Friday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on June 18, 2021 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, in this wonderful Gospel narrative of Saint Matthew, continues to point out the terrible price of hypocrisy and the evil, diabolical “fruit” of the hypocrite. Hypocrites will be given away by their evil works (the bad fruit of their false doctrine) with word and deed stemming from their unbelief (hypocrisy), as described in verses fifteen through twenty. Our Lord declares this is not hard to spot if we will simply look and listen with eyes and ears divinely taught by the holy, orthodox doctrine of His pure Word.
It is amazing how many who want to claim to be Christians (Christ’s disciples) are willing, at times seeming almost eager, to compromise God’s pure doctrine by blending a little heresy to soothe the itching ears and indulge the hearts of sinners. Most claim their reason for practicing hypocrisy and heresy is to reach a broader audience—but their false message has nothing worth offering. Through their hypocrisy they destroy the one thing that can help and ultimately save the sinner. This is the truly bad fruit of hypocrisy that destroys souls and brings the eternal death of unbelief, and denial of Christ and His holy
Gospel.
Prayer: 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.
