St Matthew, Chapter 16, verse 17, The Rock: The Revelation.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Peter's confession) Part 5.    

Simon says that he is the Son of the Living God.  Simon said that he was the Christ.  Simon said that he was the Messiah.  Everyone else said different.  Everyone else called him a prophet.  Everyone else called him Elias.  Everyone else called him Jeremias or John the Baptist.  But no one else would speak what they knew in their hearts but feared to speak.  The law of the Pharisees was upon them.  The punishment of the law would follow them.  The fear of death would walk in their footsteps if they spoke the words that all thought.  

They knew that he was the Messiah.  They knew that he was the Son of the Living God.  They knew that he was the Christ.  But none would speak for fear of death.  None would proclaim for fear of punishment.  None would acknowledge for fear of the law of blasphemy.  Blasphemy had their tongue tied.  Blasphemy had their hearts locked.  Blasphemy had their lips sealed.  But all knew.  And then there was Simon who said.  Simon spoke the words.  Simon opened his heart.  Simon allowed the love of the Father to enter in and the truth came upon him.  Then Jesus answered and said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to thee, but my Father in heaven.   

The truth was revealed.  The truth was spoken.  The truth came forth into the heart of Simon and he put to words that which fear had compelled not to be spoken.  And Christ revealed to all the source of the truth.  Not from his own flesh did the truth come forth, but from the Father himself was the truth revealed.  

What is truth?  If we know the truth will it matter today?  Will we accept the truth if it came to us?  For truth to us is money.  Truth to us today is wealth.  Truth to us today is pleasure, lust, desire, passion, power, prestige.  Truth to us today is what we seek in the world.  We seek to know the things that we believe will make us free.  And yet the things that we believe will make us free will only enslave us, bind us, engulf and overwhelm us into the desires of the world.  Evil awaits us at every turn, every corner, every awaking moment to capture us in its addictive ways and bring us to damnation.

The truth comes to free us.  The truth comes to give us life.  The truth comes to open our hearts to the love that is in Christ Jesus and God our Father.  For it is his love that completes us.  It is his love that provides for us.  It is his love that protects us and guides us in our daily lives.  Be not betrayed by the desires of the world.  Be not misled by what you see and hear in the world.  For you are children of the light.  And light overcomes darkness.  You are not of this world.  You are a spiritual being in a physical body.  Learn the truth of who you are.  Open your heart and let the light of Christ come to you.  Flesh and blood will not reveal this to you but only the father in heaven.  This is how I have come to know that which is truth within me.  Here is my invitation to you from Christ to come follow the path that is set before you and know the truth of who you are. 

Read the sign of the times!  Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ.  Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding.  Read it for knowledge.  Read it for faith.  Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  Christ seeks to know you.  Open the door and let him in!

St Matthew, Chapter 16, verse:16, The Rock: What Simon says.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Peter's confession) Part 4.   

He asked what the people thought and they answered, a great man, a great prophet.  He asked what the disciples thought and there were no answers.  Not James, not John,  not Mathew, not Bartholomew, not one of the disciples had an answer to his question as to who they thought that he was.  Not one, except Simon Peter.  For Simon spoke what was feared to be spoken.  Simon spoke what was feared to be blasphemy.  Simon spoke where the others would not speak.  But they did not know.

They questioned what type of man he was.  They questioned how he was able to do miracles.  They questioned the power that he had over demons and spirits.  They questioned his knowledge of spiritual matters.  But they did not dare speak who he was.  They did not dare proclaim who he was because of the fear of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  For it was punishable by death from stoning to commit blasphemy.  And they were fearful of what might happen to them if they proclaimed that Christ was the Messiah.  Yet Simon Peter made the statement.  Simon Peter overcame the fear.  Simon Peter spoke what was feared by the others and called Christ the Son of the Living God.  Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

And the truth was spoken.  Was Simon right?  Who do we say that he is, today?  In these modern times, most would say that he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  But do we believe that, do we know that there is a Living God?  We know that we have to or should go to church each Sunday.  We know that we should prey.  We know that we should not commit sin, but do we not?  For what we know is of the world and what we do not know is of the spirit and of the truth. 

How do you know for sure who you are.  You are flesh and blood.  You are emotions, desires, wants, needs, you are you.  And the you that is you is provided for in the world.  But the you that is you outside of the world is not known.  The you that is you in the spirit is not seen.  The you that is you of the truth of the light of Christ is hidden for you to find.  Will you seek it.  You can find it if you desire to know.  Christ came to give life that we may have it more abundantly.  Yet most, only have life in the physical and not life in the spiritual. 

We see the physical.  We believe in the world.  We know the world is where we live, sleep, eat, play, pray, and die.  And we are consumed of the world that keeps us occupied with the things of the world.  Yet we are spiritual beings in a physical body, a knowledge that most do not believe or know.  And we were created in the image and likeness of our father, the Living God. And Christ came that the life that was given us before the fall of Adam could be restored to those who believe, to those who wanted, to those who sought, to those who know.  Simon says he was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  Does he live in you?

Read the sign of the times!  Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ.  Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding.  Read it for knowledge.  Read it for faith.  Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  Christ seeks to know you.  Open the door and let him in!

St Matthew, Chapter 16, verse: 15, The Rock: What do the Disciples say?

Our Paragraph topic is:  (Peter's confession) Part 3.  

And now it came down to the disciples.  They had heard what the people were saying about Christ.  Who was this man?  Was he the Messiah?  Was he a Prophet?  Was he John the Baptist come back to life?  Was he Elias?  Who was Christ?  There were questions on the minds of the people and even questions on the minds of the disciples.  They did not truly know.  They had no answer, even though they walked with him and talked with him everyday.  He had called them to be his disciples and they followed.  They wanted to be disciples because something in them wanted to change their lives from the ordinary.

But they did not know who he was.  They did not have an idea whose footsteps they walked in.  They did not know the light that they followed was that of Christ and the God the father.  They wanted to know.  They wanted to believe.  They wanted to see.  But they did not know.  He was a good man.  Christ was a gentle man.  Christ was a man different from any other man.  For he made miracles.  He walked on water.  He made the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf here and cured the lepers.  He was like no other man.  Yet they still did not know who he was.  So he asked them:   He said to them, "But who do you say that I am? "

The moment of truth had arrived.  What did the disciples think.  What did the disciples believe.  What did the disciples know.  Who do you say that I am, Christ asked them?  Who do we say that he is today, is his question to each and everyone of us?  What do we believe?  Do these words come from a relic, old book?  Are these words relevant today?  Why is it important what I believe or what I say that he is today?  If asked, if a poll were taken on the streets, what would people say.  Most church going people would say that Christ was the Son of God the father.  Most others would say that he is the Savior.  Some would even say that he was a prophet.  And even others would say that he was a great man.  But what do you say, I would ask, to those who are reading this post? 

Does he have any meaning to you, today?  What would you say?  What do you believe?  We live in a world that demands all of who we are, yet we do not know ourselves.  Are we all flesh?  Are we body and soul?  Are we spirit.  How do we know?  Is this something that we are taught in church?  But do we believe it?  Do we know it?  Or are we just who we are in this world?  Christ wants to know who you say he is?  For within that knowledge, within that awareness of him is the awareness of ourselves.  We did not live and walk this earth when Christ came to this earth, to this planet, to this physical realm.  We did not walk in his footsteps,  hear his spoken words, see his miracles, touch him in his physical body.  All we have today is his words passed down through the writings of the disciples with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Yet who do we say that he is?

Is he the Messiah?  Is he the Savior?  Is he the Son of the Father?  Is he the Anointed One?  Is he the Lamb?  Is he the Light of the World?  Is he our spirit and life, our body and blood?  Is he the life within us?  Christ came that may have life; for before him there was death.  God decreed that if Adam eat of the forbidden fruit that he would surely die.  And mankind died on that day.  Christ came to give life to those who believed in him and the Father who sent him.  Do you have life within you?  Is he the life within you?  Then, you are more than you know.  You are spirit.  You are life.  You are love.  Come know the truth of who you are.  Follow the path before you and know the life that is within you.  Christ awaits you.  God the Father loves you. 

Read the sign of the times!  Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ.  Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding.  Read it for knowledge.  Read it for faith.  Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  Christ seeks to know you.  Open the door and let him in!

St Matthew, Chapter 16, verse 14, The Rock: What men say?

Our paragraph topic is:  (Peter's confession) Part 2.       

What do men say, Christ asked his disciples.  What do the people say?  What are the people thinking when it came to the Son of Man?  For in their thoughts were the beliefs and desires of the heart.  And in the hearts of men were the keys that opened the door to the love of God or the possession of evil.  Who had the major influence?  Who did the people know?  Whom did they think would win the battle?  Did they believe in Christ?  Did they know his true identity?  Did they accept that he was the Messiah sent by God himself?  Or was he just another prophet sent to carry the message to man.

What did men say that the Son of man is?  It was important to know.  It was important to believe that he was the Christ.  It was important to hear what the disciples were hearing but also to know what they were knowing.  For they were the eyes and ears connected to the people.  They were out there listening.  They were out there talking.  They were out there sharing with the people what they were receiving from Christ.  So what were they receiving from the people.  What did the people say who he was?  But they said,"Some say,

John the Baptist; and others, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."

What do men say who I am?  What do men say about Christ?  I just finished watching a popular movie where a captain was trying to persuade a crash victim to take his point of view.  The victim and his wife were devout Christians.  They asked him to pray with them about the cause and the outcome of the crash.  The request to pray was awkward and strange and the reaction of the moviegoers was even more pronounced.  You could feel the tension and disbelief in the audience as the request was made.  It was as if a mentally ill person had asked someone to take their hand so that they could fly to the moon together.  Who do men say I am?  Is it the same disbelief and doubt and awkwardness when one talks about Christ in public. 

It is almost as if Christ does not belong in the public.  His name is not to be spoken or talked about in the open, but only in churches and synagogues and chapels.  There is the public life and then there is the church life and the two shall not mix.  Yet we were created in the image and likeness of God.  And God is love. 

Do we carry love with us?  Is it in us?  Does it surround us in our daily lives.  Can we express it?  Can we talk about divine love and not physical love?  Can we embrace it in others no matter who they are or what they have done? 

Deep down within we are all children of light, or children of darkness, depending on if we believe in the gift that God has given us through Christ Jesus.  Whether we have committed grievous sins, murders, adultery, etc., we were still created in the image and likeness of God.  When darkness comes in and evil turns us and persuades us to do evil,  we still have the likeness of God within us.  And it is that likeness that allows us to ask God for forgiveness.  And it is that same likeness that allows God to forgive us when we become aware of the evil that has invaded us and ask for his help. 

Speak of Christ with love.  Know him from within.  Be an example of love and not an evangelist needing to convert everyone that you see and meet.  See him in everyone.  Love him in everyone.  For love transcends all and in heaven we are filled with his love because his love is like the sun that shines on all.  We are the children of God created in his likeness.  God is love and we are eternal spiritual love.  Come!  Follow the path that is set before you.  Know the truth of who you are and awaken the love of Christ that comes from his truth.  Christ awaits you.  God sends his love and his protection and his provisions.  For the truth will set you free and the love will open your heart to the treasure that awaits your discovery.  May the gift of God be in your heart!  

Read the sign of the times!  Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ.  Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding.  Read it for knowledge.  Read it for faith.  Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  Christ seeks to know you.  Open the door and let him in!

St Matthew, Chapter 16, verse: 13, The Rock: The Question.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Peter's confession) Part 1.   

They crossed the sea and left the boat, Jesus and his disciples.  They arrived in Caesarea Philippi where Christ was about to begin another part of his journey here on earth, on this rock.  His time was approaching, his work was coming to an end, and the sacrifice was being prepared.  His disciples were with him at all times and they were being prepared for the coming war with evil.  Christ was to leave this earth, this rock, and his disciples were to remain to continue his work.  They did not know.  They believed that Christ would remain with them to fight the upcoming battles.  They believed that he would take over the rule of the Pharisees and the Sadducees and replace it with his rule.  Yet Christ was a gentle man.  Christ was a man filled with love.  Christ was not a man of violence, yet he was the Son of Justice.  He was the Son of God.

But the time had not yet come and the disciples must be prepared for the coming of the battle.  The plans must be put into place.  The strategy must be studied and enacted.  And the war must be proclaimed.  So Christ began by questioning his disciples.  He wanted to know what they were hearing.  He wanted to know what they were understanding.  He wanted to see what they were seeing so that he could make corrections.  So he asked them.  Now Jesus, having come into the district of Caesarea Philippi, began to ask his disciples, saying, "Who do men say the Son of Man is?"

You can ask the same question today and get a variety of answers depending upon who you talk to and what people believe.  Today, nearly 2000 years later, there is not one religion.  Today there is not one God.  Today there are many religions and many gods that people believe in.  We have become a culture of many.  We have become a culture, throughout the world, of freedom of religion and freedom of speech.  Even though in some parts of the world freedom is not free, but people are still individuals and can do and believe who and what they want.  Christ did not come to enforce one religion, one belief upon the people of the world.  He came that we might have the freedom to choose.  He came that we might have life and not death.  For before his gift to mankind we were dead, without life, without choice.  And now we have the choice of life and not death alone.

Who do men say I am?  Who do men say that the Son of Man is?  The knowledge is there for the knowing.  The truth is there for those who seek truth.  The life is there for those who want life and not death.  It is up to the individual to seek.  It is up to the individual to find.  It is up to the individual to know.  For those who seek can know for certain.  Those who find will find without doubt.  Those who desire will have their hearts filled.  For there is a living God.  There is a living truth.  There is a living certainty that can be gained for those who desire to know.  It is at your fingertips.  It is in your face.  It is on the tip of your tongue if you would only say it.  God's will be done.  Will your will be done in this life and in the next?  Follow the path.  Read the truth.  Know with certainty that you are a child of God.  His arms are open wide waiting for you to come home.

Read the sign of the times!  Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ.  Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding.  Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith.  Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  Christ seeks to know you.  Open the door and let him in!