(4) Wi th t he w h e a t—to " s h i ne f o r t h ," like glorious suns b u r s t i ng t h r o u gh t he clouds, a nd t h a t, too, even in t he F a t h- e r 's Kingdom. Who shine in such a K i n g d om mu st be b r i g ht indeed (Dan. 1 2 : 3; Mat. 1 7 : 2, 3; Phil. 3 : 2 1 ). V. A WARN I NG. " H e t h a t h a t h e a rs to h e ar let h im h e a r ." 1. W h o said t h a t ? 2. W h y ? ( 1) T h at we may s h un t he devil. ( 2) T h at we may n ot s t umb le at t he existence of wickedness and w i c k e d , me n .. (3) T h at we may expect tares, plenty of t h em, till t he end. (4) T h at we may snatch t a r es f r om t h e b u r n i n g. ( 5) T h at we may es- cape t he fire. A QUARTETTE OF PARABLE S. LESSON V. Mat 1 3 : 4 4 - 5 3. Au g u st F o u r t h. I. T HE TWIN PARABLE S. 1. I n t e r p r e t a t i o n. ( 1) P o p u l a r ly t he T r e a s u re and t he P e a rl a re Christ, t he finder and me r c h a nt a re t he believer, wh o t h us seeks, finds, sells all, a nd buys. (2) We t a k e it t h at Ch r i st is t he F i n d e r, t h e Seeker, t he Me r c h a n t; a nd t h e K i n g d om, inclusive of t he sinner, Israel, t he Church, and t he "field," t h at f or which He gave His all. We u r g e— a. NEGAT I VELY: ( 1) In preceding p a r a b l es t he Sower is t he Son of Man, it is consistently so here. ( 2) Scripturally sinners do n ot find b u t a re f o u n d, do not seek b ut a re sought, they a re " d e a d" ( Ep h. 2 : 5 ) . II. Chro. 1 5 : 2; Isa. 55:6, etc., a r e t o backsliders. If we m i s t a ke here, yet (3) Christ a nd salvation a r e t h e gift of God ( J n o. 3 : 1 6; Rom. 6 : 2 3 ) ; ( 4) "by grace, not works, or p u r c h a se ( Ep h. 2 : 8; Rom. 4 : 5, e t c . ), we a re saved; ( 5) sinners have n o t h i ng to buy with (Lk. 7 : 4 2 ) ; (6) sinners do not buy t h e field ( t he w o r l d ); nor ( 7) do t h ey h i de t h e ir t r e a s u re wh en f o u nd ( Rom. 1 0 : 1 0 ) ; nor (8, is Christ hid in t he field b u t proclaimed in all t he world (Col. 1 : 5, 6. b. POS I T I VELY: (1) The Lord does seek (Lk. 1 9 : 1 0 ), (2) and find (Lk. 15: 4, 8 ). (3) He did give all (Phil. 2 : 7; R. V .—; I Pet. 1 : 1 8, 1 9 ) ; a nd ( 4) p u r- chase (I Cor. 6 : 2 0 ) ; and t h a t, ( 5) a t r e a s u re ( P s a. 1 3 5 : 4 ), a ( 6) hid treas- u r e (Psa. 8 3 : 3; 2 Tim. 2 : 1 9 ), a n d (7). it is hid in t h e "field" ( J n o. 1 7 : 1 5, 1 6 ), and waits His coming f or it (I Thes. 4: 16, 1 7 ), a t " t h e r e d emp t i on of t h e p u r- chased possession" ( Ep h. 1 : 1 4 ). c. CONTRASTS: 2. T he t r e a s u r e. I t was ma ny pieces, and may well s t a nd f or t h e redeemed individually. Eflch piece is mo re precious t h a n t he whole world (Mk. 8 : 3 6 ), and f or each, t h e r e-
(JaS. 2:5. Mt. 5 : 3, 5 ). Th ey a re seed because (1) they multiply themselves; ( 2) a nd f r om t h em, u n d er Christ, is scattered a b r o ad every good a nd saving influence amo ng men! The personal ele- m e n t is t he life force ( 2) t h e t a r e s ." " T h e children of t h e wicked o n e" ( Ep h. 2 : 2 ) . Satan is t he sower of evil, b ut wicked men are his c h a n n e ls of influ- ence. All mo r al effects, good or bad, have t h e ir source in personal beings. T h i nk of it! Ungodly, unbelieving souls a r e t h e seed of Satan as his children; a n d t he seed of S a t an as t he me a ns of w r e a k i ng his malice on t he Sower of all good. Bad men a re t a r es spoiling t he good seed. 5. T he mixed crop. (1) T he mix- t u r e of good a nd evil in t he world is t he riddle of t he ages. The parable ex- plains t he presence of t he evil. "-An er. e my h as d o ne t h i s ." Good seed was sown in t he beginning (Gen. 1 : 3 1 ). The e n emy t h en sowed evil (Sen. 3:13, 17, 1 8 ) ; and again a f t er t he Flood (Gen. 9:24, 2 5 ). A f t er t he call of Ab r am (Gen. 2 1 : 9 ) ; at t he occupation of Can- a a n (Josh. 7 : 1 ) ; a t t he r e t u rn f r om cap- tivity ( E z ra 9 : 1 ) ; at t he call of t he Twelve (Mat. 1 0 : 4 ) ; in t he Pentecostal church (Ac. 5 : 3 ). Satan always fol- lowed with his t a r es ma r r i ng t he crop, and' f e a r f ul h a r v e st always followed, down to t he case of J u d a s, Ananias, and every revival of t he good seed, until t he false a nd t r ue a re h a r d ly distinguish- able. The c h u r c h, as a whole, looks mo r e like a field of t a r es t h an of wh e a t. ( 2) But false disciples, false gospels, which a re no gospels, may be detected by t h e ir f r u i ts if we wa t ch and wait. (3) This mixed s t a te will continue " u n t il t h e h a r v e s t" which is " t h e e nd of t h e wo r l d" (aion, a g e ), t h at is, till J e s us comes to set_up t he K i n g d om of God' a nd of heaven. 6. T he issue. (1) T he r e a p e r s, " t he (good) angels." Th e se a r e sent f o r th not only to minister to t he heirs of sal- vation (Hb. 1 : 1 4 ), b ut to a dm i n i s t er u p on t h e heirs of d amn a t i on (Rev. 1 2 : 7, 8; 1 9 : 1 4, 17; 2 Thes. 1 : 7 - 9 ). They gave t he law (Hb. 2 : 2 ) . Since its or- dination was by angels (Ga. 3 : 1 9) its execution shall be. (2) The process (Rev. 1 4 : 1 5 - 1 6—r e a p i ng t he w h e a t— 18, 1 9—r e a p i ng t he tares. Mat. 2 4 : 4 0, 4 1 —" t a k e n ," t h e t a r e s; " l e f t ," t he w h e a t ). ( 3) Wi th t h e t a r es ( a) " C a s t ," i. e., " f l i n g" t h em. " F u r n a c e ," i. e. hell, " t h e l a k e of fire" (Mat. 5 : 2 9; Rev. 2 0 : 1 4 ); (b) "Wa i l i n g ," lamenting, h ow l i ng a t t he pain a nd woe, " g n a s h i ng of t e e t h ," i mp o t e nt and despairing rage.
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