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Text: Malachi 3:6 - For I am the
LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
The only reason we are destroyed from this earth
and suffer eternally in hell is because God does not change. He has foreknown
us from before the foundation of this world. That is: We were in the mind of
God before God created Adam. All the wheat (the elect of God) were in the
loins of Adam when God created him. Compare Hebrews 7:8-10, which explains
that Levi paid tithes in Abraham before he was born because he was in the
loins of Abraham when Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec.
The parable of tares explains that the people of God are the good seed,
sown in this earth by Jesus Christ, while the tares are the children of the
wicked one, also sown in this earth, being intermingled with the children of
the God.
Matt. 13:24-30 - Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The
kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares
among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when
the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares
also. 27 So the servants of the householder came
and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence
then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An
enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go
and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest
while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let
both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to
the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to
burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matt. 13:36-43 - Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the
house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of
the tares of the field. 37 He answered and said unto them, He
that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The
field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the
tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The
enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and
the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the
tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this
world. 41 The Son of man shall send forth his
angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and
them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them
into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in
the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
I. The way it is.
A. God caused good.
1. Gen. 1 and 2 - God created the heavens and earth.
2. Gen. 1:28 - God intended man to live eternally on this populated
earth. God gave this command before sin came into this earth.
a. God told man to replenish the earth (populate the earth).
b. All the children of Adam and his wife would be wheat.
c. There would be no tares among them at all.
d. Sin had not yet entered the world.
e. Genesis 1:31 – "And God saw every thing that he had
made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning
were the sixth day."
f. Matthew 13:25 – the tares were sow after the wheat sowing was
finished, and men were sleeping (taking rest) from their labors.
g. Satan fell sometime between Genesis 2:25 and 3:1.
h. Never believe that Satan fell between Genesis 1:1, and 1:2.
i. There was no death until Adam brought sin into the world.
j. There were no fossils until after death came into the world.
B. The wheat are the elect of God (children of God), the tares are the
children of the devil.
1. The idea is false that declares "God voted for you, Satan voted
against you, and you cast the deciding vote."
a. Satan was not a registered voter – he wasn’t eligible to vote
– he had not yet sinned, therefore would not vote against you.
b. You are not allowed to vote. If you did vote, and your vote would
count, that would mean you were equal to God, and that Satan was equal
with God.
2. The idea that God choose people who were not his is error.
a. Malachi 3:6 – "For I am the LORD, I change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."
b. When the Bible states we were known of God before the foundations
of the world, it means we were always in the mind of God.
c. There was not a time when God became aware of us, or of his plan
to create man.
d. God does not change, therefore God’s children were always God’s
children, even though they had not yet been created.
3. God knows those that are his.
a. John 10:14-16 – "14 I am the good shepherd, and know my
sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I
the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I
have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall
hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
b. John 6:44 – "No man can come to me, except the Father
which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last
day."
c. Eph. 1:4 – God chose his people (wheat) before the foundation of
the world. – "…he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him in love:"
d. I Peter 1:2 – "Elect according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be
multiplied."
e. Wheat is always wheat, tares are always tares. They can’t be
changed back and forth.
f. There is such a thing as lost sheep and saved sheep. Then there
are goats, who will never be saved, but continually butt against Christ,
and his Word.
4. Polluted seed.
a. Matthew 13:26 – When the wheat and tares brought forth fruit,
then the truth of their substance was known. "But when the blade
was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares
also."
1) It is when the fruit appears that the difference between wheat
and tares is exposed.
When the wheat is matured, the head is bowed, just as the mature
Christian is bowed before a most holy God.
The mature Christian understands his unworthiness and will not keep
uplifted head in the presence of God.
b. Genesis 4:1 – "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she
conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the
LORD."
1) When Cain was born (was little) he looked like a child of God; at
least his mother thought so.
It wasn’t until he was grown and on his own, that his true
substance became known when he murdered his brother Abel.
c. Matthew 13:20-21 – "But he that received the seed into
stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy
receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a
while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word,
by and by he is offended."
1) The recipient of this seed is a tare, reflected by:
He has no root in himself – no indwelling Holy Spirit.
Tribulation and persecution causes him to be offended.
Romans 8:35 – "Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" Tribulation and
persecution comes to every believer, but true believers don’t get
offended at the Word of God. We are overcomers.
5. The inward seed.
a. Luke 22:31 – "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold,
Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:"
Satan wanted to get at the inward kernel, which is salvation, but the
prayers of Christ kept it from happening.
b. The tare in Matthew 13:20,21 has no root with himself – no seed
– no salvation.
c. The inward seed causes the wheat to "bow its head" when
it is mature, just like the indwelling Holy Spirit brings about humility
in the heart and life of the true believer.
d. Tares don’t "bow the head" because there is no inward
seed in them.
6. Matt. 5:5 - The meek shall inherit the earth. It might be asked,
"Who would want the earth?" Well, when Christ gets through
replacing it with a brand new earth, the meek will!
7. We shall reign on this earth during the millennium. Christ will be
the king. This will be revealed in some of the other parables.
8. II Peter 3:10-12 - This earth shall be destroyed.
9. Rev. 21:1,2 - New heaven and new earth - We shall dwell on this new
earth for eternity.
10. God's plans accomplished in spite of sin.
C. Evil is always present (now) Matt. 13:25,26. The enemy sows tares
while the saved take their needed and deserved rest.
1. Gen. 4:3 - Cain is a murderer.
2. Gen. 6 - Wickedness in Noah's day.
3. Gen. 12:4 - Abraham had Lot.
4. Ex. 12:38 - Israel had the mixed multitude.
5. John 6:70,71 - The first church had Judas (and Jesus was with them!)
6. Acts 5:1-11 - The first church had Ananias and Sapphire (and the
Holy Spirit was with them!).
7. III John 9 - Diotrephes (Son of Zeus) was in this church.
8. I John 2:18,19 - The early church had many Antichrists in them.
9. Acts 20:29, Matt. 7:15-20 (verse 13) - Evil people will feast
(worship) with us.
10. Jude 12, II Peter 2:10-22 (verse 13) - Evil people will feast
(worship) with us.
D. How do they get into churches?
1. John 13:21-30 - Judas betrayed Christ, yet fooled all the apostles.
2. Matt. 7:15-20 - They appear as sheep, but they're wolves.
3. Acts 20:30 - by speaking perverse things.
E. How do you tell the difference?
1. Don't go by what they say - go by what they do.
2. Matthew 7:15-20 – "Beware of false prophets, which come
to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye
shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs
of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the
fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
3. Compare cockle burrs and tomato plants.
a. rice and wild rice.
b. wheat and tares.
II. What are we doing to do?
A. Mark 16:15 – "…Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature." Preach the gospel to every creature.
1. It is not our job to try to find the wheat or the tares.
2. God’s Holy Spirit does that.
3. Don’t try to discover who the wheat is, or the tares is.
4. Preach the gospel.
B. Ps 73.
1. Know that they are going to perish from this earth.
2. Don't worry about them.
3. They have the very best they'll ever have - hell is waiting for
them.
4. We have the worse we'll ever have - God is waiting for us.
C. Keep on bearing fruit (Matt. 13:26).
1. The reason the tares showed up was because of the wheat bearing
fruit.
2. The wicked of this world will always be with us.
3. John 17:15 - Jesus didn't pray that we be taken out of the world,
but that we be kept from the evil of this world.
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