St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 35, The Battle

Our paragraph topic is:  (We must give up all for Christ) Part 2.  

The war begins.  Christ explains to his disciples who will be the enemy and who will be the friends.  He tells his disciples that war will break out in the towns and villages.  War will break out in the market place.  War will even be in the homes of the lost sheep of the tribe of Israel.  He has come not for peace but to bring a sword of separation.  He has brought the sword of God upon the people who are unbelievers.  But for the believers they will be protected.  They will be provided for.  They will not feel the sharp blade of the sword of God.

For Christ will bring turmoil.  He will bring division.  He will bring separation even down to the members of ones family and in ones household.  For he tells his disciples, "I have come to set a man at variance with his father, and a daughter with her mother, and a daughter-in-law with her mother-in-law."   The war is up close and personal.  For it will come to a man's home.  It will come to a man's family.  It will come to a man's marriage.  It will come.  And it will divide and separate and conquer and destroy.  For Christ has unleashed the sword of God and it will bring destruction upon those who follow the evil one. 

The disciples must bring the message.  They are the carriers.  They are the foot soldiers.  They are the bearers of the good news and the bad news.  Times will not be the same.  Chaos will come upon the people and the rulers will seek to stop the change.  But Christ has set things in motion and his mission has begun.  Nothing will be the same from this day forward.  Father will turn against son.  Daughter will turn against mother.  Children will betray theirs parents and chaos will reign.  For this is the design of the evil one.  He wants division.  He wants chaos.  He wants destruction.  He wants betrayal.  These are his tools to capture the souls of men.  Those who do not accept the message of the kingdom of heaven will be turned away. 

Christ gives us this message because he is telling us the state of things to come.  Even today you will find division.  Children turn against parents when they enter the world and are captured by it.  Friends turn against friends when the sword of God comes.  Worker turns against co-worker when the sword strikes.  And all will be divided. 

It is only through the grace of God that they have the opportunity to repent and return before the day of judgement comes.  For we do not know when it will come.  It may come tomorrow.  It may come next week.  It may come in two years.  But for some, death knocks at the door and will not cease.  For death is the ultimate accountant and when the tally is made the balance determines eternal life or eternal damnation for the soul.  And we do not know when he will come.   Is your house divided?  Did the sword of the God separate you from your family members?  Many will fall by the wayside.  Many will not believe. For the devil has blinded their eyes that they may not see.  He has closed their ears that they may not hear.  He has bound up their hearts that they may not understand the love that God has for them.  But the battle has begun. 

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse:34, The Battle

Our paragraph topic is:  (We must give up all for Christ) Part 1.  

And now we talk about the philosophy of battle, the philosophy of war.  Christ speaks to his disciples about the whys and wherefores of this battle.  He tells his disciples, "Do not think that I have come to send peace upon the earth."   Peace will not be sent forth.  Peace will not be called.  Peace will wait in the background after the battle is completed.  Christ makes his principle statement of the why of his coming to earth.  He has come to do battle.  He has come to bring war.  He has come to bring turmoil upon the earth and its people.  For the evil one has taken over the earth and the people of God have fallen by the wayside and forgotten their creator.  Christ has come to re-establish the kingdom of heaven.  He has come to take back the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  He has come to do battle.

Christ tells his disciples this because he wants them to know that they are in a time of upheaval and turmoil.  The earth will no longer be the same.  Satan will be outcast from the earth and the sacrifice will be made.  And to the victor goes the spoils.  The disciples are the warriors.  They are the leaders of the new alliance with Christ.  They will conquer all the earth with their mighty words and deeds.  One can look back into history and wonder about this mighty cause.  Twelve men did the impossible.  Twelve men brought about the end of the reign of Satan on the earth and spread the gospel of Christ throughout the entire world and Christ led the way.  He came to conquer.  He came to separate.  He came to divide believers from unbelievers, sinners from the sanctified and justified, the protected from the unprotected, the faithful from the unfaithful, the light from the darkness, and the good from the evil.  Just twelve men began this movement some two thousand years ago and Christ was their leader.  It could not have happened without the hand of God.  And it did.

Christ said to his disciples, "I have come to bring a sword, not peace."   He brought weapons of war.  He brought battle plans.  He brought strategies from the Father.  And he did not bring peace.  The sword will cut.  The sword will slash.  The sword will stab and it will kill.  For many are the ones who have lived by the power of evil.  Now, the sword will slash evil.  It will cut evil from the flesh of the people.  It will split into, the good, from the evil and provide a means of protection for those unprotected.  The sword will cut to the quick the evil that is in men, separating the just from the unjust.  Christ brought the sword of God to do battle with the evil and to reclaim the lost that had been taken by the evil one.

The sword will cut you.  The sword will cleans you.  The sword will divide you.  The sword will heal you.  Prepare to do battle for the Lord of Host has declared that peace is not here.  He has brought the sword.  He has brought weapons of war.  He comes to conquer.  Christ brought the sword to earth.  Will you be cut?  Will you be slashed by the sword?  Will you be stabbed by the blade of the sword?  War is at hand and the sword will conquer the defenses of the evil one.  Christ has brought swords for everyone to do battle.  He has brought the word.  The word is the sword.  The word is the blade of truth.  It will cut.  It will slash.  It will stab.  Will you become a warrior for Christ and take up the sword for battle?  Will you become a player for evil living in the world of lust and passion?  The battle is coming.  It will come to you soon.  Do not be caught off guard and become a casualty of the sword.  Be prepared.  Join the ranks of the solders of Christ and fight the battle of the Lord.  Uncle Sam calls you to do battle with the enemy of the US.  Christ calls you to do battle with the enemy of the kingdom.  Which battle will you join? 

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 33, Heavenly Value.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Confidence in divine protection) Part 9.  

Yesterday we talked about recognition, acceptance, and acknowledgement.  Christ has given his disciples a statement of division.  He told them that whoever acknowledges him before men, he would acknowledge them before his heavenly father.   All those who know him and accept him and confirm that acceptance when questioned by man will be accepted and acknowledged and confirmed before God.  Christ is giving his disciples a way of discerning true believers.  Those who know Christ and accept him will speak his name before men.  Those who do not accept him will, of course, not speak his name but curse his name before men.  Then there are those who may accept him behind closed doors and in proper company, but, when put to the test in the face of controversy, will not acknowledge his name because of fear and shame and a lack of faith.

True acceptance requires one to separate oneself from the world.  Many may say that they accept Christ but in their hearts he does not live.  And Christ knows the hearts of each and every man woman and child.  So Christ is showing his disciples the fine points of division that will define the true believer and the nonbeliever.  He has told them those who he would confirm before his father, now he says,  "But whoever disowns me before men, I in turn will disown him before my Father in heaven."   So now, we have the complete picture of the expectations of Christ. 

Christ expects men to accept him at all times before all men.  He expects believers to be bold and steadfast in their beliefs.  He expects believers to be disciples themselves, to speak on his behalf when in the company of men.  He expects believers to believe at work, at home, at church, in the streets, with friends, in the clubs, at school, everywhere.  This does not mean to accept him at church and then do not speak his name in the market, at work, with friends, or wherever.  One can not own him in some places and disown him in others.  One can not speak his words in the church, with church friends, and then be silent at work, on lunch break with other friends, in private company with people that do not accept his name.  One has to be consistent with ones belief.  One has to be proud of his name.  One has to be filled with his name and his glory.  One has to be ever present in him and he in you.

Today's society is fashioned so that we do not speak about Christ.  Speaking out about our beliefs and religion causes separation.  It causes people to shy away when one begins to acknowledge the name of Christ.  It is not cool.  It is not the latest thing to talk about in polite company.  It is not what is happening.  What we talk about is what we think about.  And today we think about and talk about the latest fashions, the latest hair styles and clothes, the upcoming concert or event, the news of the stars, the latest TV shows that was on the night before, vampire diaries, and on and on and on. 

We do not talk about the latest gospel show that we saw, the last religious conference that we went to, the words that were spoken in the sermon this past Sunday, and most of all we do not gather outside of church and talk about the written word of God in the gospels.  We are fed everything except what is of need and that is what we speak on.  So when one speaks and acknowledges Christ in polite company, people leave.  People shy away.  And people do not want to hear.  Do you disown Christ in polite company?  Do you disown Christ amongst your friends?  Do you accept Christ when it is convenient and disown him when it is also convenient?  Christ will do the same and disown you when it is convenient before his father.