Matthew 7:15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves.
So it’s a wet and cloudy Thursday morning, hopefully a true harbinger of spring and not merely a date on the calendar that announces the beginning of that beautiful season of green. Yes, a couple of days ago, the calendar said that spring had finally sprung, but with the weather situation being so precarious and volatile, who knows what to expect these days. It’s a good thing that we have Jesus on whom to build a solid foundation, One who never changes, but is the same today, yesterday and forever!
And it’s certainly sad that so many people choose not to believe in Him, after all He’s done for mankind. And like He so simply explained in some of His last words on the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken them unto a wise man, which built his house upon a (the) rock (Jesus): 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 (the) rock (Jesus).
And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 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.’ (Matt. 7:24-27)
Oh my fellow believers that is such a serious warning for all mankind, although it’s couched in simple everyday language, because Jesus is in fact saying, if we don’t build our lives on Him, the Rock of Ages, then our lives will not be very fruitful or worth anything. All we do or hold dear will be washed away when the inclement weather comes. However, when we build our lives on His words, then we will prosper and live the abundant life, despite all the inclement weather and disasters that occur.
But there’s more to it than just believing. Remember Jesus first words in the above scripture: Whoever hears His sayings and does them. Now that’s the crux of the problem. Not only hearing His words, but much more importantly, doing them. So, let’s look at some of the things Jesus said that that we should pay attention to and do.
The first thing we need to consider are His words re the Strait and Wide gates. He adamantly advised, seriously warned us to: ‘Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait (how narrow) is the gate, and narrow (difficult or confined) is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ (Matt. 7:13-14)
Ah mih people, Jesus is simply saying that we must come through the narrow gate to reach the path that leads to eternal life. Unfortunately though, many are on the wide path that leads to destruction or eternal separation from Almighty God. And even worse, the gate that leads to eternal life is so narrow that only a few people find it.
Let’s remember though that Jesus is indeed the gate and the way as He said in John 14:6. ‘I am the way the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ And furthermore, God enables men to find that gate as He says in John 6:44. ‘No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.’
So it’s obvious that if we want to spend eternity with, or even have a relationship with the Father, then it’s necessary to go through Jesus. Let’s understand that right up front. First we have to find the narrow gate and walk along the narrow path to get to Jesus. But then He also said: ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening (ravenous) wolves.’ (Matt. 7:15)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘The warning Beware of false prophets fits appropriately with the concept of the two ways above. Since many are being led in the wrong way, they are obviously being led by the wrong people. False prophets were prevalent in the Old Testament, whereas God’s true prophets were often in the minority.’
And I’d like to add that it’s still the same today. Nothing much has changed in that respect. There are still more people preaching falsehood than those preaching the truth. You just have to listen to the numerous people supposedly spouting God’s word, and the different stuff they all are saying. If it’s the truth, everybody should be saying basically the same thing, which they are not.
And as per false prophets appearing in sheep’s clothing, but are actually ravenous wolves, the scholars say: ‘This is a perfect description of those preachers who have denied or distorted the truth of the gospel. They look like lambs but act like wolves. Their description is similar to that of the great False Prophet in Revelation 13:11)’ Now, I would strongly advise us to take a look at that scripture and see how eerily similar that False Prophet would be to Jesus, being able to do miracles and such, though of an evil nature, but nevertheless quite capable of fooling us.
Ah friends, there’s more I’d like to say on the above subjects, but we’re already late, and it will get too long, what with our short attention spans, (smile) so we’ll leave that for tomorrow, God willing of course. For those of us though, who are sincerely trying to live for Christ, the Lord has most generously bestowed several blessings on us to enable us to live that life. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare (yesss!!!) them now, that they can be activated.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, to show our sincerity, let’s go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…living for Christ isn’t easy…but it sure brings deep and lasting joy…
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