Mysteries of the Kingdom

MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM Matthew 13:11 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. 1. DON’T GET CAUGHT UP ON WORDS a. Many people believe this is where Jesus starts to reveal the dispensation of grace and the mystery Body of Christ….. this is not the case. b. There are more than one mystery in the scripture – Duet 29:29, Matt 13:11, Rom 11:25, 1Cor 15:51, Eph 3:3-4, 1Cor 4:1. c. In Matthew 13:11 it’s clear what the mysteries Jesus is revealing to his apostles is about – Matt 13:11, Mark 4:11, Luke 8:10. d. The mysteries can be categorized in two categories – 1) Mysteries concerning Israel and their kingdom. 2) Mysteries concerning the Body of Christ. 2. CONTEXT OF MATTHEW 13 a. Jesus is speaking in parable because it was not for the unbelieving Jews to know the mysteries – Matt 13:10-16, 34-35, b. A parable is meant to keep people from knowing the meaning – Isa 6:8-10, Eze 17:1-2,24:3, c. The parables in Matthew 13 are not about this present age, they are about the “kingdom of heaven” – vs 11,24,31,33,44,45,47,52 d. There were things the prophets prophesied but did not understand – Matt 13:17, 1Peter 1:9-13 – There are prophesies about the suffering servant (Isaiah 53) and the glorious king and righteous judge – Zech 14 – these are prophesied together in Isaiah 61:1-2 but what was a mystery is that there was a gap -Luke 4:17-21 – Jesus rightly divided these 2 advents – Luke 24:44-49, 1Peter 1:11. e. The Parable of the sower is explained by Jesus to his disciples – vs 18-23 I. Three unfruitful seeds - one fruitful – John, Jesus, the apostles ministries were all rejected – the 144,000 Jews bear fruit – Rev 14:2-5 II. Those that bear fruit get in the kingdom, the unfruitful do not – Matt 3:8-10, 7:16-20, John 15:4 – Today we know one is saved by what their faith is in, not their fruit. 3. ITS CLEAR THAT MATTHEW 13 DOES NOT CONTAIN THE MYSTERY OF THIS PRESENT AGE a. Matt 13:35 – “From” the foundation of the world is different than “before” the foundation of the world – 1Cor 2:7, 2Tim 1:9. Compare Acts 3:21 and Rom 16:25 b. Matt 13:51 – The disciple clearly understood what Jesus was teaching from these parables in this chapter – Mark 4:34. c. Matt 16 comes after Matt 13 and it’s in Matt 16:21 where Jesus “begins” to tell his disciples he was going to die and they don’t believe it – Peter rebukes the Lord – Matt 16:21-23 d. Luke 18:31-34 – It was hid from them – Cf 2Corinthians 4:3-4 e. This age of grace and the mystery of the gospel and Body of Christ was revealed “first” to Paul – 1Tim 1:16, Eph 3:1-5, Col 1:25-27, 1Cor 2:6-8, Rom 16:25-26. f. Jesus came to minister to the Circumcision not reveal usher in this present age – Rom 15:8, Matt 15:24