Our Enemy The Devil Has Done This

Our Enemy The Devil Has Done This Matthew 13:24- 30

Here in our country we have had much stormy activity over the passed few months. First it was Hurricane Katrina, and then Hurricane Rita.

It seem as though the world over has seen a lot of destruction, Wildfires started by lightning, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, disease and plagues, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, landslides and avalanches, famines, droughts are all things that make us question how safe the world is and why these things happen. For many people it makes them question the goodness of God, or even the existence of a good God.

Listen as I read this weeks text we find in MATT. 13:24-30

Vs.24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27So 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? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30Let 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.

We see here in this parable the issue of evil in the world. We have four basic truths that Jesus is teaching in this parable.

The first is:

How did this evil get into it? Why do all these terrible things happen?” We are like the Master’s servants in the parable who say, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?”

We read in Genesis 1:31 that “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good” and now there’s all these horrible storms and all kinds of diseases, so what in the world has happened? .

Since God created everything, did he also create evil? After all, many good people died in the recent catastrophes in the South. Churches, children’s homes and church camps were destroyed, and even Christians were numbered among the dead.

Listen dear heart; When something bad happens to you or someone else, it’s not because of some specific sin in your life or theirs, but the fact that we live in a fallen world — a world that has fallen away from God.

The human race as a whole has invited evil into the world through our collective sin. This is, therefore, a world where evil is present and real. And part of what makes evil so evil is that it is so unfair and unjust.

Good people suffer while bad people sometimes prosper. Why do bad things happen to good people, and why do good things happen to bad people? This was the prophet Jeremiah’s complaint. He said, Jeremiah 12:1 1Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Why does the way of the wicked prosper?

Have you ever wondered, “Why do all the faithless live at ease?”

Some people have said that the hurricane and floods hitting New Orleans was the judgment of God on that wicked city. They point out that it hit on “Southern Decadence Day,” otherwise known as Gay Mardi-Gras.

But most of the revelers had not arrived, because it did not hit on the day of Southern Decadence, but two days before.

And how do you explain that the French Quarter where the event was to be held was the least affected area?

The thing that really angers some people is that God does not punish the wicked and destroy them like they think he should.

This was the problem of Jonah who thought God ought to destroy the evil Ninevites instead of saving them.

Jesus said, in Matthew 5:43-45 43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust .