1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,280 When I will sing the praise of the Lord, I'll sing of Him who knows for He has made me glad. 2 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:20,320 He has made me glad, He has made me glad, of Him who knows for He has made me glad. 3 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:30,800 He has made me glad, He has made me glad, of Him who knows for He has made me glad. 4 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:37,600 I will sing the praise that they sing in my heart, I will sing to the rest of the nations. 5 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:47,120 I will sing this day that the Lord has made, of Him who knows for He has made me glad. 6 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:55,840 He has made me glad, He has made me glad, of Him who knows for He has made me glad, 7 00:00:55,840 --> 00:01:05,360 He has made me glad, He has made me glad, of Him who knows for He has made me glad. 8 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:12,640 And I'll lie down to my friend, 9 00:01:12,640 --> 00:01:19,240 And when we have waken, we can launch my way 10 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:26,040 Still you're there right beside me 11 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:32,840 Nothing will I fear as long as you are near 12 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:42,440 Leading me near, leading me unto the end 13 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:48,440 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet 14 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:55,640 And a light unto my eyes 15 00:01:55,640 --> 00:02:01,240 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet 16 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:08,440 And a light unto my eyes 17 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:14,640 I will not croak, you are so lovely and yes 18 00:02:14,640 --> 00:02:21,440 Thy heart forever is mine and great 19 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:28,040 Jesus be thy God and promise me your side 20 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:34,640 And I will love you until the end 21 00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:43,640 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet 22 00:02:43,640 --> 00:02:50,640 And a light unto my eyes 23 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:57,640 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet 24 00:02:57,640 --> 00:03:05,640 And a light unto my eyes 25 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:54,640 I forgive me 26 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,040 Does God want us to understand parables? 27 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,840 That's the question. Does God want us to understand parables? 28 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,640 And I submit to you the answer is yes. 29 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:11,240 However, we're going to see that it can be confusing in the scripture when people talk about it 30 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:16,240 because the very next thing you'll notice just below that is a reference 31 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:22,040 and it's a book and it starts with an I therefore it is probably Isaiah. Very good. 32 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:29,040 Yeah, that's an E. 33 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:43,040 Isaiah, okay, and it's chapter 6 and the verses are 9 and 10. 34 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:48,040 Okay, so Isaiah, look at that. 35 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:57,040 6, 9 to 10. Now after you read this you realize it does sound like some people at least God does not want them to understand. 36 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:02,040 Okay, so this is what's happening. Isaiah is getting his commission to be a prophet to go speak on behalf of God. 37 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:08,040 And Isaiah writes this he says and I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us. 38 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:16,040 Then I said here I am send me and he said go and say to the people keep on hearing but do not understand. 39 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:23,040 Keep on seeing but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy. 40 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,040 That sounds like he doesn't want them to understand, right? 41 00:05:26,040 --> 00:05:31,040 And then that same reference is used in the New Testament and we'll talk about it in a second. 42 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:35,040 So first of all, we're right under Isaiah 6, 9 to 10 right under does God want us to understand. 43 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:41,040 It says Isaiah 6, 9 to 10 and then the very next thing is what? Go and tell. That's right. 44 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:48,040 So God was saying to him go and tell and so normally when God says to somebody go and tell you expect that the message is going to be delivered 45 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,040 and the people are going to receive the message and they're going to understand it, right? 46 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:55,040 That's the idea. He was supposed to go and explain or go and help them understand or whatever. 47 00:05:55,040 --> 00:06:04,040 But that is not what God said. God said go and tell and then after that and depending on your translation you get different words here. 48 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:09,040 I'll give you the ones out of the New American Standard, but you could you could kind of phrase that we want. 49 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:17,040 It's listen, but do not understand listen, but do not understand look, but do not perceive. 50 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:20,040 Okay, so in other words, they were going to open their ears. 51 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,040 They were going to hear the words, but they were not going to understand the words. 52 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:27,040 And if you ever are kind of debating with what the word understand means, it's kind of in the word. 53 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:32,040 It means to stand under what you heard, right? Understand means to stand under it. 54 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:37,040 So in other words, they were not going to be able to apply it in their lives, figure it out, figure out what it really meant. 55 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:40,040 Even though they listen and heard it, they were not going to be able to do that. 56 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:45,040 That's what God told Isaiah as he went to go and tell them they were going to do. 57 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,040 They were going to listen, but not understand. They were going to look, but not perceive. 58 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:56,040 And then Jesus quotes these same words in those references that you have there in Mark 412, Luke 810. 59 00:06:56,040 --> 00:07:00,040 The last line, I'm going to listen, but do not understand. 60 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,040 Look, but do not perceive. Okay. 61 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:07,040 And then Mark 412, Luke 810, I'll go and read one of them for you. 62 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:16,040 I will use the Mark 13 one because that's close to the other things that we're going to read today. 63 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:20,040 Mark 13, 14, and 15. 64 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,040 That may not be right. Nope. 65 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:30,040 I'll fix the reference hopefully, but that is not going to work. We'll do the Luke 810 one. I apologize. 66 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:33,040 There we go. Okay. 67 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:37,040 When his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said to you, 68 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,040 to you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, 69 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:46,040 but for others they are in parables so that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understand. 70 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:50,040 There it is. He's quoting Isaiah 6, 9, and 10. 71 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:54,040 He does that over in the book of Mark. He does it a couple of times. 72 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:58,040 And then also, you follow the arrow down and around where it says also. 73 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:01,040 And there's a book there and it starts with an A, so it's probably Acts. 74 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:05,040 Very good, Caleb. He's practiced up on these. Acts 28, 26. 75 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:10,040 But that's not about Jesus, right? If we're in Acts 28, who is the main character? 76 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:16,040 The church is the main character of the whole book, but Paul is the main character of Acts 28, right? 77 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:19,040 So after about 9, 10, it transitions to be Paul. 78 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,040 Previous to that is Peter, who is the leader of the church. 79 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,040 And Paul becomes the missionary to take it out to everybody. 80 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,040 And so those references there, we're not going to go there and read it for the interest of time, 81 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:35,040 it's about Paul. So you follow the arrow over and there's a P and it's probably Paul. 82 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:44,040 It's Paul, okay. And it's being used about his ministry, following down to the right, to Jews. 83 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:50,040 So in other words, Paul quoted those verses, or they were quoted about his ministry to the Jews 84 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:55,040 because the Jews were still listening but not understanding, looking but not perceiving. 85 00:08:55,040 --> 00:09:00,040 So even though he was, and he wasn't really speaking in parables, he told the parables of Jesus. 86 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:06,040 But most of what he told was pretty point blank statements about repentance and turning to God and like that. 87 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:11,040 So did you get that? So you follow those arrows, you went from where it said, 88 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:15,040 listen but do not understand, looking but do not perceive, to the right, and you get a bunch of references. 89 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:21,040 Then the arrow goes around down toward the also, the blank is axe, so it's axe 28, 26. 90 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:30,040 And then there's an arrow up to the left and it says Paul, below Paul is about, then his ministry to Jews, down to the right. 91 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:36,040 And then there's a long arrow that goes up over top of the birds, around to the left margin. 92 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:43,040 Okay, and it says rem. And if you ever wrote in basic back in the day, rem was what you put before a line 93 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:47,040 that it doesn't do the thing that you're, it just reminds you of something. 94 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:53,040 Okay, so this is just to remind us of our definition of parables that we said applies in the Bible. 95 00:09:53,040 --> 00:10:00,040 It's any striking speech or, ds is what? You got it in your notebook but you might not have to go back to it if you don't want to. 96 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:07,040 It's any striking speech or, say it again? Nope, too complicated. It's dark saying. 97 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:16,040 If you go back two weeks, two weeks ago we talked about the biblical definition if you will, and it was any direct speech, striking speech or dark saying. 98 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:26,040 And it was, the I is intended to, do you remember what the ST is? We're straining ourselves, our recollection, to stimulate thought. 99 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:34,040 Okay, so inside the Bible it doesn't have to be a story to be a parabolae. It can be a dark saying, right? 100 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:39,040 It can just be a few words or a phrase and that might be the parabolae that we're talking about. 101 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:46,040 Last week we dwelled on what it was as literature but we contrasted that with what it was, what it is in the Bible. 102 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:51,040 Okay, so any striking speech or dark saying intended to stimulate thought. 103 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:58,040 So those verses about Paul's ministry and the verses about Jesus' ministry were saying that they would not get it. 104 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:02,040 Some of them would not get it, or so it seems, right? 105 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:06,040 So then I ask the question again, did God want them to understand the parables? 106 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:11,040 And I still think the answer is yes, don't you? Did God want them to repent of their sin? Sure He did. 107 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:19,040 So then what is He saying when He's saying you go and tell but in telling make this true that they will listen and not understand, 108 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:28,040 that they will look but not, or listen and not perceive, that they will look but not under, I got it backwards, listen but not understand, look but not perceive. 109 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:32,040 There we go. What does that mean? Okay, I'm going to step aside for one second. 110 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:38,040 Does anybody remember the story of Jonah? It's a standalone story. The book of the Bible is Jonah, right? 111 00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:44,040 Fled from doing what God told him to do. What did God tell him to do? Go to Nineveh and preach, right? 112 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:48,040 And what was the message that he was supposed to preach to Nineveh? Destruction. 113 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:51,040 Actually it wasn't change. That's what he feared would happen, right? 114 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:59,040 He said of God, he said, if I go and preach that you'll destroy them, they'll repent and turn to you because you're a good God. 115 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:03,040 You'll accept their repentance and you'll not destroy them. And I don't want that. 116 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:07,040 And that's why he didn't want to go and preach destruction to Nineveh because he was afraid that they would repent. 117 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:15,040 I dwell down hard on that. But the message is key. Jonah's message to them was a parable. What was it? 118 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:22,040 God's going to destroy Nineveh in three days. That was the message. God is going to. Not God might, not God will if you don't repent. 119 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:27,040 God is going to destroy. He walked through the entire city teaching everyone and what did they do? They all repented. 120 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:35,040 They threw on their sackcloth and ashes. They even put sackcloth on the cows. Everybody in the city all over repented. 121 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:41,040 And because of that, God then gave them new life. If you will, he let them live. They lived for about over 150 more years. 122 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:52,040 That nation survived. But even because of that, the army that was threatening Israel that Jonah really wanted to see destroyed or withdraw by Nineveh being under attack, right? 123 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:59,040 They still withdrew the army. They just didn't withdraw it because God destroyed the city. They withdrew it because they repented. 124 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:07,040 And they realized that God had spared them. And then I think it was about 153 years later, they had turned back to wickedness so completely that the city is basically destroyed. 125 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:12,040 So the prophecy of Jonah comes true except not in the exact same days, right? Number of days. 126 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:23,040 The point is that dark saying could have resulted in them ignoring him and continuing on their current course in which case God would have destroyed Nineveh in 3 days. 127 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:35,040 Or they could respond to it. They could have listened and not understood, right? They could have looked and not perceived but they didn't. 128 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:42,040 They said, okay, wait, we need to turn to God. And now we see the purpose of parables. You're beginning to see the purpose of parables. 129 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:49,040 So we're following down under, it's a dark saying intended to stimulate thought. That's one possibility. 130 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:55,040 And then you've got the arrow that kind of goes straight down a little bit then over to the left and then down. It's like a little funky little arrow there. 131 00:13:55,040 --> 00:14:06,040 We see it clearly in the New Testament that even though it's a dark saying intended to stimulate thought, but even when, anyone want to finish it? 132 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:16,040 Can you continue on the thought? But even when not said openly, jump in any time, still somewhat understood. 133 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:25,040 Okay, and we'll give you the example of that which you can find in Matthew 21. And there's a couple. This is the one that stands out, makes it pretty clear. 134 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:35,040 So Matthew 21 verses 45 and 46 say this, so Jesus tells this parable, it's a parable, even though it's not a long story with a point or analogy or anything like that. 135 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:40,040 Jesus said to them, have you never read in the scriptures the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone? 136 00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:50,040 This was the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore, I tell you the King of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 137 00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:56,040 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces and when it falls on anyone it will crush him. Now listen to this. 138 00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:03,040 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 139 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:08,040 Hear it? And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds because they held him to be a prophet. 140 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:14,040 See what he's saying? So even though they couldn't get what he was saying, they wouldn't understand it or stand under it. 141 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:20,040 They wouldn't fully perceive it, right? But they knew it was about them. They knew enough to know they didn't like it. 142 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:27,040 And that's how people respond to parables and the teachings of God in general sometimes. They just don't like it. 143 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:33,040 When God tells you that you should love your neighbor as yourself, that sounds keen. That's kind of cool. 144 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:43,040 But when God says you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you, which means even if they're mean, bad, liars, cheats, thieves, coming at you with a knife, 145 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:54,040 you're supposed to still do unto them as you would have them do unto you. Not so that they will do what you do, but just the way you would want them to treat you, that's the way you're supposed to treat them. 146 00:15:54,040 --> 00:16:02,040 That's hard because some people are bad. What they do is bad. I mean they're not any more bad than we are necessarily, but they're bad in the sense of what they do. 147 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:09,040 And so then we don't want to do to them what we want them to do to us. We want them to do to us what we want, and then we want to do them whatever we want. 148 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:18,040 And that is not how it works. So the point is people rebel against the simple teachings of Jesus and sometimes things become dark sayings that people can't understand. 149 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:27,040 But the truth is you can kind of understand it. If everybody in the world would do to each other what they want the other person to do back to them, it'd be a pretty awesome place. 150 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:34,040 But it isn't because that's not what people are doing. And if you explain that to them that's what they're supposed to do, they're not going to get it. 151 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:40,040 Even though they might kind of understand it enough to perceive it mentally, they can't put it in their life. 152 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:45,040 So we're going to go down straight down from there then that arrow down kind of slightly left. 153 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:54,040 And we're going to the book of Mark. So that line is Mark chapter 4, 33 to 34, and then also chapter 4 verse 22. 154 00:16:54,040 --> 00:17:02,040 Okay, so we're we're remember reading these verses now thinking about parables. Okay, flip back to Mark. 155 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:12,040 Mark 4. I'm going to get start getting the answer to our question because Jesus is teaching on the very topic that we're teaching about today. 156 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:19,040 It says in 433, with many such parables, he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 157 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:25,040 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything. 158 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:29,040 And then when you fall back to verse 22, you read, I'll read 21 so you see it coming in. 159 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:34,040 He said to them, Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed or not on a stand? 160 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:42,040 For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest or revealed, nor is anything secret except to come to light. 161 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:52,040 So if these dark sayings, parables, stories, teachings of Jesus have something revealed in them, I'm sorry, have something hidden in them, why is it hidden there? 162 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:57,040 What is the purpose of it being hidden? When you hear a parable and you go, that's interesting. I think about that. 163 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:03,040 What is the purpose of the thing that's hidden in the parable? What do you think, Natalie? What's the purpose of it? What do you do with it? 164 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:07,040 Natalie, ever play hide and seek? Play with your sisters ever? Did they go and hide? And then what? 165 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:12,040 That's it, isn't it? That's it. It's hidden there to be revealed. 166 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:18,040 Right? We play hide and seek. You don't just go, you all go hide now and then you go sit down and watch TV while they're out there all hiding. 167 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:24,040 Because eventually they'll get bored and they'll come back and find you and it's kind of ugly for a few minutes after that when they realize you're watching TV and they're playing hide and seek. 168 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:30,040 Right? So that's not really how it goes. When something is hidden, it's hidden to be revealed. Right? 169 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:38,040 Has anybody here ever put back some money? Say back a few bucks, put it in your sock drawer, coffee can, Pringles can. Yeah? Yeah? 170 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:44,040 Why'd you do that? Anybody here ever put back money and then forget where you put it? Yeah, I've done that too. Right? 171 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:48,040 And then you were mad. You know why you were mad or you were frustrated or you were searching? 172 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:52,040 Because you put it away so that you could get it again and now you can't figure out where it's at. 173 00:18:52,040 --> 00:19:01,040 Well that's the teachings of God. That's what Jesus is saying. They're not there to be lost. They're there to be found or to be revealed. 174 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:05,040 And that's the next line, to be revealed. Okay? And so that's Jesus. 175 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:12,040 So now if we go back to the beginning of our question was, does God intend for us to understand the parables? 176 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:17,040 And I want to say the answer is yes, insofar as what? 177 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:22,040 They're not intended to be understood at first, but they're intended for us to find the included in ourselves. 178 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:25,040 Okay, I'll say with God's help, but I agree with you. Yep? 179 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:30,040 So basically what he's saying is initially you hear the parable and you don't fully understand it. 180 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:34,040 The truth of it is hidden in the parable and it's like that on purpose. Right? 181 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:40,040 And then when you go to God, remember that all Christianity is about going to God. Every bit of it. 182 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:43,040 Jesus died so that we can go to God. Right? 183 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:47,040 You get saved and one of the key points of getting saved is repenting, turning to God. 184 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:51,040 It's not about turning from a specific sin. Yes, you repent of that sin. You do that. 185 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:53,040 But you turn to God when you do that. 186 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:56,040 Because if you don't, if you turn from that sin, you'll just turn to another sin. 187 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:59,040 Or you might walk a little better for a little while and then turn to another sin. Right? 188 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,040 Or maybe even the same sin again because you go, oh, that was good enough. 189 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:05,040 I had a year off and I can go back to it now or whatever. 190 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:10,040 But if you turn to God, that's what Jesus died so that we could turn to God. 191 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:14,040 And the gospel includes the remission of sins now being available when people what? 192 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,040 When they turn to God through Jesus. Right? 193 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:22,040 So what he's saying is correct. God intends us to find those deeper meanings. 194 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:27,040 But they're initially in the parable to be found. That makes sense? 195 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,040 So the answer is yes, he wants us to find them. 196 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:34,040 But initially, if you just read the parable and went, oh, that just means this and boom, done. 197 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:38,040 Then he would not achieve what he's trying to achieve. 198 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:43,040 Because God is trying to teach us something deeper than this story and these things mean this. 199 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:47,040 There's something more there than that. It's something about human nature, something about his nature, 200 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:50,040 something about the relationship between man and God. Right? 201 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:54,040 I don't know if you ever noticed this or not, but there's probably moments in time where you're emotional 202 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:59,040 or you're psyched about something or you're really down and out because something happened bad. Right? 203 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:03,040 Whatever. And you can't like you would have a hard time expressing your words, 204 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:08,040 but you can put music on that matches your mood and find the song that goes, that's it. Right? 205 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:13,040 Because in music, you can convey emotion that you might not easily be able to convey in words. 206 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:16,040 It's a different language. Parables are like that. 207 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:23,040 Another language to convey to us the relationship between man and God in ways that we can deeper understand. 208 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:30,040 If Jesus just said, like take a parable like something like, what's a good example? 209 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:36,040 Leaven works its way through a batch of dough. And Jesus said, you know, sin will spread throughout your life. 210 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:40,040 If you let it, it'll spread throughout your life. And if that's what he said, that would be a dark saying. 211 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:43,040 And there probably could be more to it. You could drill down on it. 212 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:47,040 But when Jesus said sin is like leaven worked into a batch of dough. 213 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:52,040 By the time it's done, it spreads throughout every last little bit. It touches the entire batch of dough. Right? 214 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:57,040 Then you go, well, what does he mean? Sin is like leaven. Oh, I see what that means. You know? 215 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:01,040 And not only that, but you kind of don't see it. Once it's in the dough, you kind of don't see it anymore. 216 00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:04,040 But then if you step back and watch, the dough will expand. Right? 217 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:07,040 It's expanding because leaven's in it and it all expands. 218 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:11,040 And you like get all this deeper meaning that God is trying to show you. 219 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:24,040 Then if he had just said the simple straight up saying, same as you can do with music, same as you can do with poetry, books, literature, theater, drama, role play, all of those methods that people had to convey deeper teachings. 220 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:26,040 And parables are an example of that. OK? 221 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:31,040 All right. So we're going to move across the path. So you're going to go all the way on the right hand side across the path. 222 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:34,040 You'll see the number two at the top. OK? 223 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:41,040 And you see the number two with a dash before and a dash after. And it says this. It says parables are a gift. That's right. 224 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:49,040 Gift. And I'm going to give you the next little bit because I the copier cut it off to the on most for those who cannot hear. That is correct. 225 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:54,040 Parables are a gift for those who cannot hear. Now we have the Holy Spirit. 226 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:59,040 We are saved if you're here and you're actually a Christian. Right. You're at the Holy Spirit and you're safe. 227 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:07,040 So in theory, you can hear your your eyes have been open. Your ears have been unplugged. Your heart is active in the kingdom. 228 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:12,040 You can hear what God is saying. If you are a Christian, you can be affected. OK, you can be directed. 229 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:16,040 We can have a Lord. He tells us what to do and we do it. Holy Spirit convicts men of their sin. 230 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:20,040 But on top of that, he also leads and guides us into everything that Jesus taught. 231 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:26,040 That's what Jesus said he would do. I will send him you another comforter and he will teach you everything that I have taught you. Right. 232 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:32,040 So we have that. But when we were lost, we didn't have that. So then we were people who couldn't hear. 233 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:35,040 You can follow the logic. And there are lots of people in the world now who can't hear. 234 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:42,040 So parables become a gift for those who cannot hear because they go, wait, there is something there. 235 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:47,040 And they start to look and what's the first thing they start to do if they realize it comes from the Bible, they realize Jesus spoke. 236 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:50,040 What's the first thing they start to do when they start to figure out what that parable means. 237 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:57,040 Read the parable, absorb the parable. And if they really want to know what Jesus said, they turn to God. Right. 238 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:01,040 And when you turn to God, as Jesus did with the disciples, what did it say? 239 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:08,040 The disciples were getting an explanation of the teaching because they would go to Jesus and they would say, OK, Jesus, please explain to us this. 240 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:10,040 And Jesus would explain to them that God is doing the same thing today. 241 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:19,040 Parables are a gift for those who cannot hear. And then it says R and R. OK. And the first R is respond. 242 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,040 So once you hear that parable, you've got to you've got to care. Right. 243 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:26,040 If Jesus speaks a parable, you don't care. You're not going to get nothing out of it. Right. 244 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:33,040 Or if the pastor preaches something and you don't care, you're not taking notes, you're not really listening, you're not digging down, you're not asking yourself the deep soul searching questions. 245 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:38,040 When somebody is preaching, that's the way it should be. You should be going, OK, God could be speaking here. 246 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:43,040 God could be doing something. Right. I've got to be prepared to respond to what I'm learning today. 247 00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:49,040 Or if you read your Bible, you'll sit in your little prayer closet or out on your deck, your porch and the sunlight and you go, I'm going to read this here. 248 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:54,040 Lamp under a basket. Oh, OK, let's see what this means. Yeah, that's pretty good. That's good writing. 249 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:59,040 No response. You get nothing. If you're not going to go, what am I supposed to do about this? What am I supposed to be? 250 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,040 How am I supposed to be affected? You get nothing. 251 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:07,040 And then the blessing is when you have a response, it's response and what? Receive. 252 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:12,040 The disciples responded to the parable by going to Jesus and said, I need to know better about this. 253 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:16,040 And Jesus gave them the answer. And that's what he does for us. 254 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:21,040 He will do the same for us through his Holy Spirit and through additional references in his word. 255 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:25,040 You'll go find other things where it's written, it explains it better or connects or whatever. 256 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:32,040 So you respond, you receive. You fail to respond, you don't receive. That's how it works. OK. 257 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:39,040 Now we're jumping the row of stones going straight down and now we're going to get into talking about the parable 258 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:44,040 that teaches the very same thing that we're talking about today that Jesus told. Isn't that wonderful? 259 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:50,040 So he told a parable, a parable lay on this topic, though we might not realize it until we take a look at it. 260 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:55,040 And so it's in Mark chapter four. The parable is in verses three to nine. 261 00:25:55,040 --> 00:26:00,040 But we're actually going to read where Jesus explains the parable, which is in verses 13 to 20. 262 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:05,040 So three to nine is the parable of the sower who went out to sow seed. 263 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:10,040 And he dropped some along the way and blah, blah, blah. And then the disciples go to him and said, we need this. 264 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:14,040 And then we already read the verses right before it where it says, they said, Jesus said, but for those outside, 265 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:19,040 everything is in parable so that they may indeed see but not perceive and may indeed hear but not understand, 266 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:27,040 lest they should turn and be forgiven. OK. And then in 13, and he said to them, do you not understand this parable? 267 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:32,040 How then will you understand all the parables? You get that? So it was a rhetorical question. 268 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:36,040 The answer is you won't. If you don't get this one, you won't get them all. 269 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:42,040 So if you've never read this parable, then you are shut out of being able to understand all of the other parables. 270 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:45,040 You'll understand some probably. He didn't say some. He said all. 271 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:51,040 So there are many parables and you wouldn't get them if you can't get the understanding of this. 272 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:55,040 Now, you could possibly get the understanding of this parable another way. Right. 273 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:58,040 So you could figure it out. Nobody ever told me about gravity when I was a kid. 274 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:02,040 I just kind of stumbled on the truth of it. Right. Every time I fell, every time I dropped something, 275 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:06,040 I knew gravity was there. And then when I got in school, they said, oh, there's this thing called gravity. Right. 276 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:11,040 So you could get to the truth of this parable and understand it without ever actually having heard it. 277 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:15,040 That is possible. So 13 says, and he said to them, do you not understand this parable? 278 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:20,040 How then will you understand all the parables? 14, the sower sows the word, 279 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:25,040 and these are the ones along the path where the word is sown. 280 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:30,040 When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 281 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:36,040 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground, the ones who, when they hear the word, 282 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:40,040 immediately receive it with joy, and they have no root in themselves, 283 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:45,040 but endure for a while then when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, 284 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:50,040 immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. 285 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:55,040 They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches 286 00:27:55,040 --> 00:28:01,040 and the desires for other things enters in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 287 00:28:01,040 --> 00:28:06,040 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who heard the word and accept it 288 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:10,040 and bear fruit thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. 289 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:16,040 Okay, so we're following down from, you got your reference there on three, 290 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:19,040 and then we're going to go down, ignore that thing on the left for the moment, 291 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:23,040 go down, follow the arrow, and it says seed. You should see the word seed. 292 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:26,040 And in this parable, okay, so Jesus is explaining this parable. 293 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:30,040 Now what kind of parable do we say it, a parabolae, do we say it is, 294 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:34,040 where everything in the parable represents something. Not a contrast, not a simile, 295 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:38,040 but, does anybody remember? Everything represents something. It's an analogy. 296 00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:43,040 An analogy is that thing where everything represents, or an allegory, both of those things. 297 00:28:43,040 --> 00:28:46,040 Okay, allegory is actually the word that we use, was allegory, I apologize. 298 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:50,040 Okay, so seed represents what? That's the easy one. 299 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:55,040 The seed in the story that we just read is the word, that's right. 300 00:28:55,040 --> 00:29:00,040 Okay, so seed is the word. And then, now we've got the blank on the left, 301 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:04,040 something that starts with an S represents four kinds of people. 302 00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:08,040 Not the sower, say it again. Not the sprouts, the soils. 303 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:12,040 The soils in the story, he said, he listed them all out for us, 304 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:17,040 but he listed all four kinds of soils, and then he told us what each one was like. 305 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:23,040 Okay, and then the birds represent, close, Satan, right. 306 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:28,040 So he actually says the devil comes and steals away before it can bear any fruit, 307 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:31,040 or take a fruit, or whatever. So birds represent Satan. 308 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:38,040 The thorns represent? Okay, kind of both, but kind of neither. 309 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:44,040 So let's read it real quick. Thorns, the third one, thank you. 310 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:48,040 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 311 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:53,040 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things 312 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,040 enter in and choke out the word. I would go with temptation. 313 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:01,040 I think it's cares and riches, right. I know that that's simple, 314 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:05,040 but I think the thing is what are we worried about? What are we thinking about? 315 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:09,040 What's our focus on? And if your focus is on something that takes you away from, 316 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:12,040 I don't want to get ahead of myself, but multiplying, producing, 317 00:30:12,040 --> 00:30:15,040 doing the things that God would have you to do, and you're in trouble, 318 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:20,040 because those cares and riches will choke out your fruitfulness, at least. 319 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:23,040 And actually it sounds like it can be a lot worse than that, okay. 320 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:28,040 All right, and then now we've got the blanks on the left, okay. 321 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:33,040 And then the word right after the equal sign is trouble. 322 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:37,040 So that T is trouble. And troubles come with persecution. 323 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:39,040 Big word, both of them. Both of those are... 324 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:43,040 Yep, so it goes equals trouble and persecution. 325 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:48,040 Now notice that he says trouble and persecution on account of the word, right. 326 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:52,040 So if you ever wonder, am I being persecuted, you could be pretty clear 327 00:30:52,040 --> 00:30:56,040 if you're being attacked or mistreated or whatever because of the word, 328 00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:59,040 because of something you're living that's right by God. 329 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,040 Oh, that's what we're going to ask right now. So what goes before it? 330 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:07,040 Nope. Trouble and persecution in the parable were represented by what? 331 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:10,040 Okay, back up a little bit to the beginning. 332 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:15,040 So you have the on the road, okay, and these are the ones on a rocky ground, 333 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,040 the ones who when they hear the word immediately receive it with joy, 334 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:20,040 and they have no root in themselves but endure for a while, 335 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:25,040 then with tribulation or troubles or persecution arises on account of the word, 336 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,040 immediately they fall away. 337 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:29,040 Okay, so this version doesn't say it. That's why we're not getting it. 338 00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:31,040 It's sun. It's the scorching sun. 339 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,040 New American standard says the scorching sun. 340 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:36,040 Okay, I apologize that this...what is this? 341 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:40,040 Oh, this is the ESV. That's why it sounds so smooth. 342 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:45,040 All right, scorching sun equals trouble and persecution on account of the word. 343 00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:49,040 Okay, and then the good soil equals people who what? 344 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:52,040 What do they do? This is a good soil. What do they do? 345 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:57,040 They receive it or hear it, receive it or hear it. 346 00:31:57,040 --> 00:32:00,040 Yeah, so that would be produce. 347 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:02,040 So the final thing they do is produce, right? 348 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:05,040 So they receive it or hear it, and then they accept it, 349 00:32:05,040 --> 00:32:09,040 and they produce or generate fruit because of it. 350 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:12,040 So basically they have a three-part action plan. 351 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:15,040 You hear the...if you talk about parables specifically, are you with me? 352 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:19,040 Talk about parables specifically, they hear the parable, right? 353 00:32:19,040 --> 00:32:22,040 They accept the parable. Remember, that's part of the response. 354 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:24,040 You don't have anything unless you accept it, 355 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:28,040 and then they produce something because of it. They do something because of it. 356 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:31,040 So it goes people who hear, accept, and produce. 357 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:35,040 That's what I have on mine, but you can substitute words there if you like it better. 358 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:37,040 And the ESV does it a little differently. 359 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:41,040 This says hear and accept and bear fruit is what it says in the ESV. 360 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:45,040 That's what actually in verse 20. 361 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:46,040 What's the one in people's soil? 362 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:53,040 After, or good soil equals people who hear, accept, and produce or bear fruit. 363 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:56,040 So here is the million-dollar question in the parable of the sower. 364 00:32:56,040 --> 00:33:00,040 Of the four soils, who hears? 365 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:02,040 All of them, right? All hear. 366 00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:07,040 And then the word accept, where it says they accept in 420, 367 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,040 I just put a little note here because it's interesting, 368 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:13,040 it can mean to acknowledge, accept could be to take something, 369 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:18,040 it also can mean to acknowledge something as true, or even it can mean to love. 370 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:25,040 So when these people accept this word, they, yeah, that's right, and they love it all at the same time. 371 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:29,040 It's a different word from just, huh, whatever, I go to church and I listen. 372 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:32,040 Pastor preaches and we're pretty glad that that happens, 373 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:34,040 but we don't really do anything about it. 374 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:38,040 We go to Bible study and we study the word, and yeah, that's what we do. 375 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:41,040 We know that's what God wants us to do. We're faithful and obedient to do that. 376 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:46,040 It's different. You love it. You want it. You seek it. You desire it. Okay? 377 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:49,040 All right. So now we're going back up to the right side. 378 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:54,040 So if you follow, where it says Mark 4, 13 to 20, and then there's a stone wall, 379 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:57,040 and then it says, how does one receive a gift? 380 00:33:57,040 --> 00:33:59,040 Halfway up the page on the right-hand side. 381 00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:02,040 There's supposed to be a four there, but I think it got copied off. 382 00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:04,040 How does one receive a gift? 383 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:08,040 In this example, first must recognize the offer, 384 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:10,040 and that's the problem with a lot of people, isn't it? 385 00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:13,040 With the word of God, they don't realize it's available to them. 386 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:16,040 They don't realize that God himself wants to talk to them. 387 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:18,040 That God himself wants to teach them. 388 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:21,040 So they don't care, and that was the way it was with Jesus. 389 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:23,040 They didn't recognize the offer that Jesus was making. 390 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:29,040 Let's say I have a gift and somebody, I'm going to give it to Caleb, 391 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:31,040 and I stand up here and I say, here you go, Caleb. Here you go. 392 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,040 First thing he does is what? 393 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,040 He reaches out. First thing he does is he reaches out, 394 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:40,040 and that's the response to a parable, to a teaching of Christ, to a dark saying. 395 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:42,040 Our response is to reach out. 396 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:45,040 Now, obviously, if we really want the right answers, we reach out to God. 397 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,040 That's the real purpose of that. 398 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:49,040 But sometimes people reach out to other things. 399 00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:53,040 They'll say, well, Pastor, explain it to me, or Mom or Dad, explain it to me, 400 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:57,040 or maybe a commentary, or a Bible dictionary. 401 00:34:57,040 --> 00:35:00,040 Instead of going to God to understand, they go to a source 402 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,040 where somebody's already done the work for them and went to God to understand. 403 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:05,040 And that's not always a good thing. 404 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:09,040 And so after you reach out toward the gift, the gift transfers hands, 405 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:15,040 and you start with a G, grasp it, or grab it, if you want to say that. 406 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:18,040 You grasp it, take control of it, you hold it in your hand. 407 00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:20,040 We're talking about how do you receive a gift. 408 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:23,040 And then there are very few words in the English language that start with the A-C-K, 409 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,040 acknowledge is correct. 410 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:27,040 So this is how you receive a gift. 411 00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:31,040 You recognize the offer, you reach out, you grasp it, you acknowledge it, right? 412 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:33,040 What's the A-N-E-O? 413 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:35,040 Reach out. She's with you. 414 00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:37,040 Okay, so it's reach out, grasp, acknowledge. 415 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:41,040 And then finally, and most importantly of all of them, we apply it. 416 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:45,040 Has anyone ever gotten a gift for Christmas or their birthday or whatever, 417 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:48,040 and then put it away? Maybe you put it away and forgot it, 418 00:35:48,040 --> 00:35:50,040 or you put it away thinking you didn't need it or whatever, 419 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:53,040 and you never used it for a long time? Has that ever happened? 420 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:55,040 It's happened to me. I think it's happened to most people. 421 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:59,040 And so if you do that, you have taken it into your possession. 422 00:35:59,040 --> 00:36:01,040 You own it. But the truth is, if it's in your closet, 423 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:04,040 let's say it's up in the closet on the top shelf or wherever you put it, 424 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:06,040 you put it hanging on the rod in your closet or wherever, 425 00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:09,040 and you don't look at it, day in, day out, you don't look at it. 426 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:12,040 If your spouse, your friend, the person who gave it to you, anybody comes, 427 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:15,040 and they go, oh, well, they don't use that, right? 428 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:18,040 And they take it out of the closet and they throw it in the garbage, 429 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:19,040 would you know the difference? 430 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:21,040 Not unless you went there and looked, right? 431 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:24,040 You go, oh, where did that go? Well, whatever, I wasn't using it anyway. 432 00:36:24,040 --> 00:36:26,040 Did you really receive the gift at that point? 433 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:29,040 If you get a shirt for Christmas and it sits in your closet for 10 years, 434 00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:31,040 did you really receive a gift? 435 00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:34,040 I mean, it would be like a paperweight, not a very good one. 436 00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:36,040 It would be like holding the rod down. 437 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:38,040 So, I mean, I don't know what's the value of that. 438 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:40,040 You could always think, well, I always have at least one shirt. 439 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:42,040 Probably I'll never wear it. 440 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:45,040 I mean, when you receive a gift, you apply the gift. 441 00:36:45,040 --> 00:36:48,040 And if you don't apply it, you should probably return it, get some money. 442 00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:51,040 And then if it's nothing else, buy a gift for the person who gave you the gift 443 00:36:51,040 --> 00:36:53,040 if you can't think of anything else to do. 444 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:56,040 You don't really get a gift unless you apply it. 445 00:36:56,040 --> 00:37:00,040 And so if you ignore a gift, if you build on something else 446 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:04,040 other than what's intended, if you get wrapped up in this world, 447 00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:11,040 not if you don't do it at all or you go too fast or if you go simultaneous. 448 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:14,040 Like there's a lot of people like I got a boyfriend or a girlfriend at church, 449 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,040 but I'm also learning about God. 450 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:18,040 There's a good this and good this too. 451 00:37:18,040 --> 00:37:20,040 If it's simultaneous, it's not working. 452 00:37:20,040 --> 00:37:23,040 It's not actually what God says because the cares and the riches are growing up 453 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:25,040 right alongside the fruit, right? 454 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:26,040 It's not working. 455 00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:29,040 Okay. So clearly we're not quite done. 456 00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:31,040 You see there's quite a bit left on the page. 457 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:33,040 The blanks are mostly done. 458 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:38,040 This pathway in the middle of the page represents the parable of the sower. 459 00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:39,040 The parable when he went out to sow. 460 00:37:39,040 --> 00:37:42,040 And if you'll look at his journey from the bottom left-hand on the little platform, 461 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:45,040 little house there, whatever that is, kind of going up, 462 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:48,040 you'll see that there are some seed, if you see the number 15, 463 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:50,040 some seed fell on the pathway. 464 00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:52,040 But where is it now? 465 00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:56,040 The seed that fell on the pathway, where is it now? 466 00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:58,040 It's in the belly of the bird, right? 467 00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:00,040 They're gone. They took it and they left. 468 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:02,040 That seed's gone. It didn't do nothing. 469 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:05,040 Then if you go a little further along on the right-hand side, 470 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:09,040 you see some seed fell in the stones and it sprouted up pretty good. 471 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:14,040 But then because when the soil warms up, that's when a seed germinates. 472 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:17,040 So if it's thin soil comes up faster, but there were no roots. 473 00:38:17,040 --> 00:38:21,040 So you'll notice they all fell over. They're laying there worthless. 474 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:22,040 Look at the other side. 475 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:24,040 There's thorns all the way along the other side. 476 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:25,040 Some seed fell over there. 477 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:28,040 And those thorns grew up and they choked out all of the growth. 478 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,040 And now it's all laying on the ground waste that are wrapped up in the thorns. 479 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:33,040 It'll never be harvested. It's worthless. 480 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:37,040 And then the farmer finally made it to his destination and he threw the seed, 481 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,040 as in 20, he threw the seed all there. 482 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:42,040 And now there's a ton of produce. 483 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:48,040 So we come back around to does God want us to understand parables? 484 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:50,040 So much more than that. 485 00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:55,040 That question is shallow by comparison to what he actually desires, right? 486 00:38:55,040 --> 00:39:02,040 We can say yes, but boy, we better qualify it and say there is so much there for us to learn. 487 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:06,040 It goes beyond what's written and then beyond what we learn and beyond what we learn. 488 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:10,040 And God can keep bringing us back to the same parable over and over and over again, 489 00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:13,040 keep refining us, teaching us more, showing how it affects us, 490 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:15,040 showing how it affects our relationship with others. 491 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:16,040 There is so much more there. 492 00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:21,040 But at the same time, realize parables are a gift to those who cannot hear, 493 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:24,040 to get their attention, to realize that they are not hearing. 494 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:27,040 And then if they drill down on the parable the way they should, 495 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:29,040 if they actually receive it the way they should, 496 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:34,040 they'll begin to respond and receive and God will make it clear to them what it says. 497 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:37,040 There's one thing on the whole page that we haven't talked about. 498 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:40,040 I give candy to the first person who can tell me where it's at. 499 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:42,040 There's one thing on the whole page we haven't talked about. 500 00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:45,040 No, we talked about the cellar a little bit. 501 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:51,040 Nope. The answer is yes. We said that. 502 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:53,040 Where are we at? What are you saying, Tim? 503 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:59,040 On the bottom of number two, there's a symbol enhancing the effect. 504 00:39:59,040 --> 00:40:00,040 I'm not sure what you're saying. 505 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:02,040 On the way to the bottom of here, right? 506 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,040 Yeah, no, I said that simultaneously. 507 00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:07,040 That's where I gave the example of like going to church with your boyfriend or girlfriend 508 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:09,040 and trying to do both at the same time. 509 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:12,040 It's pretty glaring. 510 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:15,040 I kind of said that with all the producing, right? What? 511 00:40:15,040 --> 00:40:17,040 The number one over God. 512 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:19,040 What's that at? Nope, that's where we started at. 513 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:25,040 It's right in the middle where it says, heard, seek, additional teaching, explanation. 514 00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:30,040 Now do you see it? So you heard the parable, you heard the lesson, you seek what? 515 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:34,040 You seek additional teaching from the Lord and He will give it. 516 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:36,040 He will explain it. He will teach it. 517 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:39,040 That's what He does. That's what the disciples did. 518 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:44,040 And that was the purpose of the parables, that they would lead us to seek additional teaching 519 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:47,040 and we would get from God an explanation. 520 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:49,040 See how that works? That's what the purpose is. 521 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:52,040 So what does God actually want you to do in response to the parables? 522 00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:55,040 Does He want you to understand the parables? Is that His goal? 523 00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:56,040 No, He wants you to go to Him. 524 00:40:56,040 --> 00:40:58,040 He wants you to seek Him. 525 00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:01,040 He wants you to seek His knowledge, seek His teaching, seek His wisdom, 526 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:04,040 seek all that He can give you through that parable. 527 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:07,040 And remember, a parable is not just a story with a meaning. 528 00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:09,040 It can be a simple saying. It can be a dark saying. 529 00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:11,040 Someone could say something to you. 530 00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:18,040 I had a dream and in my dream I realized that I was going up the wrong way in my dream 531 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:20,040 and I woke up with these words on my lips. 532 00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:23,040 You can't get up by going up the wrong way. 533 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:24,040 That's a dark saying, right? 534 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,040 And I asked the Lord, so what does that mean, Lord? 535 00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:30,040 And I started to realize that there were things that I was doing that I was not supposed to do, 536 00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:32,040 there were things that I was not doing that I was supposed to do, 537 00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:35,040 and debatably sin, they weren't really sinful things, 538 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:39,040 but they were just, I was off course and that's enough going up the wrong way. 539 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:43,040 So the first thing I did when I found something I didn't understand was, 540 00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:46,040 I saw additional teaching from the Lord and that's what we're called to do. 541 00:41:46,040 --> 00:41:48,040 And that's what they're all about. 542 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:53,040 Okay, so we're going to have a few questions on this topic here. 543 00:41:53,040 --> 00:42:04,040 So just, if anybody ever asks you, what's the one parable that Jesus said, 544 00:42:04,040 --> 00:42:08,040 if you don't know this parable, you should be able to answer that question. 545 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:09,040 Point them to this. 546 00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:13,040 And notice how if they'll drill down on it, they'll realize if they're not hearing. 547 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:14,040 Think about it. 548 00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:17,040 If they're not listening to God's teaching and you explained it this way, 549 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:20,040 drilling down on that parable, then they'll figure it out. 550 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:24,040 So Jason, what was the parable, the one parable that God said, 551 00:42:24,040 --> 00:42:27,040 if you don't know this one, you probably won't get them all. 552 00:42:27,040 --> 00:42:28,040 That is correct. 553 00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:30,040 The parable of the Sower, that's the simple name. 554 00:42:30,040 --> 00:42:33,040 That's the simple name for it coming at you. 555 00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:34,040 Nice try. 556 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:39,040 Okay, so I want to do just a little bit more of a game here because that just reminded me. 557 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:42,040 So I have a couple of additional prizes in here. 558 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:45,040 They are bags of cotton candy. 559 00:42:45,040 --> 00:42:47,040 That's a giant bag of cotton candy. 560 00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:49,040 Yep, so we're going to, this is what we're going to do. 561 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:51,040 I've got these balls. 562 00:42:51,040 --> 00:42:55,040 And also for those who don't eat cotton candy, I have a teddy bear. 563 00:42:55,040 --> 00:42:56,040 Teddy bear. 564 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:57,040 Okay, all right. 565 00:42:57,040 --> 00:42:59,040 But I only have one teddy bear. 566 00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:01,040 I want the teddy bear. 567 00:43:01,040 --> 00:43:04,040 I only got five bags of cotton candy. 568 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:06,040 Okay, all right, so here's what we're going to do. 569 00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:09,040 I will throw either a piece of candy or a ball. 570 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:13,040 If I throw the ball and you miss it, you get nothing. 571 00:43:13,040 --> 00:43:14,040 No. 572 00:43:14,040 --> 00:43:17,040 Okay, so even if I throw it poorly, that's not on me. 573 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:18,040 It's not my fault. 574 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:20,040 I'll throw it and if it happens, it happens. 575 00:43:20,040 --> 00:43:21,040 It's all part of it. 576 00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:22,040 What? 577 00:43:22,040 --> 00:43:23,040 All right. 578 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:24,040 And adults can answer. 579 00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:28,040 So here we go. 580 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:34,040 Where in the Old Testament will you find the verse where it says people may listen but not understand? 581 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:37,040 Isaiah chapter 6, 9 and 10. 582 00:43:37,040 --> 00:43:40,040 Okay, I'm going to give you a little candy. 583 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:45,040 So good. 584 00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:46,040 Shotgun effect. 585 00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:48,040 He actually caught one of those. 586 00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:49,040 That was really impressive. 587 00:43:49,040 --> 00:43:53,040 Okay. 588 00:43:53,040 --> 00:43:58,040 Some of the seed wound up on the path, but it didn't stay there for long. 589 00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:02,040 It actually wound up where? 590 00:44:02,040 --> 00:44:06,040 Oh, okay, we'll try to get it. 591 00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:07,040 Got to be ready. 592 00:44:07,040 --> 00:44:08,040 Okay. 593 00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:09,040 You can't have a chance. 594 00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:11,040 I told you some throws will be bad throws. 595 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:12,040 It's not my fault. 596 00:44:12,040 --> 00:44:13,040 Okay. 597 00:44:13,040 --> 00:44:14,040 Some are bad. 598 00:44:14,040 --> 00:44:15,040 Some are bad. 599 00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:17,040 So in the parable of the sower, the seed represents? 600 00:44:17,040 --> 00:44:20,040 The word. 601 00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:21,040 No, I saw it. 602 00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:22,040 It fell. 603 00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:23,040 It doesn't count. 604 00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:24,040 Throwback. 605 00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:25,040 Whoa. 606 00:44:25,040 --> 00:44:26,040 Very stringy. 607 00:44:26,040 --> 00:44:27,040 Don't try that at home. 608 00:44:27,040 --> 00:44:28,040 You threw the ball in the chair. 609 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:29,040 It didn't even come back. 610 00:44:29,040 --> 00:44:30,040 We're past that, man. 611 00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:31,040 You're dwelling. 612 00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:32,040 You're dwelling on the past. 613 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:33,040 Okay. 614 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:34,040 All right. 615 00:44:34,040 --> 00:44:35,040 Okay. 616 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:44,040 In the parable of the sower, there were this many kinds of people. 617 00:44:44,040 --> 00:44:45,040 Four is correct. 618 00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:46,040 Oh, no. 619 00:44:46,040 --> 00:44:47,040 See, it's hard. 620 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:48,040 I told you it's hard. 621 00:44:48,040 --> 00:44:49,040 Wait, what are we even doing here? 622 00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:50,040 I don't know. 623 00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:51,040 You should pay attention. 624 00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:52,040 I want more. 625 00:44:52,040 --> 00:44:53,040 Okay, I have more. 626 00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:54,040 We'll be all right for now. 627 00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:55,040 Okay. 628 00:44:55,040 --> 00:44:56,040 Okay. 629 00:44:56,040 --> 00:44:59,040 In the parable of the sower, the birds represented? 630 00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:00,040 Sandy. 631 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:01,040 Ah, practice. 632 00:45:01,040 --> 00:45:02,040 I don't want to do this. 633 00:45:02,040 --> 00:45:03,040 I'm as favorite as any bird. 634 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:04,040 I'm more. 635 00:45:04,040 --> 00:45:07,040 It's like the pièce de résistance. 636 00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:08,040 Okay. 637 00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:14,040 He'll go last after the cotton candy. 638 00:45:14,040 --> 00:45:15,040 Okay. 639 00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:20,040 In the parable of the sower, cares and riches were represented by? 640 00:45:20,040 --> 00:45:21,040 Thorns. 641 00:45:21,040 --> 00:45:22,040 Thorns is correct. 642 00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:23,040 Oh, I'm so sorry. 643 00:45:23,040 --> 00:45:25,040 You and Jason can commiserate. 644 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:27,040 That's all I could say. 645 00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:28,040 Okay. 646 00:45:28,040 --> 00:45:29,040 Here goes that. 647 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:30,040 Okay. 648 00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:31,040 All right. 649 00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:39,040 Okay. 650 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:42,040 Parables are still somewhat? 651 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:44,040 It's on the page. 652 00:45:44,040 --> 00:45:45,040 Finished. 653 00:45:45,040 --> 00:45:46,040 Understood. 654 00:45:46,040 --> 00:45:47,040 I'll give it to you. 655 00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:48,040 Ready? 656 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:49,040 Yeah, there you go. 657 00:45:49,040 --> 00:45:50,040 I told you it's left. 658 00:45:50,040 --> 00:45:51,040 You were just getting revenge. 659 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:57,040 No, you will not eat that tonight. 660 00:45:57,040 --> 00:45:58,040 Yeah, he knows. 661 00:45:58,040 --> 00:45:59,040 He knows. 662 00:45:59,040 --> 00:46:00,040 He knows. 663 00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:01,040 Okay. 664 00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:04,040 In the parable of the sower, who hears? 665 00:46:04,040 --> 00:46:05,040 All. 666 00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:06,040 All is correct. 667 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:07,040 I know. 668 00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:08,040 That's why I didn't look at you. 669 00:46:08,040 --> 00:46:09,040 You were the first one to say it. 670 00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:10,040 Okay. 671 00:46:10,040 --> 00:46:11,040 Let's throw it back up here. 672 00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:12,040 I'll give it away again. 673 00:46:12,040 --> 00:46:13,040 I've got stuff flying here. 674 00:46:13,040 --> 00:46:16,040 It's a very exciting Facebook podcast or Facebook Live. 675 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:17,040 All right. 676 00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:18,040 Okay. 677 00:46:18,040 --> 00:46:19,040 Parable A or parable B. 678 00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:20,040 Parable B. 679 00:46:20,040 --> 00:46:21,040 Parable A. 680 00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:22,040 Parable A. 681 00:46:22,040 --> 00:46:23,040 Parable B. 682 00:46:23,040 --> 00:46:24,040 Parable B. 683 00:46:24,040 --> 00:46:25,040 Parable B. 684 00:46:25,040 --> 00:46:26,040 Parable B. 685 00:46:26,040 --> 00:46:27,040 Parable B. 686 00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:28,040 Parable B. 687 00:46:28,040 --> 00:46:29,040 Parable B. 688 00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:33,040 Parable A or parables in the Bible can be striking speech or dark sayings. 689 00:46:33,040 --> 00:46:34,040 Dark sayings. 690 00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:35,040 Dark sayings. 691 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:36,040 Nice. 692 00:46:36,040 --> 00:46:37,040 Two for two. 693 00:46:37,040 --> 00:46:38,040 Look at you. 694 00:46:38,040 --> 00:46:41,040 You got candy for everybody in the house. 695 00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:42,040 Give it back. 696 00:46:42,040 --> 00:46:43,040 No, I'm just kidding. 697 00:46:43,040 --> 00:46:44,040 All right. 698 00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:45,040 Here we go. 699 00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:46,040 He swapped it. 700 00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:47,040 Okay. 701 00:46:47,040 --> 00:46:48,040 In the old switcheroo. 702 00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:52,040 For people who cannot hear, parables are a? 703 00:46:52,040 --> 00:46:53,040 On the page. 704 00:46:53,040 --> 00:46:54,040 What? 705 00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:55,040 That is correct. 706 00:46:55,040 --> 00:46:56,040 Jason, you interfered. 707 00:46:56,040 --> 00:46:59,040 Jason, you interfered, man. 708 00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:00,040 Okay. 709 00:47:00,040 --> 00:47:01,040 I'm going to try it again. 710 00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:02,040 You ready, Natalie? 711 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:03,040 Okay. 712 00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:04,040 Go ahead, Josh. 713 00:47:04,040 --> 00:47:05,040 Yeah. 714 00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:06,040 Nice. 715 00:47:06,040 --> 00:47:07,040 Okay. 716 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:14,040 You have to throw the ball back, too. 717 00:47:14,040 --> 00:47:15,040 Only one empty hand. 718 00:47:15,040 --> 00:47:16,040 Sorry. 719 00:47:16,040 --> 00:47:18,040 It would be impressive if I could have caught it, though. 720 00:47:18,040 --> 00:47:20,040 I can juggle, but not so good with these. 721 00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:21,040 Okay. 722 00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:22,040 All right. 723 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:28,040 So in Acts 28, 26, was talking about Paul's ministry to who? 724 00:47:28,040 --> 00:47:29,040 The Jews. 725 00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:31,040 The Jews is correct. 726 00:47:31,040 --> 00:47:33,040 They're very alive. 727 00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:38,040 They're right in the middle of the teaching cone, so that's probably it. 728 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:39,040 Yep. 729 00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:43,040 They're probably staring with the kids. 730 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:44,040 They're like that soft hearted. 731 00:47:44,040 --> 00:47:45,040 I think that was the last one. 732 00:47:45,040 --> 00:47:46,040 Okay. 733 00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:47,040 This is for the bear. 734 00:47:47,040 --> 00:47:48,040 Okay. 735 00:47:48,040 --> 00:47:49,040 I got to come up with a good one. 736 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:56,040 All right. 737 00:47:56,040 --> 00:48:06,640 In my response to parables, I was doing well because I heard I sought additional teaching 738 00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:07,640 is correct. 739 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:08,640 All right. 740 00:48:08,640 --> 00:48:11,640 I got the poor bear. 741 00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:14,040 He's got a headache now. 742 00:48:14,040 --> 00:48:15,040 Okay. 743 00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:22,040 So we're going to pray, but that being said, we have some really awesome cookies for snack. 744 00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:27,440 Landon, who is the youth pastor at Haven Heights, his wife, makes these cookies and 745 00:48:27,440 --> 00:48:28,560 they're really awesome. 746 00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:32,600 So while you're eating your really awesome cookie, just remember God is a really awesome 747 00:48:32,600 --> 00:48:34,040 God and way better than a cookie. 748 00:48:34,040 --> 00:48:35,040 Okay. 749 00:48:35,040 --> 00:48:36,040 Don't forget that along the way. 750 00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:37,040 All right. 751 00:48:37,040 --> 00:48:38,040 Let's pray. 752 00:48:38,040 --> 00:48:39,040 Thank you, Lord, for being here. 753 00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:40,040 Thank you for letting us learn. 754 00:48:40,040 --> 00:48:43,040 We're still building in the parable of an hour super-attracted because we realize that 755 00:48:43,040 --> 00:48:45,040 they are living through us.