Matthew 13:3 – Not for All – Bible study

Matthew 13:3 Not for All Matt 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables. I know that is not a very long text, but I am going to stop there and set things up. This morning message will be a little different in that I am going to make bounce around the chapter. While I have been known to bounce a good bit, I usually reserve those kinds of messages of the evening service, but today we are going to try it in the morning message. I. Truth is not for everyone. A. \#3\ told us that Jesus spoke "many things" in parables. 1. I have gone through the chapter and I count 7 parables that were recorded. It could well be that Jesus taught many more parables and that all we have are the seven. 2. Matt 13:34 gives us a bit more information. Matthew 13:34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: a. That verse tells us that the ONLY thing Jesus taught was parables. b. Jesus had used some symbols and examples in His preaching before and He even used an occasional parable before, but never had Jesus spake exclusively in parables. 3. In fact, what Jesus was doing was so unusual that the disciples asked Jesus for an explanation. Matt 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? a. Why did they do that? Because Jesus had changed His preaching style. b. Go re-read Matthew 5-7, Jesus Sermon on the Mount. (1) There are no parables. (2) Jesus spoke plainly, directly, bluntly. c. Read Matthew 10, 11, and 12. While there are some symbols and examples in His preaching, the message was very easy to pick up through all of those sermons. B. Something had changed. 1. The Jewish leaders were making up their minds about Jesus and Jesus was going to deal with them accordingly. 2. The Jewish leaders were going to reject Jesus, and it was becoming more and more obvious to everyone. 3. Notice Jesus statement about them. Matt 13:15 For this peoples heart is waxed gross (thick or calloused), 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. C. Get an important truth here. If you dont want truth, God will not give you truth. 1. Some people are under the mistaken notion that God wants everyone saved regardless. a. That is not true. b. God does want everyone saved, but not regardless. c. If it was regardless, God would not set conditions on salvation. d. There are two: You must believe, and you must repent. 2. And if you are going to be defiant and rebellious against God, God will withhold the truth from you. 3. Listen to Jesus answer to the disciples when they asked Him why He was speaking to them in parables. Matt 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you (those willing to receive the truth) to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (those who were being rebellious and defiant) it is NOT given. 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. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. a. As a result of the hardened ones, Jesus was going to hide the truth from them. b. Jesus was not going to quit preaching, but He was going to speak much more in parables. 4. Those parables served two purposes: a. They hid the truth from the hardened. (1) By the way, they still do. (2) If you want to know the truth, you must come to God humbly, seeking the truth. (3) You dont already have to be a believer, but you must check your arrogance at the door. (4) However, that is not the parables only purpose. b. They also reveal truth to the hungry. (1) If you want to know the mind of God, come humbly and God will give it to you. (2) In fact, as I read though the Bible, I see so much truth that I have a hard time cutting my messages down to sizable time portions. II. Notice some truths from the parables. A. There are seven parables recorded in this chapter. 1. All are important, but the first one sets the framework for the other six. 2. The other six either: a. Emphasize a truth given in the first parable or b. They add truth to what was given in the first parable. 3. So lets read the first parable, and I will make some references to the others. a. \#Matt 13:1-9\ b. \#Matt 13:18-23\ Jesus Himself interpreted the parable. B. There are many truths that we can learn from these parables. Let me attempt to mention four. 1. Many will make false professions of faith. a. Three parables teach this: (1) Sower \#3-23\ – 3 soils produced an inferior crop. (2) Tares \#24-30\ – That whole parable is devoted to teaching how to deal with the false professors. (3) Net \#47-50\ – Collected both good and bad fish. b. That means that many people will think they are saved but are not. (1) For several years, I was one of those. (2) Jesus warned plainly of this fact. Matt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (3) It is not my desire to make a believer doubt, but it is my desire that every one hearing this message would look deep into their hearts to make certain they are both trusting and surrendering to Jesus Christ. c. These parables make three notions into facts. (1) We cannot tell who is saved and who is not. (a) I may be your pastor and even your friend, but I cannot see your heart or your soul. (b) I can teach you what the Bible says, but salvation is a personal matter between you and God. (c) You must be certain. You are the guardian of your own soul. (2) We are not to be discouraged at the occasional problem a tare brings to the church. (a) In that second parable, the one that teaches us how to deal with false professions, the lost are called tares. (b) The parable is about a wheat field that was sown with tares. i. Tares look like wheat and act like wheat until it is time to produce fruit. ii. Tares dont produce fruit. (c) What are we to do about them? i. Nothing, but preach the truth to them. ii. Jesus said He would deal with the tares on Judgment Day. (3) We are to be diligent to keep the church holy and pure. (a) Our job is to be what Christ told us to be and to do what Christ told us to do. (b) If we do that, most of the tares will be so out of place they will pluck themselves up by the roots and go somewhere else. (c) But whether they do or not, we are to be and to do what God has told us to be and to doholy and pure. (d) Since churches are people-ruled, a church can be sabotaged and subverted if too many tares get into it. So we must: i. Preach the truth. (Bible preaching keeps the church pure.) ii. Demand the highest standards. iii. Insist on spirit-bred and filled- leaders. 2. Despite the number of false professions, the kingdom will spread. a. That is taught in the Parable of the Sower \#8\, Parable of the Mustard Seed \#31-32\, and in the Parable of the Leaven \#33\. b. Lost people will never seriously hurt the church. Only saved people can do that. (1) If there is a remnant of praying, concerned Christians, God will deal with the wolves in sheeps clothing. (2) But if the godly within the church quit caring, the local assembly is done for. c. In my years of pastoring, I have seen two conditions that are very bad for the believer and for the church. (1) I have seen godly Christians give up on their church too early. (a) Start standing and demanding godliness from your church right now. (b) Keep standing and keep demanding no matter what. (c) Critical times are when the major leaders change. (2) I have seen godly Christians staying in an ungodly church too long. (a) Once a church has died, dont spend time attempting to resurrect it. (b) Go find a living church and join it. (c) If there is no living church, start one. 3. Each age will end in a judgment a. That is taught in the Parable of the Tares \#24-30\ and the Parable of the Net \#47-50\. b. There have been six dispensations and each one of them ended in a judgment. (1) Innocence – Kicked out of Garden of Eden (2) Conscience – Flood (3) Human Government – Babel (4) Promise – Egyptian bondage (5) Law – Israel dispersed (6) Grace – Tribulation c. There is one to go. The millennium will end in the Judgment of the World. 4. God is worth everything a. The Parable of the Hidden (Treasure \#44\ and the Parable of the Pearl \#45-46\. b. I dont know what you may think is worth your soul, but it is not.