The Kingdom and the World B

Anybody who is not a child of the kingdom is a child of the wicked one go to God's people in the world, children of the kingdom children of the wicked. If you're not a child of the King through your submission to the Lord Jesus Christ or child of the devil to you will not obey the Lordship of Christ and working in unison as John's been showing you over the past couple of weeks. If you are in God's kingdom.

You have enemies Satan and those who serve him. So what's the right way to respond to those enemies.

How does God want you to deal with them. Well, you'll see how Jesus answers those questions as John continues his study called the parables of the kingdom. Today's message may give you a perspective on Christian living that you've never considered. Now, just a quick note here will have some important ministry news for you before we end today. So be listening for that. But right now here's John with the lesson we come now to the 13th chapter of Matthew, I trust that you have your Bible ready in your mind is open your heart available to the Lord because we have some marvelous marvelous things that God will show us as we look at the second parable in Matthew 13 and it is a parable about judgment. The parable about judgment tells us that the Lord is sowing seed where in his field in his field. Now if you'll notice it says in verse 38 the field is the world know was he so well, it says the good seed are the children of the kingdom. What this means is that the Lord puts the children of the kingdom in the world.

Very simple. Now who are we within the world.

Well, verse 38 says the Dardanelles of the tears the zazen here are the children of the wicked.

The devil it says in verse 39 the enemy that sowed them is the devil, he is the wicked one is called that several different places in the New Testament the wicked one in the article. There is emphatic he is the utterly wicked one. The absolutely wicked ones leave wicked want of all wicked one, the very ground was being as wretched.

He is unmitigated darkness. He is not alleviated error and anybody who is not a child of the kingdom is a child of the wicked one, only two kinds of people in the world, children of the kingdom children of the wicked. If you're not a child of the King through your submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ or child of the devil. At that plain and simple. You are on his team. You are functioning under his control.

Ephesians 2 said, you are directed and moved and motivated and guided by the prince of the power the air who works in the children of disobedience if you will not obey the Lordship of Christ and working in you is Satan. John 844 Jesus said to those leaders of Israel.

You are of your father the devil in first John three John contrasts the children of God and the children of the devil and those of the only two kinds there are now, there is relative evil within that children of the devil category, but they're all children of the devil, some worse than others. All bad and all representative of Satan himself.

That's what it means in first John 519 when it says the whole world lies in the lap of the wicked one. The whole world. There's an interesting statement. I think made in 537 of Matthew that easily gets overlooked here in chapter 5, you know the Lord is contrasting righteous behavior with unrighteous behavior. Any sort of sums it up at the end of verse 37 what ever is more than these comes from the evil one. In other words, if you go beyond or in contradiction to God's law. It proceeds from the evil one that is a monumental theological statement. The origin of evil is from the evil one. God is not the author of evil evil proceeds from the evil one. He is the enemy who wants this over so is in the good feel you see in creation chronologically. God sowed did me. Children of the kingdom enemy and then came the enemy in the fall, he over sowed in the to continue throughout human history and so Satan is the origin of evil. Whatever is not of God. It says in 537 cometh from the evil one.

People always ask the question what evil come from that's working the evil and so then back to Matthew 13 the Lord sows believers subject to the king in the world and Satan over sows his own children to the world that is co-mingled subjects of the King subjects of the usurper the marauder the enemy the devil himself, and by the way devil in verse 39 the Avalos means enemy adversary. So where mingled in the world. That's very important. This is how it has been, and this is how it will be in the mystery kingdom a co-mingling. Now there are several things we need to note Satan. It says that the enemy when he came in, so he sowed among many use a very very strong term very comprehensive thought everywhere and and we have to just note here that Satan really has his people everywhere and he is really sowing. In fact, in some parts of the world.

They are the whole area you'd look a long time to find in there some wheat and he does so them in the church. He does so them in the church because it says in Matthew seven depart from me, those who say we did this we did this in your name, depart from me, ye that work lawlessness you who work iniquity.

He's got his iniquitous workers sewn right in the church. Now when we find them here. We do have biblical instruction to put them out. New Testament is clear on that.

Now what is it trying to say to us.

It says we exist together we breathe the same air.

We eat the same food we drive the same highways we live in the same neighborhoods will work at the same factories or go to the same schools.

We visit the same doctors we entertain ourselves with the same entertainment were under the same sky. We enjoy the same warm sun. We breathe the same mayor the just and the unjust are rained upon in this era, because it's all mingled until the end and that's where we come to verse 39 very important.

The harvest is the end of the age. Why does he say that because you see the disciples ready to put in the cycle right now and I get that way.

I confess sometimes when you see the wickedness and the rejection of the unbelief and the grief that the world causes the church and the Lord purposes and people you just say God when you just come now and wipe it out and you understand David note you when he cries for God to destroy his enemies, and you understand those people under the altar pleading with God to do something, but here the Lord says don't be impatient.

The harvest waits till the end of the age very important phrase used several times in Matthew speaks of ultimate consummation, and judgment speaks of that final time when God judges now at this juncture, we would interject the part of the story where they said you want us to pull the weeds.

We can see who they are.

Now they've grown up, we see the manifestation.

We know they are. You will see a come out in the arts is not a because if you yank out the door knows your level to do what yank out some wheat also you will know what was he saying what is he saying I think he simply saying if you go about trying to judge the world without divine insight. You're going to wind up condemning the Christians. You can't do that you God didn't call the Church of Jesus Christ to judge the world. God doesn't want us in a position of political power, destroying unbelievers because we don't have the discernment to know what's going to go on in reality anyway. That is not the church's function to go around looking at the chairs in the Dardanelles of the world. That's not what we been called to do. We are not to attack the world God hasn't given us that ministry were going to grow together and Satan is going to Solon over so even in the church because he loves imitation, but it's not for us to go ripping the tears at and were ever in history, the church became a political power, it invariably was prone to correct that power to destroy: quote the apostates think about the Inquisition you read Fox's book of martyrs. All of those martyrs of Christ that were slaughtered were slaughtered by quote unquote Christians. They claim that anyway read the Crusades were the most abysmal points of human history Crusaders in the name of Jesus Christ in Europe were going to go to take the holy places of Israel back from the Turks in the process they massacred people all across Europe in one village along. They traveled with her horses, 3000 Jews because they said they were apostates. This is not the age of judgment. What was the Lord Jesus Christ attitude doors for those people simply ask yourself this how to treat publicans and sinners, with meekness and lovingkindness right. How do you treat Judas and Judas was there is presence anything devastating go and blowing over with fire. He was patient and this is the time of patients. He was tolerant and this is the time of tolerance. He was gracious and this is the time of grace. And while some people are running out trying to destroy the Dardanelles, they may be forgetting the fact that they were once a Darnell and maybe God knows they need time enough to become wheat seat. If we go out destroying everybody. We may be totally out of line with God's plan. See, the Lord knows how many people belong in the kingdom and he like he said in the book of acts. I have much people in that city. He knows who it is. It is to believe, and that is working its way out. And if we as a church against the ungodly of the world, we would be interfering with God's patient, gracious waiting for those people to come to in his good time. That's not our call. We are not to do that and in the spirit of that means we are not to dam the unbelievers of the world where not to pray that God would destroy the were to pray to God what save that he will save them the redeemed. That's the only proper attitude that was the attitude of the Lord Jesus Christ, the night in which was betrayed, he took the stop which is the sign when you gave it to the person next to you that this person was the honored guest and who to give it Judas. He was still wooing Judas with love Judas in Jesus. An illustration of how it is in the co-mingling in the age of grace.

We cannot act as executioners. We must be lovingly, patiently, graciously tolerant, like our Lord was and you know something else.

If we tried to act in judgment we might be sparing some of that rocky soil stuff and some of that weedy ground stuff because we can't tell the difference might be a brooding some of the real stuff so we have a heart of compassion, not a heart of condemnation you know you either take a step further we can apply spiritual principles that we live by in the kingdom to the rest of the world you can say we had to get rid of these people are messing up our world. They're just doing what comes naturally. You cannot walk up to these people and say I wish you people would do what you should do and that's impossible for them because they're doing only know how to do is behave as the children of the devil.

And if you go and try to enforce upon the world. Our standards you are casting your pearls before what swine member that in Matthew seven where he talks about in the first six verses of Matthew seven he talks about how we are not to judge one another but were to be careful.

We look at our own lives and before we get a splinter out of another guys I would get a 2 x 4 out of our own.

I and then he talks about how we deal with each other and how we treat each other and so forth.

And then he says right in the next verse. Don't bother to try this stuff on the world that would be casting your pearls before swine. You can back up and take the whole sermon of them out there and what he saying is don't take these principles of the sermon on the mat and try to enforce them on a society of ungodly people because they can handle it. And so we don't damn them when they don't do it understand. We love the recall them the Christ.

Salvation then calls us to a place that is in a sense, precarious, because were co-mingled in the world. Listen to this very carefully. I don't think the Lord is greatly disturbed by that because the nature of the wheat is that it cannot be changed. We may be next to the Dardanelles, but they can't change our nature. If we're wheat right but the converse is not necessarily true. Their nature can be changed by the influence of godliness and so we are called then to be patient. That brings us to the climax in verse 39 member in the parable, he said just let it go until it's time for the harvest and the reapers will come and they'll do the separating in verse 39 says the reapers are the Angels now listen to me.

Angels are called to judgment. Christians are called to righteous influence.

We are not called to judgment. We are not called to condemn the world. Now we want preach against it since we want preach against its evil we want to love its sinners and evildoers, and be gracious and patient with them.

We are not gods executioners that is not our task. We have an inadequate knowledge in the first place. We might wind up making terrible mistakes, as has been done so much in history so the Bible is saying God's going to judge is going to judge in the end of the age and Angels are going to be the reapers and you can see over and over again in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation how that God has called the Angels to reap in Matthew 1627 it says you come in glory, the glory of his Father with his angels. In Matthew 24. I think it's verse 31 to send his angels together the elect and so for the gathering process of the elect, the gathering process of the joy of those to be judged is done by the Angels you see it also in Revelation as you read the 14th chapter, particularly in the 19th chapter that angels are God's agents of judgment not meant that's not our task.

So he says to these guys in the parable, you're the source I got some other folks for reapers verse 40 when the Angels come the reapers, therefore, that the Dardanelles are to be gathered and burned in the fire, and it will be that way.

In the end of this age, we have to wait until the King comes back with his angels. For this to happen, and by the way, that's precisely what second Thessalonians 1. Seven cents. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power ones are going to happen when he shall come to be glorified in his saints will come to be glorified in his saints, and when he comes at that time with his holy angels he'll burn in unquenchable fire.

All those children of the wicked one, and notice verse 40. It shows us the Dardanelles are gathered out and burned. That's the picture in verse 41 explains the Son of Man shall send forth his angels, they shall gather out of his kingdom and their the term kingdom sees the whole world.

It's all his field and he pulls in the net as it were pulling them all in together like unclean animals and clean and the same mark goats in the same pasture was cheap bad fish in the same net with good fish chaff on the same floor as the grain vessels to dishonor in the same house as vessels to honor. He pulls them all in and all that offend, and all do iniquity or do lawless the same phrases. Matthew 723. Those that do lawlessness pulls them all in and all of them. Verse 42 are cast into the furnace of fire and their reaction to that is wailing and gnashing of teeth and so there's coming in inevitable judgment when the Lord sends his angels pulls all of them out of the kingdom that offend him in anything that is sinful, unbelieving offends him all those who work iniquity. Just two ways of defining sinful people and they're all thrown into a furnace of fire. A fire is the most horrible death. That man ever experiences and fire is the imagery of eternal hell. It speaks of the terrible and everlasting doom of the unrighteous, the sons of Satan, its use again and again in Scripture we we read in the scripture about weeds being burned about chaff being burned about barren branches being burned, even in the Old Testament trees being burned and and here we see the Dardanelles being burned. The idea that the ungodly will be consumed in fire. It pictures the same thing. The furnace of fire does is the lake of fire of Revelation 19 of the unquenchable fire of Mark nine. The everlasting fire of Matthew 25 is the consuming burning fire of hell is the same fire of Malachi for the same devastating judgment. Fire Daniel alludes to in Daniel 12 verse two. It's eternal punishment in hell, in the reaction verse 42 is so frightening it grinding of teeth and piercing shrieks is what really set that's the reaction, grinding of teeth and piercing shrieks.

People think they're going to be in hell in the everything to be finding to be with their friends and their love it down there and this verse tells us that not only is hell of fire, but it tells you what your reaction is going to be grinding teeth and piercing shrieks painful, eternal, inevitable, inescapable judgment, and the Lord is saying to the disciples look for now, wait for now.

Be patient, for now influence. For now coexist. While the plan is working out and finally the judgment will fall in after it falls. Verse 43 then mark that were then not now but then shall the righteous shine for.

Then comes the holy glory. You see, then comes the anticipated kingdom then comes the righteous Shekinah lighting the face of all the saints for all the ages they'll shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father, then sources that part of its future.

But it is coming just as surely as the judgment that Daniel 12 three says they'll shine like stars will shine as the brightness of God's glorious and marvelous heaven.

The last point is the application verse 43, who hath ears to hear, let him hear. That's the application you say was a mean simply, it means what I used to hear a schoolteacher say when I was little Johnny, you better. What listen you better listen you better listen where you listing to well ask yourself this first. Are you wheat when you know that start are you wheat or are you Darnell are you terrorists are you a child of the kingdom or are you a child of the enemy. If you're a child of the enemy, then listen, this is a time of patients. This is a time of grace, but judgment is inevitable, eternal, painful, you better check and you better listen. You say I'm not a Darnell I'm wheat then you better listen to this.

Your to coexist in this world and your to influence the world for good, not be influenced by it. Your to be used by God to reach that Darnell near you. That's going to become wheat so use it as an opportunity not to condemn the world.the blast the world not to judge the world. That's God's business, but to love them while condemning their sin. Loving listen. That's you doing are you planted in the world for good and for God for salvation.

The parables of the kingdom. That's John MacArthur's current study on grace to you to look at the stories with hidden meanings that Jesus taught in Matthew chapter 13 now as I mentioned at the top of the broadcast. We have something important to announce we been getting the word out about our upcoming truth matters conference for a couple of weeks and if you'd like to attend.

Registration is now open and John, this is going to be a great three days of looking to God's word to help the church recover a biblical worldview. That's the focus of the conference and were going to be doing it in a first time ever setting for truth matters conferences.

Yeah, that's right. This is the first time we will have a truth matters conference not at Grace Community Church. This time it's going to be in Williamstown, Kentucky is going to be May 18-20, 2022. Every meeting at the answers in Genesis conference center at the now world-famous Ark encounter grace to you has had truth matters conferences going back to 2011 and they all feature some very vital issue that the church is facing at a given time. Now the theme of the 2022 conference is recovering a biblical worldview and I know biblical worldview is thrown around a lot. What it basically means is seeing the world through the lens of an accurate interpretation of Scripture. We are so much about gender, sexuality, critical race theory intersects analogy social justice all these kinds of things that have taken a terrible toll not only on our culture, but but on the church as well and so will be addressing those from a biblical viewpoint and I'll be speaking along with Justin peters Ken Hamm Jeff Williams Don Greene Mike Ricardian. Of course, Phil Johnson and our good friend Darrell Harrison will be podcasting live at the conference can be a great time. Again, the dates May 18-20, 2022 at the answers in Genesis conference center. You can register now go to the website, TTY.org and reserve your spot today.

Yes send friend the last truth matters conference filled up so fast. I encourage you to register now the dates again.

May 18-20. Sign up today at our website.

Our website address TTY.org and we would love for you to join us in Williamstown, Kentucky at the answers in Genesis conference center where you'll enjoy three days of Bible teaching Fellowship and singing in with teaching on such a practical theme recovering up biblical worldview is an event you won't want to miss for all the details and to register go to TTY.and friend for an event like this. We need your prayers for the speakers for all the logistics and pray that the people who attend will walk away encouraged.

Thanks for bringing our needs before the throne of grace. Also, if you'd like to download John's current study on the parables of the kingdom. Every message is free and audio work transcript format@ourwebsitetty.org. In fact, our entire sermon archive 3500 messages covering all of the New Testament and much of the old is free to download add TTY.org now for John MacArthur on Phil Johnson reminding you to watch grace to you television this Sunday on DirecTV channel 378 or check your local listings and then be here tomorrow for another half hour of unleashing God's true one verse at a time on grace to you