Here is another story Jesus told:“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”
Matthew 13:24-30 (NLT)
Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”Jesus replied,“The Son of Manis the farmer who plants the good seed.The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels. “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Matthew 13:36-43 (NLT)
In the already-not-yet Kingdom of Heaven, we ______________ because ______________ in ways _________________.
In Matthew’s biography of the life of Jesus, Jesus began his ministry following his baptism and his 40 days of temptation in the wilderness with this bold declaration (4:17b): “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught on prayer and one of the petitions he invited his followers to pray was (6:10): “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” What is this Kingdom that Jesus came to bring? What is this Kingdom Jesus invites us to pray to come? In this series, we will look at several of Jesus parables or stories he gave about the Kingdom in Matthew 13 and apply them to our lives today as we live as Kingdom people.
Wes Olds is a 1993 graduate of The University of Kentucky and received his Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2002. Prior to coming to Grace Church in 2006, Wes began a multi-cultural, urban church called The Rock-La Roca United Methodist Church in Lexington, KY (2002-2006). While there, he co-founded Lexington’s “Room in the Inn”, a ministry of hospitality and shelter for homeless men. From 1997-2002, Wes was a Pastor with Youth and Evangelism at Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington. From 1994-1997, Wes was Pastor with Youth at Christ United Methodist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and from 1991-1994 was the Director of Youth Ministries at Versailles United Methodist Church in central Kentucky.
Wes has served as an adjunct instructor at Asbury University, a ministry mentor with Asbury Theological Seminary and has been a contributing writer for several projects with Group Publishing and United Methodist Communications. He has been a guest speaker and worship leader for retreats at local churches and conferences for youth and adults.
Wes is a leadership coach for Spiritual Leaders, Incorporated (SLI) training pastors on creating generative leadership environments. Through SLI, Wes has facilitated yearlong incubators for over 75 pastors in Florida, Kentucky, and Kansas.
Wes is married to Becky and they have one teenage son named Caleb. Wes loves music and plays guitar, enjoys fishing, sports, history and hanging out with his friends and family.
Here is another story Jesus told:“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”
Matthew 13:24-30 (NLT)
Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”Jesus replied,“The Son of Manis the farmer who plants the good seed.The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels. “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Matthew 13:36-43 (NLT)
In the already-not-yet Kingdom of Heaven, we ______________ because ______________ in ways _________________.
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