John 1:24…

The fulfillment of a ministry calling is always an amazing thing, especially to the one who has been called by God.

One thing we must remember about John the Baptist is he is performing all God has called him to do without having seen the results of his ministry – or even really knowing what the result may be.

Also, we must remember John is doing all this in a confrontational manner before what could be a hostile crowd. Apparently, the majority of the crowd comes around to his message, and is deeply affected by it – but he did not know that would happen prior to launching off into his message of Spiritual conviction and the requirement for repentance as a means of heart preparation for the coming of the Messiah.

And the Messiah had NOT come yet when John began, and he really had no certainty He would. John was operating and placing himself in grave danger by faith alone. He told the crowd the Messiah was coming before he himself had seen the Messiah or known of his existence - except by God’s word.

God had told John to “Go and do,” and so John ‘went and did.’

This is the kind and quality of obedience to God’s calling we seldom see any more. There is perhaps an evaluation of whether what God is telling us can be so before we even begin to think about whether it may be so. Of course, our own sense of personal comfort, protection, and even convenience also enter the equation. “Can this be accomplished without too much being required on my part?”

John was nothing like that. He is a personal hero of mine for that reason. I am here to remind everyone John was operating only on faith in the face of grave personal danger to himself. His faith was not yet sight at the time the bulk of his ministry was carried out.

Yet, I am also here to remind us all of the great reward from simply doing what God says to do, when God says to do it – even when the result is not known, and even if the result may never be known.

Oh, but what if John had not gone and done what God told him to go and do?

-Pastor Bill

John 1:18…

Humility is one of the greatest traits exemplified by John the Baptist. It seems he almost spends more time telling us who he is not rather than who he is.

In John 3, he makes the classic statement that to me makes him so very admirable as an example: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) (Of course, he was speaking of Jesus in this instance as The One Who must increase.)

Well, truly John was the leading proponent of Jesus’ increase. John was the one who was charged with creating the pathway into the human heart Jesus would cross over.

It was the reason John was created. It was the very nature of his calling. And – by the way – what if the nature of his calling also meant he would be arrested and eventually beheaded. That Jesus, once introduced, would be the last Man standing? (You could say once the sun has risen there is no longer any need for the moon.)

Was John simply discarded by God once the need for his ministry was at an end? I suppose some might look at it that way – but once John was beheaded he went straight into heaven. There is no way he would have been upset with that outcome of his ministry.

But when your ministry has drawn a massive crowd, through its freshness, and also through its abrupt truth-telling even to those being drawn to it – might there not be a very human tendency toward making all this last? (The fame, the notoriety, the acclaim, the power?)

Even the religious leaders saw John the Baptist as a force to be reckoned with. They came out to HIM. They came to see what HE was about, not the other way around.

What they saw must have shocked them. Here they found the son of a priest wearing outlandish clothing telling people, (all people – every person,) they MUST repent. Even the Jews. Especially the Jews. Especially the Jewish leaders. And he held the crowd by the force of his calling, right up to the moment his calling ended.

Then he stepped into the shadows, just as it had been prophesied of the one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the LORD.”

-Pastor Bill

John 1:14…

One of the integral passages of Biblical Christianity is, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”

There is no escaping the significance of this fact. John, having already established Jesus is God, now tells us how he knows this is true. God in Christ has come to live in their midst, and He has directly informed them of Himself and about Himself.

And they literally beheld His glory, as the only begotten of the Father – full of grace and truth. God was fully on display. His nature. His diety. His character. His love. Then He submitted Himself to death on the cross and rose from the dead to prove this was not imagined.

None of this had ever been known to this degree before, and it has not been revealed to this degree since. It is the most important moment in the history of the world – and it is the most significant event in each of our lives.

Other faith systems claim many things about the god or gods they serve. Chief among the claims of the Islamist faith is god (Allah) cannot be known. This is one of the central messages of their messenger sent from their god. Muhammad said Allah cannot be known. Muhammad literally wrote Allah is the chief of all deceivers. (Qu’ran Sura 3:54, 7:99, 8:30)

When it comes to Bhuddism or Hinduism, the same is true. In Bhuddism, god transcends everything and is in everything and is a mystical force and not a person. There is no personality to know, but a mystical perspective to be gained. In Hinduism, there are at least 300,000 gods, and they are unknowable on that basis alone. Too many to count. And they are capricious, (as is also ascribed to Allah.) You can never know what those gods may do. All you can do is attempt to appease them by your conduct.

Jesus, on the other hand, is God-in-Flesh. This is the whole point of Biblical Christianity. There can be no doubt. Here He is. This is it. God has come into the world He created to fully reveal Himself. If you are truly searching for God, He can be found. He can be known. Furthermore, God has revealed He desires to be known. He desires a personal relationship with every man, and His entry into His creation proves this is so.

If you desire to know God, you can. All you need to do is study the God of the Bible and He will reveal Himself to every heart open to the desire to know Him. Later, Jesus told Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) God came into the world so we may behold His glory as truth and not imagination.

-Pastor Bill

John 1:6…

“Let me introduce you to my good friend…”

That’s probably something you have heard yourself say from time to time. When you have a good friend, you’d like your other friends to know about this one. Sometimes, you’d even like to introduce your new friend to strangers.

It all has to do with the perceived benefit of others getting to know the friend you’ve made, and the benefits you’ve gained by knowing your new friend. In other words, you’d enjoy sharing this new friendship with others, because you know it will be a blessing to them as well.

Now imagine being called by God to introduce His Son to a lost world.

John’s life was created specifically for this purpose. Remember how in Luke’s Gospel we were informed John’s parents had been barren up to and until the time an angel of the Lord spoke to John’s father about John’s conception and birth – and that John would be brought into the world to be the forerunner of Jesus, the Christ?

Now thirty years later, all this has come to fruition. John has been born and walked with God all the days of his life. Jesus has been born and met with John at the River Jordan.

All has taken place exactly according to God’s design.

If you had only known all of this had gone into Jesus’ entry into the world, perhaps you would have a better grasp on the supernatural relationship God is desiring with you.

All of this is staggeringly amazing.

John the Gospel writer calls this information, “light.” He also refers to Jesus as, “the Light,” because Jesus is the source of the ‘light’ of illumination we perceive as coming from John the Baptist.

Unfortunately, John (the Gospel writer) also informs us for the most part the world was not ready for such a ‘Light’ as the one John the Baptist was created to introduce the world to. (In your ministry life, you may experience the same mixed results as John.)

But always remember, darkness does not perceive light – it is driven out by it.

-Pastor Bill

John 1:1…

John 1:1…

The Gospel of John is different than the other three Gospels in almost every way.

It is topical, rather than chronological, and it has one intended purpose, (stated plainly by John in Chapter 20, verse 31): “these (things) are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

While Matthew focuses on Jesus as ‘The Lion of Judah,’ (Jesus as the long-promised Jewish Messiah,) Mark focuses on Jesus as ‘Servant to all.’ Luke presents Jesus as ‘The Son of Man.’ John, on the other hand, presents Jesus as ‘The Son of God.’

John’s Gospel is written to express the Deity of the Christ, the Son of God. Rather than follow Jesus chronologically through the days of His ministry life as the other gospels do, John presents Jesus performing seven miracles. (Eight, if you include Jesus’ resurrection – as I do.)

John informs us this is NOT to say Jesus only performed eight miracles. He pointedly informs us at the very end of his gospel there are so many OTHER things Jesus did, if he, (John,) were to attempt to write them all down one by one even the whole world could not contain all the books that would be written to contain all Jesus did. (John 21:25.)

John leaves out the birth and early life of Jesus, and we join Him at the inception of His ministry, as He is introduced to the world by John the Baptist.

But wait – before we get there, there is the little matter of how we all got here to deal with – and John does that also.

John begins his gospel with a full expression of Who Jesus is. The miracles John will take note of later only support his presentation of Jesus as God-in-flesh. (The ‘Incarnate God’ presented by Isaiah prophetically in Isaiah 7:14.) Isaiah said of Messiah, “the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” (‘Immanuel’ literally means ‘God-in-flesh, or God Incarnate.)

John clearly informs us Jesus’ entry into the world was by Divine plan. He was not born in the usual way. Though Jesus was born of woman, He was eternally pre-existent and responsible for all creation. Jesus, in fact, is God in human form. John knew this to be true and plainly communicated it to us.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 24:36…

Now things get really exciting…

Upon returning to Jerusalem, Cleopas and the other disciple Jesus revealed Himself to on the Emmaus road, (and in their home,) find that amazing things have been happening back at Jerusalem as well!

Jesus is alive! He is risen!

What they hurried to report of their revelation at Emmaus the disciples had already experienced for themselves.

Jesus is indeed alive and has appeared to Peter!

And as they discussed these things excitedly among themselves, suddenly, amazingly, Jesus stood in their very midst – and all saw Him with their own eyes!

Jesus, noticing their trembling and fear of seeing all they were seeing, declared, “Peace to you.”

How interesting Jesus’ first message to His disciples perceiving eternal life for themselves is simply a pronouncement of, “Peace.”

Peace is the one thing all lack and all need. Peace of mind and heart is something only Jesus can provide. It has been lacking in mankind since the fall of Adam. You cannot find peace of mind and heart in any other place or resource apart from Jesus. He alone is the Prince of Peace.

And Jesus brings peace into every situation, no matter how troubling or how difficult. In His appearing, Jesus is eternal peace. In warfare, in sickness, and in health. In poverty, and in wealth.

Finally, and formally, peace with God is pronounced by the appearing of the risen Savior. Only a risen Savior can declare peace with God for mankind, because it was through His shed blood the way of peace was provided. And now, by His resurrection, God demonstrates the sacrifice of His Son - the Perfect One - has been accepted. Welcome home to the peace of eternal life found only in following Christ Jesus into it!

-Pastor Bill

Luke 24:13…

Imagine the disappointment. However long you’ve been walking with Jesus, learning from Him and learning of His ways – it’s all over.

When it comes to the two disciples of Jesus traveling to the village of Emmaus, we don’t know much. (We don’t even know which Emmaus they were traveling to, as there are two villages named Emmaus about that far from Jerusalem.) The only thing we do know is one of them was named Cleopas.

The other thing we know is they were disappointed, and they had a lot to be disappointed about. Whatever they had thought about what Jesus had come to do, His death had brought all of that to an end. Their lives which had soared emotionally and spiritually and legally and logically in His presence were now ship-wrecked. Back to square one...

Jesus joined them in their disappointment, drawing them out and drawing them along. One thing we can say for Jesus: He always desired people to come to Him out of thinking for themselves about Who He was, and coming to their own conviction and conclusion.

For this reason, Jesus did not physically reveal Himself to these disappointed disciples. His physical presence was veiled in a way we cannot understand. Their eyes were hindered from recognizing the One they had followed and seen many times. In fact, I think we can be fairly certain when in Jesus’ presence, His disciples could not take their eyes off of Him. Now their eyes failed them because Jesus would not allow recognition by sight. Not yet.

Jesus spoke to them of their sadness; and the source of it – as if He didn’t know. The obvious nature of their disappointment was being borne by all of Jesus’ disciples in these days, and is revealed by the incredulous response of Cleopas. Basically – “Have you been living under a rock? How could you not know what has been happening in Jerusalem in these days?”

But Jesus was not rebuffed by his response, because He was on a rescue mission. Jesus will never leave His followers alone, and this is one lesson we certainly learn here. He would end their quandary – but not before completely informing them why these things had to be.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 24:1…

The last thing they expected to find on the first day of the week was an empty tomb.

The Jews of that day placed great importance on the proper handling of the body of the deceased family member or friend. It was how they showed respect for their loved one, and it was how they showed reverence for God.

This would have been particularly true for those who followed Jesus, as He had taught them more than reverential fear of God. Jesus had ushered in the new notion of reverential love for their Father – Who is in heaven.

And so, with reverential love for Jesus - as for His Father - they approached the tomb where He had been lain three days prior, with their only anticipation being to anoint His body with burial spices customary of their day.

(We remember Joseph and Nicodemus, two ruling members of the Sanhedrin, had requested the body of Jesus from Pilate. They had respectfully removed His dead body from the cross, washed it carefully and lovingly, wrapped it in burial cloths, and placed it in an unused tomb owned by Joseph, who was a man of wealth. This caring for the body of Jesus had been rushed as it was the preparation day for the Sabbath, and all needed to be completed prior to sundown.)

So these ladies, who loved Jesus so well, were on their way to the tomb to finish the anointing of His body. It was very early in the morning, the hour itself indicating their urgent desire to complete this reverent task.

Even among His closest followers there was no anticipation of His resurrection. None.

This fact would be an embarrassment - and surely would not have been included in the historical accounts had it not been true. Mythical and fictional accounts always make heroes of their main characters.

Of all the bodies that have been born in the history of the world, there is only one body that cannot be accounted for and never found.

When the women arrived at the tomb, they found it empty. Everything Jesus had said was true! Jesus was risen from the dead! He IS the firstfruits of all who choose to follow Him!

-Pastor Bill

Luke 22:1…

Think of all Judas betrayed in betraying Jesus:

Judas betrayed the One Who loved him to a greater extent than anyone had ever loved Him. The love Jesus had for Judas was a demonstrated, felt love. A powerful love of healing, restoration, and of wholeness and peace.

Judas betrayed the One Who rescued him from his banal, pointless, merciless life, and restored him and brought him into greatness of life. (The greatest life anyone could possibly live.) In following Jesus, Judas’ life-potential was fully realized.

Judas had witnessed so many great things if all the libraries of the world were combined they could not contain all the glorious works Jesus had performed in his sight. (John 21:25.)

One thing only Judas had NOT seen. He had not seen Jesus even begin to act as a political figure, as a conquering king. Judas was such a political zealot he saw everything through the lens of defeating Roman rule. This was The Messiah he sought. Jesus presently was not living up to that expectation. Judas desired a king who would defeat, drive out, and deliver Israel from the tyranny of oppression.

He had not imagined The One Who would deliver Israel - and indeed the whole world – from the tyranny and oppression of sin.

He wasn’t thinking about that when he allowed Satan to enter his heart.

Once Judas allowed Satan to enter his heart he followed a path of destruction. Judas had no way of knowing even this act of unholy sedition had been prophesied in scripture. (Psalm 41:9.)

In the strangest and most detestable way, we are reminded even under Satan’s influence our actions are controlled by God for His purposes. It was necessary for Our Passover Lamb to be slain – and Judas unwittingly and foolishly became the instrument.

Was Judas then not responsible for his actions? Jesus said it would have been better for him if he had not been born. (Matt 26:24.)

-Pastor Bill

Luke 20:1…

Rather than listening to Jesus while seeking to discern God’s voice in the things He said, the scribes, elders, Pharisees and Sadducees put Jesus on trial - seeking to demonstrate He was not Who He said He was.

It is difficult to argue with God – and impossible to prove God is not Who He says He is.

Yet people have always tried. While many may sense some degree of success in arguing with an invisible God, the task is made insurmountable by God in flesh.

We have understood Jesus is our Passover Lamb – slain since the foundation of the world.

Jesus on trial fits that scenario perfectly.

In the Book of Exodus, the prescription for the Passover lamb was that it be brought into the house on the 10^th day of Nisan, the beginning of months. The lamb was kept in the home for four days of inspection to determine the worthiness of the lamb being offered. (The lamb would be inspected to determine it was without spot and without blemish.)

On the 14^th day of Nisan, the lamb was to be slaughtered and completely consumed, its blood marking the lintels and doorposts of the homes of those who had partaken of the Passover lamb and removed the leaven from their homes. The Death Angel ‘passed over’ every home marked by the blood of the lamb slain. All the firstborn in the land of Egypt whose homes were not so-marked died.

It was then the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt began. The Jews were expelled from the land and scattered into the desert – heading for the Promised Land.

In the same way, Jesus entered Jerusalem on the 10^th day of Nisan, and was inspected and found to be without spot or blemish by all who examined Him. He was found to be perfect. On the 14^th day of Nisan, He was crucified – The Lamb slain to save us from our sins.

Following His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, Jesus’ disciples were scattered throughout the known world, and the Church Age began. An ‘exodus’ from the slavery of religion.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 19:28…

God is always right on schedule.

Sometimes in our lives we attempt to run ahead of God, or lag behind – but in the end we always find out we cannot do either – and the reason is because God is ALWAYS right on time.

Imagine if you could control time the way God controls time. There would never be anything outside or apart from that schedule, because you would always be in complete and total control of all things taking place in that schedule.

The God we serve is a God of order and design and intent, and so His schedule is always in place, and it is always right on time. To even imagine anything contrary to this is illogical and ultimately harmful to your existence.

This is why Jesus wept so upon His approach to Jerusalem. Everything in His life was playing out exactly according to God’s schedule, and the people – think of it - God’s chosen people – were completely unaware of what was taking place in their midst because they were unaware of God’s schedule.

This would have a HUGE effect upon the future of the nation of Israel. It wasn’t as if God had not given them fair warning – or at least so much evidence of His coming to earth that He couldn’t be missed unless you were deliberately not paying attention. (But this should come as no surprise to us, as today people SHOULD know all about Jesus and the timing of His life on earth – and even those who spend a lifetime in His church have no clue about any of the prophetic events unfolding before their very lives.)

The result is tragedy of epic proportions. Who is this Man on the back of the donkey? Why is He riding a donkey? Why is this happening today? “Look, everyone is praising Him, I wonder why? Maybe we should join in?”

That’s the attitude that would result in death and destruction for the children of Israel. In 70AD, right on schedule, Roman General Titus would come and destroy Israel and Jerusalem, 1.5 million would die, and Israel would disappear off the map for 2000 years.

All because they did not know the time of their visitation from God. How about you?

-Pastor Bill

Luke 19:1…

Imagine the excitement generated with the news Jesus is coming to your town.

Even with all the opposition He faced, Jesus still drew huge crowds to observe His movements, and to hear His pronouncements. There was obviously great anticipation and expectation when His approach was known. What may happen? What may He do?

So much was already known and felt about the potential in Jesus. This is why when the news began to spread of His approach, so many would drop everything just to lay eyes on Him.

I wish we had that kind of excitement and anticipation for Jesus today.

Zacchaeus was one of those who you may have thought least affected by the approach of Jesus. If you were looking on from the outside, you would probably have assessed Zacchaeus to be a hard man. Perhaps an embittered man. Whatever had taken place in his life, Zacchaeus had checked out of society and made himself an enemy of the people on behalf of his own fortune. Greed had become his master. At some point in his life, the opportunity presented itself for Zacchaeus to become a tax collector, and Zacchaeus had turned away from friends and family and chosen a path of life most hated by the Jewish people. It was the wealth he could accumulate which made it worth his while to be a hated man.

Usually, with this construct, a man’s heart becomes hard as a rock for self-preservation purposes, if nothing else. It takes a special degree of hardness to endure the thoughts of hatred everyone has for you and for your chosen profession. Wealth is not much compensation for enduring hatred, but for those hard-hearted enough to endure it, wealth becomes their solace.

It is interesting to note how often Jesus interacted with tax collectors. One of His apostles, (Matthew,) had been a tax collector. You would think these particular men would be impossible to reach.

But it reminds us those with the hardest hearts are often the closest to salvation. Zacchaeus’ story reminds us how a hard heart is so often a shield for a brokenness dying to be revealed. Jesus IS the answer for every broken heart – especially those hardened by the evil constructs of this world.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 18:9…

“Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.”

Such an important teaching by Jesus as He anticipates all that will happen once He has been crucified, raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

He encourages those men He is leaving behind to pray always because they are without a physical, present Savior they can see with the eye and hear with the ear. Those men, (including all of us,) would be departing the physical realm of guidance, and moving into the spiritual one. (This explains the importance of understanding WHERE the kingdom of God is.)

(The kingdom of God is not a place, it is a heart attitude present in a man who desires to be ruled by God. This establishes God’s Lordship, and it is only accomplished by yielded-ness in man.)

This explains the importance of praying always – in light of the evil present in this world - and because the mystery of God remains for the mortal man seeking to understand The Immortal God.

But there can be a danger in the accumulation of Spiritual wisdom gathered and experienced through constant prayer, and Jesus warns us of this as well:

It is Spiritual pride. Jesus employs the Pharisees as an example of this.

The Pharisees began as a needful institution. When the Israelites returned from exile, the Pharisees eventually emerged as a body of leadership within the Jewish faith intent on keeping God’s Word and departing from any vestiges of idolatry which had led them into exile. God hates idolatry, and He loves those who keep His Word. It is needful in any society to have those present whose role is to protect God’s truths and present them to the people as guidance for their lives.

By the time of Jesus, the Pharisees had been performing this role in Jewish society for over 150 years. They were looked up to as being the seat of all knowledge. The problem is they became prideful as they were looked up to. Instead of being humbled by the acclaim, they looked down upon the people they ruled over. Jesus lets us know this attitude of Spiritual pride is detestable to God. No man is above the Law of God. ALL men are broken by its precepts.  

-Pastor Bill

Luke 18:1…

Jesus has just spoken to His disciples of His departure from the earth.

The detail Jesus has provided about the events which will transpire from His time into our future are staggering. Can you imagine what the disciples must have been feeling and sensing?

In the first case, it would have been difficult and even tragic to even think of Jesus leaving. He has been their ‘All in All’ and their ‘everything’ in this period of their lives.

For three years He has walked with them and provided God’s instruction and guidance in every thought, and every word, in every deed. It is impossible to fathom how MUCH they may have learned from Jesus while they walked with Him. Can you imagine trusting God with EVERY decision and action for three years’ time - and then having to contemplate losing that sort of direct counsel and instruction?

Sure, the teaching Jesus has just laid out for them in Luke 17 is fantastic, but rest assured, the part they probably heard the loudest was the part where He informed them He is leaving them. (The implication is He is leaving soon.)

And so, certainly the focus goes to His return, which Jesus also emphasized. However, in the prophetic manner Jesus spoke, His return is not as well-defined as His departure.

It still isn’t today, and this becomes an issue for all Christians. When WILL Jesus return?

How are we to respond to His absence?

As Christians we are dealing with the very same issues His disciples were when it comes to Jesus’ return. He promised to return. When will this be? (WILL it be?)

Jesus reassures His disciples with the same guidance He provides us. His return is certain. A given. There should be no doubt. Why then do they/we doubt? Why then would we possibly lack when it comes to making our petitions before God? Why would our persistence ever lag – especially when we see earthly examples all around us making their persistent petitions to earthly judges for their needs? Poignantly, and very poignantly Jesus asks: “When I return, will I really find faith on the earth?”

-Pastor Bill

Luke 17:20…

We know God by inspiration, by proclamation, by demonstration, (and by meditation and perspiration.)

Soon and very soon, we will also know God by revelation.

This is the ‘apocalypse’ we are so familiar with, but mostly by the blatant and constant misuse of the word.

This word which means ‘unveiling’ - or truly - ‘revelation,’ has been used in the modern age to mean some sort of cataclysmic event. A huge explosion, or massive battle, or some such thing. A super-colossal tragic event of some sort is said to be “apocalyptic.”

The ‘apocalypse,’ (which has no doubt been borrowed for use by the world,) is the revelation of Jesus Christ to the whole world at one future point in time. This is the moment when all will see and know that Jesus truly IS the Christ, and when all will acknowledge His Lordship over their lives. For many this demonstration of His Lordship will come by His destruction of their attempts to oppose it.

In the second half of Luke 17, Jesus answers the Pharisees’ sarcastically spiteful question about when the kingdom of God will come with a clarity few may have expected. One question we may ask about Jesus’ lengthy answer: How does Jesus know all this?

If you know the answer to that question, than you know Who it is Who is answering, which means His answer is the Way, the Life, and the Truth. To deny His answer can only lead to your destruction.

On the first point - which is major for us - Jesus reveals the present location of the kingdom of God. To those who were looking for a political figure to come and overthrow the Roman government, or any other thing which may be dominating their lives, Jesus informs us the kingdom of God is within us. It is not presently a physical kingdom, it is a kingdom of permissive Lordship over the heart of man. It is a spiritual kingdom present only within those who allow it to be so. To date, this kingdom is invisible.

But soon and very soon this will change, which should be of primary importance to every life. Jesus IS coming back, and to every eye and every heart He WILL BE revealed.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 17:1…

Offenses to God’s kingdom are not like other offenses.

It is interesting to think what kinds of offenses these may encompass. Without a doubt this would extend to anything which may impede someone else’s progress into the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus speaks powerfully of the sobriety we should have in consideration of causing such an offense. He says it would be better if, “a millstone were hung around your neck and you be thrown into the sea.”

It would be “better…” Think about that.

The very idea of being cast into the sea with a millstone around your neck is about as vibrant a picture as Jesus ever presents.

But who are the “little ones” Jesus speaks of?

Certainly, this would speak of any children who may be in their midst. More than once Jesus has spoken very fondly of the children. He has encouraged they be brought to Him that He may hold them and share His love for them. Jesus has such a heart for children because of the nature of their faith. They have not become jaded, and they believe what they are told by their elders - especially by those elders who are closest to them in relationship. Indeed, it is ‘childlike faith’ which saves the child of God.

But what if what the little ones are told to believe about the kingdom of heaven is accompanied by hypocrisy in you? What if they believe what they have been told to believe about the kingdom of heaven – but then begin to struggle with their faith in the kingdom of heaven or to lose their faith entirely because of what they see in you?

This is the idea Jesus is presenting. We will be held responsible for the impact our lives have on those who are just learning about these things. Anyone of any age can be one of the “little ones” Jesus refers to. Yes, children are certainly included, but so is anyone who is a new believer, or just becoming a ‘child of God.’

Mr. Religious Man, what impact does your life have upon the child of God?

-Pastor Bill

Luke 16:19…

Death becomes you.

As has been well-said, “The statistics are in – and ten out of ten people die.” (Yet one more reason to pray for the rapture of the church!)

You ARE going to die. So am I.

Strange as it may seem, though this is a really well-known fact, it is denied and imagined to be untrue as much as possible. It never quite seems really true until we are faced with death in some way. Perhaps a loved one or a friend dies. It is a present reminder of death, its impact, and our own facing of it.

Then a little time goes by and we find ourselves putting it out of our mind again. Is this a form of self-protection because we don’t like to think about it – or is it really self-preservation because it helps protect our sanity?

All the religions of the world have a plan for dealing with death. (Perhaps we could even say death above all else is the REASON all the religions of the world exist.) It is certainly one of the best ways to compare the religions of the world, because they each deal with the subject of death in vastly different ways.

Given that eternity is vastly LONGER than the time spent on earth in this life, perhaps it might be worth some investment of the time you have left on earth to consider the eternal ramifications of your life. This is the point Jesus is making to the Pharisees.

Since this IS God-in-Flesh speaking about eternal life, it behooves us to pay close attention to what He says. What He says goes all the way back to the beginning of His teaching about unjust stewards. (Those who misuse the resources God has provided.) The Pharisees were the classic example of this, in that the focus of their religious practice had become accumulation of wealth – in the name of God. Since, in their time, it was assumed the wealthy were the blessed of God, and the poor were the cursed of God, it would likewise seem these wealthy Jewish religious leaders were a lock for eternal life in heaven, in their own minds, and in the minds of the people.

But Jesus says they are not a “lock” for heaven. In fact, they are locked out.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 16:14…

You become what you worship.

This is the warning Jesus so profoundly offers when He pronounces, “No servant can serve two masters; either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

God’s Word consistently and constantly warns us against having a divided heart – and the reason is because once the heart is divided, it really goes all the way to the other side. Thinking it is merely divided in a proportionate way is self-deception. It is not possible.

The acquisition of wealth from God is what the Pharisees are about. Jesus strongly lets them know God knows this, and that God knows their hearts are polluted. It does not matter at all that the people see them as representing God. Jesus tells them God knows they do not.

Think of how serious it must be in God’s eyes to know He knows everything you do in His name is pretense.

Wealth is not the issue. It is the pursuit of wealth in God’s name which is leading them to condemnation. It is not too late, but it is too terrible unless they immediately and forcefully turn away. The god they serve is money, they have become wealthy, and the entire focus of their ministry life is not service to the True and Living God, but service to themselves and the monetary accounts they steward, “in God’s name.”

The Pharisees worship wealth and its preservation, and so they are constantly in peril unless they can collect money in the name of God. (This is what happens when money becomes the focus of your life.) They have no means of acquiring personal wealth on their own. (They cannot dig, they are ashamed to beg.) For them it is about using their religious position to build up an earthly religious kingdom, and then to live off those proceeds.

They represent the True God as a hard master to the people because of their own need for fortune. And strangely, this ultimately this leads to a softening of God’s Word to preserve the resource (the people,) the wealth appears to come from.

-Pastor Bill

Luke 16:1…

Here we have the case of a steward who has been found out.

A steward is a caretaker of someone else’s goods. One who oversees the wealth or resources of another. One who’s wealth is not their own but someone else’s. A resource  or wealth manager.

So we can imagine how serious it would be to be found out. To be found to be unjust, or to have been caught misappropriating wealth that does not belong to him.

This has been the case of many in the news. Investment brokers who have created Ponzi schemes or fraudulently used monies of those who have trusted them, or worse – politicians who have grossly mismanaged the wealth that flows into the government on the backs of the people.

Yet in this example Jesus observes the shrewdness of a corrupt steward who is busted.

This unjust steward who is about to be removed from his stewardship because of his impropriety quickly goes to those he has been ripping off and makes ‘conciliatory’ deals with them in the hopes of winning their favor. He drastically cuts the debt they owe his master.

The summation of this parable is one cannot serve two masters. Either you will serve money, or you will serve God – but you cannot serve both.

How interesting Jesus places this parable in such a worldly setting, revealing the extreme self-interest demonstrated by the unjust practices of this steward, and how this man so quickly moderated his stance when his future was on the line.

We see a picture of our lives, in that we tend to act as though the things we possess actually belong to us – just as the unjust steward did. The truth is, everything we possess belongs to God, and we must treat all our resources as though they are His. Properly understood, we are to employ God’s riches to win the favor of those around us for God, rather than hoarding the resources He provides for ourselves. This is the result when we focus on our eternal future rather than on the very temporal wealth which doesn’t belong to us anyway.

-Pastor Bill