JESUS SPEAKING

            Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he felt hungry.  And he saw a fig tree by the road, and came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.”  Immediately the fig tree withered away.

            And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, and said, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”  So he answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.  And whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Mathew 21: 18-22.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            Jesus had just finished clearing out the temple.  He had overturned the tables of the merchants buying and selling there, and chased them out with a whip.  As he traveled along the road the tree he saw became a symbol of the nation of Israel.  Jesus being God, checked the tree for fruit, just as God made Israel a tree in the midst of the nations which was supposed to be fruitful.  But both the tree and Israel were unfruitful.  Not only was Israel unfruitful, they had actually become an obstacle that blocked the way for others who wanted to know God.  They teased passers-by with what looked like Godliness; they had a temple, they had priests, they had the scriptures.  What appeared to be living, upon closer inspection, was actually dead; those in positions of authority were evil.  Jesus went on to describe how faith can move mountains.  Mountains are obstacles.  There are often obstacles that stand between God and man.  In this case it was the evil and corrupt priests and religious leaders.  But sin in general is what separates a person from God.  Blood sacrifices at the temple were needed to atone for sin.  Jesus came to put an end to that particular obstacle, once and for all.  When he died, the temple was no longer needed; nor the corrupt priests who offered sacrifices there.  Instead, anyone who wished to know God could do so through Jesus Christ.  In this scripture, the disciples ask how the fig tree was withered?  The answer is faith; faith in God and not in man.  How can obstacles be removed; they are removed by what God has done and not what we can do for God; by his power mountains are thrown away like pebbles.  By his power sin has been removed for those who believe in the Son of God.

            In the 20^th century, the capability to replace organs was realized; in fact it is fairly common today.  Across the country, thousands of people are born with defective hearts; hearts that don’t function the way they are supposed to.  There are two steps to a transplant; the removal of the old heart, and the introduction of the new heart.  The old heart is the obstacle standing between the new heart and its owner.  Without that new heart, death is certain.  God, in his wisdom, removed the old covenant; the religious leaders; the temple they prided themselves on; the animal sacrifices, and the dietary laws.  He replaced those obstacles with Jesus Christ, and the new covenant marked by his body and blood.  No longer could a person be forgiven outside of God’s provision.  Man has never been able to keep God’s commandments.  The old way that relied upon adherence to rules and regulation by man was inferior; man was so fallen he lacked the power to obey.  God did with Jesus Christ in one day, what man was unable to accomplish in 1500 years under the law.  At the crucifix the sins of those who would believe were washed away.

            Today, we all have things in our lives that are dead.  There are parts of us that aren’t functioning properly.  These are the things that are coming in between us and God.  They hinder our usefulness to Him and cause us harm.  God is more than willing to take them away, but we must be willing to let them go.  For some it is an ungodly relationship, for some it is money; it could be pornography, or laziness, or a career, or food, or anything else that is not pleasing to God.  Ask him in prayer to remove these things, and let him work; and don’t give up asking, and whatever you ask for you will receive; and you will grow and be fruitful.

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and ask that You would take away our vices Lord.  Prune us, and make us bear fruit for You.  Take away what is dead in us and replace it with what is alive.  Father, we want nothing to come between us.  We don’t want one barrier left to separate us from You.  By the power of the blood of Jesus, we ask that all obstacles be removed from between us.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

            “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”   

            Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10: 7-10.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            Sheep are animals that have no natural defense against predators.  Shepherds are the only protection a sheep has.  When not grazing, most sheep are held inside of what is known as a ‘fold;’ an enclosure that protects the sheep from human and animal predators.  The door is the only way in, and the only way out, which the shepherd controls.  Sheep are very good at recognizing and following a shepherd’s voice; they come to rely on the Shepherd, and to trust him to lead them to green pastures.  Sheep are natural followers.  When one sheep begins to walk, the rest form a line and follow that one sheep.  The instinct to follow is so strong that if one sheep walks off a cliff the rest will follow (this is not an exaggeration.)  So it is important that the one leading them does not lead them into danger, or over a cliff, or in to a canyon to die.  Jesus is the good shepherd that leads his sheep to an eternal pasture.  Our Father has provided Him; an opening; a door, which anyone can use to find safety, .  He says, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me.”  During this time many ungodly men were attempting to lead people astray.  The priests were wealthy, finely dressed and lived in luxury.  They ate meat at every meal, road on donkeys while others walked, and caused many to despise God.  Jesus came and revealed who they were, and turned hearts back to God.  His own began to flock to him because he came to give something to the sheep; his life; after rising from the dead he conquered death and became able to give life to the world.  Death has always been the enemy of every human being born into this world.  What is the abundance of life he gives?  There are two kinds of life.  First is the physical life we receive at birth.  This is like a cup; an outward shell that remains empty and devoid of inner life.  Jesus said that a person had to be “born again.”  This re-birth refers to the internal birth that comes from the spirit of God as it flows in to a person and fills them up when they choose Jesus Christ.  Everyone lives, but not everyone receives the excess life; the eternal life that only God can give; the life he has given through his Son.

            Each and every day at the grocery store, there is a right and a wrong way to get your groceries.  The right way is to wait in line, and go past the checker, paying along the way.  The wrong way is to try and bypass the checkout line, and head for the door.  One way will get you home in time for dinner.  The other way will get you a meal in the county jail while you try to get rid of the taste of pepper spray in your mouth.  You can also head for the backdoor, or the side door, or if possible, hide until the store closes and somehow sneak out.  There are an innumerable number of ways to exit the store with groceries the wrong way, but only one way is the right way.  There are many supposed ways to know God, but only one way that God Himself has provided.  That way is Jesus Christ.

            Today, there seems to be a new cult, philosophy, or spiritual program on every corner.  Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, Scientology, ‘Spiritism,’ and list goes on and on.  But Jesus Christ is the only way to know the one true God.  Anyone who claims there is another way and tries to lead others down that path is a thief and a robber; they care nothing for those they are leading.  They will almost always be seeking to get something from you, rather than seeking to give something to you.  Jesus Christ came and gave his life for his sheep; for you and me.  There is one way, and one path, and one shepherd.  If you can trust him, if you hear him and believe him, then you just need to follow him.  You are one of his sheep, and he loves you, and he will lead you in to a rich full life, in a place where God’s eternal Spirit dwells, in peace, and in love.

            “Lord Heavenly Father, help us to walk after You, and to listen to You and to have faith in You.  Jesus, please lead us, take us by the hand, and guide us past those who would seek to kill us, steal from us, and destroy us.  Give us Your abundant eternal life, and help us to lead others to You as well.  Father we love You and we trust You, and we thank You, and we give our lives to You now.  We ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

 JESUS SPEAKING 

            And the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

            He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they don’t hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

 

            ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their hearts are hard of         hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should            heal them.’

 

But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Mathew 13: 10-17.)

 

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            The word parable means ‘alongside.’  The earth is a reflection of what exists in heaven; so earthly things and heavenly things run parallel, or ‘alongside’ one another.  It has been said that “A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”  The disciples were curious to know why Jesus used parables, and they themselves were confused about their meaning.  The physical senses and the heart also run parallel.  The true understanding of these parables couldn’t be perceived with the eyes or the ears, but only with the heart.  The ears could hear the earthly story, but only the heart could hear and ponder the deeper heavenly, spiritual meaning.  In this scripture he says, “for the hearts of this people have grown dull; their hearts are hard of hearing.”  He also says, “Lest they should understand with their hearts.”  Those who didn’t understand had made their hearts so hard that the truth had entered their ears, but couldn’t make it to their hearts.  The quoted prophecy used in this scripture is from the book of Isaiah, (written hundreds of years before Christ’s arrival.)  The prophecy foretold that the messiah (the one God would send to save the world from evil) would teach in parables, for the purposes of separating those who wished to understand from those who did not; this prophecy is fulfilled in the ministry and life of Jesus Christ.

            I was what you might call ‘a stubborn child.’  Growing up I wanted to do things my way.  As I grew older, my dad would tell me helpful things like, “You need to get a job,” to which I would reply, “I know, I know.”  Apparently my eldest sister had many of the same problems, and when I would say, “I know, I know” he would remind me that I sounded like her.  What my dad was saying is, “When you say I know, you really don’t know.”  I was giving my dad lip service, and he knew it, and I knew it.  If I had decided to really agree with him, “I know” would have turned in to “I did.”  My heart was hardened.  I was capable of hearing what my dad was saying, but I refused to let it become something I accepted in my heart as true.  Denial is a defense against change; those who don’t want to change will refuse the truth as if it was death itself.

            Nothing changes in a person’s life until they open up their hearts and decide to let the light of God in.  Many people are incapable of hearing from God because they have ruled Him out; they don’t want Him to enter them because they don’t want to change.  Many people don’t spend time in the bible, and don’t try to understand the deeper spiritual things of God that He has provided because they are afraid.  Many people use “I knows.”  “I know I should go to church.”  “I know I should pray.”  “I know I should accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior and turn to him, but I’m not ready yet.”  But if anyone decides to let God in to their heart, just a little bit, he opens up and pours his truth and understanding in to them in abundance.  Are you willing to stand and open your heart to the Lord?  Are you capable of letting down your walls? Will you stop saying “I know I should,” and start saying “I want to know him?”  If you are willing, go to a quiet place and ask him in a prayer to come in to your heart, and in to your life, and he will.  You will see with new eyes, and you will hear the truth of God with a new heart; a heart that will beat for with His heart, and “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

            “Lord Heavenly Father, we ask and pray that You open our hearts and make us hunger for Your understanding, knowledge, and truth.  Help us Lord to let down our walls, and hear with our hearts, and understand the spiritual, heavenly things that You have said, and will continue to say to us.  Father, speak to us, show us, come in to us, and make Your home in us.  We ask that you might share Your heart with us.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.”  God bless all of you.