Fig Tree Faith

 Fig Tree Faith

November 2, 2026

Mark 11:7-14 (NKJV) 

7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clotheson it, and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread [them] on the road. 9 Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed [is] He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ 10 Blessed [is] the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 11 And Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve. 

12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, Hewas hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard [it.]

In today’s scripture, Mark describes the events of Jesus arriving in Jerusalem. On the first day, He rides into the city to cries of “Hosanna!”, but it is rather curious that on the next day, Jesus and His disciples are walking back into Jerusalem, and He is hungry. How is it that everyone in the city welcomed as a king the one day and the next day no one thought to feed Him? Not even the fig tree provided anything of substance, so Jesus cursed it and it shriveled up.

Do we ever threat Jesus this way? Do we worship Him one day and the next day we forget all about Him? Do we glory in His majesty one day and forget the practical working out of faith the next? Is there a difference in our Sunday faith and our Monday morning Christianity? Let us not forget the King of Kings in His majesty, but let us also not neglect to obey Him in the practical issues of faith. The fig tree learned a hard lesson when it got cursed and shriveled up when it didn’t produce fruit for Jesus. Faith is more than just shouting praises to the Lord. We also need to follow up and live by faith the next day and every day. Jesus told His disciples that the lesson of the fig tree was that everything is possible to those who have faith.

Matthew 21:20-22 (NKJV) 

20 And when the disciples saw [it,] they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” 21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

So have some fig tree faith today. Have a practical faith, do not doubt, and remove the unproductive things from your life and remove the mountains that block you from the blessings of the Lord. All things are possible to them that believe!

Where My Help Comes From

 Where My Help Comes From

November 1, 2026

Psalm121:1-8 (NKJV) 

1 A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills-- From whence comes my help? 2 My help [comes] from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keepsIsrael Shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD [is] your keeper; The LORD [is] your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

This morning’s scripture is a familiar Psalm. This is a favorite Psalm and a good reminder of where our help comes from. We can look at the world and see all sorts of evil around us, but we need to remember that darkness cannot overcome the light, but light shines in the darkness.

John 1:4-5 (NKJV) 

4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in thedarkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

So take heart, gentle reader, and lift your eyes to the hills. He made heaven and earth and He watches over you night and day, both now and forevermore.

Parables of the Kingdom

 Parables

October 29, 2026

Mark 4:30-32 (NKJV) 

30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parableshall we picture it? 31 “[It is] like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 “but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”

Why did Jesus teach in parables? And how do we interpret the meaning of the parables?

In Mark 4, we find three parables about seed. First is the parable about the sower who sowed on 4 types of soils; one on the beaten path, another among stones, a third with thorns and the final one on good ground. The second parable was about growing seed and harvest. The third parable was the strangest of all, the parable of the mustard seed. What do these parables mean, and how can the kingdom of God be like a mustard seed? We are not alone in wondering as the disciples asked the same thing.

Mark 4:10-11 (NKJV) 

10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,

Mark 4:33-34 (NKJV) 

33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able tohear [it.] 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

So the parables are intended to both illustrate and hide the truth. To those with ears to hear, the parables are easily understood, but to those committed to oppose the kingdom, the parables were a mystery. The Pharisees and doctors of the law couldn't argue with a parable as it was just a simple story about everyday life. Sowing seed, watching it grow and harvesting the crop was something that everyone understood, but the underlying meaning was hidden from those without spiritual discernment.

So then, how is the kingdom of God like a mustard seed?  First of all, it is not overwhelming. Israel was looking for a Messiah coming with a mighty army to overthrow their enemies and establish an earthly kingdom. Jesus is saying that this is not the way it’s going to happen. The kingdom will start quietly with a humble country preacher and 12 disciples in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire. Nothing impressive about that start, but the second aspect is in the nature of the seed. However small it may look, a mustard seed contains all of the nature of a mustard plant. The faith of a mustard seed, is that it grows and grows until it’s hidden nature is manifested. The mustard seed becomes a mustard tree because it is in its nature to become a mustard tree. The gospel of the kingdom is like it in that it is the nature of the word to grow and produce fruit. When sown in good ground, the gospel of the kingdom grew from just 12 disciples to be a kingdom that will reach every corner of the globe. The mystery of the mustard seed faith, is not that it starts so small, but that it contains in it’s nature the ability to become great. It is the nature of the mustard seed to grow into a tree, and it is the nature of the gospel of the kingdom to grow into a mighty kingdom that will rule the whole world. The king of kings and lord of lords is contained in a small beginning of Jesus and 12 disciples, but everything is contained in that message to take over the whole world. So Maranatha, come Lord Jesus! Let those who have ears to hear the message of the gospel of the kingdom.

Strange Things

 Strange Things

October 23, 2026

Acts 17:18-21 (NKJV) 

18 Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine [is] of which you speak? 20 “For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” 21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

The passage from Acts 17 where Paul was in Athens has always intrigued me. I have spent a lot of time with intellectuals and philosophers and it has always been a struggle to explain the gospel to them. In fact, the philosophers of Athens accused Paul of bringing some strange things to their ears. But many were willing to listen because they always wanted to hear something new. That is not always the case with intellectuals today. Many of them today don’t want to hear anything new. If you don’t agree with what they are currently teaching they accuse you of being hateful and evil. But then again, that may not be something altogether new. In the end, many of the philosophers of Athens mocked Paul, but some did believe:

Acts 17:32-34 (NKJV) 

32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while otherssaid, “We will hear you again on this [matter.]” 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

So we need to confront the philosophies of the day, but be willing to be mocked or worse. Charlie Kirk dedicated his life to bringing the gospel to students who were mostly hostile to the truth, and was made a martyr for his faith. So it is not an easy thing to preach the gospel to those who think themselves wise. As Paul said in  Romans 1:22 “Professing to be wise, they became fools,“ But no one wants to acknowledge themselves to be fools, so they accuse you of that or worse.

So how do we present the gospel to a hostile generation? It takes the kind of wisdom displayed in this passage to find a way to engage their curiosity and get them to think. The truth will win over darkness when it is presented. But we cannot hide the truth but we must shine our light in the darkness, even when it means that we will be mocked and ridiculed. It is the few that will believe that are the prize, so study the wisdom of Paul and present the truth even to intellectuals. Those who are truly seeking the truth will find it.

The Blind

 The Blind

October 21, 2026

Acts 13:8-12 (NKJV) 

8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turnthe proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also [is called] Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, [you] son of the devil, [you] enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 “And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord [is] upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Today’s verse is not one you often hear in a Sunday morning sermon. We frequently talk about Jesus opening the eyes of the blind, but how encouraging is it to teach about making a seeing man blind?  There is one example in John where Jesus heals a man blind from birth, and then confronts the Pharisees about their spiritual blindness:

John 9:6-7 (NKJV) 

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

…

John 9:35-41 (NKJV) 

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” 36 He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” 37 And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” 38 Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. 39 And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” 40 Then [some] of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

Of course, there is also the example of Saul himself, who was struck blind on the road to Damascus so that his spiritual eyes could be opened to see Jesus as Lord and Messiah. (Acts 9:1-9). So what is the case to be made for making a seeing man blind? When men oppose the truth, they sometimes get so hard of heart, that they cannot be made to understand the truth. They are spiritually blind and cannot see the truth. Perhaps there are times when bringing this spiritual blindness into the physical world will shock them into seeing the truth. That was the shock that Saul needed to accept the truth and be transformed from a murdering Pharisee into the Apostle Paul. And in the story in Acts 13, the act of blinding the sorcerer caused the proconsul to believe. So as Jesus told the Pharisees, sometimes those who say they see are really blind and they may need to be made blind that they can see! The Kingdom do God often works the opposite of the natural world, i.e. give to receive, humble yourselves to be made great, etc. So there are times in the kingdom when a man needs to be struck blind in order that his spiritual eyes can be opened. 

In more practical terms, perhaps it is the case that those who are struggling to see spiritual truths, take time out from worldly visions (TV, Movies, social media, etc.) in order to focus in seeing that which is most important. We can be distracted from the truth by only seeing that which is obvious around us. The devil also keeps us preoccupied with worldly things to keep us from seeking and finding spiritual truth. So take some time to close your eyes and meditate on the truth and let the Lord open your eyes to His glory and grace. True beauty is often that which you cannot see with your natural eyes.

Psalm 108

 Psalm 108:1-6 (NKJV) 

1 A Song. A Psalm of David. 

O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. 2 Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. 3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations. 4 For Your mercy [is] great above the heavens, And Your truth [reaches] to the clouds. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, And Your glory above all the earth; 6 That Your beloved may be delivered, Save [with] Your right hand, and hear me.

A Bag With Holes

 A Bag With Holes

October 16, 2026

Malachi 3:8-12 (NKJV) 8

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, [Even] this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you [such] blessing That [there will] not [be room] enough [to receive it.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts; 12 “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts.

Haggai 1:5-6 (NKJV) 

5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways! 6 “You havesown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages [to put] into a bag with holes.”

Luke 12:31-34 (NKJV) 

31 “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 “Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

You hear a lot of complaints these days about the cost of living. Gas is too high; housing is unaffordable; healthcare costs are outrageous… People like to lay the blame on the government, on their parents generation, on anything but themselves. But what does the Bible say? What is the answer to living in prosperity, even in a corrupt and evil generation?

The Bible is pretty clear. Malachi says that your finances are cursed because you rob God of tithes and offerings. Haggai says that you put your money into bags with holes in them. Even when you work hard, you never have enough. And most importantly, Jesus says we should seek first the kingdom and He will provide us with money bags that do not grow old and we will have treasure in heaven.  Kingdom economics is upside down from worldly finances. The Lord says that in order to receive, you must first give. In order to live in prosperity, you must put the kingdom of God first and trust in the Lord to provide all that you need.

My testimony is that this is true. Some young people complain about the Baby Boom generation having too much, but they don’t realize that we lived through hard times also. We bought houses when the interest rate was 9 to 11% and a 20% down payment was required. We saw gas prices go from 25 cents to the outrageous sum of 50 cents and then to unimaginable heights of $1 then $2! And that was if you could find gas. We lived through the Carter gas shortages where you could only buy gas every other day, and you had to get to the station early before they ran out! We lived through the Vietnam war; at least some of us did. 50,000 of our closest friends did not live through that conflict and we felt the loss personally. But those of us who were wise found the Lord in the Jesus Movement and traded the craziness of the world for being Jesus Freaks! And what did we learn through all of this? That when you put Jesus first and give Him your time, your talents and your treasure first, He will provide all you need, even in troubled times.

I’ve recently seen some self styled theologians expound online that there is no need to tithe. That is part of the Old Testament law and doesn’t apply today. They further claim that there is no devourer. Well I’m here to tell you that Jesus doesn’t have a legal requirement for 10%; He requires 100%! The tithe is only a symbol that it all belongs to Him. And as for the devourer, just look around you. How else do you explain the complaints about how hard it is to live when we live in the most prosperous nation in the history of the world. I’ve traveled to other parts of the world and have seen what true poverty is. There are multitudes that live without power, without running water, without TV and internet, without any signs of material prosperity whatsoever. But even there, those that are Christians live a happy and blessed life because they trust in the Lord and He provides all that they need. Not all that they want or all that they could have, but all that they need. My father always told me that true prosperity was having all that you need, with a little left over to help someone else. By that measure I am prosperous and blessed.

I’m sorry if I ranted and raved a bit this morning, but I’m of an age where it just takes too much energy to hold back. I heard one internet sage say it like this. “Never start a fight with an old man. He is too tired to fight you so will just shoot you!” I’m not going to shoot you, at least not with bullets of lead, but I am inclined to tell you the truth. And that truth is that if you give to the Lord first, He will provides all that you need. I’ll close with my favorite Psalm on the subject which is also my personal testimony:

Psalm 37:23-26 (NKJV) 

23 The steps of a [good] man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds [him with] His hand. 25 I have been young, and [now] am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. 26 [He is] ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants [are] blessed.

Amen and Shalom.