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: 46b; Any One?

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 7.   

No one could speak to the answer.  No one could utter a word.  No one could respond to the question of whose son he was.  No one knew the answer but he would not reveal it to the Pharisees.  It was not to be known or spoken of.  It was the revelation that would open the minds and hearts of those who wanted to know.  No one knew but did not want the others to know.

And so the question of the Christ went unanswered in the minds of the Pharisees.  They would not see.  They would not understand.  They could not be healed because No one would not have it.  Neither did anyone dare from that day forth to ask him any more questions. 

No One and Any One were together in their quest to trick the Christ.  They came together with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and all those who were against him.  Each time they would attempt to trick him.  Each time they would seek to try him in the public eye.  Each time they would scheme in their hearts to do him harm to no avail.  It was not his time, until the time of his arrival in Jerusalem.

When is our time?  When will we go?  Will we know?  Some will and some will not.  For some the thief will come in an instant.  Others will know that the time has come for them to leave this plane and go to another existence.  Others will ask for his hand and call upon him to bring them home.  We all must go at some point in this journey.  We all must face the transition of life, death, and spirit.  It is our nature, given us from birth, from conception, from existence.  I am, we are, we shall be according to the will of God our Father.  Amen. 

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: 33; The Crowds marveled at his teaching.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's answer) Part 6.

Here was a man that was different from other men.  The crowds knew it.  They felt it within themselves.  They were not learned.  They could not read, most of them.  They had no books, no schools to go to and learn the rudiments of education.  They were common folks who earned their livelihood in the fields.  Most of the learned men came from the synagogues and they were taught the Law handed down to their fathers.

Christ came onto the scene with no training from the masters of the synagogues.  He was unknown to them.  The teachers and the masters had not taught him, had not seen him, nor had they heard of him before he came on the scene and started his ministry, teaching the people.  The teachers sent their best to question him.  They tried to trap him.  They even sent their scholars to study him, but none could grasp his deep knowledge and wisdom of the ways of God and the kingdom of heaven.  And when the crowds heard this, they marveled at his teaching. 

There is much to learn as we go through life.  Our early years are marked, for most, by the joy of youth, not having responsibility but just growing up and living life.  We reach an age where we go out on our own and we must make decisions that affect our lives, good or bad.  Rules are laid down by authority for us to follow that guide our lives.  We live within the boundaries of this authority or suffer the consequences of the laws.  We grow older and become settled in our lives at which time we take on a partner and began to repeat the process of our parents of having children. 

There is another part of our lives that is taking place also as we continue on the journey of life, the spiritual process.  As we get much older, especially much later in life, 50's, 60's, and 70's, we may find ourselves thinking more of the end of this physical life and what lies ahead.  We never know when that day will come.  It may happen all of a sudden or it may come with our knowledge.  Yet the countdown is there and the clock continues to unwind, the sands of time move ever against us.  What do we do?

Christ's teachings give us a path to follow.  The time of transition comes upon us whether we are ready or not.  We can prepare ourselves or not.  We can participate in the transition, become a part of the process, watch it happen, enjoy the transformation.  By doing so we throw off the world and take on the new, for we can move in the direction of life everlasting.  Christ awaits us as we are preparing to go home to see him and all those who have gone before us.  Let us marvel.  Let us rejoice at the living words that he has given us.  Let us transform.

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: 6a, Standing Idle.

Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 6. 

We were listening to Christ telling his disciples the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.  He had previously told them how riches would hinder one from entering the kingdom.  He is teaching his disciples about a new place.  He wants them to understand that the kingdom is different from anything that they know.  It is not like what they know here on earth.  One cannot think about heaven in the same light as one would think of a place here on earth.  Heaven is a spiritual place.  It is a place of peace.  It is a place of glory, and majesty, and love.  And the human imagination has no reference to compare with.

There are rules to entering.  We entered the earth through our parents.  They brought us into the physical world.  Yet we are given spiritual life through God our Father.  He gave us life for a purpose.  He loved us enough that he wanted to share his love.  And he is merciful enough that he forgave our trespasses.  Christ tells his disciples of this parable of the laborers because he wants us to understand our part.  He wants us to know what we have to do to participate in the kingdom of heaven.  As he told his disciples:  "But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing about." 

Are we standing about with nothing to do?  Are we idle workers seeking work?  Have we been called to work in the vineyard?  What is your purpose?  What is your job?  What has the spirit given you to do in the vineyard?  Are you collecting the grapes?  Are you picking the grapes?  Are you the one that carries the grapes to the wine press?  Or are you the one that works the press to tamp out the wine?  We all have a purpose.  We all have an assignment.  We all are workers in the vineyard if we are believers.

If you believe in your heart that Christ is the son of God our Father and that he came down from heaven to sacrifice for our sins, then you are a worker.  The question is, are you working or are you idle.  Do you only work on Sundays or are you a 24/7 worker?  Do you feed the hungry when the opportunity arises or do you pass them over?  Do you lend a helping hand or do you turn the other way when a hand is needed?  Do you have the love of Christ within you or is that something that comes out only with church members?  Do you share the love that is within you with those who are down and out without hope? 

Being a worker in the vineyard only means that it is in your heart.  Being a worker in the vineyard means that the love and the spirit of Christ is within you.  Being a worker in the vineyard means that the passion that Christ has for each and every one of us, is seen in the drunk on the street, to the dope addict, to the beggar, to the thief, to the ones who has lost their way, to the prostitute.  We are all children of our Father in heaven.  He gave us life from nothing.  We did not exist.  We had no form or shape or life or purpose until that moment when he commanded that we have life. 

And here we are today, living in this physical form that we may experience the physical realm and choose who we are.  Are we the children of God our Father or are we just the physical embodiment of ourselves?  The spirit lives within.  But the physical is what we experience.  In that spirit lives the life that is given us by our Father.  In that physical body lives the spirit of who we are.  And in that body lives that light of the life that we are, waiting for that time when we transition into the glorious beings that our Father has given life to. 

The work of the spirit is within us.  The acknowledgement of the spirit is upon each of us.  The knowledge of who we are is open to each of us.  And that knowledge will open our eyes to the beings we are, transforming us to workers in the vineyard of Christ.  When the truth of who you are in Christ comes upon you, the light of life shines within you.  And your light glows from the love that comes from God our Father.  For from him, and through him, and with him we are transformed into more than just the physical.  We become the lights of the world that shine for others to see in the darkness.  Open your heart to the truth!  You are the light of the world.  Let your light shine for all to see. 

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

St Matthew, Chapter 19, verse: 25a, The hearing of the disciples.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The danger of riches) Part 3.  

The rich young man was saddened by what Christ told him.  And now Christ speaks the words of truth about the kingdom of heaven.  There is a transition.  There are requirements that must be met.  Each person entering the kingdom must meet the standards.  Death starts the process.  How one lived his physical life determines the criteria.  And the examination at the entrance will set the stage for life everlasting in the kingdom or.

These are the truths that Christ wants his disciples to understand about the kingdom of heaven.  The spiritual kingdom is not like the physical kingdom.  You cannot buy your way in.  You cannot force your way in.  No amount of power or influence will guarantee your entrance.  For what we do on earth will determine if we are eligible to enter.  And Christ gave his disciples a simple example to demonstrate what criteria is used.  He told them that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  The disciples, hearing this, were exceedingly astonished.

Just as the rich young man was saddened when he heard Christ's words about selling his possessions, the disciples were astonished when they heard these words.  For it was in the hearing that they did not understand.  It was in the hearing that the meaning was lost.  It was in the hearing that the mind transformed and transposed those words to resonate to heartfelt doom.  All want to be rich.  All want to enjoy the pleasures that come with wealth and riches.  This is what we are given to believe and know from birth.

We see everyday those with wealth and how they are able to live.  We hear everyday of those with riches and how they are able to do the things that everyday people dream about.  Everyday we are told about the lives of the rich and famous, the movie stars, the sports stars, and those of wealthy origins.  And our minds are transformed from where we are into where we would like to be.  So the disciples were exceedingly astonished as we are today with these words.  Yet it is these words that are meant to astonish.  It is these words that are meant to shock.  It is these words that are meant to open our hearts to provide us with the opportunity to see the truth of who we are and what we are given to believe. 

What do we believe?  Do we believe that there is a heaven?  Or do we believe that we are in heaven now, on this earth, and we should live forever here?  Do we fear what comes after death?  Are we afraid of that which we have not been given, that which is foreign to us?  We have been given the here and now.  The world gives us this each day.  We are not given what comes after today, what comes after death, what comes after the physical life.  That information is not published.  That information is not talked about on the talk shows in the lives of the rich and famous.  For that has not been given to us to know as we know the world.  It has been given for us to believe. 

Christ came that we would have life everlasting.  He came to teach us of his Father and our Father, the Creator.  He came to demonstrate his love for us.  And he came to pay the penalty for our punishment.  All this and yet we do not know who we are.  All this he gave to us and we cannot see who we are.  All this and we are blinded by the glitz and glamour that the world offers to us if we only go to sleep in the world and do not seek the spiritual.  Each of has the key to reignite the life that Christ has given us.  All it takes is an open mind and an open heart.  All it takes is a desire to know him who has loved us from the beginning.  Seek that which is within you.  Knock on the door of your heart and open it to the love of Christ and he will come to you to let you know of his love and the love of the Father .  For no one lights a lamp and puts it in the cellar or under a measure, but puts it on a lampstand so that all who enter may see.  Christ wants to light your lamp so that you may see the truth of who you are in him.  Come!  Light your lamp and you will be astonished at 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 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.