60IN60 Day 36 - Mon Apr 6

It's Day 36 and we're in Matthew 13.

A little reminder from James 1:22 - "Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says!" 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 23 - I want to see that overflowing fruitfulness in my life.

Help:
- Verse 12 - Isn't that unfair? It sounds a little that way, but you've got to read it with the idea that the larger passage in mind. The idea that's being shared here is something like this: "To the one that grabs onto what God is trying to show them, more insight and more opportunities to go deeper will be given. To the one who ignores what God is trying to show them, even what little insight they have will fade away."
- Verses 13-16 - This is a hard passage to understand. The most important thing to grasp it is to know that this is not God saying what He hopes will happen: "I hope they don't grasp it and their eyes are blinded so they won't turn to Me." This is God saying what the people are doing: "My people hear with their ears but not with their hearts because they don't want Me. If they would turn to Me, I would eagerly heal them."
- Verse 52 - As Jesus taught, He both shared old truths in an instructive and revealing way as well as sharing new things that helped people toward God.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Questions and Comments:
- "Matt 12:19 - I realize this is a prophecy of Isaiah, but what does it mean the Jesus will not cry out loudly?" - It means He won't raise a fuss or fight.  He's not going to scream in the streets that He's being treated unfairly.
- "Matt 12:32 - How can anyone be forgiven in the age to come?  What is Jesus referring to?" - It means that committing this sin (the unforgivable sin against the Holy Spirit) puts the person in the situation where if they ask for forgiveness at any point in their existence (whether now in this life or even later in the life to come), there will be no point where God will consider forgiving them.  The main point is that there is no chance for forgiveness.  The passage is not saying that there is a second chance to ask for forgiveness when we stand before God at judgment even though we did not ask for forgiveness in this life.