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Father. What a blessing it is to Gather together as your people this morning to worship you. To consider all that you have done all that you have granted us in Christ. To look to your word to see the things that your son taught.
That we might learn from the master as it were and Lord. Would you bless our time this morning as we discuss? Again the parable of the tares. And the kingdom of God that is to come in Christ name. We pray.
Amen. Well, I was reading Matthew 12 and 13 this morning and it really is remarkable how often kingdom Judgment, you know mentioned over and over again during those chapters. We started this last week and I I just I was so blessed I've been so blessed just in studying this.
Because I think it's just one of those passages that we tend to think we know more about than we really do until we study it and It's it's pretty deep. So we started with this Quiz last week and just to kind of catch up those who weren't here.
Kind of set the tone for where we're going this morning. We're gonna go through the quiz a Little bit more quickly until I catch up to where we were. Number one true or false a parable is a story with a one-to-one correspondence between people and things in the story and between people and things in real life and The answer of course is false.
That would be an allegory that I described there a parable is. What is a parable? Okay a story with moral relevance, it's a story in which Jesus Typically because we're staying the parables of Jesus takes real-life Situations things that people can relate to in order to make a spiritual point when we consider the Say the parable of the Good Samaritan.
What was the point of the parable of the Good Samaritan? Love your neighbor. Who is my neighbor was the big question, right? And so he took probably the most loathsome People that the Jewish people could imagine the Samaritans and he said look here's this Good Samaritan Who did what was right?
Even though all these other people didn't and I know you haven't been studying the parable of the Good Samaritan, but there you have it. So so that's the point is he would take a real-life situation and drive home a spiritual point or two.
Number two true or false parables discriminate between people and you know, I use that word discriminate on purpose because it's become such a Loaded word people don't like, you know, you're discriminating.
Well discrimination can be good. Discrimination can be good. Why? Parable of the sower and the seed meaning. What's that? Well true or false God discriminates between people. True what does that mean?
He prefers some people over others, you know discrimination is always wrong false. Is it good to discriminate against bad doctrine? Is it good to discriminate against false teachers? I don't know what to tell you discrimination is not always bad even though the culture tells us that it is parables discriminate between people because I'm believers don't get them number three.
The primary focus of this parable is a to give lessons in horticulture. Be the. Still it's so good. I just had to read it again. Be the value of wheat versus the worthlessness of weeds. See a warning to make sure believers remove sin from their lives.
D. A picture of coming judgment. You know if this was on the test I dare say some people would get this one wrong, but is D. Number four true or false. There are many applications from this parable, but only one meaning true.
How do we know that because that's true of all scripture. There are many Applications, but there's only one meaning now. There are several, you know, and I think some folks even pointed out to me, you know later on that Jesus makes some a variety of one-to-one correspondence.
Is true in this parable that doesn't mean there's more than one meaning and it also doesn't make this an allegory because if we were to Take this as a pure allegory. We would run into some serious problems.
You know, how is it possible that Satan could sneak in to this field and spread the bad seed? What would that say about you know, if we're gonna take this as a one-for-one correspondence, we'd run into problems.
True or false. The enemy is Satan that is true and we talked about last time and it is a fascinating part. Let me just read the parable before I go any further Matthew 24 and I'm going to Demonstrate the power of the computer by not even opening up my Bible to read this.
Matthew 13 verses 24 to 30. He put another parable before them. This is a series of parables. We talked about last week. I think that's the fifth in a series of seven parables. He put another parable before them saying the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
But while his men were sleeping his enemy came in and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. We talked about last week that there was actually a Roman law against that. What a shocking idea. That someone would actually hate someone else so much that they would come into their planted field and put this weed in there but they did verse 26 so when the plants came up and bore grain then the weeds appeared also and The servants of the master of the house came and said to him master.
Did you not so good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds? This is the first part is rhetorical question. They know the answer to this. The answer is yes. He did plant good seed. So, how is it possible that there are weeds here, where do they come from?
He said to them verse 28 an enemy has done this. So the servants said to him then do you want us to go and gather them? But he said no less than gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest and at the harvest time. I will tell the Reapers Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned but gather the wheat into my barn. So true or false the enemy is Satan and that is true.
We talked about how it was not somehow the servants the disciples. Anybody else their negligence? It was Satan's cunning Basically to go into the field while they were Naturally sleeping it was sleep time.
No reason to guard. This isn't like a Flock of sheep that need to be guarded at night from prowling wolves. This is a field. It's planted. It's furrowed. It's fertilized. It's already All that you've done is you've just planted the seed and then you your work is done.
You just go to sleep and the next morning. Maybe you get up and water it or whatever. But this isn't something where you would expect someone to come in. But then, you know here you have these weeds that pop up number six the weeds.
Represent unbelievers who need to be removed from the church. I remember distinctly who answered this question last week. It was Casey. I Didn't even write that down. I just remembered it. Well, how do we know that?
Well because. The second part as Casey rightly said last week is false. The weeds do represent unbelievers, but the second part who need to be removed from the church now. Let me just say this if you apply to be a member of Bethlehem Bible Church and you say You know on your application.
I am NOT a believer. You know, will will we accept you into membership? Not yet. Why would we? Mean the church is a gathering not of you know, it's not a community gathering. It is a In the sense of everybody who lives in West Boylston or thereabouts, you know should join the church.
It's a gathering of believers. So we would not let them in until such time as they had a credible profession of faith. But the church should not remove Unbelievers out of the church. That's not the point of this parable.
In fact, the point of this parable is that unbelievers exist in the world. Okay, number seven with the right Apologetic approach the weeds. I just wind up being okay. Well, you never know. Like a you know wild dog you might be able to tame it.
That's false the end for the terrors and for the weed cannot be more plain. Number eight. The church should expend great effort in getting rid of false professors. That is not professors like at a university but people who say that they're believers but really aren't.
And this is kind of where we left off. We'll catch up to where we were. But if we if we consider the things in this parable rightly and we again me we should actually open up our Bible my Bible. We the royal we Matthew Chapter 13 and Jesus actually explains the parable we'll read that and then we'll continue.
Because as we recall the disciples come to him and want this Explained to them and he says, okay. This is verse 36. Then he left the crowds meaning Jesus and went into the house and his disciples came to him saying Explain to us the parable the weeds of the field.
And again, as I said last week, we don't exactly know why they wanted to explain. Maybe there's some discussion or maybe it was just so Heavy for them, you know, so it just weighed on them. We don't know speculation verse 37.
He answered The one who sows the good seed is the son of man. The field is the world. The entire world. In fact, I have a note that I added Here just for this morning Leon Morris said this. The field is the world indicates that the good seed is widely distributed.
World is a term that may have any one of several meanings, but here it clearly notes The entire population of the inhabited globe. Jesus is speaking of no narrow particular ism. In other words, it's not just a small little area.
It is interesting that the good seed is not the words that tell of the kingdom. But the sons of the kingdom the people who receive and respond to the word. They are characterized by their king by their relationship to the kingdom.
They belong to the kingdom. The weeds also belong To the evil one. Jesus makes a sharp distinction in the end people belong either to the kingdom the kingdom of God or to Satan and so we were. As we read this the field is the world and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom.
The weeds are the sons of the evil one and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire so it will be at the close of the age the Son of Man will send his angels and They will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers all causes of sin and all lawbreakers.
Who might that be? Be unbelievers anything else. I mean, what's what's a cause of sin when you think of that? Temptations. Satan but False teachers. I mean again, it just takes me back to Matthew 7 all the people who say, you know Lord, did we not do this in your name and that in your name and he says depart from me Verse 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace in that place.
There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the Sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears let him hear. And so he explained the parable and we saw that last week.
But back to the question the church should expend great effort in getting rid of false professors. That is people who are not really believers. Just say that they are. And as I said last week, that doesn't mean we shouldn't practice church discipline.
It does mean however, that It's an old likelihood if the world is filled with believers and unbelievers. Why would we think that the church would be different? Why would we think that every single person?
Even in a small church like this is a believer. In fact, I how do we? When we put somebody out of the church, we obviously want them to repent, but what are we basically saying? If we're forced to put someone out of the church, what's the the kind of underlying message of that?
We have a stand a Standard that they're not meeting. Okay. There are consequences to sin. Okay, and I'm going to emphasize the first part of what Peggy just said if they're not a believer or if there are a.
If they're a believer they should feel the loss of fellowship. But we're already saying when we put them out of the church Pam. Okay that they're actually proving there. As far as we can tell they're proving that their profession of faith is false.
In other words what we're saying when somebody when we put somebody out of the church, we're not saying dude. You're just so bad. We're gonna give you the boot. What we're saying is as far as we can tell we can't judge the heart.
But from your observable actions for everything we see from your response to us bringing the word to your situation we have absolutely no reason to think that you are a Christian and Therefore as much as it grieves us we are putting you outside of the fellowship of the Saints.
It's it's something we don't do lightly. But essentially what we're saying is we think you are a tear. We think you are an unbeliever. And again, we can't know your heart but the servants in this parable they wanted to just.
They're zealous. For the kingdom and for the king and they want to uproot the tears. They say hey, let's go out there and just we'll just remove all these tears. But what does Jesus say? He says you can't do that.
Because as you're pulling up these tears in other words just and I mentioned this last week. Just imagine if we said, okay, we're gonna have a new terror ministry. We want you know, the people of the church.
We're gonna have a sign up in the lobby. And if you want to be in the terror ministry, okay. We're going to appoint people and they're gonna get you know, my mom used to pay me. I think it was when I was a kid like 25 cents a bucket for weeds, you know go pull weeds.
She used to go. Well, you can make all kinds of money. Just go pull weeds. 25 cents a bucket. Oh. Even adjusted for inflation that wasn't very much money. You Know I wasn't that clever if you know, I should have been smart.
I should have gone and got one of those tiny little buckets. You know I'll show you mom. What would you know the end result would we'd have like a kind of a spiritual You we'd have the Pharisees it'd be kind of like a spiritual secret police kind of a spiritual KGB running around, you know trying to ferret out all the Unbelievers and I I think the end result would be we'd probably have about I don't know ten people left.
We're done because yeah, you know ultimately would turn into like a Church lady kind of thing. I'm holier than thou. Therefore thou must be an unbeliever, you know. And and that's just how it would work.
One man said the kingdom cannot be purged of its tears before judgment the world can't and the church will not be Perfect. The church will never be pure and cannot be made pure. The cure would kill the patient at its best the church would be Infiltrated by the or will be infiltrated by the ungodly and I'm just kind of reminded does anybody anybody familiar with the Punic Wars?
It's where the Punic's Challenged no, I don't even know where the title comes from. But maybe it's because of the punitive nature of warfare at that time, but there was war between two nations Carthage and Rome and Carthage had the temerity to challenge Rome and What happened eventually after the second Punic War?
When Rome defeated Carthage they went into Carthage and does anybody remember what they did to Carthage they They just took salt and they poured it all over their fields and everything else. Why? What's that?
So nothing would grow and so the idea here is You don't want to take salt and just pour it over the whole thing because then you'll have you'll destroy the tears. Sure, but you'll also Destroy the wheat and we ended with this that Matthew Henry Said the Lord would rather permit tears than endanger wheat.
I mean could the Lord not remove every tear from the church. Yes, could he not remove every terror from the world? Yes. But that's not his plan. He's not going to do that yet. Beyond that as I said before if we can't in the church tell the tears Between that between the tears and the wheat Within the church.
Sometimes we can't tell in the world either People that we presume are terrors God knows better. But it's interesting at this time, too. People want to blame the church for A lot of ills. I mean, it's it's really popular right now.
If you start saying anything negative about Islam, what's the response the crusades, right? You're unloving you're judgmental and everything, but they always it goes back to the Crusades. You know sure Islam is doing terrible things.
But what about the Crusades? What about the Inquisition? I love those questions. Yeah, well the the first response to the Crusades is who started it because the truth is by the time the Crusades were underway Islam and pretty much peacefully Spread over much of the known Globe.
I mean there are just a couple of battles in history tours in France now you have to know that when Islam started in the Middle East and then spread over North Africa and went across straits of Gibraltar into Spain and was finally defeated in France that things were getting a little serious and.
The same thing happened the other way they went through Turkey and up through Bulgaria and that whole area and we're eventually I think defeated somewhere in Austria so I mean they at one point the forces of Islam had taken over a good part of the world and In response to that, you know, we had the Crusades we Who who organized the Crusades anyway?
Weren't they the Catholics? Yeah, that's a good answer. Yeah, so I'm like I love questions about the Crusades and the Inquisition because I'm like, let's see Martin Luther John Calvin, I don't think we were around yet.
So You know throw all the money you want at the Roman Catholic Church doesn't hurt my feelings. Well, why the Crusades I think it's in response historically to Something else now, you know, I think they the Crusaders put way too much emphasis on Bethlehem and other things.
I mean, you know if they were to spend as much time actually worrying about the gospel as they did about the Holy Land I think we'd have been a lot better off. But you know people also like to point to the Inquisition.
What's the Inquisition? Okay, a fusion of church and state and they were essentially trying to purge the terrors. They really went after Jews and anyone who was Not a professing Christian. They were just gonna get rid of all of them.
What why do bad things happen in the name of Christianity? Because sometimes the tears take over the church. I mean there are times and I've mentioned this before. Really sometime I'll do a study on this but there were times during the Medieval period where the most powerful man on the face of the planet militarily.
Was the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church? When he spoke Kings trembled because he had the troops to back up whatever he said and We you know, we live in a different world now where you know. The Pope's got what couple square miles there and and he doesn't have a massive army, but things were a lot different.
Sometimes terrors take over the nominal church, you know, does that mean? Well It'll get into what I what I spoke about a few weeks ago about church leadership and what I'm going to talk about tonight Sunday evening we're gonna be talking about deacons and men who should be serving in the church and the women who should be supporting them, but the the world holds Christ.
This is this is I just made this up. But it's true the world holds Christ accountable for everything done by those naming his name. Right, if you say you're a Christian. Then the world wants to hold you accountable or wants to hold Jesus accountable for everything that you do.
But that's not how it works. There are tears within the wheat. Now here's a question do tears reveal themselves a lot of times. They do and you know what? I wrote often. They do a lot of times. They do very good.
Good job, Pam. How do they reveal themselves. How do tears show themselves Brian. By acting like tears their language. Some examples their language. What they love. I had their desires good. Who they love.
How about their cruelty? I mean we're talking about the Inquisition, I mean somebody who really loves Christ would therefore torture people who don't. Is that gonna be effective? No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
How about their tempers do people reveal who they are? Whether they love Christ or not by their inability to control their temper sometimes they do. Does that mean that Christians can never get angry?
No, but it means. You know, I can't help it. I'm Irish. I have an Irish temper. I can't help it. Why is it that every you ever notice that you know, every nationality has its own little quirks or whatever.
But everybody seems to have a temper. Well, I can't help it. It's my you know, Spanish temper. I can't help it. It's my everybody has a temper. I don't know why that is. Maybe it's just a sinful desire to justify it.
I'm not sure. How about what you set up your goals your ambitions what you set out to achieve in life? Does that tell us something about you? How about whether you're honest or not? How about with you cough and said no listen.
Sorry. What is it about tears that ultimately sets them apart is they don't worship God. They they have some other God. Sometimes it's just themselves. But the world would say what that churches are filled with.
Hypocrites. Is that true? Vita. Yeah new believer sometimes struggles with different things even. Believers at various points in their lives may have difficulties that come in and they may struggle with them for a time.
It's hard to To take a snapshot of someone's life and try to determine whether they are a believer or not. Yeah, Pam. Pam makes an excellent point. She says well, there are hypocrites, but the Lord knows the difference and again We're talking about wheat and tears.
Do you think that Jesus ultimately knows the difference. Who is it who sends the angels out there to identify him? Basically, you know, here's the picture I would say of the judgment. I'm skipping ahead a little bit.
But it's as if the Lord is the director of the FBI. This is an analogy from which I have a little bit of experience or with which I have a little experience and he gives out. You know the most wanted posters and he sends his angels out there to go out there and find the most wanted people.
He's gonna sort out the tears. He's going to remove them and you know as far as the world saying well, the church is filled with hypocrites. May I just suggest that the world is filled with unloving hypocrites?
I mean right now it's just we see this in the news daily, you know all kinds of calls for tolerance. When it comes to other religions, but I promise you this. In fact, I just read yesterday that there's a possibility that The so-called ground center mosque or ground zero mosque may get tax free financing or you know interest free financing.
Like boy, I like that deal for BBC. That'd be pretty sweet. I think Massachusetts will throw us some interest-free financing. I Think that's intolerance. Why is the master in this parable why is he so patient?
Why is he so patient why is he just say, you know what leave those those weed weeds alone. Don't try to go identify the tears. What's that? He knows there'll be a harvest. He's waiting for the weed to ripen.
Listen what John MacArthur says. He says the servants did not understand the greatness of God's grace or his plan of redemption for the intermediate and millennial Periods of the kingdom before Christ would judge the world.
In other words Christ is patient. He knows he knows that now's not the time then wasn't the time and some of the What appears to be tears what appears to be weeds. God is going to? Transform. Pam we are going to marvel forever and I'm gonna mention this tonight, too.
We're gonna marvel forever at the amazing grace and wisdom of God. We you know from our perspective we think things should be done a certain way and here the disciples are just like, you know. It's obvious to us what needs to be done Lord.
We need to go out there in that field find all the tears and yank them up and he's just like well. Wait a minute. You guys first of all don't know what you're doing. I'm gonna send you out there and you're gonna wind up, you know, pulling up tear wheat everything else, you know we're gonna wind up with a pretty ugly looking field.
The other thing is What you and it kind of goes together what you guys identify as terrors may not be tears. I know. My angels will know so you just wait. It's not time yet. Number nine on the quiz. True or false many churches today are beset.
I decided to throw that in there beset by unbelievers. True. Like this quote from Spurgeon gotta have a Spurgeon quote every now and then if you find the perfect church don't join it. You'll ruin it. Yeah, I Think this church is perfect then don't join.
Now let me ask you this question does the presence of tears mean that the church will not accomplish her mission. In other words if there are unbelievers within the church, does that mean that the church will not be able to accomplish her mission?
No. No, because Christ is building his church and he will not fail. Jesus explained it the parable we talked about that a little bit. And I note, you know when he says basically summarizing it I'm gonna be patient.
We're gonna wait. I Said it's a little bit like you know. When you go to a baseball game or whatever and they say you can't tell the players are who the players are without a program. And that's exactly right.
Jesus tells us who the various actors are when he makes the one-for-one correspondence. The Son of Man is the one who sows the good seed. The field is the world. The good seed are the sons of the kingdom.
The weeds are the sons of the evil one. The enemy is Satan. The harvest is the clothes the age judgment and the Reapers are angels. Just struck me how? Black and white ultimately this is you know, even as I was reading this morning Jesus said what if you are not with me you are against me.
There are really no shades of gray with God. Now let's talk about the good seed for a moment the sons of the kingdom. What would be another way of saying? Talking about the good seed the sons of the kingdom or Believers.
Heirs of the throne, but how about something even? Because believers means what that they've already expressed their faith. What about our the elect. Why. Because there are in this vast field the whole world of Grain and wheat growing together.
There are some that are evident to us. We can see the fruits the seeds as it were, you know the wheat there are others. We can't see the wheat. Does that mean they're unbelievers? Well, yeah, it does mean they're unbelievers, but doesn't mean that they won't be believers.
No because. There are the elect those who have not yet professed faith in Christ, but will one day. The weeds are the unsaved Sons of the evil one. May just think about all the phrases that are used to describe those.
You know just a few what did Jesus say said? You know you are of your father the Devil. Referred to as the sons of disobedience. They have a variety of phrases. But the harvest the close of the age. The time of judgments.
The word is from the Greek word telos meaning end or goal. In other words the kingdom. This entire world is heading somewhere toward a harvest toward the consummation of all things. Let me ask you a question.
What impact ultimately do we have on when the end of the world takes place? Zero, how can you say that? Brian, how can you say that? Come on the Bible says? Yeah, I mean what when is that when does the kingdom?
You know reach its culmination when God says it reaches its culmination when the last of the elect are gathered in. The Reapers angels messengers of God they are his personal servants. Mmm. Let's just talk about the terrible judgment that is coming.
It is going to be characterized with a fire a massive burning as it were of weeds. Anybody ever seen dried weeds burn. They they go up pretty. I mean you can do whatever you want to try to put that fire out.
It's it's not happening. I Mean unless I can't even imagine how you put them out. I mean, it's like you know you watch those brush fires in California. It takes quite a bit of effort to put them out. Why?
Because everything's so dry, and you know when they hit the more rain they have the more plant Life they have. And then you know it all dries out, and it goes up like that. But it's interesting in verse 42 we see that this fiery furnace does not consume.
But instead causes intense misery. Weeping gnashing of teeth. I mean it's kind of like the flip side of Daniel and his companions what happens to them there in the fire. They don't can consume but They're fine, but this is a fire that does not consume and instead causes intense Misery on the flip side of that a great blessing is coming.
For whom? For the wheat. Kistemacher says the recipients of grace here meaning in this life. Will the be the recipients of glory there in heaven to be sure even here and now a measure of glory is bestowed on them.
But this glory is generally concealed. In what sense do we have glory now? Well in Ephesians, what is Paul right? He says that we are seated With Christ in the heavenlies. I mean positionally we have some measure of glory.
Certainly, I think even just. I mean I've just been amazed. You know talking about Kristen earlier, but the whole situation just watching little January. You know as I just think of how God has Blessed me and my family over the years.
It's amazing to me. It is amazing if I were to stand here and just testify of all the great things that God has done. For us it would it would take more time than we have. Even if I started at 9 o 'clock.
Okay, if you are rejected for Christ's sake God's glory rests on you. Let's turn to Matthew 24 for a moment. Matthew 24, we're gonna read verses 30 and 31. Talking about judgments, but then there's the negative side where the tears are gonna be burned.
But what's gonna happen to the wheat? It's gonna be they're gonna be blessed. Who wants to read verses 30 and 31 of Matthew 24? Go ahead Brian. I mean, this is kind of the same Picture that we're seeing here.
Except just talking about the elect, but I think it's fascinating and I didn't study this. But just that first part there. Then we'll appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man and then all the tribes of the earth will rejoice.
No. We'll mourn. We don't really think of that. Why would they mourn? It's not gonna be a great time for them. There goes their authority. How many people will have regrets on that day when they think of how they ignored the truth.
Look at? I'll just read this. Daniel 12 talking about judgment again. Daniel 12 verses 1 to 3 at that time shall arise Michael the great prince who has charge of your people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never been.
So such has been such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered. Everyone whose name shall be found written in the book and many of those who sleep in the dust shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the sky above and Those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever those are great promises to those who love the Lord. Okay number 10 on the quiz.
True or false the church is wise to focus on Satan remaining on the alert so he can't plant tears in the church. False. I mean this is this is. There's nothing we can do about it, I mean all we can do is confront open sin confront false doctrine, but again, I just think the whole idea of being Satan focus is wrong in fact.
Some of the most miserable people I've known have been people who've been in churches where the focus was on Satan. One woman once said to me that they were in a church where the focus literally was on the sovereignty of Satan.
They were always trying to bind him trying to Break his power trying to break his strongholds casting out demons. Satan is not sovereign and we ought not to focus on him. We don't Ignore him, but our focus isn't on him.
It's on Christ number 11 true or false. Every believer should take inventory and determine for himself herself whether he or she is a tear true. What a Paul right in 2nd Corinthians chapter 13. Examine yourself, and I mean all throughout The New Testament there are calls for self-examination and At the end of the day if you look at this parable of the kingdom.
The wheat and the tares and you aren't at least thinking to yourself a little bit am I? Wheat am I a tear then you're kind of missing the bigger points. Judgment is coming. We don't just say well. I I look forward to seeing what happens to everybody else at the judgment.
I Want to make sure that you're right before God daily confessing your sin. Daily seeking the Lord's face over and over again. Jesus Makes this kind of dichotomy between those who love him and those who don't.
If you love me keep my commandments. Narrow is the way. Broad is the road that leads to destruction over and over again. He presents these two divergent paths. The same thing is here true or true here.
We have the wheat we have the tares we need. We should want to examine our own lives and to determine for ourselves. That as much as we may stumble as much as we may sin. That our allegiance is with Christ that we love him and he is Truly our first love.
What else can we do about this? How else can we act upon this parable? I think the other key would just be this. That we know that there are Many out there many good seeds out there That have not yet borne fruit.
So I think this should give us confidence in evangelism. Because if there are people out there that the Lord has Elected that he has chosen and yet have borne no fruit at all. Then we should be indiscriminate in our Proclamation of the gospel knowing that God will save Whom he has chosen that he will bring those sons and daughters of the kingdom out of darkness and into light as we are faithful to preach the truth.
Any other thoughts. Casey yeah, the Casey points out that the Bible itself the New Testament the teachings of Jesus basically are all about this kind of Dichotomy of thought, you know, you're either believer or an unbeliever and you give evidence of whether you're a believer or an unbeliever.
You know again we get back to this idea of what the world says about Christianity. Christians are this that and the other thing. Well Many people who name the name of Christ are those things. But Christians that is followers of Christ those who actually Believe what they say they believe.
Have different characteristics. They're marked by a love for the Lord and therefore obedience to his word. Well, let's go ahead and pray father. We thank you so much for your word for these parables. For the The truth that they give us.
For the light that they shine so clearly our lives and how they divide between truth and error. Lord, would you give us the grace? To obey you to flee from sin to be not self kind of idolizing People who think how good we are.
But those who are awestruck by your grace. Who are amazed at the care and the love that you have lavished on us in? Making us wheat as it were Lord in light of that would you cause us not to think how good how strong of a wheat stock we are but Lord how much we owe you and how much therefore we ought to go and Serve others how much we ought to be Vessels of the truth those who would in love Tell the truth.
That we might see many brought into the kingdom of your dear Son. Father we thank you for all the promises in Christ and even the idea that we would have a fullness of glory one day that we would be Christ like.
One day that we would be like him. What a mind-boggling thought. Father we just praise you and thank you for all these truths in Christ's name. Amen.