Hi, I'm Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to serve as your Bible teacher every day on this great radio station on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Obviously, this first son represented the religious leaders to whom Jesus was speaking.

They were people who appeared to be followers of God. They said all of the right things.

But they had rejected the most basic commandment of God. And that is to trust in Christ as Messiah.

Outwardly, they gave every evidence of being a believer, but inwardly, they were unbelievers.

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress.

Some people think that being a Christian depends on how many times you go to church or how many hours you spend reading your Bible.

But God judges a person based on their heart, not on their appearance.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress opens to Matthew chapter 21 to discover the mark of a true Christian.

Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message. Dr. Jeffress?

Thanks David. Sometimes people read the parables and think Jesus was telling his disciples a riddle. I guarantee you, Jesus had no intention of confusing his followers.

His parables were intended to shine a light on important issues.

Well, they help you gain a whole new appreciation for the parables of Jesus. I've written a brochure for you in which I've identified 17 of Jesus' favorite stories.

I'd like to send you a copy today as my gift to you of the brochure called The Parables of Jesus. All you have to do is go to ptv.org to request your complimentary copy.

As an added benefit, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, we'll say thanks by providing my brand new children's book called Jesus' Favorite Stories for Kids.

As the grandfather to triplets, I care deeply about our children and the danger of the world they face.

My new book equips any parent or grandparent with a tool for teaching our children 10 timeless lessons from Jesus, and this book is fully illustrated.

It's a wonderful tool for teachers of school children and for aunts and uncles as well.

And then, let me remind you about the wonderful matching challenge that's active right now.

For this very short period, every dollar you give before July 4th will be instantly matched by some friends of Pathway to Victory and therefore doubled in its effectiveness.

That means your generous gift of say $100 today will become $200. A $500 gift becomes $1000. A $1000 gift will become $2000. You get the idea.

Well, more about these great opportunities a bit later. But right now, let's open our Bibles to Matthew chapter 21 as we look at another favorite story from Jesus.

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