St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 9; The public invited.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The king's anger) Part 4.  

The king will not be deterred from his celebration.  He wanted to have a party.  He wanted others to enjoy his happiness, his joy.  He had invited those that he thought were worthy.  But they thought otherwise of the king.  They apparently did not like the king.  They must have hated him.  They had contempt and animosity for him because they killed the messengers. But despite all that, he would not be deterred from this celebration.

So the king continued to make preparations for this celebration.  He told his servants:  Go therefore to the crossroads, and invite to the marriage feast whomever you shall find."  And so it was that the king would invite all that would come and celebrate with him and his son.  It would be a grand occasion.  All would enjoy the music and the dancing and the food and the drinks for this happy occasion.  And the king would be happy to see such joy in the people.

What does this say to us today?  Would we like to go to the kings party?  Would we like to be one of those invited to come?  Go to the crossroads, go to the major intersections, shout it from the rooftops, tell everyone you know.  Post it on Facebook, take pictures and show them on Instagram so everyone would know of the celebration.  All will be invited and all will be welcomed at the party.

Will you come?  Will you be there with everyone else?  It will be the talk of the town.  But this is different from the parties that we know of today.  There will be no drugs.  There will be no strip dancers.  No guns allowed.  Proper attire only.  This will be the celebration of the year, of the century because this is the message that Christ wants all to understand about the kingdom of heaven.  His father is having a party and he wants all to be invited.

Don't miss out!  Don't hesitate!  You are given the notice well in advance of the event so that you will have enough time to prepare, to get ready,  to become worthy of the event.  There are those who say they are not going.  There are those who do not believe that it is worth their time.  There are those who hate the king and would persuade you that you are not worthy to attend.  Do not be persuaded by those who would turn you away from the party of the century, the party that is yours to attend.  The decision is yours to make.  Do not let someone else make it for you.  The doors are open for all to attend.  Put on your party outfit and come join the party!

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, verse: 8; They were not worthy.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The king's anger) Part 3.  


Christ continues to compare the kingdom of heaven to the king and his wedding feast.  The king had made all the preparations to have a great feast in honor of his son.  Yet the people that were invited did not come.  They did not show up.  And further, in order to stop the talk by king's messengers, they beat and killed them.  They did not want to hear about this wedding feast any more.  They did not care what would happen.  They just wanted to stop the message from being spread throughout the kingdom.

This angered the king so much that he sent his soldiers out to those villages and towns and burnt them to the ground and killed all the inhabitants.  Then the king set another date, after all this had happened, and prepared to celebrate a great event.  "Then he said to his servants, 'The marriage feast indeed is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.' "  

What meaning, what understanding can we gather from this today?  Did we get the invitation to come to the party?  Did we ignore the message and beat the messengers?  Are we worthy to attend this great celebration?  The call is out.  The tables are set.  What is our hesitation?  Why do we tarry?  What holds us, what prevents us, what turns us away from the event of a life time?  Are we on the fence of life considering the possibilities, or are we walking on the green grass that's on the other side having second thoughts about what we may miss?

We are given a choice.  We have the opportunity to decide what we want to do with our lives.  But there is also the influence of the world that weighs upon our everyday decisions.  We can think about it for a minute and then  forget it because we are back in the realm of the world going about our daily lives.  And our daily lives are governed and guided by the world.  For it is the world that we live in.  And it is the world that decides for us who and what we are going to do each and every day.  

The struggle is ours.  We can go along with the rest and do as the world dictates.  Or we can make a choice and go against the flow, swimming up stream.  What does it benefit us?  What do we profit going against the flow?  Will we get tired and allow the current of the world to carry us in whatever way the stream flows?  We need help.  We need guidance.  We need protection.  It would be easier if we had a boat to take us upstream.  It would be easier if we had a motor to drive the boat that would take us upstream.  If we had to row of our own energy we would eventually tire and be swept away by the current.

Everything is prepared and the feast is about to begin.  Are you worthy of the invitation?  Are you thankful of the invitation?  Are you grateful that you were invited?  Do not be angry that you continue to hear the message.  Do not turn away when you hear the calling.  For the king wants all to come.  He wants all to be invited.  He wants all to enjoy the happiness that he affords.  He is a happy king.  He is a joyous king.  He is a loving king and he will provide all with the means to make the journey for those who want to come .  All we need to do is to decide to 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 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 10, verse: 15, The Instructions

Our paragraph topic is:  (Instructions to the Twelve) Part 7.  

Christ is finishing up his instructions to his disciples.  After giving individual instructions he now has a general huddle to show his disciples what the game plan will be.  Just as a general huddles with his captains and majors to discuss the overall plan of attack, so Christ tells his disciples what will happen.  After they have gone through the villages and towns and spread the news of the kingdom of heaven, he shows them the results. 

For those towns that have not availed themselves of the the message of love and hope, Christ has instructed his disciples to kick the dust from their feet.  He has instructed his disciples to mark the towns that did not repent.  He has given specific orders to set the mark for the coming destruction for that village or town.  Just as an advance recon team marks an area for the coming fighter jets to lay down a path of destruction, Christ has done so with his disciples.  He then tells his disciples of the coming destruction that will take place.  He tells them that for those towns that do not accept the words of the disciples, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for these towns.  For Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone poured down from heaven.  But for these towns, they will see a worse punishment than what was given to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Christ is the Lord of the Battle.  He is the commander-in-chief.  The disciples are his generals who are practising for the battle to come.  In this solo journey by the disciples, Christ gives them a taste of what is to come.  He has prepared them with proper training.  He has given them the challenge call.  He has shown them how to find the one that is worthy and how to determine the spiritual wellness of a house or a town or a village.  Kick the dust from your feet, he instructed them.  Lay down a marker for the destruction of the wicked ones.  The angel of destruction will come forth and destroy the towns and villages that are marked for destruction. 

This is our wake up call today.  Christ is giving us the opportunity to open our eyes and see.  He is giving us the opportunity to hear the message of hope, the message of love, and the message peace.  It is given freely to freely accept.  The choice is yours.  Know that the decision has consequences.  Know that for those who are blessed with new life and the joy of the Holy Spirit, they will be saved.  But for those who are cursed with the spirit of evil, the devil will continue to keep them blind and deaf.  No one can make them see.  No one can make them hear.  The desire has to come from the heart.  Christ will listen.  Christ will wait.  Christ will be patient up to the last minute.  But our heavenly Father decides the day and time.  And when that time comes, all will know who is Lord and Master.  All will know who is the commander-in-chief.  Take heed today.  Heed the call.  Come join the ranks of those who are saved before the battle begins.  Will you suffer a fate worse than Sodom and Gomorrah in the time of judgment?  Or will you rejoice in the grace and glory of God and of Jesus Christ?  The choice is yours.
   

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 14, The Instructions

Our paragraph topic is: (Instructions to the Twelve) Part 6.

Christ continues with his instructions to his disciples.  He has already told them how to find the one that is worthy in a village or town.  He has given them a challenge call to determine who is worthy, who claims to be worthy, and also to bring forth the demons who would stop this call to worthiness.  In part 5, we talked about the call for peace when a disciple enters a home.  If the peace that is given when saying, “Peace be upon this house,” comes back to the disciple then the house is not worthy.  But if the peace remains in the house then the disciple is to stay there until he leaves. 

Christ now instructs his disciples how to deal with those who do not accept them or listen to their words.  He tells his disciples,  And whoever does not receive you or listen to your words–go forth outside the house or town, and shake off the dust from your feet.   These instructions are instructions of condemnation for the house or village or town that does not heed the words of the disciples.  Christ has given the disciples a weapon to deal with those who will not accept the message of the kingdom of heaven.  He has given the disciples a marker to place in the villages and towns.  The disciples were the advance recon team that warned the people of the coming of the kingdom of heaven.  They were the to give notice to the people to change their ways.  And for those who did not, for those who heeded the ways of the devil, they were to be marked for destruction. 

Kick the dust off your feet.  Leave behind the marker of destruction.  Give fair warning.  But also give love to those who will listen.  Freely give what you have freely received.  Let them know that the kingdom of heaven is at hand and all they have to do is seek it.  All they have to do is reach out to it.  All they had to do is accept the word that was being brought to them by the disciples.  For the demons will be working their magic in the villages and towns.  They have made their strongholds within the villages and towns of the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  They were in power.  But Christ, has given the disciples the power to battle for the people.  Christ has given them training and instructions of warfare.  And he sent them forward on their solo journey to do battle.

Christ knew the outcome of the battles that the disciples would face.  He knew the obstacles that would be thrown in their way.  He knew the tricks and traps that the demons would play.  So he gave his disciples weapons and instruments also.  We too are in a spiritual battle today.  We too fight against the forces of darkness.  We are in the world but the world should not be in us.  We live in the realm of darkness.  We work in the environs of evil.  We play in the playgrounds of the forces that would destroy us physically and drag us to hell spiritually. 

Just like Christ gave his disciples instructions then, those same instructions apply today.  Shake off the dust from the towns that you enter.  Shake off the dust from the clubs, the bars, the restaurants, etc, that are dens of evil.  Shake off the dust from the homes, and parties, and lust gatherings, and spring breaks, and all manner of evil events that are not worthy.  Deliver the message of love and peace to the gentiles and the lost.  But do not tarry, least you are caught up in the traps and snares of evil.  Rest in the place of safety.  Seek renewal in the house of the Lord.  Strengthen your soul in the Holy  Spirit and let him be your guide in everyday life.  Renew your spirit daily through prayer and fasting and walk in the spirit of the Lord.  Are you ready to do battle?  Are you equipped with the weapons of war given by Christ?  Come!!  Train with the master that you may be successful in the world.