The Messiah - Part 21

His Teaching Ministry

Psalms 78:1-4 Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable:
I will utter dark sayings of old:
Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

Fulfillment in the New Testament:

Matthew 13:34-35 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

This should make our hearts rejoice more than anything. Things that were kept secret since the beginning of creation are now revealed to those who hunger and thirst after the Word of God. The bible is a special book. The reason many cannot understand it, is because understanding must be sought by the help and power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit anointed the writers to write and so the Holy Spirit is the only one to give us proper understanding.

A highly educated scholar will not be able to understand the bible if he does not seek to understand by seeking after God. If he just reads it as he would any other book, he will not understand. On the other hand a uneducated person who seeks God with his whole heart and receives God into His life will be able to understand it more than a highly educated who does not desire to know God.

It is said that the King James Version is the hardest to understand yet I've met many uneducated people who have no more than a sixth grade education that can understand it. I'm not advocating a lack of education here but bringing out the fact that education as the world recognizes, is not what it takes to understand the bible. The bible can only be understood by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is a spiritual book and can only be understood by the Spirit.

This makes it exciting. Things that were kept secret for ages can be revealed to us. How can we understand? By asking, seeking and knocking. God wants us to understand. We can even understand the King James Version if we seek with the right motive and desires.

Here is one of my favorite parables:

Luke 8:5-8 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

A farmer planted seed that was good seed but not all of it produced a good crop. The ones that fell by the wayside was eaten by birds or walked over. The ones that fell upon the rock withered and died. The thorns crowded out other seed. The seed that was planted into good soil yielded a good crop abundantly. Any farmer with experience would know how to prepare the ground ahead of time and keep the weeds from growing around the seeds he planted. Notice how the Lord used everyday life situations in His parables.

There is a deeper meaning to this parable than just how to grow a good crop.

Luke 8:11-15 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

I've seen over the years some people go to church and publicly receive Jesus Christ yet they aren't really sincere or else they just were convicted momentarily and they allowed Satan to take away the word out of their hearts before it can bear fruit. These are not really saved and they go away back to their own world.

Some receive the word with gladness but they fail to get rooted and grounded in the word and when people start to make fun of them and give them trouble over their faith, they do not last because they love the opinions of their friends and family more than God.

Some receive the word gladly also, but the cares of life, business, jobs, commitments, worldly pleasures, friends and their lifestyles crowd out the word and they do not last. Have you ever seen someone sit in front of a TV set the entire day and do nothing else. This will crowd out the spirit of God from being able to speak to us. It doesn't have to be TV. We can be so preoccupied with anything; even good things and take no time to seek God and we will lose anything we gained at the moment when we first heard the word of God.

This last part of the parable speaks of those who receive the word with joy and also endure after hearing the word. They seek, they grow, they love the Word and allow it to bring forth fruit into their lives. This is what I hope to accomplish in writing these articles. To show people that from the Old Testament Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah. To get people to receive Jesus as the Messiah and to lead people to seek the word of God daily and hunger and thirst after these things. I want to see many of you in Heaven one day and not lost. Notice that I do not sign many articles here. Why? Because I don't want followers after me. I don't want anyone to give me credit for anything. I want followers after Jesus Christ. I'm not seeking money, fame or anything except to see people saved and to find God. That is my only motive.

There are so many good parables in the New Testament. Here is another one:

Luke 15:3-7 And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

This is how much God cares for all of us. His Spirit searches and tries to bring us to Him and to salvation. When just one of us repents and turns to Jesus Christ, all heaven rejoices. God doesn't want any one of us to perish. He loves us and desires for us to be saved. He will not force this upon us though. He gives us the free will to choose. If we do not choose there is no other way to be saved. He doesn't send us to hell, we send ourselves by not taking advantage of the salvation plan He made to save us.

Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Repentance is very much a part of salvation because to really believe is to believe the words He spoke and that was recorded in written form.

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

If we do not believe, then we are already condemned. If we come to Jesus Christ and believe, it saves us from all condemnation. We are saved by simple child-like faith, nothing else. We don't have to have a lot of money or do a lot of great things but are saved by simple faith in believing what God said.

John 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

These scriptures are for our comfort, assurance and peace. Salvation is by grace.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God wants us to be saved. Every race, every age, man, woman, and child. Religion will not save only believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. DC

Messiah Index

Messiah part 22