Parables of the Weeds and Its Explanation

If you would turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 13, we're going to be looking at the parable of the weeds and the explanation Jesus gives of the parable of the weeds this morning.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention

So I'm going to read both the parable and the explanation.

And so if you would open your Bibles to Matthew 13, 24 through 30, that's the parable.

And then 36 through 43, that's the explanation.

Hear God's word.

He put another parable before them, saying,

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men slept, were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.

So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.

And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?

How then does it have weeds?

He said to them, an enemy has done this.

So the servants said to him, then do you want us to go and gather them?

But he said, no, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.

Let both grow until the harvest.

And at the harvest time I will tell the reapers, gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned.

But gather the wheat into my barn.

And now if you look down to verse 36 for the explanation.

Then he left the crowds and went into the house and his disciples came to him saying,

Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.

He answered, the one who sows the good seed is the son of man.

The field is the world and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom.

The weeds are the sons of the evil one and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.

The harvest is the end of the age and the reapers are angels.

Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

The son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin

and all lawbreakers and throw them into the fiery furnace.

In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father.

He who has ears, let him hear.

May God bless his word.

Do you guys know what smelling salts are?

Smelling salts is this ammonia compound that if someone gets knocked out in an athletic event or someone faints,

someone will kind of break open this little vial and this very sharp fragrance comes out

and it's designed to revive them.

So if you're faint, crack open the smelling salts, they're like, where have I been?

Maybe you've seen it like in a Rocky movie.

A boxer gets knocked around, their day is confused.

The trainer in the corner busts open some smelling salts and they're like, oh, let's go for another round.

They're used today.

In 2005, Michael Strayan, the football player formerly for the Giants,

said that 70 to 80 percent of NFL players would use smelling salts before they went out to play.

They're designed to sharpen, to focus, to revive.

This morning, if you have ears to hear what Jesus is saying, you're going to be jolted by what you just heard.

The parable in which he is spoken is about how this age in which we live now,

it's going to culminate into one great final judgment and Jesus calls it a harvest.

Later on in Matthew 13, he's going to compare it to a great catch of fish.

So this morning, if you've come here as a non-Christian, you don't believe in Jesus,

this should provide some kind of sobriety to you, a bit of a warning, something to take to heart.

Because if Jesus is true, if this is real, and that there is a judgment to come,

and if you're not a Christian, you need to take that to heart.

If you are a Christian, if you've been by God's grace delivered out of the domain of darkness

into the kingdom of the beloved Son, you too should be jolted.

You need to be asking yourself this question.

As a son or daughter of Christ's kingdom, am I living for His kingdom?

Am I giving myself to what matters most?

Here's what's going on in the parables.

These parables, there's this sharp smell of judgment in these parables.

And they're very much designed to alert us and focus us on being a part of the mission of the kingdom.

This parable of the weeds is an elaborate parable that Jesus first spoke to crowds on a beach,

and then He gives the explanation in a house to His disciples.

And so this morning what we're going to do is this.

We're just going to walk through the parable that He spoke on the beach.

He wants to see it a couple things.

And then we're going to move to the explanation.

And it's in the explanation we're going to spend most of our time so we hear what Jesus is saying.

And then we're going to bring it to bear in our own lives.

We're going to be asking the question, okay, am I a wheat or am I a weed and so what?

What difference does this make for us now in 2017?

This parable alerts us that the risen King Jesus is present and actively at work saving people today

and will one day usher in a judgment.

So if you would turn back to Matthew 13, 24 through 30,

let's take a look at this parable.

The parable speaks to the crowds on the beach.

I'm just going to spend a little bit of time here.

Now, as you're looking there, remember what a parable is.

A parable is a teaching tool and it uses comparisons.

And so what Jesus is doing, He's going to take something from everyday experience

and He's going to compare it and use it as a teaching tool of a spiritual reality.

And that's what He's doing here.

Jesus employs parables to hide the kingdom from those with a hard heart

and to reveal the kingdom to those with a humble heart,

a heart in which God has turned the soil over Him.

The other thing I want you to notice is this.

The kingdom of heaven is the subject of this parable.

And so all throughout Matthew 13, all the parables are about the kingdom of heaven.

You see that repeated time and time again.

So here's what this means.

This teaching tool, this parable, is specifically aimed to teach about the kingdom.

So it's going to make comparisons in order to help us understand truths about the kingdom of heaven,

which begs the question, what's the kingdom of heaven?

What is Jesus talking about if He's repeating it so much?

And the simple way to think about it is this.

The kingdom is the active, saving reign of God on earth.

That's the kingdom of heaven.

It's God's rescue mission to the nations of gathering to Himself a new people and a new kingdom.

And so if you look at this parable, Jesus basically says this.

There's this master of the house.

He goes and sows this good seed in his field.

And then while his guys are sleeping, this enemy comes and amidst the good seed,

he sows bad seed of weeds.

And over time, the weeds grow up.

And then his servants who are kind of working the field, they notice.

They notice as these plants grow that there's a difference between the two.

For what you need to understand is that the wheat Jesus is talking about and the weeds Jesus is talking about,

back in the day, they would have been very difficult to differentiate.

And it's only when they come to seed, when the wheat produces grain, is that distinction made.

And so these servants see the difference.

They go to the master.

They say, hey, did you use some lousy seed?

What's going on here?

The master of the house says, no, we've got an enemy.

The servants come back and say, should we go root up all the weeds?

To which the master of the house says, no, don't do that.

Because in the kind of pulling up the weeds, you can also pull up the wheat and we don't want to do that.

So let's let it all grow into the harvest.

And it's at the harvest, I will send out my reapers is what he says.

And those reapers will be instructed to gather the wheat, bind it up and put it into the burn pile,

and then gather the wheat and bring it into the barn.

When you hear this parable, you need to realize that Jesus is comparing something very elaborate here to the kingdom of God.

And what I want to help you see at the get-go is the parable is a parable that's describing a process.

The comparison is being made between the saving reign of God and something being brought to harvest.

There is a passage of time involved.

And so there is both this sowing, this growing, this reaping, this separating, culminating into a future event.

So what I want you to see from the get-go here is we've got a present process that culminates into a future event.

And very basically what Jesus is doing is he's describing the active, saving reign of God as an ongoing work that will culminate in the end of the age.

Let's look at his explanation in verses 36 through 43.

Again, I don't want to assume this, but notice in verse 36 that Jesus leaves the crowds on the beach and he goes into a house.

It's probably the same house that he came out of in 13.1.

And his disciples follow him into the house.

And his disciples then ask him or say to him, explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.

Now, you may be asking yourself, well, I thought that if the word of the kingdom is planted in somebody, it should take root.

Why are these guys asking?

Are they dumb or something like that?

For me, this is very encouraging because the parable is drawing the disciples to Jesus.

They're looking to him to explain it to them.

And so it hasn't pushed them away.

It's drawn them to him.

It's serving its purpose.

But here's what you need to really see.

In this explanation, Jesus goes rapid fire.

He does this rapid fire, point by point explanation of the different elements of the parable.

And he says, this is what it means.

This is what this means.

This is what that means.

And this is what this means.

And believe it or not, there are nine of them.

Let's go.

I want you to see them.

The first is this.

The one who sows the good seed is the son of man.

This parable talked about this master of a house who went out and sowed good seed.

And Jesus is saying, the guy I'm talking about is the son of man.

Now, what you need to realize is that phrase, son of man, it's like a locomotive loaded with messianic freight that is making, building momentum through the gospel of Matthew.

And it's going to culminate with the son of man dying on a cross and being raised from the dead.

That phrase is very important.

Can I have you turn back into the book of Daniel?

Here's how I find the book of Daniel.

I just look for the book of Ezekiel, which is a really big prophet.

And then just go right.

You'll find Daniel.

So look for Ezekiel.

Go right.

You find Daniel.

And if you look at Daniel chapter 7, verses 13 and 14, this is what Jesus is referring to when he calls himself the son of man.

Daniel 7:13

Listen to this.

This is a vision that Daniel had.

And he says this.

I saw in the night visions.

And behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man.

That's the phrase Jesus is pulling on.

Now, notice what this son of man, what happens.

He came to the ancient of days and was presented before him.

And to him, the son of man was given dominion and glory and a kingdom.

Does that ring a bell?

That all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.

This kingdom is a kingdom that is comprised of all people over the earth.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away.

Whatever kind of kingdom this is, it's an everlasting one.

And his kingdom, one that shall not be destroyed.

It is unstoppable.

It is unbreakable.

The kingdom is indestructible.

And so, the one who sows is the son of man.

When you hear that, Jesus is making a huge claim.

Because he's talking about himself.

So, this son of man.

Look at verse 37 of Matthew 13.

The one who sows the good seed is the son of man.

And what's interesting about that phrase, the one who sows the good seed, it's actually in the present tense in the original language.

It's the one who is sowing the good seed.

Jesus is saying, what I'm doing now.

I'm sowing the good seed.

I'm raising up for myself sons and daughters of the kingdom.

And then, if you look down at verse 41, you read this.

Well, start in verse 40.

Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

The son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers.

And so, there's this present earthly ministry of Jesus in which he's sowing.

In which he is raising up sons and daughters of the kingdom.

And then, there's this future ministry of the son of man in which he separates the wheat from the weeds.

He is the present sower and the future reaper.

This son of man is the Lord of the harvest.

That's the claim.

That's what Jesus is saying about himself.

So, this one who sows the good seed, this is the son of man.

Now, look at the next one in verse 38.

He describes the field.

The field is the world.

Now, it's important to note where Jesus locates the kingdom of heaven.

He's locating it in the world.

The earth in which we live on.

The earth is the field in which the son of man is actively working which will culminate in a great harvest.

And the work that he's doing is he's calling rebels out of darkness to be sons and daughters of the kingdom.

Why I say that is for this reason.

He's not talking about the church.

Jesus isn't talking here about there is two groups of people in the church.

What he's saying is there's two groups of people on the earth.

And his work is a work among them.

Now, if the world is the field, then what is being grown?

What's being grown are people.

From every tribe, every nation, every tongue.

Goes back to Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7 · chapter mention

All nations.

So this field is the world.

This is a mission with a global scope.

That's why he came.

I'm not sure if you notice this in verse 24.

It's very subtle.

But in verse 74 in the parable, he says,

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

This world is his world.

It's been attempted to be claimed by the devil, but it's been counterclaimed by Jesus.

And one day he's going to recreate it.

So we've looked at who the sower is.

We've looked at what the field is.

Now let's look at what this good seed is in verse 38.

The good seed is the sons of the kingdom.

Now in the parable of the soils, which we saw a couple weeks ago,

the good seed, the seed was actually the word of the kingdom,

the message of the gospel.

But here, Jesus is saying the good seed represents people,

the sons of the kingdom.

Now you may say, why that?

Well, that's just how parables work.

Jesus can have things represent other things.

But the question is, who are these sons of the kingdom,

these sons and daughters?

Well, these are the men and women, boys and girls,

who've responded in humble faith to the word of the kingdom.

These are followers of Jesus.

These are the ones who are living out the Sermon on the Mount.

These are the ones that are looking to be the blessed ones,

who are seeking to obey Jesus in all that he commanded.

These are the ones that have been radically changed by the Spirit of God,

and now they go from wanting to live for themselves to live for Jesus.

That's the good seed, the sons and daughters of the kingdom.

And then he goes into verse 38.

He says, the weeds are the sons of the evil one.

Just as the good seed represents a particular group of people,

followers of Jesus,

so the weeds depict another group of people,

those who aren't following Jesus.

Jesus says the weeds are the sons of the evil one.

It's a reference to the devil.

Now you may be sitting there saying,

well, man, I hope he wouldn't say that to my friends

who aren't followers of Jesus.

It's not really nice for Jesus to say that someone is a son of the devil,

is it?

Well, let's explore this a little bit.

Let's see what he means by this.

And I think Ephesians 2, 1-3 can help us.

So would you flip to the right of Matthew

and go to Ephesians 2, 1-3?

I'm going to reference it,

so keep your eye on that.

What Jesus is getting at is essentially obedience.

Who you obey.

Who you live for.

Who you follow after.

If the sons of the kingdom obey their father,

sons of the evil one will obey their master.

Look at Ephesians 2.

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,

following the course of this world,

following the prince of the power of the air.

That's a reference to Satan, to the devil.

The spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.

Another reference to the devil.

When sinners are spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins,

they follow the course of the world.

They follow the prince of the power of the air.

And so essentially what Paul is saying is that

if you're not a follower of Jesus,

you're following after the prince of the power of the air,

not the prince of peace.

Being made alive in Christ,

before you're being made alive in Christ as an unbeliever,

you're actually doing the will of the devil.

Now, that might be totally unbeknownst to those living there

because they're spiritually blind.

Apart from the powerful grace of God poured out in the gospel,

a person who is spiritually dead in the domain of darkness

will be doing the will of the devil.

Now, someone may object.

Someone may say, well, I'm not a Christian,

but I'm not living for the will of the devil.

But here's what you need to understand.

The will of the devil is for you not to bow your knee to Jesus

and live for him.

And so if you're not following Jesus,

you're not doing his will,

that leaves one other person's will you're doing.

The sons of the evil one are those who are living in spiritual darkness.

Now, lest we think that we're something special,

this is from what we were saved from.

We were all dead in our trespasses and sins.

All of us were following the course of the world.

Each one of us was following after the prince of the power of the air.

Unbeknownst to us, we were dead.

And then God, by his grace, broke in.

He turned over the soil of our hearts.

We heard the word of the kingdom.

And he planted in us, by his grace,

sonship, daughtership.

The enemy who sowed them, verse 39, is the devil.

There is a reason why Jesus depicts the devil as an enemy.

It's because the devil is an enemy to Jesus.

And if he is an enemy to Jesus,

he is an enemy of all the sons and daughters of the kingdom.

Now, here's what you need to know about the devil.

He is seeking to undermine the present work

of saving and sanctifying of the risen Christ across the globe.

Spiritual conflict was real in the day of Jesus,

and it's just as real in our day.

Do you remember how Paul closes out the book of Ephesians?

He closes out in Ephesians chapter 6,

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

and he closes out with this sober call to stand firm.

He calls the sons and daughters of the kingdom

to stand firm against the schemes and onslaughts of the devil.

Our battle is not against flesh and blood,

but against spiritual powers.

Do you think that the devil wants people in the city of Kenosha

to repent of their sin and call on Jesus to save them?

No, he does not want that.

He's opposed to that.

Do you think the devil wants the blood bought of Christ

to be reading their Bible so that they can obey Jesus?

Of course he doesn't want that.

Do you think the devil delights when God's people pray

that God would open doors for the gospel

into different neighborhoods and organizations in our city?

The devil doesn't rejoice in that.

He opposes that.

The devil does not want Christians in a church

striving to be at peace with each other.

He wants them striving against each other.

There is an enemy.

But before you start to panic,

remember these words of Martin Luther.

And though this world with devils filled

should threaten to undo us,

we will not fear,

for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.

The prince of darkness grim,

we tremble not for Him.

His rage we can endure,

for lo, His doom is sure.

Remember,

Jesus has overcome the devil temptations in Matthew 4.

Jesus withstood the worst the devil could throw at Him at that time,

and He prevailed,

something that none of us could do.

And then on the cross,

Jesus defeated the devil.

His cross and resurrection,

in the words of Colossians 2,

disarmed the devil.

Here's what that means.

The devil is an accuser.

And so,

when He accuses a person,

He accuses them of their wrongdoings.

You sinner.

Do you remember that?

You remember this?

Guilty, guilty, guilty.

But Jesus' cross disarms Him

because Jesus dealt with our sin.

There's nothing left to accuse.

And then there's more.

The devil uses death as a threat.

We can cower at the thought of death.

We can be afraid of it.

But Jesus' death and resurrection

disarm the threat.

Why?

Because there's something beyond the grave for us.

We have the promise.

Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

If we believe in Him,

though we die,

yet shall we live.

We can take great stock and hope

in our living hope.

Jesus defeated the devil.

Two more things about the devil.

It is written.

It is written in Revelation 20,

Revelation 20:7

verse 7,

that the devil will be thrown

into the lake of fire forever and ever.

It is written.

It is written.

Lo, His doom is sure.

Though the devil has claimed this world to be his own,

Jesus, the rightful owner of this world,

He created it,

has reclaimed it on the cross.

He calls over it,

Mine!

And His present work of this mission

mission is a reclaiming

and it will culminate

when He comes again

and He will recreate this world

for once it was used to be,

meant to be,

in glory.

The enemy is the devil.

Verse 39,

the harvest

is the end of the age.

The harvest

is the end of the age.

What is a harvest?

A harvest is more than just

the period on a growing seed.

It's more than just

the end.

It's harvest comes

and it's not just,

okay, we stop working now.

A harvest

is a culmination

of a growing season.

The harvest is the time

when a crop has produced its yield

and that yield is gathered together

and stored.

And so when you read those words,

hear them,

end of the age,

you need to understand

there is a greater depth of meaning

to that word end

than what it may appear.

The word actually

is a fuller meaning

of culmination.

Coming together

at the end.

That's why Jesus

describes it as a harvest.

The end of the age

is a harvest.

It's a huge catch of fish.

It's the culmination

of a spiritual

growing season

of the present age.

Did you notice what happens

at the end,

culmination of the age

in verse 40?

Just as the weeds

are gathered

and burned with fire,

so will it be

at the end of the age.

The Son of Man

will send His angels

and they will gather

out of His kingdom

all causes of sin

and all lawbreakers.

There is this ingathering

at the end of the age

of the weeds.

An ingathering

of the sons

of the evil one.

There's an ingathering

of the sons

of the kingdom

and then there is

a separating

out of those

of the kingdom

of those who oppose Him.

We see a similar

separation taking place

later in the book

of Matthew

in Matthew 25.

Jesus once again

speaks of Himself

as the Son of Man

who comes in glory

with His angels.

Speaking of His second coming.

And before Him

all the nations

are gathered

all the people

of His field

and He separates

one from the other

as a shepherd

separates the sheep

from the goats.

It's a picture

of judgment.

The harvest

at the end of the age

is a judgment.

It's a separation

of the evil

from the righteous

and it's Jesus

the Son of Man

who commands it

who brings it about.

So this coming

of the end

of the age

is a culmination

of judgment.

The reapers

in verse 39

are angels.

Angels serve

a particular function

in the final judgment.

They execute

the will

of the Lord

of the harvest.

They carry out

the will of Jesus.

He sends them out

to accomplish His will

and they do it.

Did you notice?

It's His angels

and His kingdom.

This is His harvest.

And in verse 40

again there's this

reference to fire.

Just as the weeds

are gathered

and burned with fire

so it will be

at the end of the age.

Jesus is saying

this picture

of a burned pile

it's the literal

place

of weeping

and gnashing

of teeth

for eternity.

He's talking

about hell.

The place

of eternal torment

for those

who have

disobeyed

God's law.

His law

revealed

specially

in the Bible

and generally

in nature

and in conscience.

This phrase

of where there is

weeping and gnashing

of teeth

it is a horrific picture.

It's a place

of pain

torment

of horror.

It's a place

that you don't

want to be.

and it comes

after the judgment.

You're there

because you should

be there.

And then

there's this

reference

in the parable

to the barn.

He calls it

my barn

in verse 30.

It's the place

where the righteous

shine like the sun

in the kingdom

of their father.

Verse 43.

You notice

the stark

contrast

between

weeping

and gnashing

of teeth

and shining

like the sun?

Shining

like the sun

obviously means

something other

than horrific pain.

It's a place

where there is

beaming

of joy.

High

hearted

delight.

Gratefulness

in the

presence

in the

kingdom

of their

father.

Jesus

wants you

to know

that what

awaits you

son or

daughter

of the

kingdom

is a

place

of great

affection

and love

with your

eternal

father.

No

torment.

No

punishment.

Shining

like the

sun

in the

presence

of your

God.

that's

all nine.

Jesus

is

describing

something

profound.

He's

describing

something

that

spans

time.

The

parable

depicts

the

present

saving

work

of the

son

of

man

culminating

in the

future

separating

work

of the

son

of

man.

Not

only

is

Jesus

the

savior

he's

the

judge.

he's

the

messianic

king

of

all.

This

parable

is

describing

this

season

of

saving

inaugurated

by

Jesus

first

coming

and

it

will

culminate

at

a

second

coming

with

a

day

of

judgment.

It's

a

worldwide

harvest.

The

emphasis

on the

parable

is

the

culmination

in

judgment

that

it's

going

to

happen.

All

the

planting

all

the

waiting

are

moving

towards

the

harvest

the

culmination

of

the

age.

So

we've

looked at

the

parable

we've

walked

through

the

explanation

let's

ask

now

the

question

what

does

this

mean

for

us

today?

Well

it's

a big

claim.

Here's

big

claim

number

one.

God

is

reigning

over

time.

God's

harvest.

God

is

orchestrating

all

events.

God

is

reigning

over

time.

He's

bringing

about

the

harvest.

He

has

purpose

in it

all.

And in

light of

that the

question that

we need

to ask

ourselves

today is

am I

wheat or

am I

wheat?

That's the

question you

need to

ask.

Are you

a son

of the

kingdom?

A daughter

of the

kingdom?

Or are

you a son

of the

evil

one?

A daughter

of the

evil

one?

And the

difference

between the

two is

determined by

what you

think and

believe about

the son

of man.

Not only do

you believe

him but do

you desire to

follow him all

the days of

your life?

Not only do

you think it's

true but you

want him.

You delight

in him.

You love

him.

Now if

you're in

this room

right now

and God

is giving

you eyes

to see

that you're

not in

Christ's

kingdom.

That you're

realizing that

you're not a

son or daughter

of the king.

You need to

understand what's

happening right

now is that

you are being

given an

opportunity by

God himself

to repent

of your sin

and come to

Jesus as

your savior

and judge.

The king

in whom

is life.

today

today

in light of

that day

may this

day be the

day of

salvation for

you.

Don't delay

it.

If you know

it's enough

come to

Jesus on

that.

But if you

are a

Christian

if you

are by

God's

grace

if you've

been delivered

from the

domain of

darkness

transferred

into the

kingdom of

the beloved

son.

Here's what

you need to

know.

You live

for Jesus

now.

You live

for the

kingdom.

You're on

kingdom mission

with the

king.

You're a

son or

daughter of

the king

and you

have been

saved to

be on

mission.

Not only

were you

brought under

the saving

reign of

Jesus to

save you,

you were

brought into

the kingdom

in order to

advance the

kingdom.

Here's what

you need to

know about

the kingdom.

Have you

guys ever

traveled

internationally?

When you

travel internationally

you go through

different time

zones.

If you're

starting in

the central

time zone

and you're

going to

some time

zone 12

hours from

here, you've

got to start

thinking,

how am I

going to make

this adjustment

from my

time zone to

that time

zone?

The kingdom

of heaven has

two time

zones.

It's that

day and

this day.

And so

we live in

light of

that day

on this

day.

We're

always

thinking about

the culmination

of the age.

And so

what that

means for

us is that

when you

live this

day in

light of

that day,

it's going

to change

your life

and your

witness.

witness,

here's how

it changes

your life.

When you're

living on

kingdom time,

you're going

to realize

you're living

in close

proximity to

those who

have yet to

receive Jesus

or who have

rejected Him.

And so

now, because

we live in

close proximity,

we've got to

make the most

of the time

and live

distinct lives

for the

kingdom.

Lives that

contrast

the lives

of the sons

and daughters

of the evil

one all

around us.

And what

God will do

is He'll

use your

distinct

life to

afford you

opportunities

to speak

of the

harvest

king.

Here's some

areas to

consider.

Areas to

consider

standing

out in.

First is

are you

developing

kingdom

tastes?

Do you

long for

what God

delights in?

Do you

use your

kingdom

time?

Are you

investing your

time in the

kingdom?

Are you

using your

talent the

way that God

has uniquely

wired you

for the

kingdom?

Are you

using your

treasure for

the kingdom?

Are you

investing what

God has given

you to advance

the glory of

Christ?

Take stock of

your tastes,

your time,

your talent,

your treasure.

Are they

distinct from

the world

around us?

When we

live on the

time zone

that day,

when we

live in

light of

that on

this day,

it will

result in

having distinct

lives and

there is much

joy there.

But it's

not just a

change of

life.

There's a

change of

witness of

what you

talk about.

Moms and

dads,

you got to

wash clothes.

You got to

prepare meals.

You got to

bathe babies.

You got to

drive your

kids around.

You got to

teach them

responsibility.

You got to

help them with

manners.

But your

call by the

living God

goes beyond

those things.

Mom,

Dad,

you have been

purposefully

placed by the

Lord of the

harvest to be

an ambassador of

the kingdom to

each of your

children.

God has

placed you

there.

He's given

you your

children so

that you can

teach them to

love and fear

Christ the

King.

Students and

teachers, you

go back to

school tomorrow.

You can go

back wanting to

finish strong.

You can go

back just wanting

to get it done.

But if you're a

follower of Jesus,

you go back to

your school as a

representative of

the kingdom.

God has worked

for you.

He wants to

expand his saving

reign in your

school.

Students, think

about the kids in

your gym class.

Think about the

kids who sit

around the table

with you at

lunchtime, who

are in your

study hall.

Has it ever

occurred to you

to ask, where

will they be on

the day of

judgment?

Judgment day

are smelling

salts for the

children of God.

It wakes us

up and alerts

us to the

great realities

of the kingdom.

If you're a

resident of

Allendale or

Frank or

Harbor Park or

Lincoln Park,

Forest Park,

Sunnydale,

Whitecaps,

wherever you're

living at, hey,

you need to be a

nice neighbor.

You need to be

nice.

You've got to be

getting along with

those around you.

But do you know

the names of the

neighbors immediately

around you?

Has it ever

occurred to you to

ask the question,

where is this

person going to be

on that day?

Is their heart

going to drop

when they see

the king or is

it going to rise

when they see

the king?

Can I just give

you a suggestion?

We're in April

now.

The summer

affords all sorts

of opportunities.

How about this?

How about have

some kind of a

cookout at your

house or your

apartment with

those people living

around you just

to get to know

their names?

It's going to be

risky because you

may start wondering

where they're going

to be on that

day.

But that's where

we're to live.

When we live

this day in light

of that day,

it changes our

life and witness.

this morning,

ask yourself,

are you a

wheat or are you

a weed?

If you're

realizing you

are a son of

the evil one,

today,

in light of that

day,

today's the day

of salvation.

Come to Jesus.

That's why He came.

And if we can

help you,

I'll be down here

after the service.

I'd be glad to

pray with you.

If you're a

Christian,

in light of that

day,

what is one

step of faith

you can take

this day

in order to

more actively

engage in

God's global

work of

saving sinners?

The Lord

Jesus,

He is the

Savior and

Judge.

He's the

Lord of the

Harvest.

Let's pray.

Lord Jesus,

would you

continue to do

the work

that you

have?

Lord Jesus,

would you

now continue

to draw

into work?

We pray

your will be

done.

God,

thank you for

giving ears to

hear.

God,

would you

make us a

people who

are in this

city,

light of

that day.

In your

name we

pray,

Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.