Life With the King: Fake Christians (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

Series: Life With the King

Sermon: Fake Christians

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Date: October 28, 2018

 

Last week's WEEKLY CHALLENGE: Invite Jesus to invade your life this week with Kingdom power and perspective.

 

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"  ...  Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

Am I real or counterfeit?

How am I to live in a world and a church that has real and counterfeit?

The wheat represents true Jesus followers.

The weeds, or tares, represent counterfeit followers of Jesus.

 

Let's talk about the real and the counterfeit in the kingdom:

1. Sowing
   • He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil."  (Matthew 13:37-39a)
   • Satan is a master counterfeiter.
   • "The first 5 days after the weekend are the hardest."  -Leigh Anne Tuohy
   • Some counterfeits of the enemy:
     1. A false Jesus
        • For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted - you may well put up with it!  (2 Corinthians 11:4)
        • My Jesus would never do/say that.
     2. A false gospel
        • For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted - you may well put up with it!  (2 Corinthians 11:4)
        • Some false gospels today:
          • Everyone goes to heaven.
          • You go to heaven if your good outweighs your bad.
          • You go to heaven if you are a good person.
          • You go to heaven without repentance.
          • You go to heaven if you belong to the right group.
          • You go to heaven if you have done the right things: joined the church, walked the aisle, said a prayer, got baptized.
        • I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all.  Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.  But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse!  (Galatians 1:6-9)
     3. False ministers
        • For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness.  Their end will be what their actions deserve.  (2 Corinthians 11:13-14, NIV)
     4. False brothers
        • In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; (2 Corinthians 11:26)
        • Don't let a hypocrite or a counterfeit keep you out of heaven.
2. Growing
   • He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'  (Matthew 13:28-30)
   • Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?  (2 Corinthians 13:5)
   • It's not: let your parents test you.
   • It's not: let your SS teacher test you.
   • It's not: let your pastor test you.
   • It's not: let your friends test you.
   • It's not: let social media test you.
   • WEEKLY CHALLENGE: Make sure you are a real follower of Jesus and the people around you are real followers of Jesus.
   • "Too many church members have been starched and ironed but never washed."  -Vance Havner
   • Don't let a hypocrite or a counterfeit keep you out of heaven.
3. Knowing
   • The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all the things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!  (Matthew 13:41-43)