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Jesus is warning us about who to listen to, in terms of knowing how to live the Christian life – how to find the narrow gate and how to travel the narrow road.

Watch out – Beware of false prophets.
- Prophet – One who is divinely inspired to communicate God’s will to his people, and to disclose the future to them. (Unger’s Bible Dictionary)
- One who spoke for God.
- False Prophet: One who claimed to speak for God but was a liar. (Jer. 14:14, 23:16)

Why the warning?
- False prophets actually exist – they are out there.
- False prophets are hard to recognize.
- False prophets are dangerous.

How to recognize a false prophet.
- By their fruit. (vs. 16)
- Good, healthy trees, produce good healthy fruit.
- Bad, unhealthy trees, produce bad unhealthy fruit.
- Good for nothing more than firewood. (vs. 19)

If the way is difficult and the gate is so narrow that it is hard to find, then we must be very careful to get ourselves teachers who will help us find it, and not teachers who will lure us away from it. - William Barclay

- We need to be fruit inspectors.
- Does the way they live line up with what they teach?

Good Fruit – The Fruit of the Spirit.
- Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23)

Bad Fruit – The Acts of the Sinful Nature.
- Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. (Gal. 5:19-21)

What is the danger?
- False prophets/teachers/shepherds are harmful to the flock.
- Following a false teacher will weaken your faith, and promote divisiveness, bitterness and ungodliness in the church, the body of Christ.
- False prophets will eventually teach false doctrine which will lead to a false righteousness.

Be discerning and cautious when it comes to who you listen to, who you allow to have influence in spiritual matters. By their fruit you will recognize them.

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