St Matthew, Chapter 14, verses: 25 - 26, The Test of Heart: The Demonstration of Power.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus walks on the water) Part 3.

And the disciples were on the sea and Christ was on the land.  And let us test them that they may believe.  Let us show them the awesome power of God that they may know that Christ was sent by the father to do the father's will.  For they saw the multiplication of the loaves.  They saw the healing of the sick.  They saw the lame walk.  They saw the eyes of the blind opened but they did not believe.  They did not trust that they could feed the people, Christ told them to feed the people themselves.  They did not know who they were.  They did not know, yet, who they were becoming.  They did not have the faith in Christ through whom all things are.

They were on the sea and Christ was on the land.  And the boat was being buffeted by the waves and they were in fear of loosing their lives.  They were afraid of drowning.  There was no place to hide.  There was no place to run.  There was no place to seek shelter from the impending waves.  But they were the disciples of Christ.  They were his pupils and he was their teacher.  Yet they were on the sea and he was on the land.   But in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking upon the sea.

They did not believe, even with all the miracles that he performed.  They did not know, even with all that they had seen.  They did not trust even with all they had heard.  And they did not know how to feed the people, for Christ had told them to feed the people.  But the disciples wanted to send the people away that they may find food for themselves.  The disciples wanted to put them back into the world after being with Christ.  The disciples did not know who they were becoming.  They did not believe.  They did not trust.  So, a demonstration of power had to be made.  An irrefutable image had to be placed in their  minds that they would know the true Christ.  For no one had seen or heard of a man walking on water.  But Christ was not mere man. 

But, they were in fear.  They were in chaos and the evil one was knocking at their door telling them that all they had sacrificed had come to this.  They had dreams of power.  They had visions of honor.  They had desires of leadership and all the perks that comes with being a ruler. But all  that flashed before their eyes and through their minds as they struggled with the wind and the waves that threatened to destroy them.  And Satan was there reminding them that they had failed. And Satan was there reminding them that all had come to naught.  For they did not believe.  They did not know.  They did not have the faith in Christ that brings forth complete trust. 

And when Christ came to them walking on the water their fear was confirmed.  They believed that they were seeing a ghost.  They believed that they were near death.  They were on the verge of canceling out their belief.  They were about to step over the line between belief in Christ and 
belief that Christ had failed them.  They believed that they were dying.  They opened the door to Satan and believed in the lies that he was giving them.    And they, seeing him walking upon the sea, were greatly alarmed, and exclaimed, "It is a ghost!" they cried out for fear.

Are you on  the sea in a boat that is sinking?  Are you being tossed about by the waves of the world?  Will you believe in Christ?  Will you believe that Christ can calm the sea, speak to the wind and dispel fear?  Be not be like the disciples in the test.  You have seen miracles and attributed them to the world.  You have seen the wonders of his power and accepted them as your own praise and glory. 

You have witnessed the awesomeness of his majesty and do not know that Christ is with you.  He has made himself known to you in many ways, yet you do not know.  The world will deceive you.  The world will lead you down the wide path of destruction taking you away from life in Christ into death with the evil one.  The world will blind you.  The world will block your hearing.  The world will steel your heart that you may not know the truth of its longing for God.  Wake up!!  Know that you are a child of God and know that you are much more than the world offers.  Know and believe that Christ in you will bring forth the fruits of the kingdom of heaven and transform you into the truth of who you are in Christ.  The disciples were transformed.  Are you ready for the change?  The test is here!

St Matthew, Chapter 14, verses: 1 - 2, Jesus' fame causes fear in Herod

Our paragraph topic is:  (Herod fears that Christ is John the Baptist)   

And the word spread.  It spread from the mouth of one person to the ear of another.  It spread from the market of one town to the  market of another.  It spread from the village of one town to the village of another.  It spread from the town of one district to the towns of other districts.  And Christ was known by many.  His works were spoken of by many who had seen, many who had heard, many who had witnessed his miracles and those who were recipients of his works.  He was the latest news.  He was the latest talk.  He was the latest whisperings of the people of the towns through the kingdom.  And the word came to Herod.  The word was spoken to Herod.  The word was received by Herod from his news keepers in the streets.

The news keepers were the eyes and ears of Herod.  He paid them well to keep him informed of what the people were talking about.  He planned his life around the people.  He planned his policy around the people, and he planned his lies and deceit around the people to keep them in line.  For Herod was the King.  He was the ruler of the people, appointed by the Roman Emperor.  It was his responsibility to keep his people calm and to have them follow the rules of the Romans.  Herod had to know.  He had to hear.  He had to see what was going on in his towns, in his villages, and in his kingdom.  So he put people on the streets to listen to the latest news.  And he heard of Jesus.  At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus.

Herod heard the news.  Herod heard the whisperings.  Herod listened to the stories that were told of Christ.  And Herod could not believe.  Herod could not understand.  Herod could not make sense of what the people were talking about because Herod was full of John the Baptist.  John had spoken to the heart of Herod.  John had spoken to the people of the evil in Herod.  John the Baptist had brought forth the truth in the relationship of Herod and Herodias, his wife.  And Herod wanted him dead.  Herod wanted to kill John the Baptist and that is what he did.  Herod created an elaborate plot to murder John the Baptist and he was full of himself when he carried it out.  He gloated over the sweetness of the plan that he carried out in the face of the public that allowed him to murder a prophet.  And now comes Jesus, another prophet, another man of God.   And he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are working through him."

Herod was fearful.  He was fearful of what he had done to John the Baptist.  He loved his elaborate scheme to murder John the Baptist, but he was fearful that John would come back and exact revenge upon him.  Herod was the ruler and no man was supposed to have more fame than he.  No man was supposed to be talked about by the common people more than he.  No common man was supposed to be more loved by the people than he.  And jealousy came to him.  Vanity came also.  Then hatred, and fear and doubt came.  And finally came larceny who helped him create a plan to murder John the Baptist.  For John was loved by the people.  John was revered by the people.  John was spoken of by the people more than Herod.  And John was number one with the people over Herod.   Herod wanted to be number one so he sought a way to remove John.

Satan seeks a way to remove Christ from our lives today.  He wants to murder Christ.  He wants to get rid of Christ.  He wants the people to talk about him and not Christ.  He wants to be number one in our lives today.  So he creates schemes to rid us of Christ.  He makes plans to turn us away from Christ and to turn us to him.  He builds worlds around us to blind us to the light of Christ that we may not see.  He creates playgrounds for us to have fun so that we will forget about Christ.  He fills our eyes and our ears with pleasures that compel us to enjoy and he fills our bodies with passions that make us want.  He does all this to distract us from Christ, to turn us from God, to hide us from the truth.  We were made for God and he is our father.  He is our satisfaction and our pleasure.  Nothing else can replace him in our lives. 

But Satan wants us to believe that we can be happy and have joy and peace if we turn from Christ and from God our Father.  Just as Herod feared that Christ was John the Baptist resurrected, Satan fears the resurrected man in Christ.  For in Christ we have power.  In Christ we are miracles.  In Christ we are the light of the world that he cannot turn off.  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  Hear the message of the kingdom.  Become new life in Christ.  Seek the Holy Spirit and you will know true life in Christ.  Seek the Holy Spirit and you will become the miracle.  Seek the Holy Spirit and you will know the truth of the kingdom of heaven here on earth.

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verse: 29, Christ's promise to plunder.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ refutes them) Part 4. 

So the Pharisees wanted to do battle and they brought their fight to Christ.  They accused him of having the power of Satan to cast out demons.  This was their way of casting doubt.  This was their way of bringing fear.  This was their way of dividing the people so that they could regain the control that they were loosing to the teachings and miracles of Christ.  In their crooked minds they thought that by making this statement they would bring a shadow over Christ and cause the people to wonder.  But Christ brought the fight to them.  He told them a house divided would not stand.  He told them that by their fear and doubt their children would be their judges on the day of judgment.  He told them that because of their blindness that the kingdom of God had come upon them and they did not even know it.  The battle continued.

And as the final blows took place, Christ brings the TKO to the Pharisees with these words: "How can anyone enter the strong man's house, and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  Then he will plunder his house."   So Christ gave them a forewarning of things to come.  He would plunder their house of authority over the people.  He would bind their power and release the people, loosing them from the authority of the Pharisees.  This was a prophecy to the Pharisees who then had to stand back and take heed of these words.  For they were warnings that they could not overlook.  They were signs of the times that they had to address.  These words were a slap in their face of their coming demise.  They did not know.  They did not understand the one that they came before.  They only saw him as a man and not the Messiah.

Not only did Christ speak to the Pharisees but he also spoke to the demons that possessed the Pharisees that led them to come against Christ.  He spoke to the demons of the coming downfall of their authority.  He spoke to the demons of their house being plundered and all of their treasures being taken away.  For what did the demons treasure most, the capture of the righteous 
souls of men, for Christ had not yet completed his mission.  What did they seek to accomplish day in and day out, except to bring mankind to turn against God and to live in hell with them for the rest of eternity.  But Christ spoke to them through the Pharisees.  The strong man is being bound and the house of hell will be plundered.  And the righteous souls of hell would be released and brought to the kingdom of God for all eternity.

Which side will you belong, in the coming battle?  Which side will you lend your support?  Judge wisely or judge not.  The decision is made, with or without your consent, for the judge will decide for those who wait.  Be not dead to the kingdom of God, for it is upon you.  Judgment will come when you least expect it, whether you are prepared or not.  The dead of the world are dead.  They do not know.  They do not believe.  They will discover the truth.  Open your eyes, now.  Open your minds, now.  Open your hearts, now, to the wisdom of God and he will bring you to salvation.  Be not the fence dweller.  Be not the changeling, part in the world and part in the spirit.  The two do not coexist together in you.  You are either of the world completely or of the spirit completely.  Otherwise you choose to walk the fence.  And those who walk the fence can be snatched off by evil. 

The battle continues even today.  Where does your soul belong?  Does it belong to Christ or to the devil?  You do not know!  Christ calls to you to come to him, not partially but totally.  Give to him totally and he will give to you completely.  Most people fear giving themselves to Christ because they still belong to the world.  Deep down they believe that total commitment to Christ is for those religious fanatics and not for them. So they continue to do the repetitious behaviors only giving on the surface and not giving deeply, down to the heart.  Christ wants 100% and not 50%.  Christ wants all of you and not half to him and half to the devil.  Release your soul from evil.  Come to Christ.  If you only knew the riches of his rewards you would run into his arms.  Christ awaits you!  The Holy Spirit desires to be with you!  God the Father loves you!

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, verse: 28b, Heavenly Protection not Fear.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Confidence in divine protection) Part 5.  

Christ has told his disciples not to be afraid in several ways.  He does not want them to have fear.  He does not want them to open the door to fear and thereby allow the minnions of the evil one to enter into their hearts and minds to destroy their defenses.  They are the warriors.  They are the victors.  They are the conquerers.  The Spirit of the Father is with them and will arm them with words of wisdom.  Have confidence in heavenly protection.  So Christ has given them the pep rally and boosted their spirits in preparation for battle.

He has told them not to fear those that can destroy the body.   Though they may cause pain in the physical realm, there is no harm in the spiritual realm.  The soul will remain and will rejoice in the presence of the Lord.  Christ tells them however, to be afraid of Satan.  He says, be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.  So he wants us to know that there is destruction in hell.  He wants us to know that there is a physical place called hell where Satan reigns.  And in this place Satan can destroy the body and the soul.  He can cause pain.  He can cause suffering.  He can cause disease.  He can cause all manner of physical and spiritual destruction.  This is what we should fear.  We should fear going to hell.  We should fear being in a place where there is no hope.  We should fear being in a place where we will live in eternity in pain and suffering. 

So Christ is instructing his disciples about this place called hell and what will happen in this place.  This is not the place where his disciples will go.  But he gives them a picture of this place so that they will know where those who do not accept the message, will go.  Christ wants his disciples to understand the immense pain and suffering that the unbeliever will undergo when they leave the physical realm.  He wants them to have complete knowledge so that they can speak to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and convey to them the choice that they will make.  For they are the first to hear the message of the kingdom of heaven.  They are the first to see the disciples of Christ.  They are the first to have the opportunity to repent and turn back to the Lord.  After these, then the rest of the Gentiles will hear the message of the kingdom of heaven.

So we have our warning.  Just as Christ told his disciples back then, he is telling us today.  Fear the one who can destroy the body and the soul in hell.  Fear the place called hell, where one will live in eternal damnation.  Fear Satan. 

Will you hear the message?  Can you understand the meaning of the message or are you deaf to it?   The evil one will use all his tricks and traps to prevent you from hearing it.  He will attempt in every way to keep you from the kingdom of heaven so that he can get you in hell to destroy what God has created.  Are you afraid of him who can destroy both body and soul in hell?  You should be!!