The Lazy Man's Guide to Interpretting Parables

So, do you think the lazy man's way of interpreting parables could be boiled down to the following?

"The parables are obviously about saved vs unsaved, and I'm saved, so why study 'em!"

 

Could you be any more sarcastic? You know, JJump would tell you that you are not Christians.

 

Case in point Amy. Why do you lie about me? I have NEVER EVER accused someone of not being a Christian and I certainly have not doubted ANYONE'S salvation.

Why do you insist on lying?

 

You made a huge deal about how "Christians" behave on this board and even though they may be saved they are not Christians because they are not following Christ when they behave that way.


Hang on and I'll go copy the posts where you said that.

 

You are the liar.

(Sorry James, I was challenged, had to respond)

 

I guess this is where one of us non-ME folk get to say to J. Jump, "If you're right, I'll see you in [1,000 years of] hell."

 

Oh Dear God, have mercy, my Father.

 

It's hard when one of your ME buddies gets caught in a bold face lie.

It reduces the credibility factor.


I don't like being accused of lying. I will respond with the truth.

 

I just got a picture of God getting on the BB and answering Lacy. Wonder what He would have said?:wavey:

 

I imagine He would say, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."

God has promised an inheritance to the saved, and as TCGreek pointed out, that inheritance does not mean a layover in outer darkness/hell/lake of fire.

 

First of all, Jesus used sarcasm quite well. However, he never lied and he never bore false witness, which is the main debating tactic used by 2 or 3 posters here who manage to use quite a bit of verbage.

Now, on to the parables of Matthew 13, then back to work:

We want to look at a few particular verses in Matthew 13 (1, 9-11, 15) in order to lay some groundwork for the study of the parables in this chapter.

[Matthew 13:11] This was in response to the question the disciples asked, in [Matthew 13:10]. These parables deal with the mysteries of the Kingdom of the Heavens (it’s always plural), or the rule of the heavens over the earth.

[Matthew 13:11a: “because it is given to you”.] The “you” there refers to the disciples, as mentioned in the first part of verse 10, where it says, “the disciples came”. Disciples. The disciples were to know the mysteries surrounding the Kingdom of the Heavens, but unto them (the multitudes) it is not given.

These mysteries are not for all of God’s children; these mysteries are for ears that can hear. It has to do with initiation. You might remember this word “mystery” from our study of Revelation 17. This comes from the Greek word “musteron” and it has to do with a secret. It has to do with something that someone has to be initiated into. Not all ears can hear. [Matthew 13:9] This expression is used twice in this passage. In [Matthew 13:43] the same expression is used again.

Who were those that it was not given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of the Heavens? [Matthew 13:15] That’s the key expression in this passage: “Their ears are dull of hearing”. They’re full of earwax. They’re dull of hearing.

[Hebrews 5:10-14] This will give you an idea of who it is in God’s family that doesn’t have ears to hear. This is talking to believers and God’s children have different degrees of listening ability. Those whose ears are dull of hearing are babes in Christ; they’re baby Christians. They’re Christians who have been Christians long enough to have grown up. They have been saved long enough that they should have enough experience in God’s Word that they should have matured.

They have need that one teach them again the first principles of the oracles of God. They are in need of milk and they’re unskillful in the Word of God. It says they are unskillful in the word of righteousness, and this is the righteousness, which is of faith. That righteousness, which is of faith, comes from walking with the Lord. The just shall live by faith. Unskillful in righteousness.

When Paul said in [1 Corinthians 2:2], to whom was he talking? He’s talking to brethren. [1 Corinthians 3:1-3] We can see the contrast. Those who have ears to hear are spiritual. They have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. They are those who are feeding on the meat.

[Matthew 13:19] Do you see the word “understand”? It’s a compound Greek word and it means to send together or to put together. Now, understand this, when someone hears the Word of the Kingdom and he has ears to hear, he’s going to put it together. He has been skillful in the word of righteousness. He has been studying here; he has been studying there. He has been growing in the knowledge and grace of the Lord. To understand means to put it together. It means to rightly divide and to put foundation stones on the foundation, and then put stones on the next layer above them, instead of trying to put roofing in the foundation and foundation in the roofing. There’s a lot of that going on today in Bible teaching circles. It’s supposed to be line upon line and line upon line and precept upon precept and precept upon precept.


Those who have ears to hear are spiritual; they’re skillful in the word of righteousness; they’re feeding upon the meat; they are putting things together. They’re putting things together and comparing spiritual things to spiritual things.

But, those who are dull of hearing are carnal, they’re babes, they have need that one teach them again the milk of the word, and they’re unstable. [Matthew 13:15a; For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed.] They have shut their own eyes. Sealing up the eyes is an oriental punishment. This process is described as a punishment in Isaiah 29:10 and 44:18, yet they’ve done this to themselves voluntarily. They don’t want this responsibility.

Those who have ears that are dull of hearing are those who refuse to see the things of God. They refuse to be taught. It’s active. This statement, “their eyes they have closed”, has a particular reference. Because, notice that he says, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross”.

[Matthew 13:1] “The same day went Jesus out of the house.” Jesus turned from the house of Israel to the Gentiles or to the seaside. “The same day.” What day was he talking about?

[Matthew 12:22-28; devils - demons] The same day that the nation of Israel (the spiritual leaders; the Pharisees) accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan, that is the day that Jesus left the house of Israel and turned to the Gentiles. The Kingdom of the Heavens was no longer offered to Israel as a nation at that time.

What had they done? They had accused Jesus of working in the power of Satan when it was all the time the power of the Holy Spirit. That was the power in which Jesus Christ was ministering to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Notice what he says in [Matthew 12:31-32; this age nor the one coming]. “Neither in this age nor in the one coming.” Blasphemy against the ministry of the Holy Spirit will disqualify believers from entering into the Kingdom of the Heavens. Will it make you lose your salvation? (Romans 8:35)

The ministry of the Holy Spirit then was to demonstrate that Jesus was the Son of God. What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit today? He teaches, he comforts, guides, glorifies the Lord, frees us from the law of sin and death, keeps us from walking carnally, helps us mortify the deeds of the body…

Jesus tells us what the ministry of the Holy Spirit is today. Remember, the blasphemy against the ministry of the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this age, nor in the age to come. The age to come is the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. If it’s not forgiven now, it means that we cannot receive Kingdom truths and thus qualify for entrance into the Kingdom and when we get to the Judgment Seat of Christ, it will be dealt with then, and you still will not be able to qualify to rule and reign in the coming Kingdom with the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why he’s saying that it won’t be forgiven in this age, nor in the one to come. If we turn away from the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit today and refuse to hear and to see and to put it together, he is not going to allow us to grow in these things and to qualify for positions of authority in the coming Kingdom. Therefore, in the coming Kingdom, we will be disqualified; we will not have an opportunity to rule and reign with the Lord, and our inheritance will be earthly and not heavenly.


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[John 16:12-13] That’s the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to hear from the Lord Jesus Christ, who in turn heard if from the Father; the Father tells the Son to tell the Holy Spirit to tell you and to tell me some precious truths concerning things to come. “Things to come” have to do with the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John 16:14-15] The Father, the Son, then the Holy Spirit ministers it to us. That’s the ministry of the Holy Spirit today. It’s to teach us of things to come. I want to bring out, that he also [John 16:8-11].

To spurn the ministry of the Holy Spirit you must be a saved individual. This is talking about saved people. This is talking about those who have responded to the message of, “believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved”. The ones who have been convicted of their sins and they have need of a savior. They’re the ones who can receive the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, which is teaching us of things to come.

“The same day” that the children of Israel blasphemed the Holy Spirit and thus disqualified themselves for entrance into the Kingdom of the Heavens, that’s when he turned to the Gentiles. [Matthew 21:43] When the children of Israel would not bring forth the fruits thereof, he went to the nation that would produce the fruits thereof. What is that nation? The Gentiles. Remember, “nation” does not mean national boundaries as we refer to them today. It can be ethnic groups or other groups. Think about that when you think about “nation shall rise against nation”.

One thing we have to keep in mind is, that we know the Lord turned away from the house of Israel and turned to the Gentiles, or to the seaside. [Matthew 13:36] Even though the Lord Jesus Christ has turned away from the house of Israel, because they wouldn’t produce the fruits thereof, and he has opened the door for the Gentiles to qualify to rule and reign, you need to keep one thing in your thinking: This is not salvation for the Gentiles. Gentiles have always been able to be saved, for God has always provided a way for Gentiles to be saved. If you remember this, then you can get this straight.

This one fact has seriously confused the study of God’s Word! People say, “Well, he turned away from the Jews, now Gentiles can get saved”. That is simply untrue! Gentiles have always been able to be saved.

Now, Gentiles have not always been able to qualify to rule and reign from the heavens, and that’s the point. Why? Because only Israel could qualify to rule and reign from the heavens. That’s why Jesus, when he sent the 12 out, said, “don’t go in the way of the Gentiles and in the way of the Samaritans, because they cannot qualify to rule and to reign.” Because he was offering the Kingdom of the Heavens only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Matthew 10:5-6 says, “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” That is not talking about salvation! That is talking about ruling and reigning. That is rewards and crowns. That is for honors and glories in his coming Kingdom.

But, when people say, “they were going only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”, they say the message is, “they were going to the lost sheep of the house of Israel that they might get saved”. Well, the word “lost” is the word perishing, and they had life, otherwise they couldn’t perish.

One thing that has been a key to studying is to appreciate the fact that perishing means to lose one’s life. That helps you to see that if a person loses his life, he will not rule and reign with the Lord Jesus Christ in the coming Kingdom.

The parables of Matthew 13 are for ears that can hear, and they pertain to the mysteries of the Kingdom of the Heavens; they concern ruling and reigning! If you are interested in ruling and reigning, then you will be interested in the study of the parables of Matthew 13.

 

A debating tactic used by one of your own.

Quote:

Talk about verbage. Look at your last 2 posts.

 

Maybe he said that as an parable...