen carefully to the preaching. Receive the Lord’s Supper. Come to Bible class. Read the Scriptures with your family. Recite the Small Catechism which is a simply summary of the Christian faith. Sing hymns together. And judge everything you hear according to God’s Word.
Pastors, too, are called to pay careful attention to the flock entrusted to their care. They are to preach the Word faithfully, guard Christ’s sheep against false doctrine, and continually point sinners to their Good Shepherd.
Jesus once said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life” (Matt 7:13-14). The wide gate is easy. It follows the crowd and chooses what feels right. The narrow way, by contrast, is hard. Yet it leads to eternal life. It is narrow because salvation is found only in Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
May the precious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ continue to be preached and taught among us in its truth and purity for the sake of saving faith in Christ. May God give us wisdom to recognize false doctrine and the courage to avoid it. And may God keep us faithful to His Holy Word.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life” (John 10:27–28). There are many voices in this world. But the voice of Jesus is the voice of your Good Shepherd. His voice speaks peace. His voice speaks forgiveness. His words are words of eternal life. He is your Good Shepherd, and you are His dear lamb.
May He continue to protect you, feed you, and keep you safe within His flock unto life everlasting. God grant this. Amen.
