1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:03,080 This semester we're going to look at the parables of Jesus and 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,720 understand how they fit with this great commission that we've 3 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:08,440 been singing about and have read about. 4 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:09,040 This morning. 5 00:00:09,120 --> 00:00:13,840 Today, we're going to talk about stories that change the world. 6 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:15,760 Stories that change the world. 7 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,920 Imagine you're in class and you're ready to take notes and the 8 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,920 Professor's got a PowerPoint and you got 1, 2, 3, 4 points and 9 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:24,960 you're writing them down because you know that's going to 10 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:25,520 be on the test. 11 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:27,380 And all of a sudden the professor starts, starts wandering 12 00:00:27,380 --> 00:00:32,260 into some story and you kind of listen a little bit and then you're 13 00:00:32,260 --> 00:00:36,460 wondering, maybe I'll just kind of tune out for a while because 14 00:00:37,020 --> 00:00:38,460 is this going to be on the test? 15 00:00:40,300 --> 00:00:42,300 And so you do. 16 00:00:42,619 --> 00:00:47,020 But then when the test comes later on, you realize that the story 17 00:00:48,220 --> 00:00:51,340 truth that was told was the heart of the test. 18 00:00:53,270 --> 00:00:58,230 The test comes in realizing the most important things we learn 19 00:00:58,470 --> 00:01:00,190 are often from stories. 20 00:01:00,190 --> 00:01:03,030 And that's what Jesus did and how he communicated. 21 00:01:03,430 --> 00:01:08,150 Stories communicate the most important truths to us in our culture 22 00:01:08,150 --> 00:01:08,870 and our society. 23 00:01:08,870 --> 00:01:10,630 They always have throughout history. 24 00:01:11,190 --> 00:01:13,270 Stories that move us to respond. 25 00:01:13,670 --> 00:01:16,630 It's part of the reason I love musical theater and live theater, 26 00:01:17,750 --> 00:01:19,430 movies, television. 27 00:01:19,790 --> 00:01:22,550 It makes you respond, it makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes 28 00:01:22,550 --> 00:01:26,510 you sad, it makes you mad, it makes you want to go do something. 29 00:01:28,030 --> 00:01:31,870 There's some kind of emotional response that's beyond just your 30 00:01:31,870 --> 00:01:32,430 intellect. 31 00:01:32,590 --> 00:01:36,270 Often when a story is told that makes you want to respond and 32 00:01:36,350 --> 00:01:38,110 those kind of stories move us. 33 00:01:39,870 --> 00:01:42,110 Other stories encourage us to overcome. 34 00:01:42,750 --> 00:01:45,710 I read a lot of stuff about higher education because of my work. 35 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,800 But the thing I love to read when I'm not reading that is history. 36 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,520 And I read lots of history books every year. 37 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,840 And I especially like to read biographies of people who have done 38 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,560 significant things not to understand the significant thing 39 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,800 that they did that everybody knows about. 40 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,960 I love to learn about the story of what they overcame in their 41 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,480 life in order to be prepared for that big moment. 42 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:10,480 And those stories inspire. 43 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:15,570 Stories teach us insights that are life changing the, that we can't 44 00:02:15,570 --> 00:02:17,050 really internalize otherwise. 45 00:02:17,050 --> 00:02:23,490 I mean, I could tell you about what love is all about and how compelling 46 00:02:23,650 --> 00:02:24,610 love can be. 47 00:02:24,930 --> 00:02:30,370 About how strife in a family can tear apart that love, about how 48 00:02:30,370 --> 00:02:34,370 jealousy or prejudice can ruin that love. 49 00:02:34,370 --> 00:02:37,290 I could try and tell you all that, or you could just read Romeo 50 00:02:37,290 --> 00:02:41,500 and Juliet and you'd have it forever because that's the story 51 00:02:42,300 --> 00:02:45,740 of how love works in reality. 52 00:02:46,220 --> 00:02:50,460 You see, stories communicate our most important truths and that's 53 00:02:50,460 --> 00:02:52,860 part of why Jesus taught in stories. 54 00:02:53,260 --> 00:02:57,500 But the greatest story ever told was also the greatest life ever 55 00:02:57,500 --> 00:02:58,060 lived. 56 00:02:58,700 --> 00:03:04,460 The story of Jesus changed the world, and his life and resurrection 57 00:03:04,860 --> 00:03:07,270 changes eternity for us. 58 00:03:07,830 --> 00:03:09,750 Heaven is for real. 59 00:03:10,630 --> 00:03:13,270 Eternity is for real. 60 00:03:14,070 --> 00:03:16,470 The story of Jesus is rooted in history. 61 00:03:17,030 --> 00:03:18,470 It's not mythological. 62 00:03:18,710 --> 00:03:20,030 It's not hopeful. 63 00:03:20,030 --> 00:03:21,350 It's not a fable. 64 00:03:21,590 --> 00:03:22,710 It really happened. 65 00:03:23,030 --> 00:03:25,350 There was really a Bethlehem where he was born. 66 00:03:25,510 --> 00:03:26,670 There was really a star. 67 00:03:26,670 --> 00:03:28,390 There was really a crucifixion. 68 00:03:28,390 --> 00:03:29,990 There was really an empty tomb. 69 00:03:30,550 --> 00:03:33,990 500 people saw him after he was resurrected. 70 00:03:34,260 --> 00:03:39,060 They saw him brutally killed by the Romans on a cross and tortured. 71 00:03:39,140 --> 00:03:42,020 And then they saw him alive after that. 72 00:03:42,980 --> 00:03:44,260 So it's rooted in history. 73 00:03:44,260 --> 00:03:47,620 It's a story that also is centered in the cross. 74 00:03:48,660 --> 00:03:50,580 Every story has a crescendo. 75 00:03:50,740 --> 00:03:55,340 And the crescendo of the story of Jesus is that he didn't just come 76 00:03:55,340 --> 00:03:58,580 to teach, but he came to die for our sins. 77 00:03:59,220 --> 00:04:01,330 That's the real reason he was here. 78 00:04:01,730 --> 00:04:05,370 And his gruesome death on the cross shows us two things. 79 00:04:05,370 --> 00:04:06,850 The seriousness of sin. 80 00:04:07,330 --> 00:04:13,450 That sin that we so often take lightly is serious business in God's 81 00:04:13,450 --> 00:04:14,050 perspective. 82 00:04:14,530 --> 00:04:19,010 So serious his son had to die as a sacrifice for our sins. 83 00:04:19,330 --> 00:04:23,650 But it also shows us the enormity of God's love, that he would 84 00:04:23,810 --> 00:04:29,160 sacrifice his only son to put him through that for our redemption. 85 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:31,720 So it's a story that's centered in the cross. 86 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:33,720 It's a story of triumph. 87 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:35,080 Every story. 88 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:36,520 Excuse me. 89 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:39,240 It's not just a story that has a happy conclusion. 90 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:41,160 It's a story of transformation. 91 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:42,920 Death is defeated. 92 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:44,600 Hope is restored. 93 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:46,680 Eternity is secured. 94 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:51,400 We are separated from God because of our sinful nature. 95 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,850 And Jesus, restored, Restores us to fellowship with God. 96 00:04:54,850 --> 00:04:57,210 And we're called the family of God. 97 00:04:57,210 --> 00:05:01,650 We're adopted into God's family because of what the story 98 00:05:02,050 --> 00:05:03,570 tells us in the life of Christ. 99 00:05:04,690 --> 00:05:07,490 And then the story demands a response. 100 00:05:07,970 --> 00:05:11,090 The story of Jesus is not just information that. 101 00:05:11,090 --> 00:05:12,210 That's really interesting. 102 00:05:12,370 --> 00:05:12,730 Yeah. 103 00:05:12,730 --> 00:05:14,530 Some parts of that I could take and use. 104 00:05:15,010 --> 00:05:15,290 No. 105 00:05:15,290 --> 00:05:17,490 The story of Jesus is an invitation. 106 00:05:18,130 --> 00:05:22,140 An invitation to respond and to follow him. 107 00:05:23,020 --> 00:05:26,580 Just collecting the information doesn't make you a follower 108 00:05:26,580 --> 00:05:27,100 of Christ. 109 00:05:28,540 --> 00:05:29,580 Do you realize this? 110 00:05:30,060 --> 00:05:31,340 There were 12 disciples. 111 00:05:31,900 --> 00:05:35,660 One of them was Judas, who betrayed Jesus and then committed 112 00:05:35,660 --> 00:05:37,740 suicide because he felt so guilty about it. 113 00:05:39,020 --> 00:05:40,460 There were 12 disciples. 114 00:05:41,260 --> 00:05:41,900 Jesus. 115 00:05:41,980 --> 00:05:42,580 Excuse me. 116 00:05:42,580 --> 00:05:47,300 Judas heard all the Same parables the 11 others heard. 117 00:05:48,580 --> 00:05:51,300 Judas was there for all the same miracles. 118 00:05:51,540 --> 00:05:52,500 The other saw. 119 00:05:52,900 --> 00:05:57,780 Judas was there for all the same teaching the others saw, but 120 00:05:57,780 --> 00:06:00,820 he didn't respond to the invitation. 121 00:06:02,020 --> 00:06:07,220 The story Of Jesus was then commissioned to his disciples to 122 00:06:07,220 --> 00:06:08,180 go tell the world. 123 00:06:08,500 --> 00:06:10,780 Because it's the greatest story ever told. 124 00:06:10,780 --> 00:06:14,940 We read it in full and just to focus on the Great Commission. 125 00:06:14,940 --> 00:06:16,380 I'll read that part to you again. 126 00:06:16,780 --> 00:06:21,300 Jesus told them, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing 127 00:06:21,300 --> 00:06:24,660 them in the name of the Father and of the Son, the Holy Spirit teaching 128 00:06:24,660 --> 00:06:27,740 these new disciples to obey all the commands I've given you. 129 00:06:28,060 --> 00:06:29,420 And be sure this. 130 00:06:29,820 --> 00:06:31,020 Be sure this. 131 00:06:31,340 --> 00:06:35,340 I am with you always, even to the end of the age. 132 00:06:36,540 --> 00:06:37,660 11 guys. 133 00:06:38,870 --> 00:06:39,750 11 guys. 134 00:06:39,750 --> 00:06:44,470 Jesus called together and said, go tell my story to the whole 135 00:06:44,470 --> 00:06:44,790 world. 136 00:06:46,550 --> 00:06:51,510 Tell everybody about this story and that story. 137 00:06:51,990 --> 00:06:56,110 Excuse me, that commissioning of those 11 disciples and then passed 138 00:06:56,110 --> 00:07:00,350 on to us who are followers today, to share the message of God's 139 00:07:00,350 --> 00:07:01,750 love to the whole world. 140 00:07:02,230 --> 00:07:05,350 You see, Jesus spent three years preparing the disciples. 141 00:07:05,430 --> 00:07:07,830 When he first called him, he said, come, follow me. 142 00:07:08,140 --> 00:07:10,700 But they weren't ready for this kind of assignment to go to 143 00:07:10,700 --> 00:07:14,700 the whole world until they were prepared. 144 00:07:15,100 --> 00:07:19,820 And so for three years, he spent every day with them, preparing 145 00:07:19,820 --> 00:07:21,100 them, teaching them. 146 00:07:21,100 --> 00:07:24,780 And most of that teaching was through his parables. 147 00:07:25,180 --> 00:07:29,500 Now, a parable is a simple short story from everyday life that 148 00:07:29,500 --> 00:07:31,100 illustrates a timeless truth. 149 00:07:31,100 --> 00:07:32,540 It's something you can relate to. 150 00:07:33,020 --> 00:07:34,480 There were two men in. 151 00:07:34,550 --> 00:07:35,270 In a vineyard. 152 00:07:35,830 --> 00:07:37,830 There were a lost sheep. 153 00:07:38,630 --> 00:07:40,070 There was a lost coin. 154 00:07:40,310 --> 00:07:44,070 There are things people can relate to, but they tell timeless 155 00:07:44,310 --> 00:07:46,470 truths, spiritual truths. 156 00:07:46,790 --> 00:07:50,470 And there are three key understandings to the parables that 157 00:07:50,710 --> 00:07:54,190 tie them together and really link them in what they have in common. 158 00:07:54,190 --> 00:07:55,110 The first is this. 159 00:07:55,110 --> 00:07:59,910 The parables of Jesus were a preparation for their purpose. 160 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:02,800 We tend to read the parables and go, yeah, I can learn something 161 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:03,120 from that. 162 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:03,920 I'll be a better person. 163 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:05,840 That wasn't the goal of parables. 164 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:09,720 The goal of teaching the parables was to prepare them to go 165 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:14,200 and make disciples of all the nations, to go tell the story of 166 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:14,560 Christ. 167 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,680 He didn't give them the Great Commission until they were ready. 168 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:24,000 And, you know, in Jesus teaching, we often see him teaching 169 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:25,120 to a crowd on a hill. 170 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:26,480 He was teaching in the synagogue. 171 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:27,680 He was teaching here and there. 172 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:31,620 He was, though, primarily always teaching just to those 12 173 00:08:31,620 --> 00:08:32,220 disciples. 174 00:08:32,540 --> 00:08:36,780 The others happened to be around, but he was investing in them. 175 00:08:37,500 --> 00:08:39,820 12 ordinary guys. 176 00:08:40,540 --> 00:08:44,380 They were not theologians, they were not debaters, they were 177 00:08:44,380 --> 00:08:45,580 not Bible scholars. 178 00:08:46,140 --> 00:08:47,500 They were fishermen. 179 00:08:47,820 --> 00:08:49,500 They were laborers. 180 00:08:49,980 --> 00:08:53,420 They were tax collectors. 181 00:08:53,660 --> 00:08:54,860 One was a doctor. 182 00:08:55,660 --> 00:08:58,100 They were just ordinary people. 183 00:08:59,060 --> 00:09:04,260 And Jesus told them, after three years, now you're ready. 184 00:09:04,660 --> 00:09:06,180 Go tell the world. 185 00:09:06,580 --> 00:09:09,780 But see, as he was teaching them through those times, they didn't 186 00:09:09,780 --> 00:09:10,500 even always understand. 187 00:09:10,740 --> 00:09:13,100 And, you know, the thing I love about Jesus is you just tell 188 00:09:13,100 --> 00:09:13,939 him what you think. 189 00:09:14,420 --> 00:09:15,900 You don't have to sugarcoat it. 190 00:09:15,900 --> 00:09:17,180 You don't have to kind of hide it. 191 00:09:17,180 --> 00:09:19,660 I can't figure this out, or I don't know this, or I disagree with 192 00:09:19,660 --> 00:09:19,860 that. 193 00:09:19,860 --> 00:09:20,980 You just say it to him. 194 00:09:20,980 --> 00:09:22,100 And that's what they did. 195 00:09:22,740 --> 00:09:24,700 You can be genuine with Jesus. 196 00:09:24,700 --> 00:09:25,060 They. 197 00:09:25,270 --> 00:09:27,550 They said to him, his disciples came and asked him, why 198 00:09:27,550 --> 00:09:29,750 do you use parables when you talk to the people? 199 00:09:30,310 --> 00:09:33,950 He replied, you are permitted to understand the secrets of the 200 00:09:33,950 --> 00:09:36,310 kingdom of heaven, but others are not. 201 00:09:37,110 --> 00:09:40,990 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will 202 00:09:40,990 --> 00:09:44,230 be given and they will have an abundance of knowledge. 203 00:09:44,870 --> 00:09:48,910 But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding 204 00:09:48,910 --> 00:09:53,090 they have will be taken away from them. 205 00:09:55,970 --> 00:10:00,130 Jesus revealed truth to those who were leaning in. 206 00:10:01,010 --> 00:10:04,290 If you go through this semester and spring semester and 207 00:10:04,290 --> 00:10:07,289 say, I didn't get much out of that, it's because you're not leaning 208 00:10:07,289 --> 00:10:07,570 in. 209 00:10:07,650 --> 00:10:10,970 Because when you lean into the stories of Christ, when you want 210 00:10:10,970 --> 00:10:14,570 to learn, when you want to follow, when you want them to shape 211 00:10:14,570 --> 00:10:17,970 and mold you so you can go to the world with the gospel of Christ, 212 00:10:19,070 --> 00:10:24,350 that's when the truths are revealed to you and the truths are 213 00:10:24,350 --> 00:10:26,750 hidden from those who don't want that. 214 00:10:26,910 --> 00:10:32,270 You see, this isn't just about intelligence, understanding the parables. 215 00:10:32,270 --> 00:10:33,550 It's about willingness. 216 00:10:34,270 --> 00:10:35,070 Willingness. 217 00:10:36,350 --> 00:10:37,790 And it's a progression. 218 00:10:37,950 --> 00:10:39,230 It's not overnight. 219 00:10:39,230 --> 00:10:39,950 Flip the switch. 220 00:10:39,950 --> 00:10:40,790 Okay, I got this. 221 00:10:40,790 --> 00:10:41,550 I'm ready to go. 222 00:10:41,630 --> 00:10:42,870 No, it's a progression. 223 00:10:42,870 --> 00:10:43,810 It's a learning a. 224 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:45,560 That's why he spent three years with them. 225 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:47,880 It's a day by day thing. 226 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,880 In fact, next week, when we start into the specific parables, 227 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:54,360 we're going to sing before each message, a chorus. 228 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:56,600 It's an old chorus, some of you may know. 229 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,640 It's from a musical called Godspell many years ago. 230 00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:05,000 And in the musical Godspell, which is the life of Jesus, they 231 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,680 tell the parables in really creative kinds of wonderful ways. 232 00:11:10,130 --> 00:11:12,370 And they share a whole bunch of these parables. 233 00:11:12,690 --> 00:11:15,330 But then it kind of links together with this. 234 00:11:15,490 --> 00:11:19,170 And this is the willingness, the leaning in the wanting to learn 235 00:11:19,170 --> 00:11:20,690 from this, to get the truth. 236 00:11:21,410 --> 00:11:24,930 And they sing day by day, day by day. 237 00:11:24,930 --> 00:11:27,090 Oh, dear Lord, three things. 238 00:11:27,090 --> 00:11:33,170 I pray to see thee more clearly, to love thee more dearly, 239 00:11:34,290 --> 00:11:36,920 to follow thee more nearly. 240 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:42,080 And I pray that will be our prayer together as we look at those 241 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:50,040 parables to every day see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, 242 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,800 and follow thee more nearly. 243 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:58,280 The Parables were Jesus shaping the disciples to think about 244 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:03,070 a kingdom mindset so they could carry his story to the whole 245 00:12:03,070 --> 00:12:03,390 world. 246 00:12:03,870 --> 00:12:06,910 Well, the second thing that's common about the parables is that 247 00:12:06,910 --> 00:12:10,590 Jesus used parables to show them the kingdom of heaven. 248 00:12:11,150 --> 00:12:13,830 Now, you'll see in these parables he talks about, often he'll 249 00:12:13,830 --> 00:12:16,070 talk about the kingdom of heaven or he talks about the kingdom 250 00:12:16,070 --> 00:12:16,430 of God. 251 00:12:16,430 --> 00:12:18,429 Those are really interchangeable because where God 252 00:12:18,429 --> 00:12:20,990 is is where heaven is and where heaven is where God is. 253 00:12:20,990 --> 00:12:22,350 So they're kind of interchangeable. 254 00:12:22,350 --> 00:12:24,110 But he talks about the kingdom of God. 255 00:12:24,110 --> 00:12:28,070 Jesus wasn't telling them stories for some aha moment. 256 00:12:28,070 --> 00:12:29,230 Oh, now I get it. 257 00:12:29,490 --> 00:12:30,530 It wasn't that at all. 258 00:12:31,010 --> 00:12:36,250 He was telling them stories to help them understand how the kingdom 259 00:12:36,250 --> 00:12:39,170 of God is so different from the world. 260 00:12:40,530 --> 00:12:46,210 The kingdom of God is the world as God designed it, with purpose 261 00:12:46,530 --> 00:12:49,170 and with order and with purity. 262 00:12:50,050 --> 00:12:52,690 And sin corrupted God's design. 263 00:12:53,650 --> 00:12:58,980 And so we have a world of selfishness, disorder and evil. 264 00:13:00,020 --> 00:13:04,420 And so he was teaching them about the kingdom of the God, of 265 00:13:04,420 --> 00:13:11,460 how it should be, and how heaven will be as it's structured 266 00:13:11,460 --> 00:13:13,220 back as God designed it. 267 00:13:13,780 --> 00:13:16,100 The kingdom of God is like. 268 00:13:16,340 --> 00:13:20,420 And then he would go on to very specifics about what the kingdom 269 00:13:20,420 --> 00:13:21,220 of God is like. 270 00:13:21,300 --> 00:13:26,610 Now, kingdoms and kings were very familiar concepts of the people 271 00:13:26,610 --> 00:13:28,130 he was teaching to the disciples. 272 00:13:28,530 --> 00:13:31,810 They understood that because everybody lived in a kingdom under 273 00:13:31,810 --> 00:13:36,690 a king, and in a kingdom, the king set the rules. 274 00:13:37,490 --> 00:13:38,570 They weren't debatable. 275 00:13:38,570 --> 00:13:40,450 They didn't have democracies like we know. 276 00:13:41,250 --> 00:13:43,570 People didn't vote, people didn't voice their opinion. 277 00:13:43,570 --> 00:13:47,490 The king said, this is how I order our kingdom to operate. 278 00:13:47,570 --> 00:13:49,805 This is how I structure our kingdom to operate. 279 00:13:49,805 --> 00:13:51,990 And this is the way it's supposed to operate, and that's how 280 00:13:51,990 --> 00:13:52,990 it will operate. 281 00:13:53,950 --> 00:13:57,670 And as sin corrupted the world, they were exposed to some 282 00:13:57,670 --> 00:14:01,470 horrible, destructive kingdoms, primarily the Roman Empire, 283 00:14:01,630 --> 00:14:03,790 where these disciples were. 284 00:14:04,910 --> 00:14:08,190 But the kingdom of God is completely different. 285 00:14:08,270 --> 00:14:10,750 And that's what he was trying to get them to see. 286 00:14:11,230 --> 00:14:14,510 I've got a book I love, and I love it mostly for the title. 287 00:14:14,510 --> 00:14:16,430 It's called the Upside Down Kingdom. 288 00:14:17,150 --> 00:14:20,670 How the kingdom of God is almost always upside down. 289 00:14:20,910 --> 00:14:25,510 From the world we know where the first shall be last, where the 290 00:14:25,510 --> 00:14:29,630 meek shall inherit the earth, where the powerful are destroyed, 291 00:14:29,950 --> 00:14:33,070 but those who love and serve are lifted up. 292 00:14:33,950 --> 00:14:37,950 When you can see the world through the eyes of God instead of 293 00:14:37,950 --> 00:14:41,390 through the eyes of selfish people, which are the objectives 294 00:14:41,390 --> 00:14:45,830 the world gives us to try to achieve, then we see God's kingdom 295 00:14:45,830 --> 00:14:46,950 in a Whole different way. 296 00:14:47,430 --> 00:14:49,270 Or we call that Christian worldview. 297 00:14:49,270 --> 00:14:51,110 That's what we teach here at Belhaven. 298 00:14:51,110 --> 00:14:52,390 This Christian worldview. 299 00:14:52,390 --> 00:14:53,430 That's the same thing. 300 00:14:53,670 --> 00:14:59,109 Seeing the Kingdom of God and the parables were all designed to 301 00:14:59,109 --> 00:15:03,670 describe how the Kingdom of God works and what the Kingdom of 302 00:15:03,670 --> 00:15:08,070 God values as opposed to what sin values. 303 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,920 And so Jesus gave them, and we'll go through these this year, 304 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:13,960 some really specific examples. 305 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:17,440 He said the Kingdom of God is like a lost sheep. 306 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:23,280 And he told them what grace really means when that sheep is lost. 307 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,640 The Kingdom of God is like an unpayable debt. 308 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:28,480 And he taught about forgiveness. 309 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,600 The Kingdom of God is like the prodigal son who left and came home. 310 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,360 And he taught them about restoration. 311 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:41,080 The Kingdom of God is like a wise and foolish builder, one on 312 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:42,360 the sand and one on the rock. 313 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:45,320 He taught them about sustainability. 314 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,960 The Kingdom of God is about the use of talents. 315 00:15:50,519 --> 00:15:52,040 And he talked about accountability. 316 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:55,480 The Kingdom of God is like the Good Samaritan. 317 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:59,400 You know, in the times that Jesus taught that the Samaritans 318 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:01,950 were the most hidden people in the whole region. 319 00:16:02,510 --> 00:16:05,590 Nobody liked the Samaritans, didn't want to be around. 320 00:16:05,590 --> 00:16:09,230 In fact, the Jews, when they had to go through the other side 321 00:16:09,310 --> 00:16:12,390 of where Samaria is, they go around it rather than going through 322 00:16:12,390 --> 00:16:15,150 it because they did not want to be in touch with a Samaritan. 323 00:16:15,150 --> 00:16:19,350 And Jesus, by using that one illustration, changed the Samaritans 324 00:16:19,350 --> 00:16:20,590 from the worst to the best. 325 00:16:20,990 --> 00:16:24,110 Because when we think now about a good Samaritan, we think 326 00:16:24,110 --> 00:16:25,550 about somebody pretty remarkable. 327 00:16:26,110 --> 00:16:27,710 And in that, he taught about service. 328 00:16:28,910 --> 00:16:32,430 The Kingdom of God is like the rich fool. 329 00:16:33,310 --> 00:16:36,710 And he taught about what's really worth and what our worth is 330 00:16:36,710 --> 00:16:36,990 about. 331 00:16:37,390 --> 00:16:39,710 The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. 332 00:16:39,790 --> 00:16:43,550 And he talked about faith, how a tiny mustard seed can grow. 333 00:16:44,350 --> 00:16:46,990 And the Kingdom of God is like a wedding. 334 00:16:47,550 --> 00:16:50,990 Be prepared for the moment, whenever that may come. 335 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:56,960 Jesus used parables to show them the kingdom of God, a life and 336 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:02,080 a world designed as God designed it, not like sin corrupted 337 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:02,360 it. 338 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:06,360 And the third thing we see about these parables is that Jesus 339 00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:09,640 used parables to bring them into the family. 340 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,800 The parables reveal the heart of Jesus. 341 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,360 They reveal the priorities of Jesus. 342 00:17:16,620 --> 00:17:19,010 The they reveal the values of heaven. 343 00:17:19,410 --> 00:17:21,490 That's what we find in the parables. 344 00:17:21,490 --> 00:17:26,370 You see, the interesting thing about the parables are for Jesus. 345 00:17:26,370 --> 00:17:28,210 These were family stories. 346 00:17:30,050 --> 00:17:31,330 You have family stories. 347 00:17:31,730 --> 00:17:33,330 I love our family stories. 348 00:17:33,650 --> 00:17:36,450 Every time we have a birthday, we tell our family stories. 349 00:17:38,130 --> 00:17:39,410 Remember the kids did that? 350 00:17:39,410 --> 00:17:40,730 Remember when mom did that? 351 00:17:40,730 --> 00:17:41,890 Remember when I did this? 352 00:17:42,050 --> 00:17:46,620 We we tell those stories over and over again because those stories 353 00:17:46,780 --> 00:17:51,260 connect us as a family into a culture we share together as a family. 354 00:17:51,340 --> 00:17:54,380 And if you came and sat around our table, you wouldn't get our stories 355 00:17:54,780 --> 00:17:58,659 and I wouldn't get your family stories either, because every family 356 00:17:58,659 --> 00:17:59,820 has their own stories. 357 00:18:00,380 --> 00:18:03,180 Well, these are the family stories of Jesus. 358 00:18:03,500 --> 00:18:06,220 The parables are the family stories of Jesus. 359 00:18:06,380 --> 00:18:11,770 They connect us to the bigger story that we are adopted as a child 360 00:18:11,770 --> 00:18:15,770 of God and he has taken us in to the family. 361 00:18:16,410 --> 00:18:20,570 They teach us the depths of God's love for us and how we're to 362 00:18:20,570 --> 00:18:22,970 love the people that he loves. 363 00:18:23,370 --> 00:18:27,810 And so when you think about the parables as family stories that 364 00:18:27,810 --> 00:18:32,410 bring us into the family as we're adopted, they take on a much 365 00:18:32,650 --> 00:18:33,610 fuller meaning. 366 00:18:33,770 --> 00:18:37,920 And that's what Jesus intends when he shared those parables. 367 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:42,400 Jesus didn't tell parables to make the disciples good guys. 368 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:44,240 That wasn't the goal. 369 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:47,360 He didn't tell parables hoping they'd straighten up, they'd do better, 370 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:48,400 and all that kind of stuff. 371 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:52,960 No, their redemption came through what Christ did for them, 372 00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:54,480 not what they did. 373 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:01,860 He brought them into the family to give them a new focus by 374 00:19:01,860 --> 00:19:06,820 telling the parables to helping them understand not just 375 00:19:06,820 --> 00:19:11,020 what life should be in this world, but what eternity will be 376 00:19:11,020 --> 00:19:12,620 and what it values. 377 00:19:13,420 --> 00:19:18,300 Jesus told these parables always then to press for a decision. 378 00:19:18,860 --> 00:19:22,940 Are you going to choose a sinful life or are you going to choose 379 00:19:23,580 --> 00:19:24,860 the kingdom of God? 380 00:19:25,660 --> 00:19:29,900 Always a decision was built into so many of these parables. 381 00:19:30,350 --> 00:19:31,870 As a family, what do we value? 382 00:19:31,950 --> 00:19:33,790 Do we value this versus that? 383 00:19:34,350 --> 00:19:37,510 Are you going to stand with the family in this value or are you 384 00:19:37,510 --> 00:19:40,510 going to take out outside the family and go here? 385 00:19:40,910 --> 00:19:42,270 That's what Jesus did. 386 00:19:42,510 --> 00:19:45,790 He told us those values and he brought people to decision. 387 00:19:46,190 --> 00:19:49,310 So is the house you're building going to be built on sand 388 00:19:49,550 --> 00:19:51,230 or is it going to be built on rock? 389 00:19:51,710 --> 00:19:52,510 Choose one. 390 00:19:55,310 --> 00:19:55,950 Is the. 391 00:19:57,570 --> 00:20:01,890 Is the home a place where you're going to stay or you're going 392 00:20:01,890 --> 00:20:03,090 to take off on your own? 393 00:20:04,130 --> 00:20:04,850 Choose one. 394 00:20:05,570 --> 00:20:07,650 What kind of soil is your heart going to be? 395 00:20:07,810 --> 00:20:09,810 Fertile soil or rocky soil? 396 00:20:10,450 --> 00:20:11,250 Choose one. 397 00:20:11,810 --> 00:20:16,770 Every time he tells a parable, he brings us to a decision point. 398 00:20:17,090 --> 00:20:19,970 These parables were never told for entertainment. 399 00:20:20,850 --> 00:20:23,830 These parables were told as an invitation. 400 00:20:24,790 --> 00:20:27,670 What the Great Commission calls us to do. 401 00:20:28,470 --> 00:20:33,310 He was teaching the disciples to call people to do, to go and to 402 00:20:33,310 --> 00:20:36,790 share his story with the whole world. 403 00:20:38,070 --> 00:20:41,310 And if you want to be that kind of a Christian who fulfills 404 00:20:41,310 --> 00:20:46,710 the greatest purpose God has for us to Tell his story to the world, 405 00:20:46,870 --> 00:20:47,910 to the nations. 406 00:20:47,990 --> 00:20:49,680 What, Whatever nation you could reach. 407 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:52,400 It starts and ends right here. 408 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:58,320 The bottom line, we can't make disciples unless we are disciples. 409 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:04,599 And it took those disciples three years to grow to the point 410 00:21:04,599 --> 00:21:07,600 they were ready to go and tell that story. 411 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:11,600 Parables help make disciples. 412 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:16,610 So this year in chapel, I hope you'll lean into the teaching of 413 00:21:16,610 --> 00:21:20,010 God so you can see what the kingdom of God is like. 414 00:21:21,130 --> 00:21:22,730 Not for an end in itself. 415 00:21:23,290 --> 00:21:28,170 So that we can go to the world and tell them about Jesus. 416 00:21:28,810 --> 00:21:32,570 Jesus told us to go to all the nations and tell them. 417 00:21:33,130 --> 00:21:35,330 That doesn't mean just geographic nations. 418 00:21:35,330 --> 00:21:37,850 It means the nations of culture groups. 419 00:21:38,250 --> 00:21:40,600 Some of you can go to the nations of the. 420 00:21:40,670 --> 00:21:43,830 The arts that I can't get into because I don't have the credentials. 421 00:21:43,830 --> 00:21:45,950 But you can to tell the story of Jesus. 422 00:21:45,950 --> 00:21:48,870 Some of you can go into medical community and do that. 423 00:21:48,870 --> 00:21:50,670 Some of you can go into sports and do that. 424 00:21:50,670 --> 00:21:53,550 I can't do that because I'm not an athlete list anymore. 425 00:21:53,790 --> 00:21:57,390 Some of you can go into lots of different places depending on 426 00:21:57,390 --> 00:21:59,230 what God has gifted you to do. 427 00:21:59,230 --> 00:22:02,150 To go to a nation that's closed off from the message. 428 00:22:02,150 --> 00:22:06,190 And you can be the one who makes disciples in that nation as 429 00:22:06,190 --> 00:22:09,370 you tell the story of Jesus, if you're prepared. 430 00:22:09,930 --> 00:22:14,050 And the only way to be prepared is to understand the parables 431 00:22:14,050 --> 00:22:14,810 of Jesus. 432 00:22:15,290 --> 00:22:19,090 Because that's how he prepared the disciples for their ultimate 433 00:22:19,090 --> 00:22:24,810 purpose, which is to go and make disciples of all the nations 434 00:22:26,090 --> 00:22:27,130 with the promise. 435 00:22:27,770 --> 00:22:32,610 And be sure of this, I'm with you always, even to the end of the 436 00:22:32,610 --> 00:22:32,890 age. 437 00:22:33,740 --> 00:22:38,260 May God be with us as we become disciples ready to go to a 438 00:22:38,260 --> 00:22:41,820 world where we can have influence that nobody else can reach. 439 00:22:42,300 --> 00:22:45,580 And tell this marvelous story of Jesus. 440 00:22:46,220 --> 00:22:47,620 May God do that in your life. 441 00:22:47,620 --> 00:22:48,460 Let's pray together. 442 00:22:48,859 --> 00:22:49,900 Our benediction. 443 00:22:50,620 --> 00:22:55,020 No eye is seen, no ear is heard, no mind is conceived. 444 00:22:55,180 --> 00:22:58,380 What God has prepared for those who love him. 445 00:22:58,870 --> 00:23:01,030 Go Blazers to all the nations. 446 00:23:01,110 --> 00:23:02,030 Wait for the code. 447 00:23:02,030 --> 00:23:02,710 It's coming up. 448 00:23:02,790 --> 00:23:03,910 Do that before you leave.