THE GARDENERS FIELD

delivered on Oct. 2, 2016

                     
John 6:38-40 ( NIV )
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38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

We never grow out of our need to be obedient to our God. Being obedient always remains a part of our relationship with Him. Jesus is the Son of God, and yet...He continually remained obedient to His Father, as His number one desire.

God's sovereignty in election, redemption, effectual calling, and regeneration does not render humans response to the gospel irrelevant. Rather, Gods initiating power makes our believing response possible by imparting life to the dead. As mentioned in…

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

However…those who reject the gospel, willfully are still, and will be held accountable for their unbelief, and for their sins!

With this in mind, will everyone who claims to believe in the Son, enter into His kingdom? Well…according to the verses that we have just read, they should…right?
Let us look at them again…

John 6:40
For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

John 1:13
 ”who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”.
                       ( Put both verses in one slide )

Man can claim to be anyone he wants to be! But…when it comes to eternal life…it lies in the decision of the Creator!

Will everyone who goes to church go to heaven? Will every member of FBC, or The FIL-Am church make it? I would like to think that if the rapture occurred on a Sunday, during our main service… that the room would be completely emptied…but according to this parable that we would be discussing tonight, its highly unlikely.

Matthew 13:24-30  (The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares) 
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

It’s a simple parable, but carries with it a profound truth. The interpretation of this parable, is then found on verse 36-42…

Matthew 13:36-42
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

Jesus shares the parable of a farmer that planted a field of wheat. He planted good seed and was expecting a bountiful harvest. But while his servants were sleeping and enemy came and plated "tares" among the wheat. It is believed that these "tares" were weeds. As these weeds come up they look exactly like wheat. It is only after the wheat and tares mature that you can tell a difference. Early on, as you look at the field it has the appearance of a bountiful harvest. But as the harvest continues to grow it becomes apparent that there are tares among the wheat. The farmer's servants eventually noticed that there lies a problem. They inform the farmer and offer to pull up the tares. But the farmer knew that the roots of the two were intertwined. If they had pulled up the weeds they would have damaged some of the good crop. So the farmer says to let them both grow together until the time of harvest. At harvest time the reapers will gather the tares first. They will bind them and burn them. After this the good crop (the wheat) will be gathered and stored in the farmer's barn.

In this parable the sower is Christ. The enemy who sowed the tares is Satan. The wheat
represents those who are saved. The tares represent those who are lost but appear to be saved. Those who are saved will be gathered together in Heaven. Those who are lost will be gathered and cast into an eternal lake of fire.
                             ( Show Pic 1)
The sowing of the wheat… Jesus is the farmer, and the next verse points out that the wheat are the believers. Wheat and Christians have some things in common. Wheat does not have a deep root system. Wheat doesn’t go very deep compared to how high it gets. It’s easily pulled up and uprooted. I could say it like this, wheat is not firmly attached to this world. The same ought to be true of us when it comes to this earth.

Short Story:
a woman lived in the same house for 82 years, war broke out, authorities said she had to leave in 15 minutes, she said…every bit of who I am in in this house…how can I pack up and leave that quickly?

But one day soon, and it may be today…don’t we just wish! A loud noise will sound in the sky and we’ll leave a lot quicker than that… “in the twinkling of an eye”! If you have a nice house…a car that’s fine, but don’t get too attached, because you can’t take it with you, you won’t need it where we’ll be going, and we’ll never miss it… and only what we’ve done for Christ will matter!

Wheat doesn’t last very long. Wheat grows and ripens, bears its fruit, and quickly passes off the scene. And when we get saved we grow in grace, bear what fruit God wants us to bear, and quickly fade away.Each, and every one of us will hear “job well done, My good and faithful servant”. At an appointed time that God has chosen. Or, again we will all go together “in the twinkling of an eye”. I don’t know how long you and I will live, but until God is through with us, not a hair of our heads can be touched, and after God is done with us, no anchor in the world can hold us here.

Romans 13:12-14  ( NIV )
12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

The owner of the field sowed "good seed". The enemy came along and sowed tares along with it. Why would the enemy do this? His intention was to ruin the crop. This was a direct attack on the farmer. In these verses we see a couple of contrasts. 

There Are Two Different Sowers - "a man who sowed good seed" (Jesus Christ) ....."an enemy" (Satan)

Jesus came to this earth and sowed the seed of Grace. Grace is the seed that produces life eternal. Long before Christ's arrival, Satan attempted to thwart God's plan for mankind. If you will look back to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden you will see the cunning deception of Satan. From that time until the present he continues to spread seeds of deceit and discord. Not only are there two different sowers. There Are Two Different Seeds "good seeds" (of wheat) and "tares". 
Both seeds that were planted produced a crop. One was good, one was bad! One was authentic, the other was a cheap imitation of the real thing. The good seeds produced wheat. When harvested this crop could be used to produce many kinds of beneficial food. The bad seeds produced tares. The top of wheat contains beneficial grain...But the top of a tare contains tiny black seeds that can cause nausea, convulsions & even death.

                           ( Show Pic 2 )

Spiritually speaking both Jesus and Satan are still sowing seeds today. Jesus is still spreading the seeds of the gospel of grace. And Satan is still spreading deception and evil. The good seed produces eternal life. The seed sown by the enemy produces deception, destruction, death, and damnation!

Early in it's development a tare looks identical to wheat. But as it continues to grow, there is a noticeable difference. As a tare matures, it stands straight up, but as the wheat matures it begins to bend toward the earth due to the weight of the wheat in it's head. There is an impending harvest! But today there is a contrast in the church.

In this very assembly there are people who Received a call to salvation. Recognized their lost condition. Realized the need for a Savior. Repented of their sins. Requested forgiveness and redemption. Many of you have fully surrendered your heart and life to Jesus Christ. You have been washed in the precious blood of the Lamb. Your sins have been forgiven and you have been born again. You began to walk with the Lord, you have grown in grace and you have matured spiritually.

But there is a contrast… There are some who at one point, shed some tears of shame and regret. There are some who were terrified of dying and going to hell.So, they figured, why not? Accept Jesus! Remember, that’s always the perfect question of an evangelist… “Where will you go, when you die”? Perhaps you had an emotional experience. Somewhere along the way you knelt in an altar. Maybe you prayed a prayer along with a preacher. You joined a church. You were baptized. You began to serve the Lord. You gave to missions. You led others to the Lord. You never miss a service. You have taught a class. You have worked with the children. You served on a committee. You read your bible daily. You worship and praise regularly. You pray constantly and You witness often. You may do all of these things and still die an go to Hell! None of this matters of you have not had a TRUE conversion experience. Keep in mind,  “wheat and tares”, looks the same. Ever wonder why…there are so many christian churches around, and each one believes differently? “Wheat and Tares”. That is how we all look from the outside. Jesus should be the One inside!!!

No one plants seeds without expecting a harvest. Throughout the ages The Lord has been planting good seed. All the while, Satan has been sowing tares along with them. There is coming a day....(and it is closer than ever before) when there will be a great harvest.
 
Notice, if you will…

Matthew 13:28-30
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.

The servants offer to go and gather the tares from the wheat. The farmer would not allow this. Such an attempt was beyond the wisdom and ability of the servants. Why? The servants are not allowed to make to make the judgment. In attempting to root up the tares they may have caused damage to the wheat. The farmer declares that both will grow together until the time of harvest. Then, separation would come.

Spiritually speaking I see hope in this verse. If you are a tare among the wheat, meaning that, you are unsure of your relationship with the Lord, there is still time for you to be saved. The harvest is coming... it is close! But we still live in a day of grace. The reason that the harvest has been delayed is so that lost men can still be saved. 

2 Peter 3:9 ( NIV )
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

This is a picture of the grace of God! The harvest has been ripe since the first sin in the Garden. But, God has withheld judgment, giving lost men and women plenty of time to repent. You have an opportunity for salvation today. Or if you have been saved, and at one point you slowly turned to the right or to the left, come back to the path that God wants you to be. There is still time!!! Make your walk right, and pleasing to our God!

"The Day of The Lord". We all know that Jesus is coming back. There is a 2 fold purpose concerning his return. 1. He will come to gather His people just as a farmer gathers his wheat. 2. He will cut down the wicked like a farmer cuts down his wheat. When He returns, He will come to reap the Harvest. He will separate the tare from the wheat... He will separate the saint from the sinner. This is mentioned in the book of Revelation…

Revelation 14:14-16
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

What is a “sickle”?   ( Pic 3 )

Here we see Jesus “thrusting in His sickle to reap the earth” These verses are the fulfillment of this parable here in Matthew 13. After the wheat is separated from the tares, the tares will be bound and cast into the fire. If you die without Jesus, if you continue as a tare among wheat... there is coming a day when you will be "cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It doesn't matter if your name is on the church covenant members list... IS YOUR NAME WRITTEN IN THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE??? 

Revelation 20:15
15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

You can be a member of any church of your choosing. Go to each and every church you know, and become a member to each one. “LAMBS BOOK OF LIFE”. is where your name needs to be.

The tares will be bound and burned. But the wheat will be gathered and placed into the barn. If you are truly saved you can rest assured that one day you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. You will spend eternity with your Heavenly Father and the Savior that secured your salvation. One day you will stand before Jesus and hear the greatest words ever…

Matthew 25:23
23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.

Or receive the words every claiming christians, hope that they will never hear…

Matthew 7:23
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!
Matthew 7:23 ( NIV )
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
Matthew 7:23 ( ESV )
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Which ever translation you read it…it means the same thing. It does not end well!

Saints…You will join the redeemed in a place with no more sickness, sorrow, pain, death or crying! You will meet the saints of old. You will be reunited with loved ones who have already gone on! You will worship the Father at the Throne! You will cast your crowns at the feet of your Savior! You will be given a glorified body! You will live in a land with no more sin! You will be free of temptation! You will never have to deal with the Devil again! 
We will join together around the throne and sing a new song! We will bow before Jesus and proclaim ...Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God almighty!!!! Those who are saved have a promise of an amazing life that will never end!

It is not about what you do...IT IS ABOUT WHAT JESUS HAS DONE!! Don't live this life with a "hope so salvation". You don't have to leave here wondering IF you are saved! You can walk out those doors, WITH FULL ASSURANCE OF YOUR SALVATION! Are you wheat, or are you a tare? Only you can answer that, with the way you walk your life, with the life that has been given from above! 

                              Lastly:


The Lord may return at any time…you don’t have all the time in the world…the ‘mowing’ is imminent. God is the reaper and the truth is indeed ‘grim’…he will thrust in His sharp sickle and harvest the earth. He alone is capable of telling the difference correctly, and on that day it will be too late. The respectable thing to do is make sure you are saved while there is time! I will end with this verse….

Acts 4:12
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”


Prepare for the Lords Supper: