2010-02-05
Good Morning Cherished of God,
The Holy Spirit still wants me to write more about Christ’s Sermon on the Mount warning about false teachers [prophets] in MT 7: 15. We will examine this emphasizing the issue of discerning false teaching. MT 7: 15, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Everyone has met people with two personalities, the one they project, and the real one, which is underneath. I’ve actually encountered two types of dual personalities, the person who is gruff and frightening on the outside and a lamb on the inside. I had a teacher like this in third year French in high school. She scared me to death in the class room. It was only when I encountered her kindness at the time when I fell on some uneven pavement while trying to catch a bus that I realized she was a good person. She gave me a ride all the way across town because she knew it was the last bus of the day to go as far as where I lived.
However, Christ’s warning in here is for the other kind of person with two personalities-the kind was warm, kind and/or charismatic on the outside and pure evil on the inside. This person is a manipulator with a wrongful agenda. His kind of evil preys on the idealistic, uninformed, or unsuspecting person without an evil agenda. Oftentimes this “wolf in sheep’s clothing” is looking for money, personal aggrandizement, and power. This is not a person like Apollos, who was teaching only about the baptism of the water and didn’t understand about that by the Spirit- an inaccuracy he believed, until Priscilla and Aquila, Paul’s friends, brought him to their home in Ephesus and corrected this [AC 18: 24-26]. Once corrected, Apollos went on to Achaia and worked hard, proving to the believers there that Christ is the Messiah (27-28). Instead, it was people like the Gnostics, who were telling others that they needed to be a member of their secret society to have the truth and that Christ lost his Kingship once he physically died on the cross in preparation for someone else to be the savior. The efforts of the Gnostics with their lies caused considerable difficulties for the spread of the early Christian church. And the Gnostics were not the only opposition at the time that Paul encountered.
The story of the near riot fomented by Demetrius the silversmith in Ephesus is told in AC 19: 21-41. Ephesus was a center for the worship of the pagan goddess, Artemis. The work of Paul and his followers in bringing about conversions to Christ was hitting the silver guild in the pocketbook, as they sold many statues of Artemis. Demetrius called the meeting of his fellow citizens in the amphitheater at Ephesus. It became a shouting match with chants of, “ Great is Artemis of Ephesus!,” leading to the uproar. Alexander, a Jew, tried to come to the defense of Paul’s teaching, but it wasn’t working to calm the crowd. Paul was held back from going to the stadium for his own safety. Finally, the City Clerk quelled the crowd, saying that their chant isn’t denied, and reminding them that Paul and his followers were invited to speak in Ephesus and had not robbed the temples or said evil things about their goddess. The Clerk reminded the people that any charges they had could be made in court. After reminding them that whoever was an accuser would have to prove he had an excuse for this uproar, and then dismissed the meeting.
We can and should all pray for wisdom and discernment. God has given us PS 51: 6 and PS 119: 125 to utter for this purpose. “Sincerity and truth are what You require; fill my mind with wisdom…I am Your servant ; give me understanding, so that I may know Your teachings.” I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention one more modern day example of a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” In 1938, the economy of Germany was in shambles. As is typical of human nature, the German people were looking for a charismatic hero who promised to help them with their economy. That came in the form of Adolf Hitler. The people embraced his promises and his personality immediately. The first hint of trouble was missed. It came with “Kristalnacht” that Nov., when the Nazis tramped through the streets of the Jewish business section of the cities breaking the storefront windows. Due to the lack of modern communications, the Nazis got away with Hitler’s “solution,” for the next 6 ½ years-carting innocent Jews by train to concentration camps, and slaughtering 6 million of them and their Gentile supporters. Many of the German people were apathetic and couldn’t conceive of the horrific experiments of Dr. Mengele and other atrocities that went into this evil. We all of us have trouble imagining just how evil humans can become under the stronghold of the adversary. Yet we must remember that apathetic Jews and Romans didn’t know that they were crucifying the Son of God either. Hatred, lies, prejudice, persecution, and apathy are some of the devil’s favorite tools. After all, he is the “father of all lies and a murderer” [JN 8: 44]. And to think, that Jesus Christ has given we who believe in Him the power to fend off the devil’s attempts to establish strongholds in us, if we will only remain alert!
PRAYER: O Lord, We come before Your mighty throne, recognizing our need to “be alert, be on watch! The Your enemy, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” [1 PET 5: 8]. Discernment comes from You and You alone. We are grateful to know that, and we pledge ourselves to be disciplined in studying Your word and having an active, dynamic prayer life. We are privileged to have the power to battle the adversary to victory in Christ’s holy name [EPH 1: 18-20]. Yet, we can’t just assume that we have all the answers. You made a huge point with us, when you said, in MT 5: 3, “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for they shall inherit the Kingdom of God.” The poor in spirit are we, who know we can’t live wisely and righteously without Your intervention and presence in our lives. So, we look to You to help us remain alert and on watch, to help us recognize the devil’s work when we see it, and to have the discernment necessary to not be taken in by “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” Some of us suffer through having such people in our own families, but You have told us not to “judge lest we be judged” [MT 7: 1-2]. That places us in the position to recognize them and to pray that You will intercede with their dirty work and help us overcome the consequences of it. We all need to remember keenly RO 12: 19, “Never take revenge, my friends, but instead, let God’s anger do it. For the Scripture [DT 32: 35] says, ‘I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.’” Right now, an ultra Orthodox Jewish man named Yaakov Teitel is under arrest in Israel. His crimes are the murder of a Palestinian man, the March ’08 bombing of the house of David and Leah Ortiz, seriously injuring their then 15-yr. old son, Ami Oritz, and numerous other acts of violence against Messianic Jews in Israel. Teitel is an American who left our country in an effort to escape prosecution here for further violence. He fooled people in the beginning because he is a husband and the father of four innocent children. And yet, Dearest Abba, he will come to Your justice. You are a wise, compassionate, and loving God. We can learn so much from You. Thanks and praise to You, for Who you are and the relationship with You that You offer us. We pray in utter reverence to You, in the holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next week, we will begin examining the passages that follow MT 7: 15, to see how they dovetail with it and the clear messages that Christ gives us as the Sermon on the Mount continues. We all need to take an attitude of humility in the way we approach having discernment. This is something any true believer can do, but it’s first necessary to park our egos. IS 50: 4, “The Sovereign Lord has taught me what to say, so I can strengthen the weary. Every morning He makes me eager to hear what He is going to teach me.” There are plenty of us who are weary from the battles in spiritual warfare of one kind or another. The adversary likes to weaken us first and then go in to establish his strongholds in us. We must be aware of that and take steps to prevent it. The Lord Jesus has given us the power to make this choice. PS 94: 19, “Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet me and give me renewed hope and cheer,” we must pray. We must understand the relationship between wisdom and God’s word. PS 1: 1, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But His delight is the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” God not only gives us His wisdom, but He is also compassionate enough to give us His encouragement. JS 1: 9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn