Know the Opposition Matthew 13:24-43
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Intro
Intro
God is moving the in The Village
After going 0-37 and not winning for 5 years Cabrillo football is on a 2 game win streak
Of course this week is the Big Game
Lompoc vs. Cabrillo and we will see if there has been a real change at Cabrillo
Whenever you are facing an opponent you have to do your homework and know your opposition
Read Matthew 13:24-30
Read Matthew 13:24-30
Transition:
The gospel brings joy to those who believe, but judgment to those who do not.
If you read through the seven parables carefully, this theme is hard to miss.
Parables either reveal or conceal, and they reward or judge.
Three of the seven parables in chapter 13 have this judgment theme.
In the Parable of the Sower, the theme of judgment is subtle.
It is God’s judgment on those who are hard, shallow, or self-indulgent
That is the subtle stuff. There is nothing subtle about the ending of the Parable of the Weeds
It ends with these words, “and throw them into the fiery furnace.
Interestingly, these weeds are defined as being within the kingdom (v. 41).
This shows us that there will be opposition amongst us
We need to be aware of who they are
The Devil sows them when we aren’t watching
I. Counterfeit Christians vs. 24-30
I. Counterfeit Christians vs. 24-30
The enemy uses counterfeit Christians
This parable is found only in Matthew, who has it as the first of a series of parables specifically said to refer to the kingdom of heaven.
vs. 24 Kingdom of Heaven compared to a field
Jesus uses another farming analogy
A man sows good seed in his field
The field is fertile, the seed is good, and the farmer has done the hard work
He is expecting a good harvest
IN this parable the seed is not the word of God, but people converted to Christ
The field is not the human heart, but the world
vs. 25-26 Enemy sows weeds
During the middle of the night the enemy comes and sowed weeds
The enemy is satan and the weeds are false Christians
Satan cannot uproot the plants (true Christians), so he plants counterfeit Christians in their midst
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.
Did you know there is a counterfeit wheat?
It’s called the Bearded darnel
Looks identical to wheat, but it was poisonous
Ancient times crops sabotaged by sowing in fields to crowd out wheat
Once head forms, the difference is unmistakable
Cannot tell them apart until mature
This shows us that there are posers in the church
People who act Godly but aren’t followers
How can you tell if someone is a poser?
Do they confess that Jesus is Lord?
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
Do they bear fruit?
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
vs. 27-29 Gathering weeds will root up the Wheat
As the crop grows the weeds become evident
The Bearded Darnel has two traits that make it different than wheat
First,
Second, it doesn’t bow when it is ripe
The wheat plant actually dies and the wheat kernels bow when it is time to harvest
The workers wanted to pull the weeds but the master told them to wait until the harvest
Doing so now would damage the growth of the good plants
It is when God’s people go to sleep that Satan works. Our task is not to pull up the false, but to plant the true
We are not detectives but evangelists! We must oppose Satan and expose his lies. But we must also sow the Word of God and bear fruit in the place where He has planted us.
vs. 30 Bind them and burn them
The master tells them to wait until the harvest
What will happen to the tares? God will gather them together and burn them.
It is difficult to tell the false from the true today; but at the end of the age, the angels will separate them.
II. False Growth vs. 31-32
II. False Growth vs. 31-32
vs. 31-32 Smallest becomes the biggest
Mustard seed = False growth
In the East, the mustard seed symbolizes something small and insignificant.
It produces a large plant, but not a “tree” in the strictest sense. However, the plant is large enough for birds to sit in the branches.
Since Jesus did not explain this parable, we must use what He did explain in the other parables to find its meaning.
The birds in the Parable of the Sower represented Satan (Matt. 13:19).
Passages like Daniel 4:12 and Ezekiel 17:23 indicate that a tree is a symbol of a world power.
These facts suggest that the parable teaches an abnormal growth of the kingdom of heaven, one that makes it possible for Satan to work in it.
What started in a humble manner today boasts of material possessions and political influences.
III. False Doctrine vs. 33-35
III. False Doctrine vs. 33-35
vs. 33 Leaven hidden in flour
Leaven = False Doctrine
In Jewish homes, piece of fermented dough reserved
Hidden in new dough to permeate
It would cause the dough to rise and then you would take off another piece and save it for the next loaf
Leaven a symbol of evil
Purged from Jewish homes at Passover
Sacrifices offered without leaven
Jesus used leaven to picture hypocrisy, false teaching, and worldly compromise
"Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees"
Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Not all growth is good growth
IV. The Righteous Will Shine vs. 36-43
IV. The Righteous Will Shine vs. 36-43
vs. 36 Explain Parable of the weeds
Initial sower of truth: Jesus Christ
Field is the world
Satan opposes the work of Christ: sows counterfeit seed
False growth
False doctrine
In the end it will all be sorted out
Now not the day of judgment
Day of Evangelism
We need to sow the seed
vs. 40-42 Fiery Furnace
vs. 43 Righteous Shine like the Sun