A VIEW OF HEAVEN
Matthew 13:24-33
WHAT HEAVEN LOOKS LIKE
V:24 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
The one thing you and I need to know is more about the heaven God has promised us. We need
more knowledge about the God that has promised us heaven. We need to understand heaven
and How God works with us in His heaven.
The man is God Himself. The seed is the Word of God. The field is the world, mankind.
When Jesus said Heaven is at hand, He was referring to Himself. The Work of Jesus was to
plant the His Word into mankind. The Word of God is the incorruptible truth. The enemy is
the devil, the father of lies. The enemy plants seeds of temptation to corrupt the ones
God has planted.
When Jesus chose His 12 disciples, He included one who was His enemy, Judas who
betrayed Him. All believers were chosen from a world filled with the enemies of God.
The Lord saw fit to choose us out of the world, to be light unto the world. Believers
and none believers are mingled together to grow up together.
It is up to the servants of God to know the difference between the good seed and the
corrupt seed. The servants of God must first know the Word of God to distinguish the
difference between truth and lies. The servant must always be on alert to resist
the temptations of the devil. Satan works under the cover of darkness in the ignorant of believers. He often shows up as an angel of light, a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Each believer affects the world around him/her. We never know who God has called.
What we do know is we are voices of His calling card. We may be planting a seed or
watering a seed others have planted. It is the Holy Spirit that fertilizes the Word that
was planted.
BELIEVERS AND THE PRETENDERS
V:27 "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?'
28 "'An enemy did this,' he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29 "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.
A good servant never acts without the approval of the owner. We should always evaluate our
circumstances and determine what we think is wrong or right. We should even come to a conclusion
on what we think ought to be done and make suggestions. We must first discuss the situation
with the Lord. Since He is the owner, we seek guidance and directions from Him.
Notice the servant want to pull up the weeds. The word weed or tares is a Greek word that means
false grain. In the Church, there are a lot of pretenders who have not accepted Christ as Savior. God
has a reason why He allows believers and none believers to grow together. It is the Word of God
that convicts sinners. If we offend none believers we may also offend believers and weaken their
faith.
What kind of church would we be if we became an exclusive club for believers only? How
would the church grow? The church ought to look like the community. There ought to be
used to be drug dealers. There ought to be used to be prostitutes. There ought to be recovering
drug users. We ought to have used to be homeless in the congregation. We certainly ought
to have some use to be liars and robbers. Not everyone will change, but many will.
Taking matters into our own hands without the approval of the Father can be destructive.
We know how we would like things to be. God knows how things will be. We can make plans
but it is not our plan but the Lord's that will prevail. It is our job to ensure that whatever we do
is according to the will of God.
GROWING FOR THE HARVEST
V:30 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.'"
God is in no hurry to build His Church. He has eternity. The Father has the second coming
of Jesus in view. The servant was steward over the portion of the field assigned to him.
Jesus is Lord over the entire field. Since all things work together for the good of the entire
Church body, we must make sure that what we do is according to God’s divine will.
Jesus said the harvest is plentiful but the worker is few. We must continue to do
work assigned to us while it is the day. Our job is to grow disciples (Matthew 28:19).
After the second coming of Jesus, every person will be called to judgment. Those who
accepted Christ Jesus will be granted eternity in heaven. Those who rejected Christ will be
cast into the burning hell for eternity.
SMALL START, A BIG ENDING
V:31 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."
The Gospel of Jesus Christ started small with 11 apostles. It has grown to cover the entire
world with millions of followers. It started with Jesus over 2000 years ago and is still
growing. Believers rest in the peace and joy of Jesus. Believer hopes in His second coming
and the promise of eternal life.
The Kingdom Of Heaven is the place where Jesus reigns and is the light of the world.
The Kingdom Of Heaven is a place of love, God’s righteousness and His Glory.
It is a place of unending praise and worship. It is a place of infinite growth in the
knowledge of the Lord.
Rev. M. Mitchell
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