St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 11a; False Prophets.

 Our paragraph topic is: (He tells them of trials and hard times to come) Part 7.  

I am trying to imagine the stories that Christ is telling his disciples about the hardships and trials they will face in the coming months and years.  What would I think if I were there in his presence listening to the words coming from God himself through Christ to me.  After all Christ was the Word of God, the two were one being.  Would I become fearful?  Would I be afraid?  Would I not want to be a disciple anymore?  Yet this was my creator, my savior, my Lord, the one who has all the answers to my needs, the one who gives life eternal.  Why should I not believe in him and his protection if he is telling me all these things in advance so that I will know what will happen?

He is my rock, the foundation of all my faith.  I am blessed that I have been chosen to be here in his presence listening to his words.  I should have no fear, no doubt, no anxiety.  He has given me the tools I need to overcome the trials and tribulations I will face.  He has promised that he will be with me always.  He has assured me that he will send another to help and guide me along the path of life to overcome any and all obstacles.  This is why he is telling his disciples: "And many false prophets will arise." 

How will we know them when they come?  How will we be able to determine who is false and who is real?  Will there be miracles to show the difference?  Or will there be fake magic to confuse and mislead?  What tools do we have to help us make the decision who to follow or who not to follow?

Today we have many churches of many different denominations.  It seems that everyone wants to have a church or to preach the gospel to the people.  Christ told his disciples that when persecutions begin that many will fall away and hatred will abound.  Some will see opportunity to take up the mantel and proclaim themselves as prophets of God.  And today we must be careful to discern in our hearts who are the real prophets and who are the false prophets.  Beware of what you hear and what you see.  Do not allow yourself to become involved with that which is not a part of the good that is within you.  For that which is good will be turned to evil.

Christ came to show us the way to the truth and the light.  He came to open the door so that all who desire to know the truth have a way to find it through faith if they desire within their hearts to seek it.  There is an advocate that will come and be with you to guide you along the way to the truth of who you are within.  Open the door and let the light shine in.  Do not let the false prophets of today confuse or mislead you.  You have an advocate.  You have a connection to someone who loves and knows you.  Seek him and he will find you.  Ask for him and he will answer.  Knock at his door and he will open and greet you with open arms of love.  God is your father and your God of love. 

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.

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 29a; Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 1. 

Christ cries out for the Scribes and the Phatisees for they still did not understand the serious nature of their crimes.  Evil had taken hold of them and possessed their inner souls so deeply they were unable to comprehend the cry of the Lord for them.  He calls them hypocrites in the public eye.  He cries out for them as one would cry out for a lost child, a lost soul who does not know the way.

His cries only fall on deaf ears for they cannot hear.  They cannot understand.  They can only feel the anger from inside that comes from the hatred of evil against him.  The people look on in amazement.  They do not understand the nature of what is happening between Christ and the Scribes and the Pharisees.  If it were anyone else they would be immediately arrested, jailed, and beaten for the things they said.  But this was the Christ, the miracle worker, loved by the people, the prophet, the Messiah.  He was the one to come and no one should touch him.  So he cried out and called to them: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"  

Strong words indead for someone to use even today, to be called a hypocrite.  Imagine going to church and having a preacher give his sermon on hypocrisy.  It might be quite a shock to the parishioners to listen to such a speech.  Some may even take it to heart, get up and walk out in the middle of the sermon.  But this was the strength of the sermon Christ gave to the Scribes and the Pharisees on that day they came to question him.  

They came in the guise of curious, inquisitive learners with the hidden agenda of a viper to bite in the end.  But Christ knew their intentions.  He knew the intent of the evil within them.  He knew their desires, their wants, their anger, and their hatred.  Yet he allowed them to question him that he might have them open themselves up to him.  He wanted the opportunity to heal them.  He wanted the opportunity to open their eyes.  He wanted the chance to maybe pierce the shield of evil that they might be wounded and stop to think of the consequences of their actions.

Yes, sometimes it takes a hard knock, a wound to be opened up, to stop and think, to reconsider the consequences of our actions.  What if my life was ended?  What if I had lost a leg or an arm or some other part.  I was luckie this time.  There may not be a next time.  I need to stop and think how fortunate I am to be alive now.  I need to stop doing those crazy things and get my life together before I loose it.  

These thoughts and others are the kind of thoughts that we have after we have a tragic event happen to us or to someone near to us.  And it is these events that open us up to hear the voice of God in our lives to put us on a different path to turn our lives around.  We can repent.  We can change.  We can do better.  We can be a better person, a loving person, a believing person, a God fearing person.  Christ died for all who would believe in him.  His love transcends all.  His heart is open to all.   

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.

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verses: 41; Jesus questions the Pharisees.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 1.  

Christ was merciful.  He was kind.  He was gentle.  He was forgiving in that the Pharisees constantly tried him time and time again.  They came at him every way they could because they wanted to show that he was a fraud, a charlatan.  They could not allow themselves to be embarrassed before the people the way that Christ made them feel.  

But that was not the intention of Christ.  He wanted to open their eyes.  He wanted to heal them.  He wanted them to know him for who he really was and not for who they thought that he was.  He wanted to love them but they would not let him.  He taught the people and they were open to him but the Pharisees were not.  Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them.  

Before it had been that they had came to him with their questions seeking to find ways to trick him.  He played their game each time giving them the opportunity to understand the truth of who in him.  And each time they came away lacking the understanding but filled with anger and hatred that their plans had failed.  So this time Christ decided that he would turn the table and question them attempting to pull the truth out that they might see with their own eyes who stood before them.

Who stands before you today?  Do you walk by the ways of the world or do you walk by your faith?  Today your faith is challenged and hard pressed for direction.  Strick the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.  Where do you go?  Who do you follow?  What do you believe?  Do you still have the strong faith that you had yesterday?  Your church is under attack and is infected by a disease.  Christ said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church but he did not say that it will not suffer attacks.

Evil exists in the world both inside and outside of the church.  Just like the human body has an immune system to fight diseases so the church body must have the same.  Our faith keeps us strong and it is that faith that we must nourish and protect.  Christ gave us a new life, a new beginning.  It is that newness within that we must protect and nourish.  We are the light of the world placed of a lamp stand for all the world to see.  Now is the time for our little lights to shine together for the world is watching.

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.   

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verse:23a; Christ's teachings.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The authority of Jesus) Part 1. 

Lesson 1, Christ had given the disciples their lesson on faith and the power within it.  He demonstrated with words and example and he instructed the disciples to do the same without wavering.  Little did they know that what they had seen and heard from him, they would be able to do the same because he had told them so.  Believe and do not waver in your belief and it will be done for you.

The disciples had a lot to learn and little time to grasp all that they needed, to carry on the legacy of Christ.  They followed him because they believed.  They stayed with him because of the miracles that he performed.  They knew that they were being prepared for something special but did not know what.  Even the people who listened to his teachings knew that they were special in the message that he gave.  Even the leaders wanted to know.  And when he had come into the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him as he was teaching. 

They wanted to know.  They wanted to hear for themselves what he was saying, what he was teaching.  They were the rulers of the people.  They were the teachers of the people, the ones who set down the rules, interpreted the laws of Moses, and enforced the Law.  Christ came and taught something different.  He came and gave something new.  He came and told the people to love one another, to forgive and do not hate, to be at peace.  But the chief priests and the elders did not like that their teachings were being taught by one who did not follow their practices and principles.

What do we have today?  We have fear.  We have chaos.  We have anger and hatred.  We have the uncertainty of the future after all the talk that was given us over the last two years as to what will come.  Upheaval and change stare us in the face.  And we know not how to handle that which is uncertain, that which is unknown. We are anxious.  We forget though that we are children of another and that we are not of this realm.

Christ saved us from damnation.  He is our savior, our king, our protector, our provider.  Our trust is in him.  Our faith is in him.  Our belief for our future is in his hands and not in the hands of those who would lead us today.  God, our Father,  rose Pharaoh up so that he could demonstrate his power and his majesty to all the world that he is the one and only true God.  His will and his purpose is higher than our purpose and it is our trust and faith in him that must carry us through good times and bad.  As Christ demonstrated to his disciples, have faith and do not waver for it shall be done.  Know that your Father in heaven loves each and every one of us and he will see us through.

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. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:26a, The Disciples exercise no authority over the Gentiles.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Humility according to Christ's example) Part 4.

Christ told them:  "Not so is it among you. "  He wanted them to understand that they were different than the rulers and lords of the day.  The rulers of the day exercised control over the Gentiles.  They set themselves above the local people and exercised privilege over the people.  They were special.  They were not of the ordinary.  They were the rulers and their great men demonstrated their power over the people.

Christ did not want his disciples to think of themselves as such, but the disciples wanted to have power and prestige.  They thought of themselves as though they were to be the new rulers and the new lords according to the authority of Christ.  But Christ had to show them that they were different.  He had to close the door to enmity, and hatred, and anger, and jealousy, and all the emotions that were a part of the rulers of the day.  For his disciples must take their example from him.  They must follow his guidance, his path, his sacrifice.

So he gave them the understanding that they were different than the everyday ruler of the time.  They were his followers.  They were his witnesses that carried his message.  They were his teachers and his preachers and his examples of the love that comes from the Father.  They were not to become rulers and lords of the day.  Not so, is it among you that you lord your authority over the Gentiles. 

They were meek and mild.  They were loving and forgiving.  They were understanding and helpful to all the people because they saw something in the people.  Christ showed them the love that he had for the lowly.  He demonstrated the forgiveness that he possessed for the sinner.  He opened his heart to those who were suffering, the lame, the blind, the sick, the deaf, the widowed.  For he saw that which was in them that was in him.  He saw the beauty of the life that was given to mankind that was created by God our Father.  And he knew that the love that the Father had for him was the same love that he had for all men.

So he came to serve not to become a king.  He came to give and not to take.  He came to light the path and not to leave us in darkness.  He came to pay the price for disobedience and not to trespass against the Father.  He came that what was lost could now be found if we only search for it.  The choice to find it is ours to make.  The choice to believe in it is ours if we want.  The choice to know is ours if we seek to know.  The choice to see the truth is ours if we are not blinded.  What, do you choose? 

  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 Mathew, Chapter 18, verse: 19, The Power of Agreement.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The power of united prayer) Part 1.  

Christ has given his disciples specific instructions on how to win the battle with sin.  For the battle is with sin and the weapon is love.  So, he tells them to bind sin on earth.  Bind sin, that it will not enter into thy brother or sister.  Bind evil, from thy brother or sister.  Bind lust, bind false witness, bind hatred, bind anger, bind greed, bind wantonness, bind all evil that would possess thy brother or sister and take them away from thee.  For sin will come.  Sin will tempt.  And sin will seek to take away thy brother or sister.  But Christ has given them the tools that they need to do battle with sin. 

With all these tools he gives them even further instructions as to what they may do to combat sin.  Loose sin from thy brother.  For once sin takes hold it will not let go.  So Christ told his disciples that whatever they loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Whatever evil they separate from thy brother or sister on earth will be carried out in heaven.  Evil will be separated by the powers in heaven.  And then he gives them another tool to use against sin.  He provides them with the ultimate tool that they can use against evil, the power of agreement.  "I say to you further, that if two of you shall agree on earth about anything at all for which they ask, it shall be done for them by my Father in heaven."

They will ask for help.  They will ask for forgiveness.  They will ask for mercy.  They who are in need, they who believe in the truth, they who awaken from the darkness, will seek thy help.  They will seek the help of thy brother.  They will seek the help of thy sister.  They will seek the help of the church to break the grip of sin from all the brothers and sisters .  And it is the duty and responsibility of the church to use all the powers given it by Christ to combat sin.  For sin will come.  Sin will tempt.  Sin will take hold.  And sin will not let go.

But Christ told his disciples that they must agree.  He told them that they must recognize that they have the power to combat sin.  For within them and through them sin will be defeated.  But it will take the combined efforts of the spirit of two or more.  It will call for the agreement of two or more spirits.  It will require the agreement of the life force, of the light within, of the spiritual soul, to break the hold of sin.  They will ask for thy help.  They will need thy assistance.  They who believe in the love of Christ, will look to the light of Christ from the depths of their darkness and ask for forgiveness to overcome the grip of sin.  And it is up to two or more of you to reach into their hearts and see the call of the light of Christ that pleads for help.

Christ has given us a new life.  He has restored us to the life that our Father in heaven gave to man before the fall.  And with this new life we are the light that shine forth into the darkness.  For the Advocate is with us.  The light of Christ is with us.  The spirit of awareness in the truth resides in us.  And it is with that truth that we go forth into the world to carry the message that Christ has given us of the new life that is within each of our brothers and sisters.  If two or more agree in the light of life within Christ then whatever they ask for will be done by the Father in heaven.  This is the tool that Christ gave to his disciples and to us today. 

Know the truth of who you are in Christ.  See the light of new life that is within you.  Welcome the light of the Holy Spirit that will come to you and you shall know the truth of who you are.  For the Advocate will come.  The Advocate will reside.  The Advocate will protect.  The Advocate will provide.  And the Advocate will counsel in all things.  For it is with the Advocate that we walk in the faith and truth of who we are.  All things are given to us on earth.  Yet we are not of the earth but are citizens of heaven, created by our heavenly Father in his image and likeness.

Come!  Seek the knowledge and truth of your salvation.  For in it and with it and through it you will see a new light.  You will know a new truth.  You will open a new door to path of your life.  And you will know a new peace that surpasses any fleeting peace held here on earth.  For the Father loves you.  And Christ is with you.  And the Holy Spirit will come to you.  And you will be set free.

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 16, verses: 7-8, The Leaven: The Accusation.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees) Part 2.    

Christ was in the presence of evil as he spoke to the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  For they were the agents of evil, they were the evildoers.  Evil can not operate of its own but must operate through man.  So they sought the highest authority and corrupted the priest to do their evil.  And they spread the plague throughout the towns and villages that evil would prevail.  And Christ know of the plague.  He knew of the leaven that was being spread by evil through the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  He told his disciples to beware of that evil, to beware of the leaven being spread by the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  But they did not heed his warning.

And so the disciples became infected with the plague.  They themselves began to show signs of the infection.  They began to show signs of the leaven that was spreading about.  But they themselves were not aware.  They did not know what was happening.  They did not see yet how the leaven was affecting them.  So they began to argue among themselves about little things.
They began to show signs of the leaven taking hold of them while they were traveling.  For the leaven brought strife.  The leaven brought chaos.  The leaven brought anger, fear, hatred, hopelessness, jealousy, and many other evils that would infect the person who caught it.  And they did not know.  But Christ knew and he warned his disciples so that they would not be infected.  He warned them that they would know and see the change that it brought about within themselves.  And yet without faith, the cure to the leaven, all would be infected with the leaven.   But they began to argue among themselves, saying, "We have brought no bread."  But Jesus knowing this, said, “You of little faith, why do you argue among yourselves that you have no bread ?   

And the disciples became infected with the leaven because they had little faith in the one who was the source of all faith and hope.  Are we affected with the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees today?  Are we without hope?  Are we without faith that the one who came down from heaven will not provide?  Do we argue among ourselves as to where we are to get bread, where we are to get food, where we are to get clothing, where we are to get money to provide for ourselves?  After all, we are the ones, so we are told, that provide for ourselves.  We are the ones who are not dependent upon a hand out from the government or from others to provide for ourselves.  We are independent.  We have jobs, we have houses, we have cars, and money, and clothes, and big screen TVs, and smartphones, and ipads, and Internet data plans that allow us to be happy in the world we live in.  And those who are without?  Well they must be independent and provide for themselves.  This is the leaven of today.  We are independent and do not need hope, we do not need faith. 

Christ came that we may have new life.  For without belief in his sacrifice, his death and his resurrection we are dead, we have no life.  Yet, we say we believe.  We say we have faith.  We go to church each week in belief of that faith and that hope.  But when the bills come due, the money runs short, when we fear the loss of the jobs we hold, do we believe, do we have faith?  The creator of the universe wants to provide for us.  He wants to protect us.  He wants to show his love for us and yet we are infected with the leaven of the world.  Is it hard to let go?  Is it difficult to trust in the Lord? 

We expect miracles to happen when we pray.  Yet we are not patient enough to see them happen.  We are not faithful enough to allow our God, our Father to work in our lives.  We know not the life that has been given us is not the life in the world but the life of the spirit within us.  Faith is the belief in the desire to be one with Christ.  Are you one with him?  Do you know who you are?  Has your spirit been robbed by the evil in the world?  Mine was but now I am found in Christ.   Come, find yourself.  Come, find the truth of who you are in Christ and heal yourself of the leaven of the world.  For with the truth, you will know the life that is within you and with the truth you will be able to throw off the fears and doubts that are brought on by the passions of the physical life.  You will know the true nature of who you are in Christ.  Follow the path.  Read the signs.  Open your heart and you will see the life Christ has given you. 

Read the signs 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 14, verses: 1 - 2, Jesus' fame causes fear in Herod

Our paragraph topic is:  (Herod fears that Christ is John the Baptist)   

And the word spread.  It spread from the mouth of one person to the ear of another.  It spread from the market of one town to the  market of another.  It spread from the village of one town to the village of another.  It spread from the town of one district to the towns of other districts.  And Christ was known by many.  His works were spoken of by many who had seen, many who had heard, many who had witnessed his miracles and those who were recipients of his works.  He was the latest news.  He was the latest talk.  He was the latest whisperings of the people of the towns through the kingdom.  And the word came to Herod.  The word was spoken to Herod.  The word was received by Herod from his news keepers in the streets.

The news keepers were the eyes and ears of Herod.  He paid them well to keep him informed of what the people were talking about.  He planned his life around the people.  He planned his policy around the people, and he planned his lies and deceit around the people to keep them in line.  For Herod was the King.  He was the ruler of the people, appointed by the Roman Emperor.  It was his responsibility to keep his people calm and to have them follow the rules of the Romans.  Herod had to know.  He had to hear.  He had to see what was going on in his towns, in his villages, and in his kingdom.  So he put people on the streets to listen to the latest news.  And he heard of Jesus.  At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus.

Herod heard the news.  Herod heard the whisperings.  Herod listened to the stories that were told of Christ.  And Herod could not believe.  Herod could not understand.  Herod could not make sense of what the people were talking about because Herod was full of John the Baptist.  John had spoken to the heart of Herod.  John had spoken to the people of the evil in Herod.  John the Baptist had brought forth the truth in the relationship of Herod and Herodias, his wife.  And Herod wanted him dead.  Herod wanted to kill John the Baptist and that is what he did.  Herod created an elaborate plot to murder John the Baptist and he was full of himself when he carried it out.  He gloated over the sweetness of the plan that he carried out in the face of the public that allowed him to murder a prophet.  And now comes Jesus, another prophet, another man of God.   And he said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are working through him."

Herod was fearful.  He was fearful of what he had done to John the Baptist.  He loved his elaborate scheme to murder John the Baptist, but he was fearful that John would come back and exact revenge upon him.  Herod was the ruler and no man was supposed to have more fame than he.  No man was supposed to be talked about by the common people more than he.  No common man was supposed to be more loved by the people than he.  And jealousy came to him.  Vanity came also.  Then hatred, and fear and doubt came.  And finally came larceny who helped him create a plan to murder John the Baptist.  For John was loved by the people.  John was revered by the people.  John was spoken of by the people more than Herod.  And John was number one with the people over Herod.   Herod wanted to be number one so he sought a way to remove John.

Satan seeks a way to remove Christ from our lives today.  He wants to murder Christ.  He wants to get rid of Christ.  He wants the people to talk about him and not Christ.  He wants to be number one in our lives today.  So he creates schemes to rid us of Christ.  He makes plans to turn us away from Christ and to turn us to him.  He builds worlds around us to blind us to the light of Christ that we may not see.  He creates playgrounds for us to have fun so that we will forget about Christ.  He fills our eyes and our ears with pleasures that compel us to enjoy and he fills our bodies with passions that make us want.  He does all this to distract us from Christ, to turn us from God, to hide us from the truth.  We were made for God and he is our father.  He is our satisfaction and our pleasure.  Nothing else can replace him in our lives. 

But Satan wants us to believe that we can be happy and have joy and peace if we turn from Christ and from God our Father.  Just as Herod feared that Christ was John the Baptist resurrected, Satan fears the resurrected man in Christ.  For in Christ we have power.  In Christ we are miracles.  In Christ we are the light of the world that he cannot turn off.  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  Hear the message of the kingdom.  Become new life in Christ.  Seek the Holy Spirit and you will know true life in Christ.  Seek the Holy Spirit and you will become the miracle.  Seek the Holy Spirit and you will know the truth of the kingdom of heaven here on earth.

St Matthew, Chapter 13, verses: 57 - 58, Jesus in his own country: A Prophet without honor.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus at Nazareth) Part 3.   

Jesus was in his own country, the country where he grew up as a child.  Jesus was in his own country, the country where he knew the people of his village.  Jesus was in his own country, the country where he became a man.  Jesus was in his own country, the country where he was known as a common man.  But Jesus was not a common man.  He was the Son of God who came to earth to save mankind from damnation.  The people knew the prophecy.  The people knew the scriptures.  The people knew of the coming of the the Messiah, but in his own country they did not see.  In his own country they did not hear.  In his own village they did not believe.

When he preached in the synagogues, they were astonished.  When he preached in the markets, they were unbelieving.  When he preached in the streets they did not see.  For they knew him as the son of Joseph the carpenter.  They knew his as a local.  They knew him not as the Son of God for astonishment had taken over and brought with it anger, and hatred, and doubt, and disbelief, and jealousy, and fear, and many other spirits more evil than itself.  And the spirits worked against the people to turn them against Christ.   It is said,  And they took offense at him. 

Christ was not the son of a wealthy merchant.  Christ was not the son of a Pharisee.  Christ was not the son of a politician.  Christ was not the son of a scholar.  Christ was the son of a carpenter, a commoner amongst the people.  How could he be this man of faith?  How could he be this miracle worker?  How could he be this man of spiritual wisdom?  He was just a common person just like the rest of the common people.  Yet he was the Son of God and they did not accept it.  They did not see it.  They did not hear the message.  And it was written in the scriptures that the Messiah would come.  It was written in the scriptures that he would be born in Bethlehem.  It was written in the scriptures that he would be a common man.   And astonishment had taken over and the people did not believe.

And they took offense at him.  But Jesus said to them,  "A

prophet is not without honor except in his own country, and in his own house."  And because of their unbelief, he did not work many miracles there.

Do we take offense today at those who are in Christ?  Do we not honor those who have been transformed by the blood of the lamb?  Astonishment took the people in Christ's own country.  Will astonishment take over the people in the church?  Will astonishment creep into the minds and hearts of Christians and make them take offense?  We must constantly be on our guard to close the door to astonishment and his brothers of evil.  For they will come.  They will seek entrance.  They will attempt to take over. 

Do not take offense.  Take love.  Take peace.  Take understanding.  Take wisdom.  Take Christ into your heart and he will close the door to astonishment and his brothers of evil.  For we are all children of God who gave us life eternal.  We are all glorious beings filled with the light of Christ. And when that time comes, we will all see ourselves as we are known, beautiful images of Christ in God.  Let us love one another as Christ commanded that we do.  For we are loved by our heavenly Father just as he loves his son, Jesus.   Christ is waiting to work a miracle in you.  Will you open yourself to him and let him in?

St Matthew, Chapter 13, verses: 55 - 56, Jesus in his own Country: Astonishment captures his town.

Our paragraph topic is: (Jesus at Nazareth) Part 2. 

And they were astonished at the wisdom and knowledge of Christ.  They knew him when he was a child.  He did not have the formal education of a scholar.  He did not have the wealth of a rich family.  His father was a carpenter, they thought.  He was a man of common means.  He learned carpentry from his father.  And they were common people.  So how is it, they said, that he has come by these miracles and this wisdom to teach us in the synagogue.  He was just a common man and astonishment had taken over the thoughts and minds of the people.  It had turned them against him that they could not see.  It had closed their eyes and blocked their hearing that they could not receive the message of the kingdom of heaven.

For Christ, the Son of God, walked among them.  Christ, the Son of God, had come down from heaven.  Christ, the Son of God, took the form of a common man and they could not hear his words.  His own countrymen could not understand his teachings.  His own villagers could not listen to the words of freedom given man from the mouth of God through Christ.  Astonishment had taken them.  Astonishment had closed their hearts that they were so shocked at his presences that their hearts could not accept the love that he gave.  For he sought to plant the good seed of God.  He sought to nourish the good seed that it may grow and produce the fruit of the kingdom of heaven.  But the evil one had called astonishment to the scene to corrupt their hearts that they could not hear.

Astonishment had brought forth anger.  Astonishment had brought forth confusion.  Astonishment had brought forth jealousy.  Astonishment had brought forth hatred.  And the forces of evil blocked the message of the kingdom.  The forces of evil worked against the words of Christ.  For the seed was stolen when it was planted and the message lost.  The townspeople said amongst themselves, "Is not this the carpenter's son?   Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James and Joseph and Simon and Jude?  And his sisters, are they not all with us?  Then where did he get all this?"  

Christ, the common man they saw, was transformed.  Christ was not the person that they knew.  He was new.  He was different.  He was in God and God was in him.  How often today, our own townspeople are astonished.  How often today are our own church members astonished.  How often today are our own family, our own co-workers, our own brothers and sisters, astonished and become jealous at the new person in Christ.  Who does he think that he is?  Who does she think that she is?  How does she come by doing the things that she does?  How does he get all of the promotions and positions that he does?  Astonishment takes over and brings forth seven more demons and spirits more evil than the first.  And our hearts become blocked.  And our minds become closed.  And we do not hear the message of the kingdom of heaven because astonishment has taken over and our hearts are filled with anger, and jealousy, and envy, and hatred, and all manner of evil.  And we become hypocrites even in the worship of God in our own churches. 

Christ brought us a message of love.  He brought us a message of hope.  He brought us a message of new life where we could be transformed from our old selves to new beings in Christ.  Love one another as I have loved you, was Christ's last commandment to his disciples before going to the cross and sacrificing his life for us.  Let us do the same.  Let us love one another so that all men will know that we are his disciples.  Let us open our hearts to the Advocate who will teach us.  Let us open our hearts to the love that is in Christ that we may rid ourselves of astonishment and the other spirits that contaminate us.  Christ offers us new life.  Are we ready to receive it?