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A popular phrase, is that “if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything.” It’s a bit simplistic. My mother managed to simplify it even further to “Don’t be a downer!”. And there is no place that this advice is needed more, than in the realm of the spirit. I remember one time when I was in a small group and we were having a time of prayer, specifically for healing; we were praying for a specific person who was sick and not able to attend that meeting, and it seemed as though a were achieving breakthroughs, but then as our prayer time came to an end, one lady spoke up and said “you know, my friend had those same exact symptoms and she died.”
As soon as those words were uttered, the atmosphere completely changed. The hearts of everyone became somber, and their spirits were all moved from “Yes God is a great Healer!” to “Well, maybe He doesn’t heal.” – all of the belief was sucked out of the room.
My friend, this is not always just blind ignorance. There is a deliberate strategy of the enemy at work here to sabotage the faith and belief of God’s children. Jesus spoke about this exact thing, He taught on it, and the disciples and apostles also warned against it. And today I want to share with you, what Jesus said about the wheat and the tares, and how to not let them spoil you from receiving everything that God has given to you.
Now in the account that I mentioned about the prayer group was about healing, but this same truth and principle can be applied to any area regarding any of the promises of God, whether it be healing, provision, protection, blessings of any kind. You need to be fully aware that the enemy does not want you to have, receive or enjoy any of these things. And since the enemy has actually already been rendered powerless by Jesus Himself (mentioned in Colossians 2:15-17), Satan’s only remaining strategy is to sabotage us from enjoying the victory that Christ has won for us. And the enemy does this as Jesus puts it, by planting tares in along with the good wheat. Let’s examine what Jesus said about it in Matthew 13:24-30:
“Another parable put he forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man which 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 blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, did not you sow good seed in your field? from where then has it tares?
He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Will you then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, No; lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather you together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Now keep in mind that this parable here of the wheat and the tares is directly following the parable of the seed and the sower (which we studied two weeks ago).
The truth of the kingdom (all of the promises, the power, the reality of Christ, is here for us. But it is not alone… verse 25 says that while men slept – in-other-words, secretly, in-private, when no-one was watching, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat.
Now what is a tare exactly? Most people unless they work in agriculture, probably aren’t sure of the exact meaning; however in the case of this parable of Jesus, the exact meaning is important, because we are talking about tares being sown in with wheat. Specifically, a tare is a harmful weed, which actually resembles wheat. These details about tares are important due to the fact that we learn two things about tares:
1) They are harmful to the wheat
2) They resemble the wheat
Please understand this point. These tares were sown by the enemy, and these are indeed tares. They are not wheat that is just a little confused, no these are tares sown by the enemy in order to harm the wheat. They may look like wheat, they may have the appearance of wheat, but they are not wheat. They are designed and sown by the enemy to destroy the wheat.
And Jesus says the same thing will happen regarding the kingdom of God. Tares will come in, and pervert the truth of God’s Kingdom, they were twist the message, and they will choke and hinder and otherwise destroy the Word, robbing people of life and robbing them of the power that should accompany the Kingdom of God (2nd Timothy 1:7, 1st Corinthians 4:20). That is the very purpose of the tares.
Paul warns about this very strongly as well in the opening of Galatians, where he says in Galatians 1:6-9:
“I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ to another gospel:
Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel to you than that you have received, let him be accursed.”
The assembly of believers in Galatia were being pulled away from the truth of Christ, and Paul was amazed at how quickly it was happening. He mentions in verse 2, that this different gospel that they are following is no gospel at all. It is not the good news of Jesus Christ, it has no power to save or deliver or build-up. And he also says that this is happening because there be some that trouble, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. You see, the “tares” that were there in Galatia, were inside the assembly, they were right there in the midst of the believers, and nobody there was wise to it. In-fact we can deduce from these verses, as well as 8 and 9, that some tares were even in leadership positions, perverting the Gospel and diverting people away from the truth of the Grace of Jesus.
Likewise today, there are a whole lot of tares, most inside the assembly and many in leadership, and just as with Galatia, a lot of people are being drawn away from Christ, to follow a different gospel, which is no gospel at all. Devoid of power, devoid of Jesus, devoid of His Spirit.
Later on in chapter 2 of Galatians, Paul continues on to say that the assembly of Galatia was being brought back into works by false brothers (verse 4 of Galatians chapter 2). Yes, false brothers do indeed exist. Not everyone who calls themselves Christians actually know Christ. Not everyone who says they believe, actually believe. In-fact, I will propose to you, that if you actually start exploring and drilling-down into what the average Christian really believes today, you will find that most of it doesn’t even line up with the basic Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can say that with confidence because I have those discussions regularly. Most of what you will find will be a mixture of Law and Grace, trying to add the works of men to what Christ has done, flat-out legalism, and a removal of miracles and the gifts of the Spirit… and in most places, you will find some level of all of those. That is what most Christians today believe, and that is what is being taught in most church buildings today – and it is not only wrong, it is deadly. People are being choked-to-death spiritually and they don’t even realize it.
This is why the enemy sows these tares. Because these false brothers who don’t really know God, or believe God, or have any relationship with Him at all, will be the ones that deny the Supernatural. They will be the ones who discourage faith for healing, or promote the idea that you can’t really trust God for provision, or protection (or anything really). The intent here is that the enemy wants to get the wheat to believe the lies of the tares and to be choked-off from receiving the promises and blessings of God. The enemy wants you to believe that the normal Christian life is one of uncertainty and failure and defeat, when in-fact it is a life of promise, absolute certainty and victory.
The fate of the tares is clear, if we return to our opening text from Matthew 13:30, the tares are destined for destruction, while the wheat will be gathered safety to the storehouse, but until that time, they both will exist together.
So how does one tell the difference? Well, turn to Acts 20:28-32, we have studied this before, so I won’t be too extensive on it, but when asked what a quick and easy way to tell the genuine Gospel, I usually refer to Paul’s description of it in this verses:
“Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
And now, brothers, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”
Now there are some key phrases here to notice in these verses. The first of which is whole counsel of God. The “whole counsel of God” is not what we generally think of it as today.
Today when someone preaches Grace, it is typically said that he is not preaching the whole counsel of God, but it used to be the other way around! Paul says here that he has preached the whole counsel of God. In verse 24, he tells us that the ministry which he received of the Lord Jesus is to testify the Gospel of the grace of God. Also in verse 32, he commends us to the same message: to God and to the word of His grace. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only word which is able to build us up and give us an inheritance.
Some preachers would object to this, saying that there still needs to be Law… and to those preachers, I respond with verse 28: The charge of every preacher and teacher is to feed the church of God. To feed the flock with the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, the Living Bread – not to beat them with the stones and arrows of the law.
The only way to rightly preach from the Law today, is to show Jesus in it. Not to teach a set of rules or a set of works, but to teach Christ as the redemption from the curse of the Law.
Notice also verse 30, those who still cling to the law, will come. Those who pervert the Gospel will come “out of yourselves”, just as we have read over and over again in this study today. The tares are mixed in with the wheat. The tares resemble the wheat. This isn’t tin-foil hat paranoia… this is Bible. I have shared with you today a three-fold witness that this is true directly from your Bible.
The best way to know the difference, to have discernment between a wheat and a tare, is to know the genuine article. The real Gospel message, and that is in verse 32, let’s read it again:
“And now, brothers, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.”
This is the message, that every one of us has been given. This is the message that every pastor should be preaching, it is the Word of God’s Grace. To the word which builds you up and gives an inheritance in Christ… complete with every promise and every blessing in Him.
If you are not hearing a message with exalts the finished work of Jesus, and builds you up in Him, then my friend, you are not hearing the genuine Gospel of Christ… it’s as simple as that. If what you are hearing focuses on you, and your efforts and what you need to do, instead of Jesus and what He already did, then what you are hearing is quite plainly, “another Gospel, which is not another” as Paul wrote to the Galatians.
So I want to close this study by encouraging you… don’t despair, because God cares enough about you to be opening your eyes to the truth right now, or quite honestly, you wouldn’t be reading this right now. All of God’s promises and blessings are for you, simply receive them through Jesus, and don’t let the tares spoil the rich harvest that is rightfully due to you because of Jesus.
Be blessed.