In The Good Times

Bad times are easy.

 

It really is. It is easy in the tough times, hard or bad times, to cry out to the Lord. It is easy to hear and accept the truth that, "God will never leave nor forsake you."  Deuteronomy 31:6, Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5, 1 Kings 8:57, Hebrews 13:5. It is easy to accept that God is always there when we need Him. 

How about when everything is going good? I know, if you are like me, when everything is going good you find yourself looking behind ya waiting for something to hit ya. All kidding aside though, what about the good times. Where is God in your mind, thoughts, heart, then? 

Did you know God warns us about this? About the good times? Look at Deuteronomy 8:11-20 

“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,  lest when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end."

Stop here for a second. You may be saying to yourself, "I was never a slave in Egypt." You were a slave. You were a slave to sin. "I was never in the desert." You were in the world. A desert without God. "I was never starving or thirsty." You did not have bread from Heaven or the Living Water that is Jesus. God DID bring you out of bondage, feed you from Heaven and set you free. Never forget that.

"Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God." 

Today there is a giant Idol in the world today. There is a god that many find themselves worshipping. God even tells you that this god is a threat. It is the god of "Self." YouTub, Facebook, TikTok. Just to name a few. We are all about "Me." Look at me. Follow me. Like me. I get paid with the number of views I get. So I will wear skimpy clothes, or try to find funny ways to make you laugh, or try to be the next big "Influencer" 

Some of these "Stars" have millions in the bank now. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on homes and cars and everything else. They actually believe that THEY did it. That they owe no one credit for what they got because it is their "imagine" that makes the money. They do not need anything. What about when it is all over? It will be. What will they do then? Will their money save them? Their fame? 

If you are a Child of God, you need to always remember God, in all things, at all times. 

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise." James 5:13

We do not have to fear. We do not have to worry. The Word tells us this is Philippians 4:6-7 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

You know what happens when one of my kids wants something? They simply walk into whatever room I am in and start talking to me. As a child of God, we have the ability to boldly walk right into the Throne Room of God Himself and start talking to Him. 

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16

God is our Daddy. He is there always. Yes, yes, of course, He is there in the bad times. He may even be carrying you. He is never out of earshot when you cry out to Him. But He is also there in the good times. Always. He is always there. This is why as children of God, we must always remember this. It is never solely by our own hand that we do, or get, anything. 

Remember the advice Paul gave us in Romans 12:12

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."

God is there in the good times. He gave you good times. He gave you the talents, abilities, opened doors to the possibilities, and blessed you richly. Never forget to say "Thank you, Father." "Thank you, Daddy." If for some reason that makes you uncomfortable, then simply say "Thank you, God." For with Him, all things are possible. Even the good times. 

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will heal you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray.

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a Sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus and His Sacrifice for me. I believe that He raised from the Dead. I repent my Sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is just that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.{2 Corinthians 13}

Until next time, be Blessed, be a Blessing, and Jesus is Lord! 

Book of Matthew, Chapter 22

Matthew Chapter 22

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.  Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’  And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.  Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,  saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question,  saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.”  He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

 until I put your enemies under your feet”’?

 If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Praying, Living Life With God

He IS your Daddy.

Last time we talked about the "Our Father Prayer." This is the formula Jesus gave us to Pray. 

1-  Recognize and acknowledge God's Godhood, and give Him praise and worship. 

2 - Thank Him and recognize it is He who supplies your daily needs. 

3 - Forgive all others before you ask your Father to forgive you. 

4 - Ask that He protects you from yourself and your tendencies to sin. 

5 - To keep us safe from the evil one.

Did you know that Jesus called God His Father over 150 times? He called God our Father over 30 times. Why? I am a father of three kids. I am their daddy. I was there when they were born. I cut the cord. I changed the diapers. I watched their first steps. Heard their first words. I was there to kiss the boo-boos. I laugh with them. I am there to hold them when they cry. I am there when they lay down. I am there when they wake up.

When they are under my roof, I feed them. I cloth them. I guide them in the ways they should go. I love them with all I am and I will do anything for them. They know that Daddy is there. They talk to me all the time. I know their hopes and dreams. I know how their day went. I know if something is wrong, but I also know when all is right.

I shared this story before. It's about one of the many times my little girl broke my heart. Melted it really. I do not remember, honestly, I have no clue what the issue was. I just know I was angry. VERY angry. She kept carrying on and I kept telling her to stop. When I could not stand it any longer I yelled at her, "Get away from me." She said something like, "But Daddy, I'm trying to talk to you. Are you ignoring me?" I said. "Yes. Don't even talk to me." She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said "But I can talk to you. Because you're my daddy."

She was and is right. She can talk to me. Because I am her daddy. Can the kids down the street come into my bedroom and talk to me? No. Can the kids down the street rely on me to meet their every need? No. Mine can. Why? Because I'm their daddy. In one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, comes this beautiful truth.

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." Romans 8:14-17

"Abba Father" actually means daddy. God wants this relationship with us.

"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." John 1:12-13

It is through Jesus and accepting Him, that this is allowed to happen.

"But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship." Galatians 4:4-5

God does not want Religion. As a matter of fact, an argument could be made He hates religion. He seeks a relationship. Look what Jesus told us in Matthew 7:9-11

"Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!"

This is what God seeks for us. To be His children. Not that we follow some strict dogma, or blindly follow man-made traditions called religion. You do not have to be a scholar, an expert in Hebrewism, or born a Catholic. Look what the Word says here.

"For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:10-13

Religion is not salvation. Religion is not a relationship. God hungers for a relationship with you. A relationship of you being His Child and Him being your Father. He was there when you were born. He created you in the womb. He was there for your first steps. First words. He is there when you lay down and when you wake up. As long as you are "under His roof" in this relationship, He will meet your every need.

Try this. Get in the habit of waking up and praying. Get up earlier if you need to. Try to get in the habit of praying before you go to sleep. But try this. You ever look up and see a beautiful sunset, or go by a beautiful flower and immediately you look to share that with a loved one? Share it with God. "Oh, heavenly Father. Or Dad. Or ever hey God, thank you for this beautiful sunset." Going to work? "Hey God, thank you so much for all my blessings. Thank you so much for the abilities you have given me to do this job. Please help me to do the best I can today." " Hey God, please be with Susy. She looked a little down today. Not sure what is going on with her, but I know you do. Please be with her." Hey God, you know my child's birthday is coming up. please help me make it special."

We should be talking to God all day. Just like you talk to your earthly father or family. He wants to talk to you. To share with you your life. Be a part of it. Tell Him everything.

"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

In everything. Say "everything." Have the relationship God wants to have with you. You do not need big complicated elaborate prayers. You need a "Hey God" or a "Daddy?" Be the child of Gods He wants you to be and He will be your Daddy.

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will heal you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray.

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a Sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus and His Sacrifice for me. I believe that He raised from the Dead. I repent my Sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is just that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. {2 Corinthians 13}

Until next time, be Blessed, be a Blessing, and Jesus is Lord!

Book of Matthew, Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
    humble, and mounted on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
    you have prepared praise’?”

And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.

When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord's doing,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

Jesus Says Come

Which means leaving all.

Jesus says come.

"But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

And Peter answered him, “Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus."

We are in a storm in this country. Around the world even. Between the pandemic and now all the riots, we are in the middle of a dark and scary storm. I know we were supposed to talk about Prayer and living with God on a daily bases. We will get back to that next week. However, I am being led to say a few things on this topic this week.

There is confusion and division in our country. I will admit I am having some difficulty in forgiving the rioters, and those who have taken the opportunity of a horrific incident where some bad cops killed a man, to loot, hurt and destroy people and property. My human emotional response is that what I believe to be a fact that if someone was to step up and end one or two of these rioters, this all would end.

Is this how Jesus would see this? Would this even though may end the riots, would it end Racism? Would it improve anything? No. Would it change anything? No. Violence to stop violence may work in the present time, but it has no long-lasting effects.

No. I truly believe that if we look out toward the shore, we will see Jesus walking on the water, in the middle of every storm we have in our lives, and He is saying to us "Come."

What does this mean? Look at some of the other places Jesus in essence told people to "Come.".

"While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." Matthew 4:18-22

Then He came to Matthew.

"As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him." Matthew 9:9

They left everything behind. Even early and worldly duties that some would see as a major necessity. Look at this in Matthew 8

"Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” 8:21-22

And here, in Luke 9:61-62

"Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”"

In every instance, Jesus says "Come," He also says leave everything behind. I want you to picture this in your head. I want you to picture standing on the edge of a field. Some distance from you is a play area. There are kids playing. You yell out "Come." What happens?

They all stop everything, drop everything, and come. Male, female, black, white, it doesn't matter. who they are. What they were doing. They stop everything and come together to come before you. This is how God wants us to come. How Jesus expects us to come when He calls us.

Yes. He wants us to leave everything. If necessary even our families. Remember what Jesus said to Peter?

"Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” Luke 18:28-30

However, this is not all we need to leave behind. It is not only about houses, property, or even people alone, but it is also, and even more importantly, our earthly minds. This includes pride, hate, anger, fear, arrogance, and even earthly wisdom. Jesus wants us to stop what we are doing, lay them down, and "Come."

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

To be called to follow Jesus means we need to renew our minds. We can no longer think of earthly things in earthly ways. Romans 8:5-8

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

Back to our story. Remember, they are on the boat, in the storm. Jesus says "Come." Peter leaves the boat to "Come" and what happens? He gets in the boat, and the storm calms and goes away. Let's also look at this in Mark 4:38-41. This time, Jesus is actually with them. A storm comes, and they fear, but He is asleep.

"But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Even though we may be in a storm. Even though it may be extremely bad in our eyes, Jesus is with us. He is walking on the water to come to all those who are in the storm. He is saying to all of us, "Come." He will calm any storm. He will renew our minds. He will give us peace. All we have to do is stop. Put everything down, and "come."

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. {2 Corinthians 13}

Until next time, be Blessed, be a Blessing, and Jesus is Lord!

Book of Matthew, Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them, he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’  And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

Praying to Our Father

Big complicated process? 

Sometimes, people think about prayer as this holier than anything, a grand procedure, that one must be skilled with the knowledge of how to do it. Well, no. Not exactly. Did Jesus give us the "Our Father Prayer?" in Matthew 6? Of course. But what was He actually telling us? 

You see, He was teaching us how to Pray, by teaching us the formula. He was giving us an example of how to pray. He never meant for us to put on a show, or to simply repeat it, in the hopes that we would be heard by God, and God will do whatever we asked Him. As a matter of fact, right before He gave us this example, He said this.

"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. "

The King James Version says it like this.

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

Do not simply repeat "Our Father, in heaven." three times, say four "Hail Marys" and all is good.

"Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

But what does it mean? Let's break it down, shall we? First, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Stop. What does it mean? Have no other God before God. Jesus tells us when we Pray, we should start off, by recognizing God, first as our Father, our Daddy, and we need to recognize His Godhood. We should praise Him. Thank Him. Honor Him. Let Him know we understand that it is not about us, but His Will. Put Him first in our lives.

See the very first Commandment is "Have no other God before God." Jesus tells us we should "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." So of course it makes sense that Jesus tells us the very first thing we should do when we Pray, is worship Him and give Him the honor He deserves.

"Give us this day our daily bread."Stop. What does it mean? Jesus is telling us that we must rely on God, and not ourselves, to meet our daily needs. He just tells us right before this Prayer example, "for your Father, knoweth what things you have need of before you ask him." Jesus then goes into great detail explaining this truth.

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Again, He tells us "for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Fear not. Your Daddy will meet your needs. Know that He is with you always. Thank Him for meeting those needs. Have faith He will.

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."Stop. What does it mean? What is He saying here? Forgive those who have sinned against you. Those that have abused you. Mistreated you. Used you. Forgive any that you have a cause to forgive. Why? In explaining the Prayer example, Jesus starts out with this.

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

Be careful Child of God. Jesus tells us plainly.

"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Remember, when Peter asked our Lord, Matthew 18:21-22

"Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times."

And in Mark 11:25

"And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

As we have discussed before, there is NOTHING you could possibly even dream up, that is worthy to be compared to what God can do to these people. The most powerful words you could ever use against them is "I forgive you." Why? because then they are in God's hands. You are forgiven of all those sins you are worthy of Hell for, and they are out of your hands, and control, and are now God's.

Never forget Romans 12:19 says this.

"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

If you give in to your anger, it can lead to hate. You could lust after the desired end of another person.

"Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death." James 1:15

Do not let it take you. Forgive. Besides all that, what have you, or what do you, still do, daily, that is worthy of damnation? Trust me. There is a list. Mine is really long. Do not fool yourself.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Did you know that God will never test you with Sin?

"Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire." James 1:13-14

What Jesus is, in essence, saying here, is ask your Father, to protect you from yourself. What He is saying is that you need to strengthen yourself in Truth and Righteousness. Strengthen your Spirit, to overcome the temptations of the flesh.

The devil never screams. He whispers. He reminds. He allows you to feel. Were you ever, or are you addicted to porn? Have you overcome it? Now, you are walking through the mall with your family, and right there in front of you, is a teenage girl in one of the skimpiest little outfits you ever saw. Now you can't get the image out of your head. Or recovering from Drugs? All of a sudden, out of nowhere, you smell it. You taste it. Perhaps you have a dream about doing it. What happens? Now you can't get that image out of your head. If you give in, you may go right back into the bondage of the sin you have overcome. Did the devil make you? Nope. You did it. All by yourself.

So Jesus tells us to be ever vigilant. Spend time with your Father. Ask Him to give you the strength to overcome. To be steadfast. Yet? This is not all. God wants you to be His child. He wants to be your Father. Your Daddy. He wants you to simply talk to Him. This is what we will be talking about next time. Now that you have the basics down, what else is there to say? EVERYTHING!

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will heal you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray.

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a Sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus and His Sacrifice for me. I believe that He was raised from the Dead. I repent my Sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is just that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shalt confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, comment, questions, give testimonials or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. {2 Corinthians 13}

Until next time, be Blessed, be a Blessing, and Jesus is Lord!

Book of Matthew, Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?”  He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.

 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”  But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.