Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
Matthew 13:26-43 (NIV)
1. I NEED THE IMAGERY OF THE STORY IN MY HEAD!
The sower of the good seed (wheat) is Jesus.
The sower of the bad seed (weeds) is Satan.
The good seed are the children of the kingdom of light.
The bad seed are the children of the kingdom of darkness.
The field is the world.
The harvest is the end of this world.
The harvesters are God’s angels.
The blazing furnace that burns the weeds represents hell.
The barn that shelters the wheat represents heaven.
2. I NEED THE APPLICATION OF THE STORY IN MY LIFE!
If I am a member of God’s Kingdom (Church, Christian, Disciple, Saved), then…
…GOD HAS PLANTED ME TO PRODUCE A GOOD HARVEST.
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed… Some seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
Matthew 13:3, 4, 8 (NIV)
… go and make disciples of all the nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you and, remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.
Matthew 28:19, 20 (Phillips)
An authentic disciple is the seed of God’s kingdom.
…I WILL REPRODUCE WHAT I AM, NOT WHAT I PRETEND TO BE.
…a man who sowed good seed in his field …his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat… When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
Matthew 13:24-26 (NIV)
Then God said, “Let the earth produce plants—some to make grain for seeds and others to make fruits with seeds in them. Every seed will produce more of its own kind of plant.” And it happened.
Genesis 1:11 (NCV)
What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!
Matthew 23:15 (NLT)
…I AM IN A SPIRITUAL WAR THAT REQUIRES VIGILANCE.
We’re not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk in heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12 (VOICE)
Vigilance results in my being awake.
But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat….
Matthew 13:25 (NIV)
Asleep = in danger.
Vigilance results in my being aware.
I don’t want Satan to outwit us. After all, we are not ignorant about Satan’s scheming.
2 Corinthians 2:11 (NOG)
When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’”
Matthew 13:26-28 (NIV)
These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 11:13-14 (NLT)
Not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven. Simply calling Me “Lord” will not be enough. Only those who do the will of My Father who is in heaven will join Me in heaven. At the end of time, on that day of judgment, many will say to Me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name? Did we not drive demons out in Your name? Did we not perform miracles in Your name?” But I will say to them, “I never knew you. And now, you must get away from Me, you evildoers!
Matthew 7:21-23 (VOICE)