Bro Gary Wednesday Night 6/29/11

Bro Gary Wednesday Night 6/29/11

The Parables have been a part of my life since before I could read.  In them we have a real heritage.  The parables are deep.  Until we start digging around, we don’t realize what a rich treasure we have. 

My thought tonight is, “Why parables?”  This was a question that was asked by the disciples. 

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

I’ve pondered Jesus’ answer and I hope I get it out right tonight.  He spoke in parables because there are some that are going to know about the things of God and there are some that will not know.  It is the choice that they make that determines whether they know or not.

Whatever age you are the choices you make are important.

Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Jesus was building His lesson to help them understand.  He said that some will have and some will not; some will lose even what they thought that they did have.  I have seen this parable lived out in the lives of individuals today.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

He emphasizes that this is an old problem among men.  He is referencing Isaiah chapter 6 when Isaiah said that he was an unclean man and God put the coal on his lips.  Isaiah was 6 or 7 hundred years before Christ.   

He and Jeremiah and other prophets were always laboring to get the people to turn their hearts toward God and the people refused to see. 

In the days of Noah, God gave him messages for 100 years that many had opportunity to hear and only eight people were saved.  He preached; they heard but they didn’t hear.  Many times people see that there needs to be some changes in their life but they don’t see that if they don’t make that change they will be lost forever.

Change is difficult for people because it takes humility to make.

Deu 32:15  But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Because of the hearing but not hearing situation, Jesus chose humble truths to teach those that would hear. 

“A city that is set upon a hill cannot be hid”, people that hear this simple truth will dismiss this with a “Well yeah, that is not rocket science.”  But those of us that know about the Church of God can dig around in this story and receive a lot of instruction and understanding.  Some want to see light and some when they see light don’t want to see or hear.  It is a heart condition that makes the difference. 

If we will see and hear it will benefit us greatly in our soul.  When people don’t want to see or hear, the problem is in their heart.

Mat 13:15  For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Sin affects all people in a detrimental way.  None of us like to think evil of anyone, but Isaiah was inspired by God and Jesus backed it up, “Their heart is waxed gross.” 

Some will tell you that they are tired of hearing that they need to get saved and that there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun.  Some will tell you that they don’t really believe that stuff.  What people are trying to tell you is that they want to have sin and rebellion in their heart and somehow make it to heaven. 

Jesus used simple parables that a child could understand.  We understood as children that building on the sand was building on the world and building on the rock was building on Jesus.  Children can understand these things, people that are thirty or forty years old may let their heart become gross.  They think they know everything and no one can tell them anything.  They think they are something great and the world just doesn’t know it yet.

“Lest they should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”  The health industry is the big money.  Here is a plan to heal soul, mind, body, and emotions.  Yet people don’t want to hear about healing. 

People need healing and they will never get healed sitting around and waiting for an apology.  Whether the apology happens or not, they need to let God deal with their heart and find a scripture on forgiveness.

This thought of ‘Why parables?’ comes down to the bottom line of if you have a heart to hear you will understand and if not you will miss it.

Jer 17:9  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Jer 17:10  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

If there is an area in your life or mine that needs to be healed, don’t just sit around and hope that everyone else takes care of things.  You begin to make moves.  “God help me to search my heart.  Help me to get rid of the lawyer in my heart that is defending me.”

Hos 10:12  Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

The soil that has not been cultivated and is not bringing forth fruit is the fallow ground. 

Luk 8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

You can bring parables and messages, arguments and testimonies but unless a heart becomes honest, they will not hear and they will not see the good that God has for them. 

The thought here for us is “God give me a good and an honest heart.”  However simple you may feel the parables are, my counsel to you is to change your attitude and realize that there is a depth there that you probable have not seen.

God has chosen parables to confound the wise and give wisdom to the simple.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

“Blessed are your eyes.” 

Those that hear these sayings and keep them are as a wise man that built on the rock.  You need not worry about the storms if you’ve built upon the rock.  There will be big storms come.  Those that built upon the sand will also have big storms.  Things are going to fall apart. 

Don’t think that these people that are refusing to see are not going to have storms.  To Those that have left God and truth to devise a position, the storm is coming.  Russia did not plan to end up where it is, the storm came. 

Blessed are your eyes and your ears because they hear.  May God help us in Paradise Montana to see these truths and to hear.  Then may God help us to realize that this truth is for me personally.  Search the scripture and find something for yourself.  You are building on the sand or you are building on the rock. 

You want to be able to say, “I heard, I saw, and I measured.”  You want Jesus to be saying to you, “Blessed are your eyes and blessed are your ears.”