Series: “Summer Stories”  Sermon: “The Key To Understanding” 

Series: “Summer Stories”  Sermon: “The Key To Understanding” 

Mark 4:13 “Then Jesus said to them, ‘If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?’”

Luke 8:15     “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”

The Story

Matthew 13:3-23

He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

10 His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?”

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets[a] of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. 12 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. 13 That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don’t really see.They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.

14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,‘When you hear what I say  you will not understand.

When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened,

and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—  so their eyes cannot see,

and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to m  and let me heal them.’[b]

16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.

18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

The Sting

Matthew 13:11, 16 “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. … But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.”

John 5:45-46 “Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.”

Expressing Judgement:    Prodigal    Good Samaritan    Wicked Stewards 

The Strategy 

John 15:2   “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away (LIFTS UP); and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” 

Mark 4:24  (AMP)  “And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you–and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.”

Proverbs 4:20-27 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” 

Issues:– (to-tsaw-aw’ ) boundaries, limit, border, extremity. 

Your heart condition establishes the boundary of your experience in life.

Ezekiel 36:26-27   “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

Proverbs 20:9     “Who can say, ‘I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin’”?

Psalm 51:10 (NIV)     “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Psalm 51:10 (Message)    “God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me.”

Acts 15:8-9   “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.”

Romans 10:8-10  “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart …For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Meditate —  Get the word in your heart.             Activate —   Get word in your mouth.

Ephesians 3:17   “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”