Jesus turns once again to a parable to teach us how to pray.

His characters are a Pharisee and a publican, as He once again teaches us how to pray.

The five principles taught in this lesson are persistence, privacy, pride, presumption, and penitence.

Each of these attitudes are keys to approaching God’s throne in prayer.

Read lesson: 1365A

This lesson focuses on prayer. Here, Jesus gives a practical story about prayer and a man who was persistent.

The parable of the persistent teaches us that waiting is an opportunity for asking – the silence is an open invitation for man to come closer to the heart of God.

Read lesson: 1364B

Hell is a subject we do not like to talk about; however, it is the setting of a parable that Jesus told.

Jesus made it very clear through this parable that there is a real heaven and a very real hell. There is a great gulf fixed between the two, and no one will pass from one to the other.

The determination of who will be where are made on earth and binding in eternity. It isn’t what we have on Earth that matters, but our eternal destiny.

Look through the eyes of the rich man and see what became important to him.

Read lesson: 1364A

As we continue through the parables, Jesus is focusing on the issue of accountability. What can we learn from this parable?

Be careful not to fall into the trap of deceitfulness – God’s best and the world’s best don’t mix. Learn to look at our resources from God’s perspective.

Read lesson: 1363B

This is the second lesson on the prodigal son. This lesson however focuses on the prodigal son’s older brother – and his anger.

Instead of rejoicing upon the return of his brother, he became angry at the attention he received and, in his eyes, the unfairness of it all. Listen to how the Father not only responds when a sinner comes home, but also how he responds to His own children who can’t cope with His grace.

What are the results of our wrong responses to God as an “elder brother?”

Read lesson: 1363A

Perhaps the most familiar of the parables is that of the prodigal son. The prodigal is a picture of the deceitful heart of man.

What we can learn from this will teach us a lot about ourselves. However, we also begin to see a beautiful portrait of a loving and forgiving Father who knows how to wait.

Read lesson: 1362B

Here are two stories about lost possessions, a lost sheep and a lost coin. Jesus uses these parables to teach that being lost and found is still life’s one great issue.

Christ came to earth, never sinned, died, was buried, and rose again, triumphant over death. He paid the price for our sins so we could be saved. Those who do not accept that message are lost.

What is keeping us from seeking out the lost just as the shepherd sought out his sheep or the woman her coin?

Read lesson: 1362A

Jesus told the story of a dinner party. All of the invitations had gone out far in advance. The invited parties were to accept or reject ahead of time.

When the meal was prepared, the servants went out to tell the guests only to find that they all began to make excuses. What did the master do?

The applications of this passage are many concerning both Israel and the church today.

Read lesson: 1361B

The parable of the talents is a familiar one. God has given each one of us gifts.

Some challenging questions this lesson asks are:

To what degree have you invested your time in the Word of God?

To what degree have you taken whatever He has given you and poured it into other lives?

The Lord commends the workers based on what they do with what they have.

Find out what their reward is and what is meant by “spiritual investing”.

Read lesson: 1361A

Will you be ready when the Lord returns?

Although we can and should read the signs of the Lord’s coming, we cannot know in advance exactly when He will return. Therefore, we must be in a constant state of readiness.

In this parable, there are two kinds of people: wise and foolish. How can we prepare ourselves to be one of the wise who will be ready when Christ comes again?

Read lesson: 1360B