“Spies Like Us”

Intro:   For many of us, and especially men, there is an ongoing love affair and interest in espionage and spying.  There is excitement in high-speed adrenaline chase scenes that explode off the silver screen.  There is fascination in bigger than life characters like James Bond.  And then we are humored by the bumbling characters in shows like Get Smart where agent Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 try to Control Kaos in the world.  There is also fascination with the amazing gadgets associated with our favorite spy characters.  Who can forget the shoe phone, the wristwatch communicator, and who wouldn’t like to have an ejector seat in their car, especially when accompanied by a less than enjoyable passenger.  All this is novel but it pails in the dim light of reality as our newspapers are full of articles that make us cringe. John Walker Lindh, Americas Taliban and one of two- dozen traitors, faces up to 20 years in prison for his terrorist activities.  And while some of us might understand what he did under the influence of his chosen religion who can understand Robert Hansen, arrested last year on charges of spying for Moscow.  One expert, at the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C. said, “Espionage is as old as recorded time, and probably older.”  He is correct.  It started with a snake in the garden, Satan in disguise. 

            There are enemies among us and they intend on doing us harm.  While there is a physical threat the greatest threat is spiritual.  Jesus speaks to us about the threat in the parable of the wheat and the tares.  In it he explains that we Christians share this world with the enemies of Christ.  As spies among us they will look like us.  While they can pose us a threat out Lord promises to keep us safe.

I.          Wheat and Tares Definition:

Jesus clearly defines for us the nature of wheat and the nature of tares.  As in the parable of the Sower Jesus is the Sower and He plants the Word of God.  From this seed the Sons of the kingdom of God are born.  These are believers in Jesus Christ who by faith trust in Him as Savior.  The Tares or weeds are the Sons of the Devil.  They are not just unbelievers but those people the kingdom of God has touched and as a result have rejected faith thus aligning themselves in opposition to Christ and the sons of God.  For now they are allowed to coexist in the world with the children of light.

                        A.        Coexisting in the world.   

                                                After Cain killed his brother Abel God confronted him.  Cain expressed only fear of punishment.  He did not express any sorrow or penitence for having killed his brother.  There in the presence of God he rejected what God had to offer and only feared for his only life because he knew justice would demand that his life be taken away from him.  God put a mark on Cain to protect his life from the vengeance of men.  So we see the tares and weeds of the Devils children are allowed to safely remain among the redeemed wheat of Gods people.  It makes a person wonder why God would allow such a thing.  Jesus reminds us that it is for the protection of His own people.  The harvest of the redeemed must be complete before the judgment of the world takes place.  All of God’s children must be ready to be gathered into his heavenly barns.  It is by grace that the Lord delays His judgment and even converts His enemies.  The apostle Paul was such an enemy, a weed in the world, persecuting the church, killing Christians and utterly opposed to Christ.  But God in His mercy made Saul the weed into Paul the wheat of God.  So it is that God allows wheat and tares to grow together.

                        B.        Coexisting in the Church

                                                God allows the wheat and the tares to coexist in the church.   Since the emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire with the Edict of Milan in the year 313 A.D.  A great change was introduced in the relation of church and state.  It became politically advantageous and even necessary for people, believing and unbelieving, to belong to the church.  Multitudes came into the church after professing repentance and faith in Christ and accepting baptism.  Only God, who searches hearts, knew how many of them remained pagan at heart.  Their harmful influence in the church soon became apparent.  They demanded and obtained one concession after another.  The forms of worship and Christian discipline and practice were brought into closer conformity with paganism.  It was now popular to be a Christian.  The offense of the cross had ceased.  The reproach of the name of Christ was gone.  As the church grew in favor with the popular culture, it lost the favor of God.  The seed of the divine Word that was sown by faithful preachers was choked more and more by the tares of worldliness.

II.        Jesus Warns Us of the Dangers.

                        Jesus taught His disciples the parable of the Weeds to point out the realities of life in this world and to make them aware of the dangers.  He was preparing them so that they wouldn’t fall prey to temptation.  After all, the Devil’s seed was right there among them.  After a hard teaching of Jesus many people that had followed him turned away.  Jesus asked His disciples if they too wanted to turn way.  Peter replies, “Lord to whom shall we go, you have the Words of eternal life.  Jesus answered, “did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil.  The text goes on to say, “He (Jesus), spoke of Judas Iscariot…for he would betray him, being one of the twelve.  This was one year before Jesus was to be crucified.  Even then Judas was marked as a betrayer.  The disciples didn’t recognize Judas as a betrayer then or on the night of betrayal.  True to Christ’s word though, Jesus did not uproot Judas then and there.

The seed of Satan continues to mingle among the faithful.  They masquerade in the church as angels of light but they spread deceit and unbelief.  Their sole aim is to turn believing hearts away from Jesus and seal unbelievers under the wrath of God.  Their false fruit has taken many forms throughout the history of the church.  For the Galatians it was the temptation to leave the grace of God in Christ and return to works righteousness and under the curse of the law.  What is its form for us?  Can we recognize the dangers and the temptations around us?  With the Lords help I think we can.  We can identify those things in our lives and in our church, which hinder the Gospel - those things that do not glorify Christ, those things that do not promote faith in Him alone for the salvation of the soul.    The congregations of the Missouri Synod are faced with temptation now. So are we as a congregation.  One temptation is worship practice.  Worship practices among our churches have almost as many flavors as cheeses in Wisconsin.  While variety can be good there is a movement today that promotes an anything goes type attitude towards worship.  Many aspects of popular culture have been introduced into worship practice like in the days Constantine.  Sometimes the result is the adoption of pagan tendencies worship, music is looked at as entertainment, sermons are stage plays and the alter is a backdrop for parades of flag waving dancers to cheer the faithful on.  This is one temptation.  Another temptation is to be so restrictive and unyielding in worship practice that no one hears the gospel.  It’s like the Catholic Church maintaining Latin worship services even though no one understands Latin.  We do have freedom in Christ, but it must be exercised with vigilance and care.  What are the other seeds that Satan has sown in our church and in your life that choke out the gospel?  You tell me.  The temptation is different for each and every one of us.

III.       Jesus Keeps Us Safe

                        The disciples didn’t recognize Judas as a betrayer even on the night of Jesus betrayal.  We too will not always recognize the enemy.  We can be certain that the enemy will be among us.  Luther wrote, “Where God builds a Church, the Devil builds a chapel.”  We must also be certain to know that the Lord will protect His Church.  Judas rejected the shield of faith to ward of the fiery missiles of Satan.  He did not resist the Devil and therefore the Devil didn’t flee.  The Lord calls us to get on our knees and to repent daily.  He gives us the shield of faith and we can flee from the Devil.  The Lord has all things under control.  He allows the wheat and the tares to grow together.  Our Lord Jesus who gave up his life for you, through whom you have forgiveness, holds you in his hand.  He will deliver the weeds of the world to eternal fire. You, made righteous by His blood, will shine like the sun in the kingdom of the Father.

Conclusion:  Attorney General John Ashcroft is quoted in this week’s issue of Time magazine saying, “Al-Qaeda maintains a hidden but active presence in the United States, waiting to strike again.”  Satan maintains a hidden but active presence in spies that look just like us.  But the Lord knows who and where they are.  They will be rooted out.  In the mean time the Lord will keep us safe until that great and glorious Day of Judgment when He shall come in glory to gather us, His harvest home.