Our paragraph topic is: (Christ warns them not to be led astray) Part 5.
Many will be led astray by false prophets proclaiming themselves as the Christ. This is what he told his disciples so that they would know when they heard someone proclaiming to be the Christ that it was not he. They would hear many things to come. Many would get excited by what they would hear but he warned his disciples not to listen to all they would hear or see. He warned them not to believe all they would hear others talking about because many would speak on what they would hear others saying and repeat the scandal of others.
Christ warned them not to be alarmed, not to be swayed by what they would hear. The words would spread like wildfire over the grassland causing many to panic. But the disciples were fore warned not to panic, not to be afraid. Christ told them: "Take care that you do not be alarmed."
They must become the foundations during the storm that others can turn to for support. For many will be blown away by the rumors and the panic of what they hear and see others doing. Those that know the disciples and follow the teachings of Christ will know that the disciples have the foundation of his knowledge and his teachings and that nothing will harm them until it is their time. They are his pillars here on earth for the church that he established and nothing or no one shall come between him and his church.
So there may be rumors and false prophets and teachers proclaiming themselves to be the Christ but he left instructions as to the how and the wherefore of his coming.
Let no one deceive as to the end of time. It is written for all to see and believe when the end of time will take place. Pray that you are not here to see or experience it.
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 Sadducees question Christ) Part 3.
They came with what they considered a true concern or at least they thought that it was true enough to question Christ. They had a foundation, handed down from Moses. They built their premise upon this concern so that it would seem legitimate. But their whole concern was with resurrection because they did not believe.
They started with a man and his wife with no heir. The husband dies leaving a widow with no son to carry the family name. That leaves, according to custom, the wife to be handed over to the brother to take the wife and have a son. Here is the premise: "Now there were among us seven brothers. And the first after having married a wife, died, and having no issue, left his wife to his brother. In like manner the second, and the third down to the seventh."
This is the kind of question that was brought to Christ by the leadership of the Jews. They concerned themselves with the minutia of the Law to confuse and constrain the people to keep them under their control. And they used the same tactics with Christ. But they did not know. They did not understand. They did not see nor did they hear his words. Their eyes were blinded and they could not hear the truth of the words of the Son of Man.
God gave us eyes to see and ears to hear but he gave us hearts to know the truth of who we are. We believe with that which he has given us and it is with the heart that we know the truth. Sometimes the heart can be deceived but with an open mind the truth will be known to those who seek it. For the heart knows the voice of the one who calls us. We hear his words when they are spoken to us. We see the truth when it is given to us in plain sight. And the light of the world will be revealed to those who seek to know who they are in his sight.
My heart compels me to write because much has been given me. A new life, a new sight, a new me I now see. No longer am I just flesh alone. No longer am I without form or fashion. My God has given me newness of life. Christ Jesus has saved me from damnation and it is through his passion and his love that I am here today. The infinite mercy of God forgives me of my sins for I am but a sinner. And I write that I might be a witness to others who are lost in the darkness. I have found the light and you can too. Come! Follow the path. The truth is there waiting for you to see, waiting for you to know, waiting for you to become who 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 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 Sadducees question Christ) Part 2.
The Sadducees were a part of the ruling party. They had their own teachings according to the Law of Moses. They believed that there was no resurrection after death. You see it had been a long time since the Jews were released from slavery in Egypt. They had wandered in the desert for forty years. So they knew of the writings of old, how God protected their forefathers from death and fed them in the desert. They knew about the prophets and all the miracles wrought in their name. But they still did not believe that their was life after death.
Christ comes on the scene and he draws large crowds. The people are talking about him everywhere. The word is spreading and the rulers do not like that they are loosing popularity to this newcomer. So now they have the opportunity to question him to determine his knowledge and education in the Law. They come, saying, "Master, Moses said, 'If a man die without having a son, his brother shall marry the widow and raise up issue to his brother.' "
And so they came with a rule from Moses that had come down through the ages to the people of the present time. They wanted to set a foundation upon which to build their premise that Christ would accept. They did not want to have contradiction so that they could then add the extra conditions. Moses was their father and he was given authority from God to rule the people. So their premise and his rule was acceptable by God was their belief and their foundation.
They had the premise right and the foundation right. For they were speaking directly with the Word of God. For Christ spoke and did what his father showed him and told him to do. He was the mouth piece of the living God. His words came directly from the mind of God. And the Spirit was his guide.
The words we see and read today have come to us down through history, down through time as written and directed by the Holy Spirit of God himself. Some believe those words and take them to heart. Some do not believe and claim the words as false, being the writings of man to control the people. Some doubt and half believe what is written. Then there are those who hate the words and use them for dark purposes to call upon evil to rise and take control of mankind.
The words are written. Take them as you choose. They are a tool to open the door to the heart. And within the heart lies the key to belief. Without belief we cannot transform. Without belief we cannot see. Without belief we are blind, living in the darkness of time and the emptiness of space. But with belief the door is open to the light of life that is given us freely through the sacrifice and the passion of Christ. It is only through this belief in him that we are able to transform ourselves and to see the truth of who we are, new beings, new life, new light.
No more emptiness. No more darkness. No more loneliness. Now we can know who we are and who he is in our lives. And the truth will be given to us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit for we are not orphans left alone. We are his children, his precious ones, his loved.
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: (Tribute to Caesar) Part 8.
They tried all kinds of tricks and traps. When they did not work they retreated to their dungeons, consulted with each other to come up with other tricks. Time and time again they continued to seek ways to bring about his downfall and they failed each time. It was not his time. It was not his way. It was not what was written of him that they would bring about his demise.
He would surrender of his own will. He would lay down his own life because he could. He would become the sacrificial lamb for all. So they came and asked him the question as to who to give tribute. Then Jesus said to them, "Whose are this image and the inscription?"
They wanted to know what he thought, what he would say. Would he say that one should give tribute to Caesar and not to God? Or would he say give tribute to God and not to Caesar? What would he say that would contradict what he taught and believed? What would he say that they could use to trap him? They waited with expectation on his response knowing that either way that he responded he would provide the answer that they wanted to hear.
Teenagers grow up knowing little of the world they live in. They have great expectations of what the world has to offer but little true knowledge of what really awaits them. They live in a closed environment at home with their parents and in schools with their friends and associates where they are protected by their teachers and the school system.
Then comes the time when they go off to college or enter into the world on their own. In this world there is even less protection and they must rely upon what was given them at home and at school as guidance. And this is not enough to steer a good course. It takes a strong environment and a strong family support system to guide one along the path of life. And without that support one can surely go astray.
Christ was tested again and again by those that sought to destroy him. The children of God will be tested again and again in their journey through life. Pray that they have a strong foundation from their home and their school and their church that keeps them on the path to God.
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: (Tribute to Caesar) Part 4.
Now that the foundation was laid the real question comes. They want to know the inner workings of his mind since they have laid the trap for him and set the parameters surrounding what they thought would be his response. They were wise in their own conceited way. They believed that they were knowledgeable enough to know more than this simple man called Jesus. They had met many others like him and brought about their downfall.
They did not know. They did not understand. They were blinded by their own arrogance and conceit in thinking that this man was the same as the others that they had met. This was the Messiah, the living Christ, Son of God the Father. But they did not know him. So they asked him: "Tell us, therefore, what dost thou think?"
They wanted to know his thoughts, how he processes the questions that they would ask of him, and how he would respond since he is a man of truth and teaches the way of God. They had set this trap with the knowledge of how they thought that he would respond but their knowledge was limited. Their knowledge was flawed, their knowledge was human. It was influenced by the desires of evil and wickedness that drove them to be blind to the truth that was before them, drove them to be deaf to the word that came to them, they could not hear, drove them to not believe in wisdom that had come down through the ages from the prophets that came before him. They were lost without hope. But they wanted to know his thought even though they could not comprehend them. They could only anger at how their plan would fail.
Yet Christ was loving. Christ was gentle. Christ was understanding in his knowledge of where they were and what they were doing. He offered a way out. He is merciful in that he never relents in his mercy. He never stops offering his mercy to us no matter what we do, no matter how often we turn away, no matter how often we let go of him, he is always there waiting for us to call out to him. He hears our voice. He knows our cry and he will come to our aid if we are true to him in our need.
That inner voice will tell us to give up, to not believe, to end it all. But I am here to say that he, Our Father, is real. Our God will come. Our God will provide. Our God does love you and will demonstrate his love for you everyday. Patience is the key. Belief is the way. Once you taste the fruit of his love you will know that there is nothing else on this earth that will satisfy you. You will walk your hand in his hand and no one or nothing can take that away. And now your journey begins.
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: (Application of the parable) Part 1.
Christ Jesus was telling this parable to the people and the leaders because he had a message for them. He wanted them to understand where they were and who he was since they were having difficulty understanding his words. What did this parable mean to them? How will it be applied to the people? What was the sense of it?
He gave them ample opportunity and many examples to open their eyes, their minds so that they could be redeemed. And now he tells them about the foundation, the corner stone of the building of all that has come before him. Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, has become the corner stone.' "
What did this mean to them? The builders of the nation of Israel rejected a stone in building up the temple! The founders did not use a particular stone because they believed that it was unfit for their purposes. How can the builders reject a stone and it still become a part of the foundation? This was the part that Christ wanted them to understand. The rejected stone was used in another construction that was better than the one that the original builders used. The old building would be removed and a new structure put in it's place.
Something new was taking place that they did not understand, that they did not comprehend. A new foundation was being put in place and the old foundation would be removed. This was taking place right before their eyes and they could not see it. The beginning of a new force was coming into play for the people of the nation and would yield new fruit that the vine-dressers wanted to keep for themselves. They were in the way. They were the holdbacks, those who wanted to continue in the old structure in the face of a new beginning.
Today we are faced with a new beginning. We are given the opportunity to see the change coming about and to come onboard. But there are those who would have us maintain the status quo, keep the old guard in place, do not believe in the change that is taking place. Paint eventually dries, molasses eventually runs, and night eventually becomes day for all of us. With this knowledge do you want to watch the paint dry or do you want to know that it will dry. Knowledge will lead you in the direction you want to take.
Christ calls to each and every one of us day in and day out. He gives us opportunity to be redeemed. He open doors for us, create miracles for us to see, sends messages to us that we may know with certainty that he lives and is Lord of all. He redeemed all. He saved all. He awaits all to call out his name. Many will come. Many will not. But his love and compassion is there for all who seek. It is there for all who want. It is there for 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 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 rich young man speaks to Jesus) Part 12.
What is wanting, what is missing in my life, were the questions that lingered in the mind of the rich young man who sought Christ. He sought something. He hungered for something that nothing up to now had satisfied. He was young. He was mindful of all that transpired in his lifetime and he wanted to understand all. The word had come to him and stirred a longing within him. He had heard of the new teachings of Christ and felt that this was what he wanted. So he sought the teacher, he sought Christ
to get answers to the longing that was calling deep within him.
What he found were things that he already knew. What he heard were commandments that he most likely already practiced. But these were not enough to satisfy the hunger within. These did not touch the surface when it came to the desire to be more, to do more, to feel complete within. Christ gave him the basics. He gave him the foundation upon which to build an entrance into the kingdom. But the young man wanted more. So Christ gave him more tasks to do, more to accomplish, he gave him an assignment that would open the heart, unburden the mind, and release the longing spirit within. Jesus said to him, "If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell what thou hast."
If thou wilt be perfect, if thou wilt fill thy soul, if thou wilt desire to have more, then do this is what Christ told him, sell what thou hast. Get rid of all that possesses thee. Unburden thy body so that you can free the spirit within you. Did he have the will to be perfect? Did the young have the desire to fulfill the passion that was burning within him? Do we today have the desire to strive to be perfect in the eyes of God even though we are imperfect beings?
This young man followed all the requirements of his faith, just as we do today. We go to church regularly. We give out tithes as required. On occasion we give to the poor. We honor or fathers and mothers. We try not to lie, cheat, or steal. We try to follow the commandments as best we can. If we seek more, we must fight the status quo of our times. We must be different. We must dress differently, talk differently, live differently which will make us stand out, make us unpopular. Even if we seek to be more among those that are our peers we stand the risk of alienating ourselves from those that we can call friends. We become like religious geeks in our own group.
Yet what do we seek? What did the young man seek? He was rich. He was independent. He was in a class all his own for there were very few who had the same wealth. And Christ told him to sell all that he had. He told him, if thou wilt be perfect then sell what he had. Get rid of that which possesses thee. And he tells us the same today. Rid yourself of those things that hold thee. Separate yourself from that which will control you, possess you, lend sway over you. For these are the things that will prevent you from achieving your goals in Christ.
Christ wants us to be free. He wants us to open our minds and our hearts to all that he has to offer. He wants us to know that what is in the world is not of him and what is of Christ is not in the world but in the Father. So the focus must be on God and not on the riches of the world. For what the Father has to give cannot be found in the world. What the Father offers is everlasting and not fleeting. What the Father
gives is true and not fake.
So to seek to fill the desires of the soul, the longing of the spirit, one must relinquish that which is in the world. One must empty oneself of that which we see in the world and seek that which is in the spirit. For it is through the spirit and by the spirit and with the spirit that one comes to know and understand the truth of who you are in Christ. And through this knowledge and wisdom in Christ on finds the treasures of the heart, one finds the unspeakable peace that only the spirit can bring. And through this knowledge and wisdom one comes to know the eternal love of our Father who gave us life eternal. Come! Empty thyself and find the treasure that is waiting for you. Sell all that thy hast and buy Christ.
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:
(Continence preferred to marriage) Part 6.
Christ spoke to his disciples concerning God's law, God's plan for man and woman. He gave them the truth. He gave them knowledge, even though they did not understand it then. He gave them a foundation upon which to build relationships with each other for the future of mankind. He gave them love. For it was through the love from the Father that they would come to understand the truth of God's law concerning marriage.
They thought it was hard. They thought it was difficult. They thought it was extreme. But they did not understand the depth of meaning in what was being given to them. For their eyes were focused upon the physical. Their minds were concerned with the emotional. Their hearts were built upon the passions of the world and not the spiritual being and the nature of God. For God was about to give them new life. He was about to transform them from the dead into the living. And all this was to take place through his son Jesus. So, they did not completely understand. But soon they would completely know, the truth of what they were given. He told them: "Let him accept it who can."
That was his message to his disciples concerning marriage and divorce, adultery and immorality, male and female, one flesh and many flesh. There were eunuchs who were created so. There were eunuchs who were made so. And there were eunuchs who gave of themselves for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him accept it who can. Let him who desires to be chosen do so. Let him or her who loves God do so. Let him or her who understands God's plan and God's purpose be so, for the kingdom of heaven. For they are the ones whom the future will be built upon. They are the ones who are planted to yield fruit. They are the ones who were chosen from birth to be the fathers and mothers of men and women for all eternity.
And so the world goes on. The day to day lives of us all are not impacted. We live. We eat. We breathe. We have joy, pain, sorrow, troubles, trials and tribulations and we survive. But amongst all of what we do each day, we are of the world and not in it. For we are spiritual. We are aliens. We are created in his image. And we do not belong here for eternity. This is an awareness that each of us must come to. It is an awareness that we can have now or after now. But the truth still remains as to who we are.
Christ came that we would have the opportunity to be aware. He came that our eyes would be opened if we chose to see. He came that the truth would be there if we sought it. Whether we believe or not, the truth is still present. And our awareness of the truth will happen. The joy in that truth is in the now. The happiness in that truth is today. The peace in that truth is in his presence. Are you ready to see? Are you ready to believe? Are you ready to know? The love of his presence awaits, you and only you, both male and female. Come! Let him, or her, accept it who can!
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.
