The parable of the wheat and tares contains many truths.
The Church as we see it is different from the Church as God sees it. The "Visible" Church contains both true Christians and false.
The false believers are compared to tares that an enemy has sown among the wheat (Matthew 13:25-28). They are not the children of God but the children of the devil (Matthew 13:38; 1 John 3:6-10).
They are planted in the Church by Satan to bring troubles, divisions, and scandals (Matthew 13:41). These false believers are not easily detected and therefore, in order to protect fragile believers, they are allowed to remain among true Christians until the Lord's return when he will send his angels to gather them out of his Kingdom.
These tares can cause great misery.
One tactic is to shame leaders into acting harshly with others in order to make the Church appear righteous in the eyes of the world. But it is only after the angels have removed the tares at the end of the age, that the Church will shine without spot or blemish (Matthew 13:43; Ephesians 5:27).
Another tactic is to ensnare believers, especially Christian leaders, into a trap that will bring shame on the Bride of Christ. One very effective way to do this is to appeal to people's insecurities and pride (Proverbs 29:5).
Never in human history has this danger been as widespread as today with the Internet and Social Media.
People are not who they present themselves as being. What is real? What is illusion? Is the person someone in law enforcement setting a trap?
Featuring a sermon puts it on the front page of the site and is the most effective way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands including all mobile platforms + newsletter.
Text-Featuring a sermon is a less expensive way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands on the right bar with optional newsletter inclusion. As low as $30/day.
After serving Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Louisiana, Bob was honorably retired on Sunday, September 27, 2015, and given the title "Pastor Emeritus." This was forty years to the day after he became their pastor.
He now works for the Presbytery of the Gulf South as...
sermonaudio.com | iphone | android | mobile | podcast | transcript | kindle | tablets | gospel of john © 2024 SermonAudio.com. All rights reserved. Site Design: Animotion Studios