Parable of Rich man and Lazarus- Luke 16:19-31.
Message: The reality of Hell, a place of torment without escape.
Two types of people here, those who have riches and those who have not.
Rich man:Nameless, wealthy, having comfort, no regard for anybody. He relied on his wealth, cared only for himself. Not all rich people go to hell. Rich man died and is in hell tormented but fully conscious.
Lazarus: Poor, destitute, nobody to lean on, only God. Not all poor people go to heaven. Jesus said,
'Blessed are the poor in Spirit.....' Matt. 5:3.
Is God unjust in sending people to Hell? There is no excuse for anybody, everybody is warned about going to Hell but people regard it as a joke- Rom.1:18-20.
Poor man died and is found in Abraham's bosom, i.e. comforted.
Rich man can see Lazarus in Abraham's bosom and calls Abraham 'Father' i.e he is a person of God's people, a  person of religion but of no Faith- James 2:19-20.
Rich man's request for comfort from the torment is flatly rejected. Nobody can cross over from Hell to Heaven. Repentance only on earth while living, Jesus has the key to hell.
The rich man's second request is also rejected, 'Please send someone....' 'If they do not hear Moses.....'
It is the preaching of the Gospel that leads to repentance'. We may admire the life of Jesus and His teaching but that will not lead us to heaven.
The final plea is also rejected ' If someone rose from the dead.....' Jesus rose from the dead but people still do not believe or want to repent.
Finally, is there a way out of Hell?  Yes there is, Jesus went down into Hell so that I can be given a chance of escape. Christ is the way; but we must accept this way before death

Parable of Pharisee and Publican-Lk.18:9-14.
Message:Who is justified before God?
A story of everyday life. Two men went to pray in God's House, but with different motives.
The Pharisee: The religious person, full of his righteousness, pride and hypocrisy.
The Publican: The real sinner, hated for his greediness, working for the Romans.

Contrast the attitude of each man:
 The Pharisee full of his pride puts himself above everybody else, ' whoever exalts himself shall be abased....' Lk 14:11. True religion before God is to visit the widows and fatherless and keep oneself unspotted from the world-James 1:27. 
Five times we hear the Pharisee say'I am not.....' What he did were not necessary evil things, but the motive was not right 1Cor.10:31. Do not leave God out of your daily life in whatever you do.
The Publican: Convicted about his sin and repentant. David cries out in Ps.51, 'A broken and a 
contrite heart you will not despise......' Repentance is a daily experience for the believer. It is God's call. We need to put our lives right before God and with our fellow humans- Luk.19:1-10.
Jesus made it clear which of the two was justified before God.

Parable of Fig Tree Luke 13:6-9.
Message:A Christian life that is unfruitful will be rejected by God.
Three trees are used in the Scripture to symbolize the Nation of Israel, The Olive, the Vine and the Fig tree.
In a wider sense Trees symbolize persons or committed believers -Ps.1:1-3.
Life is geared to growth and fruit bearing. Whenever that fails drastic action is called for. This call applies to a Christian life also.
What is fruit, why the need for it?  Fruit is the natural product of a tree, it identifies the tree. No fruit
means a barren tree or life- Matt.7:15-20.
Fruit is what God is looking for in a believer's life because it brings glory to His Name.
There are two kinks of fruit in the Scriptures. The fruit of the flesh-Gal.5:16-23 and the fruit of the 
Spirit. Both are called Fruit but vastly different A corrupt tree will bring bad fruit whereas a good tree will produce good fruit- Luke 6:43.
God the Father watches over His trees to tend them. They are His trees.His desire is for us to bring fruit that will honour His Name-John 15:1-8 A farmer will prune his trees so that they become more productive, bearing good fruit. God will apply the same process to our lives to bring good fruit,
otherwise they are cut down.
Notice the righteousness of God in the parable. He gave the tree another chance before uprooting the tree. How many chances has God given us?