Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How Do You Spot a False Teacher? | The Gospels | Matthew 7:15–23

Episode Date: October 8, 2026

Who are you letting shape your faith? How can you tell when a spiritual teacher is leading you toward truth or away from it? And what does Jesus mean when he warns us about wolves in sheep’s clothing? In today’s episode, Patrick explores Matthew 7:15–23 and Jesus’s warning to watch for false teachers, examine their fruit, and follow the truth of God’s Word. Want to become a more consistent Bible reader? Download our free Ten Minute Bible Guide and start building a simple, sustainable habit of meeting with God through his word. Grab your guide here. Read the Bible with us! This year, we’re exploring the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—and it's never too late to join! Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passage: Matthew 7:15–23

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Patrick Miller. Who do you let shape your faith? I ask because the truth is that in some ways, everyone and even the world around us influences the shape of what we believe and what we believe to be true. And yet, I think there's always individuals that we grant extra authority in our life. You know, it might be a mentor or a pastor, might be a Bible teacher that you listen to online or on

radio. Now, if you listen to 10-minute Bible talks regularly, that means that you've given our team some level of authority in your spiritual life. Not that we get to tell you what to do or what to believe or how to live, but as we interpret the Bible alongside you day by day, we're shaping your ideas of what the Bible says, and therefore what God says. Now, I wish I could say that all Bible teachers are created equal. And as long as you're listening to Christian content, you're all good. I wish I could say, just trust anyone who has lots of people trusting him or her because that vets their credibility. But that wouldn't be true. And there's one reason why. Jesus warned us that false teachers will come in his name and he commanded us to be on the lookout for them because they can create terrible

havoc in our spiritual lives. Let's pick up in Matthew 7. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious as wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them, Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them. So what do we learn about false teachers in this passage?

Well, the first thing is arguably the most important, their wolves in sheep's clothing. You see, sometimes it's obvious when someone is a false teacher. You know, if someone claims to be the second coming of Christ or tells you that the Bible is disposable, then you already know, yeah, maybe I shouldn't be trusting this person. Maybe this person isn't totally with it. But most false teachers aren't like that. In fact, 95% of what most false teachers say will be good. It will sound true and right.

But it's the remaining 5% that's actually dangerous. And here's why. That remaining 5%, it also is. rarely looks dangerous. In fact, it's often appealing. Probably the most prevalent false teachers today are teachers of what's called the prosperity gospel. They say that if you trust God and give generously, then he'll give you health and wealth and prosperity in your life. And they've got a lot of Bible verses they can take out of context to prove their point. But there's one problem. The Bible doesn't teach the prosperity gospel. Jesus himself taught the opposite, actually. He taught his disciples to

expect trouble. In his final address to the disciples in John 1633, he said, in this world, you will have trouble. In other places, he says that his true disciples will take up a cross and that they'll face hardship and persecution as a result of following him. In other words, people of faith are never promised health, wealth, or prosperity, or even security. In fact, they're frequently warned by Jesus that truly faithful Christians must be willing to give up our health, our wealth, and our prosperity if we want to remain faithful. So the prosperity gospelers seem like sheep because they preach a message that we'd all like to be true. Follow Jesus and you'll get whatever you want.

But in reality, it's false. And the falseness is what makes them into wolves. You see, if you believe the prosperity gospel, then what will you do when you get a cancer diagnosis or can't have kids or struggle to make ends meet. Well, the prosperity gospelers, they'll tell you that your problem is faith, that if you just believe more than you'd get what you want. But here's the problem with that. That mentality, it turns God into a vending machine, not a person.

And it beats up people who are full of faith, but are going through struggles that are not a result of their faith. And if you follow the prosperity gospel, it will destroy your walk with Jesus, because it's not presenting to you the real Jesus. It's a faith Jesus. It's a vending machine Jesus. You put faith in and he gives you whatever you want. So how do you know if someone is a false teacher? Well, Jesus says you'll know them by their fruit. Now, this can be hard because if you don't know your Bible teachers personally, you don't really get to see the fruit of their life.

But that doesn't mean that you're helpless. Here's a few things to pay attention to. First, just look at how they spend their money and resources. For example, many prosperity teachers fly around in private jets and live in mansions. They take kingdom resources that people gave in faith and they spend it on themselves, and that's not a good fruit. Second, look at the truthfulness of their claims. Truth is a fruit of a good life, and the only way to measure a teacher's truthfulness is by measuring them against scripture. In other words, if what they say doesn't align with what God says, they're a false teacher. Again, you have to know, these teachers are wolves in the world. in sheep's clothing. And so they'll often even have Bible verses to defend their points. But when you

read those verses in context, you'll often discover that those verses aren't making the point that the teacher is. For example, someone teaching the prosperity gospel might point to the wealth of Abraham and David and say, see, these were men of faith, and that's why they were so wealthy and prosperous. But there's just one problem. Both Abraham and David went through terrible suffering and hardship, and it was precisely when they were being faithful. Their wealth, was incidental to their faith, not a result of it. One last thought. It's really easy to sit in the seat of judgment and judge others, judge Bible teachers, whoever you're giving influence in your life. But Jesus won't let you off the hook either. Just like there were false teachers, he also

warns us that there are false disciples. And it's possible that you and me are included in their number. Jesus continues, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven. But only the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name and drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will say to them plainly,

I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers. Notice what Jesus doesn't say to the people who come to him and say, Lord, Lord, look at all we've done. He doesn't deny the miracles. He doesn't deny that they cast out demons. He doesn't deny any of the things that they said they did in his name.

but he does deny that he knew them. And that's precisely why we need to look at our own lives with the same gravity that we look at the lives of our Bible teachers or other people. We need to ask ourselves the same questions we ask of those Bible teachers. How do I use my resources? What's the fruit of my life? Do I live and speak truth?

Of course, no one is perfect, but Jesus isn't looking for perfection. He's looking for people who do his father's will. and what is his chief command to love him. And loving God means running to the cross. It means confessing our sins. It means receiving his forgiveness and walking in his power. So be careful about who you give spiritual authority over your life.

And be careful over your own life because carelessness can lead you away from the heart of God.