TieMUB
4-10-05
MATT. 13;24-30
24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27"The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28"‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
"The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29"‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’"
INTRO; I HOPE THAT ALL OF YOU SCATTERED SOME SEED THIS PAST WEEK. AND BY THE WAY, I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT SOWING YOUR WILD OATS. WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TALKING ABOUT THE PARABLES OF JESUS THIS MORNING.
JESUS SPEAKS TO THE COMMON MAN, IN A WAY THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND HIS TEACHING. LET THOSE WHO HAVE EARS HEAR.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS ENDEARED POPE JOHN PAUL TO THE PEOPLE IS THE FACT THAT HE SEEMED TO HAVE A FEEL FOR THE COMMON MAN.
PEOPLE GENUINELY THOUGHT THAT HE CARED ABOUT THEM. I QUOTE MARK BUT HE QUOTES MAXWELL (?), PEOPLE DON’T CARE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW, UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE. JESUS DEMONSTRATED THIS IN HIS MINISTRY.
JAMES SPEAKS TO THIS IN JAMES 2;15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? WE MUST MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WHEN EVER WE CAN.
AS WE OPEN THE SCRIPTURE, JESUS ONCE AGAIN USES SOMETHING THAT HIS LISTENERS CAN READILY IDENTIFY WITH. THIS PARABLE HAS SOME SIMILARITIES TO THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. AS YOU RECALL, THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER DEALS WITH THE LISTENER, AND HOW THEY RESPOND TO THE WORD OF GOD. SOME HEAR AND REJECT, OTHERS HEAR AND DON’T EVER GROW, BUT OTHERS HEAR AND RECEIVE AND GROW UP IN CHRIST. NOW JESUS ADDS TO THIS PARABLE, WITH A MESSAGE ABOUT THE JUDGEMENT. LETS LOOK AT IT TOGETHER.
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE, A MAN WHO WENT OUT TO PLANT GOOD SEED IN HIS FIELD. THIS MAN SCATTERS SEED. IT IS NOT JUST SEED, IT IS GOOD SEED. YEARS AGO, MY DAD SOLD SEED CORN FOR EDWARD J FUNK AND SONS. I DON’T KNOW IF THEY ARE EVEN STILL IN BUSINESS, BUT YOU ALL KNOW OF THE SEED COMPANIES. THEY PUT THEIR SIGNS IN THE FIELDS, AND THE FARMERS COMPARE, WHO GOT THE MOST BUSHELS TO THE ACRE.
NOW THIS FARMER, GOT THE GOOD SEED, THE SEED THAT PRODUCED THE MOST CROP. THIS WAS HIGH QUALITY STUFF. AND HE WENT OUT TO SOW HIS SEED.
WHILE EVERYONE WAS SLEEPING. THE ENEMY CAME AND SOWED WEEDS, AMONG THE WHEAT AND WENT AWAY. NOTE THE DIFFERENCE, IN THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER, THE GROUND ALREADY HAD WEEDS IN IT, THEY CHOKED THE LIFE OUT OF THE SEED, BUT IN THIS PARABLE, THE GROUND IS GOOD, THE SEED IS GOOD, BUT THE ENEMY, SATAN, COMES AND SCATTERS WEED INTO THE GOOD GROUND AMONG THE GOOD SEED. THE GOOD SEED ARE THE CHRISTIANS IN THE CHURCH. IN TIME, BOTH THE GOOD SEED AND THE WEEDS SPROUT. THE WEED WAS A WEED THAT LOOKED A LOT LIKE WHEAT, THE CASUAL OBSERVER COULD NOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO. IT WASN’T UNTIL THE WHEAT SPROUTED THAT YOU COULD SEE THE WEED.
JESUS IS SPEAKING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND WHEN HE SAYS THAT HE MEANS THE CHURCH. SO WHAT HE IS SAYING IS THIS; JESUS HAS PLANTED GOOD SEED IN THE CHURCH, BUT SATAN HAS COME ALONG, AND PLANTED WEEDS IN THE CHURCH AS WELL. WHEN DID SATAN DO THIS? HE DID IT WHILE THE CHURCH SLEPT. HE CONTINUES TO DO THIS TODAY. WHEN THE CHURCH LOSES SIGHT OF WHAT IS TRULY IMPORTANT, SATAN PLANTS WEEDS. WHEN THE CHURCH IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT A SOCIAL GOSPEL, THAN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, SATAN PLANTS WEEDS. WHEN WE TAKE OUR EYES OFF OF THE PURPOSES THAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO US, SATAN PLANTS WEEDS. WHEN WE DON’T SPEAK FOR THOSE WHO CANT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, SATAN PLANTS WEEDS. EVERY TIME WE FALL ASLEEP, SATAN PLANTS WEEDS.
FINALLY THE WORKERS SEE THE WEEDS. THEIR RESPONSE TO THE MASTER, DO YOU WANT US TO PULL THE WEEDS OUT OF THE WHEAT?
NO. BECAUSE IN PULLING OUT THE WEEDS, YOU MAY PULL OUT THE WHEAT AS WELL. LET BOTH GROW TOGETHER, AND WHEN IT IS HARVEST, THEN WE WILL SEPARATE THE WEEDS FROM THE WHEAT. WE WILL BURN THE WEEDS AND GATHER THE WHEAT INTO MY BARN.
IN VERSES 36-44 JESUS EXPLAINS THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE TO HIS DISCIPLES.
JESUS HIMSELF WAS THE ONE WHO SOWED THE GOOD SEED. THE FIELD IS THE WORLD. THE GOOD SEED IS THE SONS OF THE KINGDOM. THE WEEDS ARE THE SONS OF THE EVIL ONE. SATAN IS THE ONE WHO SOWS THE WEEDS. THE HARVEST IS THE END OF THE AGE. THE HARVESTERS ARE THE ANGELS.
JESUS IS TELLING US SEVERAL THINGS IN THIS PARABLE IN REGARDS TO THE LAST DAYS. FIRST, THERE IS GOING TO BE AN END. SOME PEOPLE THINK, THIS WORLD WILL NEVER END. THE TRUTH IS, THE END IS COMING.
SECOND, THERE IS GOING TO BE A HARVEST AT THAT END. ALL THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS ARE GOING TO BE HARVESTED. ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
THIRD, THERE IS GOING TO BE A SEPARATION. IT WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE END. THE ANGELS WILL WEED OUT EVERYTHING THAT CAUSES SIN, AND ALL WHO DO EVIL. LISTEN TO MATT. 25;32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
FOURTH, THERE WILL BE A JUDGMENT. THOSE WHO ARE NOT SAVED WILL BE CAST IN TO THE FIERY FURNACE. THERE IS A LITERAL HELL. IT IS A PLACE OF ETERNAL TORMENT. THERE WILL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH FOR THOSE WHO RECEIVE THIS JUDGMENT.
FIFTH, THE RIGHTEOUS, WILL SHINE IN THE KINGDOM OF THE FATHER. THERE IS A REWARD FOR THOSE WHO LIVE A GODLY LIFE. HEAVEN. HOME WITH THE FATHER. THAT IS OUR HOPE. THAT IS WHAT WE ARE PRACTICING THE FIVE PURPOSES IN PREPARATION FOR.
REMEMBER, OF THE FIVE PURPOSES, FOUR WE WILL DO IN HEAVEN. THE ONLY ONE WE CANT DO IN HEAVEN IS; EVANGELIZE. WE NEED TO TAKE ON THE HEART OF RICK WARRENS DAD ON HIS DEATH BED, ONE MORE FOR JESUS.
THIS PARABLE IS NOT JUST SOME NICE STORY. THIS IS OUR MARCHING ORDERS. THIS NEEDS TO MOTIVATE US. WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT PEOPLE ARE DYING WITHOUT JESUS, AND THEY WILL SPEND ETERNITY IN HELL. WE NEED TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT GOD WANTS THEM IN HIS ETERNAL FAMILY
