Matthew 13:24-30
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the seeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Jesus is building a
on
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.
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in God’s
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When we
outward, we rarely
inward.
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Jesus wants you to
on your own
.
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are not always
.
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Anything God
is for your
.
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always
more
.
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is a
process.
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is directly connected to the
in your
.
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Sermon Discussion: Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
1) John said that throughout Jesus’ ministry, He sought to build a community that was honest, transparent, and forgiving. How does honestly assessing the “rocks” in the soil of our hearts, confessing our sins, and allowing God to do the work required to remove our “rocks” lay a foundation for honesty, transparency, and forgiveness? How does the honest assessment of sin put everyone in God’s kingdom on a level playing field?
2) Read Matthew 13:24-25. When did the enemy come and sow weeds in the field? Why did the enemy choose the time he did? While there is certainly nothing wrong with sleeping, what does this parable teach us about the enemy? Read John 8:44, Ephesians 6:10-13, 1 Peter 5:8-9. What do these passages teach us about Satan? Even with these in mind, how do most believers regard Satan today? How should we regard Satan?
3) Read Matthew 13:26. At what point in the growth process are the servants able to distinguish between the wheat and the weeds? Why did it take the servants so long to see the differences? Read Matthew 7:16. How does Jesus teach his followers to distinguish between true and false disciples? What parallels can you see in Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7 and here?
4) John McArthur says that we live in the time of mission not judgement. What is the mission of the Kingdom of God?
5) In Matthew 13:29-20, Jesus as the sower says to allow the weeds to grow along with the wheat. Is Jesus teaching that believers should tolerate sinful behavior? Read Matthew 7:1-5 and 15-20, and Galatians 6:1-10. How can we be discerning without becoming judgmental? When does discernment cross the line into judgement?
6) In verse 36, the disciples ask Jesus for an explanation of the parable. Why was this a wise idea? Are there ever parts of scripture that are hard for you to understand? How does the disciples’ decision to seek clarification from the Lord serve as an example for us? Read John 16: 15, James 1:5, and Proverbs 2:6. Do we have the same ability to receive clarification from the Lord today as the disciples did when Jesus taught this parable? How?