Did Your Conversion Really Take?
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Intro:
1. ILL: Michael Phelps wins by .01 of a second!
2. The cast of the Parable of the Weeds:
a. The kingdom of heaven = v24 - truly converted Christians, the church.
b. The sower = v37 - “the Son of Man”, Lord Jesus.
c. The field = v38 - “the world”.
d. The good seed = v38 - “the sons of the kingdom”, truly converted Christians.
e. The weeds = v38 - “the sons of the evil one”, the unregenerate church attenders.
f. The enemy = v39 - “the devil”.
g. The harvest = v39 - “the end of the age”, the Judgment Day.
h. The harvesters = v39 - “the angels”.
3. When it comes to eternal salvation in heaven, some feel that if they simply go through the right forms, do the right things, believe the right stuff & affiliate with the right organization - they’re in!
4. But - true conversion is where your heart & your character begin to change.
a. You are “born again”, you are to become a different person than you were before.
b. You acquire new relationships & you begin behaving differently.
5. So - what should you expect to see when a true conversion happens?
I. At Your Conversion
(The gun sounds & Michael dives into the water!)
A. v24 - The good seed = truly converted Christians.
1. Are you truly obedient to God’s will - fully committed to Lord Jesus?
a. Repentance (μετανοέω) = you have a changed mind about your past sinful life (Lk 13:3).
b. Confessed sin (ὁμολογω̂μεν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμω̂ν) = admit sins you are aware of before a holy God (I Jn 1:9).
c. The Good Confession (τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν) = becomes the central focus of your testimony (I Tim 6:12-13). Jesus is the Son of God & the Lord of your life. (Matt 16:16; Act 8:37 & Rom 10:9-10)
d. Baptism (βαπτίζω) = your life fits in with it’s symbolism of leaving the old life for the new (Rom 6:4).
2. Good wheat reproduces itself in abundance - the church grows as you share your total life message.
B. v25 - The weeds = the unregenerate church attender.
1. Weeds (ζιζάνιον) = the “bearded darnel”, a poisonous rye with roots which creep under & intertwine with the roots of the good wheat.
2. Even though you go through the rituals of the Christian life & worship, you never really show the sacrificial life (Rom 12:1-2)!
3. Jam 2:14-17 - What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
II. During Your Life
(Michael swims for all he’s worth!)
A. v26 - The good seed always bears fruit! (Matt 13:8)
1. The fruit of Christian growth - active resistance against Satan by putting on the armor of God (Eph 6:13-17).
2. The fruit of Christian testimony:
a. Seen in a verbal testimony as a way of life (I Pet 3:15).
b. Seen in your total life message. ILL: Parable of the Judgment Scene (Matt 25:31-46).
3. The fruit of the Spirit - certain character traits produced in your life by the Holy Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self control (Gal 5:22-23).
B. v26 - The weeds just appear!
1. One of Satan’s purposes is to encourage church attenders to remain untransformed.
a. Weeds are distinguished from good wheat by the fruit they bear.
b. Untransformed church attenders discourage prospects for salvation by their worldly attitudes.
2. v29 - If these weeds are pulled up while in the field good wheat would be damaged since their roots are so intertwined.
a. When hypocrites do damage in the church, the temptation is to get rid of them anyway you can.
b. This can result in church splits, conflict, dissension - Christians acting in very un-Christian ways resulting in a worse testimony to the world than just letting them remain.
3. v30 - God’s way appears to be let both grow together until the harvest. We are to let the angels do the separating, not us!
4. What are our Christian responsibilities towards hypocrites in the church?
1. Warn them in love & encourage them to change. ILL: “The Danger of Unbelief”
(The unexploded artillery shells).
2. Pray for their true conversion before the angels get them!
III. When the Judgment Comes
(Michael touches the finish plate)
A. v42 - The weeds are gathered & burned.
1. God knows your heart. He knows if you are genuine or not. You can fool anyone else, but not Him!
2. The weeping & gnashing of teeth is found 4 other times.
a. The healing of the Centurion’s servant where entrenched church people failed to exhibit faith (Matt 8:10-12).
b. Parable of the Wedding Banquet, when someone tried to sneak in uninvited (Matt 22:1-14).
c. The Parable of the Servant who neglected his responsibilities while his master was away (Matt 24:45-51).
d. Parable of the Talents addressing the unfaithful servant (Matt 25:30).
B. v30 & 43 - The good wheat will be gathered into the master’s barn - heaven!
1. Jn 14:1-3 - Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
2. Rev 21:1-4 - Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”.
Are you the wheat or the weed? The good seed or the bad? The Spirit controlled Christian or the hypocrite? When Lord Jesus ascends from the clouds will He say to you, “Well done, good & faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master”? or “Depart from Me. I never knew you”? The difference is what you decide to do with Lord Jesus right now!
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