Key Texts: "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them: but gather the wheat into my barn." Matthew 13:30

Introduction: In the Holy Scriptures there is counterfeit found for every truth of God. Satan has gone forth, that is he has gone behind every truth presented and set forth his false error. He has planted counterfeits all through the Word of God. Down through the ages Satan has been a master mind at twisting the Scriptures and deceiving the people. He was such a genius at his craft and arts that he deceived one third of all the Holy Angels. (Revelation 12) and in the garden of Eden, Satan deceived Adam and his wife, Eve. Friend, mark this and mark it good, "The Devil is an imitator and a very good one." He doesn’t invent, he just imitates. Satan can not create life.

"The magicians also showed signs and wonders; for they wrought not by their own skill alone, but by the power of their god, Satan, who assisted them in counterfeiting the work of Jehovah.

The magicians did not really cause their rods to become serpents; but by magic, aided by the great deceiver, they were able to produce this appearance. It was beyond the power of Satan to change the rods to living serpents. The prince of Evil, though possessing all the wisdom and might of an angel fallen, has not power to create, or to give life; this is the prerogative of God alone. But all that was in Satan’s power to do, he did; he produced a counterfeit." Patriarchs and Prophets, page 264, E. G. White

What does Satan do in Matthew 13? In three of these parables, we see that Satan can only imitate the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, he plants false Christians, (tares) he encourages a false growth and as always he produces, and makes up his own false doctrine.

"Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field." (verse 36)

The Parable for this month, "Wheat and Tares" explains the Christian Community through all ages and in every generation. Our generation is no different. With all the gospel of Christ being preached, we still have wheat and tares growing together. The purest preaching of the gospel will not rid, will not dispose of the counterfeit believers in the church. The tares have always been and they always will be right down to the end of the world, the end of the age when our Lord comes and commissions the angels to separate tares from the wheat, that is separate the counterfeit Christians from the truly converted Christians, the children of God.

With the above introduction, the following three point outline will give us more spiritual food for thought on the "Parable of Wheat and Tares."

1. The Time When The Enemy Worked
2. How the Enemy Goes About His Work
3. The Enemy’s Work Produced False Success

Let’s look first of all at…

1. The Time When The Enemy Worked!

It was at night time, during the dark hours that the enemy worked under cover and sowed the tares, the counterfeit seed. "But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way." (verse 25) Now, working at night, under cover and while others sleep is characteristic of Satan. The Devil, friend, hates the light and loves darkness. Secrecy, dishonesty and the presentation of false doctrine are Satan’s favorite tactics.

1. Good Seed: In this parable, the good seed is not the Word of God, but rather the children of God. Also, the field here is not the human heart, but rather the whole world and that thought teaches us that God is sowing Christians, children of God throughout the whole world.
2. The Tares: The tares are sown among the wheat meaning that wherever we find true Christians there will be tares also.
3. The Warning: We must beware and alert with understanding that there are many multitudes of counterfeits in the World. Satan has counterfeit Christians (II Corinthians 11:26) who believe a counterfeit Gospel (Gal. 1:6-9). He presents a counterfeit righteousness (Romans 10:3), and even has a counterfeit church (Revelation 2:9). At the end of the world, just prior to our Lord’s returns, end of the ages he will send forth a counterfeit Christ (II Thessalonians 2:1-12). Not only should we beware and alert, we must press on the upward way.

 

PRESS ON

Press on! Though mists obscure

The steep and rugged way,

And clouds of doubt beset,

Soon dawns the brighter day,

Keep on! Though hours seem long

And days deep-fraught with woe,

Let patience have her perfect work

And vanquish every foe,

Hope On! Though all is lost

and storms beat high,

Have faith! Be still and know

That God is nigh.

Selected

 

2. How The Enemy Goes About His Work!

"But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way." (Matthew 13:25)

Now, friend, the enemy is Satan using counterfeit ministers to preach a counterfeit gospel which produces a counterfeit Christian, who has only a counterfeit righteousness.

How does Satan Work?

1. He works in DARKNESS

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19)

2. He Works to DIVIDE

The enemy: "He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers: Forwardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually: he soweth discord." (Proverbs 6:14)

3. He Works to DESTROY

1. The Enemy’s Work Produced False Success.

Now, we must find acceptable words if we are to understand the meaning of, "a measure of false success…"

"The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth." (Ecclesiastics 12:10)

1. Evil and good will always be found together. And that is because Satan is very much alive and continually sows evil.
2. The enemy has so successfully presented his errors that he has his counterfeit teaching that evil is good and good is evil.
3. The tares appeared after the blade of wheat. And that tells us that Satan saw the true fruit of the wheat and produced the tares that looked like wheat. If you have read our sermons on the parable of the ten virgins, you will remember that all ten virgins looked the same. Only God knows the distinction between the two groups, the five wise virgins and the five foolish virgins. In the time of the harvest, just like the wheat and the tares, just like the sheep and the goats, the wise virgins and the foolish virgins, all will have their true identity revealed.

In closing…

Lets remember our poem this month. WE MUST PRESS ON! In all that we do in this life, lets make sure by God’s grace that we are among the wheat, the wise virgins, the sheep.

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-13)

I have read where a group of Englishmen tried to conquer Mt Everest. They traveled through cold, wind, blizzards and avalanches. When they came within 2,000 feet of the peak, they set up camp. Two men, Mallory and Irvin, eagerly pressed on. They expected to return to camp in about 16 hours. They never came back. The official record simply said: "When last seen they were heading toward the summit." Our goal is the Kingdom and our faith is in our Lord Jesus Christ and His return.

We must trust in God and not ourselves and we must keep pressing on.

Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote the words to the song, "I’m Pressing On the Upward Way" and Charles H. Gabriel set the words to music and that’s our closing song for this month’s sermon.

I’m Pressing On the Upward way

I’m pressing on the upward way, New heights I’m gaining every day;

Still praying as I onward bound, "Lord plant my feet on higher ground."

Lord, lift me up, and I shall stand By faith, on heaven’s table land;

A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.