Morning Message Text: Matthew 13: 24-30
The Parable of the Weeds
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”
Morning Message:
“Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Today’s Psalm reminds us of the importance of prayer. We hear these words, but we don’t allow them to sink into our thought process and change the way that we pray. I do the same thing; I get stuck in a routine of prayer and I know that I should occasionally change things up. King David’s prayers can be very meaningful if we take the time to listen and really understand. We need to ask God to teach us his way, and yes, if we are honest with ourselves, we will confess that our hearts are divided. As long as we live in this world our hearts will be divided. How can we overcome this? By asking God on a regular basis to bring us back and renewing a right purpose in our hearts. Do you need strength this morning? I know that every one of us is battling something. This is the path to daily victory; the undivided heart that only God can give you. This is your daily bread.
As Christians we feel the words of David. “Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God; ruthless people are trying to kill me—they have no regard for you.” You know, it’s okay to pray like this. We can be loving, compassionate, caring Christian people, and still pray to God for the help that we need from those who make us their enemies. We are called to love our enemies and be kind to those who oppose us, but when we talk to God, we need to boldly ask God to intercede on our behalf. As Christians we have one offensive weapon. In Ephesians 6: 17-18 we hear this: “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Listen, do you want strength for your walk of faith? Take your sword, the Word of God, and pray in or according to the Word of God. Are you hearing this today? Pray the words that are in this book for strength. Whoever has ears this morning, let them hear.
Now come on. Wake up! I know that I have a point that God wants me to make this morning and I am getting to it. This parable answers two questions. How can good and evil coexist during this age? What should we do about it? First there are two ways that good and evil can coexist in this world. These are your choices. You can try to ignore evil, pretending that it doesn’t exist and allowing it to exist unchecked all around you in the hope that it will not affect you or those whom you care about. In which case, we start to get that callus that we talked about last week. We feel the evil less and less and it becomes normal to us. We give in and compromise in the name of tolerance. Or you can do what we previously talked about. You can prayerfully stand against evil and on the side of God. Now listen, we are not called to eradicate evil from this world. We are not called to judge, and we can never know for sure who is Godly and who is evil. The farmer, God, wisely says let them grow together until harvest because you can’t truly tell the difference until they are all fully grown.
The key to understanding this parable is to think in pairs. There are two planters. Who are they? God and the devil. There are two plants. What are they? The wheat or the desirable plant, God’s people, and the weeds, the evil that is present in this world, unfortunately, those who have rejected God’s plan of salvation. Two plans. What are they? God’s plan for salvation and the good of mankind, and Satan’s plan to destroy whatever and whomever he can. Two prospects. What are they? The prospect of the weeds is to be burned, “They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” I take no pleasure in preaching such things. The only reason that I do is so that some may repent and be saved from such a terrible fate. The wheat will be gathered into the barn, heaven, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
We find ourselves living among the weeds. If we are truthful with ourselves, we would just as well have God remove the weeds from our midst. What you need to know today is that God has a perfect plan for us and for all of his creation. We don’t have to fully understand his plan, and we probably never will. It is better for us to not spend the little time that we have questioning God and complaining about our circumstances. Think instead about how blessed you are to have found your way, to be one of God’s people, one of the elect. If you take the time to consider the plight of the unsaved you will cease to complain. Yes, we are living among the weeds, pray for strength, pray for those who are worse off, pray for the courage to take up your sword and fight for righteousness, and praise God for his love and amazing grace.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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