The Plan, Part 1

Scripture: Matthew 13:3a

And He spoke many things to them in parables 

Insights:  Yesterday we learned that the day in which these parables were spoken was the day in which the people’s rejection of Jesus had reached its climactic point and they declared He was from Satan.  I believe all of these parables which we find in this thirteenth chapter were spoken at one setting.  In other words, this chapter is not Matthew’s compilation of Jesus’ parables from many different teaching moments brought together for simplicity of the reader.  Thursday we will see the purpose behind the parables and understand why I believe all of them were spoken at this particular setting.  Based on today’s verse, we know that it was Jesus’ plan to speak in parables to the crowd.  So, what is a parable?  It comes from the Greek word parabole.  Para means alongside.  Bole is translated as meaning.  When we put them together we get a meaning that lies alongside something else as a comparison or illustration.  To say it another way, a parable is an earthly story that helps us understand spiritual truths.  In the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, the term paraboleis was used forty-five times, which indicates it was a common style of Jewish teaching.  Parables help us understand things, and parables make things clear, but understand, parables do those things only when they are explained to us.  In other words, if a parable is not explained then it is nothing more than an impossible riddle.  One would be completely incapable of understanding what the story teller meant by his words if he did not explain them to his audience.  It was for that reason later on in the chapter Jesus explained these truths to His disciples and they were then able to understand the impact of these lessons.  Beloved, we need to go the Father and ask Him to open our hearts and minds to understand these parables.  He is the only one that can bring to light the truths found in these parables to our lives.  Seek Him over these next several weeks and let’s grow in His grace as He explains to us these stories.  May He receive glory and praise as we take these truths and allow them to impact our lives in profound ways. 

Questions:

1. Have you had the Spirit of God explain to you the secret of the kingdom parables?
2. Are you able to carry the truth of those parables around with you?

Prayer: Father, I understand that it was Your plan to use parables to explain this mysterious church age.  I pray You open my heart and mind to the truths of these stories to help me grow in my relationship with You.  Amen.

 

The Place

Scripture: Matthew 13:1-2

That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. 

Insights:  The day in which Jesus left the house and went down to the sea was the same day in which He had healed some people, specifically a demon possessed man, and was charged by the religious leaders as having come from Satan.  It had already been an eventful day for Jesus and now it was going to be even fuller when He delivered those kingdom parables.  Now I know verses one and two are here as a geographical footnote.  These verses do not contain any spiritual truth, per se.  If, however, we do a little sanctified imagining we can see some reasons for these verses being present.  I think these two verses are here in a parable sense themselves.  Tomorrow we will define what a parable means and is, but for today I think verse one and two stand as a geographical parable for Jesus.  Remember, earlier that day the Jewish people reached the climax of their rejection when they said Jesus was from Satan’s kingdom.  Jesus then judged them in that twelfth chapter and now He transitions from the Jewish people to the Gentile people.  The house was often associated with Israel in the Old Testament and the sea was often associated with the Gentiles in the Old Testament.  In the previous chapters Jesus spent a lot of time in homes and the synagogues.  After this chapter we find Jesus spending less and less time in people’s homes and the synagogues and more and more time in the open areas amidst creation.  I believe these two verses are present to be a lynch pen for us to hold this distinct change in direction for Jesus.  He still had eternity set in His heart and He had not been thwarted, but now there was a distinct expansion of His message to incorporate even the Gentile pagans of the world.  Beloved, there are times in our lives we need to step back and evaluate the direction we are heading.  We need to determine if our present course is effective for God and His kingdom.  If for some reason there needs to be a course change, then we must willingly follow Jesus’ example and turn toward the Father. 

Questions:

1. Has there ever been a specific moment in your life in which you knew the direction for the rest of your life was going to be different?
2. Are you in need of making an intentional shift in the direction your life is heading?

Prayer: Father, I make plans, but in the end my plans need to be subject to You and Your ways.  If there is a directional shift I am in need of making, please stir my heart and guide me down the paths of righteousness.  Amen.

 

The Purpose of the Kingdom Parables

Scripture: Matthew 13:11

Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.” 

Insights:  Everything we have looked at this week has been introductory for this series on the Kingdom Parables.  This mysterious interim period Jesus is talking about in this verse is also known sometimes as the church age.  The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 3:4-6 helps us understand this age a little better when he wrote, “By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”  So, it is to those of us who are in this mediated Kingdom we learned about yesterday who have the capacity to understand the mysteries of these eight parables Jesus told us in this thirteenth chapter of Matthew.  What is the purpose of the Kingdom Parables?  The purpose of the kingdom parables is to teach us as Christ-followers how to live for Him in this fallen world and to help us make certain we are truly a part of His mediated Kingdom.  Beloved, I hope you are excited to grow in the grace and admonish of our Lord as we explore these parables.  They will impact our lives if we will but humble ourselves before the Lord God.  Let the Holy Spirit bring to light the truths of these parables.   As today’s verse tells us we, in Christ, have been granted the privilege of understanding these parables, but to those perishing, the privilege has not been extended.  Take seriously your response to Jesus’ words. 

Questions:

1. Do you know how to live life during this mysterious interim period before Jesus returns?
2. Does the Holy Spirit in you bring the Word of God to life in you?

Prayer: Father, thank You for speaking through Your Son these Kingdom Parables.  Open my ears and heart to the truths You desire to teach me over these next several weeks.  Amen.

 

God's Mediatorial Kingdom

Scripture: Matthew 6:10

Pray then like this… Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 

Insights:  Alva McClain was the first to use the term “mediatorial” kingdom.  What McClain meant by that term was Jesus’ kingdom is mediated out.  Before you call me a heretic let me explian.  This prayer in today’s verse is for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Yesterday we described God’s universal kingdom and His sovereign rule over everything and everyone forever.  Is God’s will done perfectly in heaven?  The answer is a profound, yes!  Yet in this verse Jesus asks us to pray for God’s will to be done the same way in heaven.  So, is God’s will perfectly obeyed here on earth?  The answer is a deplorable, no!  For example, do you always obey God perfectly or do you sin?  You and I obviously sin.  So, because of this sinful response we have toward God’s kingdom, Jesus mediates out His authority to authorized earthly agents, individuals, or structures so that we would know His will.  All of redemptive history is comprised in this mediatorial kingdom.  God gave His authority first to Adam and Eve, then the patriarchs, followed by Moses, the judges, the kings, the prophets, the apostles and finally the church.  This mediatorial kingdom will merge with God’s universal kingdom at the end of the age when Jesus will make a new heaven and a new earth and His will will be done perfectly on the new earth as it has always been done in heaven.  Now, here is where it gets complicated.  In God’s universal kingdom, there is always a mixture between the true and the false.  In Romans nine Paul states, “All Israel is not Israel (6),” and in chapter two, “A Jew is not a Jew who is one outwardly, but is one inwardly (28).”  Now let’s go back to Matthew for a moment.  In chapter eight Jesus says, “but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (12).”  Sons of Jesus’ mediatorial kingdom are born again and do not go to hell.  Yet in this verse, Jesus said the sons of God will be cast into out darkness and a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, which is a description of hell.  How can they be sons of the kingdom if they go to hell?  The answer is because in God’s universal kingdom, He is still sovereign over those condemned to hell.  So, God’s mediatoral kingdom has a condition which is found in Mark chapter one verse fifteen, repent and believe.  Those who do this are true and not false.  For us to understand the Kingdom Parables, we need to understand these two aspects of God’s kingdom. 

Questions:

1. Are you a part of the mediatorial kingdom of God?
2. Are you prepared for the ultimate fulfillment of Jesus’ kingdom?

Prayer: Father, I know is some ways these concepts of Your kingdom that we have discussed these past two days is difficult to understand.  Yet, I also know that in Your Son I have the mind of Christ.  Help me to understand these truths.  Amen.

 

God's Universal Kingdom

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 29:11

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. 

Insights:  In order for us to understand what Jesus says in the Kingdom Parables about this mysterious interim period we need to understand a little about God and the two aspects of His kingdom.  First, God is Triune in nature, meaning He is One God consisting of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but They all are of the very same essence because They are just One God.  Second, because of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the kingdom here on earth is marked by a King in absentia.  He is still King and His will is still done, but He is not physically present in our earthly way of thinking about it.  Third, there are two aspects of God’s kingdom that need to be understood.  The first aspect is what the rest of today’s Thoughts by Scott is going to cover.  Tomorrow, we will discuss the second aspect of God’s kingdom.  So, the first facet of God’s kingdom is known as God’s universal kingdom.  This attribute of God’s kingdom is the easy one to understand.  It is in fact what today’s verse describes.  God rules everything and everyone forever.  In other words, God is sovereign, creator, sustainer, and the beginning and the end of all things.  Let me attempt to illustrate one dynamic of God’s universal kingdom.  Psalm 139:8 states, “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there (KJV).”  One of God’s characteristics is He is omnipresent which means He is everywhere all of the time.  All places exist because God first made them.  Hell was made by God, and therefore, God’s presence is in hell.  This truth is what the psalmist is attempting to communicate.  There is no place to hide from God, not even hell.  You might be saying to yourself, “But I thought hell was the place where sinners went and were forever separated from God.”  And the reason you think that is because you have heard a preacher say those words.  When we say such a thing, what we are poorly attempting to say is hell is the place where God withholds His mercy, grace and love from those that chose to go there, but He is still sovereignly ruling over hell because it is part of His creation and kingdom. 

Questions:

1. Do you recognize the Triune God has being King over everything?
2. How does God’s sovereignty make you feel about your life and the lives of those around you?

Prayer: Lord God, I am grateful You control and reign over all.  Work in my life to transform my will into one of obedience and love in order that You might be brought glory from my life.  Amen.

 

The Purpose of Jesus' Coming

Scripture: Matthew 12:28

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 

Insights:  Yesterday we did an overview of Matthew chapters one through twelve.  Even today’s verse comes from chapter twelve.  I believe this verse describes Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth.  His purpose was to bring His kingdom to earth.  In fact this twenty-eighth verse stated pretty clearly that His ability to cast out demons was a sign to His kingdom having come on the people.  Remember from yesterday, however, it is in this twelfth chapter that the people reach the climax of their rejection when they attribute His healing power to that of Satan.  Matthew presented Jesus as King and Jesus came to bring His kingdom to earth.  The Jews rejected Jesus and this also meant they rejected His kingdom.  What then happened to the kingdom and what is going to happen now as a result of this rejection?  Those questions are exactly what the thirteenth chapter answers through the kingdom parables.  Theologians call this time period in which we are living “the parenthesis,” others call it “the interim,” still others call it “the church age.”  The point it is a mysterious time and we will see in Scripture later this week that Jesus even called this time period a mystery.  The reason it is a mystery is because it was hidden from the prophets of the Old Testament.  They were not given the privilege of seeing this time period unfold.  So, it is here in the thirteenth chapter that we see Jesus using the tool of parables to help us understand what this time period looks like.  If we know this truth, then we will be able to know how we are to respond and react to the things happening in this world.  Now there is a rather confusing aspect to the parables regarding God’s kingdom and over the next two days we are going to attempt to clarify some if this information.  In other words, if we do not get a firm grasp of these two concepts it will be difficult for us to understand what the parables are attempting to teach us.  Hang in there, Beloved, through this weighty material. 

Questions:

1. Have you, like the Jews of Jesus’ day rejected Him and His kingdom?
2. Or, have you come to the saving knowledge and personal intimacy with the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, all of creation has responded to Your love just as You knew it would.  You were not surprised when the Jewish leaders accused You of casting out demons under the power and leadership of Satan.  You have not been taken aback as the world has increased its hostilities toward You.  You know that You will return and the appointed time to display Your Kingly glory and bring Your children to Your home.  May this generation Lord, not reject Your kingdom as the first century Jews did.  Amen.

 

The Purpose of Matthew's Gospel

Scripture: Matthew 11:28

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Insights:  We have started a new sermon series on the Kingdom Parables found in Matthew’s gospel.  This week’s Thoughts by Scott are the introductory points to help us better understand the parables when we get to them.  Today we are going to do a very quick overview of the book of Matthew leading up to the thirteenth chapter. The purpose of Matthew’s gospel is to present Jesus Christ as the King, the Son of God, the Messiah, the rightful heir to David's throne.  In chapter 1, Jesus was the One who should reign because He was in the Messianic line.  In chapter 2, Jesus’ right to reign was affirmed by the wise men from the east.  In chapter 3, Jesus was heralded by John the Baptist who was the foreordained forerunner to the King.  In chapter 4, Jesus proved His Kingship over Satan in His conflict with him in the wilderness.  In chapters 5-7, Jesus spoke as a King with authority when He delivered the Sermon on the Mount.  In chapters 8-10, Jesus displayed His credentials as King through His miracles, which were prophesied about years earlier.  A very strange situation began to happen in these three chapters.  The greater the evidence that Jesus was the King, the greater the peoples rejection of Him becomes apparent. In chapter 11, Jesus denounced the sinful nation of Israel for rejecting Him. But just like Jesus, after He declared their judgment, he offered them an invitation when he concluded the chapter with, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (vs 28).”  In chapter 12, Jesus pronounced judgment as the rejection of Him reached its climax.  Israel’s final rejection was summed up in the fact that they accuse Jesus of being Satanic.  But even chapter 12 closed with another invitation. Verse 50 stated, “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”  So as we approach Chapter 13, the die has been cast.  Christ has been proven to be the King and the people have rejected Him as the King. He, therefore, pronounced judgment on them, but at the same time offered them an invitation of salvation to whoever would believe.  One more observation about the setting of this scene: The shadow of the cross was now looming in the background.  Already in chapter 12 verse 14, the Jews had sought to destroy Him. They had reached the point of wanting only to kill Him.

Questions:

1. Have you come to know King Jesus personally?
2. Are you enjoying His rest He provides to those who come to Him?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to earth and giving Your life in order for me to know You.  You are King and I am grateful I get to serve You by Your grace.  Amen.