Parables: Words of Wisdom on the Kingdom of God | Ep. 132

Embark with us on a voyage through the rich tapestry of Jesus' parables, as we unravel the profound spiritual insights they hold. With each narrative, from the Parable of the Sower to the mustard seed, we uncover how these timeless teachings act as a spiritual compass for navigating the complexities of faith, morality, and the human heart. Prepare to engage with stories that transcend mere words, enlightening the path to a deeper understanding of the Kingdom of God and the transformative power of His Word.

This episode promises to explore and illuminate the intricate layers of scripture, revealing the essential differences between hearing the Word and truly seeking its depths. We journey together, contemplating parables, and challenge you to reflect on the state of your own heart and consider the readiness required for the Lord's return, as our discussion mirrors the urgency of repentance and the perils of spiritual complacency.

As we draw this enlightening series to a close, we ponder on the true nature of being prepared for the divine invitation into the Kingdom. With parables as our map, we assess our openness to God's work, our readiness for judgment, and the importance of producing spiritual fruit. Let us not simply be hearers of the Word, but doers who manifest our faith through deeds that glorify God and the Spirit of the Living God that indwells His people.

Transcript

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:03

The vision received was that of blood cells traveling throughout the body, supplying the much-needed oxygen and other nutrients to the differing members of the body to fulfill their purpose. Once the blood cells are spent, they must return back to the heart to be refilled before being sent out again and fulfill their purpose and fulfill their purpose.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:26

It always seems like every time I'm going to minister I always start late.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:32

And.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:33

I always end up later, but it is the Lord's will that it be. So then I'll roll with it, because this is how I roll.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:45

That's right, as always it.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 0:45

This is how I roll. That's right. As always, it is good to be before you. I thank you for the privilege and the honor to be able to share with you what the Lord has shared with me. It's so much. I hope I'm able to condense it and to be able to pick out and highlight the things that I want to highlight before you. I will say this you can write down all the scriptures, but I will want to highlight before you. I will say this you can write down all the scriptures, but I will send this out to you. You'll have all the scriptures. So if you'd rather just sit and listen, that's fine too. But I know many of us learn and we retain because we're doing stuff as we're listening and writing and all that stuff. So I understand that as well, but I'll let you know. I will send this out to you.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:27

Let us begin with Psalm 78. I want to talk today about parables. Parables, to me, are words of wisdom. To them that have an ear to hear what the Spirit is actually saying to the churches, many, many, many, many, many hundreds thousands of moons ago, Psalm 78, asaph, or the Spirit through Asaph, said Give ear, o my people, to my law. Incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable, I will utter dark sayings of old which we have heard and known and our fathers have told us, and I want to have that scripture kind of be our jumping board point with also Isaiah, chapter 6, verse 9 and 10. And the Spirit said, through Isaiah, and he said, go and tell this people keep on hearing but do not understand. Keep on seeing but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull and their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and return and be healed.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 2:56

Now, if you have, I suppose if you call yourself a Christian, then you would know that Jesus taught in parables and he taught many, many, many, many parables. It says that he did not go teaching without parables, he was just teaching constantly with and through parables. And there's one in particular parable that I want to highlight to you that I have actually taught on from before. But there's another kind of slant that the Lord kind of showed me with this and it goes back to the sower, the parable of the sower. We all know the parable of the sower and I'm going to kind of paraphrase and read through Mark 4.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 3:38

But Jesus taught this parable. He said listen, behold. The sower went out to sow and it happened as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside and the birds of the air came and they devoured it. And he said Some fell on stony ground where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched and because it had no root it withered away and some seed fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced some thirtyfold, some sixty and some a hundred. And he said to them he who has ears to hear, let them hear. You've got to understand.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 4:26

He taught this to all the multitudes, the masses. He just come out talking about farming, talking about sowing in different grounds and what happens, and some of those people didn't follow him. They heard him and then they're like huh, and then went back home, but not the disciples. What made the disciples different than the masses is that they continued to follow him, even though they didn't understand, and they asked him questions, such as when he was alone and those around him. The 12 asked him about the parable because they wanted to understand. And he said to him, or he said to them to you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, and what we realize is that Jesus was fulfilling the script. He said I would speak to them in parables. I will utter, with dark sayings, things of old that they should have known, so that in seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they should turn and their sins be forgiven of them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 5:32

And but this is what jumps out at me, this particular line right here in verse 13. He said to them do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? He's saying, if you don't understand this parable of the sower, how are you going to understand all the other parables, not the parables of the world, but all the parables that I'm teaching? Because, as I said to you before, if you know anything about Christ's life during the days of his flesh, during those three and a half years that he taught and preached and healed. He taught through parables and he continued teaching through parables. But he says if you don't understand this one, how are you going to understand all my other parables? So that jumps out at me and says if I don't understand this one, I'm lost in the rest. Let me make sure I understand this particular parable.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 6:26

So in reading through Mark, he says the sower sows the word. He doesn't use the word seed, he said the sower sows the word. So now we know that that seed is not merely a natural seed of farmers, but it's the word. He says there are the ones by the wayside. There are people that are people that are in the wayside and when the word is shown there, it doesn't do anything because immediately the enemy comes, snatches it up and takes it away and it says, specifically, satan comes, immediately, takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. So now we know that he wasn't merely talking about different kinds of ground, he was talking about different types of hearts, different types of people in which the word of God is now being sown in them. And so he continues on.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 7:19

But there are those that are likewise in the stony ground. They hear the word immediately, they receive it with gladness, but they don't have any root in themselves and so they don't endure, or they endure for only a time. Because then, when persecution and tribulation arises, for the word's sake, because of that seed and what it's doing inside their hearts, persecution and tribulation come into those people. They can't hold on. It says immediately, they stumble. It says there are those, there are ones sown among the thorns, and theirs are the ones that hear the word. But the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, the desires of the things, of other things, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. So we know that the thorns are about the things that deceive us Riches, the things that take up our time, take up our attention, take up our affections. The cares of this world are the things that choke and do not allow fruit to come forth. And then you have the last. These are the ones that are sown on good ground, and those that hear the word, they accept it. They bear fruit, some 30, some 60, and some 100-fold.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 8:34

And I've told you many times before that you should not read one passage knowing that there's other parallel passages. In other words, it's spoken of again, except it's in another author's light. This happens to be in Mark's light, the next one happens to be in Matthew's light. But I'm not going to repeat everything again. But understand almost everything is pretty much repeated again.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 8:57

Why do you speak to them in parables? They ask Because it's given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, instead of saying the kingdom of God. But they're one and the same, they're synonymous, but to them it has not been given. So I speak to them in parables and he goes again to say because he's fulfilling the word of the Lord. But he said blessed are your eyes for they see, your ears for they hear, for assuredly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men, for surely I say to you that many prophets and righteous men, they desire to see, but they never saw. They desire to hear what you hear, but they never did hear it. So now hear this, the parable of the sower. Anyone hears the word of the kingdom.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 9:38

So now it's more specific the seed is the word or the word of God, it is the word of the kingdom, both synonymous terms. And it talks about what happens when it falls by the wayside and what happens when it falls into the stony ground, into the thorns and into the good ground. It's all basically the same. So then you get Luke's perspective. And Luke's perspective is that the disciples came to him and asked him what does this parable mean? He says the same thing To you. It has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. The seed is the word of God, very clear, very emphatic. It is the word of God.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 10:13

And when the word of God is taken away from out of their hearts we're talking about when the word of God is implanted into the hearts of individuals something is going to take place, depending upon the type of heart that that word fell into. And if it's won by the wayside, the enemy comes in and steals it. If it's won by the thorns, then you know it gets choked up. If it's won by the stony ground, it doesn't even, it can't bring forth fruit, it can't create roots so that it'll grow up, because as soon as the sun comes it's scorched. In other words, the trials and the persecutions because of the word. So they can't retain it, they can't hold on. And then there's one that it says that, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, they keep it and bear fruit with patience.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 11:02

So if you understand the parable of the sower, it is about the word of God. It is about the kingdom of God at work in individuals. When they hear it, they receive it, they retain it in their heart. There are different things that can take place, four in particular. So we're talking about what is the kingdom of God at work in individuals. That's what the parable is about. And if we understand that then we need to keep that in our remembrance as to how does that apply to all the other parables because without this understanding how are you going to understand all the other parables. So I see a thread. There is a link. If you look and study all of the parables of Jesus there is a common thread that is flowing through each and every parable and that's kind of what I want to go through right now, and it's predicated on this understanding the kingdom of God at work in different individuals.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 11:58

A micro view, a microscopic view. But if you continue to read in Luke, chapter 8, because I just went through Mark Matthew and I went through Luke's perspective it continues on in Luke, chapter 8, verse 16. It's talking about beware. He says no one, when he has lit up a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, he sips it on a lampstand so that those who enter in will be able to see the light. He's talking about something very common. It's a parable Right here.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 12:33

This small little phrase is a parable, it's a metaphor, it's an axiom or maxim that is used to help people understand something else. So he says, guys, and I understand, we have electrical lights today. They didn't have that, they had candles, all right. So why would you use a candle in their day and age? Because you wanted to see and you wanted others to see. And so it's very obvious. Why would you put on a light and then stick it under your bed? Why would you put on a light and then kind of cover it? You know we sing the song this little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine, but I'm not going to stay down here. And you know, cover it up. Why would I do that? I want the light to be seen so that all could see. I'm not sure exactly what that means yet, but he's just talking to you. Naturally, guys, if you turn on a light, you're going to let everybody see, you're not going to cover the light.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 13:30

He says nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nothing hidden that will not be known and come to the light. Here's another principle there's nothing that is ever done in secret that he is not going to bring forth to the light. In other words, there's nothing that you could ever do in secret t hat he is not going to expose. That's a spiritual principle. So hear me well. Therefore, he says take heed how you hear.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:01

This is Luke's perspective of what he said. Take heed. Jesus said take heed how you hear. Why is he saying that? And then he says something that just doesn't seem to connect with anything. But it's going to connect after you. Look at the thread, because we're at the top of the thread and there's this little thread going down and there's something else down here that we're going to talk about later. But he says whoever has to him more will be given later. But he says whoever has to him more will be given and whoever does not have even what he seems to have will be taken away from him.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:32

I look at that. I'm like what are you talking about? You just talked to me about a lamp and a light. You just talked to me about nothing that is that is going to be done in secret, is going to stay that way. It's going to be exposed. And then you start talking about how whoever has more is going to be given. What are you talking about? Well, that's how the disciples acted and they came to him and asked him could you please explain that parable? Could you please help us out?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 14:57

But let's look at Mark's perspective Mark talks about. He said to them is a lamp brought to be put under a basket? Is it brought to be put under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? Isn't it to be out there to be shown, to be expressed? Isn't it to be seen, to help others see? Then he talks about nothing being hidden which will not be revealed, and anything kept in secret, but that it should come to the light.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 15:21

If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear. If you're interested in knowing, you need to ask, you need to listen, you need to seek this out. He says in the scriptures in the past that it is wisdom or it is valuable for a king to search out a matter. So he said to them take heed what you hear. Luke said take heed how you hear. Right here, Mark is saying take heed what you hear, because with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you, and to you who hear, more will be given. Huh, there's that. What is he talking about there? For whoever has to him, more will be given, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. So there's this focus on take heed how you hear and take heed what you hear.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 16:26

Well, go back to the, what we're predicating this on is the parable of the sower. What is it that is being sowed? The word, it is something heard. Take heed what you're listening to, because what you're listening to can cause all sorts of other things to take place in your life, because any word that's sown into your heart will cause an effect in you, a change in your behavior. We call it a change in your paradigm, in your thought process and structure. So take heed how you hear and take heed what you hear, because it will have an effect on you and determining, or whatever, the end result of that effect. You're going to have consequences for it, and the only good consequences out of the parable of the sower was one, the one that produced fruit is the only positive consequence.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 17:14

So let's look at Luke 11, verses 33 through 36. Again, it says no one, when he is a little lamb, puts it in a secret place under a basket but on a lampstand. His little lamp puts it in a secret place under a basket but on a lampstand, and those who come in may see the light. And he says the lamp of the body is the eye. Hmm, the lamp of the body is the eye. I'm thinking naturally here my body, the lamp I'm not sure what that means, because that's an inanimate object is the eye. What he says, therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light. He says when your eye is bad, your body is also full of darkness. Eye, what? Therefore? Take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. So now he said that light, take heed that the light which is in you we're talking about the word being sown in the hearts of individuals. So he now says the light that is in you, make sure it's not darkness.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 18:30

There must be something said earlier somewhere on that we can have a better understanding, because I'm not sure I'm grasping this yet, just by this context. It says if then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp that gives you light. So now he's trying to give us understanding about this lampstand. He's using that lamp as a parable, where we don't want to hide it, we don't want to cover it, we want it to shine, we want everyone else to be able to see with that lamp. And then he talks about the body and the lamp and the eye and what. And then I remember Proverbs 20:2 7.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 19:07

Proverbs 20: 27 says the spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord. So go back to Luke 11. The lamp of the body is the eye. Proverbs said the spirit of the man is the lamp of the body, is the eye. Proverbs said the spirit of the man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all of the inner depths of the heart. So this light, this lamp that he's talking about, is the spirit of man, the heart of man.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 19:41

Again back to the parable of the sower, where the word is being sown into the heart and things are going to come out. The word of God is going to have an effect. It's going to have something that's going to be expressed. And in the wayside, nothing was expressed. It was stolen immediately In the stony ground. It tried to take root, but the stones were there, couldn't take root, and all of a sudden the sun came and it was scorched. And what did he say? It was that's the trials and the persecutions because of the word Didn't allow it to stay, to take root, to stand. Then you had the thorns. These are the things that come out when the word of God is sown into the heart. It's doing something in your spirit. He's causing an effect, he's causing a change, because that is what the kingdom of God is here for to cause a transformation.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 20:36

So then he says in Matthew 5, you are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill, that cannot be hidden. That's another parable. You might set a city in the midst of a forest and nobody's going to be able to see it. It's hidden. You might set a city in the midst of a valley or of a canyon, and it's kind of hidden unless you're in the right place. But you put a city on a hill on the top of a mountain and it's kind of hidden unless you're in the right place. But you put a city on a hill on the top of a mountain, everybody's going to see the mountain and everybody's going to see the hill. That's on top. You can't hide it. It's supposed to be shown.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 21:16

Think about what he said. There's nothing you do in secret that is not going to be exposed. It's not going to be kept hidden, kept secret, so he says. He says again nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket. You, your spirit, and the expression of your spirit, is going to be exposed before all mankind.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 21:37

Now you kind of maybe understand what is he talking about your light. When your eye is good, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body is full of darkness. Take heed the light which is in you, take heed of the type of spirit that is now developing in you, that it be light and not darkness. He says Let your light so shine in Matthew 5, 16, before men that they may see your.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 22:09

What Good works, that is the fruit of the kingdom of God at work in your heart, that you're bringing forth. Good works, good fruit, but not just so that people can say, oh, what a nice guy, what a good guy, que, what a, what a, what a good guy. Get one, a hint that we say in spanish. No, it's so that it will glorify your father in heaven. So it is the works that are brought forth by the kingdom of god at work in you that he wants to be expressed and shown toward all men, to all the world.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 22:46

He says again in Matthew 6: 22, the lamp of the body is the eye. If, therefore, your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. If your spirit is good, your whole body, everything that is expressed, because the body is what is seen, the body is what is expressed. No one sees your spirit, but everybody can tell the type of spirit you are by your behavior, by your actions, by your words, by the way that you treat others. It is the expression of your spirit. So he's linking this eye, this lamp, this spirit with the body, so that you will understand that if your eye is bad, your whole body is full of darkness. If, therefore, the light oxymoron, the light that is in you is darkness, because he's using light as a metaphor for your spirit. How great is that darkness? He decrees in Matthew 6, 23.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 23:42

Here's the thread. The thread started with the parable of the soul. The thread continues on with beware of the type of light that is emanating from your body. Make sure that that light is full of light and in no part darkness. He said it very clearly in no part darkness. He said it very clearly no part darkness. How can you have light with darkness? Do you have light or you don't? So there's no, there's no. I'll get to that later.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 24:16

What defiles a man? Another parable that the Lord spoke of In Matthew 15, verses 10 through 20. He had called the multitude to himself and he said to them hear and understand. Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth. This defiles a man. You know what he's talking about. The Pharisees are coming asking him what are you talking about? And the disciples come and say to him do you not know that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said? And he says listen, every plant which my heavenly father has not planted is going to be uprooted. Let them alone, don't worry about them. Those are not people that my father has planted. There's another parable my father is planting things and we're going to get to that in another parable but he's saying I didn't plant the Pharisees, my father didn't plant them. Don't worry about them. They're blind leading the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, what's going to happen? They're both going to fall into the ditch.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 25:16

But Peter answered and said to him well then, explain this parable to us. What are you talking about? About this not defiling that comes out of the mouth? And he says are you still out without understanding? Don't forget the parable of the sower. Don't forget the parable of the sower. Let that be your basis of understanding. He says do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth, goes into the stomach, is an eliminated? Come on, we eat our food, it gets processed, we eliminate. That's a big deal for all those that are tying themselves to the Jewish customary laws of diet, because look at what Jesus said Come on the food, guys, you eat it, you process it, you eliminate it. Why are you making such a big deal about this? Please understand what I'm trying to say.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 26:07

He says, then but those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart. Remember the parable of the sower. What is the kingdom of God trying to do in the hearts of people. It's trying to change, it's trying to transform, it's trying to grow, it's trying to bring forth fruit. And Jesus says it's not what you take in naturally, it's what's coming out of your heart that I'm concerned with, because what comes out of your heart are the issues of your life. He says, for the heart, out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts and murders and adulteries and fornications and thefts and false witness and blasphemy. These are the things which defile a man. You're worried about natural food defiling a man, and I'm telling you that it's the things that comes out of the heart of that man. Is that is going to defile him, such as these? And we can read Mark 7, 17 through 23, talking about the same thing. Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from the outside cannot defile him? It doesn't enter into his heart. We're not talking about the organ, we're talking about the spirit. What you eat does not stain your spirit. It's what makes you really you, your heart, he says. It goes into the stomach and it's eliminated, thus purifying all foods. What comes out of a man? That is what defiles a man.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 27:41

So there's another parable. It's connected to the parable of the sower and the work that the kingdom of God is trying to do. And how many times did Jesus say the kingdom of heaven is like. The kingdom of God is like the kingdom of heaven is like you think of the word of God being sown into the heart and then you apply it to what the kingdom of God is like so that you have an understanding.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 28:04

He says in Matthew 13, verse 24, another parable he put forth to them, saying the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, the enemy came and he sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. So now you have a man that's sowing good seed and then you have an enemy, an adversary, sowing bad seeds called tares. And the servants on the altar came and said Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How does it have tares? We're seeing the wheat and the tares all together, but you didn't sow that, did you? He says an enemy did this. And the servant said do you want us to go and gather them up? But he said no, no, no, no, no. Let them all come together, gather up the tares and uproot the wheat when the harvest comes, at the time of the harvest, we're going to take care of this. And first you're going to gather the tares and you're going to bind them in bundles and you're going to burn them, because I'm not having my enemy seed in my batch. I will take care of it, but not now, and then the others, you gather the wheat into my barn.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 29:16

So now we see that the word of God, when it's sown, is the good seed in the field and it brings forth the fruit of the wheat. And the wheat is who I'm going to take care of. I'm going to protect them. Yes, I know that the enemy has sown his seeds among them as well, but in the end is when I will separate. In the end is when I will take care of them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 29:42

So you can think of that as a as a maybe a bit of a macro view. Is what is God doing in the world? Because there's good seeds and there's bad seeds. But you can also think about God is going to deal with that. Remember he said take heed how you hear, take heed what you hear. You don't always hear good things. Good things are not always sown in you. Sometimes you receive the lies of the enemy, sometimes you receive the word of his adversary, and so you have this kind of mixture going on. But God says faithfully I'm going to deal with that, don't worry about that. We'll take care of that at the end, because we know from other scriptures. Jesus said in the day of Christ Jesus what I will bring it to completion. I know the enemy has sown in their hearts lies and deceits and they still hold on. But I will in the end separate the wheat from the chaff, from the tares.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 30:48

He says another parable he put forth to them. He says the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. And indeed the mustard seed is the least of all the seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree and the birds of the air come in and nest in the branches. What is that seed? The word of God. That seed is so inconspicuous when it's first planted, when we first hear that word and we receive it with joy and we're glad it's so inconspicuous. Some people say you know, maybe say wow, you've got a different look on your face, but they can't tell what it is, but when it's all said and done, it's the biggest thing that's there in the earth where other people come in to receive shelter, to receive refuge.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 31:31

He talks about another parable. He says the kingdom of heaven is like leaven. We always hear how pastors talk about what leaven has to do with sin. It's always I have to do sin, it's sin, it's sin, it's sin. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like leaven and which a woman took and hid in three measures of a meal till it was all leaven. That leaven causes a growth, causes that thing that was supposed to be a flat piece of bread to be transformed and grow into this big mountain. So we see there's this principle of the kingdom of God is at work and it's going to grow into something, transform into something bigger than you ever thought possible.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 32:11

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables and without a parable he did not speak to them. Parables are important but we must understand from the main parable the sower of the seed in the different fields, or the different soils. Jesus sent the multitude away and went into a house and the disciples came to him saying 36 of Matthew, chapter 13,. Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. We didn't understand that. So he says he who sows the good seed is the son of man. The field is not an individual, the field is the world. He says the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the reapers are the angels.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 33:09

Tells you everything clearly, emphatically, that every parable has to do with the kingdom of God at work in the world or in individuals. Therefore, the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, and so it will be at the end of the age. He used this parable to tell you and help you understand that there is going to be a judgment coming, there is going to be a day of reckoning that God will come and he will separate at the end those whom the enemy are and those whom he has sung. The son of man will send out his angels and will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness and the righteous will shine forth as the sun. That is the culminating work of the kingdom of God, that they will shine forth just as the sun. Just as you cannot look in with your eyes, in the naked eye, to the direct light of the sun, so shall the son of God be. They will be so bright, they will be so. Wow, how did that happen? How did that little seed, that little word of God in him come forth and bring out these sons of light to such a degree that you can't even look upon them, for they're so holy?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 34:27

So here we have the kingdom of God in a macro view, not a micro view, a macro view. What is he doing in the world? He says again, the kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field which a man found hid and hid, and for joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has to buy the field. This is what an individual must treasure the word of God as. He must treasure it to such a degree that he would sell all to have that one thing.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 35:02

Because that type of attitude allows the kingdom of God to be at work in you. That kind of attitude allows you to not have the stony ground. That kind of attitude allows you to do away with the cares of the world. That kind of attitude does not allow you to be that wayside heart, because you will give up everything for the kingdom of God in you. And does it not say in the scriptures that the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost? It is the Holy Ghost that is at work in you that is causing about this. It is a deposit and he's going to bring it to completion.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 35:40

He said the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls who, when he had found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. That's the type of attitude you need to have To be of a good and noble heart, as it said in Luke. He says again the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind. This is that macro view. Again, God is going to put out this net and he's going to gather all them. And then it says when he drew them to shore. So it will be at the end of the age the angels will come forth and separate the wicked from the just, just as we're fishing with a big net, and we didn't like this little fish and we didn't like that you know immature one or that nasty one. We take out the good and we take out the bad. Jesus said have you understood all these things? They said to him yes, lord. Then he said to them therefore, every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasures things new and things old. To me, the kingdom of heaven, you're bringing out stuff from the old covenant and the new covenant and you're putting it together for people so that they can understand.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 36:58

He says in Mark 4: 26, the kingdom of God is as a man should scatter seed on the ground and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow. He himself doesn't know how, for the earth yields crop by itself first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain of the head. Some of us have received the engrafted word, the incorruptible seed, and according to this parable, it takes time and sometimes we look back on our life. We're like how did that happen? It doesn't matter, because God is the one that causes the growth. God is the one that is causing that fruit to be produced in you, even though you don't know how did I get from here to there? I don't know, but it must have been God. It must have been the grace of God at work in my life to be able to bring out first the blade, then the head, then the full grain of the head, and when the grain ripens, immediately he puts the sickle because the harvest has come.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 38:03

So to what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed when sown in the ground it is smaller than all the seeds of the earth, but again it grows and grows into this mammoth tree, bringing the birds of the air so that they can nest under its shade, he says, but without a parable. He did not speak to them, and when they were alone, he explained all things to his disciples. So I continue on this thread. It started with the kingdom of God and the parable of the sower. It talked about beware, beware what you hear, beware what you listen to. And now we're talking about another parable. But before we get to that, let's go to Romans 12 too. It says do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by what? The renewing of your mind. I read this because I believe this is a key to understanding this parable that Jesus spoke in Luke 5. He spoke a parable.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 39:05

He said no one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one. How many of you bought clothes 15 years ago? Maybe 20 years ago? Maybe you still had it, and you buy new pants for that shirt and you wear it with it. Does that happen very often. But Jesus says you don't put the old with the new. When you buy a new garment, you buy it all new. You buy a suit, you buy it all together new. You don't use the old slacks you had 15 years ago to go with the new brand new vest and suit or in the top. No, you buy a whole brand new suit because it looks right that way. He says you don't put the old with the new. And if you did put the old with the new, the new makes a tear and it doesn't match the old. He says in verse 36.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 39:55

No one puts new wine into old wine skins. At least they understood that. We don't understand that, because we don't deal with wine that way. But they understood that you don't put new wine with old wine skins, because old wine skins is already new I mean, excuse me, it's already used. And because it's used it's going to break, it's not going to hold in the new wine. You don't want to waste it, do you? So in that same respect, in that same regard, the new wine must be put into new wineskins and both are preserved. No one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires the new, for he says the old is better.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 40:29

What is he talking about there? He's talking about the hearts of individuals, and if the heart of an individual is to hold on to their old way of thinking, to their old paradigm, they are not going to be able to walk in the Spirit of the new wine. They don't go together. All the things that you've experienced must, must be renewed by the word of God. Everything, your experiences do not trump the word of God. Just because you can tell me about this great, supposedly spiritual experience does not trump the word of God. You must allow the word of God to change, to rearrange and to correct all of your experiences and all of your thinking in order to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Without the renewing of your mind, you will not be transformed. You will be like the one who had seeds sown among thorns. You will be like the one who had seeds sown among the stony ground. You will be like the one who had seeds sown by the wayside, because you will not allow your mind to be renewed in with the new wine.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 41:40

The new wine is referring to the spirit. How can you walk in the new covenant if you continue wanting to walk in the old covenant? They don't go together. We have to understand that there has to be a willingness on your heart to allow the kingdom of God to work in you, and so your mind must be renewed. But there's some that try to walk that way. In Israel, hosea was spoken to of a people who wanted to walk that way, but they were warned that the threatening four and the wine press shall not feed him and the new wine wine shall fail in her. It will fail in them. Why? Because if you read um oh, I think I lost that If you read also in Isaiah I believe it was verse 30? Maybe I'll get to that later.

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Yeah.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 42:40

I'll get to that later. It says in Matthew 6, no one can serve two masters, for either you will hate the one and love the other, or else you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. So to me, when he's talking about the old and the new in this parable, he's speaking of a principle you can't walk the fence with God. He draws a line right here and he says you're either on my side or you're on this side. But you cannot walk on both sides and think everything's going to be all right. You must be fully committed, you must be fully persuaded in your own mind that My way is the right way, because if you walk on that fence you walk on that long enough you're bound to split and when you fall you're going to go ouch, it's going to hurt, and hopefully it won't hurt to your death. Hopefully it'll make you choose a side, because you cannot walk the fence that way.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 43:45

Parables of the good tree and the corrupt tree. He says either make the tree good and it's fruit good, or also make the tree bad and it's fruit bad, but a tree is known by its fruit. Here's that anti-mixture. Again, you can't be a good tree and produce bad fruit. You can't be a bad tree and produce good fruit. You're either on this side or you're on this side. You can't be a mixture.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 44:08

This is in Matthew 12, verse 33. You brood of vipers. How can you, being evil, speak good things? Because the Pharisees, being evil, spoke good things. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Again, this is the issues of the heart that he's dealing with. A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brings forth good things. An evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart, brings forth evil things. But I say to you that every idle word which men may speak will give account in the day of judgment. By your words you will be justified, by your words you will be condemned. Now there's a parallel passage to this. This is Matthew 12, 33-37.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 44:56

Luke speaks the same thing, but then he continues and he says this After Jesus says for, out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks. Jesus said but why do you call me Lord? Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whoever comes to me and hears my sayings, who receives the word, that seed that he talked about, and does them? I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house who dug a deep and laid the foundation on the rock, and when the flood rose, the stream beat vehemently against that house and he could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. What are you doing with the word of God that's come to you? Because Jesus says if you are not doing my word or if you are doing my word, you are like a man who's building his house upon a rock. But he says in contrast. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation and when the stream beat vehemently against it immediately fell and the ruin of the house was great. What are you doing with the word of God that was sown in you If you are not doing what he says? You are building your house upon a foundation that shall not stand in the end when judgment comes.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 46:25

Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord. The law of the Lord signified the word of God. Blessed is the man that hears the word of God and he delights in it. He meditates on it day and night, night and day and it brings forth. It says he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of wetter than water that brings forth its fruit in its season, because the Lord is coming back to find fruit. He says when the Lord comes back, is he going to find faith in the earth? He's looking for his fruit and he talked a bunch of parables about how he's going to come back. And he wants his fruit. But the ungodly are not. So. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment. The ungodly and the sinners will not stand in the congregation of the righteous. The ungodly shall perish, it says in Psalm 1.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 47:30

There was a parable of a certain rich man who had a bountiful, plentiful, super, abounded measure of crops. And this is speaking to the type of individual that has the word of God. He's bringing forth fruit and he gets complacent, he gets lax, because this is what it says he has so much crop. He said God, what am I going to do with all these crops? And he says in Luke 12, verse 18, I'll do this. This is his bright idea. I will put down my barns and I will build greater ones and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to myself so you have so many goods laid up for so many years. Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 48:17

What does the Lord look upon? A man who has received the word of God and has produced fruit, and then he gets complacent. And then he gets comfortable with where he's at and what he's doing and what God has already done through him. The Lord said, and God said to him fool, this night, your soul is required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided Immediate rebuke? This is your bright idea To take all the things that I have worked out in you so that you can sit back, become complacent, watch the TV, get fat and splurge on all the blessings that I've given you and bless no one else and just keep it in a barn Fool.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 49:07

So is he who lays up treasure for himself because that was the root of the matter. He's laying up treasure for himself, he's only thinking about himself. And it is not rich toward God, because if it was rich toward God, he'd take all of that and he'd see. What did Jesus say? Sell all that you have, sell all that you have and give to the poor, give to the alms, don't just store it. He says later in Luke 12, verse 31,. Seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you. Don't store up anything that I have given you, that I have worked out in you.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 49:44

If I have given you a gift of singing, of art, of the word, of athleticism, then use it for my glory and share it with others, because that is my light that I've worked out in you. Let it not be darkness. You were supposed to show your good works. That it what Would glorify your father, who is in heaven. Not so you can hide it. Not so you can hide it. You may be good at piano. You may be good at science. You may be good at biology, you may be good at some sport there. Use it for the glory of God, because that is a gift. You didn't have to be born with such great athleticism. You could have been born lame. You could have been born blind. You could have been born deaf or mute, or just simply not having any athleticism whatsoever.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 50:43

So God gave you some other gift, some other strength, but you are not supposed to hide it, you are not supposed to flaunt it, don't get me wrong. But you're not supposed to hide it, but you're supposed to use it for the glory of God. Most of the time is that it's going to be to bless others who may not have what you have, who may not have been gifted with what you have. He says here Do not fear little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Provide yourselves money, bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, for where your treasure is there, your heart will be also. Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning. What does that mean? When they girded themselves, they were getting themselves ready, because the last thing they want is to start adjusting their jock so that they can go for battle. No, they girded up their loins. They're ready to go. Their lamps are burning, their light is there. They see clearly what's going to be happening. They see on the horizon. He's saying you better be ready, because, it says in the very next verse, you yourselves be like men who wait for their master you know he's coming and when he will return from the wedding. That when he comes and knocks, you open to him immediately. You are ready for the coming of the Lord. You're not being complacent. You are ready for the coming of the Lord. You're not being complacent, you're not sitting back, you're not relaxing, but you're setting your face like a flint to the high calling of God that is in Christ Jesus. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, he will find watching, watching awake, alert, waiting ready for the coming of the Lord, not sleeping in drunkenness, in the riches of the world, in the cares of this world, in the affairs of this life, but is ready for the coming of the Lord and willing and wanting the coming of the Lord. I surely that this servant will gird himself, will have them sit down to eat and he will come and serve them. It doesn't matter if it was the second watch or the third watch when he finds himself. Blessed are those servants that are ready. Because if you would have known when the master was going to come to his house, what hour the thief would come, you would have known when the master was going to come to his house what hour the thief would come. You would have watched, you would have not allowed the house to be broken into if you would have known when that thief was going to come. You need to be ready, you need to be vigilant at all times, and this is how the Son of man is coming in, an hour that you do not expect In this parable of the king's invitation.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 53:30

Do you remember the king's invitation? His son was going to have a wedding. He said the kingdom is like this king who was going to have a wedding for his son and he ended up inviting all of his servants, or his servants went out to invite all that. He wanted to come to the wedding. But when he told them that look, I've got a dinner, I've got oxen, I've got fatted calf, I've got all these wonderful, glorious things for you, come to the wedding, they made light of it. They didn't value it. All that God had done for them. They did not value it. And so one of them wanted to go to his farms. They went their ways, went into his business, and the rest oh my God, the rest seized the servants, treated them spitefully and killed them, and when the king heard about it. He was furious, he sent out armies, he destroyed all of them he's talking about that small picture of Israel Because he kept sending them servants, the prophets, the prophets, the prophets, the prophets, and then one time he sent his son and he took them out.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 54:41

The diaspora still exists today of the Jews from that first century and what he did with it. But there was. And when he did that, when he took care of the or when he dealt with the Jews in a judgment, he then opened up the gates and he invited every single solitary person that represented the Gentiles, that represented all of us in here, and he said you guys come in, I don't care, just everybody that represented all of us in here. And he said you guys come in, I don't care, just everybody, it's all open. This wedding and this party is for you to enjoy. Come. And many of them came.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 55:20

But there was one man who didn't have a wedding garment. He said to him friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment? He was speechless. King said to the servants bind him hand and foot, take him away, cast him into the outer darkness, for there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Many are called and few are chosen. That man came in in a way because he was invited. He came in in a way that was not acceptable to the Lord, not acceptable to the king. He came in his own way, was not acceptable to the Lord, not acceptable to the king. He came in his own way. There was a proper way to come in and he did not come in that way. Everybody else did, but he was pinpointed out.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 56:00

So he is like the rebellious children that are in Isaiah 30. Who don't take counsel of me. They devise plans, but they're not of my spirit, because they're going to add sin to sin. They trust in the shadow of Egypt and they think that they can come and say that I'm their God. No, no. It says in Isaiah that there's daughters of Zion that are haughty. They have wanton eyes, they have outstretched necks, they're walking and mincing as they know, making a jingling with their feet. They're drawing all of this attention to their self but thinking that this is all right, this is pleasing to the Lord. But he says he is going to curse them on the crown of their head with a scab, he's going to uncover their secret parts. And it ends actually in the very next chapter Isaiah, chapter four, verse 1. This is where we get you know, those seven women who take hold of one man and they say we will eat our own bread, we will have our own food, we're going to wear our own apparel, but just let us be called by that name to take away our reproach. They will not come to him the way he has called them, the way he has invited them, and his judgment is for them as well.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 57:17

There's parables of the vine dressers. Landowner planted a vineyard, created a hedge, dug a wine press, built a tower, and then he leased it to his vine dressers. And he kept sending servants because they wanted to receive his fruit and they wanted to have nothing to do with him. So they beat them, they killed them, they stoned them. He said wait a second, let me send my son. They're not going to do this to my son. He was talking about his own life and they said this is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance. This is what I like about the Lord. He asked him what do you think this owner is going to do to these vine dressers? And they say well, he's going to destroy those wicked men miserably and lease his vineyard to other dressers who will render him fruits in their season. So he says therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. What they judged should happen is exactly what God was going to judge them with the same measure that they judged. He gave them that measure of judgment. And you can read Mark 12 and you can read Luke 20 and read all the parallel verses, but all of them culminate. This whole thread is now culminating in this particular end. But all of them culminate. This whole thread is now culminating in this particular end.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 58:51

In Luke 18, he spoke a parable that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. He talked about a judge in a city that didn't fear God and he didn't fear man. But there was this woman there who had been taken advantage of and she kept coming to him and said I want justice from my adversary. And kept coming and kept coming, and even though he didn't care about the man or the woman and he didn't fear God, he said oh my gosh, I got to deal with this because she's just driving me up the wall, an unjust judge. And so he asked them again Hear what the unjust judge said. I will avenge her lest, by her continual coming, she weary me. This is what an unjust judge will do. And then the Lord said hear what the unjust judge said, and shall God not avenge his own elect, who are crying out to him day and night, though he bears long with them? If an unjust judge would bring about justice for a woman that was bothering her, what would not our just judge, our great God, do for those that are coming against us? He is going to come in judgment and he is going to bring about justice.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:00:15

Another parable he was near Jerusalem. They thought that the kingdom of God was coming immediately. And he said certain noblemen were into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called 10 of his servants and he gauged each of his servants 10 pounds or 10 talents or 10 minas. And when he was done, going off and coming back, he called each of his servants One of his servants had 10 more minas to give him or 10 more pounds to give him. This is in Luke 19. He says another one had five pounds. But then another one said well, your talent, I put it away in a handkerchief. I hid it. Remember the lampstand? What are you supposed to do with a lampstand? Are you supposed to hide it under a bushel, under a basket? No, you're supposed to let it shine. V was supposed to do something with that.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:01:15

This is what God does not expect is when he gives you something, for you to do nothing with it in fear. And so he says well, I was afraid because you know you're an austere man. He says in verse 21,. You collect what you did not deposit and you reap what you did not sow. And he said to him out of your own mouth, I will judge you. You know I'm an austere man, you know I would do something with you. Why did you not do anything? And so because you feared that that is exactly what is going to come upon you for having done nothing. Because when I give you a gift, hey, did the word of God grow in the stony ground? It did, but it didn't have root. Did the seed grow in the thorns? It did. It just got choked out because of all the other things.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:02:09

When God gives you a gift, it will not return to him void, but if you hide it and do nothing with it, he is not accepting that. That is completely unacceptable to him. You must use the talents, the gifts that he has given you. You must use the things that He's working out in your life and share it with others, not hoard it for yourself, not hide it, because he's trying to save the whole world, not just you. So he said, out of the mouth, I would judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man. So he said, out of the mouth, I would judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man. You could have put the money in the bank so that when I came back I'd have some interest. You could have done that the very least. And you didn't even do that.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:03:08

Then he says remember the passage I was reading that he's going to take from people who have, for people who have, and give it to others and people who don't have. He's going to take from from people who have, for people who have, and give it to others, and and people who don't have. He's gonna. He's gonna take the more. Well, now we have an understanding, because he gives us this parable. He said you should have put that in the bank. I should have come back and gotten interest. He said. And he said to those who stood by take the mina from him, take what he has and give it to the one that had who, and he got more. The one that had 10 minutes, he got his too, and he got more. So now we understand what that was about. He's talking about.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:03:39

I have given gifts, I have given the gift of faith to every man. Does it not say that in the word? Every man has been given the measure of faith. And so when I return, will I find faith in the earth? Have you done something with that faith? Or did you hide it? Did you put it away under a bushel, under a basket? He says. For I say to you that to everyone who has will be given, and from him who does not have does not have that interest, even what he has will be given. And from him who does not have does not have that interest, even what he has will be taken away from him. Bring those enemies of mine who do not want me to reign over them and slay them.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:04:22

Judgment is coming, no matter how long it takes, no matter what the delay is. Judgment is coming. Look at the fig trees, look at all the trees when they're budding. You know that the summer is now near when you see these things happening, that the kingdom of God is here. But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing drunkenness. Cares of this life and that day of judgment come upon you unexpectedly. That's the thorns, the cares of this world, the issues and the affairs of this life. He's warning again don't get caught up in that. Judgment is coming and judgment may come for you sooner than it may come for them. Be ready, be watchful, be vigilant. Watch. Therefore, pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of God or, excuse me, the Son of man.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:05:23

Now Peter asked an interesting question. He says are you speaking this to us or all people? Who does this apply to Jesus? And the Lord said who then is the faithful and the wise steward whom his master shall make rule over his household to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant who his master will find so doing when he comes, that master that is ready, that is vigilant, that is ever watchful, that is doing what he's supposed to doing when the comes, that master that is ready, that is vigilant, that is ever watchful, that is doing what he's supposed to doing when the Lord comes, that is the man who will be blessed.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:05:57

So is he speaking to the disciples? Absolutely, because he's telling the disciples you are the servants, you are the ones that I'm telling to watch and pray and be ready and be vigilant. But if you're the type of servant that says in your heart yeah, my master, he's going to take a little while, so I'm going to kind of have a little fun, and he begins to beat his male and female servants and he begins to mistreat them and then he wants to eat and drink and just take it all in. The master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, at an hour when he is not aware, and he will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. Who is this applied to? And that servant, who knew his master's will and did not prepare himself to do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But watch what he says. So Peter's question who does this apply to Lord?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:07:06

It applies to all men. Whether you knew or you didn't, you both will have a judgment coming for the things that you've done in this life. There were some Galileans that had their blood mingles with the sacrifices of Pilate, and Jesus answered and said to the multitude do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this atrocity? He says I tell you no, but unless you repent, you're going to die the same way. You will also perish. He says what about the 18 people that died when the tower of Siloam fell? There was a tower called Siloam. It fell and it killed people. And he brought that natural thing up and said do you think that they were worse sinners than all the rest of the people in Jerusalem? He says that's how you know. But if you don't repent, you will die too. You will perish as well. And he spoke this last parable.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:08:07

Certain man had a fig tree planted in his yard. He came seeking fruit on it. He found none. He said to the keeper of the vineyard look for three years interesting number, three years I've come seeking fruit on this fig and found none. Cut it down, why does it use up our ground? And he answered and said to him, sir, let it alone this year also until I dig around it, and I'm going to. I said to him, sir, let it alone this year also Until I dig around it and I'm going to fertilize it, and if it bears fruit, great well. But if it not, after that you can cut it down.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:08:43

What we see through this tether, this string of all of these parables, is what is the culminating work of the kingdom of God in the life of an individual and in the world. When the kingdom of God has come, manifestly there will be judgment and all will pay dearly for frustrating the work of the kingdom of God in themselves or frustrating the kingdom of God in others, frustrated in the kingdom of God in others. The unfruitful trees will be cut down, the tares, they will be cast into the lake of fire. The goats will be condemned to everlasting fire and eternal punishment. But to those who allow the kingdom of God to have his way in them, to those that do the sayings that Jesus was speaking, they will produce fruit 30, 60, and 100. And they will be given more than they were given originally. They will be found pleasing in his sight, they will be accepted in the beloved and they will be the ones destined for everlasting righteousness. So let's keep that in mind when we start, because there's more parables.

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:09:52

I hadn't really touched on what I thought kept in that thread, but most parables are in line with that thinking. It is the kingdom of God at work in you. What will you allow him to do in your life? What kind of attitude will you have as the day of his judgment draws near?

j - Jesus M. Ruiz: 1:10:14

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