Introduction To The Parables

Q: What does the Bible say about pride and humility?

The Bible teaches that God despises pride and exalts humility, as indicated in Proverbs 6:16-17 and James 4:6. The Scripture categorically states that pride is detestable to God. Proverbs 6:16-17 lists a 'proud look' as one of the abominations that the Lord hates. This is grounded in the truth that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Corinthians 1:29). Instead, God delights in those who are humble and contrite in spirit, as outlined in Isaiah 57:15. It is essential for Christians to recognize that their standing before God is not based on their own wisdom or merit but entirely on His grace, which requires a posture of humility.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of grace is true?

The doctrine of grace is affirmed through Scripture that emphasizes God's sovereign choice and mercy, such as Romans 9:15-16. The truth of the doctrine of grace is solidly grounded in various scriptural passages. Romans 9:15-16 illustrates that God's mercy is not based on human will or effort, but solely on His sovereign choice. Ephesians 2:8-9 further emphasizes that salvation is a gift of grace, received through faith and not by works, which reinforces that salvation is a divine act rather than a human endeavor. Historic Reformed theology holds that God's grace is unmerited favor that He bestows upon whom He wills, demonstrating His glorious sovereignty in salvation.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to study parables?

Studying parables is important as they reveal deep spiritual truths and require diligent searching, as emphasized in Matthew 13:34-35. The significance of studying parables lies in their ability to communicate profound spiritual truths through simple, relatable stories. In Matthew 13:34-35, it is shown that Jesus spoke in parables to fulfill Scripture and to reveal things kept secret from the foundation of the world. Parables challenge believers to engage more deeply with the Word, as the treasures of wisdom are often hidden and require effort to uncover. This engagement cultivates a heart posture that seeks understanding and reveals the glory of Christ in everyday life.

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

The Bible asserts God's sovereignty over creation and His divine will, particularly in passages such as Isaiah 46:10 and Ephesians 1:11. God's sovereignty is a central tenet in Scripture, signifying His ultimate authority over all creation and the unfolding of history according to His divine will. Isaiah 46:10 emphasizes that God declares the end from the beginning and accomplishes His purposes. Furthermore, Ephesians 1:11 states that God works all things after the counsel of His will, reinforcing the belief that nothing occurs outside of His sovereign plan. This understanding instills hope in believers as they trust in the God who orchestrates all events for His glory and the good of His people.

Q: How should Christians approach prayer according to the sermon?

Christians are encouraged to approach prayer with humility, recognizing their dependence on God, as exemplified in Matthew 6:9-13. Prayer is a vital privilege for Christians, who are called to approach God with humility and reverence. Matthew 6:9-13 provides a model for prayer, beginning with exaltation of God's name and alignment with His will. Believers should recognize their utter dependence on God for daily sustenance, forgiveness, and guidance. This humble approach requires that Christians not come before God with arrogance or entitlement but with a heart ready to receive His grace and wisdom, truly understanding that prayer is an act of submission to His sovereign authority.

The first verse says, Tell me
the story simply as to a little child, for I am weak and weary
and helpless and defiled. And it says, Tell it to me slowly
that I may take it in. We don't grow weary of the old,
old story. That bothers me. The thought bothers me at times.
that I hear this story too much. I take it for granted and it
doesn't touch my heart. Woe is unto us if we become like
those children sitting in the marketplace. The Lord said, we've
piped unto you, we've harped unto you. You don't mourn, you
don't weep, you don't laugh, you don't dance. No reaction. Woe is unto us if we become like
that. This is. This message is going to be more
or less introduction to the messages that are to come. I'll explain
myself a little more about it later. There's no one more despicable.
There's no person more despised or hated by us, by nature, than
a proud and an arrogant person. Somebody, a know-it-all, a condescending
type of person. Somebody that looks down upon
you, upon you and your opinion concerning everything. Somebody
like that, that type of person has very few friends, probably,
if any. And the proverb says this, six
things doth the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination
to him. That is, seven things he utterly
despises in human beings. Seven things. The first thing
that he mentions is a proud look. That is, haughty eyes. The margin says, haughty eyes.
You've seen it, haven't you? Talk to somebody. You've seen the little sneer
and the haughty eyes of some proud and arrogant person you've
been talking to. The Lord sees it in all of us.
He sees that look in all of us. Now, I ask you, why is pride
so detestable to God? Why does God hate pride more
than anything? Why does he hate pride more than
anything? Because the scripture says no
flesh should glory in his presence. No flesh should glory in his
presence. Six times in the scriptures he
refers to himself as a jealous God. He says the Lord thy God
is a jealous God. Six times he says that. What
does he mean by that? The Lord thy God is a jealous
God." What he means by that is he will not share his glory with
another. He's not going to share his glory
with anybody, especially a man. Not with an angel, certainly
not with a man. Now the great and magnificent
sovereign creator of all things, the ruler of the universe, God
Almighty is the creator and the sustainer, that is, the author
and finisher of all things. He starts and he finishes everything. He works all things after the
counsel of his own will, and this God doesn't take counsel
with anybody. He doesn't consult with anybody
and ask them what they think he ought to do or how he ought
to do anything. He doesn't do it. I want you
to turn to Job chapter 38 with me. Job chapter 38. Is it warm in here? Is it? I'll turn here. Job chapter 38. Now, when Job
and his friends, you know the story, Job, the Lord, put his
hand on Job and touched everything he had and brought him into great
afflictions. And Job and his friends were
trying to figure this thing out. And they all sat around and discussing
God. You know the story if you've
read it. And all of them thought they knew something, didn't they?
They thought they, they thought they, each one of them spoke
their piece. Well, Job, you know, wanted to stand up. Job, this
is what I think. And then the next one would do
the same thing, and then the next one. And it turned out Elihu,
the youngest of the bunch, the meekest of the bunch, he was
the only one that had true insight into the matter. But Job and
these wise and mighty friends of his were trying to figure
this thing out. And finally, after they all had done speaking,
God spoke. Here in Isaiah 38, look at verse
1. Then the Lord answered Job, or
spoke to Job out of the whirlwind. And he said, who is this that
darkeneth counsel, that is, confuses things by words without knowledge? Gird up now your loins like a
man. Stand before me. I'll demand
of you, and you're going to answer me. You've got some things to
answer to. In verse 4, he asked this. He
asked Job this. Where were you when I laid the
foundations? of the earth. Declare it, if
you have understanding. I want to hear what you have
to say about it. Verse 5, Who has laid the measures
thereof, if you know? Who has stretched the line upon
the earth? The lion and the plummet figured
this thing out, how to perfectly construct it. Whereupon are the
foundations of the world fastened? How does a world sit there in
orbit like that? Who laid the cornerstone of the
earth? When the morning stars sang together and all the sons
of God shouted for joy, or who shut up the sea or confined the
sea to its place? Who did this? Answer me, Job. What do you have to say for yourself?
Look at verse 18. He says, Pleasure the earth? I can. Do you know the ordinances
of heaven? Do you know the mysteries of
the star? Can you set the dominion thereof in the earth? Can thou,
can you lift up your voice to the clouds? Can you cry unto
the clouds and make it rain? Come on, Job, give it a try.
You know so much. Look over at chapter 39, look
at verse 1. Do you know the time when the
wild goats of the rock bring forth their children? I do. I know every goat in every mountain
and when they're going to give birth. Can you mark when every
cattle on every hill, all the cattle on a thousand hills are
about to give birth? I can, God said. Can you number
the months that they fulfill? Look at verse 26. Does the hawk
fly by your wisdom? Stretch your wings toward the
south tell me Joe. How does the the birds know where
to go and when to go? Do you know? Do you look at verse 27 does
the eagle mount up at your command he does mine Look at chapter 40 look at chapter
40 verse 1 moreover the Lord answered Job and said Shall he
that contended? With the almighty instruct him. He that reprove of God has got
all these answers, you remember, Job said, I'll argue my case
before God, I'll plead my right. Remember that? He that reprove
of God, come on now, I want to hear your answer. What you got
to say for yourself? Verse three, listen, this is
the this is the reaction of a man that hears God as he is. Then
Job answered the Lord and said, Behold, I am thou. What am I
going to say? What shall I answer thee? I'm
just going to put my hand on my mouth. I'm going to shut up. Look over at Isaiah 29. Look
at this. You've got to look at this if
you have a Bible. Isaiah chapter 29. This is a
key. portion of Scripture to what we're studying here. Isaiah 29. Look at verse 9. The Lord's speaking here. He
says, Stay yourselves. Listen up. Be still. I've got something to say to
you. And wonder. Cry ye out and cry. They're drunken. The people are drunk. They're
walking around drunk, staggering, but not with wine. They stagger,
but not with strong drink. They're walking around in a daze.
But it's not because they've been drinking, but it's verse
10. For the Lord has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. Everybody's in a sleep, like
zombies walking around. And if the Lord has poured out
a spirit of deep sleep and has closed your eyes, The prophets
and your religious leaders, the seers, He's covered their eyes
and their understanding. Verse 11, And the vision of all
is become unto you as the words of a book that's sealed. They
don't have the foggiest idea, most so-called preachers, what
this book is saying. For one thing, because they're
not reading it. But the Scripture here says it's sealed to them.
This book is sealed, and they deliver—look at this, the middle
part of verse 11—which men deliver to one that is learned, a doctor
so-and-so. Read this, I pray thee. And he
said, I can't. What's this mean, doctor? Are
you a master of divinity? Are you a doctor of divinity?
Tell me what this means, I don't know. It's sealed. Look at verse 13, Wherefore the
Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draws near me with their
mouth, everybody believes on Jesus. Everybody's confessing
to be a Christian. Everybody's talking good talk,
good religious talk. They draw near me with their
mouth, and with their lips they do honor me, but have removed
their heart far from me. And their fear toward me, it's
not real fear, godly fear. fear that brings a man to worship,
but it's taught by the precept of men. You don't have to fear
an old man upstairs. An old loving God, you know,
is looking down and loves everybody. Nobody's got a fear there, and
that's what men are preaching. Look at verse 14. Here it is.
Therefore, this thing is sealed, he says, to the natural man.
We read it over in 1 Corinthians, didn't we? The natural man receiveth
not the things of God. They're foolishness to him, neither
can he know them, for they're spiritually understood. But God
says, but behold, take notice of this, I'm going to proceed
to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous
work, a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. What
did Christ pray one day? I thank the Old Father. Lord
of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise
and prudent and revealed them unto me." And God said, this
is what's going to happen. And look down at verse 18. In
that day, in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book. That's not talking about physically
deaf. That's talking about people who
have no spiritual ears, no spiritual understanding. In that day, that
is the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, the day of spiritual
understanding, shall the deaf hear the words of the book. and
the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The meek shall increase their
joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the
Holy One of Israel." These are the words that the Apostle Paul
was quoting there when he said that God would bring nothing
to wisdom otherwise. God in wisdom, hath not God made
foolish the wisdom of this world." And he went over, I'm going to
go ahead and read that to you, over in 1 Corinthians chapter
1. He went on to challenge, he said, where is the wisdom of
the wise? Where is the wise? Let a wise
man stand up like God contended with Job and his friend. Where
is the wise man? I challenge you. Come on. What
do you have to say? Where is the scribe, the fellow
that knows the scriptures? Where is the disputer of this
world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? Hadn't
he? For after that, in the wisdom
of God, verse 21 of 1 Corinthians 1, after in the wisdom of God,
and you'll see in a little bit how this was this wisdom of God
in bringing the wisdom of the world to nothing. In the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom, that is by their own understanding,
don't know God. They don't know God. But then
it pleased God by foolish preaching, what I'm doing, what the world
calls foolishness, to save them that believe, to open up the
dark and deep mysteries. And then he says down in verse
26, he said, for you say your calling, brethren, don't you?
How that not many wise men after the flesh, not many doctors,
not many lawyers, we've studied that once before in here, we
don't have any professional people in here. Not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God
has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise, confuse them, make them mad. And God has chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the things which are mighty,
and base things, that is, the things that the world calls base,
you know, mechanics and truck drivers and Now, carpenters and
base things, you know, nobodies, base things of the world, things
which are despised, despicable people, blue-collar folk, you
know. These are the ones God's chosen,
yea, things that are nothing, to bring to naught things that
are, to think they're something. Why? That no flesh should glory
in his presence. And he says on down here, He
that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. I quote this to you time and
time again. Over in Isaiah 23, 9, it says, the Lord of hosts
has purposed it. God, from before time began,
he made a purpose. He purposed it that to stain
the pride of all glory, that nobody anywhere is going to speak
anything in glory of himself. Nobody is going to toot his own
horn, not in God's presence. Nobody. He purposed it from time
past. To stain the pride of all glory
except His own. He's going to give all glory,
all glory. And to bring into contempt all
the honorable of the earth. To bring them into utter contempt. That which is highly esteemed
among men, God says, is an abomination to Him then. And this same Lord
of hosts that purposed that, He came down to this earth. Now
listen, I'm getting into this thing. This same Lord and Creator
and Sovereign God who made all things, He came down to this
earth. His name was Jesus Christ. He came down to this earth. What did He say? How did He speak? I'm talking
God now, came down in a body, much like the one you see here.
What did He say? What did he have to say? How
did he speak to men and women? Surely he must have spoken in
a high and lofty heavenly language. Surely. Surely he must have talked
in a celestial language hard to be understood. Things deep
and mysterious, hard that no one understood. Surely he must
have spoken that way. No, this is the wisdom of the
whole thing. God in wisdom. Turn to Matthew
13. Here's our text. This is where we're going to
dwell in a minute. Matthew chapter 13. Everybody look at this. Matthew
chapter 13. The Lord did speak things hard
to be understood. Yes. He did. Far from it. To the contrary. He spoke in
a language that the simplest little child could understand
what he was saying. Yes, Terry. The wisest men on
earth at that time didn't know what he was saying. That's the wisdom of this whole
thing. Look at it here in Matthew 13, verse 1. The same day went
Jesus out of the house and sat by the seaside, and great multitudes
were gathered together unto him. So much so that he had to go
out into a ship. They were pressed, above me,
they pressed him down all the way to the shore, gathered around
him. He had to get out into the ocean a little ways to keep the
people from just smothering him. He'd get out in a boat and he
got out and he went in the ship and the whole multitude stood
on the shore listening to him. And he spoke. What'd he say? What'd he say? He said, Behold,
a farmer went out and put some seed in the ground. A farmer went out to sow his
crop. And he went on to tell that story,
that parable of the sow. And look at verse 10. And after
it was over, disciples came and said unto him, verse 10, Why
are you speaking in parables? Why are you doing this? In another
place it said, they said, don't you know the Pharisees are offended?
You know, these doctors and these lawyers came out expecting to
hear a great and mighty sermon, you know, tell us deep things
that we understand and no one else does. And on the contrary,
he told them things that they didn't understand and everybody
else did, or the meek and the mild, or the lowly. And even
the disciples said, why are you talking like this? I believe
they were offended too. I believe they wanted, I believe
they wanted Christ to impress everybody. Tell them, master,
tell them. And he, a farmer went out and
put some seed in the ground and some fell by the way. Wait a
minute. Why are you talking like this?
Why are you looking down at verse 34? And he explains it. And it
says there throughout this chapter 13, in another parable he spoke
unto them, and another parable, and another parable, and another
parable. And verse 33, in another parable
spake he unto them. Verse 34, and all these things
spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables, and without a parable
he didn't speak unto them. Everything he said that day was
in a little simple story. That's what a parable is, a simple
little earthly story relating to heavenly things. 35, which was spoken by the prophet,
saying in Psalm 78, I'll open my mouth in parables, I'll utter
things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
Do you see the wisdom of our Lord in confounding the wise
by simple things? Oh boy. You see, if there's going to be any glory
in If there's going to be any bragging, if there's going to
be anybody's knowledge and wisdom praised, it's going to be of
God. It's going to be of God. The
Scripture says, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Not
what he knows, but what God knows, what God does. He that brags
better be bragging on God, not himself. The Scripture says besides,
what do you have that you have not received? Everything. And if you have received it,
why do you glory as if you have not received it? That's what
men are doing, aren't they? Oh, wise man! Oh, worldly wise
man! Don't you know? Don't you know
that you're one germ away from being a vegetable? These mighty
doctors and lawyers and philosophers and so forth. One little germ,
and no, that's no, all doctors aren't this way. Paul Wamsley
is a beloved brother in the gospel. But there's not many. Not many. One germ away from being a vegetable
is mighty knowledge. One little microscopic germ.
And the strong man that glory is in his might. One blow on
the head would reduce him to being a quadriplegic. Then where's
all his muscle? And the beautiful woman, one
little way from being a disfigured monster. Oh, beautiful woman. We spoke the other night of the
blessings of God being upon the poor and the meek and the mourner. And we read this. I read this
to you. where God said, Thus saith the high and lofty one
that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell, he said, in the high
and lofty place with him also that is of a contrite heart and
a humble spirit. To revive the spirit of the humble,
to revive the heart of the contrite, That's who are my friends. That's
who I'll speak to. That's who I'll look to. He said
that in another place. To this man will I look, even to him
that's poor and of a contrite spirit and trembles at my word.
And Christ exemplified that, didn't he? Christ did just that
thing. He came down here and he had nothing but harsh words
for the wise and the mighty of his day. Nothing but, he said,
snakes, hypocrites, woe unto you scribes. This should be fair
warning to us, lest we should be exalted above a measure. If any man thinks he's anything
when he's nothing, he deceives himself. If any man thinks he
knows anything, he knows nothing. Yes, he ought to know. You read the Scriptures concerning
the great men of God in the Scriptures, the greatest men of God. Let
me name a few of them. The greatest men of God in the
Scriptures, the ones He used mightily to work His purposes
out. Noah found grace, the scripture
says. The scripture says that Noah
walked with God. Noah walked with God. Well, I
read over in Hosea 3, 3 can two walk together except they'd be
aggrieved. How did Noah walk with God then? Low. Low, meek. Humble, contrite. We just read
it up there where God says, this is the one I'm going to look
at, this is the one I'm going to walk with, this is the one I'm going
to talk to. Poor, contrite, broken, trembling. So Noah had to be
a contrite and broken and humble man. Had to be. God wouldn't
have anything to do with it. God saved him and seven others.
Only once. Abraham. Abraham, the father
of the faithful. The father of A people as the
stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore. The father of
the faithful, Abraham. It said when that Abraham, that
the Lord came and appeared to Abraham, it said he fell on his
face. And then you know what it says? It said then the Lord
spoke to him. That's the only way God's going
to speak to a man, is when he's on his face. The Pharisee stood
in the temple, didn't he? Oh, God. What'd a publican do? He stood in the back, wouldn't
even as much as lift his eyes to heaven, would he? Oh! God said he justified that
man. There's one of mine. I'll have
dealings with him. I'll talk to that poor publican. That Pharisee's on his road to
hell. And Abraham said this after the
Lord talked to him, I'm dust and ashes. I'm dust and ashes. Who needs dust and ashes? God
used him. Moses. Moses! The great and mighty Moses! God
said this about Moses. He said he was very meek above
all men upon the face of the earth. Moses was the most meek
man upon the face of the earth, yet he led millions of people. God used him as no other. And
God said this of Moses. You remember when Miriam and
Aaron got mad? Got jealous of Moses, said, surely
Moses is not the only prophet. God talked to us too. And God
spoke to them too. And he said about Moses, he said,
with him, with Moses will I speak mouth to mouth. I'll speak to
him mouth to mouth. Even apparently, he's going to
know everything I'm saying and you're not. Miriam, you're going
to be a leper here real shortly. Even apparently, he said this
too, and not in dark speeches, And the similitude that is the
parable of the Lord shall he behold." Moses is going to know
the mind of God. Why? Because he's the most meek
man on the face of the earth. These are the only ones God is
going to have anything to do with. This is fair warning to me, to
every one of us. David, a man after God's own
heart. What did he say about himself?
I like this. The great David, whom God said,
this is a man after my own heart. David said, oh, he said, I'm
poor and lowly, yet the Lord thinks on me. I like that. Oh, I'm meek, I'm poor and lowly,
yet the Lord thinks upon me. Think of that. Paul, what did
the great apostle Paul say? I'm less than the least. I'm
not worthy to be called an apostle. John, The Apostle John, that
the Lord called the beloved disciple, the one whom it appears that
the Lord had the closest, the closest fellowship with when
he was on the earth. He wouldn't even mention his
own name in the scriptures, would he? He wouldn't even write the
gospel he wrote. Wouldn't he mention his own name?
Mary, Magdala. She was the first one the Lord
revealed herself to after he rose. Why? Well, she had to be lowly. What the Lord delivered her from,
she had to be the lowest of the low. She's the one that came
in and wept on his feet and wiped his feet with the hair of her
head. And the Lord came to her first with this great proclamation,
the proclamation of redemption. He's risen! Now you go and tell
those fine, mighty apostles that refuse to believe. Well, like I said, this is all
one big, long introduction to a series of messages I hope to
do. I want to, on every Wednesday
night, the Lord willing, I want to do a series of messages or
each Wednesday night I want to do a message on a parable. And
we couldn't spend a more profitable time together than studying these
parables, the words of our Lord, the stories he told. Because
in these simple earthly stories, these parables, these similitudes,
which they're also called, are hidden the very secrets of the
universe. The secrets of the universe were hidden, the secrets
that were hidden from time, eternity, in the mind of God. And they're
still hidden to the wise and the prudent. But by God's grace,
he reveals them unto us, if you're a baby. with the same measure that you
meet it shall be meted to you. He says, unto you that hear shall
more be given. So I exhort all of you, I exhort
myself from the scriptures to be as little children in the
hearing of the word. I ask you this, how do you hear
me preach? You know, I can take the words
of the Apostle Paul so much to heart. The words in 1 Corinthians
1 there, where he said, I came to you in weakness and fear and much
trembling. You know, they said one time
about him, oh, his letters are weighty. And I can write a pretty
good letter. But he said his speech and his
presence are contemptible. That's me, all right. But I ask you. How do you hear
this man preach? How do you hear a man like Scott
Richardson preach? Do you listen with a critical
ear? Do you listen for a slip-up?
Do you listen for a doctrinal slip-up? I don't think most of
you do. I don't think that at all. The
Scripture says, take heed what you hear, how you hear. Be as
little children, but not in understanding, he says, but rather in spirit
and in attitude. In hearing the word from me,
just a dumb old railroader, everywhere I go, everybody I
talk to, where'd you go to seminary? Well, they said the same thing
to the apostles, didn't they? Well, where'd these fellows get
Where'd they get their knowledge? They haven't learned letters. Well, I thank God, like Paul
did to the Thessalonians, that you received the word, not as
it is, not as the words of a man, but as it truly is, the word
of the living God. I'm thankful for that, else you
wouldn't listen to this vain babbler. Well, let me give you several
reasons. several reasons why our Lord
spoke in parables. Just several reasons. You can
jot these down if you'd like. This is an introduction to the
messages on the parables. Several reasons why our Lord
spoke in parables. First of all, it says there in
our text in Matthew 13, verse 35, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet. He did so, first of all, because
it's written in the scriptures. And all things must be fulfilled
which were written in the Scriptures concerning Christ, proving that
this is the Christ. Why? He always speaks in parables.
That's what the Scripture said he would do. All things must be fulfilled
that were written in Moses and the Psalms and the Prophets concerning
Christ. And that's one One scripture
that must be fulfilled, it says, I'll open my mouth in parables.
I'll speak in parables. So why did he speak in parables?
Because the scripture said he would. That's plain. That's simple.
Number two, why did he speak in parables? Because most people
back then are the same, people now are the same as they were
back then. They're wise in their own conceits, in what they know,
what they think they know. And they resent being taught
anything. So God in wisdom speaks these
simple little things, these simple stories, to frustrate and to
confuse and to bring to nothing the wisdom of this world. For
his glory, that he might get all the glory, that the high
and mighty might, not by their own understanding, by their own
book learning, by their own diplomas, their own degrees, that they
might not understand these things by their own doings, but solely
by the revelation of God. And he gives it to whomsoever
he will. I want to withhold this thing from this doctor of divinity
and reveal it to little child. See the wisdom of God in that?
That's why he spoke in parables. The third reason why he spoke
in parables, and there are many reasons, these are just some
things that I believe the Lord gave. Thirdly, so that men and
women would dig and search the scripture. You see, anything
worth having must be worked hard for to get. All the precious
minerals that we have—diamonds and gold and silver and so forth—how
do you get them? Are they laying on the ground for anybody to
get? No. Anybody who really wants them
They got to go digging, searching. Takes hard work to dig and search
for these. Like the pearl of great price.
That man had to sell everything he had to get that pearl. Didn't. And this shows, you know, anything
of value to somebody, they'll go to great lengths to get it,
won't they? And this will prove a man. It'll prove the sincerity
of his love, won't it? I won't give you a plug nickel
for a man's profession of faith that—I don't get real plain here—that
just has a carefree, careless, haphazard attitude toward the
worship of God, toward the reading of Scripture, toward the preaching
of the gospel, who may come or may not come. I won't give you
a nickel for that man's profession. God sure won't. He said, you'll
seek me, and you'll find me, when? When you search for me
with all your heart. And when a parable is given,
you're going to have to get in, you're going to have to do some
digging to see what he's saying, aren't you? That's what the disciples,
they came to him and said, Lord, show us what this, we don't understand
either. And if you come to God with that
attitude, he'll show you. It's going to take some digging,
some searching of the scriptures. See the wisdom of God in that? Well, fourthly, the reason he
spoke in parables was to show the absolute need of a revelation
of the Holy Spirit. To show that there's no way a
man can understand this except the Holy Spirit show it to him.
That's the reason he spoke in parables. No man could know it by his own
wisdom to show the absolute need of the Holy Spirit to show these
things, for the natural man receives not the things. He can't know
them. Foolishness. This is foolish. This is a foolish
little parable. Let's go on to deeper and better
things. He spoke in parables also to open our understanding to
things otherwise we wouldn't have understood. I like colloquial
sayings. I like local phrases. So Rick
and I were sitting in the office one day and he said something. He said something to me that
struck me real funny, but it really made sense. It really
made sense. When you speak to somebody in
a language that they understand, they'll get what you're saying.
You don't have to mince words. If you really want somebody to
understand what you're saying, you won't mince your words. In
other words, you'll speak real plain, real upfront, and real
clear to them. And if Christ hadn't spoken to
us in earthly stories, he said, how are you going to understand
if I tell you heavenly things? So he had to relate these things
in parables. He had to relate them in stories. And lastly, he spoke in parables. to show us the glory of Christ
in everything. He spoke in simple stories to
show us that Christ truly is all and in all. He's in all,
all things. That all things were created
by Christ and for Christ, for His glory. That whatever you
do might be for His glory. Whatever you see might be for
His glory. Whatever you run across, you
might glorify Him. Whatever you see, whatever you
hear, whatever you think about might be to the glory of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Let me illustrate that. That
when you build a house, you might think of the parable of the builder,
and you'll think of Christ, our foundation. Christ, our shelter. Christ, our hiding place. Whenever
you see a house anywhere, The spiritual man will think of Christ.
If he hadn't spoken parables, we wouldn't. You see the wisdom?
That when you plant a garden, Henry, when you go out to plant
your garden, he's spoken parables, so you think of the parable of
the sower. Every time, when you start throwing
that grain in the, when you throw that grain of corn in the ground,
you say, Christ said this. He said, except the grain of
corn fall on the ground and die, it'll not bear much fruit. That's
Christ who died. was buried, rose again, seated
at the right hand of the Father, bearing fruit, interceding for
us. Every time. When you go out there
to pull up tares, pull up weeds, you'll think of the parable of
the tares and the weeds. You women, when you put your jewelry
on in the morning, maybe, just maybe, you'll think of the pearl
of great price. You ladies, when you bake bread,
you'll think of the parable of the leaven in the bread, how
the sin is in everything that we do, permeates our being. When
you men go fishing, when you go fishing, you'll think of the
parable of the dragon net, how the net was cast out there and
all men are brought in, and some cast out and some kept. When
you lose something, if you lose your car keys or whatever, just
maybe, just maybe you might think of that lost coin, or that lost
sheep, or that lost son that Christ spoke of. Just maybe.
And when you go to a wedding, Instead of getting all sentimental
and choked up, maybe you'll think about the parable of the wedding
feasts. Maybe. And when you go to pay your bills,
maybe you'll think about the parable of the two debtors. Now,
one owed him a lot, and he frankly forgave his debt,
and he went out, you know, and got a fella by the throat that
owed him just a little bit. That's a picture of us in it.
how much we owe our Father and how we ought to be merciful and
forgiving to others. Just maybe you'll think about that when
you go to pay a bill or somebody owes you a little bit of money
or something. Maybe. When you walk out of a door this evening,
maybe you'll think about Christ, the door of the sheepfold. Maybe.
That in all things he might have the preeminence. In all things.
All things, that we might think on things above, not on things
on earth, not like pigs hot wallowing in the mud, but as spiritual
beings, created in Christ Jesus, sons of God, thinking about our
Lord. That we might set our affection on things above, not on things
on earth. Everybody turn to this, and I'll quit. 1 Kings, chapter
10. 1 Kings, chapter 10. You've got to see this. You've
got to see this. 1 Kings 10. Right after 2 Samuel. 1 Kings 10. I hope that God will show us
the wisdom of Christ. He who is greater than Solomon.
Greater than Solomon is here! I hope he'll show us the wisdom
of Christ. The wisdom of he who is greater
than Solomon, and we just might say, like this Queen of Sheba,
look here. When we get over there, when
we get over by God's grace, when we get in the fair Canaan land,
just, we'll be saying this, just like the Queen of Sheba, look
down here at verse 6. When she came and saw the beauty
and the majesty and the glory and the wisdom, heard the wisdom
saw his riches, his beauty. She said in verse 6, she said
to the king, it was true what I heard. It was a true report
that I heard in my own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. It's
true. It's true. How be it, I didn't
really believe like ought to believe. See that? I believed
not the words until I came and now I see. And behold, the half
was not told me. We know in part right now, don't
we Terry? The half hadn't been told us. The beauty and the glory
and the excellency of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your wisdom, look
at verse 7, thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth everything I've ever
heard about you. Look at verse 8, happy are thy
men, happy are these thy servants that stand continually before
thee, and that hear your wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God which
delighteth in thee, to sit thee on the throne of Israel, because
the Lord loved Israel forever. Therefore he made you king to
do judgment and justice. A greater than Solomon is here,
and the hath ain't never been told." And we just see a little
bit. We just see a little bit. And
I hope God and mercy and grace will just open our understanding
a little bit more. Just open that little glass we're
looking through so dimly. Open that crack just a little
wider. Open our eyes, open our ears just a little bit more to
see the glory and the beauty of Christ. Well, I hope you'll come to hear
these parables. Stand with me and I'll dismiss
this and pray. Our Father, we all glory and
honor, praise, wisdom, power, strength. Everything belongs
to our great God. We know nothing, we have nothing,
we are nothing, but solely by the grace of God we are what
we are, we have what we have, and we know what we know. Yet
don't let us rest in this, but let us continually, Seek thee
as little children. Let us be converted by your might,
by your power. Be converted and become as little
children to sit at the feet of Christ and learn of him. Grant
it, dear Lord. Abase us if we have exalted ourselves,
if we are high and mighty. Abase us. Humble us, because
we know that you will exalt those that are abased, that are humble.
in Christ. We pray these things. Amen.

Introduction To The Parables

What does the Bible say about pride and humility?

How do we know the doctrine of grace is true?

Why is it important for Christians to study parables?

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How should Christians approach prayer according to the sermon?

Sermon Transcript

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Introduction To The Parables

What does the Bible say about pride and humility?

How do we know the doctrine of grace is true?

Why is it important for Christians to study parables?

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty?

How should Christians approach prayer according to the sermon?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

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