During the time of Jesus, farmers sowed seeds primarily by scattering them by hand. A farmer would carry the seeds in a large woven pouch or fold of their cloak, walking through the fields and throwing the seeds in a sweeping motion. The parable we just read is the first parable spoken by Jesus recorded in scripture. It uses the metaphor of a farmer scattering seed over different kinds of ground to illustrate
The two verses we just read come immediately after Jesus told his first parable recorded in scripture. They had never heard him speak to the people in this manner before and they were puzzled by it. A parable is both simple and complex, it’s meant to convey truth and conceal it. At this point in the Lord’s ministry there were many in the crowd who didn’t believe he was their Messiah as well as some that did. The more truth you hear, the more you are responsible for, so …
Last week began a series of messages all about the kingdom of God. Jesus made the statement “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”. What was lost was the kingdom of God or God’s reign on the earth. Through Adam’s fall, man was lost and Satan’s kingdom entered in the world. That’s why the world is full of darkness, confusion, perversion, and rebellion. When Jesus Christ entered the creation through the womb of a virgin, God inserted himself into our mess. At thirty years old he began his public ministry and the first message he ever preached was “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand”.
The Lord Jesus made this statement at the close of his encounter with Zacchaeus. The crowd was murmuring among themselves because he was going home with Zacchaeus to be a guest at his house. Though Zacchaeus was a dishonest and thieving tax collector, he had just repented and believed in the Lord. He had met the conditions for salvation and Jesus pronounced him saved before the crowd. He stated that Zacchaeus was a descendant of Abraham which was the mission field Jesus was sent to. Then he makes this statement “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost”.
There is a man in this story whose name is Mephibosheth which means “from the mouth of shame”. This man is lame on his feet. He was crippled by a fall that happened when he was five years old. His nurse picked him up to run with him and he fell and was made lame. Because he is crippled, he cannot work which means he cannot provide for himself and the Bible records that he lives in the house of Machir in a place called Lo-debar.
The Bible records all different kinds of praying. Public praying like Jesus did at the tomb of Lazarus before the crowd that had formed that day. Short prayers like “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”. The blessing of food prayers that the Lord would pray before serving people bread. There are all manners of praying we do like sitting on the porch in the morning. Praying in the car on the way to work. Giving thanks for our food and asking God to bless it. Short prayers throughout the day for various reasons like someone asking us to pray for their needs. All of these are good and valid but the Lord Jesus repeatedly throughout the gospel books had a habit of withdrawing himself, finding a place to be alone and praying to the Father.
Last week we celebrated Resurrection Sunday and there were more people here than I can remember in a long while. I am blessed to work with several people who profess hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and the story was they same at all the assemblies they attend. More people than usual, packed houses, new faces and so on. The thought occurred to me that many people, maybe even most people in our part of the country, believe at least mentally that Jesus Christ arose from the dead. But it’s not the kind of belief that brings them back to the house of God the Sunday after. They may never really think anything of Christ until next year at this same time if we’re blessed to see it.
Text: 1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
This verse tells us that sin did not originate with Adam and Eve, but that it began long before them. This verse tells us that the devil is the father of sin because it started with him. Contrary to what some may believe, God did not create a devil. He created an angel that became the devil. The origin of sin is found in…
To give a little history so that we have context to the verses we just read, we are reading about Jacob and his family. Jacob had 2 wives that were sisters, 2 handmaidens that became his wives as well and twelve sons. The wife he cherished above all was Rachel and the son he had by her, Joseph, was the apple of his eye. Joseph was honest, upright and of good character. Jacob’s other sons were deeply flawed with deep-seated jealousy and deceitfulness. They were morally unstable and had violent tendencies. They despised Joseph because of Jacob’s love for him. Jacob gifted Joseph with a multi-colored coat that his brothers stripped off him before throwing him in a pit. They eventually sold him into slavery while deceiving their father into believing that Joseph had been destroyed by a wild beast.
John 18:28-19:9
This was the first and only time that Pilate and the Lord encountered each other face to face. The religious leaders and elders of the Jews brought Jesus bound to Pilate to be judged. Pilate didn’t want to deal with Jesus at all. He first told the Jews that brought him “Take ye him, and judge him according to your law” but they refused because they replied “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death” because they did not want to defile themselves before the Passover. Pilate comes back into the judgment hall and has a dialogue with Christ that makes him uncomfortable.