There Are No Weeds In Heaven

There Are No Weeds in Heaven JUNE 19, 2022 There Are No Weeds in Heaven One Great Thing About Heaven: No Weeds & No Weeding  Weeds Will Not Be In Heaven  They Weren’t In The Garden  They Won’t Be In Heaven There Are No Weeds in Heaven • Matthew 13:24–30 (NIV) — 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 root up 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.’ ” There Are No Weeds in Heaven •This Parable Begins “The Kingdom Of Heaven Is Like…” •Sowing Weeds In The Field Of An Enemy Was An Act Of Vengeance For Farmers In Conflict In That Day Q. When Were the Weeds Planted? When Everyone Was Sleeping A. Jesus told the parable of Wheat and Weeds -to do about the weeds What • Don’t pull up the weeds risking damage to the wheat • Instead, wait until harvest time and reap all of them together and separate them then at a judgment of the harvest or fruit There Are No Weeds in Heaven The owner planted wheat: •Where did the weeds come from? Jesus gives the answer •It was an enemy that planted the weeds. •The solution: Let them grow together at harvest the wheat will be harvested and the weeds will be destroyed There Are No Weeds in Heaven • Matthew 13:31–35 (NIV) — 31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” • Jesus is teaching about the coming growth of his kingdom • It grows from mini to mighty • Only a small amount of leaven can make a large batch of dough rise – a small agent which impacts the whole lot There Are No Weeds in Heaven •What is small in the kingdom – yet a part of God’s overarching plan -- will be great in growth and significance as it is planted, watered and grows •Note the growth: from a circle of 12 – to a present-day circle of billions There Are No Weeds in Heaven •Jesus Used Parables To Fulfill Prophecy Given About Him Hundreds Of Years Before •Matthew 13:34–35 (NIV) — 34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” • All of this was in perfect alignment with the prophecies given regarding the coming Messiah –not accidental -- on purpose There Are No Weeds in Heaven Jesus Explains The Parable Of The Weeds And Wheat Matthew 13:36–43 (NIV) — 36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. There Are No Weeds in Heaven Jesus Explained The Meaning Of His Story •The Sower Of The Good Seed = Is The Son Of Man •The Field = Is The World •The Good Seed = Is The People Of The Kingdom •The Weeds = Are The People Of The Evil One •The Enemy = Is The Devil •The Harvesters = Are The Angels •The Harvest = Is The End Of The Age Where The Harvest Is Weighed Out, Separated, And Settled There Are No Weeds in Heaven Four things about those who belong to the kingdom. 1. They are the seed sown by the Sower 2. They have God as their father 3. They are called righteous 4. They will one day shine like the sun • Green, M. (2001). The message of Matthew. InterVarsity Press. There Are No Weeds in Heaven The sons of the evil one are described in three ways: 1.They are seed sown by the devil 2.They do evil, or, more literally, lawlessness 3.They are rebels against god’s kingly rule. And their destiny is ultimately destruction Green, M. (2001). The message of Matthew: the kingdom of heaven (p. 157). InterVarsity Press. There Are No Weeds in Heaven To those who are lawless and throw off God's truth •Those who excuse evil & sin without remorse or repentance •They are not part of the harvest •They are the weeds •They will be sad and distressed to know •That day is coming where they will be gathered and bundled up with those destined for destruction There Are No Weeds in Heaven •There is an “already and not yet” component of the Kingdom •We may enter the Kingdom now – but it will only be fully instituted when Christ comes •Until that time -- God allows righteous and wicked to coexist •There is coming a time when the harvest will be separated • WHOEVER HAS EARS… LET HIM HEAR! There Are No Weeds in Heaven Principles Of The Weeds In The Wheat •The enemy has sown the seeds of these tares among the wheat There Is A Battle Of Kingdoms – The Kingdom Of Darkness Desires To Destroy The Good Seed And Pollute The Fields Of The Kingdom • The Kingdom is not a fairy tale land •It is a Battlefield •There is a war going on it's a fight for our souls There Are No Weeds in Heaven • In This Battle Of Kingdoms Satan Uses Counterfeits • These are all weeds--signs of the enemy's attempt at infiltration •It Is Hard At This Point To Make A Distinction Between Those In The Kingdom And Those Not •Outer appearances and quick assessments do not always tell the whole story •The simple truth is -- we must allow the Lord to make the judgment that we are not equipped and enlightened to make There Are No Weeds in Heaven Judgment Is Coming •How Do We Know? 1.It is the testimony of scripture 2.It is the testimony of the Lord himself •At present the wheat and the weeds are growing together •But a day is coming when the Lord will judge them -- gathering the righteous to be rewarded while separating the wicked for destruction and judgment There Are No Weeds in Heaven There Is A Coming Time Of Harvest • The Weeds And Wheat Will Be Harvested Together • They Will Be Gathered & Grouped Into Bundles & Burned • Isaiah 26:9b–10 (NIV) — 9 … When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. 10 Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and regard not the majesty of the Lord. There Are No Weeds in Heaven Those Who Have Rejected & Opposed God’s Kingdom Will Have No Part In It •Their Future Is In A Furnace Of Fire As Isaiah Declared •Isaiah 26:11 (NIV) — 11 O Lord, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them. There Are No Weeds in Heaven We Want To Know When Lord? •We must be patient! • There is plenty of time for these issues to be addressed • This will not go on forever • The angels of the Lord will be dispensed on the great day of the Lord’s Kingdom come & they will gather the opposers and rebels • None Of These Weeds Will Be In Heaven There Are No Weeds in Heaven The Only Just And Righteous Judge Is The Lord •How can we know who is really in the Kingdom? • There are people who appear to be believers but are not • He can see the good and the bad and can immediately and accurately tell the difference • He sees the life of each person in its stark reality • He is the only one who can judge rightly and justly There Are No Weeds in Heaven In The End The Lord Will Accurately, Honestly, And Correctly, Reward The Righteous And He Will Repay Those Who Are Evil For Their Evil •Matthew 13:41 (NIV) — 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. • The Lord determine & separate the good from the evil • The angels will be able to know the difference • Weeds do not produce fruit – they produce poison There Are No Weeds in Heaven When The Weeds Are Gathered And Bundled To Be Burned By Fire • Zephaniah 1:2–6 (NIV) — 2 “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 3 “I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests— 5 those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molech, 6 those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him. There Are No Weeds in Heaven 1 Corinthians 15:24 (NIV) — 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. • The dominion, authority, and power of the enemy will be destroyed •He will be corralled, collared and thrown into the lake of fire •His sowing of weeds is over •There Are No Weeds In Heaven!!