“THE EVIL AMONG US”
Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43 (NRSV)

If you’d give me several hours of your time and a good chair I’d be glad to discuss with you why evil exists and why it is not a contradiction of an “All Powerful, All Knowing God.”

When asked why God created man when He knew he would sin, Martin Luther replied, "Let us keep clear of these abstract questions and consider the will of God such as it has been revealed to us."

In our scripture passage for today Jesus will give us a view of how we are to live and deal with the evil among us. Jesus tells us that we, those who have responded to God and the Son of Man, will face evil among us. Jesus calls them “tares.”

Tares are more specifically called “the bearded darnel.” It is mentioned only here in Matthew chapter 13. It is a species of rye-grass, and the seeds are a strong poison. It bears a close resemblance to wheat till the ear appears, and then the difference is discovered. It grows plentifully in Syria and Palestine.

Tares are present in the church as well, as we have many folks who look like Christians until we see their fruit. Mainline churches are especially full of tares, but every church has its share. The Christian-claiming tare is responsible for much pain and suffering among the believers. Even Jesus had a tare among His disciples that He had to tolerate.

Tares are also present in America as well. While many people feel as if America was set up as a practicing Christian Nation, dedicated to the freedoms endowed by the Creator as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, many do not and will do what they can to destroy or undermine it.

Just like the church America has never been perfect but her system of laws, care and concern for the least among us, and a willingness to share the burdens of woes was and I pray, still is a shining example and testimony to the exceptionalism of its people.

Over the years many have challenged and failed to destroy our union but the attacks on our culture are reaching overwhelming heights.

Let me give you an example. A man I will call a tare was David Saul Alinsky, born in Russia in 1909, who came to America, settled in Chicago to become a “community organizer.”

His philosophies for undermining society are recorded in his book, Rules for Radicals, which has become the basis, for a popular political movement aimed at “fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”

Many current politicians and political action groups operating in our country mark Alinsky as their “hero and mentor.”

Alinsky developed his ideas as a professor at the University of Chicago and as a community organizer in Chicago.The dedication page of his book is quite revealing: 

“Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical: from all our legends, mythology, and history... the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer.”

His instructions for “how to create a social state” include 8 areas he said must be manipulated and controlled: Healthcare – Poverty – Debt – Gun Control – Welfare – Education – Religion – Class Warfare. Look around church – sound familiar?

Jesus knew about people like Alinsky. Listen to Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13, verses 24-30 and 36-43:

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; ²⁵but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.

²⁶So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. ²⁷And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?”

²⁸He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” ²⁹But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. ³⁰Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ ³⁷He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

⁴⁰Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, ⁴²and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears^* listen!

So much for Christians and “we the church” living in time of peace and prosperity. Instead we are being choked out and fighting for resources and our very existence.

Many of you wonder why some churches aren’t prospering or why people don’t come to church, or what’s going on. The answer is simple for those with ears who listen to Jesus.

Sadly, many Christians spend most of every day with their heads in the sand, blissfully unaware, or strongly avoiding, the war raging around them.

And partially they are right, for God is the judge who will remove the tares and settle the debts. Jesus tells us that. But we have to tend to ourselves and make our preparation for the coming harvest! We are to listen with our ears and see tares.

The story is told of a farmer in a Midwestern state who had a strong disdain for "religious" things. As he plowed his field on Sunday morning, he would shake his fist at the church people who passed by on their way to worship. October came and the farmer had his finest crop ever--the best in the entire county.

When the harvest was complete, he placed an advertisement in the local paper which belittled the Christians for their faith in God. Near the end of his diatribe he wrote, "Faith in God must not mean much if someone like me can prosper."

The response from the Christians in the community was quiet and polite. In the next edition of the town paper, a small ad appeared. It read simply, "God doesn't always settle His accounts in October." 

It would be wonderful to live separate from evil and troubles, wouldn’t it? But Jesus cautions us about judging and taking His justice into our hands. Instead we are to pray.

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn wrote: “If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”  In the end we don’t have the guts or heart to weed out evil.

We can ask all we want but Nigel Wright wrote in 1990 that “There is a fundamental sense in which evil is not something that can be made sense of. The essence of evil is that it is something which is absurd, bizarre and irrational. It is the nature of evil to be inexplicable, an enigma and a stupidity.”

What we must come to understand, as taught by Jesus, is the last few verses of this passage: “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, ⁴²and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

We need to make sure our own house, our own relationship with God, is filled with prayer, petition, and repentance. We need to do everything to honor God, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, then we need have no fear of the future or eternity.

An American writer named Wilson Mizner was a boxer who socialized with other boxers. One night Mizner and boxer "Mysterious" Billy Smith visited a San Francisco bar, where Mizner started a fight with some longshoremen.

At the end of the fight only one longshoreman was left standing. Although Mizner threw every punch he knew at the man, he wouldn’t go down. Suddenly, Smith noticed what was happening. "Leave him alone, Wilson!" he shouted. "I knocked him out five minutes ago."

Taking a closer look it turned out that a punch from Smith had indeed knocked the longshoreman out cold, but had also wedged him standing up between two pieces of furniture.

Jesus assures us that evil was defeated on the Cross, and is only being tolerated up until the Heavenly Harvest. This story of Smith and Wilson give us an accurate picture of our already-defeated but still standing enemy Satan!

So how then do we live until then? St. Paul’s joint Sunday School recently conducted a weeklong VBS/Bible Boot Camp.

If you attended then you’d know. Listen to Ephesians 6: 10-17:

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil.  For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the uthorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. 

This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 

Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace.

In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.

Some of you think these are “Sunday School” words good just for children – but we as followers of Christ have never needed them more. We need to cling to the old rugged Cross, the Truth and Light of Christ, and the Love of God if we are going to keep growing and avoid being choked out by the evil and vileness all around us that seeks to poison everything God created.

WE can’t put on the “belt of compromise,” “the breastplate of tolerance,” “the earth shoes of progressive evolution,” “the shield of political correctness,” “the helmet of ecumenical salvation,” or “the sword of human experience” and remain safe from evil and temptation.We just can’t do it anymore.

 
Each of us needs to re-read and study the first^t three chapters of the Book of Revelation and take heed to the warnings listed there about “lukewarm” Christians from Laodicea who  were happy as clams with their “no commitment, no real responsibility” religion. So it is in much of the emergent and progressive churches today.

Listen to the words of Jesus from Revelation 3: 19-20 – “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

Don’t be lukewarm Christians. Only the full armor, the WHOLE armor, of God will do! Amen.

 

Farmers Lottery

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Two farmers each won a million dollars in the state lottery. The first farmer said he was going to use his money to retire, move to Florida, and live the good life. When the second farmer was asked what he was going to do he replied, “I don’t know, I think I’ll just keep on farming until it’s all used up!”

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought of it this way before but I’ve talked to many farmers who look at planting and harvesting as the ultimate gamble. They never know how the reaping will go in the end until it’s over, hoping that it will be profitable. They know that many things including the weather are beyond their control.

But there is always one fact that matters: you have to invest in the seed and prepare the land before you sow.

Two old men were sitting around talking and the first one said, “Let’s go get some lottery tickets. The jackpot is up around 400 million dollars.” The second old guy said, “I don’t buy those things.”  

“But that’s a whole pile of money. Don’t you think it’s worth spending five bucks to win?” said the first guy. The second old guy replied, “No! You’ve only got 1 in about 5.4 million chances to win. That puts the odds of proving you are a loser to almost 100 percent.”

“Well, not playing at all makes you an automatic loser,” was the retort of the first old guy.  “That’s okay,” was the reply, “At least I’ll still have my five bucks!”

A Texan farmer goes to Australia for a vacation. There he meets an Aussie farmer and gets talking. The Aussie shows off his big wheat field and the Texan says, "Oh! We have wheat fields that are at least twice as large".

Then they walk around the ranch a little and the Aussie shows off his herd of cattle. The Texan immediately says, "We have longhorns that are at least twice as large as your cows."

The conversation has, meanwhile, almost died when the Texan sees a herd of kangaroos hopping through the field. He asks, "And what are those?" The Aussie asks with an incredulous look, "Don't you have any grasshoppers in Texas?”

Jesus used farming, or at least the concept of planting and harvesting as metaphors of the Kingdom of God. Let’s hear the first of three (from Matthew 13: 1-9, 18-23):

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.  Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 

And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 

Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!"

"Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

Jesus tells us that only those seeds sown in good soil will bear fruit. Notice that He doesn’t make any distinction between the seeds themselves, but discusses only the type of ground the seed interacts with. This confirms the concept of “free will” in humanity and tells us that God loves the sinner but hates the sin.

Jesus, in highlighting the “soil,” or ground, and is telling us that we must ever be careful of the temptations, snares, and tarrasso’s surrounding us in the larger culture and/or society around us. It is from these, that bad fruit and stunted growth come from.

Remember what Jesus means in Matt. 15: 11 by saying it isn’t what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles him but what comes out of it?

This discussion began when the Pharisees wondered why the Lord’s disciples didn’t conduct a ceremonial hand washing before eating (Matt. 15: 2).  The Lord’s point is clear that observing such a ritual would not in and of itself make a person ceremonially clean, because many of the words we speak with our mouth originate as feelings in our heart. And that’s where any spiritual uncleanliness we harbor resides, not on our hands. Jesus explained this more fully in Matthew 15: 18-20;

“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

The “soil” of a person is their heart. And it is here that the word of God, the “seed” of God must take root.

Sam was in dire trouble. His business had gone bust and he was in serious financial trouble. He was so desperate he decided to pray for help. He began, ‘God, please help me. I've lost my business and if I don't get some money, I'm going to lose my house as well. Please let me win the lottery.’ Lottery night came and Sam didn’t win.

Again Sam prays, ‘God, please let me win the lottery! I've lost my business, my house and I'm going to lose my car as well.’ Lotto night comes and Sam still has no luck.

Once again, he prays, ‘My God, why have you forsaken me?? I've lost my business, my house, and my car. My wife and children are starving. I don't often ask you for help and I have always been a good servant to you. PLEASE just let me win the lottery this one time so I can get my life back in order.’

Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light as the heavens open. Sam is confronted by the voice of God Himself: ‘Sam,’ says God, ‘meet Me halfway on this. Buy a lottery ticket.’

You get the idea – just like the saying goes – you got to submit yourself to God to receive His Blessings and reap the harvest of good fruit in His Kingdom. Amen. 

Politically Incorrect US History

Matthew 11: 16-19, 25-30

Once, in the 1820's, a little boy called Sam Grant was playing in the yard behind his house.  While playing, he accidently knocked over the outhouse.  Sam was upset and worried that he would get into trouble so he ran into the woods and didn't come out until after it got dark.  When he arrived back home, his pappy was waiting for him.  He asked suspiciously, "Son, did you knock over the outhouse this afternoon?"

"No, pappy," Sam lied.

"Well, let me tell you a story," said the father. "Once, not that long ago, George Washington received a shiny new axe from his father.  Excited, he tried it out on a tree, swiftly cutting it down.  But as he looked at the tree, with dismay he realized it was his mother's favorite cherry tree," his pappy paused." just like you, he ran into the woods.

When he returned, his pappy asked, 'George, did you cut down the cherry tree?”  

George answered, 'Father, I cannot tell a lie. I did indeed chop down the tree.' Then his father said, 'Well, since you were honest with me, you will not be punished. I hope you have learned your lesson, though.'” Then Sam's father asked again, "Did you knock down the outhouse?"

"Pappy, I cannot tell a lie any more." said the little boy. "I did indeed knock down the outhouse." Then his pappy spanked Sam until he was red, white, and blue. The boy whimpered, "Pappy, I told you the truth! Why did you spank me?"

The father of future President, U. S. Grant answered, "That's because George Washington’s father wasn't in the tree when he chopped it down!"

This past week we’ve been celebrating the July 4^th Holiday and our country’s birthday. Unlike the probably mythic story I just told you our country’s roots and founding were Christian and God fearing.

There are some in our country today who would deny the United States was ever a nation founded on the premise of Inalienable rights granted by a Creator, and that the manifestation of our Country’s greatness demonstrates the blessings from Almighty God. Many would rather forget the past because it is deemed politically incorrect today to be patriotic, nationalistic, or even believe America is “special.”

Of course if you don’t believe that then you can’t understand that our current tarassos (troubles), come from our turning our backs on Him in the thoroughfares and byways of this once great land that feared God.

Instead we have become a country of hyphenated individuals more concerned with entitlements than freedoms. We care little about what type of government we have and rather want government to serve only our own interests; each day we rely more on the government to provide us our daily “bread and circus” rather than do anything that actually matters morally or ethically.

Jesus knew that mentality. He knew about people’s desires to be entertained with the next newest thing, and how human loyalty and fidelity fly in the wind of celebrity and fashion trends. He spoke about it in Matthew’s Gospel, 11: 16-19, and verses 25-30:

“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

209 years ago Francis Scott Key initially wrote a poem that was inspired by a battle and a war we seldom remember. The poem was entitled “When the Warrior Returns.” This poem, written to honor the Marines and Navy heroes of the Barbary war that was fought in Libya from 1801-05.

The war started when Muslims from the Ottoman Empire burned the U.S. Flag at the U. S. consulate at Tripoli and declared jihad on the America, just because we  refused to pay “a tribute” of 20% of the U.S. Budget to prevent American ships and sailors from being kidnapped and sold into the Muslim slave markets. (The entire world including England was paying it!)

The Ottoman Empire was considered the number 2 world power at the time. The end result was that the United States would defeat the two most powerful militaries in the world in its first twenty years of existence. Certainly not something you’d expect from a bunch of citizen colonists unless God had truly blessed us.

Think of our Star Spangled Banner, our National Anthem. The banner is where our national motto “In God we trust,” originates and gives us a glimpse of the original mindset of Americans as they celebrated these monumental victories 200 years ago.

Our anthem tells us three things Americans believed at the start of the 19^th century that are in doubt today: 1) God made America, 2) God rescued America, and 3) God preserved America!

There is no doubt that those who fought were empowered by God just as Joshua, Gideon, and David are in the Old Testament. There was no doubt that Americans knew that God was to be thanked for saving and assisting America in its fight.

We seldom sing all the verses to our Anthem yet the message is there and clear: It urges us to “Praise the Power that made and preserved us as a nation.”

Ironically, the founders of our country did one small thing that showed us where their hearts were: They engraved “In God we trust” on our money to be a reminder of where our priorities should lie.

Instead, our society and world now trust money and human ideas and experience before they’d even consider, let alone, trust God. The only option our country has is to remember the central theme of our national anthem:

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

Amen.

The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!