"10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
15 ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes,Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’
America and Christianity are inseparable. I know that's not the popular ideology today, there again, much of what is true, is rejected by a corrupt society. On December 20, 1606, when Discovery, left Blackwall, England to establish a colony in the Virginia Colony in the New World. Landing near the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay, in late April 1607, Chaplain Robert Hunt immediately had a wooden cross placed on the beach shore and offered a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. A prayer of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord God and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. A prayer of praise and thanksgiving was the foundation for the new English settlement.
It is blatantly obvious, to anyone with any level of intelligence at least, that from day one, those who established the foundation of the United States of America brought with them their Judeo-Christian moral and value system. It was that value system which became the accepted way of life and would insure the success of the United States of America, that have been handed down by the Founding Fathers for centuries, which has become an integral part of the American way of life, its morals and its virtues. To be clear, it was that moral and value system that made the United States of America the greatest nation in the world. The same moral and value system, which were included in the writing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Unfortunately, to the detriment of our society, many of the leaders of America today, regardless of political party, whether on a federal, state, or local level, do not possess the same Judeo-Christian morals and virtues, as did our Founding Fathers. I hasten to add, leaders who are weak, unjust, unethical, corrupt and are therefore, untrustworthy of representing the truth. Leaders who do not have the best interest of the people of the United States at heart. Corrupt "progressive" leaders who are working diligently to dismantle the Constitution, by striving to destroy the influence of Christianity and its system of Judeo-Christian morals and values.
A value system that was established by our Founding Fathers, the very foundation which is responsible for the establishment of the United States of America. Rather to embrace Christianity, they embrace the religion of our enemies, in seeking to abolish the One true living God and Christianity, ultimately demanding that all citizens bow down and worship a corrupt government and its morally deficient, corrupt political leaders. Leaders who are directly responsible for the debasing of America’s foundational government and moral system. The result is tragic, America is being taken over by the enemies of God, from the inside. Corrupt, immoral political leaders, regardless of party, who make legislative, executive, and judicial decisions, that promote immorality and further the misrepresent of truth. Who are directly responsible for misleading the America's people to believe that the words "separation of church and state" are actually included in the U.S. Constitution, words which by the way, cannot be found there. Words which for approximately the first 150 years of our nation’s existence, there was little debate over the meaning of this clause.
The establishment clause, "separation of church and state" words which are not included in the U.S. Constitution, are words actually penned by Thomas Jefferson in a letter which explains the First Amendment of the Constitution, rooted in fear that believed any government involvement in the church would ultimately corrupt the church. Jefferson, along with James Madison, a fellow Virginian, felt that compelling citizens to support through taxation a faith, particularly Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers, and other "dissenting" faiths they did not follow, violated their natural right to religious liberty, therefore, state support for a particular religion or for any religion was improper. Believing that "Congress shall make no law" meant no law with respect to the First Amendment.
In 1925, in the case of Gitlow v. New York, the Court identified free speech and press as "among the fundamental personal rights and ‘liberties’ protected by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment from impairment by the States." Which by the way, a slow and arduous ratification process that extended the scope of speech rights and, later, most of the Bill of Rights.
It wasn't until 1947, the Court interpreted the meaning of the establishment clause. In the case of Everson v. Board of Education, Everson, New Jersey a taxpayer, challenged this law as an impermissible expenditure, challenging allocating taxpayer funds to bus children to religious schools. The Court held that the establishment clause is one of the liberties protected by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, and it did not breach the "wall of separation" between church and state, making it applicable to state laws and local ordinances. Since that time, the Court has attempted to discern the precise nature of the separation of church and state, which was never intended to abolish the church, but was designated to protect it.
In 2007, in the case of Morse v. Frederick, also known as "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," in which a student Joseph Frederick held up a large banner at a school sponsored event, that created a controversy as to when courts should apply school-speech precedents. The Supreme Court ruled that it is not a denial of the First Amendment right to free speech for public school officials to censor student speech, and subsequently punish them, to protect those entrusted to their care, when that they reasonably believe that student expression, may prove to be a substantial disruption, and concern which may be harmful to other students. In other words, schools do not need to tolerate student speech that is inconsistent with their "basic educational mission."
Furthermore, a child is not the property of the government or state; those who nurture him and direct his destiny, forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers. Practices such as apologizing for ones race, and gender confusion as we see occurring in the school system today, are unreasonable and unlawful. Consequently, parents have every to direct the upbringing and education of children under their control. Again, this is not a political or a party issue, it is an issue of spiritual darkness and deception, orchestrated by the prince of darkness, Satan himself. And that, friends, is where America stands today!
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
In our last message we looked at people who received the seed without giving it value, letting it fall by the wayside to be stolen by the birds, fall on stony soil where it could not take root, fall on soil overrun by thorns that choked it out, and fall on good soil which produces an astonishing fruitful harvest. Although Jesus is near to everyone, most people are far from Him. This vast expanse is not going to be closed by confrontation and debate but by demonstrating a Christ-centered life that proclaims the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and that Jesus Christ is the only way.
There are many reasons why people reject the gospel, their hardened heart has affected their ability to see, hear and understand spiritual truth. Others understanding is so shallow that even when the seed of the Word of God is presented, it cannot take root and is snatched away by Satan. For others, its because they’ve been hurt, walked on and trampled like the footpath in Christ’s parable, so they've closed their hearts and their minds, trying to protect themselves from any further hurt.
People all around us are hurting and they don’t know how to handle it. We've been assigned the task to know and understand the message well, so that we can present it as clearly and meaningful as possible.We dare consider who may worthy of receiving the Gospel that will change their lives. Our mission is to proclaim it. We must be patient, it may take time to develop because of the difficult times and difficult people. We must diligently pray that He would grant them the power to understand it.
Open your Bibles with me to the thirteenth chapter in the book of Matthew. Matthew 13:10-17. This is really a monumental chapter. As Christians, I believe that most of us are aware of that, apart from the Sermon on the Mount, this is some of the most profound teaching by our Lord ever recorded. Jesus always starts His parables with something that’s natural and then moves to something supernatural. I pray that we would all open our hearts to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to each of us.
"And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."
Let's look at verse 10, "And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" That's the purpose of parables, to reveal to some and conceal to others. To either make truth clearer or make it even more unclear. The truths were only for the initiated. Because we believe, we are the ones who know the mysteries, the sacred secrets. When we think of the word mystery today, we often think of a "whodunit" movie. The Israelites understood farming because it was their culture, so they could appreciate what Jesus was saying, whether they got the intended analogy or not. They should have gotten it, because it was used in the Old Testament. Approximately 700 years earlier, Isaiah announced the judgment of God on the nation of Israel for its unbelief. That judgment would take the form of judicial hardening, they would hear but not understand, therefore the message would only harden their resistance to God. The prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled. The disciples did not understand everything, but they asked. The others did not but demanded a compelling sign. Which we know was not given to them.
Then, in verse 11,"Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted." I'd like you to notice that Jesus only explained the parables to the twelve and those who believed. All those who did not believe got was unexplained parables, which were little more than riddles,unable to be understood. Jesus says, "I’m going to show you mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, the secrets never revealed to anybody. But to them, the mysteries will not be revealed, because they have rejected the King."
In other words, whoever believes in and received the King, identifies with King, who has accepted God’s truth will get more illumination of God’s truth. Those who live up to the light of Christ, God will give more light and more light. As for those who do not, they are left without an explanation, therefore, the secrets to the mysteries are not revealed and will need to do their best to make some sort of sense out it. This was certainly true of Israel, though they had seen the signs and wonders of the Spirit of God, none of it made sense and so they began to descend into deeper and deeper darkness. The seed that is being sown is the message of the kingdom, since their hearts were hardened, they are compared to the different kinds of soils. They did not receive and respond to the word with faith, their opportunity will be stolen by the evil one.
Look at verse 12, "For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him." That is such a great statement. Whoever has, will be given more, and he will have an abundance. If you refuse that light, the darkness ensues, they will lose even that which they have. What he has he loses. I believe we're seeing a great deal of that even today, all one need do is look at the world, especially within the church. They have lost the true meaning of everything they had, descending into deeper and deeper into spiritual darkness. The doctrine they they ascribe to doesn't makes any sense, it contradicts everything God says. That’s a very, very fearful thing. God confirms men in their own rejection of the truth.
This is what happens when willful rejection becomes judicial rejection, when man continually says no, God says no as well. "Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." Again, they fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in chapter 6, which says "He said, "Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ "Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed." Isaiah told them, God’s going to judge you. Then, Jeremiah echoed the same message, it wasn't long until the Babylon captivity came and swept them away as part of that judgement.
When Jesus came, they didn’t hear, they didn't see, they rejected Him, they hardened their hearts and blasphemed Him. In verses 14-15, Jesus says the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled. "In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’"
You need to understand that if you've heard the message of salvation and you have not received Christ, if
you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are sinking
daily into deeper and deeper darkness and unbelief and inevitability toward the judgment of God. Again, parables either conceal or reveal. We've seen the conceal, now let's look at the reveal.
Verse 16, "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear." Jesus is about explains the parable to them.You will remember, we already discussed a good deal of this in our last message, but they will be further clarified now in the following verses. The meaning Jesus gives now is far more compelling. Thank God we have the New Testament and the Holy Spirit to help illuminate them for us, so that we can understand the parables. Even though you’re a believer, you cannot understand Scripture were it not for the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit revealing it to us.
I believe that one of the reasons Jesus met so many physical and emotional needs before He led people to a faith was because He saw that people were hurting, a problem that had to be dealt with before people would trust Him by faith. I believe this speaks to all of us today, how often do we as the church display a lack of concern for others suffering? It has been my experience that people who are hurting hide their of being hurt by a tough exterior. They are often stubborn, showing very little concern about anybody else. They will often speak harsh words and appear to be ungrateful. A self-protection mechanism designed to hide their vulnerability and lack of trust. Proverbs 18:14 says "The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but as for a broken spirit who can bear it?" The world is filled with hurting hearts that needs healing. By shutting people out hurting, the church is missing out on a majority opportunity to bring people to Christ.
Think of the people in your life who are hurting, perhaps you're one of them. You can even make a list of the people who’ve hurt you and what it was that they did, like lying or failing to keep a promise. After your finished, make a list of all the ones you have hurt, writing down what you did to hurt them. I assure you this list is much more difficult, because we tend to forget our own wrongs but recall well the wrong committed by others. May I tell you that a lot of the ways that others have hurt us are the very same ways we have hurt others. After your finished, I encourage you to tear them up and burn them if you like. And stop returning to them. In order for us to get over this problem, we all must acknowledge the hurts on both sides, but we cannot hold on to them.
Think of all the times you've broken God's heart by holding on to your sins, after the blood of Christ cleansed you. Has it ever occurred to you that Christ knows exactly what it feels like to be hurt by others, as well as us, yet He did no wrong, He held no grudge Instead, He prayed to the Father, asking for their forgiveness. And He invited us to become part of His family.We of all people should understand this! If we are to become like Christ, had we not ought to do the same? Jesus understands your broken, hurting heart and He wants to heal it. But you must do your part in allowing Him.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:14-15, "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." Unforgiveness will destroy your life. It eats away at you like a cancer, until it ultimately destroys you. That's why forgiveness is so important to our spiritual well being. If you’re going to heal, you have to get beyond "superficial spirituality," lest your heart become hardened.
That brings us to verse 17, "For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." Truth is only available to people who believe and are taught by God. I submit to you that looking into your own heart to see if God is calling you to Christ in this moment. In order to escape judgement and receive salvation, you must make the commitment to Jesus Christ. Only then will you receive the illumination of spiritual truth through the Holy Spirit!
In Closing..
In our message today, Jesus makes a distinction between the crowds and true disciples, who follow Him by faith. Further revelation was given to them, but not to the crowds. Perhaps the Word of God is falling on your hearing today, but you are finding it difficult to clear out the weeds that oppose God's word of grace in your life. Our world today is filled with so many distractions, designed by Satan to prevent us from receiving God's Word into our hearts. If you find yourself not actually wanting to see or hear this warning, I submit to you this is the sign of a callous, hardened heart. Only where the Gospel is being driven hard it can break through, and do what must be accomplished.
May this message of grace grate against your hardened heart until it softens those hardened places enough to come in and transform your life. Thank God's grace comes into our lives, in the most difficult circumstances and most unlikely ways. I pray that you will also find this to be true.
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen