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.
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.
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.
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,
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,
verse 7,
that the devil will be thrown
into the lake of fire forever and ever.
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
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.