CCF International Church

ALLOW THE TARES TO GROW

Matt 13:24-30

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 root up 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.'”

 

Matt 13:36-43

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 sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons 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.

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 fiery 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. He who has ears, let him hear.

 

We all realise that the world has now come into the Church. That the field is now your local Church where the truth and the false co exist. Where Church is attended by two types of believers:

• Those who are influenced by the Word of the Lord
• Those who are influenced by the demonic realm

I would like us to focus on the present day treatment of the weeds….those who have been planted in our side to be a constant source of irritation and frustration for Church leaders worldwide. These weeds have no apparent purpose in our field; they utilise all the natural resources. Our merciful God does not withhold the rain from these weeds. The whole field gets refreshed; yet the weed will continue in its own way serving its father the evil one whose mission has never changed: to rob, kill and destroy.

The servants represent us, Church leaders whose first reaction is to “sort them out”. We must be careful and not get caught up in doing the work of the Holy Spirit. All we do is keep on speaking the Word; in our homes, in the Church; to your associates.

The Lord Jesus has a “restraining order” in place to prevent His servants from harassing and uprooting “weeds” in His vineyard.

 

“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 root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest.

 

The reason the Lord wants us to leave the weeds alone is because of His overwhelming love and concern for the wheat. He does not want us to do anything that would place us in danger ; anything that would interfere with our growth. To understand this clearly think about an armed robbery in a packed shopping mall. The police show up. They cannot open fire because of the innocent bystanders. They have to hold their fire. The taking of hostages is a common criminal practice. As long as the good seed is present the weed will be safe.

 

The false brethren (the weeds) find security by dwelling in the midst of a righteous company. They know that God would not place His precious family in harm’s way.

 

Gen 18:20-26

20 Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD.   23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing–to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26 The LORD said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

 

The evil seed will be dealt with at the end of the age. Where Jesus our Lord will pronounce the judgement. At that time the reapers will do their job. Unfortunately the wicked think that God loves them so much that He has spared them; so they continue to wreak havoc in the midst of the righteous. We can conclude that God loves the righteous, and for their sake has spared the whole field.

 

THE RIGHTEOUS MUST SHINE

 

Isa 60:1-5

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.

2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you.

3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar,

And your daughters shall be nursed at your side.

5 Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.

 

The demand of this season is for the glory of the Lord to be seen upon the righteous. In the midst of darkness, in the midst of a deep darkness that covers the earth, the light of the righteous must shine; This is not a flame that is flickering out; it is a fire that is burning bright. The Lord must arise over you. Unless the Lord occupies an elevated position in your life…the crowd around you will only witness your light.

They will be exposed to the manifestations of your limited human intelligence. Your ways must be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit.

Our sons will come from afar. We are already experiencing this level of glory.

The angel Gabriel told Mary:

Luke 1:35

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

 

Let us be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit ….. and allow the Light, which is the Lord Jesus Christ to shine through us.