Question:
Over the last decade, have you witnessed a flood of social, and moral and evil tension in our culture?
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” – 2 Timothy 3:1–9 (ESV)
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:12–17 (ESV)
Truth is often understood in tension .
- Concept (truth.)
- Context (tension of lie’s struggles, problems, fallen world.)
- Clarity (lifestyle, mindset, heart change.)
“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 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 together until the harvest, and at 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.” ’ ”” – Matthew 13:24–30 (ESV)
“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 law-breakers, 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.” – Matthew 13:36–43 (ESV)
What am I to get out of this story?
- Everything is connected to Jesus.
- There will be a final harvest of seeds & weeds.
- Concept (The truth about your potential.)
- Context (Tension: good seed and tares are planted next to one another.)
- Clarity (Truth is reaped in tension…. harvest.)
Harvest Principles:
- There will be a time for harvest.
- The harvest demands hard work .
- Good seed produces good seed.
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
I John 3:9 ESV
The enemy (Satan) knowledge
“the enemy who sows them” (weeds), is the devil.
- The value of good seed.
- Good seed produces more good seed.
- The devil can not stop wheat from being wheat.
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6 ESV
So. . . . . What does the enemy do?
He can’t kill good seed. He can’t step on good seed. He can’t dig it up.
Plants weeds next to wheat.
Why?
First, answer this question. . .
Who owns the field?
and who is the sower?
1) The enemy knows he can’t destroy the value of the seed so he attacks the owner of the field.
If the seed doesn’t produce, then the owner looses. Satan’s battle is not with seed, but ultimately the owner of the field and seed.
“The battle belongs to the Lord”
Watch this. . .
If Satan can’t destroy you being good seed, then what does he do?
2) The enemy devalues the harvest by hindering the potential of good seed.
If left undone, what is meant for you is stolen. And the potential of good seed, good wheat never reaches its potential.
“You got potential”
Remember this Biblical Principle:
Potential is always connected to purpose .
Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.
II Kings 13:19 ESV
“You should have…..then you would have”
Warning:
The pain of falling short is much less than the shame of stopping short.