St Matthew, Chapter 12, verse: 26 - 27, They sought Division: Satan vs Satan.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ refutes them) Part 2. 

And they came to him seeking to divide.  They came to him seeking to cast doubt.  They came to him seeking to destroy the power of the kingdom of heaven.  The battle continues, for they did not know to whom they came.  And Christ was meek.  Christ was mild.  Christ was gentle in his response to the accusations of the Pharisees.  For they accused him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub.  They accused him of being evil.  They accused him of having the power of the devil, and they did not know.

Christ refutes them simply by saying,  "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?"   For he had told them that a house divided will not stand.  He had shown them the simple truth of their misstatement.  Yet, from their own mouths, they spoke these words of evil, thereby condemning themselves.  For they said that Christ, the Son of Man, was evil, that he had the power of evil, that he belonged to the house of evil.  For they were fearful.  They feared for their positions and their authority.  They saw Christ as a threat and wanted to eliminate him and separate him from the people.  So they sought to bring division into the minds of the people by making the Messiah look evil to the people.

But Christ had mercy.  Christ forgave them.  Christ opened the door to let them come in.  But they refused to come.  Christ told them,  And if I cast out devils by Beelzebub, by whom do your children cast them out?   For the children of the Pharisees called upon the same power that Christ himself called, the one true God, Jehovah.  He called upon his father to give him the power to cast out demons, heal the sick, make the lame walk, and the blind see.  And this is the one and same God that the children of the Pharisees called upon also.  For they believed in God.  They followed his commandments.  They knew of his power.  And they, the children of the Pharisees, loved him.  But the Pharisees did not understand.  They were fearful and followed the counsel of evil. 

Christ, therefore, told them that because they did not believe, their children, "Therefore they shall be your judges."   On the day of judgment, their children would be present.  On the day of judgment, their children would give witness.  On the day of judgment their children will be their judges, condemning them to hell.  Christ wanted them to see.  He wanted them to understand.  He wanted them to change their ways and turn from evil that he might love them.  But they would not.  They could not.  They were lost and captured by evil and kept imprisoned by their own wills, their own desires, their own fears.

Will your children judge you or will you have to give judgment for them on the day of judgment?  Do not be captured by evil, for it will imprison you and not let go.  It will drag you to the deepest darkest corner of despair and offer to end your life as an option.   Christ will come for you, if you only ask him.  He will help you, if you become open to him.  He will guide you, if you will only follow him.  Be not trapped with evil.  Turn to Christ for salvation.  For salvation is not something that is shunned because it signifies the church.  Salvation is in the world, with you.  Salvation is with you at all times, in daylight and darkness.  Salvation is ever present even outside of the church in your time of need.  Seek not the four walls of the church but seek first the salvation of Christ and the church will welcome you.  The church will accept you.  The church will know you.  For through Christ is your salvation.  Through Christ is your deliverance from evil.  And through Christ is your life eternal in heaven.  Come, take his hand and he will lead you to salvation!

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verses: 7-8, The Instructions

Our paragraph topic is:  (Instructions to the Twelve) Part 2.  

The disciples are ready to go forth and preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.  Christ has given them instructions as to where to go and where not to go.   He wants his disciples to preach to the lost sheep of the house of Israel first.  He does not want them to go in the direction of the Gentiles or to the Samaritans.  The lost sheep are to be gathered first, those that will listen and follow.  Many have fallen by the wayside.  Many have taken up with the pagans.  And many are blinded by the evil one.  

Christ tells his disciples what to preach.  He tells them, "And as you go, preach the message, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand!' "   So he wants his disciples to walk through the towns and villages preaching to the people, "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand."  He wants his disciples to tell how the kingdom has arrived.  He wants his disciples to awaken the people and spread the good news.  He wants them to let the people know the arrival of the kingdom to their towns and their villages.  Christ wants the lost sheep of the house of Israel to know that the opportunity has come for them to return to the fold.  The opportunity has come for them to turn back to the God of their for fathers, the one true God, Jehovah.

Christ tells them further to demonstrate to the lost sheep the presence of the kingdom.  He wants them to not just talk about it but to show the people that what they preach is true.  He tells them to,Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils.  So the disciples are to perform the miracles that Christ has instructed them to do.  They are to battle with the demons that possess the village people.  They are to battle with the sickness that cripples families.  They are to cure diseases that rob the life from the ill and the injured.  They are to cleanse the lepers and raise the dead so that the people will know without a doubt that something is happening that is bringing about the miracles that they are witness to by the disciples.

Christ now gives his disciples the most important requirement of all.  He tells them that they have received freely.  He tells them that,  "Freely you have received, freely give."   Christ wants his disciples to know that they are not to force the teachings upon anyone.  It has been their free decision to follow him.  It has been their free choice to become his disciples.  Without the threat of punishment or damnation, they freely followed his teachings.  They, in turn, are to preach to the people to freely accept the teachings, so that through their belief they may know that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.    

Christ wants to send us forth today to be his disciples.  He wants us to proclaim the kingdom to the lost sheep.  He gives us instructions as to what we are to do when we accept his discipleship.  He instructs us in specific tasks that we are to perform and he provides the Holy Spirit to guide us daily in our walk with him.  Beware, if you are convicted of the Holy Spirit in the love of Christ, your life will not be the same.  Beware, you will no longer want the things of this world.  Beware, you will no longer do the same things that you did before.  You will no longer live the same way.  You will be a new creature in Christ, convicted of his love.  You will have a new life, a new spirit, a new inner being, alive with the life that Christ has given you.  You will be different.  

Come, all who would know the true God.  Come, all who would be different.  Come, all who would become a new person.  Come, receive your gift, for freely it is given.  It is up to you to freely receive it.  Will you freely receive the gift that Christ wants to give to you?    

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verses: 5-6, The Instructions

Our paragraph topic is: (Instructions to the Twelve) Part 1.  

The twelve disciples have been chosen and are being prepared to go forth into the villages and towns.  Christ has to give them final instructions on what they are to do.  He first instructs them as to where they are to go.  Christ tells them not to go in the directions of the Gentiles.  He tells them that they are not to enter the towns of the Samaritans.  As their first journey without him they are to go only to locations where the lost sheep of the house of Israel reside.  They are to be the first to hear about the good news.  The lost sheep are to be the first to be lead back into the fold of Christ.  The lost sheep of Israel are to be the first to hear that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The lost sheep of the tribe of Israel  had strayed.  They had fallen away from the practices handed down by Moses.  They had forgotten the promises made by Jehovah to the people of Israel in the desert.  They had turned away from the one true God and had accepted false gods to worship.  They were the chosen people of God.  They were the beloved of God.  They were the special ones who would be the first to have the opportunity to accept the teachings of the Messiah. 

Christ was not prejudice to the gentiles.  Christ was not prejudice against the Samaritans.  Christ decided to bring back, first, the lost ones who knew about his father.  He decided to offer to those who had an existing relationship with God the opportunity to turn back to their God and to be welcomed back into the kingdom of heaven.  These lost sheep would be the ones who could become disciples also.  These lost sheep of Israel would become easy converts and true believers in the mission of Christ.

The lost sheep had that opportunity.  They were the first to hear about the kingdom of heaven.  They were the first to accept or reject the Messiah and his teachings.  Christ offers still today the message to the lost sheep.  He offers the opportunity to accept his teachings.  He offers the opportunity to believe in his mission.  He offers the opportunity to be washed in his blood.  He offers the opportunity to partake of his spirit.  He offers the opportunity to be baptized into a new life in him.  Will you accept the new life being offered by Christ?  Will you accept the kingdom of heaven that was preached by the disciples?   Christ is calling you, today.