Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000046S
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01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:16 Our Father in heaven, what a joy and a privilege it is 01:19 to come into Your presence 01:21 to sing praises to Your name, 01:24 to speak with You in prayer, 01:26 and to hear You speak with us 01:29 through the ministration of Your Holy Word. 01:32 We ask that as we open that Word 01:35 that Your Holy Spirit will hover over this place 01:38 and give us clear minds and tender hearts to receive 01:42 the message that You have for us. 01:45 We thank you for the privilege of approaching Your throne 01:48 boldly... knowing that You hear us and You answer. 01:53 And Father, we ask that You will answer 01:56 because we ask it in the precious name of Your beloved 02:00 Son Jesus Christ, Amen. 02:04 We'd like to begin our study today at that verse 02:07 which has basically been the 02:09 theme of the Genesis series: 02:11 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. 02:16 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. 02:21 Here God is speaking to the serpent. 02:24 He's speaking to Satan... to the devil... 02:27 and notice what He says: 03:02 Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15 03:05 speaks about two seeds. 03:09 One Seed is righteous 03:12 and the other seed is wicked. 03:17 But in our study this morning we don't want only to talk about 03:21 the righteous Seed and the wicked seed. 03:24 In fact, we're going to discover that there's only one kind 03:29 of righteous Seed but there are actually 03:33 two types of wicked seeds. 03:37 Now you're probably wondering what I mean by two types 03:41 of wicked seeds. Well, the fact is that in our study today 03:47 we're going to notice that there is one type of wicked person 03:52 who is overtly wicked. 03:55 In other words, openly wicked. 03:59 We would call them ungodly. 04:01 And by the way, this type of individual 04:05 would be illustrated by the publicans and the sinners 04:09 of Christ's day. 04:10 Outcasts of society. 04:13 Ungodly so to speak. 04:16 But then there's a second type of wicked seed, 04:20 and that is those who are covertly wicked. 04:27 In other words, they don't appear wicked on the surface 04:31 but they are wicked actually in their thoughts and in 04:34 their hearts. They are covertly wicked. 04:39 And of course this type of wicked person is illustrated 04:43 by the scribes and the Pharisees. 04:46 And so when Genesis 3:15 speaks about a wicked seed 04:52 we need to understand that that seed includes 04:55 two different types of wicked people. 04:58 First, those who are overtly wicked - 05:03 in other words, they live a disorderly lifestyle 05:06 and don't care much about it - 05:08 and those who are covertly wicked. 05:11 In other words, they put on a wonderful veneer, 05:16 a wonderful exterior, 05:18 but their hearts and their minds are far away from God 05:22 illustrated by the scribes and the Pharisees. 05:26 Now in our study today we are going to particularly 05:30 take a look at the second type of wicked seed: 05:34 those who are covertly wicked. 05:38 Those who have a wonderful front but whose hearts and 05:43 whose minds are alienated from God. 05:47 Now this type of wicked person is illustrated in the parable 05:52 of the wheat and the tares. 05:55 This parable is found in Matthew chapter 13 05:58 and verses 24 through 30. 06:02 And basically I'm going to read the passage 06:05 and then we're going to go back and interpret the symbols 06:09 of this parable. Matthew chapter 13 06:13 and verses 24 to 30. 06:16 It says this: 07:47 This is the famous parable of the wheat and the tares. 07:52 And we're going to notice that the tares in this parable 07:56 represent a particular type of wicked person: 08:01 a person who does not appear wicked 08:05 but in the sight of God is even more wicked than those 08:09 who are overtly unrighteous. 08:13 Now we have several symbols in this parable. 08:17 Let's take a look at the symbols in order. 08:21 Back to Matthew 13 and verse 24. 08:25 Matthew 13 and verse 24. 08:28 We have three symbols here that we want to interpret. 08:32 It says there in verse 24: 08:47 Three symbols. 08:49 Number one: the sower who is referred to as a man. 08:55 Second symbol: good seed. 08:59 And the third symbol: the field where the seed is planted. 09:05 So we have a sower; we have good seed; 09:09 and we have a field. 09:11 Now what is represented by these three symbols? 09:14 Let's go down to the interpretation that Jesus gave 09:18 of this parable. And it's wonderful that Jesus gave 09:20 an explanation of the parable. He didn't always do that. 09:24 Notice Matthew 13 and verses 37 and 38. 09:28 Matthew 13:37-38. 09:37 So we know who the Sower is. 09:39 The Sower is Jesus. 09:43 Then it says: 09:50 And by the way, I'm going to qualify that. 09:52 It is not just the world in general... 09:56 it is the church of Jesus in the world. 10:00 We're going to notice that as we study along. 10:03 It's particularly the church as the church is found 10:07 in all of the places of the world. 10:09 So it says: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. " 10:26 That's another way of saying the righteous. 10:31 The saved, if you please. 10:33 And so you have three symbols. 10:36 You have the Sower, 10:37 the good seed, and the field. 10:40 The Sower is Jesus. 10:42 The good seed are the righteous. 10:45 And the field represents the world... more specifically 10:49 the church of Jesus as it is found in the world. 10:55 But there's more to this parable. 10:57 Notice Matthew 13 verses 25 and 26. 11:02 We have here three additional symbols in the parable. 11:07 It says there in verse 25: 11:13 I want you to notice that... that's very important. 11:15 We're going to come back to it in a moment. 11:21 Should they have been vigilant? 11:23 Should the men have been vigilant? 11:26 Should those who take care of the field have been vigilant? 11:29 Absolutely. 11:34 Particularly referring to the leaders of the church... 11:43 So they're sleeping. There's an enemy who comes. 11:55 So we have tares. 11:57 Now what do these symbols represent: 12:00 the symbol of sleep, the enemy, and the tares? 12:06 Well, we don't have to guess 12:08 because in Matthew 13:38-39 12:11 Jesus explains the symbols. 12:15 It says there: 12:22 So what do the tares represent? 12:24 The tares represent the sons or the seed of the wicked one. 12:31 And who is this wicked one? It says: 12:40 So you have sleeping; you have the enemy; 12:45 and you have the tares. 12:47 Now allow me to read you a very interesting statement 12:52 that we find in Testimonies to the Church, Volume 3, 12:57 page 113 about the sleeping aspect 13:02 of this parable. 13:06 The author, Ellen White, had this to say: 13:36 Then she says this: 13:39 "Satan never sleeps... " 13:58 This is a very telling statement. 14:00 If the church were awake, 14:03 the church would be able to make sure that the enemy 14:07 did not plant tares in the church. 14:11 But because many times the church is under the effects 14:15 of anesthesia or the church is sleeping and not vigilant, 14:19 the devil comes in and he plants tares 14:22 and we can't even tell what the devil is doing. 14:26 By the way, even worse than sleeping 14:32 and have the devil plant the tares in the church 14:35 is the idea of knowingly 14:39 planting tares in the church. 14:43 And you say: "Pastor, are you saying that sometimes 14:46 tares are planted in the church by the servants? " 14:50 That's exactly what I'm saying. 14:52 I'd like to read another statement that we find in 14:55 Testimonies Volume 5, page 172. 14:58 You know, we live in a world - in a religious world - where 15:02 everybody thinks that that which is big and spectacular 15:07 is the best. 15:09 And so we have the idea that we need to plant mega-churches: 15:14 churches with 10,000... 20,000... 30,000 members. 15:19 And we have the idea that we want to fill the church. 15:24 But the question is: what are we filling the church with? 15:30 Is it just possible that not only are we sleeping 15:35 and allowing the devil to come and plant the tares 15:37 but we are knowingly participating in the process 15:41 of planting the tares. Allow me to read this statement. 15:44 Very telling statement... powerful. She says this: 15:48 "The accession of members... " 15:53 Accession means the entrance of members. 15:55 "who have not been renewed in heart 15:59 and reformed in life 16:03 is a source of weakness to the church. " 16:08 I'm going to read that again. 16:10 "The accession of members who have not been renewed in heart 16:15 and reformed in life 16:18 is a source of weakness to the church. " 16:21 And we say that strength is in numbers. 16:26 Think again. Strength is in piety. 16:32 Strength is in character. 16:34 She continues saying: 16:36 "This fact is often ignored. " 16:40 And now she's going to meddle with me... 16:43 "Some ministers and churches 16:48 are so desirous of securing an increase of numbers 16:54 that they do not bear faithful testimony against 16:58 unChristian habits and practices. " 17:04 "Let 'em come in... the importance is having 17:07 just lots of people in the church. " 17:10 She continues saying: 17:13 "Those who accept the truth 17:16 are not taught that they cannot safely be worldlings 17:21 in conduct while they are Christians in name. 17:26 Heretofore they were Satan's subjects. 17:28 Henceforth they are to be subjects of Christ. 17:34 The life must testify to the change of leaders. 17:39 Public opinion... " We would call them polls today... 17:45 "Public opinion favors a profession of Christianity. 17:51 Little self-denial or self-sacrifice is required 17:57 in order to put on a form of 18:00 godliness and to have one's 18:03 name enrolled upon the church 18:05 book. Hence, many join the church 18:09 without first becoming united to Christ. 18:13 In this Satan triumphs. " 18:18 Now notice this: 18:19 "Such converts are his most efficient agents. " 18:25 Are the openly irreligious 18:29 the greatest threat to the church? 18:31 No! She says: "Such converts are the devil's 18:35 most efficient agents. 18:37 They serve as decoys to other souls. 18:42 They are false lights 18:44 luring the unwary to perdition. 18:47 It is in vain that men seek to make the Christian path 18:52 broad and pleasant for worldlings. 18:56 God has not smoothed or widened the rugged, narrow way. 19:02 If we would enter into life, 19:05 we must follow the same path which Jesus and His disciples 19:09 trod... the path of humility, 19:12 self-denial, and sacrifice. " 19:17 That is a powerfully telling statement. 19:20 And I fear sometimes that even within our own church - 19:24 not our own local church but within the Seventh-day 19:27 Adventist church - we're so anxious to grow in numbers 19:31 that we don't present a clear and decided testimony 19:36 so that we make sure that people know what they're deciding 19:39 for before they join the church before they are baptized. 19:43 And as a result, what happens is we are consciously 19:48 planting tares within the church. 19:52 Not even sleeping any more 19:54 but actually knowingly doing this. 19:59 Now you notice in this parable that it says 20:02 that the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 20:06 Now allow me to pursue that just for a moment. 20:10 Notice John chapter 8 and verse 44. 20:13 Remember we're talking about a particular type of 20:16 wicked person today. We're not talking about 20:18 those who are openly wicked. We're not talking about those 20:22 who are overtly unrighteous. 20:24 You know, you can tell by their lives that they don't 20:27 profess Christianity... they don't care about religion. 20:30 They don't care about ordering their lives according to the 20:33 Ten Commandments. We're talking about 20:35 a covert type of wicked person 20:37 which in the sight of Jesus was the worst type. 20:41 Now in John 8 verse 44 Jesus is speaking - listen up - 20:45 to religious people. 20:47 He's not speaking to the publicans and sinners. 20:50 He's speaking to the righteous 20:52 and notice what He says to them: 21:00 What are the tares? 21:01 The sons of whom? 21:03 The sons of the wicked one. 21:05 Now Jesus says to these 21:07 religious people: 21:25 I find it amazing here that Jesus would call those religious 21:30 people - the scribes, the Pharisees... those who 21:34 went to the temple and worshiped God every day, 21:37 those individuals who apparently had great piety - 21:41 and Jesus would say to them: "You are of your father 21:46 the devil. " You are the devil's seed in other words. 21:50 Amazing! So is it possible to be religious 21:54 and still be the seed of the devil? 21:56 Absolutely. And I know that what I'm saying here 21:58 is not politically correct... but it's the truth. 22:03 As they said to Martin Luther once, 22:06 you know, when he stood there at the Diet of Worms. 22:09 He says: "My conscience is captive to the Word of God. 22:13 Here I stand... I can do no other. " 22:17 They said: "That is heresy, Dr. Luther. " 22:20 And Luther says: "Heresy - but it is the truth! " 22:28 Now I want you to notice I John chapter 3 and verse 12. 22:32 Here it speaks about someone else 22:35 who was of this type of wicked person. 22:38 I John 3:12. 22:41 Speaking about an individual who is called Cain. 22:44 Anybody ever heard of Cain? 22:46 Let me ask you: was Cain a religious person? 22:50 Was he? Sure he was. 22:52 Did he raise an altar? Yes. 22:55 Did he bring an offering? He sure did. 22:59 Did he come and present the offering? 23:02 Did he bow and worship the Lord? He most certainly did. 23:06 He was a religious person, 23:08 and yet I want you to notice I John 3 verse 12. 23:11 It says: 23:37 By the way, is this story going to be repeated? 23:41 In this Genesis series we studied a whole lecture 23:43 on the Battle of Armageddon 23:45 and we analyzed in detail the story of Cain and Abel. 23:49 And we noticed that this story is actually a small-scale model 23:54 of what's going to happen at the very end of time. 23:56 The only difference is that at the beginning you have two 23:59 individuals; at the end you have two world-wide groups. 24:03 Is it just possible that at the end of human history 24:06 those who profess to be religious - 24:10 those who are overtly religious - 24:13 are actually going to become persecutors 24:16 of God's people? 24:18 Do you know that Jesus said in John 16 verses 1-2 24:22 that the day is coming when those who kill you 24:25 will actually think that they're doing God a service? 24:29 It's amazing. 24:31 The end-time scenario is not of irreligious people, 24:36 apostate people, worldly people 24:42 becoming the enemy of God's people. 24:45 The scenario is people who profess to be religious 24:48 coming against God's people. 24:52 Notice also John chapter 6 and verse 70. 24:55 John chapter 6 and verse 70. 24:57 It's speaking here about Judas Iscariot. 25:03 That's a very interesting story. 25:05 Notice what Jesus had to say about Judas. 25:08 John 6 and verse 70. 25:22 What did Jesus call Judas? 25:26 He called him a devil. 25:28 Now, let's take a look at Judas. 25:32 Was Judas part of the inner circle? 25:36 Did he claim to follow Jesus? 25:38 He most certainly did. 25:41 Did the disciples think that he had a promising future? 25:45 Oh yes. I mean, even till the very end 25:51 Judas had the disciples deceived. 25:55 Was he a tare in the midst of the wheat? 25:58 Absolutely. 26:00 In fact, when Jesus said to Judas: "What you're gonna do 26:04 go and do it quickly" the disciples were so blind 26:07 that they thought that Jesus was sending Judas on an errand. 26:12 They didn't understand that Jesus was saying: 26:14 "Go and betray Me. " 26:16 They were so blinded because 26:19 Judas was a very capable man. 26:21 You find in Desire of Ages 26:22 a description of him. He was the tallest of the disciples. 26:26 Very wise when it came to the administration of money. 26:29 A shrewd businessman you might say. 26:33 You know, very charismatic. 26:35 They considered him a great asset for the future of the 26:37 church. And yet Jesus said: "One of you is a devil. " 26:44 One in the inner circle. 26:46 A tare if you please. 26:49 Do you know that the scribes and the Pharisees were also tares? 26:54 They were also this second type of wicked person 26:58 or unrighteous person? 26:59 And by the way, God considers this type of unrighteous person 27:04 worse than the one who is overtly unrighteous and worldly. 27:08 If you don't believe it, you remember the story of the 27:11 Pharisee and the publican 27:12 that came to the temple to pray? 27:14 And the Pharisee says: "I thank you, Lord, that 27:18 I'm not like other men. 27:21 I fast twice a week. 27:24 I pay tithe from everything that I earn. " 27:27 And he says: "I especially thank you, Lord, 27:31 that I'm not like this miserable, overt 27:36 publican that has come to worship here. " 27:42 Let me ask you: who went home justified? 27:46 Jesus said that the publican went home justified. 27:50 The overt sinner went home justified because he said: 27:54 "Lord, be merciful to me - a sinner. " 27:56 He repented of his sin, 27:58 and it was more acceptable for him than it was for the person 28:02 who had this righteous holy veneer. 28:07 Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 23 and verse 33. 28:12 Speaking about the scribes and the Pharisees 28:16 Jesus had to say this. 28:20 Politically incorrect language, folks. 28:23 Jesus said: 28:28 Speaking to the scribes and Pharisees. 28:30 Now let me ask you: what do snakes breed? 28:35 Snakes. 28:37 So if Jesus here calls these individuals serpents, 28:41 who were they born from? 28:43 They must have been born from the serpent, right? 28:47 They're babies of the serpent if you please. 28:49 So Jesus said: "Serpents, Brood of vipers! 28:57 Individuals who had a wonderful external veneer 29:02 of righteousness but in the sight of God wicked 29:04 because their hearts were far away from God. 29:07 Notice Matthew 23:27-28. 29:11 This is the famous chapter where Jesus pronounces His woes 29:15 upon the scribes and the Pharisees. 29:17 Matthew 23 verses 27 and 28. 29:20 Jesus says this: 29:39 Let me ask you, have you seen some pretty nice looking graves? 29:44 I've seen some real nice ones. 29:46 You know, for those of you who are going to Battle Creek 29:49 this Fall you're going to see some mausoleums that are 29:52 incredible there at Oak Hill Cemetery. 29:55 Impressive. Let me ask you, though: what is inside there? 30:01 It looks beautiful outside but inside it's full of what? 30:05 It's full of bones... dry bones. 30:10 Notice once again: "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, 30:14 hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs 30:17 which indeed appear beautiful outwardly 30:19 but inside are full of... " 30:40 You know, it's a sobering thought that the strongest words 30:45 of rebuke of Jesus 30:46 fell upon health reforming, tithe paying, Sabbath keeping 30:51 people. Thank you, Melvin. 30:57 Hallelujah! 31:00 You know, Jesus had a lot more to say about the self righteous 31:03 than about the unrighteous. 31:06 I don't know whether you've noticed that. 31:08 Now I'd like to read another statement that we find in the 31:12 book Our High Calling. 31:13 This is a statement in a devotional book. 31:16 Powerful! Notice what it says: 31:49 No doubt where they stand. 31:52 You know, if you want to know 31:53 where they stand, just go to 31:55 San Francisco on Gay Pride Day. 31:58 I mean, you know... 32:00 I don't agree with what they do 32:02 but they come out and they 32:04 proclaim it and they announce it 32:06 That's the first type of person. 32:09 First type of Satan's seed. 32:12 But there's a second type 32:14 which is even worse. 32:15 She says: 32:45 What kind of Christians are you? 32:49 What kind of Christian am I? 32:52 Am I a good seed? 32:54 Or do I fit in one of these two categories of seeds 32:58 that we're discussing this morning? 33:02 Now you'll notice in the parable that the servants 33:05 say to the owner of the field 33:08 "What do you want us to do? " 33:09 "Do you want us to pluck up the tares 33:13 so they don't damage the wheat? " In fact, let's read it: 33:15 Matthew 13:27-29. 33:18 Matthew 13:27-29. 33:23 It says here: 34:11 So in other words the tares and the wheat 34:13 are supposed to grow together until when? 34:16 Until the harvest. 34:19 You say: "Well Pastor, I guess that means that there's no 34:21 church discipline. " 34:23 Do you know we live in a period 34:25 of time when if discipline is 34:28 applied to someone they say "Oh, 34:30 that's so unkind 34:32 to put someone on censure 34:35 or to remove someone from the church books. 34:38 That's not kind. " 34:41 We live in a time such as that. 34:43 In a disciplineless society. 34:50 And so you say: "But here, Pastor, it says that you're 34:52 supposed to let the wheat and the tares grow together 34:55 until the harvest. " That's true. 34:59 But allow me to read you a statement that gives the balance 35:03 and the explanation about the fact that this doesn't mean 35:07 that we're to allow anything in the church. Anything goes... 35:11 even overt open sin. 35:14 This statement is in Christ Object Lessons page 71 and 72. 35:32 When someone practices open sin 35:34 do you have to judge their 35:35 motives? 35:37 For example, an individual in church commits adultery. 35:42 If you say: "We're going to discipline you for committing 35:46 adultery" would it be right for that person to say 35:49 "You can't judge me? " 35:51 Of course not. 35:53 Because the behavior is what? 35:55 It's open... it's an open book. 36:00 That's overt sin. 36:02 And in those cases Ellen White says that church discipline 36:06 is not only allowable but desirable. 36:10 She says: "Christ has plainly taught that those who persist 36:12 in open sin must be separated from the church. " 36:27 In other words, you can judge 36:29 the outside. When the outside is 36:31 openly contrary to God's will 36:33 church discipline can and 36:35 should be applied. 36:36 But you cannot judge people's intentions and motivations. 36:41 You cannot judge their character - 36:42 you cannot judge their heart - 36:44 because only God can see that. 36:47 She says: "He has not committed to us the work of judging 36:49 character and motive. He knows our nature too well 36:54 to entrust this work to us... " 37:41 Now for those of you who think that perhaps 37:44 God made a mistake by saying "Let the tares grow with the 37:47 wheat" and it would have been better to uproot the tares 37:49 God practices what He preaches. 37:53 You remember the story of Lucifer in heaven? 37:57 Did God know that Lucifer was a tare? 38:02 Yes He did. 38:04 Did He uproot him immediately? 38:07 He did not. 38:08 Did He allow the devil to remain there in the midst 38:12 of the righteous and holy angels to do his vile work? 38:15 Yes. In fact, 1/3 of the angels 38:19 sided with Satan or with Lucifer. 38:22 Why didn't God pull up the tares right away? 38:26 Because He knew that the angelic host would have doubts 38:31 because it was necessary for the great controversy to come 38:35 to full fruition 38:37 when you could see the mature tares 38:41 and the mature wheat together at the very end. 38:46 And of course the moment came when the difference was clearly 38:49 seen... the lines were drawn in heaven. 38:52 And then Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven. 38:55 So God Himself showed the principle. 38:58 You also have the example of Judas Iscariot. 39:01 Did Jesus know from the very beginning that Judas Iscariot 39:05 was a tare? Of course He did. 39:08 Why didn't He say: "Forget it. You're a tare. 39:09 I don't want you as one of My disciples? " 39:12 Did He allow Judas to come in? Yes He did. 39:15 In fact, do you know when that scribe came to Christ 39:18 and he said: "I'll follow You wherever You go" 39:22 and Jesus says: "Birds have nests and foxes have holes 39:25 but the Son of Man doesn't have any place to lie His head" 39:29 do you know that that individual that came to Jesus was Judas? 39:33 And Jesus was saying to Judas "Listen, if you're in this 39:36 for the loaves and fishes, 39:38 if you're in this for fame and for money, 39:41 you can forget it because there's no money in this. 39:45 Birds have nests... I don't even have a nest. 39:47 Foxes have holes... I don't have any place 39:50 that I can call home. " 39:52 So Jesus tried to discourage him 39:55 but he still decided to join the disciples. 39:58 And do you know the Sprit of Prophecy tells us 40:00 that Judas was a source of contention among the disciples 40:04 all the way through the ministry of Jesus. 40:07 And yet the disciples thought he was great. 40:10 And the tare and the wheat grew together 40:15 until at the end of the 3-1/2 year ministry of Jesus 40:20 the difference between Judas and the disciples 40:23 is clearly revealed and clearly seen. 40:27 And we all know what happened to Judas. 40:29 Judas went and committed suicide and he hung himself. 40:33 You see, if Jesus had uprooted Judas before this 40:36 the disciples would have thought: "What is this man 40:38 doing? This is one of the most prominent 40:43 and one of the most promising prospects 40:46 that we have in this group. " 40:48 But Jesus had to allow things to mature. 40:53 Now we still have to talk about the harvest, the reapers, 40:55 the binding and the burning. 40:57 Let's go to Matthew chapter 13 and verse 30. 41:01 Matthew chapter 13 and verse 30. 41:06 It says here: 41:32 Now there's four symbols that I want us to take a look at 41:35 as we near the end of our study today. 41:38 First of all... the harvest. 41:42 Secondly... the reapers. 41:45 Third... the binding and fourth... the burning. 41:52 By the way, all of these are stages in a process. 41:58 What is represented by the process of separating 42:04 the wheat from the tares 42:06 and binding the tares and binding the wheat in bundles? 42:12 Revelation chapter 14 and verse 7 has the answer. 42:17 There's this angel - powerful angel - that 42:20 flies in the midst of heaven 42:22 having the everlasting gospel to preach to every nation, 42:25 kindred, tongue, and people. 42:27 And he says in a loud voice 42:29 "Fear God and give glory to Him 42:31 for the hour of His judgment 42:34 has come. " 42:36 Let me ask you: when are the righteous separated from 42:39 the wicked? Is it at the moment of the second coming of Christ? 42:43 Is that when the righteous are separated from the wicked? 42:46 When Jesus comes? No. 42:50 The process takes place in heaven before the second coming 42:55 of Jesus. Because after the first angel proclaims 42:59 "the hour of His judgment has come" 43:03 when you get to the third angel's message, there you have 43:06 the two harvests. You have the harvest of the earth 43:09 and you have the grapes of the earth. 43:11 They are totally separated. 43:12 But the judgment took place in heaven 43:16 before the second coming of Christ. 43:19 Because if this angel announced "the hour of His judgment 43:21 has come, " this is happening while the door of probation 43:25 is still open, correct? 43:27 What good would it be to preach that the hour of His judgment 43:29 has come if probation has closed? 43:31 It wouldn't do any good. 43:33 And so this judgment takes place before the second coming 43:35 of Christ on earth. 43:37 That's when the wheat is tied in bundles. 43:42 It's separated from the tares 43:43 and the tares are separated from the wheat. 43:46 In fact, allow me to read you a statement 43:49 that we find in the book Christ Object Lessons page 72. 43:55 Ellen White had a profound perception when it came to 43:58 what the Bible teaches. 44:01 She says this: 44:20 Did you catch that? 44:22 The harvest is when? The second coming? 44:24 The harvest is the end of probationary time. 44:29 You know, we can go back to the story of Noah... 44:32 which we've studied in this seminar before. 44:36 When were the righteous saved and the wicked lost? 44:39 Was it the moment it started to rain? 44:42 Or was it when the door of the ark closed? 44:46 You know the answer. 44:47 The closing of the door took place before the rain. 44:52 And so the closing of the door of probation for the world 44:55 is going to close before Jesus actually comes 44:59 to gather His people into His barn. 45:01 So you have the separating of the wheat 45:04 and the tares, and you have the tying of the wheat 45:07 in bundles and the tying of the tares in bundles. 45:10 This represents the judgment that is taking place 45:13 in heaven right now as I speak. 45:16 Jesus is separating the righteous from the wicked 45:20 and He's tying the righteous in bundles 45:23 in such a way that when Jesus comes 45:26 He will send His angels to gather the wheat into His barn. 45:32 Now let's notice Matthew chapter 13 and verses 40-43. 45:37 Matthew 13 verses 40-43. 45:40 There's several things that we want to notice 45:43 in this passage. Here Jesus is explaining 45:46 the meaning of the harvest and the binding and the burning 45:50 and so on. It says here: 46:26 Did these individuals belong to His kingdom? 46:29 How can He gather them out of His kingdom 46:32 if they did not at some point belong to His kingdom? 46:35 And so it says: 46:48 That word offend is very 46:49 interesting. 46:50 It usually applies in the 46:52 gospels to people 46:53 who have been with Jesus, have followed Jesus, 46:58 and at some point a stumbling block comes 47:00 and they are offended. 47:02 In fact, in John 16:1-2 Jesus says to the disciples: 47:06 "I'm telling you these things so that you are not offended. " 47:11 So the fact that these are gathered out of His kingdom 47:15 and the fact that the things that offend are gathered out 47:19 indicates that these are not overtly wicked people. 47:22 These are what? These are covertly wicked people. 47:28 And so it says: 47:30 "They will gather out of His kingdom 47:32 all things that offend. " And now notice this: 47:37 "those who practice... " What? 47:41 "lawlessness. " 47:43 And you say: "Oh well, Pastor Bohr, see there it is. 47:46 These are people who are overtly wicked. 47:49 They're openly wicked... it says that they're lawless. " 47:52 Let me ask you: do you remember that passage 47:55 in Matthew chapter 7? In fact, let's go there just 47:57 for a moment. Matthew chapter 7 48:01 and verses 21 to 23. 48:03 Don't miss this point. 48:05 Matthew 7:21-23. 48:09 Here it says this: 48:13 "Not every who says to Me 'Lord, Lord... ' " 48:18 Would these be Christians? 48:21 Would they? Of course. 48:24 A non-Christian wouldn't call Jesus Lord. 48:27 "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord' 48:31 shall enter the kingdom of heaven 48:34 but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 48:37 Many will say to Me in that day: 48:40 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? ' 48:47 Were these Christians? 48:49 Sure they were. 48:52 'Cast out demons in Your name, 48:56 and done many wonders in Your name? ' 48:59 Why? 49:03 Is it possible to apparently have the gift of prophecy, 49:06 to cast out demons, and to perform miracles 49:08 and not be on the side of Jesus? 49:10 Do it all in the name of Jesus? Absolutely. 49:14 Notice verse 23: 49:17 "And then I will declare to them: 49:22 'I never knew you. ' " 49:24 Yeah, because some people say: "Well, Pastor, you know 49:26 they were once with God. You know, when they cast out 49:28 demons and they did these things in the name of Jesus 49:30 they were with Jesus and then they went astray. " 49:33 But the fact is Jesus says here: "I NEVER knew you. " 49:38 Not even while they were casting out demons 49:40 and prophesying in His name 49:42 and doing miracles in His name. 49:44 "And then I will declare to them: 'I never knew you. 49:48 Depart from Me you who practice... ' " What? 49:53 "You who practice lawlessness. " 49:57 So when this parable in Matthew 13 speaks of those 50:02 who practice lawlessness 50:04 does that necessarily mean that it's talking about 50:06 those who are overtly wicked? 50:09 Absolutely not. 50:11 Do you know, folks, that there is a lot of wickedness 50:14 that goes on in the church unseen except by holy angels? 50:20 People who come to church, they pray, 50:23 listen to sermons. 50:27 Maybe even come to prayer meeting. 50:30 The religious life appears to be in order. 50:34 But there's a second, unseen, life to human beings 50:40 that is taking place behind the scenes. 50:43 That's what this is talking 50:45 about. And folks, I'll tell you, 50:47 in the religious world today 50:49 there's a lot of self-righteousness. 50:52 There are people who are openly condemning gay marriage 50:55 and they're openly condemning abortion 50:59 when if you examine their lives 51:03 you would find that their lives are filled with hypocrisy 51:06 and that they are really living a lie 51:11 because it's all a façade to gain power and to gain 51:15 influence. And so Jesus says 51:21 that He will gather out of His kingdom - notice, 51:24 "out of His kingdom those that are offended... " 51:28 That refers most of the time to the righteous 51:32 or professedly righteous. 51:34 "and those who practice lawlessness. " 51:36 Matthew 7 indicates that these are individuals 51:38 who externally are OK internally they have a problem. 51:42 And now notice what it continues saying: 51:50 Let me ask you: when are the wicked 51:52 cast into the furnace of fire? 51:56 This parable actually takes us where? 51:59 It takes us all the way to the period at the end 52:04 of the millennium. In fact, do you know - 52:08 just a little sidelight - do you know the Spirit of 52:12 Prophecy says that there's going to be a group 52:14 of individuals outside the Holy City 52:17 who are going to feel like God has incorrectly put them 52:21 out there? In fact, listen up: 52:28 this passage in Matthew 7: 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy 52:33 in Your name? Lord, Lord, didn't we cast out demons 52:35 in Your name? Lord, Lord, didn't we perform miracles 52:37 in Your name? " Do you know when they're actually going to 52:39 speak this according to the Spirit of Prophecy? 52:41 They're outside the Holy City and they're saying to the Lord 52:43 "Lord, what are we doing out here? 52:44 We're supposed to be inside. " 52:48 Wow! 52:51 So that's not applying to the second coming 52:53 but to what happens after the millennium. 52:57 And so it says that they will be gathered 52:59 and they will be cast into the furnace of fire. 53:03 This is after the millennium. 53:06 And then notice: "There will be... " What? 53:13 Some people say: "See, wailing and gnashing of teeth. 53:15 This is the everlasting fire. " 53:17 It doesn't say anything about everlasting fire. 53:20 It doesn't say endless 53:22 everlasting wailing and gnashing of teeth. 53:25 It simply says: "Wailing and gnashing of teeth. " 53:29 And by the way, do you know that every time that Jesus uses that 53:32 expression "wailing and gnashing of teeth" 53:35 in the gospels it applies to people 53:37 who profess His name. 53:40 He's always addressing it to the Hebrew nation... 53:43 to the Jewish nation. 53:44 That's another indication as to who the tares are. 53:48 "There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. " 53:52 But now notice the contrast with God's people. 53:54 It says there in verse 43: 54:15 Have you learned anything this morning? 54:18 Listen, folks, we need to realize 54:22 that just because we're in the church 54:25 does not mean that we are in the kingdom. 54:29 We need to realize that there are two kinds of wicked people 54:33 in the sight of God. 54:36 There are those who are overtly wicked. 54:38 Openly wicked. I mean, you can tell it. 54:43 And people who commit works of wickedness in the church: 54:45 members. They're supposed to be disciplined. 54:48 Disfellowshiped... no matter how much people say 54:51 "Oh, that's unkind. " 54:53 No! Discipline is always loving and kind. 54:56 But at the same time it's firm, because the God of love 54:59 is also a God of justice. 55:02 Are you following me? 55:04 And then of course you have the second kind of wicked person 55:07 which Jesus condemned more than the first type, 55:10 and that is individuals who outwardly 55:15 appear righteous before man 55:17 but inside are filled with wickedness. 55:23 And basically, they're living a double life... 55:26 a life of hypocrisy. 55:29 My question is: what kind 55:33 of seed are you? 55:36 Are you a son of the kingdom? 55:39 Am I a son of the kingdom? 55:43 Or are you one of these other two types of seeds 55:47 that we've spoken about? 55:50 I pray to God that we 55:54 will be the seed of the woman's seed. 56:00 That we will truly belong to those who are described 56:04 as the righteous in this parable. 56:07 That the inside will be in harmony with the outside. 56:12 And that the outside will not only be a veneer 56:15 hiding that which is inside. 56:19 And by the way, folks, the inside and the outside 56:22 must always be in harmony. 56:27 Some people say: "Well, the only thing that matters 56:29 is my heart. It doesn't matter what I do. 56:32 God knows my heart. " No, the fact is, folks, 56:34 that when the heart changes the life changes. 56:37 The problem is when we try to live the life and the heart 56:40 isn't changed. That's the tares. 56:43 And so what we need is a conversion experience 56:47 where we have a change of heart 56:50 and the change of heart - out of love for Jesus - leads us 56:54 to live a changed life for His honor 57:00 and for His glory. 57:02 How about it? Do you want to live that kind of life 57:06 that God would have us live? 57:08 Praise the Lord! 57:10 I pray to God that that will be our experience 57:14 as we have studied this well-known parable 57:17 of Jesus of the wheat and the tares. |
Revised 2023-11-20