The One Who Has Ears, Let Him Hear

In one paragraph

On Mother's Day 2022, Pastor Ray worked through two parables from the series on the kingdom of God, setting them against a brief reflection on godly instruction passed down through mothers and the wisdom literature of Proverbs. The central concern was how God's word takes root and grows, and what the ultimate separation between genuine and false believers looks like at the end of the age. Pastor...

Read together

1. Proverbs 1:1-9 read and discussed as Solomon's introduction to wisdom, instruction, righteousness, justice, and integrity, including the command to hear a father's instruction and not ignore a mother's teaching
2. Matthew 13 (parable of the four soils) reviewed as the foundational parable preceding the kingdom parables, covering the four types of soil and what happens to seed sown on each
3. Mark 4:26-29 the kingdom of God compared to a man who casts seed on soil, sleeps and rises, and does not know how it grows until harvest comes
4. Matthew 13 (parable of the wheat and weeds) the kingdom of heaven compared to a man who sowed good seed while an enemy sowed darnel among the wheat, with explanation that the son of man sows good seed, the field is the world, and the harvest is the end of the age
5. Daniel 12 quoted as the source of the image that the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father
6. 1 John 1:9 cited in closing to show that confessing sin leads God to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness
7. James 1:5 closing verse: if any of you lacks wisdom, ask God who gives generously without finding fault

Talk about it

1. Pastor Ray opened with Proverbs 1 and the idea that a good parent or teacher says 'do as I say, not as I used to do.' What is the difference between that and hypocrisy, and who in your life has modeled that kind of honest instruction?
2. The parable of the growing seed in Mark says the farmer goes to sleep at night and gets up daily, and he himself does not know how the seed grows. What does it look like practically to be faithful in sowing and then trust God with the increase, rather than trying to control the outcome?
3. The darnel weed is described as something that looks almost identical to wheat until the very end, and it is not just worthless but poisonous. What does that image stir up in you, and how does it change the way you think about genuine faith versus outward appearance?
4. Pastor Ray said that universalism, the idea that everyone will eventually be saved, is the most popular current heresy, and that the parable of the weeds is a solemn warning Jesus delivers to people who actually want to know the truth. How do you hold together the love of God and the reality of judgment when you talk about your faith with others?
5. The closing prayer asked God to keep us from hearing this message and thinking 'I wish so-and-so had heard it,' and instead to cultivate our own field. Where in your own life do you sense God is asking you to receive His word more deeply rather than directing it outward at someone else?