SHOW NOTES
Heaven Comes to Earth, pt3
Leadership in Context with Keith Tucci
Episode 116
A parable is a heavenly story with an earthy application.
Matthew 13 follows the parable of the sower. It often gets overlooked, but it is important to consider. Jesus said it, so we should consider it.
This is one of many parables where Jesus talks about seed and soil.
· The condition of the soil fertilizes and causes the seed to grow.
· The seed is that which we put into the soil. The seed is also compared to the Word of God.
Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. And when the wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident. And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
At the end of this parable, the weeds will be burned with fire. Jesus is talking about His eventual judgement on things, even judging things that we were unable to control.
The enemy wants to rob the soil and plant bad seed.
An enemy came while they were sleeping and sowed bad seed into their good soil. You have an enemy, and the enemy wants to affect the good soil in your life. He wants to plant bad seed into the field you have plowed. The devil is not a creative being. He is a mocker, a deceiver, a manipulator, a copycat.
In the history of the Christian Church, the enemy has tried to take the good soil that has been produced in local churches and has tried to plant something in there that would not produce good fruit. There are a lot of warnings in Scripture regarding false teachers in the writings of Peter and Paul. False teachers tried to infiltrate the Church. When someone comes into the Church and they feel like they have a teaching or revelation, we need to view that with all stewardship and make sure that their doctrine is true. False teachers often seek to hijack the culture of a local church and use it to spread their dogma because they can’t create their own followers.
This also applies to gifts and talents. The enemy wants to rob that from us or misdirect it. Look at the entertainment industry, especially the music industry. It is shocking how many of these great performers have had Christian backgrounds, raised in the Church, have a great gifting and calling, but that was hijacked and used for something else.
In our own lives, we need to be aware that God is doing something in our hearts. He is building Kingdom. He is cleansing our soil. He is sifting our hearts. While we are getting ready, we need to be alert to the enemy’s distractions and plan to distract us to build our own life instead of Kingdom life. The enemy wants us to be a happy American instead of a great Christian.
You have to identify the fruit.
“When the wheat sprouted and bore more grain, then the weeds also became evident.” Prior to this, you couldn’t tell them apart. There is a weed called Darnell; when it is planted with wheat, you literally cannot tell the difference until it starts to sprout. When the fruit begins to come, you have to identify it. In Matthew 7, Jesus taught that we would know a false prophet by his fruit.
Be aware of collateral damage when dealing with the weeds.
The servants asked if the man wanted them to go pull up the weeds. But the man said to not do that so that they wouldn’t also pull up the wheat with the weeds. When you are dealing with the enemy, it is important that you are aware of potential collateral damage--people who could be harmed and hurt as you deal with something that needs to be dealt with.
In my dealing with demonic forces, ungodly people, people with false agendas, I pray: “Lord, let them manifest. Let other people see what I perceive. Let it be clear what they are doing.” This is so that when I speak to it, others can identify it as such.
Sometimes you can identify things, but you won’t be able to sort them out.
There will be times where you can’t get the wheat and the weeds untangled, but you can at least identify it so that people don’t eat it, thinking it is a fruit. That’s when the fear of God needs to be taught to the false prophets and those with another agenda besides building the Kingdom of God.
You have soil in your life that God is conditioning and nurturing.
Be careful what you let be sown into that soil and who you let sow into that soil. The weeds will attempt to take root and grow. Sometimes when weeds grow, it can be hard to separate without causing damage. It is very hard to put the toothpaste back into the tube, so to speak. Sow good seed in your field, keep nurturing that seed, be on guard (the enemy sowed the seed while they were asleep), and stay focused on building His Kingdom.
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