Today Our Rock Church Daily Bread Rom 16:19-20, Acts 17:6 & Mathew 13

Romans 16:19-20 19 For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. 20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Acts 17:6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.
Many, many people have such a wrong idea of God, Our Father and of His Divine character. Have you ever sought to please God? The enemy wants us to think it impossible to do so, because a huge tool of God’s enemy against human’s is that they’ll never be good enough, or never can do enough to please anyone. In our world this seems to prove to be the case over and over again, we’re constantly being set up to see or feel we’re a failure. Notice I said, "see or "feel". Those are sense words, flesh words, temporary, of this world, words. God does NOT think like that. He "sees" much further than just what ius seen by natural eyes. He sees the potential for us to be with Him now and in eternity also. Just that thought brings joy to His heart. God loves us even if we never perform right or do the right things. His pleasure increases the more we find ways to express our love to Him and gain victory over His enemy here on earth. (There are no enemies of God to fight once we die and go to heaven) His heart leaps when we choose to do things He’s set for us to do while we are here, but even when we do those things His love for us does not change. Paul says, I am glad on your behalf….meaning, when we obey God’s word, things take on a different form here on earth, our efforts are blessed and the things that kept us from the intense fellowship with God disappear. That which we really, truly inwardly desired just happens.
Matthew 13:1-58
The Parable of the Sower
Parables About the Kingdom of Heaven
R53 1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
The Purpose of Parables
R54 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11He 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. 12For 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. 13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14And 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; 15For 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 F54 heal them.' F55 16But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17for 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.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
R55 18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19When 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. 20But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet 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. 22Now 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. 23But 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."
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27So 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?' 28He said to them, "An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, "Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' 29But he said, "No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30Let 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.""'
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
R56 31 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, 32which 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."
The Parable of the Leaven
R57 33 Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures F56 of meal till it was all leavened."
Prophecy and the Parables
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world." F57
The Parable of the Tares Explained
36 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." 37He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41The 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, 42and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Dragnet
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." 51Jesus said to them, F58 "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." F59 52Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning F60 the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." Jesus Rejected at NazarethR58 53 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. 54When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, F61 Simon, and Judas? 56And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?" 57So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." 58Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Footnotes
F54: 13:15 NU-Text and M-Text read would.
F55: Isaiah 6:9, 10
F56: 13:33 Greek sata, approximately two pecks in all
F57: 13:35 Psalm 78:2
F58: 13:51 NU-Text omits Jesus said to them.
F59: 13:51 NU-Text omits Jesus said to them.
F60: 13:52 Or for
F61: 13:55 NU-Text reads Joseph.
Show cross-references
R53: Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8
R54: Mark 4:10-12; Luke 8:9, 10
R55: Mark 4:13-20; Luke 8:11-15
R56: Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18, 19
R57: Luke 13:20, 21
R58: Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:16-30
Lena’s Journalin’
Ever listen, but don’t really hear? That’s what He means here- please listen intently, there’s more here than you could ever get by saying, "Yeah, yeah, what else, Is He done yet?" Why is the mystery’s answer GIVEN to one and not to another? It has everything to do with response and desire ( i.e. response-ability). If you don’t really care what he is saying, you won’t "get it", but if you desire to hear, you’ll listen until you do. You’ll pursue God till He tells you. You’ll get closer and closer to Him, with the intent of solving the mystery. This is a disciple. The casual hearer with no real kingdom interest, may think it their duty to hear, but because of duty, they will be satisfied just hearing, even if they do not understand! They walk away knowing about God, but not knowing or caring enough to want to take whatever effort necessary to know Him as a person, finding out how He thinks about things and His manner of speaking. A disciple HAS to know these things, they burn in His heart if they don’t get it, they hang around and ask and inquire and listen more and ask again. RU a disciple? In the great comission, Jesus said to make disciples of all nations. He did not say, have people say "the sinner’s prayer" then go on their merry way through life, thinking that somehow they are "saved"! John said repent. Repent means. I walked one way, was headed in one direction, but now I’m following Christ’s example and will live out the rest of my days following Him and His. Repent is for life, not a moment. Then he said "Make disciples". Who does that? The believers, the followers, the disciples! That’s all of us. That’s enough purpose to fill your whole lifetime with action. These parables locate us. Where are we at with the kingdom of God? Are we disciples, or just casual, when we have time and a spark of desire comes, hearers? Notice vs 15 says, if they see they will turn. Turn means "repent". You can tell when a person "sees" because they turn, they repent.The only way to get understanding of God’s word, is to study it. Join a study of it, join regularly with people who study it. Ask questions of it, not to debate it, but to understand it. This is our response-ability against an enemy force that is sent for the purpose of stealing our faith, stealing any potential in our lives to get the word. So, I don’t FEEL like going to church today. SO what! It doesn’t seem to be working that I get to that study group each week. MAKE disciples (of yourself)! Why? To fight against God’s enemy who is against God and you, to let God win in your life. To have the potential to lie forever, rather than die an eternal death separated from God. There is a scripture that says, if we confess Him before men ( remember from last week, confess means stick with it like glue), He will confess us before His Father in heaven. If we do not have time for Him now, which is a sign of being "saved", why or how can we expect He will "have time" for us later on? We’re fools to think so. We have to make time, we have to TAKE time back out of the enemy’s hands.WAKE UP> God is giving you and has given you years and years of "chances" to get right with Him. He’s not asking you to get it altogether first. He’s asking you to come to Him, receive the cleansing power of the cross, bring your sin to Him, let His blood deal with it. Stop wasting the time He gave you here and serve Him all of your days you have left. Start small if you hae to, or with nothing at all, or bring all you have- to the cross. Give your life to God, to Christ. There’s no time like the present. Repent!
I sat in on a session once where a young man told how he’d gotten a revelation of the weeping and gnashing of teeth. He saw heaven and himself there after he’d died here. He saw the joy of heaven and saw people he’d known in church and stuff, then suddenly he heard a call made for an assembly of the believers. It might have been "judgement day". He said the believers were filing into rows to look at what was about to happen. They were all seated and he saw another entourage of people, some he also knew, but the air about them was different, understanding came of who they were and what was being determined for their eternal outcome. The air was not as "light" as it was when it was all about believers. He saw some people he’d seen in stores a lot, then some people that lived on his street. Suddenly he caught hold of the understanding of their doom and a huge amount of grievous regret came his way. So much so that he and other believers began to wail and cry. He said that all excuses were gone and only great understanding remained. He felt that this could be the weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Is this about us? Yes, and no. Yes, but not only about us. It is about being a disciple and making more disciples. Saving people from future hell (side note: future hell is not even imaginable, and anything experienced here in the way or pain or torment etc, DOES NOT compare- to think that way is to allow the enemy to lie to you, because he wants you there with him!)How much have you given to God? How much has He given to you? He gave you life and breath and He gave His first love, His Son, who also gave it all, for you. What is holding you back from giving it all to Him? When you SEE, you cannot withhold your life from Him, you SEE how precious you are to Him, how you were born to be a great part of His eternal plan, You SEE how you can win your world for Him. You have to SEE and HEAR to know these things. Today is a great day for SEEing!