An Introduction to the Parables, Part 1b

Three things we want to cover this week and our next time together. One is an introduction. What are parables? Second one is the instruction, asking the question, why did Jesus use parables?

And thirdly, the implication. What is in this study for you and me? Over the next several months, as we embark on our study of the parables, what's going to be here for you and me? And you'll realize that as Christ tells these stories to people, the truths are so practical, are so phenomenal, they will transform the way you see your relationship with the living God and with the world. Point number one, the introduction, what are parables?

Matthew 13, if you have your Bible, turn with me to Matthew chapter 13. And there it says these words. And he spoke many things to them in parables. We'll stop right there. He speaks in parables. Let me give you a definition.

And then I'll give you a description. First of all, a definition. A parable is a story that is a comparison. You take a story and throw it alongside something to compare it, something that we all know well, and that is what we commonly call a parable. Before this time, Christ would speak to people in very clear terms. He was very pointed, very aggressive, but people refused to listen.

And so Christ decides to speak to them in parables. Why? Because a parable left unexplained to the natural man is nothing more than a riddle. A riddle they cannot understand. Now think about it. People today who are unbelievers know the stories that Jesus told. They know the story, but they don't know the implications behind the story. What is really going on there? Or how about the prodigal son? A lot of people on the outside of the church know about the story of the prodigal son. but they don't know the truth behind that story.

To them, it's nothing but a story or a riddle that can't be understood because the natural mind cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God. But to us who know the Lord, it has been granted for us the opportunity to decipher and to know the truth behind what God is saying. A parable simply then is an illustration or a comparison put alongside of a spiritual truth. In other words, a parable is nothing more than an, earthly story with a heavenly meaning. That's a parable. That's what Jesus did when he told parables.

Now listen, every parable is intended to communicate one major truth. There might be some other things that come about from that parable, but every parable is intended to teach one major truth. These parables are not allegories, an allegory where every detail is meant to be symbolic. A parable has one basic point to get across. I'm telling you that because there will always be a call to action. There was always something for you to do now that you have studied the parable. And the question comes, will you do what Jesus said you need to do?

And that's the practical element of the parables. Let me give you an illustration. The Good Samaritan. We all know that parable, right? Turn with me to Luke chapter 10 for a moment.

Luke chapter 10. Let me just give you a couple of ideas here so that you understand this. A parable is sort of like a bugle sound right before the battle. In other words, there is some area in your light that you need to charge your head in. The parable is that bugle sound that gets you off the ground to show you exactly what you need to do. The parable, the Good Samaritan, was prompted by. a question. Question that we understand when we read over in Luke chapter 10 verse number 25. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and put him to the test saying, teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

And he said to him, what is written in the law? How does it read to you? And he answered and said, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. He said to him, you have answered correctly. Do this. And you will live. but wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, who is my neighbor? Who's my neighbor? He says, you know, I got the loving God thing down. I'm good at that. I love you with all I got.

Everything I have, I'm just giving to God. I'm loving God. And I know that if I'm going to go to heaven, I got to love God with all my heart, soul, mine strength, they love my neighbor as myself. And Christ says, that's it.

You did it. If you go and do that, heaven is yours. He says, well, who is my neighbor? Is my neighbor, you know, my good buddy? If that's the case, no problem. I'm in heaven. Is my neighbor my mom and dad? Who really is my neighbor? So Christ gives a story, the parable of the Good Samaritan. Why? Because the point of the Good Samaritan parable is this. who isn't your neighbor. That's the point. You see, he wanted to justify himself by saying, you know, if these people are my neighbor, hey, I can do that.

That's not going to be a problem. But if you're telling me these people over here, the ones I hate, the ones I despise, they're my neighbor. I'm going to have a problem getting into heaven. And Jesus tells a story to help them understand, listen, let me tell you something.

Anybody who has a need is your neighbor. that's the point of the Good Samaritan. You see, unfortunately, most people don't realize that. But that's what Christ is trying to help us understand. Or how about the parable of the unmerciful servant? That one was prompted by a question too, right? Peter says, you know, if someone sins against us and we're to forgive him, we can do that. And maybe we should forgive him 70 times seven. Maybe we should forgive them a whole lot of times, Lord. Peter's question in Matthew 18 was the question that said, Lord, forgiveness does have its limits, doesn't it?

Forgiveness is not all-inclusive. Forgiveness doesn't mean everybody for everything they ever did against us. And Jesus tells the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew chapter 18. To help Peter understand that there is never a time that you are not. not to forgive your brother. There is never a time where you are not to extend the hand of forgiveness to someone who has offended you. So now you see the bugle call? Now we're going to talk about all these parables as time goes on. But you see, God is saying to you, here's your call to action.

Everybody who's got a need your neighbor. What are you doing to meet the needs of your neighbor? You say, you love your neighbor as yourself? Do you really? Who do you know that has a need that you have to meet. Then he says, you think that forgiveness has a limit? I want to let you know something, Peter. Forgiveness has no bounds, no bounds. And as he gives a parable of the unmerciful servant, he goes on to explain exactly what the one who doesn't forgive what his end is. And it's in a place called hell where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And Christ is very strong about that. Why? Because you see the characteristics of the people in his kingdom are people. who forgive because they themselves have been forgiven by God for their sins. You see, so every parable has a major thrust that moves us off of ground zero to do what God has asked us to do. Such an important, important study. How about a description? Turn back with me if you would, if you're still in Matthew 13, great. If not, go back there with you. me if you would and let me introduce you in the time that we have remaining to these parables in matthew chapter 13 they're very important if you're with us in our study of revelation you know everything that's going to happen during the tribulation period because god told you everything you wanted to know he told you in the book of revelation okay so you're with us in that study of revelation you know what's going to happen during the tribulational period during those seven years and what it's going to be like in the movement millennium and what it's going to be like in heaven because God told you what Christ does in Matthew 13 to tell you everything that's going to happen today what's going to happen in the church age for the time the church was born in the book of Acts to the time Christ comes and takes his church out of the world in order for the seven-year tribulation to happen according to revelation in chapter 6, Matthew 13 tells you what's going to happen in the church age.

They're called the kingdom parables. They are so important for us to grasp because they're going to answer questions for you. Let's look at parable number one.

The sower and the soil. It begins in verse number three and continues on down to verse number 23. It says this, behold, the sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by side the road. Birds came and ate them up, and others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had arisen, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.

And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop, some 100-fold, some 60, some 30. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. The good thing about this parable is that Christ explains it. Go down to verse number 18. Here then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy.

Yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary. And when affliction or persecution arises, because of the word, immediately he falls away. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word and the worry of the world and the seafulless of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it. who indeed bears fruit and brings forth some a hundredfold, some 60, and some 30.

This is so good. Because at the very outset, Christ says, I'm going to tell you a parable. You need to understand this, because his men are going to have questions pertaining to this parable. You see, you've got a whole bunch of people following Christ. You got a whole bunch of people standing on the seashore. Christ is in the boat. He gives them a parable. Because the disciples are going to have to understand that not everybody who hears the Word of God is going to respond. And those who do respond don't necessarily respond biblically.

And there's only going to be a few that when they do respond are truly believers. That's the parable, the soul or the soil. There are four types of soil. You, in this room, are one of those four types of soil. Can't get around it. You either hear the word of God, it falls on stony ground, and the evil one comes and snatches away, and you reject the word of God completely. Or you're one who hears the word of God and receives it with joy, but when the sun comes out and beats down a peasanties down a peasant, on you because of the persecution, because of the affliction, you fall away.

Or you're one of those soils that when you hear the Word of God, you receive it again with joy, but because of the deceitfulness of riches, because of the world, it comes in and it chokes out the Word and you too fall away. There's others who hear the Word of God and receive the Word of Joy, and they bring forth fruit. Here's the point. there are four types of people hear the word of God but only one is truly born again there are two that might look like they're born again but they're not and there's one who completely rejects the word of God this parable is so crucial for you to understand you know why because the majority of Bible teachers will tell you that three of the soils are saved and one is not that is not true only one is just one and we will go into great detail to help you understand that but you see what happens is this answers a big question in the church age what about those people who walk the aisle what about those people who said a prayer what about those people who for a time went on mission trips and did some of the good things and we're in church and gave money and sang in the choir and now they're no longer in church Now they're no longer on mission trips.

Now they're no longer sharing their faith. Now they're no longer interested in the Word of God. Where are they? What happened to them? What category do we put them in? Well, the Bible tells you, they were never saved. Oh, they might have looked like they were saved. Oh, they got on the Jesus bandwagon. And what you'll find in the Gospels is a lot of people who get on the Jesus bandwagon. And they might look like they're saved. They get involved in the church. They do things in the church. But because of affliction and persecution when it comes, chokes or burns out the word of God.

They fall away. Or because of the deceitfulness of riches in the world, they are so involved, entwined with the world, that they decide to go the way of the world and not the way of God. So important. And Judas will be your classic example of a man who looked like the other disciples there. But he wasn't born again. He wasn't truly a believer. And the parable tells us that when you go out and sow the seed, not everybody's going to respond. And some that respond are not going to stay with it because they were never truly bored again to begin with because their roots don't go down deep.

But there will be some who respond and believe. And those are the ones that bear fruit. And the key to Christianity is fruit bearing. And you will note that when they bear fruit, they bear what? Some 30, some 60, some 100. He doesn't say some 10, some 20, some 30. He doesn't say some 20, some 40, some 60. He says some 30, some 60, some 100. You want to know why he says that? Because, you see, if you brought forth 10-fold, you have brought forth a bumper crop. If you bear 30-fold, you have an incredible crop.

That means that there is no question whether someone should be born again or not, because the fruit is clearly evident. Christ makes that so clear in this parable. So clear. And we need to understand that. And so when we go through this parable, we will go through each of the soils. Help you understand how people respond with joy, but a reality were never truly born again. Time is fleeing. Let me go on.

The next one is the one about the tears. The tears that are sold among the wheat. The kingdom of heaven, verse number 24, maybe compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men were sleeping and the enemy came and sowed tears also among the wheat and went away. But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tears became evident also. And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tears? He said to them, an enemy has done this.

And the slave said to him, do you want us then to go out and gather them up? But they said, no. That's why you are gathering up the tears. You may root up the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest. And in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, first gather up the tears and bind them in bundles to burn them up, but gather the wheat into my barn.

Now, the good thing about this in verse number 36, he explains the parable of the wheat and the tears again. So important. Know this parable that this tells us? This tells us that they're in the kingdom of age. Not only are people going to respond certain ways to the gospel, but there's also going to be people that are together with the wheat. And those are called tears. the unbelievers with the believers. They look exactly alike until harvest time. At harvest time, you're able to tell the difference.

But the landlord says, no, let them go together. Because Christ is saying, you know what? There's going to be believers and unbelievers in the church of Jesus Christ every Sunday morning. Every Sunday morning. And you know what? That's the way it's the Christ's Community Church. There are believers here and there are unbelievers here every Sunday morning. And for the most part, we don't know who's who. Because the unbelievers look like the believers. They carry their Bible, like you carry your Bible.

They open their Bible. They sing the same song as you sing. They write the same check you write, maybe a little bit more than you write it for. Okay? And they put in the offering basket, and you're thinking, man, these people must know the Lord, man. And they're here every week, every Wednesday, every Sunday. They're here all in time. And you think, you think, that they're a Christian just like you are. And Christ says, you know what?

They're going to grow together to that the whole church age. And to the harvest time. And I'll send forth my reapers, and those will be the angels. We'll talk about that when we get there. And Christ is all separate. them and the wheat they'll go into my barn they'll go into my kingdom tears they'll be burned up that's important right because in christ's first servant in matthew chapter seven what do he say not everyone who says to me lord lord shall enter into my heaven many will say to me on that day oh lord term of endearment oh lord we knew you we prophesied in your name we cast out demons in your name we preach the gospel in your name and christ is what i never do you So at the end of the sermon of the Mount, Christ says, what he talks about here in Matthew 13 among the parable of the wheat and the tears, that there are going to be people who look like they are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And you can watch them on television, you can listen to them on the radio, you can view them in your church, and they look just like you do. But God knows their heart, and they're not truly born again. And so there'll be a call to action for us, right, to examine our lives. to see whether or not that's us he goes on and talks about the the parable of of the mustard seed and just real briefly i won't read it to you but it talks about the kingdom of heaven and how the kingdom will begin small and it will grow great and that's exactly how the church began right with 120 people in the there in act chapter two and the day of pentecost how how the church began real small and has blossomed into a huge huge plant a tremendous kingdom of God, people who are born again and love the Lord Jesus Christ, and it will be widespread, it will be influential, it will have many people in it.

Talks about the parable of the mustard seed. And then he goes on and talks about the leaven and how that church and the people in that church are going to permeate the world, and their ability to permeate the world is going to draw more people from the world to them. Those of you who have jobs in the business world and in the marketplace and in schools, and you had the opportunity to influence people with the gospel. The parable the 11 is for you and how the church is able to penetrate the community and win people to Christ so that more people understand the truth of the gospel.

And then he goes and gives those two great parables on the treasure and the pearl. Wow, the treasure in the pearl. One guy is digging his field. He finds a treasure, man. And what does he do? He gets rid of everything that he has to obtain the treasure. Why? Because there's nothing more valuable to him than the treasure. Christ says, listen, I want you to understand that the gospel, you are presenting, the gospel you are giving is so valuable that there are going to be people who are longing to hear it.

And when they hear it, they are willing to give up everything for the truth. And they get the parable of the merchant and the pearl. The merchant in the pearl. The merchant seeking to find pearls that upon finding the one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and he bought it. Wow. This guy was searching for this great pearl. He found that when he did, he gave it all, he gave everything away just to get it because Christ says, I want to you understand the value of the kingdom.

The gospel is so valuable. A relationship with me is so great that you will give everything away just to get what I have. Is that not how we come to Christ? Is that not how we see the gospel of Jesus Christ? That's why Christ is in Matthew chapter 16. What will a man give in exchange for a soul? What will he give? Are you going to give away your life so you can obtain Christ's life? And Christ says, these parables tell us about the value of the kingdom, how rich it is.

And one man who was digging in his field and stumbled upon something of great price, another man who actually was seeking for a great pearl and found it, both of them were willing to relinquish all that they had because what they found was more valuable than any earth we possessed. But the old. Christ tells you the value of the kingdom. And then he goes on and talks about the parable of the dragnet. And it says that again, in verse number 47, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast to the sea and gathering fish Every kind, and when it is filled, they drew it up on the beach, and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers and the bad they threw away.

So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. And there there shall be weeping and gnashing the teeth. Picture, again, of the church age at the end, when it's all said and done, and the Lord divides. The sheep on the right, the goat on the left. left. And those who are the sheep, they go into the kingdom, those are goats. They don't. Here the illustration is a fish, the big dragnet that sweeps across the sea floor and gathers in everything, and it's all separated at the end.

Christ says, this is the mystery of the kingdom. This is the way it's going to be. This is going to take place. And in simple stories, he gives us profound truth. In simple stories, he helps us understand what happens as we spread the gospel. as we talk to people about Christ. He's going to tell us about why people will give away everything that they have in order to attain Christ because they want Him so badly. It tells us why there will be people who respond to the gospel and those who reject the gospel.

It tells us why there will be people in the church who love the Lord and those who look like they love the Lord, but in reality they don't have a relationship with God at all. He tells you everything you need to know about the church age. He takes you all the way up to the very end, from the birth of the church to the end when Christ says this is it.

Simple stories told by Jesus Christ. Let's pray.