Matthew 13:24-35

And again, it's boiling, isn't it?

So if you feel you need to get out

accidents, there are tyrants,

there are bullies which force their plans

on the world and crush anyone

who stands in their way.

Maybe there are things that have happened

in your life and the question is,

why does God allow that?

And it's a stumbling block, isn't it, to many people.

It's a challenge to us

as Christians that we need to face

that if Jesus is God's King,

bringing in God's kingdom,

why isn't it here yet?

It's been such a long time

coming. Why is there so much

opposition to Christianity in the world?

And in trying to make sense

of the world in which we live,

I think we can go to two extremes.

We might be over-optimistic as Christians

and we might, things are bound

to get better

and we try to capture the world for Jesus.

Things will just get better and better.

The other hand is,

we can be pessimistic, can't we?

That things are going from bad to worse

and so we just battle down the hatches

and we wait until Jesus comes back.

There's a teaching out there

that is a heresy.

It comes from America,

as most heresies do.

It's a teaching called the rapture.

You might have heard it.

There's many books that have been written

on this theme.

There are very bad films

that have been written.

It's very bad theology

and it's this,

that when Jesus returns,

he will snatch up all the Christians

and he'll rapture them away

and he'll leave the world to unbelievers.

So you wake up one morning

and you go out

and there's people's clothes

lying on the pavement

because all the Christians have disappeared.

You were flying to America

and there was a Christian pilot

and sadly he's just disappeared.

They've been taken away

and unbelievers are now in charge of the world

and that is a scary thought

but let me tell you,

it's not going to happen

and it's not going to happen

because Jesus says

it is not going to happen.

And that's what this parable is about.

Jesus is not going to root out

all the evildoers

or snatch away all the Christians.

Do you see what he says?

They will continue side by side

right to the very end.

The wheat of God

and the weeds of Satan.

The sons of the kingdom,

the sons of the evil one.

Side by side

right to the day of judgment.

Good and evil

will coexist.

And as much as you and I

would love God

to remove all evil from the world,

mercifully,

he will not do that

until judgment day.

And so is this world

going to get better

or is this world

going to get worse

and the answer is

yes.

The world is getting better.

The good seed of the gospel

is growing.

We've seen that

in the first parable,

it's an unstoppable harvest.

It's producing

an abundant harvest.

Grain on the stalk.

It's much,

much more,

isn't it,

than that tiny little seed

that was planted

into the ground.

And it's growing.

But the weeds are growing.

And every week that passes,

they are larger

and more deeply rooted

than before.

And that is the teaching

of Jesus in this parable.

I've just got two things to say.

One,

this parable helps us

to understand

our present reality

and it points

to a future certainty.

Our present reality

and our future certainty.

Let's first of all

look at the present reality.

It helps us to make sense

of the world

in which we live.

When we look at the world,

we see,

don't we,

good and evil

side by side

vying with each other.

And when you look

at world history,

you'll see that

there are times

when evil gets pushed down

and that it rises again

in a different form.

Often in a more sinister form.

And so,

2,000 years of Christianity,

the world is much

as it always has been.

There are still wars out there

and there are still

rumors of wars.

The wheat and the weed,

they grow together.

And when I move

from looking at the world

to looking into my own heart,

what do I find?

What's my experience?

Well, it's exactly

the same experience

as the Apostle Paul.

The good that I want to do,

I can't do.

And the evil that I don't want to do,

I find myself doing.

There's good and evil

side by side in the world,

but there's good and evil

side by side in my heart.

And that's the present reality

in the church.

We're told,

Jesus told,

we're told that Jesus

chose the 12

in John 6,

but one of them

was a devil.

And so,

if you're looking

for a perfect church,

if you've come here tonight

as a perfect church,

looking for a perfect church,

let me tell you,

this isn't it.

But if you find it,

as someone says,

don't join it

because you'll spoil it.

And let me say,

what I'm telling you,

it's not an excuse

to walk away

from the church either.

Some people say to me,

they say to you,

I don't go to church

because it's full of hypocrites.

And the response to that is,

well,

there's always room

for one more.

Come and join us.

The wheat and the weeds

grow together.

And that fits

with our experience

in the world,

in our lives,

and in the church.

The sons of the kingdom

are cheek by jowl

with the sons

of the evil one.

Isn't that right?

And so just look

in the parable with me.

There's two things

that you wouldn't

necessarily know.

The wheat and the weed

at certain points

are indistinguishable.

There's a very

specific word

that's used here

to describe the weed.

The bearded darnel.

It sounds like something

from Lord of the Rings,

doesn't it,

or Star Wars.

But it's a weed.

That's the word here.

It's being called

wheat's evil twin

because you can't

distinguish it

immediately from the wheat.

It's a poisonous,

extremely toxic weed.

In fact,

in a big enough dose,

this weed will kill you.

And at first,

when it begins to grow,

you can't tell the difference

between the wheat.

Both grow together.

It's why it's so dangerous.

And in this parable,

this weed doesn't just

spring up.

Can you see verse 25?

It's planted by an enemy.

While his men were sleeping,

his enemy came

and sowed weeds

among the wheat

and went away.

What have you got here?

This is germ warfare.

This is bioterrorism.

Agricultural sabotage.

The farmer's got a competitor.

There's a rival

who deliberately sets out

to destroy the crop.

And he does so

by planting poisonous,

toxic weeds

in amongst the wheat.

And doesn't that

accord with our experience?

According to Jesus,

verse 38,

the field is the world.

Don't make the mistake

that some have made

in thinking this parable

is about the church.

It's not.

In the world,

there are two agendas.

There are two peoples.

There are two kingdoms.

There are two forces

side by side.

Vying with each other.

And that's always been the case,

isn't it?

If you go back

to Genesis chapter 3

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

that Johnny preached

so helpfully on last week,

there have always been

these two.

The sons of the kingdom

and the sons of the evil one.

And in that first announcement

of the gospel,

which Johnny preached brilliantly

on the other Sunday morning,

Jesus preaches to Satan.

That's who the first sermon

is addressed to.

And it's not good news.

He says,

I will put hostility,

I will put enmity

between you and the woman

and between your offspring

and her offspring.

And he shall bruise your head

and you shall bruise his heel.

And that's the story

of the human race.

The sons of the kingdom

and the sons of the evil one.

And this struggle begins

to play itself out.

And so Genesis chapter 4,

Genesis 4 · chapter mention

the next chapter,

you have a murderer

and a victim.

And it's played out

all the way to the current time.

There is an enemy

who is opposed

to God's rule on earth

and he is intent

on sabotaging it.

There is a personal,

malevolent being

at work in this world

called Satan

and he sows weed

amongst the wheat.

Verse 25,

an enemy came

and sowed weeds

amongst the wheat

and went away.

So when the plants

came up

and bore grain

then the weeds

appeared.

How does that happen?

I read this week

that King Jong-un,

the Korean dictator,

his great-grandfather

was a Presbyterian minister.

I'm not,

he's certainly influenced

by Presbyterians

but it seems

that he may well

have been a Presbyterian minister.

They came out of China

as a Christian family

and moved to Korea.

How did that happen?

How did he become

what he has become?

An enemy has done this.

While they were sleeping

an enemy came

and planted weeds

amongst the wheat

so that now North Korea

is one of the most

oppressive regimes

in all the world.

And yet in North Korea

tonight there are sons

of the kingdom

in that field.

and there are seeds

of the evil one

in that field.

Together in God's province.

You see we must

wake up to this.

This is spiritual warfare.

Paul says we wrestle

not against flesh and blood

but powers and principalities

in the heavenly realms.

This is the evil one

trying to stop

God's work in the world

seeking to destroy it.

Remember Jesus told them

in Mark's Gospel

it gets that point

in Mark 8

where he says

and we're going to go up

to Jerusalem

and the Son of Man

which is the way

he describes himself

will be betrayed

to the chief priests

the teachers of the law

they'll condemn him

to death

they'll turn him

over to the Gentiles

he'll be flogged

and mocked

and crucified.

And they didn't

want to hear that.

And they say

no way Jose

is that going to

happen to you.

And what did Jesus

say to Peter

when Peter said that?

What did Jesus say?

Did he say thanks Peter

for caring for me so much?

Thanks Peter

I really appreciate

your concern.

No he said

get behind me Satan.

What he's saying is

Peter don't you realise

what is going on?

Wake up to the

spiritual warfare

that the enemy

is trying to stop me

from going to the cross.

But I must go.

Satan is trying

to divert me

from going to the cross

and Satan does

his damnedness

to get rid of him

right from the very beginning.

So you remember

Herod

seeking to put

those babies to death.

And so

wonderfully

with the bruised heel

of his

crucified humanity

Jesus has

stamped

on Satan's head

and destroyed

the works

of the devil.

Do you see

what is happening

is spiritual warfare.

You see in Acts 2

when Peter preaches

the sons of the kingdom

spring up

and there's a great harvest.

Thousands of people

become Christians.

And what happens

is that the enemy

comes persecuting

the church

from the outside

and counterfeiting

Christians

on the inside.

And you remember

Ananias and Sapphira

pretending to be

what they were not.

Pretending to be

sons of God

when they weren't.

What is that?

What's going on

at that point?

It is the enemy

planting weeds

amongst the wheat.

So much harm

is done, isn't it?

So much harm

is done.

And it's been done

in your life

and my life

by people

pretending to be

Christians.

Gandhi

was in South Africa

during the days

of apartheid.

And Gandhi

was very attracted

to the gospel.

Gandhi read

about the Sermon

on the Mount.

He read the life

and the teachings

of Jesus

and was attracted

to Jesus.

He tried one day

to go,

well I think,

into a reformed church

in South Africa

and they refused

him entry

because of the colour

of his skin.

And it turned him

off Christianity

permanently.

He said,

I would become a Christian

if I could find one.

How did that happen?

An enemy did it.

While the church

was sleeping,

an enemy

planted weeds

against the weed.

The other thing

to notice

is not only

the weed

and wheat

are indistinguishable

at first

but they're entwined.

Can you see that?

So you can't

pull up the weed

without uprooting

the wheat.

This is what he says

in verse 28.

An enemy

has done this.

So the servant

said to him,

well then what do you

want us to do

to go and gather them?

But he said,

no,

lest in gathering

the weeds

you root up

the wheat

along with them.

Let them grow together

until the harvest

and at harvest time

I will tell the reapers

gather the weeds first,

bind them in bundles

to be burned.

I hope when you read

those verses

you're glad.

I think we should be glad.

Aren't you glad

that Jesus said that?

Because what if

all the weeds

were ripped out?

Where would that

leave you?

John Chapman,

Australian evangelist

said this.

He said,

if you're going to

call the garbage man

make sure you

climb out of the bin.

It's good,

isn't it?

If you're going to

call the garbage man

climb out of the bin,

if you really want

God to intervene,

if you really want

God to rip out

all the weeds

and root out

all evil,

where does that

leave you?

What a mercy it is,

isn't it,

that God has not

separated the wheat

from the weeds.

He lets both

grow together

until harvest.

That is the kindness

and the patience,

the perfect patience

of God

towards us.

God says

he doesn't wish

that any would

perish.

Peter says,

the Lord isn't

slow to carry out

his promise,

as some count

slowness,

but he is patient

towards you,

not wishing that

any should

perish,

but all come

to repentance.

He doesn't want

anyone lost.

Those who are

weeds today

may be wheat

tomorrow.

that's what

Augustine said.

And that was

Augustine's story.

If you know

anything about him,

Augustine certainly

knew how to

sow wild oats,

and he was a

young man who

lived a very

wild,

desolate life.

But St.

Augustine had a

godly mum,

Monica,

who prayed for him.

And he was

wonderfully converted

in 386 AD.

Converted to

Christ in 386

AD.

But what if

Jesus had come

back in 385

AD?

What would

have become of

him then?

What about you?

How many of you

have become

Christians in

the last 20

or 30 years,

or the last 10

years, or the

last year, or

the last few

months, or the

last few

minutes?

What if Jesus

had come back

before then?

I think that I

became a Christian

in July 1993.

I'm a bit

unsure.

It's a complicated

story.

But I think it

was July 1993.

Not everyone

can give a date,

neither do you

have to give a

date.

But what if

Jesus had come

back in May

1993?

Or June

1993?

I would have

been eternally

lost, because I

was weed amongst

the wheat back

then.

I came to

church three

times a Sunday,

but I didn't

love the Lord

Jesus Christ.

And you

must not

assume that

you're a

Christian tonight

just because

you're sitting

in church.

Because the

wheat and

the weeds,

they grow

together.

The sons of

the kingdom

and the sons

of the evil

one can be

sitting side

by side in

the same row

in church,

but don't

despair because

God is kind

and God is

patient.

And he's

slow to anger

and he's

swift to

show mercy.

And those

who are weeds

today may be

wheat tomorrow.

So let both

grow together.

Now let me

apply this.

What he's

saying is

where the wheat

and the weeds

grow together,

your roots as

a believer will

be intertwined

with people

whose roots

will be very

different from

you.

And that

will be true

in your life.

God has

placed you,

it's not a

mistake the

family you were

born into,

it's not a

mistake the

situation that

you find

yourself in.

God has

placed you in

his sovereign

providence into

the family you've

been born into.

He has put you

into the career

that you're

following.

He has placed

you where you

are in his

sovereignty with

people and

your roots are

intertwined with

people.

And what Jesus

is saying is

this, don't

pull up the

roots.

Let both grow

together until

the harvest.

In other words,

he is telling

you and I,

engage where

you are

with who

God has

planted you

with.

He has put

you in your

daily life.

And so don't

rush off to

some monastery

or whatever the

equivalent of

that is,

don't kind of

rush into some

holy huddle

singing praise

songs.

God in his

sovereignty has

put you into

your family and

so stay there,

engage with those

people.

You are probably

the only Christian

in your workplace,

in your school,

and stay there

where God has

placed you.

And your roots are

intertwined with

those people and

not how God

has designed it

to be.

Don't pull up

the roots,

flourish where

God has placed

you.

Remember those

who are weeds

today, maybe

weak tomorrow,

and remember

this, that the

mission of the

church is sowing

seed, not

pulling weeds.

Do you hear

that?

We've got a big

enough challenge,

haven't we?

I've got a big

enough challenge

trying to deal

with the sin in

my own heart,

in my own

family.

It's not in

our power,

it is not in

our calling to

root out in

the world.

Root it out

in the world.

That is the

calling of Christ,

he will do it

in the great

judgment.

You know what

Paul says to

the Corinthians,

in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4,

what have I to

do with judging

outsiders?

That's not my

business.

It's those

inside the

church that we

are to judge.

God judges

those outside,

so stop judging

those outside.

There's a lot

of that about,

isn't there?

Don't pull up

the weeds,

sow the seed.

I think it's

an issue,

isn't it,

for churches

like us,

that we can

become really

issues driven.

We have a

voice,

we're entitled

to make that

Christian voice

heard,

to proclaim

Christ publicly,

to stand up

for those

who are most

vulnerable.

We're entitled

to make our

voice heard to

the government,

to make our

views known.

There is a

place for that.

But I find it

far easier to

sign a petition

than a petition

on the throne

of grace.

And our

calling is not

to pull up

weeds,

leave that to

Jesus on

judgment day.

our job,

our calling

is to plant

and sow

the seed

amongst people

who we've

been placed

with.

So this is

the present

reality,

sowing and

growing,

but thank

God there's

no mowing.

Sowing and

growing,

but no

mowing.

The kingdom

is coming,

and it is

coming,

and the seeds

of the sons

of the kingdom

are springing

up through

the preaching

of the gospel.

The kingdom

is coming,

and judgment

is delaying.

That brings me

to my second

point,

which is the

future certainty,

for judgment

is certainly

coming.

And that's

why Jesus

takes us

in his

explanation

of the

parable

in verses

36 to

43,

to the end

of the world

of the day

of judgment,

and he sets

himself up

as the final

arbiter of

human destiny.

And make

no mistake,

this day is

coming,

and it is

only a

heartbeat

away.

C.S.

Lewis describes

it in one

of his broadcast

talks.

He says

this,

I wonder

whether people

who ask

God to

interfere

openly and

directly in

our world

quite realise

what it

will be

like when

he does.

When that

happens,

it is the

end of the

world.

When the

author walks

onto the

stage,

the play

is over,

and God

is going

to invade,

all right?

He will

strike either

irresistible

love or

irresistible

horror into

every creature,

and it will

be too late

then to

choose your

side.

That will

not be the

time for

choosing.

It will

be the

time when

we discover

which side

we've really

chosen,

whether we

realised it

before or

not.

Now today,

this moment,

is our chance

to choose the

right side.

You see,

there's an

urgency about

this,

isn't there?

There's a

future division

of the human

race,

and Jesus

is the

one who

is going

to judge.

You will

not be

judging

Jesus on

that day.

people

people often

say stupid

things to

me.

They say,

I've got a

bone to

pick with

your God.

I've got

some questions

I'd like to

ask him.

Do you

think that

you're going

to be

judging

Jesus?

No one

is going

to be

judging

Jesus

on that

day.

The

Son of

Man,

that favourite

self-designation,

verses 41

to 43.

The

Son of

Man will

send his

angels,

they will

gather out

of his

kingdom all

causes of

sin and

lawbreakers and

throw them

into the

fiery furnace.

In that

place,

there will

be weeping

and gnashing

of teeth.

And then

the righteous

will shine

like the

sun in

the kingdom

of their

father.

He who

has ears,

let him

hear.

It's

pretty

graphic,

isn't

it?

Jesus

doesn't

mince his

words.

It is

terrifying.

This is

gentle

Jesus,

meek and

mild.

The

wheat and

the

weed will

be eternally

separated,

the harvest

will come,

the wheat will

be gathered

into God's

barn,

and the

weeds will

be burnt

up.

I know

it's picture

language,

I'm prepared

to concede

that.

It's

picture

language,

but the

reality is

more sobering

than the

picture.

And there

is a

massive

warning,

isn't

there,

for you

and I

here,

that hell

is a

reality.

And no

one had

more to

say about

hell than

the Lord

Jesus.

No one

spoke more

frequently about

hell than

Jesus.

And listen

to what he

says,

there will

be weeping

and gnashing

of teeth.

That is,

hell is a

place of

eternal,

everlasting

regret,

but no

repentance.

Eyes

opened,

but hearts

not softened.

Reaping

and gnashing

of teeth,

permanent

and unrelenting.

Anger

and frustration

against God,

that is

hell.

And Jesus

doesn't say

this tonight

to frighten

you.

He says

it because

it is

true.

Jesus

doesn't say

it to

frighten

you.

He's not

trying to

scare people

into the

kingdom,

that is

not how

Jesus

operates

it.

He

doesn't

say it

to frighten

you,

he says

it to

warn

you.

And

he's

looking

for a

response

for us.

Verse 43,

he who

has ears,

let him

hear.

Heed the

warning.

You've

got a

pair of

ears,

haven't

you?

Some

of you

are blessed

with your

ears.

Some

of us

have

considerable

ears.

There's

no mystery

about

becoming

a

Christian.

You

don't

have to

go to

a

secret

ceremony.

You

don't

have to

come to

a

special

place.

You

have

to

listen.

You

have to

listen to

what Jesus

is saying

to you

tonight.

If you've

got ears

to hear,

there is a

way to

escape hell

tonight,

and to

be bundled

together with

those who

are Christ's

people.

And so

take this

tonight from

Jesus as

a challenge,

not a

conclusion.

Take it as

an invitation

to life,

not a

sentence of

death.

Two of

the great

leaders of

the 19th

century,

the Christian

leaders,

were John

Newton.

He wrote

Amazing Grace.

He's a

converted slave

trader.

You can go

to his

church at

Bank,

right in

the heart

of the

city.

He was a

converted slave

trader, and

one of his

friends was

William Wilberforce,

a man who

spearheaded in

many ways the

end of

slavery.

He was a

social reformer,

and Wilberforce

and Newton

were great

friends.

Wilberforce

moved in

high circles.

He was a

friend of

the Prime

Minister,

William

Pitt the

Younger,

and he

invited

William

Pitt the

Younger

to go

and hear

John

Newton

preach.

William

Pitt the

Younger

became

Prime

Minister

at

24.

He

was a

brilliant

man,

one of

the most

famous

Prime

Ministers.

William

Wilberforce

invited him

to church,

and Pitt

said,

after he'd

been there,

my dear

Wilberforce,

what was he so

excited about

today?

I don't think I

grasped it.

Pitt was one of

the most brilliant

minds in

England,

listening to

one of the

most eloquent

preachers of

grace,

the man who

wrote Amazing

Grace,

and yet he

heard it,

but he

didn't hear

it.

He didn't

have ears

to hear.

And I

think tonight

he's regretting

that,

don't you?

I think he

will regret

that to all

eternity.

He

heard the

gospel,

but he

didn't hear

it.

Hearing it,

but didn't

understand it.

And what

about you?

Do you

see yourself

in this

parable?

What are

the

parables?

Earthly

stories of

the heavenly

meaning,

it's not a

great diagnosis,

it's not a

great definition.

A better

definition that

somebody has

said,

they are like

hand grenades,

they're like

time bombs,

that Jesus

throws and

then they go

off and they

explode at the

right time,

and Jesus

throws these

stories alongside

us, which is

the word

literally what

a parable

means to

be alongside

us.

And he

gives you

this parable

not to

destroy you,

but to

save you.

And so do

you see

yourself in

the story,

a simple

story?

Can you see

yourself here?

Are you a

member of the

royal family,

a son of

the king,

or are you a

son of the

evil one,

a member of

the devil's

family?

Which family

do you belong

to?

At harvest

time, Jesus

says, I

will tell

the reapers,

gather the

wheat first,

gather the

wheat first.

Gather the

wheat first

together,

and throw

the weeds

into the

fire.

They'll be

bundled up

together.

Which bundle

are you in?

On that

great and

terrifying day,

will you be

found in the

bundle of

life, bundled

together with

those from

Christ's eyes?

Will you be

among the

righteous who

will shine

like the

sun?

Do you

know where

you'll be

in that

day?

And if

you're unsure

tonight,

please make

sure tonight.

Jesus is

saying to you

tonight through

the preaching

of his word,

turn to

me, cry

to me,

trust me

to save

you and I

will rescue

you.

I will

rescue you

from the

wrath to

come.

John

Wesley was

the founder

of Methodism.

He famously

said, the

world is my

parish.

He averaged

15 sermons a

week.

I can just

about manage

one decent

one.

He reached

right up into

his 80s.

He preached

40,000

sermons.

He travelled

more than

250,000 miles

on horseback

even into

his 80s.

During an

age when

the roads

were just

muddy tracks,

no tarmac,

he was an

incredibly

organised guy.

He meticulously

kept a diary

and this is

his entry

for the

28th of

May 1742.

We came

to Newcastle,

Newcastle-pontine,

about six o'clock

and after a

short refreshment

walked into

the town.

I was surprised.

So much

drunkenness,

cursing and

swearing,

even from the

mouths of

little children.

Do I

never

remember to

have seen

and heard

before?

It's a

small

compass of

time.

Surely

this place

is ripe.

Ripe for

what?

What would

you say?

How would

you finish

that sentence?

Our

natural

reaction

would be

to complete

the sentence

well with

something like

this.

It's ripe

for hell.

Surely

this place

is ripe

for judgment

but Wesley

saw things

differently

and this

is what

he wrote.

surely

this place

is ripe

for him

who came

not to

call the

righteous

but sinners

to repentance.

That's it,

isn't it?

This is what

this parable

teaches us.

As you look

at the world

around us,

how do you

see it?

Do you see it

being ripe

for judgment?

Finger wagging,

pulling up the

weeds,

pharisaical

Christians,

ripe for

judgment,

almost gloating

over it.

All right

for Jesus.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus,

when you

saw the

crowds

and the

multitudes,

you had

compassion

on them.

You

wept

over

Jerusalem.

You

pleaded

with them

to repent.

You

came

not to

condemn

but to

save.

Scripture

even tells

us that

judgment

is your

strange

work.

And so

Heavenly

Father,

we ask

that you

would give

to us

the heart

of the

Lord Jesus

for this

city,

for this

area,

for this

family.

We ask

Heavenly

Father that

you would

be gracious

to us

tonight.

You

would melt

our icy

hearts.

You

would soften

the stony

heart here.

and you

would give

to us

the heart

of flesh

by your

Spirit.

We pray

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.

Amen.