SERMON: WHEN THE FOUNDATION FALTERS

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

-- turn in Bibles to Psalm 11:1-7

 

Psalm 11

1 In the Lord I take refuge.

    How then can you say to me:

    “Flee like a bird to your mountain.

2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;

    they set their arrows against the strings

to shoot from the shadows

    at the upright in heart.

3 When the foundations are being destroyed,

    what can the righteous do?”

 

            -- for most of the existence of the nation of Haiti, it has been in crisis -- but nothing compares to the current existential crisis this Caribbean nation is facing today

            -- following the assassination of the president of Haiti in 2021 and multiple major natural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, and landslides, the nation has devolved into little more than a country ruled by lawless gangs

            -- there really is not a functioning government at the moment, and over 80% of the country is ruled by multiple gang factions -- whose violent struggles against each other has led to significant violence to civilians in the area -- and the innocent people in Haiti continue to struggle just to survive

            -- but in this hell on earth, God is present -- He is there not only in the Haitian believers, but in the missionaries, who have chosen to stay in Haiti despite the danger

            -- two of these missionaries were Davie and Natalie Lloyd -- they worked for Missions in Haiti, Inc, which had been operated by Davie’s parents for over two decades prior to the current situation

            -- Davie and Natalie were newlyweds -- they had only been married for a couple of years and were serving together in Port-au-Prince as conditions in the country rapidly deteriorated -- Davie’s father contacted him and urged him to leave -- to get out while they could -- but Davie refused

            -- Davie told his father that he and Natalie understood the volatility in Haiti and that it was very dangerous, but he felt that they had a good relationship with the Haitians in their community and that they would be safe from the gangs

            -- also, he said they just couldn’t leave the children they ministered to alone -- if they left, the children that they cared for and fed and taught in their ministry would have no where to go -- and they just couldn’t leave them behind -- so they stayed

            -- on May 23^rd of this year, the violence they feared found them as gangs attacked their compound and killed both Davie and Natalie, along with Jude Montis, the director of the mission

            -- their death -- their sacrifice -- begs the question -- what is to be prized more than safety?

 

            -- this morning, we are looking at a psalm that answers that very question -- Psalm 11 was written by David as he faced a similar situation as that of Davie and Natalie Lloyd, but we do not know the actual setting or context of this psalm

            -- there are several instances in David’s life which seem to fit the context, and scholars and commentators are divided in which might be the source of this psalm or if this is referring to another incident altogether

            -- although David was anointed to be king of Israel at an early age, it was years before he came to the throne -- and while he served in Saul’s kingdom, Saul developed a dislike for David, his son-in-law, and sought to take his life -- so, David was forced to flee Saul and hide in the hills with his band of brothers

            -- later, after David had been king of Israel for some time, his son Absalom rebelled against him, and David was once again forced to leave Jerusalem with his loyal followers

            -- but while scholars contend that it was probably one of these instances that is referred to in this psalm, neither of these seem to speak specifically to the setting of the Psalm -- for in each of these instances, David did flee from danger -- although here, as we will see, the psalmist rebukes his counselors for making that recommendation

            -- so, this may be referring to another instance in David’s life when he was being threatened with danger and destruction, and based on his previous experiences of fleeing from danger and his more mature faith in God, this time he refuses to flee but instead stands on the promise that God has given him that He will be with him and will protect him

            -- with that, let us look now at David’s psalm and see what we might learn from his counsel that we could apply in our lives today

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Psalm 11:1-7)

            -- verse 1

 

Psalm 11

 

1 In the Lord I take refuge.

    How then can you say to me:

    “Flee like a bird to your mountain.

2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;

    they set their arrows against the strings

to shoot from the shadows

    at the upright in heart.

3 When the foundations are being destroyed,

    what can the righteous do?”

 

 

            -- verse 1 opens with David’s proclamation of faith and his decision to stay in Jerusalem, no matter the danger -- he says here, “In the Lord I take refuge” -- this is a bold statement -- a courageous statement -- a statement of faith

            -- David has seen the danger -- he knows what he faces -- but he knows the Lord -- and it is in the Lord that David will seek refuge

 

            -- he tells his advisors, “You know me -- you know my faith -- you know the Lord -- so, how can you make these recommendations to me?”

            -- “how can you tell me to flee like a bird to the mountains? -- to leave all that I have -- to leave behind all those I love -- all those in my care -- just so I can seek personal safety and security away from the danger?”

            -- what you do says more about your faith than what you say

 

            -- David’s advisors had counseled him to flee, because the wicked had bent their bows -- their arrows were set against the strings -- they were ready to strike -- they were ready to drop the hammer on David -- the danger was real -- and the danger was here

            -- they pointed out that David’s enemies were hidden in the shadows -- they were coming in the night -- to shoot at the upright in heart

            -- the wicked always love to come under cover of darkness or hidden in shadows -- as it says in John 3:19-21, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil -- everyone who does evil will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed -- but whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God”

            -- a small light shines bright against the darkness -- and David knew that -- he was letting his counselors know that he was going to be the light that shined in the dark

 

            -- David’s advisors went on to lament, “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

-- Albert Barnes points out that the word “foundations,” here, refers to those things on which society rests -- by which social order is sustained -- the great principles of truth and righteousness and peace that uphold society

-- he writes, “The reference is to a destruction of those things in a community -- when truth is no longer respected -- when justice is no longer practiced -- when fraud and violence have taken the place of honesty and honor -- when error prevails -- when a character [of] integrity and virtue affords no longer any security. It is under these circumstances the advice is given [to flee]”

-- David’s advisors tell him here that the very foundations of moral and social and religious life are destroyed from beneath him -- there is nothing left for him to stand on -- his only option is to flee to safety

 

            -- but David’s response is “how can you tell me to flee?” -- to flee would be to proclaim that you have no faith in God to protect you -- to flee would be to proclaim that you don’t trust God can deliver you

-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian, who stood against Hitler in the years leading up to World War II and afterwards was advised by friends and colleagues to flee Germany -- to get out while he could, just as so many of his fellow theologians were doing

-- but Bonhoeffer refused -- he had a responsibility and a duty to stay, just as Davie and Natalie Lloyd had a responsibility and duty to stay -- he could not leave his country behind, even as the very foundations of life were crumbling beneath him -- he stayed to be a light in the darkness -- a voice for God in the chaos

-- to once again quote Albert Barnes: “We are to remain where we are; we are boldly to face the danger, and commit the whole matter to God.”

 

            -- verse 4

 

Psalm 11:4 The Lord is in his holy temple;

    the Lord is on his heavenly throne.

He observes everyone on earth;

    his eyes examine them.

 

-- this is the heart of this psalm -- this is the heart of the righteous -- of all those who stand in the face of trials and adversity -- who stand in the face of personal danger

-- David proclaims here the basis of his faith and the reason why he refuses to flee -- The Lord is in His holy temple -- the Lord is on His heavenly throne

-- regardless of how things might look here on earth, this truth remains -- God is on His throne and is in charge of all that happens

 

-- notice how David describes the throne of God here -- he says it is holy -- it is righteous -- it is true -- it is the standard against which the evil of this world will be judged

-- as the foundations are being eroded -- as the “new normal” is lifted up and paraded before the people -- the truth remains -- only God defines what is normal and true and holy -- only God defines what is righteous -- and the faithful live by His word

 

-- David reminds us that God’s throne is in heaven -- he is pointing out that God is above the petty affairs of men -- He sits enthroned above nations and men -- above planets and universes

-- God is over all -- and He sits on His throne as the ultimate judge of everyone and everything

 

-- He observes everyone on earth -- His eyes examine them and sees their deeds and their hearts -- He sees the righteous -- He sees the wicked -- God sees everything -- nothing is hidden from Him

-- He knows the plans of the wicked -- He is aware of the schemes of the devil -- He sees all -- He knows all -- and He is above all

 

            -- when we are walking through storms and trials -- when all around us seems dark -- when the very moral and religious foundations of our lives crumble and falter around us, what do we do? -- where do we look? -- where do we turn our eyes?

            -- in Isaiah 6, Isaiah opens that chapter with the statement that King Uzziah has died -- and with these words -- with the death of Uzziah, it seems all has been lost

-- it was a time of change -- the foundations were crumbling in Israel -- evil was coming -- Babylon was rising -- fear and violence were all around -- hope was gone

            -- but Isaiah writes, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne…”

            -- remember, no matter what this world may look like -- no matter how it seems as the foundations are faltering and crumbling -- no matter how it seems like evil is winning -- remember that God is seated on His throne

 

            -- verse 5

 

Psalm 11:5 The Lord examines the righteous,

    but the wicked, those who love violence,

    he hates with a passion.

6 On the wicked he will rain

    fiery coals and burning sulfur;

    a scorching wind will be their lot.

 

7 For the Lord is righteous,

    he loves justice;

    the upright will see his face.

 

            -- David goes on to explain his faith and the reason why he refuses to flee even as it looks like his world is crashing down around him -- even as it looks like his enemies have won

-- he writes here that the Lord examines the righteous -- He tests them -- He tries them -- He proves the depth of their faithfulness and love and trust in Him by putting them in the crucible of testing

-- it is in times like this that faith is developed -- it is in times like this that trust is strengthened

-- that’s why David prayed in Psalm 139:22-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart -- test me and know my anxious thoughts -- see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” 

            -- it is through the testing -- through the maturing of our faith -- that the righteous come to know God and love Him -- it is through the testing that God makes His love and His presence known

 

            -- God hates the wicked with a passion -- He hates those who love violence -- He hates those who do evil -- not that He hates the individuals --but He hates what they do

-- they have chosen to turn away from Him -- they have intentionally chosen to disobey Him and His word -- they do not know Him -- they do not love Him -- they do not obey His commands -- they are not in a right relationship with Him -- they have rejected Him and His love -- and so only His wrath is available to them and His judgment falls on them

 

            -- David says that God will rain down fire and sulfur -- brimstone -- on the wicked -- this speaks of God’s wrath and judgment falling on those who seek to do harm to others -- on those who are unjust and evil and wicked

-- it calls to mind His judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah -- judgment that came because of how the inhabitants of those cities treated others, especially strangers who sought refuge in that place

            -- David says “a scorching wind will be their lot” -- other translations have this as “a scorching wind will be the portion of their cup”

-- the wind David refers to here describes a horrible tempest -- the manifestation of God’s wrath on the people -- I think we all remember what happened when Hurricane Idalia blew through last year -- the extent of the damage was astounding -- but the wind from a hurricane that destroys roofs and buildings and fells trees pales in comparison to the horrible tempest of God’s judgment against those who would do violence -- against those who are wicked in His sight

 

-- “the portion of their cup” is another reference to God’s wrath -- similar to the cup that Jesus was said to drink from on the cross

            -- the message that we are to receive here is that, regardless of how things may look -- regardless of how it might look like Christianity is failing and the culture is turning and wickedness is rising -- at the end, the righteous are vindicated -- the upright will see the face of God -- this speaks of both a present and future promise as we look forward to our deliverer -- as we anticipate the glorious coming of Jesus once again

            -- but while we wait, we know that right living allows access to the divine presence in this life -- if we are in Christ, we are promised that we will see His face and experience His hand and His blessings in our lives -- God will take care of us -- God will deliver -- we are safe in His hands

 

III.  Closing

            -- let’s bring this to a close -- what do we do when the very foundations of life falter and begin to crumble beneath our feet?

 

            -- in Ezra Chapter 3, we read of the return of Jews to Jerusalem following their captivity in Babylon -- they arrived to ruins, with the temple completely destroyed -- even the foundations were broken -- what did they do when they saw the foundations of their faith destroyed?

-- Zerubbabel led the people back to God -- they dedicated themselves and the original temple mount site to God by sacrificing burnt offerings in accordance with the word of God -- and they began to rebuild that which the wicked had destroyed -- beginning with the very foundation of the temple -- and they continued to build -- they continued to grow -- until they once again worshiped God in the new temple they had built

 

-- what do we do when the very foundations of life falter and begin to crumble beneath our feet?

-- first, we return and repent -- we turn back to the Lord and worship Him -- we stay true to Him and His word -- we live holy and righteous lives even while those around us embrace wickedness and unlawfulness -- we shine as beacons of light in a dark world

-- second, we repair the foundation where we can -- we fix the cracks -- we fill the potholes -- we build back better than we found it -- and we prepare for the day when the entire foundation will be repaired and restored to its former glory -- for the time after God’s judgment and wrath falls on the wicked

-- when all is destroyed and God’s righteous wrath and judgment remove the wicked from our midst, we rebuild from the ruins -- we restore and revive true religion from the remains of the foundations

            -- one of the key truths in the Bible is that there is always a remnant -- there is always a pocket of faithful believers -- of righteous believers -- that is kept alive by God to rebuild and restore the foundations of truth, holiness, and righteousness and to bring glory to God

 

             -- and, finally, we keep our eyes firmly fixed on God above -- David’s advisors were looking at the world with earthly eyes -- they only saw the power and the threats coming against them

            -- but while they were looking around them, David was looking up, for that is where he found his strength and hope -- his faith and focus were on the Lord

-- remember that message from Psalm 121 about a year ago? -- Eyes up -- keep your focus on God and trust in Him, no matter how dark things might look on earth

            -- for in the end, God’s righteousness and holiness will prevail -- and all will be made right

 

            -- this is our prayer -- this is our focus -- and this should be what drives us and leads us in the days ahead

            -- let us pray

 

SERMON: THE GREAT SEPARATION -- THE PARABLES OF JESUS SERIES

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 13:24-30

 

Matthew 13:24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

 

27 “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?’

 

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

 

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

 

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 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.’”

 

            -- I once heard about this young man who was appointed to his first church not long after he had received his call to ministry -- he was new to preaching and worked very hard on his first sermon -- he spent a lot of time on it and that first Sunday, he delivered that message with great passion from the pulpit -- everyone thanked him for his words as they left the church that morning, and told him how much they were looking forward to hearing him again the next Sunday

            -- well, for whatever reason, this pastor’s little church had several of the saints pass away his first week there and he was called upon to conduct their funerals -- because of that, he didn’t have time to prepare another sermon, so when Sunday rolled around, this pastor did the only thing he could do -- he just preached his one sermon to the congregation again -- the people walked out, shook his hand, and once again told him what a wonderful job he had done

            -- the next week, the same thing happened -- several more people passed away and he had several in the hospital and he just couldn’t find time to study and prepare a new message -- so, he got back up the next Sunday and preached the same sermon again

            -- well, this time, the church leaders got upset -- they went to the District Superintendent and said, “We don’t know what this young man is doing or where you got him, but all he’s got is one sermon -- he’s preached the same sermon to us for three weeks in a row.”

            -- the DS said, “Well, that’s concerning.  What was his sermon about?” -- the church leaders looked at each other, and even though they had heard the same message three times in a row, none of them could remember the main points

            -- the DS chuckled and said, “Tell you what.  Let’s let him try it one more time, and if you hear him and get the point of his message this time, we’ll have him preach a new message the next week”

 

            -- this morning, we’re finishing up our sermon series on the Parables of Jesus from Matthew 13 -- and I assume that, as we have read these parables together in context and seen how they were given by Jesus and who they were given to and what He is saying here, you have noticed that all of these parables have the same message -- Jesus is making the same point over and over again to His disciples -- that on the earth today, there is the true church -- the true kingdom of heaven -- but it has been infiltrated by unbelievers and those who seek to harm the message of God

            -- Jesus began to teach in parables in this chapter by giving the parable of the sower, and pointing out to His disciples that how the people in the crowd listening to His messages heard and received them differently -- even though the same seed was scattered to everyone, some didn’t get it because the evil one snatched the word away from them

            -- others received it, but their soil was shallow, and they quickly faded away -- still others received the word, but they were surrounded by thorns, which grew up and choked them and kept them from producing a crop

            -- but finally, there were some who heard the word and received the message and who produced a good crop -- a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was sown

            -- the whole point being that the kingdom of heaven was being planted in a world filled by a variety of people -- some who were part of the kingdom -- some who were seeking God and who would become part of the kingdom -- and others who were being led away by the evil one

 

            -- in the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast, Jesus made the same point again that there were some in the kingdom of heaven -- some in the church -- who were not believers but who were spreading false teachings and stirring up discord -- they looked like believers and talked like believers, but they were not true followers of Christ -- He warned His disciples to be on their guard against them, because they would work their way through the church like yeast works its way through dough -- and they would make the church into something that God never intended, allowing Satan and his dirty birds to get a foothold in the church

 

            -- He then taught the parable of the hidden treasure and the great pearl -- teaching them the reason why He came -- that in this world there were some who were destined to be true believers -- true followers of Jesus -- those who would put their faith and trust in Him for salvation and eternal life and who would live in the kingdom of heaven forever -- these, Jesus said, are the hidden treasure and the great pearl that I have come to find -- and I will sanctify them and make them holy by saving them from this world

 

            -- this morning, we finish up our study of the parables from Matthew 13 by looking at the final two parables in this chapter -- the parable of the weeds -- also known as the parable of the wheat and tares -- and the parable of the net

            -- both of these parables look ahead to the end, when the true believers -- the people of God’s kingdom -- are finally separated from the others -- from those Jesus had warned were in the church and in the kingdom, but not of God

            -- while we are limited in what we can do at this point to protect the church -- to protect true believers from false teachings and false information -- at some point in the future, there will be a great separation, with believers being taken to eternity with Christ and unbelievers being sent to a place of torment

 

II.  The Parable of the Weeds or The Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

-- let’s look now at the parable of the weeds -- which is also called the parable of the wheat and tares in some translations -- this is one of those parables that is easy for us to understand, because Jesus gracefully gave us the interpretation -- which tells us that He really wants us to understand what He is giving us in these verses -- He wants us to know this and believe this and to act on His words here

 

-- verse 24

 

Matthew 13:24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

 

-- look over at verse 36

 

Matthew 13:36 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.”

 

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 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, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

 

-- so, we know exactly what Jesus is telling us here -- there are no doubts or questions on this parable -- in this parable, Jesus is telling us that He has come to sow the good seed in the field -- that He has come to bring the good news of salvation and eternal life to the world

-- back to John 3:16 again, right? -- For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have eternal life

-- so, Jesus sows the good seed -- the good word -- the word of God -- into the world today -- and, just like the parable of the sower teaches, there are some who receive this word -- who are planted in good soil -- and who grow up and produce a good crop -- these are the people of the kingdom of heaven -- these are the hidden treasure -- the pearl of great price that He came to find

-- but while Jesus is sowing good seed in the world, someone else is sowing bad seed -- He says that his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away -- the same message that Jesus taught in the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast

-- Satan has come in and sowed weeds -- false teachings -- misinformation -- fake news -- fake believers -- into the field that is the kingdom of heaven -- into the church itself

 

-- let me give you an example of how this happens

-- everyone in here is aware of what happened last Saturday evening, when there was an assassination attempt on former President Trump -- and for the past week, we have been inundated with news and stories and watercooler conversations about the incident -- what really happened -- who was really involved -- what this all means

-- and there have been many, many different stories and conspiracy theories that have popped up over the week -- all the way from the attempt being fake to it was a government conspiracy against Trump to it being just what we saw -- a lone gunman trying to shoot Trump for an unknown reason

-- as we discussed the incident this week and everyone offered up their thoughts and opinions on the event, I was told that you can’t believe the mainstream media -- that if you want to know the truth, you need to go to these particular news sources -- that only these sources had the truth -- and then they gave me the name of several news sources to look up

-- here’s the thing -- in a lot of cases, the news sources weren’t real -- the news sources themselves were fake -- I learned that other countries -- our enemies -- especially Russia -- have created fake newspapers online and are spreading misinformation and lies and propaganda designed to fool Americans and mislead us -- it’s happening here and France and England and other places

-- these newspapers sound real -- they’ve got names like the New York News Daily, the Chicago Chronicle and the Miami Chronicle -- they look real -- you can go to their websites -- they seem legit -- but when you start to examine them and look at them more closely, you’ll find out that most of their articles are filled with dummy text or AI-generated information¹

-- their sole purpose is to spread lies and misinformation to Americans -- to mislead them -- to fool them

 

-- that’s what Jesus is warning us about here in this parable -- not necessarily about fake newspapers or news sources -- but about people that are fake believers -- people that have been planted in the kingdom of heaven and the church by our enemy -- by Satan -- and who look like Christians and talk like Christians but who are spreading false teachings and false beliefs in the kingdom

-- I want you to notice the moment when the enemy sowed the weeds into the field -- in verse 25, Jesus says that the enemy came and sowed the weeds among the wheat “while everyone was sleeping” -- everyone was sleeping -- no one was on guard -- no one was paying attention -- no one was watching the field and protecting it from infiltrators

-- there’s a warning there for us -- we have to guard our hearts and our souls and our minds from false teachings and false information and false teachers -- we can’t fall asleep -- we have to be wary and we have to watch for danger and we have to know what we are looking for -- that’s the only way that we can protect ourselves from the fake news and weeds in the world today

 

-- the weed that Jesus is referring to here is the darnel wheat -- also called a tare -- T-A-R-E -- in the Bible -- it’s a type of false wheat -- it looks identical to real grain wheat while it is growing, before it puts on a head

-- Tares were one of the curses a farmer in Jesus’ day had to struggle against -- they were poisonous, and if you ate them, it would cause dizziness and sickness -- so you didn't want them in the field with your wheat

-- but the problem is, when the tares are young, they look just like wheat -- it is impossible to tell one from the other -- it’s only after the head is developed -- when it is mature and compared to a true mature wheat plant -- that it is easy to tell the difference between the two

 

-- verse 27

 

Matthew 13:27 “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?’

 

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

 

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

 

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 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.’”

 

-- like I said, when the darnel weeds were growing in the field with the true wheat, it was virtually impossible to tell them apart -- but the real problem occurs because of how the darnel weeds grow -- their roots intertwine and tangle up the roots of the wheat -- this means that you can’t just go out in the field and pull up the tares without hurting the wheat -- without potentially uprooting the true wheat, as well

 

-- So, what did the owner of the field do about the tares growing in the field? -- He told his servants not to pull them up until it was time for the harvest, because it might damage the good wheat if they tried to pull up the tares early

-- At harvest time, when the tares were easily identifiable, the owner of the field instructed his servants to gather them up and bind them and burn them. -- Only the good wheat was left standing in the field, and it was to be taken to the barn after the tares were removed

-- this is the separation that will occur at the end of the age

 

-- look over at verse 40

 

Matthew 13:40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 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. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

 

-- this is what we read of in the parable of the sheep and goats -- this is what we read of at the end of the Book of Revelation -- at the end of Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom, Satan will be released from his prison in the abyss and allowed to tempt the world for one last time -- after which, both he and those people who followed him are going to be judged and thrown into the lake of fire -- or, as Jesus calls it here, the blazing furnace -- where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth

-- the wheat -- the sheep -- the true believers -- those who have a personal relationship with Jesus and have put their faith and trust in Him for salvation and sanctification and eternal life -- these righteous ones will shine like the sun in the kingdom of God and will live with God forever

 

III.  The Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47-50)

            -- skip down to verse 47, and we’ll end our study of the parables by looking at the parable of the net

 

Matthew 13:47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

            -- having studied all the rest of Jesus’ parables in this chapter in context, the parable of the net is an easy parable to interpret and understand -- it has the same message as the last parable we looked at -- the parable of the wheat and the tares

            -- in this case, a net is lowered into a lake, which represents the world -- nets are used to harvest fish -- so, in this case, the net is lowered into the lake to harvest all the fish that are there

            -- but just like Jesus has been teaching us throughout Chapter 13, when the net is brought to the shore, it contains both good fish and bad fish -- just like the world contains both true believers and unbelievers

            -- so, the fishermen sort out the fish -- putting the good fish in baskets to be taken home -- while the bad fish are thrown away

            -- Jesus goes on to tell His disciples and us that this is a representation of how it will be at the end of the age -- this is another separation parable -- and at the end of the age, Jesus will send His angels to harvest the true believers from the world and will separate the righteous from the wicked

            -- the wicked will be thrown into the blazing furnace -- the lake of fire, as Revelation terms it -- where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth

 

            -- the whole point of Jesus’ teaching of the parables here is to make us aware that we are in the world, but we are not of the world -- that while we are in the world, there are only some of us who are true believers -- while the rest -- while the majority, it is fair to say -- are not believers -- but are still kept under the control of the evil one

            -- and if they continue on their path and do not choose to hear the good news of Christ and repent of their sins and trust in Jesus for salvation and sanctification and eternal life through faith and trust -- they will be sorted out in the end as the unrighteous -- as the weeds and the goats and the bad fish -- and will face judgment and punishment in the blazing furnace and the lake of fire

 

IV.  Closing

-- so, what do we do with these parables of Jesus? -- what does Jesus intend for us to do in response to them?

 

-- the very first thing we need to do is to examine ourselves to make sure that we are in a right relationship with Jesus -- that we know Him and He knows us -- that we have repented of our sins and asked Him to forgive us of our sins and to be our Lord and Savior -- putting all our faith and trust in Him and His atoning death and resurrection and looking forward to His glorious appearing and eternal life with Him

-- as we talked about earlier in this series, a lot of people have been misled or have false assurances that they are saved when they are not -- just praying the sinner’s prayer -- just repeating words without meaning them won’t save you -- only a true conversion experience with Jesus saves -- and if you haven’t truly believed in your heart that Jesus is Lord and put your faith and trust in Him, then you’re not saved

-- like it says in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

-- so, our first response to these parables should be to examine ourselves and to make sure that we are in a right relationship with Jesus and that we are not living on cheap grace or false assurances

 

-- the next thing we should do is to live into the knowledge that there are those around us who are not part of the kingdom of heaven -- there are those around us who have no soil or shallow soil or who are being choked out by thorns

-- so, our job as the church of Christ on earth -- as part of the kingdom of heaven -- is to share the good news of Jesus with everyone we come into contact with -- to tell them about the Savior who loved them so much that He paid everything in order to find them -- the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price

-- to tell them that He loves them so much that He died for them and rose again, overcoming both sin and death -- and that if they turn from their sins and believe in their hearts that Jesus is Lord and put their faith and trust in Him -- that they will be saved and will be part of the kingdom of heaven forever

 

-- third, we need to also keep in mind that there are some who are within the church that are not like us -- there are some within the church who proclaim to be believers but they are not -- and to know that these people are teaching false doctrines and sharing false teachings and are misleading many

-- we need to be on guard against them -- to weed them out of our churches before they can damage the wheat -- to keep them from infiltrating God’s people and sharing false teachings and doctrines that turn God’s church into something it isn’t supposed to be -- into a place where Satan’s dirty birds feel at home

-- I’ve told you this before and I’ll tell you again and again -- Acts 17:11 -- Be a good Berean -- just as the Bereans fact-checked the Apostle Paul and his teachings, we need to especially fact-check everything that we hear -- including everything that you hear from me

-- just because someone is recognized as a Bible teacher or a pastor or has a radio or TV or internet ministry does not mean they are teaching the truth of God’s word -- you need to fact-check them and make sure what they are teaching lines up with the word of God -- and if it doesn’t, stop listening to them

 

-- which brings us to our final response -- we need to be discerning and loving representatives of Christ -- we need to be discipling each other -- especially those people who are young in the faith -- to make sure they are growing rightly and are not following the blowing winds of false doctrines or false teachings

-- that means that we have to be growing in Christ, too -- that we have to be diligent in studying His word -- in knowing what it says and in doing what it says -- this means we have to be in relationship with Him -- praying and listening to Him -- and fellowshipping with other believers through discipleship and worship

-- we cannot be who God has called us to be if we don’t do these things -- and we cannot be salt and light in this world, unless we know His word and live His word and help others come to know Him as their Lord and Savior

 

-- so, with that, let us heed the words and the warnings of Jesus from these parables -- and let us join together as one body -- one church -- one kingdom -- under Him -- to be and to do what He has called us to do

-- let us pray

 

1 Russians are filling America's news shortage, BY JOEL MATHIS, THE WEEK US

PUBLISHED 11 MARCH 2024 IN TALKING POINT, https://theweek.com/politics/russian-america-news-shortage-disinformation-fake-news-sites

SERMON: THE ENEMY WITHIN -- THE PARABLES OF JESUS

 

Naylor community christian church

naylor, georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 13:31-33

 

Matthew 13:31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

 

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

 

            -- in December 2022, people in Slovenia were shocked when they read of the arrest of a young Argentinian couple in their community

-- “Maria Rosa Mayer Muños ran an online art gallery, telling acquaintances she’d left Argentina after being robbed in Buenos Aires by an armed gang at a red light.

-- “Her husband, Ludwig Gisch, ran an IT startup. Described by neighbors in their middle-class district of Črnuče as “normal” and “quiet,” the husband and wife appeared to be global citizens: switching from English and German with friends to accentless Spanish with their son and daughter, who attended the British International School.

            -- however, it turns out they were anything but normal and quiet immigrants to Slovenia -- they were actually senior officers in the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service -- conducting espionage and sharing misinformation and propaganda as “deep-penetration” agents hidden in plain sight

            -- following their arrest, several other suspected Russian spies in various countries around the world fled their fake lives and headed back to Moscow -- obviously, in fear that their names and locations would be exposed as part of the investigation against Maria and Ludwig

            -- spies like Maria and Ludwig are more common that we would think, with some even here in the U.S. -- as the FBI noted in the Wall Street Journal article, “The Russian Spies Next Door,” -- “Russian illegals spent years establishing a seemingly normal existence in the U.S.: They married, bought homes, raised families, and integrated into American society.”

            -- for all intents and purposes, they were honest and loyal citizens of the country -- indistinguishable from any other citizen -- all while harboring a secret identity and seeking to complete the goals and missions of their agencies¹

            -- and the thing I want you to keep in mind this morning is that actors and spies like this aren’t just embedded in our communities for political purposes -- they are also very present in the church    

 

II.  Why Parables?

            -- this morning, we are continuing our teaching series on the parables of Jesus -- we began this series by looking at why Jesus taught in parables -- as we learned, teaching in parables served two purposes: 

first, Jesus used parables to teach spiritual truths to His disciples and those seeking Him with open hearts and open minds and open ears in a way that would grant them greater understanding -- the same way a good story or illustration can help someone grasp the truth of a message

            -- for those who were open to the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit -- who were spiritually sensitive -- the meaning of the parables was clear and revealed new spiritual truths and insights

            -- the second reason Jesus taught in parables was as an act of grace to protect those in the crowd from responding to His messages based on emotion or pretense and not because of a true desire for a relationship with Him -- in other words, the people who were not following Him because they were convicted of their sinfulness and wanted to repent of their sins and put their faith and trust in Jesus, but who were just following the crowd

            -- the people who responded like this to Jesus’ messages were the ones Jesus portrayed in the parable of the sower as the seed that fell on the hard path and were eaten by birds and as the seed that fell in the shallow soil, where it quickly germinated and sprang up, but withered away because it had no root

            -- in our day, we would make the parallel to people who respond emotionally in the moment to an evangelistic message or who fly to the cross in the midst of a terrible circumstance in their life -- those who pray the sinner’s prayer and get up from the altar, assuming that they have punched their ticket to heaven -- without really surrendering their life to Christ -- without realizing the true cost that comes with following Christ -- these are the ones who seek salvation without repentance and rewards without discipleship or sacrifice -- and those who respond for other reasons, but their response is not real

            [Give Kairos Salvation Example]

            -- by using parables to express the spiritual truths of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus was keeping these people whose hearts were far from Him -- whose ears were closed to the truth of God -- from responding in lip-service only and assuming they had received salvation simply by following a religious ritual

            -- He was protecting them from false assurances of salvation until they reached the point where they were spiritually ready to hear and see the truth of the gospel and to respond to Him in faith and trust

            -- it was also a way to keep His true messages hidden from the Pharisees and others who came only because they were seeking evidence to support their goal of killing Him

 

            -- last week, we talked about the true meaning of the parables of the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price -- and how these parables are pictures of the incarnation -- of why Jesus came to earth -- of how His love for us and His desire for us caused Him to lay aside the trappings and glory of His deity so that He might become one of us -- giving all that He had -- even His very life on the cross of Calvary -- that He might secure for us victory over sin and death and eternal life with Him -- that we were the treasure that He came to find and give His life for

 

III.  Scripture Lesson -- Matthew 13:31-33

            -- this morning, we are again looking at two of Jesus’ parables that are closely related -- the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast

            -- once again, let me caution you as we look at these together to consider them within the entire context of Matthew Chapter 13, which concerns the reason why Jesus taught in parables, as we just discussed

 

-- as we study them together, keep in mind that there were two different audiences that were present when Jesus preached and taught -- you had His disciples and the true seekers, those who were open to the teaching of the Holy Spirit and who were responding to Jesus’ teaching in faith and trust and obedience

-- and you had the crowd -- the unbelievers -- the Pharisees and the others who were coming but who had no intent on following Jesus -- these are the ones that Jesus describes in Matthew 13:15 as having calloused hearts that is keeping them from hearing with their ears and seeing with their eyes and responding in faith to His words

            -- these next two parables are warnings to Jesus’ disciples to be on their guard against those who sought to be part of their fellowship, but who were not truly part of the church

 

-- John described these people in his first epistle as he warned about the presence of many antichrists -- 1 John 2:19 -- “They went out from us” -- that is, they were part of the fellowship of believers -- members of the church -- but they fell away and left the church

-- “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.  For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us”

-- in other words, there were some people who were members of the early church -- people who looked like Christians and talked like Christians and attended all the religious meetings and fellowship gatherings just like the other Christians -- but who were not really believers in their hearts -- they did not have a true relationship with Christ -- and so when persecution or hardship happened -- or when they had gathered the information they were seeking -- they abandoned their pretense of faith and left

-- these are the ones John calls “antichrists” in his epistle -- and these are the ones Jesus warns about in these parables -- we know that based on the context and background of Matthew Chapter 13 and what Jesus tells His disciples about the reason why He teaches in parables

 

-- you’ve probably heard these parables taught with a different meaning than the one I am going to give you this morning -- but read these parables in context -- don’t take them out and try to discern their meaning by looking at them by themselves, in isolation -- read them and interpret them within the whole scope of what Jesus is teaching here in Matthew 13 -- and feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss this some more

 

-- with that long introduction, let’s look now at the next two parables in our series from Matthew 13:31-33 -- the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast

 

-- verse 31

Matthew 13:31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

 

 

-- I know that most of you have heard this parable taught before -- and, more than likely, this parable was offered as an example of church growth and how the influence of the church spreads and grows in our communities and in the world today

            -- the common interpretation is that what Jesus is teaching here is that the church starts like a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the garden -- but over time, this small seed grows bigger and bigger until it becomes the largest of all the garden plants -- even becoming a tree that is so large that even birds can come and perch in its branches

            -- what this means, they say, is that the church may start out small, but it is going to grow and keep on growing until it becomes the biggest plant of all 

 

 -- but there’s a couple concerns with this interpretation  

            -- first, there’s something odd about Jesus’ description of what happens to the mustard seed -- it is true that the mustard seed is the smallest of all the seeds -- but mustard plants don’t grow into trees

-- I grew up farming -- we used to grow mustard -- they don’t get that big, despite what you might read online or hear taught by others -- mustard plants will never grow big enough for birds to roost in their branches -- and I guarantee you that all the disciples who heard Jesus say this knew that mustard plants don’t get that big

            -- so, what Jesus is describing here is not a normal mustard plant -- what He is describing is unnatural -- a plant that has grown into something it should not be -- a plant that has grown into a tree

-- remember the context -- where these verses fit into the whole of Matthew Chapter 13 -- this is not a proclamation of the kingdom of God growing here -- this is a warning from Jesus to His disciples about those who would come and seek to join them but who were really hypocrites and false believers and not true members of the kingdom of heaven

-- so, this is not a parable about God's kingdom growing bigger and bigger, but a parable about what happens when hypocrites and fake believers take root in the kingdom -- it's a parable about how evil and hypocrisy corrupts and expands even within the church and turns it into something it was never created to be

 

            -- we have seen this happen throughout history -- it happened when Constantine made Christianity the official religion of his empire and the church traded the truth of God’s word for political power and prestige

            -- we’re even seeing it today with this Christian Nationalist movement, as people seek to marry the church to the Government for political power and gain -- making it into something it was never meant to be

            -- and we’re going to see it when the one-world religion takes over during the reign of the Antichrist during the Tribulation Period

            -- this is exactly what Jesus is warning against here in this parable 

 

            -- which brings up the second problem with the common interpretation of this parable -- Jesus says here that birds will come and perch in the branches of this unnatural plant

-- when birds are mentioned in Scripture, they are generally symbolic of evil -- they are representatives of Satan's activity -- think of the birds who took the seed sown by the farmer in Jesus' other parable -- Jesus said those birds represented the evil one who took away the word of God from the people who desired it

            -- some translations emphasizes that Jesus called these birds, “the birds of the air” -- in Ephesians 2:2, we are told that Satan is the prince of the power of the air -- Jesus is trying to make a connection here for us -- these are unnatural birds on an unnatural plant -- as Adrian Rogers said, "these are Satan's dirty birds"

            -- what Jesus is describing here in this parable is what happens when evil and hypocrisy and religion goes unchecked in the house of God -- it becomes a roosting place for evil

 

            -- verse 33

 

Matthew 13:33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

 

            -- we find yeast referred to 98 times in the Bible, and every time it is used, it represents sin or evil -- I find it hard to believe that in this one instance, Jesus is using yeast in a good way to represent His desire for the church -- I believe He is using yeast to symbolize evil just as it is used the other 97 times throughout scripture

            -- the presence of yeast is not a good thing -- it represents that which is evil or unclean -- that which does not belong in the church

 

            -- along those lines, Jesus makes the point that it is a woman who took the yeast and put it in the dough -- many times in scripture we see false religion portrayed as a woman -- as some commentators have pointed out, the feminine in Hebrew writing is used to symbolize false religion or false prophets

-- that’s what we see in Revelation as Jezebel is named in Revelation 2:20 as a false prophetess and the leader of a false religion opposed to the true religion of God -- and we read of a woman dressed in purple and scarlet riding on the scarlet beast in Revelation 17 who represents the false one-world religion in the Antichrist’s reign

 

            -- so, once again, this is not a parable about church growth or the influence of Christianity -- this is not a parable about God's word permeating all of the culture but a parable warning against the yeast of sin and evil -- the yeast of the Pharisees and hypocrites -- the yeast of false religion -- permeating the kingdom of God

            -- in Luke 12:1, Jesus warned His disciples to be on their guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which He said was hypocrisy -- that’s what He’s doing here in this parable -- He’s warning His disciples to be on their guard against the yeast that will try to come into the church

 

            -- these parables were given by Jesus to His disciples to warn them to be cautious of those who might pretend to be part of them while they are secretly sowing seeds of destruction in their midst

-- we can take that same warning to heart today -- just because someone is in the church doesn't mean they have God's interests in mind -- just because someone claims the name of Christ doesn't mean they are Christians -- and just like one bad apple spoils a barrel, one bad person pretending to be a Christian can spoil a whole church

            -- we have to be on our guard against those who oppose Jesus -- who work against the mission of the church, even if their actions are unintentional -- and we have to especially be on our guard against those who are actively seeking to halt Jesus' ministry and the Kingdom of God through their rules and their action (or inaction) -- we have to be on our guard to make sure it’s not us, too

            -- Jesus' point here is that we need to be aware of the presence of others in our midst -- and if we don't root out the evil and false religion, it will continue to grow and influence the whole church

 

IV.  Closing

            -- let me close by sharing with you an example from history

-- in the winter of 1944, World War II was rapidly coming to an end -- the German army was in retreat, but had one desperate battle strategy left -- they planned a surprise attack on the morning of 16 December 1944 in the densely forested Ardennes region between Belgium and Luxembourg -- an attack which became known as the Battle of the Bulge

-- a key part of the German’s strategy was to disrupt and misdirect reinforcement troops from the Americans to keep them away from the actual battlelines -- German commandos, dressed in US military uniforms, infiltrated the American line -- they positioned road blocks and directed military units the wrong way -- they changed road signs so that American troops couldn’t find their way -- they did whatever they could to keep the Americans from reinforcing the troops at the frontline

-- a total of 44 German soldiers wearing U.S. uniforms successfully infiltrated the U.S. Army line -- but when the Americans discovered what was going on, the plan quickly broke down and the majority of the Germans fled back to the German forces

-- but the damage was done -- no one knew who they could trust and who they couldn’t -- soldiers became suspicious of everyone else -- “As a result, U.S. troops began asking other soldiers questions that they felt only Americans would know the answers to in order to flush out the German infiltrators, which included naming certain states' capitals, sports and trivia questions related to the U.S”^{2, 3}

            -- some American members, including senior leaders like Brigadier General Bruce Clark, were held at gunpoint for a brief period until their identification could be confirmed -- some Americans were actually killed because of misidentification

 

            -- this true story illustrates the point that Jesus is making in these parables -- infiltrators can cause great damage in the church -- they can even take control of a church and lead it in directions it should not go

            -- we need to be aware that Satan’s dirty birds and filthy yeast can infiltrate God’s church today -- we need to make sure that we are standing true to God’s word -- that our focus is on His kingdom and His glory and that we are true representatives of the gospel in our communities

            -- we need to be well-versed in God’s word and disciplined in our lives so that we can stand against any evil that might come and that we can be faithful stewards of all that God has given us

           

            -- let us pray

 

-------------------------------

1 The Russian Spies Next Door, The Wall Street Journal, June 17, 2024, By Georgi Kantchev, Joe Parkinson, and Silvina Frydlewsky [https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/the-russian-spies-next-door-bd7c7312]

2 Illustration modified from Paul Barreca’s sermon, “Contend for the Faith”

3 Wikipedia Article, “Operation Greif,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Greif