Today our paragraph topic is: (A leper) Part 2.
We continue our topic today with the second part of this discussion of A Leper. As I reflect upon the topic, it could just as easily been, A Hooker, or An Addict, or, A John, or A Pornographer, or A Sinner, or A person with AIDS, or A person with Cancer, or anything that takes us to depths of despair where we are hopeless without any sign of help. This is a powerful topic for us today because it applies to all, no matter what condition we find ourselves in. It could be at home with our families, at work with our co-workers, at work with our supervisors or managers or our company. It could be with our position in life and the feeling of hopelessness of being trapped without having some solution. It could be in our relationships with our parents, our friends, our love ones, even our children who have gone astray. It could be with our physical health and the sickness that we face not knowing the certainty of where we will be in the future, health wise. It could be with any and all situations that we face in life where we are out of control and have a sense of hopelessness. "Lord, if thou wilt."
Christ in his overflowing love for us stretches forth his hand and touches us, just as he touched the leper and says: "I will; be thou made clean." We are blessed with his love and instantly we are healed. Addicts are cured instantly of their addiction never to return to using. Sickness is banished from the body leaving the person cleansed and whole, baffling the medical community as to how the cure came about. Hookers are made whole never to return to the streets again, now having a love for God and not for man. The desire for pornography is removed from the mind allowing the person to be cleansed of the spirit of lust and now to lead a spirit filled life. "Lord, if thou wilt."
There is so much in our lives today that need the healing hand of Christ. And all we have to do is ask him, if he will heal us. All we have to do is believe that he loves us. All we have to do is open our hearts to him. It may be difficult for those who have not experienced pain or suffering or a behavior that we did not like, that kept us in a trapped lifestyle. It may be difficult for those who have money, who have options, who have a good job, who have great relationships, to perceive the pain and anguish that one goes through when trapped in the world without an option. It may be hard for one to understand the compulsion that drives one to do the things that are against one's own desire to change, telling oneself that we have control and we will just do this one more time. And that one more time creates a spiral that leads down and down to our destruction. It may be difficult to comprehend, until one goes through the cycle of destruction, how deeply one has fallen into the pit of damnation and the depths of despair one has reached.
Christ is our redeemer. Christ is our healer. Christ is our savior. He can reach into the pit and retrieve us from damnation. He can bring us back from the abyss. He can remove all curses of evil upon us. He can cleans our bodies from all sickness. He can do all things if we let him. In our darkest days of despair, if we open our hearts to him and ask for his help, he will come. In our moments of need he can be our comforter. In our times of pain ans suffering, physically, mentally and spiritually, he can be our salvation. Let us not forsake him for the world. Let us not reason with our minds that we know the answers. Let us not close the door to our hearts and mock those who believe. For one day your time of need will come and who will you call upon. "Lord, if thou wilt." And Christ said: "I will".
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
St Matthew, Chapter 8, verses: 1-2. A Leper
We begin this chapter with paragraph topic: (A leper) Part 1.
Christ has finished his sermon and now he moves among the people. Large crowds follow him because of his popularity. He has not yet brought about any miracles at this point, according to St Matthew, but now he begins to demonstrate his power. And behold, a leper appears before him and he bows down and worships him.
A leper in those days was a dreaded figure, filled with sores, smelling of flesh rot, clothed in bandages. He was an outcast from society. He lived apart from the rest of humanity and could not come in contact with others. A leper had to announce his presence before others so that they he could be avoided. There was no cure for a leper in those days and leprosy was considered a social stigma. So anyone with the disease was ostracized from society for fear of catching the disease. To touch a leper was considered to be a way of catching the disease. Anyone with the disease was shunned and labeled because the disease was considered to be a symbol of ones sin.
Yet the leper appears before Christ and says: "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." This statement, on the part of the leper, demonstrates his faith. He states that he knows that Christ can make him clean. He knows that Christ has the power to change his life. He believes that he deserves to be clean. He believes that Christ is the Lord. He regrets in his heart the sins that he has committed. He believes in his heart that Christ will say yes to him and make him clean. And therefore he has taken this bold step to come amongst the crowds to plead with Christ to make him clean.
How perfect an example this is for us today. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst heal me. For those who are sick, for those who have ailments, for those who have diseases, for those who have cancer, for those who have AIDS, for those who are addicted to drugs, for those who are addicted to pornography, for all of us who have sinned, Christ has the power to heal. Christ has the will to make us clean. Christ has the love to see us whole. Christ is the Lord.
If, we only believe. If, we only take that first step. If, we only have faith. If, we open our hearts to him, he will come in. The leper said, "Thou canst make me clean." What a tremendous statement of faith. Are we in need of a cleansing?
Christ has finished his sermon and now he moves among the people. Large crowds follow him because of his popularity. He has not yet brought about any miracles at this point, according to St Matthew, but now he begins to demonstrate his power. And behold, a leper appears before him and he bows down and worships him.
A leper in those days was a dreaded figure, filled with sores, smelling of flesh rot, clothed in bandages. He was an outcast from society. He lived apart from the rest of humanity and could not come in contact with others. A leper had to announce his presence before others so that they he could be avoided. There was no cure for a leper in those days and leprosy was considered a social stigma. So anyone with the disease was ostracized from society for fear of catching the disease. To touch a leper was considered to be a way of catching the disease. Anyone with the disease was shunned and labeled because the disease was considered to be a symbol of ones sin.
Yet the leper appears before Christ and says: "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." This statement, on the part of the leper, demonstrates his faith. He states that he knows that Christ can make him clean. He knows that Christ has the power to change his life. He believes that he deserves to be clean. He believes that Christ is the Lord. He regrets in his heart the sins that he has committed. He believes in his heart that Christ will say yes to him and make him clean. And therefore he has taken this bold step to come amongst the crowds to plead with Christ to make him clean.
How perfect an example this is for us today. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst heal me. For those who are sick, for those who have ailments, for those who have diseases, for those who have cancer, for those who have AIDS, for those who are addicted to drugs, for those who are addicted to pornography, for all of us who have sinned, Christ has the power to heal. Christ has the will to make us clean. Christ has the love to see us whole. Christ is the Lord.
If, we only believe. If, we only take that first step. If, we only have faith. If, we open our hearts to him, he will come in. The leper said, "Thou canst make me clean." What a tremendous statement of faith. Are we in need of a cleansing?
Saturday, January 15, 2011
St Matthew, Chapter 7, verses: 28-29, The Sermon on the Mount.
Our final paragraph topic is: (The reaction of the crowd)
We finish up the Sermon on the Mount with this final paragraph. In it we hear about the reaction of the crowds that heard Christ teach the Sermon. Matthew, the author of this book, tells us that when the sermon was finished, the crowds were astonished at the teachings of Christ. They had never heard anyone teach like him for he taught with authority. He did not teach like the Pharisees or the Scribes. The question that we may ask ourselves today is, do we believe the authority of Christ. Do we believe and know that his teachings are true and real? Do we know that he is not just speaking life principles to be taken lightly? Do you know that he is speaking life principles with all authority, as spoken by one with greater authority than the best authority we know today.
The best authority we know comes from the news and what we find in the media. The best authority we know today comes from the books that we read. The best authorities come from what we are taught in schools and colleges and universities. For this is where our beliefs are formed and our life principles are established. And in many cases we get our authority from our ministers, pastors, priests, bishops, etc.
Do we go to the source? NO! We let the source come to us. We have the greatest authority in our homes, but we go to church on Sunday to get our cup of authority. Do we go to the source? NO! We have our life principles in our night stands and we get our authority from the DVDs that we purchase from our church ministry. Do we go to the source? NO! We have our true source of wisdom on the coffee table and seek it not. Do we go to the source? NO! We have the fountain of life on the dash of our car or in the rear window and we seek the meaning of life not from within it's pages.
And they were astonished then, when he finished. And we are deaf now when we hear the words of life everlasting. We live in a world of convenience. Why? It is convenient for us to pick up our bibles when we need help. We live in a world of convenience. Why? It is convenient for us to pray when we are sick. We live in a world of convenience. Why? It is convenient for us to seek the Lord when we are facing disaster. We live in a world of convenience. Why? It is convenient for us to offer praise one day a week and forget about the other six. You see Satan has made it convenient for us to live in a world where everything is at our fingertips. He has made it simple for us to have our cake and be able to eat it. He has lulled us to sleep and put our world in a deep sleep that it cannot awaken from. And he has also made it contrary for us to practice life principles as given to us by Christ.
Christ gave us these teachings to help us live better. These sermons are not meant as condemnations. They are meant to help us stay out of trouble. Christ knows what will lead us down the wrong path. He knows what actions will open the door to Satan and what actions will keep that door closed. Christ knows what beliefs will cloud our hearts and what beliefs will cause them to shine brightly. Christ knows what principles we need to have in our hearts and those that we need to keep out. So he tells us with authority what we should do. He tells us with certainty what will work and what will not. He gives us the key to the test and the answers to the questions that we may be able to pass the test with flying colors. The question is will we listen. The question is, will we hear his words. The question is will we adhere to them. The question is will we get off the fence and stand upon the rock or will we continue to sit on the fence thinking that we can partake of both worlds.
There can be no mistake, for God does not make mistakes. Some mistakenly believe that they will see the day when science will break the cycle of death and man will live forever on this earth. It has been spoken and it has been written. Judgement will come, either today for some, tomorrow for others, or in the future for most. But as certain as we are decaying daily, death will come. And with death will come judgement. Christ has spoken with authority to show us the way. Christ has given us his teachings to give us life. Christ has opened the door where the narrow gate ends to let those in who have followed his words. Christ is waiting for you? Will you follow? Will you hear? Will you take him into your heart and keep him? Will you love him?
We finish up the Sermon on the Mount with this final paragraph. In it we hear about the reaction of the crowds that heard Christ teach the Sermon. Matthew, the author of this book, tells us that when the sermon was finished, the crowds were astonished at the teachings of Christ. They had never heard anyone teach like him for he taught with authority. He did not teach like the Pharisees or the Scribes. The question that we may ask ourselves today is, do we believe the authority of Christ. Do we believe and know that his teachings are true and real? Do we know that he is not just speaking life principles to be taken lightly? Do you know that he is speaking life principles with all authority, as spoken by one with greater authority than the best authority we know today.
The best authority we know comes from the news and what we find in the media. The best authority we know today comes from the books that we read. The best authorities come from what we are taught in schools and colleges and universities. For this is where our beliefs are formed and our life principles are established. And in many cases we get our authority from our ministers, pastors, priests, bishops, etc.
Do we go to the source? NO! We let the source come to us. We have the greatest authority in our homes, but we go to church on Sunday to get our cup of authority. Do we go to the source? NO! We have our life principles in our night stands and we get our authority from the DVDs that we purchase from our church ministry. Do we go to the source? NO! We have our true source of wisdom on the coffee table and seek it not. Do we go to the source? NO! We have the fountain of life on the dash of our car or in the rear window and we seek the meaning of life not from within it's pages.
And they were astonished then, when he finished. And we are deaf now when we hear the words of life everlasting. We live in a world of convenience. Why? It is convenient for us to pick up our bibles when we need help. We live in a world of convenience. Why? It is convenient for us to pray when we are sick. We live in a world of convenience. Why? It is convenient for us to seek the Lord when we are facing disaster. We live in a world of convenience. Why? It is convenient for us to offer praise one day a week and forget about the other six. You see Satan has made it convenient for us to live in a world where everything is at our fingertips. He has made it simple for us to have our cake and be able to eat it. He has lulled us to sleep and put our world in a deep sleep that it cannot awaken from. And he has also made it contrary for us to practice life principles as given to us by Christ.
Christ gave us these teachings to help us live better. These sermons are not meant as condemnations. They are meant to help us stay out of trouble. Christ knows what will lead us down the wrong path. He knows what actions will open the door to Satan and what actions will keep that door closed. Christ knows what beliefs will cloud our hearts and what beliefs will cause them to shine brightly. Christ knows what principles we need to have in our hearts and those that we need to keep out. So he tells us with authority what we should do. He tells us with certainty what will work and what will not. He gives us the key to the test and the answers to the questions that we may be able to pass the test with flying colors. The question is will we listen. The question is, will we hear his words. The question is will we adhere to them. The question is will we get off the fence and stand upon the rock or will we continue to sit on the fence thinking that we can partake of both worlds.
There can be no mistake, for God does not make mistakes. Some mistakenly believe that they will see the day when science will break the cycle of death and man will live forever on this earth. It has been spoken and it has been written. Judgement will come, either today for some, tomorrow for others, or in the future for most. But as certain as we are decaying daily, death will come. And with death will come judgement. Christ has spoken with authority to show us the way. Christ has given us his teachings to give us life. Christ has opened the door where the narrow gate ends to let those in who have followed his words. Christ is waiting for you? Will you follow? Will you hear? Will you take him into your heart and keep him? Will you love him?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)