The Parables Series

23 Aug 2007 / Dave / talks

The simple stories of Jesus are easy to gloss over as Sunday school lessons for kids. On second glance, these cute anecdotes about fathers and sons, rich and poor, farmers and seeds have more to say about our current life than we could ever imagine.

• The One About the Priest and the IRS Agent

  Aug 19, 2007 - Jim Pace - In this parable Jesus reverses the norm and sets the righteous but arrogant Pharisee against the sinful but humble tax collector, announcing the tax collector not the Pharisee has been justified before God. The message is “the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.” Jesus warns of religious arrogance and to not be defined by your deeds, good or bad, or by your circumstances; instead your heart is what matters. You can be as close to God as your heart allows you to be. (outline)

  - The problem with Palestine and the Chasidim

  - Tax collectors… Luke 18.9-14 NLT

  - The set-up…

  The proud Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there! For I never cheat, I don’t sin, I don’t commit adultery, I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.” Luke 18.11,12 NLT

  - Then Jesus talked about the tax collector in more detail…

  “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’” Luke 18. 13 NLT

  - Then Jesus rocked them all with the kicker statement…

  “I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God.” Luke 18. 14a NLT

  - They would have been shocked that a tax collector would have been made right before God. It would have been unbelievable. The worst, wasn’t bad enough.

  - This means a lot for Jesus sums and us it up in the last line of this guy. “For the proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored.” Luke 18. 14b NLT

  - What is Jesus really saying here? Let’s update things a bit…

  - Let’s get moving now:
  1) take a look at how you look at people
  2) pray that God would help you see your life through his eyes
  3) get involved right away

• The One About the Seeds and the Soil

  Aug 26, 2007 - Matt Rogers - In this parable, Jesus uses the analogy of a seed and different soils to describe the four different ways people receive the word of God. Some hear but do not believe; some only believe when it is convenient; some believe but have their beliefs choked as life goes on by worries, struggles, and even pleasures; but still others hear, believe, retain their beliefs, and persevere through tough times to produce a good crop. In speaking this parable Jesus forces us to ask ourselves which soil are we. How do we hear the word of God? (outline)

  Luke 8:1-15

  - We move in the direction of whatever has our attention.
  - Jesus wasn’t interested in just handing out information about God; he wanted to move our hearts toward God.
  - Stories both ____________ and ____________.

  Questions Jesus leads me to ask…
  - Am I even “hearing” Jesus? Have hard times stunted my growth? Have I been distracted by the desire for other things?

  - Jesus’ parable suggests that we are responsible for the condition of our heart’s soil, that it is a choice to move toward spiritual maturity, to make time for this.

  [nlcf]’s mission…
  ________ in spiritual growth
  ________ people to follow Jesus
  ________ each other to change the world

  Making time to invest in spiritual growth
  and you will have to MAKE time:
  1) Honestly assess where and how you spend your time.
  2) Get involved in a small group.
  3) Find a way to serve. (Everyone has a gift.)
  4) Don’t wait. Do it this week.

  Book reference:
  - The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren

• The One About the two Sons

  Sep 2, 2007 - Jim Pace - Jesus uses the relationships of two different sons with their father to illustrate that some things are bigger than fair. On one side the father embraces the prodigal son and celebrates his return despite all that his son has done to him. On the other side, the faithful son becomes jealous and sees his father’s actions as unfair because he has not received a party for his obedience. This is Jesus’ more subtle point: don’t let obedience become your faith. Don’t lose sight of the Father’s heart or you’ll begin to resent the grace shown to the lost. (outline)

  Rhema and Logos
  “Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people–even eating with them! So Jesus told them this story:…” - Luke 15.1-3 NLT

  - Now you know what is about to start don’t you? Luke 15.11-24 NLT

  - Seem a bit like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?

  - Then the dad sees him coming…

  “No older, self-respecting Middle-Eastern male head of an estate at this point in time would have disgraced himself by the undignified action of running to greet his son.” - Craig Blomberg - Interpreting the Parables

  - A strong image there for us. The dad must really love that kid.

  - They go inside and we are introduced to the brother… Luke 15.11-32 NLT

  - And the father, just like God, allowed him to have his choice.

  “God delights in the repentance of prodigals, but he would prefer that they not have to sink so low before coming to their senses. God also cherishes the faithfulness of those who obey his will but does not want them to despise the rebellious who have repented.” - Blomberg

  - Remember the question we started out with?

  - Are we ready to look at our lives deeply in light of what God has revealed here for us?

• The One About the Poor Man and the Rich Man

  Sep 9, 2007 - Matt Rogers - Jesus describes the outcomes of two men: a poor man named Lazarus and a rich man. Although the rich man was condemned, this parable does not suggest that money is evil; money is only powerful and, when mishandled, can be dangerous. Jesus suggests that it is not about the amount of money, instead it is about where your heart is and how you use your money. As the rich man learned, money is to be used for compassion for others not for one’s own comfort. (outline)

  “The rich man… lived in luxury everyday.” Luke 16:19-31

  Could this parable be about us? Are we rich and don’t know it?
  - HIV/AIDS orphans more than 6,000 children every day.
  - Twenty-one children die of malnutrition and preventable diseases every minute.
  - More than 840 million people in the world are malnourished.
  - Six million children under the age of 5 die every year as a result of hunger.

  “…we hide behind our gates and hope the world’s neediness will go away. Are we more like the rich man than we think?” IVP commentary

  - Money isn’t evil; it’s ____________. Mishandled, it can be _____________.

  - There is a danger in getting too comfortable.

  - A realistic idealism… “Maybe we cannot fix the world, but we can change it.”

  - Where to begin?
  1) Figure out where it’s all going.
  2) Find out where it could be going. (Get educated.)
  3) Be faithful with the little you have now.
  4) Make the world smaller. (Take a trip.)
  5) Turn.

  - Repentance is a change in _________ precipitated by a change in _________.

  - Why God invented highlighters…

• The One About the Dealer and the Pearl

  Sep 16, 2007 - Chris Backert (outline)

  - A Time to Move …
  _______ differences in _________ can make _________ differences in __________

  “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. This is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.” (vs. 31-32)

  - The Parables of Matthew 13
  1. The One about the Sower and the Seed (Explained)
  2. The One about the Tares among the Wheat (Explained)
  3. The One about the Tiny Seed and the Tree (Unexplained)
  4. The One about the Leaven and the Lump (Uexplained)
  5. The One about the Treasure and the Field (Unexplained)
  6. The One about the Dealer and the Pearl (Unexplained)
  7. The One about the Dragnet and the Sea (Explained)

  - What keeps us from buying the field and the pearl?

  - A chance for nlcf To Buy The Field : The Richmond Church Plant, Why Richmond?
  1. A Major City with Major Universities
  2. A Large Number of People in the Creative Class
  3. A City with Great Social Need
  4. A City with Great Spiritual Need
  5. A City where God Directed

  - How You Can Help?
  1. Commit to Prayer
  2. Tell Us Who You Know
  3. Explore If You Are Called