The Wheat and the Tares, Part 1a

Most of us probably don't have the foggiest idea of how blessed we really are to be able to hold in our hands, to be able to hide in our hearts, or to be able to herald in the hallways of the marketplace, the truth of God's holy word. We are able to study the Word of God, read the Word of God, learn the Word of God, from the beginning to the end, from Genesis to Revelation. If you've been with us on Sunday morning, you've been a part of our study of the book of beginnings to understand what God has set forth from the very beginning of the time of creation.

If you were with us in our study of Revelation, you were able to understand what's going to happen at the end when Jesus Christ himself returns. Tonight, as we study the parables, we're trying to figure out what's going to happen in between time. And the Lord has very clearly spoken to us through His Word that we might understand. understand what it is he wants to do between his rejection and his return. Those who listen to him preach, the apostles, those in the multitude, they heard the things that he said, but they didn't have the same perspective that you and I have.

We're able to look and see what he said, how they responded, what was going to happen next, and we know the end of the story. They didn't perspective. And so we are a blessed people to be able to look into the Word of God and to study it together. We are in that in between time. We are in that church age. We understand that. That period between the time when Christ himself was crucified and rejected until the time he comes again in all of his glory. It's called a mystery in Matthew chapter 13. The disciples didn't understand it because it had not been revealed to them.

It was something concealed in the Old Testament, but revealed in the new. Something that was always a part of the plan of God. It was something, it wasn't an afterthought, something that he thought up after things didn't go so well on the earth. No, it was something that was planned from the very beginning of time. And through the teaching of Christ and through the teaching of the Apostle Paul, this age, this church age becomes very clear to us. And we are studying that portion of scripture, Matthew 10th, the kingdom parables that tell us about the church age and the design of Christ's great plan.

The interesting thing about the disciples is that they never really truly grasped all that Christ said about the mystery, the church age, the kingdom age. They didn't quite get it. They were there with him. They heard what he said. They asked him questions. They could ask him any question they wanted to ask him, and so he would explain it to them, but they never really fully grasped it. We know that because over in the book of Acts, the first chapter, it tells us these words in verse number six.

And so when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, Lord, is that at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? Lord, is this now the time you're going to restore the kingdom? I mean, you've died. You've risen from the dead. You've been with us for these 40 days. And and it's been a great time. You've explained to us the things concerning the kingdom. Is it now the time you're going to restore the kingdom to Israel? Is now the time you're going to fulfill Old Testament prophecy?

Is now the time you're going to set up your kingdom, and we will be able to rule and reign with you forever, just as you promised. This is what Christ said. It is not for you to know times or epics, which the Father is fixed. by his own authority. It's not for you to know that time. I know you want to know about it, because once that time happens, you're going to rule and reign with me. But he says this. It's not so much that you think about ruling with me in eternity as much as you think about revealing me to humanity.

So he says these words, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the remotest part of the earth. I have a purpose for you. It's not for you to know when I'm going to return and when I'm going to restore the kingdom back to Israel. That's not important right now.

What's important is that you do what I've commissioned you to do. what's important is that there's a whole world that needs to know that I am the king they didn't quite get it when I was here that's why they killed me but I rose again to prove my kingship so I want you to go about telling people who I am and to do that I'm going to give you power that power is going to come through a person the person of the Spirit of God and that power will enable you to go to the uttermost part of the world telling the people that I am the Savior of the world.

It tells us that after he had said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking on and the cloud received him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was departing, behold, two men of white clothing stood beside them. And they also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taking up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven. Now, that's very important, because Jesus is being taken up into glory.

And all the disciples, I mean, they've never seen anything like that before. And here is the Lord Jesus being raised up off the ground, going up into the glories and into the heavenlies, and they are just flabbergasted. And so these two angels come and say, what are you doing? He just told you you've got a mission to do. Why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This Jesus is going to return in the same way. He left. He's going to come again. You see, all that's very important because, you see, when the disciples ask Jesus, is that at this time you're going to restore the kingdom to Israel, Jesus never said that there's not going to be a literal kingdom.

You see, I'm not sure how the all millennialness get around this. Because you see, Jesus could have said, hey, you guys, you know what, there's not going to be a little old kingdom on the earth. That's not going to happen. It's all going to be my reign in the hearts of man. I'm not going to come back, and there's not going to be a thousand-year reign with me on the throne of David and Jerusalem. They're all going to happen through the church age. He didn't say that. He never said he wasn't going to come back.

He never said there wasn't going to be a literal kingdom. Quite the contrary. He said it's not for you to know the time of the epic. It's not for you to know those things that the father is fixed. It's already been designed. And the angels reiterated that by saying, you know what, he's coming back again. The same way that he left. If you read Luke's account, you realize that what happens is very significant. Because in Luke chapter 24, verse number 15, it says that he led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them.

And it came about that while he was blessing them, he parted from them. That was the ascension in Acts chapter 1. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising God. You see, they ultimately did what he asked him to do. He told them in Luke chapter 17 that they needed to occupy until he came. The occupying was to be able to worship him, was to be able to witness for him, and was to be able to walk with him in the power of the Spirit of God. And so they would go back praising God, realizing that not only was he going to come back again, but he left them on earth for a specific purpose.

Tonight, in the parable of the wheat and the tears, you begin to understand a little bit more about what that purpose is and how God is going to use his people in his kingdom. The disciples had just heard the parable of the soul or the soil. They heard about the cold hearts, the counterfeit hearts, and the converted hearts. They heard that there were going to be certain hearts that were going to totally reject the gospel. There are going to be certain hearts that would receive the gospel. And yet they wanted to know what would happen to the rejectors.

What's going to happen to them? We know what's going to happen to those who receive the truth, But you've got this whole multitude of people out there, a whole gathering of people, and by our calculations, Lord, three out of every four people we share the gossip with are not going to come to Christ. Now, that doesn't mean that that's going to be the statistics. Only 25% of the people you share Christ with are really going to be born again Christians. But they're looking at this thing saying, you know what?

The majority of people are not going to come to Christ. So what's going to happen to those people? What are you going to do with them? That would be the question. they would ask. They kind of had an idea because the Bible tells us these words in Matthew chapter 3 they knew of John the Baptist. They knew of John the Baptist ministry. Excuse me. And so they knew what John the Baptist said when John the Baptist said in verse number 11 of Matthew 3 as for me I baptized you with water for repentance. But he who is coming after me is mightier than I and I am not fit to remove his sandals He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire, and his winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clear his threshing floor, and he will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

They knew of John the Baptist's message. They knew that the wheat would be gathered into God's barn, but those who did not receive the gospel would be burned up with unquenchable. fire. And so they would wonder, is this the time you're going to set up your kingdom? That's what prompted him to ask the question in Acts chapter one after the resurrection of Christ. The parable tonight is going to explain what Christ is going to do with the rejectors. Matthew chapter 13, we pick up the narrative in verse number 24.

Tech says that he presented another parable to them saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed. in his field. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tears also among the wheat and went away. But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tears became evident also. And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tears? He said to them, an enemy has done this, and the slaves said to him, do you want us then to go and gather them up?

But he said no, lest while you are gathering up the stairs, you may root up the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together into the harvest. And in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, first, gather up the tears, and bind them in bundles to burn them up, but gather the wheat into my barn.

As you look at the instruction to this parable, four things I want you to see. Number one is the setting.

Two is the sabotage. Three, the surprise, and four, the solution. First of all, the setting. The parable is about the kingdom of heaven. Now, there's a lot of discussion about the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. People like to differentiate between the kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God. I want to let you know tonight that there is no difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. You say, how do you know? Simply this. Two reasons. One is that the Jews would use the word heaven as a euphemism for God.

Matthew would speak predominantly to Jewish people. And so he would refer, to the kingdom of heaven as the kingdom of God. In fact, if you read Matthew chapter 19, verse number 23, it says this. And Jesus said the disciples, truly I say to you, it's hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of what? of God. They are used interchangeably. The kingdom of heaven is the kingdom of God.

There is no difference between the two. When you look at the word kingdom in the Bible, you need to look at it as the rule of God.

That's what the word kingdom means. It means the sphere of God's rule. And so when you're looking at the kingdom of heaven and the parables speak, they're called Matthew 13, the kingdom parables. They're speaking of the rule of Christ. And therefore, you need to understand the kingdom of heaven. That's why Paul would say in Roman chapter 14, verse number 17. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of God is not defined by externals.

It's defined by internals. It's defined by peace. It's defined by joy. It's defined by righteousness. Why is that? Because wherever the king rules, there's peace. Wherever the king rules, there is joy. Wherever the king rules, there is righteousness. That's why when we present the gospel to people, We present the gospel so people understand that they need to submit themselves to the rulership of Christ in their lives. And in so doing, if you submit to Christ, his authority, his lordship, his rulership, you will have peace, joy, and righteousness.

Because that's the characteristic of the kingdom of God. That's important. Have your Bible turned with me to the book of Colossians for a moment. Colossians chapter 1, verse number 24. Paul says this, now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake. and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of his body, which is a church, and filling up that which is lacking in Christ's afflictions. Of this church, I was made a minister, according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the Word of God.

That is the mystery, which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to his saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the richest of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is the kingdom of God. That is the rule of God in the life of an individual. Paul says, I've been given a stewardship, and that responsibility is to present to the world this mystery. Christ in you, the hope of glory. You see, the Jews understood God with us.

In fact, that's the most used. You know, phrase in the Bible about God. Did you know that? God with us. They understood that. God in us, they had no idea. That was the mystery. Christ would indwell his people. Why? Because between the rejection of Christ and the return of Christ, the kingdom of God would rule in the hearts and lives of those people who are called children of the kingdom, which we will see in a moment. They are the children of the kingdom. That is, these are the people who have submitted to the kingship of Christ.

These are the people who have experienced peace, joy, and righteousness. These are the people who have Christ in them. And Christ being in them enables them to be able to reveal to the world the king of the universe. Because they submit to him, they believe in him, they follow him, they walk with him, they sing for him, they praise him, they worship him, the world of the that there's something about a Christian that is different than them. They serve a different master than they serve. So Christ would come preaching the kingdom of heaven, the sphere of his rule.

And he would talk about the kingdom as it is on this earth, as he rules in the hearts of lives of men and women who give their life to him. He says the kingdom will be like a man who sowed good seed in his field. He didn't borrow the field. It wasn't somebody else's field. It was his field. And in that field, he would sow good seed. Now, in our last parable, we told you that the seed was great. Because the seed is the word of the kingdom. The seed is the word of God. There was nothing wrong with the seed.

What was wrong was the soil in which the seed fell upon. But the seed is living. The seed is powerful. The seed is the word of God. Now, in this parable, the wheat and the tears, The good seed represents those of the fourth soil, the clean soil, the converted soil. Because they've received the seed, it's implanted it in their lives, it's brought forth fruit. So you need to understand the setting. The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tears also among the wheat.

and went away. This is the sabotage. Some enemy came to this man, this man's field, and while the crew was sleeping, this man was evidently a rich man because he had a lot of people working with him. While they were sleeping, they weren't sleeping because they were lazy. They were sleeping because it was night time. They had done their work, their chores were over. It was time to go to bed. They went to sleep. And while they were sleeping, the enemy came. and sowed tears. Maybe your text says Darnells sold weeds among the wheat.

The New America Standard calls them tears. It's a weedy grass. The enemy came and would sow these tears among, in and around, and among the seed, the good seed, that was already there. And then he left and went away. What's the enemy doing? Believe it or not, this was a very common, practice in the land of Israel with people who had an enemy. If they didn't like you, what they would do is go into your field in the middle of the night and sow all kinds of tears in your good seed so that it would destroy your crop.

They were your enemies. If you didn't have the crop, you weren't able to supply the needs of your family, and they would be able to get the upper hand of you, and that's what they would do. So the Roman law had, the Romans had a law against this so that there would be a punishment for those who did this kind of evil deed. But evidently the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed seed. Good seed. In his own field. His men went to sleep. The enemy came and sabotaged that field by sewing tears among it.

Third thing in what you see is a surprise, verse number 26. But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tears became evident also. And the slaves of the land over came and said to him, sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tears? Hey, sir, what happened? I thought you sowed good seed. Where did all these tears come from? Where did all these weeds come from? You see, now it's normal to have weeds in your field, because weeds are common to the ground. But there were so many weeds, so many tears, so many darnels, that these men, this crew was taken by surprise at the amount of tears that when they were shocked.

The field was full of weeds. There weren't just a few weeds there. They were full of weeds. They were surprised. Fourthly, the solution. He said to them, An enemy has come and done this. So they said to him, do you want us then to go and gather them up? Now, why would they gather them up? Well, simply this, that when the weeds would grow up with the good seed, the tops of those weeds would have a gray slate color to them. So they'd be able to spot them and know which ones were the tears and which ones were the wheat, the good stuff.

And so they simply said, sir, he wants to go and gather them up. Just go and pull up those weeds. Give it them for you. Verse 29. But he said to him, no. That's why you are gathering at the tares. You may root up the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together into the harvest, and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, first gather up the tears and bind them in bundles and burn them up.

They gather the wheat into my barns. No, I don't want you to go out there and start gathering up the weeds and pulling up the weeds because when you do that, inevitably you're going to get a hold of some wheat too, and you're going to pull that up. I don't want you to do that. Instead, I want you to wait to harvest time. At harvest time, the reapers will, handle that job. Simple story. What's it mean? Christ clarifies it for him. He answers said, the one who sows the good seed is the son of man. What's the field?

The Bible tells you. The one who shows the good seed is the son of man. And the field is what? The world. The field is the world. Now, the Lord is sowing the seed in the world. It's his field. The world is God's. Jesus is saying that God shows the children of the kingdom throughout the world. The text says, The field is the world. And as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom. And the tears are the sons of the evil one. And the enemy who sowed them is the devil. And the harvest is the end of the age.

And the reapers are the angels. I mean, I don't know how much clear of that can be. God defines everybody for you. Angels are the reapers. The enemy is the devil. The tears are his children. And the good seed are my children. Pretty simple, huh? Make sense. sense to me, and Christ wants his men to understand something very significant, that in this church age, the wheat and the tears are going to grow together, are going to be together until the end of the age. At the end of the age, that's when there'll be a separation.

But until that time, they'll breathe the same air, they'll eat the same kinds of foods, they'll drive on the same freeways together, they'll go to the same markets together, they'll live in the same kind of houses They'll do recreational activities together. They will be together until the end. During the church age, Christ says, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen to those rejectors, those three soils that reject me.

The soil that was seized me, there's a good seed. That's a good seed. And I planted him. I put them there. I'm in charge. And then he came, the usurper came, and what he did, he planted all these other weeds. Some of them outright, didn't I, God. Others, ooh, they look just like the other Christians do. Dress like them, talk like them, act like them. And you know what? A lot of us are going to think they're Christians. And it won't be to the end of the age, the harvest time. When the angels come, we'll talk about that next week and separate the wheat from the tears.

Will we know who are really truly Christians? Don't the sad thing about that is? Is that when the angels come to reap, there are many tears who think they're wheat, and they won't know their tears until that day. And that's sad? That is so sad. I trust that's not you. I trust you know the living God as your Savior and Lord. Let's pray. Thank you.