Bible Parables Made Simple Volume 1

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Table of Contents

“Bible Parables Made Simple”---Vol. 1

Introduction to the Parables ....................................................….3

The Sower (Identifying the Saved and Lost).....................................… 6

Treasure Hid in a Field (Searching for Hidden Treasure in the Bible)...19

The One Pearl of Great Price (Jesus gave everything for us)..........…. 27

The Old and New Wine Bottles (Importance of Conversion) ..........….41

The Grain of Mustard Seed (How to obtain Faith) .........................…53

Choosing the Broad or Narrow Way (Many are in the Wrong Church)65

The Two Men That Built Houses.(The Bible the Basis for All Beliefs)89

The Tares Among the Wheat (The Joining of the Churches) .......….103

The Right Eye Plucked Out (What Hell is Like)..............................113

The Feast of the Birds and the Desolate Land (The 1000 years).….127

Let The Dead Bury The Dead (Condition of the Dead)……………….135

The Missing Bridegroom (Jesus is Coming Back)…………………….151

The Man Without a Wedding Garment (How to Pass the Judgment)165

Final Conclusion ...................................................................….179

Bible Made Simple Ministry

William T. Barrett Telephone 423- 638-1661

685 Doyle Davis Road E-mail: williamtb24@earthlink.net

Greeneville, TN 37743 www.biblemadesimple.com

www.parablesofjesus.net

Bible Parables Made Simple Vol 1

Cover painting artist : Copyright Darrel Tank

Foreword

This book is designed to “continue” where my first book “The Bible Made Simple Vol 1” left off. Now that you have an understanding of How to study the Bible and how the Bible explains and interprets itself, we can focus on various parts of the Bible. This book will begin our focus on the Parables of Jesus.

It is very important to understand the “Parables” because they contain the “Doctrines” and ”Truths” that Jesus felt were the most important for us to understand.

As we study the “Parables” and discover their Doctrines and Truths, remember they are not the teachings of any church, but rather the teachings of Jesus Himself!

William T. Barrett

P.S

If you will read the Parables that are in this book in the

order that they are presented instead of skipping around

you will see the continuity of the teachings of Jesus far

better.

INTRODUCTION TO:

TheParablesof JESUS

How did JESUS communicate TRUTH to his listeners?

Matt. 13:34“All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables: andwithout a parablespake Henotto them.”

35 “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

Mark 4:33 “And with many such parables spake He the Word unto them, as they were able to hear it.”

34 “But without a parable spake He not unto them; and when they were alone He expounded all things to His disciples.”

Conclusion:

Thus Jesus used ”Parables” to communicate truth (“the Word”) to His listeners. The above texts also tell us that Jesusalwaysused parablesto teach the people,

(” without a parable spake He not.”)

WhydidJESUSspeak inParables?

Mark 4:2 “And He taught them many things by Parables, and said unto them in His doctrine.”

Matt.13:10 “And the disciples came and said unto Him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables”?

11 “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”

Conclusion:

Jesus spoke in Parables to teach “doctrine” to His followers and to teach the “mysteries” of the kingdom of heaven that had been kept secret from the foundation of the world”. Matt.13:35

How did JESUS “Open the Understanding”

of Parables to his Disciples?

Mark 4:10 “And when He was alone, they that were about Him with the twelve asked of Him the parable.”

Mark 4:13 “And He said into them, know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables?”

The disciples did not understand the “Parable of the Sower” that Jesus gave in Mark 4:3-8. Jesus told them that if they could understand that parable, then they could understand all parables. Then, Jesus proceeded

to show them how to understand that parable

(Mark 4:14-20) so that they could understand all parables.

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER (EXPLAINED BY JESUS)

Luke 8:5 “A sower went out to sow his seed:”

Luke 8:11 “Now the parable is this:

“The seed is the Word of God.”

Mark 4:14 ” The sower soweth the Word.”

Luke 8:5 “And as he sowed, some (seed) fell by the wayside”:

Luke 8:12 “Those by the wayside are they that hear”;

Mark 4:15 “And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown”:

Mark 4:15 “but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the Word

that was sown in their hearts”.

Matt.13:19 “When anyoneheareththeWordof the kingdom,and understandeth it not, then

cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the wayside.”

Conclusions:

1.The seed represents the Word of God (Bible)

2.The sower represents someone teaching the Word (Bible)

3. Those by the wayside represent those that hear the Word (Bible) but don’t understand it.

4. The word (Bible) was “sown” in their hearts.

5. The devil takes away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

Jesus “opened the understanding” of the parable to his disciples,

by applying a Spiritual meaning to each of the real objects in

the parable. Since Jesus implied that if you can understand this

parable, you can understand all parables, He was teaching the

principles for understanding all parables.

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Final Conclusion:

As we have examined the Parables of Jesus, letting the “Bible explain itself” by comparing the Scriptures, theDoctrines and Teachings of Jesushavebecome plainto us. As we might have suspected, given the repeated warnings of Jesus to “beware of false teachers”, theDoctrinesofJesusas taught by theParablesare

quite different from the doctrines taught by most of the Popular Churches today. When thinking about

this difference keep in mind the Parable of The Two Men That Built Houses and what their foundations were;God’s Words(rock) orman’s words(sand) and you willknowwhat to believe!

In thisfirst volumeof the parables given in the book of Matthew we have covered 13 parables. There are yet

more parables to be covered and we will continue our study of them in “BibleParablesMade Simple”Vol.2.

May God help you to use the knowledge you have gained from theParablesto be like ”saltthat hasnotlostitsSavour“.

William T. Barrett

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