From Sifting to Shifting, Pt. 2

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 says, “24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn…36Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41The 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; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
 
The wheat, who is the children of God, are sown along with the tares, who are those who are lost in sin, and both of them grow up together. However, the wheat are gathered into the barn to spend eternity in the presence of God, but those chaff are burned in eternal torment. This coincides with Matthew 3:11-12 when John the Baptist said, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” John the Baptist prepared the way of Jesus into the hearts of men and women by baptizing men unto repentance, prophesying of the turn around and transformation of Jesus who was to come, but when He would come He would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire, a burning zeal and passion for God. The Holy Spirit is the distinguishing factor from the wheat and the chaff, and while we are consumed by fire, others will be destroyed by it! There is coming a day when the authentic will be separated from the counterfeit, the wheat from the chaff, the sheep from the goats, and it is important to choose to live for God now. You cannot fake it until you make it because God sees and knows all things! If you want to be ready when the Lord returns, then follow Jesus Christ and know Him for yourself. Just as Jesus spoke in this parable and to the churches of Asia Minor, we must hear what He is saying to the church, and it is stop wearing a mask, but get real with Him!
 
Never judge the kingdom of heaven in operation based off of the tares, those who are sown in by the enemy with the motive of hypocrisy. The fact there is a counterfeit is proof there is an authentic! The only way the enemy can sow seed in the field is when the farmers are asleep! The enemy’s motive is to disrupt, weaken and starve out the potential of the wheat. God allows the tares to grow with the wheat because even though tares may be in the field, it is not worth destroying the wheat! God’s laborers are often guilty of giving up on the growth of the wheat because of the tares that have been attached to them! Let people grow, and let God separate!
 
The wheat was harvest in what is known as the threshing floor. 1 Chronicles 21:18-30 teaches us a story about the threshing floor. Satan stood against Israel and provoked David to number Israel. In other words, he wanted to “sift” David as wheat. David caved into this temptation, and it was a sin because it was required in the Law of Moses when enacting a census to collect half a shekel of redemption (Exodus 30:13-14, Perry Stone Commentary). This atonement money was to be used for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation (Exodus 30:16), which in this case could be used in the future temple of Solomon. However, David did this in pride, which gave the devil an open door. Therefore, a plague had come upon the nation of Israel, and David was commanded by God through Gad to build an altar on the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. While Ornan was threshing wheat, he made an offer to Ornan, and Ornan accepted David’s offer. There, David built an altar and offered sacrifices to God, and God accepted the sacrifices and demonstrated His acceptance by raining down fire from heaven. Jewish tradition states that this was the same altar where Noah had offered sacrifices after the flood and where Abraham offered Isaac (Perry Stone Commentary). The plague would be stopped, and this same location would become the future grounds of where the temple of Solomon would be constructed. It was at the threshingfloor where a plague was stopped and the glory of God came in such thickness and heaviness that the ministers could not even stand up while they ministered. Isn’t it amazing how Solomon did not just build a temple and ask for the glory of God, but he build the temple around the glory of God and the ancient history of intercession and sacrifice, a place where lighting struck! The threshingfloor is the place where we as the wheat intercede so that the plagues and curses of sin can be stopped and the glory of God can be poured out in a significant measure. We need to go back to the threshingfloor of intercession because it is the sacrifice of prayer that distinguishes the righteous from the wicked, the wheat from the chaff! If we want God to rain fire down from heaven, go to the threshingfloor!
 
It is all about what harvest you are laboring in. Some are laboring just as Satan and sowing tares among the wheat. In other words, they are sowing discord! Proverbs 13:12-14 teaches that a wicked person sows discord, and their end and destruction will come suddenly. Some people try to walk about and sow discord in hopes of causing division and bringing down others for their own benefit and vain good. Sowing discord is causing tares among the wheat, imperfections among the harvest. We need to recognize this discord and cut it out at the core. Any thought or action that comes into your mind that would result in division or rebellion, get rid of it because God will not bless it. The church does not grow through division but multiplication. We are not called to criticize or negate authority, but rather to honor it and submit to it. Sow the seed of God’s Word, not the seed of words of gossip, slander or a judgment. It will result in a healthy harvest!
 
Simply put, you reap what you sow! Galatians 6:7-10 says, “7Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” We reap what we sow. If we sow seeds of discord in accordance to the flesh in promoting our selfish agendas, we will reap tares in the harvest that are only destined for hurt, pain, and destruction. If we sow to the Spirit by speaking God’s Word of faith, love, power, and encouragement, we will only reap life. It is not about speaking death to our purpose or anyone else’s, but life. We are not to grow weary in well doing because in due season we shall reap. Again, we sow in one season in order to reap in the next one! You may not see results when you want to, but harvest time is here and more reaping is on the way. Let’s never pass up the opportunity to sow the seed of God’s Word into someone else’s life. It can reap a mighty harvest and change their life forever!