Persistence is the Prerequisite: The “Unprofitable” Servant, and The Widow and the Mean Judge

Parables: The Unprofitable Servant, The Persistent Widow, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Presented at Harbor Church, Los Angeles, California

May 22, 1983

Scripture: Luke 17:3-10; Luke 18:1-17

“Strive to enter at the straight gate. For straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth into life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13

One of the better-known quotes from Dallas Willard is, “Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning.” In today’s episode, Dallas is teaching on the persistent effort that is required if we expect to grow in our faith. Dallas says, “Faith is a matter of knowing how to speak the creative word of God with God. That's faith. Faith is seeing things to be so, which are in the will and vision and purpose of God, so that you are joined with God in speaking the creative words.”

This is the eleventh session of a 12-part series Dallas called “The Parabolic Teaching About Christ’s Kingdom by Christ Himself.” This series is the foundation for Dallas’s book, The Scandal of the Kingdom. https://dwillard.org/resources/books/the-scandal-of-the-kingdom Join us next time as Dallas wraps up the series with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Visit https://DWillard.org for a wide variety of resources and opportunities that can serve as a means to help you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Dallas Willard Ministries exists to proclaim, teach and manifest the love, truth and transforming power of Christ and the Kingdom of God. We invite you to partner with us by praying for our ministry team, praying for the students in the School of Kingdom Living, sharing your talents as a volunteer, or contributing financial gifts. Visit https://dwillard.org/donate if you’d like to help us increase the availability of Dallas’s teaching to help people become more like Jesus.

WAYS TO CONNECT WITH US:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dallaswillard

Facebook Group: Dallas Willard is My Homeboy

Signup for the Dallas Willard Legacy Update at DWillard.org/mailing-list

Contact the team at Dallas Willard Ministries by writing us at DWMinistries@DWillard.org.

Instagram: dallas_willard_ministries

Facebook: dallas.willard.0717 and SchoolOfKingdomLiving

Threads: dallas_willard_ministries

X (Twitter): @DallasAWillard

LinkedIn: Dallas Willard Ministries, and School of Kingdom Living

The contents of this recording are © Willard Family Trust. Used by permission. For permission to reproduce any of this content, please contact Dallas Willard Publicatio...

The Folly of Possessions and Riches: The Rich Fool
Parable: The Rich Fool

Presented at Harbor Church, Los Angeles, California

May 15, 1983

Scripture: Luke 12:13-40

Today we’re studying the Parable of the Rich Fool. A fool is a person who misjudges means to ends and chooses the wrong end. The farmer in the Parable of the Rich Fool was a man who had chosen to let his soul rest in his wealth instead of in God.

In this parable and the story of what caused Jesus to tell it, we learn how to have a Kingdom mindset with our finances and other assets. Dallas helps us apply these concepts by inviting us to consider the question, “What is your life?”

John Wesley offered the following counsel on wealth management: “Get all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” Dallas recommends inserting “Use all you can” into Wesley’s instructions after “Save all you can.” Use what you have for the glory of God. It’s better to have wealth in the hands of Christ’s followers than anywhere else.

This is the tenth session of our 12-part series entitled “The Parabolic Teaching About Christ’s Kingdom by Christ Himself.” On the Sunday prior to teaching about the Parable of the Rich Fool, Dallas had taught a class based on The Parable of the Hours. We don’t have that recording, but where Dallas has taught it elsewhere, he used it to illustrate the upside-down kingdom in action through the way we do business and care for those less fortunate than us. That teaching is available along with more from Dallas about financial responsibility in the Kingdom of God in The Scandal of the Kingdom: https://dwillard.org/resources/books/the-scandal-of-the-kingdom

Visit https://DWillard.org for a wide variety of resources and opportunities that can serve as a means to help you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Dallas Willard Ministries exists to proclaim, teach and manifest the love, truth and transforming power of Christ and the Kingdom of God. We invite you to partner with us by praying for our ministry team, praying for the students in the School of Kingdom Living, sharing your talents as a volunteer, or contributing financial gifts. Visit https://dwillard.org/donate if you’d like to help us increase the availability of Dallas’s teaching to help people become more like Jesus.

WAYS TO CONNECT WITH US:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dallaswillard

Facebook Group: Dallas Willard is My Homeboy

Signup for the Dallas Willard Legacy Update at DWillard.org/mailing-list

Contact the team at Dallas Willard Ministries by writing us at DWMinistries@DWillard.org.

Instagram: dallas_willard_ministries

Facebook: dallas.willard.0717 and SchoolOfKingdomLiving

Threads: dallas_willard_ministries

X (Twitter): @DallasAWillard

LinkedIn: Dallas Willard Ministries, and School of Kingdom Living

The contents of this recording are © Willard Family Trust. Used by permission. For permission to reproduce any of this content, please contact Dallas Willard Publicatio...

Session 9. The Forgiving Heart and the Kingdom of God

Parable: The Unforgiving Servant

Presented at Harbor Church, Los Angeles, California

May 1, 1983

Scripture: Matthew 18:15-35

This is the ninth session of a 12-part series Dallas called “The Parabolic Teaching About Christ’s Kingdom by Christ Himself,” and today’s focus is on the gift of forgiveness. Many of us have a hard time with forgiveness, and sometimes that’s because of misunderstandings about what it is and how we should approach it.

In this episode, Dallas clarifies what is and is not a part of what it means to forgive someone (i.e. it doesn’t mean you forget about it and your relationship becomes the same as before) and offers helpful advice about things we can do to help us practice forgiveness. He also shares his interpretation of Matthew 18:35 (So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.) and Matthew 6:12 (Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.).

If you’d like to learn more about how to make forgiveness a natural part of your life, visit our website and listen to the 3-hour workshop Dallas taught in 1996 called “From Forgiveness to Blessing.” https://dwillard.org/resources/audio/from-forgiveness-to-blessing

Visit https://DWillard.org for a wide variety of resources and opportunities that can serve as a means to help you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Dallas Willard Ministries exists to proclaim, teach and manifest the love, truth and transforming power of Christ and the Kingdom of God. We invite you to partner with us by praying for our ministry team, praying for the students in the School of Kingdom Living, sharing your talents as a volunteer, or contributing financial gifts. Visit https://dwillard.org/donate if you’d like to help us increase the availability of Dallas’s teaching to help people become more like Jesus.

WAYS TO CONNECT WITH US:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dallaswillard

Facebook Group: Dallas Willard is My Homeboy

Signup for the Dallas Willard Legacy Update at DWillard.org/mailing-list

Contact the team at Dallas Willard Ministries by writing us at DWMinistries@DWillard.org.

Instagram: dallas_willard_ministries

Facebook: dallas.willard.0717 and SchoolOfKingdomLiving

Threads: dallas_willard_ministries

X (Twitter): @DallasAWillard

LinkedIn: Dallas Willard Ministries, and School of Kingdom Living

The contents of this recording are © Willard Family Trust. Used by permission. For permission to reproduce any of this content, please contact Dallas Willard Publicatio...