St Matthew, Chapter 11, verse: 28, The Call for Rest.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus draws men gently to himself) Part 3. 

And now we are given the call to rest.  Christ our Lord and Savior calls us to himself that we may rest.  He calls all who are burdened.  He calls all who labor.  He calls all who are worried.  He calls all.  Some will heed his call.  Others will hear but not follow.  Still others will turn away from his call and accept the ways of the world as their calling.  But Christ, in the name of the Father calls all his children to himself.  For he is one with the Father.  He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and ruler of the universe.  He calls all to rest.

Christ says to the disciples and the crowd,  "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."   For he is the origin of rest.  He satisfies all our needs.  He provides for all our wants.  He protects from all harm.  He guides our path through the tricks and traps of the world.  Yet we do not know him.  We do not seek him.  We do not live with him because we are blinded from his existence by the ways of the world.  Come to me, he says.  Yet, we go in the other direction, until we need something that we cannot provide.  We go in the other direction, until we run against a brick wall that causes us to see that we cannot proceed without his help.  We go in the other direction, because we are pulled by the tricks of the world that play on our passions.

We labor in this world thinking that we are in control.  We follow the instructions of the world believing that we will succeed and be eternally happy with the outcome, only to find out that we were deceived.  Our parents have been taught and therefore teach us to go to the right school, socialize with the right friends, marry the right woman, get the right job, have the right kids, make enough money, plan the right retirement and we will live a happy life.  These are the precepts that are passed down by the world we live in.  The world does not teach us to seek Christ.  The world does not teach us to live by his precepts.  The world does not teach us to build our treasures in heaven and not on earth.  The world does not teach us to seek the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be our guide through life.  In fact the world teaches just the opposite.

Christ says come, and he will give us rest.  Do you seek rest or do you seek more money, more cars, more clothes, more fame, more glory, more lust, more action in the world?  When you get weary of the world, Christ awaits you.  When you wake up from the world, Christ calls to you.  When you hit your bottom in the world, Christ will reach down and lift you up.  But even more, when you want to know true peace in this world, go to him.  Go to him, remain with him and in him.  For He is one with the Father, as you will be, one with him.  For you in Him, there will be no desire for sin.  For you in Him there will be no need for this world.  For you in Him, there will be no anger, no fear, no doubt, no lust.  For you in Him, there will only be love. 

Will you become one with Christ?  He will rearrange all eternity to create a path just for you.  He will open a dream of possibilities you have never considered or imagined.  He will provide guidance through the Holy Spirit that will open the doors to his riches that will overwhelm you with joy.  And he will demonstrate to you his love for all eternity.  The world will scorn you.  The world will scoff you.  The world will isolate you.  The world will pressure you to forsake Him.  But once you know Him you can never for sake Him.  For He will do all for you, if you just open your heart to Him.  Come, all who are burdened and heavy ladened, He will give you rest. 

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verse: 26 - 27, The Revelations.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus draws men gently to himself) Part 2.  

Christ continues to give praise to his father for the things that he has done.  It was pleasing to God to hide the mysteries of the kingdom from men who have earthly wisdom.  It was pleasing to God to prevent the prudent of this world from knowing the things of heaven, and Christ praises the father for his wisdom.  For Christ says all thing have been given unto him by the father.  He says,  "Yes, Father, for such was thy good pleasure.   All things have been delivered to me by my Father."   

For Christ has all wisdom and all knowledge and all understanding of the will of the father.  And that pleases the Father.  Christ has made the effort to bring the message to the villages and towns throughout the land.  He has preached to the multitudes.  He has cast out demons, cured the sick, made the lame walk, raised the dead, cleansed the lepers, and provided all signs and wonders to the people that they may believe that he was from the Father, God in heaven.  Yet they do not repent.  They do not believe.  They do not understand the judgment that they bring unpon themselves.  But all things have been given to Christ.

No one knows the Father.  No one knows the Son except the Father.  And they are one with each other.  Christ says,  "No one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and him to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."   For that wisdom and knowledge of the Father and of the Son has been hidden.  Yet it is revealed to the little ones.  It is shown to those whom Christ chooses to reveal it.  For if they knew who walked among them they would understand.  If they truly understood the power and majesty of the one in their midst they would be in awe.  If they knew the glory of the one who walked before them they would fall down in honor, giving glory to the one who is worthy of honor and glory.  But they did not repent.  They did not understand.  They did not know the true nature of Christ.

The knowledge and wisdom of the Father is hidden.  It is not revealed.  Only to those who seek him will find him.  Only those who desire his presence will glory in the reception of his spirit.  For he has hidden himself and will reveal himself only to the little ones.  Christ says that the knowledge of the Father will only be revealed to those he chooses to reveal him.  Do you know Christ?  Have you received him?  What has he spoken to you to do?  The harvest is great but the laborers are few.  Are you a laborer in the field for the harvest?  Are you a shepherd for the body of Christ?  Where do you lead your sheep?  For who's glory do you labor?  All things have been given to Christ and he is calling you.   Come, Christ wants to reveal to you the Father.  Are you wise and prudent?  Will you receive the gift of God?  The little ones are open to his ways.  Are you?

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verse: 25, The Revelations.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus draws men gently to himself) Part 1.  

Christ is mournful as he looks back at the towns and villages that did not repent.  He sees their damnation in the day of judgment and calls them out.  Yet, he is mournful at the sorrow of their condition.  Attempts were made to open their eyes, to open their ears, to help them understand the signs of the times, but they remained impenitent.  They were a hard lot.  The devil had infiltrated their defenses and turned them, so that, they could not see, or hear, or understand with their senses.  So they will face the consequences in the day of judgement.

Christ goes on to give praise to his heavenly father for the decisions that were made.  For these things were not revealed to the wise.  They were not revealed to the prudent.  They were revealed to the laborer, to the field hand, to the street sweeper, to the farmer.  They were revealed to the little ones, those who were without hope, without faith.  Christ says,   "I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and prudent, and didst reveal them to little ones."  

For it was God's knowledge that the wise rejected.  It was God's wisdom that the prudent refused to believe.  They knew of the existence of God but refused to believe.  They knew of the power and majesty of God but rejected him and replaced him with gods fashioned after human likenesses and the likeness of animals.  They knew of the glory of God but refused to give glory but instead set themselves up to receive glory from the people.  And this was Christ's revelation of the will of the father to hide the mysteries of the kingdom from those who were wise and prudent and to reveal them only to the little ones.

Do you consider yourself wise?  Do you think of yourself as prudent?  God looks for the little ones to reveal his mysteries.  He seeks the clean of heart to whom he will show himself.  Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God.  For the wise do not know him.  Their earthly wisdom is a stumbling block.  The prudent do not know him.  Their worldly knowledge prevents them from having faith.  The rich do not know him.  For their riches blind them.  The famous do not know him for their arrogance make them unworthy to receive him.  But the little ones believe.  The little ones know.  The little ones open themselves to the wisdom and the knowledge of God.  For it is by God's grace that the little ones receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit from God.  Wisdom comes from the mouth of babes and fools.  Faith is the belief in the desire to be one in Christ as Christ is one in the Father.  Are you wise in the world or a fool?  Are you a baby in the world but a child of God?  We are all his children!!!

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verses: 23 - 24, The Reproach.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The impenitent towns) Part 2. 

Christ continues with the appraisal of his work.  For he has traveled through many towns and villages.  And he has sent his disciples through many towns and villages preaching the kingdom of heaven.  Yet there are those towns that do not repent.  There are those towns that have had great miracles and wonders completed in them and they reject the gospel.  Those are the towns Christ looks back and calls damnation upon.  Those are the towns that Christ remembers their unwillingness, their unbelief, their sin, and Capharnaum is one of them. 

Christ says about Capharnaum, "And thou, Capharnaum, shalt thou be exalted to heaven? Thou shalt be thrust down to hell!"  No glory for this town.  No honor for this village.  It shall be cast into hell for its sins and iniquities.  For it is an evil town.  It is a town filled with the dark forces.  It is a town where the people are blind and cannot see.  They are deaf and cannot hear.  Their understanding has been taken away from them by the evil one.  Many miracles were completed in Carpharaum.  Many demons were cast out.  Many sick were cured and many lame were made to walk.  Yet they did not repent.  They did not turn to the true God.  They continued to worship pagans and live in sin.

Christ told his disciples that Sodom would fair better in the day of judgement.  Sodom would receive a lesser penalty than this town because Sodom had no miracles, Sodom had no signs, Sodom had no prophets come to them.  But Capharnaum had Christ.  Capharnaum had the miracles.  Capharnaum had the light of the world come to its doorstep and it still did not repent.  And Capharaum has the wrath of God upon it because of its impenitence.  Christ says,  "For if the miracles had been worked in Sodom that have been worked in thee, it would have remained to this day.  But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for thee."   

Christ is doing an appraisal of his work.  He is reviewing the towns and the cities and the villages where his message is being preached.  Do you live in an impenitent town?  Do you live in a place where sin abounds and the message of the kingdom is not preached?  Miracles are being worked.  Wonders are being created. Signs are being sent to those who have eyes to see and those who have ears to hear.  Do you live in a house of peace?  Or is your house a house of lies and deceit?  Christ is doing his appraisal.  Will your house be exalted to heaven or cast down to hell?  Christ is doing an appraisal and life hangs in the balance.  Which way will the scales fall for your house?  Your house is your temple.  Does Christ live in you?  May the gift of God be in your heart.

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verses: 20 - 22, The Reproach.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The impenitent towns) Part 1. 

Christ has traveled throughout the region preaching and performing miracles.  He has sent his disciples through the towns and villages on their solo journey casting out devils, healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, making the lame walk, and raising the dead.  Christ gave them the power to perform these miracles.  They have encountered the dark forces of evil in these places and overcome, because of the training that Christ gave them.  Now Christ looks back upon the completed work and makes his observations.

He says, "Woe to thee, Corozain!  Woe to thee, Bethsaida!  For if in Tyre and Sidon had been worked the miracles that have been worked in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes."   Christ mourns for those towns and villages that have not repented when the message of the kingdom was preached in them.  For he has told his disciples to kick the dust from their feet as a sign of those who do not receive the message.  Those towns and villages will receive the wrath of God on the day of judgement and Christ laments for them.  For what would it take to bring about repentance.  Corozain did not repent.  Bethsaida did not repent.  Tyre and Sidon did repent but without miracles.  Great will be the wrath in those towns and there will be no mercy.

Christ says to them,  "But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you."   For on that day there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth and the wrath of God will come upon them.  They have rejected the message sent from God through Christ.  They did not hear the call for repentance because their minds were closed and their hearing was blocked by the evil one, and they refused to turn from their evil ways.  The call was upon them and they did not listen and in the day of judgement they will know their sorrows, they will know their pain, they will know the one true God who came down from heaven to offer salvation.

How true is this message today?  What cities and towns live in evil and do not heed the message of Christ?  Will the sin city see repentance?  Will the sun bathing capitol see repentance?  Will the city of angels see repentance or the new jack city come to life?  All have had the message preached in them and they do not heed the message of wrath that will come upon them.  You who believe escape to safety.  You who heed the message leave the cities and live outside the gates. Live according to the spiritual precepts preached by Christ.  Forsake the sin and evil ways of the world.  For we live in a time of destruction.  We live in a time when mankind is held in captivity by the evil one and the world knows not Christ. 

Depart from them children of God.  Leave before the wrath of God comes upon you.  You are the chosen ones.  You are the lost sheep that Christ came down from heaven to redeem.  Let not his redemption be in vain.  Christ mourns for all his children, for all his brothers and sisters.  For their will be great suffering on that day of judgment.  But until that time God is merciful.  God is patient.  God is loving and he wants all his children to have the opportunity to repent.  He wants all his children to have the opportunity to turn from their wicked ways.  Be ever thankful for that opportunity and let others know that they have the same opportunity.  The Holy Spirit will guide you and protect you if you open the door and welcome him into your heart.  For he will teach all.  Christ mourned for the children in his time.  Let him not mourn for us in our time.

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verses: 19, This Generation.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The inconsistency of the Jews) Part 3. 

Christ has told his disciples and the crowd how John the Baptist was characterized by this selfish generation.  Now he tells them how they characterize him.  In those days there was no daily news broadcast, morning, noon, evening, and night.  There were no news stations.  There were indeed news anchors, those who knew the latest news and spread that news around.  For this is how news traveled in that time, by word of mouth.  And the rulers of the time paid handsomely for the latest news.  Kings and governors had their people out in the public, seeking to know the latest news so they could report back to their rulers what was afoot.  

And the people in authority past judgement on that news, which kept the people in line with their thoughts and beliefs.  They characterized John the Baptist as a lunatic.  For they said that he was possessed of a devil.  Then they chcaracterized Christ as a commoner.  Christ told the crowd,  Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold a glutton and a wine–drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners!’ 

So Christ, the Son of Man, the Messiah was characterized as a commoner.  He was put down.  He was degraded and dishonored.  He was classified with sinners and drunks.  Christ was considered like a street person.  They had to belittle him in order to upgrade themselves.  For they were the ruling class of the time.  They were the owners of property and wealth, and prestige, and great stature in the community.  They did not associate with sinners.  They did not associate with gluttons or drunks, or drug addicts, or anyone below their stature in life. 

And they did not know that the Messiah had come among them.  They wanted everyone to dance to their tune, to mourn to their sorrows.  This was the selfish generation.  And the news went out about him, despite all the miracles that he performed, all the lame that he made walk, all the lepers that he cleansed, all the blind who's eyes that he opened, and all the dead that he raised.  This is how Christ was characterized.  So Christ told the crowds.  He told his disciples.  He wanted them to know how the people of this generation thought of him.  He wanted them to see the folly of their ways.  He wanted them to know the lack of wisdom that they did not have because they were blind and could not see.

Christ said, "And wisdom is justified by her children."   For surely they did not have wisdom.  Surely Wisdom did not walk with them nor were they her children.  For the wise would see the signs.  The wise would recognize the truths that had come to pass from the scriptures.  The wise would understand the consequenses of their decisions to ignore the evidence of the times.  Widsom did not have children in this generation.  She did not give birth to the educated.  She did not bring forth the rulers of the time.  She did not give counsel to the governers and the wealthy that they my know the wrath that had come upon them.     

If Christ came back to earth today and walked among us would you recognize him?  If John the Baptist came back and proclaimed the gospel of the Lord would you accept him?  We are caught up in a whirlwind world.  Our lives take control of who we are and the world controls our lives.  On this day, during the celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, will we wake up to the reality of who we are and step out of the world?  Or is this just another day in the life of a christian who dutifully preforms his or her religious functions of going to church.  Wake up from the dream world!  See the reality of who you are!  Be not conformed of this world but be conformed to the life of Christ.  For all the sacrifices that he made for you and for me, let this day not be just another yearly celebration.  Let this day become a day of recognition, a day of change, a day of awareness of all that Christ gave for our salvation.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.  Will you love him in return?

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verses: 18, This Generation.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The inconsistency of the Jews) Part 2. 

Christ continues to characterize this current generation because of their selfishness.  They want everyone to dance to their tune.  They want everyone to cry to their sorrows.  They want to be in control of everything.  They are selfish people who have had power to long and are unwilling to consider that the Messiah has come among them to change everything.  John preached about the coming.  The scriptures foretold about the coming of the Messiah.  Yet the Jews of this generation have their own plan and will not consider that the Messiah has come as a man in their midst to change all mankind.

They have no wisdom.  They have no knowledge.  They have no understanding, only that they want everyone else to dance to their tune and cry to their sorrows.  John was written about in the scripture.  John preached from the Jordan and thousands came to hear him.  John baptized many and preached repentance.  John paved the way for the coming of the Messiah and yet they did not believe.  Christ says that they characterized John as a lunatic.  He says,  "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a devil!" 

The people knew that John was anointed of God.  They heard him preach.  They believe that the Messiah had come.  But the rulers and the rich, and the educated, and the religious, and the Pharisees and the Sadducees did not believe.  They rationalized that John was possessed and out of his mind.  They said that John was insane and people should not follow him.  They had to turn the people least all believed in John and his teachings.   They had to do something before they lost control and the people no longer danced to their tune and cried to their sorrows.

What should I compare this generation to, Christ said?  Shall we compare them to the blind.  They live in an evil world and yet do not see.  They stumble through life leaning upon the one who lives in darkness.  They believe in their own capacity to live without knowing true life.  They cannot see the light.  This generation is like a moth drawn to a flame.  They are utterly attracted to the glitz and glamour of a world that is dying and has no life of its own.  Are you in the world?  Do you look out from your position in the world and wonder about those who do not follow your passions for the worldly life?  Do you hunger for something more than the world has offered you, having conquered the passions of this world?  Do not be lost with this generation.  Do not be blind.   Open your eyes and see the road that you are on before it is too late.  God is patient and yet your cup of wrath continues to fill.  Repent before the thief comes to steal your life.  God loves you and is merciful and forgiving.  Christ paid for your sins and will forgive all, if you just ask and believe that he will.  Come take his hand and be healed!!

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verses: 16 - 17, This Generation.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The inconsistency of the Jews) Part 1. 

Christ has just finished telling the crowd about the greatness of John the Baptist.  He called to the crowd saying,  "He who has ears to hear, let him hear. "   For he told the crowd that if they can receive it, John the Baptist was Elias who was to come.  It was written in the scriptures that Elias would come again before the Messiah.  And now Christ is reminding the crowd of what was written has come to pass.  But he stops there to talk about the people of this generation.

He says,  "But to what shall I liken this generation?"   He asked, what can he compare this generation to that the people might understand.  The scriptures have spoken of this time.  John came and spoke of this time, but the people do not believe.  They do not hear, they do not read, they do not believe.  They are worse than unbelievers, because in the face of all the evidence they still do not believe what is right before their eyes.  You see, this is a selfish generation.  They want things to happen their way.  And if it does not come, the way that they expect, then they will not turn, they will not understand, they will not see, they will not comprehend, and they will not believe.

Christ compared them to children playing in the market who want everything to follow their plan. Christ says,  "It is like children sitting in the market place, who call to their companions, and say, 'We have piped to you, and you have not danced; we have sung dirges, and you have not mourned.' "   This generation is selfish.  They want everything to go according to their plans.  They have played songs and no one has danced.  They have sung dirges and no one has come forth to play funeral with them.  They want everyone to dance their tune and sing to their tribulations.

Will we be the same generation when Christ returns?  For different from those years, we live in a selfish environment.  Everything is about us.  We want more money for us.  We want more cars for us.  We want more house for us.  We want more clothes for us.  We want everything for us and do not consider others.  We want to succeed in this world and to succeed, the world tells us that we have to look out for number one, ourselves. 

For who is going to provide for us if we do not provide for ourselves.  We are raised on the principle that makes us believe that we must be selfish.  It is a cold world out there and if you do not look out for yourself no one else will.  You will be used and abused by the world if you do not provide for yourself, is the principle that we believe.  Yet Christ came and died for all, because we could not save ourselves. 

Are you a selfish person?  Do you have to have things your way?  Must the world dance for you and cry for you when you want it to?  Come, let us not be of that generation that is selfish.  Let us turn our hearts to God and love each other as we love ourselves.  Let us open our minds and open our hearts and open our eyes to see that we are all children of God, created in his image no matter what color, what shape, what hair, what eyes, what background, what income, what ever we use to categorize ourselves that we may segregate and make comparisons.  God is our father and we are his children.  We are all his creations, children of light.  So let us love one another as he loves us.  We are spiritual beings in a physical body that is dying before our eyes.  What we see before us is not who we are, and who we are today is not who we will be in heaven.  Put off the cloak of selfishness and put on the cloak of love and you will understand who you really are.  

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verses: 13 - 15, John is Elias.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's witness concerning John) Part 5. 

Christ has spoken about the assault on the kingdom of heaven that has taken place since the coming of John the Baptist.  The war is on.  The evil one knows that Christ has come to turn the tide of the battle.  Out of desperation the evil one has taken the lead and increased the attacks on the kingdom.  The evil one has stepped up the assaults to the point of becoming violent with the people.  People are being possessed more.  People are being afflicted with more diseases. Believers are dying at the hands of possessed people who are driven to violence by their evil spirits.  And Christ comes on the scene.  But first there was John who preached to the people to repent.

John was a great prophet.  Christ attests to his greatness by telling the people that of all men born of women, none is greater than John.  Christ tells the crowds, "For all the Prophets and the Law have prophesied until John."   Now that John is here the prophesies come to conclusion.  The Messiah has come and the war has begun.  Before the coming there was no battle.  Before the coming the devil had free reign.  Before the coming the people had no defense against the onslaught of the enemy.  But John came and prepared the way and Christ came and gave the people the sword of God to do battle with the enemy.

John was the great one.  He was Elias as had been written.  Christ said,  "And ifyou are willing to receive it, he is Elias who was to come."   So the scriptures had been fulfilled.  The scriptures were complete.  Elias had come just as prophesied and now the Messiah was here.  His mission was to preach the message of the kingdom.  His mission was to establish the church here on earth.  His mission was to anoint his followers.  And his mission was to die for the sins of the world.  John fulfilled his mission.  Christ fulfilled his mission.  And sword of God came to earth to separate the believers from the unbelievers, the saved from the damned, the just from the unjust, and the followers of Christ from the followers of Satan.

Christ told the crowd, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."   We all have ears but we all do not hear the words of Christ.  We all receive with our ears the message that is preached, but we all do not understand the meaning of the message.  Can you hear the message?  Can you understand the message of the kingdom of heaven?  When we go to school the purpose of education is to advance.  But when we go to church the results of the spiritual education is to become stagnant.  Why do we not hear?  Why do we not understand the message and become college graduates in our spiritual education rather than retarded children?  He who has ears to hear let him hear!   Preachers preach from week to week on the same problems, the same issues, the same sins.  Yet we do not grow in godliness.  We do not grow in spiritually.  We do not hear the message of the kingdom and the gift that God has given us.  With all the years that religion has been around and all the churches, we should have millions of spiritual giants.  But instead we have millions spiritual midgets filling the pews of churches each week trying to figure out the message of Christ.  Thank you Father for your patience.  Thank you Father for your love.  Thank you Christ for your sacrifice.  Thank you Holy Spirit for your coming to teach all.  More is needed and more will  be revealed!

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verses: 12, The Assualt on the Kingdom of Heaven.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's witness concerning John) Part 4. 

Christ has been talking to the crowd about John the Baptist.  He told them of all men born of women, up to now, no man is greater than John.  Yet in the kingdom of heaven, even though John is great, the least  in the kingdom of heaven is even greater than he.  Christ wants the crowd to know about John.  He wants them to understand who he was.  But by telling them this, he wants them to understand that there is one greater than John.  John prophesied about the coming of the Messiah.  He spoke of one greater than he who's sandals he was not worthy to untie.  John knew Christ.  He knew the greatness of Christ.  For it was John's job to make way for the coming of Christ.

Before the disciples of John came to Christ to ask the question of Scandal, Christ spoke with his disciples about the coming battle.  He spoke to his disciples about the peace that he did not bring and the sword that he did bring that would cause turmoil and chaos to families and friends.  He tells the crowd and his disciples what is happening in the kingdom.  Christ tells them, "But from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been enduring violent assault."   The kingdom of heaven is under attack.  It is being assaulted by the forces of evil and they are gaining ground.  They are taking the kingdom by force.  John was the advance guard to take back the kingdom.  He prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah.  He pushed back the forces of evil.  He cleansed the people and kept the forces at bay until the Messiah arrived.  Until now the kingdom was under assault.  But Christ has come to put an end to the battle.  Christ has come to end the war.  Christ has come to be the victor.

Christ goes on to tell the people, "And the violent have been seizing it by force."   Until now the violent have been winning.  Until now the violent have been gaining ground.  Until now the violent forces of evil have been taking souls from the kingdom by force and Christ has come to take them back.  Christ has come to cast out demons.  Christ has come to remove the evil sickness from the bodies of the infirmed.  Christ has come to make the lame walk after they have been possessed by evil that has transformed their bodies grotesquely.  Christ is the victor and the assault stops now.

Two thousand years ago the battle started and continues today.  Though the forces of hell will not prevail against the church that Christ built, the battle continues.  And the forces are like creeping vines, inching their way into the lives of the people, steadily growing into the churches of the world, taking root into souls of those shepherds who lead the people.  Just as in Christ's time where the people lived under the occupation of the pagan Romans, today we also live under the rule of the pagan world.  Christians are like fish in a fish bowl, having to live and breathe in the environment of evil.  The kingdom is being assaulted.  Are you breaking down the kingdom of heaven or are you building it up?  Are you a soldier for Christ or a soldier for Satan?  There is no middle ground.  There are no neutral position.  Christ gives us the armour to protect ourselves.  Christ gives us the battle plans to follow.  Christ gives us the weapons to fight with.  Are you a soldier for Christ?