This morning I preached to you about false religion. Tonight I want to talk to you very plainly about false prophets. The title of my message is Seven Characteristics of False Prophets. My text is Isaiah 56:9-12.
1. The greatest blessing God can ever grant to anyone, to any individual or to any group of people, is to send them a faithful man to preach the gospel to them.
1st No one can call upon Christ (worship him) until he believes on Christ.
2nd No one can believe on Christ until he hears the gospel.
3rd No one can hear the gospel of Christ without a preacher.
4th No one can preach the gospel of Christ; truly preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit until he is sent of God.
The greatest blessing God can ever bestow upon any people in this world is a faithful gospel preacher.
2. The greatest curse that God can impose, the greatest judgment God can bring upon any people this side of hell is to silence the voices of faithful men and send in their stead self-serving, hireling and false prophets.
The Scriptures are full of warnings against false prophets. Our Lord and his apostles warn us constantly.The false prophet's message is the message of freewill, works religion. We preach grace. They preach works. We preach the sovereignty of God's will. They preach the freedom of man's will. We preach grace. They preach works. We preach the sovereignty of God's will. They preach the man's choice. We preach redemption accomplished. They preach redemption provided. We preach Christ. They preach conditions.
But there is also a distinction between God's servants and false prophets in their character. God's servants are men of character, who can be trusted. False prophets are men without character, who cannot be trusted – If a man will lie on God, he will lie about anything!
Proposition: In our text God calls for false prophets to come and devour those who will not receive his word, who will not receive the love of the truth. WHAT A JUDGMENT!
NOTE: Thank God, he will save his elect! He will gather all the outcasts of Israel (v. 8). But to those who will not trust his Son, he will send darkness, delusion, and deception.
Here Isaiah gives us Seven Characteristics of False Prophets. "By their fruits you shall know them." Let all who are wise hear, take not, and be warned.
I. False Prophets are Devouring Beasts (v. 9).Without question, the reference here is to preachers, particularly to pastors, those who pretend to be shepherds of God's flock. But they are ravening and devouring beasts.
It is the calling and responsibility of God's servants to be watchmen in Zion. But these self-appointed watchmen are blind leaders of blind men.
A. Having no message from God, they do not know what to say to perishing sinners.
They think that the righteousness of the righteous will save them and the wickedness of the wicked will destroy them, not knowing that salvation is of the Lord and that it is altogether in a Substitute.
They know nothing about caring for the Lord's sheep. They do not have the ability to feed them with knowledge and understanding – (Jer. 3:15).
They are ignorant of and cannot understand… 1. The Message of Scripture – Facts, Yes/ Message, No.They are useless as they are ignorant. Dumb dogs give no warning when danger approaches. Dumb dogs gather no sleep for the Sheperd. Dumb dogs are worthless animals.
But there is more here than a reference to uselessness. In this title, "dumbdogs," these vicious intruders are represented as unclean men who prostitute the gospel of Christ.
IV. False Prophets are Lazy, Loitering, Dreamers – "Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber."
A. They have no concern for the souls of men, the glory of God, and the truth of God – Therefore they are slothful and indolent in the business of watchmen.
V. False Prophets are Covetous Greedy Men – "Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough."
Their concern is not what shall I do, but what shall I get. They do not feed God's flock, but fleece it. They are men whose concern is for themselves not for Christ, not for the glory of God, not for the souls of men (Phil. 2:21).
They propagate their own name. They advance their own cause. They look out for their own interest.
A. They can never have enough money – (Eccl. 5:10).Their hearts cry, "Money, money, by fair means of foul, we must have money!" They get all they can, even if they must devour widows houses to get it (Matt. 23:14). No matter how much they have, they cry and whine for more.
B. They can never have enough fame.A. This has a reference to the insatiable need to entertain and be entertained – "The Church is the poor man's country club!
B. This also has reference to the wine of the fornication of the great whore (Rev. 14:8) (Isa. 28:7).
The wine of Babylon's fornication is the intoxicating, flesh pleasing, idolatrous doctrine of freewill, works religion.
VII. False Prophets are Confident and Secure in This Self-Delusions. "Tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. (See Matt. 7:23).They have made a refuge of lies and a covenant with death. And they are sure that everything is alright between them and God (Isa. 28:14-22).
Application: Beware of False Prophets (I John 4:1-4).*