Priorities in the Kingdom 5
So far we have looked at the “firsts” of what Jesus put as a priority in the kingdom.
1. First be reconciled with your brother.
2. First seek the Kingdom.
3. First take the beam from your own eye.
4. First bind the strong man
Now we are going to look at the fifth one. Five is the number that represents grace in the bible. This is what we will see in this first.
Matt. 13:30 Let 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.
How does God deal with us in our everyday lives? What is He after and what is He trying to accomplish in and through us? When we look at Jesus, it is clear that Jesus did everything to bring glory to the father. HE came to show us what God looks like. If you saw Him you would be able to see and experience the father's heart. In John it says that we saw His glory, as it was the glory of the father. The point I want you to see is that Jesus was to reveal the father.
When we believe and become children of God we have the same calling. We must reveal who our heavenly father is. When people see us they should have no doubt in their minds that we have a Papa in heaven. The only problem is that we are not Jesus. I know there are people that think they are him, but I can guarantee you they are not. He was sinless, we are not. He knew how to overcome the enemy, and we are still trying to do that with the grace He gives each one of us. So what does God do to accomplish His purpose in us?
In this parable that Jesus tells He talks about a sower that went out to sow. At night the enemy came and sowed some tares amongst the wheat. So the farmer allowed both the wheat and the tares to grow up together until harvest time. You might ask why he did that. The answer is simple because at harvest time the fruit on the wheat looks different than the fruit on the weeds. So it is easy to distinguish and remove the weeds. In the plant stage the weeds and wheat looks too much the same and you take the chance of removing the wrong plant it you want to take it out. So Jesus instructs them to gather the weeds first.
You see when God works with us and in us, He works according to principle. He always removes the weed in us so that the wheat can stay. He always removes the bad so that the good can stay. He always removes the sin so that the righteousness can stay. God never abdicate His work in us so that the enemy can have more of us. When God deals with us as individuals, or when He deals with us as churches or even deals with us as humanity, He always remove the tares first. People want more of God but they don’t like it when He deals with the things in their lives that hinder the wheat growing up. The grace in all of this is that He deals with the sin so that we can have more of Him. He doesn’t curse you because you have sin and removes you. No, He loves dealing with the sin in our lives because He has the power to do that.
2 Cor. 5:21 For He made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Can you see that God made Jesus to be sin for you? He then punished Him as sin and not as a sinner. God loves the sinner. In Him, God totally overcame sin and for that very reason He no longer wants sin or weeds/tares in your life. What He did in Jesus makes Him strike out at sin in you but at the same time is gracious and loving towards you. He made Jesus sin so that you might be His righteousness. He took your place so that you can take His place. So when sin shows up in our lives, He is quick to remove it so that we can reveal His glory and His righteousness.