Why don’t I get it?

Me

Have you ever asked God “Why?”

I have many times. - Tell a personal story. Why don’t I have about life and death? (personal story)

We

I think many of us have unanswered “whys” today.

What are the “whys” you have today?

God may have answered our whys, but we just aren’t getting it.

Why don’t we get it?

God

Read Matthew 13:10-17.

In this text, the disciples ask “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

He answers in Matthew 13:11, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know,  but it has not been given to them”

So why have the secrets of the kingdom of heaven not been given for them to know?

He answers in Matthew 13:13, “because looking they do not see,  and hearing they do not listen or understand.”

So why looking do they not see and hearing do they not listen or understand?

He answers in Matthew 13:15, “For this people’s heart has grown callous; 

their ears are hard of hearing, 

and they have shut their eyes;”

So why have their heart grown callous?

He answers in Isaiah 63:17 and Romans 1:28.

Ultimately, they refused to acknowledge God after multiple warnings and presentations of the truth.

So, putting this progression of logic together, Jesus spoke in parables so that only some could understand because the other ones weren’t capable of understanding and really didn’t want to see and hear the truth. They only wanted to see and hear their truth. Have you heard that terminology “my truth” “your truth” “their truth”? It is just foolishness… the only truth is God’s truth. We see here the example of the “itching ears”… I don’t know about here at this church, but I have seen a lot of people at other churches leave, hearing and seeing what they want to hear and see, not leading people to turn to God so that they may be healed but to turn to themselves, others, or other things for artificial, non-lasting “healing.”

So sometimes we don’t get it because we have continually not acknowledged God and rejected truth and, honestly, we don’t really want to get it. So we don’t get it because we have a worthless/reprobate mind.

You

Do you really want to hear the truth? Do you really want to turn from your “truth” and your “desires” to God’s truth and His desires?

The worthless/reprobate mind always comes from sin (personal sin, being sinned against, living in a sinful world).

It is more likely to have a reprobate mind if you have sinned and are continuing to sin a lot, if you have been sinned against a lot and are continually being sinned against, and if you live in a place more filled with sin more than average.

But it isn’t an excuse. We shouldn’t blame shift our life on what we have been through and what we have come from.

It isn’t hopeless but instead hopeful to progress in your walk with Christ through these experiences, knowing that it is never too late and never has too much happened.

So my invitation to you is bring your heart to Jesus. Acknowledge your sin, admit that you have rejected Him continually, and seek His truth over your own thoughts no matter how hard of a truth it is to accept.

We

When we bring our hearts to Jesus, when we acknowledge Him in all things by accepting the hard truths, then we can get it. Then we can see things in the Bible we haven’t seen before. Then we can hear things in sermons we have never heard before. Then we can live in the Spirit like we have never experienced before.

How do we get out of having a reprobate/worthless mind?

According to Romans 2:4-5, we need to first repent.

According to Romans 12:1-2, we to not be conformed by the world but be transformed by the renewing (reprogramming) of our mind.

According to John 17:17, we need to be sanctified (to be made holy/set apart) by the Word of God.

According to Romans 6:1-2, we need to be an active part of a church being restored and restoring others and bearing one another burdens, including letting others bear our burdens.

Question for spiritual reflection?

What are some “clogs” in your “arteries” that you need to have dislodged? In other words, what are some things keeping you from having your minds reprogrammed by God and His Word?