St Matthew, Chapter 19, verse: 12a, Who can accept His teachings?

Our paragraph topic is:  (Continence preferred to marriage) Part 3.

His teachings were given that day that he told his disciples about marriage and adultery.  Through Christ the Father told the world of his plans, his purpose for man and woman.  For they were created with a purpose, a plan.  They were designed physically to bond together.  They were given from birth to cleave to one another and to become one flesh.  For through one flesh they would create.  Through one flesh they would provide the physical beings for the future.  Through one flesh they would open the door to all the others that would come after them.

The disciples did not understand.  They did not see the plan, the purpose.  They were still in the physical and not in the spirit.  They had not yet been reborn in the spirit of Christ and the justice the he would bring to the whole of mankind.  Through temptation man was disobedient.  Through deceit mankind died.  Through death mankind was doomed.  But Christ came and redeemed all.  He came and brought the teachings of his Father that all would know his will.  And he left with us the living words to open our hearts and give life to our souls that we could know the truth of who we are in him.  Who can accept his teachings on bonding and adultery? "For there are eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb."

There are those who were born eunuchs from their mother's womb.  These are those who can accept his teaching.  They have no issue with bonding.  They have no issue with marriage.  They have no issue with becoming one flesh.  They are without the means to bond.  Yet they were created in the image and likeness of God our Father.  They are physical and spiritual.  They have a purpose.  They belong to the plan.  They are children of the father just as you and I are also.

He created us all.  He gives us life.  He protects and provides.  He guides us if we allow.  For the decision is ours to make.  The path is ours to walk.  The life is ours to lead if we choose.  Be not deceived.  Be not led astray.  Be not an evil doer.  For those are the unknowing.  Those are the ones who are of the flesh and not of the spirit.  Those are the ones that are led by the inclinations of evil.  Where are you?  What do you believe?  What do you know about who you are?  Or do you know who you are?

Many would think that they are physical in the body.  Many would believe that they are flesh and bone and nothing else.  Yet within the flesh is a spirit.  Within the flesh is the life.  Within the flesh is the likeness given us by the Father.  Can you believe?  Can you accept?  Can you truly know the spirit within?  Christ gave us the truth.  He told us who we are.  He spoke on many occasions of the life that is within.  Yet we do not believe.  We do not accept.  We do not know.  The world has not taught us so.  So we walk through life without the knowledge of who we are in Him. 

Come!  Seek the truth in who you are.  Search and find the knowledge that will awaken the flame of your spirit and you will see.  Do not be afraid.  For the world will tell you not.  The world will whisper to you falsely.  The world would have you ignorant.  Christ came to give life.  He died that we would be awaken.  He arose that there would be witnesses to the truth.  And he sits at the right hand of the Father that we may see his majesty and glory.  His advocate awaits your awakening.  His advocate calls to your heart.  The Holy Spirit sits at your door waiting to be invited in.  Open the door to your heart and you will know the peace and joy that this world cannot offer.  Come!  Know Christ! 

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 17, verses: 18-19a. Faith is the cure.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Why the disciples could not cure him) Part 1.  

Christ made the demon leave.  He cast it out.  He returned the child to his father and set the guard to prevent the demon from returning.  And the light of Christ shone within the child.  The disciples tried to cast it out.  They made an effort to remove the demon but it would not obey them, it would not leave.  The father pleaded with them for their help.  He begged.  He knew that it could be done.  He heard the word of how others were cured.  He saw the ones who were transformed, the ones who were made whole, the ones who had demons that were cast out.  And he believed that this could happen for his son also.  He had faith in his belief.

The father was persistent.  He was demanding.  He was unrelenting because he loved his son and he knew that if it could happen to others it could happen for him.  He had faith.  So he searched, he traveled, he followed the word.  He listened to all the talk about Christ and what he had done for others.  He believed with certainty that it could happen for his son.  He believed with certainty and he had faith.  But the disciples did not know.  They did not have the certainty in their beliefs, in their faith.  So they could not cure him.  They asked Christ why they could not cure the boy.   Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could not we cast it out?"  He said to them, "Because of your little faith."

They had little to no faith.  They had little to no belief to guide them in their actions.  They were not ready to do great things.  Yet these were the ones Christ chose to follow him.  These were the twelve that he hand picked.  They were the chosen ones that the people would follow after Christ returned to his father in heaven.  When would they get it?  When would they believe?  When would their faith increase so that there was no doubt?  All plans were in place for the completion of the mission and the training time was coming to an end.  When will we get it?  When will we believe?  When will our faith increase so that there is no doubt?

What is faith?  How would we define it: faith is a belief in something?  Would we say that faith is a belief that there is a God, that there is a supreme being, that there is something greater than ourselves?  The question then becomes: Is this God a loving God?  Is this God a caring God?  Is this God a protective God?  Can we believe in this God?  Can we trust this God?  What is it that we believe, as we go through life on a daily basis?  We are taught that there is a God.  We are given the scriptures as a basis for our beliefs.  As children we are taken to church and taught in Sunday Bible study about our God from the scriptures of the Bible.  Is this enough to guide us through life?  Do we continue our beliefs as we grow older and venture out into the world to make our own way? 

The world would change our beliefs.  The world would turn us away from what we are given as children, as young adults.  The world would have us doubt what we are given through the teachings from the scriptures.  It would convert us to its way of thinking and lead us away from the commandments of the Bible.  The world says the Bible is outdated.  The world says the Bible is a book of fiction and not to be believed.  The world says do not follow the Bible but follow us and we will reward you with our riches.  The world says we will make you happy, we will make you rich, we will fulfill your desires, we will provide for you, we will protect you if you only follow our ways and not the ways of the Bible. 

How do we reconcile the difference?  How do we come to terms with what the world offers and what we are taught in church?  On the one hand we have the world that would offer to fulfill our needs and on the other hand we have the church that would have us believe that our needs will be fulfilled.  Do we have the faith to believe?  Do we have the faith to know with certainty that our beliefs are true, our hopes are real, and our desires will be fulfilled?  Only with certainty will we be able to act.  Are you sure?  Do you know?  Have you discovered the truth of who you are in Christ?  Faith is the belief in the desire to be one with Christ, as Christ is one with the Father?  Come!  Open the door to your heart and become one with he who is one with the Father.  And you will know for certain who you are.  There will be no doubt.  There will be no fear.  There will only be you in the truth of Christ 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 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 17, verse: 10, The Vision: The coming of Elias.

Our paragraph topic is:  (On the coming of Elias) Part 2.  

They had witnessed the vision of Christ.  They had seen the vision of Moses and Elias.  They were puzzled by what they had seen and what they had heard.   And yet the disciples knew that they had witnessed a great miracle.  God the Father had spoken to them.  He had  instructed the disciples to listen and hear his son.  He had given them the proof that they needed to believe in Christ through the visions they had witnessed.  So they pondered within their minds the answers as to what they had seen and heard.  But Christ warned them not to speak of it.  He told them not to say what they had seen and heard until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

The sacrifice had to be completed.  The mission had to be finished.  The debt had to be paid so that mankind would be redeemed.  And what they had witnessed must be kept secret until that time.  The disciples were puzzled.  There were questions in their minds.  There were burning answers that needed solutions.  And they did not know how to proceed without answers to those questions.  For they had been taught from childhood by the Pharisees the scriptures of their religion.  They had been drilled as to the passages and the words that were passed down from old.  So they questioned Christ as to the correctness of what they had learned.   And the disciples asked him, saying, " Why then do the Scribes say that Elias must come first? "

Christ had taken three of his disciples up to the mountain that they may experience for themselves the truth of who he was.  He wanted them to know with all certainty that he was the Messiah, the Son of the Father.  So they were there to witness for themselves what they would hold within until the sacrifice had been made and the mission completed.  They asked for understanding.  They sought to know the truth of what they were taught and what they believed.  Christ spoke to them about the raising from the dead, an expression that they did not understand.  And today we ask that same question.

Will we die at the end our last days on earth?  Will we sleep for an eternity when our time comes, only to be awakened at the final call?  What will happen in the end?  Do we go to heaven now and wait for the final judgment to come?  Many have gone beyond death and returned to tell of what lies beyond.  Many have experienced the horrors of hell and come back to warn us of what we will face if we continue in our evil ways.  Does that deter us?  Does that turn us around?  There are many lost souls in the world that do not know the truth.  The message is out there.  We hear it being proclaimed in the background but do not listen.  We have some knowledge of what we are to do to avoid judgment but fail to do it.  We are weak.  We are misled.  We are influenced by the temptations of the world, born into a world destined to lead us away from the truth.

Looking back  on my life, I was lost.  I was misled.  I was caught up in the whirlwind of the world thinking that I had to compete, I had to succeed, I had to win the prize.  Little did I know that I was on the road to destruction.  And if I continued on that road, I would loose my soul and the life that had been given me by the sacrifice made by Christ.  I am grateful that he held on to me.  I am thankful that he gave me life.  I am blessed that he did not give up on me.  Now I know who I am.  Now I have found my treasure.  Now I know with certainty that I am a child of God and my father loves me.  And now I can see me through the veil of the physical and know me for who I am. 

If you are reading this message, come follow the path that is laid before you.  You will find peace.  You will find joy.  You will find happiness.  And you will find the truth of who you are in Christ, here and now.  Be certain.  Be knowing.  Be loved.  Christ loves you, the Holy Spirit will lead you, and God the Father will protect you.  May the gift of God be in your heart.

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, Chapter14, verse: 24, The Test of Heart: The Test begins.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus walks on the water) Part 2.  

Christ was on the land.  The disciples were on the water in the boat and they were without Christ.  He had sent them away.  He put them on a boat and sent them to the other side of the sea, alone.  For he was to come later after dismissing the crowds and going up to the mountain to pray.  But the disciples did not know that this was their test.  They did not understand the training they were receiving through Christ.  Time was short.  The sacrifice had to be made.  And the disciples must be prepared to take their places here on earth for the coming battle for the souls of men.  So they had to be tested to make sure that they understood.

They witnessed the miracle of the multiplication.  They had witnessed many miracles, the lame walked, the blind saw, and evil was cast out.  They saw these things take place before their eyes.  They heard Christ say to them, feed the people yourselves.  But they did not understand.  They did not know.  They did not believe what was happening before their very eyes, into their very ears and filling their very hearts with the glory of Christ to come.  They would become the leaders.  They would become the preachers.  They would become the shepherds of the people leading them to Christ, leading them to life.  So they had to understand, they had to know, they had to believe what was happening to them, with them, and in them.  They were being transformed.   But the boat was in the midst of the sea, buffeted by the waves, for the wind was against them. 

The wind was against them and they were being tested.  For they had not seen such wind before.  They had not known such peril before.  They had not believed that they would survive before because the boat was being buffeted by the waves.  The boat was being tossed about by the sea.  The boat was being pushed from side to side to capsize and they were with fear.  They were the 
disciples of Christ.  They had given up their all to follow him.  They were being taught the principles of the kingdom of heaven that they may carry the message to others.  But now they were alone.  Now they were without Christ.  Now they were with fear.  For they were told to feed the people themselves and they did not know how.  They were told to give them something to eat but they believed that they could not.  They wanted to dismiss the people and send them back into the world.

Would they believe?  Would they know?  Would they understand the transformation that was taking place within them?  They were without Christ and the test came.  The test of belief came upon them that they would believe in the transformation taking place within them.  Would they fear for their lives.  Would they run away in shame?  Or would they pass the test and believe.  Christ was not with them and the boat was being tossed by the waves.  Fear was coming upon them and they would not believe.  Would it become life or death?  In this moment of testing would they forsake all that they had seen and heard and believed, to turn away from Christ.  Or would they pass the test and take courage, strengthening their faith in Christ completing the transformation.

Christ was not with them and they were in the sea being buffeted by the waves.  Would you believe?  Would you hold to your faith?  Would you glorify God in your last hour?  The disciples faced the test on the open waters.  There was no place to go.  There was no place to hide.  There was no place that would protect them.  There was only the fear of death and drowning.  They were without Christ and believed that they would perish.  The miracle of the multiplication did not make them believe.  Perhaps a stronger demonstration of the power and the glory of God was needed that they may know the truth of their belief and the solidity of their faith in Christ.  Do you believe?  Do you see?  Do you know the truth of your faith.  Do you believe in Christ?  Or, do you have faith built upon sand, faith that crumbles in times of sorrow and pain and trials and tribulations.  There is but one God.  There is but one truth.  There is but one belief that gives life.  Will you pass the test?

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verse: 25, The Revelations.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus draws men gently to himself) Part 1.  

Christ is mournful as he looks back at the towns and villages that did not repent.  He sees their damnation in the day of judgment and calls them out.  Yet, he is mournful at the sorrow of their condition.  Attempts were made to open their eyes, to open their ears, to help them understand the signs of the times, but they remained impenitent.  They were a hard lot.  The devil had infiltrated their defenses and turned them, so that, they could not see, or hear, or understand with their senses.  So they will face the consequences in the day of judgement.

Christ goes on to give praise to his heavenly father for the decisions that were made.  For these things were not revealed to the wise.  They were not revealed to the prudent.  They were revealed to the laborer, to the field hand, to the street sweeper, to the farmer.  They were revealed to the little ones, those who were without hope, without faith.  Christ says,   "I praise thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and prudent, and didst reveal them to little ones."  

For it was God's knowledge that the wise rejected.  It was God's wisdom that the prudent refused to believe.  They knew of the existence of God but refused to believe.  They knew of the power and majesty of God but rejected him and replaced him with gods fashioned after human likenesses and the likeness of animals.  They knew of the glory of God but refused to give glory but instead set themselves up to receive glory from the people.  And this was Christ's revelation of the will of the father to hide the mysteries of the kingdom from those who were wise and prudent and to reveal them only to the little ones.

Do you consider yourself wise?  Do you think of yourself as prudent?  God looks for the little ones to reveal his mysteries.  He seeks the clean of heart to whom he will show himself.  Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God.  For the wise do not know him.  Their earthly wisdom is a stumbling block.  The prudent do not know him.  Their worldly knowledge prevents them from having faith.  The rich do not know him.  For their riches blind them.  The famous do not know him for their arrogance make them unworthy to receive him.  But the little ones believe.  The little ones know.  The little ones open themselves to the wisdom and the knowledge of God.  For it is by God's grace that the little ones receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit from God.  Wisdom comes from the mouth of babes and fools.  Faith is the belief in the desire to be one in Christ as Christ is one in the Father.  Are you wise in the world or a fool?  Are you a baby in the world but a child of God?  We are all his children!!!