The Life of Christ

SECTION 71

Mt. 7:15-16 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?“

We will know the authenticity of a person’s Christianity by their fruits.

Two cars were waiting at a stoplight. The light turned green, but one of the drivers didn't notice it. A woman in the car behind him is watching traffic pass around them. The woman begins pounding on her steering wheel and yelling at the man to move. The man doesn't move. The woman is going ballistic inside her car, ranting and raving at the man, pounding on her steering wheel and dash and the light turns yellow. The woman begins to blow the car horn and screams at the man. The man, hearing the commotion, looks up, sees the yellow light and accelerates through the intersection just as the light turns red. The woman is beside herself, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection. As she is still in mid-rant she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the barrel of a gun held by a very serious looking policeman. The police officer tells her to shut off her car while keeping both hands in sight. She complies, speechless at what is happening. After she shuts off the engine, the police officer orders her to exit her car with her hands up. She gets out of the car and he orders her to turn and place her hands on her car. She turns, places her hands on the car roof and quickly is cuffed and hustled into the patrol car. She is too bewildered by the chain of events to ask any questions and is driven to the police station where she is fingerprinted, photographed, searched, booked, and placed in a cell . After a couple of hours, a police officer approaches the cell and opens the door for her. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the original officer is waiting with her personal effects. He hands her the bag containing her things, and says, "I'm really sorry for this mistake. But you see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, and screaming a blue streak at the car in front of you, and then I noticed the ‘Choose Life’ license plate holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ and ‘Follow Me to Sunday School’ bumper stickers, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, so naturally I assumed you had stolen the car." Mt. 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘ Lord, Lord, ’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”

Those who come saying, “ Lord, Lord, ” appear to be Christians.

• 1 Cor. 12:3 says we can't proclaim Jesus as Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.

“… and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3).

• Also, in vs. 22 they are said to have cast out devils, prophesied, and done many other things. This is never disputed.

• The one thing they didn't do, however, which is the motif of the story is that they didn't do the will of God.

Mt. 7:22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’”

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