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WISDOM AND WONDER, Season 2, Episode 3
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I want to beg you to listen carefully to this message. This text has been sitting on me all week. I've struggled to wrap my mind around the gravity of what Jesus is about to teach us. I'm not even sure what will come out of my mouth, but I care most that you understand what the Lord has said.
Before we begin, I want to honor our prayer team and the spiritual formation work happening in our church. We believe that a prayerless church is a powerless church. Prayer is not just petition—asking God for what we want—but intercession, engaging in spiritual warfare by crying out for the lost, for the church, for missionaries, and for leaders globally. My prayer is that one day we'll fill an arena with 20,000 believers doing nothing but praying and crying out to God for revival, for the lost, and for the return of Christ. Not for any celebrity, but only for his presence.
When I observe the behavior of the church in America—our preaching, our priorities, what we're preoccupied with—I ask myself: Are we seeing as clearly as we need to see? I've discovered that what corrects the lenses of God's people is a clear biblical worldview.
What is a worldview? It is a comprehensive conception of the world—the filter through which we interpret everything happening around us. It informs all our thoughts and actions. Without a biblical worldview, we cannot understand the world rightly or know how to respond to the times we live in.
There are five building blocks that should inform how believers see and interpret the world:
1. Creation
We do not believe that the perfect life support system we live in—the sun, moon, stars, the intertwined relationship between humanity and creation—happened by accident. When I took my son outside and pointed at the crescent moon and Venus, I asked him, "Who put that there?" He said, "God did." We believe in creation, not evolution. God is the Creator of all things.
2. The Fall
We believe that sin entered the world through the enemy's deceit, and mankind rebelled against God. Through that rebellion, the world was thrust into a state of curse and sin. This is why we understand human suffering and brokenness. Everything that is broken around us exists because of the fall.
3. Redemption
Right now, in this very moment, God is in the process of redemption. He is harvesting to himself a people from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Not everyone will be harvested, but God is moving all the pieces around the world, gathering a church from every place unto himself.
4. Consummation
Time is running out. According to Scripture, God is bringing the world towards its end. It is foolish to try to create utopia here. God is moving the entire world towards a definite ending. The rapture of the church is closer than we think. The return of Jesus is closer than we think.
5. New Creation
In the end, God will recreate the earth. He will burn this world by fire and recreate it. After the recreation of the world, He will come and live with His people. Jesus will rule and reign for the endless ages of eternity from the city of Jerusalem.
There are two kingdoms right now in war: the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. These two kingdoms are constantly in battle, constantly clashing. Jesus came to inaugurate the kingdom of light, and it is advancing in every direction in the hearts of men across the entire globe. The kingdom of light will eventually overthrow the kingdom of darkness until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God.
Jesus taught about the kingdom through parables—encrypted teachings for the learning of his followers, but a type of judgment against those who rejected his teaching. Last week we looked at the parable of the sower. Now Jesus gives us another parable.
"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." (Matthew 13:24–26)
In the first century AD, farmers in the agricultural world would have understood this scenario well. If a farmer had a grudge against another farmer, they would come at night and sow weeds into his field. The specific weed is called Darnell, and it is a type of weed that, when it grows, looks identical to wheat at first. You cannot tell them apart as they're growing. The difference is that Darnell weed has poison in its roots, and you cannot distinguish them until both are fully grown.
Once fully grown, you can see from the heads of the stalk which is wheat and which is weed. But by then, underneath the ground, their roots are so intertwined that if you try to separate them too early, you might pull out wheat at the same time. So farmers would wait until harvest. Then they would send workers to separate the wheat from the weeds—the wheat gathered into a barn for safety, the weeds thrown into a furnace to burn.
"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 servant said to him, 'Then do you want us to gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds, you root up the wheat along with them. Let them both grow 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 13:27–30)
Notice several things in this parable: The man who sowed the good seeds took ownership of the field. The seed he sowed, he called it good. His enemy came at night—when no one was watching, when people were asleep. He sowed the weeds among the wheat, not far away but mixed in. And they grew together until a particular time.
After telling three parables to the crowds, only one intrigued the disciples enough to ask for an explanation: this parable of weeds and fire. Jesus pulled away from the crowds—notice he knew how to work and then pull away—and he went into a house with his disciples. They came to him saying:
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." (Matthew 13:36)
I love that they asked. It shows they were hungry. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled." This is the type of behavior I want from you—always seeking the Lord for insight. We get some of the most powerful teachings because believers are seeking God with hunger.
"He answered and said to them, '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.'" (Matthew 13:37–39)
The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
Jesus identifies himself as the Sower. The "Son of Man" is a title from the Old Testament—especially Daniel—and it is a title and tagline for God Almighty, the Son of God. Jesus calls himself the Son of God and identifies himself with deity.
Notice that Jesus took ownership for all the sowing. This is why we can't brag on anything. Jesus is the one doing the sewing. He is the one building the church. He is the one responsible for all the work. He deserves the glory for what is happening in our lives right now. He did not say we do the sowing. He does all of the sowing.
When Jesus calls the seed he sowed "good," he is not talking about morality. He is talking about the righteousness of believers that has been imparted to us by the righteousness of Christ. The seed that Jesus sows is good seed.
In the parable of the sower last week, what did Jesus sow? The word of God. What did he harvest from sowing the word of God? Sons and daughters. So first he sows the word, and he harvests followers. Then he takes those followers and he sows them. First he sows the word of God. He harvests followers. Then he takes the followers and he sows them.
"The field is the world." (Matthew 13:38)
In the parable, who owned the field? The sower. So Jesus is the owner of the field. This is why Scripture says, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" (Psalm 24:1). The earth belongs to Christ.
Then he takes the seeds—the good seeds of the kingdom—and he sows them into the field. First, you have been harvested by the word of God. You have been harvested by the gospel. And then God takes all of his children like seed and he scatters them in the world. In some areas the seed is more concentrated than others. There might be millions of believers in one corner of the world and a few thousand in another. But all around the world, Jesus takes his sons and he scatters them.
Everyone who is saved has been planted by the Lord Jesus Christ. It does not matter what city you live in. You must know that you have been planted by the Lord, and your planting is not by accident. You have been planted with your gifts, your talents, your abilities, your burdens, your concerns. Your planting was by design and on purpose.
Your parents were planted in another generation. Your grandparents were planted in their generation. The Lord knows the needs of this generation, and He planted you in this generation. If he brought you to Atlanta, your planting is not by accident. If he brought you to this church, your planting is not by accident. If he ripped you away from some other place, your planting is not by accident. Wherever the Lord has planted you—New York, New Jersey, California, North Carolina—we should be fruitful wherever we have been planted.
Some of you might be a tulip. Some might be a rose. Some might be something else. You don't need to be jealous of the plant next to you. Just bear fruit wherever you have been planted. Stop complaining about where he put your feet and be faithful wherever you have been planted. Your planting has been on purpose, and He planted you with a purpose.
When Jesus called us salt and light, he planted us to be salt and light wherever we are. He did not plant Christians just to go to church.
"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." (Matthew 13:38–39)
I don't care if you get offended. Jesus said right now in the world there are people who are sons of the devil. And if we call them out, people say you're judgmental, you're close-minded. But this is biblical teaching.
Jesus said that right now in the world are the sons that he planted, and among them are the sons that the devil planted. So everywhere—in every continent, in every room—are the sons of God and the sons of the devil. They have been planted in the same field, among one another, side by side.
Because the Darnell weed looks just like the wheat as they're growing, sometimes you cannot tell them apart. You could be in a room right now and not even know you're sitting next to a son of the devil. You might have gone to a church where the person standing in the pulpit is a son of the devil. You might have paid to sit in a room with some prophet, and the person you're listening to is a son of the devil.
The enemy did not plant weeds that you easily see. He planted a type of weed that mimics the wheat. So they look identical. Mixed in right now are the sons of light and the sons of the devil, and it's hard sometimes to tell them apart. This is why you must stop looking at posts and look for fruit.
If in the field—the world—there are the sons of God and sons of the devil, then good and evil must coexist uncomfortably in the world.
The atheist says there cannot be a God because the world has too much evil. But the believer who has a biblical worldview knows that the world is fallen and that in the world are the sons of the devil. Because the sons of the devil are in the world, there will always be evil in the world. And because God did not plant them, He cannot be blamed for evil in the world.
This is how you defend your faith in a conversation. When someone says, "If God exists, why is there so much evil in the world?" You have a wrong worldview. I have a biblical worldview. I know that the world is fallen and the sons of the devil are in the world. The devil planted them to do wickedness and to bring harm to society.
Why was there a school shooting that killed innocent children? Sons of the devil.
Why are there false religions led by false prophets? Sons of the devil.
Why are there people committing rape, murder, molestation, and suicide? Sons of the devil.
Why are there people opposed to Christ and opposed to the gospel who hate the church? Sons of the devil.
Why are there people who hate you on your job because they know you're a Christian? Sons of the devil.
Because we have a biblical worldview and we understand Scripture, we know that evil and good have to coexist for a period of time.
Among the sons of the devil are all your friends and family members who are not saved. Do not think for one second that because they are moral and good, they are safe. There are people who are very moral and still sons of the devil. There are people who have attended church their whole life and are still sons of the devil.
Every person who is not saved, who is not born again, who has not been sealed with the Holy Spirit, is a son of the devil. Jesus said, "If you are not with me, you are against me." He said, "Your father is the devil if God is not your father. By default, your father is Satan, the evil one. Even if you have good behavior, you are being influenced by the evil one."
There are people married to sons of the devil. You are in relationships with sons of the devil. You go to work with sons of the devil. You are on campus with sons of the devil. You are sitting in rows with sons of the devil. There are sons of the devil in the chat watching right now.
"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, and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:40–42)
The Lord does two things here that people try to argue is not happening: He confirms the existence of the enemy, and then He tells His followers all of this is going to come to an end.
How many of us ever think about that time that is coming? How many of us are even thinking that the harvest is coming, that the end is coming? Many of us are not thinking about that. But think about it now—among the sons of the devil are all your friends and family members who are not saved.
The Lord is going to crack the sky. He is going to issue a charge to his angels, the reapers. And they will gather out of his kingdom every cause of sin. He is going to snatch every lawbreaker. You call yourself a Christian, but you love sin? I am done with you. Every person in sexual immorality, every liar, every thief, every idolater—Jesus said, "I am coming for all of them."
"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." (Matthew 13:41–42)
There are certain people who will never get into the kingdom of God—idolaters, liars, those who practice sexual immorality. You love your sexual sin. You love lying, cheating, stealing. You think the reapers are not coming for you? Nobody is getting away with anything. Every corrupt politician, every corrupt person, every unsaved athlete, every unsaved celebrity, every rapper that is unsaved, every preacher that is unsaved, every false prophet, every person who claims to be a Christian who loves sin—He is coming for all of them.
He is going to gather them all up first and throw them in the fiery furnace.
"In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:42)
This is a location. This is for all the liberal professors and liberal Christians who say, "Oh, the Bible—we don't need to take it at face value. It's all literary, all allegory. There is no such thing as hell. A loving God would never create hell." Really? Jesus taught about hell more than heaven.
Everyone you know who is not saved—all of them will be snatched by the reapers. Family members are in the path of wrath. They are going to be snatched, and as they are being pulled, they are going to be begging God for forgiveness. But it is going to be too late.
Apart from Christ, there is no annihilation of the body. Everyone who awakens on the other side of death awakens conscious. They are going to wake up conscious on the other side and realize they have missed the kingdom. They are going to be dragged down to a place of torment. They are going to have a body fit for destruction, a body that allows them to sit in fire. Forever.
Can you even fathom in your mind what it is to wake up on the other side of eternity, knowing that you missed the kingdom? You were in church, but you were sinning and having fun doing church and the world at the same time, thinking you were safe. Or you are an atheist, a Hindu, a Muslim. You wake up and realize now you are far away from God and now you cannot get out of that place.
How many men and women are dying every day and entering this place? This is happening while the wheat is in the field doing what? What are you doing?
"Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let those who have ears to hear, let them hear." (Matthew 13:43)
Then the righteous—you and me, who are saved—will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The Lord says the same thing: those who have ears to hear, let them hear.
You know what that is? Those who live now for His glory—when they have been redeemed completely, they will be glorified. This life is for His glory. In the next life, I will be glorified. But what are we doing in this life? You are trying to find glory. We are all trying to harvest glory for ourselves now. No. This life is to bring Him glory, and then in the next life He will glorify me.
We will shine like the brightest thing you have ever seen—the sun. And my only concern right now in this life is: How do I be fruitful where I have been planted?
When you understand this parable in light of a biblical worldview, you understand that this life is not about you getting a bag all the time or building monuments to yourself. Who cares how many followers you have? Do not you understand all of this is going to be burned up?
If you understand the parable and you understand that we are living in the age of redemption, what does it say about your time? My God, how should that affect your prayer life? Some of you, if the kingdom depended on your prayers, the whole thing would collapse.
Listen to your prayers. You are always begging God for stuff. Are you pleading for souls? Are you pleading for the spread of the gospel? Are you pleading for the planting of new churches? Are you pleading for missionaries in places where there is not a lot of seed? Are you pleading for your unsaved loved ones, for their eyes to be open, their ears to hear?
What about your prayers?
What about your money? What are you supporting? You are putting all this money into your hair, into your house, into your bills, and you will not put a dollar into the Lord's work during the hour of redemption. What about your activity? You will not help move gospel ministry forward. You just want to be a spectator during the hour of redemption.
Listen to our preaching. Is it helping believers know what hour we are in? Is it coaching you into true discipleship? Is it helping you understand what biblical Christianity is all about? Is it preparing you for the harvest that is coming?
When is the last time you shed a tear for someone who was far away from God? You do not feel that grief because you do not care. You do not care about what God is doing right now. All you want is what you want, and you are content to come to a church and sit in a room and be a spectator, but you will not be a part of what God is doing. You are a useless wheat planted with no purpose because you will not engage in what Jesus is doing.
Ain't nobody else coming behind you. He planted you. He planted me. If we do not do the work in the field, who is going to do that work? If we are not praying, who is going to pray? If we are not advancing the gospel, who is going to do that? If we are not supporting gospel ministry, who is going to do that? If you do not care, who is?
You know why your heart is messed up? Because you have a Christianity that is not informed by a biblical worldview, but by bad teaching and not by the word of God.
Notice: all I am doing is walking you through the text. Whose words are we reading? The Lord. Who is he writing to? His followers. The things he is saying are the things he wants you to be preoccupied with.
Notice we have been going through Matthew. Not one time have you heard Jesus say anything about your material blessing yet. We are already 13 chapters in. You and Jesus have said nothing about all the things you want. Nothing about comfort. Nothing about being a millionaire. Nothing about all this vain stuff that you keep running after. The things he is saying are the things he wants his followers to be preoccupied with.
Why is he telling a story about the end of the age? Because he wants you to think about it.
Why is he telling you a story about the sons of the enemy? Because he wants you to be aware about it.
Why is he telling you a story about hell and those who are going to be tossed in the fire? Because he wants you to be concerned about it.
I even think that for the sons of the devil, the fact that the harvest is not yet come—the fact that it is coming—is like a sign of grace, giving people time to repent. And I will put money on it: if we could x-ray your heart, you are not thinking about this. All you are thinking about is clothes, money, what you are trying to build, your business, your job, your entrepreneurial venture, your ministry, your book. Yours, yours, yours. That is all you are thinking about. I know it. We can hear it in your prayers.
How does it not affect your worship in this room? How do you sit down during worship? How do you not lift a hand? How do you not respond to your salvation with nothing else but a heart fully devoted to God's service?
When I read this text, I am on my knees in my prayer time saying, "Lord, what can I render unto you for the fact that I am in the kingdom of light? I am not going to be tossed in any furnace. What can I render unto you? And I did not even have anything to do with that. No one comes to the Father except the Lord draws him. So if I have been drawn, if I have been saved, it has been by the power and the mercy of God. And so what can I render unto him? Lip service? Disobedience? Sinful behavior?
What can you really return for that but a heart and a life totally surrendered?
The era of redemption started when the Lord came, died, and was resurrected. We are right on the backside of that hour now. The Father took the Son from heaven, planted the Son, and broke him in the earth. Then He resurrected the Son with all power so that the Son now can plant the gospel in the earth, raise up sons and daughters, and then plant sons and daughters in the earth to raise up other men and women who would eventually plant other men and women in the earth. Discipleship. By the resurrected power of Christ, we are supposed to be living a life of kingdom work, kingdom prayers, kingdom activity, kingdom busyness.
But my heart is so broken because if you just sit back and watch social media, how many believers are really about this life? How many believers are living as if they understand the hour we are in?
My prayer for you is that you would pay attention to the things that Jesus said more than the things men are saying. A lot of men are talking. You are going and fro listening to a lot of sermons and a lot of prophets. At what point do you just sit down and listen to the things that the Lord is saying to you?
If you start listening to the things the Lord is saying and you draw near to him in prayer and you open the Bible and you just sit down—you do not need to be a theologian. You do not need to ask me or Kenny or an elder. You do not need to bombard us with questions all the time. Why do not you just sit with Him in prayer? Open the Scriptures and just read. Just sit there. Turn down all the voices of so many men and just sit there and just read and just pray.
Let the words of Jesus get into your heart and into your mind so that you will start caring about what He cares about. You will start thinking about what He thinks about. You will start loving the things He loves. You will start hating the things He hates.
Was it not Paul who said, "Let this same mind that was in Christ be in you also"? How could you have the mind of Christ when you do not know what He said?
John said in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And in verse 14, the Word became flesh. If you do not read, if you only keep listening to sermons but you never read, you never sit in prayer—listen to what you are asking for. Listen to what is in your mind. Look at the things that are in your heart. Look at the condition of your heart. Look at the things you are always longing for. Look at the things you think are important right now.
You think I care about how big my house is? You think I care about how wealthy I am? If I have clothing and food and shelter, the Lord has provided. With that, I want my life to be on the altar of His work. If it costs me my life, it bleeds out of my prayers. It bleeds out of my activity. It bleeds out of my preaching. It bleeds out of everything that I am doing.
Father God, I pray for the sons of the kingdom, the daughters of the kingdom. Would you awaken them, Lord? Would you help them to discern the hour that we are living in? Would you burn them in their hearts with Your love, Your priorities, Your hatreds? Would you deliver them from enjoying sin and playing around with sin and doing things in the dark, thinking they are going to get away with all this stuff?
My God, would you give us hearts of purity, holy, consecrated into Your lives? Would you help us turn down the noise of watered-down American preaching? Would you give us a love for the Scriptures that we just keep reading and keep reading and keep reading? Would you give us a stamina to sit in Your presence and pray and take walks and be in Your presence? Will we look out into the sky and know You are about to burst that sky any day now?
Would you help us to be grieved over the loss? Grieve for family members and friends and people in the gym and on our job who are far away from You. Would you help us to know that time is running out and that the reapers are coming for those who are lost? Would you move us in our prayers? Would you move us in our finances to support gospel ministry and missionaries on the other side of the world? Wherever we can do to help move the gospel forward in this hour of redemption, would this become our priority?
Would Sunday services not be enough? Would you burn us in our hearts with Your priorities? Deliver us from an American Christianity that is man-made and humanistic and warped with idolatry and sin.
Lord, I do not know what else to pray. Save the sons of the devil who are listening to me right now. They are in the room. I pray You would save them. Deliver them, God, from the domain of darkness before it is too late. I pray for the ones watching me right now. Deliver them from the domain of darkness before it is too late.
Lord, I pray this in the mighty and majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. And amen. And amen.
