We continue our paragraph topic: (Obstacles to virtue) Part 4.
In this verse Christ gives a warning to everyone. He tells us that many will say to him in their defense: 'Lord, Lord. ' But some of those who make this statement will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So this statement is the dividing rule for those who enter the kingdom of heaven and those who do not. It is the key to the test that some must take at judgement. It is an opportunity for us to be prepared now, before that day comes. It is the key to overcoming the obstacles to virtue. For Christ says that: "He who does the will of my Father in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven." So we separate into two groups, those who say to Christ, "Lord, Lord" and they do the will of God; and those who say, "Lord, Lord" and they do not do the will of God. What then is the will of God that we must do?
Christ has given us many things in previous sermon that we can do to perform the will of God. He has told us about the Beatitudes, the poor in spirit, the meek, those who suffer persecution for justice sake, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, and they who suffer persecution, reproach, and false accusations for his name sake. He has further given us other explanations that help us to understand the type of person that we must become. He has told us about our basic nature which is similar to the salt of the earth. He compared us to the light of a lamp that shines for all. He has told us about the Laws that were handed down to Moses. He has told us about being angry and the importance of resolving disputes. He has told us about lust and how starts in our hearts. He has given us all of these sermons to provide God's will for us and how he wants us to live.
So what is being said, in this particular sermon, is that, if you do the will of God then you will enter the kingdom of heaven without having to plead and demonstrate all the things that you did with your life while on this earth. I ask myself what is God's will for me? What I receive is to love everyone as I love myself. How do I love myself? I want the best for me, and God has shown me what he has for me in heaven. This gift that God has given to me is so great that I think that everyone should have it. It is so wonderful a gift that if anyone knew about it, they would want to have it also. So the will of God for me is to tell anyone and everyone about the gift that God has for them. I cannot instruct them on how they should live their lives. I cannot give them solutions on what the Bible says to handle trials and tribulations that they will face on a daily basis. I am not a counselor to listen to their problems about work, or marriage, or relationships, or children. I am only a compass pointing to true north, a compass that wants to point to God.
Once a person reaches his destination by following the compass, by following the Shepard, by listening to the word, then it is up to God and the Holy Spirit to lead them, to guide them on a daily basis. It is up to Christ to send the Holy Spirit to dwell within them. It is up to the Holy Spirit to teach them daily how to live their lives. It is up to the Holy Spirit to protect them, to guide them, to feed them, to shelter them, to counsel them, to encourage them and to demonstrate God's love for them. This is God's will for me. Lord, Lord, am I doing the will of your Father in heaven? I humbly ask you Father, teach me your will that I may enter the kingdom of heaven!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
St Matthew, Chapter 7, verses: 16 - 20. The Sermon on the Mount.
We continue with the paragraph topic: (Obstacles to virtue) Part 3.
Christ continues his sermon by talking about fruit. He tells us that by their fruit we will know them. He does not tell us what fruit we are looking for, pair, apple, fig, banana, orange, whatever. He simple tells us that we will know them by their fruit. He asks us: "Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?" He is telling us that we should not expect to find fruit that nourishes our bodies from thorns or thistles. They do not grow on that type of plant. He is telling us that we should not expect to gather the good fruit of life from thorns for we cannot eat them. Thorns are not good for our spiritual or physical bodies. We should not expect to find figs on the brier patch bush because they do not grow from the thistles plant. What we should expect to find on thorny and thistle plants are things that are bad for us, things that can harm us, things that will cause us pain.
We will know them by their fruit. Christ tells us that every good tree bears good fruit and every bad tree bears bad fruit. We will know them by their fruit. He says that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. We will know them by their fruit. He is telling us this because he is talking about obstacles to virtue. He has just told us about ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing. We will know them by their fruit. He is telling us this to warns of what our expectations should be when we know them for their fruit. The devil cannot produce good fruit. He can only produce bad fruit. The Holy Spirit cannot produce bad fruit, but only good fruit. So if we are aware of the fruit that is being produced, we can determine if we have a good tree or a bad tree. We can determine whether we should eat, absorb, digest, consume what is being produced.
Christ tells us that every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. What good is it? They are obstacles to virtue. We will find them on the road to life. We will need fruit to nourish ourselves, to strengthen ourselves, to provide for our physical and spiritual needs. We will find bad fruit popping up all over the road to life. They are like weeds, constantly needing to be trimmed, cut back. Look around you in this world. Do you see the good trees? Do you see the bad trees? Do you see the good fruit? Do you see the bad fruit? Which do you gather? Which do you seek to nourish yourself upon? A tree is a tree, is a tree. An apple tree cannot be a fig tree. A pair tree cannot be a banana tree. A pineapple cannot be a mango tree. They are what they are. And a thorn cannot nourish the soul with life, for a thorn meant to cause pain, to destroy, to take life. Obstacles to virtue.
We will know them by their fruit. It is not necessary to put neon lights on it so that all will see. It is only necessary that we know it for what it is, bad fruit from a bad tree. Look not to thorns and thistles for nourishment, but look to the good fruit that sustains us and provides life. Look to the word and the tree that it grows upon. Look to the word. Understand the word. Know the word for yourself, that you may know the good fruit that provides life everlasting. For only through the word will you find the nourishment to sustain life within you. Only through the word will the fruit of life flourish within you that others may eat from the good tree of life.
Christ continues his sermon by talking about fruit. He tells us that by their fruit we will know them. He does not tell us what fruit we are looking for, pair, apple, fig, banana, orange, whatever. He simple tells us that we will know them by their fruit. He asks us: "Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?" He is telling us that we should not expect to find fruit that nourishes our bodies from thorns or thistles. They do not grow on that type of plant. He is telling us that we should not expect to gather the good fruit of life from thorns for we cannot eat them. Thorns are not good for our spiritual or physical bodies. We should not expect to find figs on the brier patch bush because they do not grow from the thistles plant. What we should expect to find on thorny and thistle plants are things that are bad for us, things that can harm us, things that will cause us pain.
We will know them by their fruit. Christ tells us that every good tree bears good fruit and every bad tree bears bad fruit. We will know them by their fruit. He says that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. We will know them by their fruit. He is telling us this because he is talking about obstacles to virtue. He has just told us about ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing. We will know them by their fruit. He is telling us this to warns of what our expectations should be when we know them for their fruit. The devil cannot produce good fruit. He can only produce bad fruit. The Holy Spirit cannot produce bad fruit, but only good fruit. So if we are aware of the fruit that is being produced, we can determine if we have a good tree or a bad tree. We can determine whether we should eat, absorb, digest, consume what is being produced.
Christ tells us that every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. What good is it? They are obstacles to virtue. We will find them on the road to life. We will need fruit to nourish ourselves, to strengthen ourselves, to provide for our physical and spiritual needs. We will find bad fruit popping up all over the road to life. They are like weeds, constantly needing to be trimmed, cut back. Look around you in this world. Do you see the good trees? Do you see the bad trees? Do you see the good fruit? Do you see the bad fruit? Which do you gather? Which do you seek to nourish yourself upon? A tree is a tree, is a tree. An apple tree cannot be a fig tree. A pair tree cannot be a banana tree. A pineapple cannot be a mango tree. They are what they are. And a thorn cannot nourish the soul with life, for a thorn meant to cause pain, to destroy, to take life. Obstacles to virtue.
We will know them by their fruit. It is not necessary to put neon lights on it so that all will see. It is only necessary that we know it for what it is, bad fruit from a bad tree. Look not to thorns and thistles for nourishment, but look to the good fruit that sustains us and provides life. Look to the word and the tree that it grows upon. Look to the word. Understand the word. Know the word for yourself, that you may know the good fruit that provides life everlasting. For only through the word will you find the nourishment to sustain life within you. Only through the word will the fruit of life flourish within you that others may eat from the good tree of life.
Friday, January 7, 2011
St Matthew, Chapter 7, verse: 15, The Sermon on the Mount.
We continue the next part of our paragraph: (Obstacles to virtue) Part 2.
This next part of the Obstacles to Virtue is very telling: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing." Christ tells us to sharpen our eyes and to look keenly at who we call prophets. Are they really prophets? Do they really speak the voice of God to us? Are they really anointed? We can find many who claim that they are prophets or prophetess. What measure of faith do we place in them? Do we blindly follow them simply because they say that they are prophets? Are they really able to tell of future events that will happen in our lives? Are they able to speak the voice of God into our lives and to give us his blessings? What can we use as a measure to determine who they really are?
Christ tells us that false prophets, different from true prophets, are inwardly like ravenous wolves, they will eat you alive. Wolves do not hunt alone. They hunt in packs. They surround their prey and attack with precision movement. If they are severely starved with hunger, they will attack game that is much larger than their usual prey. They will take additional risks because of their empty stomachs and their depraved craving for the prey that they are attacking. Is this the behavior of false prophets? What does a false prophet gain by his teachings?
First there is the need for a following. Those that will head the teachings of a prophet will be wooed by the seemingly magical predictions that they give. I sense someone out there who has problems in their neck. There is a person who has a problem with there eyes, they are having difficulty seeing. There is a person who has a back problem. There is an elderly lady who is watching today or listening who has sever arthritis. All these can be general statements thrown out to the general public. Out of the thousands of people listening there is bound to be someone with these types of issues. Being able to have a sense, out of mid air, of what is happening in a persons life and then to supposedly send the Holy Spirit to rid this person of their ailment is cause for question.
Secondly, there is the requirement for the transfer of money to bless the person. Buy this book, get this DVD, listen to this CD and you will be able to defeat your problem. You can get this promotion for only $25, and along with this promotion we will throw in the author's personal story of how he overcame his problems. You say, a person has to support himself. True! But a true "prophet" has the support of God almighty and does not need support. God supports him because he/she is doing God's will. So with each program there is the continuous need for more money and the sell of more products and more money and more DVDs and CDs and Books and Devotionals and the continuous collection plate for special projects, etc.
Christ tells us in this short statement to beware of these types of people. They are hungry wolves and will stop at nothing to satisfy their worldly passions. He is telling us this because he is warning us that these are obstacles to virtue. These will lead astray, away from the true light and into the darkness. They lead blindly, according to their own whims and fancies. They lead into dark alleys and dead ends. They lead according to their own passions. They lead for the kill.
If you are following a false prophet, ask yourself where are you going. Ask yourself have you found the true light of the world? Ask yourself have you encountered the Holy Spirit on your journey with this prophet? Ask yourself do you truly know Christ and has he come into your life? If you truly know him, how can you tell? What signs has he given you to let you know that he is in your life? What assignments has he directed you to do that let you know that you work for God and not yourself?
Obstacles to virtue. Virtue is needed in our lives. Virtue is essential to get us closer to God. Virtue cleanses us from the dirt of this world and prepares us to do the will of God. Will you be turned astray? Will you face an obstacle and not know that it is there? Will you encounter an obstacle and think that you have no defense against it? Be prepared.
Open your eyes. Take heed to what you hear and guard your hearing. For we run an obstacle course full of traps and tricks that would take us off the narrow path and put us on the road to destruction. Heed these words from Christ. Put them into your heart. Keep them close to your inner person. For these words will protect you. These words will comfort you. These words will direct you and keep you on the narrow road to life.
This next part of the Obstacles to Virtue is very telling: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing." Christ tells us to sharpen our eyes and to look keenly at who we call prophets. Are they really prophets? Do they really speak the voice of God to us? Are they really anointed? We can find many who claim that they are prophets or prophetess. What measure of faith do we place in them? Do we blindly follow them simply because they say that they are prophets? Are they really able to tell of future events that will happen in our lives? Are they able to speak the voice of God into our lives and to give us his blessings? What can we use as a measure to determine who they really are?
Christ tells us that false prophets, different from true prophets, are inwardly like ravenous wolves, they will eat you alive. Wolves do not hunt alone. They hunt in packs. They surround their prey and attack with precision movement. If they are severely starved with hunger, they will attack game that is much larger than their usual prey. They will take additional risks because of their empty stomachs and their depraved craving for the prey that they are attacking. Is this the behavior of false prophets? What does a false prophet gain by his teachings?
First there is the need for a following. Those that will head the teachings of a prophet will be wooed by the seemingly magical predictions that they give. I sense someone out there who has problems in their neck. There is a person who has a problem with there eyes, they are having difficulty seeing. There is a person who has a back problem. There is an elderly lady who is watching today or listening who has sever arthritis. All these can be general statements thrown out to the general public. Out of the thousands of people listening there is bound to be someone with these types of issues. Being able to have a sense, out of mid air, of what is happening in a persons life and then to supposedly send the Holy Spirit to rid this person of their ailment is cause for question.
Secondly, there is the requirement for the transfer of money to bless the person. Buy this book, get this DVD, listen to this CD and you will be able to defeat your problem. You can get this promotion for only $25, and along with this promotion we will throw in the author's personal story of how he overcame his problems. You say, a person has to support himself. True! But a true "prophet" has the support of God almighty and does not need support. God supports him because he/she is doing God's will. So with each program there is the continuous need for more money and the sell of more products and more money and more DVDs and CDs and Books and Devotionals and the continuous collection plate for special projects, etc.
Christ tells us in this short statement to beware of these types of people. They are hungry wolves and will stop at nothing to satisfy their worldly passions. He is telling us this because he is warning us that these are obstacles to virtue. These will lead astray, away from the true light and into the darkness. They lead blindly, according to their own whims and fancies. They lead into dark alleys and dead ends. They lead according to their own passions. They lead for the kill.
If you are following a false prophet, ask yourself where are you going. Ask yourself have you found the true light of the world? Ask yourself have you encountered the Holy Spirit on your journey with this prophet? Ask yourself do you truly know Christ and has he come into your life? If you truly know him, how can you tell? What signs has he given you to let you know that he is in your life? What assignments has he directed you to do that let you know that you work for God and not yourself?
Obstacles to virtue. Virtue is needed in our lives. Virtue is essential to get us closer to God. Virtue cleanses us from the dirt of this world and prepares us to do the will of God. Will you be turned astray? Will you face an obstacle and not know that it is there? Will you encounter an obstacle and think that you have no defense against it? Be prepared.
Open your eyes. Take heed to what you hear and guard your hearing. For we run an obstacle course full of traps and tricks that would take us off the narrow path and put us on the road to destruction. Heed these words from Christ. Put them into your heart. Keep them close to your inner person. For these words will protect you. These words will comfort you. These words will direct you and keep you on the narrow road to life.
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