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The
Eighth Sunday after Trinity.
The
Collect.
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O
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GOD,
whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth; We
humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us
those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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B
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EWARE of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good
fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast
into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 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.
(Matt 7:15-21)
Jesus has just finished giving
strong counsel, in the previous three verses, to the people concerning the end
of the Law.
12 Therefore
all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to
them: for this is the law and the prophets.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.
(Matt
7:12-14)
Dr. Pelloubet writes his mother,
when he was a young child, would draw a large horizontal ‘Y’ on a clean sheet
of paper. At the single end of the ‘Y’, was illustrative of his birth. The
lifeline remained straight during his early youth until he reached the age of
accountability. A that point, the ‘Y’ separated (indicating the time at which
decisions could be made between right and wrong). One line went down (symbolic
of the broad way that leads down to destruction) and the other leg of the ‘Y’
led upward (symbolic of the straight and narrow way.) She advised him that as
he grew older, the distance between the downward broad line and the upward line
grew greater and greater with increasing age. The intende point to be concluded
was that it becomes a lesser option to transfer from the downward path to the upward
one as we grow older. That is proven by statistics. There are very few
conversions to Christ after the age of sixty years when our consciences have
been crusted over and calloused.
All that the Law and Prophets have
taught has been to the end of love and concern for thy neighbor. The Scribes,
Pharisees, and elders have turned the Law of God on its head and have added
grievous burdens thereon to soak away all the joy of life. They have made the
Law an instrument of oppression. Even so, since we are not able to perfectly
keep the Law, it has become a curse for man. The Law and Prophets of the Old
Testament end with the word ‘curse’ (Malachi
4:6) for that is the Law to man. It has been so since the Garden at
Eden.
Christ, in verses 12-14 above has
given us a positive instruction on how we might live gloriously and in
righteousness; however, He will now give caution on what we must be alert to
and avoid:
Beware of false
prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves. God came down in human form in the
essence of a Lamb to save us from our sins, but false prophets, as ravening
wolves come in the false garb of lambs to devour us ere we know the Light of
Christ! Please do not consider these false prophets to be rare in the church
today for they are not!
4….Take
heed that no man deceive you. 5 For
many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that
ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not
yet. 7 For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall
kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended,
and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive
many. (Matt
24:4-11)
Please remember the unnatural growth of the Mustard Tree (Matt 13:32) in whose branches the
birds (demons) came to roost. Observe also the word ‘many’ used by our Lord in
describing the prevalence of these false prophets – there shall be MANY! And
observe, too, that there will be MANY who are deceived by their false witness.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Our Lord speaks in
such simple, yet powerfully accurate terms. What can be more simple and logical
than judging a tree by its fruits? Why would we assume that the fruits of men
would not identify the worth of their words and works?
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of
thistles? Many of the poor and simple sinners who were touched
by Christ came to know these simple truths to a far greater measure than all of
the school-trained doctors of Israel. Perhaps the reason resides in the false
pride that sometimes attends the letters one has been privileged to receive
through sophisticated academia. Serious learning does not lead to pride, but
humility, for the more we learn of God, the more we realize what little
knowledge we really possess. A bishop of England desired to lease a piece of
land for 100 years. But owner refused. He then asked to lease for one crop only
to which the owner agreed. The bishop planted seeds of the oak tree that takes
about 100 years to mature.
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good
fruit. The doctrine of God is the good tree
represented in His ministers and people. The fruit is the results of that
doctrine lived out in a humble and contrite heart. But a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. The leaven of the
Pharisees of which the Lord warned us is false doctrine. This false doctrine
bears fruit which embitters the soul and quenches the Spirit. Take
heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. (Matt 16:6) A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. It
is not possible for peach trees to bear crab apples any more than it is
possible for a crab apple tree to bring forth peaches. The teaching of Christ
is so basic that even a child can grasp its meaning while the philosophers and
professors often will not deign to lower their minds to a matter so simple! How
I envy the privilege that the young lady, Mary of Bethany, enjoyed while
sitting at the very feet of the Master!
We are all born of a Seed – either
that of Abraham (ultimately, Christ), or that of Cain (ultimately, the
Deceiver).
Every tree that bringeth not forth good
fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. If we are believers
in false doctrine, our works will reflect that resulting false character. We
will be fruit of that bad Tree in the midst of the Garden of which Christ
warned us not to eat. If we believe in the sincere milk of the Word of God, our
works will reflect that faith and we will be Seed of the Tree of Life which is
Christ. Rather than being the fruit which is cast into the fire, I pray all who
read this commentary will be the fruit which will be had in the celestial City
of New Jerusalem.
Please do not consider a casual faith and living to be the kind that
will suffice in living for Christ. We must cast aside our casual styles of
belief and practice and take up our cross daily and follow Christ.
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. Many who have never missed a Sunday in
church will also not miss an eternity in Hell. If the great number of church
attendees in America sincerely believed with power and hope, how could our
society be falling to such dire lows? The great distress of society in America
is not a result of unbelievers in our midst, but result directly from a
Laodicean Church mentality whose faith is luke-warm and whose holiness is
contrived and not genuine. Every Lord’s Day, we of the Anglican Communion
worldwide repeat the Lord’s Prayer. How oft have we repeated the line in that
prayer which says:
Thy
Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Is this simply
a repetition from rote memory, or is it repeated with a deep, spiritual conviction?
Have we taken the Lord’s Name in vain by praying in that Name without
conviction?
It would be incomplete to conclude
the devotion today without noting the two verses from Matthew 7 that follow
today’s lectionary reading: 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. (Matt 7:22-23)
There are many prominent clergy
and laypeople today held in high esteem for their well known preaching and
apparent works against the devil. They have preached convincing sermons in the
name of Christ which are couched in smooth and lovely speech, but lack the
deeper truth of Christ. These are wells
without water, and wandering
stars who have no fixed place in the ether of space. High sounding
words and elaborate cunning will not gain the gate, for the path is that broad
way that leads in the opposite direction from life. Many are thereon. The Way
we must seek is the simple Way – the straight Way that is not adorned with vain
accoutrements. This Way is less traveled and often evokes the sneers of those
on that broad, political way that leads down to destruction. Which Way are you
traveling, friend?
