Foundry Community Church
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - Year A
  • Abide With Me (Eventide)

      • Psalm 139:1–12ESV

      • Psalm 139:23–24ESV

      • Romans 8:12–25ESV

  • In Christ There Is No East Or West

  • WHEN GOD IS AT WORK IN THE WEEDS

    Genesis 28:10–19a | Psalm 139:1–12, 23–24 | Romans 8:12–25 | Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

    Foundry Community Church
    Matthew 13:24–30 ESV
    24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
    Matthew 13:36–43 ESV
    36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
    This is the Gospel of our Lord!
    ALL: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!

    Big Idea

    The Kingdom of God grows in a broken world because God is present, patient, and purposeful.
    Key Verse "Let both grow together until the harvest..." — Matthew 13:30

    Introduction

    We live in a culture that expects immediate results.
    We want instant answers. Instant healing. Instant success. Instant justice.
    When life feels messy or unfair, we naturally ask: "God, why don't You do something?"
    Jesus answers that question in today's Gospel.
    The servants look at the weeds and want immediate action.
    The farmer says,
    "Wait."
    That answer feels frustrating until we discover that God is doing something beneath the surface that we cannot yet see.

    Illustration – The Chinese Bamboo Tree

    Have you ever heard of the Chinese bamboo tree?
    After planting the seed, nothing appears to happen.
    For one year... nothing.
    Two years... nothing.
    Three years... still nothing.
    Four years... still no visible growth.
    Most people would assume the seed had died.
    But during the fifth year, the bamboo suddenly shoots upward—as much as eighty feet in only a few weeks.
    Did it really grow eighty feet in six weeks?
    No.
    It had been growing all along.
    Hidden beneath the surface, it was developing a root system strong enough to support what everyone would eventually see.
    Our lives often feel exactly like that.
    We pray. We wait. We struggle. We wonder where God is.
    Yet God is often doing His deepest work where our eyes cannot see.
    Jacob discovers that truth in the wilderness.
    Jesus teaches it in the wheat field.
    Paul reminds us of it while creation groans.
    The message is simple:
    God is still working—even in the weeds.

    I. God Meets Us in Unexpected Places

    Remember the story of Jacob’s ladder?
    Jacob is running for his life.
    He isn't worshiping.
    He isn't looking for God.
    He's sleeping on a rock.
    Yet God comes looking for him.
    When Jacob awakens, he declares,
    "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it."
    Bethel became holy ground because God was there.
    God often reveals Himself in the places we least expect:
    • hospital rooms
    • waiting rooms
    • lonely nights
    • broken homes
    • difficult conversations
    • seasons of failure
    God's presence is not limited to sanctuaries.
    Genesis 28:10–19 ESV
    10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

    Personal Application

    Stop waiting for perfect circumstances before expecting God to speak.
    He may already be at work exactly where you are.

    Illustration – The School Janitor

    A high school janitor knew every student's name.
    Every morning he greeted them personally.
    Years later, one former student returned simply to thank him.
    The young man confessed that he had planned to end his life during high school because he believed no one cared whether he lived.
    But every morning that janitor looked him in the eye and said,
    "I'm glad you're here today."
    The student later said,
    "I figured if one person would miss me, maybe my life mattered."
    The janitor never imagined that a school hallway would become holy ground.
    But God met a hurting young man in one of the most ordinary places imaginable.
    Never underestimate ordinary places.
    God still turns wildernesses into Bethels.

    II. God Is Patient While His Kingdom Grows

    The servants immediately want to pull the weeds.
    Jesus says,
    "Wait."
    Why?
    Because premature judgment often damages the wheat.
    God's patience is mercy.
    Every extra day represents another opportunity for repentance.
    The Kingdom often grows slowly.
    Faith grows slowly.
    People change slowly.
    Churches mature slowly.
    God is never late.
    He is always working according to His perfect timetable.
    Matthew 13:28 ESV
    28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’

    Personal Illustration

    One of the hardest lessons I've learned in ministry is that people don't grow as quickly as I'd like them to—including me.
    There have been Sundays when I believed a sermon would immediately transform lives.
    Then... nothing seemed to change.
    Years later, someone would tell me,
    "Pastor, do you remember that message you preached several years ago? I wasn't ready then, but God used it later to completely change my life."
    I had forgotten the sermon.
    God hadn't.
    Spiritual growth is more like farming than fireworks.
    Our responsibility is to faithfully sow the seed.
    God alone produces the harvest.

    Application

    Quit obsessing over the weeds.
    Become faithful wheat.
    Trust God's timing.
    Keep growing.

    III. God Gives Hope While We Wait

    Illustration – The Chilean Miners

    In 2010, thirty-three Chilean miners were trapped underground for sixty-nine days.
    For seventeen days no one even knew if they were alive.
    Then a drill broke through.
    Attached to it was a handwritten note:
    "We are well in the shelter—all 33."
    They were still trapped.
    The darkness remained.
    The rescue was not immediate.
    But everything changed because now they knew rescue was coming.
    The resurrection is God's message to His people.
    The empty tomb tells us:
    Rescue is coming.
    That is why Christians wait with hope instead of despair.
    Romans 8:22 ESV
    22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
    Paul says creation is groaning.
    Believers groan.
    The Spirit intercedes.
    We wait.
    But Christian waiting is never hopeless waiting.
    Hope is confidence that God will finish what He has begun.
    The harvest is coming.
    Resurrection is coming.
    New Creation is coming.

    Application

    Do not measure God's faithfulness by today's circumstances.
    Measure it by tomorrow's promises.

    Conclusion

    Jacob found God in the wilderness.
    The servants learned to trust God's timing in the field.
    Paul reminded believers that our groaning will one day become glory.
    Different stories.
    Different people.
    The same faithful God.
    Maybe today you feel like Jacob—alone, uncertain, wondering if God has forgotten you.
    Maybe you're discouraged because you see more weeds than wheat.
    Maybe you're simply weary from waiting.
    Hear the good news:
    God is still present.
    God is still patient.
    God is still working.
    Just because you cannot see everything He is doing does not mean He has stopped working.
    The stone became an altar.
    The field will become a harvest.
    The groaning will become glory.
    And the cross became an empty tomb.
    If God can bring resurrection out of crucifixion, He can certainly bring hope out of your waiting.
    Don't give up.
    Don't let the weeds convince you there is no wheat.
    Don't let the waiting convince you there is no harvest.
    Lift up your eyes.
    The God who met Jacob is with you.
    The Savior who sowed the good seed has not abandoned His field.
    The Spirit who gives hope is still at work within you.
    The story isn't over.
    The harvest is coming.
    The King is coming.
    So keep trusting.
    Keep growing.
    Keep hoping.
    Because the God who began His good work will be faithful to complete it.
    Amen.

    Transition to Communion

    At the Lord's Table, we are reminded that God does not abandon His people while they wait. Christ meets us here, nourishes our faith, and assures us that the harvest is coming. As we receive the bread and the cup, we proclaim that Jesus has conquered sin and death and that one day He will make all things new. Until that day, we come with hope.

      • Matthew 13:24–30ESV

      • Matthew 13:36–43ESV

      • Genesis 28:10–19ESV

      • Matthew 13:28ESV

      • Romans 8:22ESV

  • Leader: Brothers and sisters in Christ, we come now to the Lord’s Table—a place of grace, remembrance, and renewal. Here we remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, proclaim His victory over sin and death, and celebrate the unity we share as His people.

    Invitation to the Table

    Leader: Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
    This table is not the table of any church, but the table of our Lord Jesus Christ. All who trust in Him, repent of their sins, and desire to follow Him are invited to share in this meal of grace.

    Prayer of Confession

    Leader: Before we receive these gifts, let us confess our sins before God.
    All: Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart, and we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
    Let us go before our Lord in Silent Confession…

    Assurance of Pardon

    Leader: Hear the good news: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
    In Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven.

    The Great Thanksgiving

    Leader: The Lord be with you.
    People: And also with you.
    Leader: Lift up your hearts.
    People: We lift them up to the Lord.
    Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
    People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
    Leader: Let us pray as our Lord taught us…

    The Lord’s Prayer

    Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

    Words of Institution

    Leader: On the night He was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread. After giving thanks, He broke it and said:
    "This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
    In the same way, after supper He took the cup and said:
    "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
    For whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

    Prayer of Consecration

    Leader: Let us pray.
    Gracious Father, pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and cup. By Your Spirit, unite us with Christ and with one another, that we may be nourished in faith, strengthened in hope, and renewed in love. Make us faithful witnesses of Your kingdom until Christ comes again in glory. Through Him, with Him, and in Him, all honor and glory are Yours, now and forever. Amen.

    Distribution

    Leader: The body of Christ, given for you. Amen.
    The blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen.

    Prayer After Communion

    All: Gracious God, we thank You for feeding us with the spiritual food of the body and blood of Your Son. Strengthen us through this meal to love and serve You faithfully, to seek justice, to show mercy, and to walk humbly with You. Send us into the world in the power of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Christ's love. In His holy name we pray. Amen.

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24ESV

  • Doxology
  • Precious Lord, Take My Hand
  • Now Unto Him
Foundry Community Church
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