The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven!(1)

Matthew 13:10 “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?””

What is a parable? The word parable consists of two words, para which means beside and bole which means to throw.

So, the word parable means to throw beside. Jesus would take an earthly story and throw a spiritual meaning beside it.

The meaning of the earthly story was easy to understand, but the spiritual meaning would be hidden.

This is what prompted the disciples to ask Jesus why He was speaking to them in parables.

Notice what His answer was to their question:

Matthew 13:11 “Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.”

What is a biblical mystery? A Biblical mystery is something that was concealed in the Old Testament, but is revealed in the New Testament!

In other words, there are things God has hidden at one point in time, but chooses to reveal them in another period of time.

Today, I want us to take a look at one of the most disturbing parables Jesus ever told, it is known as:

The Tares Among The Wheat!

Matthew 13:24 “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.”

Matthew 13:25 ““But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.”

Jesus spoke all day long to the crowds in parables, and at the end of the day, notice which parable they wanted Him to explain to them:

Matthew 13:36 “Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.””

As we examine the answer Jesus gave to their question, there are four main points that will help us understand this earthly story with an eternal meaning!

I. The SIMPLE way a Tare is DEFINED!

Matthew 13:38 “and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;”

In the natural realm, the tare was a counterfeit to the wheat growing in the field.

In the spiritual realm, the tare is a counterfeit, a person who is on the road to hell but they believe they are on the road to heaven!

A. A Tare can be a RELIGIOUS person who has never been REDEEMED!

B. A Tare can be a CHANGED person who has never been CONVERTED!

C. A Tare can be a SINCERE person who has never been SAVED!

But make no mistake about it, a Tare is a person who is on the road to hell while thinking and believing they are on the road to heaven!

II. The SINISTER way a Tare is DEVELOPED!

Matthew 13:24 “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.”

Matthew 13:25 ““But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.”

Jesus said:

A. An enemy PLANTS the tare AMONG the wheat!

Matthew 13:25 ““But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.”

In the natural realm, if a farmer had an enemy that hated him, his enemy would plant tares in his field during the planting season.

In the spiritual realm, the devil sows tares in God’s field, and notice something else that is sinister.

Jesus said:

B. A tare GROWS together with the wheat!

Matthew 13:30 “‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest;

During the growing season, the Tares and the Wheat have the same outward appearance. The Tares have growth but it is counterfeit growth.

The Tare doesn’t have any grain inside, it only has the outward shell or covering and the outward shell grows.

The Wheat have the authentic grain inside, and during the harvest season, the wheat is so full inside, that it bows down or bends over when the wind blows.

The Tares have nothing inside to cause them to bow or bend over. The Tares stand tall and proud, imitating the wheat that they are growing among.

Jesus also said:

C. A tare will be HARVESTED differently than the Wheat!

Matthew 13:30 “Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” 

The Tare is planted among the wheat, they outwardly appear to be growing like the wheat, but there is nothing authentic inside the Tare.

The Tare is on the road to hell while believing they are on the road to heaven!

The time will come, when Jesus will send forth angels to separate the Tares from the Wheat.

The Tares will be gathered together, thinking they have been on the road to heaven, but they have been on the road to hell, and they will be judged forever in the lake of fire!

However, the Wheat will be gathered together and escorted into heaven for ever and ever!

III. The SPECIFIC way a Tare is DECEIVED!

A Tare can be a Religious person, a Changed person or even a Sincere person, but they are a counterfeit Christian!

A Tare is on the road to hell while believing they are on the road to heaven.

How does a person become so deceived? I want to mention four things Satan uses to deceive good people into believing they are on the road to heaven when they are really on the road to hell.

A. Good WORKS help to deceive a tare!

Matthew 7:22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

A lot of good works are done by people in Jesus’ Name, but you do not get into heaven by doing good works!

When a Tare dies or when the angels come to separate the wheat from the Tares, notice what a Tare will hear Jesus say to them:

Matthew 7:23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”

B. Good BELIEFS help to deceive a tare!

James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

There are people who say they believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus, the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the Ascension back to Glory, the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ to the earth and they believe they are on the road to heaven!

But what part of those things does the devil not believe? The devil believes all of those things but the devil is not saved!

C. Good EXPERIENCES help to deceive a tare!

Acts 8:9 “Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;”

Acts 8:10 “and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God.””

Acts 8:11 “And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts.”

This man named Simon was a Tare sown among the wheat. He enjoyed people calling him the great power of God.

Acts 8:12 “But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.”

Notice some of the things that Simon experienced:

Acts 8:13 “Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.”

Simon Believed, he was baptized and was constantly amazed seeing the miracles taking place around him!

But Simon was a Tare, a counterfeit, he was not an authentic Believer. The apostle Peter and John went to investigate the miracles that were being done in Samaria.

When they arrived they noticed an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God but they also found a tare who had been sown among the wheat!

Acts 8:17 “Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 8:18 “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,”

Acts 8:19 “saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Notice what the apostle Peter said to Simon the tare:

Acts 8:20 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!”

Acts 8:21 “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.”

Simon had some of the same experiences the other people enjoyed. He believed, he was baptized and he desired to lay hands on people so they could receive the Holy Spirit!

D. Good PEOPLE help to deceive a Tare!

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature . . . for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

IV. The SIMPLE way a Tare is DELIVERED!

A. The CONDITION of your SOUL must be revealed to you by the Holy Spirit!

John 16:8 ““And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;”

On October 21st, 1980, the Holy Spirit revealed to me the true condition of my soul in the eyes of the Lord!

I was on the road to hell but I believed I was on the road to heaven! God used a man named Junior Hill to share with me three ways you could know if you were a Tare.

A Tare is UNCHANGED toward SIN!

A Tare is UNINTERESTED in SERVICE!

A Tare is UNAWARE of the HOLY SPIRIT!

B. The CRISIS of your LIFE must be recognized!

Acts 16:30 “and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

C. The CHOICE of your HEART must be redemption!

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”

Lord, I am a TARE, but I want to become a WHEAT today! I am a sinner by nature and my choices in life have confirmed my nature!

I believe you love sinners and that Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins. I also believe Jesus has been raised from the dead and right now I confess with my mouth that Jesus is God and I invite you to become my personal Lord and Savior.

From this day forward, I put you first in my life!

I will publicly confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior by being water baptized!

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Signature July 21st, 2024