7. Matthew 13:24 (NIV) - “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.”

8. Matthew 13:25-26 (NIV) – “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.”

9. Wheat Weed (Darnel)

10. Matthew 13:27-28 (NIV) - “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?’”

11. Matthew 13:29-30 (NIV) - “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 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.’”

12. Matthew 13:37-41 (NIV) - “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 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, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 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.”

13. Matthew 7:15 (NIV) - “Watch out for false prophets
Matthew 7:15 (NIV) - “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.”

14. Matthew 25:31-32 (NIV) - “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

15. Matthew 13:42-43 (NIV) – “They [the angels] will throw them [the weeds] into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

16. We are the people of the Kingdom who are sown into the world to be an influence
Matthew 5:6 (NIV) – “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

17. We should not be so quick with our judgments
No one who sees only part of a thing can judge the whole
And no one who knows only part of a person’s life can judge the whole person
James 4:12 (NIV) – “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?”

18. It is not our role to remove evil from the world
Sadly and then gratefully, Martin Luther once said to one of the Catholic emissaries, “If heretics have deserved the stake, then you and the Pope should be killed a thousand times. Nevertheless, I do not want it to be done."
It is never the job of the seeds to pull the weeds!

19. We must be on our guard against the spirit of the age
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) – “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

21. 1 Corinthians 15:58 – “My dear brothers and sisters, stand firm
1 Corinthians 15:58 – “My dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”