This sermon delves into the parable of the wheat and the tares, emphasizing the importance of discerning true believers from imposters within Christianity. It highlights the need to align with the truth found in the written Word of God, focusing on Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43. The sermon warns against deception and stresses the significance of living out one's faith by following Jesus' commandments and maintaining fellowship with Him.

Okay, are we all set? Again, we welcome you tonight, dear sisters and brothers, and it is an honor to be able to share the Word of God with you. The Lord has put on my heart a parable about the wheat and the tares, and to help us understand this, I'd like to ask you to think back with me now. I'm an older person, which means I used to watch some TV programs of the past, and there used to be a show called To Tell the Truth, and in the show, To Tell the Truth, there were three people in the show who gave the name as being the same name for each person, and you didn't know who was that real person. And then there was a panel, and they would ask questions of the three people to try and find out the truth. Now, two people were lying, and one person was telling the truth, but sometimes the liars were so extraordinary that the panel picked the wrong person in telling the truth. And then those that were watching at home on their TV also were watching and trying to decide who was telling the truth. Now, the times that we're in today, we find that also in Christianity and in religion, this question comes up, who is telling the truth? Who is an imposter? Who is someone who is not telling the truth? And it becomes very difficult for us sometimes to understand what the differences are and where is truth today. And I have good news because we have the certainty of truth in the written Word of God. And so we're going to look at a parable from Matthew chapter 13 verses 24 to 30. And a parable, anyone remember what a parable is? An earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Thank you so much. An earthly story with a heavenly meaning. This was told by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And it is in Matthew chapter 13 verses 24 to 30. And there he talks about the wheat and the tares. The tares grow up in between wheat and are imposters. Initially you cannot detect the difference in them. But in time, Brother Ralph told me the tares turn black at the time when the wheat is ripe and golden, the tares will have turned black and you can easily identify who is right and who is wrong in this matter. And now the Lord Jesus spoke about this earthly story with a heavenly meaning. And I'm going to read it because I have the mic and it would also be helpful for our audience on the internet to hear the words from the Word of God. And so we are turning to Matthew chapter 13 verses 36 to 43. And there it says, another parable he put forth to them saying, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while man slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? He said to them, an enemy has done this. The servants said to him, do you want us then to go and gather them up? But he said, no, lest while you gather up the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. And at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, first gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. And after the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of the living God had given this parable, his followers, they're called disciples in the Bible. They were asking him, Lord, Lord, we don't know what this parable means. Can you help me please to understand? Can you give me some insight in what you meant in what you were saying? And so let us go to the parable of the tares explained in Matthew chapter 13 verses 36 to 43. In Matthew chapter 13 verses 36 to 43. Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house and his disciples came to him saying, explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said to them, he who sows the good seed is the son of man. The field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom or Christians, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age and the reapers are the angel, the angels. And now comes a great, great warning from the son of God himself. And this is a very severe warning to us as well to make sure that we are in the faith. And here in verse 40 through to 42, he says, therefore, as the tares, the tares, meaning the weed, uh, the wrong wheat, uh, not the true Christians are gathered and burned in the fire. So it will be at the end of this age, the son of man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom, all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness and will cast them into the furnace of fire. They will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. But then the Lord Jesus didn't stop there wonderfully because now comes the good news. Now comes the wonderful news in verse 43 and there it says, then the righteous will shine forth as the son in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And so thank you for, for reading with me God's word and let us speak about this parable a little bit more. And I made some further notes here on this pad. And so we have this example of wheat and the tares or weed, uh, tares are weeds. And, uh, the imposter here is the tare or the person that was planted, uh, by Satan within churches. And we have this all the time where there are those people who on the outside appear to be, uh, Christians, but on the inside, they are far from God. And so here, first of all, let us look at, uh, uh, uh, the, the, the wheat and, uh, in verse, uh, 13, 29 of Matthew 13, 29, it tells us the comparison here that Jesus makes. And he talks about, uh, the wheat and the wheat in this parable again, uh, was given to us as being, uh, those that follow him, the Christians, uh, those that are born of the kingdom. And, uh, in verse 38, it tells us who these people are. And if someone would look at verse 38 and please tell me what it says there again. The field is the world. The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. Who is the wicked one? Satan. So these are actually people that are children of Satan, of the evil one. And we often don't realize that, that they are those that will tear a church apart through gossip, through unloving behavior, through working their own self. They only have numero uno in mind. They only have their own opinions. They will not love others. They will not work together within a church. And so we find that there are these children of the devil who also in churches. And then it says in verse 38, that the good seed are the sons of the kingdom. So the good seed was compared to the wheat in verse 39. And here you have a wheat stock. So these are Christians in this wheat stock. And then on the other side, we have the imposter in verse 38, the sons of the lawless one. Now, when you compare tares in the Bible to wheat initially, you cannot tell the difference between the wheat and the weed because the tare is also called Darnell seed. And Darnell seed looks a little bit like this here when it grows up. But in the initial seed, when you look at it, it looks just like the kernels of good wheat. So you cannot tell the difference initially. And only later on at the harvest can you tell the difference because at the harvest time, this will turn black and this will turn golden rich and provide food for the nations. And then the average head of wheat has 50 kernels, 50 seeds. And when those 50 seeds fall to the ground, what happens? There's new growth again. And actually there's a principle here. When these seeds fall to the ground, each seed, if it finds good ground and grows in it, will have 50 kernels on its own head and produce 50 more and 50 more and 50 more. But it requires something for this wheat. This wheat must reach a point of dying to the self so that those kernels are shared with others. Because if they're not shared with others, there cannot be this new growth of 50 more per kernel. And so in Matthew chapter 13 verse 8 and Matthew chapter 13 verse 23, Jesus had given an example in a prior parable. And if we look at Matthew chapter 13 verse 8, there he said, but others fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some 60 and some 30. The Bible actually puts the sequence differently and puts the highest number first. Okay. I'm a little bit timid and hesitant. And so I put the small number first because it's a hard task in a way, because we are so opposed by the world to share the truth and to share the knowledge of the Lord. It is also interesting to note that in this parable here, the wheat was compared to be a Christian. Whereas in the prior parable, there's a prior parable about the sower and the soils, the sower and the soils and the sower just shares the seed. And there in that parable, the seed is the word of God. And there's an analogy here between the head of wheat and the seed and the prior parable, because we are given the living word of God in abundance to share if we really want to. And if we trust God to help us, we cannot do it on our own. So I thought I would take a further look at what Jesus meant with wheat. And so, first of all, there is a question, what does Jesus want to be done with the tares? Would you take a look at Matthew chapter 13, verse 30? Matthew chapter 13, verse 30. Would someone answer that for me, please? What does he want with the imposters? Let them grow. Let both together, yeah, until the end of the harvest. To let them both grow together until the harvest. And sometimes we get involved into big church fights and we tear the church apart. Now, where there's open sin, the gospels and in the New Testament letters, we're given advice on how to deal with open sin in the church. We cannot allow this. We ought to deal with it. But at the same time, where you have nominal Christians together with those that are truly committed to the Lord, the Lord said here, let them both grow together. Now, who will take care? Who will take care of these tares? And let us take a look at Matthew chapter 13, verse 41. And if someone could read verse 41 again for me, please. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity. And then verse 42, please. And shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. But is this really in the Bible? I thought Jesus is only love. I thought Jesus said, he's only love. I died for you. You now can do what you want. That is not what the Word of God says, beloved. Don't be deceived. There are many out there who say that after you're saved, you're under grace, do what you like, and God will forgive you and forget. This is not what the Word of God says, beloved. And also, some are saying, well, this was still before the cross, and this has a different meaning. But beloved, let me tell you the truth. Don't be deceived. Go by the written Word of God. Jesus tells you very, very clearly, if you walk against God's commands, if you sin continuously, I doubt that you're saved. Now, only God knows who is saved. But ultimately, if we continue obviously in sin and do evil, and I've heard testimonies of people who say, I am born again. I watch pornography. It's okay. I lie. It's okay. I smoke weed. It's okay. Not according to the Word of God, beloved. And then in the book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke with seven churches, and to five of those churches, He said, you better repent. You better ask for forgiveness. You better turn around from the walk you're on. There are terrible consequences if you don't stop sinning. And so we must keep this in mind. We must not be deceived by today's environment. And so the tears will be dealt with by the Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of the age, He will send His angels to take all those who are saying that they're Christian, but they're not living as Christians, and they will be ending up in this place that Jesus talked about in Matthew chapter 13, verse 42, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. They will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Now, is there an alternative? Praise God, there is. And so we have to look at this parable of the tears also from a different perspective. And we have to look at it from the perspective, uh, who should I deal with? Should I deal with my neighbor and talk about my neighbor? Whom should I deal with? Should I perhaps look at myself? Scripture says, look at whether you're in the faith. Test whether you're in the faith. Test whether you're doing well. And so God is also reminding us in this parable of the weed and the tears that if we are true Christians, we ought to look at, am I truly a grain of weight? Am I a grain that follows the Lord Jesus Christ? And so here we have a grain anatomy, and it's called anatomy because we're going to look at a kernel of wheat. And this is a kernel of wheat here, and it has an outer shell. The outer shell is called the bran, and it has fiber and B vitamins and antioxidants. Now the Darnell seed imitates the outside. The wheat is imitated by this imposter called the Darnell seed. And when you have the Darnell seed in your hand and wheat, you can hardly tell the difference. They almost look exactly alike. And so on the outside, perhaps I can look at a person and look at them and say, oh, this person looks pretty good. This person must be a Christian. But the outside, the bran alone, is not the whole wheat head, beloved. We must look on the inside. So in other words, you're saying they have a form of godliness but denies power, is that what you're saying? That is very good. Thank you so much, brother. They have a form of godliness, but they deny the power of God in their daily lives. They deny the power of God to help them to live this Christian life. They deny the power of God to help them to share their faith. They deny the power of God to help them to say no to sin. And so this is a critical aspect for true Christians not to deny the power that God gives us and the help that he wants to give true Christians. So a kernel of wheat then has the outside of the bran and then on the inside it has what is called endosperm. And the endosperm provides about one-third of the world's food supply. And we have here on the inside both the food supply and the reproductive process of the kernel of wheat. The reproductive process is called the germ that is part of the kernel of wheat. And when that falls to the ground and within the soil, the new growth takes place. So what we really need to do is look on the inside of us to determine who is the imposter. We cannot always tell on the outside. We cannot always tell by what a person says. But what is it that really sets apart true Christians? What is it that helps us to know the truth? And so in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 48 it tells us that after we are born again, after we're born again, and when someone has found that passage, if you would share it with us please. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 48. If someone could read that verse. Go ahead dear sister. Thank you. Thank you for reading that verse. And that verse really says that after we are born again, there is that heavenly part inside of us, and there's still the earthly part, the outside, the flesh, the old self, which still wants to sin. But by trusting God and following him, by trusting Jesus and following him, he will enable us to live this Christian life that represents the core of this kernel of wheat. And so in the endosperm, I want to give you seven steps on how to identify a true person believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Seven steps. And the first step is found in 1 John chapter 1 verse 3. 1 John chapter 1 verse 3. And when someone has found that verse, would you please refer to it. 1 John 1 verse 3. Thank you so much. So as true Christians, we ought to have fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and with the Father. If we don't have daily fellowship with him, how can we call ourselves a Christian? And in order to have a relationship and a fellowship, what is necessary to be part of a relationship and a fellowship? Part of the Spirit. To be born of the Spirit. And then on a daily basis, what do you do in a relationship? You communicate. You communicate. You talk with one another. You walk together, yes? You spend time together. If all of my time is taken up with baseball games and hockey games and other sports, and I spend two minutes with the Lord Jesus, who is really my God, it's the idols and the self, yes? So that is really the question. Do I have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and with the Father? And I need to ask this of myself, because I need to check, am I a tear? Am I someone that is deceiving? Because I must have that to be a true Christian. And then the second point, and I mentioned seven points, 1 John 1, verse 6, they're all in 1 John to make it easy. You can also take other parts of the Bible, but this is a pretty good list. If we say that we have fellowship with him, walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. And then verse 7, please. But if he walk in the light, if he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cancels us of all sin. So if we say that we have fellowship with him, but we do evil and we live in darkness, I smoke pot, I watch porn, I still cheat, lie, and thief as I formerly did in the world. Does that make me a true Christian, beloved? No. So do not be deceived by Satan. Do not be deceived by some of the new philosophies that are being put forth. Do not be deceived by some of the new religious branches that are evolving, that are saying, you are king, you can do whatever you like. It's a lie. It's a lie. And then if I walk in darkness and I don't walk in the light, how can I be a Christian? And then the next, the third point comes from 1 John 1, verses 8 to 9. And could someone else read verses 8 to 9 from 1 John 1, please? Sorry, 1 John 1, verses 8 and 9. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Yes, thank you so much. Thank you for reading that scripture. That's a wonderful scripture, sister, but... I was in chapter 2, sorry. Yeah, it's okay. So we were reading from 1 John 1, verses 8 and 9. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, so we must live in humility. We cannot live in pride and say, I'm already perfect in everything. I'm there. There's nothing wrong with me. That's not what 1 John 1 says. And then we need to ask for forgiveness of our sins. And now the fourth point from 1 John chapter 2. And now, sister Sonia, if you could read from 1 John chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, please? Now by this we know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He who says, I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. So here the question is, are you keeping Jesus' commandments? Don't look at a woman with lust. You have already committed adultery. Is that what Jesus said? Or if you're angry beyond reason, you have committed murder. And here it says, if I'm not keeping Jesus' commands, how can I call myself a Christian? And then the fifth point, 1 John chapter 2, verses 9 to 11. 1 John chapter 2, verses 9 to 11. Could someone read that, please? He that said he is in the light and hated his brother is in darkness even until now. Thank you so much. And then 10 and 11, please. He that loved his brother abided in the light and there is non-occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hated his brother is in darkness and walk in darkness and know not whether he goes because that darkness has blinded his eyes. And so here it says, if I hate my brother, if I hate my sister in church because you knock me a little bit, you had a disagreement on how I view theology and you had a different opinion. And I say, I don't want anything to do with that person. That is not right according to Scripture, dear sisters and brothers. Yes, we can help each other to find the truth, but don't reject the person, don't hate the people. It's very, very clear that if we hate others, then the truth is not yet within us. And then the sixth point, 1st John 2 verses 15 and 16. 1st John chapter 2 verses 15 and 16. I am writing to you, Father, because you know him. He is from the beginning. No, no, sorry. I got 13. 15. Verse 15 and 16. If anyone loves the world or the things in the world, if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and private life is not from the Father, but is from the world. Thank you so much. And are there things that I love more than Jesus? We're so often deceived. We don't have time for God. We get so busy with everything we do. And so television comes first. Internet comes first. My disagreement with my neighbor comes first. I don't have time to read the Word of God or to pray. And beloved, if we love the world more than Jesus, then that is a sign that perhaps I need to look at myself. Are there some changes necessary? And now comes the seventh point, which is found in 1st John chapter 2 verses 22 to 23. And that is an incredibly important point today. The Pope is telling us that God is love. He is there for all religions. He's the same God for all religions. Love will get you to heaven. Do a few good things. That will get you to heaven. And so let us read from 1st John 2 verses 22 to 23. 1st John chapter 2 verses 22 to 23. Go ahead, dear sister. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Christ, that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the Antichrist. He denies the Father and the Son. Thank you so much. So here, beloved, this is what the Word of God says. This is not any important person in the world. This is the Word of God. It says, who is the liar? But he who denies that Jesus is the Christ. He's Antichrist who denies the Father and Son. Scripture tells us that's a plant from hell. That's an imposter who's saying these things. That is something untruthful. It's designed for us to go to hell. So we cannot believe these things that we're being told. We must compare them to Scripture. So I encourage all of us to be that true seed, to be the true kernel. Yes, dear brother. Verse 23 in that actually proves that the false gods are worshiped. It says, he who denies Jesus does not have the Father in him. That's right. So it's something else and it's not the Father. That's right. That's right. Some other God has taken over. Yes. And so beloved, and Jesus was clear. Jesus was clear in Matthew chapter 13 verses 41 and 42. He's very clear in what he told us. And he said in verses 41 and 42, therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age, the son of man will send out his angels. They will gather out his kingdom, out of his kingdom, all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness and will cast them into the furnace of fire. They will be wailing and gnashing off teeth. Now, beloved, if you're on the internet and you're watching this, I've told you the truth. I love you. And God loves you. God wants you to turn around. He doesn't want you to stare to stay where you're at. You have been deceived, but praise God, also tares can still be born again and become true Christians. So I encourage you to ask Jesus into your life to ask for forgiveness and then start new again and be no more an imposter, but become a true Christian. And then here are some solutions for Christians, because some of you might have said, well, I'm not perfect. I realize what scripture says, and I admit before God in some of these areas, I have difficulties. And so Christ Jesus loves us so much. He intercedes before the Father for us, and he will forgive. He will forget. He will take away the sin that so easily besets us as we confess before him, as we repent, as we tell him what we did wrong and ask him to cleanse us and then ask for higher help and ask for the Holy Spirit and filling of the Spirit. And our brother said before that Christians today deny the power of the living God. And that is our number one problem, where we deny the power of the most high God in our lives to help us to live the lives that we ought to live. And then believe that he has filled you. Start a new path. Get away from things that draw you into sin. And then in Matthew chapter 13, verse 43, we finish with this wonderful, wonderful verse where it tells us, then the righteous will shine forth as the son in the kingdom of their father. He who has ears to hear, let them hear. Let them hear. Let us close our heads in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for sharing your wonderful word that gives us truth, that helps us understand what is happening in these days, help us to apply this truth to our lives, that we might not be imposters, that we might not be tares, that we might be true Christians following the Lord Jesus Christ in spirit and in truth. And then Father, those that are watching that perhaps have been misled to believe that they were saved when they made a little statement, but then there was no evidence in their life that they had become truly a Christian. Father, I pray that they would bow their hearts and their heads before you and say, God, I have failed and I have seen your son Jesus in this story of the wheat and the tares, and I'm still a tare, but I want to be wheat. Save me today and I give my life to you. And as you hear that, Father, answer that prayer that that person would then also experience power in their lives to be able to live this Christian life in accordance with your truth. And we thank you for this in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen and amen. Thank you so much. Thank you.