In this thought-provoking episode of The Sound of Faith, Sharon Knotts explores the powerful message of ‘The Parable of the Tares’. Through a detailed examination of the parable, Sharon addresses the urgent need for discernment in a church where deceptive appearances often mask the truth. Learn about the disturbing similarities between darnel, the poisonous weed, and wheat, highlighting the spiritual dangers of being unaware of Satan’s subtle infiltrations within the church. Hear how the faithful are called to navigate this spiritual battlefield while maintaining the integrity of the gospel message.
Greetings, friends and new listeners. Welcome. I’m Sharon Knotts, thanking you for joining us today on The Sound of Faith, because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Today’s message, The Parable of the Tares, is a timely word for Christians in this time when Satan is sowing poisonous tares amongst not the world or sinners, but amongst the church and the saints. What is most disturbing is the fact that the tares look exactly like the wheat, and when their roots become entwined, it is hard to separate the two. But God knows the wheat from the weed in the parable of the tares. So he said, while they slept, they were unaware. The enemy sowed those tares and he went his way. Now, before I run out of time, most importantly, what is meant by the tares? We already said it’s people. We already said that it’s the children of the devil. But let’s look at what Jesus was talking about. In the Middle East, the tare is something called darnel, D-A-R-N-E-L. It’s a type of grass. And it grows with the wheat. It’s a type of seed that looks exactly like the wheat. It looks like the wheat, but it’s really a weed. Amen? The similarity between the darnel and the wheat is so great that in some regions they refer to it as false wheat. Boy, that’ll preach right there. False wheat. It bears identical resemblance of the wheat until the ear or the head of the grain appears. And when it gets to that stage, the wheat will be the color brown and the Darnell will be black. And its seeds are poisonous. When its seeds are eaten by birds and other beasts of the field, or even by humans, it causes intoxication, which causes vertigo and dizziness and vomiting. It can even progress to the point to cause convulsions. Barn owls are apt to eat this, and it causes them to have vertigo. Imagine a bird with a vertigo trying to fly. How many know what vertigo is? It’s dizziness where you’re off balance and everything’s spinning and you can’t walk straight. When it’s severe, you become nauseated and you will vomit. It’s a terrible condition. All of us probably may have experienced it for a day if we had an ear infection or you get a sinus infection, but it goes away. But my son Todd lived with it for years and years and years and went to all kinds of doctors and had all kinds of tests trying to figure out what was wrong with him. And it was terrible. He spent months sometimes in bed with the room just spinning around. Terrible condition. Amen? And thank God he’s much better now, very much better. He rarely has an episode anymore. His was related to, you know, who knows for sure. The Johns Hopkins doctor finally said he had a type of migraine, but it wasn’t the kind of migraine that gives you a headache. He didn’t have a headache. It affected his balance. And it can be triggered by certain foods. like caffeine. So he has to be careful with his diet. So you can imagine that if these seeds are eaten and it causes this, and here’s the thing about it, it not only can be so severe that it causes convulsions, but it can be so severe that it is fatal. But the problem is this, as we see what Jesus said in the parable, it’s so in the real life. When it’s growing, its roots get so entwined with the roots of the wheat. Once you see it’s got the black seed and all that, you say, well, I’m just going to go yank it out or whatever. But when you do that, you’re going to yank up the roots, which also are going to be roots to the wheat. Amen? It’s so entwined in that. It all looks the same. What causes it to be poisonous? Somewhere in the growth of it, it’s infected by a fungus. And the fungus affects the darnel, but doesn’t affect the wheat. How many are on another track with me in the spirit? There’s something about the wheat that it’s hardy enough or something within it that it does not succumb to the fungus. It doesn’t succumb to that fungus, but that darn now succumbs to that fungus and it corrupts it and causes it then to produce those poisonous black seeds that can cause all of these problems. Amen. But like when Jesus gave the parable, he said, you know, the people said, well, you know, let’s go out and rip it up and get rid of them. And he said, no, don’t do that. Amen. Because when you rip up that Darnell, you will also rip up some wheat. And saints, as much as it pains me to have to say this, this is why we have to put up with some hypocrites in the church. Amen? Until their black hearts… are revealed for what they are until their fruit is manifest, that all can see what it is. Amen. Sometimes we have to put up with them until that time. And sometimes we will have to put up with them until the harvest. When Jesus said he’ll send his angels and they will separate the tares from the wheat. Amen. Because we don’t want to take the risk of ripping up a tender little wheat plant. And when baby Christians or young Christians, they don’t understand things. And, you know, there might be some, you know, sometimes I have to be careful when someone will say to me, I don’t mean in this church, outside of the church, they’ll say, oh, do you watch so-and-so on TV? And I’ll say, no, I don’t watch them. Oh, well, you know, I just love them, and they’ll go on and on about how much they love them. And if I think this person is too immature spiritually, and I think that if I said, well, I don’t watch them because I don’t think they’re real, I don’t think they’re right, I won’t tell them that. I won’t tell them that because, now, if they’re preaching an overt false doctrine, that’s another thing. I’m talking about when they look like wheat. when they sound like wheat, but they’re not balanced like I’ve just talked about. Amen? I don’t say, oh, I don’t think they’re right. Now, if they come right out and say something that’s against Scripture and against the Word of God, then I’ll say, well, you know, I heard them preach this once, and that’s against the Word of God, and that’s why I don’t listen to them. But I don’t just say, oh, no, they’re a devil. Because I might rip up some little wheat. And if they’re sincere and they’re real, then when they mature in the word, hopefully they’ll be somewhere to mature in the word. But see, that’s the problem. In so many places, they’re only going to give pablum. They’re not going to go on to the meat of the word. And therefore, they’re the ones that are easily tricked by the Darnell. Amen? But sometimes we have to put up with hypocrites. And I’ve done it in this church already. But beware, hypocrites. Beware, false prophets. You are not fooling us. The mature wheat are not being fooled. The real saints of God are not being fooled. You might fool the world, and you might fool those who have a shallow foundation. Amen? But you’re not going to fool the mature wheat. I don’t care if you’re a hypocrite sitting in this church right now under the sound of my voice or if somebody that’s on TV or some of these popular gospel singers and musicians, they don’t walk the talk. Amen. They’re not living right. Amen. They don’t fool real Christians. They don’t fool the real weed. Amen. The children of the kingdom are the good seed and God knows who’s a seed and who’s a weed. Paul said in 2 Timothy 2.19, the foundation of God stands sure having this seal. The Lord knows them that are his. And that everyone that names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. Amen? But here’s the thing, saints. It’s not my job to separate. It’s my job to preach it. It’s my job to preach the truth, to preach it line upon line and precept upon precept and straight down the middle. Amen. It’s my job to preach it, to say, beware of the tares. Beware of the poisonous seeds. Amen. It’s my job to warn you. And it’s God’s job to separate. We all know what Jesus said in Matthew when he was talking about the false prophets. He said, beware false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but on the inside they are ravening wolves. Amen. He went on to say twice in Matthew 7, in verse 16 and verse 20, he said, you shall know them by their fruits. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit and a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. I mean, you can’t get around it. People don’t want to preach hell today. You can go to churches and you can go there 52 Sundays in a row and you’ll never hear hell. You’ll never hear them preach on hell. I’ve heard some preachers be cornered, as it were, almost by media. Do you believe in hell? Do you believe people are going to go to hell? Well, you know. Well, you know it’s our job to preach love. And we just love people. We just love them to Jesus. And we don’t talk about those things because it’s our job to love them. Doesn’t Jesus in the New Testament teach about going to hell? But, you know, we just feel that God has called us to preach love. How many know I’m telling the truth? You were a lot more active in your amens a few minutes ago. They don’t preach hell. I am not afraid to preach about hell. I can’t know for sure because I’ve never been there. But I got enough out of the scripture and mainly Jesus speaking it. He spoke as much on hell as he did heaven. Amen. That I know it’s a terrible place. It’s a terrible place. It’s so terrible, Jesus said, that if your eye offends you, pluck it out. Better go to hell without an eyeball, heaven without an eyeball, than to go to hell. Amen. Amen? If your hand offends you, cut it off. What was he saying? Hell is a terrible place. I’m not ashamed and I’m not afraid to speak on hell. If someone asks me to do a funeral service, I guarantee you I will talk about hell. Because you have a captive audience. And it’s one of the few times when people who ordinarily will never go to church… Never go to church. But you got them there. They got to sit there and hear it. They may never hear it again. And they need to know if they’re not right with God, if that person up there that is in that casket, only their shell of their body, they need to know if they want to see them again, they better get right so they can go to heaven. Amen. People say, ooh, preach hell at a funeral. Absolutely. It’s the best time of all. Because people are thinking about mortality. They’re thinking about the fact that one day that’s going to be me up there. And they need to understand there’s only one way. The Bible says it’s appointed unto every man once to die, but after that. is the judgment. Of course, I have some tact to realize that you don’t want to, you know, leave the family broken and grieving. You want to speak to them. So, of course, you’ve got to have balance. You talk about heaven and seeing your loved one again and, oh, what a day of rejoicing that’s going to be. But you can’t fail. You cannot fail to mention the fact that hell is as real as heaven. Amen? And Jesus said, you’ve got to beware because you know them by their fruits. Because he made it plain, he did not mince words. If you are not bringing forth good fruit, and it goes on, worthy of repentance, John said, you are going to be cast into the fire where there’s weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus said that. How many know it’s true? And we’ve got to warn people. I ask you today, where are the warners? Amen? Because people are being intoxicated by the poisonous seeds. And Jesus said, you’ve got to be careful. You’ve got to beware. You know them by their fruits. I’m going to end with this. Turn with me to Acts the 20th chapter and see what Paul said. Acts 20 and verse 27. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. That verse right there to me just summarizes it in a nutshell. I am not going to fail to declare the whole counsel of God, all the counsel of God. I’m going to preach about heaven, and oh, what a great, wonderful reunion we’re going to have. We’re going to see our brother David Belt. Amen? I don’t know if he’ll greet us with his Holy Ghost handkerchief that he always loved to do, amen? How many remember back in the old days when Brother David preached like this? I don’t know if it’s because he didn’t think, if I don’t see him, I won’t be afraid to say, I won’t be afraid to preach hell if I put this on him. Amen? Oh yes, I’m going to preach about heaven. And everything’s about helping us make heaven. Whatever else we encounter in this life, and we’re going to go through some bad stuff in this life. But if we just make heaven, if we make it heaven, somebody said it will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small when we see him. One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrows shall erase. It will be worth it all when we see Christ. Verse 28, take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, and here’s the whole reason, to draw disciples after them. Therefore, watch and remember that by the space of three years, I cease not to warn everyone night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. So Paul said to the elders, he said, I know that once I leave here, there are going to be certain people that are going to think Paul is gone. We can come in now. But he says, I am telling you, step up. Step up to the plane. Step up to the challenge. I am now turning it over to you, and I am saying, feed the flock. oversee them or watch out for them, but also watch out for the wolves because they’re going to come knocking at the door. Watch out for the wolves and warn. You got to watch and you got to warn. And how do you do that? I commend you to the word of God. Amen? Where are the warners in the church today? Where are the warners? Where are the watchmen? That’s what God told Ezekiel. The children of Israel were going into captivity, and he said, I’ve made you a watchman on the wall. He said, now, if you see the enemy coming and you blow the trumpet and you warn the people so they have time to get ready and go to the battle, then you will have the blessing and the victory. But if you see the enemy coming and you fail to blow the trumpet and the people aren’t ready and the enemy comes in and kills them, he said, their blood is on your hands. He said, so I’m setting you up to be a watchman on the wall. And he went on in the 33rd chapter and said, I looked for somebody. I was looking for somebody to stand in the hedge and make up the gap. And I couldn’t find anybody. Well, God is looking here this morning. And if you’re one of those, I want you to stand on your feet and say, Lord, here am I. Here am I. Hallelujah. Make us watchmen, Lord. Make us warners, Lord. Give us boldness, Lord. Give us wisdom, Lord. And Father, I commend this congregation to you because I can see these people have a true hunger for the word of God. I can see them following scripture by scripture and point by point. I can see it going into their spirits. Their souls are like a magnet just drawing it to them. And their spirits are like a sponge that’s drinking it up. And I ask you, Lord, that you will just cultivate this word. Lord, that you will, even when they’re on their own time and they’re reading the word for themselves, that, Holy Spirit, you will bring to their remembrance these truths, these words that will enable them, Lord, to stand up and be strong. And not only that, Lord, we don’t want to fall in Satan’s snare. But beyond that, Lord, we want to help others who may be at that precipice to fall into that trap of the enemy or someone’s already fallen in that trap. And, Lord, we want to be able to recover them. Use us, Lord, this summer. Make us watchers and warners. Lord, we’re not afraid of persecution. We’re not afraid if people look on us and even spit on us. We’re not afraid, Lord. We want to save people from hell. We want to save them from eternal damnation. Lord, you have always used Faith Tabernacle to be a lighthouse in this city. And Lord, let our light shine brighter than it’s ever been before. Bring in people that are hungry for the word. Bring in people that want to live right. Bring in people that want more than problem. They want to eat meat and potatoes. They want to be strong. They want to be warriors. They want to be watchmen and warners. In Jesus’ name I pray. And I commend these people to you, Lord. These are your sheep. These are your people. Now, Lord, I pray strengthen them and make them fruitful. And bring forth many lambs into the flock of God in Jesus’ name. And let the church say, Amen. Hallelujah. Amen. What an urgent message from the words of Jesus, the parable of the tares. In this parable, which is different than Jesus’ foundational teaching on the parable of the sower, the seed is not the word, but people. Christians are the seed that produces wheat, and the children of the devil are the tares, which was a poisonous seed that looked exactly like the wheat. In fact, it was called false wheat. But when it was fully grown, the wheat is brown and the tares are black. And when its seeds are eaten by birds and beasts, they cause intoxication, vertigo, convulsions, and even death. Satan sows these seeds in the church amongst the saints where people are asleep spiritually and unaware. Jude said of the last days, for there are certain men crept in unaware who turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, which means a license to sin. Jesus said that at the end of the church age, the angels will separate the tares from the wheat, and the tares will be cast into eternal fire. God has called ministers to preach the true gospel, the whole counsel of God, and leave the separating to him. But he has charged us to warn and protect the sheep. The Parable of the Tares is available on CD for a love gift of $10 or more for our radio ministry. Request SK187, mail to Sound of Faith, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203, or go online to soundoffaith.org. Friends, even if you do not want to order the CD, if you enjoy Sound of Faith, we need your financial support to cover the cost of airtime. So please write or go online today and let us know that you are enjoying the programs on Sound of Faith. But to order Parable of the Terrors by mail, Request SK-187. Mail to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Till next time, this is Sharon Otts saying, Maranatha.
