Sermon on the Mount

Well, we're approaching the end of the sermon on the mount. So let's turn back to that passage. So it's Matthew chapter 7 And I'm gonna read the little bit before that we read a few verses before what we read at the beginning. Matthew chapter 7 and verse 13. Father help us now as we read to your holy word, please give us ears to hear we pray, hearts to respond, wills to do, what do you want us to do, move our hearts, we pray, that we would adjust our thinking and our affections and our wills in Jesus' name, our, ma'am.

First 13, then Matthew 7, enter through the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction. Many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly, they are ferocious worlds By their fruit, you will recognize them.

Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them.

1 of the 1 of the greatest military tricks or deceptions of all time, which you which you've probably heard about was the was the case of the Trojan the Trojan horse in 11 84 BC, So it's a a really long time ago. And it was this huge wooden horse that was built by the Greeks, in the Trojan Wars so that they could enter sneakily into the city of Troy and and ruin it and take it for themselves. And I was reading about it this week, the horse was built by a master carpenter. Chad really knew what he was doing. He built this incredible horse and the Greek army, what they decided to do was to pretend that they were fleeing.

So, they thought we're gonna trick them the first stage is let let's let them think that we're leaving. And so they all got in their boats and sailed away and the trojans thought, oh, that's it. They're running away. But they actually only went to a nearby island, so the story goes to to hide and to wait for this plan to reach its fulfillment. And the horse Although it was a, you know, a great construction, that the trick of it was that it was hollow, it was a hollow horse, and so what the Greeks decided to do was to load it up with some of their best warriors inside and to wait and hope that they might be taken into the city.

And that is exactly what happens. So the Trojan saw that the Greeks had fled. They came out, and they saw this great wooden horse, and they assumed apparently that it was some kind of offering or gift to the goddess of war, athena, or some kind of tribute to them, or some sort of act of submission or repentance or something like that, and they thought, oh, great. Look at this wonderful horse. This I just know exactly where this belongs in Troy.

And so they took the thing into the city, And at night, when night came, the warriors that had been patiently hiding inside, let themselves out of the horse, they went to the gates, they opened up the gates, and the Greek army who, in the meantime, sailed back, just flooded the city of Troy and and and took the city. And that that deception, which I'm sure you've heard about, was was so was so great and so famous, that it became really a metaphor for anything that was subversive in that way. For anything that looked like a gift or an offering, or it just looked like a harmless thing, But on the inside, inwardly, in reality, was a was a cunning plan, was vicious, was a was a war tactic. And so you think of in computing, you know, a trojan horse, like a like a virus or or something like that, it's a bit of computer code which looks good on the outside and tricks your firewall into thinking that this bit of code will be helpful for your computer, lets it in it does its damage, and some of them I think even open up your computer, like opening the gates in the very same way, and let more things come rushing in to destroy all your all your files.

So there we go, the Trojan horse. It's that subversive idea, isn't it? Something that looks good, looks harmless, but is in fact vicious And obviously, you know, a few thousand years later and you see where I'm going with this, the Lord Jesus Christ used a similar sort of metaphor to describe the very same thing, and it's here, isn't it in verse 15 when he talks about those who come in sheep's clothing. But inwardly are ravenous wolves, those which look gentle and meek and they seem like they would be an offering to your church and an offering to your faith, but inwardly, they are the exact opposite. That's what he says, isn't it?

Have a look at verse 15 again. Watch out for full profits. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly, they are ferocious or ravenous wolves. And Jesus is very simply saying to his disciples in this section, that we need to watch out for these Trojan horses. We need to watch out for these subversive prophets, teachers, spokesmen and women for God, who come in sheep's clothing, but inward our wolves.

And there are just 3 simple points this evening. The first is that we are to expect false prophets So, disciples are to expect false prophets. Secondly, we'll then think about how to recognize false prophets, so we need to expect them. And then we need to know how to recognize them. And then lastly, we'll think about how to actually identify them.

Who are they? What do they really look like in our in our day and age? So firstly, And I trust these will will come up. Hope these will come up on the screen. Is this on?

Is this on? There we go. You might have to flick on for me, Elliott, if that's alright. The first profit expect first point, rather. Expecting false profits watch out Now last week, if you were here and we just had it read to us, we were hearing about these 2 roads, weren't we?

So we were learning about the broad roads, and we were learning about the narrow road, and then we were learning about the 2 destinations to which those roads lead. 1 leads to death, and the other leads to life. And Jesus is very plainly teaching us there that there is a real place of death, which the bible describes hell, which is a a serious place of suffering, where all who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ will spend for the rest the rest of their days. And then there is this narrow road which leads to life in all of its fullness, life in the presence of God, joy at his right hand, pleasures forevermore there are these 2 roads, there are these 2 destinations. And what he is saying in this whole section really is is extremely counter cultural, because Jesus is reminding us that there is such a thing as truth and that truth can be violated.

Now, in our world, that immediately rubs up the wrong way, doesn't it? Because we don't like to believe in a kind of exclusive truth. And an eternity, as Jesus describes it, we like to think that as long as people are happy and sincere, then they can have what truth that they like. And it can lead to whatever destination they want it to. But Jesus is just sort of already unpicking.

The culture in which we live now, there is such a thing as real truth and real error and real right and real wrong and real hell and real heaven and real truth, and it can be violated. And so we've got we've got to watch out. And although that may sound very obvious to us, the pressure to give in on that I think is more powerful than we even realize. The pressure to kind of give up the idea that truth really does matter, that it actually matters, that it isn't just okay to believe whatever we want in the name of happiness and sincerity, truth really matters. And so Jesus already in this sermon is challenging.

Our understanding, isn't he? And so who is he warning us about? Who are these ones? Well, again, verse 15, He says, watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

Now, again, last week, we were thinking about this this broad road and this narrow road. And the point Jesus is making here is that the broad road which leads to death is lined with many guides. There are all kinds of people who claim to be speaking on behalf of God and encouraging you in the right way, but they are not. And that specifically is who Jesus is talking about. So, of course, it is true that in the world around us, and in the media, and in the culture at large, there are all kinds of false messages about what life is about, and who we are, and how we should live.

And you could argue that those who create those messages and spread those messages are false prophets. There is a kind of worldly false prophet. And of course, that is always a danger to the people of God. But what he is talking about specifically are the ones who use his name, the ones who look like sheep, who appear to be loyal to his words and appear to love his words, and yet they're they're not. And so again, this is this is a challenge because I think perhaps by nature, we would tend to think that the broad road is where all the non Christians are, and the narrow road is where all the Christians are, which is true which is true, but actually Jesus is defining it even further here.

He's saying that the narrow road is is the authentic Jesus bible Christianity. It's not everything that just claims it is Christian or claims that it loves and speaks for Jesus, that actually is on the broad road. The narrow road is more exclusive than just the name Christian. It is it is to follow this Jesus Christ of the Scriptures to follow him is the narrow is the narrow road. That's who Jesus is warning about.

These false prophets came to speak for him. And in the old testament, when you turn back to the old testament, you see that there is a long and wretched tradition of false prophets They are like a virus that has infected the world and it keeps coming up with new variants. So, just when you think that you are rid of it, changes slightly and appears again and comes to infect the people of God again. It's a virus that goes on and on, mutating and threatening the life God's people. Here's a verse from Jeremiah 14, verse 14.

Then the Lord said to me to the prophet Jeremyia, the prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. So I've had nothing to do with them, they're not commissioned by me, they don't carry my message, and yet they speak in my name. They call on the name of Yahweh, they use the name of Moses and the law. I have not sent them.

Not send them. And then when you get into the new testament, you see that this plague only only continues. There are these false prophets or false teachers who come in to the church. I don't know if you saw this week in the news. There's been a big expose of of Lambeth council.

Between the 19 sixties and the 19 nineties, and what it was called is a culture. There was a culture of cover up in Lamb of Council, where it seems that there was you know, abuse on a horrendous scale that was taking place over many many decades, and it seems that there were people who knew about it, and could have done something about it and yet they covered it up. And I won't give any details about it because it really is just harrowing to to read about it. And and yet where did all this abuse take place? It was in places that were supposed to be safe.

It was in communities of trust. It was in care homes and foster homes. 1 chap who helped to lead the inquiry said this, individuals who posed a risk to children were able to infiltrate children's homes and foster care with devastating, lifelong consequences. And it is just truly appalling as an that in those places of safety, that people were able to infiltrate. And it is that very same dreadful language and dreadful contrast that is used about false teachers in the New Testament.

Places of safety, the church of God, the church of Jesus Christ, and yet some are able to infiltrate. Look how it's put in 2 Timothy 3. But mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women who are loaded down with sins in our swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning, but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth, just as Janice and Jambre opposed Moses so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds who as far as faith is concerned are rejected.

In acts 20, which Pete quoted for us this morning, Paul says to the Ephesian elders, keep watch over your selves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God which he bought with his own blood. And then these words which must have been sobering for these group of elders, I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock even from your own number, men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your God or as the Lord Jesus says, watch out. Watch out.

This has been a plague that has threatened the people of God for generations, these false prophets who infiltrate. They do damage. And that is what Jesus is warning about. Not everybody who speaks for the Lord does. Not everybody who appears to be harmless is.

Jeremiah and Jesus and Paul say, watch out. All those years ago in Troy, you know, it looked like a gift, didn't it? It looked like an offering. But inwardly, it was something very different. Jesus says to the disciples that you need to expect false prophets and you need to watch out.

Secondly, recognizing false prophets or in other words, how do we spot them? So, we are to expect them, but how to spot them. And it seems that under this point, there are 3 there are 3 sub points. And the first thing when it comes to recognizing these false prophets is to ask about their doctrine. In other words, when these people really talk about Christ, what do they say?

When they talk about Christ, what do they really say? This is very important Look again at Acts chapter 20. We'll come to Matthew 7 in a minute, but I want to build this case from the bible before you before we go there. This is Acts chapter 20. Again, Paul is talking to these Ephesian elders, and he says, you know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly from house to house, I've declared both Jews and Greeks that you must turn to God in repentance, and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

In other words, he says, remember my doctrine. Remember that when I was with you, There were certain things that I emphasized and certain things that I taught. I preached repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ, who is the risen Lord. Those were the things I majored on, that sin was serious, that sin needed to be repented of, that Jesus Christ was God's appointed Savior and Lord and that people needed to turn to Him. When I spoke about Jesus among you, That is what I said.

That was my doctrine, repentance and faith in Christ. That matters a heck of a lot. You know, if any profit downplays repentance from sin or just starts to ignore the subject entirely, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then beware. So firstly, there's the doctrine. Secondly, there's their life.

Look what Paul says in acts 20 verse 17 before he even moves on to his doctrine. This is the start of his speech. From my leaders, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said to them, what did he say to you know how I lived the whole time that I was with you from the first day I came into the province of Asia. Before he says you know what I taught, He says, you know how I lived.

There was a kind of authentic, bearing life that you saw when I was with you. You cannot say that I just came in dropped a message on you and left. You cannot say that I came in and exploited you while I was with you. You know what I taught, but friends, you know how I lived. You remember my life.

I wasn't perfect. It's not what I'm saying, but there was a there was an authenticity. There was a gospel fruit to my life. That's the first thing he appeals to, brother elders. You know how I lived when I was with you.

Or again, look at 2 Timothy 3. These are the passages we're sort of camping out in a little bit. He said, just as Janice and Jambre opposed Moses, So also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds who as far as the faith is concerned are rejected, but they will not get very far Because as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. Timothy, you, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life.

You know my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance, my persecutions, my sufferings. He's saying, Timothy, you know what I taught but you know how I lived among you. Remember my gospel life, remember my fruit, even in suffering. Of love and endurance and patience, teaching, and life. And then 1 more just to sort of really rub this home.

This is again to Timothy 3. It's a big thing. He says to Timothy, evil doers and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, Timothy, continue in what you have learned and become convinced of. Now, why should he do that?

How would you finish that sentence? How would you finish that sentence? Continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, why? Should he do that? Because it's true.

Because he knows the scriptures. He knows what the scriptures say. Yeah, that's right. But it's not what Paul says. He says, because you know those from whom you learned it.

You saw a kind of gospel life in the people who taught you the Scriptures. They weren't just peddling a message among you. They lived it before you. You saw the fruit of it. That is an authentic Christian life.

That's the sort of thing you wanna look for in a profit. They're doctrine, but they're life, not perfection, but the sort of fruit that matches with their gospel. Jesus says in Matthew 7, he says twice. What does he say twice? You will know them by their fruit.

In other words, you may not know them by their clothing because they look like sheep. But you will know them by their fruit or by their lack of fruit. Matthew Henry, an old bible commentator says, you cannot always distinguish them by their bark and leaves, nor by the spreading of their bows, but by their fruits, you shall know them. He goes on to say men are known not by particular acts, but by the coarse and tenor of their conversation and by the more frequent acts. What he's saying there is that the true gospel, the narrow way of Jesus, the authentic it Christian life doesn't just produce 1 offs.

It doesn't just produce a particular act from time to time. But a general course of a life, a general tenor or theme of a conversation by the regular acts by the ongoing, fruit bearing, the gospel, fruit that comes. That is how you recognize them. And what is that fruit? Well, it's everything that we've seen in this sermon, isn't it?

So far. You know, it's humility before God. It's purity of heart, its trust in a heavenly father, it's abandoning hypocritical ways, it's praying to God as our heavenly dad who loves us, it's all that we have seen in this sermon. That is the sort of fruit that King Jesus produces in our lives. And as we saw last week with this, there really is no middle ground.

There's no middle ground here. That's what's so startling about this sermon mean, have a look at verse 16 to 18 again. By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn or figs from thistles. Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot bear good fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear bad fruit, bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire thus by their fruit, you will recognize them. There is no middle road, and there is no middle tree. You've got these authentic messages who can say with Paul, you know what I taught, and you know how I lived. And then you've got these false messengers who might sound alright, but if you listen well and you look closely, and you give it time.

You see there's no fruit at all. And actually, the interesting thing is when you even inspect their doctrine, often that's not there either. I mean, it's often the case with the cults that they they use language that sounds very and good. They use language like saved by faith in Jesus, but when you try to unravel what they mean, They often mean something very different to what the scriptures mean by that language. There's a kind of distortion of biblical words that is being used.

And with that, there is no genuine fruit. And so how do you recognize a false prophet? Well, there's the teaching. What do they say? There's a life.

How do they live? And thirdly, under this point, there's a question of what do they produce? Or to put in another way, what what effect do these teachers have on other people? What culture does it create? Is it a kind of strict, law heavy, heavy handed burdensome sort of culture, which looks very religious, but is in fact crushing to be part of.

Or does it produce a kind of worldliness? Where actually Jesus is here just to say, be who you want to be, do what you want to do, and there is no thirst for Godliness in the church. There is no passion for the holiness without which we won't see the Lord. Does it produce harsh religion? Does it produce just open worldliness?

Or does it produce a warm hearted gracious people who love Christ and love each other What does it produce? So those are the ways in which we can recognize a false prophet, someone who simply claims to speak for God. What do they say? How do they live? What do they produce?

And just to get specific now in this last point and to think about who Jesus has in mind and what we're to do with this, let's go on to the third point now, identifying profits, who are they? Who are they? And it's worth saying to start with that behind every false profit, And behind every distortion of the truth is the arch liar himself, Satan. And, so, you think about all those years ago in garden of Eden. Satan comes to adam and eve as a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing, doesn't he?

He claims to be about their flourishing. He claims to have the message that will really promote them to Godliness. That will make them like you will be like God. That's a good news, sheep message, isn't it? You'll be like God.

I'm here for your good. I'm a gift to you. But inwardly, a ravenous wolf and he hasn't changed. He hasn't changed. But it takes different forms, doesn't it?

And remember with this sermon, that no teaching in the sermon on the mount is is in isolation. This this is the sermon on the mount, and throughout this series, Jesus has been warning us against a kind of Trojan horse religion, a fake religion, a hypocrisy with no gospel reality. Look at verse 15 with me again. It's an interesting word point to make here. He says, watch out for false prophets.

They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly. And that word inwardly is reasonably common in the new test but it's used 9 times in the gospels, and nearly always something like 7 or 8 out of 9, it is used of the pharisees. This inwardly word is used of them. Let me show you where. Here's Matthew 23 25, 1 example.

Woe to you teachers of the law and pharisees, you hypocrites, you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside, But inwardly, they are full of greed and self indulgence. It's exactly the same contrast, isn't it? There's the Trojan horse, looks like 1 thing is another, there's the wolf in sheep's clothing, looks like 1 thing is another, There's the cup on the shelf looks like 1 thing, clean, usable, put your food in it, but is another on the inside. So, it's a word which brings deception to light. Looks 1 way, but inwardly is another way.

Jesus uses that word of the Pharisees all the time. Or in acts chapter 20, Paul calls them fierce wolves, fierce wolves. And again, that word fierce is used of the pharisees. And it often means a kind of heavy handed fierceness. We might think of the word oppression, they're oppressive wolves.

Here's how Jesus uses it, in Matthew 23 verse 4. This is the word fierce. They tie up heavy Cumber some loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. In other words, they they impose these heavy burdens upon people, these laws which weigh people down, these expectations, but they do not lift a finger to help. That's what makes them fierce.

Their oppressive heavy handedness. And so again, it's a good question to ask, isn't it? What does it produce? In fact, it's a really good question for all philosophies. You know, if you're trying to work out whether you should throw your lot in with a world view, It's just worth pausing and slowing down and saying, what is this producing on the ground?

What kind of people are being created here? Ones that are free and content or happy or ones that are eating themselves and feeling less secure, more anxious, less satisfied than ever before. What is it producing? And the religion of the pharisees simply weighed people down They loved their own power, they separated from the needy, they were slow to forgive, quick to cut off, thorns with no fruit, trees that will be up down. Jesus says, be on God.

They appear to love the word of God There are big prayers and banquets and flowing robes and scriptures and readings and laws and Moses, but inwardly, they are wolves. And the irony about the religion of the pharisees is that although it was very strict in 1 sense, it was so worldly in another sense, wasn't it? So you take the divorce laws we looked at some weeks ago. They were so committed to the Scriptures on divorce, weren't they? So committed?

This is what Moses said. This is what we do. But when Jesus unraveled them, it turns out that they could divorce for any and every reason whatever they wanted. There was a lawyer, a hardline loyalty to the word of God, strict in its religion, but worldly in its fruit, worldliness, divorced for any and every reason. So these are the people that Jesus has in mind and perhaps therefore the people we need to be particularly careful of.

This sort of strict, harsh heavy handedness, which looks religious, but actually just produces the very opposite. And so just to close, a couple of things for us to consider. As we apply this and try to take some of this away, I think I think the first thing to say here with all of this is that Jesus is not is not wanting to create a culture of suspicion. Where everybody in your church could be a wolf, where your home group leader is probably a wolf in sheep's clothing. You're just waiting for him to show himself.

He's not wanting to create the sort of culture where if a brother or sister in the church disagrees with you on something minor, they are elevated to the status of wool straight away. You know, what Jesus is talking about here is false prophets teachers. There is a difference between a goat and a wolf. In this sermon. You know, a wolf is 1 who comes and claims to speak for God.

So this is not to say that we must be constantly entrusting of other brothers and sisters because they may well be waiting to bare their teeth and that's like wolves in for anything. But what he is wanting to create is a culture of awareness. That not all who speak for Christ represent him, not everybody who says Lord Lord means it, and not everyone who says narrow way is walking it. And therefore, this is a call perhaps most of all, to be discerning, to be discerning people. Truth can be violated.

And therefore we must be discerning. Now you might wonder how do I do that? I mean, because I don't really feel I've got the resources or the understanding to to sort of know and to tell the difference. Now the truth is that all Christians, true Christians do have a measure of discernment. Because the Holy Spirit is writing the words of God upon our heart, but it is also true that those senses are sharpened as we study the word of God.

And so if we want to be on God, and to keep watch, we need to know the word of God. And from that, we need to know the Savior. Here's what Jesus says in John 10 verse 3. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him and the sheep listen to his voice they will never follow a stranger. In fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice Jesus is saying there's no need to be a scholar to tell the difference.

The best way to be on God is to know the shepherd is to get yourself familiar with the Jesus Christ of the Scriptures to know the authentic prophet who loved us and laid his life down for us. No false prophet would ever do that. No false prophet would lay his life down for you. They want to sap your life for them. So our senses are sharpened.

As we study the word of God and meet Jesus in the word of God. That is the best way to be aware and to be discerning. The other thing is, that when it comes to new approaches, or new theologies, or new big name speakers, which everyone listen to, I wonder if Jesus would say to us just slow down and think about it. Give it time before you get carried away with something. You know, fruit bearing takes time, doesn't it?

You don't see fruit straight away. It takes time for fruit to come. And Jesus is saying, with these new fidget, just slow down, slow down, think It's 1 of the reasons why local church is just so important to be part of. A local community of brothers and sisters When Paul is giving qualifications for an elder, what are some of the things that he says? An elder needs to be hospitable.

And what he means by that is if a man of God closes his door to the church family, he can't be an elder. He can't be an elder if he's not hospitable. And it's more than just kind of having people over, he means here. I think what Paul is saying there is something like, you need to ask of an elder, is he 1 who is separate from you or is he 1 who does life among you? Can you see him as well as hear him?

Or does he only appear on a screen and tell you something? But you've got no real idea how he lives among you. And I hope by God's grace, that is the sort of culture we want to create here. We're the home group leaders and the elders despite many imperfections, and I'm speaking as 1, and many weaknesses, at least you can see something of a gospel reality to the message. Do you hear them or can you only see them?

It's not to say that we can't profit from online teachers But in the end, we can never really know how they treat their families. What sort of ministry culture is there at that church? And I think as I've said before, you would rather the 3 out of 10 elder who despite his failings at least has the fruit of gospel reality than the 10 out of 10 preacher whose life you can never observe We are in an age of fads and followings and whippings up and polarization Jesus would say to us, slow down, look for the fruit, listen for the doctrine. And lastly, we need to ask and we need to seek and we need to knock. We need to pray.

We need to pray for help. Can I encourage you, please do pray for your home group leaders and for the elders in this church, please pray for us that we would watch our life and doctrine as Paul Watch both doctrine and life that our progress might be evident to you, that you might see us as those who both teach right things and live a gospel, what we need God's help, ask, seek and knock for us, that we might be prophets who watch our life and doctrine? But also, let's pray for all of us that we would sharpen our senses in the word of God. And let's ask ourselves the tough question. This isn't just for prophets or fake prophets.

This is for all of us. Look at your own life. Is there the fruit of the gospel in your life? What sort of fruit are you producing? Is it the good fruit that comes from belief in the gospel?

Or is the tree beginning to wither up Let's ask and seek and knock that we would all be fruitful people to the glory of God. I'll just give you a minute to think quietly, and then I'll lead us in a short prayer, and then we can have a time of discussion on our tables. And then we could have some questions. Father, we know that the the enemy the devil has been a liar and a murderer from the beginning, and that if even he can come dressed as an angel of light, then we need to be so careful. We need to watch as Jesus says.

These are not just words for other people. These are words for us. We pray that you would help us to be people who know our bibles and know the savior Jesus Christ, who spend time sharpening our senses in your words who listen for the voice of Jesus, our shepherd. That you would help us to be on guard and to be aware. But with that lord, help us not to be overly wrongly suspicious of everything.

Help us to be sensible with these things. And lord, we pray that you would help us all to bear fruit in accordance with the riches of the gospel. That our lives would be fruit bearing, that we would make progress in life and in doctrine, that you would help us to keep growing and keep encouraging 1 another. Please help us not to be carried away by whims and fads and new waves of teaching but to be humbly committed to the old gospel of your word, the true gospel of Jesus to be loyal to the people of God to be passionate about the grace of the gospel and the holiness it produces and to stick with this old message which is avenue. And not to be carried away.

Please help us lord in Jesus' name, amen.