“Beware
of False Prophets!”
Two
More Marks By Which False Prophets May Be Identified
Matthew
7:15
The
Son of God warns us to “Beware of false prophets!” We dare not
ignore our Lord’s warning. We do so only to the eternal peril of our immortal
souls. Men and women enter the wide gate and get on the broad road that leads
to everlasting destruction in hell by listening to and following the teachings
of men who do not preach the truth, men who peach another gospel. I want to
show you from the Word of God two more
things by which false prophets may be readily identified. I want you to give me
your undivided attention for just four minutes and carefully search the
Scriptures to see whether or not what I tell you is the truth.
Decisional
Salvation
False prophets make it far
easier for people to get saved than our Lord did. They make salvation nothing
more than a decision for Jesus, the repetition of a prayer, the walking of an
aisle or the raising of a hand. I challenge you to find even one example of
such nonsense in the Word of God. Our Lord declares that saving faith is
nothing less than the surrender of our very lives to his dominion as our Lord
and King (Luke 14:25-33).
Today sinners are invited to take a walk down the Romans Road
to salvation, lift their hands, sashay down an aisle, kneel at an altar, say
the sinner’s prayer, and say “I believe in Jesus” in order to get saved. Getting a sinner to say “I
accept Jesus as my personal Savior” is as foreign to the New Testament as
getting a sinner to say “I accept Mary as the mother of God!” Your saying it
will not make either lie true! There is something more to this business of
believing on the Lord Jesus Christ than most people think. You listen to me,
now. -- No one ever got saved by walking down an aisle, kneeling at an altar,
saying the sinners’ prayer, getting baptized, signing a decision card, or
joining a church!
Salvation comes only to those who by the grace of God enter
into a living, vital union of life and faith with the Lord Jesus Christ. The
Lord Jesus declares, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many,
I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able" (Luke
13:24). The Son of God tells us plainly that faith in him is an utter
impossibility with men. Faith must be given to and wrought in a man by the
power and grace of God the Holy Spirit, or he will never have it.
Cheap Grace
False
prophets make the way of salvation and life much broader than our Lord made it (Matt. 7:13-14, 21-23). According to most of the
Baptists and others of our day, Judas, Demas, and Diotrophes are all in heaven
today, because they all made a decision to follow Jesus at one point in their
lives. But the Scriptures speak otherwise. The Lord of Glory declares, --
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:21-23). May God grant you life and faith
in Christ by the power of his omnipotent grace, for Christ’s sake. Amen.