SERMONS ON PARABLES
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How to Make the Angels Cheer
by Roger Thomas
Introduction: Luke 15 may well be the best-loved and least understood chapter in the entire Bible. This chapter is among many people's favorite sections of scripture. And for good reason! Luke 15 is a chapter of parables. It contains three parables, two of which are among Jesus most unforgettable stories. Who doesn't love the picture of a tender shepherd carrying the lost lamb home on his shoulders? Then there's the Prodigal Son! For centuries, Bible lovers have called the story ''the pearl of parables.'' Some have labeled the chapter ''the Gospel in the Gospels.'' (Neil Lightfoot, Lessons from the Parables, Baker, 1965...
Buried Treasure (5 of 7)
by Jerry Vines
This a one-verse story. It's marvelous how Jesus can take just one little statement and pack it with so much truth. There's so much in what Jesus tells us in this one verse of Scripture. We've been looking at the parables of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 13 for several weeks. These are called the mystery parables. There are seven of these parables which the Lord Jesus tells in succession, one after the other. In these parables the Lord Jesus tells us what is going on on this earth between the first coming of our Savior and His second coming - His return to the earth. We find in these seven mystery parables, these seven simple stories that...
Be Careful How You Hear
by Adrian Rogers
And would you open your Bibles please to Mark chapter four. We've been preaching through the gospel of Mark. Mark chapter four. You have it. Look up here. I want to ask you a question. A Why is it that when the preacher preaches some people are saved and some people are not? Why is it that some believe the Bible and some don't? Why is it that some go on for God and bear fruit and others don't? What is the difference, what makes the difference? Pay attention and you'll learn. Mark chapter four, verse 1, ''And he began to teach by the seaside,'' now this is not the Sermon on the Mount, this is the sermon by the sea. ''And he...
The Weakest Link
by James Merritt
1. I'm beginning a series of messages that I've always wanted to do on probably my favorite portions of Scripture in the Bible - the parables of Jesus. I'm entitling this series ''Virtual Reality - God's Favorite Stories.'' 2. Did you know that 1/3 of all of the things that Jesus taught, He taught with parables? Someone has defined a parable as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. That is why I refer to the parables as VIRTUAL REALITY. Because in the parables we learn there is a connection between the visible world of the physical, and the invisible world of the spiritual. 3. As we study the parables, keep in mind that...
What Kind of Heart Do You Have? (1 of 7)
by Jeff Schreve
Well, if you have your Bible, please turn to Luke chapter 8. We're starting a new series today on the parables. We're going to look at probably six or eight parables. And, I've entitled this series, ''The Mysteries of the Kingdom.'' That's what Jesus said about the parables. He said to His disciples, because they were asking Him, ''Why do You teach them parables?'' He said, ''To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom, ''but to the crowds He spoke in parables. The mysteries of the kingdom - those are the secret things of the kingdom. And the Lord says the parables contain those secret things. Now you are...
The Twin Parables (4 of 4)
by J. Gerald Harris
This morning we're going to look at two parables, the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price. These parables are quite similar. In both cases you have a man who finds something of great value. And in both cases the man sells all that he has in order to purchase the thing of value. The treasure hidden in a field represents God's chosen and elected people - the Jewish people - who are buried among the nations of the earth. They are His and someday He will resurrect them. Do you remember Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones, and how those bones came together and formed...
The Parable of Beauty and Bands (11 of 15)
by Clarence E. Macartney
This striking parable, or allegory, acted out by the prophet of the Lord, has by some been attributed to Jeremiah instead of Zechariah. The reason for this is that St. Matthew in his account of the betrayal and trial of Jesus says that the price paid to Judas by the chief priests, and the use of the blood money in purchasing the potter's field, was in fulfillment of ''that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.''But there is no such reference in the book of Jeremiah as we have it today. Therefore, some have thought that the latter portion of the book of Zechariah must have come from Jeremiah. Others, like Augustine, have held...
Lost Sheep Found and Restored (2 of 4)
by Frank Damazio
INTRODUCTION: The joy of finding something that has been lost is a remarkably great experience, whether it is something as small as a key or money or a credit card, or if it is something more emotional like finding a pet or something life-changing like finding a lost child, marriage, career or dream. Losing anything, great or small, is a real-life experience. What have you lost? Directions, significance, fulfillment, opportunity, dreams? I am hoping to help us turn to the great Restorer of lost things, lost people, and lost heart. Jesus is our hope. If you find yourself saying, ''Yes, that's me. I really need to find that but how can I?'' you need to...
Sowers, Seeds, and Soils
by Ernest Easley
Now as you're turning to Mark's gospel and the fourth chapter … have you ever wondered why it is that the same people can sit in the same worship experience and hear the same message, sing the same songs and yet one walks out changed while the other one just walks out? Why is it that going to worship helps some people and doesn't help other people? Well, that's what Jesus is talking about here in Mark 4. It's in this fourth chapter we read in verse 2, ''Then He taught them many things by parables …'' Nobody could tell a parable like Jesus. He was not only the master-carpenter … He was the master-story teller. He could illustrate...
Little Seed, Big Tree (2 of 3)
by Jeff Strite
OPEN: There's a story about a student from MIT who spent an entire summer going to the Harvard football field every day wearing a black and white striped shirt walking up and down the field for ten or fifteen minutes throwing birdseed and blowing a whistle. Then he would walk off the field. At the end of the summer, it came time for the first Harvard home football game. As the game was about ot begin, the referee walked onto the field and blew the whistle... (pause).The game had to be delayed for a half hour to wait for the birds to get off of the field. The student from MIT wrote his thesis on this, and graduated. APPLY: Now, had you been...
Kingdom Parables
by David Cook
Elvis Presley is known as the "King of Rock-n-Roll." Perhaps there's been no greater music entertainer in the past 100 years that has used his talents to shake up the crowd, like Elvis. Thinking over the latter years of Elvis' life and his drug overdose, do you think he would do things differently if given another chance? Do you think he would have invested in a different way? Our Heavenly King has given each of us the awesome opportunity to invest our lives, using the gifts and talents He's invested in us to minister. The best investment of your life is investing back into the King's service! We will give an account one day...
The Twin Parables (4 of 4)
by J. Gerald Harris
This morning we're going to look at two parables, the parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl of great price. These parables are quite similar. In both cases you have a man who finds something of great value. And in both cases the man sells all that he has in order to purchase the thing of value. The treasure hidden in a field represents God's chosen and elected people - the Jewish people - who are buried among the nations of the earth. They are His and someday He will resurrect them. Do you remember Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones, and how those bones came together and formed...
The Parable Of The Trees
by Jules Boquet
In Gideon's day groves of trees were considered idols. The olive tree, the fig tree, and the vine represent the areas of our lives touched by the Holy Spirit, that have been transformed to exalt the "Father as King." The bramble bush by contrast accepts the compromise to promote "self as king." If the "bramble-self" is allowed to be king, eventually destruction comes to all around us, and to ourselves. The message reinforces God's desire to bless us so that His covenant blessings will continue to pass from generation to generation. POINTS: The trees and their representations: 1. The olive tree represents the Holy Spirit...
The Parable of the Planter
by Marvin D. Patterson
Introduction: As we approach Matthew 13, we see Jesus using a different kind of communication method - that of parables. If you will remember, Jesus and the disciples were accused of breaking the Sabbath Day by eating corn. And then Jesus told the Pharisees that he was the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus said the Pharisees were wicked and adulterous, and that brought on a confrontation with them that would end with Him being nailed to the Cross of Calvary. Chapter twelve was a major turning point in the ministry of Christ, as the religious leaders of the day plotted his death, so he turns from them and instructs His disciples...
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
by Marvin D. Patterson
HUMOR: Two little boys stood behind the church door as a newly married couple was leaving the church. One boy said to the other, "Do you want to see me scare 'em real good?" The other boy replied, "Yea, do it!"The first little boy emerged from behind the door, and ran to the groom with his arms outstretched. "Daddy!" he cried. "Daddy, it so good to see you!" (1) HUMOR: A healthy, well-to-do man in his fifties was moving into a new condominium. He had parked his Mercedes out front and was taking items from the car into his new home. He noticed an older lady who also lived there, watching him with unusual interest as he came in and...
The Parable of the Sower (1 of 4)
by J. Gerald Harris
Chapter 13 of Matthew is a crucial chapter in the Bible. It is a chapter that every believer should seek to understand thoroughly. The rebellion against Jesus Christ is beginning to reach its peak. He has now turned His attention from the nation of Israel to all who will come to Him. The big question now is, ''What about the kingdom now that the King has been refused?'' And the answer to that question is in Matthew 13. In this chapter Christ begins to outline the ''mysteries of the kingdom'' and explains what the ''kingdom of heaven'' is like during this present age. And, in this chapter, Jesus seeks to outline the ''mysteries...
The Parable of the Fig Tree
by Daniel Rodgers
ILLUS: When my wife and I drive down to the Delta, instead to taking Highway 5 and turning off at Highway 4 to Rio Vista, we enjoy taking the river route. It is a beautiful drive, with the river on one side and farmland on the other side. If you've ever driven that way, you will have noticed the many, huge fig trees along the roadside. Now if you want to bless my wife, simply bring her a box of figs and that will do it. She loves figs. It is a great temptation for us to drive by some of these fig trees and not stop to pick them; but, since I'm a preacher and she's a preacher's wife, it wouldn't look good if we got caught snitching someone's figs...
The Parable of the Leaven (3 of 4)
by J. Gerald Harris
There are two ways that we can look at the parable of the leaven. We can look at leaven as an evil influence, or we can look at it as a positive influence. I really like to put a positive spin on things when I can -- like the fellow who operated the Ace Hardware store over in Alpharetta where we used to live. He had a sign in the window that read ''keys made while you wait.'' Business was slow and he tried to figure out what the problem was. He finally decided that people just don't like to wait, so he changed the sign to read ''keys made while you watch.'' Do you know what? His business picked up considerably. He put a positive spin on...
The Parable of the Thistle and the Cedar (2 of 15)
by Clarence E. Macartney
Amaziah, king of Judah, had gained a victory over Edom in the Valley of Salt, where he slew ten thousand men and took the town of Selah. This victory over the desert tribes unduly elated him and moved him to challenge the king of Israel to combat. Because he had slain a few thousand in the Valley of Salt, he thought he could cross swords with the kingdom of Israel, then at the height of its godless splendor and military power. He sent messengers to the king of Israel, Joash, saying: ''Come, let us look one another in the face.'' In other words, ''Let us meet in battle and see who is stronger.''Joash scorned the impudent...
The Sower And The Seed-A Parable
by Stuart Briscoe
The large crowd listening to Jesus represented the variety of soil in the story. This was a lesson on the importance of responding to the words He had to say: the seed of the Kingdom sown in their hearts. What Jesus taught was important because it had eternal significance. This was not a little story to tickle their ears or entertain on a summer's day. Parables, like riddles, needed to be given time and thought to worry out the truth. They were for those seeking spiritual reality and maturity. It is the same today. I. The Fields Are Waiting. WHERE are the fields? Everywhere. Mark 15:16 A. The farmer goes out. WHO is the Farmer? Jesus and...
