WEEDS IN THE KINGDOM
1. Spring has arrived and that means we will soon be faced with weeds.
2. We have weeds in our lawns, flower beds, gardens, driveways…there are lots of weeds.
WHEN JESUS WAS ON THE EARTH HE SAW WEEDS AS MORE THAN A PROBLEM. HE SAW IN THEM AN ILLUSTRATION.
a) Our Lord spoke of weeds in the 13th chapter of Matthew.
b) I am not overly fond of the NIV because of how the translators approached their work.
c) Instead of giving a translation they decided to give readers the “equivalent” of what the text says.
d) Nevertheless, the NIV does use the word “weeds” in Mt. 13, and this conveys the thought.
2) Jesus told about a man who planted good seed in His field (verse 24).
3) He said the work done by this farmer illustrated the kingdom of heaven (same verse).
4) After the farmed finished planting, an enemy came along and planted weeds (verse 25).
5) The good seed eventually broke through the ground (verse 26) as did the weeds.
6) So many weeds came through that the farmer’s helpers made mention of it (verse 27).
a) The farmer knew that his work had been sabotaged.
i) His helper asked if the weeds should be pulled, but the farmer said “no.”
b) Today we recognize the truth in this part of the parable.
c) There are times when we cannot separate weeds from a crop/batch of flowers.
7) I know verse 30 was read, but I want to introduce this verse one more time – READ.
8) This is a useful parable that should be well known to every Christian.
a) At times most of us see someone who says they no longer come to services.
b) They may say they no longer come because “everyone in the church is a hypocrite.”
c) Another thing that might be said could go something like this:
d) “I live a better life than almost all the people who attend worship.”
9) Mt. 13 sets forth a simple but very powerful truth:
10) God has a kingdom.
a) In many parts of the Bible, as have noted, kingdom is equal to the church.
b) There are other places where kingdom means something else.
c) Here, the word means something else.
d) Notice verse 38 – READ.
e) Jesus spoke about the “kingdom,” but the “field” in the parable is identified as the “world.”
f) Another key verse in understanding the point is verse 40 – READ.
g) In this parable the word “kingdom” is associated with the end of the world.
11) God has a “kingdom” in the sense of the church and a “kingdom” in the sense of the entire earth.
12) Here we look at the word kingdom as describing the entirety of planet earth.
13) All who have ever been born have been have been part of this “kingdom.”
14) The first two members of this kingdom were Adam and Eve.
15) As time passed, of course, God created the kingdom known as the church.
16) Tonight we want to concentrate on kingdom as it is described in Mt. 13.
17) If we think about the world in its entirety, we instantly realize that there are several types of people.
18) There are those who have never heard the gospel.
19) Others have heard the truth and know what to do but have not obeyed.
20) A third group consists of those too young to obey the commands of God.
21) Others have adult bodies but lack the mental abilities to understand and do what God has said.
22) Another class consists of those who obey the truth but become unfaithful.
23) Others stay very active in religion, but they become involved in false religion.
24) Still another type of person is active but does not live a life consistent with the scriptures.
25) Then we have those who do their best to live as the Bible describes.
a) In God’s kingdom (the entire earth) there are many kinds of people.
b) While there are many different types, Jesus divided everyone into two broad categories.
c) Notice again verse 41 – READ.
d) On the earth there are people who are pleasing to God and people who are not.
26) At the end of time God will take everyone from the earth and make a great division.
27) Those who are acceptable in His sight will be saved; the rest will be condemned.
28) I said this is a parable that we need to understand, apply, and be prepared to share with others.
29) It is now time to show why this information is so helpful.
a) There are hypocrites in the church, but they don’t matter.
b) According to this parable, they will be sifted from the righteous at the end of time.
c) What about the objection that “I am as good as anyone else?”
d) We do not compare ourselves to other stalks of wheat.
e) Verse 43 says God will save the “righteous.”
f) Stated another way, at the end of time God will check people out on an individual basis.
30) His standard of judgment (His word) will determine if we are saved or lsot.
31) In the opening chapter of Amos God made a forceful statement through His prophet.
32) I want to read for you Amos 9:9 – READ.
a) Sometimes children are fascinated with sieves.
b) I have seen youngsters turn sieves into sandbox toys.
c) Back in the Old Testament God promised that He would sift His people.
33) Those who heard this promise were familiar with the imagery.
34) In Israel people saw bakers.
35) Bakers sifted flour so fine flour was separated from coarse, unbroken grains.
36) When the Old Testament era came to a close, God did not forget about sifting people.
37) What happened when John the Baptist came upon the scene and began preaching?
a) He presented a message that sifted hearts.
b) His preaching put people into one category or another—obedient belief or something else.
c) Jesus did the same thing as He began to preach and teach.
d) When the apostles started their work the sifting continued.
38) Today as we and everyone else goes through life we are sifted.
39) We are sifted in so many ways, but the results of that sifting are not always immediately evident.
40) In our parable we have “good and the bad” crops growing together (verse 38).
a) Some have misapplied this part of the Lord’s teaching.
b) Some have contended that we should tolerate whatever comes along.
c) “Leave everything alone till the day of judgment” has been taught by some.
d) Jesus didn’t believe this because He at times condemned people as well as actions.
e) When the apostles were on their own they followed this same pattern.
41) In several places the Bible tells us to make judgments and decisions.
42) Instead of teaching tolerance, this parable stresses something else.
a) The weeds and the wheat co-existed.
b) In life this same kind of co-existence still occurs.
c) When someone says to us, “there are hypocrites in the church.”
d) We can say, “that right. They are there and God knows about them.”
e) They may not be punished today or tomorrow, but a time of separation is coming.
f) At harvest time (Jesus’ second coming), the good will be separated from the bad.
43) As we live our lives we need to remember that we are undergoing a sifting process.
44) It is gradual, but it is certain and it will help determine our eternal destiny.
a) The 19th century was not all that long ago.
b) If we look back on this period of time we can see that people from the past were sifted.
c) During this period members of the church were under pressure from other religious groups.
d) New Testament Christians espoused total loyalty to the scriptures and this made some people angry.
e) Pressure mounted and ridicule began to come from denominational groups.
f) More than a few brethren grew tired of being scorned.
g) God’s people wanted to blend in with others.
h) Finally members of the church were faced with choices on how they would approach the scriptures.
45) About 85% of those in the 19th century chose to abandon the principles of New Testament Christianity.
46) This choice led to what we now call the Disciples of Christ and the Christian church.
47) Several tests were administered and a lot of our people got an F.
48) Less than 2 centuries ago there was a lot of sifting.
a) Now it seems that sifting is again taking place on a fairly large scale.
b) A number of congregations are re-thinking things in regard to New Testament Christianity.
c) There are places where these kinds of ideas are being floated:
d) Maybe obedience to God is not that important, or maybe it doesn’t have to be complete.
e) Perhaps baptism is not necessary for salvation.
49) In more than a few congregations the role of women is being re-thought.
50) Instrumental music is being introduced.
51) Communion on days other than Sunday is being practiced in some locations.
52) Worship in spirit and truth is being replaced with the elements of Pentecostalism.
53) A distinctive body of people is being blurred so badly that some congregations are no longer distinct.
54) Congregations in every part of our nation are being faced by these issues.
55) These very matters are in our state; they are not way off overseas or on one of the coasts.
56) Many seem to believe that actions in the spiritual realm have few to no consequences.
a) God says what goes on the world is His business.
b) There is a sense in which the earth is His kingdom, and He pays attention to what is happening.
c) If that is a church member who is faking righteousness, that person will be caught.
d) Not only will that person be caught, he or she will be punished.
e) It may not be today, tomorrow, or before that person’s life is over.
f) At the end of time that individual will be examined and judged accordingly.
g) Notice verse 42 of our parable – READ.
57) An opposite promise is given for the righteous – verse 43 – READ.
58) Jesus believed this parable was important; He said “listen to it if you have any sense.”
59) To each person in life Mt. 13 says: we are a like piece of wheat or like a weed.
60) God will sift us to see we are like.
61) We are suitable for eternity with God and heaven or so awful we deserve to be burned.
62) There is no third category.
63) Satan wants us to be a weed; God wants us to be like a crop suitable for harvesting.
64) I would venture to say that there are people who want to be a “nice weed.”
65) In God’s spiritual kingdom there are no good weeds.
66) If we are part of the wrong crop, there is still time to change.