Lessons to Learn

 Parables and Blessings

 Book of Luke Chapter 18

 

 Besides the Holy Spirit, prayer is our greatest weapon in this world against the evilness and wickedness of our world. 

 *****Luk 18:1  And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 

 Prayer is the meeting of our soul with the mind of God.

 1Sa 1:15  And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

 Prayer is beseeching the Lord.

 Exo 32:11  And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 

 Prayer is crying out to Heaven.

 2Ch 32:19  And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man. 

2Ch 32:20  And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

 Prayers are seeking and making supplication.

 Job 8:5  If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; 

 Prayer is drawing near to God.

 Psa 73:28  But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

 Prayer is the bowing of the knees.

 Eph 3:14  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

Eph 3:15  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 

Eph 3:16  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 

Eph 3:17  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 

Eph 3:18  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 

Eph 3:19  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 

We must persevere in prayer because it is our duty!

 We must put forth the effort to talk with God even when it seems He is not listening because He is always listening!

 *****Luk 18:2  Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 

Luk 18:3  And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 

Luk 18:4  And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 

Luk 18:5  Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 

 What is persevering prayer? To persevere means to be constant in our purpose for praying.

 When we look around, we see that we are in similar days of Noah and Lot where God brought destruction.

 God has already promised a future destruction, and we are very near to it now.

 Psa_2:12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

 Isa_9:19  Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

 Isa_13:13  Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

 Zep_1:15  That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

 There is power in persistence.

 Continuous prayer is the only thing that gives us the strength to persevere.

 Continuous prayer shows that we are confident in our God.

 We are to pray and continue to pray until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to take us home.

 In this parable, we see an unjust judge who disregards the laws, hates God, and hates those who come before him.

 Yet he feels like he has the power to do as he wishes.

 This is the way of our world today.

 Everyone wants to reach in and grab a piece of power to do the things they desire.

 We live in the day of the unjust judge, and it is very noticeable.

 There was this widow who had been wronged and was seeking help from the judicial system, but this judge had no feelings for the truth, and he hated to be bothered with such trivial matters.

 Every judge in our nation needs to understand there is a Higher Judge who has His eyes on them, and they, too, will be judged the same way that they judge others.

 It is a fact that on that day of the widow, that most every widow, especially those who had no children, lived in helplessness and defenselessness.

 Luk 7:12  Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 

Luk 7:13  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 

 Many times, this judge just ignored her and her problems.

 We know this is not the way of the Lord Jesus, who is a most compassionate God.

 This judge began to realize that if he did not do anything to help this widow, she was going to continue to come before him.

 Finally, this self-centered judge did the right thing just to free himself from her ceaseless pleading.

 The Lord Jesus is saying that if a corrupt judge on this earth will attend to the pleas of this poor widow whom he cared not for, how much more will God be moved by those He loves.

 It is a fact that God is biased in favor of innocent victims of persecution.

 We may never have to plead with God, but we must also understand that God will not answer every prayer at the time we think it is needed.

 God knows what we need and when we need it.

 God does not get mad at us if we ask for the same thing over and over again until we receive it or God says no.

 *****Luk 18:6  And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.  

 We must not think that this judge is a type of God; he is not. He is just an unjust judge who does not care about the suffering of any people.

 The Lord Jesus wants us to continue in prayer of faith until we get an answer.

 It is not that God is just too busy; it is just that God knows what we need and when we need it.

 God knows our needs, and He promised to meet our needs.

 God will avenge His own elect!

 God's elect are those who follow His Son, Jesus!

 As God's elect, we know that only God can meet our needs!

 We also know that only God is the Judge of all His creation.

 Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. 

 God is patient with all of us, but we know He is so full of mercy and grace that He will always meet our needs.

 We must also realize that just as Jesus suffered, we will also suffer, and this will make us stronger witnesses and servants.

 1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

 These things will make us stronger, and God wants us to learn from all our trials.

 God will also avenge His elect without hesitation.

 *****Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

 Our God is the only true Judge in this cosmos.

 That word elect means God's favorites, God's preferred, God's believers, the disciples of Jesus Christ.

 God will preserve all Christians from all their adversaries and save them from the seven years of Tribulation that is soon to come to this world.

 Remember, this is God's choice, and He did not have to make this choice.

 Only God can do the choosing of those who will not be a part of His wrath.

 Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 

Joh 15:6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 

Joh 15:7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 

Joh 15:8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

 If an unjust judge grants the petition of a defenseless person he cares nothing for, how much more shall our just Judge, our merciful God hear the cries and avenge the cause of those He loves.

 We may have to cry out day and night before God will answer but He will answer.

 He never said we would not suffer; in fact, He said we would.

 Keep in mind the Jews suffered many years before God sent Moses to Pharaoh.

 We should know that once God chooses to avenge His elect, He will come speedily.

 *****Luk 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? 

 We must understand that persevering prayer is tied to our faith! He may not come soon but it will be suddenly.

 Our adversaries will not know what hit them until it is over.

 Jesus then adds, when He comes, will He find faith on this earth?

 The Lord wants us to continue to pray even though it has been so long that we are losing heart, even though the answer is delayed, and we see evil increasing daily.

 God is still hearing our prayers, but we must persevere until He comes.

 We could ask how many will keep the faith until He comes?

 We must guard against losing our faith!

 God will always remain faithful to do as He says, but will we?

 We swore an oath to be saved based on faith, and that faith must remain with us.

 God does not have to think about whether He will return or not.

 He knows He is coming and He knows when He is returning, and it will not take Him long to get here when He does come.

 The Church may pass through a period of oppression in this world, but we must cling to our faith.

 We should begin now by praying more earnestly.

 If Jesus Christ seems to be delaying His return, then He has His reasons, and it has nothing to do with the Church.

 The vengeance of the Lord will be a terrible time upon this earth, and the Lord will have to put aside His compassion to do those things, but He will do what He says He will for His Church.

 Whenever deliverance comes, it will be sudden!

  Then the Lord speaks with another parable.

 *****Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 

 The fact is that self-righteous people do not need to pray at all!

 These people will never lose heart because they never had it to begin with.

 They do not need faith to be confident in this world.

 They feel that all they need dwells within them in their bodies and minds.

 Pro 30:12  There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. 

 We are in the generation of the return of Christ, but we are also in the generation of self-righteousness.

 The Lord continues.

 *****Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 

Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 

Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 

 When we think we stand head and shoulders above all others, we are no better off than King Saul.

 This Pharisee was a religionist.

 This publican was a sinner.

 Both these men went to the House of God to pray, which the Lord Jesus said was a house of prayer.

 There is no better place to pray than in the House of God!

 They both wanted to please God.

They were both seeking God to feel His presence in their lives.

 Deu 4:29  But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 

 This Pharisee represents the religious world in its most respected form.

 This publican represents people who have no honor to maintain. He knows he is a sinner and is looking for the mercy of God.

 The Pharisee prayed only with himself, only to himself.

 He glorified himself before God and just told God how great a man of God he was.

 This was not true prayer, and it did not reach into Heaven.

 Joh 9:31  Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

 Prayer is a means of worship, but this Pharisee only worshipped himself.

 In fact, he actually thanked God for making him who he was.

 God does not make us self-righteous, and God does not cause us to be sinners, and God does not tempt us in any way.

 This Pharisee said he had not fallen into sin, which means he made himself to be equal with the Lord Jesus Christ, who truly had no sin.

 He fasted twice a week, and he tithed. Both of these are good things and are pleasing to God, but these things do not make up for self-righteousness.

 The publican.

 *****Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

 This man was ashamed and embarrassed by his sin, and others would not get near him because of his sin.

Remember Publicans were tax collectors for Rome, and the Jews hated them.

 This publican stood far off, much like a leper.

 He felt cut off by God and mankind. The Jews had a special hatred for publicans and considered them traitors to the nation of Israel.

 I feel somewhat like this for all Democrats and many Republicans.

 He would not even lift his eyes toward Heaven, but he did lift his heart toward Heaven.

 He knew he did not deserve God's forgiveness!

 He beat on his chest because he was angry with himself for his sin.

 He pleaded with God to forgive Him. He pleaded for God's mercy.

 We can only appeal to God's "Grace" when we do not deserve it.

 There is no other way to be received by God than to acknowledge our sin before God and plead for God's forgiveness.

 Mercy is not getting what we deserve, which is eternal death.

 Grace comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is receiving what we do not deserve, eternal salvation.

 We should understand that as long as we are in these bodies of flesh, we will never be righteous; we are only "counted righteous" by our Holy God because we are covered by the Blood of Jesus.

 2Th_1:5  Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

 Who then was justified?

 *****Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

 We can see that the words of Jesus do not line up with what the world says.

 In fact, the words of Jesus do not line up with what many churches teach today.

 It is the one who acknowledges that he is a sinner who has been justified by his faith.

 Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 

Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

 *****Luk 18:15  And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 

Luk 18:16  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 

Luk 18:17  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein. 

 We must be humble when we approach the Lord for forgiveness of our sins.

  The first characteristic that fits the Kingdom of God is that of a child.

When we doubt that the Lord Jesus can save little children, we are acting like a Pharisee.

When we think the Church is spending too much money on our youth, we act like Pharisees.

When we do not look at our youth as being the future of the Church, we are acting like a Pharisee.

When we do not look at our youth as being the future of our nation, we act foolish because we need to train them to be the future of our nation.

God cares about every stage of the process of our growth, starting from childhood.

God loves the little children as much as He loves any of us!

Most children are obedient to their parents, and they can learn right from wrong at an early age.

Most children are far more forgiving than most adults.

When we get to Heaven, we will find that we are all children, God's children!

There is no way to get into Heaven except by receiving God's Kingdom like a child!

Mat 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

Amen

Kingdom Teaching

 Kingdom Teaching and a Storm Is Calmed

 Book of Luke Chapter 8

 Most ministries do not survive unless there is some support for them. Even the ministries of the Lord had supporters.

 There are certain women who are mentioned in this chapter, but our lesson concerns the ministry rather than those who support the ministry.

 If you support a ministry of the Gospel, then God knows it, and this is the purpose of the Holy Spirit mentioning these precious ladies who supported the work of the Lord.

 Our lesson begins with verse 5, where we will look at some parables.

 What is a parable? A parable is a mode of teaching that takes a familiar event to teach spiritual truths.

 The Lord Jesus used parables to teach us many lessons of the truth of Heaven.

 Why did the Lord Jesus use parables?

 Mat 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 

Mat 13:35  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. 

 We use the word typology in our lessons, and parable teaching is also a teaching by typology.

 The parable of the Sower:

 *****Luk 8:4  And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 

Luk 8:5  A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 

Luk 8:6  And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 

Luk 8:7  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 

Luk 8:8  And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

 There was a revival going on in the land of Judah. It had begun with John the Baptist and was continued by God's Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

 Multitudes of people were gathering to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say.

 Who is the Sower in this parable? The Sower is the Lord Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus is not looking for fruit among His people, but as the Sower, He sows the seed which is the Word of God.

 The Lord Jesus preaches the truth of the Scriptures.

 Not some traditional version.

Not some altered version.

Not some version containing the beliefs of man.

 The Lord Jesus preaches the version that is approved by the Holy Spirit.

 When we read our KJV Bibles, we are reading the English version of the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures approved by the Holy Spirit.

 Almost all these people who gathered to hear the Lord Jesus knew the work of the sower.

 They also knew that not every seed would produce fruit.

 Not everyone who came to hear the Words of Jesus was sincere, and this teaching would also address those people.

 If the Lord Jesus could not teach them a truth that they could believe, then He would warn all those who had their ears open to His message.

 Just hearing the Word of God is not enough; we must apply the Word of God to our lives and be obedient to it.

 The Word of God will not bear fruit if we do not put it to good use!

 The Parable of the Sower addresses all people who hear the Word of God.

 Every parable is taken from things that happen every day!

 Notice the Sower always goes out, and he sows the seed. If not, there can be no fruit.

 Today, not many will go out.

Today, not many sow the seed, the Word of God.

Today, there are not many who visit and care for the flock.

 Four things happen when the Sower sows the Seed.

 1) Some seeds fell by the wayside.

 This is seed that was sown outside the field. It fell on walking paths and the road.

This seed fell on unprepared ground and was walked on. It was walked upon, and some lay on top of the ground, and birds came and ate it.

 2) Some seeds fell upon rocky ground.

 This was a rock that had very little soil to cover it. This seed grew quickly because the water would lie on top of the rock when it rained, but that water would soon dry up, and those plants would wither away because the Sun would scorch the plants.

 3) Some seeds fell amongst the thorns.

 This seed would sprout, but those plants were soon choked to death by those thorns.

 4) Other seeds fell on good ground.

 This seed produced much fruit and bears fruit a hundredfold.

 Jesus immediately said: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear".

 It is most important that we hear what God has to say so we will know the truth!

 The disciples of Jesus Christ asked, "What do these things mean"?

 They also asked, "why do you teach using parables"?

 *****Luk 8:9  And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 

Luk 8:10  And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 

 Jesus said that when the truth of God is taught, we are listening to what the Holy Spirit wants us to hear, and we are to respond to it.

 Up until this point, Jesus had been teaching by direct reading of the Scriptures, and He would still do this also.

 Jesus began to teach with parables to reach those who had a sincere desire to understand the Word of God.

 Learning from a parable required people to do some thinking to get the meaning of the Scriptures.

 The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to open our hearts to receive God's message.

 It is important to ask enough questions until we get the true meaning of what God is teaching us, one Parable at a time.

 We will seek the truth of God if we already have a personal relationship with Him.

 Jesus also used the parables to conceal the truth from closed minds!

 Closed minds will not spend much time seeking the truth of God because they are not interested in the truth of God.

 They are carnal-minded.

 Hard-hearted people have no interest in the God of Love.

 If you think you already have it all figured out, you will never understand the truth of God.

 *****Luk 8:11  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 

Luk 8:12  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 

Luk 8:13  They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 

Luk 8:14  And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 

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.

 We should understand that the Sower is the Lord Jesus Christ, or one of His disciples today.

 1Co 3:9  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 

 The Seed is then the Word of God which is incorruptible.

 1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

 It is the Gospel that brings much fruit.

 Col 1:5  For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 

Col 1:6  Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 

 Jesus warns us all that there are all types of people in a crowd.

 The fate of our ministries, and how well they grow, depends on those who hear it!

 The success of the seed depends upon one thing only, and it is the condition of the soil.

 The acceptance of the Word of God relies on one thing: the condition of the heart.

 In this parable, the "soil" is in type the "heart".

 1) That seed by the wayside.

 That person by the wayside hears the Word of God. He is present, but he is off to the side. He is not involved in any church, and he lets his mind wander to things he would rather be doing than listening to some preacher. He will not pay any attention to God's warnings.

 Before this person can believe the Devil will come and snatch the Word of God from him.

 This person will never apply the Word of God to themselves.

 2) The seed on the rock.

 It means this person hears the Word of God, even becomes excited over it. He may even make a profession of faith.

 But he fails to count the cost and consider the commitment he must make and the effort it takes to be a Christian, and he will not apply himself and become grounded in the Word of God.

 When trials and temptations come, he will fail, and his profession of faith will be meaningless.

 Luk 9:57  And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 

Luk 9:58  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 

Luk 9:59  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 

Luk 9:60  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 

Luk 9:61  And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 

Luk 9:62  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

 3) The seed among the thorns:

 This person receives the Word of God and honestly tries to live for Christ.

 The Church and its activities appeal to him, and he joins, even calling himself a Christian, but he cannot overcome the thorns of worldliness.

 He is unwilling to cut his ties with the world. He tries to live a double life.

 He violates the command of God: 2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 

2Co 6:18  And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. 

 He never becomes a child of God!

 We must separate ourselves from the world to be a child of God!

 1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

 1Ti 5:6  But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.

 2Ti 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

2Ti 3:2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 

2Ti 3:3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 

2Ti 3:4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

 4) The seed on good ground.

 These are the ones who accept the Word of God with an honest and good heart.

 They hear the Word of God, and they keep it.

 They will bring forth fruit that will last because they are patient as they witness for Jesus Christ.

 They honestly seek to learn and know the truth of God; the Church will grow.

 Act 2:41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 

 1Th 2:13  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. 

 They are devoted to Christ and committed to the Gospel.

 They do not allow the Devil to snatch away the truth of God.

 The Lord Jesus adds to this truth:

 *****Luk 8:16  No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. 

Luk 8:17  For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. 

Luk 8:18  Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. 

 A candle must be lit to fulfill its function.

 A candle is made for one purpose only, and that purpose is to give light.

 A couple of things we must understand:

 1) All fruit that is gathered is for God. We cannot save anyone; we can only lead them to the Lord, who can save them.

 2) The light that remains is for the neighborhood. Once we are saved, we are to learn how to make our light as bright as it can be. 

 3) This candle is given by God Himself, and it cannot be purchased; it is a gift of God to each believer.

 This candle is useless to God unless it is used.

 This candle represents our Christian Life.

 Mat_5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 This is the life we have when we have been "Born Again" into the family of God.

 This life is only useful to God when our candle is lit!

 This candle is God-given, but it must be we ourselves who can only light our candle.

 We must take the initiative to light our candle and not try to hide it.

 The Lord Jesus Christ is the only spark that can light our candle!

 Joh 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 Joh 11:9  Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 

Joh 11:10  But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 

 Joh 12:36  While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. 

 Candles can be used as decoration. We can be a life that beautifies others. This is not the primary use of our life.

 You can use the wax from a candle to fill a hole. We can be a life that fills in the gaps in society. This is not the primary use of our lives.

 Our life can be like an ornament to attract attention. This would be a life centered on us. This is certainly not what God wants from us.

 Our life must be able to shine freely. Eph 5:8  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 

 Our life must be like a candle that is set in a high place. Our High Place must be the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Our life must be bright and not dim.

Our life must be strong in Christ and not weak.

 If we try to hide our light, it is because we are ashamed of the true Light, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 1Pe 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 

 We must understand that there are no more mysteries in the Bible. The Gospel was hidden for a time period but it is not to be hidden now.

 There are no secret ways to get to Heaven! The Lord Jesus Christ explained the Gospel well enough for us to understand these things.

 In fact, Jesus said we should know the way to Heaven by now.

 Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

Joh 14:2  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Joh 14:4  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

 We must understand as we live out our lives in this wicked world that the truth is very narrow.

 If we do not understand the Gospel of Grace, we have learned the wrong lesson!

 Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

 We can think, we can guess, and we can suppose but we cannot stray from the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Only the truth of God will bring rewards!

 If we do not use what the Lord has given to us, those rewards will be taken away.

 Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

 We must believe what the Lord Jesus says.

 He gives us this example:

 *****Luk 8:22  Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. 

Luk 8:23  But as they sailed, he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 

When the Lord told His disciples they were going over to the other side, they should have believed Him.

Jesus, the Son of Man, needed the help of the disciples to get away from the crowds that had gathered.

Most of these disciples had made their living on the Sea of Galilee. They knew this Sea and the suddenness of storms on this Sea.

Jesus, the Son of God, said we are going to the other side, and when He said this, these men should have believed what Jesus said and accepted it as the truth.

We could say this boat ride was a test of faith.

God will test our faith from time to time!

We will face many storms in our Christian life!

We must understand our sovereign God can do anything He so pleases at any time He so pleases!

1Ti 3:16  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

The Man Jesus was so tired that He fell asleep, but it did not change His plan.

The Lord Jesus was trusting that the skills of these men would get them to the other side of Galilee.

The Lord Jesus was present, but He was not actively involved in the task of rowing.

Then came the storm, and it was a terrible storm.

This little boat was in jeopardy of sinking, but for one thing.

The Lord Jesus had said that they were going to the other side, and it was a sure thing.

*****Luk 8:24  And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. 

They felt that only the Lord Jesus had the power to save them when the Lord Jesus had trusted that they had the skills to reach the other side. He knew all along what they would do. This was a test of their faith; they were never in jeopardy.

Any place where the Lord Jesus is present is a safe place, no matter if He is asleep!

These disciples said they felt they were about to perish yet; they also had said that the Lord Jesus was the Messiah.

This shows that they had doubts that Jesus was the true Messiah.

They were desperate enough to wake up the Lord Jesus.

Just as that fever had left Peter's mother-in-law, just as all disease had left many people when the Lord spoke and said leave, the Lord Jesus spoke to the wind, and immediately the wind stopped blowing, and the Sea was calm.

Then the Lord had a question for them.

*****Luk 8:25  And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. 

We had better believe that Satan had his wickedness involved with this storm, so the Lord Jesus stood on His feet when He could have rebuked the wind with just His words. Satan would try to murder the Lord Jesus at every opportunity.

We must understand that the people of God must have absolute faith in our Savior.

We must also understand that if we are afraid, then it did not come from God, and if it did not come from God, it must have come from the Devil.

They had seen many miracles in their time with the Lord Jesus, but they felt that no one could control nature, and they were wrong again.

Jesus had said they were all going to the other side, and not one of them could have perished.

When the Lord describes the Rapture of the Church, we do not have to doubt that it will be real.

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

Amen

Jesus and the End of the Church Age

 More Lessons from the King

Book of Matthew "Continuing" Chapter 13

If we want to understand the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven then, there is no better place in the Bible to find out than these parables that were preached and taught by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember a parable describes a "Spiritual Truth" from an earthly truth!

*****Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 

Mat 13:45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 

Mat 13:46  Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 

Verse 38 describes this field as the world, and it probably means the same in this verse. There is no reason to think differently.

So what is this treasure and who is this man?

In the first two parables, the sower was the Lord Jesus Christ, and the seed was the Word of God or the "Gospel" the "Good News".

We know that to the Lord, the most valuable thing upon this earth is the soul of man.

It is so important that the Lord gave His life for our souls!

Mat 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 

In this verse we see that the Holy Spirit describes the "soul" to be of much more value than the totals of all this world.

This leaves us to believe without a doubt that this man is the Lord Jesus Christ, who laid the glory of Heaven aside and came to this earth to give all that He had, even His life for the "for all our souls".

The only thing we need to know is why it was hidden?

What we need to realize is the mystery of Israel and the mystery of the Church in these two parables.

Israel is that treasure hidden in the field:

Exo 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: 

Psa 135:4  For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. 

When the Lord Jesus Christ came from Heaven, He found His people hidden in a field.

By His death, Jesus bought the whole world and with it, all the people who are His earthly treasure.

Jesus died for all people, but He also died for the nation of Israel.

Joh 11:51  And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; 

Joh 11:52  And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. 

We do not read that Jesus then got possession of that treasure so, this treasure is still hidden in this field which He bought with such a great price for the sake of owning that treasure.

This is the key to these two parables!

Israel is the Lord's peculiar treasure.

Jesus has purchased His earthy people yet still, Israel is that hidden peculiar treasure, until He returns to get His Church first, then back to earth to get this treasure of Israel.

Israel will then be "justified", "separated" and become a Spirit-filled people!

The Lord Jesus died for the nation of Israel, but the results of that death are not at this time complete.

Israel is still hidden in the that purchased field in this world!

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 

Rom 11:26  And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 

Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 

Much of the so-called Church says that God has cast away and forgotten these people, but this is far from the truth!

True Israel is that treasure still hidden in that field that was also purchased by the blood of Jesus, who will come again! 

1) To complete the redemption of His Church at the Rapture and 

2) Reclaim Israel.

The One pearl of greatest value is the Church.

Eph_5:25  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

This pearl is taken out of the Sea, way down from the dark bottom out of the mouth of an animal!

We are told that a miserable grain of soil, embeds itself between the animal (the oyster) and its shell and this process continues until a beautiful pearl is produced.

A pearl of great price. 

A pearl with the colors of the rainbow from Heaven are blended together.

It is then taken up and becomes the priceless jewel in the crown of the kingdom.

This pearl is a type of the Church!

This pearl is still forming today and has not yet reached the beauty it will one day have, when the Lord calls the Church home!

The Lord returns to claim the treasure that is still hidden (Israel), He will bring that Pearl with Him!

*****Mat 13:47  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 

Mat 13:48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 

Mat 13:49  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 

Mat 13:50  And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

The kingdom of heaven is not the Church Age?

At the end of the Church Age, the Lord recalls His Church to remain with Him forevermore.

At the end of the Church Age, the seven years of Tribulation will begin.

In every age there is miscellaneous multitude of young and old, good and evil, people who move about this world at liberty in the wide expanse of what we call life.

It is the same for the fish that move about in the many oceans and seas.

God has dropped His invisible lines down into the Sea of Life and they are silently and slowly creeping in around us!

God will separate the wheat from the tares at the end of the Church Age.

Mat 13:30  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. 

God will gather this large net into the shore one day and that day is not as far off as we may realize.

This shall be at the completion of the seven most horrible years upon this earth.

Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 

In the previous parables, the Church and Israel have been regathered. 

So this is not the "Gospel Net", as in the Church Age, as it is sometimes called.

We already know that the seas represent the nations.

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 

Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

The angels will be used to separate the wicked from the just.

The wicked will be cast into the ever-burning flames of Hell.

As far as these disciples are concerned, they know nothing of the Church Age at this time and will not realize it until after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and Pentecost.

We have learned from these 7 parables of the mysteries of the kingdom of heavens beginning with the Apostolic Age and then the conditions we face up to the end.

These last 3 parables have shown us the mystery of Israel, the mystery of the Church, and the mystery of the ending of these ages.

All these things were taught to the 12 disciples. That great multitude only heard the first 2 parables.

Even those 12 chosen would not understand these things until they were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

So Jesus then asked, "have you understood these things"?

*****Mat 13:51  Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 

Mat 13:52  Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. 

You see, since we know and understand these things, we are beginning our preparation to go out into the world in obedience to Jesus Christ just as the Apostles did!

The word "scribe" as used here means those who are skilled in the Word of God, who read and can make sense of the Word, as Ezra said, to the people of this world, especially those to whom God has called.

The old things are those things in the Old Testament that refer to the Messiah and the truth of God, and those new things are all the things of the New Covenant or the New Testament.

We need to understand, and we need to proclaim in a loving way to those who remain lost, this is the only opportunity they will have to spend time with those who are good according to the Word of God. 

Once they leave this world their eternity will be filled with violence and eternal damnation.

We do not just walk up and tell them this for they need the "Gospel" before they need any bad news!

Those new things are summarized in these parables!

Then Jesus teaches us that once He has revealed all He came to reveal, He will be going back to Heaven until these Ages run their course, of course under His supervision.

*****Mat 13:53  And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. 

Mat 13:54  And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? 

We can understand His own country as Nazareth and the area around Nazareth.

Luk 4:16  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 

Luk 4:17  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 

Luk 4:18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 

Luk 4:19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 

Jesus had never preached in this synagogue of Nazareth, His hometown, where He grew up with Mary and Joseph, but it was now time to do so.

No one had paid much attention to this Son of God as He grew, but they would now hear the true Word of God.

They were now astonished at His wisdom and this wisdom was from God, Jehovah God.

To His hometown, Jesus declared that He was the Messiah come from God.

Luk 4:20  And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 

Luk 4:21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 

Luk 4:22  And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? 

Yes, this Jesus was the same Jesus who had a stepfather named Joseph who had trained Him to be a Carpenter.

This was a very humble family!

*****Mat 13:55  Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 

Mat 13:56  And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 

Mat 13:57  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 

Mat 13:58  And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Yes, this mother was the Virgin Mary, selected by God to bring the Messiah into the world.

This is the place where we learn some about the children fathered by Joseph, which were James, Joses, Simon and Judas and there were sisters also, which means more than one sister and some say three sisters.

The Lord Jesus was rejected because the people of Nazareth could not understand where such a man from such a humble family could have the wisdom of God!

The Virgin Mary had become housewife and mother and neither Mary nor Joseph had achieved any prominence nor had any of the children and nothing else changed with this family of children until the Lord Jesus was crucified and then He raised Himself from that grave.

The people of Nazareth decided that Jesus could not be who He claimed to be!

Jesus was rejected because these people were offended at Him!

The word offended means they stumbled over the truth!

They could not imagine that someone they had seen grow up, to be the Messiah sent from Heaven.

They could not imagine a man from their own little city could make such claims as Jesus was making.

This became the same sentiment of all of Israel.

Joh 5:18  Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 

Mat 27:39  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 

Mat 27:40  And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 

This is where the world is at today.

If we think about it, how else would God have made Himself known.

He could have come down in a rocket ship and the whole world would have believed.

Many would have believed in fright.

Many would believe and tried to destroy Him.

The Book of Genesis says we were created in God's image, yet the same book says that God is Spirit.

So the image of God is not in looks, but in traits and the Lord Jesus Christ is the express image of His Father and the example we are to follow.

So we must choose to shrink King Jesus down to our level, or to accept Him for who He says He is!

If we look at all the miracles that He did, then we must accept Him as the Messiah.

If we look at all the prophecies that were fulfilled in Him, then we must accept Him as the Messiah.

If we believe the Word of God, then we must accept that Jesus is the Messiah.

If we look out at our created world, then we must believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

The Lord Jesus Christ is 100% God, and He was also 100% man.

There is no other explanation!

If Jesus is the Messiah, then He is our Lord and Savior, and this is my belief!

Unbelief leaves no alternative to salvation!

Unbelief hurts our God who has tried His best to show us the truth!

So choose to believe the truth and be saved, or choose to disregard the truth and suffer the wrath of God.

To not choose is to disregard the truth!

The greatest sin in all the world, is to be ignorant of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen

What Is the Kingdom of God

 New Lessons About the Kingdom

Book of Matthew Chapter 13

We now get to listen in as the Lord Jesus Christ preached in a new way.

The Lord Jesus loved to use parables.

We may not know as much as we like to about the Kingdom of Heaven, but because of King Jesus and His preaching, we know much more of those things that were once mysteries to those who were gathered, to hear the Lord Jesus preach.

The Lord Jesus uses these parables to describe the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven.

So what is a parable?

A parable is a representation of something that is real in life or in nature from which a certain thing is drawn for instruction.

A parable is a mode of speaking for us to learn spiritual things.

A parable is an earthly truth that expresses a Heavenly truth!

A parable is an earthly comparison to a Spiritual truth!

Let us listen to the Lord Jesus:

*****Mat 13:1  The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 

Mat 13:2  And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 

Mat 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 

Jesus had just preached a sermon and He had healed some who had faith but remember Jesus found not much faith in Capernaum.

Mat 11:23  And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

Since the Lord Jesus had begun His ministry, He had no time to rest so, after a tiring day Jesus just went out to the Sea of Galilee to enjoy a moment of tranquility but it did not last long so, Jesus began to teach some truths of the Kingdom of Heaven.

We should understand that a parable is not a fable.

A fable is just a fictitious story or some legend that may or may not have existed.

A parable was a means of teaching the truth in a fashion that could be easily understood.

We first meet the sower. In the next parable we find this sower is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

These first two parables set the standard for all the remaining parables.

A sower would sow seed. Today we would say broadcast, casting seed out by hand.

Most time the seed of a crop would be cast upon plowed ground, but this was not always the case.

In some soils the seed was cast before the plowing.

In some wet soils the seed would be trodden down by animals.

Isa 32:20  Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. 

The one thing we should clearly understand is that the seed of the Christian is the precious Word of God, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is the Gospel Seed that will bring great results when presented the right way!

Pro 11:18  The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. 

Psa 126:1  When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. 

Psa 126:2  Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. 

Psa 126:3  The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. 

Psa 126:4  Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. 

Psa 126:5  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 

Psa 126:6  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. 

Now let us hear this great parable of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must be careful where we sow the "Gospel Seed"!

*****Mat 13:4  And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 

The first danger in sowing the "Gospel Seed" is to sow it upon prepared ground. If the seed is not placed where it can be covered then the birds will come and devour the seed.

I know birds have keen sight but as one who loves to feed the birds, they must have another sense that directs them to seed.

There was always a foot path to divide one field from another and seed that dropped on that foot path just could not grow into a useful plant.

On the day, this parable was taught, this sower was the Lord Jesus Himself.

He as our example, is teaching some who might become future sowers of the Word of God.

The ground that is plowed with the "Gospel Plow" (Grace) is ready to receive the "Gospel Seed"(Word of God).

What we should know is that these "fowl" represent that "wicked thing" we know of as Satan.

*****Mat 13:5  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 

Mat 13:6  And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 

There are many today who claim to have received the truth of the Lord, but their hearts are so hardened by their sin they just cannot accept it as the complete truth.

It is like seed that lands on stony ground where there is not enough soil to provide the nourishment to the seed. That soil will dry and become nothing, but dust and that seed will never produce.

Stony ground is cold like a cold heart. These people have no spiritual warmth because the Holy Spirit has not moved in.

What did God say?

Eze 11:19  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: 

Eze 11:20  That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 

This is exactly what happened to Israel, their hearts turned to stone!

Zec 7:12  Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. 

Zec 7:13  Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts: 

Zec 7:14  But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate. 

Remember we serve an unchanging God and stony hearts cannot receive the rainfall from Heaven and they cannot get into Heaven!

Rev 21:6  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

They will be scorched by the Sun without having received the Son!

They have no root in themselves.

When we find a Bible believing Church, the Lord teaches us "to put our roots in" so we can grow in Christ.

When we have no root then we cannot grow, we must endure!

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 

Just hearing the Word of God preached and taught will not get you to Heaven, you must receive the Word of God as the truth.

*****Mat 13:7  And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 

Thorny ground is deceptive ground. When we see growth in bare ground, where weeds grow, we think well "anything" can grow in that place, but this is never true.

Any growth from that seed will soon be choked out.

Thorny ground represents those who receive the Word of God but just want to add it to their lives as they exist and not repent of their sinful ways.

This is the theme of the queer and lesbian and the cross-gender movement today and many other sinners. 

They say God made them the way they are, and we just need to accept them for who they are, but God teaches us all that we must be "Born Again".

God forgave me of my sin, but He told me to go and sin no more. It is called to repent!

The Lord Jesus Christ did not come to die just so I could hold on to my sin!

The Bible says:

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

Those thorns are the cares of this world!

They prick and stick the Word of God, until what God says is meaningless to them. 

Those with their minds on this world do not have their minds upon the Lord Jesus Christ!

This world will hinder, irritate, aggravate and trouble a person from pursuing the truth of God!

The deceitfulness of riches is also thorns, that keep us from the truth of God!

When we become self-confident or self-dependent, we have rejected the truth of God who says we need Him!

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

We cannot change the truth of God or it would no longer be the truth!

2Co 13:8  For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.

Some people see wealth as a blessing from God, but this is rarely the case.

God would never put us in a place where we would feel that we do not need Him!

Then there are some seed that lands on good fertile soil that has been prepared by the Holy Spirit.

*****Mat 13:8  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 

Mat 13:9  Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 

The tender heart that has been plowed with the "Gospel Plow" will reproduce the "Gospel Seed"!

The Gospel is not hard to understand.

That Seed is not just the Word of God, but it is the Gospel Seed of the Lord Jesus Christ, the "Good News"!

1Co 15:1  Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 

1Co 15:2  By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 

1Co 15:3  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 

1Co 15:4  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 

Not every believer is the same:

Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

Eph 4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 

Eph 4:8  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 

Eph 4:9  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 

Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 

Not all believers are equal.

Some will work harder than others, but we must also realize the location where Christians do that work.

Remember Moses preached 120 years and only his family went with him on the Ark.

So yes, some may produce 30-fold and others 100-fold, but the object is still to be busy about the work of the Lord once we are saved.

The production of the Gospel Seed lies in the hands of our Savior!

As my Pastor says: "the Holy Spirit was not given to us for our enjoyment, He was given to us for our employment" and this is true.

The Holy Spirit gave us all the Word of God and Jesus says we need to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying!

Now Jesus teaches these parables to His disciples!

*****Mat 13:18  Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 

Mat 13:19  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 

We see immediately that the key to salvation and the work given us by the Lord is understanding the Word of God.

What is the "word of the kingdom"? It can be none other than the "Gospel"!

The "Gospel" is the Words of Salvation saved for us by the Holy Spirit!

The Gospel is pure as Jesus is pure and it is the truth of a Holy God!

Jesus teaches these disciples to hear these parables according to the privileges given to them.

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. 

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. 

You see it is a privilege to be called of God and then be presented the "Gospel" of Jesus Christ!

It is these soon to be Apostles who were given the privilege first to deliver the "Gospel" to the world!

We must understand that when we present the "Gospel" to some lost soul who has been called of God, then Satan will immediately come to that person to discredit the Gospel in some way.

The Devil will snatch away the truth of the "Gospel"!

The Devil hates the Lord Jesus Christ and will do his best to keep everyone out of Heaven.

He cannot go himself and he does not want anyone else to get there.

It is easier to understand when we understand the truth of the Devil.

*****Mat 13:20  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 

Rocky ground has not much soil, but it will grow seed until the Sun rises and draws out all the moisture and that seed will die.

In many a person there is an enthusiastic receiving of the truth of God. 

Oh how they welcome the truth at least until the real truth sets in.

As Christians we live in an evil and wicked world where we are hated.

Persecution is real folks.

That old heart that was never broken by the "Gospel Plow" has no real life within it.

They have a form of "godliness, but they know not the reality of God's power and the power of everlasting life.

The Lord says to stay away from these people.

2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

The Lord says they are ever learning but never able to grasp the truth of Jesus.

2Ti 3:7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

We must understand that being a Christian will draw Satan's crowd near to us to cause persecution.

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 

This is the place where many so-called Christians go back to their old lives of sin!

But there are still others.

*****Mat 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 

We all know that the love of money is the root behind all the evil in this world!

1Ti_6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The deceit of riches does hinder, the growth of the Word of God within us!

In our world today sinful so-called pleasures go unhindered. Free to roam this world to cause destruction.

Plagues such as we have just gone through, will make things even worse.

People will become more dependent upon government, which by the way was probably more involved in the cause than we want to admit.

The cares of this world will come to the forefront.

Anxiety and future uncertainty will rule lives that are not dependent upon God.

The Word of God will be choked out by fear of what tomorrow might bring, because they refuse to believe the God who holds tomorrow in His hands.

There will be a great falling away which we see today!

2Th_2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

God has already told us of all these things.

1) We see that the Devil snatches up and devours.

2) We see the Flesh attempts and fails.

3) We see the World surrounds and chokes.

Only the Lord Jesus Christ could have spoken such a simple parable with such a deep and far-reaching meaning.

But there will always be that true believer!

*****Mat 13:23  But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 

There will always be some who hear the truth and cling to the truth for evermore!

What did the Lord our God say?

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

1) There is hearing.

2) There is understanding.

3) There is "faith".

Without "faith" there is no reproduction!

Through "faith" there is fruit bearing and producing!

These things come by a receptive, teachable heart that is prepared by "Grace"!

Amen

The Teaching Of Jesus Christ

The Certainty Of Christ's Parables

Book of Luke 12


We already know that the Lord Jesus used many parables in His teaching.

A parable can be best described as a story of something in our earthly life or in nature, that we can compare to the truth of God's Word, a Heavenly truth.

It is a fact that both the Created world of God and all the things in Heaven develop according to the same laws.

For instance in the spring we see the resurrection of this natural world from the dead of Winter to the new life of Spring which should remind us that to be resurrected is to be raised from death to eternal life.

Nature is a witness of the Spiritual world to come.

It could be said that a parable is the clearest illustration of God's truth!

We can be certain that the parables that Jesus taught will clearly show us the meaning of God's Word.

Everything that Jesus taught was in perfect harmony with the Message of His Father.

We should remember that a parable will never contradict the truth of the Scriptures, but will only point to the truth of God!

*****Luk 12:13  And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

Here we see one of the followers of Christ asked that He be the judge between he and his brother. This man was in a dispute with his own brother over the inheritance of his fathers estate.

We already know that by the laws of Moses the elder brother would get two thirds of the estate compared to his younger brother's one third.

We do not know if this is the problem with this man or not.

This man felt that he deserved an equal share of all the things his father had possessed.

The truth is, we never see where Jesus will ever interfere in secular matters!

At this time it was not His purpose because He came to seek and to save those who are lost!

At this time is was a common practice in the life of the Jews for the Rabbi to settle local legal disputes.

What do we know?

**This man had been listening to the Preaching message of Jesus sermons.

**This man was seeking material wealth of this world.

BUT, Jesus will never deal in matters of selfishness!

*****Luk 12:14  And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

Jesus Christ refused this man very sternly.

This gives us an idea how the Lord would respond to any request for the material things of this world for our own use.

This man exposed a serious flaw in the spiritual life he should have been seeking.

In verses 1-12 Jesus was teaching all those who would listen to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees.

Most of the Pharisees were hypocrites who taught the Laws of Moses but they themselves lived outside those Laws.

This is something we see in our own government today. Men and women who make the laws refuse to abide by those laws.

The truth is, the disciples of the Lord are to never live in this manner and are always to be aware of hypocrisy.

We are never to get caught up in this way of thinking!

Luk 12:2  For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

This was a man who had heard the message of Jesus but he was to preoccupied in his own worldliness to listen to what Jesus had really said.

The Bible says:

Jas 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

It is obvious that this man had his mind on the things of this earth and not on Heavenly things!

There many people who sit before God's preachers but they still refuse to hear the message he has preached.

The Bible says:

Mat 11:15  He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

This man had a strong desire for the things of this world and that is a sign of cold-hearted worldliness!

AND, Covetousness will lead to all manner of sin!

*****Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Each of the Ten Commandments is centered on covetousness!

The Tenth Commandment says "Thou shalt not covet".

To covet is to have an inordinate desire to possess what belongs to someone else!

In fact as the Bible describes covetousness, it means an ungoverned and selfish desire that threatens the basic rights of others.

To covet can also mean self exertion and the Tenth Commandment forbids such a thing.

This is exactly what is being pushed on the American public by the gay movement, the students that want everything to be free, those who want to take away the rights of Christians, and those who think differently from the Democratic Party and the secular society of today.

Free speech to these people means that you can say what you want to say as long as you do not disagree with what they have to say!

They should remember the Word of God:

Eph 5:5  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

To be covetous is to not be rich toward God!

To be covetous is to deny faith and scorn the values of God!

Just as Jesus says "life does not consists of the things of this world that we have in our possession".

Jesus says to "take heed", "to beware".

It was not being wronged by his brother that drove this man, it was simply greed!

This was the sin of this man and the great sin of this world we live in!

This is the sin of covetousness!

This is the sin of Socialism!

This is the sin of Communism!

These people become aggressively self-centered and this is what we see in America today!

So Jesus teaches with a parable.

*****Luk 12:16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
Luk 12:17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luk 12:18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luk 12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

In this parable we have a man who is already a rich land owner.

The crops that were planted on his lands brought forth greater than average crops, so much so he did not have room to store the abundance.

He uses the word "I" six times and the word "my" five times in these passages, because we see that he could only think of himself.

The one thing we can be sure of, is that if we have anything it is something that God has provided to us for a reason.

We are all prone to take credit for the things that we have acquired when the truth is, success comes only from God!

The sin of covetousness is a craving and a desire for more.

Covetousness is the sin that is hardest to overcome!

Covetousness causes greediness.

Covetousness causes dissatisfaction with what is enough.

Covetousness causes our cravings to influence our fleshy behavior!

It is not so "much a want to have" as a "got to have" and a will to try to obtain no matter the cost.

Covetousness puts material things in the place of God!

When this man had a great opportunity to help others in need, he chose only to store it in newly built barns.

This man had become self-centered that only his perceived needs were real ti him.

And what did God say to him? "You are a fool".

God says those that continuously lay up treasure for themselves and are not rich toward the ways of God are fools.

We already know that Jesus warned us for calling anyone a fool using the Greek word "moros" which means stupid.

But here the Holy Spirit uses a much stronger word meaning "insane".

Covetousness is a very serious sin in the eyes of God and goes all the way back to the very first commandment.

Notice, God knew the thoughts of this man.

Notice, God knew this man would die that very night.

The soul of this man was going to cease because the soul returns to the God who gave it.

The soul simply does not cease existing when the flesh dies!

The soul returns to the spiritual world.

2Pe 2:17  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

This man will never know who ended up with his riches after his death.

Psa 39:6  Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

Pro 5:21  For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.
Pro 5:22  His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.
Pro 5:23  He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

What did Jesus say before He began this parable?

Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

True life is not about the material things of this world we live in!

True life is about what happens after the death of this flesh we live in. It is the soul that has eternal life!

*****Luk 12:21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Psa 49:6  They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
Psa 49:7  None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
Psa 49:8  (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
Psa 49:9  That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
Psa 49:10  For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

Wealth is not a permanent possession!

Someone else will always get your wealth that you leave behind and many times not those you would prefer to have it.

The ownership of material things is really never ours to begin with, all things belong to God.

1) The riches of God are true life:

Psa 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

2) The riches of God come from a life of faith:

Jas 2:5  Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

3) The riches of God in this life are from our good works after our salvation.

1Ti 6:18  That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
1Ti 6:19  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

4) The riches of God come from the wisdom of God:

Pro 8:11  For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

Those that lay up their own treasures in this world are not rich in the things of God that last forever!

*****Luk 12:22  And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

Discipleship training has lost it's importance in the modern day church.

We should be clear, Jesus is teaching His disciples here. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ then you need some training for the tasks that He has for us all!

This message is not for the world, those that reject Jesus Christ!

Taking thought, is worrying.

Taking thought, is being overly concerned.

God says for us to not worry about the necessities of life!

King David said: Psa 37:25  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Jesus said "I have come that you might have life".

In other words, life is not about this life we live in the flesh that only last such a short time!

*****Luk 12:23  The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.

The biggest problem this world has today is that it does not believe in an ultimate provider.

In reality there are no such things as the laws of nature!

God did not create a world in which only the strong survive!

Psa 145:15  The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season.
Psa 145:16  Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

Sure there are those that are starving in this world but if looked you would see that most people starve because some man or some men have interfered with the food process!

The truth is, that it is only those who are strong in Christ that will survive.

The life that Christ Jesus supplies is eternal!

Joh 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Our faith is the key to true life, if that faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Who would choose a meal over such a life?

Who would choose a new wardrobe over such a life?

These things are just covetousness which leads to most all sin!

The greatest sin besides, rejecting the Lord Jesus, is the desire of mankind for bigger and better things of this world.

Life and our bodies mean much more that the food we eat and the clothes we wear, or the place we live, or the things we think we own!

We already know that a healthy lifestyle will extend our life in this world and a life in Christ will extend that life to a life eternal in the actual presence of God.

Jesus did not say we are not to think or to plan for the necessities of life, Jesus said we are not to worry about these things.

Life takes some thought and some planning but we are never to covet to the point of worrying!

We should just truly consider the ways of God!

*****Luk 12:24  Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

Jesus says just consider all the birds, they are fed by God Himself.

As far as I know, the only birds who die of starvation are those who have been captured by some person and kept as pets.

Birds do not sow or reap their food, they just go to the location where food is available.

Many animals store up food for the times when it is not available but not the birds, God provides for them day by day.

Birds are willing to go to wherever their needs are met!

God says that those who have accepted His Son Jesus as their personal Savior are of much more value than the birds.

Faith that God will provide our needs comes from the faith that we have a Savior and a Redeemer.

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 1Pe 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Jesus is teaching all His disciples, which includes all who have faith in Him, not to worry or be anxious in this world over food and clothing.

BUT, we should also remember that God does not put up with laziness, or a lack of initiative, and effort on our part.

God made plans ahead of time for our salvation.

Jesus planned ahead for His own funeral.

Joh 12:6  This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Joh 12:7  Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

Jesus preached and taught for us all to be industrious believers.

Luk 16:8  And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

Jesus said we are to be more industrious than this unjust steward.

The Bible is very clear about us being faithful workers and even working to have extra that we can give to those that do not have.

Eph 4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Our faith means that we are trusting in God to meet all our needs because God says He will never forsake us.

God does not ever say that we will not suffer in this life in fact He says we will!

It is that suffering that will increase our faith!

God truly cares for those who love Him!

1Pe 5:6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Worrying about these things of God is then senseless!

*****Luk 12:25  And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit?

The Greek word used for stature in this verse is "helikia".

Helikia can mean age as well as size.

So this verse could read either "who can add one cubit which is about 18 inches to his stature" or it could read "who could add one minute to his life span".

The answer to both is that none of us can do either of these things.

No two of us are alike but we are all sinners!

This world is corrupt and imperfect just as we all are.

Our only hope is in the Almighty God through the Lord Jesus Christ who makes these promises to us.

2Pe 1:2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

*****Luk 12:26  If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?

It is to our benefit to think that there are many things that we simply cannot do!

There are some simple things that man simply cannot do.

It would seem reasonable that we are in control of our own destiny but the truth is we are not in control at all!

God does not cause accidents yet they still happen and our lives our over before we know it.

The big thing today is climate change and with all the power of man and all the knowledge of the world's greatest minds, it is God who controls these things and the climate has always changed.

If we would only look at a Supreme Being and not the foolishness of Evolution we would not get so caught up in these things!

When we are unable to do some of the simplest of things with human power, how could we ever believe we could do these things that foolish men say is possible.

God has promised that no matter what we see or think, God will work out all things for the good to those that truly trust Him!

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

We know God's plan and we may not understand His methods, but we need to just place these things in His hands because He certainly knows what is best for us.

1Co 7:17  But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches.

We are challenged to trust God and leave all our worries to Him, or to be so anxious about this life that it robs us of our peace and joy.

We are to consider what God has already done.

*****Luk 12:27  Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Luk 12:28  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

When we see the beautiful lilies, do they not always appear contented and happy.

The lilies live on the property of man.

The same air that keeps us alive does not help the growth of the lily, because the lily requires our wasted air.

When we and also the animals breath in all the air we want, it is that air that is exhausted, though poison to us, that is life to the lily.

A lily is not concerned with popularity or of wearing the proper clothing.

A lily is not concerned with style and fashion.

A lily is not concerned with acceptability.

Flowers are grateful for the leftovers of this world and our ingratefulness shows when we simply cannot be happy with what God has provided for us.

As rich as King Solomon was, he could not purchase clothing that could come close to the beauty of the lilies!

God simply says, to get all the good out of the things He has provided before we wish for better things!

A flower has no wings and no feet and must stay exactly where it is planted.

They do not do anything that cannot be done at home.

When the Lord Jesus was asked to do wrong He said "I and my Father are one".

Jesus was saying that this is not what happens in My Father's House!

There are still people who talk to their flowers but flowers never talk back.

Flowers allow their silent beauty do all their talking for them!

Flowers teach us to do good without being asked to do so!

It is a fact that without the systems God has put in place we would not have flowers!

We would not have trees!

We would not have grass!

We not not have the wheat and the corn that feeds us!

God is the Creator of life, not only mankind, and all the animals but life also can be seen in all the plants that grow and many of those plants are grown for our on benefit.

We get food and shelter and many other resources from plants who survive off our waste and even if they had mouths they would never complain!

SO, What this world is suffering the most from, "is a lack of faith" and that faith in God!

*****Luk 12:29  And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
Luk 12:30  For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

When we doubt that God cares enough for us to provide our basic needs, then we become anxious and worry to a point that we become insecure in many other things.

Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Worldliness is being wrapped up in the things of this world and doubting God's care!

These things will consume us if they are allowed to fester!

When life becomes food, drink and possessions, we have forgotten that life is eternal and we have forgotten life is in the soul which never dies.

As the children of God we are to different from those of this world!

God commands us to seek the Kingdom of God and all these other things will be provided.

We must understand that God knows we have personal needs!

If we cannot trust in God's ability to provide our basic needs, how then can we be sure of our own salvation.

A God that cannot provide for His people is not much of a God!

We serve a God that not only provides our needs, but He gets great pleasure in doing so!

*****Luk 12:32  Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

God has great pleasure in giving us treasures that do not age, that do not corrupt, and no one can steal them away from us!

The teaching of the Lord is this: "Once our needs have been met, we do not need more".

We will only waste it or we will store it to deny others from having.

We live in a world that is full of needs and should be willing to help others with any excess that we have.

Not to gain a good reputation but for the purpose of seeking the Kingdom of God!

What advice does God give us?

*****Luk 12:33  Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Luk 12:34  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

"Gifts" of money and good deeds can never grow old.

The treasures in Heaven are built upon the fruit of the Holy Spirit and Souls led to the Lord.

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Eph 5:9  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

These things never age, never fail, cannot corrupt, and cannot be stolen, as all things of this earth do.

The real treasures are in Heaven!

Our hearts should be centered these things of Heaven.

If we believe our treasure is in this world then our hearts are in this world.

As this world is corrupt, then our hearts are corrupt!

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
We can be certain that the parables of the Lord Jesus Christ teach us Heavenly Truths!

Questions?

Let's Pray!