DISCERNING A FALSE PROPHET

SERMON STARTER

 

          I cannot think of any time period in my nearly seven decades on the planet that a great deal of Jesus' conditions listed in Matthew 24 are being fulfilled. The conditions for what Jesus called, "the beginning of sorrows" have occurred in less than a decade.

          In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus warns us,
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

          My past four Lenten sermons have been on eschatology, the Bible's teaching on prophesy and the end times. I'm not usually so concerned about these things, but believe it is a time when the hearts of many can grow cold. God's people will do well to stay close to Him and keep their personal affairs in order. Keep your eyes on Jesus. If God will take you to it, He will take you through it.

 

Pastor Phil  <><<  

 

 

 

DO NOT BE SO PREOCCUPIED ABOUT HIS COMING THAT YOU FAIL TO OCCUPY UNTIL HE COMES!

 

 

 

April 10, 2011

pastor Phil Roland, Sheepfold Ministries

 

DISCERNING A FALSE PROPHET

DEUTERONOMY 18:15-22

"The conditions for fulfilling Jesus' Great Prophesy in Matthew 24 are stacking up. God's people will do well to stay close to Him and keep their personal affairs in order. Keep your eyes on Jesus."                 Pastor Phil 

 

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

"Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." Matthew 24:11

 

FOUR TESTS OF A FALSE PROPHET

I.  DOES THEIR PROPHESY COME TO PASS?  Deut. 18:20

"But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.'"
            A. False Prophets were stoned in the Old Testament - v. 20

            "But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods,           that prophet shall die.'"

            B. C.T. Russell's Watch Tower's False End of the World Predictions
                        1. Falsely predicted the End of the World over and over

                        2. Published Dates are 1914, 1918, 1925 and 1975

          C. Harold Camping First Predicted the End of the World in 1994

                      1. Dates were "Between Sept. 5th and 27th"

                        2. Uses Subjective, "Eisegetical Biblical Interpretations

                        3. Reads INTO Allegories and Parables

 

II. DO THEY CONFESS JESUS CHRIST COME IN THE FLESH? "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. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world." 1 John 4:1-3

            A. C.T. Russell's Jehovah's Witnesses DENY Jesus is God/Man

            1 John 1:7

            "For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess

            Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."

                        1. Key to understanding is His name: Jesus/Christ

                                    a. His name, "Ya-shuah" is a human name, "Victory"

                                    b. His name, "Me-shea" is divine, "Anointed One"

                                    c. Together, "Jesus Christ," Human-Born, Anointed One

                       

DISCERNING A FALSE PROPHET, cont., p.2

                                               

                        2. J.W. Teaching denies Jesus' Deity while on earth

                        "while Jesus was on the earth he was not a deity. He was a man.

                         Jesus was not part God and part man. He was not a god-man or                               demigod."

                        3. Falsely believe that He "gave up" His heavenly nature

                        "upon his becoming human Jesus left off his heavenly nature."

                        4. Reference: http://e-watchman.com/jehovahs-                                                        witnesses/jehovahs-witnesses-deny-the-deity-of-christ.html

            B. False Prophets are directed by the Anti-Christ himself

                        1. Directs all worship to himself

                        2. Pure Idolatry Usurps Spiritual Worship

                        3. Appeals to the idea of Universalism

                        4. Jesus is a prophet or a god, but NOT the only god

            C. False Prophets often DENY Jesus is come in the flesh

            "Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our

            gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or

            troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the

            day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that

            Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is

            revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all

            that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple

            of God, showing himself that he is God."  2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

                        1. They are often Anti-Trinitarian

                        2. They Deny and twist scripture to fit their own doctrines

                        3. They Deny established Christian Teaching

                                    a. Nicene Creed

                                    b. The Apostle’s Creed

 
III. DO THEY DECEIVE THE GULLIBLE FOR MONEY?

"And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,  saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."  Acts 8:18,19; 14-24
            A. Balaam was God's Prophet for Profit - Numbers Chapters 22-25

                        1. Israel's enemies offered him money to prophesy

                        2. They believed they could seduce him with silver

                        3. Wished to pay him to prophesy against God's people

                        4. Found himself unable to do so

            B. All False Prophets have a self-promoting financial "hook"

            "They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of

            Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he

            was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice

            restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are wells without water,

            clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of

            darkness forever.      2 Peter 2:15-17 (NKJV)

                        1. Harold Camping's latest End-of-World prediction

                        2. He has a financial motivation / "Hook"

                        3. If the world ends, money won't be needed anymore

DISCERNING A FALSE PROPHET, cont., p.3

                                               

                        4. Listener asks Camping on Family Radio broadcast,

                            "If the Lord DOESN'T come on May 21st, will you give the

                              old people, who have sent you their life savings, their

                              money back?"

 

IV. DO THEIR LIVES SHOW ANY FRUIT OF GOD'S SPIRIT?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." Gal. 5:22,23

            A. What about the False Prophet's personal traits?

                        1. Meekness - Eg. Robert Schuller's Attack on Airline Steward

                                    a. Flight Attendant filed suit against Schuller in 9/97

                                    b. "Don't your know I am the famous Robert Schuller?"

                        2. Mercy. . .Pure in Heart. . .Peacemakers. . .Persecuted

                        3. See Matthew 5:4-10

            B. Jesus warns us to use discernment about False Prophets

            Matthew 7:16-20

            "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?

            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."

           

 

 

DISCERNING A FALSE PROPHET

Deuteronomy 18:15-22 (NKJV)
15 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,
16 according to all you desired of the LORD your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.'
17 And the LORD said to me: 'What they have spoken is good.
18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
19 And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.
20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.'
21 And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?'--
22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

 

 

 

 

DISCERNING A FALSE PROPHET

 

Deuteronomy 13:1-5 (NKJV)
1 "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods'--which you have not known--'and let us serve them,'
3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.

 

DISCERNING A FALSE PROPHET

 

Acts 8:14-24 (NKJV)
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money,
19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.
22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."
24 Then Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me."

 Ezekiel 13:1-3 (NKJV)
1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2 "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, 'Hear the word of the LORD!' "
3 Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!

 

1 John 2:26-27 (NKJV)
26 These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you.
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.