Choose Truth

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Body

Have you ever looked at something and your brain registers it as one thing, but in reality it’s something completely different?

Lighthouse Pentecostal Church (Bro. and Sis. Schuenke) - Lighthouse Ranch for Boys

You get something stuck in your head and that’s what you end up seeing, and it can be difficult to dislodge that wrong idea

The progression of science - very hard to dislodge a favored theory

Sun revolving around the Earth

Classical Newtonian physics vs. Relativity

Religious experience - conversions can take a long time while people are letting go of cherished teachings and beliefs

Mad Gab - A game that capitalized on this phenomena

“Abe less sing” is “a blessing”

“These if hill wore” when you say it fast sounds like “the civil war”

“Problem scriptures”

There are no problem scriptures

There are problematic ways of thinking

There are problem worldviews and presuppositions

There are problems with our understanding

But no problem scriptures

We derive our doctrines from scripture, not the other way around

Some would learn the UPCI stance on this and that, and only later discover the scriptural basis for it

This is dangerous because when we approach it this way, those scriptures that seem to contradict our doctrine become problems

We must learn what the scriptures say about a particular topic and let that lead us to a proper doctrine

This may seem like I’m splitting hairs, but I assure you this is important

The UPCI doctrinal positions were derived from scripture and we can demonstrate that, but the question is where were YOUR doctrinal positions derived from?

The UPCI manual?

The Bible?

Why didn’t Jesus just speak plainly concerning truth?

Why do we have these “problem scriptures” in the first place

If Jesus would have simply been plain in His teaching, we wouldn’t have to worry about this

Couldn’t Jesus have simply said Matthew 28:19 “19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in my name:”

Couldn’t God have said Genesis 11:7 “7 Let me go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

The disciple of John the Baptist was sent to Jesus to ask Him in Matthew 11:3 “3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?”

Pilot asked Jesus “what is truth?”. And Jesus didn’t say a word

Matthew 16:13-17 “13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

The only reason Peter knew was because God had revealed it to him

John 2:19-20 “19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?”

Jesus never just comes right out and says, “Hey everyone! I’m your Messiah!”

Why all the smoke and mirrors? Why the allusions and the hints, but nothing it seems of substance?

Jesus spake in parables

In our diligent searching for God’s Truths we qualify ourselves to receive greater revelation from Him

When we approach God’s Word with slothful indifference we disqualify ourselves from receiving truth from Him

V.12 - Those that have, have because they put in the work to receive. Only the diligent will be marked with increase. The slothful will lose the little they do have

This applies to the truth we receive - not simply knowledge, but understanding. Revelation

It applies to gifts and talents - use them or lose them

It applies to our relationship with God - we must be diligent and pursue Jesus with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. This is an active relationship, not a passive one.

Proverbs 27:7 “7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”

Filled but never full - Stay hungry!

We can get to the place where the things of God become profane, ordinary, boring

Jobs get like that

Marriages can become like that

Truth can get to this place in our lives

We got it all figured out

The price for more revelation is just too high

Proverbs 23:23 “23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; Also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.”

Why does truth cost so much? Because truth is worth so much!

Truth begins to look like it costs too much because we begin to view it as profane

Matthew 7:6 “6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”

It’s to this type of person Jesus is speaking about in V. 13-15

Matthew 13:13-15 “13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

II Peter 3:5 “5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:”

People choose to become willingly ignorant! They don’t want to know anymore! They don’t want to progress any further!

V.16-17 - When you do have a desire to pay for truth, to do the work to dig it out and discover, and receive God’s Word, we are blessed.

Ours is the preferred state, the blessed state.

We’re the ones that have received light

Proverbs 3:13-18 “13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, And the gain thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: And all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; And in her left hand riches and honour. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her.”

Many knew this day was coming, but weren’t able to see it

The truth that was revealed in Jesus’ day was what these people longed to see

Today, in this far better covenant, our eyes are blessed to see what we see, and our ears are truly blessed to hear what we hear.

Conclusion

Why all the vagueness?

Jesus couldn’t just pop out and declare Himself to be the Messiah because their thinking was so far away from that

They would have simply brushed the claim off, if they even heard Him at all

Jesus was so far away from their ideas of who the Messiah was they wouldn’t have been able to see Him as such

“A parable is a shell that keeps good fruit for the diligent, but keeps it from the slothful.”

Some truths are hid from the superficial seeker of knowledge and are only revealed to those who are willing to work for them

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