We continue with our text, picking up from verse 15

“Constantly be on your guard against phony prophets. They come disguised as lambs, appearing to be genuine, but on the inside they are like wild, ravenous wolves! You can spot them by their actions, for the fruits of their character will be obvious. You won’t find sweet grapes hanging on a thorn bush, and you’ll never pick good fruit from a tumbleweed. So if the tree is good, it will produce good fruit; but if the tree is bad, it will bear only rotten fruit and deserves to be cut down and burned. You’ll know them by the obvious fruit of their lives and ministries.”

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into heaven’s kingdom. It is only those who persist in doing the will of my heavenly Father. On the day of judgment many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, don’t you remember us? Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we cast out demons and do many miracles in your name?’ But I will have to say to them, ‘Go away from me, you lawless rebels! I’ve never been joined to you!’

 Matthew 7:15-23 (TPT)

We have a clear warning and a clear description of the nature of these false teachers/leaders that our lack of discipline to search out and question their motive and our refusal to see their character traits is what gets us deceived! Only good trees can produce good fruits.

Oh beloved, be like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-11 (TPT)—

That night the believers sent Paul and Silas off to the city of Berea, where they once again went into the synagogue. They found that the Jews of Berea were of more noble character and much more open minded than those of Thessalonica. They were hungry to learn and eagerly received the word. Every day they opened the scrolls of Scripture to search and examine them, to verify that what Paul taught them was true.

Their eagerness to receive did not stop them from searching the scriptures to verify what they were being told! They had only the Old Testament while what they were being taught may not have been fully clear from it, their hunger for the Lord made it imperative for God to open their understanding. Here we have the complete scriptures and the Holy Spirit who the Lord sent to guide us into all truth, yet we do not take advantage. Why?

Have you reflected on the consequence of being deceived? That you were deceived will not be an excuse to escape where the broad way leads to! Yes, the bad tree will be cut down and burnt, but the deceived will also not escape being burnt! The former for failing to produce the genuine fruit of salvation, the righteous character of Christ.

For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:10-11(NLT). 

The latter for accepting the fruit of charisma in place of the righteous character of Christ.

What will it take to get you to make your calling and election sure? Do more than simply pay lip service to Christ, live out your Christian life by the word and the power of the Holy Spirit not taking miracles and other manufactured manifestations ahead of the word of God. Selah.