The Kingdom of God!

 

Chapter 136

 

 

 

Jesus gave this parable about the weeds (tares), Matt. 13:24-30, (NIV)

 

"Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from? "An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'No' he answered, 'Bcause while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."

 

This parable, like most parables, has three levels of understanding. The sad thing about parables is that most Bible Students will only dwell on the surface meaning of the parable.

 

To fully understand all three phases of this parable, you must understand that Jesus was talking about the Kingdom of God. I have been taught in times past that Jesus was talking about the time when He will come back again to gatherer His Bride. There is some truth in this parable but there is more mana to be understood.

 

When Jesus was here, He talked about the Kingdom of God and instructed His disciples about the principles of the Kingdom. On the Day of Pentecost when His disciples were gathered in the upper room there came a sound as of a rushing wind and the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost. His Kingdom had arrived. What He had promised the disciples had come to pass and along with it came the anointing of the Holy Spirit of God.

 

While Jesus was here, He had planted the seed of the Kingdom of God in their hearts and now that seed had grown, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit could visibly be seen. They began to speak in other tongues and prophesy. The Kingdom had arrived, and, on that day, some three thousand souls were saved.

 

However, it didn't take very long for the weeds to appear. Satan and his host began to plant seeds of doubt in the hearts of many about what had happened. These doubts were aided by the teachers of the law and by those who had been taught the law and refused to accept the message that Peter had given them on the Day of Pentecost.

 

Opposition began to arise against the Gospel that was being taught because most of the Jewish Priesthood and believers did not want to change what they had believed. This is also prevalent in many churches today. Satan has planted untruths in many Christians lives that prevent them from understanding the truth. They have their own beliefs about things and are not willing to change.

 

I have had many Christians tell me that they know what the Bible says, but they believe otherwise. These are the weeds that the evil one has planted in them. If you really want to being pleasing to the Lord, make a resolute decision to take Him at His word and declare His word when you are faced with anything that disagrees with that word.

 

I have a question for you to think about. Where is the Kingdom of God located? Is it here on earth or is it in heaven or somewhere else? What did Jesus say about the Kingdom of God? Jesus said in Luke 17:20-21,

 

"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, "The kingdom of God comes not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." 

 

So, according to the Lord, the Kingdom is within us! So, if the Kingdom of God is within us, then the weeds He is going to take out is all those thoughts and beliefs we have that don't align with His word are going to be taken out of us and burned up or destroyed. Then we will shine like the stars in heaven. Pure and holy before our Father.

 

Jesus explained the parable of the sower in Matt. 13:37-43, (NIV)

 

"The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

 

The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom. That is why Jesus said in John 3:5-8, (NIV)

 

"Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

 

The water Jesus was talking is His Word! Paul said in Eph. 5:25-26, (NIV)

 

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." 

 

Paul also said in 1Cor 12:13,

 

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." 

 

Paul also said in Rom. 10:8-9,

 

"The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."

 

From these verses we learn that if we hear the word of the Gospel and believe it in our heart we will be saved. It is the Holy Spirit of God that baptizes us into the body of Christ when we believe and confess that Jesus is Lord! Our spirit is reunited with the Lord and we are saved.

 

Then war begins with our flesh because it no longer controls our thinking. Our minds will argue with what the Word says about us, and it is by faith that we walk because we believe what the Word says and not what our minds try to tell us!

 

It will help you if you understand that we are spirit, and we have a mind, will and emotions, and we live for now in this body of flesh. Our spirit will never die because it is eternal, however, our body of flesh will go back and once again become the earth from which it was formed.