The Passing Day of Grace (Matt 13:10-15) Intro: Context of hard-hearted hearing & unbelief The people have for a long time hardened their heart to the word (Matt 4:17, 12:24, 12:45ff).
Exposition 1. The Purpose Revealed (v11). The parables may have a positive side, but they also have a punitive side. To them it has not been given to know. 2. The Proverb Recited (v12). It's a frequent parable of our Lord (see e.g. Matt 25:29), with multitudes of illustrations. 3. The Prophecy Reapplied (v13-15). Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:8ff. & says it is fulfilled in this generation 'to this very day' (Rom 11:8).
Doctrine: Those who will not hear eventually will not be able or even allowed to hear. It is the Jekyll & Hyde phenomenon of the conscience. Eventually, you become the monster.
Application: 1. To those who sit under the preaching of the kingdom week after week and have ears to hear: The Lord is kind & gracious & does not punish us according to our iniquities (Ps 103:8-10). But take heed how you hear (cf. Num 14, Ps 95). And if you can not accept that God hides his truth from the proud, you are strangely out of step with Jesus, who praises God for it (Matt 11:25). 2. To those who sit under the preaching of the kingdom week after week and will not hear: Take your place with Josef Stalin (Rom 2:4-6). There is nothing more that can be said to you.
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