1.4.2026 The Purpose Of Parables

Devotional

Day 1: Hearing but not really hearing the Lord

It’s easy to be present but not pay attention—eyes on a device, mind on the calendar, heart guarded by conflict. That same pattern can sneak into your relationship with God: you hear words but don’t actually hear Him. When that happens, it strains the very relationship that most matters. Today is an invitation to notice distractions, name them honestly, and choose to listen. Ask for help to listen with an open heart, not just open ears. [05:42]

Matthew 13:13–15: People listen but don’t take it in; they look but don’t really see. Their hearts have grown thick, their ears are dull, and their eyes are shut. If they would truly see, hear, and understand, and turn back to God, He would heal them.

Reflection: Where are you most distracted when God might be speaking—on your phone, in your schedule, or in unaddressed conflict—and what simple, consistent practice will you adopt this week to give Him your full attention for 10 minutes a day?

Day 2: Parables reveal or conceal—your heart’s posture

Jesus’ stories are mercy and warning at the same time. If you’re willing, the parables open up who He is and what His kingdom is like; if you resist, they can confirm your resistance and grow a callus over your heart. The difference isn’t how clever the story is, but whether you will receive what He’s actually saying instead of insisting on your own expectations. Come to Him ready to hear, even if what He reveals surprises you. Pray for ears to hear and courage to respond. [08:32]

Matthew 13:10–12: The followers asked why He used stories. He said that insight into the kingdom is a gift given to some, and those who receive will be given even more. But those who refuse lose even what little they think they have.

Reflection: Which expectation about how Jesus “should” work in your life keeps you from receiving what He is actually saying, and how will you lay that expectation down this week (for example, through a written prayer of release or a conversation with a trusted friend)?

Day 3: Small seeds, not power—Jesus’ surprising kingdom

We often look for change through strength, position, and winning, but Jesus says the kingdom moves like a seed. It starts small and often unnoticed, planted in receptive hearts, and it grows over time. That means real kingdom impact often happens in ordinary obedience, not headline moments. Don’t despise small beginnings; plant what He gives you and trust Him for the growth. Look for Him in the quiet places—in the church, in your home, and in the neighborhood. [15:15]

Matthew 13:31–33: God’s kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that becomes a tree large enough for birds to nest in, and like yeast that works its way through the whole batch of dough until everything is changed.

Reflection: Where are you tempted to lean on power, status, or quick results for change, and what small, seed-like act of faithful obedience will you plant in your church or neighborhood this week?

Day 4: Hearing is grace—live in humility and gratitude

If you understand anything about Jesus, it’s not because you’re smarter; it’s because God was merciful to let you see. Blessed are your eyes when they see and your ears when they hear. Let that reality strip away pride and lead you into worship, gratitude, and gentleness toward others. Start the year acknowledging that every glimpse of the gospel is a gift. Humility opens you to even more of Him. [18:33]

Matthew 13:16–17: You are blessed when your eyes actually see and your ears truly hear. Many faithful people before you longed for what you experience now but didn’t get to see or hear it.

Reflection: Take five minutes to list what you currently understand and value about the gospel; how will you thank God for that gift today, and who could you humbly encourage with what you’ve received?

Day 5: From calloused to tender—ask, listen, obey

Hearts can grow hard through repeated resistance, like calluses from constant friction. But if there’s even a little tenderness in you today, ask Him for more—more sight, more hearing, more desire. He answers that prayer and gives more to those who come with even a little. Then take a clear step: open the word, confess to a friend, or obey the next thing He’s already shown you. Don’t wait; respond while your heart is soft. [33:38]

Isaiah 6:9–10: Go and say, “You keep listening but don’t grasp it; you keep looking but don’t take it in.” Hearts have become dull, ears heavy, and eyes closed. If they would really see, truly hear, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, God Himself would heal them.

Reflection: If you sense any hardness, who will you tell this week and when—and what first step (asking God for more, opening Scripture, serving, or confessing) will you take within the next 24 hours to respond while your heart is tender?

Sermon Summary

Most people know what it’s like to “hear” without really hearing—because of distraction, defensiveness, or simple inattention. Jesus says that same dynamic sits at the center of spiritual life. In Matthew 13, He explains why He teaches with parables: they both reveal and conceal. Parables are a gift for receptive hearts, opening what has been “hidden since the foundation of the world” (Psalm 78). But they also function as judgment for hard hearts, exposing resistance and deepening it.

The revealing work of the parables clarifies the nature of God’s kingdom. People expected political strength, fast results, and visible domination. Jesus announces a seed—quiet, slow, and heart-deep. Kingdom change moves through transformed people, not through thrones, courts, or militaries. That adjustment of expectation is as necessary today as it was under Rome. Much of the contemporary conversation about Christianity still defaults to power—winning elections, controlling institutions, mastering public square leverage. Jesus insists the center of His kingdom is not Washington or Wall Street, but congregations and living rooms where the Word takes root and bears fruit.

To grasp this is grace. “To you it has been given” reframes understanding as mercy, not merit. No one hears because they are sharper or more moral; hearing happens because God opens ears. That truth should produce humility, gratitude, and worship—not superiority. Conversely, parables also conceal. They are less a thermostat we adjust and more a thermometer that tells the truth about us. Repeated refusal builds spiritual calluses. Isaiah foresaw a people who would hear but not understand because their hearts had grown dull. That danger still stands: familiarity without surrender hardens.

Three kinds of listeners emerge. Some are hard: everything sounds familiar and irrelevant. The warning is mercy—admit hardness and ask for help; even that honesty is grace. Others are tender: the crust is breaking. Ask for more; Jesus promises that those who have a little will be given more. Still others are hearing clearly: give thanks and obey the next faithful step—stop what He has put His finger on, or start what He’s been calling you to do. The invitation in all of it is simple and searching: Are you really hearing Him, or only “hearing”?

Key Takeaways

1. Parables reveal and conceal Christ. Parables are mercy to the receptive and judgment to the resistant. They unveil the kingdom for those who will yield, and they veil it for those committed to their own terms. The same story softens the humble and hardens the proud, exposing the true state of the heart. [07:58]
2. The kingdom grows by changed hearts. Jesus reframes “kingdom” away from political dominance to seedlike transformation. God’s rule advances through lives reoriented to Him, not through force or visibility. The church may look small and unimpressive, yet it is the field where the most decisive work is happening. [15:15]
3. Understanding is grace, not superiority. If the gospel makes sense and stirs desire, that’s gift, not achievement. Grace disarms pride and creates a posture of gratitude toward God and compassion toward others. The more clearly one sees this, the less one can disdain those who don’t yet see. [17:07]
4. Repeated refusal hardens the heart. Truth resisted forms spiritual calluses, just as repetition hardens skin. Familiarity without repentance breeds indifference, and indifference becomes hostility. Naming hardness honestly is often the first crack where grace breaks in. [24:39]
5. Ask and respond; God gives more. A little openness invites overflowing generosity from God. Seek more light, and act on what you have—obedience strengthens hearing. Jesus delights to meet the willing with greater clarity, courage, and joy. [33:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:25] - Hearing but not really hearing
[02:25] - Physical hearing limits and humility
[03:41] - Distraction, conflict, and closed ears
[05:42] - Matthew 13 and parables
[07:58] - Two purposes: reveal or conceal
[10:44] - Expecting power vs. Jesus’ kingdom
[12:17] - A suffering Messiah foretold
[15:15] - Seedlike kingdom in the church
[17:07] - Understanding is pure gift
[21:55] - Thermometer, not thermostat
[24:39] - How hearts grow calloused
[28:44] - Three kinds of hearers today
[32:34] - Tender hearts: ask for more
[34:50] - When you’re hearing, obey

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Matthew 13:10–17, 34–35

Observation questions

In verse 11, what is “given,” and to whom is it given? What does Matthew call this content?
In verses 13–15, what senses are mentioned, and what outcomes are tied to each sense? What does Matthew say has happened to hearts, ears, and eyes?
In verses 34–35 (quoting Psalm 78), what do parables do with what has been “hidden since the foundation of the world”?
According to the message, what did first-century listeners expect when they heard “kingdom”? Name the kinds of power and results they wanted. [10:44]

Interpretation questions

If understanding is “given” (v. 11), how should a person view their spiritual insight—as achievement or mercy? What attitudes should grow out of that view, and why? [17:07]
How can the same parable both reveal and conceal at the same time? Use the “thermometer, not thermostat” picture to explain how that works in real life. [21:55]
Where might modern Christians carry the same kingdom expectations as ancient listeners (speed, visibility, political dominance)? What would seedlike, heart-level change prioritize instead? [15:15]
What is the spiritual process by which repeated refusal hardens a heart? How does Isaiah 6:9–10 (quoted in vv. 14–15) help explain why familiarity without surrender can turn into hostility? [26:46]

Application questions

Think about a relationship where you often “hear but don’t hear.” How might that same habit show up in how you listen to the Lord? Choose one concrete change for your listening this week (put the phone away, ask clarifying questions, write it down). [04:44]
Name one expectation you carry about how God should work (political wins, career success, public influence). What would repentance look like to embrace the seedlike way—in your home, small group, or serving in the church? Be specific. [15:15]
If insight is grace, what practice will help you stay humble and grateful this week? For example, start a daily “gift list,” or pray by name for someone who doesn’t yet see. Pick one and set a time. [17:07]
Identify one word from God you’ve been resisting (a sin to stop, a call to start). What is one next faithful step you will take before next Sunday, and who will you tell for accountability? [35:24]
If your heart feels tender but unsure, how will you ask for more? Choose a time/place to pray “Lord, I need more of you,” choose a passage to read, and ask one person to walk with you. [33:01]
If you are hearing clearly right now, what overflow will show up this week—generosity, reconciliation, serving, mission? Name it, schedule it, and thank God for the gift. [34:50]
If you sense hardness, what honesty step will you take? Consider telling a trusted friend, “I’ve been hard of heart—help me hear,” and invite prayer. When and with whom will you do that? [30:41]

Sermon Clips

But what happens when you don't hear the Lord? What happens when he's trying to speak to you and get you to pay attention and you are either heart of heart or maybe you're distracted or maybe you're not turning to the place where he's trying to speak to you, so you're no longer actually even hearing what he has to say. What happens when you're here but don't hear the lord? If you can strain human relationships, what happens if we are strained in our relationship with the one who knows us and loves us and is pursuing us? [00:04:44] (33 seconds) #DontMissHisVoice

Last time we looked at the parable of the sower, we saw that it was about the kingdom of God. And so the sower being the Lord and the seed being the kingdom of God. And we saw the problem of the growth of the kingdom. It doesn't have to do with the sower. It doesn't have to do with the seed. It has everything to do with the soils, which he explained was our hearts. How receptive are you to hearing God and his kingdom? And then we saw that maybe it's our hearts are distracted. Maybe we're bound up with cares of the world or maybe we're hard against God. Whatever the situation, if the word or the the seed doesn't take root or bear fruit, it has to do with the receptivity, the willingness for the person to hear. [00:06:15] (41 seconds) #SoilOfTheHeart

And Jesus says, he uses parables for two purposes because there's two kinds of people that are gonna hear the parables. The parables either help us to hear Jesus or they will hide Jesus. The parables will either reveal the kingdom of God to us if we're ready to accept it or they will actually conceal the kingdom of God for those who are unwilling to accept it. [00:07:32] (28 seconds) #ParablesRevealOrConceal

Those are the two kinds of people that he's speaking to in his time, and those are the two kinds of people who are listening today. There will be some people here who the preaching of this will reveal Jesus to you. And then for some of you, it may actually hide Jesus further from you because there's two kinds of people here and there's two kinds of reasons he uses parables. [00:08:00] (21 seconds) #ParablesTwoResponses

``And so when Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a seed and it lands in hearts, he's showing us exactly what he means, but some people aren't ready to receive it because they don't expect and they don't want a kingdom like that. They want strength and power. They want things to dominate. But Jesus says, no. It comes slowly. And kingdoms change not because of dominating in military power, it comes through changed people. Changed people are the kingdom of God. [00:11:17] (32 seconds) #ChangedHeartsKingdom

He's showing us. He's revealing it. Here's the thing though, some people will get it and want it. And some people will be like, no, that doesn't that doesn't fit. Jesus, that's not what I signed up for. Jesus, that's that's not what that's not what the scripture said. That's how they're going to respond. [00:11:50] (19 seconds) #ExpectationsBlockJesus

Think about what happens when people talk about our country and Christianity and how to make things right. What do people how what's the conversation around that? We gotta put the right person in power even if it doesn't really matter what their character's like. We gotta win. Or we gotta put the right people in the supreme court. That's what that's how we're gonna break things right in our country. Right? We gotta change the laws or we gotta use our mill think about how all of the expectations of Christianity and the conversations in a country. What do they have to do with? Strength, power, military, position? Maybe our expectations about how the kingdom of God and how Jesus works is exactly the same misunderstanding because he says, no, the kingdom of God happens like a seed. [00:14:25] (47 seconds) #KingdomNotPoliticalPower

Small, somewhat unnoticeable. And it comes not from political power and military strength, it comes from people's hearts changed from hearing the word of God. Maybe we don't hear it because our expectations aren't right. But those who understand it, who are ready to receive it, it's it's it's it's being revealed. You can see it. How does God work? [00:15:12] (31 seconds) #SeedInTheHeart

Think about the con that conversation in our country. Where where does all that happen? It happens in Washington. It happens in companies. It happens in all of those places that are in our culture seem to determine strength. Right? But where does the actual kingdom of God happen? In his church, which seems to have no power sometimes, seems to do nothing culturally, but actually just share the word and help people in their hearts change. Where's the kingdom of God? [00:15:43] (35 seconds) #KingdomInTheChurch

He's revealing things. The question is, are you ready to receive what he's actually revealing? Or maybe our expectations aren't being met and we're like, well, that's not the Jesus I want. We've been expecting it our way instead of his particular way. [00:16:17] (18 seconds) #ReadyToReceive

Just that word given there, I circled that a bunch of times because it reveals to me that all of this, if you understand anything about the parables, anything about god's word, anything about the gospel, it's by grace, by mercy. Because to most who hear this, who don't understand, that's actually probably the norm. But if you get it, you want it, you understand it, it's grace. Everything that you understand from God, if you understand what his gospel's all about, if you understand his word, you want his word, that is a gift from God. It's not because you're smarter, it's not because you're more discerning, it's not because you're more intelligent, it's because God in his grace and mercy opened you to him mercifully. [00:17:00] (48 seconds) #UnderstandingIsGift

In fact, it should humble you. So Christians who are prideful looking out at non Christians or the world and saying, what's wrong with everyone else? No. That that that's totally the wrong posture. We can know anything because of grace and mercy. I would love for this year, if you are in Christ, to start with a it's a posture of gratitude and worship because anything you understand at all is all mercy. I I I we understand anything because God has been lovingly gracious to us, merciful to us. It's not because you're better, not because you're more beautiful, not because you're smart, not because you went to church more, it's because God was just merciful. [00:18:59] (34 seconds) #StartWithGratitude

If you understand anything, it should cause humility and gratitude and worship. Because naturally to our human ears, what Jesus says, we don't want it, we don't get it. So if you get it, you hear it, you understand anything at all, it is all mercy. Because Jesus uses parables to reveal. He's gonna show us exactly what it's like. The the challenge is it may not meet our expectations. That's why he says, are you ready to hear? [00:19:34] (30 seconds) #UnderstandingIsMercy

That's the humility. Maybe just to say, I'm a rocky ground. I'm a thorny ground. I'm letting money. I'm letting my career. I'm letting my job. I'm letting my school take over my life. Just to admit. It's not a thermostat to get better. It's a thermometer just to admit where you are because it's gonna show you where you are. And maybe where you are is actually just hard. [00:22:25] (21 seconds) #AdmitWhereYouAre

This is not just a physical reality. Here's what happens. You you you start hearing the word of God again and again and again and you just keep rejecting it or keep not listening to it, what happens is you get hard. And I say that not because it's just something in the body. This happens in normal everyday conversations. [00:24:25] (20 seconds) #RejectionHardensHearts

That's what happens when Jesus uses parables because it's gonna make some people open to the word of God because they're ready to hear. And some people who are not and rejecting, it's just gonna make you callous. In fact, that's one of the hard things about preaching right now. Some of you in preaching this word, you're gonna want Jesus more. And for some of you in preaching this word, you're gonna walk away not wanting Jesus just like you didn't want him walking in. That's what happens in using parable. That's what happens. [00:26:19] (35 seconds) #ParablesWinnowHearts

There's a callus growing around your heart. Hearing it again and again is developing hardness. And there's a warning to you. And actually, there's a bit of grace in this too. Because even though you're I'm hearing you're hearing this. Stop resisting what God wants to say to you. Hear him. Listen to him. The fact that you're hearing this explained plainly right now, if you can actually admit I'm hard, that is grace. [00:29:23] (32 seconds) #AdmitHardnessFindGrace

I'm very realistic. Some of you will hear this, walk away, go back to school tomorrow, go to work tomorrow, and go on with your life not hearing Jesus Because that's what he said will happen. Some people will become hard. My prayer I've been praying this week. This is why this this particular word is I just even though it's so small and short, I wanted to spend time explaining the purpose because my prayer for you is that your hard heart would grow soft and only the holy spirit can make it soft. [00:31:29] (28 seconds) #PrayerForSoftHearts

Whenever we're in seasons where we're feeling and connected to the lord or being connected to the lord, just stop for a moment and just thank god for that. Just praise him for that because it's not always gonna feel that close. We all know that in our journey of life. Just praise him for it because it's a blessing to be that near him, And let that blessing overflow. The encouragement to you is let that overflow in your life. If you are seeing him and hearing him clearly, that will lead you to respond in your life in clear ways. [00:34:50] (35 seconds) #PraiseAndOverflow

Friends, don't be like that relationship communication challenge I have with my wife where she she'll Jeanette will say to me, did you hear that? And I say to her, I have no idea what you're talking about. I I don't want that for any of you with your friendships, with your relationships, your family. I certainly do not want that with you and your relationship with the Lord. [00:36:10] (25 seconds) #ListenInRelationships

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1.4.2026 The Purpose Of Parables

Devotional

Day 1: Hearing but not really hearing the Lord

Day 2: Parables reveal or conceal—your heart’s posture

Day 3: Small seeds, not power—Jesus’ surprising kingdom

Day 4: Hearing is grace—live in humility and gratitude

Day 5: From calloused to tender—ask, listen, obey

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

1.4.2026 The Purpose Of Parables

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