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"And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing."

Welcome Christian! On these pages you will find a Parables of Jesus Bible Study that I have written. I may be contacted at

Want To Hear A Secret? A parable is a simple story designed to illustrate a spiritual and moral truth. Our Savior chose to teach by using parables, in fact there is a total of 49 different parables illustrated by Him in the New Testament. Mark 4:2 says, “He taught them many things by parables,” and Luke 8:10 infers that He spoke to His insiders and inner circle of believers to keep the hardened of heart from understanding the mysteries of God. “He said, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, "`though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.' “ (Lk. 8:10) Jesus calls His teachings the secrets of the Kingdom of God. Would you like to learn and understand these secret things?

Parables of Jesus #1-49

1. Barren Fig Tree Lu:13:6: He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Lu:13:7: Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? Lu:13:8: And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: Lu:13:9: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. Lu:13:10: And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. This parable is meant to reinforce the words preceding it: “Except you repent, you will all likewise perish.” We therefore can readily understand why Jesus spoke this parable for our benefit. This parable was primarily, in its day, written for God’s chosen people, the Israelites, who He chose to draw near to Him. It now speaks to the Church, His people, who since the Savior came chose us to come apart from the world and follow Him. The Church today is an organized religion, much like the Israelites in knowing the Word of God and His will, but not resembling it. God said, “These people draw near to Me with their lips, but their hearts is far from Me.” Christ still makes intercession for us today as this parable will show us. God has planted us in His vineyard which is His kingdom on earth and looks for not only growth, but fruit. He comes seeking fruit in season, not abundant fruit but fruit that should be there, and to His disappointment finds none. He tells the caretaker, Christ, that He has sought fruit for three years in a row and has found none. How disappointing that this tree should take up space in the vineyard and yet yield no fruit. The tree robs the land of not only space, but nutrients, water, and the physical care of pruning. The owner, God tells the dresser to cut it down to be burned in the fire. This refers to those that have the Gospel preached to them, that receive all the benefits of the Kingdom, and yet never progress to the point of bearing fruit for the Kingdom. The garden dresser, Christ is our Intercessor. He begs that one more year be given in the care of this tree. He proposes to do two things, to dig around it to break up the fallow ground, and to fertilize it to force fruit. He does not say if it blossoms it will be sufficient, but He comes desiring to have the tree bear fruit for the Master of the vineyard. He readily agrees, “If it bears fruit, well!” If it doesn’t within the season, then He states, “It should and shall be cut down”, so that another may take its place. Recall here how Judas walked with Jesus for 3 1/2 years, and because He was a thief, and a liar, and a betrayer he was cut down from his office of Apostle, and another one was appointed to take his place. Jesus taught this parable in the Synagogue for those to plainly hear the fate of their life if they would not repent and bear fruit for the Kingdom. The whole point here is that retrieves may be made for us by Christ’s merit and the prayers of His ministers and intercessors, but a retrieve will not buy a pardon, only one’s own repentance will. We may feel safe in continuing on in our sin habits and we may feel that God will not call us to account for bearing the fruits of the Spirit readily, but He will, and then it will be too late to repent. Can you think of an area in your life where you are not bearing the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, righteousness and truth? Can you envision Jesus asking the Father on your behalf to bear with you another year to see if He can coax the fruit to appear? Can any of you create a specific modern day example of this parable relating to today’s world? Do you think the vineyard owner is justified in cutting down the tree that will not bear fruit? Thought and prayer for today: Today, I will cultivate the fruit of _________ in my life, and see if it shall blossom. You might want to date a journal and write down the specifics of how this prayer is being worked out in your life, and when the fruits began appearing.

2. Bread Of Life Joh:6:25: And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Joh:6:26: Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Joh:6:27: Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Joh:6:28: Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Joh:6:29: Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Joh:6:30: They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Joh:6:31: Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Joh:6:32: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. Joh:6:33: For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Joh:6:34: Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. Joh:6:35: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Joh:6:36: But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. Joh:6:37: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Joh:6:38: For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. Joh:6:39: And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. Joh:6:40: And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. Joh:6:41: The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. Joh:6:42: And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Joh:6:43: Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. Joh:6:44: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. Joh:6:45: It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Joh:6:46: Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Joh:6:47: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. The conviction to follow Jesus became strong and people came seeking Him. They were an eager crowd to hear His sermons, but not to live His sermons. They were curious about His whereabouts, and why He was not in the Synagogue teaching as they thought He should be. Jesus answers that He not only knows what they are doing, but why they are doing it. The Lord knows our true motives. He knew they came not to see His miracles, but to have their stomachs filled instead. Again, we are made aware of the strong pull that food has over all people. The people did not follow Him for love, but for loaves. They attempt to win His favor by flattering Him with the respected term Rabbi, but He knew their true hearts. He directs them to moderate their worldly pursuits. The things of the world are called meat that perishes. They feed our fancy and fill our bellies but we mustn’t make these things our whole pursuit in life. Jesus says instead to labor after that which feeds the soul instead. The Son of God can give us nourishment of the eternal good for our souls. He gives it as a gift, but it is up to us to come to the point where we desire it wholeheartedly. He proclaims that the Father has sent Him as an Ambassador to mankind, and has sealed His ministry with authority to do these things. They ask Him now what they must do to do the works of God and He replies that the work of faith is to do the work of God; you must believe. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” It is by faith in Christ that God is pleased. They asked Him to prove it by a sign, totally ignoring all the signs and miracles Jesus had already showed them. Had they already forgotten how He miraculously fed the multitude? They prefer the story of how their ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, rather than all the miracles Christ had performed. The Jews spoke of a bread, manna, which their fathers had and in reality they slighted and grumbled about. Jesus corrects them that Moses did not feed them, but My Father in heaven which is now feeding you with the true bread from heaven, the greatest gift they could receive from God. No more should they hunger and thirst through His body and His blood. He repeats this again and again to break through to their hardened hearts. He is the divine bread, the bread of life, the living bread, not a dead object. The manna had only preserved and nourished life. Christ sustains life eternally by His power. He was portrayed by manna as a type and figure to come to the Israelites, but now He is the true bread which gives life to the world. He tells them of the new covenant with God and the special love entrusted to Christ, and speaks to ensure them of eternal life. Everyone that believes on the Savior shall be raised up on the last day. He does this by His own power. They requested this bread until they understood that Christ spoke of His self, then they despised it, and like their fathers they too murmured. They knew Jesus’ earthly mother and father and rejected the doctrine that He came down from heaven. He tells them that they must come to Him with belief and feed upon Him. He then assures them again of eternal life for their belief and faith in Him as Savior. Do you believe that you have eternal life through Christ? Do you accept the gift of eternal life, not through your own good works, but because Christ came to give this life? Is your conviction to follow Christ daily based upon the fact that, “no man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him”. What are your thoughts as you receive communion? Thought and prayer for today: If I have eternal life right at this very moment, shouldn’t I be encouraged to do great deeds of faith, and shouldn’t I tell others that they too may know they have eternal life?

3. Candle Under A Bushel M't:5:14: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. M't:5:15: Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. M't:5:16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. There is nothing more useful than light. It is welcomed to see clearly and it is necessary to do work by. Jesus calls us to be the light of the world because “in God there is no darkness and variation of light.” We are intended to illuminate and give light to others. Christ having lighted these candles does not mean for them to be put under a bushel and hidden. Like a city set upon a hill cannot be hid from plain sight, neither shall the candle which draws people to its light. We must shine as lights through our good conversation, our obedience in serving God and each other, and by our good lifestyles. We must do works not to be applauded by men, but to be seen by men as a testimony of Christ’s love. Through this means, men might be brought to glorify your Father in heaven. This is the end of all we must do---to glorify God and not oneself. If we do everything to the praise of God, our lights will shine brightly and not be hid. Can you think of an example when your light shined and another glorified God for it? How about the neighbor who knows that because you are a Christian, you do acts of kindness for them? Does you light shine within the church structure and without in your community? How about your family? Do they know that your light always shines brightly in Christ, and therefore they will someday be drawn to Him? Was there ever a time when you thought your candle had been extinguished or hidden under a bushel?

4. Compassion Of The Samaritan Lu:10:25: And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Lu:10:26: He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? Lu:10:27: And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. Lu:10:28: And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. Lu:10:29: But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? Lu:10:30: And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Lu:10:31: And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Lu:10:32: And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. Lu:10:33: But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, Lu:10:34: And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Lu:10:35: And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Lu:10:36: Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? Lu:10:37: And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. The lawyers were always looking for some finer point of the law as in today’s terminology it would be called a loophole, but Jesus tells him what he should do to fulfill the royal law. It is not enough to speak of the things of God, and to inquire about them, but we must also do them. Christ directs the lawyer to the divine law. “How do you read the Law?” The Gospel is Good News of grace and mercy, but we have a duty to read the law with understanding and to obey the commandments. The lawyer thought he understood the two first and great commandments. 1. We must love God with all our hearts; an intelligent love, but one that is sincere and fervent. 2. We must love our neighbors as ourselves; we must do all the good we can to others and cause no hurt to anyone. Christ agrees that the lawyer is right and commends him, but the hardest part of this work must be done yet. “Do this and you will live and inherit eternal life.” The lawyer trying to justify himself asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” About the lawyer willing to respond whether he loved God with his whole heart, he doesn’t touch on this subject, seemingly not willing to say anything more about it. The Jewish teachers did not like Gentiles and especially Samaritans because they did not pertain to their own nation and religion, and therefore excluded them from any type of feelings of an obligation towards them. Jesus then tells them of a man, a Jew traveling on the road to Jericho probably on his way to worship in Jerusalem. He was abused by his enemies, robbed, stripped of his clothes, wounded and left to die of his wounds. A priest who should have befriended him by the sanctity of his office alone, saw him and chose to pass by. He is not willing to get involved mentality. A Levite not only saw him, but came and looked upon him and quickly passed by on the other side. To see someone who needs our help and to refuse it is sin. A certain Samaritan of that nation which Jews despised and detested the most was the one who had compassion on him. With compassion he helps the Jew because he saw that he was a human in misery and suffering. This was an active compassion, somehow knowing that pain and entering into it and sharing in it as so far as that is possible. The Samaritan used his own linen to bind up the wounds of the man, and he used his own oil and wine to wash the wound and mollify it. He did all he could to help---but he doesn’t stop here. He sets him upon his own animal and he himself walked and traveled with him and brought him to an inn. He forgot his own business needs and journey as he went about doing God’s business. He got him a bed and food and then stayed further with him. When he left the next morning, he paid for the services and offers to pay for whatever else is necessary to see this man well. This act of kindness wasn’t done by a relative, or a friend, or the church, but a complete stranger. Jesus admonishes the lawyer and us to now go and do likewise. To be merciful to all who is our neighbor. Here is a modern day parable that I have kept since the 70’s. I do not know the author. A certain elderly woman went down from Washington to Richmond and ran over a spike, which punctured her tire and left her stranded by the side of the road. After raising the hood of her car and tying a white scarf to the door handle, she locked the doors and sat in the car, praying for the Lord to send her help. By chance there came a limousine that way with a bumper sticker that read, “Smile, God Loves You.” When the occupants saw the stranded woman, they passed by in the far lane without smiling. And likewise there came a sports car with a CB radio and a bumper sticker saying, “Honk If You Love Jesus.” The man who was driving passed by in the far lane without honking and without using his CB to tell the highway patrol about the woman’s dilemma. But a certain working man, as he traveled to his job, came to the spot where the woman was; and when he saw her raised hood, white scarf and flat tire, he had compassion on her. And he stopped his old pickup---which had no bumper stickers---and crossed the four lane highway and offered to change the tire. And the woman opened the door and gave him the key to the trunk. The man took out the spare tire, jacked up the car, removed the flat tire and replaced it with the spare. When he had finished, the woman tried to pay him. He refused the money saying, “If my wife was stranded on the highway with a flat tire, I’d want some good Samaritan to stop and help her out.” And again he crossed the highway, got into his bumper-stickerless truck, smiled and honked at her, and went on his way to work. Which now of these three was neighbor unto her that had a flat tire? Does fear of lawsuit or personal injury prevent us in today’s society from getting involved? Would it matter to you about helping someone to the extreme if that person wasn’t a Christian just like us? Have you ever helped someone out and refused the pay simply because it felt good to do a kind deed? Let’s all commit to getting out of our comfort zones and letting God use us to do a compassionate work.

5. Counting The Cost Lu:14:25: And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, Lu:14:26: If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Lu:14:27: And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Lu:14:28: For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lu:14:29: Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Lu:14:30: Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Lu:14:31: Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Lu:14:32: Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. Lu:14:33: So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Lu:14:34: Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? Lu:14:35: It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Jesus begins to address the multitudes and speaks for their understanding of the terms of discipleship. Instead of telling them that they would have wealth and respect for being His disciple, He proceeds to tell them what to expect instead. He tells them what they must give up instead if their love for Christ were to be greater. He tells them their comfort and satisfaction in relationships must come in second place to our duty to Christ. If we must deny Christ to have the approval of family and others, we must rather lose their favor instead. We must love Christ better than our own lives. When tribulation and trial arise because of the Word, we must rather experience the pleasures of the spiritual life. The spiritual life must bear the duty and responsibility of its own cross, though it be heavy, and we must come to Christ or else we cannot be disciples. They must consider it first before they proceed. Before we build a structure, commonly we would examine our purses first to see if we could afford it. Let us examine first what discipleship will cost us in self-denial of our lives. If it would even cost us our very life, does it compare to Christ laying down His life for us? It is true that without His grace we could not possibly bear the cost, but He says, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” Nothing appears to be more shameful than one who started well in religion to break off and away from it. When we desire to be Christ’s disciple we must consider the hazard of it before we enlist. A king before he declares war must decide if he has the strength to overcome a neighboring kingdom. Can we endure the hardships of a good soldier of Christ? We may or may not have to literally forsake all---that is up to God---but we must consider that He may ask us and then we are expected to obey. To go backward into apostasy would be utterly useless. Good Christians are the salt of the earth, but if it loses its ability to season it becomes worthless for any other use. It can never be recovered. It is no longer fit and is intended to be cast away. Our Savior concludes that we must listen and take notice because He has told us beforehand what to expect. Does anyone want to share a testimony of what a personal cost of following Christ in your life was, or how you have practiced a specific self-denial for Jesus? Did anyone actually give it thought before you decided to accept Christ as Savior? Personally, one of my step-daughters when I presented the Gospel to her, asked if she could think about it, and she asked if we would still love her either way. We replied, Yes!”, and two weeks later she came over here and accepted Christ as I led her in prayer. She counted the cost first with good reasoning and logic.

6. Creditor Who Had Two Debtors Lu:7:41: There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. Lu:7:42: And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Lu:7:43: Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. Christ endeavors to teach Simon by this parable that the greater a sinner a person has been, once they have been pardoned of their sins, the greater love they should show to Christ. This parable has always been a reflection of me because I did not turn to our Savior until I was twenty years old, and I owe Him a debt of gratitude and love for seeking me out and not calling me to pay this debt by a premature death. A cheap and an easy religion does not understand God’s full grace in pardoning all of our sins. A man had two people indebted to him and they both became insolvent, much like we would file for bankruptcy today to avoid having liens put on our possessions. One of the debtors owed ten times more than the other debtor. The creditor freely forgave them both and did not take advantage of the law as he could have. Which of the debtors would love the creditor the most? Simon, a Pharisee answers, “Certainly the one to whom he forgave the most.” Both debtors ought to love the creditor very much, but the one with the larger debt ought to be even more grateful. This parable speaks of the love of Christ toward us sinners by paying in full our debts on the cross. Sin is a debt, “for the wages of sin is death”. Sinners are debtors and God credits our account with the righteousness of Christ Jesus. Whether our debt is greater or lesser the point is that we are not able on our own to pay that debt. Sometimes we are not even aware that we have “run up our accounts” so high. I thank the Lord afresh for canceling my debt. Please post your observations on today’s study, or if you remember when you found out Christ canceled your debt, tell us about it.

7. Dishonest Steward Lu:16:1: And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. Lu:16:2: And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Lu:16:3: Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. Lu:16:4: I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. Lu:16:5: So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? Lu:16:6: And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Lu:16:7: Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. Lu:16:8: And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. Lu:16:9: And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Lu:16:10: He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Lu:16:11: If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? Lu:16:12: And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? Lu:16:13: No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Jesus speaks of the dishonesty of stewards. As Christians we are stewards of what God has given us in this world by His grace. This particular steward wasted his lord’s goods and was accused of it. This must be our concern if we walk with the Lord. The lord calls the steward and wants to know if it is true, and the steward could not deny it. The steward finally begins to worry about this, but rather about being caught for his dishonesty rather than being dishonest and now faced with not being able to maintain a living without his charge. He cannot dig means that he doesn’t want to dig; he is not used to manual labor. He knows that he is too ashamed to beg, so he resolves what he can do and that is to defraud his lord further. He sent for one of his lord’s debtors and reduced that one’s debt by 50 percent. He called another and reduced his debt by 20 percent. The steward had been dismissed for his dishonesty and quickly continues in that pattern because he can not mend his ways and hopes to buy the favor of his lord’s tenants so that they will continue to feel obligated to welcome him into their homes. The lord does not commend him because he had done falsely to his master, but because he had quickly done wisely for himself and for the tenants. The wisdom of worldly people shows that they always strive to improve their opportunities, but do the children of light strive to improve their opportunities in bringing others to the Lord by our spiritual works? We do not seek to “seize the moment” when we have opportunity to do so, thinking that there is always tomorrow. Jesus applies this to his disciples in this way: “Though you may have but little in this world, consider how you may do good with that little.” He encourages us to manage our money that it would benefit us and others in the hereafter and not for the present only. It is fulfilling a duty to our Lord as well as spiritual beneficial to all. At death we will either fail to bankruptcy, or be found full of the riches of Christ Jesus. If we do not make right use of the gifts of God’s providence, how can we expect Him to give us gifts of His spiritual grace? The riches of this world are less and the riches of His grace is greater. He that serves God well with His money will serve God valuably with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. If a man will love the world he will be found despising the things of God. But on the other hand, if a man loves God and the Kingdom he will see to it that everything that he has and possesses will be used to serve God’s Kingdom. The matter here is laid plainly before us: If your interests are divided, your service to the Lord will be disrupted. It is said that only 6% of Christians tithe. Can we define why through the application of the parable? Every person has 24 hours per day. Do we as Christians give God a tithe of our time each and every day at the rate of 2 hours and 40 minutes devoted to prayer, Bible Study and doing the works of Christ. If we do neither of the aforementioned, are we dishonest stewards?

8. Faithful Steward, Unfaithful Steward Lu:12:41: Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all? Lu:12:42: And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? Lu:12:43: Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Lu:12:44: Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. Lu:12:45: But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; Lu:12:46: The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. Lu:12:47: And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Lu:12:48: But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. This is Peter’s question put to Christ upon the occasion of yesterday’s parable, The Dishonest Steward. Peter desires Jesus to explain Himself if the parable was meant for the disciples only or for all that were listening. Christ gives a direct answer in saying it was intended for all --we are the stewards in Christ’s house. We must all prove ourselves to be faithful and wise; faithful to Christ and our fellow-servants and walking in wisdom toward all. Blessed is that servant who is doing and not idle when the Lord comes. Their faithfulness will be rewarded in the day of the Lord. Christ’s patience is very often misinterpreted as delay---it is not. Woe to His enemies that take this delay as encouragement to misappropriate good treatment of God’s people through their willful sins of their brethren’s sufferings. What an aggravation it will be of their punishment when they knew their duty and did not do it or abused the use of their duty toward God and man. There are sins committed through ignorance and others through willful premeditation and contempt. Those that have greater capacities of mind and greater opportunities to do what the scriptures command will be required much more of. Do you feel there is any area of your life that God expects greater things of you than other Christians or of those that are non-Christians? Does a Christian wife and mother or a Christian husband and Father have more responsibilities than a non-Christian? Do you have a gift in Christ that you are required to be a good steward of where others will not be held in such sharp standards?

9. Fig Tree M't:24:32: Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: M't:24:33: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. M't:24:34: Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. M't:24:35: Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. M't:24:36: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. M't:24:37: But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. M't:24:38: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, M't:24:39: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. M't:24:40: Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. M't:24:41: Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. M't:24:42: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. M't:24:43: But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. M't:24:44: Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. The parable of the fig tree is meant to instruct us that when we see bud and blossom on a tree we know summer is approaching. This is meant to remind us that as God begins to fulfill prophecies we know that the last days are near. The Word of God is more sure than the earth, for the earth shall eventually be no more, whereas the Word of God abides forever. Christ says, You may take My word on it, these things are near.” But as to the exact day and hour of the day of the Lord, no man knows it but the Father only. We must still watch for it. It will take the world by surprise, as did the great flood in Noah’s day. For temporal judgments and eternal judgments Christ foretells that men will be doing worldly things instead of repenting and praying. As men were warned of the flood coming they carried on as it would not. They did not foresee it until it was too late. This is exactly what it will be like when Christ returns. It will be a day of separation. Some believe and are taken to Christ; others believe not and are left to perish in their unbelief. Christ will find His own wherever they are at. Our duty remains to watch and be ready. Not only believe that He will come, but take pains to see that we are not sleeping in our duty to Christ and in one another. Just as we cannot know if we have a lot or a little time to live with certainty, neither do we know if Christ will appear tomorrow or the next day. He tells us all to watch! Do you believe that for the Christian the immanent signs of His return will be apparent? What is the thief that we are warned to watch for? Can anyone describe any prophecies being fulfilled in our generation for the first time? (One such is when Israel became a nation again in 1948). Do you believe in the final destruction of the heavens and earth?

10. Forgiveness M't:18:21: Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? M't:18:22: Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. M't:18:23: Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. M't:18:24: And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. M't:18:25: But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. M't:18:26: The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. M't:18:27: Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. M't:18:28: But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. M't:18:29: And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. M't:18:30: And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. M't:18:31: So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. M't:18:32: Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: M't:18:33: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? M't:18:34: And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. M't:18:35: So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Peter here takes it for granted that we must forgive, but he wonders if seven times is sufficient. We have a proneness to put limitations on God’s commands. Jesus responds to Peter, “Not seven times, but until seventy times seven,” a certain number for an infinite number. To actually keep count of our brother’s offenses is in itself unforgiving. God multiplies His forgiveness and so should we. Jesus further illustrates by the following parable seven things: 1. A certain master forgives his servant a sum of ten thousand talents because the master was compassionate. Every sin we commit is a debt to God. We are all debtors. 2. There is an account kept of these debts. Our conscience upon awakening causes us to ask, “How much do we owe you, Lord?” 3. The debt of sin is enormous and some of us owe more than others. 4. The debt of sin is so great that we have no way in ourselves to pay it. 5. If God should deal with us apart from Christ and demand satisfaction of the debt, we would justly deserve great punishment for not satisfying the debt. 6. The servant knew he was in debt but wasn’t concerned about until he was called to give account. Although we have no means in ourselves we also beg God for patience with us. 7. The master grants discharge in full for the debt. There is forgiveness with God for the greatest of sin. God cancels our obligation and judgment is vacated. The duty the servant has remains intact though. Now the servant is given the opportunity to do likewise and he fails to do so. This represents the sin of those who are selfish and unmerciful in their dealings with others. The debt here was very small compared to the servant’s debt. The servant is unrelenting in that he did physical violence in demanding payment to him. This debtor to the servant humbles himself and asks for patience, begging for time to repay the debt. The servant does not consider it and cast’s him into debtor’s prison. Many who saw this were grieved by the action of the servant. They went to the master and relayed what they had witnessed. Our complaints should not be directed to each other, but brought to God and left with Him. The master is justly resentful of his servant’s cruelty and rightly so as he reminds him of the debt he had pardoned the servant of. He shows him his lack of compassion and lack of conforming to the example that the master had set before him. The master then revoke’s the pardon and demands punishment in the fullest. “Father, forgive us our sins as we forgive our debtors.” No malice can be harbored toward another if we do not forgive from the heart. God denies pardon when we disqualify ourselves of them. This is proof of lack of genuine repentance. Can you tie today’s parable in directly with Calvary and one of Jesus’ last words on the cross? Is there someone you just cannot forgive, but today realized that likewise you will not be forgiven by God? Will this parable help you in not counting the sins of your spouse, or family, or neighbor against you and why?

11. Full Net M't:13:47: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: M't:13:48: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. M't:13:49: So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, M't:13:50: And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The world is here portrayed as a vast sea. The preaching of the gospel is like casting the net into the sea for the purposes of a catch. As large dragnets do, it gathers many kinds of creatures. In the visible church there is also many things other than Christians. There is a time coming when the net is full and drawn to the shoreline of heaven. At that time there will be a separation between the creatures drawn in it. The good will be gathered together and the bad shall be cast away. While the net is in the sea it is unknown what is in it, but the fisherman carefully draw it to shore to see. Here we hear, “So shall it be at the end of the world.” The net is mixed and it has wicked, worthless refuse in it, and that shall be cast in the furnace as worthless garbage. Have you discovered anything about judging those within your local church through this parable? How about those who have not yet been drawn into the net of the Gospel? Does Jesus influence you in any way here to understand the Kingdom of God and to instruct others in it?

12. Great Supper Lu:14:15: And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Lu:14:16: Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: Lu:14:17: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. Lu:14:18: And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. Lu:14:19: And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. Lu:14:20: And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. Lu:14:21: So that servant came, and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. Lu:14:22: And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. Lu:14:23: And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. Lu:14:24: For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. The occasion of this parable occurs as Jesus is in the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisee’s to eat bread on the Sabbath. One of the guests there hearing Jesus’ parable of humility at the wedding feast makes this comment,” Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God.” Jesus is always more than willing to discuss the Kingdom of God, and we should be also. A certain man gave a supper which was considered the chief feasting time of the day and had invited many to come. In this example Christ is speaking of an entire nation of the people of the Jews. A servant was sent to put them in mind of the invitation, just as John the Baptist was sent as a servant to announce the coming of the Savior and to accept Him. All who were invited began to make excuses. This intimates the general neglect of the Jewish nation and the reluctance of most people when they hear the Gospel call. Rather than out and out refuse they ask to be excused. The first bought land and rather than defer going to view his ground until the next day, he makes a frivolous excuse that seeing the property was more important. The second one bought five yoke of oxen and says that he was called to the duty of proving them for the plough. Here we see two examples of being in love with the things of this world more so than a feast in God’s Kingdom. Another marries and pretends he cannot come, rather than he will not come. It is no excuse if we are married to someone who will not participate in the things of God. We are still bidden to come and we must. This shows our affection for relationships rather than loving God first and foremost. The master of the feast is given a report on the status of the guests and was showed how little they had really valued the master and his kindness. The master is rightly angry. Grace despised is grace forfeited. “None of these invited men shall taste of my supper.” Many persons rejecting Christ may not have a time convenient to accept Him later. The master commands his servants to go gather an abundance of guests--pick up the common beggars. The servants found that there were many eager and willing to come. There was still more room so the servants go out into the country seeking vagrants with the earnest and compelling invitation. This refers to the calling of the Gentiles and with them the church/dinner was filled. The publicans and the harlots went into the kingdom of God before the proud scribes and Pharisees. We may believe that we are so religious and righteous that we have actually made an excuse to not take time to feast with and know the true God. The master’s house shall be filled. Are all of our churches going out of the way to compel the least, the last, and the lost to come in, or do we except them to find us? When they do come in, do we prefer them and treat them as warmly as the master did? What are our churches doing to invite the Jew into a relationship with Christ, or do we make excuses why we can’t compel them to come in? Can you recall the time that you did accepted the Master’s invitation to feast with Him by dropping your excuses?

13. Hidden Treasure M't:13:44: 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. In this parable Jesus compares the Kingdom of heaven as a thing of great value in itself. It is likened to a treasure hidden in a field which we may make our own by unearthing it. Jesus Christ is the true treasure and if we have interest in seeking Him, we may have Him. The Gospel is hid, but in an open field, not an enclosed garden. Those that read and search the Scriptures finds the value of this treasure, Christ Jesus. We rejoice that the Scriptures plainly reveal our Savior to us, and we resolve to make Him our own. We sell all we have, even our life, “It is no longer I that live, but Christ in me”, that we may win Christ and be found in Him. We read here that the man hides it (the treasure) again. This meaning is to discover or find the value of the Scriptures, and by hiding it again is to hide it in your heart. To store it there that it may be uncovered at will. Had you ever thought of the Bible on the coffee table being an open field before you where you must dig for the treasure? Do you depend on your minister or others to unearth this treasure for you, or are you willing to get a little dirt under the nails to discover our Treasure yourself? Like winning the lottery, do you share this treasure with others or do you hoard it for yourself?

14. Humility At The Wedding Feast Lu:14:7: And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, Lu:14:8: When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; Lu:14:9: And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. Lu:14:10: But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. Lu:14:11: For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Lu:14:12: Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. Lu:14:13: But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: Lu:14:14: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. Jesus sets the tone for us when we are at our tables in the company of our friends. Jesus had observed how these lawyers and Pharisee’s had desired the highest places of honor. Jesus tells us how to act upon this occasion of an invitation. We expose ourselves when we are not modest or humble. Pride will have shame when the master asks us to take a lower seat. “Go to a lower room and if no one of higher ranking comes in, you may then be asked to go up higher.” The way upwards is to begin downwards. A great honor is to be seen as a humble person rather than a proud person. Jesus applies this parable generally to have us all not mind the higher things of life. If we exalt ourselves, “Pride goes before a fall,” we shall be humbled and vice versa, we shall be exalted for humbling ourselves. Jesus further tells us when we have a supper to not invite those of high standing. Charity is better than expecting reciprocation from the rich. This doesn’t prohibit such events, but we are taught here that one feast for the rich could make many meals for the poor. We are taught not to aim at being paid back. If you practice social climbing for the reward of being paid back in like manner, no reward will be given to you. Make it your life choices to feed the poor, the sick, those who have nothing to live upon. You will be blessed because they cannot repay you, but their prayers of rejoicing shall recompense you now, and Christ Himself will reward you in the world to come. Does this parable startle our conception of holiday gatherings? What would our loved ones think if it was our holiday to host a meal and we decided to feed the homeless instead? Could you do this because Jesus has asked it of you? Would anyone in your family understand and agree with this decision?

15. Lazarus And The Rich Man Lu:16:19: There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: Lu:16:20: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, Lu:16:21: And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. Lu:16:22: And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; Lu:16:23: And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Lu:16:24: And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. Lu:16:25: But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. Lu:16:26: And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Lu:16:27: Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: Lu:16:28: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Lu:16:29: Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. Lu:16:30: And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. Lu:16:31: And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. This parable is designed for our awakening. Jesus came to acquaint us with another world, heaven, and this parable is descriptive of the world to come. Many are willing to make prosperity one of the marks of a good man. This mistake Christ set Himself to correct. There was a certain rich man, but he has no name given him as the poor man Lazarus has. Jesus knows His sheep and calls them by name. The rich man was clothed luxuriously and his table was furnished with varieties and dainties. The indulgence of the body, and the ease and pleasure of things may ruin many a soul. These things are lawful or permissible, but may turn into sin for us if that is our mainstay in this life, while forgetting the distresses of the poor and afflicted. Lazarus, a beggar, was reduced to the worst of human conditions. He was full of sores as Job was, and yet a righteous and godly man. He was forced to beg his bread because of his pain and he was obviously loathsome to others. Lazarus modestly desired to be fed with the crumbs off the rich man’s table. The rich man slights him. Here was an opportunity to do good to a real object of charity, yet the rich man is not moved with compassion. We shall be found unfaithful stewards of our Lord’s goods if we do not share what we have with those who are in need. Jesus said, “I was hungry and you gave Me no meat.” The rich man kept a kennel of hounds that were well fed and they came and licked Lazarus’ wounds which may have relieved Lazarus, or may have made him even more uncomfortable depending on one’s like or dislike of dogs. But at least the hounds had taken notice of Lazarus when the rich man hadn’t. They both die; rich and poor alike will share a common bond and fate. The beggar dies first to intimate that God often takes the godly people from this world to relieve them of their suffering. The rich man died and was buried. We are not told of anything being done for Lazarus, but the rich man surely had a pompous funeral. As Lazarus closes his eyes for the last time, immediately angels come and carry him to Abraham where he now dwells with God. Saints in Christ Jesus will be brought safely home to Himself. Abraham was the father of the faithful and the faithful are gathered where he is. The rich man opens his eyes to find he is in hell and is in torment. He is further made miserable in knowing that Lazarus is now happy. Through the chasm that exists between heaven and hell, the rich man could see both Abraham and Lazarus, and it made his misery more intense. The rich man cries out to Abraham for mercy when it is too late for mercy. Still in his arrogance he asks that Lazarus bring him a drop of water to cool his tongue. The tongue is something that many people will be condemned by. Abraham replies, “Son, remember how bountiful God was with you, and how you had already received the goods of the earth. Your day is past and gone. Remember how Lazarus received evil and now he is in bliss and comfort. Besides this, we in heaven cannot come to your place of torment for all of eternity.” The rich man then desires Lazarus be sent to his father’s house to testify and warn them of a similar fate. Abraham denies this request also. There will be no request granted in hell. Abraham reminds him that all have the testimony of Moses and the prophets and this is in itself sufficient. The rich man persists that some new thing would awaken them spiritually. Abraham again insists that what God has already ordained as a testimony is sufficient. The strength of the Scriptures should alone convince all. Does the strength of this parable convince you to obey the Gospel and to warn others of a future place of torment? Does it modify your thought of sharing your possessions to mission causes and to the poor? Can you think of other things in hell that will be viewed there that would increase a person’s torment?/

16. Leaven M't:13:33: Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. A woman took leaven, a substance of yeast which is used to produce fermentation in dough. The Gospel is intended to leaven and modify our souls. The leaven was hid in three measures of meal. Our heart is the meal here, and it is the soft pliable heart that is profited by the Word. The leaven here works, as does the Gospel, by degrees. It works silently in the whole until the meal (heart) is all leavened. As the Apostles leavened the whole world with the Gospel, (it) “turned the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6) Leaven works a change not in substance, the dough is the same, but in quality of the dough. When the dough is leavened then it goes off to the oven; trials and afflictions happen, but as saints we become bread for our Master’s table, as He is the Bread of life. Had you ever thought of every Word of God you use was like leaven, doing a secret work in the heart’s of others? Is it comforting to you to know that Jesus told this parable so that you might be of great cheer in your work for the Gospel?

17. Lending Friend Lu:11:5: 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; Lu:11:6: For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? Lu:11:7: 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. Lu:11:8: 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. Lu:11:9: 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. Lu:11:10: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Lu:11:11: If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Lu:11:12: Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? Lu:11:13: If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? A man goes upon a sudden need to borrow some bread from a neighbor at an unseasonable time of night, not for himself, but for his friend who has come unexpectedly to him. The neighbor was put off because of the hour, but the man persists in his knocking until the neighbor arises because he was displeased with it. Although men are displeased with persistence, God is pleased with it. Jesus uses this parable to direct us in prayer. We must come to God with the same boldness and confidence in His ability to help us and to help others. We must come for those things which are needful. We must come to Him for prayers for others, rather than just ourselves. When we are in a strait, we must realize that Providence has led us into it. God is infinitely more kind than the neighbor and if the neighbor will arise out of anger, how much more will God arise out of mercy. God promises to give us what we ask of Him according to His will. When we ask the things of God’s Kingdom, He is pleased to answer. Jesus encourages us to pray under the consideration of our relationship to God as Father. He says in effect, “If earthly fathers answer their children with good things and affection, and are not unnatural to their children with evil things, how much more will God your Father give you the Spirit? God shall give you good things.” He directs us to ask for the Holy Spirit in order to pray well and the good things that we are to pray for. We then shall have speed in this prayer for the Father already has the answer awaiting the request. It is in His promise to you to bestow good things upon you. If our earthly parents, though wreaked with humanness be so kind to us, how much more shall our heavenly Father, holy, give us His Holy Spirit. Has anyone been afraid of the responsibility of asking for the Holy Spirit or the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Can you get any assurance from this parable that you will not be deceived by receiving a scorpion when you asked for an egg? Has God ever answered a prayer not the way you wanted, only after time has passed that you found out it was a better answer than what you had asked for?

18. Lost Coin Lu:15:8: Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? Lu:15:9: And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Lu:15:10: Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. A woman loses a piece of silver. She has ten, but loses one. The soul here is portrayed as silver, not base metal as iron or lead, but silver a precious metal. The silver was lost in the dirt. Our soul in this world is like being plunged into dirt, but here becomes a great quest and great pains taken to find it. The woman lights a candle, sweeps the house, and continues to diligently search until she finds it. This represents the various way God makes available to us to bring lost souls to be found by Him. Jesus being the light of the world represents the lit candle of the Gospel to show us the way to Him. The sweeping of the house is what the Holy Spirit will do to our hearts until it is finally exposed to the truths of God. Once that piece of coin, or the soul is found for God, there is great rejoicing in heaven and on earth. There is joy in heaven, joy in the presence of angels of God, over one sinner that repents, rather than a just person who needs no repentance. We are called to great joy also when we see a new child of God answer the Gospel call. We know that God has diligently searched that one out. We are called to not hide our candles under a bushel. Does this parable help you to understand man’s part in assisting God in the search for lost “coins”? Do you understand how the Holy Spirit must continually sweep our hearts to uncover what the dirt and the stains of the world may hide there? Next time you see someone accept Christ will this parable help you to rejoice just as God’s angels and all of heaven rejoices?

19. Lost Sheep M't:18:11: For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. M't:18:12: How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? M't:18:13: And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. M't:18:14: Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. Christ here has designed by His will that He comes to save that which is lost, and why little ones in Christ are never to be despised. Our souls by nature are lost; as travelers and sojourners upon this earth who have lost their way, Christ came to direct us in the right way that will lead to our greatest destination, heaven bound. This is the reason why the weakest of believers should not be despised. They are still being directed by Christ. If Jesus puts such a value on them, we must not undervalue them or underestimate Jesus’ direction. Our heavenly Father has much regard for these little ones which is illustrated by our Master as sheep. An owner had one hundred sheep, and had lost only one of them. This applies to the state of fallen man in general. “We all like sheep have gone astray.” There is greater joy in heaven for returning sinners than in remaining angels. God is concerned for the entire flock in general, but also for each and every lamb or sheep that belong to the flock. The great Shepherd will easily miss that one which is lost, for He is the good Shepherd, not an hireling. It is not the will of your Father that one of these little ones should perish. The care of God extends itself to every member of the flock, even the least. Christ here calls God your Father, being not ashamed to call you brothers and sisters with Him. We cannot mentally sentence a person to hell if it is not God’s desire for them to perish as such. We must trust God as the good Father to do all He will to search out the lost. Does this parable comfort you or condemn you in your thoughts and behavior to a non-Christian? When a person dies without our knowledge that they came to Christ, can we trust our Father that He did all that was possibly done to find them in Christ? Do we understand why we cannot get caught up in debates and arguing with the least of our brothers because Jesus is still working in their lives?

20. Marriage Feast M't:22:1: And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, M't:22:2: The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, M't:22:3: And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. M't:22:4: Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. M't:22:5: But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: M't:22:6: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. M't:22:7: But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. M't:22:8: Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. M't:22:9: Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. M't:22:10: So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. M't:22:11: And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: M't:22:12: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. M't:22:13: Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. M't:22:14: For many are called, but few are chosen. This parable tells us that the Gospel is prepared and represented by a feast which a king made at the marriage of his son. Christ is here the Bridegroom and the church is His bride. The new covenant of the Gospel is a marriage covenant between Christ Jesus and believers. The dinner is prepared for the marriage and the dinner represents the blessings of the new covenant; a heaven upon earth now, and certainly a heaven in heaven shortly. A feast is prepared, substantial food for everyone. The feast represents a reconciliation between God and the attending guests who have accepted the invitation. The feast also represents the place of fellowship in which we now enjoy with God through Christ. It is a wedding feast, also the first miracle Jesus performed to make a plentiful provision at a wedding feast, so surely no provision will be spared when He prepares His union with us. It is also a royal wedding feast for the son of a king. We are reminded that Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords, and King of Kings, and we are to become united with this Kingdom. The Gospel is represented by the invitation to this feast, and all mankind is invited to this celebration. The guests are called and when the invited guests were slack in coming, the king sent forth other servants to bid the guests to come because all things were ready and prepared. The message received cold treatment just as the Gospel of Christ is often ignored and rejected. They would not come is not because they couldn’t, but because they would not. They thought, as sinners, that the invitation was not worth responding to and they made light of it. They had other things they minded more to do. One went to his farm, the other to his merchandise. They give excuses why their businesses were more important. Both the country (farming) and the city (merchandising) have their temptations to refuse the call of Christ. The messengers were horribly abused, they were treated spitefully, and were killed. In this application it is true of the prophets starting with John the Baptist down through the Apostles and ministers of God. We must count on some of the same treatment. The king was angry and this represents the nation of Israel, as God’s chosen, who rejected the invitation and became murderer’s. Because they persecuted and killed the messengers God becomes angered for the honor of the Gospel. It brings just condemnation and destruction upon the one who despises God’s servants. The king sends forth his armies. This literally applies to the Roman armies who destroyed the Jews. We now see the Gentiles who were brought into the feast from out of the highways. The Jews had forfeited all the privileges that they had been invited to. It is only through the fall of the Jews that salvation came to the Gentiles. Christ will have a Kingdom of the world for whoever will come. The second invitation is met with success. All the children of God who were scattered abroad were gathered for the wedding feast. There the dinner was filled, but with a mixed multitude of both bad and good. Again we recall the parable of casting the net of the Gospel which enclosed both bad and good fish. The king comes to welcome and view the guests. He discovers a hypocrite, one who was not even covered in a wedding garment. It is God’s prerogative to know who has a sound heart and who doesn’t. We may deceive one another, but we cannot deceive God. You cannot hide from God even in a crowd. This man was clothed but not in the Lord Jesus. “Friend, how did it come about that you came in here without a wedding garment?” The word friend was a cutting word. If indeed he was a friend he would have known what the attire was. It is likened to the coming to the Lord’s table for communion when we do not properly come in a wedding garment. (1 Cor. 10:21-22) It is good for ourselves if we judge ourselves, then we shall not be judged by God. The man stood speechless being convicted by his own conscience. He was then sentenced. He was shackled and could not outrun his punishment. He was taken away from the wedding feast. Those that walk unworthy of their Christianity forfeit all the happiness of the Gospel. He is sentenced to hell which is utter darkness where his torment is unspeakable. Lastly we learn that many are called to the wedding feast, but few have chosen to wear the wedding garment. What is the wedding garment that guests must be clothed in? If the great wedding feast were the Rapture and the invitation call were to come today, would you be wearing the wedding garment? What does many are called but few are chosen mean regarding how we serve Christ on a daily basis? Romans 11:26 says, “And so all of Israel will be saved as it is written.” Will the wedding feast invitation be sent out one final time to the Jews before Christ returns to consummate the marriage?

21. Master Returns From Journey M'r:13:34: For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. M'r:13:35: Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: M'r:13:36: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. M'r:13:37: And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. To show us how closely Christ’s return is He puts forth this parable. Our Master has gone away, but as servants He has left us something in which we must give account of. The Master takes a far journey, leaving His home on earth, and has appointed His servants to particular offices, some with authority, others to work with or cooperate for the good of the household of faith. He gave work to be done, authority to do it, and the power necessary to achieve it. The Lord Jesus ascended on high and left all the servants with their portion of work. He appoints a doorkeeper to watch. All of us need to watch alertly for the Master’s return, and we must also watch that the Gospel is being spread throughout the world so that He will return when it is accomplished. We know not the hour of His return; but this is also applicable to His return to us in particular at our death, as well as in the general judgment. Either way we are accountable to Him and must be ready. Although we walk in the light, our lives presently lays before us as night, compared to the glory that is promised to come yet. So much more is to come. Whenever He comes we do not want to be found sleeping spiritually. We must be ready to meet Him, rather than unready. We must watch, be awake and remain awake. Watch is what Jesus says to us all. It means to expect His second coming as He has promised, so that we might be found as spotless and blameless in carrying out our duties. Are there days when you feel that you are spiritually sleeping and not watching? Do you know for a certain what your particular assigned work is? Do you feel Christ has given you power and authority, and if so, do you use it wisely?

22. Mote And The Beam M't:7:1: Judge not, that ye be not judged. M't:7:2: For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. M't:7:3: And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? M't:7:4: Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? M't:7:5: Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Our Savior tells us with this parable how to conduct ourselves when faced with the faults and shortcomings of others. If you have ever said, “It’s the other person’s fault, not mine”, this parable is a must. This parable begins with a caution against judging: Judge not. We must judge ourselves and not our brothers and sisters. We must not judge rashly, prematurely, uncharitably, and without mercy remembering that God is the judge and with the same judgment we dispense will be judged ourselves. The merciful shall find mercy. What would become of us if God should be so exacting and severe in judging us as we were in judging our brother? A sin is a sin but there are degrees here comparing a mote with a beam; or you could say a gnat with a camel, or sawdust and a plank. There is no sin against God that is little however. It is common for those who are most sinful themselves, and not owning to it, to be the most forward in judging and censuring others. When pride and hypocrisy is a beam in our eye, how can we remove a mote from our brother’s eye? How can we reform him if we cannot even reform ourselves? We are told first to cast the beam from our own eye first. Those that blame others must first be blameless themselves. Then we would be able to reprove, not judge others. Reproving is a duty then which may mean saving a soul from death. Jude 23 says, “Be merciful to those who doubt, snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy mixed with fear.” The motivation must be from mercy and not from pride; from compassion and not from finger-pointing; and it must be done with fear that you might fail yourself. How, when, and why did we become a generation which has been labeled as the “blame society”? Do we pay more attention to psychological jargon than to the clear Word of God? How difficult is it to examine your judging with the yardstick of compassion, rather than blame? Is it easier to forgive others when we look long and hard at ourselves first?

23. Mustard Seed M't:13:31: Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: M't:13:32: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. This parable was intended to show that the beginnings of the Gospel would be small, but that it would greatly increase. It is more commonly applied to the individual’s faith today, but we will look at it from the perspective of the workings of the Gospel. The Gospel acceptance is commonly very weak and small at first like a grain of mustard seed, which is one of the least in size of all seeds. In particular, when the Gospel is first preached the Gospel light is like the dawning of the day in it’s beginning. There is just a glimmer of the daylight to come. It is a seed which begins growing---knowledge more clear, faith more confirmed, and love more inflamed. It at last becomes to a degree of strength and usefulness as it matures into a tree. The church is now like a great tree in which we find food of the spiritual kind from its branches, rest, shade and shelter as the birds of the air flock to a natural tree for these things. Christians then must become useful to others as the mustard seed is to the birds who flock there for rest and safety. Have you seen your church through the preaching of the Gospel, or yourself as you have developed in the faith, grow as the mustard seed does? Jesus said, “When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?” (Lk. 18:8) Is it possible then for the mustard seed to be planted, but never come to maturity just as a natural seed may never germinate? Is anyone old enough (like me) to remember the mustard seed enclosed in a plastic pennant that used to be popular to wear to demonstrate one’s Christianity?

24. New Cloth On Old Garment M't:9:16: No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Jesus had been explaining to His disciples that the day would come when He would be taken from them and then they should fast and fast often. John the Baptist had already been taken away from his disciples and his ministry, and he was killed. Jesus then puts forth this parable by saying that no one puts a new cloth into an old garment, which does nothing but to pull the old to pieces. The best of Christ’s disciples pass through a state of infancy or weakness. Fasting is a religious duty which may be harder and more difficult then other duties. Christ will gently lead you if you are called to a fast, just as He would not tell His disciples many things that they were not yet able to bear. (John 16:12) Jesus does not want what you currently have to be destroyed by the harder facets of religious duty. As a lamb, the Great Shepherd gently leads you out to pasture. There is not a tremendous amount preached today about fasting. Do you agree or disagree with fasting, and do you think new converts should have to subject themselves along with old converts to a “mandatory” fast day or week? Have you found new spiritual strength by fasting, or do you find it to be physically weakening instead?

25. New Wine Into Old Bottles M't:9:17: Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. Along the same line of the New Cloth On The Old Garment parable is this second example which refers to fasting. I Cor. 3:2 finds Paul saying, “I gave you milk not solid food, for you were not ready for it. Indeed you are still not ready.” Jesus said that when He was taken away from the disciples after being with them for 3 1/2 years, then mourning, praying and fasting would be necessary. Their season now was to rejoice in all they were learning and experiencing being with their Master, as they had the Bridegroom of the church in their midst. Wineskins were commonly made of leather (not glass bottles) and with age the material would weaken. If new wine was put into it, during the process of fermenting the wineskin would burst. Jesus here portrays again that the new convert or youngest of disciples of Christ was not yet fermented, so to speak, and not yet grown in value of faith, and they should not yet be subjected to the religious duty of fasting as the Pharisee’s so often did; for they had not yet had faith sufficient to maintain them through this process. If you have “lost” the feeling of God’s Presence with you, is fasting then a legitimate means of re-gaining His Presence? On the same train of thought, if you diligently are seeking God’s will and guidance in a particular area, would fasting be a helpful or deterring way to finding and seeing His will? What are the reasons/benefits of fasting in general for you? Why did Jesus feel it was necessary to teach more than once on fasting by parables?

26. Old And New Treasures M't:13:51: Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. M't:13:52: 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. Jesus had told the parable of the full net, portraying the world as a great sea into which the net of the Gospel is cast. Jesus asks, “have you understood these things?” And it is replied, “Yes.” Perhaps they had or perhaps Jesus knowing their thoughts knew they had not. He then further instructs them in the things of the Kingdom. They were being taught to teach others, as we are also now understanding the secrets of the Kingdom. Those that instruct others have need to be well instructed themselves. He compares them to a good householder who brings forth fruits of last year’s growth and fruit’s from this year’s gathering, meaning both abundance and variety; old experiences couple with new observations, which is why we commit to reading Scripture time and time again. Many times when we have opened a canning jar of last year’s spaghetti sauce, we might say, “Isn’t this good. Do you remember last year’s bumper crop of tomatoes, and aren’t we glad that we planted Big Boy’s.” And this year as we can strawberry preserves for the first time, we might say, “How fortunate I am to plant the strawberries two years ago that now gives me this wonderful harvest.” So it is with the Christian faith. It must be mixed with old experiences and we must keep on adding to it new experiences. Do you look at your old treasures of faith with more value now, and are you open to add new treasures of faith that will stretch you and others? Can you define the word scribe as it would apply to the Christian of today? Can we take this parable as an encouragement from the Lord to journal our walk with Him and our prayer requests and answers to prayer? Do you feel as if something is missing in your current walk with the Lord if you have no new treasures to bring forth, only old ones?

27. Pearl Of Great Price M't:13:45: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: M't:13:46: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. After telling the parable of the Hidden Treasure, Jesus continues by following up with this parable by saying, “Again,” desiring to explain the Kingdom of heaven in greater depth for our benefit. We might say that all men are busy seeking pearls in our lives; riches, honor, fame, knowledge. Jesus Christ is the Pearl of great price. In hearing Him we have all that we could ever desire, eternal life. All men search for Jesus; not all men realize it or discover the true end to their search. A Christian is a spiritual merchant that seeks and finds this Pearl, and being resolved to be spiritually rich, trades all he has to attain it. Jesus said in Lk. 14:26-27, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” We see the severity of what it might cost us to gain Jesus, but being spiritually hungry and a discerning appraiser, we wisely give all if need be to attain Him. We are open today to discussion of what the Pearl of great price cost you individually. Can you see from this parable how others may not reject Christ Jesus out of spite, but rather from fear of giving their life successes and trading it all for the Son of Man who was crucified and died without any earthly riches? Do you think Jesus meant this parable as a warning to what might come if you accept Him, or as a comfort of what you will attain if you accept Him? Why do you think the disciples, being grown men of a sound mind, left all they had to follow Jesus?

28. Pharisee And The Publican Lu:18:9: And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Lu:18:10: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. Lu:18:11: 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. Lu:18:12: I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. Lu:18:13: 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. Lu:18:14: 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. The prefix to this parable, “And”, was designed for those who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. What a strong warning here for us all to not trust in our own righteousness, especially as a Christian, with conceit, while condemning and abusing others. There are two men at the same time and place addressing themselves in prayer in the temple. The Pharisee went to the temple to pray and he wanted to be seen by men. The publican came there to make his request. God sees the matter and intent of our hearts. The Pharisee, as it reads, “stood and prayed with himself;” he was fully concerned with himself and not God’s glory. He trusted in himself that according to the law he was righteous, he even fasted twice a week, and gave God tithes of all he had. Yet he was not accepted; and why not? He gives God thanks for his own righteousness, not for the grace of God causing providence to favorably arrange his life. He had gone to the temple to pray but forgot what his errand was. There was no prayer in what he said. He despised others when he said, “I thank Thee that I am not like other men”; speaking as if he were the only good person. His prayers were said to bring reproach on the tax collector. His prayers were full of pride. The publican prays being full of humility and desires toward God. He expressed his repentance by what he did. He stood afar off in awe of God. He kept at a distance under a sense of unworthiness of being so privileged to draw near to God in worship. He could not lift his eyes to heaven, but he did lift his heart and holy desires to God. He smote his breast (heart) with genuine penitence. His prayer was short but urgent, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” He admits his sin to God while the Pharisee denies his sinful nature. The publican calls upon God’s mercy. He comes as a beggar asking for alms from God. God assures the broken-hearted that they will be comforted. He went to his house justified rather than the Pharisee. The Pharisee was rejected in God’s sight because he was so righteous in his own sight. “He that humbles himself will be exalted.” Pride is from Satan and will lead to ruin in the soul. Why would God detest the proud? When we claim that God doesn’t answer our prayers, do we trace it back to exactly how and what we asked for, or do we just conclude that God doesn’t have time to answer all prayers? How do we incorporate this scripture, “We must come boldly to the throne of grace”? What is the difference between boldness and pride?

29. Prodigal Son Lu:15:11: And he said, A certain man had two sons: Lu:15:12: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. Lu:15:13: And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. Lu:15:14: And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. Lu:15:15: And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. Lu:15:16: And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. Lu:15:17: And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! Lu:15:18: I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, Lu:15:19: And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. Lu:15:20: And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Lu:15:21: And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Lu:15:22: But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: Lu:15:23: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: Lu:15:24: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Lu:15:25: Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. Lu:15:26: And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. Lu:15:27: And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. Lu:15:28: And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. Lu:15:29: And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: Lu:15:30: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. Lu:15:31: And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. Lu:15:32: It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. This parable fully sets forth the riches of Gospel grace. It also represents God as a common Father to all mankind showing His unconditional love. A man had two sons, both of different natures representing mankind as having different characters. The older son represents the religious Jews, especially the Pharisees in their sober personalities, and the youngest son represents the Gentiles, publicans and sinners. The one son requests his portion due to him--present gratification--as sinners are apt to want things due to them in the present and in this lifetime. He was willing to get out from under his father’s eye and government as we do so with God. His father was kind to him and gave the son his inheritance. Once he got his portion, he sets out to spend it foolishly as fast as he could. He departs and distances himself from God and his father, and not many days after finds himself a pauper and a beggar. A sinful state is like a land where famine reigns. He now becomes a servant himself by feeding swine which was a detested animal. Husks are good for swine but not fit for man. He turned to begging, but “no man gave unto him.” When he came to his senses and right mind again, he realized what departing from his father really cost him. It was through his afflictions and when he was in want that he became sensible again. Consideration is the first step towards conversion. He recalls that in his father’s house there is the bread that is sufficient for all. He resolves to return to him no matter what the issue between them be. He resolved what he would say, that he might plead his cause to his father. Those that are not dutiful toward their parents sin against Heaven. Sin is committed in contempt of God’s authority in setting the Ten Commandments. He acknowledges himself to have forfeited all the privileges of family life. He has reason to expect no more, but he determines to make a plea for mercy in asking to become a hired servant. He stuck to his good resolve without delay and came to his father’s place. Our Father welcomes all, without exception, who arise and come to seek Him. The father expressed his kindness even before the son expressed his repentance by watching for his return. God is ready to meet those that come toward Him. The son falls on the father’s neck, though dirty and guilty, he embraces this kindness. The son expresses his repentance, and the father expresses his forgiveness. He heartedly welcomes his son, and is determined to treat him as a dear and beloved child rather than a servant. There is not one word of rebuke spoken. When God forgives, He forgets. God does even more; the son comes home in rags, the father bids his servants to bring the prodigal robes of righteousness. The son came home without shoes, he now shall have feet that is shod that can carry him forth to preach the Good News. He places a ring on his finger to signify the earnest of the Holy Spirit. He satisfies the son with the best of his food to make a feast and a festival of rejoicing. The conversion of sinners is reason for celebration and all should rejoice in it. We are all commanded to be merry by being affected at the things that makes God joyful. We have next, the envying and aggravation of the older brother. He came in from the field in which he had worked all day to find the mirth had begun with music and dancing. He inquired what these things meant. He was angry and would not go in to join the celebration. He first boasted of his own self-worth and how he had never transgressed his father’s commands. This represents the Pharisee’s of their day. Secondly, he makes complaint calling to his father’s attention that he had never received a feast before. Thirdly, he was very disturbed with his younger brother. He would not go in to meet with him. He would not call him his brother, but “this thy son.” Fourthly, he aggravated his brother’s faults and lied about them when he said the prodigal spent his living on harlots, for we are not told that he had, and when he said that his brother had spent all of his father’s living, which he had not, only his portion of his father’s living. His father still owned a good estate and this shows how we are apt to make the worst of everything, projecting our own evil thoughts, rather than the facts and the truth of the matter. And next, he grudged his brother the kindness his father had extended him by killing the fated calf. It is a wrong thing to envy and begrudge penitents the grace of God. The father continues to glow with kindness. When the older brother would not come in, his father came out to him and entreated him. As the father went to meet the younger son, so now he goes to meet the older son. How good God is to all of us! The father assures this son that his kindness toward the younger son was not a rejection of the older son. “All that I have is thine,” the father assures him; if children, then heirs; all that God is and has is ours. The good father keeps his temper in tact, and tells his son that it is good to make merry over the repentance displayed, rather than to dwell on the past sins. Any family would be elated with joy at the raising of a dead child to life. This is certainly the most preached on parable there is. Is there anything that you have seen in it that you have never seen before? Do you relate more to the prodigal son or the elder brother in your relationship with the Father? Can you forgive completely as the father was called upon to do? Could you go on from there to trust the prodigal son again as you once did unequivocally?

30. Rejected Stones M't:21:42: Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? M't:21:43: Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. M't:21:44: And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. M't:21:45: And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. M't:21:46: But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet. This is a further illustration and application of the parable that we will be studying called Wicked Husbandman. Jesus illustrates this current parable by questioning, “Have you never read in the Scriptures?” This speaks conviction to those that presume to know the Word of God when criticizing others, but failing to know it when applying it to one’s own self. The builder’s rejecting of the Stone was not allowing Christ a place in the people’s building. They threw Him aside, as a stone that would serve only as a stepping stone to be trampled upon. The advancing of this stone to its intended placement to be the head of the corner represents He who was rejected by the Jews being embraced by the Gentiles. The hand of God was in all this; “This is the Lord’s doing. It is marvelous in our eyes.” We marvel that the Jews rejected Christ, but the honor then done by the Gentiles is marvelous in our eyes. Jesus states that the Jews would be unchurched; “The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you.” The Jews had long been bearing up God’s name in the world and the sacred trust of revealed religion; but now it will be no longer. The Gentiles would now be grafted in. We have here the doom of two sorts of people. Some through ignorance stumble at Christ in His deep humiliation. Others oppose Christ and bid defiance to Him in His exaltation. When this Stone is advanced to the fullness of the head of the corner, it shall fall upon their own heads and it will grind them to powder. It shall be their downfall to have been mistaken in rejecting Him. The Jews perceived that He spoke this of them. They had a sense of their own doom because a guilty conscience needs no accuser. They sought to lay hands on Him. Their anger at their projected loss of the Kingdom causes them to lash out at the sinless One. They stopped short of their evil intent for fear of the multitude who understood that this was the prophetic Word of God. God has many ways of restraining wrath and protecting the prophetic messenger. As the prophets foretold of a coming Savior, why then did the Jews reject Him when all signs verified that He was indeed the Messiah? If God took away the sacred trust of the Jews revealing Him to the world, might He also take away this privilege from the Gentiles someday for not proclaiming Christ fully to all? Christ’s suffering and death was a fulfillment of prophecy that turned together for the good of all mankind. Does this parable allow you to see why God might permit evil to happen to His glory of working things out for good for many people? Have you ever had an experience where you saw God protect you from evil or something that was intended to harm you?

31. Rich Fool Lu:12:13: And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. Lu:12:14: And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? Lu:12:15: And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Lu:12:16: And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: Lu:12:17: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? Lu:12:18: And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. Lu:12:19: And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. Lu:12:20: But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? Lu:12:21: So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Christ uses this parable to the benefit of the hearer that desired Him to interpose between him and his brother concerning the dividing f the estate of the family. Those who are wronged have a God to go to. Jesus refuses to assume a legislative power in this matter, but desires to assist him by His teachings. Christ’s Kingdom is a spiritual Kingdom. Christ in effect warns us to keep a strict hand upon our own hearts, lest covetous principles rule us. Our happiness and comfort should not depend upon our having a great deal of the wealth of the world. Here is an account of the worldly wealth and abundance of a certain rich man. His wealth lay in the fruits of the earth in a great deal of ground. “He thought within himself”’ reveals that God knows and observes whatever our thoughts and motives are, and we are held accountable to Him for them. When he saw his abundant crop, instead of thanking God for it, or rejoicing in the opportunity to do good with it for others, we are told he inflicts himself with this thought, “What shall I do, because I have no room to store my fruits?” Even the abundance of the rich causes them worrisome concern. What he purposes to do: To further build for and hoard the fruits of his ground, not realizing that the property is God’s lent to stewards from God to do good with. He says, “I will”, rather than, “If the Lord will.” He thought that bigger and better barns would cause him to take his ease from concern. He did not take into account that moth and rust may corrupt, or thieves might break in to steal. Fire, lightening and extreme weather conditions might make his entire wealth disappear in just a few moments time. He was foolish to declare that this abundance was his to be used only for his pleasure, to eat, to drink, and be merry; indulging the flesh and gratifying the sensual appetite. He lived to eat, and do not eat to live. God passes sentence upon all this. God said the opposite of the man who proclaimed to take his ease now. “Thou fool, this night shall your soul be required of you.” Now the rich man must leave all of his wealth behind. A Christian cheerfully resigns his soul at death and gives it up; but a worldly man has it torn from him with violence. God speaks, “What have you done with your soul; give an account of that stewardship.” The requiring of his soul is an unexpected surprise in the night, just as the rich man thought that he could take his ease now. All that he had placed his happiness in and built his hope upon, must now be left behind. He must leave it all to those “he knew not who.” He is exposed as a fool because he laid up his treasure in the world and not in heaven. Jesus concludes this parable with this application: “So is the fool who lay up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” When we lay up treasure for ourselves, we are in opposition to God, for we are all called to deny the flesh and be rich in spiritual things instead. The rich man made the error of assuming his body were his own, and not just lent to him by the Lord. The greatest error that he made is he neglected and showed no care to be rich towards God and others. Many who have the abundance of this world are wholly destitute of that which enriches their souls for eternity. Our Lord here tells us what his end will be for those desiring the folly of the world, rather than eternal treasure. Is there anything upon the earth material wise that you could not give up if it were demanded of you by God? What are the eternal treasures we can store up and are encouraged to do so? If you were to get advanced notice from God that your soul were to be required of you, would there be anything differently that you would do with your estate?

32. Seed M'r:4:26: And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; M'r:4:27: And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. M'r:4:28: For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. M'r:4:29: But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. The good seed of the Gospel is sown in the world and in the heart, and by degrees produces wonderful results, but without noise and fanfare, and so is the Kingdom of God. It will come up although it is buried beneath the clods of the soil. How beautiful to first see the seedling germinate. The husbandman cannot describe the mysteries of nature, how a seed springs up into a plant. Likewise, we do not know how the Holy Spirit uses the Word to make a change in the heart, but we know that the Word cannot return void. As the blowing of the wind, we hear the sound but the sound does not reveal where the wind came up from or where it shall go next. The husbandman does nothing once the seed is sown but to wait. He sleeps, he rises, night and day, doing nothing but trusting but trusting that the earth brings forth fruit of itself according to the course of nature. The Word, in itself, has a natural cause of direction in the heart once it is received in faith. It grows gradually; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. Christ in our hearts is a growing interest. Though the beginning be small, in the latter end it will greatly increase. It has a tender beginning and is subject to frost or downpours, yet it continues to increase to fullness. It will not fail. It comes to perfection at last and Christ gathers in a harvest. When we have finished our course, the harvest comes when we shall be gathered as wheat into God’s barn. (Mt. 13:30) Have you ever read the Word of God, or heard a sermon where you received the Word in faith, but had to think on it, contemplate it and wait until experience give you the expected growth? Have you planted the Word in someone’s heart only to find out year’s later that it had actually sprouted? When you first heard the Gospel did it take root or did you need to hear the Good News a few more times?

33. Servant’s Duty Lu:17:7: But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? Lu:17:8: And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Lu:17:9: Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. Lu:17:10: So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. The point of this parable is that a servant should expect no special reward for doing what his duty is in the first place. This parable was given because the disciples seemed to want to elevate themselves over one another. Whatever we do in the service of Christ must be done in humility of this great privilege of serving Him. We are all God’s servants. Our whole strength and our whole time are to be employed for Him; not just this part of the day belongs to me, and this part of the day belongs to Him. The servant who has been ploughing, or feeding cattle in the filed all day, when he comes home at night still has duty to do. He must wait at the table. When we have been working for God, we still must be waiting on God. No servant expects that His master sends him to sit down and eat until after he has finished his quota of work; then the reward comes. It is only right that Christ should be served before us. We must gird ourselves to serve Him first, and Christ requires this of us; Jesus first in all things. “Does He thank that servant?’ No good works of ours can compare with the workings that Christ has already soon for us. Whatever we do for Jesus, it is no more than what our duty is to do for Him. The best servants of Christ must humbly acknowledge that they are all unprofitable servants. We could not serve if it were not for the grace of God already pored out upon us. We are but unworthy servants, but Christ who came and humble Himself to be a servant for all mankind has already performed for us the highest profitable service. Do you expect others or God to wait on you? To serve you instead of vice versa? Does your minister or pastor display the perfect idea of God’s servant? Do you? How many hours in the day are set aside exclusively for God compared to how many hours per day are yours?

34. Seven Unclean Spirits M't:12:43: When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. M't:12:44: Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. M't:12:45: Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. Jesus tells this parable to a generation resolved to continue under the power of Satan. There is a strong warning here for those who refuse to grow in the grace of God. They are compared to one of whom the devil is gone, but returns with greater force. Christ having cast out a devil was then accused by the scribes and Pharisees of having a devil Himself. Jesus gave this parable to show them how much under the power of Satan they really were. When Christ breaks the power of the devil in our life and sets us free from bondage, we must then allow Jesus to dwell in fullness within us. We must not desire to return to that sin or sinful state. That area must be swept over by the Holy Spirit and filled with the grace and fruit’s of Christ’s things. The devil sees a weakened resolve and immediately returns with seven more spirits greater on wickedness than he who had first dwelt there. The evil one never, ever rests in this attempts to open the door of temptation to sin back open. The problem here is that the evil spirit found the house empty. This is the description of someone who attempts moral reform without being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It is the working of the Holy Spirit to not only reform us, but to deliver us and keep us from the last state of becoming worse than the first. “So shall it be with this wicked generation.” Those that now resist regeneration by the Holy Spirit are those that go into a worse estate. Those that resist Christ’s urging to grow in grace will eventually reject the Savior who calls upon him to “grow up in the full stature of Christ.” Have you ever seen someone “fall off the wagon”, and became worse than when he had first attempted to stay sober? Can you think of other examples of someone having spirits seven times worse after morally trying to correct something apart from Christ? Have you ever thought abut the frequent yo-yo dieter in this regard? What do we discover is the prevention of backsliding or entering into apostasy?

35. Sheep And The Goats M't:25:31: When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: M't:25:32: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: M't:25:33: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. M't:25:34: Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: M't:25:35: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: M't:25:36: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. M't:25:37: Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? M't:25:38: When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? M't:25:39: Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? M't:25:40: And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. M't:25:41: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: M't:25:42: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: M't:25:43: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. M't:25:44: Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? M't:25:45: Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. M't:25:46: And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. This parable is a description of the process of the last judgment in the great day of Jesus Christ. There is a final judgment to come for all when the Son of man shall come. Christ is here and elsewhere called the Son of man because He is to judge the sons of men. Christ’s appearing to judge the world will be glorious; all the world will see what the saints now believe. When Christ comes in His glory to judge the world, He will bring all His holy angels with Him. He will then sit down with the Father upon His throne. It is a throne of grace now; but then it will be a throne of glory. All the children of men shall appear before Him of every nation. He then shall separate the wicked and the godly. On earth we dwell together are not always clearly distinguishable; but in that day they will be separated and parted forever. This is compared to a Shepherd’s dividing a flock of sheep and goat. The godly are like sheep--innocent and mild. The goats are like a baser animal--unruly. The sheep and goats are here feeding all day in the same pasture, but will then be separated into different folds. The sheep will be set on His tight hand and the goats on His left. The sheep represent the right hand of fellowship extended to them. He that was the Shepherd id now the King. The King pronounces the Saints, “ Blessed of His Father”; He calls them to come. We now come boldly to the throne of grace, but we shall then come boldly to the throne of glory. We shall then inherit of Kingdom prepared of great happiness. It is prepared on purpose for us, each but mane, and it was designed before the foundation of the world was formed. We come to this inheritance by virtue of our adoption; “If children, the heirs.” This happiness will be adjudged to obedient believers upon the promise of God purchased by Jesus Christ. The ground of this, “For I was hungry and you fed Me”; good works reckoned after salvation by self-denial and love for Christ and the brethren. These are evidence of our professes subjection to the Gospel of Christ. It is then questioned by the righteous, further bespeaking the humble admiration which glorified saints are filled with: “When did we see You hungry and fed you?” We will discover then that Christ was more among us than we thought. It is then explained by the Judge Himself. Every god work that was done to the brethren was done to Christ and will be remembered. Even a cup of cold water will not be forgotten. He takes the kindness done to them , as done to Himself. The sentence is then passed upon the wicked, “Depart from Me, you wicked.” Here the wicked had said, “Jesus, depart from me”; There the wicked shall depart from Christ because they chose a curse rather than a blessing. They must depart into fire, prepared fore, no streams of mercy, but eternal fire for them, the devil and his angels. All that was charged upon them were sins of omission, Christ being in distress in others was not aided with relief. “They shall have judgment without mercy, that have showed no mercy.” This judgment is projected upon the condemned sinners, “When did we see you hungry or thirsty or naked?” They imagined it was only a company of the poor or weak that they had slighted. The judge justifies His sentence: “When you wouldn’t relieve them you wouldn’t relieve Me”, for Scripture declares, “In all their afflictions, He is afflicted.” Sentence will then be executed speedily. The wicked will go to their place of torment; the righteous go to their place of bliss. The blessing or the curse is set before us this very day for us to choose. If we were to judge, is there any way you could determine a spiritual sheep from a goat? Does this mean that a Christian must meet every call of distress, or are there instances where we are relieved of duty? Have you ever felt like you were serving the Lord, Himself when you aided a needy person?

36. Shepherd And The Sheep Joh:10:1: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Joh:10:2: But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Joh:10:3: To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. Joh:10:4: And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. Joh:10:5: And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. Joh:10:6: This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Joh:10:7: Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. Joh:10:8: All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. Joh:10:9: I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Joh:10:10: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Joh:10:11: I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Joh:10:12: But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and flees: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. Joh:10:13: The hireling flees, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. Joh:10:14: I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. Joh:10:15: As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. Joh:10:16: And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Joh:10:17: Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. Joh:10:18: No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. Joh:10:19: There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these sayings. Joh:10:20: And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him? Joh:10:21: Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? Christ here describes who the false shepherds were and who were the true, leaving the Pharisee’s to infer what they were. Here we have a thief that comes to do mischief to the flock and damage to the owner. He had no lawful cause of entry, but climbs up some other way. The rightful owner enters by the door and comes to do the flock good. Sheep needs man’s care and in return or serviceable to man. The owner did not drive the fold out to pasture as was the custom in that day, but they followed him knowing his voice. We are called the sheep of Christ’s pasture. The under-shepherds who are entrusted to feed the flock of God ought to be careful and faithful in the discharge of that trust. Those that are truly the sheep of Christ will be very observant of their Shepherd’s voice and very cautious of strangers. The Pharisee’s had a great conceit of their own knowledge and yet they had not sense enough to understand the things that Jesus spoke of. Christ further explains: He is both the door and the Shepherd. The Jews thought they only were God’s sheep, and the Pharisee’s thought they only were God’s shepherds. Christ is the door shut to keep out thieves and robbers and the door open for passage and communication by God. The thieves and robbers assumed a precedence and superiority above the Christ because “They went before Him.” The sheep did not hear them because they did not approve of the traditions of the elders and Pharisee’s. We must come into the fold by Jesus Christ who is the door to be saved through. True believers are at pasture in Christ and they are not shut out as trespassers. By day they go out; by evening they return to the fold. We must reverence Christ Jesus as the Good Shepherd; the thief comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy as deceivers who are murderers of souls. Jesus came to put life back into the flock, here meaning the church in general, which had become more like a valley of dry bones, rather than a pasture covered with a living flock. “That they might have life and have it more abundantly”; more than could have been expected or than what we were able to ask or think. Life in abundance is eternal life and much more. It was the prerogative of the Good Shepherd to purchase His flock. He hazard and exposed His life for the sheep. There are many who are not thieves but who are hirelings and careless in the discharge of their duties in tending to the flock. An unfaithful hireling leaves the sheep when he sees the wolf coming because he cares not for them. Those are hirelings that love the wages more than the work. They undertook the shepherd’s office as a trade to live and grow wealthy by without valuing the sheep. The wolf scatters the sheep after the hireling flees and great havoc is made of the flock, but Christ knows who are His sheep as the Father knows Christ. This bespeaks an intimate acquaintance between Christ and believers. Jesus then intimates His special concern not only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but His other sheep, the Gentiles, in effect saying, “I have more sheep than what you see. I must bring them in for on their own they would not come. Faith comes by hearing, and they shall hear My voice.” Christ willingly lays down His life for the good of the sheep and in their stead. He was therefore, 1) beloved of His Father because He died for the entire flock; 2) He yielded to death and God loved Him to well to leave Him in the grave; 3) He was perfectly voluntary and submissive in His suffering and death; 4) He had the order and the appointment of His Father to be the Savior of the flock. There then arose a division between the people for these sayings, but it is better that man should be divided about the doctrine of Christ, rather than united in the service of sin. Some spoke ill of Jesus and said He had a devil and was mad. Others stood in defense of Him and said in effect, “See the proofs of His miracles and the strength of His words. One that has a devil cannot do these things.” Think about the Twenty-third Psalm here, before the Good Shepherd came. Was it a prophecy of the coming Savior? Have you learned to be “cautious of the stranger’s voice through this parable?” Some people say that all paths lead to God. Does this parable dispel that myth?

37. Sower M't:13:1: The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. M't:13:2: And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. M't:13:3: And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; M't:13:4: And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: M't:13:5: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: M't:13:6: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. M't:13:7: And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: M't:13:8: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. M't:13:9: Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. M't:13:10: And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? M't:13:11: He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. M't:13:12: For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. M't:13:13: Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. M't:13:14: And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: M't:13:15: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. M't:13:16: But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. M't:13:17: For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. M't:13:18: Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. M't:13:19: When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. M't:13:20: But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; M't:13:21: Yet hath he not root in himself, but endures for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. M't:13:22: He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. M't:13:23: But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Jesus preached this parable to a great multitude at the sea-side. His pulpit was a boat to show us that although we may not have our own chapel, we make best of what Providence sets in our way. He spoke many things to them which signifies many more than what might be recorded here in this instance. He spoke in parables, He tells His disciples because things were made more plain and easy for them who were willing to be taught, and more difficult and obscure to those who were willingly ignorant. It is given to us to know the mysteries of the kingdom if we are inclined to search into the parables, but the carnal hearers would never be the wiser. God bestows knowledge on those who will improve them, but takes it away from those that will bury them. Many had already shut their ears against the clear truth of Christ’s plainer preaching, and therefore were left in the dark with the parables. Now the Scripture of Isaiah 6:9-10 would be fulfilled. 1) Sinners are willfully blind and dwell in darkness. They are sensually and senselessly blinded by the things of the world. 2) A description of that judicial blindness; “Hearing, you shall not understand because grace has been removed form you. 3) Seeing, hearing, and understanding are necessary to one’s conversion, and now they cannot become converted and healed. Others who were desirous to be taught by Him would receive intelligent knowledge. Having explained these things, Jesus puts forth this parable. The seed is the Word of God, the Word of His Kingdom. The Sower that scatters the seed is the Lord Jesus Christ, either sowing directly by Himself, or using His ministers who are in Christ’s hands. The ground in which this seed is grown is the hearts of the children of men. The pathways through the cornfield had seed that fell on it and never entered the intended row, and therefore the birds picked it up. This represents hearers who take no heed to the Word, it goes in one ear and out the other. The devil comes and snatches away what they have heard. If we do not break up the fallow ground with prayer and meditation, we fall easy prey to the wicked one. Some then fell upon stony places which represents the case of hearer’s who receive some good impressions of the Word, but it is not lasting. They do not turn a deaf ear to it; they are quick in hearing and it springs up, but it was “swallowed without being chewed.” They are glad to hear a good sermon, they endure for awhile, but they do not endure to the end. No fruit was brought to perfection. When trials come such as persecution represented by the scorching sun, it withers away. We are told to expects trials and persecutions and not to be alarmed when they come. Some seed then fell among the thorns. It also took slight root but were choked out by thorns. The thorns are the cares of this world. Worldly cares entangle them and eat up the vigor of the soul which should be spent in the things of God. The deceitfulness of riches, the false security of prosperity, power and pride does much mischief. When we put our confidence in them, rather than in the Lord, they choke out the good seed. Other seeds fell to good ground. That which distinguishes good ground from the rest, in one word, is fruitfulness. The hearer’s are intelligent because they hear the Word and understand it by the grace of knowledge and wisdom by God. It bears fruit because it is put into applicable practice. It springs forth differing measures. 100-60-30-fold. Among Christians there are some more fruitful than others, but it is all grace that is given and accepted by God. Jesus closes this parable with a solemn call to attention. We cannot employ our hearing to any higher purpose but to hear the Word of the Lord. Do you feel you read or hear the Word of God often enough to be living it out daily in your life? Objectively speaking, has the Word of God sprung forth 30-or 60-or 100 fold in your life and walk? Do you share the Good News with others increasing your fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God as this parable speaks about? Are ordained ministers and evangelist’s the only one Christ uses to sow seeds through? Was there a particular person who first sowed the seed of the Word in you so that you understood God’s Kingdom and our Savior for the first time?

38. Talents Or Ten Pounds M't:25:14: For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. M't:25:15: And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. M't:25:16: Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. M't:25:17: And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. M't:25:18: But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. M't:25:19: After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. M't:25:20: And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. M't:25:21: His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. M't:25:22: He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. M't:25:23: His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. M't:25:24: Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: M't:25:25: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: Lo, there thou hast that is thine. M't:25:26: His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: M't:25:27: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. M't:25:28: Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. M't:25:29: For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. M't:25:30: And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Here we have talents which are an ancient unit of weight or value used to explain three servants who were employed in work and business. The Master is Christ and the servants are Christians. The master trusts and delivers to his servants his goods, (no servant of Christ is to be idle) so that they each have a portion of duty to be worked upon. Whatever is given to us must be used as His property, and to be invested in His Kingdom. The master was traveling to a far country, and Scripture elsewhere tells us that, “When Christ ascended on high, He gave gifts unto men.” He took great care to furnish His Church with all things necessary during His ascension. The servants did not have all alike abilities, but each had all alike opportunities. Two of the servants did well. They went and traded as soon as their master was gone, they applied themselves to the business of serving him. They each doubled their stock, but the third was not diligent in the industry and employ of his religion. He that had one talent had the least to do for his master, and those that have the least to do for God frequently do least of what they have to do and buries their abilities and advantages. He hid master’s talent by digging in the earth and burying it. He wasted his effort digging when he could have been successful in trading. The master, after awhile, reckons with the servants. The first two faithful servants acknowledge what the master had entrusted to them was vouchsafed and had greatly benefited. They produced, as evidence of their faithfulness, what they had gained. The master accepts the two tradesmen equally, “Well done good and faithful servants.” If we hear Christ say well done, we will be the most happy. He then rewards them. He advances each to a higher office because they had been faithful in the lower. He bids them to enter into the blessed state of joy to be joint heirs with Him. The slothful servant begins to make excuses for himself. “First, “What is here is yours”, because he is proud that he had not made it less. Second, he confesses that he hid it, but he thought he was prudent in putting it in a safe place. Third, “I knew you were a hard man, and I was afraid,” casting reproach upon the master. If he had loved his master his good thoughts would have made him diligent and faithful. He was afraid thinking it would be impossible to please him, and yet we had just seen how pleased the master was with the two other servants. The master calls him wicked and slothful. If we are careless in God’s work, we are but busy in the devil’s work. The master continues, “If you thought I was these things, why didn’t you bank it and at least present it with interest?” Something is better than nothing. The master then passes sentence. “Take away his talent.” Those that have the master’s blessings, they will find that more shall be added; those that have His condemnation because of neglect, all shall be taken away. We can consider this as a warning of forfeiting God’s grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He is further sentenced to be cast into outer darkness. He is unprofitable, showing us that it is not enough to do no hurt, but we must do good to be of profit to God. In the dark, the unprofitable servant can no longer work. It is away from the light of heaven, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Has God given you a special talent or gift that you are not employing now in the work of the Kingdom? Do you think for most people it is easier to make excuses why they cannot serve or volunteer, rather than to make the time by investing their talent so that Christ might see interest earned in His Kingdom when He reckons an accounting? Can people be digging a hole in the ground and burying their talent by volunteering for every little thing, but nothing that actually advances and increases the Kingdom of God?

39. Ten Virgins M't:25:1: Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. M't:25:2: And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. M't:25:3: They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: M't:25:4: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. M't:25:5: While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. M't:25:6: And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. M't:25:7: Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. M't:25:8: And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. M't:25:9: But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. M't:25:10: And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. M't:25:11: Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. M't:25:12: But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Jesus tells us in this parable what the Kingdom of heaven shall be like when the mystery of God shall be finished. It is here illustrated as a solemn marriage. It was sometimes custom for Jews on wedding occasions that the bridegroom came attended by friends late at night to the house of the bride where she waited with her bridesmaids. The bridesmaids took lamps in their hands to go out and meet him lighting the way to the house with ceremony and joy. The Bridegroom is our Lord Jesus Christ. The virgins are people who are the members of the bride, His church. As Christians we not only tend to the needs of the Bridegroom, but expectantly wait for His Second Coming. Christians by their lamps are lights in this world. The character of the virgins are different: five are wise and five are foolish. The five that were foolish professed to have lamps, but had no oil in them but just enough to make the lamps burn for the present, but no bottle of reserve on hand if He should tarry. Their hearts cannot carry them through delay and trials. The five wise virgins had enough principle in their hearts to maintain and keep up with their profession of faith. The heart is the lamp vessel; grace is the oil in which we must have in this vessel. They were prepared if the Bridegroom would delay His Coming, but each of the two groups had a common fault; they all slumbered and slept as if they had given up expecting Him to arrive suddenly. He did arrive at the midnight hour and they all arose, and trimmed their lamps, and went out to receive Him. The foolish virgins found that their lamps had gone out; their hope had failed and their faith had withered for they only had an external profession. They sought that the wise virgins would supply for them their oil, but when grace is removed it is too late. The wise answers, “No, buy for yourself,” meaning that those who are saved must have grace of their own and not dependent on others. Though we benefit from other’s faith and prayers of our own and sanctification is necessary. They were directed to repent for each person shall give an account to Christ. When they departed to buy oil, the Bridegroom came in. The foolish virgins put off this work until the last minute, and the wise ones that were ready went into the marriage and the door was shut. The foolish virgins returned when it was already too late, and they were shut out and rejected. Our great duty is to watch, because we do not know the day nor the hour. Is there a time when Jesus will shut the door to those who have foolishly attained grace while they could? What, as Christians, do we need to do to watch for the Lord’s return? Do you feel at times that you are leaning to heavily on other person’s faith and prayers, rather than your own? How do we awaken out of a spiritual sleep that we might of fallen into?

40. Two Foundations M't:7:24: Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: M't:7:25: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. M't:7:26: And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: M't:7:27: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. The hearer’s of these parable’s are divided into two types; those that hear and do what they hear; and those that hear but do not. The one that hears and does is blessed by God to not only hear from Christ but to obey what He commands. The other’s rest in just hearing Christ’s words, but goes no further. The seed is sown but it never springs up. These two types are compared to builders. One is wise and built upon the rock and his building withheld the storms of life. The other is foolish and built upon the sand and when storms arose his building fell. Everyone has a house to build to make sure our calling and election is sure upon a well-grounded faith and hope. That Rock upon which we build is Christ Jesus. The church is built upon the Rock, and so is every true believer. Building upon this Rock takes care, pains and diligence. Those that profess in the Rock, but take the simple way of constructing on sand, perhaps being baptized, confirmed and even going to church, but do not labor for the things of Christ will have the rain, and floods, and winds beat upon them, and all things will fail through these times. Those whose salvation was built upon anything less than Christ will hear on that Great Day, “Depart from Me, ye wicked, for I knew you not.” Can you recall a time in your life after you became a Christian that the storms were so torrential that you wondered if your faith foundation would withstand the trial? Can you name a Scripture that God promises to be with you throughout all trials in your life? Do you think that a Christian that has solid faith is asked to endure more than a person who has yet no faith? What are some ways that we can build an unshakable faith foundation?

41. Two Sons M't:21:28: But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. M't:21:29: He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. M't:21:30: And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. M't:21:31: Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. M't:21:32: For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him. Christ begins with, “But what do you think?”, for He now instructed His disciples by parables and so sometimes convinced His adversaries with the same parables. This parable once more represents two sorts of persons; some that prove better than they promise; others that promise better than they prove. These sons both had the same Father, and they both had the same command given this day, “Son, go work today in my vineyard.” Each of the sons conduct was different. One of the sons proved better than he had promised. His answer was bad, but his actions were good. He flat and plain said, “I will not.” After second thoughts he changed his mind, repented and went. The other son said better than he did; his answer was good but his action, or lack of it was bad. He said, “I go, sir.” He professes respect and obedience to his Father, but he failed in his performance. Saying and doing are two different things. Many with their mouth speaks of love, but their heart of action denies it. Jesus then asks which of the two did the will of his Father. They each had their faults, one was rude, and one was false, but the question remains, which was the better of the two? The first was because his actions proved better than his words. Christ then applies this parable to John’s baptism proving it was from heaven and not from man. He explains that John came to them in the way of righteousness. By the fruits of his doctrine and by the fruits of his doing. In his ministry he instructed people to repent and to do the works of righteousness. The publicans and harlots believed him. Little were expected from them, yet they were like the first son who promised little of their profession to religion, and yet went and entered into the fruits of righteousness. The Scribes and Pharisees were like the second son in that they spoke the acceptable answer, and yet they did not repent and believe. Because of their pride, they could not serve the Father. They talked the talk, but couldn’t walk the walk. Do you think that sometimes we are like both of these sons were when God asks us to work in His Kingdom? Why do you think this parable doesn’t have a third son, one who both answered favorably and went and worked/ If God asked you to leave your place of employment and work in His Kingdom as a son, not and employee, would you be able to answer that call?

42. Unbelief M't:11:16: But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, M't:11:17: And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. M't:11:18: For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. M't:11:19: The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. The generation Christ refers to in this parable are compared to those that had the benefit of John the Baptist’s ministry and Jesus’, and yet remained in unbelief and obstinacy. Having commended John, He condemns those who had Him among them and did not bring forth fruits of the Kingdom. Our God uses a variety of methods to bring us to conversion and salvation. In this parable it is referred to as the piping to us of the Gospel, and His mourning towards us in afflicting providence’s. John came mourning to them, neither eating or drinking; he had mortified his life for the very sake of the doctrine he was called to preach. Jesus came eating and drinking to converse familiarly with all sorts of people; from this example Paul learned how to become all things to all men. Jesus says, “You have not danced, nor have you lamented,” meaning the people had neither been awakened by the best things, nor by the most terrible and plain things. They were resolved to be neither awakened by Christ or John. They accused John, the forerunner of Christ and Christ, of untruths and they refused to believe their messages. The best of their actions had become the worst of the accusations of the multitudes. They were like children without understanding, and the market place they sat in was a place of idleness, rather than a place of religious business. They sat and they did not resolve to abide in the Gospel. Jesus says, “But wisdom is justified by her children.” Christ Jesus is Wisdom, the Gospel is Wisdom, and it is Wisdom from above. The children which Wisdom justifies are those that accept the grace of Christ; those that are not ashamed of His Gospel. This generation is not passed away, but remains passed down in succession to following generations where some believe, and some believe not. Did God call you into His Kingdom through a piping (joyful) occasion, or through a mourning (deep troubles)? Who would you compare your life and ministry more like, John’s by way of stricter religion and lifestyle, or Jesus’ who went out amongst the sinners and publicans and mingled to spread the Good News? If churches fail to have evangelism and outreach programs becoming exclusive rather than inclusive, would these churches have become more like the Pharisee’s and scribes in religious appearance?

43. Vine And The Branches Joh:15:1: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Joh:15:2: Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Joh:15:3: Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Joh:15:4: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. Joh:15:5: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. Joh:15:6: If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. Joh:15:7: If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Joh:15:8: Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. Joh:15:9: As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. Joh:15:10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. Joh:15:11: These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. Joh:15:12: This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Joh:15:13: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Joh:15:14: Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Joh:15:15: Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. Joh:15:16: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. Jesus here discourses the fruits of the Spirit using the similitude of a vine. Jesus Christ is the true vine planted in the vineyard for He is the Word made flesh. He is a spreading vine because He brought salvation to all the ends of the earth. Believers are branches of this vine. The branches of the vine are many yet all belong to the vine. God the Father is the husbandman. We are taught through this similitude that all of us must be fruit-bearing. From a vine we look for grapes, and from a Christian we look for Christianity. The unfruitful branches which do not bear fruit are taken away. As a dried up branch is removed, so is the professor’s of religion taken away from the life-giving vine. The fruitful branches are pruned to bring forth more fruit. We are cleaned and sanctified by the truth of Christ Jesus, and by bearing much fruit our Father will be glorified. If we abide in Christ, hear His words and do them, He resides within us. The sap of the vine courses through the branch. Abiding in Christ is necessary in order to do much good. Without Him there is nothing that we can do which is right. There are fatal consequences of forsaking Jesus. They are cast forth as withered and dry branches which are only cumbering the vine. Men gather them, they are worthless now to the vine, and they are burned. We are promised that if Christ and we abide together, there Christ dwells and His Word dwells richly. “You shall ask what you will, and it shall be done for you.” We learn to ask for proper things of the Kingdom and Christ promises to answer our prayers. Christ then tells us the Father’s love for Him because He has kept His commandments and delivered all up for us. Jesus loves us with the exact love that He loved His Father. Can you envision how we are loved and accepted by Him? Christ proved the extent of His love by laying down His life on our behalf. He did this while we were yet enemies. He is a friend and brother who loves us at all times not as servants but friends. The higher in the eyes of Christ we are, the lower in our own eyes we should be. Christ communicates to us all things from the Father and He has chosen us and ordained us to bear much fruit. We did not chose Him--He instead sought us out and chose us. He places us into commission in His Kingdom and commits the Gospel to us to bring forth abundant fruit. The fruits of the early disciples remain to this day, and greater works shall we do also. Again, whatever we ask of the Father, He grants to us in wonder working miracles. We ask these things humbly in the good name of Christ Jesus. He then tells us to continue in His love. That His joy within us might remain consistently. We are called to rejoice in Him always. If our joy in Him is full, our love will be also; worldly joy will never compare. We shall abide in His love, His grace, and His strength if we keep His commandments and teach others to do that also. To encourage us He tells us that He has kept His Father’s commands, all of them, and abides in His love. If we do whatever Jesus commands us, we are then His faithful friends. Do you think that knowing what God’s Word specifically says is a key to asking for and receiving miracles? Like the early disciples, do you have any fruitful works that you have done years ago in the Kingdom that still remain to this day? Do you personally feel more like a servant or friend in your relationship with Jesus?

44. Watching For The Lord Lu:12:35: Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; Lu:12:36: And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Lu:12:37: Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. Lu:12:38: And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. Lu:12:39: And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Lu:12:40: Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Jesus here charges us to get ready and remain ready for His coming. Jesus here is the Master, and we are His servants. We must stay up late if necessary to be ready to receive Him. Though He be gone from us now, He shall return again and we must look for His glorious appearing. His return is uncertain when because no man knows the day or the hour, but even if it is deferred to the second or third watch it is our duty to faithfully watch even when we least expect Him. We must be ready to open to Him immediately without hesitation or delay. If we are His servants we are prepared to greet Him having our garments prepared and our lights burning brightly in which to let our Master into His rightful house, our hearts. We will be blessed and most happy if even though we have waited long, we are found awake and prepared. As Jesus girded Himself at the Last Supper and served His disciples and washed their feet in the Upper Room, He is prepared again to make us sit down for His great feast in heaven. We are uncertain of the precise time of His return, but every house sitter or owner would surely be prepared if they knew a thief would come; how much more than the glorious return of our Master. If we are careless and unbelieving we allow a thief to rob our souls of the blissful reward that is stored up for those who belong to the Master. Do you actually watch for Christ’s Second Coming in this generation? If He were to appear tomorrow, have you done all the things that He has placed on your heart to do for Him? Does this parable motivate you to accomplish more things in the Kingdom if He would appear suddenly? What are some of the thieves that could come and rob you of your blissful reward?

45. Wedding Guests M't:9:14: Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? M't:9:15: And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. The Pharisee’s had grumbled and quarreled over Jesus’ eating with tax collector’s and sinners. Jesus having answered them, then had John’s disciples question Him about both Pharisee’s and John’s followers fasting, but Jesus and His disciples not fasting. This is a great way of sowing discord, to set people against people, and people against ministers and vice versa. Jesus then answers for His disciples in defense of their not fasting as He had also done on other occasion. He sufficiently justifies the practice of His own disciples while not condemning the practice of John’s and his disciples. He clears His disciple’s practice while not throwing dirt upon John, for both groups work in God’s Kingdom doing the Father’s will. Oh that denominations would take note of this. It was common practice for marriages to be a time of rejoicing, not sorrow. The disciples of Christ were the children of the Bridechamber. They had actually had the Bridegroom with them, which John’s disciples had not. John at this time was now cast into prison and it was a season to fast and to fast often. When Christ was to be taken away from them, then they too should fast. Every duty to be done has a proper season. There is a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to bring forth fruit in due season. Are there discords in the Body of Christ, denominations, or your current church which could have been bettered handled by not setting people or groups against people or groups? Can you justify a belief or doctrine of your denomination without condemning an opposing doctrine or belief of anther’s by using the example of this parable?

46. Wheat And Tares M't:13:24: Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: M't:13:25: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. M't:13:26: But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. M't:13:27: So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? M't:13:28: He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? M't:13:29: But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. M't:13:30: Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. The meaning of this parable is to present to us the present and future state of the Kingdom of heaven in the Gospel church. He that sows the good seed is Jesus, the Lord of the harvest. Ministers are also instruments in His hand to sow good seed. The field is the world and the good seed is the children that belong to His Kingdom. The wheat is scattered, dispersed throughout the world. The tares are the children of the wicked one. They are weeds in the field, but have the same sun, soil, and rain fall upon them. The enemy that sowed the tares is the devil. They were sown as men slept. The devil keeps watch for all opportunities. After he sowed his seeds he went his way, that it might not be revealed who did it. Now the tares can spring up on its own and do harm to the good seed. The tares did not appear until the blade sprung up and brought forth fruit. The servants when they became aware of it complained to their master. “Didn’t you plant good seed; where did the tares come from in the same field?” The master was aware of how they got there; “An enemy has done this.” He knew that the servants hadn’t done this. He does not judge them, but judges the situation at hand instead. The servants desire to tear up the tares, but the master wisely states, “No, so that the wheat is not rooted up along with the tare.” The difference between the two seeds may not be infallibly distinguished so readily and the harvest is not yet ready until the end of the world. At harvest time every man shall reap what he has sowed. The reapers are the angels, servants of the Master. The tares shall be pitched into the fire and bounded into bundles. There shall be comfortless sorrow. Heaven is the barn where the wheat will be gathered up and placed. Herein what has been hidden shall now shine forth as the sun. Those that shine as lights in this world, shall shine as the sun in the next world. Jesus concludes, “You who have ears, let Him hear.” His Word is infallible and He has promised a harvest to come. Have you ever complained to the Master about the tares that grow right next to the wheat in the world or in your church? What did you hear as you heard this parable? What other Scriptures speak about the good and evil dwelling together until judgment day?

47. Wicked Husbandmen M't:21:33: Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: M't:21:34: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. M't:21:35: And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. M't:21:36: Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. M't:21:37: But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. M't:21:38: But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. M't:21:39: And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. M't:21:40: When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? M't:21:41: They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. This parable is clearly a warning of the sin and ruin of the Jewish church and nation. The Kingdom of God on earth is here compared as a vineyard. The church is planted by the Lord. He hedged it round about; it is under His special protection. He dug a winepress and built a tower, things that will promote the fruitfulness of the vineyard. He let out this kingdom to the Jews as husbandmen, and he went into a far country. He left the Jewish church founded at Mt. Sinai with His written words. He expected a reasonable time to send His servants to them to remind them of their duty and their rent day. This is in regard to the laws and statutes that God had given them. When He had sent them His servants they abused them. The prophets were abused as the godly in Christ as they heralded the Son of God coming to man. God persevered in sending out other servants to the husbandmen and they persecuted them likewise. At length, He sent His Son. This was done last of all; “Surely, they will receive My Son for He comes with more authority than the servants who came before Him.” The husbandmen here represented by the chief priests and elders plot together to kill Him. They thought by ridding themselves of Him, the inheritance could be seized by them. They caught Him and cast Him out of the vineyard which is represented by Jesus being killed without the gate (outside of the holy city) in Hebrews 13:12. Their doom is pronounced that when the Lord of the vineyard comes, He will miserably destroy those wicked men. This was fulfilled upon the Jews when destruction was brought upon them by the Romans. God will have a church on earth and He lets it out to other husbandmen. Jesus tells them this was rightly justified and judged according to the Scriptures. He quotes Psalm 118: 22-23, “The Stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone. The Lord has done this and it has become marvelous in our eyes.” Is this parable yet further prophetic today in its nature? What is some of the “rent” that we owe God?

48. Widow And The Judge Lu:18:1: And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Lu:18:2: Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: Lu:18:3: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. Lu:18:4: And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Lu:18:5: Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Lu:18:6: And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. Lu:18:7: And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? Lu:18:8: I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Jesus taught this parable to teach us that we must be praying people, and never grow weary in our prayers. He further shows the power of perseverance. He gives us a case of an honest cause before an unjust judge. The judge was of bad character: He neither feared God nor regarded man. Those that do not respect God also do not respect others. The poor widow cried to the judge day after day for relief against her enemy. According to the judge’s usual practice, he would not relieve her for quite awhile, perhaps because she had no bribe to give him. The judge became weary in her troubling him and finally heard her cause and did her justice. Here is the application for this parable for the encouragement of God’s praying people. Jesus assures us that God at length will be gracious to us; that He would avenge His own elect. God will preserve and protect those that cry out to Him in prayer day and night. In Isaiah 42:6-7, God’s praying people are told to give Him no rest. We may bear long in a particular circumstance, but God exercises patience towards the adversaries of His people. The widow came to a judge who wanted her to keep her distance; we come to a Father that bids us to come boldly to Him. The judge was unjust; the Father is righteous. The widow had no one to speak on her behalf; we have Jesus Christ who intercedes for us. The widow could call upon the judge only during certain hours; we may cry out to God continually. Her provoking the judge wearied him; God is pleased with our fervent, effectual prayer. Jesus continues, “However, when I come will I find this type of faith on the earth?” Christ Jesus always asks us, “Is there faith in that request?” It is here foretold that He shall find but little faith when He comes, or few with faith. If He delays His coming, will man deny his faith? Is there any particular prayer request that you have grown weary in? Do you believe that God is going to still answer it?

49. Workers In The Vineyard M't:20:1: For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. M't:20:2: And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. M't:20:3: And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, M't:20:4: And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. M't:20:5: Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. M't:20:6: And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? M't:20:7: They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. M't:20:8: So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. M't:20:9: And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. M't:20:10: But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. M't:20:11: And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, M't:20:12: Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. M't:20:13: But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? M't:20:14: Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. M't:20:15: Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? M't:20:16: So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. This parable represents the Kingdom of Heaven showing us that God is a debtor to no man, and that many who begin last with little hope in religion, sometimes by the blessing of God arrive at greater attainments, and that the reward given to the saints will not be according to the length of their conversion, but according to the grace of God. A man who is a householder makes agreement to hire laborers. God here is the one who hires laborers to save them from idleness and poverty. Until we are hired in God’s vineyard of service, we are standing idle in His Kingdom. He promises them a day’s wages for a day’s work. This signifies that there is a reward set before us. He pays us whatsoever is right in heavenly currency. The day is here signifying our life. The several hours in the day is applied to the several ages and stages of life in which souls are converted to Christ. First, these that are very young and have been sent early in the morning. Second, those who are in middle age as the third, sixth, or ninth hour. God has work to be done for all ages. Thirdly, those who are hired in old age at the eleventh hour. True repentance is never too late. When the evening had come the account was taken. Evening here is the reckoning hour. They did not come for their pay until they were called. They received every man a penny. Though there be degrees of glory in heaven, every man shall have sufficient happiness. God distributes this reward by grace and sovereignty, and not of debt. We are under grace and not under the law. Some of the laborers take offense and murmur at the householder. They will not be murmuring in heaven, but there is murmuring at the things concerning heaven. These laborers make objection to their master because the others were made equal with them; co-heirs with Christ Jesus. They undervalue the worth of the other laborers while overvaluing their own service. The master then urges, “Friend, I did you no wrong.” God can do no wrong. He refers them to the original bargain, “Didn’t you agree to the penny?” He then ties them to the agreement, “Take what I have offered, and go your way.” They were all equally offered the free gift of salvation. We should never envy the acceptance of salvation of anyone. What God has to offer is His own to do with through providence. “Is it because I am good that your eye is evil?” God is good, God does good, and we are to love God always, and our neighbor as ourselves. To stop any boasting of any disciple, Jesus here states, “So the first shall be last, and the last first.” This is so we may not be found hypocrites in our profession and that we may not compare our successors work to ours. Have you ever/or are you standing idle in God’s Kingdom? Have you ever envied someone that was sent out early in life, or later in life because their ministry appears to be more fruitful or rewarding than yours? What does the wages in heavenly currency mean to you?

End Of Parable Study