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“And the disciples came and said to Him, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?' He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: “Hearing you will…  ( Click for more )

The parables of Jesus, precious and memorable as they are, were the source of great controversy. It was here that a great separation of the ways occurred between His followers and His would-be followers. This was all part of the plan, the plan to winnow the harvest of followers so that only the cream of the crop was left. The parables were not the cause of division, they were just the catalyzing effect that made existing divisions obvious!

The heart of the disciple is what must be affected by the gospel; that was and is the target of the parables. They were told in order to impact…  ( Click for more )

What think ye of the parables? Do you see them as neat little stories that could be understood easily and embraced by all with equal comfort. Well, nothing could be further from the truth!

The parables of Jesus, precious and memorable as they are, were the source of great controversy. It was here that a great separation of the ways occurred between His followers and His would-be followers. This was all part of the plan, the plan to winnow the harvest of followers so that only the cream of the crop was left. Jesus was not surprised by the reaction of the masses; He knew this would…  ( Click for more )

Buyer beware! Caveat emptor! These warnings ought to get our attention. But, how about the warning, “Believer beware”? This is Peter’s message; it ought not to go unheeded! “But there were [in the Old Testament era] also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers [in the New Testament era] among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness…  ( Click for more )

Today’s message takes up by quoting the final paragraph of the previous lesson. It reads: “The non-critical listener is poised to fall. As John so succinctly put it, “…many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4.1). This being the case, John implored his brothers and sisters to “…not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.” The critical hearer has what it takes to discern the difference between truth and error; the non-critical hearer will be deceived and destroyed! ‘Therefore…  ( Click for more )

The love for the truth is distinctly different from the love of the truth. One’s love for the truth occurs as the concepts of truth are pursued; this love motivates toward the discovery of truth. In contrast, the love of the truth results from knowing God and embracing His character as pertains to love. To state this in a different manner, the love of the truth is godliness personified in the person of the followers of Jesus.

Peter had a great love for truth when He boasted of his intent to go to his death should that be necessary to remain faithful to Jesus. However, He…  ( Click for more )

Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 11.15). Stubborn and rebellious as we are, we say, “Well, Duh! Why would anyone say something like, 'He who has ears to hear, let him hear?' Of course, someone without ears can't hear!'” And we totally miss the point that Jesus was making! Just what was Jesus saying when He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear?”

Jesus was not concerned about those who could not hear! His concern was for those who could hear – people like you and me – but who chose not to hear.…  ( Click for more )

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes...” (Proverbs 21.2a). I can state this another way that is equally truthful but hard to accept; here it is: Until I see myself through eyes other than my own, I will never know the truth about myself! Read these words again; they are of utmost importance! Until I see myself through eyes other than my own, I will never know the truth about myself!

The fact that we are rational beings means that it is our nature to rationalize our actions; in other words, every way of man is right in his own eyes. The robber takes from another…  ( Click for more )

You could read this paragraph hurriedly and go on about your business, but I beg you not to; I beg you to read it and let it impact your life. I do not ask this because it is something I wrote; quite the contrary, it contains a timeless truth that God revealed about you... and me... and about every human being. If you will let the truth that it contains impact your life positively, your life will forever be changed and the blessings of God can be yours for the asking. Here is the foundational truth that is a “must read and heed.” “Every way of a man is right in his…  ( Click for more )

“Self deception is preceded by the decision to move truth out of the realm of the objective and into a realm where it is weighed in one’s own eyes. This opens the door to deception!” This quotation was chosen to end this column a few days ago. Self-deception is frequently a fatal error; by that I mean that it is a self-willed act which effectively closes the door to truth and opens the door to error.

Listen to what Jesus had to say about some of His perennial opponents: “Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing…  ( Click for more )

Lying wonders - they are not new. In fact, they have been around for almost as long as the real thing! Everything that is good and edifies has its counterpart (and very often counterfeit). Such is certainly the case with true miracles and signs. Consider a case from the book of Acts.

“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, 'We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.' Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered…  ( Click for more )

Why would Satan chose to perform lying signs and wonders? Simple! Because God had chosen to confirm His word through the use of true signs and wonders (see Hebrews 2.1-4). Counterfeit miracles, if they could be convincingly pulled off, would be a great way to deceive some into accepting Satan’s word as God’s word! What a plan and what a dastardly ruse! However, there is a “kicker” in this plan; the power of God is so much greater than that possessed by Satan, those who would be deceived by such shenanigans would have to open the door to deception through their…  ( Click for more )

Concerning one of the most fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, Thomas was an unbeliever. The others had seen the resurrected Christ but Thomas wasn’t present. Being a man of strong convictions and demanding reasons for his faith, Thomas said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20.25). The Ten spoke in absolute terms about the risen Lord. His very existence was miraculous; certainly the fact that He could exist among ordinary humans bearing…  ( Click for more )

Does the Bible teach that it is wrong to request a sign from someone who professes to be a prophet? Satan knows that signs and miracles have been from of old the means by which God has identified His prophets. This being the case, he has counterfeited these signs and wonders in order to deceive those who might otherwise be following truth. Paul expressed it this way: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of…  ( Click for more )

Did Jesus teach or does the Bible teach that it is wrong to request a sign from someone who professes to be a prophet? This is one of the fundamental questions which we posed as we entered this study of events from Matthew 12. Here are the specific verses which have been the basis upon which some have stated that it is wrong to ask a sign from a professed prophet. “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.' But He answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given…  ( Click for more )

One set of facts and two diametrically opposing conclusions! How often does this phenomenon occur? The universe exists with the intricate and unfathomable designs that it displays; one person looks up and thanks His Creator while another person looks down and thanks mother nature and blind evolution for his existence. A politician makes a speech and a news commentator praises him to the highest while on another channel the same speech is derided as shallow and worthless. A blind and mute man has his physical faculties made entirely whole by a man from Galilee; one group is amazed…  ( Click for more )

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.' But He answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.'” (Matthew 12.38-40).

Just prior to this exchange between Jesus and His perennial antagonists, the Pharisees, a marvelous event had taken place; many people…  ( Click for more )

There is a direct connection between Paul's admonition to receive The Love of the Truth in 2 Thessalonians 2.10 and many of the teachings of Jesus. Today, we introduce one of the many passages from the ministry of Jesus in which this fact is evident. It is a lengthy passage but we cite it in its entirety because of our intent to dwell here for some time. It is literally filled with meaning, much of it quite subtle, which has to do with our major topic. Read with care the following text!

“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to…  ( Click for more )

The Love of the Truth is not only a noble pursuit; it is an essential if one is to have any hope of pleasing God. Paul put it this way: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians…  ( Click for more )

God placed constraints on religious unity; because of that, we can go too far in the pursuit such unity. We must never mistake the overzealous pursuit of unity for The Love of the Truth or vice versa. The believer must never forget that unity is a product of The Love of the Truth and unless that love is present, biblical unity can never be achieved. Biblical unity demands more than uniformity of practice; it demands unity of heart and that unity proceeds from The Love of the Truth!

Both of the New Testament passages which specifically mention unity are passages which “put…  ( Click for more )

As we continue our thoughts on The Love of the Truth and how it relates to the theme of religious unity, we shall answer our question about what constraints, if any, God has placed upon the achievement of unity and whether or not we can go too far in the pursuit of unity. These are serious and timely matters in all aspects of the human endeavor and it is our purpose to provide a biblical answer to these questions.

There are two passages in the New King James Version of the New Testament that use the word unity. It is also factual that these two verses are the only occurrences…  ( Click for more )

Hope may be defined as the reasonable expectation of something better. Hope is not a baseless wild dream, but is based upon evidence, and in a spiritual context, is based upon faith. Hope has the capacity to see men through the darkest of days if only a reasonable expectation of a brighter day awaits. Hope is the antithesis of despair and is always attended by a "can do" attitude, not because of the conditions that prevail now, but because of what we expect to exist in the future.

Paul, through frequently in troubles and persecutions, did not despair, but persevered…  ( Click for more )

Our focus is on unity! What place does unity have in God’s scheme of things? What place does unity have in man’s execution of God’s scheme? Is unity possible when it comes to matters religious? What constraints, if any, are placed upon the achievement of unity? Can we go too far in attempting to achieve unity?

First of all, in God’s scheme of things, unity is an automatic! Since He is the embodiment of all truth, there is no disunity, discontinuity, disconnect, or deviation of any sort with God! James stated twith God there “… is no variableness,…  ( Click for more )

In closing yesterday, we posed some questions that deserve our attention; we asked, “Why did it [the truth] cause division when Jesus preached it? Was it because He didn't do it right? Or, maybe He failed to have adequate empathy with His hearers in order for the truth not to be offensive to some?” In responding to these questions, we immediately stated that such conclusions are preposterous. However, what about unity? Isn’t that something for which we should strive? Isn’t unity a desirable situation in which to live, work, and worship? We will presently address…  ( Click for more )