The Friday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on July 4, 2025 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 7:15-23 (NKJV)
7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
Devotion
The Lord of the Church commands us to beware of false prophets. Too often, in today’s society of “tolerance”, it is taught that “loving our neighbor” means protecting the false teachings and evil practices of the wolves. Meanwhile, faithful pastors and their congregations are ridiculed because they do not share fellowship with those of false or mixed confessions. But the Lord Jesus Christ knows how best to love our neighbors and our enemies, and He says, “beware of false prophets,” meaning we are to mark and avoid them. This shows love for Christ’s sheep, because it protects them from false doctrine; it also shows love for the wolf, because it calls him to repentance in hope for his restoration, lest he die in his own lies.
The fact that on the Last Day the wolves will say, “Lord, Lord,” shows that even now there are wolves within the visible Christian Church. Those we must avoid, including not just the obvious heretics, but also the false “Christians” and false “Lutherans” within the visible Church. It takes courage and prayer to oppose false doctrine. But, if we do, it shows that we fear God more than man. And, if we love the doctrine of Christ more than the favor of man, we will actually love men the more, for Christ’s sake.
Collect: O Lord, Who never failest to help and govern those whom Thou dost bring up in Thy steadfast fear and love: Make us to have a perpetual fear and love of Thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
