Today, we continue with our red letter series, focusing on Jesus’ explanation of His parable of the tares.

These verses highlight yet another warning about the impending judgment that will take place at the end of the age. In this parable, Jesus focuses on the unrepentant sinners of this world {the tares}. Those who die in their sin will be cast into the eternal furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The righteous {the wheat} will inherit the kingdom and spend eternity in God’s holy presence. Jesus ends His explanation by saying, “He who has ears, let him hear!” which enforces His warning, urging everyone to listen and take what He says seriously.

Are you listening? 📢

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” - Matthew 13:36-43

Resources

In today’s red letter verses, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed.

I absolutely love Jesus’ parables. For this one, I will defer to the linked sermons in the Resource section, because Pastor John MacArthur explains these verses far better than I ever could. I’m still a baby Christian, compared to Pastor MacArthur, who studied Scripture for over 50 years.

Just a note - the first sermon listed focuses on Luke 17:20-21, which are parallel verses to these verses in Matthew 13.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” - Matthew 13:31-32

Resources

The Invisible Kingdom of God, Part 1 {clicking on this link will bring you to the relevant part of this sermon that explains today’s verses}

We continue Matthew 13, focusing on another of Jesus’ brilliant parables.

Jesus’ teachings were so rich with important information about His Father’s kingdom, and this parable is no exception. His teachings clearly illustrate His deity; no man, no matter how intelligent, could ever come up with anything even close to what Jesus said during His earthly ministry. This is why reading the Bible is so important; it contains everything that God wants us to know, and it’s a life-changing book that means the difference between God’s eternal presence and His eternal absence.

It’s not until later in this chapter that Jesus explains this parable. In the meantime, I encourage you to listen to or read the transcript of the sermon linked in the “Resource” section of this post for a better understanding of these verses. Pastor John MacArthur explains them better than I ever could.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” - Matthew 13:24-30

Resources

Today’s red letter post focuses on Jesus explaining the parable of the sower.

As you read today’s verses, think about the sort of soil you have. How have you received the gospel? Do you understand it? Knowing the answers to these questions is very important. The only soil that leads to salvation and inheritance of God’s kingdom is good soil. I highly recommend listening to the sermons linked in the “Resource” section for a more detailed explanation of these verses.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always!

“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” - Matthew 13:18-23

Resources

The Parable of the Soils

As we continue through Matthew 13, we learn more about Jesus’ use of parables in His teachings.

Our view of the Bible depends on how one approaches reading it. My dad decided, without even trying to read it, that he would “go insane” trying to understand it {and for many years, I’m ashamed to say that bought into that lie}. If you read it with the intent of criticizing what you read, you won’t understand it. If you read it to pick it apart, attempting to “prove” it’s false, you won’t understand it. If you read it mindlessly, just to say you’ve read it, you won’t understand it. It has nothing to do with intelligence. Anyone can read the Bible through a purely academic lens, and still not understand it. Perhaps that’s frustrating to those who read it and find nothing of value. The Bible is not a book to add to the “books completed” pile. To fully understand God’s Word, one has to be humble, with the intent of knowing God. No criticism, no intent to prove it wrong, and certainly not with intent to read specific chapters, completely ignoring all the others. Once the commitment to know God is present in the heart, God gives the precious gift of His Translator, the Holy Spirit {who inspired the Bible’s authors to begin with!}. With the Holy Spirit translating, the verses make sense! The parables become crystal clear. God’s purpose throughout all history is revealed. God’s love is unmistakable. From cover to cover, the Bible is a wonderful, complete picture, perfectly written to teach us everything we need to know. Every word is absolute truth to give us the discernment we need to recognize lies and false teachers.

If you want your life to be transformed, open the Bible and read it, from cover to cover, to fully know God in complete humility. It’s God’s living Word, meant to be read daily for the rest of one’s life. Once you develop a hunger for God’s Word {His daily bread!}, and cultivate a deep relationship with Him, you’ll see how profoundly your life changes as God shows up and blesses you.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” - Matthew 13:10-17

Resources

We begin a new chapter in today’s red letter post, which starts off with the parable of the sower and soils.

The purpose of this parable, taught by Jesus, is to illustrate 4 different types of soil - the soil along the path, stony soil, thorny soil, and good soil - and how they represent the different levels of faith of people who hear the gospel. Good soil is necessary for the seeds planted by {people who share the gospel}, to take hold and grow into deep, lasting faith. People with good soil are open to the message of the gospel, understand it, and go on to plant seeds in other people. It’s such a brilliant lesson, because Jesus explains why the other soils fail to produce the sort of faith that’s necessary to inherit God’s kingdom.

So…what sort of soil do you have?

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” - Matthew 13:1-9

Resources

Kingdom Parables, Part 1

Kingdom Parables, Part 2

As we conclude Matthew 12 in our red letter series, we see Jesus illustrating the difference between His physical family and His spiritual family.

As Christians, we must understand that the Lord requires us to do difficult things in our walk with Jesus. If you ask most people to name the most important person or people in their life, they would quickly list their spouse, parents, children, friends, etc. Who would put the Lord at the top of the list? Sadly, not very many.

Of course our physical family is important. We love and cherish those who are part of our lives. But what if the members of our physical family don’t share the same beliefs? What if certain people in our family never come to faith in the Lord, destined for eternity spent in the Lord’s absence? The reality is, no relationship will withstand eternal separation. This is why we are so vocal in our warnings of the consequences of denying Jesus. We want everyone we love to share in the inheritance of God’s eternal kingdom, and become part of His family. The earthly relationship labels will no longer exist because of the new relationship between King Jesus and we who are His bride.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” - Matthew 12:46-50

Resources

Today’s red letter post, about unclean spirits, is very relatable for me, and I would like to share my perspective on things I’ve witnessed throughout my life.

When I read this passage, I think of the gap each of us has in our heart. I think of the many ways in which we try to fill those gaps with worldly things that we expect will bring us happiness, but instead often lead to addiction or depression. I watched my dad battle alcoholism for so many years, because he only wanted to numb himself from the pain that chronically plagued him. He never openly addressed the source of his pain, but I can guess where it came from, just by what I know about his childhood and birth family.

Addiction, depression, anxiety, and every other negative emotion that takes up residence in the mind are merely products of demonic influences that attack us by planting self-doubt. The things we medicate ourselves with don’t comfort us or lift us out of those dark places. They keep that gap filled with things that offer temporary happiness or satisfaction. While we’re busy chasing happiness, we’re not aware that we drift farther away from God.

If we want the unclean spirits gone, we MUST first humble ourselves to admit our failure to cope by ourselves, and commit to fully knowing God through His Word. In His perfect timing, He gives us His indwelling Spirit Who fills our heart so fully that no unclean spirit can ever get near again.

We cannot gain anything from worldly things. We cannot satisfy our heart with temporary sources of happiness. That’s only Satan giving his empty promises to distract us from that which would give us a permanent inner joy and peace that cannot be robbed. Don’t allow the father of lies to take up residence in that gap. He offers absolutely nothing of value.

May the Lord bless you and keep you always! ✝️🤍🙏🏻

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” - Matthew 12:43-45

Resources