A Messiah's Battle Plan Series

A Messiah's Battle Plan

Text: Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43

Introduction

1. Illustration: They tell a story of Napoleon, that, on the eve of a great battle, he would summon his generals into his presence. One by one they would pass from an ante-room into the chamber where Napoleon waited. Each man as he came would find Napoleon standing to greet him, Napoleon's hand outstretched towards him, and Napoleon's eyes looking into his own. And each man would go to his battle station with the strength of ten, feeling that there was no exploit that lay beyond his powers that day (Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations: Signs of the Times).

2. We are in a battle everyday; a battle for our souls. Jesus gives us confidence to face every...

a. Situation

b. Conspiracy

c. Battle Plan

3. Read Matt. 13:24-30; 36-43

Proposition: We can face our daily battle because our Commander and Chief, King Jesus, gives us confidence.

Transition: He allows us to face every...

I. The Situation (24, 37-38a).

A. The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like...

1. This is the second parable that Matthew tells us about in this chapter.

a. Each of the following three parables begins with the phrase, "The kingdom of heaven is like…"

b. The theme of the kingdom of heaven pervades Jesus’ ministry, but this introduction implies that he will compare the activity of the kingdom with everyday experiences (Wilkins, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew, 482).

2. Matthew sets the stage for this parable by telling us, "Here is another story Jesus told..."

a. The Greek word translated "told" usually refers to setting food before someone at the table, but here it is figurative.

b. It means that he was giving them something to chew on.

c. Jesus wanted his disciples to realize that they were in a battle, and therefore, set this parable before them to digest spiritually (Horton, 271).

3. Jesus begins the story by saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field."

a. Although the color is local, the central character of the story is not a peasant like many of Jesus' hearers; he is a wealthy landowner (v. 27), whereas the farmer in the parable of the sower could easily have been a tenant farmer, a peasant like many of Jesus' hearers (Keener, IVPNT Commentary: Matthew, 242).

b. Like the previous parable, this parable also uses the figure of a farmer sowing seed in his field; but here the emphasis is not on what happens to the good seed (as in the first parable) but rather on what happens to the bad seed that his enemy came and sowed alongside the good seed.

c. This good seed is assumed to fall on fertile ground, take root, and grow into healthy and productive grain, identified here as wheat (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).

4. So what is the significance of this situation? Jesus explains it to us in vv. 37-38, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed..."

a. The disciples knew that by the Son of Man Jesus referred to Himself. In fact, it was his favorite way to talk about himself.

b. It beautifully identified Him as He fully participated in human life as the perfect Man, the second Adam, and the sinless representative of the human race (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).

c. He is the one who does the planting, and He only plants the best - good seed.

d. If you are one of His this morning, you are not junk or an afterthought.

e. You are good seed, not because of what you have done, but because the blood of Jesus has washed you clean and made you holy.

5. Jesus then further clarifies the story by saying, "The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom..."

a. The world refers to the entire world or human society in which we live.

b. Jesus makes it very clear that he is not referring to the church here but the entire race of humanity (Horton, 281).

c. In this story the seed represents people of the kingdom, whom the Lord scatters throughout the world.

d. The Lord plants His people in the world as His witnesses, to grow and become fruitful plants of righteousness.

e. The people of the kingdom are faithful to the King and reflect His will and His standards before a wicked, corrupt, unbelieving world.

f. Christians are not left in the world by accident but are placed there on divine assignment from their Lord (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 8-15).

B. Spiritual Battle

1. Illustration: Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote this about our spiritual battle: A man who does not understand the nature of the problem he is confronting is a man who is already doomed to failure. Christian people are like first-year college students—they think at first that every subject is quite simple, there is no difficulty. Well, we know what is likely to happen to such when they face an examination! The first thing you have to do is to understand the nature and character of your problem. So we have to realize that we are called, in the Christian life, to a battle, not to a life of ease; to a battle, to a warfare, to a wrestle, to a struggle.