The Second Goal That Should Govern Our Lives
We have come to the last chapter of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was now done with His critique of Pharisaism. His work of demolishing the false religious system dominant among the Jews of His day was also a work of building a new system—a system faultless and profound, demonstrating that He spoke with divine authority.
In the Beatitudes and in His sayings at the opening of the sermon, He showed the motives of the heart that please God. In the process He exposed how superficial the Pharisees were. In His commentary on the Law of Moses, He revealed the wicked motives that the law was intended to suppress, and He refined the two central concepts of the law, the concepts of loving one's neighbor and loving God. The Pharisees taught the law and its central concepts, but did not understand what they taught.
Jesus left hanging one great question, however. While urging His children to be content with the necessities of life and to quit striving for material gain, He said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33). What does this mean? Primarily it means that we ourselves should seek to enter God's kingdom and acquire His righteousness. The earlier portion of Jesus' sermon has shown us how to achieve this goal. But the same priorities have another meaning as well. They urge us to enlarge the company of those who possess His righteousness by drawing others into His kingdom. To achieve this goal, how should we conduct our labors? The remainder of the sermon gives us the answer.
In particular, Jesus commented on some of the chief problems we might encounter as we devote our lives to leading others to salvation and preparing them to function as fellow servants of God. His discussion is divided into seven sections. In the first four, He dealt with basic ministries of the church, in each case either setting boundaries or warning of certain dangers. In the three sections afterward, He showed us how to recognize all the counterfeits of true religion that would arise in the future.
Dangers in Ministry
Counseling
One ministry every Christian undertakes is to counsel fellow Christians; that is, to give them words of spiritual advice. Any advice that encourages a life of holiness is called "exhortation," which Scripture frequently recommends.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25
In his instruction to all the brethren, not just the leaders of the flock, Paul urges them to provide each other with several specific kinds of counseling.
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
1 Thessalonians 5:14
In the context of this passage, "feebleminded" means fainthearted under persecution, such as the recent converts at Thessalonica were suffering because of Jewish hostility to the new religion (Acts 17:1-9). Here in Paul's epistle to the Thessalonians, he was teaching us all that we should give other members of our spiritual family the kind of counsel that truly meets their need. Sinners should hear a somber warning of the dangers that lie ahead of them. The fearful should be comforted with assurance that God is on their side. The weak should feel strong support from their brothers in Christ. Several passages in the New Testament urge us to confront a sinning brother with words of wise counsel that by God's grace may succeed in restoring him to a godly way of life.
Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:1–2
19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
James 5:19–20
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Jude 22-23
But in the ministry of counseling a fellow believer there are some special dangers, and Jesus cautioned us about them.
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Matthew 7:1–5
In this guidance to any us who desires to provide helpful counsel to a fellow believer, Jesus warned against two dangers in particular.
- There is the danger of developing a hateful spirit toward the person being counseled. If we forget that we ourselves are sinners, we are tempted to judge him rather than exhort him. What exactly is the difference? Exhorting arises from love and exhibits love. Judging arises from disdain and exhibits rejection.
It is called judging because it passes a sentence. A judgmental brother reaches a decision in his heart that another brother has sinned and should get what's coming to him. The first brother may make himself executioner as well as judge by putting the offender at a distance and belittling him in front of others. Judging is the same as not forgiving.
Why would one Christian want to judge another? Often such behavior is an outgrowth of resentment. The first may be a victim of the other's offense, real or imagined, and he may respond by nursing his wounds rather than by helping the offender. - There is the danger of hypocrisy. Before we seek to remove a mote (a mere splinter) from our brother's eye, we had better remove the beam projecting from our own. Here is a touch of satire, intended to make us laugh at ourselves. Jesus was plainly warning us to take care of our own problems before we meddle with someone else's.
But many thoroughly misunderstand Jesus here. He did not mean that we should never say anything critical to a brother. No, we should exhort a brother who needs to be exhorted. The point is, we should approach him in such a way that our words will be effective and not ridiculous. Hence, we must first remove the beam that is sticking out of our own eye. Only then is it legitimate and desirable to help our brother get rid of the mote caught in his eye (v. 5).
Evangelism
The next ministry that Jesus assumed His children would pursue is evangelism. It is normal for a believer to work at spreading the gospel. But even in this effort there is a need for caution.
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Matthew 7:6
Here, Jesus warned us about hardened enemies of the truth, saying that we should not cast what is holy to dogs or our pearls to swine, for such beasts will trample upon these precious things and then attack us. He meant that in our evangelism we need not persist in trying to reach everyone. For our own safety, and to prevent sacrilegious treatment of the gospel, we should identify the dogs and the swine as quickly as possible and henceforth avoid them.
How can we do that? Only by experiment. We should broadcast the seed of the gospel in every direction, to everyone who can hear us, and then watch reactions. With the help of the Spirit, we will be able to distinguish between those with hearts which are open to the truth and those with hearts which are hardened against the truth. The best strategy for growth in the church is to concentrate on those who have receptive hearts and to avoid the rest.
To persevere in trying to convince the unwilling is, as Jesus says, unwise. It nags and irritates and therefore invites open contempt of things sacred and open persecution of believers. Yet we should not assume that a stubborn sinner is beyond the grace of God. Certainly not. But he should be approached only when he is willing to hear, and if he is not willing, it is time for prayer only. Further witness must wait until his heart has been softened.
When Jesus sent out His disciples two-by-two to preach in towns and villages, He admonished them to linger only where the people were receptive to their message.
11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.
13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
Matthew 10:11–14
Wherever the people refused to hear them, they were to depart, shaking off the dust of that place from their feet.
The advice against giving holy things to dogs also applies to counseling, the form of ministry discussed in the previous verses. It is possible to exhort a brother only if he is willing to listen. If he has sunk so far into sin that he cannot accept guidance and criticism, however kind, it is better to leave him alone, lest he return wounds for godly words. In my years of ministry, the rebellious have consumed far too much of my time. I wish I had given more of myself to those who were eager to learn and grow—to the promising rather than to the perverse. It is a mistake hard to avoid, because every servant of God wants to make a difference in people’s lives, but usually all he gains by exhorting the rebellious is a more nagging sense in his own heart of frustration and failure.
Prayer
If we are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, prayer will often occupy our waking hours, because through prayer we turn our backs on unrighteousness and draw closer to the King Himself. Yet one great danger in faithful prayer is that we will grow discouraged when God withholds immediate answers.
Answers might be delayed for several reasons.
- God may not grant a request until we prove that we really want it. When my sons were little, they often came to me with requests, and I enjoyed satisfying these if I could. But if they asked me for something only once, I probably did not grant it. Why? Because I saw no evidence that the request expressed a thoughtful and continuing desire rather than just a passing whim.
- God may want us to persevere in prayer for something good so that we will become more spiritually minded. A mind growing in desire for good things draws closer to the mind of God.
- God may want to test whether we will accept "no" for an answer. Again, in dealing with my own sons, I did not grant a request if I felt that my failure to comply would provoke rebellion. I had to feel that the request was not a demand, not an attempt to strong-arm or manipulate me, but a tribute to my role as provider.
But although God may not give us our requests immediately, we should not give up praying for them.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Matthew 7:7–11
Jesus promised that if we ask, we will receive; if we seek, we will find; and if we knock, it will open. The Greek verb in each case signifies continuing action.1 Jesus was advising us to persist in asking, seeking, and knocking.
The three kinds of action suggest stages in reaching a goal. Asking is determining the right direction before we move. Seeking is moving toward the goal. Knocking is trying to open the door at the end of the journey. At every stage in doing God's will, we can expect Him to help us and to open avenues of progress.
Our confidence that God will hear us rests upon His character. Earlier in the sermon, Jesus told us to address God as "Our Father." It is a mistake to think that God is like a human father, as if a human father were the original and God were a mere copy. It is just the other way around. A human father is a mere copy of God, the Father of all, and he is greatly inferior to the original. Therefore, as Jesus taught, if a human father gives good gifts to his children, will not our heavenly Father give His children even better gifts?
Jesus used some humorous pictures to sharpen His point. He made us see a father giving his child a stone instead of the bread he wanted, a serpent instead of a fish. The impossibility that a loving father would treat his child in this way vividly illustrates the foolishness in doubting the goodness of the heavenly Father.
The pictures have a literal application to prayer. Jesus advised us to pray for our daily bread—in other words, for every daily need, including such basic foods as bread and fish. If we petition God for these, He will not give us stones and serpents. Yet the same pictures also have a spiritual dimension, as we learn in Luke's Gospel. Jesus said,
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Luke 11:11–13
Indeed, we should understand that Jesus' promise of good gifts in response to our prayers pertains also to prayers for spiritual benefits. In the context of such prayers, what do the bread, the fish, and the egg represent? Jesus said they such sources of nourishment correspond to the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Spirit is elsewhere compared to life-giving water.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
John 7:37–39
Yet another source of spiritual food is, of course, Jesus Himself. After miraculously feeding well over 5000 people with five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:1–13), Jesus taught the people a spiritual lesson which implied that this meal was a picture of drawing spiritual life and nourishment from His body.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
John 6:51
In Jesus' promise that the Father would always give us good gifts, what do the bad gifts that He names represent? What are the lifeless stone, the deadly serpent, and the ugly scorpion that the Father will never give us? Very likely they symbolize Satan or things Satanic. He was the serpent who first drew our first ancestors into sin. Jesus assured us that in response to our prayers, the Father will never give us anything like a devilish work that is intended to hurt us rather than help us.
Works of charity
The next ministry that Jesus assumes will occupy a believer is doing good works. To counteract the danger that we might not do enough, He stated,
All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.
Matthew 7:12
The more familiar version of Jesus' words is known as the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It follows from this rule that if you would like to receive the benefit of a good deed done by your neighbor, you should be willing to perform the same good deed on his behalf or on behalf of someone else. So, if you want to receive Christmas cards, you should send out Christmas cards. In general terms, if there is something you would like others to do for you, you should be willing to do the same for others. There can be little doubt that the Golden Rule, a moral principle well-known in Western cultures, was originally derived from Jesus' words preserved in Matthew 7:12.
Liberal critics have insisted, however, that to treat the Golden Rule as the original invention of Jesus is wrong, because exactly the same rule is also prominent in many non-Christian religions. But they are distorting the facts. The comparable rule well-known in the heathen world appears, for example, in the teachings of Confucius, the Chinese philosopher who lived about 500 BC. He said, "Do not do to others the things that you would not have them do to you."2 This watered-down version of the Golden Rule merely forbids any kind of bad behavior—behavior that you yourself would find offensive. It implies, for example, that I should not say mean words to my neighbor, or set up a loudspeaker near the property line between our houses and blast loud music from it, etc. It is comparable to the ethic that can be summarized, "Live and let live." There is no love here, just a degree of restraint to assure a peaceful society. Only Christianity, founded on the selfless ideals of the Sermon on the Mount, understands and promotes real love. The moral standards presented in this sermon were Jesus' warning that to be satisfied with anything less than real love is unacceptable to God. They all emphasized the fundamental principle that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.
Although the Golden Rule deserves consideration when we make hard decisions, it sets a weaker standard of righteousness than we find in the actual teaching of Jesus. The fuller version of the rule that appears in the Sermon on the Mount is far more comprehensive and demanding. The Golden Rule merely requires that we do good only. But Jesus' rule mandates that we perform every conceivable good that we can fit into our lives. It lays upon us the duty to give others "all things whatsoever" that we would like to receive in return. In other words, whatever we would like to receive, we should be willing to give.
Does that mean that I should give away my house to somebody else because I would enjoy receiving such a gift myself? Absolutely not. That is not what Jesus meant. He was assuming that we would not be so selfish as to covet the possessions of others. One reason why I should not covet my neighbor's house is that he needs a place to live. In general, I should not desire to receive anything from my neighbor that, for him, would be a serious loss. I should not want my neighbor to endure painful sacrifices just to make me happy. Therefore, Jesus' stricter version of the Golden Rule does not mandate that I endure painful sacrifices for the sake of my neighbor.
So what kind of gifts did Jesus intend when He spoke of "all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you"? One example would be to provide true friendship. That is what I want to receive from my neighbor, so I should give it back to him. Likewise I should visit him to share words of compassion and encouragement when he is sick or grieving. Perhaps I should come alongside him to help repair his house after a storm. Perhaps I should help him through a financial crisis. Certainly I should make myself available to give him good spiritual counsel. If he is unsaved, I should do my best to share the gospel with him.
Yet it does not follow from our interpretation of Jesus' saying that we are never required to take the path of costly and painful sacrifice for the sake of others. Jesus Himself underwent crucifixion to save us from our sins. Many proclaiming their Christian faith to a pagan society have gone to a martyr's death. From the Sermon on the Mount we learn that to risk persecution by standing for Christ is always God's will.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Matthew 5:10–12
Lesser forms of sacrifice, such as parting with food or money that we ourselves need to help other people who need it, may also be God's will. How then can we find out whether we should pass through a certain door of self-sacrifice? If it is impossible to determine the right answer just by consulting the words of Scripture, our recourse is to seek the specific guidance of the Holy Spirit, who is always available to tell us how we should please God.
Deceptions in Religion
Churches to be avoided
The sayings thus far in chapter 7 might be described as flagging the pitfalls that beset the normal activities of a Christian. They show the lines of danger in exhorting a brother, witnessing, praying, and doing good deeds. Next, as Jesus continued to deal with problems connected with seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, He counseled us to avoid the many forms of false religion that lead people astray. How can we recognize them? By exercising spiritual discernment, which might be defined as the ability to spot deceptions. Jesus recommended that we train our discernment on the three places where deceptions might originate: on our church, our spiritual leaders, and finally ourselves. In other words, if we fall into false religion, it is because we are in the wrong church, or because we are following the wrong leaders, or because we are convincing ourselves to accept wrong ideas.
In the opening verses, Jesus counsels us on our choice of a church.
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:13–14
He taught that there are two roads, the broad and the narrow. He was obviously talking about two roads that people take in the hope of reaching heaven. But whereas the narrow road leads to the desired destination, the broad road is a fraud, conducting the gullible to hell. The entrance to each road is a gate of corresponding proportions. A wide gate makes it easy to start on the broad road, but the strait gate at the head of the narrow road discourages travelers.
We can understand the symbolism in two ways. We can view the broad road as life without God, the narrow road as the life of faith. But since people take these roads in hope of reaching heaven, it fits the context better if we view them as forms of religion, even as forms of Christianity. Jesus was warning us against joining the crowds who follow popular religion. When choosing which local church and which larger church bodies to affiliate with, we must shun those that are striving for mass appeal.
To test a church, you look first at the gate. You know it is a wide gate if the church is easy to join. You need only go forward after a service and give your name. Or you can join it in your infancy just by being sprinkled with a little water. In neither case must you give clear evidence of conversion. The type of church Christ recommends is very different. Before admitting you to membership, it examines you to see whether you have truly repented of your sins and put your faith in Christ. Then it demands that you submit to baptism as proof that you are willing to obey Christ.
Once you become part of a church, your subsequent experience depends on whether you are walking the broad way or the narrow way.
Along the broad way you hear truth watered down in a bid for mass appeal. Little preaching challenges your own selfish preferences in life. You can live however you please, within very generous boundaries. You can enjoy worldly pleasures. You can make wealth and comfort your chief goals. When you come to church, you can expect to be entertained. Your children can absorb the latest lifestyle and adopt all its vices without feeling that they have forsaken God.
Along the narrow way, however, you constantly hear that you need to make more changes in your life—that those you have made already are not sufficient. And from the beginning, the changes expected of you are often not convenient, and sometimes they are painful. You must forsake sin in every form. You must set yourself apart from all pleasures and ambitions tinged with worldly lust. You must give sacrificially from your means to help the needy and support the work of the church. You must witness to others about Christ even in the face of ridicule and persecution.
The dimensions of each road show how many it was designed to accommodate. The broad gate is easy to find, and many walk through it. Nothing could be more pleasant than to stroll with the crowd down the smooth avenue that runs from this gate to the distant hills, which hide the terrible destination on the other side. The strait gate, however, easily escapes notice. Few find it and set off down the narrow path. If any look through the gate at the road behind, what they see is not inviting. The road is twisting, strewn with rocks, often hard to follow, and surrounded by ditches and bogs.
The application to today's scene is plain. The broad road represents all those churches that offer a gospel of easy-believism and tolerate worldliness. The narrow road represents the few churches that insist upon repentance and separation. Repentance is coming to God with a desire to turn from sin. Separation is adopting a lifestyle separate from the ways of the world. A big church is not necessarily bad. Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, Ironside's Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, and Oswald Smith’s People’s Church in Toronto were among the largest churches in their day, although the number who attended were few in relation to the population of the surrounding area. Yet especially in our day, when few people want to hear godly music and preaching, a large church should be viewed with suspicion. Success in drawing multiplied thousands generally means that the preaching has no sting and the music no sobriety. In other words, beware of megachurches.
Leaders to be shunned
In the next verses, Jesus counsels us on our choice of a leader.
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Matthew 7:15–20
In this and the next section of the sermon, Jesus helps us to understand why the broad road is so appealing. The first reason, which he takes up in these verses, is that false prophets recommend it. With enticing words they urge people to skip the narrow gate and enter the road of easy religion.
It is true that the Bible admonishes us to obey those who have the rule over us.
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Hebrews 13:17
Yet it does not expect us to follow a leader unquestioningly. We must be sure that he is not a deceiver. For our protection, the New Testament is replete with advice to stay away from false teachers. We must test the spirit who is guiding a teacher's words so that we will be able to judge whether he is controlled by Satan or by Christ.
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1
A false teacher will lead us back to the filth that we escaped from when we turned to Christ.
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
. . . .20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
2 Peter 2:1-3, 20-22
If we blindly follow a leader who is himself blind to the truth, we will fall into a ditch.
And he [Jesus] spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
Luke 6:39
If avoiding false teachers is critical to our spiritual survival, how can we recognize them? It is not easy, because they invariably pose as true Christians. They spout words of praise to God. Yet Jesus characterized them as wolves in sheep's clothing. It is difficult to judge them by their words, for their words are impressive. In Peter's description of false teachers, he says,
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
2 Peter 2:18
Indeed, as Paul says,
17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
Romans 16:17–18
Why do their words of deception seem like good words? Because, as we read in 2 Peter 2:1, they "privily shall bring in damnable heresies." Peter evidently means that they may not introduce any false doctrines to their followers until they have solidified a position of leadership over them. The only false note evident in their teaching at first may be the promise of liberty—that is, liberty from sound standards of Christian conduct.
While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2 Peter 2:19
This is not the same as our true liberty in Christ, which is liberty from sin as we walk in the Spirit. It is by appealing to lusts that such deceivers make their hearers stumble.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
2 Timothy 4:3–4
Jesus told us that the right way to evaluate a man aspiring to be a spiritual leader is by his fruit. A good tree brings forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. The term "fruit" should be understood broadly, as referring to all the effects of a man's ministry. Yet, most important are the effects upon his own life and the lives of his followers. Is he himself growing in godliness? Are his followers growing in godliness? If the answer to either question is, "no," he should be held in suspicion.
It is a rule with few exceptions that a false teacher will lapse into some form of wickedness. The founders of Islam and Mormonism promoted polygamy so that they might satisfy their own lusts. Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, claimed under oath in court that he knew Greek, but he could not even read the Greek alphabet.3 Many other examples might be given.
According to Peter, one vice that may control a false teacher is covetousness (2 Pet. 2:3, quoted earlier). By proclaiming a message that allows his hearers to live as they please instead of making the sacrifices required by godliness, a preacher can draw to himself a large following that will funnel far more money in his direction than he could ever expect to receive as a true spokesman for God.
The Bible reveals that another evil motive controlling a false teacher may be adultery. Speaking of false prophets, Peter said,
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:
2 Peter 2:14
A religious leader who teaches distorted truth justifying various kinds of sin or lifting from his hearers any burden of self-sacrifice cannot only make himself rich, but also make himself an attractive figure capable of easily enticing certain kinds of women into an immoral relationship, especially weak women overwhelmed by his strong presence or scheming women seeking to share his lifestyle.
Yet another vice twisting the heart of a false teacher may be the desire to please powerful men, such as leaders of government. In Jeremiah's day, the priests and prophets recognized as religious leaders of Judah told the princes of Judah that Jeremiah should be put to death because he warned of coming judgment. They assumed that the princes would favor whoever promised victory rather than defeat.
1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD [to Jeremiah], saying,
2 Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:
3 If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.
4 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you,
5 To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened;
6 Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.
7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.
. . . .10 When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD's house.
11 Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
Jeremiah 26:1-7, 10, 11
Do Christian leaders in our day have any reason to fear leaders of government? Absolutely. There is a steadily growing pressure on all public figures to support woke ideology. A preacher in our country and many other countries still has the freedom to strongly condemn abortion and homosexuality, but public tolerance of such preaching is rapidly diminishing. Just as it now illegal in many places to bow your head in prayer near an abortion center, it will someday be illegal to state from the pulpit that abortion is murder. Just as it is now illegal in some places to refuse doing business with a person who is gay, it will someday be illegal to state from the pulpit that homosexuality is offensive to God. Among those men posing as Christian leaders, only the false teachers will surrender to any anti-Scriptural demand of government.
The evil motives of a false teacher spill out in the form of evil conduct that others will see sooner or later. The corruption will not be limited to the leader, but will spread to the followers. A notable example in recent years is a preacher who, although he kept his adultery hidden, began to countenance divorce and immorality among his own people. Less sensational examples fill every large city, where in church after church a pastor desirous of a successful career feeds his people a polluted fare of worldly entertainment rather than the wholesome Word of God.
Two kinds of false religion endanger the believer. One looks like historic Christianity. The other is clearly cultic. When warning His disciples about both of these corruptions of true faith that would someday emerge, Jesus compared their future adherents to Pharisees and Sadducees.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
. . . .12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Matthew 16:6, 12
What did Jesus mean? In His day, the Pharisees and Sadducees were the leaders of the Jewish religious establishment. Although both parties sprang from a godly heritage, each had corrupted the truth and were leading people astray. The Gospels, written for the church throughout the ages, allot great attention to Jesus' debates with the Pharisees and Sadducees because we today must still contend with the mentality of these parties.
The party of the Sadducees had adopted a skepticism toward the supernatural. They accepted only the books of Moses as canonical. They disbelieved in angels, in miracles, and in a bodily resurrection. Their counterparts in the modern world are the proponents of theological liberalism, a system of religious thought that casts aside the beliefs of historic Christianity. It is the system that pervades many denominations, including most churches that call themselves Lutheran, Episcopalian, or Methodist. Likewise many Presbyterian churches are liberal. Even some Baptist churches fall in this category. Liberalism treats the Bible as a collection of folk writings rather than as the inspired, inerrant Word of God. It regards Jesus as a good man with a spark of divinity rather than as the only Son of God. And it denies the existence of anything unrecognized by modern science.
The Pharisees in Jesus' day were the conservative party of Jews. They not only tenaciously adhered to all the regulations in the law of Moses; they also imposed many additional regulations and duties upon themselves and their followers. But they failed to prize those virtues most desired by God: faith, justice, and mercy.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Matthew 23:23
Worst of all, they failed to comprehend that a man becomes right with God not by his own works, but by divine grace in answer to his repentance.
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Luke 18:10–14
Modern Pharisees include all who advocate a theological system that pretends to uphold the Bible, but substitutes human merit for divine merit as the basis of salvation. We find many Pharisees among the Roman Catholics. We find them also in the multitudes of nominal Christians who say that they believe the Bible, but also that they plan to reach heaven by keeping the Golden Rule.
Yet the danger in Pharisaism lies not only in false doctrine. Jesus warned also against its hypocrisy.
In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Luke 12:1
Here Jesus omitted any reference to the Sadducees because their religion was at least honest in its unbelief. The Sadducees were vile infidels, but they were not hypocrites. The Pharisees, however, pretended to obey God's Word down to the smallest letter and slightest nuance. They gave the Lord a tithe from their handfuls of herb pickings.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Matthew 23:23
How many of us are so conscientious? But at the same time, as Jesus pointed out, the Pharisees robbed widows.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Matthew 23:14
Yet their worst offense was still to come. After the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost and the church began to fulfill the Great Commission, Pharisees would slay preachers of the gospel.
Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
Matthew 23:34
Hypocrisy is therefore another evil that marks the kind of false religion that appears conservative. We see it today even in fundamentalist circles. A pastor or reputed Christian leader who waves a Bible before his adoring followers and then goes out to commit adultery, or to cut shady financial deals, or to plot the ruin of a godly critic, or to undermine a competing ministry is, in the view of Scripture, a false teacher betrayed by his fruit.
The other kind of false religion that threatens us is "cultism," a term referring to any religion that poses as the true successor of the early church even though it promotes bizarre heresies. Every cult demands unquestioning obedience to the current leader, who claims ultimate authority on all matters of faith and practice. Christians have always distinguished between a cult and a heretical sect. The line separating them is their view of the Godhead. A heretical sect endorses the doctrine of the Trinity even though it takes some dangerously unbiblical positions, but every cult denies this doctrine which is a fundamental building block of true Christian faith.
How do you witness to a cultist? When approached by Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses or others promoting a religion far astray from true Christianity, you can give a threefold answer that is very effective.
- Point out that their cult depends for its existence on the credibility of one man. If Joseph Smith lied when claiming that he received a divine revelation, Mormonism has no foundation. Every other cult is in much the same predicament. Jesus said that no prophet, Himself included, should be accepted on the basis of self-recommendation alone.
Why is self-recommendation insufficient? Because a prophet must certify his claims by miraculous works. Yet the Mohammeds and Joseph Smiths of this world have never restored a withered arm, walked on water, fed 5000 with a few loaves and fishes, or raised the dead. Neither have they themselves risen from the dead.If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
John 5:31
- Point out that many people have been converted to orthodox Christianity just by reading the Bible, but no one through Bible-reading alone has ever been converted to a cult. It takes slick speeches and arm-twisting to turn someone into a cultist. Thus, we are confident that our religion is based on the Bible and theirs is not. Our Bible is so powerful in advancing our beliefs that we zealously distribute copies of it. No cult is involved in Bible distribution. Indeed, a cult with its own sacred writing generally keeps it hidden. If it did not, if it passed out copies freely, it would reap much embarrassment, for the whole world would discover how contrived and juvenile this writing was in its attempts to imagine the ways of God.
- Point out that every Christian is forthright about his beliefs. He is willing to tell others everything his religion teaches. But a cultist poses as a kind of Christian and hides many of his beliefs. The Mormon or Jehovah's Witness who comes to the door insists from the start that he shares your core beliefs when he does not. He is deceptive. When probed concerning the strangest doctrines of his cult, he may refuse to discuss them. The irony is that many of these door-to-door religious salesmen do not know their own product. They will not discover everything their cult believes until they reach a higher level of initiation. Why all this secrecy? It is the sign of a counterfeit. A counterfeit minimizes the differences so that it will be accepted as the original.
Self-Deception
In the next portion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus counsels us on our own practice of religion.
21 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.
22 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?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21–23
These remarks reveal another reason that the broad road is so appealing. It is the road that admits travelers who have covered their wicked hearts with a veneer of religiosity. Jesus was warning us that besides the danger that others will deceive us, there is the danger that we will deceive ourselves. He said that in the Day of Judgment, "many" who come to Him confident that they belong in His kingdom will learn, to their eternal anguish, that He never knew them. The word "many" shows that the self-deceived will greatly outnumber real Christians, for earlier in His sermon, Jesus said that the number who successfully travel the narrow way leading to life will be "few" (v. 14).
Why will these hypocrites feel so secure in their empty religion? One reason is that they will consider Jesus to be their Lord. They will address Him, "Lord, Lord," as if they had long been His faithful servants. Another reason is that they will be able to boast of impressive religious works. Yet Jesus makes it clear that even among those who call Him "Lord" and who have seemingly done great works, there will be people who are unsaved. It follows that neither lip-service to the Lordship of Christ nor religious works are the test of a person's fitness for heaven. Remember that even Judas, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, called Him "master."
And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
Matthew 26:49
And Judas performed miracles.
And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Matthew 10:1
Indeed, when Jesus says that on the Day of Judgment, many who claim to have done great works in the name of Christ will be cast into hell (vv. 22, 23). He is no doubt anticipating what will happen when Judas himself comes before the Throne.
What then is the test determining whether a man will be admitted to the Kingdom? It is a simple test—the test of obedience to the will of the Father. Jesus is not teaching works salvation, for the first step of obedience that the Father requires is to believe in Jesus Christ and accept salvation through His blood. The Bible refers to this step as obedience to the gospel.
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Thessalonians 1:7–8
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1 Peter 4:17
At the moment of salvation, the believer receives Christ's righteousness to cover his own wickedness.
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:1–2
A believer in Christ also receives the Holy Spirit, who enables him to obey the Father's will in everyday life.
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Ephesians 5:8–9
The ones whom Jesus will reject on Judgment Day despite their outward religious accomplishments will come before Him with a record of chronic inward disobedience. Never did they submit to the gospel, and never did they find practical holiness through the power of the Spirit. Their religiosity was just a self-serving delusion.
When Jesus rejects them, He will label them as workers of iniquity. He will mean that their good works cannot hide the evil works that they have conveniently failed to mention. He will also mean that all the good works they boast of were a sham. The very best deed to their credit was merely wicked self-promotion in a pious wrapping.
We need not exercise much imagination to discover whom Jesus is talking about. The church at all levels, from the level of occasional attendees to the level of prominent leaders, has always been plagued with bogus Christians. In my mind's eye surveying things to come, I see all the liberal preachers of the past century trooping before Christ on Judgment Day. Never did they expect to give an accounting of themselves. But when the moment comes, they will rise to their own defense and sputter the same pious lingo that carried them through comfortable careers. They will profess love for Jesus, when in fact they led people in worship of a false Jesus, who was only a teacher of the Golden Rule and not a Savior from sin, and they will recite their good deeds, forgetting that these very deeds sprang from a desire to substitute works for faith.
No reader should quickly pass over Jesus' warning that many who call Him, "Lord, Lord," will be exposed as workers of iniquity. If we limit the application to obvious hypocrites, we are making a mistake. Especially if our involvement in Christian work tempts us to find assurance of salvation in what we do for a living, we should question whether the warning applies to ourselves. The true ground of assurance is, as Jesus says, whether we actually do the will of God. Do our daily lives from dawn to dusk show that we are altogether different from the ungodly? Would an unbiased observer of all our conduct judge that we truly exhibit the character of Christ?
Conclusion
The importance of Jesus' teachings
The song that every child learns in Sunday School about the wise man and the foolish man comes from the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount.
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 7:24–27
Jesus compares two men, one who hears and applies His words and one who does not. He says that the hearer is like the wise man who builds his house on a rock, a solid foundation that will support the house during storms and floods. The other is like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand. When storms and floods wash the sand away, the house collapses.
The imagery is transparent. The house is a man's life. The rock is the truth in Jesus or it is Jesus Himself. The sand is human philosophy and religion. The storms are all the assaults both physical and spiritual that the world brings upon our frail existence, the last assault being death itself. Only someone who has built on a rock will survive these assaults and emerge with life everlasting.
Jesus' authority
When the scribes taught, they constantly appealed to the authority of respected rabbis in the past. But when Jesus taught, He quoted these rabbis only to contradict them. He quoted no one to bolster His own conclusions. He implied that His words could be received as true simply because they were His. When He explained the law, He spoke as though He knew exactly what God intended. When He extended the law in original ways, He proceeded as though He were acting within His rights.
28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Matthew 7:28, 29
The common people perceived that He was claiming an authority for Himself that the scribes would never have dared to claim.