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 people’s 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 don’t 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 don’t 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 let’s 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 don’t 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 do—holy 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
sheep’s 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, don’t 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 don’t know what you may think is worth your soul,
but it is not.
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