Talents From God

The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:

14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Each servant was given according to his several ability. This means each one was given that which he was able to handle according to his ability, gifts and talent. This could also be stated as to how the person had been gifted or in what way he is talented. This is important to remember.

16Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. This man doubled what he had been given.

17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. Once again this servant doubled what he was given.

18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. This one hid what he had received, no man could see it and it was buried and useless for gain or for any kind of use. God expects us to show gain in spreading His glory and grace. The servant buried the talent and never planned to use it. This means no other human was shown the gift of God and therefore could not learn or grow from it.

19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.

23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. This man is proud of returning only what was given to him. This man did not gain the master a single thing. It may have been better to try and lose the one talent than to never have tried at all.

26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Why is the lord calling this man slothful and wicked? There can be many reasons but we are dealing with a master that believes a gift should not be wasted.

27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. Here is the answer and this answer is an indication of what Jesus expects from Christians. God gives everyone a gift and every gift may not be the same but the gift that God bestows upon you He expects you to use it to gain or gather others to Him. If you sit in that pew every church gathering and never use the gift or “talent” God gave you to bring an increase to God (let others hear about the salvation of Jesus) you are lazy and wicked. Lazy because you did not use your “talent” or gift for the glory of God and wicked because you are hiding what God blessed you with and therefore you must not be a true Christian because you do not love others enough to help lead them to Christ. You are given a gift that you can use for God’s glory and He expects you to use it.

29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Self-explanatory. Forsake the gift God gives you and God will take it away therefore use your talents for God or you may lose every gift God has given you.

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Be prepared everyone because you are about to be stunned in your shoes. Do you believe this is not talking about you? It may not be but I think many will change their minds when they read what follows. The wicked and slothful servant is and example of the people that state openly that they believe Christ is their savior and that he died on the cross for remission of their sins BUT sit on that gift and never work for God, never fight for a Christians right to pray, never fight against wicked laws, never demonstrate against unjust or corrupt government, never attempt to stop those things that Satan is obviously causing and never ever allow others to see God’s gift to them. This life is your chance to bring loved ones with you into Heaven so use this chance now before it is too late!

When was the last time you stood up and boldly told someone that they were living a life outside the will of God? When was the last time you took time out of you day to picket a governmental building or office because that building removed or restricted the mention of God? When was the last time you boldly said you LOVE GOD without being embarrassed? If you are embarrassed of Jesus He will be ashamed of you.

The point I am making is that if you are NOT just paying lip service to God then you will speak against anything that is outside the will of God, not just sit on your seat and be as useless as the hidden talent. God knows your heart and a heart that is not with God is already with Satan. The only way to truly be a Christian is to LOVE GOD! This parable is about those that will think they are destined for Heaven but will find themselves in the outer darkness with Satan and THAT is the reason for the wailing and gnashing of teeth. They discover themselves cast away from God. Am I saying that God’s salvation has failed? Heaven Forbid, NO!!

There are many that think “once saved always saved” and after that there is nothing they can do that will cause them to be condemned. This is true in a way. Jesus died on the cross for the remission of our sins so that those that LOVE Him and follow Him may have everlasting life. Jesus will never fail you even as God will never forsake you however there is a big but here. You have free will and with that free will you can decide to drift away from the will of God and into your own will which will take you into Satan’s will. I am here to tell you up front. There will be no one in Heaven that straddle the fence on earth. You are either with God or against God. Against God you go to Hell, period. Allow me to refer to another study I have done.

What is the difference between a sin and living in sin?

Living in sin could also be stated as living outside the will of God.

When we make a mistake or become tempted and give into a sin it is a mistake. This person stumbled. When our life is continually in a state of sin we are living outside the will of God. Our lifestyle is out idol and our god. Lets look at:

1 Corinthians

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

As we know God forgives all sins and if so why will these people NOT inherit the kingdom of God? There is a huge difference between committing a sin and living outside the will of God. The King James Version of the Holy Bible makes no distinction as to who these people are, in other words the Bible does not say if they are Christian or non Christian. It just says these people will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Since Paul is talking to the church of Corinth we can safely assume he is directing this to Christians.

These people can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven IF they repent and return to the will of God. Those that truly repent will give up these things for God because they love God.

The following are two examples of living in sin; ergo living outside the will of God:

A drunkard is obviously one who becomes drunk on a regular basis as a lifestyle, not someone that takes a drink once a week. What is a fornicator?

The Strong’s Concordance defines it as:

1) a man (or woman) who prostitutes his body to another's lust for hire

2) a male prostitute

3) a man who indulges in unlawful sexual intercourse, a fornicator

It is from the Greek word pornos, which is where we get the word pornography. So a fornicator is someone that uses his or her body for illicit sex, has unlawful sex and according to many biblical scholars (since it was not known at the time) indulges in pornography. What is illicit sex or unlawful sexual intercourse? That is having sex outside of marriage, sex with close relatives, adultery, unnatural sex such as with animals, anal sex, homosexuality etc. Sodom and Gomorrah were not destroyed because everyone there was having sex with their spouses in a normal healthy way. Where do you think we got the word sodomy? The word sodomy came from all these things and in particular anal sex.

Just like the drunkard a person that may make a mistake and engage in fornication commits a sin but a fornicator is one that lives regularly in this sin and will not give it up.

The bottom line is anyone who indulges in the list above (and this includes many other lifestyles that are outside the will of God) is not truly saved or has given up their salvation. Christ did not give up on you; you gave up on yourself and surrendered yourself to Satan. We are to emulate Christ Jesus as close as humanly possible in order to receive our inheritance in Heaven. Allow me to quote Hebrews 10:26

Hewbrews 10:26

26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

This is plain and simple. Once you know God’s will and commands and refuse to surrender those things of the flesh for God’s love you have condemned yourself. There will be “no more sacrifice for sins”

As a side note: Claiming to be saved and living outside the will of God is a contradiction. It is an insult to Jesus. If you are truly saved your desire is to please God. You love God more than your temptations. You can fool a church into believing you are following Jesus but you cannot deceive God. You own will is what determines your fate. Which do you love more, your life in the will of God or the will of your flesh? The one you love most is your god and is also the one you will serve.

A word about words

Many English words have changed in meaning and usage over the years and some of these changes have not necessarily been for the better.

Lets take the word hero for instance. In the past this word was used for a person that committed a courageous act of bravery sometimes at the cost of his or her own life. It was a word used for very special acts of bravery. A soldier that fights off a platoon of the enemy single handedly to save a friend, or a person that dives in front of a bus to rescue a child, these are heroes. There is no such thing as a sports hero; there is no bravery in playing a game. Children play games all the time. A person that suffers a terrible injury or disease and struggles through it is not a hero because it was not something they chose to endure. This person is admirable to endure pain and suffering with a stoic attitude but not a hero.

The word hero should be returned to its proper meaning and use. To use this word flippantly and too often detracts from the real heroes and lessens the importance of what they do or have done. There have been men in WWII who saved the lives of many fellow soldiers and ending their life while doing it.

Michael Jordan was a fantastic basketball player and I have heard him called a hero. Am I to believe a person is a hero because he is talented at playing a game? I’m sorry but that is plain stupid. I have heard Christopher Reeve called a hero. This man was thrown from a horse and was crippled because of it. He endured pain and suffering and carried on bravely but I do not believe this can be compared to a single man that earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. Search the list of those that received this honor and see what it takes to be a real hero.

Of course the greatest hero of all time is Christ Jesus.

While I’m at it there are a few other words that I believe are misused today. One is idol, this word used to mean something people worship. I hope and pray no one is truly worshiping a rock star or movie actor or sports star. Another word is gay; this should mean happy, cheerful, delighting in life not a homosexual or lesbian. The word gay should not be used to make a sinful act sound like a natural and innocent thing. No, I’m not homophobic, I love the sinner but hate the sin and yes I hate the sin of adultery and lying and murder too so I’m not prejudiced. By the way, homophobic is a word used to attempt to put down anyone that does not agree with homosexual acts, it is a defense and an attack on those with differing views and nothing that is natural needs defending. Another word I have heard used in this vein is intolerant. Yes I’m intolerant about some things, like my view on adultery and lying, but those that scream that I’m intolerant because I believe homosexuality is a sin are intolerant of allowing others to have their own point of view so this word does not work for a defense either. It just makes those that use it seem hypocritical.

Bible Study #12 Matthew Chapter 9

Scripture in red, Comments in black

1 And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. From the previous chapter the people there asked Jesus to leave. Jesus did not stay where He was not accepted. His gift is free for the asking but Jesus will not force anyone to come to Him, it has to be our own free will. We should go to Christ because we love him and have total faith in Him.

2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. Notice here that Jesus took care of the man’s spiritual needs first. If our spirit is sick, the health of our flesh bodies is not that important. Our spirit body is the one that will enter eternity, not the flesh body so the needs of the spirit are of more importance.

3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. The scribes do not believe Jesus is the messiah, God with us, therefore they do not believe Jesus has power or authority to forgive sins.

4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? Here Jesus asks point blank if a man can heal the sick with a word; being given this power from God, why could God not also give the power to forgive sins? The scribes do not believe Jesus is the messiah, they think He is just a man.

6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

7 And he arose, and departed to his house.

8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men. After healing this man the question Jesus asked hangs in the air and the crowd is amazed but as you see the crowd glorified God in giving such power to men. God has yet to bestow the power of healing to mankind, at the moment it resides only in Jesus, His son.

9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. As we see Matthew was a publican when Jesus called him to follow. Publicans were tax collectors and most of them were sinners in that they often overcharged the people and kept the overage for themselves thus becoming wealthy. Was Matthew one of these types? I believe so simply because God chooses sinners because we are all sinners, but in this case I think it was to show God’s mercy and love and His ability to change people. God does not call the qualified He qualifies those He calls.

10 And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.

11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? Isn’t it ironic that just after Jesus called a publican to follow Him other publicans (and sinners) sat with Him? What did Matthew think of the question from the Pharisees? Notice also the haughtiness of the Pharisees, they call people sinners yet we know all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. The Pharisees are judging others which we should never do. Did all their learning and education in the scriptures leave out this point or is it that these Pharisees believe they are above the average man? Pride and self-righteousness are what caused Satan’s fall.

12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. The Pharisees heard this but none admitted they were sinners and needed help, this is how the self-righteous think. Everyone on earth needs the help of God because none of us can do anything on our own. If you believe that you do not need God then I can assure you will have the help of Satan.

13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. It is humorous that Jesus tells those that are the most educated in scripture to go learn something. The Pharisees and Sadducees studied the scriptures very thoroughly and could quote most of it by memory. Jesus is teaching us that even though we can remember verses, that does not mean we understand. Just as it was in the time of Jesus, today there are those that are knowledgeable in what the Bible says but they do not understand or teach the truth of the Bible.

Where Jesus says He is not come to call the righteous, he is actually talking about the self-righteous because these people think they are already above others. The Bible says there are none righteous and all have come short of the glory of God. This is another time Jesus proclaims a verdict against the Pharisees; they are the “righteous” (self-righteous) spoken of here. Jesus wants them to understand they are wrong in their thinking and teachings.

14 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? Whoa! The disciples of John the Baptist come to Jesus asking a question that sounds like they are pointing an accusing finger at Jesus and his apostles. They seem to be aligning themselves with the Pharisees. Are these few disciples attempting to discredit Jesus so that he will not take glory from John? If so I can assure you that John the Baptist would stop them if he were there. John the Baptist said, to paraphrase the scripture “I must decrease and Jesus must increase”. Here is another group that are misguided, not by what they were taught but by their own misguided sense of loyalty to John. This is a lesson you should remember. We do not set humans in place or above God. The very reason God allowed John to be imprisoned was so that his followers could more closely follow Jesus. It was needed, I believe, in order that there would be no confusion as to whom the disciples were to follow. Remember that many questioned if John was the Messiah.

15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. People do not mourn because of happiness. Jesus is a blessing.

16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. This is a parable from Jesus teaching that the old garment will not receive a new patch because the old will not be able to conform to the new. The old has shrunk and set therefore if the old cannot conform to the new something has to give way and the old will lose. This is interesting and a little complicated unless you understand what the connection is between what the pharisees understood at that time and what the scriptures mean and what God expects from man. I’ll explain this further after the next verse.

17 Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. Old wine skins (bottles) are not flexible and therefore will not accept the new wine just as the Pharisees will not accept the new teachings of Christ. Wine will ferment and expand and if the wine skin will not be flexible it will burst or be destroyed. Since the subject of the response from Jesus was about fasting let’s start from there. Jesus is telling the listeners that something new has taken place. The old traditions are soon to be replaced because a new dispensation will soon come to pass. Men need to be flexible in knowledge of the truth in order to understand the will and plan of God or they may “burst” or be destroyed.

There will be a new reason for fasting and there will only be one last sacrifice. In other words, when the mission of Jesus is complete, the old ideas will not fit the new and the Jewish people will need to rethink a few things. Jesus is not changing the law; he is fulfilling the law. Jesus will be the last sacrifice and he has come to stop the reasons for mourning because in Him sin is forgiven. Death will be defeated and now the reason to fast will be to show love for God, to give up something for a time for the glory and mercy and grace of God. Not to mourn because death from sin exist because both have been defeated.

18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples.

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. These two people have shown true faith that Jesus is God. They must believe that Jesus is God with us because all the teachings show only God has power over life and death, illness and health and forgiveness of sin. The power over illness is shown here and the power over death follows in the next few verses.

23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, Many times people were hired to mourn and cry when a person of stature passed away.

24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. Never discount the power of God. If you do, you will be the one that is scorned in the end.

27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. Who are these people that know Jesus is God with us and know what the Pharisees do not know? These blind men correctly asserted that Jesus was to inherit the throne of David. They are blind so we know they cannot even see Jesus. How do they know who Jesus is? God placed that faith in them.

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. I need to say something here about the word Lord and the use of the capitalization of the L in Lord. Just as when the word God is used, if the G is in lower case it means it is not the God of Israel but a false god. Lord here means the same thing, God, Savior, Father etc. These blind men knew Jesus was God, how? Because of faith, trust and perhaps knowledge from their hearts.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.

32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.

33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. This is a mistaken statement from those that witnessed this because God did many wonders for the Children of Israel but these people were so removed from God that they had forgotten how great and powerful God truly is.

34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils. The Pharisees knew this to be an incorrect statement but they said it because their entire life was based on people following their teachings. Even today there are those that desire people follow false teachings because they want to be a god just as Satan did. These people had power and Jesus was a threat to take that power away from them.

35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. How odd it is that the multitudes that followed Jesus were fasting (thus the fainting) because they recognized the truth of the word of God and wanted to hear the truth so much that they would rather forgo food and water just to make sure they did not miss a single word of God’s truth. That is the difference between fasting because of mourning and the fasting to know God and his word. Where were the fainting Pharisees and Sadducees at this time? Nowhere to be found, because they thought they knew the truth but were self-deceived.

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Jesus means that He can be the shepherd to them all but we as human beings need to be the laborers that assist Him in spreading the truth and reap the souls and bring them to God.

38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. God wants more people like John the Baptist who recognize the truth and preach the truth.

1 Corinthians 13

I am interrupting the studies of Matthew to bring you

this special study on love.

For this study I want to concentrate on one word in this chapter. I believe it is important to clearly and totally understand this word.

The word is charity. The Greek word in the original text means love but the meaning goes beyond that simple word. As you read the chapter replace the word charity with the word love.

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. Without love a voice of an angel would be just be a noise.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. Having special gifts, knowledge and faith without love means nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. This chapter separates normal love from the love this chapter is trying to describe. Some call this Agape love.

The first sentence describes charity, as we know it today, giving to the poor. Bear with me now as I attempt to convey the entire meaning of love as it is used here. I am sure my words will not be sufficient for this task.

The love that Paul writes about goes beyond the simple thought of love. This love is a verb, it denotes action, it tells of giving of yourself freely from the heart. Charity (love) does not dwell in the heart, it does not stand still, it goes outside the body, it touches others and it grows as it moves from one person to another.

This is the love of God that many cannot actually fathom. God’s love does not stay with Him to never move, He sends it to us without demanding we send it back to Him.

This love is one a person has that allows us to give without any thought of receiving a reward or honor or praise. This love is an out bursting of compassion. This love almost has a life of it’s own. It grows as it is given and returns to the giver.

This love is a blend of charity, grace, forgiveness, trust, honesty and joy. This love does not accuse and is not jealous. This love does not boast about what it does for others. This love does not point to itself and declare how great it is. This love brings out the desire in others to send out love. This love ignores wrongs and envelops those doing wrong in the hopes of leading others to the joy and forgiveness it feels. When used correctly this love spreads like a virus, it is contagious.

This is how Christians should love because this is how God loves. I don’t believe humans will be up to the task but we should try. The rest of the chapter is included and most of it is self-explanatory. I will do a more in depth study of this chapter at a later date.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Never force-feed the word of God

Entering into the will of God is a personal thing. No one can force a person to believe in God or follow His commands or even tell a person how to study the word of God. God has a plan for everyone and everyone is different therefore God shows each person what that person needs to hear when the time is right. No man on earth knows what God has planned for anyone, not even ourselves. Christians are to plant the seed and allow God to make the seed sprout and grow and develop fruit. If we attempt to take over and force our convictions on someone else we are attempting to take the place of God. That is what Satan attempted to do and he failed miserably.

True Christians are to be “fishers of men”. A fisherman lures the fish with bait and a Christian’s bait is how he leads his or her life. A demanding or overbearing or insistent or threatening or angry attitude will only chase away those that may be close to understanding God.

Christians are to lead, not demand or command. There have probably been millions of people that were turned away from God by well-intentioned people who attempted to force God down the throat of others by preaching hellfire and damnation instead of the love of God. God has never condemned anyone to hell; they condemned themselves. Some of these lost souls received their introduction to God by Bible spouting people that were actually working on the side of Satan and they never knew it.

If a person is not ready to receive the word of God forcing them to hear it may only turn them away and cause them to hate you in the process. Plant the seed and move on, drop in the bait and wait for a nibble. Let others come to you asking why you are so bright and shining, why you glow and are never angry, why you always see the blessings instead of the corruption. Let your light shine while fishing in the dark to attract those that Satan has lured away from God. I like night fishing because it makes Satan angry. When Satan is angry with me God is pleased with me. Remember the word of God is love, God is peace, God is harmony and God gave you free will so that you could decide for yourself if you love Him.

May the reader be blessed with the love of God.

Bible Study #11 Matthew Chapter 8

Scripture is in Red, Comments in black.

1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. The leper does not ask “can you make me clean?” he says if thou WILT thou CAN make me clean. That is faith.

3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. In the Old Testament a person that was unclean had to go through a process of cleansing and in the case of certain physical problems had to show the priest the problem was resolved. The priest instructed the person about atonement or testimony so that person could return into the camp. Why did Jesus say, “tell no man?” I believe Jesus wanted attention be drawn to His message and not to the miracles.

5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, A centurion is a Roman soldier in charge of a group of soldiers. He is a gentile and knows command.

6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. This centurion has shown Jesus he understands command and has shown faith that Jesus is in command of the world and when Jesus speaks the world will obey just as when the centurion speaks a command to his troops there is no doubt the command will come to pass.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Even the disciples of Jesus have yet to have total faith in Jesus.

11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus speaks of many coming from the east and west to sit with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob He is speaking about gentiles coming to know the true God.

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus is speaking of the children of Israel or the Jews. Jesus is not condemning all the Jews He is just making reference to those that reject Him as the Messiah. Darkness refers to the second death. Wailing and gnashing of teeth describes the agony of those that cannot or will not see the truth of who Jesus is, the Messiah.

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

14 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.

15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. This woman had been laid up on her sick bed yet when Jesus touched her no recovery time was needed. She felt so good that she jumped up and, I imagine, started cooking, bringing them drink, washing their feet and whatever else may have been the custom of how to treat visitors in those days.

16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: As we learn the miracles that Jesus preformed we will see times where Jesus commands a recipient of a miracle to perform a task. This happens often so notice this and think of why each command is different and why some need to perform a duty.

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Jesus healed the sick and took all our sins upon Himself. This is another prophecy fulfilled by Jesus.

18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.

19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. This scribe says he will follow Jesus wherever Jesus goes but I think Jesus knows the scribe is used to comfortable living and just the thought of sleeping on the ground and doing without the creature comforts would change his mind. It is easy to boast of the willingness to do a thing but quite another to follow through once discomfort and problems and roadblocks are unveiled. The children of Israel constantly complained and rebelled every time a small problem arose. If you want to follow Jesus there will be discomfort and persecution in your life but the final rewards will be well worth it all.

21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. To many this may sound harsh but it is not. Since this disciple is not named it is probably not one of the twelve chosen but instead a self-proclaimed disciple. Jesus recognizes what is in a person’s heart and probably could see this “disciple” was not really willing to forsake all to follow Jesus (just like the scribe). Jesus has work to do saving souls and teaching God’s word. The most important thing for a disciple is learning and Jesus has but a short time to teach. God is not the God of the dead but of the living. The dead that should bury the dead Jesus mentions here could be those that that are alive but are living without God in their life.

23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. It will be shown over and over how little faith the disciples had. Once again just like the children of Israel, the disciples see miracle upon miracle and every time trouble arrives they doubt that Jesus will take care of them. This is why we living today who have true full faith in Jesus are more blessed because we believe without seeing. This is also a reference to a prophecy of Jesus in Isaiah 65: 6-7:

6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:

7Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

Back to Matthew 8:27

27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? The devils recognized Jesus way before most people did. The devils were also afraid of Jesus. They were aware of why Jesus was on earth and the devils knew their war was lost. Were these devils sent back to Satan who sent them?

30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.

31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. Swine are unclean to the Jews and the demons desiring to go into swine indicates rebellion to the Jews and Jesus. They were basically saying they prefer the swine to Jesus. I believe Jesus thought it was an appropriate choice. The devils were unclean and so are swine.

32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. Jesus granted the devils request to save the men. I believe the owners of the swine were gentiles since it is unlawful for Jews to own swine. The swine perished to indicate the death of those that rebel against God.

33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils. They that kept the swine fled.

34And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. This last verse shows how people fear the unknown without reason. Jesus has just preformed a miracle, helped a possessed man become a free and rational man. Jesus demonstrated his love and grace. The people of the town only reacted in fear and dread. This is sad for if they had but listened to Christ and taken the miracle as help instead of a threat they could have discovered the love and grace of God.

God bless the reader with understanding and thirst for God’s Holy Word.

Bible Study #10 Matthew Chapter 7

Scripture is in red, Comments in black

1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. Everyone is guilty of sin and if you have broken one commandment you have broken them all, in other words most sins are equal. Since all have sinned you have no right to judge the sins of another because you are as guilty as everyone else. If you think otherwise you are only fooling yourself.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Once you judge someone God will judge you in the same manner. If you constantly remind someone of past sins God will constantly remind you of yours. If God has forgiven a person’s sins they are forgotten and never remembered again. If we cannot follow the example of God then God will not forgive your sins and He will not forget them.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? The depth of your sins may be worse than the sins you proclaim in others. Do you mention the small mistake of another while you are blinded to your own sins and actions? I have learned in the past those who proclaim the loudest that another is a thief are usually guilty of that crime. The same is true of some self proclaimed Christians. A Christian’s duty is to lead others in the truth of the word of God, not condemnation. It is impossible to lead others to Christ if all we do is accuse and condemn others. Never forget, Christians know that everyone sins and if you accuse others you are making a fool out of yourself because of your own guilt. The best thing to do when someone makes a mistake is to tell them of God’s love and forgiveness and that you have made mistakes as well but God has forgiven and forgotten your sins. Tell them to trust in God and repent. God does not want to condemn but to love and this is how Christians ought to be. God is not willing any should perish but all come to repentance.

4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. Thou hypocrite, Jesus uses this phrase often and if you are guilty of judging others He is talking to you. Make sure you have confessed your sins to God and that you clearly see you own life before mentioning the sins of others. Help your brother but never think of yourself as better than he. Never remind others of past sins lest God strongly remind you of yours.

6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. What Jesus is saying is it is fruitless to present a truth to someone who has already rejected the truth. If a person refuses to listen, do not keep returning to that same person with the same truth because he will only start to hate you and the word. He will not accept a new truth until he has accepted the truth he has already heard. It is better to go to a person who has received the truth because they will be more likely to welcome new truths.

Let’s look at:Proverbs 9:

7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee. God does not want a Christian to be hated because of the way you plant the seed. If you are hated you cannot bring others to Christ. It is another matter to be hated by evil because you love Christ, Christians will always be persecuted and hated by evil.

Back to Matthew 9: 7

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. God is listening and will provide. Ask God for blessings and receive them, knock and he will open the way to heaven for you. Christ Jesus is the vessel through which you ask and He is the opening of the gateway to Heaven.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Mankind is inherently evil yet man takes care of his children and family. How much more will God take care of you? God loves everyone beyond measure and therefore will not refuse anyone that comes to Him through Christ Jesus.

Always pray “not my will God but yours be done” and ask in the precious name of Jesus.

12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. The golden rule, do unto others as you would have others do unto you. I believe we could go further and say: treat others as Christ Jesus treats His church with love, kindness, honesty, forgiveness and patience. This is a short list because Jesus is much more than can be put into words.

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. If you follow the crowd you will find yourself walking into death. There are only a few that will follow Jesus into life therefore be aware of where you are going. If the path you are following seems easy and smooth and there are crowds around you lift up your head and look for Jesus. If you don’t see Him turn yourself around fast! God does not promise a smooth journey through life only peace, happiness and life everlasting in Heaven if we learn and follow the truth of God.

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Satan will fool you and cause you to follow him instead of Jesus. If you die while following Satan you may wind up on that broad path to your destruction. Don’t believe the stereotype of Satan. Satan was the covering cherubim (the one in charge of protecting the mercy seat of God). He will come and be exactly as you would expect Jesus to be because he is the great deceiver and if you don’t understand the truth you will be deceived. Satan will devour your soul.

16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Test the fruits of those proclaiming to be Christian.

19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. If you do not follow the will of God you can only bring forth fruit of evil and you will be cast into the fire and destroyed.

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Verses 16-20 talk about testing the fruit of those that claim to be of Christ. It is also about those that lead or teach you. Test the fruit; discover if it is of evil. Research the teachings for yourself. Study God’s word closely and thoroughly so that you know the truth. Never reject a teaching that may go against the traditions of a church. Keep your mind open. There is a seed of Satan in every church because that is where he can do the most damage. Jesus is always warning us of false teachers, doctrines and prophets, this includes false churches.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. If a false teacher misleads you, you have only yourself to blame because Jesus warned you. If you do not study and understand God’s word you cannot do His will.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Anyone can claim to be Christian but then again I could claim to be president of the U.S. but that would not make it true. What you do on earth does not matter if you have not received Christ as your savior. That is the first step you must accomplish. Good works will not give you access to God or Heaven; only the blood of Jesus opens the gate.

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. I hope no one ever has to hear Jesus speak these words but unfortunately many will simply because they thought they could gain Heaven on their own. Many will ignore the pleadings of Christ; to believe on Him and repent. If you are not working the will of God you are working the desires of Satan. This is a spiritual war and there are only two sides. There are no neutral parties so you better decide if you want to win or lose before God brings you to the judgment seat. For those that declare they are atheist I can say only one thing, change your mind or lose. God says there are no true atheists because God gave a measure of faith to everyone, so that will not be an excuse. Romans 12: 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. The rock here is truth in God’s word and Jesus is the rock foundation. It is a solid foundation that will withstand all attacks.

26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. If your foundation is in traditions or doctrine of man you may be lost at sea, everything you worked for lost to the winds, even your soul.

28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

29 For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Jesus had the authority of God. As we will see Jesus will be scorned and many will test him on scripture but all that oppose Him will be made to look as fools. (scribes) Read the study #4 for more information on these people.

Bible Study #9 Matthew Chapter 6

Scripture is in red, Comments in black.

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

“ do your alms” means giving offerings or tithes or to charity etc. Giving tithes and offerings in a manner that displays your “generosity” to the world shows you want praise from man and the offering may not be truly from the heart. God knows your heart and knows what your heart wants to give. Doing anything for honor or praise from man will get you nowhere with God.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Don’t toot your own horn; do not proclaim your “greatness”. Receiving glory in this life may be your only reward; you may not receive any rewards from God.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Giving secretly is when you give truly from the heart cheerfully and without ulterior motives. God loves a cheerful giver.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. This follows the teachings in the previous verses.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. You prayers are between you and God. Prayers are not to be used to show how “faithful” you are.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Ask a thing of God once. His memory is fine. He even knows beforehand what you are going to ask. Loud repetitive praying gets notice from man but will God pay more attention to it? Probably not, so pray simply and humbly.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Verses 9 through 13 are examples of how to pray, not what to pray. First acknowledge that God is Holy and pure and righteous. No matter what you pray for acknowledge that God’s will is above all else because He is just and true and knows more about what you need than you and His decision is always best. Third ask God to fulfill your needs. Ask God to forgive your sins not forgetting to forgive sins or wrongs done to you by others. If you do not forgive you cannot be forgiven. Ask God to remove you from temptation and if you are tempted to sin ask for the strength and will power to resist. I always end by asking in the sweet name of Christ Jesus, Amen.

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Remember this the next time someone wrongs you. Forgive and FORGET.

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; If you fast for the Lord make sure you look good in public so as not to appear that you are fasting. You and God alone should know such things. This is the same as the alms in verse 1.

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

18 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Nothing on earth will last. If you trust in things of the world you are going to be disappointed because you will not be able to hold onto anything of the world, it all will be eventually lost. Place your trust completely in God because He will provide for your needs on earth and your spiritual needs. It is said; “a wise man willingly gives up that which he cannot keep for that which he cannot lose.” Give up the things of this world for eternal life with God. Keep your heart on God and not the world.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. Single here means fulfilling it’s office (function) or is sound. If you are following God, not evil, it will show to the world. This also is a metaphor for a fixed vision, a single objective to look upon and follow, God alone.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Darkness is of evil and here the eye looks only at evil. If your soul is evil you are following Satan and all you may see of this world is evil and darkness. True darkness holds no light at all. A person cannot find his way or escape darkness without some light and that light is Jesus. He will provide the truth and the light to guide you.

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon here is possessions. If you love the things of this earth above the love of God then you are serving possessions, they are your gods. The big problem here is that possessions cannot save you from destruction; they cannot be saved from destruction because all will pass away. What good will things of earth do you when God calls you to the judgment seat?

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Life should be more than things of the flesh. To survive spiritually you need the nourishment of the word of God.

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? God provides everything the animals of the field need. Worry will not make a problem go away, it will only shorten your life. Trust totally in God for He is in total control. Worry shows your trust is not in God. If you worry too much you may not have time to think on God, your spiritual needs may suffer. Don’t worry about your physical body; think about your spiritual body. The physical body will perish and return to dust. Your spiritual body could be immortal if you allow God to nourish it.

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? Will worry add length to your life? No, so do not worry, lay your problems at the feet of Jesus and forget them. There are two old country sayings that go: “The worst trouble never shows up” and “Don’t trouble trouble ‘till trouble troubles you”. Why be concerned of a possible future problem when it may never arrive? If you have faith and trust in God trouble usually doesn’t arrive. Don’t go stirring up trouble because you might bring it on yourself. God is in control and we can do nothing without Him anyway. No one knows or is in charge of their future.

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Mankind is much more important to God than the grasses and flowers that are here for a short time. God will take better care of you than the natural things of this world.

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. In this time period the Gentiles think not of God (Gentiles have yet to be introduced to God) but of nourishing their flesh bodies. God knows what his children need and He will provide.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Instead of worrying about eating or dressing or problems, keep your mind on God. If your body perishes tomorrow food, drink and clothing will be of no help to you. Drink at the fountain of God and nourish your spirit so that you may live forever. Those without faith will find it difficult to enter into Heaven. All the worry in the world will not help you understand God and is therefore of no use to you.

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Think not on the future because every day has enough evil. A Christian will have enough problems dodging evil in the day you are living. Don’t compound your problems thinking on the evil of tomorrow. Trust in God and leave the future to Him.