LutheranLectionary.org

Series A – Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – Sunday, July 19, 2020 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:28	the holy gospel according to saint
0:30	matthew the 13th chapter
0:32	so jesus put another parable before them
0:34	saying the kingdom of heaven may be
0:36	compared to a man who sowed good seed in
0:38	his field
0:39	while his men were sleeping his enemy
0:41	came and sowed weeds among the wheat and
0:43	went away
0:44	so when the plants came up and bore
0:46	grain then the weeds appeared also
0:48	and the servants of the master the house
0:50	came to and said to him master did you
0:52	not
0:52	sow good seed in your field how then
0:55	does it have weeds
0:56	he said to them an enemy has done this
0:58	so the servant said to him well then do
1:00	you want us to go and gather them but he
1:02	said no
1:02	lest in gathering the weeds you root up
1:04	the weed along with them
1:06	let them both grow together until the
1:07	harvest and at the harvest time i will
1:09	tell the reapers
1:10	gather the weeds first and bind them in
1:13	bundles to be burned
1:14	but gather the wheat into my barn then
1:16	he left the crowds and went into the
1:18	house and his disciples came to him
1:20	saying
1:20	explain to us the parable of the weeds
1:22	of the field he answered the one who
1:24	sows the good seed is the son of man the
1:26	field is the world
1:27	the good seed is the children of the
1:28	kingdom the weeds are the sons of the
1:30	evil one
1:31	the enemy who sowed them is the devil
1:33	the harvest is the close of the age
1:35	and the reapers are angels just as the
1:37	weeds are gathered
1:38	and burned with fire so will it be at
1:40	the close of the age the son of man will
1:42	send his angels
1:43	and they will gather out of his kingdom
1:45	all causes of sin and all law breakers
1:47	and throw them into the fiery furnace in
1:50	that place there will be weeping and
1:51	gnashing of teeth
1:52	then the righteous will shine like the
1:54	sun in the kingdom of their father
1:56	he who has ears let him hear this is the
1:59	gospel of the lord
2:01	in the name of jesus
2:04	weeds wheat an enemy and a fiery furnace
2:09	there’s a lot going on in this parable
2:11	today and you’ll know
2:13	that uh what’s going on in this parable
2:14	is the first time
2:16	we hear in the parables of jesus any
2:19	kind of a reference
2:20	to hell and i will make this note that
2:23	jesus himself
2:25	it’s as if he decided when it comes to
2:28	the doctrine of hell he better be the
2:29	one who preaches about it the most
2:31	could you imagine the liberals today if
2:34	paul was the one who preached on hell
2:36	the most
2:37	they would say man that guy was
2:39	something wrong with him
2:40	because all he ever seemed to preach
2:42	about was hell we can just dismiss his
2:43	words hell doesn’t exist
2:45	but it was our lord and savior who
2:46	talked about hell so we need to consider
2:49	this particular parable very carefully
2:52	in what it says
2:53	here and we will note that eternal
2:55	judgment is mentioned
2:57	but the other bit of it is it is a
3:00	description of the reality that we find
3:02	ourselves in
3:04	have you ever noticed that this life’s
3:05	hard difficult that
3:07	as a christian confessing christ
3:10	confessing your hope in the forgiveness
3:13	of sins
3:14	your belief that jesus died for you your
3:16	hope of a new world to come
3:18	your belief in right and wrong good and
3:20	evil
3:21	up and down all of those things have
3:23	been turned upside down today right
3:25	have you ever noticed that well living
3:28	with a lot of weeds
3:29	seems to be a bit of a challenge and so
3:32	you’ll note that our epistle text is
3:33	going to help us in dealing with that
3:34	there’s there’s a lot of concepts we
3:36	need to take a look at
3:37	so our gospel text it says that jesus
3:40	put another parable before his disciples
3:42	and you note that at this point we get
3:43	another
3:45	inspired interpretation of the parables
3:47	which is a good thing
3:49	because by the time we get to the end of
3:51	chapter 13
3:52	jesus is going to go you guys understand
3:54	how to understand these things now and
3:56	they’ll go yep we got it
3:58	so pay attention to how the parables are
4:00	interpreted it’s really not that hard
4:02	you look for the christ figure and what
4:04	the different pieces
4:05	are pointing to and then you can see
4:07	what’s going on and again i remind you
4:08	jesus
4:09	preached in parables so that people
4:11	would not understand him
4:13	me as a pastor that’s in there going you
4:15	want me to preach on something that
4:16	people don’t understand
4:17	why but anyway so here’s our parable
4:22	the kingdom of heaven kingdom of heaven
4:25	may be compared to a man who sowed good
4:27	seed in his field
4:30	and while his men were sleeping his
4:33	enemy came
4:33	and sowed weeds among the wheat and went
4:35	away
4:37	that’s a pretty malicious enemy this is
4:40	i mean
4:41	this is sabotage of the highest degree i
4:43	mean think of it back in the day um they
4:45	didn’t have
4:46	hugos they didn’t have sam’s club
4:50	they they didn’t even have happy harry’s
4:52	so
4:53	you know if you wanted things you know
4:55	to eat to drink and stuff like that you
4:57	had to grow it and so this is the
4:58	sabotage of a kind where your enemy
5:02	basically is saying i want to make sure
5:03	you’re dead that you’re going to starve
5:05	to death over the winter that’s kind of
5:06	the sabotage that’s going on here
5:08	lets you know the the slander malice of
5:10	the devil
5:11	and so consider that our lord and savior
5:14	jesus christ has an enemy
5:17	he does and it’s because of this enemy
5:20	that we find ourselves
5:22	in the sinful condition in the broken
5:24	world that we are in
5:25	so the servants of the master and we
5:27	learn from the interpretation that these
5:28	are the angels they come to jesus and
5:30	say master did you not sow good seed in
5:32	your field how then does it have weeds
5:34	an enemy did this enemy has done it so
5:37	the servant said to him well then do you
5:38	want us to go and gather them he said no
5:40	no no less than gathering the weeds
5:42	you root up the weed along with them
5:44	have you ever had those times when
5:46	you’re sitting there going
5:47	you know the world has just gone bonkers
5:49	it’s
5:50	evil just seems to abound all of a
5:52	sudden right
5:53	and nobody seems to be doing anything
5:55	about it in fact if you speak out
5:56	against the evil
5:57	well then you’re in trouble and you have
6:01	your thought
6:01	well when how long before god actually
6:04	deals with this
6:05	well no if god’s going to definitively
6:07	put an end to evil that’s going to be
6:09	the end of us too
6:10	so yeah you’ll note that jesus in his
6:13	wisdom decides you know
6:14	for the sake of the wheat it’s best to
6:17	let things
6:17	go until the harvest day so he’s
6:20	thinking about the wheat here
6:22	but that means that in the world then
6:24	we’re going to grow up together
6:26	with weeds and weeds and wheat don’t
6:29	seem to be getting along now in plant
6:31	world i don’t know how hostile they are
6:33	to each other
6:34	plant hostility is one of these things
6:36	that i wonder about i’ve heard about it
6:38	but but let’s just say that in the real
6:40	world that we
6:41	live in weeds and we don’t get along
6:44	very well and usually the hostility is
6:46	started by the weeds that’s how that
6:49	goes
6:50	so let them both grow together until the
6:53	harvest
6:54	i’ll tell the reapers gather the weeds
6:55	first bind them in bundles to be burned
6:58	but gather the wheat into my barn and
6:59	here’s our
7:00	inspired interpretation of this parable
7:03	they came to him and explained to us
7:04	this parable he said the one who sows
7:06	the good seed that’s the son of man
7:08	that’s jesus the field is the world
7:11	you know always and again i always find
7:13	it fascinating when somebody messes up a
7:14	text like this
7:15	one of the elephants said that the
7:17	church they had gone to in the past
7:19	that the the pastor said that the the
7:21	the field was the church
7:24	and so there were weeds and wheat in the
7:25	church and you had to make sure you had
7:27	to do your hardest to make sure you
7:28	weren’t a we
7:29	a weed that’s a miserable miserable
7:32	sermon
7:33	right complete botching of the text and
7:36	confusion of long gospel but you’ll know
7:38	this is the world that’s being discussed
7:39	here the weeds are the sons of the evil
7:41	one
7:42	and that’s how unbelievers are described
7:44	the enemy who sowed them that’s the
7:46	devil
7:47	the harvest is the close of the age the
7:49	reapers of the angels
7:50	just as the weeds are gathered and
7:52	burned with fire so will it be at the
7:54	close of the age and listen to this
7:55	next verse the son of man will send his
7:58	angels
7:58	and they will gather out of his kingdom
8:00	all causes of sin and all lawbreakers
8:02	so much for a pre-trib rapture there
8:05	that kind of blows that one out of the
8:06	water
8:07	first to go are the sinners not the
8:09	christians
8:10	just saying that’s what the text says so
8:13	you’ll note then
8:14	that there is a day coming when all of
8:16	this will come to an
8:17	end and we confess in the creed that we
8:20	believe
8:20	that jesus is coming again in glory to
8:22	judge the living and the dead
8:24	and listen to what christ says happens
8:26	after that day of judgment
8:28	the weeds will be thrown into the fiery
8:31	furnace
8:32	now that’s a phrase that doesn’t appear
8:33	too often in scripture
8:35	first time you hear of a fiery furnace
8:37	is in the book of daniel
8:38	and that’s a type and shadow of our
8:40	salvation
8:42	you think of nebuchadnezzar as a
8:44	stand-in for the devil wanting to throw
8:45	people into the fiery furnace for not
8:47	worshiping him sounds a lot like the
8:49	devil to me
8:50	but what does christ do he saves those
8:53	who trust
8:54	in him from the fiery furnace and he
8:56	saves each and every one of us
8:57	also from the fiery furnace so do not be
9:00	deceived
9:01	we are not saved from a bad hair day we
9:04	are not safe from a broken hangnail we
9:06	are not
9:06	saved from well the slipsies and
9:09	oopsie-doopsies and annoyances of this
9:11	life we are saved
9:13	from the wrath of god itself that’s
9:16	what we are saved from and god’s wrath
9:19	is described as the fiery furnace and
9:21	jesus says in that place there will be
9:23	weeping
9:23	and there will be gnashing of teeth this
9:26	is what christ bled and died
9:28	so that we would not have to be have to
9:30	experience
9:32	so you’ll note then when you hear the
9:34	phrase jesus says he’s going to send out
9:36	his
9:36	his angels and they’re going to gather
9:38	up all the lawbreakers
9:40	it’s really easy to get anxiety and go
9:42	whoa wait a second i think i’m one of
9:44	those
9:46	because well i’m looking at the
9:48	commandments and i’ve broken those
9:50	commandments today
9:51	yesterday last week last month last year
9:54	pretty much
9:54	sure yeah there’s an unbroken chain of
9:57	law breaking
9:58	that goes all the way back to my
10:00	conception
10:01	same with you but see brothers and
10:04	sisters fear not
10:06	you are wheat how do i know
10:09	well you’ve been watered in the waters
10:10	of baptism you’ve been joined to christ
10:12	in his death and his resurrection he’s
10:14	taken your sin upon himself
10:16	and he’s gone to the cross all your law
10:18	breaking
10:19	he bore and he
10:22	suffered the fiery furnace of the cross
10:26	in your place and mine so that we can be
10:28	forgiven
10:30	so rather than have anxiety take comfort
10:33	and note
10:33	that there is a day coming when all of
10:35	this will come to an
10:37	end and then when it all comes to an end
10:39	jesus says the righteous will shine like
10:41	the sun in the kingdom of their father
10:43	so he who has ears to hear let him hear
10:45	so pay attention pay attention to the
10:47	end where is it all going
10:49	because in the midst of this i don’t
10:50	know if you’ve noticed life is
10:52	really hard and getting harder
10:57	consider the words of christ in the book
11:00	of revelation chapter 2 to the church in
11:02	smyrna
11:03	listen to these words this kind of
11:05	typifies what it’s like
11:07	for we wheat to live among the weeds
11:10	it’s just not
11:11	easy christ says to the angel to the
11:14	angelos you can almost say the pastor of
11:15	the church of smyrna because
11:17	pastors are messengers of the lord my
11:20	job is to preach the word
11:21	and give you a word from god here’s what
11:23	jesus says the words of the first
11:25	and the last the one who died and came
11:27	to life don’t let those words go by too
11:29	quickly
11:30	you’ll note that christ is providing
11:32	comfort to the church in smyrna so don’t
11:34	forget this not only did jesus die
11:37	he rose again he’s conquered death
11:40	and here’s the best part he’s not saving
11:43	us
11:43	from death he’s not saving us from
11:46	suffering he’s not saving us from trials
11:48	and tribulations
11:49	he’s saving us through them
11:54	so he says to the congregation at smyrna
11:57	i know your tribulation
11:59	i know you’re poverty but you’re rich
12:03	don’t let your circumstances fool you
12:06	though you do not have a penny in your
12:08	bank account and you be poverty stricken
12:11	if you are in christ you are wealthy
12:13	beyond your imagi
12:15	your wildest imagination not in this
12:17	world
12:20	and he says this i know your poverty and
12:22	i know the slander of those who say they
12:24	are the
12:25	are jews but are not but they are part
12:27	of the synagogue
12:28	of satan well that’s the other part of
12:30	it isn’t fun when you’re being slandered
12:32	by people who
12:33	basically identify themselves with god
12:37	but you can tell by their slander that
12:38	they’re not from god
12:41	when the devil speaks his native
12:43	language he’s lying
12:45	it says of the dragon that he was cast
12:49	out of heaven
12:50	and before he was cast out of heaven
12:52	what was he he was the slanderer of the
12:54	saints
12:55	it was as if his only job when he had
12:58	access to god in heaven
13:00	was to sit there and say that i sinned
13:01	that guy said send them to hell
13:03	send them to hell always accusing the
13:05	saints
13:07	so christ said fine i’m going to take
13:09	away your ability to accuse
13:10	my saints i’m going to go to earth be
13:13	born of the virgin mary
13:15	suffered bleed die rise again for their
13:17	sins
13:18	and so all of your sins are accounted
13:21	for
13:22	the record of debt that stood against
13:23	you completely canceled nailed to the
13:25	cross
13:26	so the devil doesn’t have a foothold to
13:28	accuse you with anything
13:29	anymore not before god
13:32	so what does the devil do he’s changed
13:34	focus well if i can’t get god to listen
13:36	to me i’ll get everybody else
13:39	those christians they’re a bunch of
13:41	haters
13:42	they’re a bunch of fear mongers they’re
13:44	close-minded
13:45	bigots right this is how it goes
13:49	i know your tribulation your poverty and
13:51	the slander of those who say they are
13:53	jews but are not but are the synagogue
13:54	of satan don’t fear
13:56	what you are about to suffer
13:59	excuse me i wanted my best life now
14:03	yeah don’t fear what you’re about to
14:05	suffer christ says you’re going to
14:07	suffer
14:08	so what do we do in the face of
14:09	suffering don’t fear
14:12	why well remember what he said i died
14:14	and came to life
14:16	so don’t fear do not fear what you’re
14:18	about to suffer behold the devil’s about
14:20	to throw some of you into prison
14:22	so that you may be tested for 10 days
14:25	and there’s kind of the
14:26	there’s the bit that’s kind of fun so
14:28	when you look at the book of revelation
14:30	oftentimes numbers are symbolic was this
14:32	a literal 10 days that happened in
14:34	smyrna maybe
14:35	but you’ll note that this is a church
14:36	not only this is a letter not only
14:38	written to the church of smyrna this is
14:39	written to all of us
14:40	right there’s a little bit of smyrna
14:42	here that applies even
14:44	in kongs of anger so in the midst of
14:47	trial and tribulation don’t worry it’s
14:49	only for 10 days
14:51	i mean 10 days that’s that’s pretty much
14:54	the time of a decent honeymoon
14:56	right yeah in aruba
15:01	you know some place exotic right
15:04	but isn’t it isn’t it like this have you
15:06	ever been on a vacation like a 10-day
15:08	vacation
15:09	and the day you arrive you recognize you
15:11	only have nine days left
15:13	right it is is this worst thing ever you
15:16	go on vacation and the only thing you
15:18	can think about
15:18	in two days i gotta pack up and go back
15:20	home
15:22	right and so what happens is that that
15:25	wonderful 10-day vacation
15:27	that time off that that time away it
15:30	comes to an end just like
15:32	this 10 days is nothing
15:36	it’s a decent vacation so jesus says
15:39	that’s how long your test is going to
15:40	take place just 10 days no big deal
15:42	you can get through that so don’t fear
15:45	it’s only for 10 days
15:48	brothers and sisters our life here on
15:50	this earth
15:52	is just like that god says
15:55	that we are a mist we are like the grass
15:59	of the field
16:01	it’s here today piled up in
16:04	bundles and burned tomorrow the crops
16:07	that you see so
16:08	green in the fields today the corn
16:10	that’s
16:11	already past our knees and the chest
16:13	high
16:14	the wheat that oh it’s just that perfect
16:16	green color and you know that in a
16:18	couple weeks it’s going to be a golden
16:19	brown
16:20	right in just a few weeks
16:24	the snow’s going to come back don’t
16:26	stone me for saying that
16:27	[Laughter]
16:30	the snow is coming back and you know
16:32	what i’m talking about and we will be
16:34	thinking about the summer of 2020 in the
16:36	rear view mirror
16:38	and it’s going to happen tomorrow
16:42	so what do we have to look forward to
16:45	well jesus says this
16:46	he says don’t fear you may be tested
16:49	from 10 days
16:50	and you’re going to have tribulation so
16:51	be faithful unto death under what
16:53	yeah death you know so keep keep
16:56	believing until you die
16:57	it’s only going to be 10 days from now
16:59	and i will give you the crown of life he
17:01	who has an ear let him hear what the
17:02	spirit says to the churches the one who
17:04	conquers will not be hurt by the second
17:06	death
17:07	by the fiery furnace that’s what the
17:09	second death is so how do we conquer
17:13	by believing the saints conquered by the
17:15	blood of the lamb
17:17	he’s the one who’s forgiven us he is the
17:19	one who’s already conquered
17:20	and what does he say i’ve already
17:22	conquered death and came back to life
17:25	you know you’ll be here in 10 days no
17:26	big deal just hang on keep
17:28	your eyes on what’s coming and that’s
17:31	really the point
17:32	of what we see in our epistle text
17:33	consider these words of comfort then
17:35	as we consider life together as weeds
17:38	and wheat
17:38	paul says i consider that the sufferings
17:41	of this present time are not worth
17:42	comparing with the glory that is to be
17:44	revealed to us
17:49	do you realize in 10 days
17:52	we’re all going to be looking back going
17:54	man that was nothing
17:57	nothing compared to the glory that we
17:59	see the face of god
18:01	the new heavens the new earth
18:04	worshiping in his presence the heavenly
18:06	jerusalem
18:08	that the sufferings of this present time
18:09	they’re not worth comparing to the glory
18:11	that is to be revealed to us
18:12	you see right now the creation waits
18:15	with eager
18:16	longing for the revealing of the sons of
18:18	god
18:19	the creation itself was subjected to
18:22	futility not willingly be because of him
18:24	who subjected it in hope
18:26	so that the creation itself will finally
18:28	be set free from its bondage to decay
18:30	and obtain the freedom of the glory of
18:33	the children of god
18:34	you see that day is coming that’s the
18:36	day after the angels gather up the weeds
18:38	in the weed
18:39	that’s the day after when all of a
18:42	sudden
18:42	all of this world and what is this world
18:45	marked by
18:47	death have you ever stopped to think for
18:49	a second
18:50	how morbid it is that we have
18:52	refrigerators in our refrigerators
18:54	we have meat that we keep cold our
18:57	refrigerators are basically morgues
19:01	right
19:05	you’ll never eat you’re going vegan
19:07	after this i can tell
19:10	[Laughter]
19:13	all right good but the idea here
19:17	is that even our diet is all based on
19:19	death
19:21	it is but see this whole world has been
19:24	subjected to death
19:26	decay to to futility i mean
19:29	have you noticed that the pyramids in
19:31	egypt just don’t look as good as they
19:33	used to a few thousand years ago
19:36	right all of the great empires of the
19:39	past lie in ruins
19:41	oh believe me when i tell you if christ
19:43	tarries the great empire
19:45	of america will lie in ruins it looks
19:48	like we’re going to commit suicide
19:51	right all of this is because of the
19:54	futility of our sin
19:55	we know that the whole creations it’s
19:57	groaning together
19:59	in the pains of childbirth and
20:00	childbirth’s not an easy thing i’ve
20:02	witnessed my wife do it three times
20:04	and i can’t make eye contact because if
20:05	i do i’m going to get in trouble
20:12	not you ashley
20:15	but you get the idea right and so here’s
20:18	the thing
20:19	if the creation is in child pain is in
20:21	labor
20:22	what’s it about to give birth to the new
20:25	heavens the new earth
20:27	and this creation is going to die in
20:29	childbirth
20:31	thank god so keep your eyes on what’s
20:34	coming
20:35	but not only that the creation not only
20:37	the creation we ourselves who have the
20:39	first roots of the spirit we groan
20:40	inwardly
20:41	as we wait eagerly for the adoption of
20:44	sons in the redemption of our bodies
20:46	and that’s what we’re waiting for for
20:49	the completion
20:50	of our salvation and boy i’m looking
20:53	forward to that i’m looking forward to
20:55	seeing my feet again i wonder what they
20:56	look like
20:59	for in this hope we were saved
21:02	now hope that is seen is not hope for
21:04	who hopes for what he sees but if we
21:06	hope for what we do not see we wait for
21:08	it with patience
21:10	so note then we’re waiting we’re waiting
21:13	so don’t fear do not be afraid keep
21:16	looking to what’s coming
21:17	the glory that will be revealed the new
21:19	earth that we will be in the presence of
21:21	the place where we will live so we won’t
21:23	even think about the suffering that we
21:25	go through it’s only for ten days
21:27	so in the midst of it what are we to do
21:28	pray pray
21:32	likewise the spirit then helps us in our
21:33	weakness and we are weak
21:35	we don’t even know what to pray for as
21:37	we ought so god himself helps us and the
21:39	holy spirit
21:40	himself intercedes for us ever feel like
21:42	your prayers are weak and
21:44	not quite up to snuff well that’s
21:46	because they are but don’t worry
21:48	the holy spirit’s going to fill the gap
21:49	there and he groans with
21:52	his groanings are too deep for words and
21:54	he who searches the hearts and knows the
21:56	mind of the spirit
21:57	because the spirit intercedes for the
21:59	saints according to the will of god
22:01	so brothers and sisters that’s a lot of
22:04	ground to cover
22:04	in one parable but it’s all there if you
22:07	think about it
22:10	our lord has an enemy we have an enemy
22:12	this is why we are in the
22:13	predicament we’re in but christ has
22:15	saved us from that enemy
22:17	and don’t worry the harvest it’ll be
22:19	here soon
22:20	really really soon so take heart
22:24	conquer through the blood of christ
22:26	through your faith and trust in jesus
22:28	not by your works
22:30	and in the meantime like all good
22:32	christians
22:33	continue to pray and know know this that
22:35	the holy spirit himself is also praying
22:37	for you
22:38	and interceding so if god is for us
22:42	who can be against us in the name of
22:45	Jesus
22:46	amen

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