Highlighted New Testament Bible

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Monday, May 27, 2013

St Matthew, Chapter 17, verse: 16, Unbelieving and Perverse Generation.


Our paragraph topic is: (Jesus cures him by casting out a devil) Part 1.

And now the disciples and Christ return from the mountaintop and continue the work at hand, teaching and preaching to the people.  The people were lost.  The people were like sheep without a shepherd.  The people were torn.  They did not know, they did not understand, they were misled and they were uncertain.  But Christ was there, to give them leadership.  He was there, to give them direction.  He was there, to provide understanding.  He came here to clear up the confusion and to give clarity so that the sheep would know with certainty.

But there were those who did not want the people to know.  There were those who did not want the people to understand.  There were those who wanted the people to continue to be confused so that they could continue to lead, continue to have power, continue to be in the dark so that they could influence in the direction that they wanted to lead the people.  Evil must have evil doers in order to act in this realm.  It must have followers that have been influenced by it in order for evil to thrive and flourish.  Evil is perverse.  Evil is unbelieving.  Evil was dominant in this time.  And evil had possession of the leadership.  So evil led, and evil flourished, and evil thrived, and was bold, and possessed outright.  And evil walked the earth in the guise of men.

Christ had the authority.  Christ had the power.  Christ saw the evil that possessed men and he cast it out.  He saw the evil doers who were possessed of evil and he knew that they were representatives of evil.  Yet he was patient.  He was kind.  He was forgiving of those who sought to do him harm and to thwart his mission here on earth.  And this made him sick and angry that he had to accept their actions.  But he was patient.  He was loving.  And he was kind for he knew that justice would prevail and the wrath of his father would balance all the evil that was being played out before him.  Jesus answered and said, "O unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?"

Did Christ speak of the people?  Were the people perverse and unbelieving?  Were they the ones that Christ spoke of in his words?  Or, are there others, that he spoke of with these words?  Christ lived and walked the earth in a place and time when evil took possession of men.  He saw and cast out many demons that took possession of men.  Demons were taking possession by storm.  And then there were those that were under the influence of evil.  They were the ones that became the evil doers in the world.  The kings and the rulers, and princes and men of power and money, did as they willed without any conscience of the evil that they committed.  They had the power to grant life or to take it over the people.  They had to power to give and to take, to do as they willed without bounds.  And that power, opened the door for evil to enter into the minds and hearts.  That power opened the door to corruption and to the influence of evil.  Evil then had the power to do evil on earth.

Christ came and put a stop to the reign of evil here on earth.  He cast out the devil and his angel minions from the earth and prevented it from returning.  He set up his church here on earth and gave it the power to rule over evil that it would not prevail.  And so men were not possessed anymore.  Men did not have the absolute power to do as they willed.  Men did not become evil doers as they had in the past.  Yet evil continued to influence, even from the gates of hell.  And evil continues to influence men today, not outright but in subtle ways.  For today men are influenced by greed, by power, by lust, by hatred, by scandal, and by passion. 

We live in a world where our passions drive and direct us to be who we are.  You can do anything, if you set your mind to it.  You can be anyone, live your desires, make what you want to make, and have the love that you desire in your life.  All you have to do is believe, and act, and achieve.  See the goal.  Feel the passion of your heart.  Let your heart drive you to achieve what you believe that you desire and you will achieve.  We are fed these and other beliefs on a daily basis, from the cradle to the grave.  And we are possessed by what we are given.  So evil continues to have influence in our lives only in a subtle way.

Is there no antidote?  Is there something better? Our hearts desire to be filled with passion.  But what is there that would satisfy the desires of the heart?  What is there that would fill us with joy, fulfill our dreams, give us peace?  Do we want anything else?  Do we desire something higher, something greater, something more complete, other than to have our passions fulfilled?  We see others having whatever they desire and we believe that we can have it also.  We believe that we want the same things as what we see that others have.  So why should we change?  Why should we believe other than what we are given?  There is evil in the world and we can not see it.  We cannot feel it or know it if we do not awake to it.  Christ opened the door.  He provided the way.  He gave you the life that you have, that you may live eternally.  But the choice is yours.  Why live for eternity when you can live for the moment?  Why live for the moment and when you can suffer for eternity?  Come!  Take His hand.  Know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Once you discover your truth you will know and awaken from the influence of evil.  The path has been given to me and I point to what was given to me that you may know 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.