December 31 - The Parable of the Householder - Protestant Caucus/Devotional

“‘Have you understood all these things?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old’” (Matthew 13:51–52).

Jesus’ twelve disciples would eventually become His twelve apostles (Matthias replacing Judas, Acts 1:23). Through these men, and later Paul, our Lord entrusted the continued revelation of His Word and the extension of His church. Like “head[s] of a household,” which was analogous to being disciples in Christ’s kingdom, they drew from the old treasures of previous revelation and received additional, new truths. And these faithful men would proclaim both.

“Brings out” conveys the concept of scattering or distributing widely. Here it also connotes generosity—giving out God’s truth of the gospel wisely and liberally. Second only to their Lord, the apostles would be supreme scholars of Scripture, preachers, and teachers—scribes and disciples without equal (cf. Matt. 11:11) and superb evangelists.

With a slightly lesser degree of authority, the Lord’s charge to His apostles applies to every Christian (Matt. 28:16–20), and especially to those pastors, teachers, and missionaries He has called to spread His Word. It is a tremendous responsibility to warn the lost about hell and to offer them salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. Paul stated it this way, “Knowing the fear [terror] of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11). The believer’s heart is cold indeed that is not profoundly concerned about those all around who are without Christ and headed for hell. Pray that you would genuinely warm to the task of reaching the lost in your community and beyond with saving gospel treasure.

The end of a year and the dawn of a new is always a time of reflection and renewed hope. What have you gleaned from walking with Jesus through these past months and seasons? What are your priorities for the coming year? May the Lord bless you as you follow Him there.

“What have you gleaned from walking with Jesus through these past months and seasons? What are your priorities for the coming year?”

Excellent questions.
As I reflect and look forward towards 2023, I see a lost world desperate for answers - though most are going to roll their eyes at the answers Scripture provides to help them.

I’m running this race full steam ahead this year with patience, and since most people these days are shocked by generosity - I plan to give a bit more. Sharing the Gospel when given the opportunity.

To be honest, I am starting to see the lid seal shut on folks being open to The Gospel. They’ll have their 2nd (and last) chance during the Tribulation.

YMMV.
God Bless you sis!

“To be honest, I am starting to see the lid seal shut on folks being open to The Gospel. They’ll have their 2nd (and last) chance during the Tribulation.”

True, people seem to be becoming more hardened. I wonder who will get a 2nd, 3rd, or more chances after the rapture.

While we may disagree on whether such chances (i.e. opportunities) happen during all of Daniel’s 70th week, the Great Tribulation, or the Day of the Lord, it seems apparent that many will be converted during the final days before Christ sets up His earthly Kingdom.

But Paul, in 2nd Thessalonians 2, talks about God sending “strong delusion” to those who reject the truth. Perhaps those who are converted in the time following the rapture will be those who have not had an earlier opportunity. There are still millions, and perhaps billions, who have never heard the Gospel today.

There are scriptures that connect reaching the world with the Gospel to the completion of prophetic events:

Matthew 24:14 NKJV
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

II Peter 3:9 & 15 NKJV
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise [of the rapture], as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance...
And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you.

I would urge people to consider that they may never have another chance to receive Christ than this present moment. Peter says the delay of Christ’s return is so that we have the opportunity to be saved. This leads me to believe that such opportunities for a “second chance” may be minimal or possibly non-existent. Regardless, those who are alive here and now are not guaranteed one more day on this earth. So, I suggest the urgency of the message is there even if there may be a 2nd or 3rd chance after the rapture, it’s not something anyone should think they can count on.

II Corinthians 6:2 NKJV
For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

“Mathias was man,s choice. Seeing that Mathias was never headed from again, I would venture that Paul was Jesus’ choice.”

There is no Biblical basis, including no reproof or correction by God, to support your claim. Peter cited scripture that prophecied Judas’ fall and his replacement. The casting of lots was a Biblical practice.

Immediately prior to this, we have this testimony: “ These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” And immediately after, the Holy Spirit came down. The decision itself was seeking guidance from God through prayer: “And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.” (See Acts 1 and 2.)

Paul defines the Gospel to the Corinthians here:

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NKJV
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

Part of the Gospel is that Christ’s resurrection was confirmed by eyewitness testimony. Paul includes himself in those who saw the risen Christ (but much later, as Paul saw Christ on the road to Damascus and was personally taught by Christ for 3 years in the desert).

But here’s the salient point for the subject under discussion: Paul does not say Christ was seen by the “eleven” apostles (sans Judas), but rather he says the “twelve”. This could only be if Matthias is counted because Judas did not see the risen Christ. Paul did not include himself in the twelve. Paul was not merely stating an opinion but was inspired by God to include this in the Bible.

Today is the day of salvation. They need to choose now, for obvious reasons.

I'm not sure how the delusion that is given over will work, but while it's clear from Scripture that a massive harvest will take place during the Tribulation, the strong delusion in 2 Thessalonians is also there as well.

Who succumbs to it? I like going back to Matthew 24:24 when thinking about this:

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

If it were possible.... hmmm? Good points unlearner - Happy New Year!

“Those that wait until the time of the Tribulation are going to have a tough road to walk for their faith.”

I was around 15 when I shared the little I knew of end times prophecy with my science class classmates. Two of them made a profession of faith as a result. One of those two became my lifelong best friend. He joined me in sharing Christ with other teens in youth outreach and children in Child Evangelism Fellowship. One summer he had the highest number of professions of faith for anyone in CEF nationwide. We went door to door and into housing projects, apartments, and neighborhoods.

It seems the warnings of prophecy about what is coming to this world go hand in hand with the Gospel message which warns people to flee from the wrath to come.

Acts 2:40 NKJV
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.”

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 NKJV
For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

I question the extent to which people will be saved during those end times who have previously heard and rejected the Gospel.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NKJV
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Matthew 24:24 NKJV
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Luke 23:30-31 NKJV
Then they will begin to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?

“I like going back to Matthew 24:24 when thinking about this”

I just read your post after the same passage came to mind as you can see from my previous post.

“I’m not sure how the delusion that is given over will work, but while it’s clear from Scripture that a massive harvest will take place during the Tribulation, the strong delusion in 2 Thessalonians is also there as well”

True. I suspect that the delusion begins at the onset of Daniel’s 70th week and grows. The antichrist is supposed to have authority for 3.5 years after the abomination of desolation.

Daniel 7:25 NKJV
He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time.

Revelation 13:5-8 NKJV
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

“‘Have you understood all these things?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old’” (Matthew 13:51–52)."

And then he, (John Macarthur), says this:

"With a slightly lesser degree of authority, the Lord’s charge to His apostles applies to every Christian (Matt. 28:16–20)"

Here are those verses:
Matt 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen

I simply cannot reconcile his (John Mac.'s) "contrast" or "comparison"?

"Every" means "every", right?

In other words, it appears John Mac. is making a distinction where none exists in my Bible.

While I agree that I, as a Bible believing Christian, have lessor authority than the original disciple/apostles have, these particular verses (that John Mac. referenced) simply don't make that distinction.

Metmom?
THANK YOU for posting things people say about the Bible.

I have been studying Matthew 13 for the past 5 years...and I'm still learning things from it.

It is too bad I missed your daily postings earlier last month. (I have a lot to comment on with Matt 13.)

The whole chapter of Matthew 13 revolves around these verses:

Matthew 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. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

Jesus explained (to us, by reading it) the first and second parable.

The rest of these 7 parables (in Matt 13) are EXACTLY in line with the first 2...and those FIVE are not explained to us without Spiritual assistance (Holy Spirit).

...and when you consider THAT...a lot of former belief systems seem to collapse. (At least it did for me....as an example: The mustard seed is NEITHER the smallest of all seeds and nor does an herb grow bark and become a "tree"...)

...anyway...thank you, again, for posting what someone thinks about the Bible says!

Have a blessed New Year!

"Every" means "every", right?

Re Matthew 28, I do believe he is correct in that every believer has a responsibility to go and preach the gospel as they go and to make disciples.

I believe that is how the early church spread the gospel as they dispersed after the persecution Saul was instigating against believers.

If you want to see the threads I posted that you missed, you can either go to my in forum postings there is a section where you can find all the articles I have posted, or do a keyword search for “gty” since I add that as a keyword to every devotional I post from Grace to You. That will bring up every article posted that has gty as a keyword entered.

I’m glad the postings are blessing you.

Happy New Year.

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