The "Fruit Test"

The “Fruit Test”

1. The health of their doctrine:

• Does the teaching sound strange? 
• Does the teaching focus primarily on Jesus, who he is and what he’s done?
• Does the teaching neglect the need for repentance?
• Do they tell others that the gate to heaven is wider than Jesus and the apostles do?
• Do they tell others that the road to heaven is easer than Jesus and the apostles do?
• Do their teachings contradict clear teachings of the Bible?
• Do their teachings cloud clear teachings of the Bible?
• Do they treat anything as more authoritative than the Bible itself? Or, what kind of foundation are they building on (tradition, themselves, etc.)
• How do they think about, talk about, and use the Bible?  How central is it to their teaching?
• Do they teach the “whole counsel of God” or are they extremely selective and imbalanced in their presentation of truth?
• Does the teaching use big themes to override specific verses?
• What or whom are they urging people to put their trust in?

2. The holiness of their life:

• Do they take sin seriously? 
• Are they open to correction? How to they respond to correction?
• Do they discipline themselves and make sacrifices for others?
• Are the fruits of the Spirit evident in their lives?
• What seems to be driving them? 
• What is their relationship to money and how does it show up into their speech?
• Do you see more and more inconsistencies and compromises over time?

3. Their influence on others:

• What effect is their teaching having on others?
• What effect is their life having on others?
• Has the spiritual climate of those around them changed?
• What effect is their influence having on those around them?

Recognizing False Prophets (Matt. 7:15-20)

Outline: Matthew 7:15-20

1. What are false prophets like? (v.15)
2. How do we recognize false prophets? (v.16-18, 20)
3. Where are false prophets going? (v.19)

Summary: When we connect Jesus' call to enter by the narrow gate and travel the hard road (7:12-14) with the command to beware of false prophets (7:15-20), we realize that Jesus is telling us that there are people who will point us to a wider gate and tempt us with promises of an easier road. These false prophets are like wolves dressed like sheep, seeking to deceive and destroy (v.15).  Jesus will eventually destroy such people (v.20), but, in the meantime, Jesus protects His sheep by telling them how to see through such deception by recognizing their bad fruit (vv.16-18, 20).

Main Point: Beware of false prophets.

Discussion Questions:

• What is the relationship between 7:13-14 and 7:15-20? 
• According to v.15, what are false prophets like?
• What does the fact that Jesus gave this warning say about the type of Shepherd He is?
• According to vv.16-18 & 20, how do we recognize false prophets?
• What types of bad fruit might help us discern the true identity of false prophets?
• Reflect on this statement: "Sheep, not just shepherds, must beware of false prophets."
• Where are false prophets going in the end (v.19)? Why?

Application Questions:

• How discerning am I when it comes to knowing false prophets by their fruit?  
• Are there any teachings that I'm listening to or people I'm influenced by that may fail the fruit test?  
• Am I acting more like a wolf than a sheep? In other words, is my influence (my actions and attitudes) having positive effects or negative effects on people around me?
• What kind of fruit am I bearing? What parts of my life need pruning in order to bear more and better fruit (cf. Jn. 15:1-8)?

Prayer Points:

• Confess ways you are acting more wolf-like than sheep-like in your attitudes and actions.
• Thank Jesus, the Good Shepherd, for standing between you and ravenous wolves, for laying His life down that you might be spared.  
• Ask the Holy Spirit to increase your powers of discernment, to help you train yourself to distinguish good from evil.