Weeds, Seeds, Yeast

I really wrestled with this passage this week. Specifically, which part to preach, and what the Lord might want to say to us today through it, because there is so much in this passage. So, we are going to see where the H/S takes us today, because there are a few directions we may end up going....

If I had to pick a parable that would be the most valuable for the American Church in 2018, it mat be .

It may serve us best to build some foundational truths that Jesus build from in this parable....

That there is a Devil, and he does make trouble-

There was a young seminarian who was taking an oral examination for his ordination process. During the questioning, one of the examiners asked him if he believed in a personal devil. "No," he replied, "I do not believe in the devil." Hearing this, the examiners began to discuss the seminarian’s fitness for ordination.They were on the verge of disqualifying him when one of the older faculty members spoke up: "Don’t worry about this young man’s present disbelief in a personal devil. This whole thing will take care of itself. He won’t be working in a church for more than two weeks before he changes his mind."

 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

s not a pleasant place.

That there is a hell, and it is not a pleasant place.

There is a hell, and it is not a pleasant place

s not a pleasant place.

: 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Gehenna

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), .

8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), .

That there are 2 kinds of people in the world- saved and unsaved

They were on the verge of disqualifying him when one of the older faculty members spoke up: "Don’t worry about this young man’s present disbelief in a personal devil. This whole thing will take care of itself. He won’t be working in a church for more than two weeks before he changes his mind."

Statements like these tend to make people very uncomfortable; but their lack of comfort does not make the statements any less true. In recent years the popularity of beliefs that all roads lead to God, or that all people go to heaven have grain some major traction; but this beliefs stand in contrast to the Bible.

3 Kinds of belief

Pluralists

Christian Universalists

Dogmatic Universalists

That it is God’s job to separate the weed and the chaff-

We have no shortage of controversies in the church, and there are so many church arguments about wheat and chaff. Do these people go to heaven? Can you do this and inherit eternal life? These are all questions about wheat and chaff.

The servants could tell the difference but were asked to keep their hands off.

I think there is also a link with Jesus’ next parable

You never know what God is up too.