And again, it's boiling, isn't it?
So if you feel you need to get out
accidents, there are tyrants,
there are bullies which force their plans
on the world and crush anyone
who stands in their way.
Maybe there are things that have happened
in your life and the question is,
why does God allow that?
And it's a stumbling block, isn't it, to many people.
It's a challenge to us
as Christians that we need to face
that if Jesus is God's King,
bringing in God's kingdom,
why isn't it here yet?
It's been such a long time
coming. Why is there so much
opposition to Christianity in the world?
And in trying to make sense
of the world in which we live,
I think we can go to two extremes.
We might be over-optimistic as Christians
and we might, things are bound
to get better
and we try to capture the world for Jesus.
Things will just get better and better.
The other hand is,
we can be pessimistic, can't we?
That things are going from bad to worse
and so we just battle down the hatches
and we wait until Jesus comes back.
There's a teaching out there
that is a heresy.
It comes from America,
as most heresies do.
It's a teaching called the rapture.
You might have heard it.
There's many books that have been written
on this theme.
There are very bad films
that have been written.
It's very bad theology
and it's this,
that when Jesus returns,
he will snatch up all the Christians
and he'll rapture them away
and he'll leave the world to unbelievers.
So you wake up one morning
and you go out
and there's people's clothes
lying on the pavement
because all the Christians have disappeared.
You were flying to America
and there was a Christian pilot
and sadly he's just disappeared.
They've been taken away
and unbelievers are now in charge of the world
and that is a scary thought
but let me tell you,
it's not going to happen
and it's not going to happen
because Jesus says
it is not going to happen.
And that's what this parable is about.
Jesus is not going to root out
all the evildoers
or snatch away all the Christians.
Do you see what he says?
They will continue side by side
right to the very end.
The wheat of God
and the weeds of Satan.
The sons of the kingdom,
the sons of the evil one.
Side by side
right to the day of judgment.
Good and evil
will coexist.
And as much as you and I
would love God
to remove all evil from the world,
mercifully,
he will not do that
until judgment day.
And so is this world
going to get better
or is this world
going to get worse
and the answer is
yes.
The world is getting better.
The good seed of the gospel
is growing.
We've seen that
in the first parable,
it's an unstoppable harvest.
It's producing
an abundant harvest.
Grain on the stalk.
It's much,
much more,
isn't it,
than that tiny little seed
that was planted
into the ground.
And it's growing.
But the weeds are growing.
And every week that passes,
they are larger
and more deeply rooted
than before.
And that is the teaching
of Jesus in this parable.
I've just got two things to say.
One,
this parable helps us
to understand
our present reality
and it points
to a future certainty.
Our present reality
and our future certainty.
Let's first of all
look at the present reality.
It helps us to make sense
of the world
in which we live.
When we look at the world,
we see,
don't we,
good and evil
side by side
vying with each other.
And when you look
at world history,
you'll see that
there are times
when evil gets pushed down
and that it rises again
in a different form.
Often in a more sinister form.
And so,
2,000 years of Christianity,
the world is much
as it always has been.
There are still wars out there
and there are still
rumors of wars.
The wheat and the weed,
they grow together.
And when I move
from looking at the world
to looking into my own heart,
what do I find?
What's my experience?
Well, it's exactly
the same experience
as the Apostle Paul.
The good that I want to do,
I can't do.
And the evil that I don't want to do,
I find myself doing.
There's good and evil
side by side in the world,
but there's good and evil
side by side in my heart.
And that's the present reality
in the church.
We're told,
Jesus told,
we're told that Jesus
chose the 12
in John 6,
but one of them
was a devil.
And so,
if you're looking
for a perfect church,
if you've come here tonight
as a perfect church,
looking for a perfect church,
let me tell you,
this isn't it.
But if you find it,
as someone says,
don't join it
because you'll spoil it.
And let me say,
what I'm telling you,
it's not an excuse
to walk away
from the church either.
Some people say to me,
they say to you,
I don't go to church
because it's full of hypocrites.
And the response to that is,
well,
there's always room
for one more.
Come and join us.
The wheat and the weeds
grow together.
And that fits
with our experience
in the world,
in our lives,
and in the church.
The sons of the kingdom
are cheek by jowl
with the sons
of the evil one.
Isn't that right?
And so just look
in the parable with me.
There's two things
that you wouldn't
necessarily know.
The wheat and the weed
at certain points
are indistinguishable.
There's a very
specific word
that's used here
to describe the weed.
The bearded darnel.
It sounds like something
from Lord of the Rings,
doesn't it,
or Star Wars.
But it's a weed.
That's the word here.
It's being called
wheat's evil twin
because you can't
distinguish it
immediately from the wheat.
It's a poisonous,
extremely toxic weed.
In fact,
in a big enough dose,
this weed will kill you.
And at first,
when it begins to grow,
you can't tell the difference
between the wheat.
Both grow together.
It's why it's so dangerous.
And in this parable,
this weed doesn't just
spring up.
Can you see verse 25?
It's planted by an enemy.
While his men were sleeping,
his enemy came
and sowed weeds
among the wheat
and went away.
What have you got here?
This is germ warfare.
This is bioterrorism.
Agricultural sabotage.
The farmer's got a competitor.
There's a rival
who deliberately sets out
to destroy the crop.
And he does so
by planting poisonous,
toxic weeds
in amongst the wheat.
And doesn't that
accord with our experience?
According to Jesus,
verse 38,
the field is the world.
Don't make the mistake
that some have made
in thinking this parable
is about the church.
It's not.
In the world,
there are two agendas.
There are two peoples.
There are two kingdoms.
There are two forces
side by side.
Vying with each other.
And that's always been the case,
isn't it?
If you go back
to Genesis chapter 3
that Johnny preached
so helpfully on last week,
there have always been
these two.
The sons of the kingdom
and the sons of the evil one.
And in that first announcement
of the gospel,
which Johnny preached brilliantly
on the other Sunday morning,
Jesus preaches to Satan.
That's who the first sermon
is addressed to.
And it's not good news.
He says,
I will put hostility,
I will put enmity
between you and the woman
and between your offspring
and her offspring.
And he shall bruise your head
and you shall bruise his heel.
And that's the story
of the human race.
The sons of the kingdom
and the sons of the evil one.
And this struggle begins
to play itself out.
And so Genesis chapter 4,
the next chapter,
you have a murderer
and a victim.
And it's played out
all the way to the current time.
There is an enemy
who is opposed
to God's rule on earth
and he is intent
on sabotaging it.
There is a personal,
malevolent being
at work in this world
called Satan
and he sows weed
amongst the wheat.
Verse 25,
an enemy came
and sowed weeds
amongst the wheat
and went away.
So when the plants
came up
and bore grain
then the weeds
appeared.
How does that happen?
I read this week
that King Jong-un,
the Korean dictator,
his great-grandfather
was a Presbyterian minister.
I'm not,
he's certainly influenced
by Presbyterians
but it seems
that he may well
have been a Presbyterian minister.
They came out of China
as a Christian family
and moved to Korea.
How did that happen?
How did he become
what he has become?
An enemy has done this.
While they were sleeping
an enemy came
and planted weeds
amongst the wheat
so that now North Korea
is one of the most
oppressive regimes
in all the world.
And yet in North Korea
tonight there are sons
of the kingdom
in that field.
and there are seeds
of the evil one
in that field.
Together in God's province.
You see we must
wake up to this.
This is spiritual warfare.
Paul says we wrestle
not against flesh and blood
but powers and principalities
in the heavenly realms.
This is the evil one
trying to stop
God's work in the world
seeking to destroy it.
Remember Jesus told them
in Mark's Gospel
it gets that point
in Mark 8
where he says
and we're going to go up
to Jerusalem
and the Son of Man
which is the way
he describes himself
will be betrayed
to the chief priests
the teachers of the law
they'll condemn him
to death
they'll turn him
over to the Gentiles
he'll be flogged
and mocked
and crucified.
And they didn't
want to hear that.
And they say
no way Jose
is that going to
happen to you.
And what did Jesus
say to Peter
when Peter said that?
What did Jesus say?
Did he say thanks Peter
for caring for me so much?
Thanks Peter
I really appreciate
your concern.
No he said
get behind me Satan.
What he's saying is
Peter don't you realise
what is going on?
Wake up to the
spiritual warfare
that the enemy
is trying to stop me
from going to the cross.
But I must go.
Satan is trying
to divert me
from going to the cross
and Satan does
his damnedness
to get rid of him
right from the very beginning.
So you remember
Herod
seeking to put
those babies to death.
And so
wonderfully
with the bruised heel
of his
crucified humanity
Jesus has
stamped
on Satan's head
and destroyed
the works
of the devil.
Do you see
what is happening
is spiritual warfare.
You see in Acts 2
when Peter preaches
the sons of the kingdom
spring up
and there's a great harvest.
Thousands of people
become Christians.
And what happens
is that the enemy
comes persecuting
the church
from the outside
and counterfeiting
Christians
on the inside.
And you remember
Ananias and Sapphira
pretending to be
what they were not.
Pretending to be
sons of God
when they weren't.
What is that?
What's going on
at that point?
It is the enemy
planting weeds
amongst the wheat.
So much harm
is done, isn't it?
So much harm
is done.
And it's been done
in your life
and my life
by people
pretending to be
Christians.
Gandhi
was in South Africa
during the days
of apartheid.
And Gandhi
was very attracted
to the gospel.
Gandhi read
about the Sermon
on the Mount.
He read the life
and the teachings
of Jesus
and was attracted
to Jesus.
He tried one day
to go,
well I think,
into a reformed church
in South Africa
and they refused
him entry
because of the colour
of his skin.
And it turned him
off Christianity
permanently.
He said,
I would become a Christian
if I could find one.
How did that happen?
An enemy did it.
While the church
was sleeping,
an enemy
planted weeds
against the weed.
The other thing
to notice
is not only
the weed
and wheat
are indistinguishable
at first
but they're entwined.
Can you see that?
So you can't
pull up the weed
without uprooting
the wheat.
This is what he says
in verse 28.
An enemy
has done this.
So the servant
said to him,
well then what do you
want us to do
to go and gather them?
But he said,
no,
lest in gathering
the weeds
you root up
the wheat
along with them.
Let them grow together
until the harvest
and at harvest time
I will tell the reapers
gather the weeds first,
bind them in bundles
to be burned.
I hope when you read
those verses
you're glad.
I think we should be glad.
Aren't you glad
that Jesus said that?
Because what if
all the weeds
were ripped out?
Where would that
leave you?
John Chapman,
Australian evangelist
said this.
He said,
if you're going to
call the garbage man
make sure you
climb out of the bin.
It's good,
isn't it?
If you're going to
call the garbage man
climb out of the bin,
if you really want
God to intervene,
if you really want
God to rip out
all the weeds
and root out
all evil,
where does that
leave you?
What a mercy it is,
isn't it,
that God has not
separated the wheat
from the weeds.
He lets both
grow together
until harvest.
That is the kindness
and the patience,
the perfect patience
of God
towards us.
God says
he doesn't wish
that any would
perish.
Peter says,
the Lord isn't
slow to carry out
his promise,
as some count
slowness,
but he is patient
towards you,
not wishing that
any should
perish,
but all come
to repentance.
He doesn't want
anyone lost.
Those who are
weeds today
may be wheat
tomorrow.
that's what
Augustine said.
And that was
Augustine's story.
If you know
anything about him,
Augustine certainly
knew how to
sow wild oats,
and he was a
young man who
lived a very
wild,
desolate life.
But St.
Augustine had a
godly mum,
Monica,
who prayed for him.
And he was
wonderfully converted
in 386 AD.
Converted to
Christ in 386
AD.
But what if
Jesus had come
back in 385
AD?
What would
have become of
him then?
What about you?
How many of you
have become
Christians in
the last 20
or 30 years,
or the last 10
years, or the
last year, or
the last few
months, or the
last few
minutes?
What if Jesus
had come back
before then?
I think that I
became a Christian
in July 1993.
I'm a bit
unsure.
It's a complicated
story.
But I think it
was July 1993.
Not everyone
can give a date,
neither do you
have to give a
date.
But what if
Jesus had come
back in May
1993?
Or June
1993?
I would have
been eternally
lost, because I
was weed amongst
the wheat back
then.
I came to
church three
times a Sunday,
but I didn't
love the Lord
Jesus Christ.
And you
must not
assume that
you're a
Christian tonight
just because
you're sitting
in church.
Because the
wheat and
the weeds,
they grow
together.
The sons of
the kingdom
and the sons
of the evil
one can be
sitting side
by side in
the same row
in church,
but don't
despair because
God is kind
and God is
patient.
And he's
slow to anger
and he's
swift to
show mercy.
And those
who are weeds
today may be
wheat tomorrow.
So let both
grow together.
Now let me
apply this.
What he's
saying is
where the wheat
and the weeds
grow together,
your roots as
a believer will
be intertwined
with people
whose roots
will be very
different from
you.
And that
will be true
in your life.
God has
placed you,
it's not a
mistake the
family you were
born into,
it's not a
mistake the
situation that
you find
yourself in.
God has
placed you in
his sovereign
providence into
the family you've
been born into.
He has put you
into the career
that you're
following.
He has placed
you where you
are in his
sovereignty with
people and
your roots are
intertwined with
people.
And what Jesus
is saying is
this, don't
pull up the
roots.
Let both grow
together until
the harvest.
In other words,
he is telling
you and I,
engage where
you are
with who
God has
planted you
with.
He has put
you in your
daily life.
And so don't
rush off to
some monastery
or whatever the
equivalent of
that is,
don't kind of
rush into some
holy huddle
singing praise
songs.
God in his
sovereignty has
put you into
your family and
so stay there,
engage with those
people.
You are probably
the only Christian
in your workplace,
in your school,
and stay there
where God has
placed you.
And your roots are
intertwined with
those people and
not how God
has designed it
to be.
Don't pull up
the roots,
flourish where
God has placed
you.
Remember those
who are weeds
today, maybe
weak tomorrow,
and remember
this, that the
mission of the
church is sowing
seed, not
pulling weeds.
Do you hear
that?
We've got a big
enough challenge,
haven't we?
I've got a big
enough challenge
trying to deal
with the sin in
my own heart,
in my own
family.
It's not in
our power,
it is not in
our calling to
root out in
the world.
Root it out
in the world.
That is the
calling of Christ,
he will do it
in the great
judgment.
You know what
Paul says to
the Corinthians,
in 1 Corinthians
chapter 4,
what have I to
do with judging
outsiders?
That's not my
business.
It's those
inside the
church that we
are to judge.
God judges
those outside,
so stop judging
those outside.
There's a lot
of that about,
isn't there?
Don't pull up
the weeds,
sow the seed.
I think it's
an issue,
isn't it,
for churches
like us,
that we can
become really
issues driven.
We have a
voice,
we're entitled
to make that
Christian voice
heard,
to proclaim
Christ publicly,
to stand up
for those
who are most
vulnerable.
We're entitled
to make our
voice heard to
the government,
to make our
views known.
There is a
place for that.
But I find it
far easier to
sign a petition
than a petition
on the throne
of grace.
And our
calling is not
to pull up
weeds,
leave that to
Jesus on
judgment day.
our job,
our calling
is to plant
and sow
the seed
amongst people
who we've
been placed
with.
So this is
the present
reality,
sowing and
growing,
but thank
God there's
no mowing.
Sowing and
growing,
but no
mowing.
The kingdom
is coming,
and it is
coming,
and the seeds
of the sons
of the kingdom
are springing
up through
the preaching
of the gospel.
The kingdom
is coming,
and judgment
is delaying.
That brings me
to my second
point,
which is the
future certainty,
for judgment
is certainly
coming.
And that's
why Jesus
takes us
in his
explanation
of the
parable
in verses
36 to
43,
to the end
of the world
of the day
of judgment,
and he sets
himself up
as the final
arbiter of
human destiny.
And make
no mistake,
this day is
coming,
and it is
only a
heartbeat
away.
C.S.
Lewis describes
it in one
of his broadcast
talks.
He says
this,
I wonder
whether people
who ask
God to
interfere
openly and
directly in
our world
quite realise
what it
will be
like when
he does.
When that
happens,
it is the
end of the
world.
When the
author walks
onto the
stage,
the play
is over,
and God
is going
to invade,
all right?
He will
strike either
irresistible
love or
irresistible
horror into
every creature,
and it will
be too late
then to
choose your
side.
That will
not be the
time for
choosing.
It will
be the
time when
we discover
which side
we've really
chosen,
whether we
realised it
before or
not.
Now today,
this moment,
is our chance
to choose the
right side.
You see,
there's an
urgency about
this,
isn't there?
There's a
future division
of the human
race,
and Jesus
is the
one who
is going
to judge.
You will
not be
judging
Jesus on
that day.
people
people often
say stupid
things to
me.
They say,
I've got a
bone to
pick with
your God.
I've got
some questions
I'd like to
ask him.
Do you
think that
you're going
to be
judging
Jesus?
No one
is going
to be
judging
Jesus
on that
day.
The
Son of
Man,
that favourite
self-designation,
verses 41
to 43.
The
Son of
Man will
send his
angels,
they will
gather out
of his
kingdom all
causes of
sin and
lawbreakers and
throw them
into the
fiery furnace.
In that
place,
there will
be weeping
and gnashing
of teeth.
And then
the righteous
will shine
like the
sun in
the kingdom
of their
father.
He who
has ears,
let him
hear.
It's
pretty
graphic,
isn't
it?
Jesus
doesn't
mince his
words.
It is
terrifying.
This is
gentle
Jesus,
meek and
mild.
The
wheat and
the
weed will
be eternally
separated,
the harvest
will come,
the wheat will
be gathered
into God's
barn,
and the
weeds will
be burnt
up.
I know
it's picture
language,
I'm prepared
to concede
that.
It's
picture
language,
but the
reality is
more sobering
than the
picture.
And there
is a
massive
warning,
isn't
there,
for you
and I
here,
that hell
is a
reality.
And no
one had
more to
say about
hell than
the Lord
Jesus.
No one
spoke more
frequently about
hell than
Jesus.
And listen
to what he
says,
there will
be weeping
and gnashing
of teeth.
That is,
hell is a
place of
eternal,
everlasting
regret,
but no
repentance.
Eyes
opened,
but hearts
not softened.
Reaping
and gnashing
of teeth,
permanent
and unrelenting.
Anger
and frustration
against God,
that is
hell.
And Jesus
doesn't say
this tonight
to frighten
you.
He says
it because
it is
true.
Jesus
doesn't say
it to
frighten
you.
He's not
trying to
scare people
into the
kingdom,
that is
not how
Jesus
operates
it.
He
doesn't
say it
to frighten
you,
he says
it to
warn
you.
And
he's
looking
for a
response
for us.
Verse 43,
he who
has ears,
let him
hear.
Heed the
warning.
You've
got a
pair of
ears,
haven't
you?
Some
of you
are blessed
with your
ears.
Some
of us
have
considerable
ears.
There's
no mystery
about
becoming
a
Christian.
You
don't
have to
go to
a
secret
ceremony.
You
don't
have to
come to
a
special
place.
You
have
to
listen.
You
have to
listen to
what Jesus
is saying
to you
tonight.
If you've
got ears
to hear,
there is a
way to
escape hell
tonight,
and to
be bundled
together with
those who
are Christ's
people.
And so
take this
tonight from
Jesus as
a challenge,
not a
conclusion.
Take it as
an invitation
to life,
not a
sentence of
death.
Two of
the great
leaders of
the 19th
century,
the Christian
leaders,
were John
Newton.
He wrote
Amazing Grace.
He's a
converted slave
trader.
You can go
to his
church at
Bank,
right in
the heart
of the
city.
He was a
converted slave
trader, and
one of his
friends was
William Wilberforce,
a man who
spearheaded in
many ways the
end of
slavery.
He was a
social reformer,
and Wilberforce
and Newton
were great
friends.
Wilberforce
moved in
high circles.
He was a
friend of
the Prime
Minister,
William
Pitt the
Younger,
and he
invited
William
Pitt the
Younger
to go
and hear
John
Newton
preach.
William
Pitt the
Younger
became
Prime
Minister
at
24.
He
was a
brilliant
man,
one of
the most
famous
Prime
Ministers.
William
Wilberforce
invited him
to church,
and Pitt
said,
after he'd
been there,
my dear
Wilberforce,
what was he so
excited about
today?
I don't think I
grasped it.
Pitt was one of
the most brilliant
minds in
England,
listening to
one of the
most eloquent
preachers of
grace,
the man who
wrote Amazing
Grace,
and yet he
heard it,
but he
didn't hear
it.
He didn't
have ears
to hear.
And I
think tonight
he's regretting
that,
don't you?
I think he
will regret
that to all
eternity.
He
heard the
gospel,
but he
didn't hear
it.
Hearing it,
but didn't
understand it.
And what
about you?
Do you
see yourself
in this
parable?
What are
the
parables?
Earthly
stories of
the heavenly
meaning,
it's not a
great diagnosis,
it's not a
great definition.
A better
definition that
somebody has
said,
they are like
hand grenades,
they're like
time bombs,
that Jesus
throws and
then they go
off and they
explode at the
right time,
and Jesus
throws these
stories alongside
us, which is
the word
literally what
a parable
means to
be alongside
us.
And he
gives you
this parable
not to
destroy you,
but to
save you.
And so do
you see
yourself in
the story,
a simple
story?
Can you see
yourself here?
Are you a
member of the
royal family,
a son of
the king,
or are you a
son of the
evil one,
a member of
the devil's
family?
Which family
do you belong
to?
At harvest
time, Jesus
says, I
will tell
the reapers,
gather the
wheat first,
gather the
wheat first.
Gather the
wheat first
together,
and throw
the weeds
into the
fire.
They'll be
bundled up
together.
Which bundle
are you in?
On that
great and
terrifying day,
will you be
found in the
bundle of
life, bundled
together with
those from
Christ's eyes?
Will you be
among the
righteous who
will shine
like the
sun?
Do you
know where
you'll be
in that
day?
And if
you're unsure
tonight,
please make
sure tonight.
Jesus is
saying to you
tonight through
the preaching
of his word,
turn to
me, cry
to me,
trust me
to save
you and I
will rescue
you.
I will
rescue you
from the
wrath to
come.
John
Wesley was
the founder
of Methodism.
He famously
said, the
world is my
parish.
He averaged
15 sermons a
week.
I can just
about manage
one decent
one.
He reached
right up into
his 80s.
He preached
40,000
sermons.
He travelled
more than
250,000 miles
on horseback
even into
his 80s.
During an
age when
the roads
were just
muddy tracks,
no tarmac,
he was an
incredibly
organised guy.
He meticulously
kept a diary
and this is
his entry
for the
28th of
May 1742.
We came
to Newcastle,
Newcastle-pontine,
about six o'clock
and after a
short refreshment
walked into
the town.
I was surprised.
So much
drunkenness,
cursing and
swearing,
even from the
mouths of
little children.
Do I
never
remember to
have seen
and heard
before?
It's a
small
compass of
time.
Surely
this place
is ripe.
Ripe for
what?
What would
you say?
How would
you finish
that sentence?
Our
natural
reaction
would be
to complete
the sentence
well with
something like
this.
It's ripe
for hell.
Surely
this place
is ripe
for judgment
but Wesley
saw things
differently
and this
is what
he wrote.
surely
this place
is ripe
for him
who came
not to
call the
righteous
but sinners
to repentance.
That's it,
isn't it?
This is what
this parable
teaches us.
As you look
at the world
around us,
how do you
see it?
Do you see it
being ripe
for judgment?
Finger wagging,
pulling up the
weeds,
pharisaical
Christians,
ripe for
judgment,
almost gloating
over it.
All right
for Jesus.
Let's pray.
Lord Jesus,
when you
saw the
crowds
and the
multitudes,
you had
compassion
on them.
You
wept
over
Jerusalem.
You
pleaded
with them
to repent.
You
came
not to
condemn
but to
save.
Scripture
even tells
us that
judgment
is your
strange
work.
And so
Heavenly
Father,
we ask
that you
would give
to us
the heart
of the
Lord Jesus
for this
city,
for this
area,
for this
family.
We ask
Heavenly
Father that
you would
be gracious
to us
tonight.
You
would melt
our icy
hearts.
You
would soften
the stony
heart here.
and you
would give
to us
the heart
of flesh
by your
Spirit.
We pray
in Jesus'
name.
Amen.