Delivered on 10/16/16

                        
 
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
 
 The closer we get to believers who truly walks in the Spirit, the better they look. We don’t get the impression that they’re hiding something. They radiate integrity. We feel that we could trust them with our most deepest, intimate secrets.
 
Of course they are not perfect. We will likely hear more apologies from the lips of those who truly walks in the Spirit than from any other group of people we know. The believers sensitivity to the Spirit provides with an uncanny ability to know when we have offended or hurt someone, and with the internal security allows us to respond quickly once we realize the sin or error that we have made.
 
When a sinner gets saved, these nine qualities of the Spirit should start to take place. It may not happen all at once, but it should happen. “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”.
 
As come to the fruit of goodness. This fruit is closely linked to the fruit of kindness.
In the beginning of the English language, the word “good” carried the same connotation as the name “God.” In Jewish tradition, the title, “The Good” was actually used for God. Goodness may appear to be the most obvious fruit but is in fact, often misunderstood and even maligned.
 
Our culture tends to make fun of those who are “goody-two-shoes” kind of people. While love, joy, and peace step up to the plate and hit home runs, goodness does its best to just get a single. Many don’t consider it very important or even desirable today.
 
Part of our problem is that we’ve overused the word. We say that we had a good vacation, a good cry, or a good meal, a good fellowship, that was a good movie. This afternoon I want us to look at how the word “good” is used in the Bible. In particular, I want to focus on an encounter Jesus had with a man who considered himself to be very good.
 
Mark 10:17-22    Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler
17 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” 18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ 20 And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”
21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” 22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Here’s another great example of Jesus evangelizing about His kingdom. If the question wasn’t obvious enough? “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”
Of course, Our Lord is not in the busyness of watering down the Truth. The “Rich Young Ruler”, had to choose, eternal life, or his riches.
 
The “Young Ruler” did a quick inventory and said, “I’ve kept all these since I was a boy. There’s got to be more. Is there something that I’m still missing? Surprisingly, Jesus did not argue with him or point out that he couldn’t possibly have kept all these commands. Instead, he looked intently at him with eyes of love and then said, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
 
When the young man heard this, his face fell. He walked away sad because he had a lot of money.( Possessions ) I see three main truths from this passage that will help us glide toward goodness.
 
• God is good
• We are not good
• Goodness comes as a result of following Christ
 
God Is good:
 
This seeker of truth had everything he needed, or so it seemed. He was young. The phrase, “young ruler” places him between twenty-four and forty years of age. He was well respected. And he had a lot of possession. But he was not happy with his legalistic, performance oriented, graceless religion. He could sense that he was missing something and he wanted to make sure he was on the right path to heaven. Of course, who better to ask than the “Way, The Truth, And The Life…Jesus” The fact that he ran up to Jesus shows us that he was earnest. By kneeling he demonstrates his sincerity. It’s really quite a picture, isn’t it? This “Rich Young Ruler” comes running up to the Preacher from Galilee. All his life he had been taught that he had to do good things in order to be saved, but something was bothering him deep inside. Something was still missing!
 
Just look at the story…he was convinced that all the “works”, that had to be done, he did. He was obedient. But still…something, or someone was missing. And He ( Jesus ) was standing right in front of him.
 
He starts out by calling Jesus “good.” Jesus stops him and says, “Why do you call me good when only God is good?” His answer must have surprised the man because at first glance it had no connection with the man’s question. Why would it, what was the question? “what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” Whats that got to do with God being good? Instead of answering his directly, Jesus makes the man realize the essence of goodness as exhibited in God alone.
 
 
 
1 Chronicles 16:34
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Psalms 119:68
You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes.
                     ( Keep Together )
 
The young man had addressed Jesus as “Good Teacher.” Perhaps he was trying to compliment or flatter Him. In the definitive sense of that word, Jesus could not be “good” if He was a mere mortal man. Only God was good and that could only mean one thing. Jesus could not be good unless He was also God. Some commentators have suggested that this is one clear occasion when Jesus denies his deity. Actually, Jesus is identifying himself with God, “If you know what good really means, you’ll understand that only God is good. Therefore if you call me good, then you’re calling me God. Are you prepared to acknowledge who I really am? That was His question to the “young ruler”.
 
We Are Not Good:

Jesus was also making the point that this young man was not good. Only God is. His concept of “good” was mistaken. It clouded his perception of Jesus and it clouded his understanding of himself. Why? Lets look at the obvious, what was his comment? “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” being obedient to the law, works.
Until he could see that Jesus was God incarnate who demanded his complete allegiance, and until he recognized his own sinfulness, he could not truly find the eternal life he was searching for. In short, he thought too little of Jesus and too much of himself. He overestimated his own goodness and grossly underestimated who Jesus was.
 
It was a common belief in that time that someone had to do something to earn eternal life. That’s still pretty popular today. Many believe that God will add up good works and bad works, and if the good outweighs the bad, then they will get into heaven. Church, we can’t truly find eternal life until we see that we fall far short of God’s standards of goodness and until we recognize that Jesus is God Himself, sent to redeem us from our sins by dying as our substitute on the cross.
 
The young ruler thought that he had kept all of God’s standards for goodness and was able to say that he had not committed adultery or murder, that he had never stolen or lied, and that he honored his father and mother. While he may have kept these commands, Jesus is about to show him the true state of his heart.
 
Psalm 14:3
They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good, No, not one.
 
Sound familiar? It should…Paul quoted the same words in…
 
 
Romans 3:12
They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
 
While this man was trying to justify himself by pointing to his outward obedience to the law…Romans 3:20
 
Romans 3:20
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
 
The purpose of the law is to serve like a mirror that reveals our blemishes and sins so that we see our need for Christ. Our need to be saved. He may have kept some of the commandments, but it was impossible to keep all of them… all the time. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “That’s really good that you’ve kept these important commands, but you’re still missing out on how to have eternal life. There’s no way you can be good enough to get to heaven. Let me show you what I mean. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor.”
 
Jesus is showing the man that he had broken the first and second commandments by making money his master. Shekels were his savior and gold was his god. He may also have broken the commandment against coveting as exhibited in his unwillingness to give his money to those who really needed it. The sin of covetousness is subtle and difficult to detect, and yet it can cause a person to break all the other commandments.
 
1 Timothy 6:10
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
 
This is exactly what happened to our “Young Ruler”, Our Lord had told him that he needed to sell his possessions, and what was his response?  “But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions”. Cant serve two masters, you will love one and hate the other.
 
Being good, or doing good, comes as a result of following Christ. Even though we may think that…we should feel sorry for this “Young Ruler”, lets look at the response that Jesus made..if you had missed it?
 
Mark 10:21
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
 
After all the bragging of being obedient…Jesus loved him!!!
“Jesus looked at him and loved him.” Isn’t that amazing? Talk about being merciful… This man loved his money more than anything else and yet Jesus still lavished him with love. Jesus could have told the man he was wrong or judged him or rolled His eyes at him. Instead, He loved him. Wow!!!  Could we have done the same?
 
Jesus didn’t love the young ruler because he was good, or because he kept all the religious requirements. Not at all. It was actually just the opposite. Jesus saw that he was trying to do the right things but was deluded. There was no way he could measure up and Jesus loved him anyway. Jesus knew that he was sincere, but his possessions clouded, and covered the only One that can save him. Just look at the story… “one came running, knelt before Him”. “ He came running, and knelt before Him”
 
1 John 4:10 (NIV)
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
 
He does the same for you and me. He sees all of our efforts that fall short. He sees our sins that pile up before Him. And yet, He looks at us with love. Out of this abundance of love, Jesus says, “One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” To be good means to be kind and generous.
 
This doesn’t mean that each of us have to sell everything we have if we want to be a disciple. Jesus was addressing a very specific need that this guy had, and in so doing, exposed his heart. He personalized the message for him. Because he was rich, he told him to liquidate his estate and give the money to the poor.
 
Church… what could be that one thing that is keeping you from faith in Christ? What’s keeping you from full surrender? What is that you’re holding on to right now that is getting in the way of you following Christ? Is it money? A relationship? Is it your time? Could it be a bad habit that you secretly enjoy? Just as Jesus pinpointed the root problem for this man, He looks at you with love this afternoon and says, “This one thing you lack. Let it go, come and follow Me.”
 
This young ruler turned down the gift of eternal life because his fist was so clenched around his money that he couldn’t imagine devoting his life to anything else. When faced with the choice of loving God and others or protecting his possessions, he chose the selfish route.
 
Mark 10:22 vividly describes an individual who is more in love with himself than with God and others…
 
Mark 10:22
22 But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
 
The Greek word translated “sad” gives the picture of storm clouds gathering. The young ruler, who had run up to Jesus, now shuffles away while an internal storm ravages his soul. It’s interesting that Jesus did not go chasing after him. The man was caught in the web of trying to serve both God and money as he realized the truth of, again… “you cannot serve two masters”.
 
Money is a marvelous servant but a terrible master. It’s good to have the things money can buy, provided you don’t lose the things that money cannot buy. Of all the people who came to the feet of Jesus, this man is the only one who went away worse than when he came.
 
He had everything that money could buy, and yet he wanted something far more important. He saw it, he knew it, caught a glimpse of it in Jesus and still walked away. People do this all the time. They recognize that Jesus can satisfy all that they need, and yet they don’t want to fully follow Him by giving up that which they are serving. I can’t think of anything much sadder than that. After today…after finding out that one thing you still lack…are you going away sad, or are you going to follow Christ?
 
Now, how does this passage relate to the fruit of goodness? Only God is good and we are not. We can’t get to heaven by trying to be good because we’ll never be good enough. The only way to be good is to be made good by Christ through conversion. If we want to do good things we must first submit and surrender to the One who alone is good. Then, His goodness will flow through us.
 
In order to get us away from trying to keep a long list of rules and regulations, Jesus summarized the entire Old Testament by saying there are really only two things that we must do.
 
Matthew 22:37-40
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
 
Let me tell you about another man who, when faced with the choice to love God and others, or serve only himself, made the right decision. Instead of walking away in a storm of selfishness, the trajectory of this man’s life was radically altered when he decided to follow Christ. We know that he was wealthy because he came from the island of Cyprus, which was known for an abundance of mines and forests. He was a landowner.
 
Acts 11:24
24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
 
 
He was a good man because he put his faith and trust in Christ as His Savior and Lord. He wasn’t good because he was born that way, or because he kept some of the commandments. Acts 4 tells us that he was a Levite, which meant that he was pretty religious. And yet, none of that mattered before he knew Christ. He was full of goodness because he was full of the Holy Spirit.
 
He surrendered his good money to Christ…quite the opposite from our young ruler.
 
Acts 4:37
37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
 
He viewed his assets through the eyes of stewardship, not ownership. A steward is one who owns nothing but is responsible for everything. While the rich young ruler served his money and walked away from Christ, Barnabas chose to serve the kingdom of God with his money.
 
Greedy people don’t really have a money problem; they have a faith problem. If God is in charge of your money, He’s in charge of your life. If He’s not in charge of your money, chances are, He does not reign in your life. Martin Luther has said, “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, mind, and the purse.” Of the three, many of us find the conversion of the purse the most difficult.
 
We don’t know if it was hard for Barnabas or not, but we do know that he sold his field and gave it all to the church. His actions stand in contrast to the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Of course, we all know that story. Like Barnabas, they sold a piece of property but were deceptive about giving all the proceeds to the Lord. The one thing that stopped them was not really about the money, but that they lied. They had the right to do whatever they want with their property, but chose to lie instead.
 
They were judged severely for their lying. Their actions revealed that money was more important to them than their integrity and God’s holiness. As a result, they were both struck dead on the spot.
 
Please…do not mistake this message as a financial push to give type of message. These are just one of the many enemies in our lives that can cloud our relation with the Lord, and with each other. “What is that one thing we still lack”? To follow Christ, if you have not yet done so? Total surrender, if that is your hardest enemy? What is that one thing?
 
Galatians 6:9-10
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
 
He said good words to believers. After Paul was converted, many of the Christians were afraid of him because of how he used to live. They probably should have been concerned because he was in charge of killing believers.
Paul tried to join the disciples but they wouldn’t let him get close because they didn’t really believe that he was a Christ-follower. This is where Barnabas comes in…
 
Act 9:27
27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
 
A perfect example of doing good…this was Paul, the Christian persecutor, and here we see Barnabas taking interest, and showing goodness. The fruit of goodness is exhibited when we focus on encouraging others like Barnabas did. Can you think of someone who needs a good word today? Is there anyone who is battered by life right now? Let me challenge you to say one encouraging thing to every person you talk to every day. In the midst of every conversation you have, look for a way to express the fruit of goodness through a kind word.
 
Church… as we walk by the Spirit and mix it up with lost people, we will see a great number of people brought to the Lord! One of the best ways to let the fruit of goodness out is to share the good news of the gospel with those you come in contact with. Think of at least one person right now who you can build a relationship with so that you’ll have the opportunity to share Christ with them. Nothing fancy…no tricks, no agenda, just your good testimony about Jesus. And let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
 
Lastly:   “One Thing You Lack”
 
Matthew 13:47-50
47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
 
I tell you, Jesus does not water down, or joke around when it comes to His kingdom. Nothing fancy…no tricks, no hidden agendas, just tell them the truth. Jesus did!
 
Here’s the bottom line. In any church there are true believers and false believers, wheat and tares, good fish and bad fish. You can hear the words of Jesus and determine to follow Him like Barnabas did. You’ll then be a good fish. Or, you can hear what He says and walk away sad like the rich young ruler. That will make you a bad fish and you’ll end up spending eternity in a place you don’t want to be.
 
We are called to be good...to do good. To abide in His will, and its always…His will be done!!!   What… “One thing you lack”?
 
 
 

delivered on Oct. 2, 2016

                     
John 6:38-40 ( NIV )
​
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.
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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.

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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: