the watcher

Matthew 24:12-13 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When exactly is the end? Actually the end can come in two ways, when the Lord returns or when the Lord takes anyone out of the earth.  The whole essence of our faith is that we find ourselves in God’s right side at the end. See, everyone will rise from the dead, the issue is rising to what! For the Lord described two possibility: John 5:28-29 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. Thus we do not live anyhow like the ignorant do, for the bible said concern

 Matthew 23:13,15,28 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are! Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. It was really some grievous things Christ accused the religious leaders of doing. How they lead many to hell with their wrong interpretation of scriptures, selfish desires, and severe hypocrisy.  Reading through Matthew chapter 23, you see the examples Christ stated about their ills.  Let us look at tithing, yes the law gave them the command to tithe, which is good and Christ re-emphasized that. However, there are more weightier laws which are

"Please read through patiently" Matthew 23:2-7 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’ The Sadducees came with their trick question on resurrection followed by the Pharisees with their legalism asking about paying taxes. Christ silenced them with His wisdom, for the truth is that it is ignorance that makes the assumed learned man proud. Selah It was now time f

Matthew 22:44-45 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,  Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’ Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?” The whole issue with the Christian faith to many people, religions, sects and any other belief, is with the person of the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus the Christ. The Sadducees and Pharisees of His days on earth also had the same issue. They all miss it when it comes to His identity.  Who was Christ Jesus? Was He just the descendant of David? Was He a mere man? Was He a prophet? Was He an angel? Who was/is He?  The answer to this question would determine the true belief system. Let us listen to Jesus: Matthew 22:45 Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?” John 12:44-46 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to

Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they came with their own trick question. This shows that there may have been some sort of rivalry between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. While the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection the Pharisees believed in the written and oral laws of Moses.  So what did they ask? They wanted to know the greatest commandment.  What was this to achieve? Most likely series of arguments. For if you say this is the greatest, then they could argue on another, or even further ask why you break them.  What did Jesus reply? LOVE!  Matthew 22:40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” This cannot be overemphasized. Love is the bases of all the commandments. Lo

Matthew 22:31-32 “But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead—haven’t you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead.” We wonder at the belief of the Sadducees, "there is no resurrection of the dead", the very thought of it is foolish, because then why care about God, for then how can one have hope only in this life, it is a total waste.  1 Corinthians 15:16,19 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. If all we had was this 100 to 120 years on this earth, then life itself would be a waste, for at what point do one really live the life, for in every stage of this earthly life we see its challenges and troubles.  So Christ explained to them that God was of the

Matthew 22:21 “Caesar’s,” they replied.“Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” This verse was the response the Pharisees received from Christ when they sent their disciples and some supporters of Herod to tempt Christ, asking Him if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. It gives us a good lesson on how we ought to relate with secular authority.  Of course "the give to Caesar what is Caesar’s" statement has been abused by some, who erroneously interprete it to mean that we can give bribes, this is far from the truth.  We have an obligation as citizens of a country, state, community or even organization to pay our dues. What other duty do we have to our secular leadership?  * Pray for them: 1 Timothy 2:2-3 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, * Be a good example: Matthew 5:13, in your c

Matthew 22:8-9,14 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Read through Matthew 22:1-14. We see Christ with yet another parable about the kingdom of God. Firstly those who were honoured to be the first fruits of salvation - "the Jews", rejected the invitation. Others received the invitation after their rebellion.  John 4:22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. The religious leaders and teachers who came from the lineage of Israel had derailed, just as the parable described they had left the invitation to the banquet for one excuse or another, some rejected, maltreated and killed some of the messengers(prophets) sent to them, John the Baptist being the last on the list.  Romans 9:4 They are the people of Israel,

Matthew 21:41,43,45 The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. If we look at things from the proper perspective we would live blameless lives. For it is so easy to pass judgment on others but we find it difficult to correct our own ways.  Do you talk so much on what people do wrong, their faults and weaknesses? Do you know that, that talk is one fault of yours among many other faults?  Matthew 7:2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Remember, when God sent Nathan to tell king David his sin against Uriah,  which was takin

Matthew 21:29-30 The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. Jesus talked with a lot of parables the way wise men do, given the hearers a dramatic representation of His teachings. However it took a wise mind and a heart of God to decode them. Most times He interpreted them.  In this parable the Lord teaches us that it is not the one that does the affirmation that is the faithful one but the one who actually obeys.  Listen to Jesus again: Luke 6:46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? For many claim to believe in Jesus but they do not accept what He says and do what He says.  Just as we have said in previous studies, it is not how long you have come to know Him, neither is it about the titles you have acquired, but how have you walked in obedience.  Those who just started out but walk in obedience are more acceptabl

Matthew 21:25-26 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask us why we didn’t believe John. But if we say it was merely human, we’ll be mobbed because the people believe John was a prophet.” The leading priests and elders questioned Christ's authority, the saw His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, they saw Him chase money changers and businessmen out of the temple, then He began to heal the sick.  Definitely their own authority was being questioned, they wouldn't feel comfortable. The question is, were they doing the right thing? Were they following the way of the Lord or doing their own things? If they were doing the right thing the temple would not have become a den of thieves? The church of Christ also came under this same error, where the true teaching of scriptures were either totally neglected or mixed with earthly culture, philosophy, myths and sentiments. Even

Matthew 21:21-22 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” This is one part of the believer's privilege that many have questions about. You hear things like "I asked the Lord for this or that but I did not receive it", "oh I had faith but yet I didn't get it" The question is, is there a condition? Yes, Christ talked of it, He said we needed faith. Do we know what it means to have faith?  It is not just a feeling, it is actually a lifestyle.  Your faith in God must be reflected in your very lifestyle, it is not an "on and off" you turn on when you feel you need something. It is a nature. For the bible relates pleasing God with faith.  Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. A

Matthew 21:13 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” Do we have a physical temple of the Lord today? The temple in Israel has been destroyed again and again. Is there a particular physical place where the Lord comes to dwell, time and again, where if you go to, you will experience God?  Well, Jesus told the Samaritan woman: John 4:21,23-24 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” He told His disciples: Matthew 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Thus no one can trap y

Matthew 21:3-5 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.” This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, “Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you.  He is humble, riding on a donkey - riding on a donkey’s colt.’” Christ lived a life of purpose when He was here on earth as a man. All His doings were according to prophesy fulfilling them as prophets prophesied of old. His triumphant entry into Jerusalem was foretold and all the things He did even His suffering, death and His resurrection.  One thing about living a purposeful life is that all things work out to fulfill that purpose. For the owner of the mission will supply all that is needed to make it happen. Many a spiritual leader will begin with the Lord's mandate but whether by lack of faith or distraction of people they begin to live like if they called themselves.  Instead of trusting in the Lord, they begin to trust in themselves, m

Matthew 20:31-32 “Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them.But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?” Opposition is not a strange thing, anything worth its while will face opposition. Truly it is the one who wears the shoe that knows where it pinches.  Begin any step ahead, or reach out of the crowd, there is high probability that someone will see you as a nuisance. Really these ones that feel offended most likely have nothing to offer you.  You have a business plan, you want to take a forward academic step, you want to become a better person. You are moved to reach out to someone or some people. Expect oppositions.  So in our reading today, we see Jesus walking from Jericho and a crowd followed Him, then two blind men on the way side cried out for help. Who had the help? - Jesus the Christ -, who felt offended? - the crowd, they had nothing to offer for they followed, they also nee

Matthew 20:25-27 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. There is a way of the world and there is the way of the Lord. Thus, those who will inherit God's kingdom, cannot operate the system of the world. This is what Christ taught.  Mother of James and John came to lobby for their children, she wanted each one of her children to sit at each side of Christ's throne in His kingdom.  She did not know the price attached to the victory, the suffering and pain, then death, which Christ was going to go through. Christ also let her understand that they would go through persecution leading to death too. Yet still, only the Heavenly Father can decide positions in the kingdom.  Matthew 20:22-23 But Jesus a

Matthew 20:17-19 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” Reading through the three verses in Matthew 20:17-19, did you see it?  Now I have listened to some religions and religious people on their take on why Yeshua, Jesus the Christ came to this earth. Some other religions would even want you to think that He is just a man because He called Himself "the son of man", what ignorance. He healed the sick, forgave sins, controlled, the wind, waves and seas and did so many things that no books can contain, to show us who He was: John 21:25 Jesus also did many other things. If t

Matthew 20:1,10 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. There is this feeling of pride that some believers have as a result of how long they have come to know the Lord.  "Do you know when I got saved?"  "I was born by a Pastor, raised by a General Overseer, baptised by a bishop, confirmed by the pope and among the Alter servers etc, etc. . .  All these boasts are laid to rest with this parable of Jesus about the kingdom.  Matthew 20:1-16 (Please read)  Listen to Jesus: Matthew 20:16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” Should this make us discouraged, NO, get it right, the grace is different. Selah Let me quickly make this clear the frustration of not having a job compared to the stress in doing a work are not really comparable. 

Matthew 19:21-22 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. A man was asking about eternal life, he wanted to know what good he had to do to have eternal life. Jesus gave him the answer - obey the commandments.  The man wanted to know which of the commandments gave eternal life, Christ began to list them to him: Matthew 19:18-19 “Which ones?” the man asked.And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’” The man said he had kept all from his youth, yet he knew something was missing: Matthew 19:20 “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” Then Christ gave him what he needed to be perfect: Matthew 19:21 Jes

Matthew 19:13-15 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. This is why you do not toil with children. It is mandatory that every parent brings up their children in the way of the Lord. The Lord recognizes children and their cry gets to the Father before that of adults: Matthew 18:10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. Woe to those who maltreat, molest, take advantage of, or lead children to sin. The repercussion is better imagined: Matthew 18:5-6 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one

Matthew 19:3,8-9 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?” Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. And I tell you this, whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful.” Divorce has been a very big issue with believers especially in recent centuries when the values of marriage itself has been tampered with, feminism, masculism, and other secular pollution have contaminated marriages. The media has also caused its own havoc.  Divorce to the secular world of today is excused as just a temporary relapse, that one just gets up from and continues life without any form of restrain.  We however need to understand God’s perspective: Matthew 19:4-6 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.

Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! As difficult as it may seem sometimes, it is obligatory that the believer forgives. For you cannot afford to carry the weight of un-forgiveness on this journey.    Also, it is an instruction!  This is summed in Christ's parable of the unforgiving servant, whose master forgive him for owing millions of dollars but afterwards went ahead to put in prison another servant who owed him a few thousand dollars.  We had the sin which led to death, God did not just forgive us but paid the debt for us, and adopted us as His children, what is that thing that one would do to us that is unforgivable?  Matthew 18:32-33 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, ju

Matthew 18:17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector. In the parable of the lost sheep, Christ taught us of the Father's desire that the lost (unsaved) would be found. He reminds us that Heaven is full of joy when a sinner repents. So the major assignment of every believer and the church is evangelism.  He then went further to teach about an offended brethren.  Matthew 18:15-17 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax

Matthew 18:12-14 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish. It takes humility to reach out to the lost. Most times we try to compare or even match ourselves with those God brought close to Himself, those who God gave the opportunity to have access to Him, take for example Abraham, his humility and patience is so overwhelming, how many of us who claim to have the Spirit can claim such fruit, such virtue.  Jesus in the parable of the lost sheep talks of the Father's desire for souls that are yet to be saved. The Lord desires that all that are destined to be saved should be reached out to: Luke 15:4,7 “If a man has a hundred sheep and

Matthew 18:3-4 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. The key factor for recognition in the Kingdom of God is Humility. This was the reply the disciples got when they asked Christ who was the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.  Consider this, those the Lord allowed to have audience with Him, they had that nature. As wealthy and prosperous as Abraham was, we do not see any pride in Him, even when his nephew who he raised allowed his servants to dispute the land with his servants, he humbly submitted to him. He asked him to pick which ever he wanted not minding that he, Abraham, made Lot who he was.  In Proverbs 6:17, the first on the list of what God hates is the opposite of humility - Pride!  So when Christ says like a child, does He mean that we do not grow or mature, that we remain c

Matthew 17:22-23 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief. As humans we seem to pay more attention to the pain than the gain.  Looking at these two verses it reads of pain till you see the ending. . .  ". . . but on the third day he will be raised from the dead. . . " This is a wonder, a glory, but it seems to be all lost because of the pain that will lead to this glory. Just like a woman in labour, the pain seem to be everything at that moment but after a while it births its glory, she is overwhelmed with joy as the child comes forth.  His resurrection is not a victory for Himself alone but for all who believe in Him, He paid the price but we all share in the glory.  John 12:32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” We learn to know what pains t

Matthew 17:17,20 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Why are there no miracles like the time of old? Surely, there are miracles today, yes everyday, it is just that sometimes we do not see the spectacular. However, where are the spectacular?  The flow of miracles began when the Holy Spirit was released on the disciples and the same Spirit has been released on every believer, however, we yet ask - where is the power?  Has the Lord stopped healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, making the lame work, delivering those held bound by demons, or even raising the dead? NO What is the stumbling block - lack of faith. For faith is not just an expression, it is a life