WEBVTT 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:06.879 If there are any students that need to be dismissed, get out. 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:09.839 But I think they're already gone. 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:13.119 Thank you for being here today. 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:15.119 I greet you in the name of my Savior. 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:18.000 I'm happy to see your wonderful faces. 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:22.559 Happy to see Tiffany and her little one. 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:24.800 And Bethany and her little one. 00:00:25.519 --> 00:00:27.039 Welcome to both of y'all. 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:28.879 That's awesome. 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:32.479 Before we get into everything, I tell you what, let me let me pray real quick. 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:36.240 Lord Jesus, I want to ask you to bless our time today. 00:00:36.399 --> 00:01:11.200 And would you let your seed go forth and may it fall upon soil that is soft and receptive and fertile and uh that which will uh see soil that is welcoming so that your seed can go down in us and produce a crop that results in life, abundant life. 00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:18.000 Um would you please let that occur in each one of us today and ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 00:01:18.640 --> 00:01:36.400 Real quickly before we get into our study, um a number of y'all in our church family will remember uh a man that was a part of our church the first few years that we were operating, um, Lyle Phillips. 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:39.840 Um, and if you knew him, then you loved him. 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:43.280 You almost couldn't know him and not love him. 00:01:43.359 --> 00:01:46.799 He's one of those kind of people, and he was that kind of a person. 00:01:47.040 --> 00:01:52.719 And uh anyway, he passed away um a few days ago. 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:58.799 I don't know exactly when it was, but anyway, a few days ago, he passed away uh down in Florida. 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:10.000 And um anyway, they're gonna have a memorial service for him, not this Wednesday night, but a week from Wednesday night at the Botanic Gardens from 6 to 9. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.439 I think it's sort of a come and go kind of a situation. 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:30.000 And so if you if you knew Lyle and uh want to go and just say a word of uh love to his sisters and family, then then I invite you to do that a week from this Wednesday night. 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:35.120 Um yeah, he was just a very special person. 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:37.520 I've never known anybody quite like Lyle. 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:45.520 And uh the word that I've been thinking all week long is just that he was a treasure to the city of Memphis. 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:57.199 He was he represented the Memphis community uh in a way that made me proud and thankful and happy. 00:02:57.280 --> 00:02:59.599 And if you didn't know him, I'm so sad for you. 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:01.759 It's it's truly your loss. 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:08.960 But uh anyway, if you did know him, then I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm sorry for my own loss. 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:17.919 So anyway, oh, and if you have been pro my mom had surgery Thursday, I guess it was. 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:20.479 No, no, it wasn't Thursday, it was Tuesday. 00:03:20.639 --> 00:03:21.520 She had surgery, I think. 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:26.560 Tuesday, I think it was, but anyway, it doesn't matter when it was, uh, on her leg, and it went great, and she's great. 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:32.879 And uh, but and thank you if you prayed, and thank you if you have offered to take stuff to her. 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:41.919 She doesn't need anything, she doesn't even have room to store what she's been given, so just keep praying for her and praying for me. 00:03:42.080 --> 00:03:45.520 But anyway, just pray for her healing. 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:48.240 And um uh, but don't take her any food. 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:49.599 She doesn't need any food, okay? 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:50.479 Thank you so much. 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:52.560 Uh, take it to Tiffany and Bethany. 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:57.039 They they could bother you some, and uh, she'd rather them have it than her. 00:03:57.120 --> 00:03:58.080 So, yes, ma'am. 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:11.360 I was just gonna say, as we transition into the the talk, um, that I really appreciated the song that the um praise team sang today about um God's goodness is running after us. 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:20.800 That's such a beautiful thought, it's a biblical thought, it's a beautiful metaphor for the pursuit of God's love in our lives. 00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:35.839 And as they were singing, and as I was listening, I was reminded of the contrast of that in the work of the evil one in our lives who doesn't do that, but rather lurks waiting for whom he may devour. 00:04:36.079 --> 00:04:40.079 The language there is so different and so in contrast to one another. 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:49.759 I think it's noteworthy that the evil one waits for us and jumps out and wants to eat us like a lion. 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:51.199 That's the the language. 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:57.600 But God's just right there, running after us, saying, Love is following you, I'm here, I'm here. 00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:01.439 Maybe just slow down a minute and let me engulf you. 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:08.720 And I don't know, I was moved by the music today, and so um that kind of fits the message a little bit. 00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:10.240 Yeah, no, it does. 00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:11.920 Um, but it's a good word. 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:20.879 Um he's running after us, but are we will we slow down long enough to let him catch us? 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:22.480 That's the deal. 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:27.279 Um that's a good that's a good image for us to think about. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:36.160 Last week we started a study dealing with the parable of the sower, and it's in the first three gospels. 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:45.120 The the the gospel that I chose was just Luke chapter 8, but it's the same story in all uh three of the gospels. 00:05:45.360 --> 00:06:18.240 And we we uh talked initially just about that one of the challenges of our lives is learning to hear and listen to other people well, and the problems in our world, the problems in our city, the problems at your work, the problems associated with those that sit around your table at your house. 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:31.199 In one way or another, the problems in our lives can be traced back to a problem with listening, problem with hearing. 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:49.360 We're so busy wanting to talk, we're so distracted, we're we're there's so many things going on in our lives that try to thwart our ability to hear and listen. 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:50.879 It's a real challenge. 00:06:51.120 --> 00:06:54.079 And it's been a real challenge since Adam and Eve. 00:06:54.240 --> 00:07:11.519 Nothing's changed there, and um Jesus talks in this parable about having ears that can hear, having the ability to hear and listen and understand well. 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:28.160 That is a true challenge for all of us, and uh especially if it's a challenge in my ability to hear and understand you, how much more so in my relationship with God Almighty, trying to hear Him and understand Him. 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:34.079 It's not that He's not speaking, it's am I able to hear? 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:38.000 And that's what we're gonna talk about and finish up today, uh, Lord willing. 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:58.000 I made the declaration last week that there is nothing that you and I will ever do with our lives that is more important than getting to know the Lord Jesus Christ, who is written about in the Gospels. 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:25.680 To the degree that I understand Him, His life, his teaching, his values, his priorities, his way of relating to people, his ways of relating to his father, to the degree that I understand those things and embrace those things, to the same degree I'm gonna experience life. 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:28.399 Real life. 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:37.039 And we talked about last week just for a minute the fact that Jesus was known for many things. 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:38.480 He wore many hats. 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:50.320 But probably his most significant, in fact, I don't say, no, probably, his most significant hat during the three and a half years that he ministered is he was a teacher. 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:57.279 He taught people, he spoke to people words of truth and life. 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:03.039 And his favorite way of teaching people was the use of parables. 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:12.000 And I would suggest that if you and I want to get to know Jesus, we have got to get to know his parables. 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:18.879 And if you've read through the parables at all, you might be thinking, well, that's easier said than done. 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:20.240 Those are a challenge. 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:22.480 And they are a challenge. 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:34.080 And that's what we're gonna try to, I'm gonna try to, or we're gonna try to help us lower that challenge just a little bit, uh, hopefully by the end of our study today. 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:42.799 But uh it is important if we're gonna understand Jesus, that we understand his parables. 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:47.759 Um He spoke parables to people for many reasons. 00:09:48.399 --> 00:10:07.679 One of those reasons was it was a unique way to communicate with an incredibly diverse audience: rich, poor, educated, uneducated, sincere, insincere, friends, foes, religious, irreligious. 00:10:07.919 --> 00:10:12.879 He had such a range of people that he was speaking to. 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:26.240 Parables had a unique way of cutting across all of those lines and distinctions, and it actually polarized people, if you will. 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:48.240 It his parables had a way of for those that were sincere, those who were humble, those who would listen to his words with a desire to hear from God and to understand what was true, with a desire to embrace that which they heard. 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:58.799 The parables were a tool that Jesus used to draw people in, to draw people further in. 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:12.320 If you'll notice, when Jesus would teach these parables, it would very often say, later that day, those who stayed behind, the crowds that initially heard each time he spoke, most of them would leave. 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:15.919 They would hear and leave. 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:22.240 But then certain people would stay behind and say, Jesus, what did you mean? 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:24.720 Jesus, I don't understand that. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:28.080 Jesus, could you explain that better? 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:34.639 To those who had that humble heart, Jesus would then give them more. 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:48.960 And to those who were there for ignoble purposes or reasons, who had hearts that were not humble, hearts that were prideful, they would hear these parables and go, what's that about? 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:50.000 That's ridiculous. 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.559 That's crazy, that makes no sense. 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:54.159 I'm leaving. 00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:55.919 That's stupid. 00:11:56.480 --> 00:11:57.919 He's stupid. 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:19.840 And those that did not have humble hearts, it would actually repel them, and it created a distinction between those who wanted to know him and wanted to know him better, and those who really just came, because hey, I'd like a good show. 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:22.639 I'dn't been, you know, Ringland brothers hadn't been by in a while. 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:28.559 Jesus is doing a circus, he's healing people, he's raising the dead, he's got a feeding program. 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:29.679 I'd like a little bread. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:30.639 I'm a little hungry. 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:31.840 I'm a little bored. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:33.120 I don't mind. 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:34.480 I've got a need. 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:40.559 And for that crowd, the parables actually drove them away. 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:52.720 And so that was a purpose, another purpose that we talked about real quickly last week was that the parables reveal God's design actually for all of his word. 00:12:53.279 --> 00:13:11.039 And I said that God wrote through human beings, through, we don't know who wrote most of the books of the Bible, but he wrote through people words that were not for the most part straightforward. 00:13:11.600 --> 00:13:19.919 They were not words that we were supposed to just make a list, a to-do list, okay, I do A, then I do B, then I do C. 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:45.840 Jesus spoke words, Yahweh spoke words in the Bible that by design were to be taken home and contemplated and thought through and wrestled with and discussed and brought to a point where you begin to grow in your understanding. 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:49.200 Oh, this is what God is saying to me. 00:13:49.440 --> 00:14:07.039 This is how God wants me to apply this in my life, and how God wants me to understand this and apply this to my life could be very different than the way God would want Esther to hear and understand and apply his words to your life. 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:11.519 I'm not saying that it's, I'm saying what I'm saying. 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:26.000 That God wrote the Bible in such a way that it's not uh driving down the interstate with a with a breakfast burrito in one hand, with your driving with your knee under the steering wheel. 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:27.279 No one would ever do that. 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:28.720 You know, no, they wouldn't. 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:33.919 And uh you've got the Bible playing on, well, not on cassette, we've got Bible on, what do you call it? 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:34.559 Streaming. 00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:35.519 Whatever it is. 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:44.879 You've got the Bible playing, and you're listening to some Bible verses, and you're halfway dog cussing the dude uh beside you on the interstate, and you get to where you go, well, I'm reading the Bible. 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:45.840 Did you get it? 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:46.639 Did you hear that? 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:47.360 No, I didn't hear. 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:48.320 I didn't really get anything. 00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:48.879 Huh. 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:50.159 Shocker. 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:56.000 Because that's not the way God designed the Bible to be approached. 00:14:56.639 --> 00:15:02.559 It was never designed to be approached in a rush or looking for a list of rules. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:18.480 That's not the way the Lord wrote the, it was designed to be pondered and considered and read and reread and reread and reread and discussed and wrestled with. 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:30.960 And over time being exposed to the truth and the light of God's word, it begins to get in us and it begins to change us for good. 00:15:31.519 --> 00:15:37.279 And that's one of the purposes of the parables is to show us that, to help us understand that. 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:39.840 Um, anything you want to add to that, Jim? 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:47.200 Just that that's a great point about people coming to even in biblical times coming to Jesus with a certain expectation. 00:15:47.360 --> 00:15:52.879 You know, I demand healing, I demand bread, you have to do, you did this for her, you got to do this for me. 00:15:53.039 --> 00:16:03.039 That kind of expectation always f that that kind of demand of God falls flat. 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:04.000 Yes. 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:16.559 Whereas those that come for healing, I mean, excuse me, those that, but those that come in humility and say, like that guy with the the daughter that was sick, and Jesus said, Yeah, I'll come to her house. 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:20.240 And he said, No, no, no, no, all you have to do is just, I just want you to say the word. 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:31.600 I just those that come in in humility to hard texts versus those that those of us who often come with demand. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:35.600 If God doesn't do this on my timeline, then that's it. 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:37.679 That's a good word is is important here. 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:39.200 That's a great word. 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:44.559 Coming into the presence of God's word with humility. 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:47.919 Ooh, I wish we had the whole day to talk about that. 00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:53.840 But just, you know, you talk to people, I don't believe in the Bible, I don't read the Bible, why don't you believe the Bible? 00:16:54.000 --> 00:17:01.919 Why don't you, well, I, you know, and they'll immediately go to those verses on, well, I don't believe the Bible was created in six days. 00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:03.519 I don't believe in the flood. 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:05.359 I don't believe in David and Goliath. 00:17:05.599 --> 00:17:35.440 I don't believe, and they they go to these the most extreme, you know, I never hear in 43 years of pastoring, I've never once heard anybody say, I don't believe in the Bible, I don't read the Bible anymore, because I have failed at living up to its challenge to love my enemies. 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:55.599 I've never heard anybody say, I've rejected that religious stuff because I have, I'm so consumed with selfishness that I go through my life focused on me and me alone rather than doing what the Bible says, and that's to focus on the needs of the world. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:57.359 That's not what I ever hear. 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:00.480 That's not why people turn away from the scripture. 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:17.599 Because they have spent time pondering and wrestling and trying to internalize the things that who cares how many hours, the six days or the flood being who cares about those things? 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:24.880 That's not why people turn away from Christianity. 00:18:25.680 --> 00:18:27.519 Anyway, that's for another day. 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:33.119 Last thing that I want to say about the parables before we make two comments about this parable in particular. 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:37.200 You're not gonna have to go home and think about this. 00:18:37.440 --> 00:18:45.839 And if you love me and trust me at all, love me and trust me enough to go home and ponder what I'm telling you. 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:50.240 If I'm wrong, then you can pray for me and I'll try to do better. 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:53.759 Um, but uh I want you to go home and ponder it at least. 00:18:54.319 --> 00:19:29.920 One of the reasons that people struggle with understanding the parables of Jesus is that they have been taught or drawn the conclusion that the parable's primary purpose is to teach us how to live good lives, how to do better, how to be nice, how to help the poor, how to say no to bad stuff, and yes to good stuff. 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:35.039 And those are all worthy uh things to do. 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:37.279 That's not the purpose of the parables. 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:42.000 The parables were never designed to teach us how to live a better life. 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:43.599 Hear me one more time. 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:45.039 This is huge. 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:49.440 The parables, now Jesus did speak on other things. 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:51.440 He didn't always use parables, right? 00:19:52.240 --> 00:20:04.480 But the parables were never designed by Jesus to be used to challenge us to live nicer, better lives. 00:20:05.920 --> 00:20:11.279 The parables were always, every one of them, had a very specific purpose. 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:19.759 And that was to reveal to us what the kingdom of God was gonna look like. 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:44.160 And if you and I will approach the parables, this parable in particular, but every one of the parables, there's somewhere between 30 and 50 parables, if we will approach the parables with the understanding, oh, as I read this parable today in my quiet time, I'm gonna get an understanding of what the kingdom of God looks like. 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:51.119 And if we can get that, that was the number one topic in uh Matthew chapter four. 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:52.640 It says this twice. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:56.319 Jesus began to preach everywhere. 00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:57.440 What did he preach? 00:20:57.599 --> 00:20:58.880 What did he teach? 00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:03.680 Repent, for the kingdom of God has come. 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:14.319 A few verses later, Jesus went everywhere teaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:23.519 Jesus' parables addressed one primary topic, and that was the kingdom of God. 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:44.319 And basically, what the parables teach us is this God sent a king to the earth, and that king came to establish a new kingdom, and everybody on the planet is invited to participate in this kingdom. 00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:55.440 God sent a king, this king came to establish a new kingdom, and everyone is invited to participate in this kingdom. 00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:59.839 Jesus did not come to offer us, and that oh, oh, excuse me. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:06.559 And the kingdom that Jesus came to establish, he's establishing on the earth. 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:14.720 Please don't leave here today and perpetuate this absurd belief that the Bible, it's a great belief. 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:17.119 The only problem is it's not in the Bible. 00:22:17.599 --> 00:22:20.400 And it really messes up things for a lot of people. 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:25.440 Jesus didn't come to the earth to hand out tickets to heaven. 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:27.119 Who wants to go to heaven? 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:28.240 Woo! I do. 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:29.759 Here's your ticket. 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:36.319 And when you die, when Lyle passed away, I can't believe we can't remember when he passed away, but whenever it was. 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:37.759 Maybe Thursday or Wednesday. 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:38.720 Wednesday or Thursday. 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:39.759 Whenever it was Thursday. 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:40.000 Okay. 00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:45.119 When Lyle Phillips passed away on Thursday, Thursday afternoon when he drowned. 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:47.839 He did not go to heaven. 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:51.599 That's not where he went when my dad passed away. 00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:53.759 When Shirley's dad passed away. 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:56.480 They did not go to heaven. 00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:58.799 That's not why Jesus came. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:04.319 Jesus came to establish a kingdom that all three of those men. 00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:10.400 They believed that the king God sent was King Jesus. 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:16.720 They believed that he was establishing a kingdom, and he still is. 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:23.119 And they are participating in that kingdom. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:27.680 That's why Jesus continually said things like this. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:31.279 He said, God's kingdom has come. 00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:35.440 In Luke 17, God's kingdom is among you. 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:38.880 God's kingdom is in your midst. 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:47.680 Jesus' prayer, where it says, Your king, Father, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:48.559 Where? 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:50.559 On earth. 00:23:51.839 --> 00:24:00.079 God's establishing a kingdom, and he began it when he sent Jesus, but he's establishing that kingdom on the earth. 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:17.759 Jesus' parables reveal what this kingdom looks like, and they're designed to force us to ask the question, do you want to participate? 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:31.119 Because I want to just tell you right now, most people in Jesus' day and most people in our day, they don't want to participate in the kingdom Jesus is establishing. 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:33.519 That's the real question. 00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:40.799 Do we want to participate in the kingdom that Jesus described in the parables? 00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:45.839 And the answer is for most people, no thanks. 00:24:46.480 --> 00:24:48.799 Jesus, let's just run through a few. 00:24:49.039 --> 00:24:51.119 The parable of the mustard seed. 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:53.359 Okay, it's one of Jesus' parables. 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:55.200 How does that go? 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:58.079 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. 00:24:58.240 --> 00:24:58.400 Okay. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:04.079 What does that idea that the kingdom of God is a mustard seed, what does that convey? 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:05.680 What does that communicate to you? 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:09.920 Well, I'm not sure this is where you're going, but what it does for me is it's small. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:11.920 I mean, the the a seed is small. 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:12.960 It starts small. 00:25:13.279 --> 00:25:19.279 It starts small, it's it's um it needs other it needs other things to grow. 00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:24.240 It needs water and soil and I mean it needs things to grow. 00:25:24.319 --> 00:25:25.039 It it grows. 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:27.039 It doesn't grow automatically. 00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:32.400 If you put a mustard seed or any other seed on this table right here, in a thousand years it would still be a seed. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:38.240 There are other things that influence it and that cause it to germinate and spread and grow. 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:40.960 It doesn't produce just like that. 00:25:41.359 --> 00:26:01.839 You would think Jesus would say the kingdom of God it's like a sword, or like a club, or like a boulder, and it's cra like one of those movies where the meteorites come in toward the earth and they send out all the spaceships to try to blast the meteorite to keep it from destroying the earth. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:05.839 You would think that Jesus, Jesus understood meteorites. 00:26:06.240 --> 00:26:11.039 You'd think Jesus was, you know, the kingdom of God is like a meteorite that's speeding toward the earth. 00:26:11.119 --> 00:26:19.440 And man, it's gonna bust through the atmosphere and bang, hit the dead, the earth, and when it does, it's gonna rock everything. 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:23.680 But that's not why that's not what Jesus compared his kingdom to. 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:26.079 To a little seed. 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:32.559 It's almost, it goes without being noticed. 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:35.680 And eventually produces fruit. 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:46.079 Eventually it changes the literal surface of the earth and it ultimately produces fruit. 00:26:46.240 --> 00:26:50.960 The kingdom of God is the parable of the sheep and the the lost sheep and the lost coin. 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:53.200 What's God's kingdom gonna be like? 00:26:53.519 --> 00:27:07.119 It's gonna be a place where when people wander off, God begins searching for them. 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:10.319 It's a running after me. 00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:13.920 The goodness of God is running after me. 00:27:14.160 --> 00:27:19.279 That goes perfectly with the parable of the coin, the lost coin and the lost sheep. 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:24.400 When people get out of sort, they wander off, they get in bad places. 00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:26.559 What's God doing? 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:30.000 He's mad at them, he writes them off. 00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:32.880 X is their name off the list. 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:33.759 No. 00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:38.480 What's God doing in the lives of the people of the world? 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:40.480 He's searching. 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:42.880 He's running after them. 00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:48.160 That's what God is doing in his kingdom. 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:51.599 The parable of the prodigal son. 00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:55.839 What does the kingdom of God look like? 00:27:56.240 --> 00:28:01.680 It's a place when people do wander off and get in bad places. 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:04.799 They're always welcome home. 00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:15.759 No matter where they've gone or what they've done or how long they've been gone, in the kingdom of God, people are always welcome back. 00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:18.000 Parable of the Good Samaritan. 00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:20.480 What's the kingdom of God look like? 00:28:20.799 --> 00:28:34.720 It's a place where when people have real trouble, they can have an absolute confidence that God is going to come and help them. 00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:38.880 But who does he send? 00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:49.839 How does God fix people, help people, rescue people, deliver people when they do fall into terrible times? 00:28:50.319 --> 00:28:52.160 He does miracles. 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:53.839 No. 00:28:55.200 --> 00:29:02.960 He sends the servants in the kingdom who are busy living their lives and doing their stuff. 00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:16.240 But when they're confronted with need in the kingdom of God, God's subjects say, Oh, whatever I'm doing isn't as important as what's right in front of me. 00:29:16.480 --> 00:29:21.839 One of God's children is hurt, and I'm gonna stop everything. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:23.759 Busy, busy Larry. 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:29.440 Stop and help if you're a part of my kingdom. 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:32.640 That, if you didn't know him, that's what Lyle Phillips did. 00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:34.799 That's exactly what Lyle Phillips did. 00:29:34.880 --> 00:29:35.440 Thank you. 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:43.680 Yes, Lyle was as busy as he could be, but he always had time for hurting people. 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:45.759 The parable of the unforgiving servant. 00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:48.079 What's the kingdom of God look like? 00:29:48.480 --> 00:30:01.759 It's a place where the king gives crazy, unreasonable, ridiculous forgiveness to people when they blow it. 00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:09.200 And it's a kingdom where the servants of the king are expected to do the same thing. 00:30:09.359 --> 00:30:13.920 And we could go on and on and on with all the different parables. 00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:19.200 I think of the parable of the, you know, the landowner, the king, if you will. 00:30:19.519 --> 00:30:30.480 He goes in the morning and he hires people and they they work all day and then later in the day he hires some more, and later in the day he hires some more, and later in the day he hires some more until the last hour of the day. 00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:35.680 He hires one final group, and they come and they work one stinking hour. 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:38.400 What's the kingdom of God look like? 00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:52.240 It's a place where God gives us purpose, reasons to live, things to do, and he notices and he rewards. 00:30:52.559 --> 00:31:09.519 But it's also a place where just for no reason at all, he just pours out unbelievable grace and blessings on people at the most random, unexpected times. 00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:28.079 And it's a place where everybody else in the kingdom rejoices that that happened to someone else and not to them because they can remember that it has happened to them at other times in their lives. 00:31:28.799 --> 00:31:40.720 Oh, that we would read the parables with a with a an understanding that they reveal what the kingdom of God is like. 00:31:42.160 --> 00:31:45.920 And it's a kingdom that is offered to everybody. 00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:56.480 Regardless of who you are, what you've done or not done, what you believe or don't believe, the kingdom of God is offered to everyone. 00:31:56.640 --> 00:31:58.559 But real quickly, I got five minutes. 00:31:58.799 --> 00:31:59.839 Lord help us. 00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:03.440 Um I got to answer these two questions. 00:32:05.599 --> 00:32:06.559 How do you get in? 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:08.960 The kingdom's offered to everybody. 00:32:09.839 --> 00:32:14.240 But how do you enter God's kingdom? 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:19.039 Go back to this parable of the four soils. 00:32:19.920 --> 00:32:24.400 And we could spend all day long evaluating those four soils. 00:32:26.240 --> 00:32:32.240 The soil that said, no, no thanks, don't need it. 00:32:32.480 --> 00:32:38.480 The soil that said, yes, yes, yes, for a little while. 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:51.119 The soil that said, I really want to add that to my already full life, and I want to make it a part of my life. 00:32:51.279 --> 00:32:54.880 But there's a lot of other things that I'm loyal to as well. 00:32:55.839 --> 00:33:06.400 And the soil that said, Jesus, I want you, and I want your kingdom, and I want you to be my king, and I'm gonna follow you win, lose, or draw. 00:33:06.720 --> 00:33:08.880 We could focus on all four of those. 00:33:09.039 --> 00:33:14.720 But the two things that stood out to me in this parable that I want us to think about simply this. 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:24.079 I think six times in this parable in Luke, Jesus uses the word hear. 00:33:25.680 --> 00:33:31.519 It's like the one who hears, it's like the one who listens. 00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:56.880 And I would just suggest to you and to me that to enter the kingdom of God, to participate in the kingdom of God, to let the kingdom of God get in us and on us and change us, it demands that we make listening a priority. 00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:03.359 We enter God's kingdom, we experience God's kingdom by listening. 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:06.079 That's what Paul says in Romans 10, isn't it? 00:34:06.400 --> 00:34:11.039 Faith comes by hearing the word of God. 00:34:11.920 --> 00:34:30.480 There's a connection between us hearing God's word, which is what Jesus calls the seed, as I listen to that, and I let it get into me as I ponder it, I wrestle with it, I discuss it. 00:34:32.239 --> 00:34:36.719 It begins to get out in my life and to change me. 00:34:36.800 --> 00:34:42.480 You've told me so many times about your, you know, when she, if you go to Shirley's uh class at St. 00:34:42.719 --> 00:34:46.079 Mary's, you know what you have to do when you walk in the room? 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:49.679 She's got a basket sitting on her desk. 00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:52.559 And every girl that walks into that room, you know what they have to do? 00:34:52.719 --> 00:34:53.440 Tell them what they have. 00:34:53.679 --> 00:34:55.519 Put your phone in the basket. 00:34:55.760 --> 00:34:57.840 Now, are you an antiphonite? 00:34:58.159 --> 00:34:59.360 I am not an antiphonite. 00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:02.079 Do you not have you decided to destroy all phones? 00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:02.719 No. 00:35:02.960 --> 00:35:12.880 So why would you have an aversion to girls having their phones with them during your class? 00:35:13.119 --> 00:35:14.239 What's the problem? 00:35:15.199 --> 00:35:16.960 The problem is obvious. 00:35:17.199 --> 00:35:21.119 If you're checking one thing, you can't listen to the main thing. 00:35:21.440 --> 00:35:21.760 Ah. 00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:29.119 So And I'm not calling my lesson the main thing, but I am calling the text that we're studying the main thing. 00:35:29.840 --> 00:35:44.800 So you value the girls hearing you so much that you help them remove distractions to hearing that. 00:35:45.119 --> 00:35:46.239 That is correct. 00:35:46.639 --> 00:35:51.519 And not only that, I've been stricter this year than ever before, so it's good. 00:35:51.679 --> 00:36:01.679 Um, but what would happen before is people would come in and they would, as I was getting ready for class, look at their phone, last-minute thing, whatever, and not talk to one another. 00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:05.840 Now that we insist that they put it in the basket, guess what happens? 00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:09.360 Everybody's like we do here, talking to one another in the five minutes. 00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:14.159 They don't want to be quiet when the lesson begins because they've got community. 00:36:14.480 --> 00:36:15.119 Huh. 00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:20.960 Could there be application to how we approach the Word of God? 00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:36.639 Again, am I driving down the road, listening to a Bible verse, or some dude doing a little Bible devotion, but I'm flying down the road, eating a Big Mac, driving, flipping people off, trying to multitask 50, and I don't get it. 00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:40.239 I'm just not getting anything down deep in my soul. 00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:42.800 That must be God's fault. 00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:44.320 No. 00:36:45.519 --> 00:36:55.760 By design to hear what's most important, we've got to remove those things that are not most important. 00:36:56.320 --> 00:37:02.159 Those of you, I think of, like, I don't know whether Amy and Bethany and Ann and all those are in the back or not. 00:37:02.239 --> 00:37:03.280 I can't see back there. 00:37:03.440 --> 00:37:05.119 But but let me tell you something. 00:37:05.360 --> 00:37:07.280 This applies to dinner time. 00:37:08.960 --> 00:37:18.000 To experience family life like one day you'll wish you had experienced it. 00:37:18.639 --> 00:37:20.960 You gotta remove distractions. 00:37:21.199 --> 00:37:26.719 You gotta remove distractions so you can hear one another. 00:37:27.440 --> 00:37:30.000 For us to hear God. 00:37:30.880 --> 00:37:39.519 He's never gonna yell, he's not gonna force, he's not a bully, he's not shoving, he's not cramming. 00:37:39.920 --> 00:37:41.199 He speaks. 00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:48.400 And he longs for us to hear because it's in the hearing of his words to us. 00:37:48.719 --> 00:37:55.199 That's where our life, that's when that gets down in us and it begins to produce a crop and it changes us. 00:37:55.840 --> 00:38:08.000 But we've gotta still our souls and our spirits and our environment so that we can hear God's voice. 00:38:09.119 --> 00:38:11.280 Second way we enter the kingdom of God. 00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:12.960 You need to hear me. 00:38:13.760 --> 00:38:14.639 Hear me. 00:38:15.920 --> 00:38:22.719 We don't just need to hear God, we need to embrace and do what we hear. 00:38:24.639 --> 00:38:30.800 Learning spiritual truth means nothing. 00:38:32.320 --> 00:38:37.039 Learning spiritual truth does nothing. 00:38:37.280 --> 00:38:40.400 That's why Jesus says at the end, how does he end the parable? 00:38:40.559 --> 00:38:59.679 He says, Um, but the seed on the good soil stands for those with noble and good hearts who hear the word and they embrace it, and by practicing it, they produce a crop of a hundredfold. 00:39:00.320 --> 00:39:19.039 Entering God's kingdom, being changed by God's kingdom, participating in God's kingdom, that is the result of us not just hearing about it, but obeying it, doing what we know God is telling us to do. 00:39:19.199 --> 00:39:25.920 That's why Jesus says in John 13, if you know these things, happy are you if you do them. 00:39:26.159 --> 00:39:35.360 In Matthew 7, Jesus says, just people, there'll be people saying, just say, Lord, Lord, these people will not get into heaven. 00:39:35.679 --> 00:39:41.039 Because you must do what you know is God's will. 00:39:41.519 --> 00:39:51.280 In Matthew 7, a little further, he says, the one who puts my teaching into practice will have an unshakable life. 00:39:55.039 --> 00:39:57.119 How much Bible knowledge you got? 00:40:00.480 --> 00:40:03.360 How much Bible knowledge do you have? 00:40:04.400 --> 00:40:27.119 We know we're supposed to live life giving thanks, for giving, serving, being generous, staying away from things that we know are totally inconsistent with Jesus and his values and priorities, and embracing those things that Jesus that do reflect his priorities and values. 00:40:27.360 --> 00:40:28.960 We know these things. 00:40:30.320 --> 00:40:35.440 But how many of us have got somebody in our life, we hate their guts and we hope they rot? 00:40:37.599 --> 00:40:43.199 How many of us drive by need after we under we know what the Bible says about generosity? 00:40:43.519 --> 00:40:51.280 We know what the Bible says about praying about all things, we know what the Bible says about fear and anger. 00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:58.079 Living life is a giver rather than a taker. 00:40:59.760 --> 00:41:03.840 We know these things, but do we embrace them? 00:41:03.920 --> 00:41:05.920 It's in the embracement. 00:41:06.639 --> 00:41:08.239 That's a real word, sorry. 00:41:08.400 --> 00:41:25.119 Um it's in embracing these things, that's where we move from being an observer of the kingdom of God to being a participant in the kingdom of God. 00:41:26.480 --> 00:41:27.760 I didn't know you were going to say that. 00:41:28.480 --> 00:41:28.960 I didn't either. 00:41:29.760 --> 00:41:42.400 The difference between an observ or a difference between an observer and a participant is that an observer, a watcher, kind of like a person watching a football game, is critical. 00:41:42.719 --> 00:41:43.840 You shouldn't have done it like that. 00:41:43.920 --> 00:41:44.639 Look at that, church. 00:41:44.719 --> 00:41:45.199 Look at that. 00:41:45.360 --> 00:41:55.199 Whereas, I could do better than that, whereas a participant understands the workings, or wants to, or tries to, and there's humility in that. 00:41:55.280 --> 00:41:58.639 I don't understand why that happened, but I'm willing to understand. 00:41:58.800 --> 00:41:59.440 Yes. 00:42:00.239 --> 00:42:08.320 Versus Well, it's a difference in somebody, I mean, every what every lady in this room has had somebody tell them something who's not a mom. 00:42:09.920 --> 00:42:16.719