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April 18, 2022 9:00 am
Today on Summit life with Judy Greer's names on the horns was also the wax is not of us on the John's on of the differences in the material which it shines upon. That's the whole point Jesus is making with this parable.
The condition of your heart is more important than the intelligence of your head which father was good news for some of you.
Amen. Because maybe you're not that smart but you can submit your heart to God and God will show you the true light with pastor Jeannie. As always, I'm your host Molly benefits and we are so glad you're with us today begins a new teaching series titled listen working our way through the parables of Jesus these stories. On one hand are so simple that a child can understand and get on the other so perfect found that we can never exhaust their wealth of wisdom. We know you don't want to miss a single message here on the program so if you ever find yourself falling behind. You can catch up on previous broadcast online JD clear.com first let's join Pastor JD as he kicks off our series with a parable about parable that I Bible this will take it out and opened it to the gospel of Matthew gospel of Matthew chapter 13, to be specific. Today we are going to begin a series on the parables of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. So if you find the gospel of Matthew. One time for the next several weeks, you can just open my therapist will be there every single week for the next several weeks to come.
The name of the series is called listen listening, of course, is a critical life skill.
One of our campus pastors told me this week that he am not too long ago was working at home in his yard when he got a phone call from his wife, who told him that she was at the mall at a store that he had never heard of called West Elm. She told him that she wanted to buy a credenza that cost $1400 and asked him if there was anyway in their budget, they could afford that you said first of all, I had no idea what a credenza was. I thought it must be a cooking book. That's what it sounded like to me. Second, I was working in the yard and not pay much attention, so I heard $4200 so I said sure by the cookbook.
Frankly, I was surprised how grateful she was just kept saying over and over. Thank you thank you thank you for the life of me I could imagine what was so exciting about a cookbook but I was glad she was glad. A few days later when West Elm delivered our credenza. I said wow you got this for four $4200 and she said no. $1400. My jaw hit the floor and I was distraught and now I need a welfare check. So listening is a critical life skill. You know that not just in marriage, but in every facet of your life. And whenever Jesus would tell the parables that he tells them book of Matthew.
Quite often, you will see that he uses the word. Listen listening, of course, is different than hearing hearing just means it enters into your ears. You translated into your brain. Listening means you're hearing it with your heart today were going to look at a parable that Jesus told about why he told parables.
It's a parable about parables which I know sounds like a biblical version of inception, a parable within a parable about parables looks to interpret parables, but this one is absolutely fascinating to see. I was always taught when I grew up that parables were just earthly stories that had a heavenly meaning, where Jesus would use simple everyday analogies to help people understand profound truth. It's not like today when we say it's like you seen in that movie your member that scene from the office had Nicholas Cage been around in Jesus's day, he would undoubtedly have featured frequently in Jesus teaching, that's all true. They are very earthly ways of making profound truth accessible, but this parables going to show you that there actually was more to Jesus's parables is simply trying to take profound truth and put it on the bottom shelf impact in a twist of irony, Jesus is going to explain to us in this parable that sometimes he told parables not to illustrate truth but to obscure true and I know that sounds confusing to you, but I honestly believe that today is going to answer some questions that many of you have had for a long time and you not know how to ask them about you been embarrassed to ask them about like it was a kind of thing you could mask in church it's can explain to you why some people even though they are really really smart just can't seem to grasp the truth and I got understand what is up like it's playing in front of me and I'm trying to explain it to you but they don't seem to be able to get it why so many people interpret the Bible in such vastly different ways. I'm also going to explain today what some of you have such a hard time paying attention in sermons and why some of you be very moment that I stayed up here to preach start to get drowsy. Yes, I see you have got a good vantage point on most of you right here. I know it I see it, I would explain why bunch of new middle and high school students.
Suddenly have to use the bathroom. The moment I start speaking my vantage point. Appears like watching a parade out there.
Sometimes I am going to explain to you why a lot of the different spiritual forces that are happening when I'm up here so anybody is up here with the word of God. Open okay right. Matthew 13 the foot of the parable itself.
Verse one. Let's set the context on that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the seat such large crowds gathered around him, but he got into a boat and sat down while the cold crowd stood on the shore. I basically Jesus got in the boat pushed himself back from the shore little bit so that he could have a place to preach from. This is the first century version of an overflow lobby or a satellite campus verse three then he told them many things in parables enters the first parable that he gave them the parable about parables consider the sower that went out to so as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured their seeds by the seed fell on rocky ground. We didn't have much soil and it grew quickly since the soil wasn't deep.
Verse six when the sun came up it was scorched, and since it had no root it weathered away how the seed fell among thorns and the thorns came up and choked it. Still other seed fell on good ground and produce fruit. Some 100 and some 60, and some 30 times what was so let anyone who has ears to hear what he said together. Listen, listen, if you have ears to hear, listen, then the disciples came up to him and said why are you speaking to them in parables to see evidently a bunch of the people listening to Jesus were confused.
Which by the way might be good news for a bunch of you who get confused when I'm up here speaking, it doesn't mean that something wrong with you. You probably would've made a pretty good disciple of Jesus.
They were confused also suggests Jesus's disciples like Jesus Jesus, why don't you just come out and tell us what you may. I'm going to suggest to you today that you have probably asked this exact same question. At some point you may not have known that you are asking that but you have asked why at some point, Jesus is true. If Jesus really true. Why wasn't he more straightforward and definitive about it. Why did he leave any room for doubt about who he was. That question comes out of our mouths in questions like God. If you really are the author of the Bible. Why not just prove that to everybody right. I want to make it where every time you open the Bible, little angel hovers above the Bible into says this is true this is true, how you want to make it where you open the Bible and you look at the bank was like what is magic out pictures were figure skater comes out it doesn't unit dances somehow symbolizes your life journey. What I make that happen, why not make it. Whenever your professor begins to deny the truth of the Bible that all the sudden Darth Vader chokehold comes on right now would prove that this is God's word right we ever ask things like that. Why doesn't God make it more play and you know some Bible critics even use Jesus's lack of straightforwardness to try to suggest that Jesus didn't really believe he was God that was something that later Christians added to them that Jesus was unaware of that, Bart, Herman, for example, every UNC. He points out that in Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus doesn't seem to aggressively put forward his deity and others didn't come out that often and just say I'm God now in the Gospel of John, Jesus does that.
And what that shows Dr. Herman says is that that was something John invented later. The earliest Christians.
He says that believe it. John came up with a lighter and documents everybody else they should go along with it. I Dr. Herman says of Jesus really was God.
After all, surely he would've talked about it more directly. I would've come out of Mary's mom you having solve a Rubik's cube and you are working on a physics problem and said good morning everyone. I'm God watch me levitate or something like that. That's the question that's been asked. Here Jesus, if you really are who you say you are and all this stuff matters as much as you say that it does. Why want you more straightforward and definitive in your claims. Why leave any room for doubt or confusion again, I would say you probably have the same question Jesus's answer to that question is as follows. Verse 11 answer because the sake of the kingdom of heaven have been given to you for you to know, but it is not been given to them want to take a notice because inside and the truth is a gift of the Holy Spirit means no matter how smart you are. You cannot understand the gospel without the help and the grace of God. When Peter made his famous confession. When Jesus said who do you say that I am your response with thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.
Jesus did not say Goldstar for you, Peter 3G figure that out is because you're so smart you pay attention all the time know what was his response. He said flesh and blood has not revealed it to you. In other words, your break your brain did not figure that out. My father in heaven revealed that to you both said this way, prescriptive 12 three the exact same thing.
No man can say that Jesus is Lord.
No man can say that Jesus is Lord from his heart, except by the illumination and the help and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
You see, sin makes our heart so naturally dull and slanted against God and so biased against his authority and glory that we cannot see spiritual truth.
We can't see it without his help I described like this before, ever meet somebody who is so jaded or biased against somebody or some group of people that they just can't see an issue clearly they so just like a group of people that they twist anything and everything that that person or that group does so that it's bad when we see it all the time in politics right.
Democrats think that everything the Republicans do is is stupid and and reveals the wicked evil intentions of their hearts and vice versa about Republicans think that about Democrats or think about it in reverse. You ever see somebody so biased by love that they can't see legitimate faults in somebody even when there there Hank Murphy, who is one of our worship pastor so loves Lebron James but no matter what Lebron James does. Hank will see it to a positive glance if Lebron has a low-scoring game and Hank will say you know I just shows how unselfish he is that he let all the other players on his team score. If Lebron goes over and 15 from the field. Hank will say only a player of such elite confidence would keep shooting after he missed 14 shots in a row. If Lebron punches another player in the face. Hank will say he's got such passion for the game and I admire that it touches obviously is love language.
I just I really respect that will see her simple hearts are like that. But in reverse are simple hearts are so biased and jaded against the authority and the glory of God that we can be blind to evidence even when it's right there in front of us listen. It is a miracle of regeneration.
It is a miracle. Regeneration for anybody to see the truth about Jesus.
So honestly, stop congratulating yourself for coming to see the truth about him. It was not your intelligence, it was not your righteousness that led you to understanding it was a gift of his grace that you didn't deserve and could work up on your own, which is why Ephesians 28 says it is by grace you have been saved through faith and not even that is of yourself. Even the faith to believe was a gift of God it was not of works or stop your silly boasting because it has no basis whatsoever. What that means is when you find somebody who is not convinced of the truth like you might don't talk down to them and don't think of them and talk to them I get there in India prayed to God that he will extend to them the same understanding that he did to you but the first reason.
He spoke in parables because ultimately it's a gift of the Holy Spirit after Jeannie Greer will return to her teaching in just a moment that I wanted to remind you about our featured resources. As we walked through several of Jesus's parables here on the program.
You can also walk through them yourself and a devotional as well, listen up. Dig deeper into the same teachings of Jesus personalizing the lessons learned.
It comes with your gifts in ministry right now so give us a call and think 335-5224 check out@jeanniegreer.com now to get back to our teaching for the day is parable about parables. Here's pastor Jane there's verse 12 gives us a second reason Jesus was not always straightforward, which hand-in-hand with the first verse 12 for whoever has will be given to him and he will have more than enough. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him now and contact series. Talk about insight into truth what he means is that if you obey the inside and the truth that God gives you and God will give you more insight into truth, but you don't obey that God will take even what you have a way that is why he says I speak to them in parables because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand which is a reference to a statement by the prophet Isaiah, Jesus goes on to quote that in the next few verses he reveals to us. The second reason that he spoke in parables number two insight into truth is as much a matter of the heart as it is of the head is the condition of our hearts. Jesus says, not a lack of clarity, the evidence that keeps us from seeing the truth the same sun the same sign that hardens the clay softens the wax the difference in effect has nothing to do with exposure to the sun. It has to do with the material upon which the sun shines. So Jesus is explaining that he obscured truth so that only those who were of the right disposition of heart could actually see it so I skimmed through my Bible this weekend and compiled a list of reasons that keep us from seeing the truth that Scripture identifies that God says have nothing to do with your intellectual capacity I give you a handful of amiss in all of them but it's a handful of them.
A number one is an unwillingness to change, just an unwillingness to change a little.
Jesus said, John 717 if anyone is willing to do God's will.
If anyone's well is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I'm speaking to my own authority means. If that means submission to God is a prerequisite for understanding or having knowledge of God.
A lot of times we come in alike.if you reveal this to me now consider whether not I follow this in God's as you will never know me.
That way, you have to be submitted to be willing to follow truth wherever it leads.
In order for me to reveal the first thing to you as the reason some of you are seeking a not find you here is B is similar cherishing sin in our hearts.
King David Psalm 66 a thing about your sin in my heart. Then the Lord would not hurt me no matter how earnestly I pray some of you are seeking God, but you have unconfessed cherished sin in your heart and that's why you can't see Jesus would say in Matthew five verse eight Blessed are the pure in heart.
The pure in heart. They're the ones urgency God, here's 1/3 1C apathy, apathy, the prophet Jeremiah. When you search for me.
You will find me searching for him implies that is hidden right you'll find me, though, if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me reminds me when I played hide and seek with my kids off on a great odds, but they don't know about. No, never finding about how long it will cause her to give little clues that only down there for three hours and I'll just gonna rattle around us what God is promising. He'll do Yuki. He so hidden. You can find it but ill let you find what you find them, says the Lord.
If you seek him with all your heart and all your soul.
Some people never see somebody because they don't get this question wait and urgency it deserves. I think your college students are taught to. Sometimes you say well yeah I'm not sure if there's a God and maybe I'll think about that one day. Right now understood enjoying life too much to really give this this question a second thought. Our pastor Curtis was tell me this week about a guy that he shared Christ with a number of times you is and always listens politely and asked good questions, but he doesn't take it that seriously. It seemed that Curtis said he said he always says to me that he meant there's no shot clock on this decision. I got my whole life to figure this out what God is saying here is you will never find God. Under those conditions, there is got to be a sense of how weighty and urgent. This is for God to reveal it to you. I just think about it with me for a minute if it's possibly true that your creator God came to earth and was humiliated and tortured and died for you and for you to treat the possibility of that with just up passing glance is an insult to God's no wonder he will reveal it to you. It requires a level of urgency and to seek him with all your heart and soul. Here's another one D hating other people. So this is a stranger, but look at it first on 420. How can he who does not love his brother whom you have seen love God whom he is not seen hating other people clouds our ability to see God when we hate other people who were made in the image of God is to God.
Follow this guy just doesn't want to be known. God wants to be loved and wants to be loved in your your heart is filled with hate and bigotry so that your to still use your knowledge of God as a weapon against other people, that God will keep you from the knowledge of him because he don't want you to know him and I love him and the love of your heart is revealed by how you feel about the people around you, and whether not your bigot, or a racist or your April you're jealous. The condition of your heart is revealed and how you love others and that's the kind of heart that God reveals himself to his are the lobsters, there's one more E even other people's opinions more weight God's how can you believe Jesus asked in John five.
Since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God. What Jesus is saying here is that you can't perceive truth you can't believe when other people's opinions matter more to you than God's opinions, but here's what I thought about this week when I was going through that. I thought about the high school student that I sometimes see you goes off to college and stopped believing in God) but here's what I know about them when they were in high school need to believe in God, other people's opinions. Not a whole lot more to them than the God that they believed the answer was no wonder that when they went to college. They lost the knowledge of God, because God said the reason you lost the knowledge of me is because we did believe in the other people's opinions matter more to you that would weight up told you.
And in Hebrew. What Jesus would've been using probably to speak their abode.
The word glory means weight means awaiting as much weight you give other people's opinions are God's opinions when somebody does this, it usually means that their unbelief is not a matter of their head.
As a matter of the heart. It was her heart that was wrong. That made their head go wrong an idolatrous heart almost always will lead to an unbelieving head Tim Keller. One of my favorite pastors. He says that when we were when somebody that young comes him says they will believe in God anymore is an offer if the group of churches in my first question is who you start who just are sleeping with is it almost always knocks him off guard, he says, but 99 times out of 100, there's an answer to that question and was ultimately, this heart away from God that led to the doubt that part plug in my maybe that's been happening to you. You see my point in all this, I'll say it again insight into truth is as much a matter of the heart as it is of the head. So Jesus sometimes spoke in parables so that those with a heart to know God could see the truth and everybody else with the wrong kind of heart would be confused. Paul would say the exact same thing another way in second Corinthians 2 we are. He says the pleasing aroma of Christ to those were being saved and to those who are perishing. We are the stench of death. Talk about a distinction one smell for some it's a pleasing aroma of life, others of the stench of death. But here's a thought about this week when I was doing whatever's. How many of you know what durian is.
You put your hand out, just testify from an okay durian is sort of like mutated pineapple. Good thing it was pretty harmless, right here, but I'm telling you, if I would open up a durian in this place. It would clear out this entire room. Not only could you smell it in the farthest corners of this room are Alamance County campus to smell this thing come when you going to Singapore Southeast Asia where I was.
They will have in front of the moles and hotels built like we have pictures of no smoking a cigarette with a line through it.picture to durian the boat with a line through it because it's so that all the Indonesians would tell me, oh it is the greatest fruit. It is awesome and I was aiming I the first time I was around when I literally had a gag because it was a meet, smell, this is the best way to describe it and not try to be gross, but it smells like Cap'n Crunch and armpit.
If you could mix those two things together.
That's what durian smells like and they're like oh no, no, it is so good my I don't get it close to me so after been about a year. This right and just thing started out I cannot explain medically. I cannot explain it scientifically. I have no idea how it happened but it ceased to be that repulsive, and after another couple months after starting smell good, and then somebody commits me to try it and also actually liked it and answered it and then it became like my favorite fruit of all time. I'm in is I if I open up a durian here, but you would want to gag and there's a handful of us that would think that smells awesome.
Durian is like the gospel okay because the gospel is this thing that there are certain people that it repulses them and their others to whom it is become the aroma of life. The same scent of durian makes one person, one vomit makes one person crave something that is what is happening with the gospel in the condition of your heart determines which one of those reactions that the gospel will produce in you the saints on the hard clay softens the lax.
The difference is not in the sun that shines on of the differences in the material on upon which it shines upon. That's the whole point Jesus is making with this parable.
The condition of your heart is more important than the intelligence of your head, which by the way, is good news for some of you. Amen. Because maybe you're not that smart but you can submit your heart to God and God will show you the truth, so listen to Jesus explain it. Listen to them unpack the specifics of the parable. He's gonna interpret this divorce which he didn't always do so.
This is a special treat. Verse 18 to listen to the parable of the sower. You see, when anyone hears the word about the kingdom and not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that is sown along the path to look at four different types of soil really quickly, but just illustrate the big true that we just come back. Here's the first kind of soil will go call the heart heart heart heart. This is the person who is interested in what the word of God says just not that much and so they leave here and almost immediately, I believe Satan like a bird like a bird snatches away the word snatches away the ideas that they were having snatches away their thoughts by planting doubts in their minds or maybe just distract them with something else that God speaks to our hearts.
Chest are hardhead. You're listening to some it like the Bible teaching ministry of pastor, author and theologian JD Greer. Be sure to get in touch with us today so we can get you a copy of Pastor JD's newest resource title.
Listen up to an interactive devotions from the parables of Jesus. Our prayer is that you personally walk through these devotionals looking fresh insight on how to find the lessons found with any spirit we'd love to send it to you as our way of saying thanks when you donate to support his ministry Senate line wouldn't be possible with generosity of friends like you Pastor JD's lesson not to give a donation today $35 or more. Give us a call and thinks think I teach training that number again if he thinks that I training you can get and request the resource online clear.com Molly benefits inviting you to join us tomorrow for the vision of today's method right here on prayer ministry