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Parables

The Hardest Part of God’s Word: Doing It

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Mark 12:1-12

[1] And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
[2] And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
[3] And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
[4] And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
[5] And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
[6] Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
[7] But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
[8] And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
[9] What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
[10] And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
[11] This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
[12] And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

As using the parable, we have to use the comparison of the continual sending of persons and the rejecting of it as the way we turn away from the warnings and word of God. We must (I am saying must a million times and even with emphasis) begin to hear the Word of God to help us improve our lives, character and to avoid trouble and the effects of persecution!

Mark 12:15-17

[15] Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.
[16] And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.
[17] And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.

Using the coin as an example was showing Jesus could avoid being tripped up by worldly politics to continue on the message of being separated. We must remember (as witnesses of God) to keep a love in our hearts and to show separation by what we render unto God each day by how we live.

Matthew 5:21-22

[21] Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
[22] But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

It is a scary thing to consider and know just how much damage that we do with our very words!

Zeal And An Obedient Church

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Matthew 13:44-50

[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.
[45] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
[46] Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
[47] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
[48] Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
[49] So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
[50] And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
[51] Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
[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.
[53] And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

When we begin to consider the worth of what we have in our own lives, more often than not God is not first (maybe sometimes, but not always). When we were saved and committed our lives to God, we sold our lives (our pearls, riches, etc) out to God for what He had to pour into us. I could not begin to tell you how thankful that I am that the provision was made for me by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! It was worth laying down everything that was destroying me to come for a new life, to become a new creature! That stirs me and should stir you for your own life also!

Luke 4:24-42

[24] And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
[25] But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
[26] But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
[27] And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
[28] And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
[29] And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
[30] But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
[31] And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
[32] And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
[33] And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
[34] Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
[35] And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
[36] And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
[37] And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
[38] And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
[39] And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
[40] Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
[41] And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
[42] And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.

Familiarity is one of the toughest battles that people must face and endure. If we can break that and stick to belief, we can be a powerful church. You can read on about the other things that Jesus performed. The fame of God (and not man) will go forth and begin to draw those that are in need.

Acts 8:26-38

[26] And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
[27] And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
[28] Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
[29] Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
[30] And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
[31] And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
[32] The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
[33] In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
[34] And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
[35] Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
[36] And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
[37] And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
[38] And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

The Ethiopian Eunuch – His journey to Jerusalem to worship, seeking and reading the scriptures while returning showed he was spiritually searching. The immediate desire to be baptized showed his value of salvation offered through Jesus Christ! We as the church need to step out and do what God speaks as Philip did. The more we step out in obedience to God’s voice, the more of a difference that we can begin to make in lives!

Mark 9:14-29

[14] And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.
[15] And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.
[16] And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
[17] And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
[18] And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
[19] He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
[20] And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
[21] And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
[22] And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
[23] Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
[24] And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
[25] When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
[26] And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
[27] But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
[28] And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
[29] And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

The child was presented possessed, and yet when Jesus rebuked the spirit He addressed the (deaf and dumb) parts that He was aware of. Again it was demonstrated that there was open rebuke by boldness and authority because He took the child up after that. When the disciples questioned of the power that performed the miracle He identified it to something that we can do also. So in essence, we can have true power by going to God first to get boldness to have power and faith for the things we face for ourselves and others.

Beating Life’s Storms

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Mark 4:1-2 – Jesus Teaching at the sea side

[1] And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
[2] And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

Mark 4:3-8 – Jesus giving the parable of the sower

[3] Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
[4] And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
[5] And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
[6] But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
[7] And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
[8] And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

Mark 4:9-10 – The people began to question

[9] And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
[10] And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

Mark 4:11-33 – Christ brings out the deeper meaning of it

[11] And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
[12] That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
[13] And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
[14] The sower soweth the word.
[15] And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
[16] And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
[17] And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
[18] And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
[19] And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
[20] And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
[21] And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
[22] For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
[23] If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
[24] And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
[25] For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
[26] And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
[27] And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
[28] For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
[29] But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
[30] And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
[31] It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
[32] But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
[33] And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.

Mark 4:34 – Christ broke it down further for his disciples

[34] But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

Mark 4:35 – Christ asked the disciples to come along across the waters

[35] And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

Mark 4:36-38 – As the winds blew down, they became worried

[36] And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
[37] And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
[38] And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

Mark 4:39 – Christ first rebuked the wind, then spoke to the sea

[39] And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Mark 4:40 – Jesus questions their faith

[40] And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

Mark 4:41- The disciples realized His power

[41] And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

North of Jerusalem about 80 miles lies a body of water known as the sea of

Galilee. It is roughly 12 miles long and 7 miles wide. The sea is quite low at about 680 feet below sea level. The river Jordan flows through it on its way to the Dead Sea. It was the lake that Jesus knew as a child and young man. It was only 12 to 15 miles from this childhood home of Nazareth.

Jesus used the boat to get a few yards out so all could see and hear. As the heat became so great on the sea and the hills around the water, and considering that those hills were very high, this would allow cold air to rush in from above and create truly violent winds. These were the kind of storms they were experiencing as they went across. Jesus calming the storm was one of His demonstrated miracles of power over Nature.

It demonstrated the power of rebuke and how we need to put into practice rebuke AND speaking peace. Demonstrated Godly authority to the enemy AND faith in God bringing peace to your mind!

John 2:6-11 – Water Into Wine

[6] And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
[7] Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
[8] And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
[9] When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
[10] And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
[11] This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

When you read about the containers, let us put it into perspective:

1 firkin = 9 Gallons

1 Water pot = 2 or 3 firkins (18-27 Gallons per pot)

6 Water pots = 108-162 Possible Gallons of changed water!

The people that drew the water knew that it was truly a miracle. Not just because of the change of contents, but because of the volume of the change. Normally wine is a very long process and would take longer than literally a few spoken words. You can just consider that by the sacrifice of Jesus and grace of God that we are not the old covenant, but of that new wine of Christ!

The Parables Of Prayer

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The Friend at Midnight – Luke 11:5-10

[5] And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
[6] For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
[7] And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
[8] I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
[9] And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
[10] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

One word sticks out when it comes to reading this passage.

Inconvenient. I’m sure a lot of people found it or will find it inconvenient to do the work that God has called them to do, but nonetheless with the love and willingness will be bless for the good work. The question that comes to my mind is, will WE as a church be prepared when they come knocking when it is inconvenient for us? Because I’m here to tell you that they ARE going to come. And they will come when you least expect them, and especially when you do not want them to. Those are the tests of a church versus the tests of an individual. Those are how the churches bear the infirmities of a weak and come together to help people.

At first, we are going to want to be selfish and refuse to help. We will not want to sing our song, give our testimony, hug their neck. We’ll say, “Lord I’ve done this all before for someone else” or “Lord I’ve done this 1,000s of times”, but as the passage reads we are FRIENDS so we MUST give to meet the need. I hope that the church never fails before the given time when God calls us to come home. I hope that people always have a place to come where they will feel loved and have the natural conviction power to draw them to an altar to find salvation. We can go to God in this manner, but we as a church must prove ourselves by asking for God to keep us as a body strong in prayer!

And remember, if it ever feels inconvenient for you, check and see why in your heart. You’ll find the problem.

The Unjust Judge – Luke 18:1-8

[1] And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
[2] Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
[3] And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
[4] And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
[5] Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
[6] And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
[7] And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
[8] I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Persistent. This man, this judge, had no regard for God or man, and yet, after continual persistence from the widow, avenged her. God has no regard for the enemy, and if we continually seek him, our adversaries will be destroyed. Wouldn’t it be good if we began to have a heart that was persistent and never tiring after God? I hope and pray that we began to be determined to never let go until we see the needs met. We do not have time to stop. We do not have time to let people slip through our fingers and not make Heaven their home.

The Pharasee and the Publican – Luke 18:9-14

[9] And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
[10] Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
[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.
[12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
[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.
[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.

“I not as others are” Two points here with the first one being more important than the latter. Having the outlook of “I not as others are” should probably be a good indicator first of all. If we ever get ourselves to a place where we esteem ourselves so high, God has to bring us back to a place where we are abased (lowered, brought down one way or another). And I don’t know about you, but I would rather be a humble person in general and give glory to God where it was due rather than abusing pride in things that I should not take the credit for. If you ever see yourself soaring high in confidence and feel above others, you better take the “I not as others are” test. Because it might be time to be abased.

“God be merciful to me a sinner” If all we can say is God be merciful to me a sinner, it’s good enough for me. You have to admit that you stand before God as a person with flaws and mistakes. Come on. You are not perfect, and will never be. And on your best day, there are handfuls upon handfuls of sin that you cannot control. He that humbleth shall be exalted. In other words, you don’t have to lift yourself up at all when your low before God, it does it for you. It shows on you. There’s a glow, a confidence, there is just something about you. Perhaps then that is the sweet Holy Ghost that encourages you along the way, huh?