The Wheat and the Tares, Part 1b

Tonight we want to tackle the second parable in Matthew chapter 13, the parable of the wheat and the tears.

And we are studying that portion of scripture, Matthew chapter 13, the kingdom parables that tell us about the church age and the design of Christ's great plan. 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. Matthew chapter 13. We pick up the narrative in verse number 24. The text 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 a 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. 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. 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. He says the kingdom will be like a world. 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. 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. 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. We'll talk more about that in a moment. So you need to understand the setting.

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 sowing tears among it. This is the sabotage. The third thing in what you see is a surprise, verse number 26.

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. They were shocked. 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? Give in 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 and to 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 barn. What's it mean? The interpretation. Point number two. Jesus interprets this for us. He gives two parables after this one, the one on the Bust proceed in the 111. And then in verse number 36, it says this. Here comes the question. Then he left the multitudes and went into the house, and his disciples came to him saying, explain to us the parable of the tears of the field. That's really good. You notice that I entitled tonight, the parable of the wheat and the tears.

You see, I told you at the very beginning that every parable has one main truth, one main thrust, one main objective that you need to grasp. The disciples got that. They didn't quite fully understand everything, but they really that there was a message that Christ wanted them to see. So they named the parable. Christ never named the parable. The disciples named the parable. Disciples had Christ alone. The multitude was sent away. Remember, Christ had to explain his parables to his men. These were for the believers to grasp and to understand the multitude heard this parable.

They heard it. They didn't understand it. The disciples didn't understand it either, but they would get the explanation. And so they understood the main aspect. They asked the question. Two comes the clarification. Christ clarifies it for him. He answered said, the one who sows the good seed is the son of man. We'll stop right there. The one who sows the good seed is the son of man. Now who is that? Well, that's the Lord Jesus Christ himself, right? We know that. It's a title that Christ used of himself.

In fact, he used that title, son of man, more than he used any other title, because the son of man would depict very clearly his incarnation, very clearly his humanness. In fact, there's only one other person who called him the son of man, and that was Stephen. Remember Stephen in Acts chapter 7? I see the heavens opened up, and the son of man. Very important. Why? Standing at the right hand of God. But they cried out with a loud voice and covered their ears and they rushed upon him with one impulse and when they had driven him out of the city they began stoning him and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul and they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit and falling on his knees he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

And having said this, he fell asleep. Now, why do I say that? Why do I go back to Acts chapter 7? Stephen knew that they knew that the messianic title for the Messiah was the son of man. How did he know? Simply, Book of Daniel, 7th chapter, verse number 13, says this. Daniel says, I kept looking in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man was coming and he came up to the ancient of days and was presented before him and to him was given dominion glory in a kingdom that all the people's nations and men of every language might serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed the jews knew that they knew the son of man was the messiah and when the son of man would come He would rule in his kingdom.

That's why when Christ came and didn't look like a king, and they asked them, where is your kingdom? Are you truly a king? And Christ would tell, Pilate, that my kingdom is not of this world. You see, they didn't want to get the fact that their Messiah would come and be crucified. And so in Acts 7, when Stephen refers to looking up into heaven, he sees it opening up and what does he see? He sees the son of man. Oh, no, we don't want to hear that again. Why? Because that would tell them that the righteous one, the Messiah, was the one they crucified.

And so in order not to hear that anymore, they thought they could kill the messenger. But killing the messenger didn't change the message. It's the same message. And so when Christ in Matthew 13 says these words, that the sower, the one who sowed the good seed in the field, is the son of man. He's the Messiah. He is the anointed one. He is the farmer, sewing the seed in the field. What's the field? The Bible tells you. What? The world. The field is the world. Now, the world is not the church. There are some commentators who think that the world is a church.

So they try to do spiritual gymnastics around the text. They let you know that the world is a church. Well, if it was a church, Jesus would have said it was a church. But he said it was the world. But this is God's earth. Satan is the usurper. But this is God's earth. The Bible says the Psalm.

24 verse number one the earth is the lords and all it contains the world and those who dwell in it this is god's field this is god's world satan is that usurper and that's why you read over in revelation chapter 5 about the lamb who stands the lamb as if he's been slain john sees gets up he takes the scroll from the right hand of the father because the scroll is the title deed to the earth and so in revelation chapter 5 when the lamb takes the title deed from the earth the one who is the only one who is worthy to do so that's why in heaven there's this tremendous crescendo of praise because now finally god is taking back that which is rightfully his it's his world and so when you come to revelation chapter 6 the seals of that scroll are broken one at a time and they are leveled upon the earth And thus the tribulation begins as Christ takes back what is rightfully his.

The field is the world. He made the world. He planted Adam and Eve in the world. The usurper came, brought sin into the world. And one day Christ himself will reclaim the world. That's what the Bible says in Romans chapter 8, verse number 22.

The whole creation groans. Why? Until the time this world is run and ruled one. again by Christ himself. Jesus is saying that God soes 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. Now, it tells us exactly who the good seed is. It tells us who the tears are. The good seed are the sons of the kingdom. They're children of the king. The tears are the children of the evil one, the wicked one.

We, Christians, are children of the king. We are the ones who have submitted to his rulership. We are the ones who understand his lordship. We are the ones who are here, and we're not here by accident. Why? Because we are planted here. God used the word of God, which is the seed, to be implanted in our hearts and lives to transform our lives to being children of the living God. And then we understand that we're not here by accident, but by design. And then the text says, very simply this, that the tears are children of the enemy, of the wicked one.

The article, the, is emphatic, indicating that the absolute wicked one, the evil one himself, Satan. He says this, 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 clearer that can be. And Christ wants his men to understand something very, very much. 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 will 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 do recreational activities together, they will be together until the end. Now, I want you to know something very significant, and it's this. Then in verse number 25, it says, But while men were sleeping, His enemy came and sowed tears also among the wheat And then went away. So important. Why is that? There will always be commingling between the wheat and the tears.

It's always been that way from the very beginning of time. Until now, until the end of the age. That's the way it's going to be. Unbelievers, believers. Only two kind of people in the world, right? Saints and the a a aides, right? The children of the wicked one and the children of God. Only two kinds of people in the world. We have a hard time with that, but that's all there is. Let me explain it to you.

Over in Ephesians chapter 2, it says this, and you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formally walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. You walked according to the prince of the power of the air. That is Satan himself. Of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them, we too all formerly lived in the lust of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest, but God being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved.

It's important to note that we were all tears before we became wheat, before it became good seed. Why? Because we're all bored in sin, right? We all walked after the prince of this world. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. And Christ made us alive to him. The Bible says it this way over in 2 Timothy chapter 2, to make it even more clearer to you.

2 2, verse number 24, and the Lord's bond servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to awe, able to teach, patient when wrong, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition. If perhaps God may grant them repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth. And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. You see, the unbeliever is held captive by Satan. He is serving Satan as a master. He might not recognize that, but that's what he's doing.

The believer has a different master. He has the Lord Jesus Christ. He has Christ in Him, which is the hope of glory. He is the one who has Christ in Him, and he is submitting to Christ's Lordship because he has been bought with a price. He has been bought back from the slave market of sin by Christ himself, by the blood that we should account for. And therefore he serves a new master. So the people talk about free will. There's no such thing as free will. Nobody has free will. Why? Because your will is subject to a master, Satan or the Savior.

One of the two. One of the two. Man has volition, but that volition is always subject to God's sovereign control. Always. Never is man's volition able to override God's sovereignty. That would make you in control, right? But God's in control. He's in complete control. So Christ is saying to his disciples, let me explain to you the parable.

The son of man is a farmer. He owns the field. The fields is the world. This is my world. And I planted good seed in this world. And Satan is the enemy. And he came. You know what he did? He planted all kinds of weeds, all kinds of tears in the field. What he did was plant so many of them among us, so many of them around us, that you can't go out and tear up the tears at this point. because in doing so, what you'll do is you'll tear up some of the we too, and none of us have that kind of divine perception to do so.

Only the angels do. So in the meantime, you're going to have to co-mingle with the world. You're going to have to intermingle with the world. You're going to have to live with the world. That's why Christ said in John 17 in this high priestly prayer, I pray that you take them not out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. God doesn't want you out of the world. You know what? Because you are left here to persuade people to come to a little. a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. You are left here to show to the world that there is a king, and that king rules in your heart and in your life.

And you are subject to his rulership. And in that kingdom, there is peace, joy, and righteousness. And you are here to invite other people to be a part of that kingdom by demonstrating to them the power of Almighty God through your life, explaining to them the true gospel of Jesus Christ. And so you are here to sow the seed in this world, as you too work along for the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why Christ said, it's not time for you to know, but the Father is fixed and is known authority. But instead, know this.

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. You should be my witness. I've got a job for you to do. And it's not our job. It's not our job to tear up the weeds. The reapers will do that. The angels will do that. Our job is to live a life that will show them the truth of the gospel. Now, I want you to note this. Satan is very good at sewing tears among the wheat. Very good at it. Satan's objective is imitation. He is the angel of light. He disguises himself. He is the father of lies.

And yet in order for Satan to get the upper hand, what he wants to do is to deceive and to imitate by deception. And so he sows all these tears among the wheat. And one of the reasons that Christ says, you know what, you just can't tear up the tear.

from the wheat because you know what you don't always know what the tears are you don't know who they are you won't know to the end of the age you won't know into the harvest now we might think someone's not saved we might believe they're not saved but we really don't know whether or not someone's truly born again or not only christ knows that that's why the angels are the reapers not us but it's very important for us to know that that Satan shows the tears among the wheat so much so that he makes them look like their wheat the other night before I say that the Bible says these words in 1 John 2, verse number 18.

Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard, that Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrist have arisen. From this, we know that it is the last hour. But, you know, so many times we are so easily sucked in to Satan's imitation. The day I was watching my favorite television station, and in doing so, I was watching this man preaching with great authority, great authority. And as the camera would span the audience, I don't say millions, thousands of people, millions watching on television, thousands of the auditorium, unbelievable, unbelievable.

And I'm listening to what this man is saying. And as he's speaking, it's unbelievable. People are coming up and they're literally putting money on the altar right here on his pulpit. 20s, 50s, hundreds. I'm saying, man, I haven't waited for that. that happened for about 10 years. Now, that's never happened in my church. And people just come out, he's on top, he's preached on top of him, and people just come up and he put money on the altar, they turn around while back. In this whole, this whole, the pulpit, not the pulpit, the pulpit's full of money.

And he's saying this. He says, you have authority. You have authority over things. He says, as Christ had authority over things, you too have authority over things. He says, you have authority. If Christ had the authority to speak to the fig tree, and it withered. You too, listen very carefully. You too have the authority to speak to things and make it happen. Because you have the word of authority. And people in the audience, man, amen, you know, standing up, they're raising their hands all in this is great.

More people coming up, putting money on the pulpit. He just keeps on going to go on. He says, you have the authority to speak to your mountain of debt. And when you speak to your mountain of debt with authority, you're going to go away. I said to myself, I wonder if I speak with authority to my 401k, it'll grow. You know, but there he was. And people, man, are just biting it. They're just eating this up, man. They are just flocking this, this pulpit, putting money up in here, raised their hands. Hallelujah.

Praise the Lord. All this kind of stuff. And I looked out and I thought, it was up it's no wonder his church is so big. Because he appeals, he appeals to what every culture wants to be like God. The very first lie in Genesis chapter 3, eats.

Your eyes will be open. You'll be just like God. People love that. People flock to that kind of. of stuff because they want authority they want to rule their lives they want to be god and if they can be god and they can speak to their mountain and the dead they can go away that's what they want to hear and they just keep going they keep putting more money on the pulpit keep listening to what this guy's saying he keeps driving his royals royce and keeps living in his mansions telling people they can be just like god they're the authority of god i was thinking this parable the tears among the weeds how satan's main objective is imitation to make it sound really good, really appealing.

They buy into that hook, line, sinker, and Satan is laughing all the way to hell with all those souls that are going to follow. And we, who know Jesus Christ's Lord and Savior, need to be very, very wise, very discerning, to be able to know what the word of the Lord says about the children of the wicked one and the children of God. You see, 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 receives me, they're the good seed. It's a good seat. And I planted him. I put him there. I'm in charge. And then he became, the usurper came. And what he did, he planted all these other wheat, all these other darnels. Some of them outright didn't I, God. Others, oh, 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? They will be in for a rude awakening. I trust that's not you. I trust you know the living God as your Savior and Lord. Next time we'll talk about those reapers. Talk about the time of us coming. How is going to separate them? And what's going to happen to those rejectors? It's not a nice ending, but it is a true ending. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, for your word.

And pray God, once again, that as we examine our own lives in light of your word, that we know certain that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, that you're the master we serve. because you're the master we love. And the only reason we love you, Lord, is because you loved us first.

I'm your mind is so often of the deception. My heart just breaks for people who think they really know the way, who think they really have truth, but they don't have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, there are many, many professors, there are a few possessors. And our prayer, Father, is that as we examine these parables that shed light on the condition of our souls, that we would know for certain that we are children of the king. You know for certain that we're the good seed. That we know for certain that as we commingle with the terrors of this world, that we are here, Lord, for a purpose, and that as to show them the way that Jesus is the light, that Jesus is Lord, and that Jesus is love, and that Jesus one day will come again.

May we, as your children, represent you in the way that brings us. glory to your name we ask in the precious name of the coming king jesus christ our lord amen