174 - The Parable of the Kingdom 5: Wheat and Tares#
174 - The Parable of the Kingdom 5 - Wheat and Tares
(JP Text Group - Ren Wei Compilation)
Brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord! Today we continue to share the Parable of the Kingdom 5 - Wheat and Tares.
Matthew 13:24-30:
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 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?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
Let us first pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you! Thank you for leading us into a new week once again. Your words are our help at all times, our strength, and our supply. Today we are willing to worship you here, and we wish to receive your supply in our worship. Help every brother and sister who comes before you today so that we can all gain something here. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen!
Today we share the fifth lecture of the Parable of the Kingdom: Tares and Wheat. In the previous lecture on the parable of the sower, we learned that there is only one sower: the Lord Jesus Christ. In the parable of the tares and wheat, there are two sowers: one is Jesus Christ, and the other is the devil. In this parable, there is one who sows good seed and one who sows bad seed.
Matthew 13:37-38:
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;
The scripture tells us that the one who sows good seed is Jesus Christ, and today it also refers to those who work with Jesus. We must sow good seeds to others and never say to them, “Come and believe with me…” If someone says, “No, I must believe in Jesus to enter heaven,” you tell them, “Everyone goes to heaven, who goes to hell?”
There is a religion that teaches people, “If I don’t go to hell, who will? You all go to heaven! I must go there.” This kind of religion leads people to hell. We must sow good seeds to others and lead them to heaven, not to hell.
The scripture says, “The field is the world.” Today, for us, evangelism is to be done in this world. Never say, “Let’s wait until we die to evangelize!” Once people die, there is no need for evangelism. Many religions have a “purgatory theory,” believing that after people die, those still living can burn some money for their ancestors, and they can come out of hell. That is wrong. Sowing can only be done in this world, while we are alive.
“The good seed stands for the people of the kingdom.” Who are the people of the kingdom? If it refers to Jesus, then only Jesus is in the kingdom, and we are not there. Remember: we are the children of the kingdom; we are “good seeds.” There are only two kinds of children in this world. If one is not a child of the kingdom, they must be a child of the evil one. We believe in Jesus; we are all children of the kingdom, citizens of the kingdom, and are called the children of God, true believers in the church throughout the ages.
There is a distinction between true and false Christians, but not between good and bad. Many Christians have a wrong idea: “I also believe in the Lord! But I don’t believe well; I am a bad Christian.” Please remember: the Bible never distinguishes between good Christians and bad Christians, only between true and false. We have been misled by many wrong things in the past, thinking we believe, but not well.
Brothers and sisters, as long as you sincerely believe in Jesus Christ, in God’s eyes you are good seed. Amen! If you believe in Jesus Christ, you are righteous; there is absolutely no distinction between “good righteous” and “bad righteous.” If there were a distinction between good and bad righteous, the difference between Abraham and Lot would be too obvious. Abraham could definitely be called a “good righteous,” while Lot would definitely be a “bad righteous.” But the Bible does not say Lot is a “bad righteous”; it still says Lot is righteous. We need to renew our concept.
All the seeds that God sows are good. What kind of seeds does God sow in this world?
Genesis 1:27:
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
God first sowed good seeds. Adam and Eve are children of the kingdom, created by God, and are absolutely good seeds. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Among all creation, do you know what pleases God the most? — It is us. You must declare this and have the correct concept: “Among all things, God sees me as the best.”
If you think, “With my character, how could God see me as the best?” If you see yourself this way, it is definitely not a good behavior. Unless you change your thinking from today, and say: “Yes, among all things, God sees me as the best.” Do you know why I tell you this? Because among all things, there is no one exactly like you; you have the image and likeness of God. You are the good seed sown by God, and all that God creates is extremely beautiful.
Let’s emphasize: disasters, diseases, and death do not come from God. In the first three chapters of Genesis, when God created so many good things, were there disasters, diseases, and death among them? This proves that all that God created does not contain these. When did these problems appear?
Many people will ask, “If diseases, disasters, and death do not come from God, where do they come from?” In the beginning, God sowed good seeds in the world, and God gave Adam the authority to manage the world, but Adam actually handed over this management to the devil.
When Adam transferred this to the devil, what was originally good became problematic when used by a bad person. We previously gave an example: a sharp knife is good, but if it is in the hands of a murderer, it can easily be used to harm others. So, the wind created by God is good, but if it becomes a storm, it is not good; rain brings nourishment to the earth, but if it rains every day, it will cause problems. The wind and rain created by God are both good; the key is who is using them. Handing them over to the devil brings plagues, diseases, and death to the world.
Today, for us, we know we are the good seeds sown by God in the world. Hallelujah! We can influence others. When you accept Jesus Christ, you are very good in God’s eyes; there is no one better than you.
Let’s look at a scripture that gives us assurance:
1 Corinthians 6:11:
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
In the past, we lived in the flesh, in corruption. But today, through the name of Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, we have been washed. Did we wash ourselves? It is not our own effort that cleans us; it is Jesus who washes us. Whether we are clean or not does not depend on us, but on the one who washes us.
A little child just over a year old does not determine how clean they are; it depends on their parents because they cannot wash themselves. For us, we were in filth, in death, in sin, but God has washed us clean. We only need to be sure that God has washed us clean.
We cannot say, “I must try hard to wash myself.” We are washed through the name of Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, Hallelujah! After we are washed, we are sanctified and justified; these are completed works. So today, in God’s eyes, we are good seeds. Never say, “I am not a good seed yet!” There is no such seed; otherwise, it is bad or good.
Ephesians 1:4: For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight;
What are we like in God’s eyes now? We have already become holy and blameless!
Do you know what a blemish is? To deepen the impression, let’s take an example: Have you ever seen a purebred dog? Such dogs are very valuable; they have not a single stray hair on them; they are without blemish. When offering sheep in the temple, it was required to offer a sheep without blemish; the sheep could not have spots or walk unevenly; it must be perfect.
Why use a dog as an example? Using a purebred dog makes it clearer because there is no perfect person in this world. A truly flawless person is someone without a single mole or wrinkle; such a person cannot be found in this world, so we do not use people as examples.
But now, in God’s eyes, we are perfect and without blemish. This is what we are now; we are good seeds. We are not striving to become good seeds; it is Jesus Christ who changed our lives and made us good seeds. Thank and praise the Lord!
Everything God created is good. But when the devil came, everything changed. What is the devil? The devil is also called Satan, which means the adversary! The devil was not created by God because the adversary is not created by God. God created angels, but the angels fell and became adversaries of God, so they are called devils, also known as Satan, who opposes God. God says He will give you life; the devil insists that God wants you to die. He always distorts God’s will and speaks ill of God. The devil is always opposed to God; his purpose in coming to this world is to confuse God’s way and prevent people from believing God’s words.
John 10:10:
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The devil’s work is to steal, kill, and destroy. Many people in this world have lost something, such as health, family, and jobs; many people lack joy and peace. These are all the devil’s theft; death often occurs in this world; this is the devil’s killing, and the devil also wants to destroy.
When a couple is very loving, the devil always tries to find a way to ruin their relationship; this is the devil’s work. God is love; God makes us one in marriage, while the devil’s work is exactly the opposite. The devil comes to do destructive work. Today we know that everything God created is good, but many people do not believe it and fall into the devil’s trap.
Genesis 3:1:
Now the serpent was more cunning than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
God spoke very clearly; He told Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” God’s words were very precise, and Adam understood them very well. If Adam was unclear, he could have asked God again, but he did not.
The devil came and said, “Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?” God said it was permissible for him to eat from any tree in the garden, but the devil said, “Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?” The devil made a slight alteration to God’s words. Today, many people change God’s words; even a slight alteration completely changes the meaning, and as a result, Eve was deceived. Eve began to think: “Oh, there is something we are not allowed to eat.” The devil planted the idea of “not eating” in her mind.
Genesis 3:4: The serpent said to the woman, “You will not certainly die;
If we are not certain about God’s words, the devil will tell you: “Oh, even if you believe in Jesus, you may not be saved! Even if you go to church every day, God may not love you!” This kind of “uncertainty” has caused many Christians who originally had faith to lose their faith. It has caused many who originally wanted to believe in Jesus to stop believing.
God wants the children of the kingdom to live in this world to enjoy all the good things He created and to enjoy His presence, but the devil sows false seeds that are very similar to wheat—tares. The reason the devil sows tares is to make some people not believe in God and to oppose God. There are too many tares in this world; to be absolute, except for Jesus Christ, everything else is tares. The devil sows tares, bringing forth a group of children of the evil one.
Today, the devil does not work directly, just as Jesus does not work directly today. Through whom does Jesus work today? — Everyone say with me: “Jesus works through me.” The devil works through the children of the evil one; those who do not believe in Jesus are the children of the evil one, and the devil wants to work through them.
Matthew 10:34:
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Some may say, “How can Jesus be so terrible? Jesus did not come to bring peace to the earth.” What happened? There are children of the evil one in the world, and there are children of the kingdom. After the Holy Spirit descends, when a person believes in Jesus and becomes a child of the kingdom, the children of the evil one begin to attack the children of the kingdom, thus causing disputes in families; this is the source of disputes.
When we want to enjoy some blessings God has given us, the devil will do everything possible to steal that blessing, preventing us from enjoying it and living in peace and joy. Therefore, the devil tries every means to destroy everything we believe in. The children of the evil one are the devil’s people; because they are evil, everything that comes from them is evil.
Matthew 12:33-35:
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
Some people criticize and condemn others every day, not because they have nothing to do, but because what is stored in their hearts is just that; they cannot live out another kind of life. If you let Jesus criticize and condemn people every day, He cannot do it. Why?
Because there is no evil in Jesus’ heart; in our God’s heart, there is no evil at all, so He cannot produce evil. When our hearts are filled with the love of Jesus Christ, what we express will definitely be love. God hopes we enjoy His abundance, but the devil comes to steal our faith, leading us into temptation and problems, making us stop believing in God.
How do problems occur? — “While everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.” This situation occurs when people are asleep. Sleeping refers to when people are not alert and lack proper discernment, which is when they are deceived by the devil.
Eve was deceived for this reason; the devil said, “Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?” Eve felt as if it had been said. In today’s society, similar things often happen. We tell others, “If you believe in Jesus, you will certainly be saved,” but not everyone believes this. The Bible clearly states: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Just this one verse is not enough; there are many verses in the Bible that tell you this truth, but the devil says, “You believe! You may not be saved!” Many people believe this statement and do not believe God’s words. Therefore, the devil has been tempting some people, continuously confusing them, making them not believe. These people do not believe because they are not alert, or they are “asleep,” so they cannot distinguish which is true and which is false.
Someone asked me this question: “Teacher Ren, when we are baptized, are we baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “But our pastor said we can only be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and absolutely cannot be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
I told him the last verse in Matthew 28: “Look, it is very clear here: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” The person then said, “What you told me is just this one verse.” After that, I didn’t want to answer him anymore.
Is one verse not enough? Is this verse not clear enough? When God spoke to Adam, He gave just one word, and it was very clear. If Adam had said, “Lord! Is that all you are giving me? Why not give me a few more?” This is the devil’s trick; he makes you uncertain and not believe that what God says is true. In fact, one word from God is enough!
God says: “As long as you believe in me, you can be saved.” You only need to believe this one sentence; only the devil would say that many words do not count. Only the devil makes many promises to you, but they are all false and do not count. Brothers and sisters, when people are not alert and lack proper discernment, some false “truths” begin to spread in the world. People are unwilling to believe the truth, and the false has the opportunity to take advantage.
So whether it is true doctrine or false doctrine, it is spread by people. There are only two kinds of people in the world: the children of the evil one and the children of the kingdom. Whether true or false, it is merely spread through these two kinds of people. Please remember, when we spread the truth, the false will definitely come to confuse you. If you spread the false, no one will come to confuse you because there is no need; only the true will have influence.
What people believe is what they will proclaim. Just as this scripture says, “A tree is recognized by its fruit,” if the tree is good, the fruit must be good; if the tree is bad, the fruit must also be bad.
In the application part, how do we view this scripture?
Matthew 5:37:
All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
How many times have we said ambiguous things? Last week, I conducted a test; I sent a message to everyone: “How have you been lately?” A simple greeting received different responses. Many people did not answer “good” or “not good.” Some who often listen to my sermons said, “I’ve been doing particularly well lately.” I particularly like to hear such responses, while many others replied, “It’s okay,” “Just so-so,” “About the same.”
So are you good or not? It’s both good and not good. If you say “about the same,” how much is that? You are uncertain whether it is good or not; this is the devil’s words. If you say you are not doing well, then I would say, “Find the problem; I will pray for you; God will help you.”
If he says, “I’m good; I believe in God,” that can also restore faith. What is scary is the “about the same” situation; when it is “about the same,” he neither needs your prayer nor feels he is lacking. Such people are often a group that is easily deceived by the devil. So “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’”
If someone tells you, “I heard that someone in the church did something.” If you do not understand the real situation, you should say, “I’m sorry, I don’t know about that.” Never say, “I think I’ve heard about that.” This is the extra part. It is this kind of “about the same,” “I think,” that causes so much strife in the world; this is the devil’s trick. Only when one cannot discern clearly will they say ambiguous words. Such examples are used by many people in our world, including Christians.
The following words must be eliminated: “maybe,” “perhaps,” “I hope.” Please try not to say them. When I hear such words, my heart really feels cold immediately. Sometimes after I pray for someone, I ask, “Do you believe that God will heal you today?” If they reply, “I hope so!” Do you think they have faith? Even if you have faith, you say, “You must believe that God will definitely heal you.” They say, “Maybe!”
If I were such a person asking you to pray for me, how many of you would be willing to pray for me? Such a person, no one would want to pray for them. Such words are the devil’s words, so we should not repeat the devil’s words; we should speak definite words.
You can say: “I know your faith is great right now, but I cannot receive your faith at the moment; however, I will believe first.” Never say “I hope so” or “maybe.” Brothers and sisters, the key is how we receive God’s words. Your words should be “Yes” if it is “Yes,” and “No” if it is “No.” From now on, we must learn not to speak the devil’s words but to speak the words of the children of the kingdom.
“When people sleep, the enemy comes and sows tares among the wheat and goes away.” The devil is very cunning; he leaves this word with you and then leaves. You begin to suffer; you start to discern, and some problems arise. The devil leaves his people in this world; these people often confuse God’s way. Please remember: the devil has always been imitating God.
I will give you some examples; perhaps you will have greater inspiration.
Do you know where incense burning comes from? Do not tell me it is superstition; incense burning comes from the temple because God required His people to burn incense in the Old Testament. This symbolizes prayer and praise in the New Testament. The incense burned is the fragrance of prayer and praise; in the Old Testament, it was about burning incense. The devil is also imitating this; now in many places, temples are also burning incense; they have been imitating God. God has a temple; they also have a temple; we have various sacrificial rituals; they also have them. When the Israelites sacrificed to God with cattle and sheep, they sacrificed pigs, and in the past, there were even more cruel offerings; they sacrificed humans.
Do you know about Molech? Molech is a false god; the idol of Molech is a tall human figure with an empty belly, where fire burns. Every year, a child must be placed in Molech’s belly to be burned to death. This is why Jeremiah prophesied, “They will be taken captive for 70 years,” because at that time the Israelites had already offered their children to Molech and were doing this. Therefore, God had to intervene to prevent His children from being so foolish because they had already been deceived by the devil and could not distinguish which was true.
Brothers and sisters, we need to have this discernment today, Amen! When people sleep, the devil is most willing to deceive us, so I hope everyone is alert. The devil has always been imitating God, but imitation is imitation; he is not God! Even though the devil has rituals, we can see that the things and meanings brought out by these rituals are contradictory.
The devil always wants to be God. The devil was originally just an archangel leading worship, but one day he said, “I want to be God; I want to be equal with God.” He has always wanted to be God, and as a result, he has passed this seed to his people. Today, how many people claim to be God? How many people think they are the boss of the world? Such people have fallen into the devil’s trick and become children of the evil one. The devil always wants to be God; he uses various methods to imitate God to make people worship him; his tricks are just that.
1 Peter 5:8: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
“Like a roaring lion,” is the devil a lion? Like a roaring lion, is that a lion? It is not a real lion; it is different from a lion. Even if the devil imitates God, he is not God. Even if tares look like wheat, they are not wheat. Some false doctrines, although they sound very reasonable, are still not the truth.
Today, it is unfortunate that many people take the doctrines of this world as truth, saying, “What others say makes sense!” So what? We are not believing in doctrines; doctrines cannot save us; only the truth of Jesus Christ can save us. Just like wheat and tares, they look very similar and are hard to distinguish; even the farmers have difficulty distinguishing between tares and wheat.
As believers, when we are not alert, we are particularly easily deceived. I will give an example of some confusions among believers. Some say, “I heard God speaking to me today.” How do you distinguish whether this voice is from the devil or from God? Some say that as long as it is a voice, it is from God; is that really the case? If so, there would be no need for the gift of “discerning of spirits.” Not all spirits are from God; there are also voices from evil spirits! We need to be alert and discern. How to discern? It’s simple; look at the fruit.
Luke 6:43-44:
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.
A thornbush cannot produce figs, nor can briers produce grapes. Their lives are completely different. If you are unsure whether the voice you hear is from God or from the devil, just look at the fruit. Here is a very simple trick: If the voice you hear makes you suddenly lose heart and no longer want to attend gatherings, that voice is from the devil; if it gives you confidence and makes you more willing to draw near to God, that voice is from God.
The voice you hear from God will make you feel God’s love; evil spirits will never do that. A voice, no matter how reasonable or accurate it sounds, if it makes you feel “whether to gather or not is the same” or “whether to believe in the Lord or not will still go to heaven,” that is all from evil spirits. You can discern it by its fruit.
Brothers and sisters, good seeds and bad seeds, children of the kingdom and children of the evil one, wheat and tares are actually easy to distinguish. Just look at the fruit.
How do we distinguish wheat from tares? — Verse 26, when the wheat sprouts and forms heads, it becomes evident. They bear different fruits. The difference between the heads of tares and wheat is very large. When they sprout, we will see the tares growing straight up, while the wheat may be bent or shriveled, looking less vigorous; it does not grow as robustly as the tares. But when it comes time for harvest, their heads will distinguish who the true wheat is.
Many religious people, apart from Jesus, behave better than us; they are very devout. If you talk about piety, they are pious, right? When they walk, they look to see if there are ants; if there are ants, they will walk around them and not step on them, while we are not that careful; we don’t care if there are ants!
So, in terms of “piety,” we cannot compare with them. Tares are like that; they grow vigorously. Some heretics are very loving; they can set up a tent next to your house for a year, provide for you, help you, and take care of your children, and in the end, they say, “Come and believe in the Eastern Lightning!” They lead you to heresy. Their behavior is like the tares that grow vigorously, while wheat is not like that; their lives are different, and the results are completely different.
Matthew 13:27-28:
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?’
This servant suddenly discovered when the fruit appeared, why there were tares. Verse 27 says the owner said it was done by the enemy. Everything God created is good; the disasters, diseases, death, and suffering in the world come from the devil and from sin. We must be sure that these do not come from God.
Then you see, verse 28 is very interesting; the servant said, “Do you want us to pull them up?” This is something many believers particularly want to do today; many believers are eager to do the “judging” work: “I see that person is not much like a Christian; should we pull them up?” “I see that person’s mouth is not clean; should we pull them up?”
The owner did not say, “Go quickly! This bad apple cannot stay in the church; quickly pull them up.”
Matthew 13:29-30:
He answered, ‘No, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
Why did the owner not allow the tares to be pulled up? Because pulling up the tares would cause loss to other true believers. Brothers and sisters, when you condemn others, will it not weaken those new believers? Yes, it will, brothers and sisters. This is why God does not allow us to do the judging work. Now many people particularly like to label others as heretics.
To this day, the most outrageous way I have heard someone label me as a heretic is: “I have heard about your church; you are a small church, and you never hold evangelistic meetings. If you do not hold evangelistic meetings, you are a heretic.” Does not holding evangelistic meetings make one a heretic? The Bible does not have this regulation at all.
Why are others willing to do this? What are they doing? They want to pull you up, prevent you from speaking, and stop you from supplying others. But today we know: do not casually label others as heretics; do not hastily conclude and condemn someone because you do not know the truth. You know that when you pull others up, it will cause injury to those around you. No matter what method you use, it will definitely cause harm; we are all in the process of growing.
Our church has been established for so many years and has experienced a lot. There are many things we have done that we regretted. I remember my teacher once asked me, “In your years of pastoring, have you ever thought about some things you did and later regretted, thinking that there might have been a better solution?”
After receiving his words, I began to reflect, especially now, on some things I will be very cautious about before making a decision. I will think if there is a better way to handle it, especially regarding the practice of condemnation, which is equivalent to “pulling up tares.” I hardly do it. Because I know that no matter what method we use, it will cause harm to brothers and sisters and true believers.
From a natural perspective, the roots of tares are deeper than those of wheat. When you pull up the tares, the wheat will also be uprooted. When we condemn a certain person, the new believers around us may fall. “Oh, there are such things in the church?” What will happen if they fall? It is equivalent to pulling up the wheat as well. So God does not want us to do this; we must wait until the harvest. I wish for us to love one another. No matter whether the person around us believes in Jesus or not, although the unbeliever is a tare, God wants to change that person’s heart. Even if that person has not believed yet, they are a tare, but God can change their life.
Parables and reality are indeed different. We think that tares are completely doomed, but in Christ, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, God will turn their lives around. We must understand the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ; do not be the adversary or the accuser. When you see tares, do not rush to pull them up; what you see may not be real. Leave the tares and wait until the end to speak!
We know that the devil is the tare. Many people ask me, “Since the devil is so bad, why doesn’t God pull him up?” In fact, this question is very simple; the devil being in that place still has its benefits. What are the benefits? There are good and bad, giving us the opportunity to choose. If everything were good, what would you choose?
This is what Moses said to the Israelites in the last chapters of Deuteronomy: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live;” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Today, God places life and death before us. If we choose life, choose Jesus Christ, we can become children of the kingdom. If we do not want Jesus, we are destined to become children of the evil one. If the devil were pulled away, we would have no room for choice, and the true situation in some people would not be able to be revealed. God does not want us to accept Him forcefully; God does not want us to be like angels.
Angels are created by God; for angels, you must obey, like robots, doing whatever you are told. If angels disobey God’s command, they are directly thrown into hell. But today, God does not hope for us to be like that; God hopes we willingly worship Him and willingly follow Him.
God gives us time to know Him; God also allows us to make mistakes; God also allows us to have doubts about Him. But no matter what, as long as you truly believe in Jesus, you are wheat; you are a child of the kingdom. But if we do not choose to believe in Jesus, there is no way.
“When the harvest comes, first collect the tares and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.” The harvest time is the time of judgment. At the time of judgment, the tares must first be collected and tied in bundles to be burned. The first to be judged are the tares; we should not distinguish between tares and wheat now. When we have time, let’s encourage others more, treat everyone as wheat, and spread the gospel! How good that would be!
1 Corinthians 4:1-5:
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
Mutual judgment, mutual attack, and mutual destruction are the devil’s work. God wants us to love one another, to be united, and to be tolerant of one another. Let the Lord Jesus Christ do the judging when He returns! Even if you really see that person behaving poorly, do not pull them up; perhaps they just look like tares.
We must not pull them up because we cannot be sure; although they look like tares, they are not. Pulling them up would cause trouble. So we must be faithful stewards of God and not judge. When Paul preached the gospel, many people judged Paul, saying his position was false, fake, or self-proclaimed. But Paul said, “I do not even judge myself; the one who judges me is the Lord.” We should not judge anything because we do not know the hidden truths.
Revelation 22:10-12:
Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”
Wheat and tares grow together; let the wheat grow! Let the tares grow too! The unbelieving and vile are the tares; if they do not believe, let them not believe! The justified and holy are the wheat; after believing, you become righteous and holy, so continue to believe!
“Look, the Lord is coming soon!” When the Lord comes, judgment begins, and rewards begin. At that time, the tares will first be collected, tied in bundles, and then burned.
This year we will talk about many topics related to “eschatology.” The following passage is not the main content we are discussing today; we want to see an order through this passage.
Revelation 20:10-13:
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.
The devil refers to the tares; the tares being thrown into the lake of fire symbolizes the tares being judged. Many people do not understand the verse “they were judged according to what they had done” because people have not distinguished the previous verses. Tares do not need to be judged; the previous verses say, “the devil has already been thrown into the lake of burning sulfur,” so there is no need for further judgment; only the wheat needs to be judged.
To give a simple example: For instance, if this year your wheat has a great harvest, when people want to keep seeds, they will not pick from the tares; they will pick the largest, most vigorous wheat to use as seeds; this is judgment. The previous verses say the devil is thrown into the lake of fire, suffering day and night forever and ever; the subsequent judgment refers to the judgment of Christians, which is the reward judgment. According to what you have done for the Lord Jesus in this world, God will reward you. The order is: first punish the tares, then begin to judge the wheat.
In this world, for every little thing we do for the Lord, God will remember us forever and ever, Hallelujah! Dear friends, no matter what your current state is, I wish for you to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior! Enter from death into life. In this world, apart from Jesus Christ, there is no salvation; there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
Let us pray together:
Do you know that in this world, Jesus loves you the most? He does not want you to enter hell; He does not want you to suffer there; He wants you to enter the kingdom of heaven. He wants you to become a child of the kingdom; He wants you to turn away from your sins because Jesus has already accomplished this for you. As high as the heavens are above the earth, as far as the east is from the west, He has removed your transgressions from you.
Do you know that among all things, you are God’s most cherished creation, His most cherished creation? Do not look down on yourself; you are good seed; you can change the people around you because you carry the image of Jesus, carry His power, and His love is upon you. If you receive this today, you are a blessed person; you are a blessed person. His love is broader than the heavens and the universe. Receive this love and pass it on! Tell the people around you about Jesus’ love; spread this love! Tell those around you how much Jesus loves them; Jesus wants them to be saved and does not want them to perish.
In this world, no religion, morality, or theory can save you; only believing in Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus, you become a child of the kingdom. You will not only suffer no loss but will also receive His free grace. He not only wants to save your life but also wants to save your living.
If you say the pressure is great now, and you have many problems, Jesus can save you; Jesus can give you abundant life. The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy; Jesus comes to give you life and give it to you more abundantly. This is Jesus, the Jesus who loves you. Let us praise Him together!
Heavenly Father, we thank you; thank you for loving us like this. We believe in you; we are the children of the kingdom. We are the good seeds you left in this world. Lord, in this week, give us strength to change the people around us and to change ourselves to become a blessing to many. We believe your blessings are already upon us. Wherever we go, we bring others assurance and words that build them up. I will not be a person who judges; I am willing to be a person who brings blessings to others. Like Abraham, God, you have blessed me, and I also become a channel of blessing. Thank you and praise you; all glory belongs to you. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen!