The devil's work in God's Kingdom - tares among the wheat

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Open: Youth Revival service in Morganton. The preacher was preaching on the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares and it was the most confusing message and invitation I have personally been involved with. I had about 12 or so youth from Stony Point and by the time the guy was finished only me and 2 girls were left in the stands. All the rest went to the altar (along with about 75% of the entire crowd) and “got saved” and/or rededicated.

Transition: I am not saying that the Holy Spirit doesn’t convict professing Christians that they need to get saved - He does indeed do that. What I am saying is that it is easy to manipulate this text and to work up a crowd at the altar.

This text, like all of inspired Scripture has its own authority and we can trust the Holy Spirit to do His work of conviction without emotionalism or manipulation.

READ the Text: Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43

Principles:

God is at work building His Kingdom. The Kingdom IS present and it consists of genuine believers.

Let’s not forget that God saves people. The text states that the “blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit” (v. 26). American Christianity in the 21st century is definitely in the minority, but the Church of Jesus has believers who are devoted to the Savior and do their best to please the One who called them.

Most of us in the Church are not interested in Church History, but a survey of the Church Age quickly reveals that genuine Christianity has never really been the majority position. Our confidence is not to rest in numbers, but in the truthfulness of God’s Revelation and His work of regeneration in our lives.

We should not be surprised to be in the minority because Jesus declared this truth when He said, “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matt 7:14)

Satan counters God’s Kingdom by sending his own people into the Kingdom as counterfeits

This parable teaches the uncomfortable truth that many in the visible church are actually counterfeit. They are the tares in the parable and they DO NOT belong to Jesus, but instead are agents of Satan. Many of them would take offense to being labeled as such, but if they are not IN CHRIST, they are still under the dominion of the devil

The devil was the greatest archangel and still retains power and influence as a fallen foe, but he cannot create. Only God can create. Satan therefore imitates God through counterfeit creations in an effort to sow discord and confusion in the Kingdom. Satan is allowed to blind some to the reality of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). He does this through emotionalism, manipulation, a trust in works, a reliance on personal pride (if you surrender to Jesus you will appear weak and your friends will mock you) and a host of other deceptions.

The reality is that the Church has members who are not regenerate. They are counterfeit Christians and they confuse people.

Illustrate: Germans sowed confusion during their breakout attempt in the Battle of the Bulge. They did this by sending Germans who spoke fluent English dressed in American uniforms behind the lines to change road signs, give false reports of enemy maneuvers, etc. The plan worked for a little while but was discovered and contained

The Church (or individuals within it) are not given authority to bring final judgment regarding unbelievers

The servants of the Master came and reported the discovered tares among the wheat and asked for permission to remove them. The Master denied their request as their efforts might damage the wheat. Jesus does not give the Church authority in this situation as He is aware of the limitations of discernment, even from the best of believers.

This does not mean that Christians are forbidden to judge anything. We are not expected to accept whatever we are told and to never question. Without some level of judging sin, the Church could not practice Church Discipline, and we would be unable to point out false teaching.

What it does mean is that believers are not given the authority to pass final judgment on those that are considered unbelievers, along with the intention of removing them.

(e.g., the Crusades were an illegitimate attempt at purifying the world of Infidels)

God is the One who will make things right at the end

God reserves the right for final judgment for the Son. Christ is the One who will preside over the separation of the wheat from the chaff. This judgment will take place at the end of the Church Age and it will involve the angels as the agents of the gathering and the separating.

King James Version Chapter 25

31 When the Son of man shall come in HIS GLORY, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, BUT the goats on the left.

Take Away Principles from the Parable:

We can trust that God does save people. Jesus is building His church and there are genuine Christians in every generation

We can know that the Church will never be pure in this age. False believers will be among us. We can rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment

Each believer has the personal responsibility to reflect on the genuineness of his or her own relationship with Christ. It is possible to be deceived. Take it to the Lord and He will reveal the truth to you.

We CAN (and should) practice Church discipline at the local level, but we leave the ultimate judgment to God