St Matthew, Chapter 19, verse: 8b, From the Beginning.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The question of divorce) Part 7

From the beginning he created them male and female.  He created them for a purpose.  He created them with a plan.  He created them to grow, multiply, and to be fruitful.  But evil had a plan and evil did not want them to be fruitful for his plan but to be fruitful for evil.  For evil was deceitful.  Evil was cunning.  Evil was treacherous.  And evil wanted to stop the plan of the Creator.

So he created them male and female and evil knew of their weakness.  Evil wanted to exploit.  Evil wanted to separate and divide.  Evil wanted to rule even if it was from hell.  But God created them out of love.  God created them out of compassion.  God created them that they would know his love for them, that they should exist.  And he created them that they should be male and female to multiply and be fruitful.  And evil came in and hardened their hearts.  Evil came in and showed them that they should be separate.  Evil came in and divided them that they would not know the truth of who they are.  But it was not so from the beginning.  And this is what Christ told his disciples and the Pharisees that tested him: "But it was not so from the beginning. "

Today marriage is a joyous occasion.  We come together.  We love.  We laugh.  We are filled with happiness from the beginning.  But then time passes.  We open our eyes to see the other person that we are committed to and we open our eyes to the world.  We compare.  We see, we feel, we long, we desire that which is not within our reach, and we regret.  And it is in that regret that doubt comes in.  It is in that regret that passions are kindled.  It is in that regret that temptation follows, prodding us on, away from the commitment that we made to be one flesh. 

For we are raised in the world.  We breathe, eat, sleep, and become what is in the world.  And even with the strongest of foundations, we may find ourselves drawn into the temptations that the world has to offer.  What stops us?  What keeps us from temptation?  What pulls us back from the brink?  It is that deep sense of inner peace that comes with love.  It is that knowing that we have gone astray from what we believe is right and the wrong that we have done.  Is this enough to keep us?  Is this enough to commit us to a way of life that was given us from the beginning?  With all the things in the world that would pull us, all the things that would divide us,  all the things in the world that will take us away from that joyous commitment that we made, what can keeps us together?

We are male and female, given a purpose here on earth, here in the world.  Christ has told us that in heaven we are not given in marriage but are like angels.  Is this something that we can hold onto?  Is this something that we can believe in?  Is this something that can give each of us, both male and female, the foundation to overcome the trials and tribulations we face in the world that would separate us?  We were created male and female.  Yet we were created in his image and likeness.  We were created as spiritual beings.  We are spiritual beings living in a physical world.  Is this the truth or are we just physical beings seeking to know the truth of who we are in Christ?

Christ gave us new life.  He paid the penalty for our transgressions.  He came.  He preached.  He died.  He arose again and ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father.  He gave us something to believe in; he gave us something to be, to seek, to know.  And yet within the knowledge that he has given us, we know not.  For the Holy Spirit comes to those who seek him.  The Holy Spirit comes to those who want him.  The Holy Spirit comes to those who desire him.  And with his coming, into those who are male or female, eyes are opened.  With his coming, hearts are filled.  With his coming joy is given.  And with his coming the light of life comes to those who would know.  Do you know his plan?  Do you know his purpose?  Do you know, 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. 

St Matthew, Chapter 19, verse: 6, God joined them together.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The question of divorce) Part 4.

From the beginning he made them according to his plan.  He made them male and female.  And his purpose was that they should be joined together as one flesh not as two separate flesh.  He made them that they should be joined together for life and not that they should separate.  For God told Adam to go forth and multiply.  He wanted man to be fruitful.  He wanted man to live in peace.  He wanted man to reproduce and have dominion over the earth and all that was within it.  But evil entered the world through deceit.

So we live in a world today that has changed.  We live in a world that makes its own way.  For God, our Father, created and set life in motion.  But man through deceit of  his wit and his own will has changed what God willed into what man wills.  For it is through deceit that we exist in the world.  It is through deceit that we live.  It is through deceit that we think and believe, express our hopes and dreams, live out our passions and desires.  For we do not the will of God our Father.  Christ left us with this message:  "Therefore now they are no longer two, but one flesh.  What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder." 

Our Father in heaven gave us bonding.  He gave us the rules.  He gave us the reason.  He gave us his purpose so that we would cleave to one another as male and female.  He did not give us divorce.  He did not give us separation.  He did not give us strife, and anger, and frustration, and fear, and mistrust, and hate.  Those things came from and through deceit.  For it is through deceit that we live and breathe and act.  It is through deceit that we believe in the world that we live in.  It is through deceit that we are raised from childhood to believe in the world around us.  And it is through deceit that we throw out the purpose of God and insert our own purpose.

Our purpose was to grow and multiply.  Our purpose was to have dominion over the earth.  Our purpose was to live in the knowledge of the Creator and give thanks and glory to him who made us.  For through his love he gave man life.  Through his love he created us.  Through his goodness he brought us forth from nothingness and gave us existence.  And it is through that knowledge of who we are in him that we find our purpose in this world. 

Deceit opened the door to evil and through that open door came death.  And since that time we have lost the knowledge of who we are.  But Christ came that we may reclaim what we lost.  Christ came that we may now reclaim the life that was lost.  He came that we may rekindle the fire that was given to us from the beginning, the fire of truth, the fire of love, and the fire of peace.  For we are children of God our Father.  And it is he who we adore.  It is he who we worship.  It is he who we give all the praise and glory.  And it is he who has given us the rules of life and not the world.  For we were created male and female.  For this cause we cleave to one another and become one flesh.  What God our Father has joined together and let no man put asunder.

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 13, verse: 24 - 25, The Kingdom of Heaven: the Good Seeds.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the weeds) Part 1.  

The people are astonished.  Christ has spoken to them about seeds and fruit.  He has predicted that some seeds will produce 100% of the time, some 60% of the time and some 30% of the time.  But the question remains, what happens with those that do not produce 100%?  What happens when the fruit is only being produced 60% and the other 40% of the time it is not producing?  Is this an unprofitable tree?  What happens to the one that is only producing 30% of the time and the remainder of the 70% of the time it is not producing?  Is this a tree that is fruitless?  Can we see the parallel in our lives today?  Are we only fruitful in church?  Do we show our fruit only around our christian brothers and sisters and not at other times when we are out in the public?  

Christ wants us to be fruitful at all times, 100%.  He wants us to provide fruit of love, and of peace and of joy, and obedience.  He wants us to produce fruit of patience, and meekness, and humility so that those who are hungry may partake of the fruit of the kingdom from our trees through the grace of God.  The harvest is great but the workers are few.  The needs of the people are many but few are the ones who will satisfy those needs.  We live in a world that is not of the kingdom.  We live in a world that is selfish, and greedy, and lustful, and vain, and filled with its own passion.  But we do not feed those who hunger for the fruit of life given by Christ.  Sure there are churches, and religious programs, and outreach ministries, and pastors and priest, and teachers.  But these are few to feed the multitudes of  hungry. And these are only brought forth into the public places and not into the hearts of men. 

Christ wants us to have the fruit of the kingdom in our hearts.  Christ wants us to live in him and he in us that no matter where we go he is with us.  Produce the fruit of the kingdom.  Christ tells us a story, another parable of the kingdom of heaven.  He says,  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;  but while men were asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away."     

The kingdom of heaven is in our midst for the sower has come and planted the seed.  But the evil one has come also and planted his weeds.  And the weeds grow everywhere, all around us.  The weeds are in our schools, in our work places, in our homes.  The weeds are in our churches, in our market places, on the streets, everywhere we may go.  There is no escape from the weeds.  They will grow and we will grow, together.  But we have a weed killer.  We have a trimmer that will take down the weeds in every nook and cranny where they grow. 

We must take our weed killer with us.  We must be prepared to use it at all times.  If we do not then the weeds will overtake you when you are without your weed killer.  For our weed killer should be within us.  It should be within our hearts wherever we go.  This way we are protected at all times against the weeds of the evil one.  Do you have your weed killer?  Did you leave your weed killer at home?  Did you leave your weed killer in the church on Sunday?  Are you unprotected out in the open, surrounded by the weeds of the evil one?  Come, seek the weed killer of all times.  Roundup Weed Killer has nothing on him for he exterminates all weeds.  He will rid you of all the weeds of the evil one and protect you against further attacks.  Will you let him in?  Will you live with Him?  Will you let him protect you?  All that is needed is to surrender and believe!