Our paragraph topic is: (The Sadducees question Christ) Part 1.
The Herodians came, questioned and tested him, and left marveling at his answer. Now we have the Sadducees coming on the same day with their questions in their attempt to gather evidence against him. They were learned men. They studied the text and the books handed down by their fathers and the prophets but they had no wisdom or insight into the meaning behind the words. The spirit of the Lord was not with them.
They were the ones who did not believe in the resurrection. They only believed that we lived for today and die tomorrow. So they had no understanding of what happened after death. They had no knowledge or belief that there was an after life, a soul or a spirit. They only believed that they lived for today and tomorrow you die and that is the end of life. So, "On that same day some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him, and questioned him."
Christ was an ordinary man, an ordinary man of flesh and blood. He was not a hero. He was not a prince or a scholar, at least not in the eyes of those who practiced being a scholar in those days, those who trained with the elders and learned various schools of thought. He was just an ordinary man who would not attract the attention of anyone. Yet within this ordinary man lived the Son of Man, the Son of God.
He came down from heaven to walk among the ordinary people to be an example to them of a new way of life. He wanted to show that there is a God and a heaven and a life after death that we could all believe in and live for. He showed that he had the power of the Holy Spirit and God the Father to perform miracles that no other man or prophet had performed before him. He wanted the people to rejoice, to have hope, to be happy in the knowledge that they had a God to provide for them, to care for them, to protect them, and to love them, even if they had to suffer in the present.
For he came to suffer. He came to die for us. He came to become a substitute for us all that we might have new life. He came that the life that we lost in the garden we could have again. He came because of the passion of his love for us all. He came that we each might now have the choice to make our own decision as to whether we wanted to live with him or to die without him. The choice would be ours alone. The message would be spread to all. All would have the opportunity over and over again till the last day, to decide. The choice would be ours. We must choose or the choice will be made for us. Death will come and it will decide. Why wait.
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 nd 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.
Our paragraph topic is: (The lost sheep) Part 4.
The Son of Man came. He came to reclaim what was lost. He came to save. He came to take back the little ones. For they are the lost sheep, scattered by the evil one. They are the ones without a shepherd. They are the loved ones of the Father. Even though he had many, he came to reclaim the one. Even though he loved all, he came to find the lost. Even though he is all powerful, he has mercy. Even though he passed judgment, he is forgiving. Even though he issues wrath on those who trespass, he is compassionate. For Christ came to carry out his father's will, to bring back the lost, to save the little ones.
There will be rejoicing. There will be happiness. There will be sorrow. There will be sadness for each little one that is lost. But there will be rejoicing at each little one that is saved. The choice was given to each. The decision is ours to make. But the influence leads us in a direction that we do not know. The turn of the head, the blink of the eye, the sound of the music can lead astray, away from the flock and into lost territory. But Christ came to save. Christ came to restore. Christ came to take back what was lost. He came to pay the price that we may have life. And there will be rejoicing for each that returns to the flock, for each that returns to the Father. "And if he happen to find it, amen I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray."
And if he happens to find it, the lost one, he rejoices. Christ tells this parable to demonstrate to his disciples and to us the depth of love that the Father has for his little ones. For they were created from his heart. They were created from his love. They were brought forth from nothing into life that his love and his passion may be shared. We have a God and Father that loves us deeply. We have a God and Father that protects us totally. We have a God and Father that provides for us completely. The question is will we let him. Will we seek him? Will we open our hearts to him? Will we allow our minds to comprehend that which is incomprehensible to the mind but lies hidden in the heart?
We have all the documentation in history. We have the facts laid before us. We have the institutions that help us to understand. We have the grace of Christ, the love of the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit to provide for us, if we believe, if we seek, if we desire to know, if we love, if. And it is that if that deters us. It is that if that delays us. It is that if that causes us to pause. It is that if that turns us away. For that if, is what is used against us in the world.
Can we not believe? Can we not see with the eye that was given us, the key to the soul? Can we not understand that which is within us, within our nature, within our being, within our soul? If we are told otherwise, we can not. If we are fed lies, we can not. If we are deceived, we will not believe. For deception is the tool of evil. Deception is the blindfold that allows us to continue to sleep, to turn away, to follow the path of destruction. But Christ came to save. Christ came to take back. Christ came to give new life. Will you accept it? Will you believe in it? Will you be open to it? Or will you be deceived? Come! Follow the path before you. Seek the truth that is within you that you will know the truth of who you are in Christ. Believe and you will see. For he told us how to find the truth that is within us. He gave us a path to follow. Will you follow it? Will you seek to know it? Will you find you? Christ awaits. The Holy Spirit beckons. The Father will rejoice at your coming.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (The lost sheep) Part 2.
The little ones have angels in heaven. The little ones have a direct connection to God our Father. The little ones are protected. The little ones are provided for. The little ones are special in the eyes of God. But the little ones were lost. The little ones were divided. The little ones were without a shepherd. And then Christ came.
Christ came to take back what was lost. Christ came to redeem. Christ came that all was not lost and all the little ones would not face the justice of God. For man had sinned. Man had disobeyed the command of God. And man must face the justice of God, for God is the ultimate judge and justice must be served. There was a contest. There was a battle. There was a test between man and Satan, between physical and spiritual, between the lowly flesh and the spiritual cunning of a fallen angel. Man lost. The punishment was pronounced. The sin was committed and the judgment was enacted. And Christ came. He came to renew. He came to take back. He came to be tested. He came to pay the price. He came to be the sacrifice. He came to save. And Christ told his disciples: "For the Son of Man came to save what was lost."
What was lost? Where can it be found? Is it something that is worth finding, something of value, something that we should waste time thinking about finding? Christ thought so. God thought that it was worth getting back. He gave a precious gift to have it returned. He wanted it returned. He did not want to loose it.
Our Father is a loving father, so much so that he forgives, he loves deeply, he has mercy, he understands, he is compassionate. The Son of Man came to save what was lost. He came to be tested. Adam was tested and he failed the test. Christ came and he passed the test. He came and he was tried. He came and he would not bend, he would not relent, he would not give up, he would not yield to the temptations, and they killed him because he could not be broken. He paid the price. He was the sacrifice. He was the restitution for the injustice.
I was lost. I was asleep in the world. I was committed to the world, even though I had been given the truth as a child. I was raised in the church. I was committed to the church and yet I left the church and went out into the world. I wanted to be a part of the world. I wanted to be accepted in the world. I wanted to be successful in the world. And I committed myself to it. The world used me. The world abused me. The world tore me down. And the world took me to the crossroads of temptation.
The world said to me, in order to be successful you must be ruthless. It said to me, in order to be successful you must be cunning. It said to me that in order to be successful you must be vengeful, you must be murderous. I was lost. I was on the verge of stepping off that cliff. And then, out of desperation, I sought help. I called out to my father for help. I cried for relief. And he reached out and held my hand. He reached out and lifted me up. He reached out and pulled me from the brink of destruction.
He gave me hope. He gave me faith. He showed me compassion. He opened my eyes and allowed me to see the truth of who I am. I am no longer lost. I am no longer wandering. I am no longer asleep. I am here and I am now. I am in him and he is in me. I am a light in the darkness because I know who I am. Christ came to save me. Christ came to save you. Christ came to save all that want to be saved. Do you want to be saved? Do you want to know the truth of who you are? Ask him to save you. Ask to know him. Ask to believe in him. Ask to seek him and he will seek you. He saved me and gave me a new life. He will save 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.
