12-18-07 Matthew 13:11,12

Matthew 13:11, 12 (NAS)
And He answered and said to them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

Matthew 13:11, 12 (Philips)
"Because you have been given the privilege of understanding the secrets of the kingdom of Heaven," replied Jesus, "but they have not.For when a man has something, more is given to him till he has plenty. But if he has nothing even his nothing will be taken away from him.

Matthew 13:11, 12 (NLT)
Then he explained to them, "You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them.

There are certain things that you share with only those closest to you, with those that you trust. The same is true with the Lord. He spoke to the multitudes in parables, using stories and illustrations, to reveal heavenly principles. Afterward when His disciples would ask the meanings, Jesus would give them knowledge and understanding.

As His disciple, you are given the knowledge and perception to understand the mysteries and secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. Because you are righteous, Adonai speaks to you as to a son. You have an intimate family relationship with the Lord your God. He reveals to you things that are hidden from the wicked and ungodly.

As a son of God, you have royal power, dominion, and rule. You have the authority of the Lord. You are a prince, commander, and leader of God's people. You follow in the footsteps of the King. Because of this, Jehovah entrusts you with abundance, an overflowing measure that those who are unrighteous cannot receive. The Lord has made you pre-eminent and superior to them, with many advantages that they do not have.

As a matter of fact, although it seems that the ungodly are prospering, the Lord promises that what they think they have and possess will be taken away from them. However, you will continue to prosper since you are closely joined to the Lord.