Category Archives: Jesus

Luke 17- Increase Our Faith

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And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. Luke 17:5-6

Faith is the key to life, but how do we obtain faith? How do we know if we truly have faith? Well first we need to understand what true faith is, the word faith is derived from the Greek word “Pistis” meaning trust, confidence, allegiance. Do you have full trust and confidence that Jesus is your Master and has delivered you from sin and death? This is the question we must ponder in our hearts, but to truly have faith in Christ we need to know who Christ is, right?

Many mistakenly perceive faith as wishful thinking or taking a chance. But this is not the true meaning of faith, as the Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1” Faith is the assurance or confidence of the things we hoped for” We don’t just hope that Jesus rose from the dead and defeated sin and death, we believe Jesus truly rose from the dead defeating sin and death, there is a big difference. All our hope is in Jesus!

The Apostles said to Jesus “Lord Increase Our Faith”, can you relate to this? Faith is like a relationship, it develops and gets stronger over time, the more you get to know Christ, the stronger your relationship builds with him, the stronger your faith grows. Jesus said “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, the sycamore tree would obey you” This sounds impossible right? But nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37) The more you know Him, the more you realize this and build your faith

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. Luke 17:7-10

Jesus tells us a story, when servants come back from doing their jobs, they don’t look to their Master to serve them, they continue to serve their Master and fulfill their duties. We need to understand , if Jesus is your Lord (Master), then you are his servant. It’s important to have obedience and faith in your Master

Do you need more faith? Do as the Apostles, ask Jesus to increase your faith! You might say well doesn’t that prove you don’t have faith, no! It proves that Jesus is your Lord and He is your provider of all things. We never saved ourselves, we were drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Ephesians 2:8, you didn’t save yourself , God saved you through Christ, your faith is Jesus will provide God’s grace for your soul Amen!

Luke 17- Stumbling Blocks

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Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Luke 17:1-2

Stumbling blocks, it’s one of the biggest issues in the Church that has hampered it since the beginning. You might ask , what is a stumbling block? The original Greek word is “skandala” meaning a snare, trap, cause for error. We all know stumbling-blocks within the Church, someone who tries to enforce heresy on the Church to divide or someone who tries to implement sin within the Church. The stumbling block is a divider, a deceiver, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. We see alot of YouTubers who have become stumbling blocks, misleading many Christians with false doctrines and division

But Jesus said “Woe to him” woe to the stumbling block, those who prevent someone from coming to Christ will have blood on their hands. It’s good to be zealous about God and to be passionate, but make sure you’re not becoming a stumbling block for others trying to find Jesus. 

So what is the punishment for the stumbling block? Jesus said “It would be better if you were thrown into the ocean with a large stone tied around your neck, than to offend one of God’s children” Jesus takes great offense to the stumbling blocks, its a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, be careful what you are preaching!

Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. Luke 17:3-4

Now does this mean we should accept any doctrine or allow sinful behavior to continue? No, Jesus said “If anyone sins against you, rebuke them and if they repent , forgive them” It’s easy to rebuke people but harder to forgive, Jesus requires both. If you’re going to rebuke people, be ready to be rebuked yourself. It’s important we continue to humble ourselves and obediently learn and serve one another with the love of Christ

Forgiveness is an ongoing job, it’s probably one of the hardest things to do in life, however we must remember judgement belongs to The Lord. Give it up to God, often when we try to resolve issues on our own, we make a greater mess of the situation. As the expression goes “Let Go and Let God” theres alot of power in that motto

So let’s examine ourselves, are you a stumbling block for others coming to Christ? Make sure you are a minister for the Kingdom and not a hindrance to the Kingdom , Amen!

Luke 16- Rich Man and Lazarus

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And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. Luke 16:23-24

The story of the rich man and Lazarus is not only one of the most powerful revelations Jesus gave to us, but its also one of the most highly debated stories also. Many will argue this is just a parable instead of a true story. The reason we know it’s a story is because Jesus uses real names in it. Unlike all the parables Jesus taught that never included names

Second most translations will use Hades instead of Hell. While reading the story you’ll see the rich man is eternally conscience being tormented in a flame. This sounds like Hell to me, Hades is typically translated as the grave or realm of the dead.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. Luke 16:25

The rich man lived like a King on this Earth, while the poor man suffered. What did it profit this rich man to gain the entire world yet lose his soul? Nothing, this world is temporary but your soul is eternal , choose wisely

And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 16:31

Notice once you are dead, there are no second chances of salvation. There is no purgatory or repentance in Hell. Our time is running short, follow Jesus or perish! Notice Jesus also prophecies here about his own resurrection.

And Jesus was right, he rose from the dead over 2,000 years ago, yet millions still deny him and are going to Hell. Don’t follow the broad way of this world, get on the narrow path of life in Jesus Christ! Amen!

Luke 16- Whoever Is Faithful

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And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. Luke 16:1-4

Sometimes we think to ourselves, what is the point of this life? We know we are saved, eventually Jesus will return and restore his Kingdom, why should we struggle and tarry today? Well Jesus reveals some of that in this parable, this life is a test. How you run your life ,how you manage your finances, how you manage your job or employees, how you raise your family, these things all matter. As Jesus said “Whoever will be faithful with very little will be faithful with very much and whoever is dishonest with very little will be dishonest with very much”

Most people don’t like to think about the “afterlife” but everything we do here today is leading up to our eternal positions. No we are not going to be floating around on clouds playing harps, the Bible tells us in the New Heaven and Earth we will be building  houses and planting vineyards (Isaiah 65:21) Life will go on in Gods Kingdom, it will be a perfect Kingdom reigned by a Perfect King, the point is what you do here today determines what your position will be in the Kingdom

So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. Luke 16:5-9

As we see in this parable, there was a rich man who fired his manager because he was corrupt and wasn’t being honest.So what did the manager do, he started stealing from the rich man, essentially this parable is about stealing from God. Think about that , everything we do in life, we should do it honestly and with integrity , as if we are working for God. If God can’t trust you with Earthly responsibilities how can he trust you with Heavenly responsibilities?

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Luke 16:10-13

Jesus makes a couple great statements here, “They that are faithful with little will also be faithful with much” What you do on this Earth and how you manage your life , makes a difference. We should live to please God, and try to make the most of what we are given to glorify Christ

Secondly, “Nobody can serve two masters” This relates to money and everything is our lives, there is only One Master and that’s Jesus, if you are a Christian you are a slave to Christ. Everything should be centered around the King of Kings, whatever takes place of God is your master.

As the Apostle Paul said “Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31) , is your life pleasing and glorifying to God? Have you been honest and faithful with whatever God has given you? Do it all for the Glory of God, Amen!