Why does God Allow Good and Evil in the World?

Intro, Purpose, Plan

Why is there evil in the church? What about those who are sincere and have faith in God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ?

Let’s understand that the church is and will always be a mixture of good and evil, but those who are righteous by faith will shine.

Let’s discuss the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds from Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 and its implications for the church.

Matthew 13:24-25 What are Tares?

In Matthew 13:24-25 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.” The weed was probably darnel, called cockle and false wheat. It exists worldwide, looking similar to wheat until maturity. Wheat ears are heavy. It hangs down. Darnel ears are light. It stands tall. The wicked seem to prosper while the righteous suffer. Cockle has a deeper root. Removing it would pull out the wheat. A solution is to let both grow together until harvest and separate them then, when the righteous will shine.

Matthew 13:28-29 Evils in the Church

The Church does much good in the world, like schools, universities, medical care, music, arts, literature, science, human rights, opposing slavery, influencing laws, providing orphanages, care for the hungry and poor. Why is evil also in the Church? Why did Catholics exterminate Waldensians and murder tens of thousands during the Inquisition? Why did Catholics and Protestants murder Anabaptists? Why did Calvinists murder French priests? Why do Orthodox persecute Russian Protestants? Can we weed all corruption out of church? In Matthew 13:28-29 Jesus described evil to his disciples as weeds among the wheat. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.”

Matthew 13:30 Waiting Until Harvest

Do we get upset and angry with wrongdoing in the Church? Should we excommunicate all remorseless sinners until few are left in the church? Should we refuse to have communion with those who are corrupt and unresponsive to God? What if in so doing, we also offend family members and friends who are sincere Christians? In Matthew 13:30 Jesus said, “Let both grow together until the harvest.” Jesus does not ask us to tolerate evil but be patient because the responsibility is not ours but the angels’. The Church has always been a mixture of sinners and saints. We must be patient, praying for repentance and waiting until the harvest.

Matthew 13:37-39 7 Keys to the Parable of the Weeds

Jesus gave 7 keys to understanding the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13:37-39. They help us understand other parables. 1) Who really sows? “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.” 2) Where is God working? “The field is the world.” 3) Are we God’s children? “The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom.” 4) Who are Satan’s children? “The tares are the sons of the wicked one.” 5) Who is ultimately responsible for evil? “The enemy who sowed them is the devil.” 6) How long must we wait? “The harvest is the end of the age.” 7) Who harvests? “The reapers are the angels.”

Matthew 13:38 The Children of the Kingdom

In Matthew 13:38 we read in the parable of the wheat and weeds, “The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.” Outward appearances can be deceiving. Only Jesus can truly judge between the wheat and weeds in the world. Even in the church, not all professing Christians are righteous. The visible church has always been a mixture of good and evil (1 John 2:19-20; Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 9:6; 2 Peter 2:20-22). At harvest the righteous will be visible because the children of the kingdom “will shine forth as the sun.”

Matthew 13:41 Judgmentalism & Judgment

We’ve all met people who complain that the Church is too judgmental. It’s true — in part — but the statement itself also judgmental. The Church does not own irrational and snobbish criticism exclusively. It’s common to all. We try to make good judgments by discerning between right and wrong. When is judgment right and when is it wrong? In Matthew 13:41 Jesus said, “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.” If someone is condemned or not is not ours to judge? What is Jesus’ alone to judge is not our business.

Matthew 13:40-43 Jesus, Liberal or Conservative

Liberals and conservatives accuse each other of evil. Do conservatives protect mere human traditions, traditions inspired by God or traditions like Moses’ bronze snake that have become useless idols or all the above? Do liberals depart from the Bible or refuse to interpret the Bible legalistically or both? Jesus is described as liberal or conservative on a variety of issues, but He is always orthodox. In Matthew 13:40-43 Jesus used the term weeds, “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.”

Outro

Righteousness in the New Testament is not by sinless perfection, but by faith. We all have sins we know about and sins we are blind to. The only thing that will save us is faith in God’s forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ. It is not our job to judge whether or not a particular person is wheat or weed in God’s field by their obvious sins. That is for the angels and Christ on that great day of judgment. Thank God that he can convert any one of us into wheat. Let us all pray for God’s forgiveness and focus on the future when the righteous will shine like the sun.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolium_temulentum

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43; 1 John 2:19-20; Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 9:6; 2 Peter 2:20-22

Receiving the Word

Intro, Purpose & Plan

Are our hearts downtrodden, like a well-worn path? Are our hearts hard, lacking stick-to-it-iveness or thorny, laden down with worldly cares. How can we learn to become like rich soil that receives the word of the kingdom and produces a rich harvest?

Let us understand where we find genuine Christianity deeply within people’s hearts.

We will look at Matthew 13:1-23 and the Parable of the Sower.

Matthew 13:4, 19 Superficial Christianity

In Matthew 13:4 and 19 the message of the kingdom is snatched away by birds. What happens? If we are careless with the message of the kingdom, it can be taken away. When the word of the kingdom comes, we should take time to understand it, because it is easily lost. We may even call ourselves Christian, but is it only a label, superficial, just on the surface? Is it only an outward show and not a deep Christian life? There is no substitute for the word of the kingdom as a lamp to guide our path (Psalm 119:105-112). Do we take time to understand the word of the kingdom?

Matthew 13:5-6, 20 Shallow Christianity

In Matthew 13:5-6, and 20 what happens on rocky soil that causes the seed of  the word of the kingdom to die so quickly? The seed that fell on the rocks did take root, but it was shallow. It had no deep root and died when hard times came. Shallow Christianity focuses on good times and materialism, but not deep spiritual things. For example, health and wealth are a focus of shallow Christianity. Suffering and persecution are rarely or never preached in such circles. The Bible teaches: blessed are those who suffer and are persecuted for righteousness. Shallow Christianity cannot handle the truth and avoids it. But deep-rooted Christianity lives on.

Matthew 13:7, 22 Anxious & Deceived Christianity

In Matthew 13:7, 22 what happens in the thorns that causes the word of the kingdom to be choked? How do anxiety and wealth suffocate us? Why do we receive the word, and circumstances soon strangle it? Like thorns, worldly cares and affluence suck the life out of us. We are enticed to waste time and effort on worthless materialism. Worldly success becomes all-consuming. Then, important things suffer, like family life and the word of God. The result is that our lives become spiritually dead. On such a treadmill, we have less time to even think about the word of the kingdom. How do we escape our prisons to freedom?

Matthew 13:8, 23 Fruit-Filled Christianity

In Matthew 13:8, 23 what happens in good soil that causes the seed of the word of the kingdom to grow so well? After describing superficial, shallow and worry-filled lives, Jesus described fruit-filled Christianity. What is the difference? One difference is understanding. The Greek implies being “put together” as in the God-given ability to synthesize the word of the kingdom into a whole picture. The Holy Spirit helps us to put spiritual ideas together producing a fruit-filled Christianity. John the Baptist understood this when he chided the Pharisees about repentance. As a genuine change of heart is seen by its fruits, so does authentic Christianity produce a fruit-filled life.

Matthew 13:9 He Who Has Ears

In Matthew 13:9 is a familiar saying of Jesus, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” What does that mean? It means, Pay attention! It does not mean hearing outwardly only, but deep down inside. It means to comprehend. It means to put to use the parables Jesus taught. It is an invitation to think about the deeper, hidden meaning. Why did Jesus paint such familiar farming pictures? Are there morals to His stories? His parables require more than ordinary powers of superficial thought to understand. Jesus said this proverbial conclusion more than once, perhaps to indicate which of His teachings were of greatest importance. Do we hear?

Matthew 13:10-18 Why Parables

In Matthew 13:10-18 Jesus revealed why He spoke in parables. It was because, “whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” So, those who have no interest in learning to obeying God will not understand. Not everyone has ears that desire to hear, but those who have the desire can ask God for understanding. A parable is a story, an allegory that illustrates a moral or spiritual lesson. To those who really learn to understand, Jesus says, “blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.”

Lesson: Sow Indiscriminately

In the Parable of the Sower Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven being like an indiscriminate sower. This contradicts theories surrounding church growth of targeting certain statistically measurable demographics. There is no such target audience in this parable. The seed of the kingdom is sown with wild abandon. I like that. It’s more like spreading of the Gospel with faith instead of using man-made formulas. A well-known leader in the church growth movement once said that he could build a church a mile wide but only an inch deep, only a pastor can build depth. Jesus said something quite different. He said, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18).

Lesson: Fail in Order to Succeed

An old axiom says that failure is the stepping stone to success. Are we afraid of failure? The road to success is paved with failures. Before the farmer in the Parable of the Sower had a successful crop he failed in three areas. We fail in these same areas. We allow the devil to snatch the word of God away from us. We allow the deceitfulness of wealth to choke out the word of God. We are shallow in faith and quit too easily. Paths can be plowed up, thorns can be uprooted and rocks can be pulverized into good productive soil. All our failures can be stepping stones to success.

Outro

At times our hearts may have been downtrodden, like a well-worn path. Our hearts may have been hard because we lacked stick-to-it-iveness or thorny and laden down with worldly cares. May we all learn to become like rich soil of genuine Christianity, allowing the message of the kingdom to root deeply in our hearts producing a life filled with wonderful spiritual harvest.

Rest for Our Souls

Intro

What burdens do we carry? What does criticism of believers who are different from us do for us? Where can we find rest from these heavy burdens?

Purpose

Let’s find rest from the heavy burdens that we and others place upon ourselves.

Plan

Let’s look at what Jesus had to say about burdens and rest in Matthew 11:16-30.

Matthew 11:16-19 Eating and Drinking

Greek notes: Verse 17 “lament” [literally beat the chest in grief]. Verse 18 the more conservative believer is said to have a “demon” [an evil spirit], in our language, is mad. Verse 19 the more liberal Christ is said to be a “glutton and wine-bibber” [an insult].

Matthew 11:16-19 contains an allegory of children in a public square arguing while playing make-believe funerals and weddings. “We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.” In the Church we sometimes argue over such things. Some Christian music sounds like a funeral dirge and some sounds festive like a wedding. Are we too often like the children in the marketplace? Is God interested in petty arguments? Do we childishly criticize legitimate choices like John the Baptist “neither eating nor drinking” versus Jesus “eating and drinking?” The children of true, heavenly wisdom approve the conduct of both as justified.

Matthew 11:20-24 Three Insignificant Towns

Why in Matthew 11:20-24 did Jesus denounce three small towns in Galilee? Were they like Sodom and Gomorrah, or Las Vegas and Amsterdam? They were not major sin cities with prostitution, debauchery or even child sacrifice. Jesus said that such cities, “would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” That’s the problem! While we focus on morality or social justice, Jesus pointed out a far worse problem, unwillingness to repent. What does Jesus say about sin cities? He said, “it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” Why? It’s not where we start, but where we end up that counts.

Matthew 11:25-27 Hidden Things

Why can national leaders not understand how to lead nations to God? Why can the most highly educated and greatest minds on our planet not bring about peace? Why do the wealthy and powerful of the world not understand that their greed and selfishness destroys their own families and the world? There is an answer in knowing God. In Matthew 11:25-27 Jesus prayed that, “You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” Who alone can reveal the most important secrets of all? “Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

Matthew 11:28 I Will Give You Rest

Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Our Sabbath rest is in Jesus and eternity (Hebrews 4). No Christian keeps the letter of the law as Deuteronomy, which expounds the Ten Commandments,1 demands. Some want to keep the law in the letter and the spirit, but the letter kills (2 Corinthians 3:6). The only option left is keeping the law in spirit. The New Testament teaches us how. Our true rest is in Him, circumcision is in the heart (Romans 2:29), and love fulfills the whole law (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14).

1 1st Deuteronomy 6-11; 2nd Deuteronomy 12; 3rd Deuteronomy 13:1-14:21; 4th Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17; 5th Deuteronomy 16:18-18:22; 6th Deuteronomy 19-21; 7th Deuteronomy 22:1-23:14; 8th Deuteronomy 23:15-24:7; 9th Deuteronomy 24:8-16; 10th Deuteronomy 24:17-26:15. Source: Hill, Andrew E. & Walton, John H. A Survey of the Old Testament. Zondervan Publishing House. 1991. 58.

Matthew 11:28-29 Rest for our Souls

In Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus offers a rest that no one else can give, that no letter-of-the-law Sabbath day observance can give. Our need of rest is twofold, to “all you who labor and are heavy laden.” Labor becomes like a treadmill when we add the burden of sorrow that sin produces. Jesus’ promise of rest is also twofold, “I will give you rest” and “you will find rest for your souls.” These precious blessings are offered to all of us, the rest in coming to Christ, the rest of a quiet conscience, the rest of friendship with God, the rest of forgiveness, rest from fears, and rest for our souls.

Matthew 11:30 My Burden is Light

A problem that the church has faced down through the ages is the temptation to add to Jesus’ easy burden, the heavy burden of man-made practices, weights, cumbersome rituals, Pharisaic rules, and unbearable religious demands that neither Jesus nor His Apostles taught. Jesus contrasted His light burden with the heavy burden that religious leaders in His day who taught the Scriptures imposed (Matthew 23:1-12). In the hands of hypocrites who love power, church can become a human-created burden. Those who teach the Bible must beware not to add to the light load that Jesus gave. In Matthew 11:30 Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Hebrews 3:7-4:11 A Promise of Rest

Rest for our souls is a topic in Matthew 11 and Hebrews 3 & 4. The Sabbath day and the Promised Land are pictures of eternal rest. “There remains therefore a rest [literally ‘a Sabbath rest’] for the people of God.” (Hebrews 4:9) Though we find rest for our souls now, there still remains an eternal rest. “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:11) We are invited to rest from the burden of sin, our anxieties, the distress of unsatisfied desires, from deep sorrows after a death, and to make every diligence to enter eternal rest.

Outro

No need to worry about different approaches to our common faith. We have enough burdens to bear without criticizing others. Let’s unload our heavy burdens on Jesus and find true rest for our souls.

References

Matthew 11:16-30; Hebrews 3:7-4:11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 2:29; Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; Matthew 23:1-12

Hill, Andrew E. & Walton, John H. A Survey of the Old Testament. Zondervan Publishing House. 1991. 58.

A Cup of Cold Water

Intro

How important is it to be a welcoming church? How thankful are we for those who receive us? How do we receive Gospel preachers, each other, and newcomers?

Purpose

Let’s become more welcoming.

Plan

We will look at Matthew 10:40-42 and hospitality.

2 Kings 4:8-17 The Shunammite Woman

Background to the Gospel lesson in Matthew 10:40-42 is a wonderful story of hospitality (2 Kings 4:8-17). Shunem (Sulam) still exists today near Nazareth. A wealthy woman there invited the prophet Elisha to eat with her and her husband. Her home became a regular stopping place as Elisha passed by. Her hospitality was so rare and great that she and her husband went to considerable trouble and expense building a spare room for him to rest on his journeys. Asking his assistant Gehazi what he could do to repay the woman’s kindness, he learned that she was childless. The prophet said she would bear a child. God rewards hospitality.

Matthew 10:40 Receiving the Son

Greek notes: He who receives you (ὑμᾶς, ee‑mahs - plural accusative - That means all the Apostles, not just some. By extension, does that mean all Christians, not just some?) receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent (ἀποστείλαντά, ah‑poh‑stee‑lahn‑dah = apostled) Me.

Sometimes we may be reluctant to allow others to bless us with a gift. Some people have even gotten angry when others give to them. We need to allow others the blessing of blessing us without rejecting their love. In Matthew 10:40 the disciples were taught this by Jesus, when He said, “He who receives you receives Me.” What that means is, when people receive Christians, they are in effect receiving Christ Himself. A compliment is a kind of gift. When someone pays us a compliment bragging is wrong, but so it rejecting it. Simply say, thank you. We need to learn to be thankful receivers as well as givers.

Matthew 10:40 Receiving the Father

Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Seventh Day churches, some Baptists, some Calvinists and others all claim to be the one true church. How should we treat people of other denominations? Would God call it a sin to exclude those who receive Jesus from sharing in a common communion? What would Jesus say about this? In Matthew 10:40 He said, “he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” Why would we not receive anyone who receives Jesus and our heavenly Father? If we receive those who receive Jesus, we receive our Father in heaven. Can we receive each other as fellow believers of the important things and not divide over lesser issues?

Matthew 10:41 Prophets & Righteous People

Greek notes: He who receives a prophet (προφήτην, proh‑fee‑teen = a proclaimer of a divine message, one to whom God reveals His truth, and through whom He speaks. Hence, in the OT prophets their preaching was a prophesying of a salvation and purposes of grace and glory yet to be accomplished, while in the case of the NT prophets their prophesying was a preaching of those purposes of grace already accomplished, and also a foretelling of the purposes of glory which were still future.) in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous (δίκαιον, thee‑keh‑ohn = just, right) man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

In Matthew 10:41 Jesus said, “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward.” A prophet “is someone inspired by God to foretell or tell-forth (forthtell) the Word of God.” Jesus further said, “he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” One preaches God’s word and the other acts upon God’s word. Bengel’s Gnomon [1] says, “A prophet is one who speaks, a righteous man one who acts, in the name of God, and is distinguished for his remarkable righteousness.” Welcome a preacher or righteous person, receive the same reward in heaven.

[1] Johann Albrecht Bengel. Gnomon Novi Testamenti, or Exegetical Annotations on the New Testament. 1742.

Matthew 10:42 Little Ones

Greek notes: And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup (ποτήριον, poh‑tee‑ree‑ohn = cup, a drinking vessel) of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward (μισθ|ὸν, mees‑thohn = hire, wages, pay).

In Matthew 10:42 Jesus said, “whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” Who is a little one? Is it left open to interpretation? Certainly new Christians are little ones in the faith, but also humble Christians can be little ones in their own eyes. A cup of cold water might be considered the minimum hospitality. Do we welcome “little” disciples as we might define them? What about disciples who are unrighteous and have not grown? If so, Jesus promises that we will surely be rewarded.

Matthew 10:40-42 Summary

In Matthew 10:40-42 Jesus gave four points on hospitality. 1) Receive us, receive Jesus. We represent Christ wherever we go. Do we receive other believers as we would treat Christ? 2) Receive a prophet. The prophet speaks God’s word publicly. Salvation is a gift but those who have done more will be rewarded with more. 3) Receive a righteous person. In the New Testament righteousness is by faith. Do we welcome those who have faith in Christ? 4) Give little ones a friendly reception. How do we treat new converts? When others welcome us are we gracious guests? Our neighbors need the Gospel. If they welcome us, they welcome Jesus.

Outro

Let’s appreciate those who receive us. Let’s welcome Gospel preachers, the righteous among us and little ones.

References

Matthew 10:40-42; 2 Kings 4:8-17

Johann Albrecht Bengel. Gnomon Novi Testamenti, Exegetical Annotations on the New Testament. 1742.

Bullinger, Rev. Ethelbert W. A. Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament. London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1895. 2008 TheBible.org