Astounding Evil.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceedingly wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. ^{Matthew 2:16}

The evil that man is capable of knows no limits. Through history, we have countless examples of unthinkable, astounding evil from the corrupt souls of mankind. To kill every innocent child to address a perceived threat to his kingship is malevolence from the pit of Hell.

Jesus will separate the wheat from the chaff.

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worth to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan (winnowing fork) is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the garner (barn); but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. ^{Matthew 3:11-12}

The agricultural symbolism in the verse above is clear. The saved are gathered in Heaven, while the lost spend eternity in Hell. His “threshing floor” represents God’s judgment, with the verdict determined during each person’s lifetime on earth. God’s children—those saved by the blood of Jesus Christ—are distinguished and separated from those who are forever lost and condemned during our brief time here on Earth.

Transcendent, eternal joy and peace await those who successfully arrive at the threshing floor as wheat, not chaff. The word of God is crystal clear on how this is accomplished; it is only by faith in Jesus Christ. Later, in Heaven or Hell, we will reflect on our time here on Earth, when the quality of our eternity was settled, with either gratitude and joy or deep anguish, remorse, and sorrow. This mortal life is God’s sieve to separate those who are his from those who are not.

Here, the fate of the unrighteous vs the righteous is clearly presented. I love that we will shine forth as the sun in Heaven!

The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. ^{Matthew 13:41-43}

Love your enemy.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; ^{Matthew 5:43-44}

Hating your enemy is a natural, instinctive response. However, to love your enemy is one of the great distinguishing characteristics of Christianity. This is the opposite of what the world would do; it is possible only in a life transformed by the Holy Spirit.

To forgive is not a suggestion.

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ^{Matthew 6:14-15}

Forgiveness of those who have wronged us, both friends and adversaries, is a command. To forgive is a divine action, exemplified by God’s mercy toward us. We pray that the Holy Spirit gives us this ability.

Our treasure is in Heaven.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. ^{Matthew 6:19-21}

Jesus tells us that where your treasure is, your heart will be also. Living to accumulate wealth and stuff is fleeting happiness, and one day you will leave it all behind. Accumulating treasure in heaven by serving God and others pays eternal dividends. You can indeed either pursue your lusts or you can serve God – you cannot serve both.

Don’t worry.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take 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. ^{Matthew 6:33-34}

This is where faith provides one of its greatest earthly rewards. God will abundantly provide everything you need when you trust him. No good comes from worry; it needlessly steals peace and happiness from today in fear of what might happen tomorrow. Don’t worry about tomorrow, because today has enough trouble of its own.

God hears and answers prayers.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. ^{Matthew 7:7-8}

God hears our prayers and provides for those who strive to live in accordance with His will. It is answered prayer that confirms our faith, and by his provision, we know we are never alone or left fending for ourselves. Know that God is not your genie, and we trust he gives or withholds all things for our good.

The Golden Rule.

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.  ^{Matthew 7:12}

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is fulfillment of the 2nd most important commandment – to love your neighbor as yourself. This is a foundational Christian attitude.

Few will find the way to Heaven.

Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.  ^{Matthew 7:13-14}

We all choose a gate to enter. The narrow gate is faith in Jesus Christ, and the way is narrow because it is constricted by the word of God. To believe in Jesus, to establish him as the Lord of your life, and live in submissive obedience to the word of God, is the narrow gate and the narrow path to heaven. Wide and easy is the path that caters to desires in this life, often promising prosperity, health, and happiness. There is only one way to the Father and to eternal life, and that is the narrow way of Jesus Christ. All other paths lead to an eternity in hell. Sadly, most happily travel the wide path to destruction.

Beware corrupt teachers who will lead you to Hell.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? ^{Matthew 7:15-16}

Beware of false prophets. A false prophet is anyone who leads people away from the narrow gate of Jesus Christ. These tools of Satan are everywhere, and many are clothed in trappings of Christianity; truly wolves in sheep’s clothing.

There are heretics who openly, blatantly teach against the truth of the bible. There are apostates, those who have rejected the truth, and then there are deceivers, who pervert the truth to capture the undiscerning. These crafty liars are the emissaries of Satan who will deceive you, selling a way to Heaven that lands you in Hell. You can tell the false versus the faithful prophets by their fruits (their character and motives, what they do, obedience to God). Look at what they produce, bad fruit is seen in bad character (how they live in immorality), in their corrupt attitudes (arrogant, greedy, seeking power & prestige, self-willed, jealous, pompous, self-indulgent, and vain). These are hucksters peddling the word of God, selling Jesus for profit. Good fruit is manifested in the genuine desire to glorify God, to overcome the offensiveness of sin, to magnify Christ, living in humility and selflessness.

The most terrifying verse in the bible.

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. 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? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. ^{Matthew 7:21-23}

This speaks of the poor souls who approach God on their terms. Possibly, they were deceived by false teachers, or a wide-gate religion that failed or chose not to follow the word of God. These may be devout religious individuals who follow rules and rituals, or the lax souls who believed they were saved by their good intentions, words, and attempts to live a good life, but never made Christ the Lord over their lives. The terrifying shock of being found guilty and condemned when salvation was thought to be in hand is incomprehensible. In disbelief, they join those who rejected Christ and face the crushing eternal anguish, agony, and misery of God’s wrath.

God says Believe and I will show you.

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. ^{Matthew 8:13}

And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 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. ^{Matthew 9:20-22}

And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us. 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. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. ^{Matthew 9:27-30}

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. ^{Matthew 21:21-22}

Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: ^{Matthew 12:38-39}

It is man’s nature to say, “I will believe, maybe, if you show me something astounding.” But it is by faith first that brings the hand of God into play. If we have faith (the conviction of things not seen, the promises of God), then we will experience the power of God.

Fear God, not men.

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ^{Matthew 10:28}

Jesus has told his disciples that as they preach the gospel, they will be persecuted, but to not fear what man can do to them. We live in complete confidence that our lives and well-being are in God’s hands. Fear no man, but fear your creator, the ultimate authority who holds the fate of mankind in his hands.

Find rest for your soul in Jesus.

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light ^{Matthew 11:28-30}

Jesus invites people who are burdened by sin to come to Him for rest. Rest means salvation, so this is an invitation to salvation. Take Christ’s yoke upon yourself by submitting to his lordship. The objective of Satan is to convince us that it is better and preferable to live without God, to reject taking the yoke of Christ. But that is a lie – living under submission to Christ is a life under the loving God. He is gentle, tender, and under his yoke is where we find peace, fulfillment, and rest. Christ demands your life, but he is not an oppressive, cruel master. The yoke of the world that Satan rules is crushing, cruel, and leads to eternal damnation.

Live only for God.

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. ^{Matthew 10:32-33}

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. ^{Matthew 16:24-27}

And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. ^{Matthew 19:29}

Here is the great paradox. Live for yourself, your desires, comfort, prosperity, and glory, then you will lose your life in hell. Live for God, giving him your life as a living sacrifice, and you will enjoy eternal life and reward in Heaven. Living your life in obedience to God is proof of saving faith.

 Jesus is the only way to the Father.

All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. ^{Matthew 11:27}

God gives the elect to his Son, and it is through Jesus that we are able to know God. There is only one way to God that does not end in condemnation, and that is by faith in Jesus. “No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

The most important question.

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. ^{Matthew 16:13-16}

The most important question in life is asked by Jesus . . . “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?”  The answer is correctly given by Peter, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” If you get this wrong, then nothing else matters, because then you have no hope of salvation.

Ruined by wealth.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ^{Matthew 19:23-24}

The more self-sufficient we are, the more likely it is that we live for our lusts, stuff, and security; the less we feel the need for a savior, and the harder it is to find the narrow gate. To come to saving faith in Christ, you must realize your moral and righteous bankruptcy, turn to Christ for salvation, and forsake all you have to follow him. For the self-sufficient, this is near impossible for them, and their best days are now; those who grasp their spiritual weakness will enjoy their best days ahead in Heaven.

The two most important commandments.

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. ^{Matthew 22:36-40}

Love (obedience and devotion) God, and love (service) your neighbor. Pretty clear.

Greatness is found in humility.

 But is shall not be so among you: but whosever will be great among you , let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. ^{Matthew 20:26-28}

Humility is one of the most Christ-like characteristics one can possess. We are to put the interest of others above ourselves. We do this (along with forgiveness) because that is what we experienced from God.

Teach the world.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  ^{Matthew 28:19-20}

We are called to be evangelists, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the world.