SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2025

Understanding Your Dominion in a Mixed World

Author: Pastor Chris Oyakhilome DSc DSc DD

MEMORISE: “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field” (Matthew 13:24)

BIBLE READING: MATTHEW 13:24-30, 38-40 (KJV)

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

…

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

INTRODUCTION: THE PARABLE UNVEILING THE KINGDOM

The Lord Jesus, the master communicator, often used parables—earthly stories with heavenly meanings—to unveil the profound, hidden truths of the Kingdom of God. He explained to His disciples that it was given to them to know the “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” but to others, these truths were veiled (Matthew 13:11). These parables were not simple moral tales; they were divine revelations.

Among His most remarkable teachings is the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Matthew 13. This parable is not just an agricultural lesson; it is a divine blueprint for understanding your identity, your environment, and your ultimate destiny.

Our central verse sets the stage: “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field.” Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, did not leave the interpretation to chance. He later explained every element to His disciples, leaving no room for speculation:

The “man” (the householder, the sower) is the Lord Himself—Jesus Christ.
The “good seed” represents the children of the Kingdom—you and every born-again believer in Christ.
The “field,” as He explicitly explained, is the world.

This parable reveals three revolutionary truths that must form the bedrock of your faith: the absolute ownership of the world, the divine purity of your planting, and the power of co-existence. Understanding these principles is essential to reigning as a king in the mixed, and often hostile, environment of this earth.

I. THE ABSOLUTE OWNERSHIP OF THE FIELD

The first truth revealed is one of absolute sovereignty and ownership. The Lord sowed the good seed not in a borrowed field, not in a contested field, but “in His field.”

A. The World Belongs to Jesus

This detail is extraordinary and fundamentally changes the way a believer views their environment. The world, no matter how polluted by sin, how antagonistic to the Church, or how chaotic it may appear, still belongs to Jesus Christ.

The Bible unequivocally declares this ownership:

Psalm 24:1: “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
1 Corinthians 10:26: “For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.”

The devil is a trespasser, an illegal squatter, and a usurper. He is called the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) only because he operates through a system of darkness that blinds those who do not believe. But his authority is illegitimate. The legal, eternal deed to the planet Earth belongs to the Man who sowed the field: Jesus Christ.

This means that wherever you are—in your workplace, your university, your city, or your nation—you are not operating in enemy territory. You are operating in the Owner’s field. This divine truth cancels any spirit of intimidation, fear, or powerlessness that the world tries to impose on you.

B. The Error of the Retreat Mentality

For centuries, a segment of the Church has mistakenly adopted a “retreat mentality.” Believing the world to be a “lost cause” belonging to the devil, they have advocated for pulling out of influential sectors like politics, media, entertainment, arts, and business.

But the parable teaches us the opposite. We are the good seed planted in the field for the specific purpose of representing the Owner. We are not called to retreat from the field, but to dominate and illuminate in the field. The world is not an alien land where we are merely temporary visitors waiting for extraction; it is the Kingdom’s primary field of operation. It is the very place where the life of the good seed (the believer) is meant to flourish, bear fruit, and exert influence.

II. THE DUALITY OF IDENTITY: THE SEED AND THE TARES

You are not an accident. You are not a random product of circumstance. You are a good seed—the very children of the Kingdom—and you have been intentionally and divinely planted by the Lord Himself in this field.

A. The Intrinsic Goodness of the Seed

The term “good seed” carries divine significance. It means you are not a “tare” trying to become “wheat.” When you are born again, you are imbued with the very righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). This “goodness” is your new nature, your spiritual DNA. It ensures that you have the capacity, the divine life, and the spiritual sustenance required to thrive, regardless of the environment’s challenges.

The purpose of a good seed isu receive Christ, you receive the spiritual DNA of dominion. You are here to:

1: Shine as a Light: The seed is a source of illumination in the darkness (Matthew 5:14).

2: Bear Fruits of Righteousness: To produce goodness, holiness, and godly influence in every sphere of life (Philippians 1:11).

3: Dominate and Prevail: To exercise the King’s authority over the circumstances and the works of darkness.

Because the field belongs to your Lord, and you are His heir, you can stand boldly anywhere and declare, “We own the world,” because it belongs to your Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and you are His heir (Romans 8:17).

B. The Mystery of the Tares: Infiltration and Deception of evil is a reality we must adion i presence of evil is a reality we must address. The Lord Jesus explained clearly that the “tares” are the children of the wicked one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. This explains why both good and evil are seen operating side-by-side in the world—and even in places associated with God’s work, like the church, the workplace, or the community.

Then Greek, similar to darnel, a poisonous esembles wheat in often called darnel) are a masterstroke of satanic deception because they closely mimic wheat in their early stages.

This visual mimicry is the enemy’s strategy: deception and infiltration. The devil doesn’t always announce his presence with overt evil; he often plants counterfeits that look almost identical to the genuine article. This explains why we see hypocrisy, corruption, and wickedness even within the “church” structure.

C. “While Men Slept”: The Cost of Apathy

The parable gives a specific, chilling timeframe for the enemy’s work: “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares…”

“Sleeping” heres parable:while ye gather up the tares, y lack of vigilance, and prayerlessness. The servants who were supposed to be guarding the field became careless. Delay

Th doesn’t sow when the churche c on fire, interceding, and watchful. He sows when the watchmen are asleep. This is a profound call to personal and corporate vigilance. We must never be lulled into a state of comfort, believing the work is finished.at: As tares closely resemble wheat, attempting to uproot them prematurely finally awoke and would inevitably damage the wheat (the logicaln of the Kingdom “fix” the problem. They were indignant:)“Sir, didst note pre sow good seed in thy field? from whenceserva hath it tares?” (v. 27). This is the human “why”—the struggle to understand the presence of evil.

Once they identified the source—”An enemy hath done this”—their next logical step was separation: “Wilt thou thention and maturity of His seed.

(v. 28).This is the human desire for immediate, visible justice. This is the “crusade” mentality, the spirit of “cancel culture,” the impulse to purify the field by our own efforts.

Allowing Full Identification: Tares are indistinguishable from wheat unt the entireey mature and produce fruit. God allows time for the nature of both the righteous and the wicked to be fully manifested through their works and fruit, removing all doubt for the final judgment.

Grace for the Unripe Tares: Even among the “tares” (those currently not of the Kingdom), God’s long-suffering allows time for repentance. While the tares represent the children of the wicked one, the field is still open for redemption until the final harvest.

Our duty, therefore, is not to judge and root up, but to shine and prevail. We are not the reapers; we are the seed.

B. Reigning in the Mixed Environment

The co-existence of wheat and tares means the believer must learn to reign as a king in a mixed, antagonistic, and often confusing environment. Your victory is not dependent on the purity of your surroundings, but on the power of the Spirit within you.

You are here to shine as a light, reign as a king, and bring in the harvest. You must dominate and prevail over the works of darkness because you are the seed of Christ. No matter the opposition or the darkness, remember this: the field is His, and He planted you in it. Your function is to:

Grow stronger despite the weeds.

Produce better fruit than the contamination around you.

Draw sustenance only from the Owner of the field (the Lord).

IV. THE CERTAINTY OF THE HARVEST AND THE FINAL SEPARATION

The parable culminates in a glorious and certain future event: the Harvest. The Master said: “In the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”

A. The Time of Harvest

The Lord Jesus explained that the “harvest is the end of the world,” and the “reapers are the angels.” This ensures us of two things:

The End is Fixed: There is an appointed time for final separation and judgment. The current mixed state of the world is temporary, governed by God’s timetable.

The Judgment is Perfect: The separation will be handled by the angels, ensuring absolute fairness and accuracy. At the appointed time, the tares will be gathered and burned, but the wheat, the righteous, will be gathered into His barn.

This is incredibly comforting for the believer. Though we wrestle with corruption and evil in this life, we have the guaranteed assurance that our labor is not in vain, and our final reward is secured in the Master’s barn—His eternal Kingdom.

B. The Implication for Soul Winning

The proximity of the wheat and the tares until the harvest has a direct implication for the urgency of soul winning. Until the final separation, those who are currently “tares” have the opportunity to transition into the “wheat” category by accepting Jesus Christ.

The work of the good seed is not just to shine, but to reproduce. We are vessels of glory and impact in this generation, winning souls and bringing many into the Kingdom. The Master left us in the field—His field—to ensure the harvest is full before the reapers arrive. Every life you impact, every soul you win, is a triumph of the wheat over the corruption of the tares.

CONCLUSION: REIGNING IN THE NOW

This parable is a call to spiritual boldness and dominion. You are the good seed, planted by the Owner of the universe in His field. You are in charge and in control.

No matter the circumstances you face—the economic turbulence, the moral decay, or the spiritual opposition—let this truth be your anchor: the field belongs to Him, and you belong to Him.

Go forth today, confident in your identity. Shine as a light, reign as a king, and focus on bearing abundant fruits of righteousness, knowing that your destiny is secure in the Master’s barn. Glory to God!

CONFESSION

I shine as a light and bear fruits of righteousness. I dominate and prevail over the works of darkness because I’m the seed of Christ. I am planted in the Lord’s field, and I draw my strength and sustenance only from Him. Thank you, Lord, for making me a vessel of glory and impact in this generation, winning souls and bringing many into the Kingdom. Amen.

FURTHER STUDY

Matthew 13:24-30: (The full text of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares).

Matthew 13:38-40: (Jesus’ full explanation of the parable).

1 Corinthians 10:26: For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.

2 Corinthians 5:21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

1 Year Bible Reading Plan: Hebrews 12:14-29 & Ezekiel 13-15

2 Year Bible Reading Plan: John 12:20-29 & 1 Chronicles 16