True Disciples Bear Kingdom Fruit

In his conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns us against false prophets and false disciples, and He calls us to live out our faith in obedience. True prophets, and for that matter true disciples, bear kingdom fruit. They live the kingdom life. Authentic faith is shown in kingdom living.

1. Watch out! False prophets deceive

“Watch out for false prophets.” False prophets are a historical reality. They were alive and well in the Old Testament, deceiving, misleading and destroying God’s people then. Jesus warns us, “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive” (Mt 24:23-24). He also says, “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.” (Lk 21:8) His words proved to be true. Throughout church history false prophets and false teachers have created havoc in the church. And still today false prophets are alive and well, actively seeking to deceive and destroy God’s people. 

False prophets are deceptive and destructive. “They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious (ravenous) wolves.” They pretend to be followers of Jesus while they are not. False prophets claim to be teachers of the truth. They hide beneath the cloak of Christian piety and holiness. They look like Christians. They act like Christians. They talk about God. They talk the Christian talk using the right words and language. Their teachings seem to be right and true. They decorate their teachings in such a way that people do not know what they are really getting. 

Bible — “they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ … I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? … “Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the Lord.” (Jer 23:16-17,31-32)

Pauls warns, “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Cor 11:13–15)

2. Watch out! False prophets destroy

False prophets are destructive. They are ferocious, ravenous, wolves. They do not care about others. They exploit, use and abuse them for their own benefit, selfish interests, greed, lust, and power. Ezekiel’s words about false prophets, leaders, and priests ring true today:

“There is a conspiracy of her princes within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken.”

And the outcome? The people follow the examples of their leaders and teachers. “The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.” (Ezekiel 22:25-29)

2 Peter 2:1-3 — “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.”

The false prophets hinder people to enter through the narrow gate unto the narrow kingdom road. They are the mortal enemies of Jesus’ followers just like the wolves are the mortal enemies of sheep. 

3.  By their fruit we will recognize them

“By their fruit you will recognize them.” Jesus calls us to look closely, carefully, and critically at their teachings, character, conduct, motives, and influence. We must “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” (1 Jn 4:1-3)

The first kind of fruit by which we know false prophets is their teachings. And the test of their teaching is, Who do they say Jesus is? False prophets deny Jesus, not directly or blatantly, but they do so in subtle and indirect ways that deceive people. One way of doing this is that they do not teach the full counsel of God, the whole Word, and the whole gospel.

False teachers fail to emphasize the fallenness, sinfulness, corruption, and wickedness of humankind. They avoid teaching about the final judgment. They deny that God is the God of judgment as well as of love and mercy. They avoid teaching on such things as holiness, righteousness, justice. They give people a false sense of security, that lulls them to sleep in their sins. It fails to warn them of God’s judgment, and how to be saved from God’s judgment.

They are good at blurring the issue of salvation. They de-emphasize or avoid talking about the redeeming sacrifice and death of Christ. Some say, “How can a loving God crucify his own Son?”  They teach that all beliefs are just different rivers leading to the same sea.

False teachers teach cheap grace without repentance and obedience. They say nothing that is offensive to people. They say, follow your dreams, but nothing about God’s dreams and vision for our lives. “Be yourself,” but which self, my sinful self or my self in Christ? They teach a feel-good spirituality. Their teachings comfort and soothe, never call to repentance and obedience. 

The second fruit by which we know false prophets is their character and conduct. They do not show the fruit of the Holy Spirit. They do not live the kingdom life. They love only those that love them. They are not humble, gentle, kind, patient, forgiving. They may seem so, for a while. But eventually their true colors are revealed. Especially when the storms of life hit, people confront them, or disagree with them. Their pride, greed, lust, anger, hatred show in their actions toward people. 

Another fruit is their influence on people and the church. They create conflicts, disunity, and hurt. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. People will depart from the truth. It destroys the faith of some. It promotes ungodliness. It involves foolish and stupid arguments, which produce quarrels (2 Tim 2:16-18). False teachers “are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” (1 Tim 6:4-5)

By their fruit we will know the false prophets, teachers, leaders, and disciples because eventually what is in their hearts will bear fruit and show in their teachings, character, behavior. Luke 12:2-3 — “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”

4. True disciples bear Kingdom fruit

So, what does this mean for us? First, watch out for and test the false prophets. We test them by God’s Word. That is the ultimate test and standard. Question — Do we know God’s Word well enough that we can test their fruit to see whether it is bad fruit or kingdom fruit?

Second, we must make sure that we ourselves are not false prophets, false leaders, false teachers, or false disciples. How? Obey our Lord and bear fruit. True disciples bear the good fruit of the kingdom life, kingdom fruit that comes from kingdom hearts.

Jesus said, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Mt 12:33-37)

When we truly believe in Jesus Christ, and sincerely repent, we are born again. We are radically changed because our hearts are radically changed. And out of our new hearts flow the character qualities of the kingdom and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. When we abide in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, the heart and mind of Christ are cultivated in us, and enable us to live the kingdom life. Thus, authentic faith produces new kingdom hearts. New kingdom hearts produce active obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ. We do the will of the Father, we put into practice the words of Jesus. And so we bear kingdom fruit, we live the kingdom life.

Has Jesus changed your heart? Are you yielding your heart to the Holy Spirit? What kind of fruit are you bearing?