Sermon in Seattle 09.02.2014

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever. Let us quieten this morning in opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, we as Thy children come before Thy holy face and wish to give thanks unto Thee, dear Father. Thanks that we as Your children yet again this morning can gather about Your holy and precious Word. And above all, thanks, dear Father, that You have given unto each of us the gift of living faith, that we can have hope of everlasting life in heaven with Thee one day. Do that merit work of Your beloved Son and our Savior, our Lord Jesus.

We also, this morning our dear Father, wish to thank You for all the blessings in our lives. For the land in which we live, where we can freely gather about Your holy and precious Word. For our families and friends and neighbors. And everything that we have in this life.

We pray yet this morning, dear Father, that You would help each one of us and give us strength to continue journeying in faith. Give us strength to believe sins forgiven in the name and blood of Jesus. And we remember all those on the outside of Your kingdom. Those who do not own this gift of a child of God. That while there is yet time, they yet also could be called into Your kingdom. That they could come unto repentance and believe.

Dear Father, we leave these matters in Your hands. And we yet also today wish to remember all of Your children in faraway places and those on sick beds battling with issues of health. Help them, dear Father, and give them strength to believe.

And we enclose all our prayers in that prayer that Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus, has taught, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

For our study of God's Word this morning, we'll read from the Gospel of Matthew, from the 13th chapter, verse 24 through 30. And we read these words in Jesus' name, yet with that prayer that God would bless our gathering and give ears to hear and hearts to believe.

Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this.

The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.

And in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them. But gather the wheat into my barn. Amen.

First of all, in the beginning I'd like to bring greetings of love and God's peace from the believers in Longview, where we were last weekend. Crean and I and the family, for our monthly rotation services, they wish to share those greetings.

And so, here in this text today in the church calendar speaks about these types of seed, or the work of the sower. Two types of seed. And this parable that Jesus used teaches us about this matter.

The disciples even asked Jesus earlier. They came to Jesus and they asked him that, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? In other words, why do you speak to the people in these parables?

We could ask, Well, what is a parable? And we understand in this way, that a parable is a story or an example from everyday life that's used to teach or illustrate a spiritual concept or topic.

And so here Jesus uses this example of a field. And this is one of the parables that Jesus goes on to explain.

Jesus, after He had sent the multitude away, His disciples came unto Him. And even for them, they didn't always understand the meaning of the parables. And it's no different for us.

The only way that we're able to understand, comprehend God's Word is through the Holy Spirit. It is the key that opens God's Word.

Jesus told them, He answered them, He said, He said unto them, being His disciples, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. In other words, to them on the outside.

But even then, for this parable, the disciples came to Jesus then. After the multitudes had been sent away, they went into this house, and His disciples came unto Him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

So they asked Him, Tell us about this parable. What did you mean here?

And Jesus answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man. In other words, our Lord Jesus.

And we know that in our time, and throughout time, this has been the work of God's kingdom, to do this sowing of the Word. And this seed of God's Word falls where it does.

We know that there was another parable Jesus taught about the different types of soil. And we won't go into all of that here now, but those different types of soil, the stony ground, and the thistles, and these places where God's Word didn't take root, but only in that good soil.

And as believers, we have this duty to be sowers of the Word. All of us are sowers.

And with our own mind, we could be impatient that we would want to carry, we've even heard the same, we'd want to carry the sickle.

In the old days, we remember, they would plant the seed by hand out in the field. They didn't have big combines or big tractors, combines, to harvest, but they harvested by hand with a sickle. A big blade, they would swing and cut the crop in that way.

We can even, Paul even touches on this matter, though, that how matters are in this topic of sowing.

Where he was speaking to the brothers and sisters in Corinth. He says, here in the third chapter, we'll read a couple of these verses.

He says, I have planted. So he'd gone out and been doing this work of the kingdom. And then another brother, Apollos, watered. So he had also been doing work.

But then Paul hits this core matter. He says, but God gave the increase.

Then he goes on to say that, so neither is he that planteth anything, neither is he that watereth. But God that giveth the increase.

Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one, and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Then he goes on to say, we are laborers together with God. Ye are God's husbandry, and ye are God's building.

So we don't know as believers, even when we're doing this work of sowing, who will come on to the grace of repentance and when. This is God's work. We are simply his helpers.

And so Jesus went on to explain then about this field.

Perhaps you young boys and girls have seen a garden or had a garden in your house. You go out there and till the dirt, and then go out there and plant the seeds.

And he has, he has, here mentions then in this parable, says, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field.

So he had planted these crops in his field.

We could ask that, well, what is this big field? And Jesus explains this. He said, the field is the world.

So this world that we live in, the earth here, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom. In other words, the children of God.

But the tares are the children of the wicked one. The children of the enemy of soul, those on the outside of God's kingdom.

It says here that while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.

This hasn't changed from the beginning either, brothers and sisters.

The enemy of souls, the devil, has been busy from the very beginning.

We remember he had the fight in heaven and was cast out.

And now he goes about his work to gather those in the kingdom of darkness.

And it's even his desire that as children of God they could be won over or could be taken captive so to speak. Lose their faith. Fall into unbelief.

It says the enemy that sowed them is the devil. That's what Jesus explains here.

And we've experienced in our time, haven't we, seen the works of the enemy of souls.

It's all around us in the world that we live in.

The ways of the world has continued to grow more evil.

And this is even according to scripture that the world will continue to grow more evil.

But Jesus even had this prayer in his gospel to John.

Jesus prayed to the heavenly Father that we would be protected as his children.

And here in the 17th chapter of John listen to what Jesus says.

He says, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world but that thou shouldest keep them from evil.

They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth.

So we all have our place in our temporal calling.

Many of you are in school.

Many of us are in the workforce.

And you elder brothers and sisters have retired from work in retirement.

We all have our place but we are all yet still then traveling in this world.

And this parable even shows us how this has been God's plan.

That we're not some sort of God's kingdom is not some sort of island secluded or hidden totally away.

But that we are in the world, but we are not of this world.

And it tells then about how these tares, in other words, they're a plant or like a weed type of a plant.

And when they blossom they have pretty flowers.

Luther even in one of his church apostles, I think, related how explained how these tares were when compared to the wheat looked beautiful to the eye.

And so it is even.

We also experience this, don't we?

How there are many things out in the world that would be a temptation to our flesh.

How fun and exciting this would seem to be.

Many of the things of the world.

But dear fellow travelers, these things of the world are worldly.

And John even in his, they appeal to our flesh, in other words.

When we use this term worldly.

And John later in his epistle speaks about this.

He says, love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

We certainly experience the pull from this battle here on earth.

The battle with the threefold enemy, as we often speak about.

And we experience it in our travel of faith.

We have our own flesh that is so weak and faulty and prone to sin.

This world that we live in and that's so full of temptations that would appeal to our flesh.

And that third part of the enemy, the enemy of souls himself, who comes so often to whisper in our ear, it's okay, go ahead and do this, or go ahead and do that, it's okay, don't worry.

Those believers perhaps are old fashioned, those things that they preach about, that is the sermon that he would speak.

What is the message from God's kingdom?

The writer even to the Hebrews says, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Things around us change, and our world changes around us, but God's word, this holy Bible here that contains God's word, doesn't change.

And from God's kingdom, is preached to your brother and sister, the same gospel, the same message, that yet even this morning can assure you that leave all your sins forgiven in Jesus' name and precious blood.

The same gospel that the Old Testament travelers traveled of.

The same faith.

The one saving faith.

It doesn't speak about here, even in this parable, about many different types of plants.

It speaks about two, the good seed and then the bad seed that brought forth bad fruit.

And Jesus even also speaks about this, about these bad fruits.

So this bad seed brings forth fruits.

It brought forth, those seeds were planted in the night and it brought forth those tares, these weeds, seeds.

And Jesus said here even in his, earlier, about what comes forth from the different seeds.

Here in his gospel, or in Matthew, on the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.

Wherefore, by their fruits, ye shall know them.

And then he continues, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven.

So these tares, those of the world that are around us, Jesus explained again how they were children of the wicked one, and the enemy that sowed them is the devil.

Then he continues on about the harvest.

So after time passes and these fruits, not the fruits, but the seeds, when they're planted in the soil, and when they come forth at the harvest, when the seeds ripen and the crops grow, then we harvest the crops.

Just as a farmer, when he plants in the spring, summer passes, and then at the closing of summer, the farmers are busy harvesting the crop.

There will be a final harvest, dear brothers and sisters.

That final harvest, Jesus explains here, is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.

And he goes on to explain that, and therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire.

So shall it be in the end of this world.

There are not many ways to heaven, but only one way, through God's kingdom, through faith.

We know there's many hundreds, maybe even probably, there are thousands of religions in this world.

But at the end, at the harvest time, there's only that good seed, and that bad seed.

There's faith and unbelief.

And those that are believing are those that are saved.

And this morning, we can be uplifted and be thankful that God has called us to be His children.

And we can't even begin to explain this.

Why? Or how?

These are God's ways.

But heaven, we've been able to comprehend this, dear fellow travelers, when we've been able to hear your brother and your sister, your sins are forgiven in the name and blood of Jesus.

We've been able to believe this message.

We've received strength for our weak faith.

We can join even in the disciples' prayer to Jesus, that Lord, increase our faith.

God calls who He will call.

We have no say in this matter.

But as His children, when we've been given these duty of sowers, we continue to travel living of faith, endeavoring to live how we believe, sharing the message of God's kingdom, inviting those on the outside to come to services, to the hearing of God's word, where they can hear the same message, the message of the gospel that sounds forth from God's kingdom.

So that before that final harvest comes, they also could be gathered with God's children to the granaries of heaven.

Because this day will come, and this is not a day that as children of God, we need to be fearful of.

We wait for this day.

You older brothers and sisters, I'm sure especially those in retirement and in the later years of your life, that longing for heaven's shore even grows stronger.

As we've even heard this example as one gets closer to the shore at the ocean, that's where the breakers are, the waves are the biggest.

And the enemy knows that his time is short, so he works even harder perhaps with those dear ones.

But each one of you this morning can be uplifted and comforted in your own personal endeavor of faith.

Be assured that your journey yet continues heavenward, and that you travel on the way that leads to heaven one day.

And be uplifted to believe your sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

And anyone perhaps listening that does not own this gift of faith that is not a child of God.

The message of the Good Shepherd calls yet to you to come unto repentance and to believe your sins forgiven.

This is the simplicity of faith, God's kingdom.

We don't have to take any sort of test.

We don't have to take some sort of interview with a priest or a bishop or anyone.

There are many other religions of this world and different beliefs.

But the message of God's kingdom is simple.

Believe sins forgiven in Jesus' name and blood.

God's kingdom.

And for my own part even coming here to serve, yet desire to hear the same gospel.

Can I also believe?

I desire to believe along with you dear brothers and sisters.

We have much to be thankful for and much to be joyful for when we travel as God's children in his kingdom.

We have been so richly and abundantly blessed and we can only say thank you.

Thank you dear Father.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Let us close our morning service then in the closing benediction saying the Lord bless us and keep us.

The Lord make his face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us peace in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Amen.