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Wheat and Tares
We’ll
be preaching out of today…. Matthew 13:24-30
The sermon
we had last Sunday at Millers creek Baptist set the tone for me and I believe
the whole camp…. The story of the wheat and the tares and the way bro. Neil
preached the message made me look at myself in a different light…not necessarily
in my salvation…I don’t believe that I am a tare amongst the wheat but I feel
that maybe my preaching and teaching have been off the mark..especially on
Sunday morning.
Billy
Graham says that 50 to 70 percent of every Christian that sits on a pew is not a
saved person.
They are
thinking they are Christians but they are not…
They are
lost but thinking they are on the right direction.
But they
have come to church for all the wrong reasons…..
1.
It’s the family
church
2.
It’s the right
thing to do
3.
Social outings
4.
My friends are
here
a.
Girl friends
b.
Boy friends
c.
Lady friends
d.
Men friends
5.
Come for the music
and the singing only….
6.
Come for the
programs (happens a lot in the bigger churches)
7.
The word (little
w) that is preached is not about salvation but how good we need to be
8.
And last…the
pastor is a nice guy.. he doesn’t preach to hard.
Matthew
13:24. Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is
likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Point:
1.
the field in which Matthew is discussing is the church…
a.
reason:
i.
the church is the
place which the word of God is sowed unto the world
ii.
the church is the
place where the word of god is put forth into all nations.
iii.
The church is the
place where the seed is planted.
25. But
while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his
way.
Point
2.
Who is the enemy:
a.
Satan
a.
Contrary;
a.
contrary to God’s word; the opposite of what God wants.
b.
God wants the best for us.
c.
Satan wants to destroy us.
b.
adversary;
a.
he is our enemy
b.
he is against us
c.
he wants to destroy us
d.
he wants our souls to live in eternity in hell with him because he will never
enter the kingdom of heaven and he wants no one else to go either.
c.
Accuser:
a.
He accuses us every day of our unworthiness to stand in the presences of God.
b.
He reminds us of our sins and tells us we deserve the same sentence as his.
c.
He lets us know that Christ die once for us and as we continually sin we have
lost our salvation.
d.
That is, in the night, when it could be done without being seen,
an enemy came and scattered bad seed on the new-ploughed field, perhaps before
the good seed had been harrowed in. Satan thus sows false doctrine in darkness.
In the very place where the truth is preached, and while the hearts of people
are open to receive it, by false but plausible teachers, he takes care to
inculcate false sentiments. Often it is one of his arts, in a revival of
religion, to spread secretly dangerous notions of piety. Multitudes are
persuaded that they are Christians, who are deceived. They are awakened,
convicted, and alarmed. They take this for conversion. Or they find their burden
gone; they fancy that they hear a voice; or a text of Scripture is brought
to them, saying that their sins are forgiven; or they see Christ hanging on the
cross in a vision; or they dream that their sins are pardoned, and they suppose
they are Christians. But they are deceived. None of these things are any
conclusive evidence of salvation. All these may exist, and still there be
no true love of God, or Christ, and no real hatred of sin, and change of heart.
An enemy may do it to deceive them, and to bring dishonor on Christ.
Point:
3.
Who are the tares:
a.
By tares is probably meant a degenerate kind of wheat, or the darnel
grass growing in Palestine. In its growth and form it has a strong resemblance
to genuine wheat. But it either produces no grain, or that of a very inferior
and hurtful kind. It was extremely difficult to separate it from the genuine
wheat, on account of its similarity while growing. Thus it aptly represented
hypocrites in the church. Strongly resembling Christians in their experience,
and, in some respects, their lives, it is impossible to distinguish them from
genuine Christians, nor can they be separated until it is done by the great
Searcher of hearts at the day of judgment.:
b.
And went his way.
i.
There is something very expressive in this. He knew the soil; he knew how the
seed would take root, and grow. He had only to sow the seed, and let alone. So
Satan knows the soil in which he sows his doctrine. He knows that in the human
heart it will take deep and rapid root. It needs but little culture.
ii.
Grace needs constant attendance and care. Error, and sin, and hypocrisy, are
the native products of the human heart; and, when left alone, our natural
desires that natural original sin of man will constantly be at our heals.
Point
4.
26. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then
appeared the tares also.
a.
The time of the harvest has come.
b.
It is the calling of the Christians and the time of judgment has come for
those who do not know Christ as Lord and Savior.
c.
It is time when the separation of the so called good time religious people
and those who have served the lord faithfully.
d.
Those who have serve rejoice at the supper table of the Lamb and those who
have been deceived and have rejected the blood of Christ will not stand at the
judgment seat of our Lord.
27. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst
not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares?
28. He
said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou
then that we go and gather them up?
29. But
he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with
them.
30. Let
both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to
the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to
burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Final
point.
Verse 30.
Let both grow together. They would not spoil the true wheat; and in time
of harvest it would be easy to separate them.
Our Lord
teaches us here,
(1.)
That hypocrites and deceived persons must be expected in the church.
a.
The lost are inside the church as well as the outside of the church.
b.
Deceivers come into the field for the sole purpose of :
i.
Changing the doctrine of Christ
ii.
Giving new people deception on how to be saved
iii.
Misdirecting the purpose of the:
1.
Church
2.
Of creation
3.
Of God’s love
4.
Of the cross
5.
Of the meaning of the blood.
(2.) That this is
the work of the enemy of man. They are not the work of Christianity, any more
than traitors are of patriotism, or counterfeiters are of the proper effect of
legislating about money. They belong to the world; and hypocrisy is only one
form of sin. The Christian religion never made a hypocrite; nor is there
a hypocrite on the face of the earth whose principles and practice it does not
condemn.
(3.) That all hope
of removing them entirely would be vain.
(4.) That an
attempt to remove them altogether would injure real Christianity, by causing
excitements, discord, and hard feelings even among Christians.
(5.) That he will
himself separate them at the proper time. There is no doubt that it is the duty
of the church to attempt to keep itself pure, and to cut off gross and manifest
offends,
1Co 5:4-5. He refers to those who may be suspected of hypocrisy, but
against whom it cannot be proved; to those who so successfully imitate
Christians as to make it difficult or impossible for man to distinguish them.
{s} "time of harvest"
1Ti 5:24
{t} "to burn them"
Mal 4:1
{u} "wheat into my barn"
Lu 3:17
Isaiah
61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me
to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound;
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