This Sunday, we will begin our study of the parables, which are short stories taken from everyday life that make a spiritual point. Jesus used this form of teaching quite often, and from our modern view, it seems that Jesus teaches in this way in order to make his teaching more understandable. However, parables often concealed the understanding of his message. In Matthew 13:13, Jesus says, "This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." Listen or watch as we begin this series by looking at "The Parable of the Sower" from Matthew 13:1-23.

Notes:
1) Reality of the Kingdom
    - Mystery of the Kingdom
    - Word of the Kingdom
    - Revealing the Kingdom
2) Response to the Kingdom
    - Closed Off to Jesus
    - Intrigued with Jesus
    - Love for Things Other than Jesus
    - Receiving the Word of Jesus by Faith