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Last week we saw that it is God’s utter sovereign choice who becomes his true followers and who doesn’t. Cf. v11, v16
John showed us, then challenged from the parable of the Sower & the Soils what it is to be a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ
We also saw the critical importance of listening. Listening in such a way that we might come alive and believe in this Jesus. No longer trusting in our selves and our plans but listening to His words and asking daily for His Spirit’s help to do them, despite how I might feel.
Now I have very vivid memories as a young child of being dragged through the leading art galleries of Europe, to view the world’s masterpieces.
My parents always viewed these works by standing back then move up real close in front the old masters.
This was the way to really appreciate any great work of art they said.
This morning Jesus takes you by the hand and leads you into His art gallery. And He shows us a picture that makes the images of 9/11 panel into insignificance. The images are meant to sober us who Christians and shock you who are not Christians.
But in order to appreciate the picture we to need to stand back and get the big picture then move up close and exam the detail.
Traditionally this parables as being all about getting rid of the tares out of the Church. Purging out of her those who show themselves to not be real Christians.
Listen, there are serious problems with this popular interpretation.
Firstly, The whole context of Chapter 13 focuses on different aspects of doing the Father’s will. From the end of Chapter 12. Like last week, being a true follower of Christ
Secondly, Jesus says in v38a that the field is the world, not the Church. So how could there be some other field?
Thirdly, no where in Matthew's gospel does Jesus ever equate the Kingdom of God with the Church?
Fourthly, the temptation to deal with the apparent counterfeits or fakes is not encouraged but quite the opposite. Jesus teaches about the importance of excommunication from the visible Church in Chapter 18.
Finally, in Jesus’ interpretation of the Parable in verses 36-43 He doesn’t even refer to this misguided zeal to weed out the tares from His kingdom.
So Jesus doesn’t deal here with the church but His worldwide kingdom
Why then does Jesus’ give the interpretation and make sense of it? He wants to convince His disciples then and us now that Yes His kingdom’s is a mixed bag but we need to listen with patience and trust Him because he coming again to sort it out.
Look at the images with me of Jesus ’masterpiece. What do we see as we stand back?
v24 We see a man sowing good seed in a field
V25 We see Him tucked up in bed a slept and this not very nice bloke comes and
sows different seed in his field.
v26 We see then the crops grown, shock horror there are two different crops
v27 We see His hired help asking Him if he sowed good seed because some things
very wrong with his crop.
v28 We see the farmer saying in disgust, a enemy has done this!
and the hired help asking if they can pull out these bad weeds
v29 Finally we see the farmer telling the help to cool it with there garden
skills because at harvest He’ll sort it out with a bond fire for the bad
seed and the normal storage for the good seed.
Now look at the images with me as we stand back from the picture and we notice
two things?
King Jesus wants you to listen with patience because
Firstly, His kingdom seems a mixed bag
Because of the reality of a good sower & good seed v24, 26 37-38
Look at v24 The Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed.
The tense of the word implies that the kingdom has become like the situation
of the man who
Now Judaism was used to delays in waiting for Messiah to come. But here Jesus is saying to his hearers, There’s a now but not yet idea to my kingdom, and you and I must learn this and live it out daily.
Now we do this all the time don’t we, wont it be great when we such & such. Here Jesus says knowing this will help us be patient at the seeming mixed bag of His kingdom.
In v26 the good seed we saw in the previous parable, his elect here sprout as corn and produce a crop
But notice who sows the seed. Jesus in his interpretation for the disciples says in v37 He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
Jesus refers to himself by this title because it reflects His character and Mission. Here Jesus is identifying Himself with the one described in Daniel 7:13
Behold, one like the Son of man
Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of days,
To him was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations,
and languages, should serve him:
So despite the apparent victory of his enemies Jesus can rightly claim the title of Messiah because He will have the last word.
Next King Jesus wants you to be patient not only because of the reality of the good sower & the good seed but because of the reality of the bad sower & the bad seed v25 - 26 38b, 39a
Now it’s important to notice what happens next. Look at v 25, But while he slept his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
What are these tares? They are weeds or the technical name is bearded darnel which is so close to real wheat it’s difficult to distinguish it from dinky dye wheat when they’re young.
What happens is the roots of the two plants twist themselves around each other. But when the heads of the grain appear your left in no doubt which plant is dinky dye and which is fake? Cf., v26
But who would do such a mean thing to a man’s lively hood? Well Jesus tells us v39a The enemy who sowed them is the Devil.
His fingerprints are everywhere in Matthew’s gospel. In Ch 2 He’s the prince of Demons in Ch 4 He’s the tempter in Ch 12 Beelzebub in Ch 13 The enemy in Ch 12 He’s the ruler of demons. In Ch 13 He robs people of the truth & blinds them to God’s glory. He’s the father of lies, the deciever.
What’s been the Devil’s greatest achievement in the last 100yrs? To convince us evangelicals that he doesn’t exist. But any serious reading of the Bible and an honest examination of our own hearts tells He is a foe we must fir against daily us who the attraction of world and our own
And who are the tares? v38b But the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
If your not a follower of Jesus, you’re a son of the Devil. That’s not very nice , you say. These are Jesus’ words. He said to some people. There where of their father the Devil. Friend the reality you the devil’s child because you have his nature. Your under His control, in his employ, doing His will.
Next notice It’s not just the reality of the bad sower & bad seed that you need patience with but Jesus says don’t you sort out my kingdom kingdom.
Notice something interesting that happens in verses 27-30
So the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good
seed in your filed? How then does it have tares?
He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Do you want
us to then go and gather them up? Can’t we just go and exercise some quality
control. Now listen very hard to his reply. No, (Pause) No, Lest while you gather
up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. But let them grow together
until the harvest
But let them grow together
Brethren how this grates against our reformed sensitivities like the teachers fingernail screeching across the blackboard.
But notice it doesn’t rate a mention in Jesus’ explanation in verse
37-40.
No, He says it’s not your responsibility, excuse me, butt out and instead
be patient and trust me. Focus one eye on cooling it and the other on the sober
reality that I’m a coming King to deal with this.
Brethren haven’t we have spent far to much time condemning Christians who are not like us rather than obeying Jesus and preaching the gospel.
Jesus not only says to us don’t you sort out my kingdom.
But secondly we must trust King Jesus’ coming, to sort it!
Why’s He coming again? To harvest. If I sow some seeds, I expect with the right conditions to reap a harvest. If this is a life principle, that we reap what we sow. Then how much more so for King Jesus, as the creator of the world, the one who has come from heaven to rescue people and restore the relationship lost in Adam. If He’s sowing a kingdom of souls of course He’s going to come to reap a harvest of souls.
Notice people are obsessed with knowing their future? You only got to skim the shelves of your local video store to see the movies all about this. Friends making Jesus your King, living His way one day at a time is the only way to change your future, because you investing in change, your sowing & you too will reap - eternal life.
But when is Jesus coming? He says v39b That the harvest will be AT THE END OF THE AGE. Joe read to us those sober verses from Matthew 24
Now in His coming He shows mercy to you His Child - And say to you go to heaven
Notice in v 38b Jesus says that the good seeds are the sons of the Kingdom. What does He mean? You are either a son or daughter of the Kingdom because the King has made so. You’re not born a Christian. Jesus calls you, he stops you in your tracks. He shows you what your really like.
He gives you a new heart, He takes you in and adopts you as His own. Your family. He stamps on your forehead. Son of the Kingdom.But that’s not all. Look what you going to be doing in heaven!
Notice v43 The righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father. This is a shortened version of Daniel 12:3
What does he mean The righteous? This is God’s new verdict on your life, despite the fact you’ve broken His law & you continue to break it? Why? Because of what another has done for you. This mighty Sovereign Kings’ agreed to be guilty, guilty for you who only deserve punish & death and damnation. He became sin for us that we might be What The righteous of God! Christian this morning Jesus is emphatic - Your Righteous - God says, Your alright - what a relief, what a comfort in difficult times - Your alright
But there’s more!. He says your going to shine? How? Well, King Jesus is removing & will remove your sin, doesn’t this hide His brightness. Jesus said you’re the Light of the world. How? Because Jesus shines your going to shine. You will reflect the glory of Jesus - to God the Father.
This is why you being made like Jesus. parents aren’t you proud when the kids are all dress up and well behaved, your so proud. Well our shining will make our Father burst with pride.
Now if in His coming Jesus shows mercy to you His Children
He must show His justice to you His enemy
Why? Because your rebelling against my rule v41
Note v 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness
Why will the angels do this? Because any one or anything that doesn’t correspond 100% with the Holy character of God & must by it’s very nature be eradicated. It can’t be tolerated or entertained. why? Because Heaven can’t be heaven unless there is 100% absolute moral purity.
I can take you to two ladies in this Church who I know have declared open warfare on dirt & uncleanness in their homes. It will not be tolerated under any circumstances. There are no exceptions, except when Australia idol is on
Seriously, if dirt is an offense to these ladies how much more is your life to Jesus this morning. And He says to you, No way are you going to be living at my place. The only way is if you are dirt free, sin free. What must happen then if you keep rebelling against King Jesus’ rule? He says for you it’s hell’s horrific punishment with no end v40, 42 - and he says to you go to hell !
And He will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing
of teeth.
If you’re not a Christian now is the time to actively listen. Your future
happiness or lack of it depends on it.
Jesus says, unless you stop ignoring me and giving me first place in your life
I have no alternative but to thrown you into Hell. You’ll experience unbearable
pain that will never ever ever stop. You will cry out for relief but non-will
ever come. Your conscience will so torment you because you have rejected and
ignored Me and I will not be ignored. I made you and I have a right to enjoy
you and for us to be friends, but hay unless you become like me God want have
you either.
What must you do? You only hope is to make some quick and drastic changes to
your life. Scrap every thing your doing, drop it. This is too important. Yes
throw yourself into it day & night, eat slept and drink the Bible and pray
until your sure your come into a new relationship with this Jesus Christ. It’s
your only hope!
He warns you because He loves you, Why not turn away from yourself and lean
on this mighty powerful wonderful King. He promises to clean you up and make
you fit for Heaven. There really is nothing quite like being a friend of Jesus.
He’s the most wonderful friend you could have. Start now before it’s
too late. He’s calling you Home, come home today . Amen
Paul Thompson is involved in urban- evangelism at Elermore Vale Baptist Church and is a co-founder of christianlibrary
