Matthew 7:15-20 Beware of false prophets!

Matthew 7:12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

We will recognize followers of Jesus Christ by the love that they show to the marginalized. What we do to the least we do to Jesus. Let that sink in. We cannot have it both ways, we cannot profess love with our mouths and out of our hearts our actions show otherwise. Either be hot or cold but not indifferent to the their suffering. Carla

Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

False prophets refers to those whose teaching contradicts Jesus’ teaching. Beginning in Matthew 5:17, Jesus has reinterpreted the established religious and social norms of His day. Here, He portrays those who contradict His instruction as false prophets—people who falsely claim to speak on God’s behalf (2 Peter 2:1)

Sheep’s  clothing refers to disguises that portray innocence. Ravenous wolves describes  those seeking to undermine Jesus’ teaching for personal gain.

By their fruits Refers to people’s deeds—the natural outcomes of their choices and inclinations. Every good tree produces good fruit In other words, teachers of righteousness act righteously. False prophets act wickedly in accordance with the nature of their testimony. Faithlife Study Bible

Beware of false prophets: Deuteronomy 13:1–11; 18:20–22 provide information on discerning and responding to false prophets. The way to tell false teachers from teachers of truth is by their fruits. Fruits here refers to more than their deeds; it includes their doctrine (16:12; 1 John 4:1–3). A person speaking in the name of God is to be tested by the doctrines of Scripture. The same principle still holds true today. Speakers and teachers should be tested against the truths in God’s Word (Jude 3; Revelations 22:18, 19). The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 12:33–35 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks…

Luke 6:43–44 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 

Matthew 3:10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

James 3:12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Matthew 24:1–51 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”…

Your voice matters. My voice matters.

So. “Ask yourself what you can do to make a difference, then take that action, no matter how large or small.”  (Graça Machel)

And always remember: No one of us is on this journey alone.

And we need one another not only for care and comfort, but to pick up the pieces, allowing us to find ways to create spaces in our world, that do not (or will not) belittle, or diminish, or demean. Spaces where mercy and compassion and kindness are alive and well.

I will admit that it all—the whirlwind of events and social upheaval—feels part distressing, and part deadening. Making me wonder, where do we begin in our broken world?

The answer: We begin in the small world, the one right in front of us.

Rear Admiral Thornton Miller Chief was the Chaplain at Normandy in WWII. Someone asked him, "Up and down the beach, with the shells going everywhere, why did you do that?"

"Because I'm a minister."

"But didn't you ask if they were Catholic or Protestant or Jew?"

"If you're a minister, the only question you ask is, 'Can I help you?'"

So. Adapting this story to today. I don’t ask your race, or creed, or immigration status. I ask, “Can I help you?”

Immigrants matter to Jesus, and they matter to me.

The poor and marginalized matter to Jesus, and they matter to me.

The beauty of diversity matters to Jesus, and it matters to me.

Grateful for Mia Carella’s reminder, “Inclusion isn’t just inviting someone to sit at your table. It’s believing they belong there.” Sabbath Moments

Paul wrote that earthly rulers did not understand God's plan, or they would not have crucified Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians 2:8, the Apostle Paul revealed a key truth about the Roman government and Jewish leaders of Jesus' day: If they had understood God's wisdom and recognized Jesus as the Son of God, they never would have crucified Him. If they had known better, they would have done better.

Jesus' executioners were not innocent in their ignorance. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate found Jesus blameless according to Roman law; however, he still released Him to the Jews for crucifixion, the most brutal form of death (John 19:4-6). Pilate knowingly condemned an innocent man, and he failed to see that man, Jesus, was the Messiah.

The Jewish leaders' willful misunderstanding of Jesus came from their expectation that the Messiah would save Israel like a mighty warrior, not a humble servant. Despite knowing Old Testament prophecies about a suffering Savior (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53; etc. ), they remained convinced the Messiah would reign in immediate earthly victory, not suffer defeat on a cross. Acts 13:27 says, "They did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath." When Jesus claimed His rightful title as the Son of God, they thought He was committing blasphemy, the crime of speaking offensively about God, which was punishable by death according to Jewish law (John 19:7; Leviticus 24:16).

But instead of ending this story at Jesus' crucifixion, God, in His perfect wisdom, used it to advance His greater redemption plan. Three days later, Jesus rose from the grave, fulfilling every prophecy and overcoming sin and death eternally.

Jesus' victory proves He is "the Lord of glory," a title only God Himself is worthy of receiving (1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1). He is our strong and mighty King, possessing ultimate authority (Isaiah 9:6-7). As the Son of God, Jesus glorified the Father by perfectly submitting to His will, and He deserves all praise and honor (Psalm 24:7-10).

Despite the rulers' attempts to destroy Him, Jesus overcame death to offer us salvation and eternal life. No matter how pious or how powerful they seemed, "none of the rulers of this age understood this" (1 Corinthians 2:8). That's because true understanding comes not from earthly authority but from the God of heaven. And He has graciously revealed the gospel to us through His Word today! First5