St Matthew, Chapter 17, verse:16-17; Unbelieving and Perverse Generation: The Cure.

Our paragraph topic is:(Jesus cures him by casting out a devil) Part 2.

They were unbelieving.  They were perverse.  They were scoffing.  They manipulated, lied, cheated, gave false witness, possessed the hearts of men to do the evil that was perpetuated upon the people.  And Christ knew who them.  He saw them for who they were.  He bore witness to their deeds and cast them out of men that they could not continue to do evil.  Yet there were those who wanted the evil to continue.  There were those who were possessed and influenced by evil so much that they perceived that it was right and just.  But Christ was meek.  Christ was mild mannered.  Christ was loving.  Christ was reserved.  He knew that the cups of God's wrath were being filled and the day of judgment was at hand.  But the sacrifice was not made and the justification was not yet complete.

Christ tired of their presence.  He would rid himself of their evil.  He would send them back to the pit where they belonged in due time.  But what was before him was a child.  What was in the child was evil.  And what had to be done was a cure.  So evil had to be cast out of this innocent child.  Evil had to be removed from this child of God so that it would never return again.  And evil had to be expelled so that the child within could be released from the prison where it was being held captive.  " How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to me."  And Jesus rebuked him; and the devil went out of him; and from that moment the boy was cured.

The boy was cured.  From the moment that Jesus spoke the devil left the boy and he was cured, He was free.  He was no longer possessed.  This is the power of Jesus.  He had the power to cure.  He had the power to change water into wine, the power to multiply loaves and feed thousands, the power to raise the dead, heal the sick, make the lame walk, and speak to nature to calm the seas.  Yet the demons continued to pester, to bother, to seek to insight, to do everything that they could to interfere with the mission of Christ.  Christ was loving.  He was compassionate.  He was understanding.  He was forgiving.  And he was patient.  He knew that the people did not understand.  He knew that they did not see with a sense of knowing.  Yet he continued to do the will of God that the love for mankind would be demonstrated in his actions.

The sheep are lost.  The sheep do not know where they are going, so they follow the crowd.  They go where others go and do not know where they go.  Where is the leader?  Where is the one who will turn them around and lead them away from harm?  Where is the one who will be a guide, a protector, a provider, a teacher, and a preacher to the lost sheep?  Christ came that we each would have a choice.  He came and made the sacrifice that we could know the truth of who we are.  Do you know?  Can you see?  Can you believe?  Are you certain of the knowledge and the truth that he has given us?  Do you acknowledge each day the truth?  Do you show the love of Christ that is supposed to be in us to the world?  For they must see.  They must know.  They must understand through our actions that Christ lives, that Christ loves, that they have an all powerful father who loves them.

Come!  Follow the narrow path before you.  If you are reading this page then you have a choice.  Know the truth and awaken from the sleep of the world, or continue to sleep and be led by the untruth that the world offers.  There is power in the truth.  There is enlightenment in the truth.  There is love in the truth.  There is peace in the truth.  And there is reward in the truth, a reward like none you can imagine or that the world can offer.  The devil offered Christ the world if he would only worship him.  Who will you worship?  Whom will you love?  Who will you believe?  It has been given to me that I may pass it on to you.  God loves you and so do I!

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 17, verse: 9, The Vision: Jesus Cautioned them

Our paragraph topic is:   (On the coming of Elias) Part 1. 

They had been to the mountain top and back.  They had seen a  vision.  The disciples had witnessed the transfiguration of Christ.  They saw Moses and Elias, their great leaders.  What were they to believe?  What were they to do?  What they to say?  They were filled with excitement.  They were filled with joy.  And then they heard the voice of God the Father speaking to them about his son, Jesus Christ.  Their minds and their bodies were filled with the good news that they were going to share with their fellow disciples and all of their brothers and sisters in Christ.

They were in a state of ecstasy.  How would you feel?  What would you think?  What would you say if you had such a vision?  Who would believe you?  What would people say if you told such a thing?  Would they believe you?  Would they criticize you?  Would they call you crazy?  Would they stone you or behead you or put you in a cell and throw away the key?  Would they believe that you have lost it and live in a fantasy world of make believe?  But you are a disciple of Christ and the people need to know what happened to you.  Christ warned his disciples not to speak of the vision until after the sacrifice.   And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus cautioned them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one, till the Son of Man has risen from the dead."

People do not believe in visions today.  You have to be crazy or out of touch with society when you talk about seeing things that are out of the ordinary, things that others have not seen.  And when you tell someone the things that you have seen, you have to have some sort of proof for them to believe that you have witnessed these things.  They will not believe without the proof.  You will be laughed at, ridiculed, called names, isolated, and made to feel different from everyone else.  And who wants to be different?  Who wants to be alone and outside? 

This is why Christ told his disciples to tell no one of the vision.  He did not want them to face the ridicule and scorn of the enemy.  For evil was lurking in the shadows, waiting for every opportunity to pounce upon the disciples and scatter them to the four winds.  The enemy was waiting for the opportunity to belittle the disciples and to decrease their influence among the people so that the people would not follow Christ.  So he told them not to talk of it.  He told them to keep it among themselves until the sacrifice was made.  He told them not to share it with anyone until they had proof of his resurrection from the dead.

If we had proof of the living God today, would all believe?  Would all follow if God sent a sign to show all that he exists?  Evil would not allow us to believe.  Evil would convince our reasoning to come up with something that would explain what we witnessed or saw, or thought that we believed.  And yet it is not for us to make people believe.  It is not for us to convince people that there is a God who loves them.  It is not for us to make people follow and believe in God.  How do you convince a person who does not want to be convinced?  How do you persuade a person who does not want to be persuaded?  We each have to want to know, want to believe, want to find, want to accept God in order for him to come into our lives. 

And so the visions, the miracles, the love, the protection, and all the blessings that come from our heavenly father are for those who seek to know.  For evil would have us without knowledge.  Evil would have us without belief.  Evil would have us dead and unaware of the love that our heavenly father has for us.  So, I can not persuade you to believe if you do not want to believe.  I can not tell you of the miracles that have been worked in my life if you do not want to hear.  I can not make you understand the love and protection and the provisions that God has provided me, if you do not want to understand.  I can only write.  For it has been given me to write.  It has been given to me to write freely what I have read and what I understand from my bible experience.  What was freely given to me from those readings I give to those who want to know.  I give freely to those who seek, even as I have sought.   I give what those readings have done for me.  

God is love.  He created man in his image and likeness.  He gave us life that we may know the awe and the mystery of his love.  I pray that you may know his love.  I pray that you may experience his protection and his provisions.  I pray that you may come to know his wisdom.  For the love that he has shown me, I pray that you may come to know.  And when you know his love, you will understand.  Come! Follow the path.  Read what has been laid out before you and you too will know the truth of who you are in Christ.  Christ loves you and so do I.

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 12, verses: 22 - 23, The Battle continues: The Possessed Man.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Pharisees ascribe a miracle to the devil) Part 1. 

They mistake his meekness.  They mistake his mildness.  They underestimate his authority.  They do not understand who he is.  The prophets have spoken of Him.  Isaias has written of Him.  They have read of Him in their synagogues.  They have known of Him for ages.  But they do not know Him when he came.  They did not see Him when he was before them.  They did not hear the words that were spoken to them.  They were blind.  They were deaf.  They were dumb.  And the battle continues.

St Matthew tells us,  "Then there was brought to him a possessed man who was blind and dumb."   The lost souls continue to come and Christ continues to take back what was stolen.  He continues to bring souls to God through his miracles.  He continues to win the battles with the demons who had taken possession of the hearts and minds and souls of the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  They brought them from all over.  They brought them from far away  towns and villages.  They brought them from nearby cities.  They brought them from across the Jordan because the word had spread of the kingdom.  And the demons gathered together to stop it.  

"And he cured him so that he spoke and saw," St Matthew tells us.  He opened his eyes and cleared his tongue and the man spoke again.  After years of oppression, after years of dominion, after years of pain and suffering, he spoke.  He saw.  And the sight that he saw was glorious.  He saw his redeemer.  He saw his salvation.  He saw with his first sight the Savior of the world.  And the crowd rejoiced with him.  The crowd stood in awe.  The crowd gave glory to God that such a one had come among them.  But the Pharisees gathered in counsel to plot against.  The Pharisees gathered in counsel with evil to determine how they would bring him down.  The Pharisees gathered in counsel to sacrifice the lamb and fulfill the prophecy.   "And all the crowds were amazed, and they said, "Can this be the Son of David?"  

He lives today and we do not see Him.  He speaks today and we do not hear Him.   He loves today and we do not love Him.  What is it going to take for our eyes to be opened, for our ears to be cleansed, for our hearts to be receiving, for Him to come to us?  Will it take disaster?  Will it take loss?  Will it take pain and suffering for us to know Him?  Will we not know Him willfully?  Will we not seek Him knowingly?  Will we not love Him fully?  For he calls to us daily.  He seeks us always.  He loves us continually.  He protects us forever.  He is our God.  He is our Father.  He is our brother and sister and mother.  He is Christ Jesus.  Come know Him, today!  Seek Him, now!  Love Him, forever and he will love you.  The battle continues.  On which side will you be?