First Baptist Church Litchfield
October 19, 2025

      • John 14:6ESV

  • In Christ Alone

      • John 8:12ESV

  • Great Are You Lord

      • John 3:16–17ESV

  • Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
  • Because He Lives

      • John 6:35ESV

  • Hallelujah, What a Savior!

  • Living in a Mixed Field

    When I was a boy, I spent part of my life in northwestern Wisconsin. Many of my friends had farms with cornfields. As I spent time on the farms, I began to develop an eye for healthy cornfields. A well kept field produces tall, green, stalks that were full of promise. But as the weeks went on, poorly kept fields saw weeds begin to overtake the corn. Farmers would explain, “You can’t always tell what’s a weed and what’s a stalk when they’re young—but at harvest, the difference is clear.”
    That’s the essence of Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the weeds. In Matthew 13, Jesus describes a world where the kingdom of God grows alongside the kingdom of darkness. The question is not if they coexist, but how we are to live faithfully until the harvest.
    We are often frustrated or discouraged that evil persists in the world and within the church. Christ will one day separate the righteous from the wicked; until then, He calls His people to live faithfully as children of His kingdom, trusting His perfect judgment.
    Jesus helps us see that God’s patience in delaying judgment is not weakness—it is mercy. The King is allowing His kingdom to grow, even amidst opposition, until the day He separates the righteous from the wicked. So, this morning, brothers and sisters, I want you encourage you:

    Do not grow weary with evildoers, but trust that Christ’s kingdom advances in a hostile world where good and evil coexist until His day of final eternal judgement.

    I. Christ’s Kingdom Advances in a Hostile World where good and evil coexists. (vv. 24–26)

    “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.” Matthew 13:24–26
    Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field. The sower is Christ Himself, the Son of Man who came not merely to scatter words but to plant sons—men and women reborn by His Word and Spirit. The field is the world, the place where Christ’s redemptive work takes root in the hearts of believers. The “good seed” are the sons of the kingdom—those who bear the likeness of their Father because they have received His Word with faith.
    But Jesus says that while His servants slept, the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. That enemy is the devil, and his work is deceit. He plants counterfeit seed among the true, a poisonous imitation meant to choke, confuse, and corrupt the harvest of God. The weeds Jesus mentions are likely darnel—nearly identical to wheat in the early stages of growth but deadly in the end. Roman law even forbade farmers from sowing darnel in another man’s field; it was a crime of cruelty, a deliberate act of sabotage. Jesus chooses that image to show how real and malicious the enemy’s work is in the world.
    Two truths emerge here.

    A. The Deception of the Weeds

    At first, the wheat and the weeds look the same. You cannot tell the difference between what is fruitful and what is false until time exposes it. The devil’s imitation of true faith often appears sincere, spiritual, even fruitful—until the harvest reveals its true nature. This is the subtlety of evil: it does not come waving a flag of rebellion but cloaked in the garments of religion. That’s why Jesus warns us that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” belongs to Him (Matthew 7:21). For a time, it may appear the field is full of life, yet hidden beneath the surface lies deception intertwined with truth.
    There is an even more intimate warning for you here, beloved. You must take great care to cultivate your heart with truth. The soil of your heart does not remain neutral. Left untended, it will not produce righteousness—it will grow weeds of deception and doubt. Cultivating truth means learning how to rightly interpret the Word of God, submitting to its authority, and surrendering your life to its wisdom in obedience. It means faithfully gathering with God’s people, sitting under the expository preaching of the Word that roots out error and guards your heart from the lies of the enemy. A.W. Tozer wisely warns,
    The unattended garden will soon be overrun with weeds; the heart that fails to cultivate truth and root out error will shortly be a theological wilderness.
    A. W. Tozer
    How true that is. When truth is neglected, the soul becomes overgrown with self-reliance, pride, and confusion. But when the Word of Christ dwells richly in you (Col. 3:16), it produces fruit that endures—the fruit of discernment, humility, and faith. The Gospel tills the hardened soil of your heart so that grace may take root and Christ may reign. So take up the plow of Scripture, dig deep into the Word, and let the Spirit cultivate in you a heart that loves the truth and bears the fruit of obedience.

    B. The Hostility of the Enemy

    To poison someone’s food supply is an act of hate. It is a savage thing to plant what will destroy another’s bread. So it is with Satan. He cannot create, so he corrupts. He cannot plant truth, so he perverts it. And his aim is not merely to ruin a crop but to attack the Farmer—to wound the heart of God by harming His people. Satan’s fieldwork is warfare. He sows discord in families, hypocrisy in churches, and counterfeit faith in the world. He mingles unbelief beside belief so that confusion reigns and persecution grows. He creates hostility for God’s kingdom to grow through violence and deception.
    Just as Christ sows sons of the kingdom, Satan sows sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). And until the end of the age, both will coexist growing side by side. That tension is the fallen condition we live in: the righteous and the wicked sharing the same field, the same world, even the same pews.

    C. Be Discerning, Not Despairing

    Jesus does not tell this parable so we will despair but so that we will discern. The presence of evil does not mean the kingdom has failed; it means the kingdom is advancing in enemy territory. The devil sows because Christ’s field is flourishing. The counterfeit exists only because the genuine is real. And though the weeds may grow tall, they will never overcome the wheat.

    II. Why Does God Allow Evil to Remain? (vv. 27–30)

    The servants come to the master confused: “Did you not sow good seed? Where then did these weeds come from?” It’s the same question we ask: “God, if You’re sovereign, why is there so much evil? Why don’t You just pull it up now?”
    I think there are three good answers for us to consider to this question.

    A. God sovereignly uses evil to display His glory and works for your good. (Matthew 13:24–26; Genesis 50:20)

    When Jesus says the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, He reminds us that evil is not absent from God’s field, nor is it outside of God’s control. Satan’s malice is real, but it is not ultimate. God’s sovereignty reigns even over the devil’s deception. The weeds do not grow apart from the permission of the Sower. Evil does not frustrate God’s plan—it fulfills it.
    From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture testifies that God often uses what is meant for harm to accomplish what is holy. Evil serves His purpose, even bringing Him glory.
    Consider Joseph. His brothers, consumed with jealousy, sold him into slavery. Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of attempted assault. Forgotten by those he helped, Joseph languished in an Egyptian prison. Every step seemed to scream abandonment—until the end of the story revealed God’s hidden hand. The same pit that seemed to bury Joseph became the path that raised him to Pharaoh’s right hand. When famine swept across the land, Joseph became the instrument through whom God preserved His covenant people.
    When his brothers finally stood before him trembling, expecting vengeance, Joseph looked at them with gospel eyes and said,
    “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.” (Genesis 50:20)
    Joseph understood what few of us can see in the moment of suffering—God’s sovereignty writes straight with crooked lines. Evil is never the author of its own story; God is. The weeds may grow, but they can never choke out His redemptive purpose.
    Does that sound familiar? The same sovereign pattern unfolds at the cross. The darkest day in human history—when wicked men crucified the sinless Son of God—became the brightest display of divine glory. Peter says, “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed” (Acts 2:23). Even the nails that pierced Christ’s hands were held by the sovereign will of God.
    So behold the power of divine sovereignty: the God who allows evil is the same God who overrules it for eternal good. The cross is proof that nothing sown by the enemy can undo what God has planted. What Satan intends for destruction, God transforms for redemption.
    Beloved, when you see the weeds of wickedness growing around you, do not despair. The same God who ruled over Joseph’s dungeon and Jesus’ cross rules over your life today. Evil may appear to have the upper hand, but the field still belongs to Christ. The Sower has not lost control. And one day, when the harvest comes, you will see what Joseph saw—that every root of suffering has been woven by a sovereign hand into the tapestry of grace for the glory of God and the salvation of His people.

    B. God sovereignly uses evil to sanctify his saints.(Matthew 13:24; Job 1:21; 2 Cor 12:7)

    The Lord’s restraint is not negligence—it is mercy. He allows evil to remain because He is using it to sanctify His saints in three ways; to refine them, cultivate dependance, and exercise long suffering.

    1. Sanctifies his saints by using evil to refine His people

    Job may be the clearest example of how God sovereignly uses evil to sanctify His own. Job was a righteous man—blameless and upright, who feared God and turned away from evil. Yet God permitted Satan to afflict him, to strip away every earthly comfort—his children, his wealth, his health. Still, Job did not curse God. Instead, he worshiped through his tears and declared,
    “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)
    Job’s suffering was not punishment; it was purification. God was refining Job’s faith, teaching him that true righteousness is not transactional—it is relational. Job’s faith matured through affliction. The weeds of pride and presumption were uprooted from his heart so that the fruit of humble worship could grow.

    2. Sanctifies his saints by using evil to cultivate dependence

    In the same way, Paul experienced sanctifying grace through suffering. He said, “A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Notice that Paul attributes the affliction both to Satan’s malice and God’s mercy. Satan sent it to hurt him; God used it to humble him.
    Paul begged for the thorn’s removal, but God’s answer was not deliverance—it was dependence:
    “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
    Paul came to see that his weakness was not a liability but a lens through which the strength of Christ shone brightest. The same thorns that wounded him also tethered him to grace.
    Faith that is never tested can never be trusted. God uses the fires of affliction to melt away the dross of self-reliance and unbelief so that what remains is pure faith in Christ.

    3. Sanctifies his saints by uses evil to exercise His perfect timing with His long suffering.

    The master’s answer reveals divine wisdom and patience: “Let both grow together until the harvest.”
    Jesus is teaching that God allows good and evil to coexist for a time—not because He’s indifferent, but because His timing is perfect. To uproot evil now would also damage the wheat. Judgment is delayed for the sake of mercy.
    Believer, don’t be discouraged when evil seems to triumph. God’s patience toward the wicked is the same patience that once waited for you. Remember Romans 2:4 — “Do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” God’s patience with your sinful evil gave you time to hear and respond to the gospel. That kindness and mercy lead you to repentance, and may lead those who are committing evil towards you to repentance.
    Corrie Ten Boom once told the story of meeting one of the cruelest guards from the Ravensbrück concentration camp years after the war had ended. She had suffered unspeakable evil at his hands—humiliation, starvation, the death of her sister Betsie. After one of her talks on God’s forgiveness, that same guard approached her with tears in his eyes and said, “Fraulein, I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did, but I would like to hear it from your lips. Will you forgive me?”
    Corrie said that in that moment, every memory of hatred rose up in her heart. She couldn’t lift her hand. She prayed silently, “Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.” And as she obeyed, extending her hand, she felt a current of divine love flow through her and heard herself say, “I forgive you, brother, with all my heart.”
    Corrie later reflected, “Forgiveness is not an emotion; it is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.”
    Her patience with evil—her refusal to return hatred for hatred—became a testimony of the Gospel’s power. In that moment, God’s patience toward her suffering and her patience toward her enemy displayed the same truth Peter writes: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
    Corrie’s obedience showed that divine patience with evil is not weakness—it is mercy extended long enough for sinners to come home. The master’s patience is not approval; it’s an invitation. God’s restraint reveals His grace. But there will be a day his grace ends, and his reconning will begin.

    III. The Righteous and the Wicked Await God’s Final Separation (vv. 36–43)

    As Jesus explains the parable of the weeds to his disciples, he speaks of a day of judgement, when the weeds will be be separated from the wheat. At the harvest—the final judgment—the Son of Man will send His angels to gather out of His kingdom “all causes of sin and all lawbreakers.” The weeds will be thrown into the fiery furnace, symbolizing eternal judgment. But the righteous—those justified by faith in Christ—will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” This is the final age, the Day of the Lord, the day God will save his people for glory, while executing his wrath on all evildoers. All weeds, those who reject Jesus, will be condemned to hell. Jesus says as much in,
    “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.” Matthew 13:41–42

    A. The Eternal Reality of Hell

    Hell is not a metaphor. It is not a myth. It is a real place described by our Lord Jesus as an eternal fire “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Jesus spoke more often about hell than anyone else in Scripture—not to terrify His listeners, but to awaken them to the urgency of repentance and the hope of salvation in Him. He uses vivid imagery: fire that does not go out (Mark 9:48), darkness that cannot be lifted (Matthew 8:12), and a place where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Weeping speaks of unending sorrow; gnashing reveals the anger and despair of those who know the truth too late.
    In Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus—not as a fable, but as a warning. The rich man, clothed in luxury, lived without thought of eternity. When he died, he lifted up his eyes—not in heaven, but in torment. Jesus calls that place ᾅδης (Hades)—a realm of punishment and separation. Lazarus, the beggar who suffered much in this life, was carried to Abraham’s side—a place of rest. Between them, Jesus says, a great chasm is fixed. It is unbridgeable, unchangeable, and eternal. The message is unmistakable: there are no second chances after death. What you believe about Christ in this life determines your destiny in the next.
    Some ask, “Is the fire literal or symbolic?” My friend, it hardly matters. If it is symbolic, the reality it represents is worse than the image itself. Whether the flames burn physically or spiritually, they consume with the justice of God’s holiness. The wrath of God is not petty revenge; it is the settled, righteous opposition of a holy God against sin. Every soul in hell will know God is just, even as they experience His judgment.
    Peter warns us that even angels who rebelled were “cast into Tartarus”—a place of imprisonment and gloom (2 Peter 2:4). If the Lord did not spare them, He will not spare false teachers or those who lead others astray. Hebrews echoes this warning: “If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26–27).
    Revelation pulls back the curtain to reveal the final judgment. Jesus says, “I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). That means hell has a keyholder—and His name is Jesus. One day, death and Hades will give up their dead, and all will stand before the great white throne (Revelation 20:13). Then Hades itself will be thrown into the lake of fire—the final and ultimate separation from God. There, the devil, the beast, the false prophet, and all whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will endure everlasting punishment (Revelation 20:10–15).

    1. Do Not Die in The Lie That Hell Is Not Real

    Natural man does not want to believe in hell because sin has deceived the human heart into trivializing eternity. We have replaced the fear of God with the comfort of self. We imagine that a loving God could not possibly condemn anyone. But beloved, love does not cancel justice—it fulfills it. The cross itself is proof. On Calvary, Jesus bore the full wrath of God for sinners. The same fire that burns eternally in hell was poured out on the Son of God so that it need not consume you. If hell were not real, the cross would not be necessary.

    2. Live in The Truth: The Cross Saves You from the Fire

    The Gospel is not simply that Jesus died—it is that He endured hell for you. On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). In that moment, He entered the outer darkness for our sake. He suffered the weeping and gnashing of teeth that our sin deserves. He was cast into the abyss of wrath so that sinners could be raised into the light of grace. What mercy! What love! As the hymn says:
    “Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood; Sealed my pardon with His blood— Hallelujah! What a Savior!”
    Friend, you do not have to perish in your sin. Jesus holds the keys of death and Hades because He conquered both through His resurrection. The empty tomb proves that hell does not get the last word—Christ does. To those who come to Him in repentance and faith, He promises, “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

    3. Flee the Wrath to Come—Run to Christ

    You cannot outrun death, but you can flee to Christ. You cannot pay the debt of your sin, but you can receive His righteousness. Every soul will one day stand before God. You will either meet Him as Judge or as Savior. Today, you have a choice: will you cling to your sin and face the eternal fire, or will you cling to Christ and find eternal life?
    Let this sober truth ignite in you a holy urgency—not only to repent but, for the church, also to evangelize. If we truly believe what Jesus said about hell, we cannot remain indifferent to those who are perishing. The church must recover both the gravity of judgment and the glory of grace. The flames of hell should move us to tears, but the blood of Christ should move us to mission.

    4. Heaven and Hell Magnify God

    Hell magnifies the holiness of God, and heaven magnifies His mercy. Both are real. Both are eternal. But only one has an open invitation: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The Savior who warns you of hell is the same Savior who welcomes you to heaven. The Judge who holds the keys of Hades is the Redeemer who offers the keys to His kingdom.
    The question that remains is the same Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). Your answer determines your eternity. Are you a weed or are you a grain of wheat?
    The separation is coming. If you are not in Christ, this text is a warning—repent before the harvest. But for the believer, this is a comfort. Evil will not have the last word. Christ will. Your labor in this world is not in vain, even when the weeds surround you.
    The story that began in a field ends in a furnace and a kingdom. God’s justice and mercy will both be perfectly displayed.

    VI. Trust the Lord of the Harvest

    Jesus ends by saying, “He who has ears, let him hear.” That’s the call to faith and endurance. Until the harvest, the wheat must grow among weeds. It is a hostile environment. We have a savage enemy who wants to destory the people of God. But, in God’s wisdom, he says let the weeds remain. They will fulfill mY purpose. It’s not our job to pull them up—that’s God’s work. Our job is to grow deep roots, bear good fruit, and trust the wisdom of the Sower.
    Remember the cornfields in Wisconsin? At harvest, in the old days, the farmers walked the rows and cut down the weeds, separating the good from the bad. What once looked mixed and confusing became clear under his hand.
    So it is with God’s kingdom. What now appears tangled and unjust will one day be made right. Every weed uprooted. Every stalk of wheat gathered. Every child of the kingdom shining with the glory of Christ because every weed will be removed.
    Until then—grow where you’re planted, trust the Sower, Live faithfully in a mixed field, and look forward to the harvest.
  • Revelation Song
First Baptist Church Litchfield
pastorjason.fbcl@gmail.com
217-324-4232
http://www.firstbaptistlitchfield.org/
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