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Wednesday, April 2nd 2025

The Fourth Week of Lent

·         Isaiah 49:8-15

·         Psalm 145:8-9, 13-14 & 17-18

·         John 11:25 &26

·         John 17-30

Christians, realize this: the Scribes, Pharisees, Elders, Priests and the Sanhedrin and others tried to kill Jesus, the Nazarene, the Christ and Messiah because of good works; that he called God the Heavenly Father his Father was their excuse: being as, the people were following after Christ Jesus and not them!  Understand, when Christ Jesus testified: some knew his voice, while with the Pharisees, Christ Jesus’s word and since Christ Jesus’s testimony are the words that God the Heavenly Father sent him to witness, God the Heavenly Father’s word had no place in them.  Christ Jesus testifying: yes, I know you are Abraham’s seed, but that you sought to kill me: yes, they sought to kill Christ Jesus, and they did this because Christ Jesus’s words had no place in them.  Yes, Jesus continues and says: that he has witnessed what he as seen from his Father: and that you do that which you have seen from your father but that Abraham did not seek to kill a person because they told the truth.  Jesus testifies: the works that he did in the name of God the Heavenly Father that these same works do testify to him and do bear witness to him: Christ Jesus’s works bear witness that he is indeed the Lord, Christ Jesus, the Son of God: his works bear witness of him, this Christ Jesus the Lord who was sent by God the Heavenly Father for the salvation of humankind.  Now Christians, faith is a thing of concrete and it is indissoluble; yet, it is invisible!  As love is invisible; yet, we see it but do we know love.  The love that the world tells, is the light that is darkness, and many do not realize the truth of love nor understand the invisibleness of faith and the invisibleness of love, but both can be manifest or known.  This then is love: love is of a charitable countenance and works; love is of patience and the long-suffering of patience is our joy for it is love; love is kind and kindness is not meanness nor is it the indulgence of sin and sinful things; love does not envy the gifts of others, the works of other people, the blessings of wealth that others may have been given by God the Heavenly Father; let us remember that Solomon was the richest of men who has ever lived and his blessing came from God the Heavenly Father creator of all things.  Still, wealth that comes from wages that were withheld for work done; wealth that was acquired because of harlotry: child trafficking, trafficking, drug running, prostitution and the things that is the subsidizing or taking advantages of the weakness, the vileness and sinfulness of the flesh: these crimes must all be brought to justice; hence, God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.  Truly, Christ Jesus’s Gospel testifies: that the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore, every tree which brings not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.  When the love of God is in a person, they do not vaunt themselves but seek to love neighbor as they love themselves; love is not puffed up: it is not egotistical; it is not prideful or arrogant and especially not arrogant against God, his way, truth and life, Christ Jesus.  Love does not behave in an unseemly manner.  Love does not seek its own, but first seeks the kingdom of heaven and the Heavenly Father’s righteousness.  Love does not rejoice in iniquity or wrong doing or terrorism or tyranny or those things which harm the liberty that is in God the Heavenly Father through the way, the truth and life that is Christ Jesus.  Love is not easily provoked and wears thick skin, but does not turn a blind eye to injustices.  Love does not think to do evil to another person: neither through trying to enslave them, control them or to have power over them: nor to cause murder or theft or variance: nor does love do these evil things: back biting, bearing false witness, the coveting of another person’s property.  Whereas, love does rejoice in truth: Christ Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and Jesus’s gospel is the light of life.  Love bears the light yoke and the burden of being patient and not seeking our own but serving Christ Jesus’s Gospel with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves: loving our neighbor as ourselves is not the agreeing nor including, the indulgence of their sinfulness nor wrongheadedness, but always first seeking the kingdom of heaven and the Heavenly Father’s righteousness.  Yes, Christians, love is hope; we hope in our Lord Christ Jesus not only for today but for eternity, for all tomorrows forever and ever: in the love that is God the Heavenly Father and the Son the Lord Christ Jesus.  Christ Jesus testifies; consecrate them in truth Heavenly Father; yes, consecrate them in your word and teachings; for they are truth.  Yes, Christians, love endures not only the minute, the moment, the hour, the day and days, months, years, decades, but love endures now; yes, now and forever.  Yes, Christians, in Christ Jesus, we are to do the work of the day; Saint Paul testifies these two things: not to be slothful in business, but to be fervent in spirit: meaning, both in ministry and our work, serving only the Lord God our Heavenly Father and secondly: we are warned about being idle, especially women: for some wander about from house to house, not only being tattlers, but busybodies: speaking things which they ought not.  Truly, Christians, there is a difference between being a gossip and exposing individuals for their unjust decisions, due to partiality and favoritism: neither, God the Heavenly Father nor his Son, the Lord Christ Jesus are respecters of men; they do not show partiality but their judgement is just.  Hence, Saint John, testifies: the person who says they abide in Christ Jesus that this person also ought to walk even as Jesus Christ did; still, do not let your thinking get lost in traditions, and remember that Christ Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and it is according to his Gospel that we must walk and not some tradition dedicated by men.  Again, there are many mansions in God the Heavenly Father’s House; yet, each of these mansions bear the fruit of God the Heavenly Father’s way, truth, and life – giving no place to sin or sinfulness nor the works of the devil but calling all to repentance and to be washed clean in the blood of Christ Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross: remember, in God the Heavenly Father and the Son the Lord Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit: this three in one union there is no darkness: for God is light and in him is no darkness at all!  So, yes, Christians let us find ourselves and be thankful when we find ourselves in the pasture and the light of Christ Jesus and God the Heavenly Father shining in us and on us; yes, are joy is complete and our peace verily indeed goes beyond all understanding.  Now Christians, in the name of the Lord Christ Jesus let us pray and be thankful.  Amen.                

 

Wednesday, April 9th 2025

The Fifth Week of Lent

·         Daniel 3:14-2091-92, 95

·         Daniel 3:52-56

·         Luke 8:15

·         John 8:31-42

Christians, the Lord Christ Jesus said unto those who believed in him and since, he was testifying to the children of Israel, the Jews, Jesus is addressing them; in regard, also, this testimony is to all, as Saint Peter, Apostle says, in the Book of Acts: “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call!”  So, Jesus is saying to remain in his word, but we also understand that this word remain, is to abide and also to continue in Christ Jesus’s word, his Gospel of spirit and life.  Still, what does It mean to abide in, to continue and to remain in the words of spirit and life!  We know, that in Christ Jesus, we are no longer under the law, but we also know, if an individual commits the obvious sins of the flesh: in no way will that person enter into the kingdom of God: lest we repent in no way will we enter into the kingdom of Heaven, Christ Jesus’s eternal kingdom.  If we look at this in the reverse manner: instead of remaining in Christ Jesus’s word, that we disregard his word and his word finds no place in us: do we not then see that, we are then doing the things that Christ Jesus said to the Pharisees, when he said: you are of your father the devil, and the lust of your father you willingly do. The devil was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth: because there is no truth in him.  When he, the devil speaks it is a lie; yet, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of lies.  Christians, as we consider this next reading from the Book of Daniel, it is about idolatry: now, since we are no longer under the law, does this mean: we can commit idolatry with impunity, no of course not: this is not what it means when it says that we are no longer under the law, but that we are, now, under the Holy Spirit.  Truly, Christ Jesus testifies that we are to worship God the Heavenly Father and only him are we to serve!  Clearly, we must abide in Christ Jesus’s Gospel of spirit and life to find truth and to be free: we are not free to serve any other gospel. Moreover, Saint Paul, Apostle testifies: though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  Now in human history, since Christ Jesus, we have the accounts of two different peoples, who have chosen to follow, what is said to be teachings from an angel: this would be the Mormons and the Islamist.  Stating this truth, is not said so as to cause controversy, but to remember that Christ Jesus is Lord and that his Gospel are the words of spirit and life.  Yes, Christians, let us repent and believe in the Gospel for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, but let us also remember that we are to be faithful to Christ Jesus’s Gospel, abiding in his words and teachings: by loving our neighbor as we love ourselves and also that we are to love our enemy, and we do both of these things: because, we are to and must love God the Heavenly Father with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.  Now, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego at the consequences of their death refused, to bow down to a falsehood: worshipping a golden statue made from human hands.  Moreover, as Saint Paul, Apostle testifies in the Book of Romans: individuals had changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator; verily, we know that God the Heavenly Father is blessed forever, Amen.  Yes Christians, for your consideration harken to this testimony from Nahum: God is jealous, and to the Lord God our Heavenly Father belongs revenge; the Lord does revenge, and the Lord God the Creator is furious: the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and God the Heavenly Father reserves wrath for his enemies.  Christians in this testimony we have two words, one in which we rarely consider, but the other, we have a direct commandment: to love our enemies and when we consider the word adversary, we may find some depth and height and width and length that we may not usually consider, when we think of an adversary: NASB 6862a: narrow, tight: -- cramped, limited, narrow, rushing, tight!  Then, Christians with this in mind and also, with what Saint Paul, Apostle testifies: about the love of God dwelling in our hearts by faith, being rooted and grounded in love that we may comprehend and understand with all saints what is the breath, length, depth and height; and to know the love of Christ Jesus, which passes all knowledge that we might be filled with all the fullness of God.  Christians, do we not see and comprehend the idea that we are to give no place for the devil, no opportunity nor room or space, but that we are also to remember that God shows no partiality, so then, when we do business: person to person, nation to nation, country to country, we are not to be narrow or limiting or tight or cramped nor rushing, but we are to with the love of Christ Jesus in our hearts do justice and righteousness, but giving no place to immoralities shading business with hindrances that have no place.  Christians, let us also consider this in another testimony from Saint Paul, Apostle: when he tells to the Corinthians, paraphrasing: I cannot give you anything but milk to drink for you are not mature and squabble about every little thing without maturing one degree; whereas, we may come to understand: love, goodness, truth and the Gospel of spirit and life of the Lord Christ Jesus, Saint Paul, saying: for you are in the carnal; for whereas [when] there is among you envying and strife and division, are you not carnal and walk as men.  These individuals were arguing about whom baptized who, and Saint Paul was having none of their childishness; hence, Saint Paul says, that he had to give them milk!  So with this understanding, Christians, we also see that if we are in the spirit that we must walk in the spirit, for if we are walking in the flesh, then we are not under the Holy Spirit but are under and living according to the flesh.  Therefore, if we walk according to the flesh and not in accordance with the spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth as Saint Paul, Apostle testifies: for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them: if we live and walk according to the flesh, then we are responsible to law and all the laws, statutes, decrees, ordinances and commandments; still, if we are living according to the spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, then our lives are to have the fruits of the spirit and not the works of the flesh, which there are no laws against the fruits of the spirit.  Now Christians, in the name of the Lord Christ Jesus let us pray and be thankful.  Amen.              

 

Wednesday, April 16th 2025

Holy Week

·         Isaiah 50:4-9

·         Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31 & 33-34

·         Matthew 26:14-25 

Dear Christians, there is a testimony, from Saint Peter, Apostle that alludes to Judas Iscariot, in a manner and fashion that we as human creatures do not know rightly how to deal: we vacillate, we squirm, we mock, we make jest; seemingly we do every other thing other than accepting it on face value or as it is alluded!  Now, at the Sea of Tiberius otherwise known as the Sea of Galilee, the Apostles and disciples and the women who accompanied them had gone to wait for the Risen Savior, as instructed.  While at the sea, they gathered food by fishing, likely picked berries -- if they were in season and there may have been other wild foods available, as well.  While they were away from camp, Jesus appeared and sat a fire ready, and also which is testified, he had fish and bread ready for their consumption, but also beckon them to bring on more!  Christians, now we are talking about the Risen Savior, the Lord Christ Jesus, who turned two fish and five barley loaves into enough food to feed five thousand people, including their families: wives and children – let us not forget the miracle, the mighty works God the Heavenly Father performed through Elijah; whereas, God through Elijah blessed a barrel of meal that would not empty and jar of oil that was always full – so, Jesus had fish and bread ready for the women and men, his disciples and Apostles, and they partook in this meal together!  Then Christians, as the Lord Christ Jesus was readying himself to ascend, into heaven; to be seated at the right hand of God the Heavenly Father; it came into their view, what is speculated to be the ghost or soul of Judas, wandering, and Saint Peter asks the Lord Jesus: what about him?  Now Christians, the Lord Christ Jesus gave an answer to Saint Peter, Apostle, which was anything but warm and fuzzy, Jesus said: if I allow him to tarry, till, I come what is it to you Peter? you are to follow me.  Now Christians, reading this next testimony from Isaiah; we know that Isaiah spoke the words and teachings God the Heavenly Father gave him, to testify, and God the Heavenly Father was none too pleased with the Israelites, saying of them: except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.  Christians, do not be misled; Christ Jesus did not make the sins of Sodom and the sins of Gomorrah acceptable to God the Heavenly Father; rather, Christ Jesus gave and gives us the strength, for we are no longer slaves to our flesh: Jesus Christ gives us the strength to turn away from our sins and prefer to walk in the light that is the Lord Christ Jesus’s Gospel of repentance for the forgiveness of sin and sinfulness; instead of preferring to walk in the darkness of sin.  Now, once, before, we were slaves to our flesh, in the motion of sins, which were by the law: now, we became aware of our sins and sinfulness, as Saint Paul testifies, it is because: the Law of Moses, showed us, what is sin; hence, we came to know what was sin because the law showed us our sinfulness.  Whereas, before the law, Saint Paul testifies, he did not know that he coveted even though he was coveting!  Saint Paul also testifies: that as many died without the law, referring to Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah as those who died under the law: meaning those who died because of God’s wrath after the Law of Moses was given.  Still, now in the Lord Christ Jesus, since Christ Jesus did overcome the world and did crucify the sinful flesh to the cross, we now, by and through the Holy Spirit have the strength that Christ Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection gave and gives us to also overcome our sinful flesh.  Truly, the righteousness of God is now made known, it is manifest, without the law, but the law and the prophets witness and testify to exactly what is the holiness of God’s righteousness and how it will be at judgment: those who are in right standing with God the Heavenly Father, by faith, are those who will be saved.  Now Christians, in this next line, Isaiah says something similar to what the Lord Christ Jesus testifies, Isaiah testifies: that God gave to him the word, so that he might know how to help the weary; whereas, Jesus Christ says; that truly the spirit is ready, but the flesh is weak.  Christians, let us therefore understand that Christ Jesus prayed for us, and God the Heavenly Father gave unto us a comforter, that being, the Holy Spirit.  Yes, Jesus Christ testifies that the Holy Ghost, whom God the Heavenly Father sends unto us, in Christ Jesus’s name: that the Holy Spirit will teach us all the things and bring all things to our mind’s remembrance, that is, all the things that Christ Jesus said unto us.  Truly, Christ Jesus testifies of these things that defile a person: from the heart of man comes evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness and blasphemies.  Yes, Christians, the Holy Spirit reminds us of these evil things, these evil thoughts that come out of our hearts, the hearts of man, human creatures, and they do defile us!  As well, the Holy Spirit reminds us to love God the Heavenly Father and His Son the Lord Christ Jesus and that this is measured by keeping their words and teachings: living their Gospel faithfully.  Furthermore, the Holy Spirit testifies unto us what are the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control, temperance.  Christians, let us not be remiss; rather like Saint Paul, Apostle testifies: above all, take up the shield of faith, wherewith we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, that being, the flaming darts of temptation and sinful desires.  Therefore, Christians, with these things in mind: let us discern between: preferring darkness and how, we are to in faith: first seek the kingdom of heaven and the Heavenly Father’s Righteousness; this being what the Lord Christ Jesus testifies.  Yes, Christians, repent and believe in the Gospel for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!  Now Christians, in the name of the Lord Christ Jesus let us pray and be thankful.  Amen.   

 

 

 

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