King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday, October 13, 2024
Chapters: Matthew Chapter 13
Message: Open Ears to Hear
Hello My Friend,
A Gallup poll in 2023 conducted that eighty-one percent of Americans believe in God and only thirty-three percent of those believe in the Scriptures, that number is a down from eighty-seven percent in 2017. Of course, this is coming from a Google search and whatever information Artificial Intelligence was fed. Nevertheless, that number is declining at a whopping rate of one percent every year, and while that number may seem small, if it continues, we could be looking at the end of a nation in less than a hundred years. Incidentally, globally, that number is seventy percent. So, what does that tell me? Jesus is coming soon. The day will come when Jesus will rid the earth of all its evil.
[Matthew 13:41-43 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.]
Those who truly believe in God, want to go to heaven, and hear what He wants from them while they are here will have their ears open to His simple truths. As we continue in the reading of the Gospels we come to learn that Jesus often spoke in parables. Jesus, has been going non stop, He is tired and wanted to rest a bit, so He sat down by the sea shore, but people started coming over to Him, in fact, thousands of people who showed up. So, He gets into a ship where everyone could see Him and starts speaking these parables, and this is Matthew’s account.
[Matthew 13:3-9 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.]
[he spake many things unto them in parables,] A parable is a fictional story in relation to real life events that comes with an educational and moral message. By Jesus speaking in parables, the things of God were made more plain and easier to understand for those who were willing to be taught. At the same time it would be more difficult to those who were willingly ignorant to hear and accept the truth. Jesus, explains it this way as the disciples wanted to know why He started speaking in parables.
[Matthew 13:11-13,16 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. 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. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.]
[it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,] God, only leads His Son to those who sincerely believe in Him and Jesus, only reveals Himself to those who are sincere about their faith not only in Him, but God. Those who are honest and sincere about wanting God in their lives will find that they need Jesus and gladly accept Him, [John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.]
Now, Jesus, goes on to explain the parable of the sower, [Matthew 13:19-21 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. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.]
[understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one,] The wicked one is the devil, and while he surely knows the Scriptures he is like the thirty-three percent who do not believe in them all. Even though he does not believe all of what is written that does not stop him from trying to keep the prophecies from being fulfilled, especially in regards to him being cast into the lake of fire, and will take as many reprobates as he can with him, and that includes the halfhearted Christians, [Titus 1:15-16 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.]
[when tribulation…ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.] Halfhearted Christians are those who follow Christ for a time until affliction comes then renounce their faith. I am a true believer that any person who is sincere in their faith in Christ will never be moved, even if they afflicted because Jesus is the one who holds on to that soul. That does not mean that one cannot backslide into a life of sin, and if that happens they will not be very helpful in reaching the lost to Christ, which Jesus continues to explain.
[Matthew 13:22-23 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. 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.]
[heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit,] You see, we can all wonder how God gives us all the freewill to choose what we believe and accept about Him when He already knows the outcome, but here is the reason why He does not stop giving them the opportunity. As much as He knows every heart that still does not stop Him from having hope that every heart will accept the truth and turn to His Son, [Romans 8:24-25,29-30 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.]
There is a difference between actually being able to see and hear something and actually what we are seeing and listening to. A blind person may not be able to see with their physical eyes, but they can definitely see beyond their sight when it comes to God. A deaf person may not be able to hear with their physical ears, but they can comprehend what is being said, yet a person that is of sound hearing may not be listening to one thing. How we comprehend is all determined by two factors, what we want to see and hear, and what our heart actually perceives what we are seeing and hearing. Our perception of the Word of God is based on first, what we are hearing, then by how we see it. Since Jesus was on the subject of sowing seeds, He speaks another parable, comparing good seed with bad.
[Matthew 13:24-27 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 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?]
[Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field?] Why is it whenever bad people do wicked things that is when the world wants to believe in and blame God? To say that God made a person good or bad is to say that there is no such thing as freewill. God, makes everything good, it is Satan who corrupts it, but whether a person becomes a vessel of honor or dishonor, God, will use them either way, [Romans 9:22-23 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,]
As the parable continues, Jesus explains how the servants are supposed to hand this, [Matthew 13:28-30 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 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.]
[Gather ye together first the tares,] This is the final judgment after Jesus reigns the earth for a thousand years, and the devil gets released from prison, [Revelation 20:4-5 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.]
God, does not force us to do anything no more than Satan can, and His commands are not grievous. Second, that is the devil talking, he is the one who wants full control of everything. I mean who in the world wants to end up in hell? The devil sure does not. There are still many souls yet to be saved, yet there has to be some discontent in the world that will lead one to Christ. Well, Jesus explains this also, through two more parables.
[Matthew 13:31-33 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: 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. 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.]
[and hid in three measures of meal,] So, usually leaven, which is something used to give breads and cakes that nice and fluffy soft texture that makes them so delicious, is often compared to sin. In this case, it is referring to the Gospel (Word of God) and also ties in with the mustard seed. The Gospel, which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, works like this, one person gets saved, then they go and tell the Gospel to the next person, and so on and so on until it grows you into something quite fruitful. Now, do not get too upset if you read a parable and do not understand it right away. The disciples had no idea what Jesus was talking about and asked Him what He meant.
[Matthew 13:36-40 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.]
[the tares are the children of the wicked one;] While the devil does not produce anything, he can corrupt one that God has produced. Just like Jesus cannot posses a soul that does not accept His invitation, the devil cannot posses a soul that does not accept his either. Think about it, the devil cannot be in more than one soul at a time unlike the Holy Spirit can, so, he is not the one who usually torments unsaved souls, it is usually is demons. However, Jesus, does have the power to remove those demons if the one possessed has a change of heart, [1 Timothy 2:3-5 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;]
[so shall it be in the end of this world.] If you ever wondered why God places His own in the midst of the wicked, here is the reason, there are some among them that will hear the truth, open their hearts, believe, and receive Christ as their Saviour. All God wants is for us is to be faithful to Him and if we say that we believe in Him, then He wants to follow Him the right way and that is through His Son, [John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.]
A seed does not look like much, often like some dried up old piece of food, good for nothing, but deep down there is something amazing inside of that seed, life. Once you plant it in the right soil, give it some love (water, food, light), roots will start to grow, and as long as you tend to it regularly, it will grow into a living thing, whether it be a plant, animal, or person. Now, a seed that never gets planted is dead, it cannot grow into anything, much like a soul that does not have Jesus in it. Now, since the parables of the seeds were hard for them to comprehend, perhaps something on their level might. Jesus, gives another parable.
[Matthew 13:44-48 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. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.]
[found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.] This reminds me of the pearl that my husband gave me, it was something given to him and he was waiting to give it to the woman he would ask to marry him. So, instead of an engagement ring, I was given an engagement pearl and that gesture was more valuable to me than the pearl. My husband wanted to have a ring setting made for the pearl, but I decided to put it in a necklace so that I could wear it around my neck. Our salvation ought to be the same way, it is the most valuable thing that we can place upon our soul, [1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.]
[a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:] Since most of the disciples were fishermen they could relate to a net that was cast into the sea to gather up fish or whatever creatures they were searching for. Oysters, miraculously form pearls, so besides food, I imagine they used the nets for more than just gathering food. Naturally, whatever was near what they were gathering would get caught up in the net as well, which is why they had to go through what was gathered. I am sure they found some great treasures in those nets, which they kept, but there were also things found that were worthless, which were thrown away, [Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Matthew 13:41-42 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I love the amazing miracle that happens when a seed grows into something beautiful, but I also see the destruction that weeds do to that beauty. Lord, I want to live a life that produce good, sustainable fruit, not corruptible weeds. Give me Your power, wisdom, and guidance to be fruitful, give me an open and willing heart, and let me not be corrupted by the weeds that try to destroy every good fruit You produced in me. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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