I. The Kingdom advances when the haughty are ___________ in judgment. Matthew 13:13-15
The parables act as a ________, or a sieve.
Matthew 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their foot, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
II. The Kingdom grows when God grants ________ to ‘those who have ears to hear’.
What came about in the lives of these fishermen and tax-collectors that gave these disciples ears to hear? Matthew 16:17
III. The Kingdom grows as Jesus’ hearers are granted the_________ to know the secrets of the Kingdom. Matthew 13:16-17
For believers, the parables of Jesus are a ______ or a _______ to the very secrets of God.
Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.