Keep and Share logo     Log In  |  Mobile View  |  Help  
 
Visiting
 
Select a Color
   
 
Matthew 7:15-20

Return to Matthew 7:13-27

 

(C1) Believe Only Jesus’ Teachings - Matthew 7:15-20 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. (16) By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? (17) Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (18) A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (19) Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (20) Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.  NIV

  1. In v15 underline Jesus' command? And why does he command that?
  2. Believers Bible Commentary: “Wherever the stern demands of true discipleship are taught, there are false prophets who advocate the wide gate and easy way. They water down the truth … But inwardly they are ravenous wolves, (i.e., they are vicious unbelievers who prey on the immature, the unstable, and the gullible)… The life and teaching of those who claim to speak for God should be tested by God’s Word: “If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20)
  3. False prophets can be identified by their fruit: what they teach, how they live, and their effect on others.
  4. In v19 underline what is the end result of anyone whose fruit doesn’t show that they are living a life of repentance (Matthew 3:8,10 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. … and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” NIV)
  5. What False Prophets Do - Galatians 1:6-8 “I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News [Gospel] (7) but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. (8) Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.”  NLT
    1. Some people were preaching “a different way.” They were teaching that to be saved, Gentile believers had to follow Jewish laws and customs, especially the rite of circumcision. Faith in Christ was not enough. This message undermined the truth that salvation is a gift, not a reward for certain deeds. ... Beware of people who say that we need more than simple faith in Christ to be saved. When people set up additional requirements for salvation, they deny the power of Christ’s death on the cross"
  6. The Only Way to be Made Right with God - Galatians 2:16 “Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”  NLT
    1. ESV Study Bible: “In Gal. 2:16, “works of the law” means not only circumcision, food laws, and Sabbath, but any human effort to be justified by God by obeying a moral law.”
  7. How to Fall Away from God’s Grace - Galatians 5:4 “For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.”  NLT
    1. NIV Study Bible - "Placed yourself outside the scope of divine favor, because gaining God’s favor by observing the law and receiving it by grace are mutually exclusive"

 

(C2) How to Save Yourself and Others - 1 Timothy 4:16 “Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.” NLT

  1. Underline how one saves oneself and others.
  2. ESV Study Bible: “Timothy’s perseverance in sound doctrine and practice will save him, i.e., it will lead him to persevere in the faith, confirming his salvation. This type of ministry will be effective in preserving his hearers as well.”

 

(C3) The Complete Faith Has Already Been Given - Jude 3 “I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”  ESV

  1. ESV Study Bible - "by the time that Jude wrote his letter, “the faith” had already been fixed and established in the apostolic teaching of the early church, and therefore could not be changed, ... nothing more could ever be added to Scripture, since the content of the faith had been delivered “once for all.”"

 

(C4) How to Detect False Teachings - Acts 17:11 “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”  NIV

  1. Underline how we can detect false teachings.
  2. What should one do if their church’s teachings aren't clearly taught in the Bible?

 

Return to Matthew 7:13-27

 


Creation date: May 5, 2023 2:29pm     Last modified date: May 7, 2023 7:09am   Last visit date: Dec 1, 2024 6:56am
    Report Objectionable Content