Sermon Notes; a Daily Devotional

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separate them

Matthew 25:31&32 "31 When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: 32 And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:" Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday, marking Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week. This week we remember His journey to the cross, the grave, and His resurrection on Easter morning. Right before that, these verses in Matthew show Jesus returning as King and Judge. He comes in divine glory with all the angels, sits on His throne, and gathers every person from all nations—both the living and the resurrected—before Him. There He separates humanity into two groups: the righteous (“sheep”) and the wicked (“goats”), as decisively as a shepherd separates his flock coming in from the field at end of the day.

accept His call

Luke 13:8&9 "8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: 9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down." As we conclude Lent, Jesus shares the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree. A vineyard owner wants to cut down a fruitless tree, but the gardener intercedes. In verse 8, the gardener—representing Jesus or faithful ministers—pleads with the owner (God the Father) to spare the tree for one more year: “Let it alone this year also.” The Greek word aphes (“let it alone”) also means “forgive,” highlighting divine patience and grace. The gardener promises to dig around the tree and fertilize it, symbolizing spiritual cultivation through repentance, teaching, and care. Mercy is extended, but it comes with expected action. Verse 9 adds the condition: “If it bears fruit, well; but if not, you may cut it down.” God’s patience has limits. Persistent unfruitfulness leads to judgment, urgin...

useless

Luke 13:6&7 "6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?" In the preamble to the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, Jesus mentions the slaughter of Galilean Jews while they were offering sacrifices and the collapse of the tower in Siloam that killed eighteen people. In both cases, He firmly rejects the common belief that great suffering proves great personal sin. These tragedies were not divine punishments for specific sins of the victims. Jesus then turns the focus back on His listeners: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” He is urging them to get right with God, because none of us knows when our time will come. This short parable carries a powerful message: •The Man (Owner): Represents God the Fath...

perishable

Luke 13:3-5 "3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." This is a sobering parable rarely taught in children’s Sunday school. It is prompted by news of a shocking atrocity: Pontius Pilate had ordered the slaughter of Galilean Jews while they were offering sacrifices in the Temple. The vivid phrase “mingled their blood with their sacrifices” paints a gruesome picture of worshippers killed in the midst of a sacred act. Jesus immediately confronts a common misconception. The people reporting the tragedy apparently assumed these Galileans must have been worse sinners than others to deserve such a fate. Jesus directly challenges this: “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered th...

greater sinners

Luke 13:1&2 "1 There were present at that season some that told Him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?" Today we begin the last parable we will study this Lenten season. This is a parable we don't learn in Sunday school as children. Like the Seeds of the Sower we will want to “Pay close attention—this matters.” In these verses, some people tell Jesus about a shocking atrocity: Pontius Pilate had ordered the slaughter of Galilean Jews while they were offering sacrifices in the Temple. The vivid phrase “mingled their blood with their sacrifices” paints a gruesome picture of worshippers killed in the middle of a sacred act. Jesus immediately uses the tragedy to confront a common misconception and deliver a vital spiritual lesson. The people reporting the event apparently assumed these Galile...

lasting impact

Mark 4:7-9 "7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Jesus told this parable to a massive crowd gathered by the Sea of Galilee. He began with a clear signal: “Pay close attention—this matters.” Far more than moral advice, the parable reveals how God’s grace meets the human heart. Jesus pictures a farmer (God) scattering seed (the Gospel). The focus is not on the sower or the seed, but on the soil—our hearts and how we respond to the message of the Kingdom. Seed on the path (v. 4): Some hear the word, but Satan immediately snatches it away before it can take root. Seed on rocky ground (vv. 5-6): Others receive it with instant joy, but lacking deep roots, they fall away as soon as trials or persecution arise. S...