Everyone loves a good story and a good storyteller.

But there is no storyteller like the Lord Jesus,

and there are no greater stories told than the ones Jesus shared.

In this study, spiritual stories, we consider the parables Jesus told and their

application to us. These are truly the greatest stories ever told, and the Lord has something

he wants to say to you through them. Let's join Scott Pauley now.

I hope that you have been as enriched and strengthened in your faith and your hopefulness and challenged as I have through these studies in the parables of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These spiritual stories Jesus told and then connecting them to our life.

Not all of scripture is written to us, but it is all written for us.

Not everything in the parables of Jesus was directed at us, but from them we learned

something about him and then ultimately something about what he wants for all people. Today, I want

to conclude by giving you some general impressions. If I may say it this way, my takeaways. We had a Bible teacher years ago named Frank

Sells, and when he would launch into a great study, he would say, let me begin by giving you my

general impressions. He was laying a framework, if you will. Well, I want to do it on the backside,

and I want to tell you some of my takeaways. Before I do that, I want to read a

scripture to you from the gospel according to John. Now, that may seem interesting to you because if

you've downloaded this special study guide that we prepared for our study on spiritual stories,

and you look at the comparison list of all the parables of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke,

and John, you will notice that by and large the parables are found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke,

in what is referred to as the synoptic gospel records.

In fact, the only one we've really studied from the gospel according to John is John chapter 10,

and that is the parable of the good shepherd.

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