YOU MUST PICK A SIDE!

 

YOU MUST PICK A SIDE!

The parable of the wheat and tares is one of my favourite parables because it has so many applications. Whether you are trying to understand why suffering exists or what happens at the end times or the purpose of believers on earth, this parable answers ALL of these questions.

In today's article, find out why there is NO such thing as being an agnostic or an atheist! These two belief systems ARE NOT BIBLICAL! Everyone must pick a side!

But let us begin with an overview of Jesus’ use of parables.

WHAT IS A PARABLE?
A parable is simply a teaching technique using stories. It is a great way to explain philosophical or spiritual truths by comparing them with examples taken from real life. Some parables (comparisons) are easy to understand while others can be difficult to understand and are more like riddles!

In fact, when His disciples asked Jesus to explain why He used parables, this is what He said (Matthew 13:10-14 and 13:34-35, KJV):

        13:10-14

        10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

        11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

        12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

        13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

        14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

        13:34-35

        34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

        35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Believers will be able to decipher the spiritual message in a parable but non-believers will not.

SAYINGS VERSUS PARABLES
Did you know that Jesus told a lot of stories in the scriptures but not all of them are called parables? Some of His stories are called ‘sayings’ (aka ‘metaphorical statements’). Jesus wanted everyone to understand the message of His sayings but only believers to understand the message of His parables! See Matthew 7:28 and Matthew 13:3 (KJV, emphasis mine):

        7:28

        28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these SAYINGS, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

        13:3

        3 And he spake many things unto them in PARABLES, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

Here are verse references for some of His most well known sayings in Matthew:

        § Salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13)

        § Lamp under the basket (Matthew 5:15-16)

        § Wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-27)

        § Adding new cloth to an old garment (Matthew 9:16)

        § Adding new wine to an old wineskin (Matthew 9:17)

PARABLES IN THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES
Did you know that Jesus’ parables are only found in His Gospels? In the Apostolic Scriptures, there are only two Gospels- the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John does not contain any parables. On the other hand, there are seventeen parables in the Gospel of Matthew and they are organised under six different themes.

Theme One- sowing (the word of God and the people of God)

1. The parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9 and 13:18-23)

2. The parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43)

Theme Two- do not despise small beginnings (references to the great potential of the Kingdom of heaven) 

3. The parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32)

4. The parable of the leaven (Matthew 13:33)

Theme Three- the Kingdom of heaven is valuable and believers must work to get it

5. The parable of the hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44)

6. The pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46

Theme Four- many are called, few are chosen

7. The parable of drawing in the net (Matthew 13:47-50)

8. The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35)

9. The parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)

10. The parable of the two sons (Matthew 21:28-32)

11. The parable of the wicked husbandmen (Matthew 21:33-45)

12. The parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22:1-14)

Theme Five- the coming of the Son of Man

13. The parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-36)

14. The parable of the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37-44)

15. The parable of the faithful servant (Matthew 24:45-51)

16. The parable of the ten bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13)

Theme Six- what fruitful servants of the kingdom of God do

17. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

PASTOR CONLEY AND HIS MESSAGE
In the video above, Pastor Conley reminds us that the parable of the wheat and tares is related to the parable of the sower. Both parables describe a common theme of ‘sowing’ (see Theme One above). Pastor Conley uses this sermon to highlight four great concepts in the parable of the wheat and the tares. He also reminds us that believers are supposed to be ‘agents of change’!

        § Concept #1: the owner and sower of the field is the Son of Man; the field is the world (v.24, 37 and 38).

        § Concept #2: Jesus sows His people into situations so that they can be ‘agents of change’.

        § Concept #3: The devil exists and he has his 'children' who carry out his wishes (v.25, 38 and 39).

        § Concept #4: We will only truly be free from evil, wickedness and suffering ( i.e. the handiwork of the devil and his children) after the harvest (v. 27-30 and 39-43).

What do we learn from Pastor Conley’s sermon? Just this- we must pick a side! There are only TWO teams on earth. Just like all athletes and their fans know only too well, we must pick a team. We MUST pick a side. In this life, there is NO room for agnosticism or atheism! Either you are with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit or you are with the devil, the anti-christ and the false prophet (Revelation 13:18 and 20:10). 

PICK A SIDE!

THE PARABLES AND YOUR JOURNEY OF DISCIPLESHIP
There are three clues to look for as you study the Gospel of Matthew. These three clues often indicate that the scripture that you are reading is a parable. Remember, in the Apostolic Scriptures, a parable is a message from Jesus that contains spiritual revelations for believers!

        § Clue #1: If the story begins with the phrases- ‘is like’ or ‘is likened to’.

        § Clue #2: If the story ends with ‘who hath ears to hear, let him hear’.

        § Clue #3: If the story is describing the kingdom of heaven.

Not every parable will have these three clues but the really IMPORTANT ones do! The parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30) and its explanation (Matthew 13:36-43) have all three clues! Therefore, my advice to you is this- study this parable really well and learn ALL of its various applications and interpretations.

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‘HARVEST TIME Prophecies’ is the blog post site of TNG Academy. Our blog post site gets its name from Matthew 13:30- the separation of wheat and tares that occurs at harvest time (i.e. the endtimes). Remember, the ‘wheat’ symbolises the things of God and the ‘tares’ symbolise the things of the devil.

The purpose of this blog is threefold.

1. Some of the posts are written to help the reader develop a deeper understanding of the theology of Christ’s core message- i.e. the ‘gospel of the kingdom’.

2. Some of the posts are written for the reader’s personal discipleship journey. We need to understand what God expects from us. After all, all believers should be on a journey of ‘becoming’ our best selves, capable of impacting and changing the world!

3. Finally, some of the posts are written to answer this question:

    What would our faith look like today IF we had fully embraced Christ’s doctrines, as recorded by His Apostles, and rejected the doctrines of Paul and the other false apostles?

If we are sincere about our desire to restore Christianity to its roots, i.e. a return to Christ’s original message, then we must start by admitting that ‘while men slept’ (Matthew 13:25) the enemy planted false teachings (tares) into the New Testament!

Visit our website- WWW.TNGACADEMY.ORG, to see our Bible study books. Which books would I recommend for you to read first? Start with these three-

• WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
• MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN!
• THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES.