St Matthew, Chapter 19, verse: 18e, The commandments: Thou shalt not bear false witness.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The rich young man speaks to Jesus) Part 8.

The rich young man had come to Christ with a question on his mind.  He wanted to know what to do to enter into the kingdom.  He was serious.  He had come a long way to hear the truth for he believed that Christ would tell him the truth and not falsehood.  So he found Christ and asked the question of what he must do.  Christ told him in simple terms what he must do.  He must keep the commandments.  The young man knew the commandments as anyone who was a member of Israel knew. 

The commandments were the rules by which the Jews lived and thrived and believed.  Some of the people kept the commandments completely, some partially, some knew them but did not keep them at all.  This was what the young man saw and knew but was puzzled about.  So Christ told him the commandments to keep: Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not commit adultery, and Thou shalt not steal.  And Jesus said:"Thou shalt not bear false witness." 

This is another commandment given to the young man seeking the kingdom.  Why did Christ tell him this commandment?  Why did Christ tell him the any of the commandments that he already knew?  Why did the young man want to know what to do?  Why do we want to know what to do?  Do we believe in what we must do to gain the kingdom?  In our day and time, it seems as if we live in a world where there is no knowledge of the kingdom, no knowledge of a God, no knowledge of the commandments he has given us to live by.  We go to church on Sundays, fulfill our religious obligations, and return to the world and live by the norms of the world and not by those given us by Christ.

We are the sheep that he left behind and they are the shepherds left behind to guide us in our daily lives.  Do we have guidance?  Are we led in the right direction?  There is the world and then there is the church.  There are our jobs, our homes, our children, our rest, our play, our hopes and our dreams.  Then there is our beliefs, our practices, our thoughts, our knowledge, and our beings, which define who we are.  The two are separate.  The two are not one.  Should they be one and the same?  Should we be one person, one being, one love, one knowledge, one spirit, one job, one home, one parent, one rest, one play?  Or should we be true in one area and false in another? 

We are witnesses to our beliefs.  We are spirits in our lives.  We are truth in our thoughts and our beings.  But are we true or are we false?  Do we bear witness truly to who we are or do we bear witness falsely?  To live separately bears witness to who we are.  To live as two contradicts what we believe.  To bear falsely in one area and truly in another shows the split in the person that we claim to be.  The world drives us to be false.  The world reinforces us each and every day to be separate, to not be one.  The world would divide us, create conflict, lead us away from who we are.  The world would have us bear false witness even to ourselves. 

We are children of God our Father who created us in his image.  We are spirits housed in the flesh, eternal beings given new life through the sacrifice of Christ our Lord.  Live true to the nature that is within you and falsely according to the world.  Be the spirit that is within you and seek to know who you are in Christ.  For he came that we would know.  He is that we will see.  He loves that we will love with the love that is given to us.  And he guides us that we will not be lost in the world.  To know is to seek.  To find is to understand.  To understand is to see the truth of who you are.  Be the truth that is within you and the Holy Spirit will come and be with you always.

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 18, verse:18a, Fraternal Correction: Binding on earth and in heaven.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Fraternal correction) Part 6. 

If he refuses to listen, even to the church, then let him be.  This is what Christ told his disciples.  Let him/her be.  They have become to thee as heathens.  They have refused to hear.  They have refused to be open.  They are closed to the love of Christ that you have presented to them.  They have become consumed with sin and sin has taken complete control.  Sin has come.  Sin has infected.  Sin has possessed the mind and body and soul of thy brother/sister.  Even the appeal of the church has not opened the door to thy brother or sister.  They are lost.

But if he/she should listen.  But if he/she should be opened.  But if he or she should have some small desire to return to thee, then the church must battle with sin to open the door.  The church must battle with sin to expel it completely.  The church, the witnesses, and you must work to free thy brother/sister from the grip of sin.  For sin will not let go.  Sin will not give up.  Sin will fight to hold onto thy brother/sister.  But Christ told his disciples that they have a gift from heaven.  They have a promise from the Father.  He told them:  "Amen I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven."

The battle is against sin and the weapon is love.  And Christ gave to the disciples another weapon, to bind sin on earth.  He gave them a weapon that will be accepted and carried out in heaven also.  For whatever they bound on earth would be bound in heaven.  Bind the demons.  Bind sin.  Bind Lust.  Bind fear.  Bind false witness.  Bind anger.  Cast out the evil and bind it from returning.  Bind all types of spirits that come from sin.  Save thy brother.  Save thy sister.  For the battle is against sin and we have a weapon given to us by Christ.

Sin will come.  Sin will tempt.  Sin will enter those that do not have a defense.  Sin will occupy.  And sin will take over those that do not use the tools that have been given us.  But Christ has told us to win our brothers and sisters back.  He has given us the formula.  He has told us how to fight.  But the door belongs to each of us and it is our own responsibility to keep it closed to sin.  Yet we live in a world possessed of sin.  We live in a world where sin is all around us.  And it is up to each of us to walk by faith.  It is up to each of us to walk by the light that Christ has given us.

For the light of life will lead us.  The light of life will guide us.  The light of life will protect us and counsel us.  And the light of life will abide with us, to assist in the fight against sin.  But when sin comes, fight.  When sin comes, cast it out.  When sin comes, bind it that it may come no more.  These are the weapons that Christ has given us to defend and protect.  For he knows of sin.  He sees that sin will come.  And he has given to us the Advocate to help us, to strengthen us, to counsel us, to show us the way.  The choice is ours.  The decision is ours.  Do not be swayed by the tricks and traps of evil.  For evil will deceive.  Evil will dazzle.  Evil will seek to pull you in.  But if the eye is sound the body will be full of light and the light of life will endure.

Come!  Open thy heart to the love that Christ has given us from the Father.  Seek the love that is yours to know.  Know the truth of who you are in Christ and welcome the Holy Spirit into your life.  He waits for you.  He seeks you.  He is open to you.  He brings the love of the Father to you.  Follow the path before you and become the spirit that you are.

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: 24b, Tribute to the kings of the earth: Who pays?

Our paragraph topic is:  (Paying the Temple tax) Part 2.

Simon Peter was returning from the chores of the day, speaking with the people, walking in the market place, meeting with old friends, etc.  He had come to be known amongst the people.  He had some connections.  He was recognized as a follower of Christ and his disciple.  So people came to him.  People recognized him.  People in the villages and towns knew of him as he traveled with Christ.  But Simon was not yet known as the leader of the church that was about to come.  He was not yet seen as Christ's representative here on earth.

Christ recognized him as a leader.  Christ trained him to lead.  He gave him knowledge that he gave to no other disciple, knowledge that would be called upon to lead the people after the sacrifice .  So he tested Simon to see if he had learned what was being taught.  He questioned him about the lessons that he was given.  And he asked specific questions of Simon to see what his response would become.  So when Simon returned from his chores  Christ asked of his learning.  But  when he had entered the house, Jesus spoke first, saying, "What dost thou think, Simon?   “From whom do the kings of the earth  receive tribute or customs; from their own sons, or from others?"

Tribute was a touchy subject in those times just as it is today.  Christ wanted to know the thoughts of Simon Peter.  He wanted to demonstrate to him a lesson.  He wanted to show him that there was no reason to worry or to allow the trials and tribulations of the day to infect his mind and soul.  Just as Jesus wanted to instruct Peter in his time, he wants to instruct us today about all the issues that we as a people face.  He wants to comfort us.  He wants to protect us.  He wants to provide for us just as he did with Simon.

We worry about the issues that we face each day, especially for those who do not have the wealth of riches.  And even those who do have wealth, they worry also how to keep that wealth, how to hold on to it and not loose it or have it taken from them.  Yet it is that same wealth the same riches that becomes the reason for our downfall, the prison for an eternity.  Worry opens the door to anxiety about what we will eat, where we will sleep, will we have a roof over our head, what clothes we will wear, and many other issues we face daily.  It is these issues that will lead us astray.  It is these issues that will pressure us and force us to make decisions that could cause us to lie, cheat, steal, bear false witness, commit adultery, and all manner of sins against our father.  And they all stem from our disbelief in the Lord of the Universe, our God.

Our Father sent his only son from heaven that he may teach us and instruct us how to live, how to have joy, how to have peace.  He sent Christ Jesus to us that we may have life, first and foremost.  We were dead!  We had no life!  We are spiritual beings in a physical body.  We were doomed for an eternity in our physical bodies, and Christ came and gave us spiritual life, life beyond the physical.  Believe and you shall receive.  Ask and it shall be given you.  Seek and you shall find.  Knock and it shall be opened to you. 

Do not worry.  Do not fret.  Trust in the Lord and he will provide.  Worry no more.  Fret no more.  Receive the gift that God has in store for you.  I have.  I trust.  I know the truth.  My destiny has been rearranged that I may walk in the way of the Lord and I see miracles in my life each and everyday.  Believe in the Lord and practice "perfect patience" and you will witness miracles.  Come!  Walk with me and I will show you how to receive the light of the Holy Spirit.  He will reveal all to you.  God our father loves you.  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 15, verses: 20, Understanding: Awareness

Our paragraph topic is: (Christ explains what defiles a man) Part 4.   

Christ has revealed, to his disciples and the people, understanding of what defiles.  He has opened the minds and the hearts of the people so that they now know, so that they now see, so that they now understand truth.  For this is not the truth of the Pharisees that want the people to hear their truth.  This is not the truth of the world that wants the people to be confused, misled, and blind.  This is the truth that comes from the father of truth through Christ.  This is truth that comes from the creator of truth that knows no lie or falsehood or deceit.  This is the truth that comes to mankind from all eternity, the truth of God.

Christ spoke the words of truth and truth came to the people.  Christ explained the words of truth that there would be no doubt in the people.  Christ elaborated on the truth that all would understand.  And today we read and hear the truth and do not understand, do not comprehend.  He has said to us,   "These are the things that defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

These, defile a man when they enter the hearts of men.  These, defile a man when they come forth from the mouth of men.  These, are the things that are evil,the things that occupy the hearts and men and allow darkness to enter the heart.  For from the heart comes evil thoughts.  For the heart thinks.  The heart believes.  The heart knows.  The heart is.  "I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and prudent, and didst reveal them to little ones."  Become like a little ones and not like the wise and the prudent that profess the knowledge and the wisdom of the world.  Hear the words of the truth of eternity and know that it comes from the father of wisdom and truth.

Let not the heart be opened to evil.  Let not the heart become dark with passion.  Let not the heart know adulteries and immorality.  Let not the heart give false witness or blasphemies.  Let not the heart conceive of murder.  For these are the things of evil.  These are the things that lead down the path of destruction and death.  These are the things that defile, corrupt, and kill the life that Christ came and died that we might have.  And these are the things that the evil one brings to us that we may fall to him.  Yet we live in a world where these things are all around us.  We live in a world where these evils present themselves to us on a daily basis.  We live in a world where these things a accepted as common occurrences. 

But we know not how to protect ourselves.  We know not how to fight against these things.  We know not how to guard our hearts that we may not succumb to the temptations of these things.  For this is not a part of our world.  We are not taught how to avoid these things.  We do not see and hear and understand the truth of the advocate that was given to us.  For Christ came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. 

Receive the life of Christ and open the heart to the advocate that he may live within.  Christ has told us how we may know that we have the Holy Spirit.  He has give us the guide.  He has opened the door that the Holy Spirit may come in.  Yet few accept.  Few know.  Few receive the truth of eternal life that is ours for the asking.  Read the words of the good news.  Study the words of the gospel of the New Testament.  Read it like you read a book and not as a study guide.  Receive the truth of the light of Christ.  Then, you too will know that you have received the light of the Holy Spirit.  And your heart will rejoice in his presence and his consolation.

St Matthew, Chapter 15, verses: 19, Understanding: The Revelation

Our paragraph topic is: (Christ explains what defiles a man) Part 3.   

The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart and it is they that defile a man.  Christ spoke these words to his disciples and to the people that he had called to himself.  He is the teacher.   He is the instructor.  He is the author of Truth that proceeds from the Father, and Truth is with him.  Yet they did not understand.  They did not know.  They did not see the things that he spoke to them.  Truth reached out to them but their minds and hearts were blocked by the things that filled their hearts.  Christ is the truth that comes from the father and in him there is no lie, there is no deceit.

Yet do we find truth in his words today?  Do we believe that he can not lie and his words are living truth?  He speaks of things that do not make sense.  He speaks of things that are difficult to comprehend.  He stretches the imagination to the limits of understanding that perplex the mind.  Yet he does not lie.  He does not deceive.  His words are truth.  Then he spoke these words to his disciples:  "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, immorality, thefts, false witness, 
blasphemies."    

The Revelation: "Out of the heart come evil thoughts."  Is this truth?  How is it that thoughts come from the heart?  We think with our minds and not our hearts?  Or do we?  Christ, the author of Truth through his Father, tells us that the heart thinks.  Is this truth or is it symbolism?  Out of the heart come thoughts???   Christ praised his father in a previous verse for hiding the things of knowledge and wisdom.   " I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and prudent, and didst reveal them to little ones."

Hear and understand!!  The heart thinks.  The heart believes.  The heart knows.  The heart is!  For we are the children of God and through our hearts we are.  Let not the heart think of evil.  Let not the heart know adultery.  Let not the heart seek murder.  Let not the heart give false witness or think of theft, or immorality.  For it is from these things that open the door of the heart to darkness and the good heart becomes evil. 

Hear the revelation, hear the lesson.  Hear and learn!  Hear and understand!  Truth seeks to know you.  Truth seek to find you.  Truth seeks to give you joy and peace.  For from it and with it and through it comes the blessings of the spirit within you.  Let it not be contaminated with evil.  Let it not be defiled.  Let it be cleansed with the living words of Christ.  Fill it with the knowledge and truth that comes from the father and his blessing will flow unto you.  His seed will be planted in you to grow and bring forth much fruit.

St Matthew, Chapter 15, verse: 3, The Commandments of God vs Worldly Traditions.

Our paragraph topic is: (Christ refutes the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 2 

The Pharisees questioned Christ about the practices of his disciples.  They did not wash before eating as the Pharisees had practiced and preached to the people.  For it was the Law that the people should wash before eating and it was the authority of the Pharisees to enforce the law.  So they witnessed this transgression and questioned Christ about why he did not enforce this tradition.

But Christ saw their plan.  Christ knew their intentions.  Christ understood the hearts of the Pharisees as they came forth to question him.  For the Pharisees were men of education.  The Pharisees were men of influence.  The Pharisees were the authority on the Law.  They were the enforcers of the authority for the people of Israel.  They were the final source of what should and should not be, the ultimate authority.  And in their arrogance and their power they opened their hearts to the evil one.  The Pharisees changed the commandment of God.

Christ did not address the question of the Pharisees.  He did not speak to the traditions that they sought to enforce.  Christ saw them for who they were.  He saw their hearts and knew that they were not followers of the laws of God.   But he answered and said to them "And why do you transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?"

The influence of power and the suggestions of the evil one had infected the hearts of the Pharisees.  For they had held the seat of power for many years.  They had ruled over the tribes of Israel for decades.  Their minds and their hearts were filled with the intoxication of power that they knew no wrong.  And the arrogance of power opened the door for Satan to come in and turn them.  For through his influence the laws were changed.  Through his influence men placed themselves above the commandments of God and made their own decisions.  How would it hurt if we lusted just a little?  How would it hurt if we lied just a little?  How would it hurt if we stole a little?  How would it hurt if we committed adultery just a little?  And how would it hurt if we influenced the people to do the same things just a little?

And so it is today.  We are entertained.  But through our entertainment we are influenced.  We see, through our entertainment, stories of lies, deceit, lust, adultery, murder, false witness, and all manner of evil.  And it is accepted as entertainment, entertainment that influences the mind and the heart.  For what we see, we practice.  For what will it hurt to lie a little?  What will it hurt to steal a little?  What will it hurt to commit adultery a little, to deceive a little, disrespect our parents a little, to worship idols a little?  And the world draws us into its web, we fall asleep, and we become the lost sheep not knowing or wanting to know that we are children of light and children of love. 

God is our father and he gives to us things that will keep us away from the evil that is in the world.  His love is our protection and our provision.  To know him is to love him.  To love him is to want to do the things that he has given us that will protect us.  Be not conformed to the world but be transformed out of the world.  Though we live in the world we do not belong to the world.  Our treasure is in heaven,  Your peace is in heaven. our eternal joy awaits us in heaven.  Do not fall asleep with the temporary fixes of this world.  Satan wants you to loose your treasure.  He wants you to forget about your eternal joy.  He wants to steal your everlasting peace.  Awake!  And know the true love of Christ.  Open your heart to his spirit and you will know the truth of who you are.  Experience the abundant life of Christ , here and now and awaken from the sleep of death offered by the world.         

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verses: 13-14, The Battle begins: The trap is removed, the Pharisees take counsel.

Our paragraph topic is:  (A man with a withered hand) Part 3. 

And now we see the true nature of the battle taking place between the Pharisees and Christ and the demons behind the scenes of the battle.  For the Pharisees are only the puppets of the demons.  They are the ones who are calling the shots and making the plays.  They are the ones who are fighting for their lives and the hold that they have upon the people.  The demons have controlled the people for many years.  They have ruled the people with a mighty hand.  They have brought many souls into hell with their rule and they are not giving it up without a fight.  So they bring jealousy on the scene, and envy, and larceny, and hatred, and deceit, and false witness, and all the dark spirits gather in a great huddle to plan and plot a way to ride themselves of Christ.

So Christ has instructed the Pharisees and all the people in the synagogue on that day about the sensibility of the Law.  The Pharisees posed the question about the Law and the Sabbath and Christ shows them how they should be sensible about the Law.  He has already told them previously how he was Lord of the Sabbath.  Now he proves this to them by performing this miracle.  He says to them that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, contrary to what the Pharisees have taught about the Sabbath.  Christ tells them that if you would save your sheep from a hole on the Sabbath, then you should also save your brother on the Sabbath.  Then he demonstrates how.  He Tells the man with the withered hand,  "Stretch forth thy hand."   And St Matthew tells us, and he stretched it forth, and it was restored, as sound as the other . 

St Matthew tells us that after Christ performed this miracle that the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, how they might do away with him.   So now we begin to see how the battle is taking place and how the players in the battle are forming their lines against him.  Christ has instructed the instructors in front of the people in the synagogue.  He has demonstrated that his authority is greater than theirs and the Pharisees do not like it.  And the demons in the dark, behind the scenes are furious.  For they want to kill  him.  They want to destroy him.  They want to crucify him, but they cannot reach him for the time has not yet come.

The demons still plot against the children of Christ today.  They lurk in the darkness and plan the destruction of those who walk with Christ.  Like the Pharisees, they who participate with the demons know what they do.  They know that they do wrong, but they delight in the wrong that they do.  They have given authority to evil to come into their lives.  Do you run with evil?  Does evil whisper to you from the darkness, suggesting that you operate on its behalf?  It says, be a false witness.  It says, become a messenger for Scandal.  It says, dress with lust that you may be an attraction that causes men to sin in their hearts.  It says, speak the lies of deceit.  It says, spread the flames of hatred.  It says do all the unspeakable acts that bring forth evil, for you are becoming a child of the devil. 

The demons whisper, "Live for today", for the wrath of God awaits your downfall and death rests at your door.  Christ can save you, only if you awaken from your evil ways and understand that evil possesses you.  Repent!  For the Lord your God is a forgiving God.  For you lived in the world and did not understand.  You were blinded by the world and did not understand.  You were deceived by the world and did not understand.  The world possessed you and you did not understand.  But Christ can cast the world out of you.  Christ can heal you of the world.  Christ can make you a new person in the eyes of God.  Repent!, and you will be saved.