St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 26a; In the desert.

 Our paragraph topic is:  (The sign of the last day) Part 6.  

He has told us beforehand what to expect when the last day comes.  He has told us what to look for on the last day, what the signs will be, what will happen, who to believe and who not to believe.  Christ has given us all that we need to know.  Believe it or not.  It is written for all to see, for all to read, for all to know for their own knowledge.  The words have been spoken from the mouth of spokesperson of God.

Christ came that we might believe that he came from the Father.  He came so that we would know that there is one true God above all other gods that we might think or believe.  He gave examples.  He showed miracles that no other person before him had completed.  He cured the lepers, made the lame walk, healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins of those who transgressed, and he challenged the rulers of the day to stop the corruption.  Yet many did not believe, and evil was well engrained in the rulers and the people.

Jerusalem will be destroyed.  The last days are coming.  Great tribulation will be upon the people.  He has told them beforehand.  These were the words of Christ Jesus to his disciples letting his disciples know what was coming in the future.  He wanted them to be aware of the corruption they could not see now that would lead to the destruction later.  If they tell you that Christ was coming, "Do not believe," he told them.  There would be false prophets, and false christs.  There would be all kinds of false signs in order to lead many astray.  Be careful of what you see and what you hear, he told them.  "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, he is in the desert,' do not go forth."

Each day be watchful.  No one knows when the end will come.  Only the Father knows of that day and of that time.  So, each day, rise, and watch, for the signs as though you were expecting the end to come.  Know that time is limited, and no day is given to you as eternal.  Expect not to live one day as though it were the same as the next.  For we know not when it may be our last.  Christ calls and we must go, weather we want too or not.  He is our Lord and Savior who paid the price for our sins.  He it is who gave us new life if we choose to accept it.  He will come to call us, and the last day will come.   

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 24, verse: 4; Led astray.

Our paragraph topic is: (Christ warns them not to be led astray) Part 1.  

So they wanted to know.  Their hearts and minds were curious as to the how and the wherefore of the coming doom.  It was burning inside of them to know.  But they could not know.  They were not ready to know.  It was not the time or the place for them to know.  The panic would have taken hold and led them astray.

They were like little children who had to be protected if they were told of the boogie man without no one to keep them from harm, no father or mother, or sister or brother.  They were not ready to hear the truth of what was coming.  Christ had to prepare them for the truth.  He had to first fill their minds and hearts and spirits with the truth of who they were in him so that nothing could harm them before they could receive the message.  And in answer Jesus said to them, "Take care that no one leads you astray."

Our message today also is to take care not to be led astray.  It is easy in this world of hype, glamour, and glitz to be led astray, to be hypnotized, to be mesmerize by all that we see, hear and come to believe.  We are raised in a protected environment that our parents and guardians try to give us to put us on the right path to life.  But as we grow older we examine that path and want to change it believing that it needs to be changed to fit what we see as our wants, needs and desires.  And as we enter the world on our own we have to make our own decisions as to what is right and wrong for us, as a path to take in life which will lead us in the direction that we want to go.

Many times we find ourselves, later on in life, along a path that we want to change or that we wish we had not taken, a path that led us astray.  And in every attempt we make an effort to turn our lives around  to go in a different direction.  Christ directed his disciples not to be led astray.  He wanted them to stay on the path that he had given them, the path that makes them his disciples, his preachers and teachers of the gospel.  The church must be built and must spread throughout the land after he leaves.  It will be up to the disciples to complete his work.  They must not be led astray.

We have a purpose also, not to be led astray.  Our purpose is to choose to live or to die in Christ, to accept him as our savior, to be born again into a new life or to die into the darkness of death.  And with that choice comes the joy of living a life that he has shown us how to live, sharing the love of the new life he has given us with others that they too may know the truth of new life in Christ.  It is a joyous life, a happy life, a life of peace and love, a life of fulfillment in him who fulfills all.  Come!  Know the truth of who you are in him!

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: 38; A Desolate House.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Lamentation over Jerusalem) Part 5.  

God sent his messengers to warn them, but they would not listen.  He sent prophets to prophesy but they would not hear.  They were stubborn.  They were arrogant.  They were full of their own beliefs.  They could not see the changing of the tides, the coming storm.  God wanted to protect them.  They refused to believe in the God of their fathers.  It was so long ago that it was a distant memory and no one cared.  The people had forgotten.

The signs were there for everyone to see.  Some saw and believed.  The faithful knew what was coming.  They heard the messages and believed.  They heard the warnings.  They prepared themselves for the coming storm.  But the leaders failed to warn the people.  They failed to carry the message to the general public.  They failed their responsibility to the people because they were to busy partying in their palaces.  So:  "Behold, your house is left to you desolate."

Torn down, destroyed, burned, years of architectural wonder desiccated for all eternity.  They were warned but would not listen.  They given signs but could not see.  Over and over again opportunity was given them to heed the message but they refused to do so and now the house is gone, the beauty is destroyed, the joy of yesteryear is no more.

It is said that you don't miss your water until the well runs dry.  All the signs are there telling you that the water is drying up but you do not see.  The water is getting lower and lower but you believe that it will always be the same, today, tomorrow and forever.  We are only as old as we think but our bodies say otherwise.  This is the fact of life that we must recognize no matter how much science breakthroughs may want to change our minds about our health.  Death is our inevitable end.

And yet death is only a transition from the physical to the spiritual.  Christ came to demonstrate that fact to us.  He overcame death.  He rose from the grave.  He ascended into heaven and he awaits for each and every one of us who chooses to receive him as our Lord and Savior.  For he paid the price for each of us to have a new life.  And that price is simply asking for forgiveness of our sins and accepting and believing in him.  He came that we may have life and have it more abundantly.  Thank you Christ Jesus for your great gift.  Thank you for opening my heart and showing me the way to 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.

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verses: 42a; Whose son is the Christ?

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 2.  

Now the tables are turned and Christ has the opportunity to test the Pharisees in their knowledge and wisdom.  He wants to save them.  He wants to heal them from their blindness.  He wants to open their eyes so that they may see the truth.  So he makes an attempt to purge their minds with a question that might lead them to understand the truth of the scriptures.
They are the Pharisees.  They are the leaders of the people, the scholars who have studied the scriptures all their lives.  They have learned from the masters of their time the inner meanings of the writings of their forefathers.  They should know the answers to these questions.  So Jesus questioned them:  saying "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" 

They knew the scriptures of the old testament.  They studied them everyday.  They knew the answer to the question.  Would their minds allow them to accept the answer?  Would the answer allow itself to be spoken?  It would contradict everything that they thought and believed.  Yet there it was in the scriptures, the answer that they had not put together with the facts of what was before them today.  Contradiction!  Confusion!  Anxiety!  Would they believe?  

God gave man free will to choose his own destiny.  He wanted to save all mankind at first but Adam failed and Satan deceived.  So the soul of man died for many years until Christ came to redeem mankind and give new life to those who would believe.  The decision is not made.  The decision is ours alone to make.  We must decide, individually, as a group.  Do we live or do we continue to die?  

God our Father loves us.  The proof is in his mercy.  The proof is in his love.  The proof is in the sacrifice of his only son.  

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: 32; God of the Living.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's answer) Part 5.  

They came to him for answers and he gave them knowledge.  They thought that they knew about the resurrection.  They believed that there was no life after death, that there was no resurrection so they came to him for an answer.  He told them that they were wrong, that they knew neither the scriptures nor the power of God.  They thought that they knew, but they did not.  They thought they had the answers but they did not.  They thought that they were right in their beliefs but they were wrong in their assumptions and Christ told them so.

He told them that there would be no marriage in heaven.  Therefore, what took place on earth would not be bound in heaven.  Men and women would not be bound to each other in heaven.  They will be like angels of God in heaven.  This was a shocking revelation to the Sadducees because they assumed that the wedding commitment would be bound over at the resurrection after death.  Christ had to correct them on this point also.  God was a God of the living and not of the dead.  He told them what was spoken by God himself saying:  " ' I am God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead, but of the living." 

Where does that leave us today, those who believe?  Do we believe in the living God?  Are we right in our faith, in our hope, in our trust in the invisible God?  Can we act on that which we believe, walk by, live by, and know, that we have a living God that we can call on, in our time of need?  Will he hear us?  Will he respond to us?  Will he care for our needs?  Will he provide for us? 

We indeed are weak.  Yet something inside tells us, talks to us, encourages us to think otherwise.  Something wants us to not be humble, to not be dependent, to not trust in the Lord.  History has taught us that he has been there for us.  He has walked with us, showed us the way, done things for us, brought us far without problems.  So why should we stop leaning on him now.  Why should we stop trusting him now.  He was a plan for us, all we have to do is be patient and enjoy the ride.

Our God is patient.  He is merciful.  He is loving.  He saved us from the deep depression that we were in where those thoughts of ending came upon us.  He gave us new life and new hope.  He show us the way.  He opened the door for us to enter the kingdom of heaven.  He opened our eyes to who we are in Christ Jesus and now we see ourselves in a new light.  The Spirit lives with us and guides us daily.  Thanks be to God.  Thanks be to Jesus Christ.  Thanks be to the Holy Spirit.

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: 25-26; His Seven Brothers and the Widow Issue.

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.  

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verse:19c; The Tree of Nothing withers.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus curses a fig tree) Part 4. 

It is amazing to see the truth that is in Christ Jesus.  He is man incarnate.  He was born of the flesh of Mary.  He is descended from heaven and brought forth from the love of God the Father, first born of all the living.  Yet in his state of union with the Father and common among men he feels hunger.  He fills pain and thirst, love and passion, mercy and forgiveness.  He is Lord and Savior of all mankind. 

He comes upon a tree that has no purpose.  It does not bear fruit.  It does not have seeds that bear fruit.  It only has leaves.  What purpose does it serve man or God?  Christ sees this tree, without compassion, curses it that the tree will not have fruit now or forever.  And this is our sign:  And immediately the fig tree withered up. 

What would we do if Christ told us that we would not bear fruit henceforth and forever?  Would we wither up and die?  Would we cease to exist?  Thankfully, Christ values us a more than the tree.  Thankfully, we are that which he loves that the father created.  Thankfully, we are that which he sees as good in mankind as well as the evil.  Thankfully, we will not be judged as one.  Thankfully, we are that which his passion is so great for us that he gave up that which he was in order to save that which he loves in us from damnation.

The tree of nothing withered up.  For many years mankind withered and died due to the transgression of one.  Yet through the passion of one we are saved.  Through the love of one we are transformed.  And through the mercy and forgiveness of one we are born again into the spirit that was ours from the beginning.  We are given a new life.  We are brought back to life.  We are infused with the spirit of the Advocate, for those who seek to know.  We are brought out of the darkness into the light and taken to our home.

Thank you Christ Jesus for loving us.  Thank you God our Father for forgiving us.  Thank you Christ Jesus for your mercy and your compassion.  Thank you God our Father for the spirit that you have given us.  Thanks be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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:14; The Healings.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Anger of the Jewish leaders) Part 1. 

He cast out the money changers.  He overturned the tables used for the buying and selling.  He proclaimed the iniquity that was being practiced in the house of the Lord and told the people that it is written that the temple is a place of worship and prayer, not a den for thieves.

The Jewish leaders were astonished at his actions.  They had allowed the buying and selling in the temple.  They were the ones who didn't think that it was wrong for thieves to practice their skills in the temple.  They were the ones who were embarrassed by the actions of Christ Jesus, the man they saw as a threat.  He came to pray.  He came to give worship in the temple.  He came to give honor to his heavenly Father and he saw all this taking place in this holy place.  So he cleaned house that he could be at peace in this place of worship.  And the people came to hear the word and be set free.   And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 

Come one, come all and be healed.  Come to the church, the place of worship, the place of healing, the place of forgiveness and find your new self in the Lord.  Christ has paid the price for our transgressions.  Christ has passed the test and bought a new life for all those who believe.  Come one, come all and be healed.

The world is the place where we live.  The world is the place where we work.  The world is the place where we eat and breathe and love and hate and seek and die.  The world will deceive you.  The world will corrupt you.  The world will turn you away from that which was freely given you at birth.  Life is ours to have.  Life eternal is ours to hold.  Physical life of the body is not ours for eternity but only that for a fleeting moment.  It is that which is within which is eternal and the world wants to take that away from us.  The worlds wants death.

Christ can heal us.  He can forgive us our transgressions.  He can give us a new life, a new purpose, a new beginning.  There are pleasures in the world, and riches, and desires to fulfill but none can truly satisfy like that which Christ offers.  In him there is completion, fulfillment, peace.  For he provides all that the heart desires and fills, with over running capacity, the hole that worldly life leaves.  We are children of the creator, the Father in heaven.  And he loves all that he has created.  He is the judge and jury, and all injustices will be dealt with.  Today we learn of his words given us through the Holy Spirit.  Tomorrow we see and hear the completion of those written words brought to fruition.  For it is written.

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 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 18, verse:18b, Fraternal Correction: Unbinding on earth and in heaven.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Fraternal correction) Part 7.  

The battle is against sin and the weapon is love.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that man would be saved from sin.  Man had sinned against the command of God.  But God was so loving that he was merciful.  God was so loving that he, through his mercy, allowed man to be saved.  He did not have to.  He was not compelled to.  But he wanted that mankind, his precious creation, would not be lost to condemnation. 

Christ came to take back.  Christ came to win back.  Christ came that man would have a chance to be born again in new life.  Man disobeyed the command of God and sin entered the world.  And sin ruled the world until Christ came.  And Christ restored what was lost.  Christ gave man life by paying the penalty for disobedience, the judgment for transgressing, the restitution needed to make whole again.  But sin does not give up.  Sin does not let go.  Sin does not release its captive until forced to do so. 

And Christ told his disciples that he gave them the power to separate.  He gave them the power to remove sin.  He gave them the power to loose sin from the soul of man by force.  He told them:  "And whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven."

Be gone sin!  Be gone lust!  Be gone addiction!  Be gone evil!  By the power of Christ Jesus I loose thee.  By the power of Christ Jesus I loose thee from me, from my brother, from my sister!  Be gone!  Separate thyself from this person and enter in no more.  I bind thee by the name of Christ Jesus to enter no more into this person.  These are the powers that Christ told his disciples.  Whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Whatever you cast out on earth shall, by the power of heaven, be carried out by the angels in heaven. 

The battle is against sin and the weapon is love.  The weapon is the love of God the Father for his children here on earth.  Sin will come.  Sin will tempt.  Sin will enter.  And sin will seek to take over, to control, to occupy, to drown the light of life completely until there is nothing but darkness within.  But Christ came.  Christ conquered.  Christ rose again.  And Christ lives forever seated at the right hand of the father.  And he gave us the power to bind and loose that will be a command executed by the angels in heaven. 

Christ came.  But he did not leave us alone and lonely.  For he watches over us in heaven.  He sends us the Advocate for those who seek him.  He protects us for those who want protection.  He provides for us for those who want provision.  He is our fulfillment for those who want to be fulfilled.  For his love overwhelms.  His love is complete.  His love is all.  And the his counsel is our guide.  Come!  Know the truth of who you are in him.  Seek to find the light of life that is within you that you may know the Advocate.  For with him, and through him, and by him all will be revealed. 

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

St. Matthew, Chapter 18, verse10, The Lost Sheep: Despising the little ones.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The lost sheep) Part 1.   

Christ has instructed his disciples about the little ones, those who are humble like little children.  He has given them a simple example through a little child.  Do not seek to be ambitious, he tells them.  But seek to be like little children, without worry, full of play, having the world before you, as a new place to explore and enjoy.  For such is the kingdom of heaven, he tells them, filled with little ones.  Those that are humble, those that are meek, those that are mild of manner, those that are at peace, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.

But despise not the little ones.  Hold not a grudge against these little ones.  Bear not hatred against those that have turned to become like little children.  For they are protected.  They are watched over.  They are the ones that the angels provide for, protect, and care for.  Christ tells them that these are the ones that the Father in heaven hears about because their angels behold the face of God.  " See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven always behold the face of my Father in heaven."   

Do not despise the little ones.  Do not despise those that are humble and clean in spirit.  For they are the new life from the tree of life, uncorrupted and undefiled.  They are the ones that are protected.  They are the ones who's angels behold the face of God.  They are the ones who's angels have the ear of God the Father to petition to him for retribution, for wrath, and for
vengeance.  Be careful how you speak.  Be careful how you think of the little ones.  Be careful how you act with, around and influence the little ones, for they are the ones that are protected.

We are adults living in a modern world that requires our physical being to live, to survive, to rest, to play, to work, to be alive.  For we seek to be alive, to live a life of freedom, without fear, without pain, without worries, without restrictions, free to live as we please.  What is this but to be a child?  What do we seek but to not have the cares and worries of the world.  To play with our children, as though we were children ourselves, brings such joy and happiness, such  pleasure.  It makes us feel alive.  But the world comes crashing in and we must return to being adults again. 

Christ offers us that freedom.  He gives us that opportunity.  He tells us that we must turn away from the world and become like little children.  For children do not worry.  Children do not have cares.  Children rest with ease and are at peace.  And children have parents who watch over them and care for them as we have a father who watches over us.  Do we trust him?  Do we rely on him?  Do we believe in his ability to provide for us?  Most do not.  Yet he waits patiently that you may discover his presence, that you may come to him, that he may show you his love, his care, his provisions, his peace. 

Come!  Seek the peace that Christ offers.  He gave you new life.  He came that you would not be lost.  He made the sacrifice that you would live.  Open your heart and let him in.  Open your mind and see the truth.  Open your soul and welcome in the Spirit of the Lord.  You will know his love!  You will know his provision!  You will know his protection!  You will know his peace!  I do. I have come to know that I have a Father in heaven who provides for me, a Father who protects me, a Father who loves me, a Father whom I trust in all things and who gives me peace.  Follow the path before you and awake to the new life that is within you and you too will come to know your 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.