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The Parable of the Wheat and Tares

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The Parable of the Wheat and Tares

We tend to attack evil once we see it. We are quick to condemn sin. We are quick to cast out devils. We are quick to identify people as sinners. We are quick to dismiss teachers that we perceive as dangerous. And the list goes on.

I am not suggesting that we permit sin, entertain false teaching, and let demons continue to harass people, I’m saying that we sometimes need to take a different approach.

Nourishing the wheat is a better strategy. Yes, teach people to repent and turn from sin. Yes, cast our demons when appropriate. But the people who are choosing sin and are allowing demons to harass them need to know who they are in Christ as to walk in freedom from such things.

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A Kingdom Parable: A Little Leaven Leavens the Whole Lump

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“He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.””
— Matthew 13:33

You only need a little bit of the Kingdom of God in your heart for it to have a good chance to work its way into your whole life.

Mark 4:10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables

Jesus told His disciples that he’d give them the secret to the Kingdom of Heaven in the parable of the seed and sower found in Matthew 13 and Mark 4. He famously teaches about the four conditions of the heart and concludes that the receptivity of your heart to His word determines the yield of that Word in your life. In other words, the receptivity of your heart to His word will determine the degree of the kingdom you’ll experience in this life.

He makes other points but wraps up the parable by explaining to them how seeds work. The farmer casts seed in the ground, goes to sleep, wakes up, and knows not how but the seed produces after its own kind.

Rest and Trust

This is your job, go to sleep, wake up, and tend to the Word of God in your heart daily because this process determines how much of the kingdom of God you’ll experience in this life. Sometimes it’s 30 fold, sometimes 60 fold, and sometimes 100 fold. There is no magic formula to get the 100 fold, contrary to what you may hear on TV.

What makes the difference is the degree to which you take heed to what you have heard. Pay attention to the Word of God as you read and ponder, that meditative process will determine the degree to which it bears fruit in your life.

The measure you meet will be measured back to you. Those who understand and apply their heart to the process will receive more and more. Those who neglect this process will lose even what they have. It’s not God giving more or taking away, it’s the process of the seed in the soil or the Word of God in your heart.

If you want more of the kingdom of God in your life, give good measure to the Word in your heart. If you want less, continue to neglect the intentional cultivation of God’s Word in your heart.

It only takes a little bit of the Word to work its way through your heart, but the measure you meet makes the difference. The kingdom of God is increasing. The Word of God works, but only in receptive ground. Most of the world is closed off or hard of heart to God’s living Word. Those who know the mystery are the ones who experience God’s provision and promises no matter what comes our way.

You don’t have to convince God to give you His kingdom, it’s His good pleasure. You can’t make the Word work, it works on its own. You can’t force the kingdom to work for you through effort in any capacity. The ONLY thing you can do is put in the work of faith to be persuaded of God’s character and the agent of His living Word in your heart and life.

“He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.””
— Matthew 13:33

The yeast is His Word, the flour is your heart and the dough is the manifested kingdom in your life that brings nutrition. You work the Word like yeast into flour in your heart. You don’t make the yeast spread and expand, it does that on its own. You don’t make the dough become bread, it responds on its own to the yeast. But you do need to fold the yeast into the flour, smoothly and evenly into every corner of your heart and mind. This is the mystery of the Kingdom of God. It works on its own, but you must be receptive and hide it in your heart.

Check out this series for more on this topic

 
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Browse my Tools for Transformation for resources to help your heart be more receptive to God's Word

 
 
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Reigning In Life with Jesus

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Reigning In Life with Jesus

I have an optimistic and hopeful expectation of the future because I have a hopeful and optimistic expectation of God’s kingdom. His kingdom will overcome all the kingdoms of the earth without fail. God, and everyone in Him through Christ, wins. There’s no hope for any other nation or kingdom. They will all succumb to His rulership and authority. God’s Kingdom is unrivaled.

He began establishing His kingdom in the earth when He sent Jesus, and to the increase of His kingdom there shall be no end. The kingdom is on His shoulders and what capable shoulders they are.

Jesus defeated all the enemies of His kingdom through His death, burial, and resurrection. He forever has all authority and power. He is the preeminent one, there is none greater!! Can I get an AMEN!!

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Is there hope for our world?

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Is there hope for our world?

Do you have hope for a better future for our world? Or do you expect things to get worse? Do you think we can make a difference in this day and age? Or will the world just get darker and darker in your view? Our eschatology matters. What we believe about the future matters.

I want to encourage you to fight. We can still engage the culture and influence the world. We carry the presence and power of God. As we live out our Christian values, we can still be a voice in this world and turn the tide back toward God.

Don’t lose heart! Don’t give up! The soul of our nation and the nations of the world are worth fighting for. The good news is, we fight from victory. Jesus has already won. Jesus is the King of Kings, and there is none greater.

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Don't Conform to the World's Version of Faith, Life and Culture

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Don't Conform to the World's Version of Faith, Life and Culture

When it comes to matters of life, faith, and culture, we must think as God thinks. We must persuade our hearts and minds of His ways and adjust accordingly, rather than bend His Word and ways to conform to modern thought and culture.

God’s ways of life are never out of date. God’s ways are righteous and He leads us along the path of righteousness, in all that we do. Our faith is not separate from culture. In fact, our faith should shape culture.

What is righteousness?

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God Became Human Just Like You

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God Became Human Just Like You

Is Jesus God? YES!!

Was Jesus God before he came to earth? YES!!

Was Jesus God while he was a man? Let’s explore that idea. I don’t want to make you nervous, so the short answer is YES, but there are some things to understand about his form while in a human body.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

It’s safe to say that if you don’t believe that Jesus came in the flesh you are deceived by the spirit of anti-christ. So what does “in the flesh mean?” It doesn’t just mean that he was real, it’s referring to the kind of being he was. Let’s look at several passages that address this topic.

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How To Please God And Receive Everything You Ask For

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How To Please God And Receive Everything You Ask For

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

— 1 John 3:21-22

The key to pleasing God is, keeping His commandments. If you keep His commandments, your heart will be confident before Him, and you will receive whatever you ask. What a powerful promise! It’s almost unbelievable, but that’s exactly what John said.

It begs the question, what are the commandments you’re supposed keep? He gives us the answer in the next verse.

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Does It Mean You Have Never Met God If You Sin?

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Does It Mean You Have Never Met God If You Sin?

Can you lose your salvation if you sin? It's an age-old question that has sparked debate, split churches, and sent people into mental health facilities. We know that we're saved by grace through faith and not by works, but some seem to think you might lose your salvation by works. Or they at least want you to believe you are not truly saved if you sin.

For the record, sin is bad. Sin sows death into your life, it hardens your heart to God, it destroys marriages, erodes culture, and the list goes on. Don't sin! But if you do sin as a Christian, don’t forget you’re forgiven.

What does it mean if you sin as a Christian? Does it mean you have never met God? Or does it mean you are not presently experiencing Him?

Let's remind ourselves of a few key points already addressed in 1 John to make sure we understand John's thoughts on salvation and forgiveness.

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Jesus Testifies of Your Righteousness in the Courtroom of Heaven

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Jesus Testifies of Your Righteousness in the Courtroom of Heaven

Can you be confident that you are saved?

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2 NKJV

John gets to the point, don’t sin, but if you do, remember that Jesus was judged and punished for your sin. He implies that God will never judge you or punish you for sin, because Jesus was your sufficient sin offering. It’s a binding, legal transaction that God honors.

Does that make you want to sin? I hope not. That would be unwise and dishonoring of the salvation Jesus died for you to receive.

There’s more going on here than just a reminder that you’re forgiven in Jesus. Looking at these passages in legal terms, and in the setting of a courtroom bring out the deeper meaning.

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