St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse:28b, The Ransom.

Our paragraph topic is: (Humility according to Christ's example) Part 8.

Christ wanted his disciples to understand his humility.  He wanted to give them an example that they could believe in and follow, an example that they could accept.  For he had told them that if they wanted to be great they had to become servants.  He told them that if they wanted to be first then they would have to become slaves.  He told them that even though he was lord and teacher and Messiah, he came that he might serve and not be served.

Christ had power.  He had influence.  He had all that they wanted to become.  They believed that he would take over the existing rulers and establish a new kingdom of which they would become a part.  This is why the mother of James and John came forward and spoke the words of sitting on high at his right hand and his left.  They believed that they would become rulers with him.  But contrary to all that they believed, Christ was a humble man.  He was a meek man.  He was a man with a purpose.  And he told them that he came: "To give his life as a ransom for many."

He knew why he came.  He knew the journey.  He knew the end.  And he understood the sacrifice that had to be made to ransom the many.  How difficult would it be to live your life knowing the outcome?  We all must die, but we expect to die of old age.  To live your life knowing the outcome would be like knowing that you are dying of cancer.  It would be like 
trying to find some purpose to go on living until the end comes.  What purpose is there?  What meaning is there?  What life is there if you know for certain that death waits for you in a month, 6 months or a year?  And you can feel your life slowing slipping away.  Yet this was the life of Christ who came to be the ransom.

He knew the outcome.  He knew of the pain.  He knew of the suffering that he would face.  Yet he marched forward facing the truth of his outcome.  Many make the decisions to give their lives to save others.  In an instant, a man will run into a burning building or a home to save the life of someone trapped in the flames.  They do this even without fully contemplating the loss of their own life.  When an auto accident happens and someone is trapped, we rush to help without thinking that we may risk our own lives in the process.  But who would live their life knowing that they would loose it in the process of helping someone else. 

And this was the life of our Lord Christ Jesus.  He lived.  He loved.  He died knowing that his sacrifice would save the world.  He walked with the disciples and talked with them.  He showed them many miracles where he transformed the lives of many.  Yet he was humble.  He was meek.  He was loving and caring.  He is our example to follow as to how we should live our lives.  He suffered more than we ever will.  He willingly came and lived his life that we would have our life eternally.  And he paid the price for all who would follow that we may not die but be cleansed from sin.

The choice is ours.  The choice is yours.  Find the peace that is within you and seek the knowledge that is yours to have.  You are a child of God.  Your are created in his image and his likeness.  You are not flesh and bone but spirit.  The light of Christ resides in you.  Know the truth of who you are in him and your eyes will be opened, your heart will be filled, and the love of God will guide you on the path that leads to your eternal Father. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ.   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verse: 28, The Kingdom of God is at hand.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ refutes them) Part 3. 

So the Pharisees wanted to fight.  They wanted to cast doubt upon Christ.  They wanted to create suspicion upon his name.  Consulting with their partners, the devil, they came up with the thought that Christ was a partner with Beelzebub.  And they spoke it to him.  But Christ refuted them and schooled them on what they were doing.  He told them that a house divided will not stand.  He told them that if he was under the power of Satan then how is it that their children were able to cast out demons calling upon the same power that he did.  He told them that because their children believed in that same power, they would be the judges of the Pharisees at the day of judgment.

Christ was meek.  Christ was mild.  But the Pharisees wanted to battle so Christ brought them to the battle.  He spoke to them the words that ran ice chills down their backs.  He told them, "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."   This was a chilling thought.  The kingdom of God had come upon them.  They then had to understand what this meant.  They had to know that they then were fighting with God.  They then had to understand the consequences of their actions, the consequences of their words. 

The thought came and the next thought was that of the demons pulling them back into the pit of their reality, telling them that this could not be.  The demons had them to think that the Spirit of God was not upon this man and the kingdom was not upon them.  The demons told them that these were the ramblings of a possessed man and that they should find some way to get rid of him.  For the people did not see as they saw.  The people did not understand as they understood.  The people did not know as they knew.  So they continued to battle, blinded by the reality that stood before them, Christ Jesus, the Messiah.

Are you blinded by the reality of the world and unable to see the reality of the kingdom?  Are you in the world, unable to let go because of the fear spoken to you by the devil?  Christ wants you to let go.  Christ wants you to let God.  Christ wants to demonstrate to you the awesome power of his love for you.  But you can not experience it until you let go, until you let God direct your life.  When you express you release of the world and speak your dependence on God, the miracle begins.  Once the miracle begins your life will not be the same again. 

The demons will try to pull you back.  They will bring you doubt.  They will try to bring you fear.  They will try to turn you back.  But those who persevere will begin to see the change.  They will begin to know in little ways that God provides.  They will see the miracles taking place before their eyes and the kingdom of God will be upon them.  Patience is required.  Perfect patience is needed.  For a ocean liner is not turned around on a dime and your destiny will not be changed over night.  Walk the path with Christ and he will provide.  Seek the knowledge of the Holy Spirit and he will guide.  Know the words given by Christ and God will protect and provide.  God loves you!

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verse: 26 - 27, They sought Division: Satan vs Satan.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ refutes them) Part 2. 

And they came to him seeking to divide.  They came to him seeking to cast doubt.  They came to him seeking to destroy the power of the kingdom of heaven.  The battle continues, for they did not know to whom they came.  And Christ was meek.  Christ was mild.  Christ was gentle in his response to the accusations of the Pharisees.  For they accused him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub.  They accused him of being evil.  They accused him of having the power of the devil, and they did not know.

Christ refutes them simply by saying,  "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?"   For he had told them that a house divided will not stand.  He had shown them the simple truth of their misstatement.  Yet, from their own mouths, they spoke these words of evil, thereby condemning themselves.  For they said that Christ, the Son of Man, was evil, that he had the power of evil, that he belonged to the house of evil.  For they were fearful.  They feared for their positions and their authority.  They saw Christ as a threat and wanted to eliminate him and separate him from the people.  So they sought to bring division into the minds of the people by making the Messiah look evil to the people.

But Christ had mercy.  Christ forgave them.  Christ opened the door to let them come in.  But they refused to come.  Christ told them,  And if I cast out devils by Beelzebub, by whom do your children cast them out?   For the children of the Pharisees called upon the same power that Christ himself called, the one true God, Jehovah.  He called upon his father to give him the power to cast out demons, heal the sick, make the lame walk, and the blind see.  And this is the one and same God that the children of the Pharisees called upon also.  For they believed in God.  They followed his commandments.  They knew of his power.  And they, the children of the Pharisees, loved him.  But the Pharisees did not understand.  They were fearful and followed the counsel of evil. 

Christ, therefore, told them that because they did not believe, their children, "Therefore they shall be your judges."   On the day of judgment, their children would be present.  On the day of judgment, their children would give witness.  On the day of judgment their children will be their judges, condemning them to hell.  Christ wanted them to see.  He wanted them to understand.  He wanted them to change their ways and turn from evil that he might love them.  But they would not.  They could not.  They were lost and captured by evil and kept imprisoned by their own wills, their own desires, their own fears.

Will your children judge you or will you have to give judgment for them on the day of judgment?  Do not be captured by evil, for it will imprison you and not let go.  It will drag you to the deepest darkest corner of despair and offer to end your life as an option.   Christ will come for you, if you only ask him.  He will help you, if you become open to him.  He will guide you, if you will only follow him.  Be not trapped with evil.  Turn to Christ for salvation.  For salvation is not something that is shunned because it signifies the church.  Salvation is in the world, with you.  Salvation is with you at all times, in daylight and darkness.  Salvation is ever present even outside of the church in your time of need.  Seek not the four walls of the church but seek first the salvation of Christ and the church will welcome you.  The church will accept you.  The church will know you.  For through Christ is your salvation.  Through Christ is your deliverance from evil.  And through Christ is your life eternal in heaven.  Come, take his hand and he will lead you to salvation!

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verses: 24, The Battle continues: The Possessed Pharisees

Our paragraph topic is:  (Pharisees ascribe a miracle to the devil) Part 2. 

And then the Pharisees heard the sayings of the crowd and they became possessed.  They became possessed with anger.  They became possessed with jealousy.  They became possessed with envy.  They became possessed with hatred and the devil had them.  For they did not know how to understand the power of Christ.  They did not know how to understand how such a man could do the things that he did.  And then they had an idea.  And then they thought that they knew.  And then they were given the thoughts that were given to them by evil, "Say that Christ performed miracles by the power of evil, Beelzebub."

They were possessed.  They did not understand.  They were filled by the spirits of evil for they said,  "This man does not cast out devils except by Beelzebub, the prince of devils."   For you see, they said "This Man."  They did not know that this man was the Messiah.  They did not see, that this man was the Messiah.  They did not hear his words, and they did not understand his miracles.  For he spoke the words of the Father and they fulfilled the prophecy of Isaias.  And the battle continues.

Christ was meek.  Christ was mild.  He did not raise his voice in the streets.  He did not wrangle with the Pharisees.  For his actions were written of in the scriptures.  He was foretold of before his time.  And they did not know Him.  So they gathered together and took counsel and plotted and planned how to trap him, how to trick him, how to destroy him.  For they could not stop him from teaching.  They could not stop him from preaching.  They could not stop him from healing the sick, making the lame walk, opening the eyes of the blind, casting out demons, and raising the dead.  So they had to kill Him.  They had to get rid of Him.  They had to destroy Him.  For he was the Son of God.

Are you a meek person?  Are you a mild person?  Do you speak softly and carry the will of God with you?  Will you be a witness for His glory today, wherever you go?  The battle continues.  The demons gather to plot against you.  The demons lay tricks and traps to destroy you.  They seek you out at home, at work, in the streets, in your car, while you are driving, at the mall, in the grocery store, wherever you are, they will seek to work against you.  Seek your refuge in Christ.  Carry him with you, in the mall, at home, in the stores, at work, wherever.  Where you go, so also must He go with you.  He is your protection.  He is your provider.  He is your daily food.  For in Him and Through Him, and by Him, you will find your reward.  Seek first the kingdom of heaven and all else is provided.  Be a soldier for Christ.  The battle continues!

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verses: 29 - 30, The Call for Rest.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus draws men gently to himself) Part 4. 

Christ has called all mankind to come unto him.  He has praised the Father for his good pleasure in hiding the mysteries of heaven from the wise and the prudent.  He has praised the Father for only revealing the mysteries to the little ones who are not filled with earthly wisdom and who are not concerned with the advancement of their cause for greed.  He calls people to come unto him that are burdened and who labor without hope.  For they are the ones who he wants to give hope.  He calls all the people who labor without purpose.  For they are the ones he wants to give purpose and belief in the Father.  With the true belief the people will rejoice and be glad because the Father will protect them.  The Father will provide for them.  The Father will bring them peace.

Christ says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me."   For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."   The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings tells us to take his yoke and to learn.  For he will teach us.  He will guide us.  He will instruct us in the ways of life.  Our world is burdensome.  Our world is harsh.  Our world is hard.  But when we take the yoke of Christ he will teach us how to have an easy life.  He will guide us and provide for us, showing us how to have a light burden.  For our burden is heavy.  Our burden wears us down.  Our burden brings pain and suffering.  For he is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  His wisdom exceeds all.  His knowledge is greater than the knowledge of man.  His love for us exceeds the love that we have for each other.

Christ says,  "For I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls."   Christ calls all men unto himself.  He tells us that he is meek and humble not proud and vain.  Learn from him.  For it is in his heart that we find the riches of the kingdom.  It is through his meekness that we learn the wisdom of God.  It is through his humility that we become transformed from this world to the person that we will be known as in the kingdom of heaven.  Our spiritual beings grow in humility.  Our spiritual knowledge increases with the practice of our humility.  For through love we understand.  Through love we come to know.  Through love we become love with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  God created us in his likeness and we are his children.

Do you hunger and thirst for rest?  We wear ourselves down trying to keep up with the weight of the world.  For the world calls us.  The world leads us.  The world lusts for us and we lust for the world.  For our passions are in the world.  Our love for worldly things is in the world.  We are lost in the world and do not know it.  We wear ourselves down and try to catch a breath on the weekends when we seek to rejuvenate.  We party.  We go to outings and events.  We seek others who share our interests in an effort to share the pain of existence.  Yet we continue to find ourselves in the race for life in the world.  Oh, there are those who have it made.  There are those who live on top, who make enough money, who have the right job, who drive the right cars, who wear the right clothes, and who live in the right apartments, in the right communities, in the right homes.  Yet they too continue to struggle to keep up.  They too desire to be like others who have more than they do.  They too are driven by the world, led by the world, lust for the world.  For at every level there are those who are our carrots to chase after.  There are those who have more.  There are those that we look up to and desire to be like.  And the world has a carrot for everyone.  For we are lost in the world and do not know who we are.

Christ calls to all, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me."   For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."   Learn from him.  His yoke is easy.  His yoke is light.  Step away from the world.  Get out of the race.  For it leads along the road of destruction.  Many follow that path but few follow the narrow road to life.  Will you take up the yoke of Christ and learn from him?  Will you accept his light burden and his easy yoke?  Come, receive your reward!  Come, learn from him that will teach all!  He calls to you!  He awaits your coming!  He loves you!