Introduction

Good morning, brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope y'all are feeling blessed today! We're going to dive into a very interesting piece of Scripture today from the book of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 24-30. It's the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares.

Before we get started, let me share a quote from Crystal McDowell, "The Holy Spirit will prompt us in the right direction as we learn to hear His voice and respond in obedience."

What a powerful reminder about how important it is to be obedient to the Lord’s directions! Today, we're going to explore God's discernment, His ability to separate the wheat from the tares, and His ultimate authority over the harvest.

God's Discernment

In this parable, we see God's discernment clearly depicted through the actions of the man who sowed good seed in his field. God, like the man in the parable, sows good seeds in the world. He plants His Word, His truth, and His love in the hearts of people. However, just as the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat in the parable, we know that the enemy of our souls also sows seeds of deception, lies, and discord among us.

Not fooled by the enemy's tactics: He sees the wheat and the tares for what they truly are. He knows the difference between the good seeds that He has planted and the bad seeds that the enemy has sown. This discernment is a divine attribute that only God possesses. It is His ability to see beyond the surface, beyond what is visible to the human eye, and to perceive the true nature of things.

Our own lives: We often struggle to discern between the wheat and the tares. We may be easily deceived by appearances, or we may be swayed by the opinions and judgments of others. We may even mistake the tares for wheat, and vice versa. But God, in His infinite wisdom and discernment, never makes such mistakes. He knows the heart of every person and the nature of every seed that is sown.

Knowing the right time for the harvest: In the parable, the servants wanted to pull up the weeds as soon as they noticed them. But the master, knowing that this could harm the wheat, told them to wait until the harvest. This shows that God not only discerns between good and evil, but He also knows the perfect timing for every action. He knows when to act and when to wait, when to judge and when to show mercy.

Relevant in our fast-paced world: We often want quick solutions and immediate results. We may be tempted to pull up the tares in our lives or in the lives of others as soon as we identify them. But God, in His discernment, knows that this may not be the best course of action. He knows that sometimes, the wheat and the tares need to grow together until the time of the harvest.

God doesn’t tolerate evil or ignore the tares: He has a plan for dealing with them. But His ways are not our ways, and His timing is not our timing. His discernment transcends our human understanding, and His judgments are always righteous and true.

The Maturity of Wheat and Tares

In the parable, the wheat and the tares grow together until the time of the harvest ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO