OUTLINE:

Everything's Backwards and Upside Down!
The things that the world esteems the most are often the same things that are potential handicaps in the spiritual life (eg. intellect, athleticism, beauty, strength/power, business acumen, shrewdness, etc.) (1Co 1:25-31)

"LET HIM WHO BOASTS"
The contrast between humility and arrogance is easy to identify. One only need ask "who" they are boasting in. If credit is funneled away from the Lord God, the giver of all things good, then it is arrogance.

"LET HIM WHO BOASTS"
On the supreme judicial scale of God, righteousness is the only thing with any mass to it. Man is incapable of bestowing righteousness to himself, it is a gift from God, both through imputation at salvation and impartation during sanctification. In all cases, God adds righteousness to His own scales on man's behalf (Pr 16:8-11). Gloria in excelsis Deo ("Glory to God in the highest").

Apostles
We may each be encouraged uniquely by the apostles. Each one of them were justified (made righteous) by grace through faith, not as a result of intellect (or any works of their own). (Ro 3:21-31; Eph 2:8-9).

Righteousness Credited
As was the case with Abraham (Ro 4:3), God gives grace (righteousness) to the humble (those who believe Him). You don't have to possess natural abilities (nothing to boast about) to earn favor with God. The apostles prove this.

"His own did not receive Him"
God promised the Jews a Messiah. He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ. He clearly introduced Himself, through word and deed. And they rejected Him. Once their rejection was consummated, Jesus' teaching changed from "propositional" to "parable".

Lk 19:10
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

The Kingdom of Heaven/God
There's no difference or special "hidden" meaning between the "kingdom of Heaven" (Mt) and the "kingdom of God" (Mk, Lk, Jn, Ac, epistles) other than Matthew seemed more sensitive to the use of the word "God" as he addressed a Jewish audience.

Context of Jesus' Ministry
• He was sent to the Jews first
• He came "to seek and to save"
• He addressed His audience in language they would understand and that would resonate with them
• He trained His successors (the apostles) to do the same

"blasphemy against the Spirit"
The Pharisees knew who Jesus was, knowing He was sent from their God (Jn 11:48; Ac 4:16), which means they'd have to call the Spirit, who convicted them of who He was, a liar!

"uneducated and untrained"
This was human viewpoint, for these men were obviously much better trained than anyone who judged them. What confounded the Jewish leaders was that the apostles' message was simple, yet bold, the antithesis of their own.

Religion Today
"Pure and undefiled religion" (Jas 1:27) has always been offensive to false religion. It's too simple, too gracious, too loving for those trying to cling to the throes of creature-credit (man's scales instead of God's). False religion proposes that self-righteousness bear some mass on God's scales, and is terribly offended when it doesn't.

J. Vernon McGee on Jas 1:27
Christians should be getting out where the people are. I feel there is a grave danger of having a religion of the sanctuary but not a religion of the street.

J. Vernon McGee on Jas 1:27
We need a religion of the street also. We should be in contact with the world in a personal way, with tenderness and kindness and helpfulness.

J. Vernon McGee on Jas 1:27
There are a lot of people out yonder who want that personal contact. My friend, you can bring a Christian contact to these people with sweetness and love and consideration and kindness.

"uneducated and untrained"
This was human viewpoint, for these men were obviously much better trained than anyone who judged them. What confounded the Jewish leaders was that the apostles' message was simple, yet bold, the antithesis of their own.

What's the Problem?
Boldness in "uneducated" men unnerves the self-righteous because it debilitates the very basis of their self-esteem. A person whose self-esteem is tied to Christ is infinitely more powerful than one whose self-esteem is tied to self. Humility leaves arrogance speechless (Ac 4:14).

"what we have seen and heard"
Notice that the apostles confidence pivoted on their experiences, not just what Jesus taught them verbally, but what He taught them through His example.

"Follow Me."
There was much more to Jesus' words than simply a physical act. He was calling His apostles (as He has with each of us, even) to follow His example. He then sent these men out so that others could follow their example, in Christ...and so on throughout human history. Following is an experience.

"blasphemy against the Spirit"
The Pharisees knew who Jesus was, knowing He was sent from their God (Jn 11:48; Ac 4:16), which means they'd have to call the Spirit, who convicted them of who He was, a liar!

Blasphemy of the Spirit Today
Similarly, when an unbeliever says to an evangelist's face, "You're a liar," it is forgiven them. But, if that evangelist just sowed the good seed (ref. Mt 13:3-4), the unbeliever is now accountable to God for rejecting His Spirit (aka the "Spirit of Christ" - Ro 8:9). (1Th 4:8)

Sowing Seed
Facts about Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection, whether believed or not, are not the issue in salvation, strictly speaking. The issue is a person's heart response to the Gospel (which includes these facts) as a result of the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Emancipation and the Road to Hell
The Jews were like the child that desires to be emancipated from their God-given parents - it's not about understanding who the authority is (that's known), it's about not wanting what God wants for you! Hell is where "spiritually emancipated" children go.

Hardness of the Heart
God will never allow a heart to be hardened UNTIL it FIRST understands the Gospel. It is the Spirit's ministry to testify about Jesus and His Gospel (Jn 15:26). No person will ever be sentenced to Hell unless they've first "tasted the gift" and been "enlightened" by the Spirit's conviction (Heb 6:4-6).

Heb 6:7-8 [NKJV]
For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed [its destiny is set], whose end is to be burned.

Mt 13:22
"And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful."

Understanding the Parables
Due to the nature of parables, being word pictures meant to reveal profound spiritual lessons, it is imperative that you first understand the context of the parable (speaker (Jesus), audience, cultural norms, time, place, and circumstance).

Understanding the Parables
Jesus taught His parables to unexceptional men. The apostles were the primary receivers of the parables, and yet there was absolutely nothing remarkable about them. We ought to be very encouraged by this! (Mt 11:25)

Arrogance Is Unteachable
The apostles were teachable Jews, the arrogant Jews were not (e.g. the Pharisees).