1/25/2026 True Faith Evidenced by the Fr

01.25.2026. Sunday Sermon – Pastor Jeungbok Lee
Scripture: Matthew 7:15-20, John 15:4-5
Title: True Faith Evidenced by the Fruit of the Holy Spirit

Matthew 7:15-20
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

John 15:4-5
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so you cannot unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.

Last week, I preached on two types of choices: entering through the narrow gate and walking the narrow path, versus entering through the wide gate and walking the broad path. The outcome of these choices is that those who enter through the narrow gate and walk the narrow path gain life, while those who enter through the wide gate and walk the broad path face destruction.

However, I made it clear that salvation is not obtained merely by choosing the narrow gate and walking the narrow path. Rather, walking the narrow path through the narrow gate is evidence that one has already been saved. In other words, while my previous sermon emphasized that we face a choice between a narrow and a broad gate, in reality, Christians do not have this option. Walking through the narrow gate and along the narrow path is inevitable for Christians, because they are already recipients of eternal life. As those who possess eternal life, walking the narrow path is a natural expression of confidence in that life.

Today’s sermon is as follows.

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1. There are false prophets within the church.

1.1) For Christians, walking through the narrow gate is natural, but we must not forget that there are those who stand before this gate and prevent entry. Some even give false truths to those who have already entered the narrow gate, confusing them so they cannot continue walking the path. These are the false prophets in sheep’s clothing.

1.2) The identity of false prophets: They are among the church members. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing within the church. They may be pastors, elders, or teachers, because outwardly they appear humble and dedicated. In Jesus’ time, and even before, prophets wore garments made of sheep’s wool. Saying that false prophets wear sheep’s wool means they appear externally as devoted and humble leaders.

1.3) The teaching of false prophets is always sweet to hear but missing crucial truths. They preach God’s love and forgiveness, but they do not proclaim God as the righteous Judge of sinners. By emphasizing blessings, they please their listeners. Yet, they remain silent on the necessity of obeying God even unto death. They love to teach about the good things prepared in heaven but refuse to preach about the torments of hell awaiting unbelievers. Some theologians claim that the Bible mentions hell only to instill fear, suggesting that “God, in His love, would never truly send anyone to hell.” They teach about angels but not demons. They teach the good words of Jesus, but not the atonement where Jesus took God’s judgment on our sins at the cross.

1.4) The purpose of this unbalanced teaching is to plunder what belongs to the flock. They approach God’s people in the guise of a prophet to steal what is theirs—namely, the desire and will to walk the path of life. They attempt to divert our passion and commitment to the narrow path through false teachings. But these teachings are not always strange or obviously false—they often sound very sweet and comforting. As a result, believers may view the hardships of the narrow path as abnormal or unnecessary, eventually abandoning it and failing to attain life. The danger of false prophets lies in their popularity, which causes believers to accept their words without discernment. Therefore, when discerning spiritual leaders, we must not judge by outward office, gift, gentle appearance, or popularity.

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2. Examples of false prophets in Israel’s history and their consequences

2.1) In Judah, there was a false prophet named Hananiah. Just before Judah fell to Babylon due to idolatry and sin, the true prophet Jeremiah urged surrender to Babylon to accept God’s judgment. Hananiah, however, prophesied the exact opposite: that within two years, all stolen temple articles and captives would return. Hananiah’s prophecy sounded very pleasant—surely, people would rather hear of restoration than captivity. Yet, the outcome for Hananiah and those who heeded him was destruction. The false prophet Hananiah was killed that same year. Jerusalem, whose leaders had listened to him and refused repentance, was destroyed eight years later; its inhabitants were killed or taken into captivity. Even King Zedekiah, who persecuted Jeremiah for speaking the truth, suffered a tragic fate:

2 Kings 25:7
They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then blinded Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon.

2.2) In the New Testament, Acts 13 describes a Jewish false prophet and sorcerer named Bar-Jesus (Elymas), who opposed Paul’s gospel preaching. Paul declared temporary blindness on him, so the prophet who claimed to reveal things for others was himself rendered blind.

2.3) Revelation also records false prophets and those who followed them. They assist the Antichrist, performing signs and compelling people to receive the mark of the beast and worship idols. Those who followed them were killed, and the false prophets were thrown into the lake of fire with sulfur (Rev. 19:20-21).

2.4) Even in modern times, there can be pastors who resemble false prophets. The core message of their sermons is “positive thinking.” Rather than emphasizing humanity’s lowly state due to original sin and personal sin, they preach about the boundless potential and capabilities of human beings. In short, their sermons focus mainly on self-development and psychological comfort.

As a result, their preaching is extremely popular among the public. At one church, during its peak, weekly Sunday attendance reportedly exceeded 10,000 people, and its televised sermons reached over 20 million viewers worldwide every week. However, over time, the church faced increasing difficulties with succession, finances, and social and economic changes, and ultimately went bankrupt. The pastor gained personal fame through his influence, but the church he established eventually failed financially.

Even after that, pastors resembling false prophets continue to appear, and they tend to meet similar outcomes. Popular churches stimulate people’s positive thinking and emotions while failing to preach about human inability caused by sin. They do not speak about the ultimate fate of those whose sins remain unresolved, who face judgment and destruction.

These churches try not to place any burdens on their attendees. As a result, Sunday worship often emphasizes socializing over worshiping God. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these churches now face financial difficulties, as people who attended without assurance of salvation have left.

Some pastors eventually repent, but others simply replace programs and staff, actions that reveal who the false prophets truly are.

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3. We need the wisdom to discern those who bring God’s Word.

Matthew 7:16-20
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

We can recognize whether someone is a true or false prophet by their fruits. The challenge is that it often takes time for the Word preached to bear fruit, much like a seed taking time to grow. Only over time can we see what the false prophets have plundered from the flock. Therefore, it is not immediately apparent whether a sermon is good or bad; the fruits borne by God’s people over time will reveal the truth.

A church that proclaims true teaching will bear fruits of increasing love, while a church that receives false teaching will bear bad fruits, such as competition and conflict among believers. Some false leaders even claim that church construction is a shortcut to blessing, thereby taking believers’ wealth, which produces the fruit of poverty. In contrast, the correct guidance of true leaders draws believers closer to God and produces the fruit of joy.

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4. Application: the fruit-bearing tree

A bad tree bears bad fruit. Is it possible for a bad tree to bear good fruit? A bad tree bears bad fruit; a good tree bears good fruit. This teaching is also a warning to all believers: all humans, by nature, are bad trees.

God planted humanity as good trees in Eden. But Adam’s disobedience caused all his descendants to become bad trees, producing bad fruit. Humanity became killers, thieves, slanderers, constantly generating evil thoughts. There was no hope of bearing good fruit.

But God, rich in love, sent Jesus Christ, the good tree—Hallelujah! And He gave us grace to be grafted into this good tree. By being grafted into the good tree, we can bear good fruit.

Romans 11:17-18
Some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and partook of the root’s richness. Do not boast over the branches.

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5. Conclusion and application

The journey of faith is to enter through the narrow gate and walk the narrow path. Yet the devil always sends false teachers to God’s people, trying to mislead them and make them fruitless.

Thus, the only way for us, once bad tree branches, to bear beautiful fruit is to remain connected to Jesus Christ, the good tree. In other words, a life abiding in Christ is a life walking the narrow path in obedience to God’s Word. In this way, even bad tree branches can bear beautiful fruit through Christ.

This beautiful fruit is borne by the Holy Spirit, whom God graciously gives us.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.

Therefore, as branches of a bad tree, we can bear the beautiful fruit of the Spirit by following the Spirit while walking the narrow path in Christ.

May God bless you to bear abundant fruit of the Spirit.

Prayer
God, the Tree of Life, grant us the spiritual wisdom to discern wolves in sheep’s clothing. Help us, not striving to bear fruit on our own, but abiding in Jesus Christ each day, to produce beautiful fruit of the Spirit. We pray in the name of Jesus, who leads us on the narrow path. Amen.