Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Commentary on the

Gospel of Matthew Programs 01 - 31

Dr. Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

Available Online: “Bible Study – The Gospel of Matthew” Copyright © 2018 Living Church of God Made available in this format by Living Education.

Scriptures in this commentary are quoted from the New King James Version (©Thomas Nelson, Inc. Publishers) unless otherwise noted

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Table of Contents THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 01............................................................................................................ 4 MATT. 1:1 - 3:16 .................................................................................................................................................. 4 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 02.......................................................................................................... 10 MATT. 4:1 – 5:16 ................................................................................................................................................ 10 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 03.......................................................................................................... 17 MATT. 5:16 – 5:35 .............................................................................................................................................. 17 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 04.......................................................................................................... 23 MATT. 5:19; 5:38 – 6:4 ....................................................................................................................................... 23 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 05.......................................................................................................... 28 MATT. 6:6 – 6:18 ................................................................................................................................................ 28 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 06.......................................................................................................... 33 MATT. 6:19 – 6:34 .............................................................................................................................................. 33 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 07.......................................................................................................... 38 MATT. 7:1 – 7:12 ................................................................................................................................................ 38 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 08.......................................................................................................... 44 MATT. 7:7; 7:13 -7:28......................................................................................................................................... 44 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 09.......................................................................................................... 49 MATT. 8:1 – 9:13 ................................................................................................................................................ 49 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 10.......................................................................................................... 55 MATT. 9:14 – 10:18 ............................................................................................................................................ 55 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 11.......................................................................................................... 61 MATT. 10:18 – 10:42 .......................................................................................................................................... 61 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 12.......................................................................................................... 66 MATT. 11:1 – 11:30 ............................................................................................................................................ 66 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 13.......................................................................................................... 72 MATT. 12:1 – 12:37 ............................................................................................................................................ 72 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 14.......................................................................................................... 78 MATT. 12:38 – 13:17 .......................................................................................................................................... 78 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 15.......................................................................................................... 83 MATT. 13:13 – 13:46 .......................................................................................................................................... 83 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 16.......................................................................................................... 88 MATT. 13:47 – 14:36 .......................................................................................................................................... 88

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 01

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 17.......................................................................................................... 94 MATT. 15:1 – 15:39 ............................................................................................................................................ 94 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 18........................................................................................................ 100 MATT. 16:1 – 16:28 .......................................................................................................................................... 100 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 19........................................................................................................ 106 MATT. 17:1 – 17:27 .......................................................................................................................................... 106 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 20........................................................................................................ 111 MATT. 18:1 – 18:35 .......................................................................................................................................... 111 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 21........................................................................................................ 117 MATT. 19:1 – 19:25 .......................................................................................................................................... 117 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 22........................................................................................................ 123 MATT. 19:26 – 20:34 ........................................................................................................................................ 123 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 23........................................................................................................ 129 MATT. 21:1 – 21:46 .......................................................................................................................................... 129 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 24........................................................................................................ 135 MATT. 22:1 -22:46 ........................................................................................................................................... 135 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 25........................................................................................................ 141 MATT. 23:1- 23:39 ........................................................................................................................................... 141 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 26........................................................................................................ 146 MATT. 24:1- 24:22 ........................................................................................................................................... 146 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 27........................................................................................................ 151 MATT. 24:3 – 24:51 .......................................................................................................................................... 151 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 28........................................................................................................ 156 MATT. 25:1 – 25:46 .......................................................................................................................................... 156 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 29........................................................................................................ 162 MATT. 26:1 – 26:75 .......................................................................................................................................... 162 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 30........................................................................................................ 168 MATT. 27:1 – 27:66 .......................................................................................................................................... 168 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 31........................................................................................................ 174 MATT. 28:1 – 28:20 .......................................................................................................................................... 174 THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - PROGRAM 32........................................................................................................ 179 KEY SCRIPTURES ................................................................................................................................................. 179

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 01 Matt. 1:1 - 3:16 The Bible is the revelation of the great God. That God is the one who created us and gives us everything that we have. He gives us every breath of air we breathe. He even gives us the mind with which we think and reason-and with which we often deny that He exists.

Greetings, everyone!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God. I am going to be starting through a series of Bible commentaries, going through various books in the Bible. I am going to start with the very first book in the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew. The Bible is the revelation of the great God. That God is the one who created us and gives us everything that we have. He gives us every breath of air we breathe. He even gives us the mind with which we think and reason-and with which we often deny that He exists. We see the Creation; we see the vast design around us. But we deny the Creator; we deny the Designer. God reveals Himself in this Book. The first four books in the New TestamentMatthew, Mark, Luke and John-are the direct revelation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the one who died for humanity, the one who now sits at the right hand of God in heaven poised to return soon as King of kings and Lord of lords.

We need to learn more about that great God-we really do. And He reveals Himself through these books.

So let's open our Bibles and begin this study. I hope most of you will follow me in your Bible. I had the privilege and the opportunity to teach the freshman Bible class at Ambassador College in Pasadena, California for about thirty years. I was able to talk to students, answer their questions and make the Bible plain and clear to them-I hope I can do that with you, even though in a more abbreviated fashion in these commentaries.

First of all, let me explain the book of Matthew. Matthew's Gospel is often called the "Jewish Gospel" because he talks more about the Old Testament. He quotes constantly from the Old Testament. Indeed, the only Bible at that time was the Old Testament. It is interesting that God inspired Matthew to use the Old Testament as the truth, because it was and it is. Notice in: II Tim. 3:14-15 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures.

The Holy Scriptures? Think about that. The only scriptures available were the Old Testament scriptures.

And Paul says, under inspiration, "you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (v. 15). Yes, the HOLY SCRIPTURES can point out the true God and even point people to Jesus Christ. He continues:

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 01

II Tim 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So let's understand that you don't need some other book. You only need the Bible, my friends. The Word of God can give you complete instruction. Often people are really mixed up in their minds and confused when they read too many things, because so many other things written by modern man deny the Bible, twist the Bible, pervert the Bible and say things that are entirely contrary from what you would understand if you simply read the Bible and believed what God says in His inspired Word. That is very important.

What is your attitude toward the Bible? Will you believe what God says? Let's get back to the book of Matthew now, and let's see what God says in this revelation from our Creator.

Matt. 1:2 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.

He gets into a lot of begots here, so we will go over a lot of this quickly; we don't have time.

Nevertheless, it is important if you take time to study it.

Matt. 1:2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

You see, when Abraham was alive there were no Jews. Jews came from Judah-that is interesting and you need to think about that. Judah was one of twelve tribes. A little later it says: Matt. 1:6 And Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

This shows how completely God forgives. Once David really repented, God did take that first child, but later He let the second child, Solomon-Bathsheba's second son, of course-be the king following King David. And then it goes down to the following kings: Matt. 1:16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus.

Notice that he does not talk about Joseph begetting Jesus. He says Joseph was the husband of Mary because, of course, Joseph did not beget Jesus. God begat Jesus through Mary by a miracle. So he comes on down describing these fourteen generations. A little interesting point is to see that God deals here in fourteens-or, that is, in sevens. Two times seven-a very important number in God's plan.

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Matt. 1:18-19 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, [in those days they had a virtually binding engagement, very hard to breakthey were virtually considered married] before they came together [before they had any sexual union], she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. [Not of Joseph, but of the Holy Spirit.] Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

A man had a right to put away his wife if she had been found to be a fornicator. But Joseph knew that Mary was a very dedicated woman. He could not understand this at all, until God revealed it to him.

Matt. 1:20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel [God did send angels and at the end of this age He may do so again] of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

Think about that: "That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit"-not God the Father, but the Holy Spirit. So if the Holy Spirit were a person, then Jesus would be the son of the Holy Spirit, rather than the Son of the Father! The theologians have a hard time with that.

Matt. 1:21-23 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

And frankly, when you look at it, my friends, there were dozens and dozens of Old Testament prophecies indicating-and some of them directly foretelling-the birth of the Messiah. And those prophecies ALL came about.

Matt. 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem.

Did they come to observe Christmas? Not one thing is said about any Christmas. In fact, every indication is that it took them weeks to get there, and that they were not there on Jesus' birthday at all; but much, much later.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 01

Matt. 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child.

So Mary and Joseph were not in a stable anymore-they were in a HOUSE, perhaps weeks or months later.

Matt. 2:11-12 They saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. [They brought these gifts because He was born to be a KING!] Being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. [So Herod would not kill Jesus.]

Herod the King had determined to butcher the very Son of God. And Satan, through that man, was trying to wipe out the Messiah at the very time of His birth. We see this described in the next several verses.

So Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt.

Matt. 2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel."

He was brought back to Israel and He turned aside to a city called Nazareth. So Jesus, then, was called a Nazarene-which had been prophesied.

Matt. 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

My friends, nearly every time a true minister of God is speaking for the first time or in a new situation in the New Testament-nearly every time-they talk about repentance. Repentance means not only to be sorry, but to be SO sorry that you are willing to turn around and go the other way. "REPENT" John the Baptist said, "for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

Matt. 3:3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"

John was preparing the way for Christ, and this shows how all Jerusalem and Judah went out to be baptized.

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Matt. 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees (the religious leaders of that day) coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! (You sons of snakes!)

Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"

Often throughout the Bible, the religious leaders are the ones who fight the truth the hardest. That is sad to understand, but it is the truth.

Matt. 3:8-9 "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."

Yes, God can intervene. "He does not need you," He was telling those people. He went on to show that He was going to: Matt. 3:11 Baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me‌He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

He was going to baptize them with the Holy Spirit AND with fire. Some people, in emotional meetings, talk about the old BAPTISM WITH FIRE! And they think that is just whooping and hollering in some socalled Pentecostal meeting-well that's not true.

Matt. 3:12 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

You see, some of the righteous will be gathered into God's kingdom. Some will be burned up. So we don't want THAT fire baptism-believe me. That is being BURNED in the lake of fire, in Gehenna fire.

There are two choices: to be gathered into God's Kingdom, or to be burned in Gehenna fire. John taught that, and Jesus taught that, as a matter of fact.

Matt. 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

John did not want to; he said: "I am not worthy."

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 01

Matt. 3:15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. He allowed Himself to be baptized. And John baptized the Son of God-because Jesus wanted to set us an example that we should follow in His steps (as it says later in the New Testament).

Matt. 3:16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water.

He had not been sprinkled or had some little sponge put on Him. He was IMMERSED! The word "baptized" means PUT INTO-plunged into! He was put down into the water. Baptism is a picture of burial.

Matt. 3:16 And behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice [not the direct voice of God, frankly, because the voice of God has never been heard. But God must have spoken through an archangel or cherub.] came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

So God honored Jesus at that time. And Jesus began His ministry.

Next time, we will cover the tremendous temptation of Jesus Christ by Satan the devil, and then get into what is perhaps the most important part of the entire Bible. All the Bible is important, but one of the most important parts of the entire Bible is Matthew 5, 6 and 7-what we call the Sermon on the Mount, the MAGNIFICENT teaching, in detail, the thorough Way of life directly revealed by Christ, the Son of God, who came into this flesh.

So follow this presentation regularly. And we will go right through the book of Matthew and try to make it very plain and very clear.

Thanks for listening.

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 02 Matt. 4:1 – 5:16 Most people concentrate on the person of Christ and not on what He said. But His Word is what counts, as we will see as we go through His own message. Don't just believe in what Jesus Christ did, believe in what He taught. Don't just think on His person, believe in His MESSAGE-and this was part of His message.

Greetings again, everyone!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God. I am going to be covering the highlights of the book of Matthew and giving you insights into the real meaning of this book. You do not get this type of understanding in most churches or most other places today. I am going to give you the truth about the Gospels of Jesus Christ-the four Gospels and His message. Most people concentrate on the person of Christ and not on what He said. But His Word is what counts, as we will see as we go through His own message. Don't just believe in what Jesus Christ did, believe in what He taught. Don't just think on His person, believe in His MESSAGE-and this was part of His message.

We covered the first three chapters of Matthew last time. Matthew is called the "Jewish Gospel" because it quotes over and over from the Old Testament showing that it was the Word of God, something God inspired for mankind. And now as we get past that introductory part, let's get into some of His ministry. Just before His official ministry, however, Jesus was tempted of the Devil. There is a very real personal Devil. Jesus Christ talked about that Devil again and again. The book of Matthew brings it out here in chapter 4. So pick up your Bibles, follow me, check up on me and drink in of the Word of God. Matt. 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Jesus had to have this big confrontation with Satan the Devil. Satan was going to try to overthrow Him before He even began His ministry.

Matt. 4:2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

You had better believe He was hungry after forty days of fasting! Most people today could not do that.

But Jesus was in perfect shape. And we find in Deuteronomy 9:9 and again in verse 18 that Moses fasted forty days and forty nights-taking neither bread nor water-twice. Jesus did the same thing, following that pattern of His servant Moses. In fact, Moses no doubt was guided to anticipate what Christ was later going to do.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 02

Matt. 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

The first thing he tried to tempt Him on was this OVERPOWERING HUNGER-where the very cells of His body were crying out for food. But Jesus was close to God, He knew God was REAL. God may not be real to a lot of you, but He was to Jesus of Nazareth. So He knew God was going to guide Him through this.

Matt. 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" The only Word of God they had was what we call the Old Testament. And Jesus said we are to live by EVERY WORD OF GOD! Don't just believe on some idea of "little Lord Jesus away in a manger." Believe on the WORD of God-that is what Jesus taught again and again and again.

Matt. 4:5,7 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, [He was trying to tempt Him. He was weak hanging on up there. He said: "just let go; it is okay; God will protect you".] Jesus said to him, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God." You are not to put Him to an unnecessary test. Don't do that. God will protect you if He has to, and IF you are obeying Him and walking with Him. Don't try to PUT Him to the test.

Matt. 4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, [this may have been in a kind of a vision or dream of some sort-no doubt it was] and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

Imagine the fantastic glory of the marching processions coming in and out of Rome and the major cities of the Roman Empire-the pomp and the ceremony and the beauty and the MAGNIFICENCE of it. With such the Devil tried to tempt Jesus.

Matt. 4:9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."

"You don't have to wait! You don't have to obey God! You don't have to be the perfect example for the next three-and-a-half years! You don't have to let men curse you and swear at you and beat on you and finally crucify you and let you die in agony on a cross! I am the now generation," Satan was saying. "Get what you want right now! Don't try to work for it, prepare for it or pay for it." Of course, that is what Satan is tempting the young people with today-and many of you older people as well. The NOW generation. But Jesus said, "No, I am going to get it God's way."

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Matt. 4:10-11 Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. Then He left Galilee and came to Capernaum. Jesus was not against beauty and nice places. He lived in Capernaum, which was a resort town on the Sea of Galilee. It was His main headquarters during most of His ministry. So He stayed there for a while.

Matt. 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

You will notice, my friends, that He does not say the Kingdom in heaven. Often the Protestant religionists say this, talking about going to heaven. Scripture does not! The Bank of Morgan is a not a little piggy bank inside of Mr. Morgan's tummy. It's not-it is the Bank of Morgan. "OF" denotes ownership-ownership or control. It is the Kingdom OF heaven. Virtually all of the rest of the Bible shows that the Kingdom is going to be on this earth until after the next 1,100 years or so. Then God will come and dwell with man. And of course the Kingdom will be on earth, because God's throne, which is heaven, will move down to this earth. But He began to preach this coming Kingdom of God (as Mark, Luke and John call it-and Matthew also calls it from time to time).

Matt. 4:18-19 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother‌Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."

We are not to just be out hunting and fishing physical things-animals or fishes. We are to be fishers or hunters of men today-if we are serving God. Matt. 4:20-23 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 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. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom.

"Gospel" means good news; the gospel of the Kingdom. A kingdom means a government. He is talking about a literal government-like the United States government or the government of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of England-to be set up on this earth. The Queen has a kingdom, so to speak. I know she is just a constitutional monarch, but of course the early kings and queens of England were not. He is talking about a literal kingdom on this earth, the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 02

Matt. 4:23 ‌and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

God is NOT limited. He can heal AIDS. He can heal the Ebola virus. It doesn't make any difference to GodIF you really learn to have faith and trust in the true God of the Bible.

Matt. 4:24-25 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demonpossessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him; from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Jesus began to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Going now into chapter 5, this magnificent part of the Bible, called by the world the Sermon of the Mount-Matthew 5, 6 and 7-we find that Jesus sets forth the very basic way of Christianity. The absolute foundation of the entire way of Christianity is in these three chapters more thoroughly than it is set forth perhaps anywhere else.

Matt. 5:1-3 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit‌" That doesn't mean you are to be spiritually poor, of course. "Poor in spirit" denotes the fact that you are to be absolutely broken. You are to be absolutely conquered by God. You are to recognize your own nothingness, and God's overwhelming greatness and majesty in comparison to you. When you come to recognize your own nothingness, you can yield to God more fully with that total attitude of surrender and worship and adoration to the great God.

Matt. 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

We often think of people mourning-perhaps women who are mourning for their husbands slain in battle. We should have sorrow for them. But that does not mean all those people are going to be in heaven. The Vietnamese widows that we saw pictures of during the Vietnamese War, the widows in Southeast Asia who believe in various forms of Buddhism or Mohammedanism-we know that they do not understand Christianity and Jesus is not talking about them.

Matt. 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted."

Christ is talking here about spiritual mourning-deep repentance of the self, and abhorrence of self and the wrong way of life that we have all lived-turning to God wholly.

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Matt. 5:5 "Blessed are the meek [The word meek means humble or teachable. It has the aspect of being teachable. Be willing to be taught.], For they shall inherit the earth."

It does not say that they will go to heaven, does it? It says "They shall inherit the earth"-not heaven!

That is God's promise to His people all the way through the Bible. In fact, turn to the Gospel of John:

John 3:13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven."

NO ONE HAS ASCENDED TO HEAVEN! Abraham was the father of the faithful. Jesus said Abraham has not ascended into heaven. David was a man after God's own heart-Jesus was saying here, as well, that David is not in heaven. NO ONE has ascended to heaven. Notice also back in:

Rev. 5:10 "And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we [the saints] shall reign on the earth."

NOT UP IN HEAVEN! The saints "shall reign on the earth."

Matt. 5:5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

He goes on, and we want to follow these "Beatitudes" as they are called-these blessings:

Matt. 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

If you want God's way with all your heart and you really mean that and you are willing to take correction and LISTEN, you will be learning about the way of God during this series-perhaps more than you have ever learned in your life. Learn to hunger and thirst for righteousness and you will be filled.

Matt. 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

Learn to be a merciful person, a forgiving person, a kind person-then you will obtain mercy.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 02

Matt. 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Pure in heart? That means you are not always having an angle. You are not always trying to just get. All of us need to come to the place where we simply want to do what God says. We simply want to honor our Father. We simply want to honor our Creator. We are not always looking for an angle-"What do I get out of it?" No. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they [those with that attitude] shall [finally] see God."

Matt. 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers‌" Are you a peacemaker? Or are you always trying to stir up trouble of some sort?

Matt. 5:9-10 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Yes, you are going to be persecuted if you obey God-you really are. God shows that throughout the Bible. You have to be willing to do that-to go through trials and tests, to put your trust and faith in God.

Matt. 5:11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake."

If you are reviled or persecuted for evil, that is another thing. But if you are persecuted for obeying Christ you will be blessed.

Matt. 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth‌" You are to be SPECIAL! -NOT just some normal person living like others, but apart from them, the salt of the earth-walking with God, obeying God and having Christ living within you.

Matt. 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."

The true people of God are to be a light by the way they live.

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Matt. 5:15-16 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Yes, Christians are to have good works. And as we go on we will find out that part of your good works is obeying God-obeying God's Law of love and letting Jesus Christ fully live His life in you.

One of the key scriptures I will mention today in closing is my favorite scripture in all the Bible because it is all-inclusive about what it is to be a Christian. It is the Apostle Paul's statement in Galatians 2:20 where Paul said: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Christ must live His life in you and in me, my friends. And if we surrender to Him and are convertedhave His Spirit-through that Spirit, Jesus will live His live in you-the same life He lived 1,900 years ago when He was on this earth. As Hebrews 13:8 tells us "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." We must live that way of life. This book of Matthew, and this Sermon on the Mount, tells us more about that than almost any other part of the Bible.

Come back, and listen carefully. These scriptures are a magnificent teaching from the very Word of God and directly from the Son of God. See you next time right here!

Copyright Š 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 03

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 03 Matt. 5:16 – 5:35 So we are not to just "talk the talk." as they say. We are to "walk the walk." We are to live by every Word of God. We are to let Christ's character shine out from us in the way we treat one another, and in the way we worship, serve and obey God and walk with Him. Here in these verses the Son of God is telling us what to do.

This Roderick C. Meredith speaking for the Living Church of God. We have been going through the book of Matthew. I had the opportunity to teach the Harmony of the Gospels for about thirty years at Ambassador College and I am glad to be able to pick up this series here in an Internet presentation, hoping I can give you at least the highlights of the very Truth, verse by verse, through the book of Matthew, similar to what we did at Ambassador College. I am going to hit the high spots more than every single verse, but I will try to get the meaning to you very, very clearly. So, open your Bibles. Go get a Bible if you have one. I think you will get a deeper understanding of the teachings of Jesus Christ than perhaps you have ever had-going through it almost verse by verse.

We are in the book of Matthew chapter 5, in what is called the Sermon on the Mount. This is one of the most marvelous, really tremendous and wonderful parts of the Bible. Matthew 5, in fact, is almost like a miniature Bible in describing Christian living.

If you remember, last time we got into chapter five and got into the beatitudes, the blessings, where Christ said "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matt.

5:6). If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, God is going to bless you. Righteousness is defined back in Psalm 119:172 as keeping God's commandments. And certainly that is what righteousness is; it tells us how to walk with God, how to love God, how to love our neighbor-God's law, God's commandments.

Matt. 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

So we are not to just "talk the talk." as they say. We are to "walk the walk." We are to live by every Word of God. We are to let Christ's character shine out from us in the way we treat one another, and in the way we worship, serve and obey God and walk with Him. Here in these verses the Son of God is telling us what to do. This is a passage the entire Christian world, except for a few Church of God people.

Jesus said: Matt. 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."

As certain commentaries admit, the word "fulfill" means "to do" or "to fill up." Christ did "fill it up."

He did "fill to the full." He did set us an example that we should follow-as 1 Peter 2:21 tells us. We are to follow Christ's example. He is the light. He did show us how to live.

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Matt. 5:18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle [one little tiny part of the Law of God] will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

It is all going to have to be fulfilled in those who continue to live because the wages of sin is death.

Those who do not obey God's law are not going to be around. Jesus said, through His Apostle John, sin is the transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4). And of course sin is breaking this Law-and the wages, the reward, for that sin is death. So all those who continue living are going to have to keep this Law. It is going to be fulfilled. And it is going to be fulfilled, not just because Christ did it, but because we do it and because He does it through us.

A lot of ministers in the world will say you can't keep the Law. And that is true; I can't keep God's spiritual law of and by myself, and neither can you. But Christ in us can keep that Law, and He will. And I repeat over and over my favorite verse, which answers all those questions. Many other parts of the Bible tell us the same thing, but in Galatians 2:20 the Apostle Paul said: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live [not the old self, not the ego-that is the Greek word used there for I], but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Christ lives in us if we surrender, if we are baptized, if we receive the Holy Spirit after REAL repentance and baptism and giving our lives to God. Then He will begin to live His life in us. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" as it tells us back in Hebrews 13:8. He is the same. He will live the same life in us that He lived 1,900 years ago.

Matt. 5:17-19 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments…"

Remember that word, ".WHOEVER" Christ is not saying "just Him or His disciples." Jesus did not "do it all" for us. He gave His LIFE for us; gave His shed blood to reconcile us. But after that, He does it THROUGH us! We have to walk this way. We have to keep God's commandments! WE have to learn to grow in grace and knowledge and reflect Christ's character.

Matt. 5:19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven…"

Which commandment do you think is the least?

Matt. 5:19 "…but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

And very frankly, other parts of the New Testament show us we won't even be in the Kingdom of heaven if we continue to break those commandments. We are going to have to repent of that.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 03

Matt. 5:19 "…but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Please understand. If you do and teach the commandments of God-the Ten Commandments, the way of God-you will be called "great" in the Kingdom of God. Where does that leave all of those Protestant ministers with all of their tricky arguments, trying to do away with and destroy, in effect, the Law of God? That is awful! They will not break that law. That law will break them. That law will break anyone who tries to do away with it. It is a living, moving law, just like the law of gravity. You cannot do away with it one way or another.

Matt. 5:20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

So your righteousness has to go above just the letter of the law. And of course the Pharisees did not even keep that perfectly, as Jesus showed elsewhere. They added all kinds of human traditions and then they broke the traditions and their law.

Matt. 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder [and that is true; you better not murder], and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause…"

When you just start getting angry, you have this feeling of bitterness. Sometimes you may be bitter against people, perhaps people of another race who you try to put down like dogs and treat cheaply.

Some men treat women cheaply. God says you will pay for that. And frankly, the wages of sin is death.

You are not to do that. You are not to have bitter or selfish or rotten feelings toward others.

Matt. 5:22 "…shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' ["a cursed wretch" as it can be translated] shall be in danger of the council [in other words the Sanhedrin, which could pronounce the death penalty]. But whoever says, 'You fool!' ["completely worthless" or "idiot" as the expression can mean] shall be in danger of hell fire ["Gehenna" is the Greek word is here, meaning the "lake of fire"]."

You are in danger of the lake of fire if you look down with disdain on any other human being, because all human beings are made in the image of God. Every one of us is made in God's image-to be God's child, to be God's son, to bear God's name forever. Even the spirit of murder is sin. That is what Jesus is showing-that such disdain, such hate, such looking down upon-is wrong!

Matt. 5:23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.

First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Don't come before God with some offer, some prayer or anything until you get right with your brother, until you forgive one another. Unless you forgive others, God will not forgive you.

Matt. 5:24 "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison."

Stay out of worldly courts if you possibly can. Often you will get your shirt taken right off of you with legal fees and everything else. Learn to make peace with your neighbor.

Matt. 5:26-27 "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'"

That's right! You are not ever, ever to commit adultery. Marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church. It should teach us everlasting love, kindness and loyalty-loyalty to God and loyalty to our mate in the covenant that we made when we were married. If we violate that covenant we are violating something fundamental that God set in motion. What God has bound together, let not man put asunder, Jesus saidand you are not to put that asunder by committing adultery.

Matt. 5:28 "But I say to you [here comes Jesus MAGNIFYING God's Law again, making it more full, more complete] I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

If a man even starts looking on a woman and mentally undressing her, mentally lusting for her, that's wrong. Yet we know that this entire Western society, particularly here in the United States, is full of this lust. All of our TV shows, especially the ads-constantly picture half-naked or almost totally naked women, to sell everything from toothpicks to motorboats. That's the way it is-you know that.

The whole society is geared toward creating lust-and that is wrong. This society has to be spanked, chastened by the great God. God is going to intervene, but you individually can come out of that. You have to learn not to look on a woman to lust after her. And for women, the same applies. My wife and I have kidded sometimes in the past about the command that the Sabbath was made for man. That, of course, means you women don't have to keep it, right? That's ridiculous! God is talking about mankind.

So all these laws apply to all of us. You are not to look after another person and lust for him or her-that is sin, breaking the great Law of Almighty God. Matt. 5:29-30 "If your right eye [any part of you] causes you to sin [if your television habit causes you to lust, CUT IT OFF! -GET RID OF IT, whatever it is], pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 03

cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."

He is saying to be ready to give up whatever it is that is near to you. He is not saying to mutilate your body-this was an expression in the Hebrew. My wife is as dear to me as my right arm; this does not mean I should cut my right arm off-that would not help my wife. But association with friends who are wrong and are sinful-friends who are cursing, telling dirty jokes, are wild-cut off that association if it causes you to sin, if it causes you to turn away from God. If watching television does that, either cut it way back or cut it off. Stop going to so many movies. Stop getting involved in whatever it is that causes you to water down the way of God in your life.

Matt. 5:31 "Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'"

That is what the ancient Jews allowed.

Matt. 5:32 "But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality…"

The original Greek word here is pornea, meaning sexual intercourse before marriage or gross immorality after marriage-continuing in a pattern of sin. You could put away your mate for reasons like that, Jesus said.

Matt. 5:32 "…whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."

Once a man or a woman gets used to marriage, he or she is probably going to go get another mate later on. And we see that in the United States-the gross immorality in our society, caused by people who leave their mate and then go sleeping around. They are already used to it, so they just keep right on. We understand that. Jesus understood that. He spoke very clearly.

Matt. 5:32 "…causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."

That is a POWERFUL thing! We don't follow that in our society today-do we? That is powerful-and we have to learn the sanctity of marriage and OBEY this command. How hard it is! But we have to obey it with the help of Almighty God.

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Matt. 5:33 "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'"

Men used to be allowed to swear, but with the Holy Spirit now helping us, giving us strength, we should not swear to bind ourselves by an oath.

Matt. 5:34 "But I say to you, do not swear AT ALL: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King."

Have you ever heard someone say "Oh Jerusalem"? Why would they do that? It is almost like the devil puts it in their mind to use that city, most of them have never been to, know nothing about, but somehow they will use that in an oath. Satan the Devil tries to get us to just blow our top, to say selfwilled things. Jesus said that we should not do that.

Matt. 5:35 "Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

It is from Satan the devil. My friends, if you are called into a court of this world and they ask "Will you solemnly swear?" you should say, "No, sir; I will affirm". In the United States, and I believe Canada also, we are allowed to do that. We can affirm; we should not swear. Learn not to swear and learn not to turn aside from God. The living Jesus Christ clearly explains in His Word this wonderful way of life. We are not to lust, not to hate; we are to love all human beings, to make peace with all human beings and to keep the law of God-the law which tells us HOW to love God and HOW to love our neighbor.

I am going to stop right here in this section about swearing, and we will continue explaining this marvelous Sermon on the Mount next time.

This is Roderick C. Meredith for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 04

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 04 Matt. 5:19; 5:38 – 6:4 Jesus went on, saying: "Let your light so shine". Christians are to be lights; we are to live the right way.

Jesus said "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets". The disciples who were listening to Him were not under any illusion about what He was discussing.

Greetings friends, once again!

Matthew is one of the most important books in the Bible. It talks more about the Law of God, the way of God, than almost any other New Testament book. The Sermon on the Mount, which we are in right now, is almost like a miniature Bible. So open your Bible if you want to learn and follow with me verse by verse as we go through the book of Matthew. We'll start with a review of what we covered last time.

In Matthew, chapter 5, Jesus gave the beatitudes, or the "blessings." And He said "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you will want to be like God. You will want to fulfill His purpose in your life.

Jesus went on, saying: "Let your light so shine". Christians are to be lights; we are to live the right way.

Jesus said "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets". The disciples who were listening to Him were not under any illusion about what He was discussing. They knew He was talking about the Ten Commandments, and Jesus went right ahead explaining this to them: Matt. 5:19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so‌" Which one of the Commandments do you think is the "least?" Think about that! God doesn't have any "little" commandment among the ten; they are all important. But Jesus said: Matt. 5:19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called [if he is even there] least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Think about that, my friends! If you do, and teach, even the least of God's commandments, you will be called "great" in the kingdom of heaven or Kingdom of God. These two terms-"kingdom of heaven" and "Kingdom of God"- are used almost interchangeably in the New Testament. They both mean the same thing. The Kingdom is not in heaven. Just like the Bank of Morgan is not some little piggy bank that Morgan swallowed. Christ is talking about the kingdom of heaven. "Of" denotes ownership. The Kingdom of God is not bottled up inside of God-it is His Kingdom. So you will be called great if you do and teach even the least of God's Commandments. That ought to be pretty plain. Yet men have found ingenious ways, most clever ways, to get around obeying God's Law. They have all these arguments about how God's Law is done away, but Jesus Christ knows what Christianity is. I think that is pretty obvious on the face of it. Who should know what Christianity is except Jesus Christ-the very one who founded what we call Christianity?

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

He said in verse 21 and 22: "You have heard it was said 'You'll not murder,'" and then He goes on to show you are not even to hate your brother. You are not even to have a despicable attitude against your brother because that is the spirit of murder. Christ shows in verse 27: "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart". In your heart you are already thinking of adultery. You are already picturing it, doing it, in your mind! And that is committing adultery, Jesus said.

You are not to disobey God's commandments, even in the spirit. Christ's words are making the Commandments even more binding. He is not doing away with God's Law; He is making it even more binding! Christ is calling us to examine our very attitude, how we love God and how we love our neighbor. The Ten Commandments tell us how to love God and how to love our neighbor.

Last time we finished through verse 37, where we are told to let our yes be yes, and our no be no. We are not to display an arrogant self-will, saying: "I swear I'll do this or that" as though we could bring it about. We are not to do that. We are just to say yes or no. Jesus continued: Matt. 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'"

That is a quote from Leviticus 24:20. According to the Law, if you put another man's eye out in spite, your eye could be put out. That would slow up crime a lot, wouldn't it? It sure would! But that was a civil code for a carnal nation; we understand that and Jesus understood that.

Matt. 5:39 "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."

You're not to think "How can I get even; how can I get back at this individual?" You are to recognize that every human being is made in the image of the Great God, and you are to love that person.

Sometimes that is hard. But if you are picturing God, if you are picturing God's purpose, you're picturing Christ coming back to this earth as King of kings-knowing that all human beings being given a genuine chance to really know God-then you can begin to love anybody, no matter what they have done. You can! You should! So don't try to "get even" one way or the other.

Matt. 5:40 "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also."

This does not mean (as other New Testament examples certainly indicate) that you are to lie down and let people walk all over you continually. You don't have to do that. You shouldn't do that. On the other hand, in normal personal contact with other people, you are to let them take advantage occasionally.

Let the other driver into your lane on the freeway. You don't have to box him off and block him off. You don't have to fight for your place all the time-you don't need this competitive, mean attitude toward other human beings that is so common in our crowded society. You are to give. You are to help. You are to serve. That should be your attitude. If someone, or some company, irrationally and unrighteously tries to take away everything you have, this doesn't mean that you should just give away your inheritance. On the other hand, you are to give-to give up to others, give way to others-in every way you can.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 04

Matt. 5:42 "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."

Other scriptures tell you to be careful about being assurance for someone else. Christ says: "Don't cast your pearls before swine" Give people things that they can use and rightly appreciate. But, generally speaking, your attitude should be to give. It is better to be too generous. It is better to be too loving, and to err on that side, than to be too strict and too harsh and too selfish and too mean-even if, for some of you men, you think your meanness is just "being macho." It is better to be too loving than to be too mean. In the end, you will see that this is right. In one way, love is the most powerful force in the universe, and we are to learn that lesson of love. God is love. He tells us that throughout the Bible. We are to be like God in all these ways.

Matt. 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'"

Where did this saying come from? This is not some new saying; it goes clear back to Leviticus 19:18 in the Old Testament. Moses did not come up with this; God inspired Moses to write: "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people [you are not to go around having wrong attitudes and grudges] but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD." He reminds us-"I am the one who gives life and breath, the one with life inherent within myself. I AM the one who gives you your life and others their lives." Love one another. Love your neighbor as yourself. Think about how you would like to be treated, then try to treat the other person like that. Treat people of other races the way you would like to be treated. Men, treat women the way you would like to be treated if you were a woman, perhaps weaker physically and maybe without as much prestige or enough money.

Have kindness and mercy. Treat a little child the way you would want to be treated if you were a little child. Put yourself in the other person's shoes. Love your neighbor as yourself. That is a very, very powerful point and is one of the most important laws in the Bible. The first law of God is to love God with all your being, as Jesus said in Matthew 22. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. We've got to learn to practice that. Here it is, stated in the Sermon on the Mount: Matt. 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."

Here Jesus tells us to genuinely love others, even if they are hurting us and persecuting us. Boy, that's hard to do. Yet we find that this is the attitude that we are to have-and this is expressed a number of places in the New Testament. I will just turn to one now, Romans 12:18, where God inspired Paul to write: Rom. 12:18-21 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It all depends on your awareness of God, on your faith in God. If God is real to you-if you know that the Great God is there, and that He will cause things to work out for good-then you can learn to do that.

Don't take vengeance yourself-wait for God to fight your battle. I have found, in my life, that this works.

Sometimes God crushes enemies far more powerfully that you would do personally. He is POWERFUL! He will take vengeance in a way that is perfect and right. You have to rely upon Him and trust in Him, and He will fight your battles for you.

Matt. 5:44-45 "‌do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."

You are to be like God in all of this. That's the whole thing; become like God. He gives His Son and the rain to the just and the unjust. If you only love those who love you, you are like the tax collector-they love one another. He went on to say: Matt. 5:48 "Therefore you shall be perfect."

The Greek word translated as "perfect" can also be translated "full grown" or "mature". Be fully mature spiritually. In the Hebrew language this word can mean "a sound sacrifice". So you are to be sound, you are to be fully grown. You are to be mature as a Christian. You are to be fully mature, spiritually-to be like God. Matt. 5:48 "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

You are to try, in every way you can-with the help of God through praying, through fasting, through meditation and certainly reading this Word, always walking with God-to try to reflect Jesus Christ in everything you think, in everything you say and in everything you do.

Matt. 6:1 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds [your alms or your good deeds you know] before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven."

Is your motive just to show off? If your motive is to give and then perhaps to incorporate the giving to some great big foundation bearing your name, to exalt yourself and your family name or to show off in some other way, you are not going to have any reward from God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 04

Matt. 5:2 "Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets."

History tells us that some of the Pharisees literally had a trumpet blown when they gave something.

They put something in the beggar's box, and someone would stand there and blow a trumpet-and there would be the "humble" Pharisee shuffling away in all his self-righteousness. That's ridiculous! Of course that was a terrible perversion of the giving attitude.

Matt. 6:2-4 "‌that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."

God will reward you openly! God is alive! God has all the power in the universe. If you learn to serve Him, to walk with Him, to teach and keep even the least of the Commandments, to forgive others, to lay down your life for your brethren, to let Jesus Christ live in you, and then to give, to help, to serve-just because you know it's right, because you want to honor God and not to show off to others-God, in His time, will reward you openly.

That's enough for this time, my friends. We are going to pick up at the end of this verse and carry right on through this magnificent Sermon on the Mount in the next section of this Matthew series. So I will see you right here next time.

This is Roderick C. Meredith for the Living Church of God.

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 05 Matt. 6:6 – 6:18 Notice that He did not say "if" you pray. He assumed that Christians would be praying. And we should be praying and we have to be praying-or we won't make it into God's Kingdom. You need to understand that, but many do not understand. You should be praying on both your knees, every day of your life.

Learn to do that!

Greetings, friends around the world!

Once again this is Roderick C. Meredith speaking for the Living Church of God. I am continuing to expound the verses of Matthew, covering almost every verse, giving you directly what Christ taught. He was God in the flesh. He was the light that God sent into the world and we ought to do His will. We ought to follow what He said. Many say they "believe on the Christ." They say "How good it is to know the Lord"-but they don't do what He said! Jesus said in Luke 6:46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" So let's listen to what Jesus actually said. This is His message.

Last time we had started into the sixth chapter, where Christ taught how you are to give your alms, or do your charitable deeds, without trying to broadcast them or trying to show off.

Matt. 6:5 "And when you pray…"

Notice that He did not say "if" you pray. He assumed that Christians would be praying. And we should be praying and we have to be praying-or we won't make it into God's Kingdom. You need to understand that, but many do not understand. You should be praying on both your knees, every day of your life.

Learn to do that!

Matt. 6:5,7 "…when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets [they like to show off, Jesus said, praying big oratorical prayers in church and in public places-don't be like them!] …

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words."

We know of some people in various religions who just keep repeating and repeating and repeating things over and over like some sort of a chant: "Blah, blah, blah, blah." If my little boy came to me and repeated: "Daddy I want a bicycle, Daddy I want a bicycle, Daddy I want a bicycle"-I would say: "Stop it, son! Talk to me like a human being, I am your father. Explain to me why you want a bicycle, how you will take of the bicycle, why you could take care of it, how you can use it properly. Talk to me about it in a right way. Don't keep saying that same phrase over and over." God is our Father; He doesn't need us to keep blabbing the same words over and over. We are not to chant like that at all. We should not talk like that when we talk to God, yet millions of Christians do. We will soon be reading here the Lord's Prayer, and we know that millions of professing Christians even keep chanting the Lord's Prayer. They just

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 05

repeat it and repeat it, and a lot of them don't even know what it is talking about. They literally don't! Let's learn what it is talking about.

Matt. 6:7 "…do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words."

They think they will be heard for saying certain things over and over again. Maybe you have heard the story of the Tibetan prayer wheel. Some Americans went over to Tibet and they found these Tibetan monks with their prayer wheels. They have carved on the wheel a prayer to God and they turn the wheel. Every time the wheel turned, the prayer was supposed to go up to God. So a smart-aleck American hooks it up to an electric generator, so the thing is just turning and turning. Is God pleased with that? That's ridiculous! Do you get the picture? You don't need to chant certain words over and over-that's exactly contrary to what Christ taught.

Matt. 6:8-9 "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray…"

He didn't say "take these words and repeat them over and over and over and over again." He said to pray "in this manner" Christ here gave the overall approach; the pattern of the way we should talk to God. Matt 6:9 "Our Father in heaven…"

When you pray, you should start out by recognizing that God is not just your Father. He is the Father of human beings in a general, broad sense, by virtue of being our Creator. He is the Father of all true Christians because we have His Spirit. We're related to Him-He is our Father, and He is a Father. He is not just some omnipotent God, some powerful despot off in the sky. He is a father. A father loves his children and has concern for his children-as God does for us. He has made us in His image, that we could be like Him someday and bear His name. "OUR Father in heaven." We can't be smart-alecky with this God like we might be with our human father. This is the Father in heaven. His face SHINES like the sun.

His voice is like the voice of thunder, like rolling thunder across the Texas plains. This is the voice of God, yet He is our Father.

Verse 9 goes on: "…hallowed be Your name."-You should honor God's name. In the Greek language, the word "name" indicated not just the word people called you; it meant everything about you. It meant everything about your person, your reputation, your character and your goals. Of course, that is what often means even in the English language. A man who has two wild sons might say: "Sons, you quit running around and beating up on people and getting drunk. You are going to bring reproach and disgrace on our name!" In a small village everyone would learn that the Smith boys are wild and mean. It would destroy the Smith family's income; it would destroy their reputation-everything about them! That is what the word "name" means.

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Matt. 6:9-10 "Hallowed be [honorable, worshipful] Your name. Your kingdom come."

Not "may You stay somewhere," but may Your Kingdom come. God's Kingdom, God's Government-and the word "kingdom" means government-is going to come back to this earth. Jesus will come back.

Revelation 11:15 explains that Jesus, at the seventh trump, will come as King of kings and Lord of lords to rule over the nations of this earth. He is coming again to this earth, and He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. "Thy Kingdom come"-may God's literal Government be set up on this earth!

How wonderful things will be when that is done and the earth will then be at peace! There will be prosperity and joy and real peace of mind that we cannot experience today.

Matt. 6:10 "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

"Your will be done," not human beings' wills. Human beings are all fouled-up and selfish. Christians want God's will to be done-and we should pray for that, "on earth as it is in heaven."

Matt. 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread."

We are to ask for our daily needs. We are not to say: "God, give me enough money and enough stuff for the next 50 years." He may not do that. We don't all need to be millionaires. But we should ask Him to give us, day by day, our daily bread.

Matt. 6:12 "And forgive us our debts [forgive us our sins, our mistakes], as we forgive our debtors."

We have to forgive others. We must forgive others in order for God to forgive us.

Matt. 6:13 "And do not lead us into temptation [ask God not to bring us "into sore trial" as this may also be translated; we are to ask that He not put us to an unnecessary test or trial, as we are weak and need God's mercy], but deliver us from the evil one."

Sometimes God has allowed some of His servants to be tempted by the devil. And we find in the book of Job, especially in the first chapter or two, an example of that. God said: "You can go this far and no further. But God allowed Satan to strike at Job, causing him to have boils and blisters all over him. His children, and every possession, were taken from him. All kinds of things were taken from him to humble him.

We are to ask God to help us learn the lessons another way-if we can and if we are willing to! Please don't bring us into sore trial, "but deliver us from the evil one." Satan, the spirit personality who rebelled against God and took one-third of the angels with him in that rebellion, was very real to Jesus Christ. He, Satan the devil, is alive today. You have to understand that. Jesus talked about a very real Satan-and you need to be aware of that.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 05

Matt. 6:13 "But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom [yours is the coming government, yours is the POWER to take care of all of these things] and the power and the glory forever. Amen."

"Pray," Jesus said, not repeating this prayer like some mantra, but pray after this manner. This is the right approach to God. Matt. 6:14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

You see, you have to forgive others. Learn to be merciful; learn to be forgiving.

Matt. 6:15 "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover, when you fast‌" "Wow!" many may say here, "what is He talking about?" Most professing Christians have no idea about fasting. They are not taught how to pray. They are not taught how to study this book and drink in of it.

They are not taught about fasting, but Jesus taught us about fasting, and all true ministers should teach their people about fasting. Fasting is abstaining from food and water! I am talking about a spiritual fast.

One can talk about an orange juice fast or fruit juice fast or a water fast to help cleanse your body physically, but a complete spiritual fast is having nothing but air-no water, and certainly no food! Back in Deuteronomy 9:9 Moses, the great lawgiver in the Old Testament who was a type of Christ, said: "When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone [the Ten Commandments], the tablets of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I stayed on the mountain FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS. I neither ate bread nor drank water." For forty days and forty nights-no bread, no water. You may remember from when we went through Matthew 4 earlier, Jesus was fasting for forty days and forty nights-He took nothing.

Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus; God had to humble him and literally shake him to his toenails to get his attention before he would repent. And he became a wonderful, powerful servant of God. What did Paul do when he realized that this must be God speaking to him? It humbled him and he began to seek God. In Acts 9:9 we read: "And he was three days without sight"-God struck him blind"and neither ate nor drank." The Apostle Paul fasted spiritually-three days and three nights. Fasting means no food, no water-to get you down humble, to where you can listen and realize how weak you are and how you need God. Even the cells of your body, if you fast long enough, will begin to cry out for help! And that is the way Jesus was when He fasted, I am sure.

Matt. 6:16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.

[Don't go around just acting humble or looking at the ground or trying to show off to men.] For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.

Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

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In other words, some say: "Oh, what a humble man, he is fasting today"-trying to show it off. This doesn't mean that when you pray you've got to go and hide. He does tell us to go into a private room, certainly, but it doesn't mean to be ashamed if your spouse walks in on you, he or she can just walk back out again. If it is an emergency, they can interrupt you-but basically they should leave you alone if you are praying. You are not to be ashamed of prayer. I know how my wife often prayed, when our children were little; she had to have them close by, so she held their hands and they had to sit there on the floor, or play close by her while she was praying. That's o.k.; she was concentrating upon God, but not showing off to little children. You don't show off to little children; I think you all know that. So it is not that you are hiding or ashamed.

Jesus took three of His disciples with him on that last night, and they watched and prayed. He went ahead a little bit further and prayed some more, but they must have been able to see Him as He was praying. But He was up on the side of a hill and He was not near them, so they couldn't hear His words.

He was not hiding, but He was not showing off. And you are not to show off when you're fasting. But, you fellows, you might tell your wife that you are going to fast so she doesn't prepare some great big meal and then have to hear you say: "I can't eat it." You can let her know, and one or two others if you have to.

Matt. 6:17-18 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face [in other words, shave and clean up like normal-don't try to look some special way], so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

That's the whole point, God will reward you, if you seek God by getting down on both your knees. That is a good way to start your prayer, and the Bible shows that is the main position for personal prayer, on both knees. You bow one knee to a king, but you bow two knees to the King of the Universe, Almighty God. And perhaps you lift up your hands for part of your prayer. God is not "inside you"-this is kind of an oriental thing. No, He is not inside of you. He is the Creator, sitting above the Universe, sitting on His throne in heaven. So you may have your face upward and your arms outstretched as you pray to God, at least part of the time. You may get tired and move through other positions, but you can be that way often in your prayer. Talk to God with all of your being. Ask Him to clean you up, to scrub you out, to make you like He is-ask that His will may be done in the world and in your life. And fast occasionally, seeking God and asking God to humble you-to clean you up, to help you get over your sins. Sincerely try to get close to God by fasting. If you do these things, God will reward you and He will, in the end, reward you openly-Jesus said so! So, have faith in God and let the living Jesus Christ live His life in you-and in the way you carry out these things that Jesus taught us here, right in the Sermon on the Mount.

That's it for today. We will pick up next time where we left off.

This is Roderick C. Meredith speaking, once again, for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 06

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 06 Matt. 6:19 – 6:34 Most people don't know God. Frankly, they are not even acquainted with God, but I hope that many of you are, or will be. You can come to know God if you truly walk with Him, do what He says and obey Him-that's the key. Will you do what God says? Or will you reason around the clear teachings of Jesus?

Greetings, friends around the world!

Once again, this is Roderick C. Meredith speaking to you for the Living Church of God. Here we are in one of the most profound areas of the entire Bible, called the "Sermon on the Mount." We have come through the first several chapters of Matthew and now we've finishing the first half of Matthew 6. In this section Christ talks to us, first of all, about not doing our deeds-and not praying-before men to show off.

Then He gives a sample prayer, showing how we are to pray to God in that manner-not repeating those exact words, but praying in the manner that He gave us in what is called the Lord's Prayer. Then Jesus talked to us about fasting, and said that Christians will fast. He explained that we ought to fast privately, to seek the invisible God-our Father.

Most people don't know God. Frankly, they are not even acquainted with God, but I hope that many of you are, or will be. You can come to know God if you truly walk with Him, do what He says and obey Him-that's the key. Will you do what God says? Or will you reason around the clear teachings of Jesus? I hope all of you really want to follow Jesus, not just as your Savior, but as your Lord and your Master. Jesus said so many times, in so many different ways, as He said in Luke 6:46: "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?" We want to remember that. Lord means "boss." Lord means "master."

Now notice Jesus' teaching on financial responsibility. Remember that this is the teaching of the one who died for you, the Savior of the world-the Son of God. Matt. 6:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal."

Many men and women today are multi-multimillionaires-we have about seven million people in the United States living in millionaire families-that's a lot of folks. What can you do if you have several million dollars? Most of us could never spend it in a normal lifetime. But the "game of Monopoly" goes on and on; people strive to get more and more. Jesus said that this should not be our goal at all. He shows that you have an obligation to God-your Creator-who gives you everything that you have. He gives the very breath you breathe and the very brain with which you think-the brain with which most people reason around what God says and avoid honoring God in any way, and certainly not in a financial way.

Matt. 6:20-21 "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys [you see, where nothing can happen like that] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

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That is a very important concept. Back in 2 Corinthians 9:6, the Apostle Paul was inspired to write: "But this I say: 'He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.'" If your heart is in serving God and helping and building the very Work of God on earth today, and in getting out this Gospel of the Kingdom of God, you will want to give generously, you will want to give bountifully, as an act of worship-as an act of thanks. And God can open your mind so you will see the principle of tithing-that you owe God one tenth of your income, and that you are not "doing a favor" to God by giving. Rather, the tithe is the "rent" you are paying Him for your life, your breath and the use of His earth. -His earth, His water, His food, His air-everything you have. And God tells you to be generous.

II Cor. 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

That is the attitude He loves-one who gives cheerfully, one who gives generously. Jesus showed the attitude of heart that He wants. Where your treasure is, there will be your heart; your whole attitude will be toward serving God and honoring Him with your increase.

Matt. 6:22 "The lamp of the body is the eye."

The "lamp"-that is, the "outlook"-that's what you see, that's where you have your vision, that's where you have your attention. Where is your attention? What is the most important thing? What thoughts dominate your mind? This is what Jesus is talking about.

Matt. 6:22-23 "If therefore your eye is good, [if your attitude is good-if your attention is focused upon the Kingdom of God SERVING God and your fellow man] then your whole body will be full of light But if your eye is bad [or evil, as the King James has it], your whole body will be full of darkness."

If you are double-minded-if you are thinking all the time about physical things and not really concentrating on the things of God-then of course your body will be full of darkness.

Matt. 6:23-24 "If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

No one can serve two masters."

You just can't do it. Most people try to do it, in a sense, if they are religious. They may give God a little bit of time Sunday morning (or some other time), and maybe some brief prayers.

I remember growing up and working on a farm up in northern Kansas for one summer. I was very grateful for the opportunity to be in the outdoors and to learn about farming and the wholesome life.

The man I worked with was a very good man, and I don't want to dishonor him-I appreciated his wholesomeness. Yet he was in a mainstream denomination and had, contrary to what we just saw on the Sermon on the Mount, memorized a prayer. Every day he would bow his head and would say an

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 06

"Our Father‌" The words came over and over, with no thought, no emotion, no personal expression-just this memorized prayer-like a robot. The minute he finished saying it and said "Amen," his wife would jump up as if to say "Well, we've got rid of that" and would start talking, back to the "real world" again.

You see, they gave God a little bit of attention, but they didn't really know God. They did not understand God. God was not real to those people-no way! You have to have God in your life, and you need to walk with God and have Him as the main thing in your life-not a peripheral interest, but the main interest.

Matt. 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

"Mammon" means money, but in the larger sense it means material things. You can't serve God and say: 'I am serving you, Father" while all the time thinking about buying a bigger TV set, another car, another this, another that, getting more money and living in this material world. That is not the way a Christian thinks! Most of us, especially in the United States, have not learned that, but I hope many of us can begin to understand it.

Back in Colossians 3:5, the Apostle Paul instructs us: "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." That's right: "Covetousness, which is idolatry." Many men and women today have been playing the stock market, they get in and out all day long. They buy a stock and just hours later sell it-they count it up just like a Monopoly game. It is not wrong to have some investments in a bank or CDs or even in the stock market, to invest in the economy in a general way. But we ought not to be "playing" it, or using it in such a way that your mind is on it all the time. You cannot serve God and mammon. You can't let yourself be double-minded-you can't be focused on the world and at the same time put the Kingdom of God first.

Jesus warns us about that. Covetousness is idolatry! That money, that physical interest becomes your god. What are the thoughts that dominate your mind? Are those thoughts mainly about the Kingdom of God-about the ways of God, the Laws of God, how you can make it into God's Kingdom and how you can have Jesus Christ living His life within you? Or are your thoughts all day long about getting ahead in this world, making more money or other physical things? You cannot serve two masters!

Matt. 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.

Don't worry about having the latest style and the latest car, the latest this and the latest that. That is not the attitude of a Christian, my friends.

Matt. 6:25 "Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air."

This passage goes on to describe how God takes care of them and how He takes care of the lilies, and that they are absolutely beautiful with His care.

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Matt. 6:30 "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

If God takes care of the birds and even two sparrows cannot fall to the earth without God knowing it, God CERTAINLY knows all about you. He certainly knows about your needs. He knows in detail, so, don't worry about those things.

Matt. 6:30 "…will He not much more clothe you…"

How much more will the great God, if He is your Father and you are serving Him, be totally aware of your needs? He will take care of you!

Matt. 6:31 "Therefore do not worry."

It's not wrong to work, to do the best in your job and to realize that God does command also, in one of the Ten Commandments, six days shall you work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. Part of that Sabbath command is "six days" you shall work! You have six days for your interests-for your work and your productivity. So we need to think about that part of the command. You are to do your part, but not worry about it-not have your mind on money or material things. Don't worry or be anxious about it.

Matt. 6:31 "…'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek…"

People in the world think about those things; people who don't really know the God of the Bible, the God of Creation, the God of Jesus Christ. Their minds are on those things. That's all they can talk about; that's all they know.

Matt. 6:32-33 "For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first [notice this-not second or third or fourth, but seek FIRST, above everything else there is] the kingdom of God [God's Government, God's Law-because God's Government is based upon His Law, the Ten Commandments, the great spiritual Law of God] and His righteousness."

It is interesting, of course, that God tells us His righteousness is the Commandments. Back in Psalm 119:172, God inspired King David to write: "For all Your commandments are righteousness." The Commandments tell us how to love God and how to love our fellow man.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 06

Matt. 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

What you should eat and drink and what you should wear God will give you, and will give you plenty and often, if you really serve Him. And in a prosperous society, He may give you more than plenty. There will be other times when you may have to do without, just like the Apostle Paul. He said "I know how to be abased and I know how to abound, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." The Apostle Paul said that in the book of Philippians. And you can, too. But basically He will bless you if you serve Him-there is no question about it.

Matt. 6:34 "Therefore do not worry [or have anxious thought, have your mind on it all the time] about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

You will have enough trouble today without worrying about tomorrow-wondering what you are going to eat, what you are going to wear, what you are going to do-trying to save so much money for the future and having your mind on that. God tells you to do good, be generous, put your treasure in heaven, lay up treasure in heaven, do your part toward the Kingdom of God. Serve others and serve your God, and God will take care of you. And above all, seek ye first-above everything else-the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And then all these material things will be added to you. But above all, and beyond that, you will have a place in God's family in the coming Kingdom of God to be set up on this earth. It's realit's just ahead! So let's do our part. Let's get ready.

That's it for today. We will continue right on through the book of Matthew and this wonderful Sermon on the Mount.

This is Roderick C. Meredith speaking for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 07 Matt. 7:1 – 7:12 A number of translations translate this as "condemn not, that you be not condemned" because Jesus is not just talking using the word "judge" to indicate "discerning." God tells us, all the way through the Bible, to be very discerning.

Greetings, friends around the world!

Once again, this is Roderick C. Meredith, speaking to you for the Living Church of God. We have been going through the book of Matthew, almost verse by verse, explaining and expounding the real meaning of this magnificent part of the Bible. We are now in an especially wonderful part of the Bible called the Sermon on the Mount. Last time, we discussed the importance of how you use your material resources. Jesus Christ explained clearly that " where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Now let's begin Chapter 7: Matt. 7:1-2 "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."

A number of translations translate this as "condemn not, that you be not condemned" because Jesus is not just talking using the word "judge" to indicate "discerning." God tells us, all the way through the Bible, to be very discerning. He tells us to make judgements, as a matter of fact, but not to condemn-not to think that someone is "good for nothing" and utterly lost. We need to understand that difference.

Matt. 7:3-5 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? [In other words, people were condemning others when they had greater faults themselves.] Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? [A plank is in your eye and yet you are out judging and condemning others.] Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

In other words, if you grow in grace and in knowledge and you become a spiritual leader, you may in fact be able to remove the speck in your brother's eye. You may indeed help him find out his faults, mistakes or weaknesses, and may help him overcome them. That is not wrong, but you are not to be having a condemning attitude.

Remember that Jesus Christ is the Word. He is the Logos. He is the one who inspired the entire Bible, and the New Testament is His New Testament-the new covenant of Jesus Christ. In the book of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul explains to us more about this matter of judging, which helps us understand Matthew 7:

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 07

1 Cor. 2:14 The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. Another word for "natural" is "carnal." Carnal means physical. Americans know that the Mexican dish chili con carne means "chili with meat." Just as carne means "meat," carnal means meaty or "fleshly"-it does not mean especially or unusually evil. It just means the normal, physical mind of man that just thinks about physical things.

1 Cor. 2:14-15 The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him [he does not grasp spiritual things]; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned [you have to discern or judge these things]. But he who is spiritual judges all things, ‌ That's right! He who is spiritual-a really deeply converted person or true minister-may be able to judge and understand that certain things in society, or even in individuals, are sin-and help others work on those things. That's not wrong.

1 Cor. 2:16 ‌yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For 'who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ.

Paul says "we" and in the very next verse says: "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal." He said, "You folks do not have that kind of mind." Most of them were not spiritual. You have to be deeply spiritual, then you have the mind of Christ. Very few people on this earth have grown to that degree. They do not have the mind of Christ. But one who does is able to discern, or judge, and does need to judge and discern. To do so is not wrong.

1 Cor. 6:1-3 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? [In other words, the saints would be the ones to judge upsets between brethren, contentions between brethren in the church.] Do you not know that the saints will judge [there is the word judge again] the world?

And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? [Don't you have the perception to judge between brethren?] Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

Paul goes on to explain how those who are in the church ought to judge others in certain situations. So Christ was not contradicting the Apostle Paul, and Paul was not contradicting his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. So many people say "Judge not, judge not." But you should judge: "This is a false doctrine," or "that is not Christ's church, because it teaches heretical ideas," or "this rotten stuff on television is sinful." You should judge that! You should discern those things if you are a Christian.

You should not get too picky about individuals, though; you might get their attitude wrong. If the Ladies' Aid Society had been out one Sunday afternoon and saw a man with a knife about to kill his son, they might have thought: "Wow, this man is the most evil man on earth." Of course, about 3,500 years ago,

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that might have been Abraham-who was willing to sacrifice Isaac. God intervened at the last minute and said "Don't touch the lad, now I know that you fear Me." But what a sight that would have been if all those people came by and saw this man-they would not have been able to discern the situation. They would not understand the background of his actions. They would not know Abraham's attitude. Of course God did not allow that to happen, but it shows how you can misjudge others. Jesus says: "Judge not according to appearance sake, but judge righteous judgement." So you do need to judge. He said to judge righteous judgement.

Matt. 7:5 "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye [overcome your own sin, grow in grace and in knowledge], and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

You can help your brother. You can discern problems he may be having, if you are a spiritual leader.

Matt. 7:6 "Do not give what is holy to the dogs…"

If a person treats spiritual things cheaply, don't present those spiritual things in front of him-he doesn't understand what you are talking about and he won't appreciate it. You may give general comments to him-that there has to be a God, there has to be a great Creator to create everything that is and a Designer to design this world. You may talk to him about general things that are happening in prophecy.

But if you get into deep spiritual things he will probably just spit on you. He doesn't understand it, so don't give it to him.

Matt. 7:6 "…nor cast your pearls before swine…"

The hogs don't appreciate beautiful pearls. You throw them right in the slop with a bunch of hogs, and how much appreciation are the hogs going to have for that? People don't understand. Jesus said: "No man can come to me unless the Spirit of the Father draws him." God has to call people to understanding, otherwise they will not understand what you are talking about. God is not trying to save the world now. If He were trying to save the world, He would do it! He is El Shaddai-God Almighty! But He is not trying to save the world, and most people will treat the truth very cheaply.

Matt. 7:6-7 "…nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. Ask [as you come to God], and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find [in other words, you ask and then you seek help from God]; find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Knock on the door. Cry out to God-that's not wrong. Put your heart in your prayer. Literally cry out to God, and God will hear you.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 07

Matt. 7:7-8 "…knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds…"

If you seek God sincerely and heartfeltly, God will no doubt open your mind.

Matt. 7:8-11 "…and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil…"

Jesus' disciples were just normal, carnal men at that time. The Holy Spirit was not given to anyone yetnot until the day of Pentecost, after Christ's death. So they were still basically evil. Remember, Peter cursed and swore, and denied Christ three times at the very end of Jesus' ministry. That very night, before He died, Peter was still carnal. He did not have God's Spirit in him. It was with him, but not yet in him.

Matt. 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children…"

Everyone can give his children good things. Why? Myself, my job, my money, my house, my wife, my children-that's all in a sense part of me, or related to me. So we want to take care of that. Even evil people will give good things to people around them as part of their family or their closest retinue.

Matt. 7:11 "If you then, being 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." He will want to give you good things. So you need to ask God, and cry out to God, and come to God often.

Turn to Mark 11. Jesus had cursed this fig tree, as many of you will remember: Mark 11:21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God." Of course the fig tree would be cursed! Jesus cursed that fig tree with total faith in God-that God would do this for a good reason, to teach them a lesson. So God did do it.

Mark 11:23 "For assuredly, I say to you [This is not just what Jesus could do, but what they could do even though they were still carnal. Jesus was teaching them this for the future.], I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and

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Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says."

What an attitude of faith! There might be a time when a literal hill or mountain or some bridge would need to disappear. If you knew it was God's will, you could ask and if you asked in faith, God would do that-if you are His servant and if you are following Him. This is a POWERFUL example of prayer.

Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, BELIEVE that you receive them, AND YOU WILL HAVE THEM." You have to believe whatever things you ask. Certainly other scriptures tell us, however, that we are to ask according to God's will. If you ask some crazy thing, a true Christian will have doubt, and won't honestly believe in the heart. If you ask along the line of what God is showing He will do and wants to do and you have faith as you pray: "whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." So that is a powerful thing. Jesus Christ said "YOU WILL HAVE THEM." One key we often don't think about in this regard is something God brings out through the beloved Apostle John, who was Jesus' closest personal friend: 1 John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments [the antecedent is God-not the new commandments of Jesus, we keep God's commandments (plural)] and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

If you keep God's commandments-if you walk with Him and walk with Christ and have Christ living His life in you-when you pray you will receive whatever you ask because you are obedient. Certainly you have to ask in faith. So those are some of the conditions for answered prayer. Let's understand that this is a powerful thing we need to learn.

Here in Matthew 7, Christ talks about how much more God will give you good things if you come to Him. Even though you would give your children, "how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him"?

Matt. 7:12 "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

This is what the Bible tells us! People say this is a brand new teaching. But no, it wasn't. It wasn't a new teaching back then, because Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament. He was the Word, the Logos, the Spokesman, as when He spoke in Leviticus: Leviticus 19:18 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.'

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 07

"I am the great God who made all men. You are to love your neighbor as yourself." God said that through Moses. Moses did not say it; God said it through Moses. Jesus brings out through John later that the Law came through Moses, not from Moses, and that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ-all through God the Father.

Matt. 7:12 "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them‌" Are you encountering a person of a different race? How would you want to be treated if you were of that race? Would you want to be treated with respect and kindness and mercy? Maybe you are encountering an old person who is crippled, or a young child who is helpless, or a nervous teenager who doesn't know quite what to do. Think about it! When you were at that age, or if you were in that situation, how would you want to be treated? Love that person. Help that person. Put yourself in the other person's shoes. Treat others as you would want to be treated. This is the intent of the Law and the Prophets! God's Law tells us how to love God and how to love our neighbor.

That's it for today. We will continue in the Sermon on the Mount next time.

This is Roderick C. Meredith for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 08 Matt. 7:7; 7:13 -7:28 Christ goes on to explain that whatever you want men to do to you, you should do also to them. God is very good to us, and we also must be very good to one another. You want to learn to love your neighbor as yourself. This is called the "golden rule." As I said last time, Jesus is actually quoting from Leviticus 19:18, which he first spoke as the Word, the Spokesman, of the Old Testament.

Greetings, friends around the world!

We are just finishing up Matthew 5, 6 and 7-the Sermon on the Mount. Last time I was able to go through a part of Matthew 7 where Jesus said "Judge not that you be not judged." It went on to show that if you cast the beam out of your eye, then you will be able to cast the splinter, the little bit of wood, out of your brother's eye. God shows this throughout the Bible. I explained that Paul in 1 Corinthians 6 was talking about judging-how Christians are going to judge the world and judge angels, so how much more should we be able to judge things of this life. The context in Matthew is talking about condemning.

You are not to go around condemning people-and perhaps being a hypocrite because you have the same problem. But if you grow in grace and knowledge, you may be able to help others, not condemn them. You have to make distinctions between right and wrong and good and bad. That is not judging in the sense of condemning at all.

Matt. 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

You have to keep on praying to God, trusting God, coming back to God again and again and not giving up. Let God know with all of your heart that you really know what you are asking for.

Christ goes on to explain that whatever you want men to do to you, you should do also to them. God is very good to us, and we also must be very good to one another. You want to learn to love your neighbor as yourself. This is called the "golden rule." As I said last time, Jesus is actually quoting from Leviticus 19:18, which he first spoke as the Word, the Spokesman, of the Old Testament. We can understand, far more, how to apply that today.

Matt. 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it."

Most people enter in the wrong way. They are not getting into God's Kingdom or getting into God's blessing. In most cases they think they are going to heaven, which of course they are not. They think they are getting into God's reward by going the broad way, the way everyone else is going. Jesus said: "Don't do that-that's the wrong way." Yet that is the way the vast majority of people are going.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 08

Matt. 7:14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

Be willing to go the way that God's Word directly says. Be willing to stand alone, if you have to, and obey God. Have courage and realize that there is a real God and that He will back up His Word if you obey Him. Learn to have that kind of understanding and courage.

Matt. 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing‌" Now remember, false prophets don't come with a pitchfork and horns and say: “Here I come, I'm going to deceive you." They don't come like that; they are very smooth. Often they are very educated men, with mellifluous voices-they sound very good and they talk about the Bible. They use the name Jesus Christ, but they don't say what He said.

In Matthew 24, right after Jesus gave what we call the Olivet Prophecy describing the signs of the endtimes, His disciples said: "When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you. 'For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.'" They will deceive not a few, but "many." That is exactly what has happened. Millions of people-hundreds of millions, franklyoften use Christ's name, but they go the wrong way.

Jesus said, "If you are to enter into life, keep the commandments." But deceivers say: "Oh, no, it's all done away by the cross or the Apostle Paul" and they don't go Christ's way, they go a different way.

They have a whole different concept of God, a whole different concept of the very purpose of human existence. Don't be fooled! Just read the Bible, and don't allow men to change it around. Just read it and let yourself know that God says what He means and means what He says.

Matt. 7:15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing [they look really good, they look like a sheep, like Christ], but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."

Christ doesn't mean they deliberately want to destroy you literally in every case, but false prophets want what they want. They want prestige and they are going to keep you in their flock and as their followers regardless.

Matt. 7:16 "You will know them by their fruits. [A tree produces fruit, is it good fruit or bad fruit?] Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit."

Think about it! The Christian religion has been extant in Europe for nearly two thousand years. What has it produced? As many historians know, most of the great wars of this modern age, for hundreds of years, have been in Europe. Usually it has been Christians fighting-butchering and slaughtering Christians.

Sometimes Catholics would be fighting Catholics. Sometimes Protestants would be fighting Protestants.

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Sometimes Catholics are persecuting Protestants, and sometimes vice versa. Or look at our American Civil War, one of the most bloody wars in human history, where the Protestants would charge up the ridge, and maybe you would have good members of one Protestant church on one side and members of the same church on the other side, killing one another. Sometimes, as history shows, enemy troops were even related-maybe brothers or cousins from the same family or the same church. They did not have the understanding from the Bible, because the churches of this world don't teach you to fear God. They don't teach you to do what God said, regardless! If they would do that, these men would know God's command: "Thou shalt not kill!" And you are to love your enemy, as we saw back in Matthew 5.

You are to do good to him, Pray for him! You can't have that attitude and take your bayonet and try to cut his guts out. War is awful! War is the exact opposite of everything Jesus Christ taught, everything He lived for and died for. But so-called Christians have been slaughtering each other for hundreds and hundreds of years.

They are blinded! They don't know that they are going the wrong way. And the fruit has not been goodjust look at all the other things that have happened in our modern, so-called Christian civilization: divorce and remarriage, the breakdown of the family, pornography and mass murder. Yes, we have murdered about thirty-five million unborn babies-slaughtering them! You talk about the slaughter of the innocents! What's happening here in the United States? Think about it! Now we are beginning to talk about euthanasia in the western world. I believe it is in Holland that they are introducing the idea of euthanasia. We can kill the little unborn babies and now we can put the old people to death. If they are not in perfect shape or can't defend themselves, some now say: "Well, better to get rid of them!" And pretty soon they are going to get more and more toward the middle. You might be next! You need to think about that-is there value to human life? Do the religions of the world teach God's way? No, they do not! Their fruit is not good.

Matt. 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

Eventually, all the false religions are going to be destroyed!

Matt. 7:20-21 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."

You've got to do God's will! You've got to say "Father, not my will, but Your will be done," and really, truly mean that from the bottom of your heart. Even then, you will make a lot of mistakes. Your human nature will make you blat out some word or do some stupid thing once in a while-of course! But your attitude has got to become that of truly surrendering to God. Matt. 7:22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied‌" My friends, a lot of you know that the word "prophesied" is often translated "preached" in the New Testament. "Have we not preached in Your name?" Jesus said that "many shall come in my name saying I am Christ." Who does do that? Preachers do! They come preaching Christ and they say: "Haven't we preached in your name, haven't we cast out demons, haven't we cast out the demons of ignorance and

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 08

superstition and despair"-they call those things "demons" because most of the modern ministers don't know about real demons.

So they establish homes for the drunks and the bums down on Skid Row, and they establish homes for unwed mothers. But the trouble is, they are treating the effect; they are not treating the cause.

The cause of unwed motherhood and the cause of people having no purpose in life-carrying on sinfully as a way of life-is that they don't know God and they are not taught God's Commandments. God says: "Thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not commit fornication." God has all those laws. "No drunkard shall enter the Kingdom of heaven," God says. And if those things were taught by every church, every school and every family in the land, this nation would be revolutionized and its whole way of life would change for the better. So we want to understand that. People are not being taught these things. Reformers are getting at the result, but not at the cause of problems. And the cause is disobedience to God's Law! To those who proclaim that they have done so many wonderful things to help others, Jesus said: Matt. 7:23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"

The Greek word here translated as "lawlessness" is anomos-"against law." That is the whole root cause which most of the so-called Christian world does not understand! They talk about law or grace, as if you have to have one or the other! But that's not true! You must have both law and grace. When you disobey God's Law, you are breaking the spiritual principles of God Himself-and you are supposed to repent of that when you are converted. God will forgive you if you repent, but you can't deliberately continue violating God's law. You have to live by God's Law. But people are not taught that in the socalled Christian churches.

So Jesus says to those people: "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness"-you who practice it as a way of life, breaking God's Sabbath, taking God's name in vain. As a way of life, how many of you cheat in various ways-perhaps in school or on your income tax. As a way of life, you may be committing adultery or looking on another woman to lust after her-which Jesus said is adultery-and when you watch most of these Hollywood movies and most of these Hollywood TV shows, that is what they are filled with-illicit sex and violence, encouraging and picturing in your mind lust and war and violence and killing and illicit sex-all those things that God condemns. Think about it! This is the world and the society that calls itself a "Christian" civilization-but it is not! Jesus said "Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" He gets very strong here in the Sermon on the Mount.

This is the teaching of the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. Most of you have not known that Christ, but you need to get acquainted with Him. Matt. 7:24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them [if you obey these principles], I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock."

You need to build your house on a strong foundation. Men who are building skyscrapers have to build them on strong rock and they will drill way, way down to find solid rock. Otherwise, their construction is going to start settling and turning to one side, which may ruin the building.

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Matt. 7:25-27 "And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them [if you don't obey God and don't keep His Commandments and don't listen to what Jesus said and do what HE said], will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

It is just going to collapse! And when these events speed up toward the end of this age and the Great Tribulation begins, there is going to be a great sorting-out process. Most people are going to realize that they don't have real faith in God, and that God is not real to them. When Christ comes back as King of kings and Lord of lords, people are really going to understand that they have never known the real Christ of the Bible and have never let Him live His life in them through the Holy Spirit.

Matt. 7:28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Growing up, I heard in my church what many modern ministers will say: "Saint Paul suggests this morning‌" But God doesn't suggest, God tells us! Jesus said: "Do this, don't do that." He was very clear; He spoke from the authority of God. That is the way Jesus taught. So please listen, for your good-indeed for your eternal good. We have to think about this. Jesus finished the Sermon on the Mount telling us that if we do these things we will be sound and will make it into God's Kingdom. But if we don't do these things, great will be the fall of our lives and everything we have ever hoped for. He taught with authority. Let's listen!

Thank you for listening now. That's all for this time. We will continue going through Matthew in the next program.

This is Roderick C. Meredith speaking for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 09

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 09 Matt. 8:1 – 9:13 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." We need to realize this basic principle. He does not change. He is always willing to heal. He may not heal as much today as He did back then, because we are not living in an age of faith. Frankly, most people today have not been taught this principle of faith, and they have not been taught very much about healing at all.

Greetings, everyone!

We are going to pick up our study here at the end of Matthew 8. Follow along if you can with your own Bible. You will get much more out of this study if you can follow along in your Bible and really understand exactly what Jesus said.

Matt. 8:1-2 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."

Was Jesus willing to heal the sick? What is God's will?

Matt. 8:3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."

Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

I have often said that Hebrews.13:8 is the scripture that tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." We need to realize this basic principle. He does not change. He is always willing to heal. He may not heal as much today as He did back then, because we are not living in an age of faith.

Frankly, most people today have not been taught this principle of faith, and they have not been taught very much about healing at all. But Jesus has not changed. He is still there; He has all the power in the universe, and He can heal any kind of sickness, any kind of disease at all.

Matt. 8:3-4 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."

Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

He wanted this to be at least a witness to the Jewish hierarchy.

Matt. 8:5-6 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."

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My friends, here was a captain over 100 soldiers, a captain of the occupation army. This centurion was certainly a man in power, but he still respected Jesus very highly, sensing that this was a man of the Great God, even though the centurion may not have known that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus honored his attitude.

Matt. 8:7-9 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord", [notice this man's humility and his faith] "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

[He must have said that with an attitude of really knowing it was going to happen.]

For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

In other words, the centurion said "About face!" and these soldiers would turn about face. When he said "Forward, march!" they would obey him and march forward! He said "I know, Lord, that you have power over sickness and disease, and You can just say it and it will be done! ‌ just as I tell my servants and my soldiers. This centurion had a truly amazing attitude, and Jesus honored it.

Matt. 8:10-12 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! [Even the Jews there, who should have known better-who knew the God of the Old Testament, who knew the Truth-they did not have that kind of sincere, childlike faith that this centurion had.] And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. [So many would come and sit down with WHO? -with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They are the fathers; they are going to be there in the resurrection from the dead in the Kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven.] But the sons [and daughters] of the kingdom [In other words, these natural born Jews who rejected Christ and rejected the Truth.] will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Many of Jesus Christ's generation will be horribly sorry and remorseful when they realize that the very Son of God was among them yet they didn't understand, they didn't care and they didn't respond. They blew it! They will not be in the Kingdom of God, at least not in the first resurrection.

Matt. 8:13-15 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." [So He said it would be done.] And his servant was healed that same hour. Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, [Here He comes into the house of the Apostle Peter. Peter was married-he was not an unmarried pope; he was a married man with a mother-in-law.] He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.

So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.

We often find that healing is carried out by laying on hands. In this case, Jesus just touched her hand.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 09

Matt. 8:16-17 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.

And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, [So He healed the sick, he cast out demons-they often go hand in hand.] that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses."

Isaiah prophesied, as you will see in Isaiah 53:4, that Christ is to bear our sicknesses and by His stripes we are healed. The stripes and the suffering that was laid on Him, and the scourging He received on that last night before He died, was His paying the penalty for the broken laws, the broken physical laws, which bring on sickness and disease. Christ took that penalty on Himself.

Matt. 8:18-20 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. [He did not want to just heal more people at that point. He wanted to preach the truth, of course-that was more important.] Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Jesus did not have a great big palace like some religious leaders. And He did not have a big house either.

In his travels He just had to go here and there, completely trusting in God and many nights sleeping out under the stars, in bed-rolls or in the homes of others.

Matt. 8:21-22 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

He was not being harsh. It was a common custom of the Jews to return home when an elderly parent began to be sickly. Sometimes they would stay for weeks or months. Jesus said, "No, it is more important that you come and help out here in the Work of Almighty God." Matt. 8:23-24 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.

So Jesus preached and taught and healed and interacted with these people, perhaps for hours. Yet He was God in the flesh, so He, like us, became tired sometimes. Here He had a healthy sleep. He was not tense; He just plopped right down and went to sleep.

Matt. 8:25-26 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"

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That should tell us something! We, today, are a VERY faithless generation. Most of us would not begin to think that we could get up and rebuke the sea and ask God in heaven to stop it. But Jesus did.

Jesus knew that God was there. Jesus knew that He could immediately stop it. He had TOTAL FAITH in the Creator to intervene and stop it, because, of course, He had greater faith than any other human being, since He was the One by whom God created that very lake, the One by whom God created everything that is. So He believed, and knew, that His Father was there and would do that. As Jesus said: "I and My Father are One." Christ was in total union with His Father in His attitude, in His thinking and in His approach.

Matt. 8:26-29 "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" [Here He indicates that we should have a lot more faith.] Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" [They were just startled and probably had a cold sweat running down their backs. "What is going on?" they were thinking.] When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, [they were kind of wild men] coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"

The demons know a true servant of God. They certainly recognized Christ, and they were afraid of Him. Matt. 8:30-31 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. [A herd of hogs.] So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine [hogs]."

Hogs are unclean animals. These Jews should not have been raising such animals, and they knew that.

They had been taught that, and Jesus knew so. So He allowed these demons to go into this whole herd of swine.

Matt. 8:32-33 And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. [They just drowned themselves.] Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

Instead of rejoicing, these hog-raisers were so afraid of losing their money that they were not impressed by the Son of the Great God right there among them. They were afraid of losing their pigs.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 09

Matt. 8:34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

They asked the Son of God to leave. Think about it! If they had asked the Son of God to stay-to teach them the truth, to heal their sick-they might have had dozens or hundreds of people healed. They might have had their whole lives changed, but they were too busy raising something that would damage the health of other human beings. They did not want to give that up.

Matt. 9:1-5 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. [Now He is back in Capernaum, which was His headquarters at this time.] Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. [So this man was totally paralyzed, just lying there helpless.] When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you." And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!" But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? [Why are you having these wrong attitudes?] For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk?'"

Healing and forgiveness of sins go hand in hand. When your sins are forgiven, God forgives spiritual sins and removes the penalty. When you are healed physically, God removes the penalty of broken law, of broken physical principles, and there is no side effect. When you use drugs and have operations, there are always side effects. But there are no side effects when you trust in God! The time is coming, my friends, when POWERFUL disease epidemics are going to come raging through our lands and we are going to have to trust God for healing more than ever. We need to think about this ahead of time. We need to realize now that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Matt. 9:6 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"; then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."

This man was immediately healed and got up.

Matt. 9:8-9, 11-12 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men. [They were very grateful. Often people are not grateful and have not been grateful when God would intervene, but these men are grateful.] As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. [Here is a tax collector-but the man was humble. He apparently felt guilty.] And He said to him, "Follow Me." [They had this big banquet at this man's house. Often the tax collectors, back then at least, got wealthy.] And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, [When you are well, you don't need to go to the doctor.] but those who are sick."

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Here, Jesus indicated that physicians were sometimes sought. It is not wrong to do that. Each one of us has to decide how far to go. Often, people do see a need to have their bones set, or to have some procedure done. They can be healed by God, but God doesn't normally heal our bones, or pull our teeth, or do all kinds of things that He knows we can and often should do for ourselves. He explained that those who are sick have need of a physician.

Matt. 9:13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' [In other words, I would want people to be healed, I would have mercy on them.] For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

He was not trying to call those who were already well spiritually-or rather who thought they were. Christ was calling those who were weak, who were sick, who were cut off from God. He gave them the opportunity to be in the Kingdom of God and to be in the first resurrection, if they would really listen and heed and do what the Son of God said when He was among them.

That's it for now.

This is Roderick C. Meredith for the Living Church of God.

Copyright Š 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 10

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 10 Matt. 9:14 – 10:18 Back then, people knew how to fast. People today don't talk much about fasting. It is not a very popular subject in our affluent society. When people these days do fast, they often have a "water fast" or a "juice fast." Back then, a religious fast consisted of fresh air and sunshine-no food and no water whatsoever. They fasted in order to humble themselves and get closer to God-at least that was the right purpose of fasting.

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick Meredith, speaking to you again for the Living Church of God, and bringing you this commentary on the book of Matthew. We have come to the middle of Matthew 9.

Matt. 9:14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"

Back then, people knew how to fast. People today don't talk much about fasting. It is not a very popular subject in our affluent society. When people these days do fast, they often have a "water fast" or a "juice fast." Back then, a religious fast consisted of fresh air and sunshine-no food and no water whatsoever. They fasted in order to humble themselves and get closer to God-at least that was the right purpose of fasting.

Matt. 9:15 And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast."

Jesus Christ was the bridegroom, the One who was to marry the Church. As long as He was among them, they did not need to fast to get closer to the invisible God. God was with them in the flesh-Emmanuel, "God with us!" That is who Jesus Christ was! So they did not need to fast to get closer to God. But Christ said: "The time will come when they will fast." That time is now. Jesus is not here physically, and we must fast from time to time to really get close to Almighty God. Matt. 9:16 "No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse." [You are mixing two different kind of things here.] Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine [when you have new wine that is not fermented, it is not expanded yet] into new wine skins and both are preserved."

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In other words, He is telling us not to try to mix His teachings with the teachings of the world. When you become "in Christ", you become a new creature. II Cor. 5:17 gives us the principle: II Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

A Christian's whole attitude toward fasting, the reason for fasting and the way of fasting is different. We don't fast like the Pharisees. We don't fast even like the disciples of John. We fast now as disciples of Jesus Christ, and have a deeper and more profound understanding of how to fast and why to fast.

Matt. 9:16-17 '…they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved." While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."

As I said in the last program, healing often involves the laying on of hands-God working through human instruments. This Jewish leader knew that. "Just lay your hand on her," he said. This man had FAITH. He was not following Christ. He was scared. Often when people are scared, they will finally turn to God and finally wake up! I am afraid it will have to be that way for many of us in the United States and Canada and elsewhere-we will have to be humbled and get scared and only then become awake and begin to obey God. This man finally cried out to God, through Jesus Christ, for help.

Matt. 9:18-26 So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." [She sensed that He was a great prophet or maybe she knew He was the Son of God.] "If only I may touch His garment…" But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." [She had faith-if she could just touch His garment and Jesus, through the Spirit of God, sensed that absolute faith.] And the woman was made well from that hour. When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping." [Well, she was sleeping in the sense she was temporarily dead. But, of course, they knew she was physically dead. She was and they checked her pulse and her heart and all that, I am sure-they knew that back then. They knew she was DEAD!] And they ridiculed Him. [Just scornful, rotten laughter, put down. "You crazy idiot, why are you saying that?"-they were saying to Christ in effect.] But when the crowd was put outside, [Notice, you get rid of the doubters and the scoffers. He put them out.] He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land.

He had raised this young woman from the dead! He was the Son of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 10

Matt. 9:27-28 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, "Son of David, have mercy on us!" [He was that special, prophesied son of David and they knew that.] And when He had come into the house, ‌ Jesus did not have some great big tent meeting to try and show off healings in front of huge crowds.

Sometimes He did heal in front of crowds, but that was not His motive and He did not make a big show of it. There was not a lot of whooping and hollering when He healed. He just asked God quietly to heal.

So these two men came into the house, where it was more private, and Jesus said: Matt. 9:28-30 "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, [again, the laying on of hands] "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, "See that no one knows it."

He was not trying to show off. "According to your faith let it be to you." We need to develop faith that there is a real God and that this real God is the same God that was the God of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

We need to have faith that Jesus is the same, and God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. They ARE the Great God, They have power; They will heal, if we can have faith. They will soon intervene in human affairs-and we had better believe that, too.

Matt. 9:31-34 But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.

[They didn't obey Him; they just went out.] As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. [Here was a man with a demon and unable to speak.] And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!" [God had never had a problem like that before.] But the Pharisees said, "He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons."

They said that He was casting out demons by Satan the Devil. What a rotten thing to say! Yet down through time, who have often been the greatest opponents of God's true ministers? Other religious leaders! They can't stand it! They were jealous of Christ, and they claimed that He cast out demons by the Devil himself.

Matt. 9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching [Preaching what-about the little Lord Jesus away in a manger? No!] preaching the gospel of the kingdom‌ It was the Gospel of the coming good news, or Government of God on this earth, which He was preaching about. And He will bring soon, in many of our lifetimes, the good news of the Kingdom!

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Matt. 9:35 …and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

It did not make any difference what sickness it was. Today we have Epstein-Barr disease and AIDS, and we have the Ebola virus. Other viruses, too, are going to be coming on our peoples. We have to realize, again, that it doesn’t make any difference to God! God has all the power there is. He can heal those ailments and will heal those ailments for His true servants when the time comes. So we had better learn to get close to God; we had better know God and walk with God, as we are entering into the last days.

Matt. 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, He had a great out-flowing concern for these people, because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd, just like most people are today. People today are wandering around; they go to this church and that church and the "church of their choice." They don't go to the church of God's choice, because most of them are blinded and don't know what to do. They just follow whatever they were taught as they grew up. Most people don't go to any church at all! In fact, two-thirds of humanity does not claim any kind of Christianity. Only about one-third of all human beings even claim to be any kind of a Christian. Most people don't know God; they just take part in some other religion, or no religion at all.

Matt. 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

[Very few true servants of God.] Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

We need to ask God to call more true ministers and more true servants to help back up the very Work of God. Matt. 10:1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.

Some have said: "Well, Jesus was just doing these healings to show that He was the Son of God." That was one reason, but there were also other men to whom He gave this power. Later we read in Luke 10 that He gave this same power to seventy others besides the 12 Apostles. No human beings can heal like that, but it can be done if Christ gives them the power and shows them that it is His will to work in this way.

Matt. 10:2,5-6 Now the names of the twelve apostles are [then he names the twelve Apostles] …

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 10

He said: "Go and find the people who are of Israel and cut off." Today we have discovered that the socalled "Lost Ten Tribes" of Israel live primarily in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the democratic, peace-loving nations of northwestern Europe. The House of Joseph, the BIRTHRIGHT nation who was to get the great birthright blessing, is primarily the people in the American and British-descended nations.

Matt. 10:7-8 "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' [Preach the Gospel of God's coming government.] "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, [I often put those three things together as part of healing, because healing the sick, or course, and cleansing the lepers are the same thing-that is just part of healing. Raising the dead is restoring people's health or restoring their bodies back to physical life.] cast out demons."

The "big three" are mentioned many times. The "big three" things that Jesus told His disciples over and over were to preach the Gospel, heal the sick and cast out demons.

Matt. 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give."

Are we to charge for the literature that we send out? No. We are not to charge for preaching the Gospel, and we don't do that.

Matt. 10:9-10 "Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food."

A minister is worthy, but is not to charge in that sense for what he is doing. God has provided the tithing system, but He does not ask us to charge for individual sermons, or individual pieces of literature, or anything sent by the Work.

Matt. 10:11-15 "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."[In other words, let a blessing come on a household that will take you in and take care of you.] "And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable [listen to this, my friends] for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

Here were people who had the chance to hear the true Gospel of God, the message of God. Yes, these people in Sodom and Gomorrah were evil, they were degenerate, but they did not have that

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opportunity. They had no knowledge. So it will be easier for them in the day of judgement than for a people who really knew about the Truth and rejected it even though they had it right in front of them.

Matt. 10:16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

We are to be wise as serpents. Don't be stupid. Think about what you are doing. Think about persecution. Think about how to reason with the carnal mind that is not interested; learn to "talk their talk." But don't do what they do. Don't hurt people, don't tear them down. Always build them up.

Matt. 10:17-18 "But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."

It did not say that God's servants would come before leaders at some "happy time"-they will be brought.

When the Apostle Paul finally came before Caesar; he was brought before Caesar in chains!

Nevertheless, he did get to go before Caesar. He did get to go before Festus and King Agrippa and some of those men when he was taken away from the Jews. He was brought before them and gave them a witness to the way of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and to the purpose of life.

That's all we will cover until next time.

This is Roderick Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God.

Copyright Š 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 11

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 11 Matt. 10:18 – 10:42 "Brought before governors and kings"-not some nice courtesy call or tea party, but brought before them. In most cases, we find that the Apostles were brought before the authorities in chains. They were prisoners, as the Apostle Paul was when he was brought before some of the governors and before Caesar at Rome. This is what has happened to God's true servants down through the ages.

Greetings, friends around the world!

We will pick up our series with Matthew 10:18. Open your Bible and follow along with me, and you will get a lot out of this.

Matt. 10:18 "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles."

"Brought before governors and kings"-not some nice courtesy call or tea party, but brought before them. In most cases, we find that the Apostles were brought before the authorities in chains. They were prisoners, as the Apostle Paul was when he was brought before some of the governors and before Caesar at Rome. This is what has happened to God's true servants down through the ages.

Matt. 10:19 "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak.

For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak."

God will put in the mind of His true servants what to speak. We don't need to have a set speech prepared.

Matt. 10:20-22 "‌for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake."

When people think about true Christianity, most think about the Catholic Church or the Protestant churches. Yet these churches, the vast majority of churches in the world, are not persecuted like this.

Most people actually go to church to solidify their position in the community-to have the praise of other people in the Kiwanis' Club, the Lions' Club or their social set. But true Christians, wherever they are, will be persecuted, because their way of life will be different. Many of you have not thought of that, but the Bible makes it very plain if you read these verses carefully. True Christians will not be walking along with the herd. They will not be going along with the vast majority of humanity!

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Matt. 10:22 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved."

You have to endure to the end of your life-or to the end of the age, which will come several years from now.

Matt. 10:23 "When they persecute you in this city, flee to another."

Christ is talking here about a time at the very end, when the true Christians will have to flee and in effect be "run out of town."

Matt. 10:23 "For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

Christ is talking here about His second coming! He did not say, "Before I come in just a few days." He said: "You will not have gone through the cities of Israel." In this Work of God-of which the Tomorrow's World telecast and Tomorrow's World magazine and this Internet commentary are a part-we have proved to you, through our booklet on the subject, that the American and British-descended peoples are the descendants of Israel. We are the "Lost Ten Tribes" of Israel. We have a very powerful and interesting booklet on that subject, titled What's Ahead for America and Britain? If you want a FREE copy of that booklet, just write or call or order it from this Web site. This FREE booklet proves the national identity of the American and British-descended peoples.

Matt. 10:24 "‌you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

Christ is coming again! Wherever His true servants are today, they will have been trying to go through the cities of Israel, but they won't thoroughly cover them before Christ comes.

Matt. 10:26 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. "It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master."

In other words, we will have to be persecuted just like Jesus was. He makes that very plain.

Matt. 10:26 "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub [in other words, the prince of demons], how much more will they call those of his household!"

They will call us sons of the Devil, if we are really serving God. But if you are a member of a mainstream church they don't do that! So think about it: where are the true Christians today?

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 11

Matt. 10:26 "Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known."

In the end, God will lift the lid off of this society. God will reveal who has been serving Him and who has not, and who has been hiding their sins and their wrong doctrines and misunderstandings.

Matt. 10:27-28 "Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [gehenna, as it is in the margin, a Greek word meaning the Lake of Fire]."

Most people are taught, in the churches of this world, that the soul is immortal and cannot be destroyed. Jesus showed here, very clearly, that it can be destroyed. The word "soul" comes from the Old Testament word that means "a living being." Man is a living being. You are a soul; you don't have a soul. You have a spirit-a spirit in man-but you are a living being. That living being can be destroyed by God. Matt. 10:29 "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will."

My friends, God is able to take care of even the sparrows. He watches over them and knows if even one little bird falls to the ground. That is the kind of mind our Creator has!

Do you understand what man has been able to do? Man has been able to invent computers that spew out trillions of pieces of information every second! Don't you think that the God who made our puny little human brain-the brain that manufactured these computers-can keep track of things down here on this earth if He wants to? Of course he can! And He does! So understand how great God is; do not limit Him. When you understand a computer, it gives you just a little insight into the vastly greater power of the mind of the Creator of the entire Universe.

Matt. 10:30 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

Yes, some of us are losing some of our hairs, and it is easier for God to remember our hairs, perhaps. In all seriousness, God does remember this, and all other such things, if He wants to. He keeps track of every nuance of our thought and our health. He knows who you are. He has made you in His image. He is watching your thought patterns. He is watching your reactions. He is working with you and with me to become His full sons and daughters someday in His Kingdom.

Matt. 10:31-32 "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven."

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We have to confess Jesus Christ not by just saying so, but by the way we live. But one should not be afraid to acknowledge that "I am a follower of Christ, I am a Christian and I am trying to become an Apostolic Christian-a Christian who lives like Christ lived and like the Apostles lived."

Matt. 10:33-34 "But whoever denies Me before men [says "Well, no, I am not a Christian and no, I am not religious and no, I am not a member of this little church that is not respected by men"], him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.

Many people think, "God wants peace, and He wants us to bring about the Kingdom of God right now."

But He doesn't! He is not trying to bring that about through human effort. And we cannot and will not bring it about through human effort. Jesus said: "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword." He came to bring a powerful message that He knew would rile up human beings. Most human beings do not want to listen to what Jesus Christ taught.

Matt. 10:35-36 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.'"

I had grown up in a mainstream church. But when I was first being genuinely converted to the real truth of God, the ones who bothered me the most, who persecuted me the most, were my own relatives. In their eyes, I was turning on what they taught me. They were sincere, but they were deeply hurt and they could not understand. That is often the way it is.

Matt. 10:37-38 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." Every one of us has to go through trials and tests. Every one of us has to go through a certain amount of suffering. We have to be willing to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ. That is why He talks about taking up a cross.

Matt. 10:39 "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

Are you willing to lose your life for His sake? To literally give your life? In most cases, God wants us simply to give our lives as a living sacrifice, as the Apostle Paul was inspired to write in Romans 12:1. He wrote: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable [or intelligent] service." Present your bodies as a living sacrifice! Most of us are not willing to do that! We want our way. We want to have fun all of the time. We want a bigger car, a bigger house, more this and more that. That is what our minds are focused on, far too much. We must be willing to help, to share, to sacrifice, to do without, to drive ourselves and to do without food or sleep when necessary. We must be willing to give to others when it Copyright Š 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 11

hurts, and lay down our lives for the Work of Almighty God and for the sake of our fellow man. Jesus said: "He who finds his life"-who wants to be a part of this world's society-will lose his life. Think about that. Pray about it.

Matt. 10:39 "…and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. He who receives you receives Me…" You need to understand where Jesus Christ's true ministers are. Am I a true minister, really speaking to you the Word of God? I am trying to do it the very best way I possibly can. I am not trying to play games.

Most ministers fit in with the pattern of this world's society. They speak the "soft and the smooth things" as Jeremiah said. But we on this program, in this Work, speak the Truth.

Matt. 10:40-42 "…and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man [when you receive him and honor him, in the sense that you believe what he says and act upon it] shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple [Even if you just help someone with giving them some food or some water-because they are Christ, and you are trying to do that service to Christ and to the Living God.], assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."

So you want to be a giver, and you want to learn to lay down your life for God. "He who seeks to save his life will lose it"-think about that! Time is short and we need to act upon the Truth. We need to give our lives to God. We have to realize that, as Jesus said, the time is coming when they will persecute us and they will chase us from city to city. We have to be willing to know that God's true Church and God's true people are not part of this society. They are not going to have the approbation of this society. They never have and they never will.

That will be all for this program. Next time we will cover Chapter 11 of this wonderful book of Matthew.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 12 Matt. 11:1 – 11:30 Many scholars have not been sure what this means. Was John, cut off in prison, unsure about Jesus, or was he in fact doing this primarily for the good of His disciples? I think it is probably the latter; though it might have been both, in part. The disciples may not have known as much as they should have, so John wanted them to go and see what Jesus was doing.

Greetings, friends around the world!

We are continuing this series through the book of Matthew, opening your mind to understanding of this powerful book that reveals so much of the truth of Christianity-perhaps as much as any other book in the New Testament. Matthew has been called a "miniature Bible" in a sense-and certainly it is. Indeed, the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, reveals the basis of Christianity perhaps as much as any other single book.

We have come to Matthew 10. I urge you to follow with me in your own Bible. I challenge you to "check up" on me, to prove these things to yourself by following carefully in your own Bible. It will mean a lot more to you when you can see it there and know that I have said exactly what the Bible says. Remember where it is found in your Bible, and you will learn to put it into action a lot better.

Matt. 11:1-2 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples…

John the Baptist hears about Jesus Christ, and He sends a couple of His disciples to check up on Him. Matt. 11:3 …and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"

Many scholars have not been sure what this means. Was John, cut off in prison, unsure about Jesus, or was he in fact doing this primarily for the good of His disciples? I think it is probably the latter; though it might have been both, in part. The disciples may not have known as much as they should have, so John wanted them to go and see what Jesus was doing.

Matt. 11:4-5 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; [Christ was performing miracles and God the Father performing miracles of healing and deliverance through Jesus Christ.] the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them."

In the world today, you will often find very successful middle class, upper-middle class and wealthy people in their churches, very proud of themselves. But in fact the true Christians have mostly been poor

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 12

people; and if God calls a person of great success, God has to knock that person down and humble that individual to help him understand how much he needs God. Otherwise he will not really repent. That is something we need to grasp.

Matt. 11:5-10 "…the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me. As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: 'What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

[Someone who is very unstable?] A man clothed in soft garments? [Some soft fellow, living in kings' houses or something?] Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger…'"

Actually, Christ was quoting from a statement He, Himself, made. Remember, Christ was the God of the Old Testament, speaking in the first person. He said in the book of Malachi, "Behold, I send My messenger," and it is worded there "before My face" -"before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You." So Christ was going to send John the Baptist before His own face. John's ministry began six months before Christ's. John was born about six months before Christ, as Christ, working with God the Father, orchestrated.

Matt. 11:11 "Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist…"

Some people get this mixed up, and think that John the Baptist was greater than Abraham-who was called the "father of the faithful." They think John was greater than Isaac and Israel and Moses-and David, who was a man after God's own heart. But Jesus did not say that! He said there has not been one greater than John the Baptist. John the Baptist was just as great. They were all great. John the Baptist was not necessarily greater than Abraham; I doubt that he was. But there has not risen one greater. Abraham was not greater. John the Baptist did, within the time constraints he had and the attitude he had, the best that he could with what he had. And he was reckoned as great as any prophet.

Matt. 11:11 "…he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

When you understand this, you can realize that when one is born again in the resurrection from the dead-truly born of God-any Christian will be greater than John the Baptist, because that Christian will be filled with the Holy Spirit and made a spirit being in the very family of God. Most people don't understand this.

Matt. 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."

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The Kingdom was represented there, and had been represented by the person of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. But the authorities took John the Baptist by force, and killed him! And before too long they were going to take Christ by force and crucify Him! Yes, they were crucifying the representatives of the coming Kingdom of God. Matt. 11:13-19 "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. [He did not mean they were done away, but that is all they had until John.] And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. [John the Baptist was a type of Elijah, who was prophesied to come at that time.] He who has ears to hear, let him hear! [We are to listen to what God says. And we are to realize that Elijah was pictured, of course, by John the Baptist in that sense, at that time.] "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, [you see he was real strict] and they say, 'He has a demon.' [So they used that on him, because he was so strict and astir and straightforward in his life.] The Son of Man came eating and drinking…"

Jesus would eat big meals with the Pharisees; He drank wine with them. His first miracle was turning more than 100 gallons of water into wine. I know some of the Christian Temperance Union people don't understand that. They think it was grape juice. But if you read the account in the book of John, that idea is just ridiculous. Christ used a Greek word for wine-oinos-which is not used for grape juice. Oinos is a word meaning "fermented wine." Knowing this, you can understand why in the story the bridegroom was told: “You saved the best wine until now." One would not use that terminology about grape juice.

You don't have good grape juice and bad grape juice and serve them differently. If you have bad grape juice, you should not serve it at all. There are different levels of refinement in wine. Some years are outstanding years. That was the concept being discussed-real wine. So Jesus came eating and drinking-and He certainly ate and drank in moderation. He was not afraid to drink wine in a right and balanced way, just as hundreds and millions of people over in Europe have been doing for centuries as a way of life. These are not people getting drunk; these are just families, perhaps out under the stars at night. Often the father will have some wine, and maybe the mother will have some other kind of wine. Maybe Grandpa will have beer, and the children will have soft drinks, all sitting together.

Not getting drunk, but enjoying it as a food and gentle relaxant.

Matt. 11:19 "…and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' [Because He sat with the tax collectors and sinners and tried to help them.

So they put that on Him.] But wisdom is justified by her children."

God used John the Baptist to set a very strict example. But John the Baptist put his imprimatur-his stamp of approval-on Jesus very powerfully. Then Jesus came along preaching a balanced life, and because He lived a more balanced life people accused Him. Jesus was saying in effect, "We can't win for losing with you folks. If we are strict, you are going to condemn us this way. If we are not strict, you are going to condemn us that way." God has used different types of personalities and approaches to help us understand the way of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 12

Matt. 11:20-21 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, [these ancient, pagan cities that we read about] they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes."

These Gentile cities would have just prostrated themselves. Sometimes these people were very emotional, and not as hard-headed as we Americans and Canadians and British. These people would have really turned to God wholeheartedly. Of course the only city that ever did repent, as far as Bible history is concerned, was Nineveh. Ancient Nineveh, a pagan city, really repented when Jonah came. But the cities of Israel never did. We tend to be too hard-headed. We are hard to move; once we get there we will stay there, but we are hard to change in the first place. We have to consider that, and we must be more alert to the truth and willing to repent if we are really wrong.

Matt. 11:21 "‌they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you."

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus and others talk about a day of judgment. We call it the day of the Great White Throne Judgement-a day when God will call and raise up, back to human life, every human being who has ever been born but never had a real chance, and give them not a second, but a first genuine opportunity to know the Truth. Most of the people living in China, India, the former Soviet Union, Mongolia and all throughout Africa have never known the full Truth of God at any time!

Frankly, most people in the Western world have not known the real truth of God, either. They are all going to be raised up and given a true genuine opportunity in the day of judgment.

Matt. 11:23-24 "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. [In other words, even the homosexuals would repent, you know, in Sodom if they had an opportunity. But they did not have an opportunity back then.] But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

So that is something to think about. We have a very powerful booklet on that, titled Is This the Only Day of Salvation? Most people believe that this is the only day of salvation. Protestant evangelists will say, "You had better give your heart to the Lord tonight. And you had better receive Christ tonight. Christ is wooing you, God is calling you and this is your opportunity. Do it now‌" as though this is the last chance. Is God is following us around trying to get us saved when He can. No, He is not! He is not in some battle with the Devil to get everybody saved all of a sudden. He is giving human beings an opportunity to write the lessons of human suffering in their lives and in their generations. Later, when they are resurrected in the Great White Throne Judgment, He will cause them to learn those lessons. In the meantime, He is calling several thousands or tens of thousands of human beings to know the full Truth and is giving them an opportunity, as the first fruits of salvation, to prepare to be kings and priests

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in the coming Kingdom of God when Christ first returns to the earth. You may have that opportunity, if you will act on the Truth.

So if you would like a FREE copy of that booklet, just contact us. Ask for our powerful booklet, Is This the Only Day of Salvation? It will open your mind to a great deal of understanding that most of the world knows nothing about. In fact, they know less than nothing, because they have a wrong concept.

Matt. 11:25-27 At that time Jesus answered and said, 'I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes." [Most people being called in this age are babes, in the sense they are humble people-willing to learn, willing to open their minds like a little child.]

"Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. [You see, He is the only one who really knows the Son and understands the Son. Very few people are ever able, of course, no one is able to really know the Son, unless God reveals Him in that way-opens your mind.] Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, [Christ knows the Father] and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." We have to know the Father as He was never known in the past by the average individual. But we can know the Father, since the Son, Jesus Christ, reveals the Father. Through Him you can come to know-and know that you know-the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Become acquainted with Them and walk with Them and talk with Them, and They will become a living reality to you day by day-even hour by hour.

Matt. 11:28-29 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you…"

A yoke was a symbol of a master's teachings, and Christ's teachings were not too strict. If you learn to love God with all your heart, to love your neighbor as yourself, and to walk with God in an attitude of love, service, obedience, adoration and out-flowing concern, by keeping God's commandments in the letter and in the spirit, you are not going to suffer. Yes, you might be persecuted by outside persecution, but you will have inside you the peace of God which passes all understanding.

Matt. 11:29-30 "…and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Yes, Christ's way is the best way to live. "My burden is light." In the short run, some people think it is harder to try to keep the Ten Commandments. It is very difficult for them to think, "I can't kill and I can't have hate either. I can't commit adultery or be lusting after other women. I can't steal and lie. And I have to love God and have no idols, because you can't put God in a box. I can't take God's name in vain. I have to keep the Sabbath rest." To rest one day in seven-on God's Sabbath day-sounds really difficult to some people, so they make things difficult by the way they think about it. But Jesus said: "My yoke is easy and My burden is light." If you will surrender to let Jesus Christ live His life within you through the

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 12

Holy Spirit, you will find that it is life, it is the way of peace, it is the way of genuine happiness and productivity-and it is the way to eternal life.

That's all for now. We will pick up again with Chapter 12 next time.

This is Roderick Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 13 Matt. 12:1 – 12:37 The Bible talks about the Lord's Day, and people like to say that was Sunday. But the Lord's Day spoken of in Revelation is the time when God will intervene in human affairs and SHAKE the nations and SHAKE every mountain and every island out of its place.

Greetings, friends around the world!

We are giving you an overview and the meaning of the book of Matthew-one of the most important books in the Bible. The beginning of the New Testament, it is sometimes called the "Hebrew Gospel."

This Gospel talks about the way of God perhaps more than any other book of the Bible, because it spells out in detail, in the Sermon on the Mount and elsewhere, how to pray, how to fast and how to do many things in the Christian life. Matthew is a very powerful and meaningful book.

So open your Bibles. In this segment, we are going to begin Chapter 12 of the book of Matthew.

Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath.

This Sabbath was not Sunday. My old Methodist grandmother used to call Sunday the Sabbath. But Sunday was not the Sabbath, is not the Sabbath, never has been the Sabbath, never will be the Sabbath.

Most scholars recognize that. A Roman Catholic cardinal in the United States, many years ago, said: "You can search the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you cannot find one word authorizing the observance of Sunday." His point was that his church made that change. Of course, that is true. The Bible does not speak about a Sunday Sabbath at all. Many people think it does, but it does not. The Bible talks about the Lord's Day, and people like to say that was Sunday. But the Lord's Day spoken of in Revelation is the time when God will intervene in human affairs and SHAKE the nations and SHAKE every mountain and every island out of its place.

Does He do that on Sunday? No! And in other scriptures like this, people try to jerk words out of context and try to make the Sabbath into a Sunday.

Jesus was going through the grain fields on the Sabbath-the Sabbath the Jews were keeping-Friday evening sunset to Saturday evening sunset. That's the Sabbath the Jews keep, just like Senator Lieberman, who ran for Vice President of the United Sates. People talked about how Senator Lieberman was observing the Sabbath from Friday evening to Saturday evening sunset. That, indeed, is the Sabbath the Bible talks about.

Matt. 12:1 And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

They were not "working" at all-in the sense in which the Bible talks about work. They were simply getting a little snack as they went along. The disciples were hungry. Jesus kept them so busy preaching to people and talking to people and helping people that they got hungry.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 13

Matt. 12:2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"

The Sabbath law said nothing about what the disciples were doing. They were breaking the Pharisees' human MAN-MADE tradition. This was not breaking God's Law! The Pharisees had added 65 different "do's and don'ts" to the Sabbath, but their additions did not come from God-or from God's Word-at all!

The Pharisees were condemning Him for breaking their TRADITION-not God's Law. Matt. 12:3-4 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?"

It was technically for the priesthood, but God never commanded them not to EVER let anyone eat it.

This was nothing like breaking the Day of Atonement-and nothing like breaking the Sabbath by working on it. It was just an ordinance of how to use the showbread.

Matt. 12:5 "Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?"

In other words, God told them to do certain sacrifices on the Sabbath. That was their WORK-yet it was God's Work. There are cases when you can "work" on the Sabbath-if it is doing God's Work. And if it is just fixing a snack, it is not a big deal to God at all, one way or another.

Matt. 12:6-8 "Yet I say to you [Jesus began to talk about the Sabbath day. He did not do away with the Sabbath. "Oh well, don't worry about it. It is all right to break it, it is done away."

He said no such thing.] that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. ["You would not have tried to condemn these men for eating a little snack when they were hungry on the Sabbath."] For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

The Sabbath is the Lord's day-the day He is Lord of! It says that right here: He is "Lord of the Sabbath."

Matt. 12:9-10 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. [This was on the Sabbath.] And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"; that they might accuse Him. Again, this was breaking one of the Pharisees' human traditions. God said nothing about healing on the Sabbath. In God's healing, there is not a four-and-a-half-hour operation with the anesthesiologist and all Made available in this format by Living Education

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of the other specialists around, perhaps working on a human body and tearing the rib cage apart, or cutting and taking this and that out-God's healing is nothing like that. Jesus just said "Be healed" and they were healed. How much work is that? That was a great honor to Almighty God. We have to think about the reality of what Jesus was doing on the Sabbath. But they said He was breaking God's Law. Matt. 12:11 Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?"

These Jews had made their own laws that were very crafty. They would put all kinds of Sabbath "do's and don'ts" on men and what they could do. But if something affected their property? They wanted that money, so they would let their sheep out on the Sabbath.

Matt. 12:12-13 "Of how much more value than is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." [To help a man, to heal a man.] Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.

Jesus healed that man supernaturally by the power of God. As I have shown in this series before, Jesus healed all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds of disease. He told His disciples to do the same thing.

Matt. 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out…

Does it say, "The Pharisees rejoiced and they thanked God”? [Here was the Messiah, very clearly shown to be God, the Son of God, because He had healed this man.] No, they did not do that-they were jealous! They were protecting their position. And down through time, biblical and secular history show very clearly that the servants of God were persecuted most of all by people who had religious jealousy. Other religionists would persecute God's servants. The other ministers and the other religionists would always go after the true servants of God. That is the way it has always has been. That is terrible, but that is the way it is.

Matt. 12:14-19 …and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. Yet He warned them not to make Him known, [He was not trying to go out and say "Let Me save you and believe in My name." He said "Be careful, don't tell people about Me."] …Isaiah the prophet, saying: "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, [He was not to make some big public spectacle.] Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets."

Did He go up and down the streets of Jerusalem and perform great miracles? He often performed His miracles in private just to show the brethren and the people that He loved them.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 13

Matt. 12:20-22 "A bruised reed He will not break, [In other words, He was very gentle.] and smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust." Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; [Here is a man filled with a demon. The demon caused him to be blind and muteunable to see and unable to hear.] and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.

Jesus was able to heal this man so that he was able to see and hear.

Matt. 12:23-24 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"[In other words, the prophesied Messiah-a descendent of David.] Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."

Beelzebub is the chief demon, and Jesus was casting out the demons. The Pharisees tried to accuse Jesus of working with the Devil.

Matt. 12:25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand."

That is what Abraham Lincoln said during the Civil War. "A house divided against itself, cannot stand."

You have to have unity in the Church of God. You have to have unity in any organization, any kingdom or any nation-or you are in terrible trouble. You can't have two different minds running the show.

Matt. 12:26 "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?"

Whose kingdom? "How then will his [Satan the Devil's] kingdom stand?" Jesus is talking about the Devil here. Satan has a kingdom! Satan has an organized government. He has his demons out deceiving millions of people all over the world. Most people are not aware of that spirit world. They don't think about it. They don't realize that the demons are here and there-in the media, in our society-influencing people, stirring them up through violent and sexually explicit movies. They are stirring people up through the vile things coming out on television and in motion pictures and over the Internet, and through these rotten computer games. They are stirring up our young people to perversion and homosexuality, bestiality and every imaginable thing. That is what is going on in our society. Many do not realize where it is coming from; well, this is where it is coming from.

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Matt. 12:26-27 "How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?" [Apparently some of them-sincere young Jewish leaders-had cast out demons.] Therefore they shall be your judges."

They knew that only God cast out demons-not Satan.

Matt. 12:28 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."

That Kingdom of God-God's government-was always Jesus' message, "God's Government will be manifested right there among you," Jesus was telling them. "I cast out demons," He said, in order to show the power of God. Matt. 12:29 "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house."

We need to think about these things. There is a very real spirit world, and Satan the Devil is trying to twist everything around. He makes "up" into "down" and "black" into "white."

We have gone through this section about the Sabbath day, where Jesus was showing how to keep the Sabbath day. It is not wrong to heal on the Sabbath day or to pluck some ears of grain or get a snack.

We have a booklet on the Sabbath day that I would like to show you. It is called Which Day is The Christian Sabbath? If any of you would like to order that booklet, just contact us and we will send it to you. Ask for Which Day is the Christian Sabbath? This booklet really spells it out and makes it very, very plain. The Sabbath commandment is a powerful command of God Almighty-one of the Ten Commandments. This is a very POWERFUL booklet, which I think you will enjoy, as it gives facts-it gives proofs-something you need. When Satan deceives people and turns them aside, they get mixed up on that commandment-and all the commandments of God. Matt. 12:30-31 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men."

These Pharisees were very close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit when they were accusing Christ of using the Devil. Their accusation is very close to it. Maybe they were doing it-He didn't say so, but He was surely showing them they were very close.

Matt. 12:31-33 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit [of God] will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. Either Copyright Š 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 13

make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."

Get down, clearly, on one side or the other-obey God or just do what the Devil says. It is a lot better than a person trying to claim he is a Christian when he won't obey God's Law-when he won't follow Christ's example, but he tries to call himself a Christian. That is not right!

Matt. 12:34 "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

They were evil, as He showed right here. Man's attitude-his heart-causes him to say these things against Jesus Christ-trying to accuse Him of being a servant of the Devil.

Matt. 12:35-36 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment."

Think about that! Every idle word is something we will be judged for-in the day of judgment which we talked about last time.

Matt. 12:37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

You will be condemned by your actions, but you will also be condemned by your words. Jesus Christ said that. So let's remember that, and let's really try to be careful what we say and what we do-and let's try to emulate Jesus Christ. Learn to keep His Law and respect God's Sabbath. Learn to keep it properly, as Jesus did. Learn to impute good attitudes towards people and not condemn people when they are serving Almighty God and healing the sick, preaching the Truth and doing the Work of God. Be careful what you think. Be careful what you speak.

And if you haven't done so already, be sure to write in for our free booklet Which Day is the Christian Sabbath? You will find it a powerful message and something you really need.

Until next time, this is Roderick Meredith for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 14 Matt. 12:38 – 13:17 Last time, we reached Chapter 12 verse 37. Here, Jesus said: "By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." We have to be very careful what we say when we judge, evaluate or condemn others. We had better be very careful, indeed, and watch our words. We must be careful not to condemn a true servant of God, because our condemnation is going to come back on us if we do.

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God. I am bringing you this series on the book of Matthew. We have been going through the book of Matthew almost verse by verse, giving you the highlights and trying to give you a deeper understanding than you have ever had of this tremendous book.

Last time, we reached Chapter 12 verse 37. Here, Jesus said: "By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." We have to be very careful what we say when we judge, evaluate or condemn others. We had better be very careful, indeed, and watch our words. We must be careful not to condemn a true servant of God, because our condemnation is going to come back on us if we do.

Follow me in your Bibles, if you can, and you will get a lot more out of this. Check up on me. See how I explain the nuances of these verses, and you will get a lot more out of it.

Matt. 12:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." The Pharisees were always looking for a "sign"-some outward manifestation.

Matt. 12:39-40 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights [not parts of three days-three days and three nights] in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Jesus was crucified on Wednesday morning, and was dead by Wednesday evening. An annual Holy Daya high day-began on Wednesday evening at sunset and ran through sunset Thursday. Jesus rested in the grave on that day. He rested all Friday, He rested all day on the Sabbath-Friday evening to Saturday evening sunset. Then He was resurrected-not Sunday morning, but Saturday evening. That is when Jesus was resurrected! When they came to look for Him early Sunday morning, while it was yet dark, He was gone! He had already been resurrected, because He was in the grave THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS! The Good Friday and Easter Sunday morning tradition, frankly, denies the true Messiah. It denies the very sign Jesus gave that He was the Son of God-that He was the Messiah. That is a terrible thing. Yet that is what this world does-it hooks up the resurrection of Christ with Easter. Yet Easter is the name of a pagan goddess of sex and fertility who was worshipped for hundreds of years; using the same symbols

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 14

of bunny rabbits and other sex symbols as they now do for Easter. The name Easter, as a matter of fact, was spelled Ishtar, but is pronounced Easter. The Egyptians, and some of the Middle Easterners, called this false goddess Isis. These are goddesses of fertility cults. Yet today many call this spring fertility worship a "Christian" festival! The Bible never speaks of Easter being observed. It should not be observed by true Christians. It denies the sign of Christ that He was THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the heart of the earth.

Matt. 12:41 "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment‌" Ancient Nineveh was a pagan city. Its people did not know God; they had pagan idols. I spoke, a couple of programs ago, about the coming day of judgment; we call it the White Throne Judgment. It is a time when all human beings who have ever lived will be given a genuine opportunity to be saved-not a "second chance." Most of humanity has never heard of God, has never heard of the God of the Bible and has certainly never heard of the Christ of the Bible. These people are going to be resurrected and given such an opportunity, which they never had before. They will rise up in that judgment. "Judgment" does not mean condemnation; it can have the meaning of a trial-a test, or going through a series of tests. The men of Nineveh are going to be rising up, back to physical life. They will be given a chance-a test-but will they do what God says? Will they follow God's way when they have an opportunity?

Matt. 12:41-42 "‌[they] will rise up in the judgment with this generation [the generation of these Pharisees and Sadducees, who were very self-righteous] and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah [The ancient prophet Jonah went to that city and they repented! That is the only example in the Bible of a city that ever repented before God.]; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. [Christ was there; the Son of God was right there among them.] The queen of the South [the Queen of Sheba] will rise up in the judgment [she will come up] with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

Think about this coming day of judgment-when every human being will be given a genuine opportunity.

People often wonder: "What will happen to Genghis Khan? What will happen to men like Napoleon and Hitler and other men who did just awful things, and never heard or understood the Truth?" What is going to happen to those past generations of Jews and Gentiles who never understood, or were unconverted?

We have a booklet on that subject, titled Is This the Only Day of Salvation? This booklet gives the real truth-the real meaning-of this subject in a way that you have probably never heard before. Practically no one on earth understands this biblical truth-but you can! This wonderful booklet will be sent to you absolutely free upon your request. You will be amazed at the truth! It is VERY PLAIN, with scripture after scripture showing what God's plan is-and you may even say "I did not know those scriptures were in the Bible!" But those scriptures have been there all the time! So contact us and ask for that booklet. It will really open your mind to understanding.

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Matt. 12:43-44 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man [Jesus continued], he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order."

The evil spirit was put out, but God's Spirit was not put in! So it is kind of like a power vacuum. When you have a power vacuum, somebody is going to move in and take charge. What normally happens is this‌ Matt. 12:44-45 "Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. [So, the man is even more under the power of Satan the Devil. If a demon is cast out and you don't have the Truth of God put in, that is what happens.] So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

They had had some of the wrong attitudes at least condemned and some of them cast out by John the Baptist. But when Christ came, what did they do? We saw in the last program that they accused Christ of doing these works by the Devil. And they did not repent, so they were going to come right back under the power of Satan the Devil because of that. "So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

Matt. 12:46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Here were His mother and His physical brothers. This is a very important point, because the largest single, professing Christian denomination talks about the "virgin Mary" as though she were always a virgin! She was not!

My mother was named Mildred, a very wonderful mother to me and my sisters. But we don't call her "the virgin Mildred." I know she was a virgin when she married, but she went ahead like any normal married woman and had children.

So did Mary! Mary is not "the virgin Mary." She was a virgin when Christ was conceived, but after that she and Joseph had normal married relations-and had at least four sons and two daughters. The Bible names four of Joseph's sons elsewhere, as we will see, and indicates two daughters-it has to be at least two, because Scripture says "His sisters"-plural. So Mary had at least two daughters. Jesus had more than one sister. At least two; we don't know how many daughters were born, maybe several-five or six. And Mary was not to be worshipped. You can see that as you read this scripture: Matt. 12:47 Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You." Did Jesus say: "Oh, the Virgin Mary, the mother of God, is outside and I have to go outside and prostrate myself before her, at least talk to her, right away."? No! What did Jesus do?

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 14

Matt. 12:48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"

They were just normal human beings. Jesus honored His mother many times, but here He was in the middle of teaching the Truth! You get the feeling that sometimes His mother did not fully understand His office-indeed I am sure she didn't, because the Holy Spirit was not yet given. Mary was not yet converted, and certainly Jesus' brothers were not converted, because the Holy Spirit had not been given to any of them except Jesus alone.

Matt. 12:49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!"

What an absolutely colossal insult this would have been to the "Virgin Mary"-if she were, in fact, supposed to be honored as the mother of God. But, she was not, as the entire New Testament makes very plain!

Matt. 12:49-50 "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

Jesus made it very clear that all Christians are, in a sense, like His mother or like His brothers if they walk with God-if they obey God. As we will see a little later in this very book (Matt. 19:17) Jesus said to the young man who came to ask the way to eternal life, "But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments." Keep God's Commandments-walk that way of life, serve God in that way-then you can have eternal life. Anyone who did that would be Jesus' brother, or His mother or His sister.

Matt. 13:1-9 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat [So that He would not be swamped by them.]; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" [Jesus said.]

The disciples did not really understand. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given.

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Matt. 13:10-11 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…"

The disciples were given to understand, but God was not trying to call the general population. They did not understand; their minds were not yet opened and Christ was not trying to convert them!

In the Sunday school I grew up in, my Sunday school teacher said "Well, children, Jesus taught about the shepherds and about the goats and the sheep and things like that, because they were farmer folk back then and they could understand what He was saying. He was trying to make the meaning very clear by using those symbols."

But that is not true at all! Jesus was not trying to make the meaning plain to the people as a whole. He spoke in parables so they could not understand!

Matt. 13:11-15 "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.'"

These verses explain that they were blinded. Isaiah had prophesied that they would be blinded, and Jesus acknowledged, "Yes, they are blinded and I am using these parables to help with that process. I am not trying to call them-yet." God is not going to call them until that great White Throne Judgment, which we talk about in our booklet: Is This the Only Day of Salvation?

Matt. 13:16-17 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; [Jesus said] for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

Men through the ages sought the Truth, but could not understand. Jesus said, "No man can come to me unless the Spirit of the Father draw him." That is mentioned in John 6:44, 65. "No man can come" unless God grants him understanding-unless God's Spirit draws him. We need to understand that God is not trying to save everyone now. If He were, he would be losing the battle because most human beings who have ever lived and died are not Christians, have never been Christians and never will be true Christians until Christ returns. Most who call themselves Christians don't even begin to follow the things Jesus taught. They profess Christianity, but they don't understand because they are blinded.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 15

We will continue next time to make this book very, very plain. I hope you will follow along in your Bible.

Check up on us, and go over these things later. Study and prove all things to yourself-and hold fast to that which is good. This is Roderick Meredith, for the Living Church of God.

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 15 Matt. 13:13 – 13:46 So many Sunday school teachers tell people, as mine did" "You don't need to understand everything.

But Jesus certainly opened peoples' minds through the parables, because He spoke in agricultural terms and symbols so they could understand." But that is exactly the opposite of the truth! Jesus spoke in parables so they could not understand. He says this very clearly, Himself, right here. Notice Matthew 13:13

Greetings, friends around the world!

Turn to Matthew 13, where we have been discussing Jesus' parables. So many Sunday school teachers tell people, as mine did" "You don't need to understand everything. But Jesus certainly opened peoples' minds through the parables, because He spoke in agricultural terms and symbols so they could understand." But that is exactly the opposite of the truth! Jesus spoke in parables so they could not understand. He says this very clearly, Himself, right here. Notice Matthew 13:13: Matt. 13:13-14 "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive‌'" That is why He spoke to them in parables.

Matt. 13:16-17 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

He was not trying to call everyone back then-believe it or not. The Bible makes that very clear.

Matt. 13:18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:" Here, Jesus begins to go into a series of parables. I am not going to read every word of these parables, but I do hope you will read this chapter carefully on your own. Skim along here and see what it says. I will fill in the blanks for you.

Matt. 13:19-22

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"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown [Jesus recognized Satan the Devil as a person-"the wicked one;" a real Devil. The wicked one comes along and no doubt through many different types of stratagems, causing us to be interrupted in our thinking. A new TV program comes on, the phone rings-all kinds of things-causing us to get distracted and, of course, that person then has his understanding taken away.] what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. [He is not deep; he is a very shallow person.] Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world [listen, folks] the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches‌" When people get a lot of money, or many material things, their mind gets on those things and they do not put first the Kingdom of God. They are surrounded by all of this materialism-their clubs, their societies, their lodges, their cars, their nightclubs, their lodge in the mountains or their villa on the beach-whatever it is, all these things take their time.

Matt. 13:22 "‌the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful."

Many do not need the money they are making, but it is just a big "Monopoly game." They are not trying to "make more money," but they enjoy the idea of getting bigger and bigger, so their minds are focused on making more and more money. Of course, that just simply chokes their interest in the eternal life that God promises. They are not interested in eternal life. They think the world today is good enough, and that they don't need to worry at all about the world tomorrow.

Matt. 13:23 "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

We don't have time to expound all the aspects of what this means. But you see throughout the entire Bible that when you bring forth fruit in your own life-overcoming, growing in grace and knowledge, loving and serving God and loving and serving your fellow man-that attitude is, in fact, fruit. How many people around you do you help-encourage, build or strengthen in a general way? How many do you help specifically build toward eternal life? How much are your heart, your time, your talent, your resources given to the Work of Almighty God-to being a co-worker with Christ in the Work of God so you can bear fruit and help get out the message of God at the end of this age? Jesus is watching those things. God is watching those things. What is the fruit that you bear?

Matt. 13:24-29

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 15

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; [Here is a man who sows good seed.] but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. [So the good grain and the bad grain grew up together.] So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' [Of course, the enemy-as Jesus later explained-is Satan the Devil. He brings bad people into God's Church. He causes disruption to come through people that are not converted, are not real Christians and do not understand at all.] The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.'"

You can't just go around trying to decide who is Christian and who's not, because you would simply uproot a lot of people who are marginal. You don't know the hearts and minds of menonly God does. But certainly, there are tares among God's people-there always have been and always will be.

Matt. 13:30 "'Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

Lots of people today are nicey-nice, they are "nicer than God" or are trying to be. They believe in universal salvation-that nobody can be lost. Jesus speaks very specifically in this chapter about some being burned in the Lake of Fire. Some people are not going to make it! It is not popular to preach about the Lake of Fire today. But that is what Jesus did and that is part of His message. You have to get down firmly on one side or the other. You can't "play footsie" with God. You have to COMMIT-you have to make a total surrender to God. You can't sit on the fence. Some who are not going to give their lives to God will not be in God's Kingdom-they just won't be there; they will be in the Lake of Fire.

Matt. 13:31-32 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; [The mustard seed is a tiny little seed.] but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." [It is a huge tree.]

The Kingdom of God is like that. The people of God are very small in number today. God is not trying to save the world now! Otherwise, He would be saving the world, my friends. If He is trying to save the world, why are two out of three human beings-about four billion out of about six billion human beings on this earth today-not professing any kind of Christianity-any kind? They are not Catholic, they are not Protestant, they are not Orthodox, they are not New Age Christians, they are not ANY kind of Christiansthey don't profess to be. They are Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims or perhaps atheists or agnostics. If God is trying to save the world, who is winning the battle-God or Satan? God is not trying to save the world now. That is an important consideration.

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We have a booklet that you need, titled Is This the Only Day of Salvation? It is absolutely free upon your request. So contact us and you will get this booklet absolutely free. Study it; you will be amazed. Here is an understanding from your Bible, and scripture after scripture-plainly. It is not some weird, offbeat thing that you can't understand. It is very clear and very plain, showing that God is not trying to save the whole world now! Otherwise, He would be doing it. Request this booklet; you will enjoy it. It will open your mind to something you have never understood.

Those who are being called today in this age are very small in number compared to the world as a whole.

Matt. 13:33-34 Another parable He spoke to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them.

He never spoke to the multitude in anything but parables! Why? Because He did not want them to understand; it was not yet their time to be called.

Matt. 13:35-36 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: [He is quoting here from the book of Psalms.] "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world." Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."

Jesus said "Don't you understand?" He began to explain to them: Matt. 13:38-41 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be [Are people going to be burned in the fire? Yes! Jesus says so right here!] at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness."

The New King James Version has it absolutely right. The Greek word is anomos, which means "against law, lawlessness." He is not talking about the traffic laws, or man's laws-He is talking about the spiritual Law of God! So He says "those who practice lawlessness."

Matt. 13:42 "‌and will cast them into the furnace of fire."

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 15

Those who will not obey God's Law-those who argue, who try to get their way around it, who go against God's Law in their way of life-they will end up in the furnace of fire! That is what Jesus said very clearly here in verses 41 and 42.

Matt. 13:42-43 "‌and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

We need to hear once in a while about the hell of the Bible, not just to frighten us, but to stir us to righteous action and to try not to water down or get around God's laws and God's ways by going the way of the crowd. We've got to stand up and do what this book actually says-and not be afraid to do so.

Matt. 13:44-46 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. [God's Kingdom is precious above everything else.] Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

The pearl of great price-the most precious, wonderful, magnificent opportunity that is given to us in this life-is the opportunity to yield to the calling of God, to yield to our Creator, to fulfill the purpose for which He has made us and for which He is giving us life and breath. We are to surrender to Him through the true Jesus Christ of the Bible and let Christ live His life in us. Then we have help in overcoming our problems, our sins and our weaknesses. We have help, we have courage, we have a purpose in life-to grow in Christ's stature and finally, in the resurrection, be born of God. In the very Kingdom of God and family of God we will bear the name of God and be a genuine, spirit born, son of God helping Christ rule this earth in the coming rule of God. What a magnificent calling! A tremendous opportunity is ahead for those who will yield. We have that opportunity here, in this life, if we will yield to God to fulfill that calling. And that calling is called here: "the pearl of great price." We should, as this man did, be willing to give up everything else we have, to set a goal and "go for it." We should say: "I am going to understand this book. I am going to pray to God. I am going to ask God for understanding. I am going to seek God with all my heart and I want to fulfill, sincerely, the purpose for which God has called me. I am not going to let anyone confuse me or disturb me into doing things contrary to God's Law and God's Way. I am going to PROVE it."

Prove all things; don't be afraid! Take the energy and the time to do it! Prove all things and follow God. Follow Christ. Let Christ live in you the same kind of life that He lived 1,900 years ago. He will do that through the Holy Spirit-and then in the resurrection you will truly be born, you will truly be a son of God. In the resurrection you will be a member of the family of God, the Kingdom of God and a ruling agent under Jesus Christ in tomorrow's world.

We will continue next time in Matthew 13.

This is Roderick C. Meredith, for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 16 Matt. 13:47 – 14:36 The Kingdom of God is awesome! The opportunity to be born as a very son of God in the soon-coming resurrection from the dead is so much more important than all the other things in this world-all the other things in your life-that there is absolutely no comparison. We need to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, as Jesus tells us in Matthew 6.

Greetings, friends around the world!

We are going through the book of Matthew, almost verse by verse, and hopefully opening your mind to truths you may never have understood. I had the privilege of teaching a class on the Gospels for nearly thirty-five years. I have been able to go into all kinds of technical points. I have been faced with questions, hard questions, from very intelligent young people in college. And I have been able to study them, dig them out and give the answers. I hope I can give answers, and the truth of the Bible, to you in a way you have never understood before. So open your minds. Go get your Bible, if you have one. I hope you will check up on me. Notice what Jesus actually said in the Bible. This is hard for most people; often what they have heard is not what the Bible says at all! You have to read the Bible. Jesus told us that we need to study the Word of God. God tells us through the Apostle Paul in I Thess. 5:21 to "prove all things." Do that! Prove all things and hold fast that which is good.

We are in Matthew 13. We came to verse 46 last time, talking about the "pearl of great price." The Kingdom of God is awesome! The opportunity to be born as a very son of God in the soon-coming resurrection from the dead is so much more important than all the other things in this world-all the other things in your life-that there is absolutely no comparison. We need to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, as Jesus tells us in Matthew 6. The "pearl of great price" parable shows us that. This man gave up everything to achieve one great goal! This is the goal you should set for yourselffulfilling the purpose for which your Creator called you.

Matt. 13:47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind."

All kinds of people are called. Some respond to the call, and some don't. Some who come into the Church don't understand; they just come along for whatever reason, but they don't get it-they don't respond and they don't grow in grace and in knowledge.

Matt. 13:48 "Which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away."

The bad things were thrown away. Certain ones who are coming along have some knowledge, but are not really surrendered to God at all. So God throws away the bad.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 16

Matt. 13:49-50 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, [Yes, there is a separation, there is a judgment. It is not all nicey-nice where everyone just automatically floats into God's Kingdom. We had better "shape up or ship out." Christ is very plain about this!] and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

There is not "universal salvation"! Some will fail to fulfill the purpose for which they were created. We need to understand true Christianity.

Before we get further into this commentary, I want to offer you a powerful booklet: Restoring Apostolic Christianity. Most of you have never understood the Christianity of Christ. I grew up in a mainstream church and I went to Sunday school. I was president of my Sunday school class for a while. Both my parents graduated from a college run by that church. Nevertheless, we did not understand the Bible at all; nor did my friends from other Protestant denominations. They were wandering around wondering "what's up?" We would have long talks, but no one understood. This booklet tells you about true Apostolic Christianity! So ask for this booklet, which we offer absolutely free and without obligation.

It will open your mind to what the Christianity of Christ, the Christianity of the Apostles, is all about. It's not just about "giving your heart to the Lord." This goes way beyond what most of you have ever understood, so don't be afraid and think "I am just going to get some stupid sentiment." No, you are not! You are going to get facts and information from this booklet that you have probably never understood. Contact us, and this booklet will be sent to you absolutely free upon your request.

Continuing ahead, we read: Matt. 13:51-55 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"‌ Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." [You bring out old things that people have understood and new insights and so forth as well.] Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.

And when He had come to His own country, [He came right back to Nazareth where He had grown up.] He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ["Who gives you the right to be right" they said to Him. They say that to us; "Who gives you the right to be right? You are not a member of some big denomination with all kinds of appellations after your name."] Is this not the carpenter's son? [Jesus had just grown up as a carpenter in His father's home.] Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers [Notice He had brothers.] James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? [So, Mary as a normal, good wife-as God intended her to be-had other children. She had FOUR other sons.] And His sisters [plural], are they not all with us?"

So Mary had at least two daughters. The family may have been a family of seven or may have been a family of nine or ten-we don't know how many daughters Mary had.

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Matt. 13:56-57 "‌Where then did this Man get all these things?" [Who gives him the right to be right?] So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."

Among those who grew up with us, or our relatives, we often tend to think: "Well, here is old George; who is he, and how can he know anything?" That is often our attitude.

Matt. 13:58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Not His unbelief-their unbelief! God will not perform mighty works, normally, among people who were swearing and smirking and in an attitude of doubt and in an attitude of disbelief. He may perform mighty works in bringing terrible plagues and so on to SHAKE people at times; which He is going to do over the next few years. But these kinds of mighty works-healing and blessing and so on-were normally not brought forth because of people's unbelief. That is one reason we do not find more mighty works being done today, because our whole society is permeated with all kinds of attitudes against the idea of a real God. So we want to understand. We have to learn about that real God. Now let's continue in Matthew, chapter 14: Matt. 14:1-3 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

Herod had married his brother's wife. That was wrong! That was not only adultery; it was incest.

Matt. 14:4 Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."

As you will see in the following verses, when Herod's birthday was celebrated, his daughter was dancing some very unusual, very sensuous dance, no doubt. She pleased Herod in his drunken orgy. He promised her anything-up to half the kingdom. She asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod did not want to kill John, for he sensed John was a righteous man, but he killed him anyway for the sake of his oath.

Matt. 14:13-15 When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.

[The indication is that He wanted to get away and think and pray. Remember, He was still in the flesh. His cousin, John the Baptist, had just had his head chopped off. So Jesus went off by Himself to have prayer and maybe fasting-time to contemplate what was happening.] But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. [They came right after Him. Instead of getting mad, He wanted to serve them.] And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 16

with compassion for them, and healed their sick. [He had great compassion, outflowing concern for these people.] When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away…"

Then we find the story of Jesus turning the five loaves into a multitude of food for these people.

Matt. 14:20-21 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Can you imagine that? If they had big families and many of their families were with them, which they probably were, they might have had 15,000 to 25,000 people there if each family had three or four kids.

We don't know. But undoubtedly, at least 10,000 to 25,000 people were fed by these five loaves and two fishes. This was awesome! This was an act of the Son of God. This was not an everyday miracle.

Matt. 14:22-23 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray…

Prayer is where Jesus got this power. He was God in the flesh, but He was in the flesh. The Bible makes that very clear. It tells us back in Hebrews 4 that "Jesus was tempted in all points as like as we are, yet without sin"-without sin. He was tempted in every way. He needed to refresh His contact with God, so He went into a mountain by Himself to pray.

Matt. 14:23-25 …Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.

The fourth watch of the night would have been 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.! This indicates that if Jesus started praying at 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., He might have been praying most of the time from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. the next morning. He was pouring out His being to the Creator God-getting close to God, walking with God and communing with God, His Father. That was the source of Jesus' incredible powerprayer and fasting and yielding Himself to God-obeying God and walking with God hour by hour and minute by minute.

Matt. 14:25-28 …walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."

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Peter was the leader. He was always the one speaking forth quickly, taking the initiative and doing things before the others. Yet at times he was impetuous; at times he made mistakes, as we all do. But here, he set forth first.

Matt. 14:28-30 "…command me to come to You on the water." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink.…

That is a big lesson for all us. We have to keep our minds on Christ! We have to keep our minds on the reality that there is a great God working out a purpose here below and that God is intervening in human affairs. Even now, as I speak to you, God is bringing about His prophecies. God does intervene.

He does heal the sick. He does prepare the way for the coming Kingdom of God on this earth. He does give us His Holy Spirit and helps us if we yield to Him. But we have to have faith and trust-absolute faith in God. Matt. 14:30-31 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

That is something we need to think about. He said to Peter "Why did you doubt?" He might say to us, "Why do you doubt?" We must have faith and trust in God. We must drink in of this Word. This Word tells us in Romans 10:17: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." I hope this program can help you have faith. God says that Jesus Christ "is the same yesterday, today and forever." God's Word tells us that in Hebrews 13:8. Christ is the same today; He has that same power. He can help you overcome the elements. He can heal you, guide you and deliver you-if you can keep your eyes on the true Christ of the Bible and put your faith and trust in Him. Matt. 14:32-33 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat…

They saw Jesus walking on the waters, then He got in the boat and the big old wind just stopped-like a fan. Suddenly, in that silent moment, Christ was standing right next to them and they realized: "Wow! This guy we know, and who we think is just like us most of the time, was walking on the water and even had Peter walking on the water! Then the wind stopped when He got into the boat." Their hearts begin to pound and cold sweat began to go down their backs. They were astonished and fearful in sensing the presence of the Creator of the heavens and the earth! They realized the power of God. Matt. 14:33-36 …came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.

And as many as touched it [the hem of His garment] were made perfectly [whole].

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 16

Why? Because Jesus Christ, Himself, had prayed most of that night, getting closer and closer to God. Most don't even begin to follow the things Jesus taught in this book. They profess Christianity, but they don't understand because they are blinded.

We will continue next time, making this book very, very plain. I hope you will follow us always in your Bible-check up and go over these things later. Follow along, study and prove all things to yourself-and hold fast that which is good.

This is Roderick Meredith for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 17 Matt. 15:1 – 15:39 The elders of the Jews had added all sorts of traditions that were not God's Laws. These men had come up with things; they washed their hands clear up to the elbow very carefully. They tried to be very physically clean and very proper. There is nothing wrong with being clean, but these men were sort of super-righteous in that way, and put that ahead of the love of God, the Commandments of God and the Way of God. Jesus had to correct them about this.

Greetings, friends around the world!

The book of Matthew is one of the most important books in the Bible-in a sense the "anchor" book of the New Testament. It gives you the "flavor" of the message of God perhaps as well as any book in the entire Bible. It contains the Sermon on the Mount, which contains the essence of Christianity. So far in our study, we have come through chapter 14.

I hope you will follow along with me in your Bible. Check up on this; you will get something out of this.

Open your mind and try to listen carefully to what Jesus Christ actually said. What was true Christianitythe true teachings of Jesus?

Notice, as we begin chapter 15 of the book of Matthew: Matt. 15:1-2 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."

The elders of the Jews had added all sorts of traditions that were not God's Laws. These men had come up with things; they washed their hands clear up to the elbow very carefully. They tried to be very physically clean and very proper. There is nothing wrong with being clean, but these men were sort of super-righteous in that way, and put that ahead of the love of God, the Commandments of God and the Way of God. Jesus had to correct them about this.

Matt. 15:3-4 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother…'"

That is a very important command today; I think all of you older folks understand that. The way many children dishonor their parents today is awful! The rottenness that children are getting on television and the Internet and from almost every source pours into their minds. Today's children drink in this attitude of disrespect, this attitude of hate and violence and lust and hedonism. Children dishonor their parents all through this society.

Matt. 15:4 "'…Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'"

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 17

Of course, we are not doing that today. We are not under the administration of death. We are under God's Law if we are really Christian, and we are not under the administration of death. God administers the death penalty-we don't! But back in the physical nation of Israel they did do this. If men or women dishonored their parents terribly and did curse them, then they would be put to death and the whole nation would hear and fear. This would simply stamp out the "smart-aleck" attitude with which young people can put down their parents, make fun of them, curse them and sometimes even kill them. We read quite often in the media about young people who kill their parents because their parents had tried to crack down on them-to give them some guidelines or rules or discipline. So Jesus was teaching something very important. He showed what God's Law had said.

Matt. 15:5 "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, 'Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God [has been dedicated to the temple, and of course the religious leaders would then get that] …

You ought to honor your father and mother. As they get older, perhaps help them financially and take care of them, which is part of honoring them.

Matt. 15:6 "'then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."

"You have made the commandment of God of no effect." Jesus indicated that the Commandments of God were very much in effect. They were not nailed to the cross and they were not going to be "nailed to the cross," as we shall see before we finish this book.

Matt. 15:7-9 "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me…'" Can you worship Christ-can you worship God-in vain? Yes, He said you could. "In vain they worship Me," Jesus said. That is what He said right here-read it!

Matt. 15:9 "…Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

That is how you worship Him in vain. You bring in your own human ideas about how to worship God. Our entire, so-called Christian society, has done that repeatedly. And the so-called Christianity today is very seldom the Christianity of the Bible. You really need to grasp that fact. That is a VERY important concept.

At this time I would like to offer you a booklet on that topic, absolutely free. It is called Restoring Apostolic Christianity. This is a tremendously important topic. This booklet shows you what the Christianity of Christ and the Christianity of the Apostles was really about. So please contact us and ask for this booklet. It will be sent to you absolutely FREE. It is a relatively short booklet here, just 33 pages.

You could read it easily in one sitting. Drink in of it, compare it with your Bible and you will find quote Made available in this format by Living Education

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after quote, not just from the Bible, but from history, showing how human beings in the so-called Dark Ages, under the so-called church fathers, changed everything about the teaching of Christ and the Apostles and brought in a different Christianity-a false Christianity. This booklet shows you what true Christianity is. It spells it right out. So be sure to contact us and request your FREE copy of this vital booklet, Restoring Apostolic Christianity.

Matt. 15:9-11 "'And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."

Christ was being challenged about His disciples eating with unwashed hands, getting a little bit of dust, maybe, in their food. He said that is not a big deal.

Matt. 15:11-13 "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Then His disciples came and said to Him, 'Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted."

God had not established these Jewish sects. He had not established these groups among them who set themselves up as religious authorities, and Christ has not established most of the churches or religious institutions today, because they do not teach His ways and His Laws at all. It is very easy to prove that; they disregard what He said. They go exactly contrary to what He said, and they have not been established by Him. So He says "He has not planted them and they will be uprooted."

Matt. 15:14 "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. [That is an important concept, my friends. Blind leaders of the blind.] And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."

Think about that. If people are blind, as most religious leaders frankly are-if they are just going along with this society and with mainstream Christianity, and just promulgating the idea "Just believe on Jesus and then do whatever else you want to do"-they are blind. Most are not just deliberately evil, they just don't get it. "And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."

Matt. 15:15-17 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us." So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?"

In other words, if you don't wash your hands thoroughly before every meal (although it is a good idea to do that, but it is not some religious thing that you have to do) you get a little dust in your food, then that dust is eliminated; it is not going to hurt you spiritually.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 17

Matt. 15:18-19 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth [The attitude that comes out: putting other people down, cursing God's name, hurting people, damaging people, showing an attitude of disrespect for God and His commands-whatever comes out of the mouth-that will defile a man.] come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications…"

Think about this; Christ is not just against murders and adulteries-we know that. He is against fornication. Yet, we find in recent reports from The American Demographics magazine that about 8.5 million Americans are living in fornication. They are not just fornicating, they are LIVING in fornication. They say that figure is about to explode! Perhaps five or ten million more Americans will join that, just starting to live together, having no regard for the Laws of God at all. Adultery and fornication are condemned by Christ.

Matt. 15:19-21 "…thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." [That is not a big deal before God.] Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.

You read about this Canaanite woman coming with her daughter who was demon possessed. She asked Jesus to heal the child.

Matt. 15:23-24 But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us." But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Christ was supposed to preach primarily to the Israelites. They were the ones that God was calling at that time. Again, God is not trying to save the whole world now. Otherwise, Jesus would be saying: "Give your heart to Me now." He did not do that.

Matt. 15:25-27 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she said, "Yes, Lord…"

Watch this woman's humility-and her faith that there was a real God and that Christ was His servant.

She could have grown nasty about this and said "How dare you do that, you rotten man, putting me down like this." Instead, she humbled herself before the one who was the Messiah. She may not even have fully known that He was the Messiah, because His own disciples did not fully realize that either. But she knew that He was a great servant of God, and she humbled herself. That is a lesson to all of us.

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Matt. 15:27-28 "‌yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." [Just like she was a little dog.] Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! [Boy, it takes a lot of faith and humility to say something like that.

"Whatever it is Lord, I will do it. I will just be a little dog-PLEASE HEAL MY CHILD. I know you can do it."] O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire."

And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Even though she was a Gentile (and she was not being called yet at that time) Christ intervened and had compassion when she showed that determination, that humility and that faith.

Matt. 15:29-36 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them. [The Holy Spirit was flowing through Him and He healed all these people.] So the multitude marveled [and they glorified the God of Israel]. Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days [So, He had them gather the people together and fed them, as you know; they found seven loaves and a little bit of fish here, a couple of fish. He gave thanks.] And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.

A great multitude of people all ate and were filled, and seven large baskets full of fragments were left.

From this tiny little bit of food, they fed all these people.

Matt. 15:38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

When Jesus fed the "five thousand" there might actually have been three to six times as many there, depending upon how many children were there. We know they had large families, and they did not have babysitting services back then. So a lot of kids were probably there too. The crowd could have been ten to fifteen thousand people.

Matt. 15:39 And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

This was Jesus the Christ-and He was teaching that we are not to follow the traditions of men, but to humble ourselves, have faith in God no matter what and seek God like this Gentile woman did. Then God will bless us powerfully that we will learn to do what He said.

Again, I urge you to contact us and request the FREE booklet we have for you on Restoring Apostolic Christianity. It is a vital booklet-one of the most important booklets we have ever published. It covers

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 17

the whole concept of true Christianity. So contact us and this booklet will be sent to you absolutely FREE. This is Roderick Meredith, speaking once again for the Living Church of God. See you next time!

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 18 Matt. 16:1 – 16:28 Most people today cannot discern the signs of the times. We are living right now in the times of the end.

The most horrifying tribulation ever to hit any peoples on the face of the earth is about to come on the American and British-descended peoples, unless we repent with a genuine and awesome repentance-a deep repentance such as we have never had before-because we are filled with fornication, adultery and all kinds of perversion in our society.

Greetings, friends around the world!

Once again, this Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you this commentary on the book of Matthew. So, get your Bible, tune in, listen carefully and PROVE these things! Jesus said, through the Apostle Paul, "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good." So, open your mind, open your heart, follow me in your Bible.

We finished chapter 15 last time; we will start now with chapter 16.

Matt. 16:1-3 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him [They were always testing Christ, trying to catch Him in His Words one way or another. So, they tested Him here.] asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. [They were trying to see if He would give them some great miracle.] He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' [They could understand the way the clouds and the sun were moving, and see the way the weather was going to be.] Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times."

Most people today cannot discern the signs of the times. We are living right now in the times of the end.

The most horrifying tribulation ever to hit any peoples on the face of the earth is about to come on the American and British-descended peoples, unless we repent with a genuine and awesome repentancea deep repentance such as we have never had before-because we are filled with fornication, adultery and all kinds of perversion in our society. We need to realize that, and we need to repent. Perverts are increasing their power in our society. God hates that kind of thing and He is going to stamp it out. We have more violence and more children sassing and disobeying and insulting their parents, their teachers, all authority. Our society is certainly breaking down and God is going to deal with us if we do not return to the ways of God. I say return, we have never been there-most of us-but, get back to the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Israel and the faith Jesus Christ and the original Apostles. We have to do that and be willing to do that. As you see the things going on around us, you need to begin to discern the signs of the times.

Jesus continues…

Matt. 16:4 "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, [We are a wicked and adulterous generation, too] and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 18

What was that sign? We covered it back in chapter 12. Keep your place here, but turn back to Matthew chapter 12, verse 38: Matt. 12:38-39 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."

"That is the only special sign that I am going to show to give you that I am the Messiah, the Son of God. This is it."

Matt. 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish‌" People make jokes about Jonah and the whale, and make fun of it. In fact, this fish was not a normal whale. It may not have been a whale at all. It was a great fish. Is the Creator and Governor of the heavens and the earth-the Great God who made the entire Universe-able to make a fish? Is He able to make a special fish? Of course He is! How big is your God? Do you have a little "hip pocket" God who can't do anything? God made that fish-and that fish swallowed Jonah.

Matt. 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man [Christ] be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." [In the grave] That is the identifying sign He gave. Yet our so-called Christian tradition of Good Friday and Easter Sunday-which is not a genuine Christian tradition, by the way-completely obliterates that sign. It REJECTS the only identifying sign that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, the true Messiah. We need to think about that. That is paganism, and we have incorporated it into our so-called Christianity-this Good Friday/Easter tradition of men. We ought to repent of that. Anyway, that is the sign Jesus gave.

Matt. 16:5-12 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.

Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." [These two sects of the Jewish people, these religious leaders.] And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."

But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves [They were thinking "What does He mean? Maybe we have not brought bread and that's the problem." Well, He had just turned, you know, a few fish into feeding five thousand people beside women and children. Then he had fed four thousand men besides women and children.] Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?

Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?

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How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? - but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." [Not wanting bread, but leaven.] Then they understood [now they got it] that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

They understood then. Christ was telling them to beware of the false doctrine of the religious leaders of their day. Are you aware of the false doctrine of the false religious leaders of your day? Do you even know that there are false leaders today? Are you aware that Christianity has gone, basically, off the track-that Christianity is vastly different from the Christianity of Christ and the Apostles? You need to think about that.

Again I want to mention to you our powerful booklet, Restoring Apostolic Christianity. Restoring Apostolic Christianity will spell out to you how the so-called Christian nations and groups "jumped the track" back during the Dark Ages. They brought in all kinds of paganism and put the stamp "Christian" on the outside-but it was not Christian at all. This booklet will open your mind and show you what true Christianity, in contrast, ought to be like. So contact us and ask for your FREE copy. I hope you will not just read it, but study it, prove it and check up on it. Please do get this booklet: Restoring Apostolic Christianity.

Continuing ahead, Jesus' listeners understood that He was talking about the doctrine of their religious leaders.

Matt. 16:13-16 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter had the answer. Peter generally took the lead. He seemed to be more aggressive; usually in the right way but sometimes in the wrong way. He was not perfect at all, as we will see. But he did give that answer about Jesus Christ.

Matt. 16:17-19 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter [Petros, the Greek word used here, means a diminutive rock or stone; you can look this up in an interlinear Bible or in other Bible helps], and on this [petra, the large form of that same word, meaning a great big rock mountain or a great foundation rock] I will build My church [It was not Peter's church. Peter was not the head of the church, Christ is the head of the Church, as Scripture states clearly in Eph. 1:22-23 and many other places.], and the gates of [hell] Hades [hades means the grave. There will never cease to be people who are in God's true Church. It was to be a small Church-a scattered Church called the "little flock," but it would never be stamped out. And the hope of all true Christians is what? The resurrection from the dead.] shall not prevail against it."

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 18

The gates of the grave will not prevail against God's people. The gates of the grave will not prevail against God's Church.

Matt. 16:19 "And I will give you [He told Peter.] the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

This is a rabbinical phrase meaning that Peter is the leader of the Apostles. Later, as we will see in chapter 18, authority is extended to all the Apostles to make binding and loosing decisions. That is, they could apply the Law of God to various situations and make a decision as to how to carry out its principles. They were not to make new laws. They were not to change God's Laws, but they were able to make binding and loosing decisions in the Church of God. That was proper, as long as they stuck with God's Laws, which many in the false church that developed did not do.

Matt. 16:20-21 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed [He knew that He was going to be killed.], and be raised [again] the third day.

He let them know about the terrible suffering He would be going through. Notice what Peter does.

Some people in one large denomination think that in these previous few verses Peter was made an infallible Pope who could make no wrong decisions. That is ridiculous! There has never been an infallible man, except Jesus Christ who was God in the flesh.

Matt. 16:22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" His attitude was: "I am going to punch them out, I will chop their heads off." In fact, Peter later did chop off the ear of the High Priest's servant-if you remember the story at the end of Christ's life when they came to take Him. Peter forgot Christ's teachings about trusting God and about being non-violent.

Matt. 16:22-23 "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" But He turned and said to Peter, [Christ in turn had to rebuke Peter.] "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

In effect He told Peter: "You are wrong, you are carnal" and "you are just mindful of the things of men."

Peter was not made an infallible Pope. He was not any Pope at any time.

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Matt. 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Since then, those who thought they were sitting on the throne of Peter have exalted themselves and even lived in huge palaces, as if to exalt themselves like they are a veritable god. But, Jesus told His true servants: "Humble yourselves and serve the people." Notice what Jesus said: Matt. 16:24-25 "‌let him deny himself, and take up his cross [Go through trials and tests and suffering and follow Me.] and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

Each of us ought to realize this. We need to be trying to give our lives to God. We need to take a balanced view, of course, and God wants us to. We should try to have the normal clothes and look all right for whatever positions we have. Try to get enough sleep and food and exercise so you can continue to serve God. Honor God in those ways-yes! But, don't just try to take things unto yourself for the sake of doing that. And be careful that you don't draw the line in the wrong place. Be careful, and be humble.

Matt. 16:25 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, [If you are constantly thinking "I want more of this and I am going to exalt myself here," you will lose your life, my friends.] but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

If you lose your life in God's service, giving and helping and serving, and die prematurely because of that-or if you are literally martyred and killed like Jesus was, like Paul was, like John the Baptist was and like most of the Apostles were-then what will you do? You will inherit eternal life; you will live with God forever and ever.

Matt. 16:25-27 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."

You will be rewarded according to your works-whether you have obeyed and served God, and how much you have done to help others and the Work of God. You will not be rewarded according to dead faith.

Faith is not empty belief in the person of Jesus apart from His teachings; it reflects how much you have served and helped, and how much you have overcome.

Matt. 16:28 "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 18

In chapter 17, we find that Christ took Peter, James and John with Him and they saw in vision-not in reality, but in vision-the glory of God. The Kingdom of God is not something set up in your heart-it is the coming Kingdom, the Government of Christ, to be set up on this earth.

Once again, let me offer you this awesome booklet, one of the most important booklets we have ever published: Restoring Apostolic Christianity. Please request this booklet; it will really open your mind to what Apostolic Christianity is all about.

Next time will pick up with chapter 17 of Matthew. See you then, right here, next time. This is Roderick C. Meredith for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 19 Matt. 17:1 – 17:27 Jesus had just gotten through saying, in the previous verse, Matthew 16:28: "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." HOW did these three disciples see Jesus coming?

Greetings, friends around the world!

Once again, this is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you a commentary on the book of Matthew. We have been going through this series for quite some weeks now and I hope that you will be able to understand this book a lot better. We are going in detail, covering nearly every verse of the book of Matthew and opening up your understanding to the real meaning. I hope you will follow me in your Bibles. As I tell you each time, please go get your Bible. Open your Bible, think it through, notice carefully and PROVE these things to yourself. You may be amazed, frankly, about what the Bible really says.

We left off after finishing Matthew 16 last time. Let's begin Matthew 17:1.

Matthew 17:1-2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.

Why did He do this? Jesus had just gotten through saying, in the previous verse, Matthew 16:28: "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." HOW did these three disciples see Jesus coming? Jesus took them up here in what was, plainly, a vision. He showed them the glory and the power of the coming Kingdom of God. That Kingdom is not some feeling set up in your heart. It is not an emotion. It is not a warm feeling, like John Wesley felt that night in his church there in London, England. It is not that at all. It is a coming government. Kingdom means government. God is going to set up a government on this earth, with Jesus Christ as King of kings. Christ is going to be glorified when He comes back as King of kings, and His risen saints are going to be glorified also.

He was "transfigured." We know what "trans"-continental means—it means "from one part of the continent to the other" as with a transcontinental airplane flight from New York to Los Angeles. But we are transfigured when we are taken over and "figured" in a different way. So Christ, Moses and Elijah appeared, in this vision, as they would appear in the Kingdom of God in glory.

Matt. 17:2 And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Will Christ look like that in the Kingdom of God? Does He look like that now—now that He has been resurrected from the dead? Yes, of course! We see here in Revelation 1:16, speaking of Christ: "He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength." That is the way Christ looks now, like the SUN SHINING in FULL strength—that kind of glory and majesty and power. That is awesome!

Think about that! Do you want to look like that someday? It not our goal in this life just to look like that.

But on the other hand, that glory and power of God is what Christ looks like—and that is what we are Copyright © 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 19

going to look like if we make it into the Kingdom of God. We will have the tremendous opportunity to rule over cities and perhaps even nations. God will give us that kind of glory.

He was transfigured: Matt. 17:3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Moses and Elijah were still dead, but in the vision they were revealed as talking with Jesus.

Matt. 17:4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus…

Peter was always the leader—the aggressor. He was sometimes presumptuous and made mistakes. But notice, as in verse 1, he was the leader. He is nearly always mentioned first. He was not the "pope" and he was not perfect, but he was nevertheless the leader.

Matt. 17:4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

The average Protestant or mainstream Christian would not know what Peter was talking about—"three tabernacles" Yet those who keep God's festivals would understand. The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the Kingdom of God, so Peter immediately thought of that.

Matt. 17:5-13 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" [Here is a powerful voice speaking right out of the sky.] And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. [It was a bright cloud—some great, awesome display of power and heat and intensity like the sun right behind that cloud.] But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision [So, this was a vision, my friends. This verse explains it. It is a vision of the coming glory and power of the Kingdom of God.] to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" [Why is Elijah coming?] Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. [Of course, He is referring to Mal. 4 when that prophecy was made.] But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.

Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

John the Baptist came as a type of Elijah. The book of Luke tells us that He came in the spirit and power of Elijah. He was not Elijah, but he was a type of Elijah. At the very time of the end, another man is

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prophesied to come in the spirit and power of Elijah to witness to the people of the earth and to wake them up and to turn them back to the ways of God, at least in his teaching. All the people of Judah were not converted when John the Baptist was there, but they were convicted, at least, by his teaching. So John was the Elijah of that time.

Matt. 17:14-18 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." [So, here Jesus' disciples have tried to pray for this young man, but he was not healed.] Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." And Jesus rebuked the demon…

He just spoke to the demon, not to the young man. Remember, if there is a demon you are not dealing with a person. You are dealing with a fallen spirit that occupies the mind of an individual—which has come into that person's body and controls his mind and his voice. You have to speak to the demon, not to the person.

Matt. 17:18-20 …and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" [Here were Jesus' disciples, including Peter—who was certainly not an affable pope at that time or any other time.] "Why could we not cast it out?" So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief [They did not have the faith they should have had.]; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

It is awesome to realize there is nothing impossible with God. If we can have real faith in God, even though that faith is small, nothing is impossible. It is hard for us to understand, but most of us in this day and age—cut off from God by an atmosphere of materialism and hedonism, the vain pursuit of pleasure—God is very unreal. Quite often we are not sure of God's promises. We are just not sure. We don't have any amount of faith. We have hope—we sort of "think and wish" things would happen—but we are not really sure. If we just had a little bit of faith many more things would be done.

Matt. 17:21 "However [Jesus said], this [particular] kind [of demon] does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

Some modern translations leave out the word "fasting." The New King James Version has it in, as does the King James Version, but some of the newer Bible versions don't. The main text that the Bible is based upon—which most scholars acknowledge is the full text, the received text, the majority text—has it in. It should be there.

"This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." People don't like to talk about fasting today.

But you should learn to pray to God, on your knees, with all your heart. Talk to God while you are on your knees, and perhaps lift up your hands and think of God as "up there"—not just a feeling inside Copyright © 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 19

yourself, but the great God sitting at the controls of the universe. And from time to time—perhaps every month or two if you are in good health and can do it—fast. Do with absolutely nothing. The fasts in the Bible were always without food and water. You read several times in the Bible—that they simply did with no food and no water. The Apostle Paul fasted for three days and three nights when he was struck down and blinded. He was trying to get close to God, and he fasted. Such examples are there for us all through the Bible. Moses fasted with neither bread nor water back in Deuteronomy 9:9. Verse 18 tells how he did it again. Jesus Christ fasted for forty days and forty nights—a remarkable demonstration of fasting.

"This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting"—humbling yourself before God, realizing how weak you are and how much you NEED God. You do not fast just to make God do something. You fast to humble yourself, and to ask God to show you where you are wrong—to draw closer to Him for Him to hear your prayer, if it is God's will.

Matt. 17:22-24 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful. [So, of course, they did not understand that and they were just sorrowful, but they did not really get it—as we will see later.] When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"

Do we pay various kinds of taxes? We should, in our society today. God tells us to be subject to the authorities. But here was the Son of God—the One to whom the temple was dedicated—He WAS the God of that temple. Why should He have to pay that tax? Frankly He should not. He was the King of Israel, to whom that temple was dedicated—the God of Israel. He had been their God in the Old Testament as the Logos, the Spokesman who dealt with ancient Israel in place of God the Father. He was the One who led them out of Egypt. He was the One who parted the Red Sea. He was the One who was the Rock of Israel spoken of that way in several places, in Deuteronomy 32 and several other places.

Why should He pay that tax?

Matt. 17:25-27 He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him [Christ wondered why Peter said "Yes" as though Christ had to pay that tax. Well, Peter did not understand yet, of course.], saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"

[Does the royal household pay taxes? Not in that kind of absolute monarchy—the princes and the princesses, the royal household, would never pay taxes in an absolute monarchy.] Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. Nevertheless [Notice Jesus' humility. He did not want to offend the others unless they misunderstand Him as the cheapskate or One who did not honor God or the temple.], lest we offend them [We are to try to do everything we can not to offend others.], go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first."

This was amazing, but Christ had perfect faith. He must have asked God the Father to do this. Christ is the One who created the world. He created the fish, so certainly God could do that and did do that. He caused a little fish to swim up and He caused one of the little pieces of money, a stator, to be in that

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fish's mouth. Perhaps He caused the fish to just dip down and pick it up off the edge of the water, the shallow water, where someone had thrown it or lost it. We don't know how He did it. God does not have a problem doing those things. How BIG is your God? Before we finish this chapter, in fact, I want to mention a booklet called The Real God. This is a very powerful and very helpful booklet revealing to you that God is the Creator. It answers some of the broad questions about creation versus evolution. It shows you the nature of the real God and the power of that God, and gives you proof about that God—the real God. If you would like to understand more about God, contact us and ask for this booklet. It will be sent to you absolutely FREE. The Real God— Proofs and Promises. You will love this booklet. You will receive your copy absolutely free upon your request.

Matt. 17:27 "…take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money [That is amazing. God caused a piece of money to be in that fish's mouth.]; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

So they did pay the tax. But Christ showed Peter, in effect: "I don't really have to pay the tax. I am not going to take my money to pay the tax. But lest we offend them, look what God is going to do to back up My statement that I don't need to pay the tax." He did it that way, because Jesus was Immanuel—"God with us."

Next time we will begin Matthew 18. Keep with us in this series and you will learn a lot more. This is Roderick C. Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 20

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 20 Matt. 18:1 – 18:35 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"...Notice that it does not say "the kingdom in heaven," but rather the "kingdom of heaven."

The Bank of Morgan is not Mr. Morgan's piggy bank "in him" as if he swallowed it. It is the Bank of Morgan-controlled by the house of Morgan. That is what the "kingdom of heaven" means. As all the other scriptures show very clearly, it does not mean "in" heaven.

Greetings, friends around the world!

We have been going through the book of Matthew step by step, covering almost every verse and giving you the real meaning of this wonderful book-this introductory book of the New Testament. We have covered this book up through chapter 17. Go get your Bibles, and let's start with chapter 18 of Matthew, verse 1.

Matt. 18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

Notice that it does not say "the kingdom in heaven," but rather the "kingdom of heaven." The Bank of Morgan is not Mr. Morgan's piggy bank "in him" as if he swallowed it. It is the Bank of Morgancontrolled by the house of Morgan. That is what the "kingdom of heaven" means. As all the other scriptures show very clearly, it does not mean "in" heaven.

Matt. 18:2-3 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children‌" We must have a really humble, childlike and teachable attitude. This is hard for us to do, and it is even harder for young people today than it may have been for some of us at their age. Today's youth are seeing every kind of wild, rotten thing on television-or perhaps via computer or motion pictures. They see people being blown up; they see pictures putting down and making fun of human beings. They see the cheapening of sex, cheapening of the value of human life-anti-authority, anti-God, anti-father and mother messages. They see television skits making fun of the father, making fun of the mother and putting down authority throughout the land. For many people, it is harder than ever to have that childlike attitude today. Satan the Devil is undermining that attitude tremendously. But we need to have that humble, childlike attitude to be in God's Kingdom-we really do. Unless you have that, "you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

Matt. 18:4 "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child [a humble, teachable attitude] is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

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Jesus said: "Learn to be humble, learn to be teachable, open your mind and open your heart to the Truth."

Matt. 18:5-6 "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. [Jesus said, "Help others who are being called by God, who are trying to truly obey God.] But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

God protects His children-His little ones. He tells us: "Be careful, don't take advantage of them, don't lash out at them, don't put them down too hard. Give them every opportunity to make it."

Matt. 18:7-9 "Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! [Who would upset the little ones.] If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out‌" The commentaries explain that this was a figure of speech that the Jews sometimes used. Jesus didn't mean that if your eye looks at something evil and you lust after it, you should literally gouge your eye out or take a knife and cut it out. I think we understand that. But whatever is as close to you, as near and dear to you, as your right arm or your right eye-you had better be willing to get rid of it. A wrong relationship with a woman who is not your wife, a wrong relationship with some lodge or club in this world or some group of people who may be heavy into drinking or into drugs-GET RID of such a relationship. "Well, those are my friends," you may say. But, do you want those kinds of friends if they bring you into hell-fire-if they keep you cut off from the great God, and out of His Kingdom? You have to think the whole problem through. Whom do you worship? Whom do you really obey?

Matt. 18:9 "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

The Greek word is Gehenna-hell-fire, the Lake of Fire. Jesus talked about the Lake of Fire as a reality.

"Modern" ministers don't like to talk about that; they think it isn't nice. But Jesus was "nice"-and He talked about it as a reality. Please understand.

Matt. 18:10 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven."

He does not say that we are going to heaven. But the angels of God are there, and like God and Christ they can come back and forth throughout the universe-apparently instantly. They go back and forth, and report to God from time to time, as other scriptures show. People misunderstand this verse, inferring that it is showing where humans are. It does not! The saved do not go to heaven. Jesus said in John 3:13:

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 20

"No man has ascended to heaven." Throughout the Bible, many statements are made like that. Jesus said in Matthew 5:5, during the Sermon on the Mount: "The meek shall inherit the earth"-not heaven.

The Bible always makes that plain.

Matt. 18:10-11 I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost."

He wants to help the little one. "If you had a hundred sheep and one goes astray," Jesus said "wouldn't you leave it and go look for that one lost sheep and leave the 99 behind?" Yes, normally a good shepherd would do that. Jesus Christ is concerned about the one who is in trouble-the little one.

Matt. 18:14-15 "Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones [a little child of God being upset, being put upon by others, being deceived or misled by others], should perish. [Then He turns it around in another aspect of this.]

Moreover [It could be translated "However" in this relationship. We are not just concerned about the little ones-that you be careful of them-but everyone has to be careful of each other not to offend one another.] if your brother sins against you [if your brother in the church hurts you deeply, he starts flirting with your wife, he starts taking advantage of you or crashes into your car in a fender bender and is not willing to help out or lets his cow stray over into your vegetable garden and eat it up and makes no recompense or whatever he does], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother."

You hope he is going to repent and say: "I am sorry I did that." You need to go to him with the attitude of helping him-not of convicting him, but of helping him.

Matt. 18:16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more‌" From experience I would suggest taking two more, if possible, so that there is more than one other witness there. The purpose of their presence is not to convict, but just to be sure that the matter is handled properly and that all are receiving a fair hearing. Those present are going to be witnesses to the situation as fellow brothers in the Church of God. Matt. 18:16-17 "‌take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' And if he refuses to hear them [if he still won't back down after maybe, you know, getting drunk and keeping you up at night-if he is your next door neighbor or whatever-if he still won't change and repent], tell it to the church."

Does this mean that you should say: "I want to make the announcement at church this coming weekend? No! We know that God never had people do that. Rather, you tell it to the authorities in the church. If you read the fifth chapter of 1 Corinthians, you will see how these matters were handled. They

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told the Apostle Paul-the one who acted for the church, the leader of the church-and the leaders acted on behalf of the church.

Matt. 18:17 "…tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church…"

There is an organized body of Christ. We are not to be "independent Christians" just wandering around "doing our own thing." The Bible makes that very clear. Many people say: "Well, I am confused or disgusted with 'churchianity,' so I am just going to stay home." If you did that, you would never get needed correction, and you would never learn to grow through interaction with other Christians in the Church of God. There is a Church. That Church does have organization and government, and prepares you to be part of the very government of God in Tomorrow's World. It really does, if you will act on these principles.

We have a booklet explaining a great deal about that. It is called Restoring Apostolic Christianity. If you have not yet requested this booklet, please do so. It will be sent to you absolutely FREE. Restoring Apostolic Christianity explains about this Church of God-how it developed, what the real church should be like, and what real Christianity was in the time of Jesus and the Apostles. Contact us and request your free copy of this powerful booklet.

These are powerful parts of the Bible, explaining exactly what to do. Most people are never taught this in Sunday school, in church or anywhere else, as you know. But these truths are right here in the middle of the book of Matthew.

Matt. 18:17 But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."

During the Dark Ages, one big visible church of that time would, if it kicked people out, often have them beaten or thrown in jail or even burned alive! Yes, burned alive if people did not agree with some of their practices or teachings! Christians don't do that! That is not Christian; that is not right. Jesus did not tell us to do that. He said, in effect: "Just let them go out in the sunshine and the fresh air; treat them like you would a tax collector or someone who does not understand, someone who is not converted-an outsider who does not understand." We are not to hate such people, but they are not to be in the church-they are cut off. It is just as if Johnny has been a bad boy, perhaps he has to eat his meal outside on the back porch off a pie plate. I knew a family who did that to their children to help them "wake up" when they would throw a fit at the table. It is a very humbling process. "Johnny" has to be sent out of the room. He cannot fellowship with the family until he repents. It is the same thing here. Jesus Christ says to "put them out."

Matt. 18:18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Most people do not understand this at all. It is not taught. This is another Hebrew idiom; the rabbis were guided by God, apparently, to make binding and loosing decisions. At least they had that right. They often made wrong decisions, but they were to make decisions based on God's Law. They were not to introduce new laws. They were to make binding decisions based on the Law-applying the principle of

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 20

God's Law to a particular situation. So Christ told them to do that. He said: "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven."

Matt. 18:19-20 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask [You see, in this kind of context, in a judicial context, making a binding decision.], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name [In Christ's authority to make this kind of decision.], I am there in the midst of them."

You may ask: "How could that be?" If they were Christians, judging according to God's will-in most cases, this would be ministers trying to make a binding and losing decision-God would back it up just like He did in the Old Testament because, as it tells us in Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."

If you have your Bible handy, turn with me back to 2 Chronicles 19:4. It describes Jehoshaphat-a very righteous and God-fearing king. Jehoshaphat appointed judges in the land, throughout fortified cities of Judah, city by city. Verse 6 states: "And said to the judges, 'Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.'" If God was going to be with them in the judgment back in carnal Israel, how much more would God be with them in the New Testament Church of God, if they were faithful men trying sincerely to carry out God’s will-God's judgment-in a particular situation. That is an important principle to understand.

Matt. 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Some people try to apply this to say that wherever two or three are meeting. He will be with them in a little church or Bible study group. In principle He will be, I am sure, but the direct application of this verse, in context, is to a matter of judgment.

Matt. 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

Seventy times seven-you keep on forgiving. You do not limit your forgiveness. You have total forgiveness for others, just as God has total forgiveness for you. You are not cramped in your forgiveness. You love God with all your heart, you try to love your neighbor as yourself and you keep forgiving as you would want others to forgive you. Jesus then gave this parable about forgiveness: Matt. 18:23-24 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents."

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Some commentaries explain that ten thousand talents at that time was the equivalent of several million dollars. This apparently high-level individual owed a huge amount of money to the king!

Matt. 18:25-28 "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold [Which they could do back at that time in a kind of a kingship or monarchy.], with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down [you see, just crying] before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and [please] I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion [It is showing what God would do. It is picturing the king as he were God in a sense having that attitude.], released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii [a much smaller amount]; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'"

He began to threaten his debtor, and when the fellow servants heard this, they brought it to the master's attention. When the master heard this he said: Matt. 18:32-35 "'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt [We might say that great debt.] because you begged me. 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry [It pictures what God would have to do if we don't forgive one another.], and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. [So, Jesus said-this is what Jesus said‌] So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you [Yes, God will punish people TERRIBLY if they will not forgive others. We have to have mercy on one another.], from his heart [Not that you just do it on the surface and just play games, but each "from his heart."], does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

We must show a depth of love and mercy toward one another. Let's learn that lesson and have Christ living His life within us, so that we obey God-and His law and His way-with all our hearts. We know our brother may be trying too, and if he slips have mercy on him. Someday we are going to slip, too, and we are going to need a lot of mercy. As God has mercy over and over on us, we need to have mercy over and over on one another.

Next time we will begin with Matthew 19. This is Roderick C. Meredith, for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 21

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 21 Matt. 19:1 – 19:25 The Pharisees also came to Him, [Remember, they were the very strictest sect of the Jews. They were very technical, very legalistic and very self-righteous. They were trying to trick Jesus and they were constantly testing Him on things. They wanted to see if they could catch Him on some mistake or embarrass Him or trap Him in some way.] testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"

Greetings, friends around the world!

We are going through the Gospel of Matthew-perhaps the most important Gospel. It is the very beginning book of the New Testament, and sets the stage for the entire New Testament. It gives us an understanding of the whole way of God, starting early on with the Sermon on the Mount. Today we are starting with Matthew 19, but you can watch or listen to the earlier programs in this series on your computer.

Notice what Jesus says here at the start of Matthew 19; He is discussing marriage: Matt. 19:1-3 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. [He was teaching thousands and thousands of people.] The Pharisees also came to Him, [Remember, they were the very strictest sect of the Jews. They were very technical, very legalistic and very self-righteous.

They were trying to trick Jesus and they were constantly testing Him on things. They wanted to see if they could catch Him on some mistake or embarrass Him or trap Him in some way.] testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"

That is virtually what they did. The Jews had gotten into a situation where a man could find his wife with just a blemish or just some little thing wrong, and he could say "I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you" and just get rid of her.

Matt. 19:4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning [The Great God, in other words. Showing God's purpose.] 'made them male and female.'"

Notice that He didn't say "males and female" and he didn't say "male and females." He did not intend for a man to have a number of wives. He did not plan polygamy at all from the beginning-that was not His teaching, it was one male and one female. He did not make two men together either, did He? Two men cannot procreate themselves. One man is not designed by God to be submissive to, and to be the help and partner and companion-in that particular way-of another man. It does not work! It never will work! It is not God's purpose, was not God's purpose from the beginning, and is not God's

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purpose now! In the Old Testament, which is still the mind of God, God called men laying with men an abomination. Think about that. He made them one male and one female.

Matt. 19:5 "And said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?"

One man and one woman-once they covenant with God in a marriage relationship, God Himself considers them one flesh.

Matt. 19:6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Mankind has no authority from God to be separating for all these reasons that we come up with-for all of these Hollywood divorces and remarriages, "the Hollywood marriage-go-round" they used to call it. It is abomination to Almighty God. Matt. 19:6-7 "Therefore what God has joined together [He says here powerfully.], let not man separate [or "put asunder," as it is given in the King James Version.]" They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"

Moses allowed them to put away their wives by simply giving them a certificate of divorce. They asked: "why then did Moses command" them to do that? But, in fact, Moses had not commanded them to do that. In their hearts, they knew better. He allowed them. Because they were carnal in the Old Testament, they did not have God's Spirit, except for a very few of the prophets. He knew they were going to have trouble in this area of their lives. He knew they were going to have the opportunity and the desire to cheat on their wives or have multiple wives or live-in partners, as they do today. In order to preserve the family, and in order to preserve the opportunity for children to have a sense of stability, at least, He allowed them to divorce and remarry for some imperfect reasons at that time. But notice what Jesus said: Matt. 19:8 He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted [He did not command-he permitted, or allowed] you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so."

It was not in God's plan from the beginning, but He allowed them to do that because they were carnal.

They were going to get in even worse trouble if He did not allow them to do that.

Matt. 19:9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, [notice] except for sexual immorality‌

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 21

The Greek word here is porneia; it is used to indicate illicit sex between two people before marriage, or to indicate perversion of some sort-such as homosexuality, incest or multiple whoredom. If some man has a girlfriend in every town, so his actions become, in effect, whoredom-it is considered porneia. There is a word moicheia, which means simple adultery. This is where a couple is bound, but one slips and the other can forgive him-and normally should forgive if they are really deeply sorry. But a pattern of multiple-multiple! -sex offenses is called porneia.

Matt. 19:9 "…except for sexual immorality [porneia], and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

Under our laws today, and in the laws of so many churches, people are allowed to divorce and remarry because of incompatibility or arguments over marriage or over "emotional distress." People can come up with almost anything as a justification. But you are supposed to love and forgive one another and stay with one another. You are not to play games with marriage. God tells us that very, very clearly.

Except for porneia, if someone divorces and marries another he or she commits adultery. It does not mean they commit adultery at the first act after their new marriage. It means they are living in adultery.

They are adulterers! That is something important for all of us to understand.

Matt. 19:10 '…and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

Unless, of course, she has been divorced for a right reason that the Bible clearly indicates, such as porneia. Another reason Paul gave later, in 1 Corinthians 7:19, is the matter of desertion by the unconverted mate. If someone has a mate who is not converted at all, and they simply desert the one who is in God's church, then that would free the one in God's church. Those are the only two major reasons for divorce and remarriage-porneia and desertion by the unconverted mate. Of course, another reason would be fraud, where a person never intended to marry in the first place-if that can be proved, as in those cases sometimes where a man will marry a widow just to get her money.

Matt. 19:11 His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife [In other words, if this is the only way out of marriage…], it is better not to marry."

Wow! "When you get married you are trapped; you've got to stay right there!" The disciples had been taught and understood the old way; that you can divorce your wife if you don't like her. So they said: "Maybe it is better not to marry."

Matt. 19:12 But He said [I think there is a little masculine humor and irony, by the way, in this, folks. Jesus had a sense of humor too.] "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: for there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb [Well, they don't want to get married in the first place, so they don't have to get married.], and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men…"

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We know that many young men during the Dark Ages under the false church were castrated. They called them the castrati. They kept their high tenor voices to sing in the choirs. They did not develop properly, and their organs were not developed, so they could not marry. That is a terrible and awful thing-to deprive someone of the opportunity to be a father or a mother and to have a family. That happened-and went on for hundreds of years in the so-called Christian church. We have to understand those things that went on.

Matt. 19:12 "‌and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake."

Which Paul did. Paul may have been married in his earlier life, but once he was converted, maybe his wife died or something happened-we don't know. He was not married during his ministry. He lived singly, with the help of God's Spirit. Some few can do that.

Matt. 19:12 "He who is able to accept it, let him [receive it] accept it."

If you can get married within God's Law, knowing it is a binding covenant before God-which you are not to play games with, and to which you will commit yourself-then, yes, you can get married and should get married. But, you should not get married unless you are willing to commit yourself to another human being "until death do you part." Please understand that. God made marriage a type of the relationship of Christ and the Church. You find that pictured back in Ephesians 5, beginning in verse 22. The church is to be subject under Christ as a woman is unto her husband, or vice versa, I should say. Of course, the husband is to love the wife and to serve his wife, as Christ loved the church and died for the church. It is a picture of everlasting love and commitment and loyalty. That is what marriage should picture. We have to be sure we get our understanding straight before we marry in the first place.

Matt. 19:13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.

The disciples were younger men and all zealous. "Well, why are these little children bothering Jesus?"

Matt. 19:14 But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

We have seen that before, in chapter 18. Little children-humble little children-picture true Christians, if they are humble and teachable.

Matt. 19:15-17 And He laid His hands on them [God works through the laying on of hands. That is a symbol of God's authority, of God's government. God works through human instruments in healing the sick, ordaining ministers, in blessing little children and so

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 21

on.] and departed from there. [We read elsewhere where He blessed them. He asked God's special blessing upon them.] Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."

So many have thought: "If you want to enter life, do what they say in those great big evangelistic campaigns and great big TV sermons: 'Just give your heart to the Lord, make your decision tonight. That is all there is! Come as you are! Come as you are!'" That is what so many say, over and over. You have heard that-but is that what the Bible says? No, the Bible does not say that! It says that if you want to enter into life-yes, you must accept Jesus as your Savior, but you must also accept Him as your Lord and Master whom you will obey! You must follow Christ's teaching. Christ said, "If you would enter into life, keep the commandments"-plural! You must not just "give your heart to the Lord"-you must keep God's commandments.

Matt. 19:18-23 He said to Him, "Which ones?" 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 your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" [You see that He was beginning to list some of the Ten Commandments.] The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor [You see, this young man was rich and Jesus sensed that his riches were his "god" which he put ahead of other things, and ahead of God and Christ and everything else. Christ sensed that right away, having deep insight through God's Spirit.], and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."

Oh, it is hard. People who have money like that money. They watch it. They will usually give less to God's Church and God's Work, proportionally, than the average person or certainly the poor person who senses that he needs God's help and will give more generously.

Matt. 19:23-24 "‌it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." You see, the Kingdom of God (notice it here in verse 24 and in verse 23) is called the Kingdom of Heaven-they are both the same thing. It is not the Kingdom in heaven-the Bank of Morgan, as I have explained, is not in Mr. Morgan's tummy. He did not swallow his piggy bank. It is the Bank of Morgan. It is the Kingdom of Heaven, directed from heaven, which is God's throne.

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Matt. 19:24-25 "And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" ["How can anyone be saved?"]

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Yes, God can help you. You can enter His Kingdom and overcome even if you have money, because He can give you His Spirit, which will let you put God first through God's help and guidance. God can help you make your marriage secure-a binding marriage-through His help and His guidance, as we discussed at the start of this program.

I want to offer you a very wonderful, very helpful booklet-Build a JOYOUS Marriage. This booklet spells out God's approach to marriage. It has helped thousands of people. We have received many, many letters about this booklet thanking us for it. So be sure that you contact us to request this booklet if you have not already; it will be sent absolutely FREE upon your request.

We will stop right here, and pick up in the next program at Matthew 19:26, Keep up with this series; it will open your mind to the book of Matthew. Follow us along-and we will see you next time.

This is Roderick C. Meredith, for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 22

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 22 Matt. 19:26 – 20:34 Through God's spirit, everyone can overcome, no matter what becomes a god in the place of the true God. People can humble themselves. They can have the strength to overcome through the spirit of God. Let's turn to verse 27.

Greetings, friends around the world!

Once again, this is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you this commentary on the book of Matthew. We have been trying to open up the book of Matthew to your understanding, and help it be plain and clear to you. I have had the experience of teaching the Gospels for many years, so I hope you can understand and grasp the real meaning and detail of this book much better after this series. Remember that you can view or download the previous programs in this series, if you want.

We are near the end of Matthew 19. The last program finished with Christ's statement about how hard it is for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. Matt. 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Through God's spirit, everyone can overcome, no matter what becomes a god in the place of the true God. People can humble themselves. They can have the strength to overcome through the spirit of God. Let's turn to verse 27.

Matt. 19:27-28 Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we [the disciples—we are not rich] have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?" So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration [the new age when we are born of God], when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

Many of the commentaries and scholars acknowledge that this word "judging" can mean directing or managing or ruling—as it is often used. In the "regeneration" the disciples are going to be managing the affairs of the twelve tribes of Israel—making decisions about their problems and situations. We find in several places in the Old Testament—back in Ezekiel 37, for instance—that King David is going to be given his old job back in the resurrection. He will be king over all twelve tribes of Israel re-gathered again. The Jews and the Ten Lost Tribes will be made one again—one nation under King David. King David will be under Christ. Under King David will be the twelve Apostles, each one ruling one of the twelve tribes of Israel. So we have an organized government pictured in the Kingdom of God—a literal government that is going to be set up on this earth, under Jesus Christ as King of kings.

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Matt. 19:29-30 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal [everlasting] life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Some who were called back then and rejected Jesus are not going to be called in the first resurrection.

They will come up and have an opportunity to really understand, later on, if they were blinded. That is another story.

I would like to offer to you at this point a very wonderful booklet; it is called Your Ultimate Destiny. It shows what kind of reward you can have in the coming Kingdom of God, not just on this earth, but right on into eternity. It spells things out and gives you an understanding way beyond what churches and religious groups generally even begin to understand. It really does; I am not exaggerating. Please call or write for this booklet; we will send it to you absolutely FREE. It is a wonderful, inspiring booklet—Your Ultimate Destiny.

Let's go on and see what Jesus said.

Matt. 20:1 "For the kingdom of [not in] heaven [the Kingdom of God] is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard."

He had agreed to give each one a denarius—a certain amount of money. Then he went out, at about nine o'clock, and there were still some there and he hired them for the same amount of money. He went out at twelve and he hired some more. He went out three o'clock in the afternoon and hired some more. Finally, at five o'clock, in the late afternoon, he went out at the eleventh hour—as it points out here—and he came and hired some more.

Matt. 20:9-10 "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius."

You see, eternal life is the basic reward of all Christians—everlasting life forever and ever and ever as a glorified spirit being—a full son of God, in the very family of God, the Kingdom of God. It is an AWESOME opportunity. This booklet will point out to you your awesome destiny—Your Ultimate Destiny. When you really understand your destiny, there is nothing that can compare with it. But it is not "going to heaven" and it is not floating around heaven all day with nothing to do. So please contact us and request this booklet; it will make this whole subject plain.

Matt. 20:10-13 "…they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' But he [who, of course, is a type of God the Father here] answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 22

wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius [the basic wage; eternal life in the Kingdom of God]?'"

Other scriptures indicate that eternal life is the basic reward we will all get. But, if you work hard—if you do your part of the very Work of God, if you go above and beyond—you can have a higher degree of responsibility in the Kingdom of God. You may have more work to do, but you will have a perfect body that never gets sick and never gets tired—you will have glorious enthusiasm every day. You will be able to be over five cities or ten cities—or maybe a whole nation or something even beyond that, which I won't try to explain now. Our booklet, Your Ultimate Destiny, explains that if you give your life to God actively and serve Him zealously, you will be rewarded according to your fruits. You will be rewarded according to your works. You are not saved by your works; you are saved by the blood of Christ. Your basic reward is eternal life. The degree of opportunity to serve, the degree of authority in the government of God, can be increased. But Jesus does not cover that here; He just shows that the basic reward is eternal life.

Matt. 20:13-14 "I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 'Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.'"

Some of them no doubt began to get a little bit upset.

Matt. 20:16 "So the last will be first, and the first last."

Some people in ancient Israel never obeyed God. They cursed God, they fought God, they rejected God's servant Moses. They heard the truth first, but they did not obey it. They are not going to be in the first resurrection. Even the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees are not going to be in the first resurrection unless they individually repented, which some of them did. The others will come up later and will have an opportunity, later, to face the issues and to really understand. "So the last will be first"—some people who are converted later—but the first will be last.

Matt. 20:16 "For many are called [God invites many people to His Kingdom. He gets the message out to many, and many understand.], but few [very few, frankly in this age] chosen."

Speaking of those who overcome, God said through Jesus Christ back in Revelation 2:26: "He who overcomes and keeps My works to the end shall rule over the nations." Yes, you are going to have that opportunity if you really overcome. Only the overcomers will be in God's Kingdom. Very few today really understand and really give their lives to God with faith—to step out alone, to go contrary to the mainstream and to be an overcomer with Jesus Christ.

Matt. 20:17-19 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests [The religious leaders are the ones who usually end up attacking God's servants. It has always been that way, and still is today.] and to the Made available in this format by Living Education

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scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, [They hated Him. Men don't love the light, they love the darkness, because their deeds are evil. They don't like to be corrected, they don't like to admit that they are wrong. It really bugs many people to admit they are wrong—even religious leaders.] and deliver Him to the Gentiles [these religious leaders] to mock and to scourge and to crucify. [He knew His form of death ahead of time.] And the third day He will rise again."

As many other scriptures tell us, He was to be resurrected not just on the third day, but at exactly the end of the third day—after three days and three nights, as it says in Matt. 12:40.

Matt. 20:20-21 Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."

Of course, this dear woman didn't have a clue. She could not have imagined the glory and the power and the majesty she was asking for her two sons, which would last for a thousand years—in fact eleven hundred years, probably, and maybe on into eternity—just because she came and asked this.

Matt. 20:22 But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able."

He showed them, "Well, you will go through suffering," and they were martyred. Many of Jesus' disciples—in fact all except John, apparently—were martyred. But He said: "It is not mine to give" this kind of glory. Only from God the Father can we receive that.

Matt. 20:24-25 And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. But Jesus called them [If they had been deeply converted, they would have known Jesus was going to work it out, and they wouldn't have become upset. But they were bugged because, in their hearts, they too wanted power. So they were really upset, thinking that these two brothers were trying to get ahead of them.] to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them."

That is the normal way. Remember Benito Mussolini and Hitler back in the second world war? Just lashing out and just crushing those under them. Stalin did that, too, in the Soviet Union, and Mao TseTung in China. Many dictatorial leaders have done that down through time. That is the way they do things. They lord it over them.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 22

Matt. 20:25-26 And those who are great exercise authority over them. ["Do you know who is in charge here?" they are always saying.] "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant."

Let that person try to help and give and serve and build the others. That is the mark of a true leader— someone who is not always concerned about how great he is, but trying honestly to do his best to build and teach the others so they can reach their human potential and be in the Kingdom of God. Matt. 20:27-28 "And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave; [Let him be the one that works the hardest and serves the most.] just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Christ helped and served constantly. He sometimes corrected His disciples and others, of course. He sometimes acted "important," as they would look at it, by sitting at the head or teaching. But on the other hand, His whole motive in all of this (which He showed and which they knew if they were honest about it) was to help them—to teach them, to serve them and to build them.

Matt. 20:29-30 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"

He was the prophesied Son not of someone else, but of David. David was a type of Christ in a very special way. The Messiah was to be a direct descendent of David. "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!" So, they must have gotten the word of His miracles and realized that He was, in fact, the Messiah.

Matt. 20:31-33 Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet [They said, "Shut up, don't bother the Master.”] … So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."

You can picture these two blind men coming up, perhaps trembling, asking, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened." Jesus could sense in them the attitude of deep humility and perhaps a fair amount of faith as well. So, Jesus had compassion. He had out-flowing concern—and He had that in a remarkable way; He would just ooze love and compassion in a way that most of us don't do today. Our hearts have been hardened—we have been fooled, hurt, and taken advantage of. Human beings today don't normally have that kind of compassion, but Jesus did, and through His spirit all of us can learn to have more compassion, deep out flowing concern, love and mercy for others.

Matt. 20:34 So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.

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Here we see God working through the hands of men—the laying on of hands. Jesus touched their eyes, perhaps put His hand on their heads, touched their eyes, said a prayer, "and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him." They were healed by the Messiah. "Son of David have mercy on us." He healed them.

We know the scripture in Hebrews 13:8. Jesus Christ "is the same yesterday, today and forever." He is still the healer, He is still alive, if we can learn to have faith and trust in Him and in the God of heaven.

That's all for now. This is Roderick C. Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 23

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 23 Matt. 21:1 – 21:46 As Jesus came into Jerusalem, word reached His disciples, then their friends, then their neighbors. By now, tens of thousands had heard about the miracles that Jesus had performed, many of whom realized that this Man was the Son of God or at least a great prophet, who was to become the Messiah. So they spread these clothes out and did all these things.

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you a commentary on the book of Matthew—the introductory book to the entire New Testament, which sets the stage for the New Covenant, the New Testament of Jesus Christ. So let's open up our Bibles. Follow me, if you can; this series will mean a lot more to you if you will. I will be covering Matthew 21 today, opening your minds and hearts if you are open to the book of Matthew and its real meaning.

Matt. 21:1-3 "Now when they drew near Jerusalem [Matthew writes], and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, "The Lord has need of them," and immediately he will send them.'"

This was a minor miracle—God guided this man and put it in his heart to let this donkey go.

Matt. 21:4-8 "All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 'Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey."' So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road…"

As Jesus came into Jerusalem, word reached His disciples, then their friends, then their neighbors. By now, tens of thousands had heard about the miracles that Jesus had performed, many of whom realized that this Man was the Son of God or at least a great prophet, who was to become the Messiah. So they spread these clothes out and did all these things.

Matt. 21:9-10 [They cried out] "'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest!' And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved " It was not just a few people. When Hollywood makes a movie, they normally show Jesus out by some trash dump with a few itinerant people, or beggars, or some people who don't look like they amount to much. But here was most of the city coming out to meet Jesus—a tremendous number of people.

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Matt. 21:11 "…all the city was moved, saying, 'Who is this?' So the multitudes said, 'This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.'"

Theirs was a "historical" interest—like watching MacArthur or Eisenhower going through a tickertape parade after returning to New York at the end of World War II. This was a tremendous procession. God did not allow Jesus to be spared for giving His life for the sins of the world. God apparently allowed Paul to be beheaded. All the Apostles, except John, were martyred. But God does give honor to His servants to a limited degree, and He at least moved people to honor His Son before His Son had to die for our sins. All the city was moved, and apparently thousands lined the way. Apparently hundreds, at least, came right out to meet Him as He entered the city.

Matt. 21:11 So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple.

These traders came into God's own temple, which was supposed to be a holy place, and were selling the pigeons and all kinds of animals to be offered—and making money from it. They were probably charging too much. You can imagine the noise, the clutter, the smell, the manure—right in and around the temple of God. This was a stench in the nostrils of the One who was in fact God, the One who was among them—God with us, Jesus of Nazareth, Immanuel—the very one to whom this temple was dedicated and who was standing there. He told them what was going on, and what He thought about it.

They did not fully know who He was, but He came in and "overturned the tables of the money changers." Some people have the idea that Jesus was a nice, sweet person and would never rattle the table—would never rattle the teacups. But He would and He did! He jerked those tables "and the seats of those who sold doves." He took their chairs and threw them on the ground.

Matt. 21:13 And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you [you traders] have made it a 'den of thieves.'"

The traders were taking advantage of the people, even in what they charged them. They were right there and had a monopoly, so to speak, on the animals and the birds that were to be offered at the temple.

Matt. 21:14 "Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them." …showing, again, that He was God in the flesh; that He was the Messiah because He was able to heal regularly and consistently—person after person.

Matt. 21:15 "But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did…"

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 23

…they just rejoiced and thanked God, didn't they? No, they did not! It is usually the religious leaders who get upset. They have their job and their position to defend, and they don't like the Truth when it comes along—they hate it and they fight it! Historically, the religious leaders have been the biggest enemies of the true servants of God down through time. I am sorry to say that, but that is the truth.

Matt. 21:15-21 "But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant [mad] and 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 babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?" Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany [a city just a couple miles outside of Jerusalem], and He lodged there.

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." [We understand that He wasn't mad at a tree; He was teaching a lesson about that society that rebelled against everything God stood for] Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?" So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt…"

That is our problem. We don't have that kind of faith today. God is very unreal to us. Most of you watching this watch all kinds of other stuff on the Internet, and on television and in the movies—often rotten, degenerate stuff that ought not be seen, and pictures that put into your mind images of illicit sex and violence, and people taking God's name in vain and using foul language in ways one should never have to hear or see. These things now come pouring right into your living room, making it hard for you to think about the true God—the invisible God of power, the God of the Universe—or to have your mind on Him, because your mind has been seared by all of these influences that are extant in our society.

Matt. 21:21-22 "[But] if you have faith and do not doubt [if God can become more real to you], you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

If you ask believing, you have to have faith! Put your faith and trust in God. Read this book. Read the Psalms over and over. Read the New Testament over and over. Have faith in the great God who gives us life and breath—and in the promises He has made.

We have a booklet titled The Real God: Proofs and Promises. This is a wonderful booklet; it tells you about God, and proofs of God and what God is like—in a way you may never have understood before. It is not complicated and it is not about "giving your heart to the Lord." It tells you about the God of creation—the real God—and what He is like and what you ought to do about it. So ask for this booklet, and we will send it to you absolutely FREE and without obligation.

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Matt. 21:22-25 "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him [trying to stir someone up to trap Him] as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? ["How can you talk this way? Who gives you the right to be right," they were saying.] And who gave You this authority?" But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John; where was it from? From heaven or from men?"

Christ knew, of course, that these were hypocrites. They knew that the people realized that John was a prophet from God—a prophet from heaven—but they didn't want to believe it because John had been the one to point them to Christ.

Matt. 21:27 "So they answered Jesus and said, 'We do not know.' And He said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.'"

Notice the marvelous way He put them off: "Who gives you the right to be right?" He asked them another question and put them on the defensive.

Matt. 21:28-31 "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. [and finally did what his father asked] Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, 'I go, sir' but he did not go.

Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, 'The first.'"

That's right! The first son went the wrong way—he gave the wrong answer at the beginning—but he repented and was then willing to do his father's will. That is the whole key! Will you do the Father's will?

They answered first—and at least they did answer right.

Matt. 21:32 Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors [the Roman tax collectors, whom they hated] and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you" [He said to the religious leaders].

What a statement! These religious leaders would not enter the Kingdom of God as quickly as the tax collectors and the harlots—because they were self-righteous, they would not repent, they would not accept the Messiah and they would not do the will of the Father. They chose to worship God their way— keeping their own ideas.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 23

Matt. 21:32-33 "For John came to you in the way of righteousness [Jesus said], and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him. Hear another parable…"

Then He gave the parable of the landowner who had a vineyard: Matt. 21:33-42 "'There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, "They will respect my son." [here is the example of God the Father sending His Son, Jesus.] But when the vinedressers saw the son [picturing the Son of God coming], they said among themselves, "This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance." So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?' They said to Him [They were " caught" by this parable; they gave the right answer, but in doing so condemned themselves], "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons." Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

We read a number of times in the Old Testament about the stone of Israel. Of course, many passages even refer directly to Jesus Christ, the Rock of Israel, and how He was to finally be that stone. One of the most important and direct references is found in Daniel 2. This vision was talking about the four great world ruling empires, the Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar, the Medo-Persian Empire and then later the Alexandrine Empire of Alexander the Great—the Greek Empire as it is sometimes called—then you come down to the final great world-ruling empire, the Roman Empire. Talking about these empires, very clearly, God says here in Daniel 2:44: Dan. 2:44-45 "In the days of these kings [The final kings of the Roman Empire—ten toes, ten kings to arise as a final resurrection of the Roman Empire.] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. [This great world-ruling Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.] Inasmuch as you saw that the stone [He had been describing a stone, as you know.] was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold [of these previous kingdoms]; the great God has made

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known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure."

This "great stone"— Jesus Christ—will crush all the kingdoms of this world. He will come back as King of kings and Lord of lords. He won't have to ask anyone's permission to do anything. He will simply take over, and God will teach mankind a lesson that he will never forget.

Matt. 21:42 Jesus said to them, "'The stone which the builders rejected… [This refers to the one who ought to have been the foundation of the true Church—you know that the church which developed after the original Apostles' death was not the true Church founded on Jesus Christ, as they rejected that "stone"] has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

As you can see, this verse was quoting Daniel 2:44-45.

Matt. 21:43 "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it."

"Be taken" from you religious leaders, he said, and given to a different group of people, the people of God—the New Testament Church of God—the "Israel of God" or "little church" or "little flock" as the true Church of God is called.

Matt. 21:44-46 "And whoever falls on this stone [the stone of God, Christ] will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him [They were not going to pat Him on the back, they were going to kill Him; I think you realize that.], they feared the multitudes [There was a great multitude of people who just stood in awe of Him, realizing all the miracles He had done and that He must be the Servant of the Great God.], because they took Him for a prophet [which Jesus certainly was.].

That is all for this segment. We will continue right on, next time, in Matthew, chapter 22. So come back and watch again next time as we continue right on through the book of Matthew.

This is Roderick C. Meredith, for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 24

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 24 Matt. 22:1 -22:46 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come." [They could have come, but were not willing.]

Greetings, friends around the world!

Once again, this is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Turn to chapter 22, if you are following along out of your Bible. If not, do check up on me later and see for yourself what these verses really mean. When you really study it, you find in the Bible an entirely different kind of Christianity than what most of you have ever understood. So open your minds and be willing to prove all things-and you will learn much.

Matt. 22:1-9 "And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. [They could have come, but were not willing.] Again, he sent out other servants, [The king was furious. He sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers and burned those cities.] ‌ Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding."'"

The ones He first invited rebelled and turned against God. This was certainly a message for the religious leaders of those days, as we have been discussing.

Matt. 22:10 "So those servants went out into the highways."

Jesus turned away from the religious leaders, to the common people and, finally, even to the Gentiles.

They were called to understanding-and many of them responded.

Matt. 22:9-11 "'Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment."

A wedding garment pictures Christ's righteousness. It pictures God's character. It pictures purity-and this man did not have purity. In the historical church down through the ages, most people, frankly have

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never had on a wedding garment. Very few people have been conquered by God. Very few people have been willing to utterly surrender their hearts, their minds and their wills to do what this book says-and to yield themselves day by day and hour by hour for Christ to live His life in them.

Matt. 22:12-13 "So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?'

And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

There are certain people who teach "universal salvation"-that everybody is safe, that nobody will ever be lost, and there is nothing for us to do. Of course, Jesus did not say that at all. Over and over He shows us that we ought to obey.

Back in Matthew 19:17, which we covered a few programs ago, He said to the young man who asked Him the way to eternal life, that "if you would enter into life, keep the commandments." Then He began to name some of the Ten Commandments. Yes, there is a way of life. There is a righteousness that you must have-not on your own strength, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ put within you through the Holy Spirit.

Matt. 22:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."

Many are invited, but very few are going to be in the first resurrection when Christ comes back as King of kings. He went ahead here explaining more about this: Matt. 22:15-20 "Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.

And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone [They tried to flatter Him.], for You do not regard the person of men. Tell us [They were trying to trick Him, to get Him in trouble with the Roman authorities.], therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, 'Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.'

So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?'"

"Who has gone to the trouble of having his picture, his image and other things printed right here on this coin?" He asked-just as I can pull a twenty dollar bill out of my billfold and find the picture of President Andrew Jackson. The government prints that money; doing so costs money and trouble. The government takes care of the highways. The government takes care of the national forests. The government takes care of our national defense. It does need money. Sometimes it taxes us too highly; we know that. Nevertheless, it has a right to impose some taxation, and Jesus tells us to honor and respect the powers that be.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 24

Matt. 22:20-21 "And He said to them, 'Whose image and inscription is this?' ["Who has done this work?"] They said to Him, 'Caesar's.' And He said to them, 'Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.'"

He still did not tell them how much to give the Romans. But He said that the Romans deserve something.

Matt. 22:22-24 "When they had heard these words, they marveled [Christ was able to "wiggle out" and not say "Yes, give them all their taxes and we think Caesar has a right to take these heavy taxes." He simply showed them the principle.], and left Him and went their way. The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection [The Sadducees were the Jewish sect who were the priests in the temple; they did not believe in the resurrection from the dead!], came to Him and asked Him, saying: 'Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.'"

That is true. God particularly instructs the brethren to dwell together. The younger brother might marry the wife if the older brother died and had no heirs, and so on.

Matt. 22:25 "Now there were with us seven brothers."

This is just a story they came up with to make the answer very difficult. People often ask about God's Sabbath, "How could you keep the Sabbath on the North Pole?" Well, of course, no one lives on the North Pole. People come up with some ridiculous thing-but in fact, up there near the North Pole, the Eskimos know what day it is! People can figure out how to keep days-business days-it is just when it comes to God's days that they have a problem and have these excuses.

Matt. 22:23-30 "'Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. [All seven brothers married this woman one after the other.] Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.' [One brother after the other.] Jesus answered and said to them, 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. ["You don't even understand what the resurrection is all about, fellows," He said. "It is not about marriage, it's not about physical life. It is about becoming spirit beings in the very family of God." His listeners did not understand that, just as most professing Christians today don't understand.] 'For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven."'"

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Spirit beings, with spirit bodies, will live forever-serving God and helping to rule this earth under Jesus Christ. The saints are called to rule this earth. Jesus is coming back as King of kings to be over the other kings. Jesus said, "He who overcomes shall rule over the nations with a rod of iron just as I have been given to do by my Father." So other kings will rule along with Jesus-those kings will be those of us who surrender to God and obey and walk with God and learn God's way. They will be those of us who let Him put within us His character, and who exercise that character and show God that we will be faithful.

Then He can use us to help straighten out the problems on this earth-and perhaps later even rule planets throughout the universe. Most people never understand that, but that is certainly a great possibility. In the resurrection, we are like the angels in heaven.

Matt. 22:31-32 "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? [These men had been dead, even then, for hundreds of years. WAY gone in the far distant past.] God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

In Romans 4:17, God says, "God calls those things which be not as though they were." In other words, He is now the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob even though they are dead, because their resurrection is just as certain as the rising of tomorrow's sun. He told Abraham, "I have made you a father of many nations." Abraham could have looked around and said "Where are these nations?" They were not there, "Abraham died not receiving the promise," God tells us in Hebrews 11. But Abraham knew it was absolutely certain-and God counted for righteousness that faith and that total belief in God and in His way. We have to have that same attitude.

Matt. 22:32 "'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

They are not dead. He is not the God of dead people. But in a sense He is the God of them because they are going to live; they are going to have a position in His Kingdom.

Matt. 22:33-37 "And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.

[They wanted to trick Him.] Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, [again, trying to catch Him] and saying, 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?' [Now listen carefully: here is the Son of God answering this question-He certainly should know.] Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'"

In other words, with all of your being. God differentiates in the Bible a number of times between the heart and the mind. There is something about the deep seat of emotion and conviction that comes-and God calls that your heart. Your mind can understand technical things, but your heart is something else.

"With all your soul" means your animal life-all your physical energy-"and with all your mind," means to bring every thought into captivity to Christ. You are to love God, to worship God and to remember that He is the giver of every good and every perfect gift. Every beautiful sunrise, every beautiful sunset-

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 24

indeed every good and wonderful and kind, absolutely magnificent thing that you have ever seen or known-came from God. And He has a lot more where that came from. He is our Father, and we have to learn to love Him, appreciate Him, worship Him, adore Him and believe in Him. Love God with all your being-that is the first and great commandment.

So many people I meet say, "Well, I just try to obey God and just love my neighbor as myself." That is just about all they know to do-actually, they don't even know how to do that. They "try to obey the golden rule," they will say, thinking that is the main thing. They are deceived about that, because the main thing is first of all loving God with all of your being. The first four commandments in the Bible tell you how to do that-how to have no other gods before the true God. Don't ever make any picture or representation of God. God cannot be put inside a picture frame! The Creator, the magnificent God who created the universe, whose face blazes like the sun at full strength, cannot be fit in a picture frame, or in some kind of representation. God commands against that. You need to stand in awe of the invisible God-that great God of power. You should never take His name cheaply and talk about God or Christ in a cheap way. Don't take His name in vain.

Fourthly, "Remember the Sabbath"-don't forget it. Remember the Sabbath, the seventh day, not the first day. The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. You are to rest and worship Him in that day.

Most people forget that day. If God told them to forget that day, then they would try to remember it, but since He told them to remember it, they are bound to forget it-that is human nature. But remembering the Sabbath is what we do when we love God. God tells us to do this because the Sabbath pictures Him as the Creator of the heavens and the earth and reminds us of His plan and of the seventh 1,000-year period that is coming-the millennial rule of Jesus Christ. And there are many other meanings in that wonderful Sabbath day.

The last six commandments tell you how to love your neighbor, so Jesus went on and said‌ Matt. 22:39 "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Yes, that is the next command-not the main one. You cannot love your neighbor as yourself unless you have the fear of God and the awe of God. You need the understanding of God and His spirit; then you can love your neighbor as yourself. Without that, you cannot and will not.

Matt. 22:40 "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

In other words, every one of the laws is based on one of those great laws-as we understand and nearly all scholars understand. They don't act on it, but they understand it. The first four commandments are an extension of the great commandment to love God. The last six commandments tell you how to love your neighbor. It all goes back to those two, but this does not do away with the ten. Jesus said to keep all ten. The Apostles did, and all of the rest of the Bible agrees that we are to keep them ALL. Matt. 22:41-44 "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, 'What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?' [Here, Jesus was going to put them on the spot.] They said to Him, 'The Son of David.' [The Jews all believe, you know, that David was this great man of God and he was the picture of Christ, which is true, his whole heart and love of God. So, they said Christ was "the Son of David," because He

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is called that in the Old Testament prophecies.] He said to them, 'How then does David in the Spirit [guided by God's Spirit] call Him 'Lord,' [How does David call his Son Lord? Do you call your son Lord? Most of you don't do that.] saying: 'The LORD [Now here must be the great God.] said to my Lord‌'" David had no human boss. David had no human Lord. So this Lord, we can understand, was Jesus Christ.

God tells us back in the book of John, "In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God and the Word was God." He came into the earth and became our Savior. That Word-that Logos, that Spokesman-was the Christ. He was the God of the Old Testament. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, God described the Lord of ancient Israel, the Rock that led Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea. It says "that Rock was Christ." Christ was the Lord of the Old Testament. Christ was David's Lord.

Matt. 22:44-45 "'The LORD [the Great Lord-God the Father] said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool'? If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?" They did not understand that-and most people have not understood that. The vast majority of preachers have never understood that either, because they don't understand that Jesus was, in fact, the God of the Old Testament. Jesus Christ-in the person of the Rock of Israel, the Lord of the Old Testament, the Lord God of Israel-is the One who spoke the Ten Commandments from the top of Mount Sinai. It blows their minds to think that the Ten Commandments CAME DIRECTLY FROM Christ! Yes, He is the One who said, "I am the Eternal God who brought you out of the land of Egypt." Some say, "Well, I thought God did that." Yes, God did do it. That God was Christ, that Rock was Christ-because Christ was God and Christ is God and He and the Father are ONE! We need to understand that. That Rock was Christ.

Matt. 22:46 "And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore."

They were SHAKEN, and they realized that they did not even understand their own Holy Book-yet here they were, the chief ministers and priests of the nation.

We have a powerful booklet titled Restoring Apostolic Christianity. Some of the very things I have been explaining to you here are covered, along with many other wonderful things that I cannot explain today or in these programs-such as what happened to true Christianity and what true Apostolic Christianity is like-not only explained by the Bible but also confirmed by history. So please request your free copy of Restoring Apostolic Christianity. This is a wonderful little booklet easy to read, thoroughly proved. You will appreciate it. It may change your life. It is absolutely FREE upon your request. "Restoring Apostolic Christianity" is the theme of this Work of the Living Church of God. Next time, I will continue on in chapter 23 as we go on through the rest of the book of Matthew.

This is Roderick Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 25

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 25 Matt. 23:1- 23:39 These were the religious leaders of the Jewish people at that time. We know that Jesus condemned them again and again, and that they were very self-righteous. They would add all kinds of "do's and don'ts" to God's Law, which Jesus never gave, God never gave these extra requirements in the Old Testament at all-the religious leaders simply conjured up these things and added them. So Jesus tells us, several times, not to follow all those things.

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you a commentary on the book of Matthew. We have been going through the Gospel of Matthew almost verse by verse. I am doing this in a teaching style, as you have noticed-not a formal preaching style. I will digress a bit, and stumble a little bit. But as a teacher I want to help you understand the details of prophecy, and be able to really grasp the meaning of this bookperhaps in a way you never have before. I had the privilege of teaching this material in a college class for about 30 years, so I am pretty familiar with this territory; I hope I can impart a lot of this understanding to you.

We have reached Matthew 23. If you are following in your bible, which I hope you will do, please open up to Matthew 23-and open your mind.

Matt. 23:1-2 "Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: 'The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.'"

These were the religious leaders of the Jewish people at that time. We know that Jesus condemned them again and again, and that they were very self-righteous. They would add all kinds of "do's and don'ts" to God's Law, which Jesus never gave, God never gave these extra requirements in the Old Testament at all-the religious leaders simply conjured up these things and added them. So Jesus tells us, several times, not to follow all those things.

Matt. 23:3 "Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do."

When they were teaching the Law officially, they would teach the truth, apparently, but their works added things that we should not do. They had wrong practices and they had wrong examples-wrong ways of life. They were very self-righteous; they would put others down and judge them. Some of them were adulterers, as Jesus pointed out. He told us not to follow their example. He told his listeners to follow the teachings of Moses, or the Law that God gave through Moses, but not to follow the religious leaders' example.

Matt. 23:3-5

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"…but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens [they added many "do's and don'ts"], hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. ["They don't do all these things themselves," Jesus said, "but they try to get others to do all these things."] But all their works they do to be seen by men."

These leaders were constantly aware of men. As John wrote in his Gospel: "They love the praise of men more than the praise of God." That is a tremendous pitfall for many religious leaders. They tend to want to please men. Many of you ministers out there know that. It is so easy to go along with the church committee, the church board-whoever it is-and let them tell you what to say rather than be willing to say what this Book says and preach faithfully the Word of God. But every true minister has to preach faithfully the Word of God and not water things down-not play with God's Word. Yet these leaders do things to "show off" in a sense.

Matt. 23:5 "They make their phylacteries…"

They had their robes and accessories. A lot of us know about different church organizations where the ministers or priests wear big, fancy robes and all kinds of stuff. They look like "Mother Hubbard" as I sometimes say. That is not what Christ did. He did not have some great long robe to look some special way-and neither did His disciples. They were just ordinary men, and they looked like it. We have to be very normal and not act like we are some "mucky mucks" in the way we dress or the way we act. Today, most professional men-doctors, lawyers, bankers and businessmen-wear suits. So ministers normally wear, at least, suits. We, in this Work of God, wear suits, but we don't wear all kinds of fancy ropes or things like that-or go by some high blown title of "the right reverend this-and-that-and-something-else."

Frankly, that is wrong. "Holy and reverend is Thy name" God says in His Word, talking about God Himself. The word "reverend" means holy. No man is reverend at all. That is a wrong title.

Matt. 23:5-6 "They make their phylacteries. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues."

Often ministers will go to the Rotary Club and the Kiwanis Club and other clubs and activities, wanting to sit in the best places and kind of "show off." That should not be the attitude of God's true ministers.

Matt. 23:7 "…greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'"

It is hard to understand this. Even many of the commentaries misunderstand. It is not wrong to be called a minister or teacher in that sense, in a general way. But it is wrong to use this term in an exalted way, like one is some super-teacher-and certainly no man should be called such titles in that way.

Matt. 23:8-9 "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven."

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 25

Yet one great denomination has that exact title for its ministers. And frankly, that is ludicrous because those men are not fathers; they are sworn to celibacy. I am a father, I have six children and six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. But these "fathers" have none. If they have children, their children are illegitimate-born out of wedlock, born contrary to God's Laws-as of course many have been, down through time. So we understand that this is wrong. "Don't call any man father," as a religious title, Jesus commanded. He does say to "honor your father and your mother" if it is your own human father, yes. But as a religious title, do not call anyone father.

Matt. 23:10-12 "And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. [The one who serves the most, who helps, who builds, who teaches and who strengthens others the most.] And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

If you are just looking for a big titles-if you are just looking for some big reward from men and are trying to please men-then you are going to be abased. Each one has to examine himself-I do and you do. Are we doing things because we are trying to serve God and God's people? Or are we living the way we are, or doing the way we are, because we are trying to please ourselves? God knows our hearts and God knows what we ought to do. You had better understand this.

Matt. 23:12-13 "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. [God will exalt him.] But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."

He spoke very plainly to the religious leaders of His day, didn't he? Very plainly. But you may say, "Ghastly, that wasn't very polite." Jesus was "rattling the teacups"-you had better believe He was. He spoke right to the top religious leaders, and He called them hypocrites! He showed that they confuse people so much with their false teaching-and their false gospel, their whole false concept of God and Christ, their false concept of everything Jesus Christ taught. Because of their teaching, people get mixed up, and don't know what to do. That is terrible. "Hypocrites, who ought to know the truth, but turn aside from the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and from God's Law and from God's way." He condemned them very, very much.

Matt. 23:14-15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, [just get one convert] and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves."

I am not being nasty here. This is Jesus Christ speaking here. He spoke very plainly on occasion, as here where he tells the religious leaders that they make their proselytes twofold a son of Hades (or a son of Gehenna-as it is here, hell, the lake of fire).

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Matt. 23:16-23 "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' [How ridiculous! They valued money put on the altar more than the altar itself. But it is the altar that represented God. This shows where their heart was.] Fools and blind!

For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.' Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? [Obviously, the altar is greater because that directly represents God.] Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. [It was God's temple, and no matter what they put on the altar, that did not make it any more holy or any better.] And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin [These are little tiny herbs of the garden. Little tiny herbs, you see. They got all picky. If someone gave them an ice cream cone, they would be sure to tithe on that! They were very picky and very self-righteous], and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith."

The big ("weightier') matters of the Law tell us to be just, to be fair with other people, to be honest and to have right judgment because we are called to be kings and priests. We are to have justice, but not just "letter of the Law" justice-we must have mercy, be willing to forgive and be willing to see the "big picture." We must be willing to let other people's sin be put behind. We must have absolute faith and trust that God's way is right no matter what. These are the big things. "These you ought to have done, without leaving the other undone."

Don't leave the other undone! What was the other? TITHING! Careful tithing, said Jesus, the Son of God. "Don't leave that undone." God's Law- and His example throughout the Bible, beginning with our father Abraham, long before the Law of Moses-set the example of tithing. Abraham gave one-tenth of his increase to God. God tells us to do that, and we should do that. Find out where the true Work of God is being done, and send one-tenth-a tithe-of your income to the Work of God and God's faithful ministers who are preaching His truth and doing His Work.

Matt. 23:24-25, 33-36 "Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! [who make a big deal out of some little deal] Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside [of course, they were ravening wolves, as He went on to describe] … (v 33) Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? [He was strong with these men who ought to have known better.] Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city…"

Do you think God's true ministers will never be persecuted today? You are wrong! They will be. As the end of this age approaches, as you will see in the next segment of this Bible Study, God's true servants

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 25

will be persecuted. It is going to happen-partly because of religious leaders who will be jealous, insanely jealous, and become bitter.

Matt. 23:35-36 "‌that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah [in other words, from one end of the Bible to the other], son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation."

Why? Because Abel when he was righteous, and Zechariah, were in a sense typifying Jesus Christ in serving Him as the God of the Old Testament. So when the God of Israel, the Rock of Israel came among us, and they rejected and killed Him, they were guilty of ALL these sins. They had, "in spades," the attitude typified by all these other people-killing the very Son of God. Matt. 23:37-39 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ["You were not willing to come to the Savior. You were not willing to come to the Son of God and do what He said.

You were not willing. You wanted to follow your friends and your family and do what is convenient. You were not following the teachings of the Son of God."] See! Your house [Originally, it was God's temple, God's house, but they turned away from God.] is left to you desolate; [of course, the Living Chist was going to destroy that temple in 70 AD, which He did. working with God the Father.] for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'" It seems that people are always unwilling to follow the Truth. They want to follow the traditions of men.

We in this Work of the Great God-this Work of the Living Christ-are trying to teach all of you to restore Apostolic Christianity. That is what it is all about-getting back to true Christianity, the Christianity of Jesus and the Apostles. It is not modern Christianity, not mainstream Christianity, frankly, but true Christianity-the Christianity that Christ taught. And we have a booklet for you, absolutely FREE, Restoring Apostolic Christianity. You will find that this is absolutely filled with informationhistorical information and biblical information-things most of you have never understood. It can change your whole concept of Christianity, it really can. I hope you will read it. Check up on it. Prove it. And your life can be changed.

We will continue on next time. This is Roderick Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 26 Matt. 24:1- 24:22 "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. [Apparently they were saying, "Oh, look at this and look at that." But, of course, Jesus knew all about it. You know how people are. They sometimes point out the obvious.] And Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.'"

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you this commentary on the book of Matthew. We have been going through the entire book of Matthew verse by verse or almost every verse in the past 25 programs.

We have now come to Matthew 24, one of the most powerful-and most complete, orderly, helpful, basic and fundamental-prophecies in the entire Bible. Jesus Christ gave this prophecy speaking from the Mount of Olives, so it is called the Olivet Prophecy. There is a version of it in Mark 13 and in Luke 21, but Matthew gives the most complete and the most orderly structured version. So notice this prophecy of Jesus Christ, and follow me in your Bibles. Check up on me. Again, I challenge you: prove these things.

Be sure that you know what Jesus really taught!

Matt. 24:1-2 "Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. [Apparently they were saying, "Oh, look at this and look at that." But, of course, Jesus knew all about it. You know how people are.

They sometimes point out the obvious.] And Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.'"

Of course, He knew-He and the great God had planned this out in advance. In 70 AD that temple was virtually destroyed. And it will be utterly, totally destroyed before Christ comes the second time. But in 70 AD, all but a few walls and parts of it were destroyed. In 70 AD, the invasion of the Roman armies was a type-only a type-of the time of the end. Some scholars try to say that 70 AD was the whole thingbut that is RIDICULOUS! That is NOT true at all. It was a type. God has prophecies that are dual; you have an earlier type and then a much bigger fulfillment later on. So it is with this prophecy. The terrible destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD was a type-a very small type, of what is going to happen to the peoples of Israel. And I don't just mean the Jewish people calling itself Israel; I mean the entire peoples of the British-speaking nations of the world. The Anglo-Saxon-Celtic peoples of America, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, along with the Jewish people, are going to be punished in a few years in what is called the Great Tribulation. We in those nations are the descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Jesus talked about this coming destruction. He said‌ Matt. 24:2-4 "And Jesus said to them, 'Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.' Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives [which is a big hill, not a mountain as we think of it in

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 26

America. It is a big hill east of Jerusalem. In fact, I have climbed up-not just driven uponce or twice. It is kind of fun when you do it yourself on foot.], the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming [His Second Coming; remember that He did not come in 70 AD at all.], and of the end of the age?' [70 AD was NOT the end of the age by any stretch of the imagination! What happened there was only a small type of the time of the end.]

And Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you.'"

That is the first thing you had better do. Be sure that you are not fooled, because the vast majority of humans are going to be fooled. God tells us throughout the entire New Testament that people are deceived in the world. We read in Revelation 12:9: "So the great dragon was cast out [here at the time of the end], that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world." That is who the Devil deceives-the whole world! Do you believe this? Well, that is what God said time after time in the New Testament. He speaks about the god of this age who has deceived human beings, blinded their eyes. The "god" of this age-not the true God, but Satan the Devil whom God has allowed to deceive human beings. Most people are deceived. You may say, "Well, I am not deceived." But frankly, does a deceived person know he is deceived? If people knew they were deceived, they would not be deceived, would they? Think about it-and be willing to open your mind and heart-and perhaps you can become un-deceived, if you really try to understand this book and ask God to give you understanding. The first thing is to open your mind and study the Bible-prove all things and hold fast that which is good.

Matt. 24:4 "Take heed that no one deceives you."

Maybe your preacher has deceived you. Maybe the religion you grew up in and took for granted, whatever kind of religion it was, was a wrong religion and you are sincere. Your parents may have been sincere but just did not understand. People just become deceived, and they go the wrong way.

Matt. 24:5 "For many will come in My name [He did not say that they would come in the name of George Jones or John Smith. Jesus said that "They will come in My name"-His name, Jesus' name.], saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."

He did not say "a few." They will deceive many. It is always the many who will be deceived.

"The whole world is to be deceived," God said again and again. We must learn to believe what God says.

Matt. 24:6 "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled‌" So, now He begins to list a number of things. They said, "Show us what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age." Christ said, "First of all, false preachers are going to come along using My name." They will come in the name of Christ. So-called "Christian" preachers will come, using Jesus' name and deceiving many. Then you will have wars-kingdom against kingdom, He says, after nation against nation-the latter is a different Greek word meaning alliances of nations. After deception you will have wars, then world wars. We are in the era of world wars today.

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Then there will be famines-lack of food-not in just some backward country but, all over the world. This will occur particularly among Israel, and those who are Israel and who do not even know it-such as the American and British-descended peoples. These people are going to have famines fall on them in a way that we have never experienced before. Lack of food will come to America, Canada, Britain and Australia-the "breadbasket" of the world. Pestilences will come next-disease epidemics. They will come here! Not just the Ebola virus off in Africa, or off in Asia somewhere else. It is going to be right here!

Think about it-and watch your newspapers!

Earthquakes will increase. Down in El Salvador, we recently had one of the greatest earthquakes in modern history-leaving over 700 people killed, thousands homeless and many others disappeared and unaccounted for. The true death toll will probably never be known. It happened so suddenly. Suddenly the mountain began to descend upon them in one city, and buildings were damaged and people were killed. Their whole life changed in a period of minutes. This is what is going to happen. Earthquakes in various places-don't think it will always be somewhere else. The biggest earthquake in American history occurred in New Madrid, Missouri-down in southeastern Missouri of all places. The biggest recorded earthquake in American history occurred there. Earthquakes are going to occur. You watch! Jesus said so.

Matt. 24:8-9 "All these are the beginning of sorrows. [They are not the end. These things are gradually going to build up.] Then they will deliver you ["you" means Jesus' faithful followers] Then they will deliver you [faithful people] up to tribulation [There is going to be a Great Tribulation coming on God's church and on God's people Israel as well.] and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake."

They have to know who we are before they can hate us. God's true Church and Work is so small that they don't hate us now because they don't know us. Some might say, "This prophecy applies to someone else, and you are talking out of turn Mr. Meredith." No! They are not hating the Catholic church. They are not hating the Baptists or the Methodists or these other churches-you know that.

Somewhere on earth is the true Church of God that will do a Work so powerful that eventually it will be hated for talking about the coming Kingdom of God which will crush all the other Kingdoms of this earth and establish Christ's rule. People won't like to hear that. They won't like to be told their sins and how they rebelled against God's Law. They will hate God's true people and kill many of them. Some of us ministers may be killed and martyred or thrown in jail. Revelation 3:10-12, and Revelation 12, show that there will be a place of safety where most of God's very zealous people will be taken. But many will be killed in the meantime, and this worldwide Work will be hated by all the nations, and then the end will come.

Matt. 24:10-11 "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

[Even many of God's people will turn on one another.] Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many."

At the time of the end there will probably be charismatic people claiming to speak in tongues or just babbling gibberish. There are going to be false miracles. The great false church is going to rise up, and one great false prophet will even bring down fire from heaven. All of this is going to happen-and you will have to know the Bible and know that you know where God is working and what God really says, or you

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 26

will be deceived by these false preachers. That is why you need to study and feed on the Bible-and pray to God to really understand. I hope you will.

Matt. 24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound‌" Is He talking about the traffic laws? No, they didn't have traffic laws. They just had oxen and sheep and goats and donkeys and such back then. He is talking about the Law of God. People are breaking the Ten Commandments. People are living together-over six million of them in the United States-in fornication!

People engage in all kinds of sin all over this nation. They are killing unborn children; 25 or 30 million have been butchered in the last several years. We talk about the Holocaust that happened to the Jews, but what are we doing to our children who are maybe six inches from being born? Doctors pull them out and crush their skulls. What a wonderful society in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" as we call ourselves! Who is kidding whom?

Matt. 24:10-16 "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end [the end of this age] shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom ["Kingdom" means government; this is the good news of the coming government of God. Christ is coming as King of kings-thank God!] will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, [That was not done back in Apostolic times; they did not go to the Chinese and so many other nations.] and then the end [of this age] will come.

[Everything will be changed.] Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" [in some kind of temple or altar, on the Temple Mount or at least somewhere in Jerusalem.] (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." [You don't come down out of your house and get ready, just go when God says "go."]

Think about this. There is going to be an abomination of desolation, which is a whole separate subject.

But if you turn quickly to Daniel 11:31, you can see that he is talking about the coming type of "Hitler"the coming final emperor over a European Empire-a revived Roman Empire.

Dan. 11:31 "And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation."

They are going to place a terrible abomination. That happened before the time of Christ under Antiochus Euphonies, a terrible Syrian despot, who put idols of Zeus or Jupiter Olympus right in the temple of God, sacrificed swine flesh and made them do horrible things. He was a type of this final despot.

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Dan. 11:32 "Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits."

"The people who know their God"-that had better be us. I hope it includes all of you. Think about it. Pray about it. We must be the people of God to expect God's protection and guidance and deliverance in the terrible times we are now entering.

This abomination of desolation is something to watch in your newspapers. Watch it in the television news, where you can see these things beginning to happen. First false prophets increase, then wars, world wars, lack of food-even in civilized areas and in our areas-lack of food, famines, then diseases, then earthquakes. Then God's true people, His true Church which obeys Him, is finally persecuted terribly for warning the world.

He says to watch for the abomination of desolation.

Matt. 24:20-22 "And pray that your flight [God's true people will flee to a place of safety. They will be taken by God.] may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. [They knew what Sabbath He was talking about. Not the day of the sun, but God's true Sabbath.] For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened [the time of this tribulation], no flesh would be saved [In other words, man would simply blast himself off this planet. Man never had the capacity to blow human life off this planet until the last twenty or thirty years. Now we can. We are in that generation.]; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."

God will intervene in mercy, and will shorten the time of this coming Tribulation. The coming beast power is going to rise up in Europe-a final revival of the so-called "Holy" Roman Empire-and they are going to attack the Israelitish peoples-the Americans and British-descended peoples-of the world. That beast power is rising now and you need to watch. To understand that, we have here a booklet, What's Ahead for America and Britain? It tells you a lot about what is ahead in your future. This is your future laid right out in a way that you can understand. So be sure to contact us to get this booklet. Just click the "order free" button on our Web site and request this booklet, What's Ahead for America and Britain? It will be sent absolutely FREE upon request. It really will open up Bible prophecy to you and will show you the key to understanding all Bible prophecy. So be sure to contact us and ask for this booklet.

Remember, we are entering a time when, unless God shortens those days, all flesh would be destroyed.

So let's get close to God-let's fear God and walk with our God, and pray for understanding.

We will stop here, and finish this chapter in the next program. This is Roderick C. Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 27

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 27 Matt. 24:3 – 24:51 "And Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you.' [That is the first thing to watch out for. He warned about a whole wave of false prophets.] 'For many [Not a few, but apparently the majority] will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will deceive many.'"

Greetings, friends around the world!

We have been going through the book of Matthew almost verse by verse. This should help you really understand this book-this introductory book to the entire New Testament. In one sense, this book helps to lay the foundation for the whole New Testament-the New Covenant of God-in the way it is written.

Let's start in Matthew 24. I began Matthew 24 last time, but I want to review the first few verses and then go on and finish this chapter. So open your Bibles. Follow along with me and you will get a lot more out of it.

Matt. 24:3 "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?'"

Christ was not talking about the end of that little society, but the end of the age-the end of six thousand years of human experience. He was not just talking about what would happen to Jerusalem in 70 AD; that was a small type-only a small type-of the time of the end.

Matt. 24:4-5 "And Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you.' [That is the first thing to watch out for. He warned about a whole wave of false prophets.]

'For many [Not a few, but apparently the majority] will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will deceive many.'"

Jesus said that they "will deceive many." Then He said that there would be wars and then world wars, then there would be famines, disease epidemics and earthquakes. Even as I speak, we have recently had a couple of terrible earthquakes. One happened in El Salvador, like another a year or so ago in Mexicoand recently this horrifying earthquake in India. India's defense minister said the death toll could go as high as 100,000. It may only be 20,000 or 25,000, but he said it could go as high as 100,000 dead plus tens of thousands injured or homeless-a horrifying catastrophe. These earthquakes are getting more frequent. They are becoming more powerful, and this is going to continue. I can say that on the authority of this Book, not just because I know anything about earthquakes in a technical sense, but because God says so. God is beginning to intervene now in human affairs.

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Matt. 24:8-9 "All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you [the true saint of God] up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake."

Somewhere on this earth is a Church of God. It is called the "little flock" in the Bible. God always describes His true Church as the "little flock"-a scattered people. It has been a people who were not the big powerful, broad-based group that dominated society, but rather were the "called-out ones." At the time of the end they are going to be known and hated by all nations-and you can't hate someone if you don't know him. People will hate the growing realization that they, themselves, are wrong. People may not even admit it to themselves, but when they feel they are wrong, they feel guilty and they don't like it. People are going to hate the true servants of God at the time of the end.

Matt. 24:11-13 "Then many false prophets will rise up [a whole extra wave, at the very end, of false prophets.] and deceive many [not few]. And because lawlessness [He is talking about God's Laws] will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

We have to endure to the end and walk with God throughout our lives if we want to be saved.

Matt. 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

You are hearing that message right now-the Gospel of the coming Government of God to be set up on this earth through Jesus Christ. He goes on here to say: Matt. 24:15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand)."

Scripture talks about that abomination of desolation back in Daniel, and in a number of places. I am going to read from just one place, because we don't have time to go into a whole sermonette here on that topic. Scripture is talking about the time of the end: Dan. 11:31 "And forces shall be mustered by him [by this coming dictator who will rise up in Europe], and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices [from some kind of altar or temple where sacrifices will again be offered in Jerusalem], and place there the abomination of desolation."

The type of this was Antiochus Euphonies a couple of hundred years before Christ did the same thing.

He came in and offered swine's flesh right on the altar of God. It was a horrible thing. God shows that this will be done again.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 27

Dan. 11:32-33 "Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. [God grant that we will be such faithful people of God.] And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering."

God's people will be persecuted, but will warn the world. They will do a mighty work at the time of the end, just at the time when this great false leader will come in and place the abomination of desolation, apparently right in Jerusalem, in some kind of temple or altar. That is something to watch for; a specific event right there in Jerusalem, in the Holy Place.

Matt. 24:16, 20-22 "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.… And pray that your flight [to a place of safety] may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. [They knew which day He was talking about. He did not talk about Sunday. He talked about the Sabbath day to these Jewish people. Here He says that the Sabbath day should be observed even at the end, as He is talking here about the final flight at the very end of this age.] For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. [this will be the greatest national trial or tribulation in human history.] And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; [every human being would be annihilated from this planet.] but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened."

God will intervene. We are in that time. Until the last few decades, people could not annihilate all flesh from this earth. But in this last generation mankind was able to do that for the first time-cosmocide. So we are living at the time of the end before the Great Tribulation preceding Christ's coming.

Matt. 24:23-24 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. [He is not going to come off in some secret place.] For false christs and false prophets will rise."

Think about that. At the very end, false christs, as well as false prophets, will arise and show great signs and wonders. False miracles will be performed through the power of demons so as "to deceive, if possible, even the elect."

Matt. 24:25-26, 28, 30 "See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' [or out "here or there”] … do not believe it…For wherever the [people will be gathered together] carcass [the eagles or vultures are gathered, so God's people are going to be where Christ returns-you don't have to go off and look for Him. He will not be hiding, "off somewhere”] … Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn…"

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They will see a great, blinding light-Christ's face, like the sun shining-coming down out of heaven. People will be scared to death and the tribes of the earth are not going to be happy. They are going to mourn!

They are going to be sorry they have not been taught the Truth. They have been taught a lie, and they may have been taught that this is the Antichrist coming. They are not going to rejoice when Christ comes.

Matt. 24:30-31 "…and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

Those winds are the winds of this earth's atmosphere. He is coming down here. The saints will rise to meet Him in the air, and they will come right on down to this earth.

I want to pause for a moment and tell you about our booklet The Beast of Revelation. This is a wonderful little booklet; you need this understanding. It will open up your eyes to understand who this coming Beast is, and who this coming false prophet is who will place this abomination of desolation right in God's temple. This booklet will help you understand this entire book of Matthew pretty well, too. So contact us to get this booklet. Read it and study it. To order, click the "Order FREE" button on our Web site. This booklet is powerful. It spells things right out. It has a chart telling you exactly what this Beast is in the order of events. Click on the "order free" button and you can request this booklet.

Now, let's go on.

Matt. 24:32, 34-37 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.… this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. [Christ is coming back, and these things cannot be changed.] But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."

He said just as people were eating and drinking in Noah's time, people will be going right on, right up to the Great Tribulation. Many people in many parts of the world are going to go right on living as though nothing has happened. Then there will be a three-and-a-half-year tribulation, with the American, Canadian, British, New Zealand, Australian, South African peoples-and others-taken into a place of slavery. These descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel are going to be punished by God, and will bear the brunt of the Great Tribulation. At the end of that time, those few who are still alive will be freed by Christ. But during those three-and-a-half years, after our nations have been conquered, there will be a two- or two-and-a-half-year period when, up and down the boulevards of this Beast power, people will be very happy-clicking their beer steins together, and their wine glasses. They will think everything is okay. They won't understand that they are right before the Second Coming of Christ and that He will smash that Beast power like a huge rock crushing the kingdoms of this earth. They won't understand. "So also will the coming of the Son of Man be." People will be going right on, eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 27

Matt. 24:40, 42-44 "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. [Two slaves, maybe, and this Beast power will be working together and one will be a servant of God and taken at the last trump and one won't.] ‌Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour [exactly when] the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

We all want to understand that. Unless we are watching and praying, Christ's coming is going to sneak up on us. All of us need to be "tuned in" to this Book-to the Word of God-watching world events, praying for understanding and praying for Christ's righteousness. Pray that He will live His life in you-and yield yourself so that He will live His life in you.

Matt. 24:45-51 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. [We must be busy doing God's Work right up to the end.] Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods.

[That is our reward, to be kings and priests-rulers under Christ in the coming Kingdom of God on this earth.] But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' [as many "mainline" preachers say, "Well, this stuff of Christ's coming has been talked about all these years, nothing has ever happened, nothing ever is going to change."] and begins to beat his fellow servants [to punish the true servants of God.], and to eat and drink with the drunkards [That can be spiritual drunkenness as well.], the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, [He will be blinded; he won't know what is ahead. He will not be watching and praying, and he will not understand.] and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

There is going to be great sorrow from those who have not been willing to listen to the truth and to do what this Book says. Please understand that. Ask God to open your mind and your heart so that you will be willing to live by every Word of God. Don't play games. We are near the time of the end. Try to understand. Yield to God; surrender to Him and let Christ live His life in you.

Get this booklet on the Beast of Revelation. Study it, pray about it, understand it and act on the Truth.

We will see you next time. This is Roderick Meredith, for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 28 Matt. 25:1 – 25:46 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish."... The five wise virgins had oil in their lamps. The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you this commentary on the book of Matthew. We have been going through the entire book of Matthew-almost verse by verse, opening your mind, I hope, to many technical points and spiritual points you may not have fully understood before. Let's open our Bibles-and I hope you will follow along with me in your Bible, as you will get a lot more out of it if you do. Open your Bible to Matthew 25, and see what this Book says-this Gospel of the Kingdom of God, this Gospel about the teaching of Christ.

Matt. 25:1-2 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish."

The five wise virgins had oil in their lamps. The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. They had the Holy Spirit; they were serving God, obeying God and walking with God. Christianity was reality-it was the major thing in their lives. But five virgins were foolish. They were perhaps even in the true Church of God, and they were not part of the world. They were not spiritual "harlots" or spiritual "fornicators" as the Bible might use that term. They were spiritual virgins, but they did not have God's spirit, or at least they had very little of it. The oil had gone out in their lives. They were just going through the motions, but they were not zealous for God. Matt. 25:5 "But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept."

They all went to sleep for a while, and they did not fully understand what was about to happen. But some had been praying and studying and were close to God. Matt. 25:6-10 "And at midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut."

It shows that there will come a time when you can't just suddenly have a last-minute repentance and think that's OK. You are going to have to grow in grace and in knowledge. In spite of the Protestant ideas

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 28

that you can have a "death-bed repentance" and just say, "I accept Christ," the Bible does not bear that out at all. You can't do that. You have to have Christ living His life in you and grow-you must let God fashion you and mold you and work with you over at least a number of months or years or decades of suffering, growing and overcoming-having God test you and work with you and fashion you and mold you. So while they went to buy, the bridegroom came-and these virgins were not ready.

Matt. 25:10-13 "…and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'' [They had not been prepared. They had not been walking with God before.] But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' [in the sense of them being His servants at that time because they had not been filled with God's spirit.

They had not been really knowing Him and walking with Him all along. Then all of a sudden they were shaken up, and wanted to, but it was too late.] Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

Christ may "come for you" tonight or yet today or whenever. Any one of us can die at any time. I could leave this studio and walk across the street and be killed. Any of us could have something like that happen. We have got to try to walk with God every day of our lives.

Matt. 25:14-15 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one [Now, in this parable He gives different amounts of talents to each one. In another parable, He gave them all the same, but in this one He gives different ones.], to each according to his own ability…"

God does often give different degrees of responsibility according to your innate ability. God knows different people have different ability, and you are judged according to what you do with what you have to do with. As it says back in Luke 12:48, "unto whom much is given, of him much will be required." Think about that. If you have been given a lot, you are held responsible for that. He gave different degrees of responsibility here.

Matt. 25:15-18 "…and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. [He overcame himself, the world and the Devil, as we say. He grew, he served and he accomplished in the service of God.] And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. [He doubled his, too.] But he who had received one…"

Often the person who does not have too much ability feels sorry for himself. "Woe is me, no one loves me, I will just go out and eat worms" they may say. That is not right. Even though a person has little ability, he can use that ability-and God can multiply that ability through the power of His spirit. We all need to realize that, and be positive and do the best we can with what we have.

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Matt. 25:18 "…went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money."

He did not accept the challenge to go out and face the problems of life and overcome and try to give and to help and serve others and prepare for the Kingdom of God. He thought, "I have not been given very much, so I am just going to sit here and do nothing." That is not God's way. God wants us to get into the arena of life and grow and change and overcome and serve others to the full capacity that we have.

With the help of His spirit, we can all serve a lot.

Matt. 25:20-27 "So he who had received five talents came [when the master had come to settle accounts] and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them'… [He doubled. The one who had two did the same thing, he doubled. Of course, Christ said to each one…]

'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over [We are going to be kings and priests in God's Kingdom.] many things.

Enter into the joy of your lord.' [They were both given that same accolade because they had both overcome proportionately according to what they had to do with.

They doubled what Christ gave them and He honored that very much. Then the one came along who only had one talent and he said] 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' ["I just buried it and here it is." He probably said this with a negative attitude in his voice, "Well, here it is. You didn't give me much, so I will just give you back this."] But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.'" ["At least you could have done that."]

Using a measure of money here as a yardstick-as just an example, a parable-it is interesting that the parable shows that it is not wrong to use a bank. Some people say that is bad. But it is not wrong to get interest from a bank. You are not supposed to get interest if you loan your money to a brother in need who has a problem-you should not ask for interest at all. But it is not wrong to give it to a bank, and to use your money wisely to earn more money. There is nothing wrong with that. But he said, "At least you should have done that." That is the least the man could have done. He would not have doubled it, but he would have done something extra.

Matt. 25:28 "'Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.'"

We in our democratic system may say, "Well, that is not fair; you ought to give it to the man that has two, and make everyone equal." No. God does not work like that. The man who has a greater capacity is often given more-even proportionately-and especially if he has shown he is going to use it rightly. God does that. He gives to those who can handle the bigger job, even though it is not exactly equal. God is

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 28

not an egalitarian in that sense. Everyone has the equal opportunity to be in God's Kingdom-men and women, smart and less smart, tall and short, fat and thin and so on. They can all be in God's family forever-and that is wonderful. Every one of us has the opportunity for eternal life in the family of God. But some who have greater capacity-and use that capacity in a great way-can have a much greater reward. That is God's way, and we can't judge God. We have to remember that He is the judge. We are not the judge.

Matt. 25:29-30 "'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. [You see, if he has not produced anything along the way.] And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

All kinds of folks today, in our nicey-nice society, are "more loving than God." They say, "God is going to save everybody, regardless." But these scriptures I have just been reading you in the last few programs show otherwise. Jesus Christ so loved us that He came down and gave His life for us-allowed Himself to go through this terrible suffering on the stake (the cross) when He was hanging there. It was a terrible and ignominious death-a slow, agonizing death. He knew that was the kind of death He was going to go through. He prophesied that ahead of time, but He was willing to do that to pay for our sins. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. God the Father and Jesus Christ, who is ImmanuelGod with us-They both had that love.

Let's not try to "outdo" God. His love has wisdom connected with it. He is not going to force eternal life on anybody. Eternal life and the family of God-the Kingdom of God-is based on obedience and yieldedness and respect and worship of God. He is not going to give eternal life to people who say, "Well, I will just do things my way. If I don't get my way, if I don't get a whole lot, I am just going to go off and pout" like this man who was just given one talent. No, "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth," Jesus Christ said. We had better believe that, and we had better act upon it. If we want eternal life, let's go out for it. Let's go all out for it with our whole being and put our being into serving God, and loving God with all our heart and all our strength and all our mind as Jesus said. Let's honor Him and worship Him and serve Him with every fiber of our being, the very best we can.

Matt. 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him [He is going to have a glorified coming, returning to this earth with glory, power and majesty with an angel army escort.], then He will sit on the throne of His glory."

It will be a magnificent Kingdom, a magnificent palace, a magnificent situation in Jerusalem, when people will come up to the King of kings in Jerusalem as He is ruling this entire earth. We had better think about that, look forward to that, want it and pray for it so that we can almost taste it. The Kingdom of God is coming.

Matt. 25:32-34 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right

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hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" From the very beginning, God has intended that people be made His full sons. The Royal Family would be increased. We would be part of the very Kingdom, the family of God grown great. That has been God's purpose from the beginning.

Matt. 25:35-37, 40 "'For I was hungry and you gave Me food; [You were kind to others and had outflowing concern.] I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer, ["When did we do that?”] … 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'" Yes, when you serve others, you serve Christ. Christ wants us to have an outflowing concern. We need to serve others in need, and we ought to do that in every way we can. Especially in the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia, physical things are all around us, but we especially need to serve one another in a spiritual way, and help those who are spiritually starving. We need to get this Work out to people while we have life and breath, so they can know their purpose in life and be helped and be in the first resurrection-the "better resurrection."

Matt. 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"

This fire does not need to be everlasting for human beings, because they are going to be burned-it is everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. But humans will be thrown into the Lake of Fire if they will not surrender to God-if they go right on unrepentant and rebellious even after they understand.

Matt. 25:42 "'…for I was hungry and you gave Me no food…'"

You did not feed me, you did not take me in, you did not clothe me and you did not visit me when I was sick. You had no outflowing concern. You were just concerned with self, and you were not laying down your life for your brethren and laying down your life for humanity-having Christ living His life within you.

Matt. 25:44-45 "Then they [these selfish people] also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'" In that sense, every human being represents Christ. Every human being is made in the image of God. So if you do it to any being, you do it to a potential child of God. They may not be begotten of God's spirit, Copyright © 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 28

but they are made in the image of God. Tall or short, fat or thin, black, yellow, red or white does not make any difference-you are to respect and love and care for every person. They are made in the image of God, and you need to have that outflowing concern. As Jesus said in Matthew 22:35-40, "the great commandment is to love the Eternal your God with all your heart and strength and mind and the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself." You must learn to have that outflowing concern.

"If you do not love your neighbor whom you have seen, how can you love God whom you have not seen?" John tells us, under inspiration, in 1 John. We need to understand that very important principle.

You can talk about God, but if you don't have kindness and mercy and forgiveness and service, you don't know God-and God does not know you.

Matt. 25:46 "And these [those who were wicked] will go away into everlasting punishment [Not everlasting punishing; they are not going to be jumping and screaming in hellfire forever, but punishment. As it says in Romans 6;23, "the wages of sin is death"-not eternal life in hellfire-"but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."], but the righteous into eternal life."

Very few people really understand this Book. They don't understand these things. You can be given understanding by reading and studying the wonderful Bible Study Course that we in this Work have prepared for you. You need this course. We give you four lessons followed by a test for you to return.

You can go deeper and deeper into a real understanding of the Bible-most of you for the first time. We are not talking about sentimental stuff through this course; we are talking about really understanding the Bible, just as I have been explaining it to you here. So click the "Order FREE" button on our Web site, and ask for the Bible Study Course. We will send it to you absolutely free. Follow through and do the lessons and you can understand. It will change your life.

This is Roderick Meredith, for the Living Church of God. We will see you next time.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 29 Matt. 26:1 – 26:75 "The Passover," you might ask, "What is that?" A lot of you have heard about the Jewish Passover. But, Christ was keeping the Passover-and He was keeping it at the very end of His life. After His death and resurrection, His disciples kept right on keeping the Passover-as you will read in Acts 12:1-3, and in other places in the New Testament which talk about the Passover.

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick Meredith, bringing you commentary on the book of Matthew. In this segment we will go through Matthew 26. Open your Bible, and please follow along with me; you will get a lot more out of it if you do. Follow along and prove these things. Study carefully and try to understand this book and what Christ is really saying. He said so many things and did so many things contrary to what modern Christianity teaches. That is very obvious if you look into it and see the example and the teaching of the Christ of the Bible.

Matt. 26:1-2 "Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 'You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.'"

"The Passover," you might ask, "What is that?" A lot of you have heard about the Jewish Passover. But, Christ was keeping the Passover-and He was keeping it at the very end of His life. After His death and resurrection, His disciples kept right on keeping the Passover-as you will read in Acts 12:1-3, and in other places in the New Testament which talk about the Passover. 1 Corinthians 5 talks about the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, and how the Church of God was obviously keeping those days. These were the days God gave to be kept and to picture God's plan. So Jesus said, "The Passover is about to come."

Matt. 26:3-13 "Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But they said, 'Not during the feast [in other words, not during the whole festival period of Passover and Unleavened Bread], lest there be an uproar among the people.' [Although they wanted to kill Jesus, many of the people understood that He was a prophet, and honored Him unless stirred up by these false religious leaders.] And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper…

[Here we find the story of the woman coming and pouring very costly fragrant oil on His head as He sat at the table.] But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, [They thought this was a waste. Here was the Son of God about to die and this woman was trying to honor Him.] But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, 'Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. [He was not always going

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to be there.] For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.

Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.'"

It is being told right now, on this program, "as a memorial to her" because God inspired it to be put right here in the Bible.

Matt. 26:14, 17 "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests [You see the story. He was going to deliver Christ for thirty pieces of silver.] … Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread…"

There were seven Days of Unleavened Bread that came right after the Passover. The Passover was first observed by killing an unblemished lamb, then splattering its blood on the doorposts of the houses so the death angel would pass over. This symbolized Christ later coming and giving His blood so that God would pass over our sins. Then Unleavened Bread was to be observed. Leaven is used in the New Testament as a "type"-a symbol-of sin; it is not itself sinful. It symbolizes sin because it causes bread to puff up, just as sin causes us to puff up and become arrogant. Here and in later years, as we see in 1 Corinthians, the Church was keeping the Days of Unleavened Bread, which we should be keeping if we are going to literally follow what Christ taught and did, and what the Apostles taught and did. This all took place during the Days of Unleavened Bread.

Matt. 26:17, 26 "…disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, 'Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?' [They were going to prepare the Passover meal, with the roast lamb and bitter herbs-the old style Passover. He said, "Tell this man I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples," and they made ready the Passover.] …

And as they were eating [the Passover], Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.'"

The bread came first, because the bread symbolized Christ's body. His body was broken, torn by a terrible scourging or whipping before He died. Then He had His blood shed; a spear was rammed in His side and the blood poured out. By His blood our sins were forgiven. "The life is in the blood," God says, back in Leviticus 17:11. So His blood was poured out. But first came the broken body, because His body was broken first.

Matt. 26:26 "Take, eat; this is My body."

Jesus did not say, "My body jumped over into this bread." He was obviously showing that the bread symbolized His body.

Matt. 26:27-29 "Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant [The red wine symbolizes His

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shed blood, which He was going to give for the life of the world.], which is shed for many for the remission [or "forgiveness'] of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom.'"

So Jesus kept the Passover the very last night of His life. The Passover was kept by Christ and by His disciples the night before the Jews kept their Passover. The Jews kept their Passover the next evening, but Christ did not. He kept His on the previous evening, setting us an example.

Matt. 26:30-31, 33-34 "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, 'All of you will be made to stumble because of Me…' Peter answered and said to Him, 'Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.' Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.'" [Peter and all of them said, "Oh, no we will never deny you."]

If you do not have the Holy Spirit, you will do very peculiar things. God tells us that at the end of the age, people are going to turn on one another in a way that we would never imagine. They really are. Without God's spirit, men are very helpless.

Matt. 26:35-36 "Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane [a garden with many olive trees-I have visited there two or three times], and said to the disciples, 'Sit here while I go and pray over there.'"

Jesus was not ashamed of praying, but He normally did not pray in front of people. He normally went off

by Himself, as we have seen all through this Gospel. On this occasion, He went thirty or fifty yards away.

Matt. 26:37-39 "And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee [Peter was the leading Apostle over the Jews. James and John also came along.], and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, 'My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.' He went a little farther and fell on His face…"

He just flopped right on His face on the ground, and He prayed with His whole being, because He knew the type of suffering He was about to go through. He had seen men hanging and writhing on the cross.

He knew it was not going to be fun. Yes, He was God. But He was God in the flesh-and He suffered the full pain and agony that anyone else would suffer when being crucified.

Matt. 26:39-41 "…and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.' [He always had that attitude, "not My will, but Thine be done," as Luke has it.] Then He came to the disciples and found them

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asleep, and said to Peter, 'What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'"

That is true. We are liable to do almost anything, frankly. Many of you don't recognize that about yourselves-but I do. We could do almost anything, apart from God, if the temptation came along and the pressure were too much. We must pray to God. God must be real-and we must talk to Him, walk with Him, commune with Him and have Him living His life within us through the Holy Spirit. So He said, "The Spirit is willing," (you want to do the right thing), "but the flesh is weak."

Matt. 26:42-44 "Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.' And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words."

Then His betrayers came and He greeted them and immediately as they came and as Judas came, He went up to Jesus in verse 49…

Matt. 26:49 "Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' and kissed Him." Here was one of Jesus' own disciples turning on Him. Things like this can and will happen at the time of the end, as they happened back then.

Matt. 26:50-51 "But Jesus said to him, 'Friend, why have you come?' Then they came and laid hands on Jesus [grabbed Him and tied Him up-bound Him] and took Him [off like a prisoner]. And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear."

That "one" was Peter himself! Peter-the "big fisherman" as he is sometimes called-was apparently big and strong, and very courageous in certain situations, yet very weak in others because he did not have God's Spirit. But he tried. He grabbed his sword and whacked this ear off, and Jesus said…

Matt. 26:51 "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword."

You read that back in John 18:10-11.

Matt. 26:51 "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword."

You are not to be killing other human beings. You are to put your faith and trust in God. Jesus did that and He reminded them of the power that He had. He said…

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Matt. 26:52 "Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?" [scores of powerful angelic beings.]

"Don't you realize the power that is there, if I want to use that spirit world-God's angels? But it is My time to die. Don't try to interfere, fellows," He was telling them.

Matt. 26:54-56 "'How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?' In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, 'Have you come out, [like I was some criminal] … But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.' Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled."

They became scared. They did not pray. They could not fight, because Jesus told them, "Put up your swords," so then they became scared. That is when their carnality suddenly "clicked in"-as we will see a little later here when Peter denies Christ.

Matt. 26:57, 59-64 "And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, [They brought Him there into the courtyard.] … Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death. [They wanted to put to death He who had helped so many people.] but found none. Even though many false witnesses came [but their testimony did not agree together.] …

And the high priest arose and said to Him, 'Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?' But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, 'I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!' Jesus [guided by God the Father] said to him, 'It is as you said. ["You are right; I am the Christ, the Son of the Living God."] Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.'" ["You will see me in a way you have never dreamed," He told the high priests and the Sanhedrin.]

Boy, they got mad at that! These leaders were not impressed by what He did and by the Truth. They were carnal-minded men, wanting to preserve their own jobs, their own stations and their religious hierarchy. So they did not listen; their minds were blinded.

Matt. 26:65-72 "Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, 'He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!

What do you think?' They answered and said, 'He is deserving of death.' Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with [rods, not just the palms of their hands, and they began to beat on Jesus' head. He may have had a detached retina, His ears were swelling, His ears were ringing and His face may have been swelling and covered with blood by the time this was all over.] saying, 'Prophesy to

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us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?' [as they all began to hit Him] Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, 'You also were with Jesus of Galilee.' But he denied it before them all, saying, 'I do not know what you are saying.' And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, 'This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.' But again he denied with an oath, 'I do not know the Man!'" Peter became scared and frustrated; the Holy Spirit was not with him. He saw all of these Roman soldiers around with their swords and spears. He was outnumbered and outgunned-and God was not real to Peter yet, because he was not yet converted. The Holy Spirit had not yet come. It was with the Apostles, but not yet in them. God makes that clear back in the Gospel of John.

Matt. 26:73 "And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, 'Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.'"

"You have that Galilean accent," they were saying. In effect: "You sound like you are from the hills."

Matt. 26:74-75 "Then Peter, [Peter was not the infallible pope at all-then or at any other time] began to curse and swear, saying, 'I do not know the Man!' Immediately a rooster crowed.

And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.'"

Perhaps he was looking across the courtyard, seeing Jesus beaten and seeing the blood running down His face and seeing the Son of God going through a type of suffering that he would never have imagined could happen, because he did not understand Jesus' warnings. Now he was doing what Jesus said.

Matt. 26:75 "So he went out and wept bitterly."

His big, strong shoulders began to shake. He probably thought, "Peter, you rat, what is wrong with you?

I don't understand why I am so weak." But later, that same Peter was he was turned around when the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost.

At this point I would like to offer to you our booklet titled Restoring Apostolic Christianity. It will tell you what real Christianity is all about-the practices of Jesus, the practices of the Apostles and the whole way of life-as we have been going through some of its principles in this very chapter and the previous chapter. This is a powerful booklet filled with many historical as well as biblical proofs to show you what real Christianity is all about. So be sure to contact us and ask for this booklet. It is absolutely FREE upon your request. Just click the "Order FREE" button on our Web site, and request this booklet.

Next time, we will go right ahead into Matthew 27, and keep right on toward the finish of this powerful book. So tune in next time.

This is Roderick C. Meredith, for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 30 Matt. 27:1 – 27:66 The chief priest had put Him to death in their minds-in their plans-but they had to bring Him to Pontius Pilate to carry out the sentence. The religious authorities were not allowed to execute the death penalty, so they brought Him before the Roman governor. God here caused the Jews to be involved, representing all the house of Israel, and caused the Romans to be involved, representing all the Gentiles.

Both of these segments of humanity, in that sense, were represented in the killing of His Son.

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you this commentary on the book of Matthew. We are beginning Matthew 27.

Matt. 27:1 "When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death."

Peter had just denied Him three times after cursing and swearing. Jesus was before the high priest-being grilled, beaten and put down. Now those around the high priest all tried to counsel that He be put to death.

Matt. 27:2 "And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor."

The chief priest had put Him to death in their minds-in their plans-but they had to bring Him to Pontius Pilate to carry out the sentence. The religious authorities were not allowed to execute the death penalty, so they brought Him before the Roman governor. God here caused the Jews to be involved, representing all the house of Israel, and caused the Romans to be involved, representing all the Gentiles. Both of these segments of humanity, in that sense, were represented in the killing of His Son. The Romans technically did it, but they were put up to it by the Jewish hierarchy. As I have said often, the religious leaders are the ones who caused the trouble. You are going to understand that more as time goes on.

Matt. 27:3-12 "Then Judas, His betrayer‌was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.'

And they said, 'What is that to us? You see to it!' ["We don't care whether it is innocent blood! We want to kill him anyway! You see to it!"] Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself. [They bought a potter's field with this money.] Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 'And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, and gave them for

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the potter's field…' Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, 'Are You the King of the Jews?' [The governor, Pontius Pilate, put Jesus on the spot.] So Jesus said to him, ["Yes"] 'It is as you say.' And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders [They accused that "He did this and He did that. He was speaking blasphemy and He was speaking against the temple," and everything they could think of.], [Jesus] answered nothing."

He stood there like a lamb ready for the slaughter. Pilate was amazed. It was his custom to release a prisoner each spring, at that time-to give them amnesty, so when they gathered together, Pilate asked: Matt. 27:17-18 "'Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?'

For he knew [This Roman governor knew the tricks of these religious leaders.] that they had handed Him over because of envy."

Pilate could see through these religious leaders, who were jealous of Christ. He was getting the attention and adulation of the people and they could not stand that.

Matt. 27:19 "While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, 'Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.'" Pilate's wife had been very troubled; God had warned her in a dream. But the chief priests and elders kept after him.

Matt. 27:22 "'What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?' They all said to him, 'Let Him be crucified!' [They wanted Him dead and out of their way!] Then the governor said, 'Why, what evil has He done?' But they cried out all the more, saying, 'Let Him be crucified!' When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all."

Pilate was outnumbered. He did not want a riot on his hands, because the Roman authorities wanted to keep peace. They did not want to have to send another army to squelch these Jews who had been very rebellious and hard to deal with. So Pilate knew, "If I have to kill one man and have peace, I guess that is better." That is the way he looked at it, even though it was unjust.

Matt. 27:24 [So, when he noticed a] "…tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands…"

As though that took got him off the hook! He should have exercised his authority and said, "Look, you have proved nothing about this Man. I am going to release Him." But he did not do that.

Matt. 27:24 "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person…"

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Actually, Pilate testified against himself-didn't he? He certainly said the wrong thing here. He admitted that Jesus was a just Person.

Matt. 27:24-25 "'You see to it'" [he told those leaders]. And all the people answered and said, 'His blood be on us and on our children.'"

That is a famous battle cry. The suffering that ensued from that is unimaginable.

Matt. 27:26 "Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified."

He scourged Jesus. The commentaries and historians tell us that Roman scourging was a terrible thing.

The Romans had a man who was called a lictor-we talk about giving a child a "licking". The lictor was an expert with a whip which had metal cleats fastened to leather straps, which would tear the hide right off a man. Some men died from that beating even before they could be crucified. Through the next few verses, we read that they whipped Jesus and spat on Him and cursed Him. Matt. 27:35, 37 "Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, [which was prophesied.] ‌ And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS." A robber was hanging on each side of Him. These two robbers were being crucified also. Passersby cursed Him and blasphemed Him. But notice how God intervened here to show His power and to give those people something to think about. Jesus was brought before Pilate in the early morning hours. He was crucified at the third hour of the day; we know from reading all four Gospels. That was nine o'clock in the morning. Using Roman time, counting six a.m. as zero hour, nine o'clock would be the third hour, when He was crucified. By the time high noon came- the sixth hour-notice what happened: Matt. 27:45-46 "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour [when it would normally be the hottest and the warmest and the brightest] there was darkness over all the land. [This was obviously a supernatural darkness-an eerie darkness descended on the land.] And about the ninth hour [3:00 p.m.] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?'" He screamed this out! He could have said something else, of course, but He knew that was the situation He was in. It had been foreordained, so He was, in a sense, "acting it out," but He was not "play-acting."

He knew that He was representing mankind. Here, for the first time, He was cut off from His Father. He sensed the weight of our sins which were put upon Him, and He had no extra help at that moment. He felt that! "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" He became the sin-bearer for you and for me.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 30

Matt. 27:47-48 "Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, 'This Man is calling for Elijah!' Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine… The rest said, 'Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.'" Right at this point, Robertson's Harmony of the Gospels shows that verse 49 continues, "and another took a spear and pierced His side and there came out water and blood." This is in some of the earlier versions, and from all our research I feel that it was in the original Byzantine text. That is what happened right here, before Jesus died. Back in John 19:34 we read about another spear; that may have been another spear that came after His death. This one came before His death. This spear actually caused His death! Jesus DID NOT die of a "broken heart"! He was the Passover lamb. The Passover lamb had its throat slit. Jesus had His body slit, and pierced, and the blood came pouring out.

That is what caused His death. He was not just strangling Himself, or getting emotional and dying of a broken heart. This verse ought to be there, and it was in the original Byzantine text that was passed down-the original text of the Bible.

Matt. 27:50-51 "And Jesus cried out [If you had a spear rammed in your side, you would cry out too.

This is why Jesus cried out; the spear was rammed in.] … with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple…"

The temple of God was a gorgeous building. It had a very thick veil-a double-woven, great, heavy thing so strongly woven that several strong men could not pull it apart. This veil separated the outer court from the Holy of Holies. Man could not go into that veil, because inside that veil in the Holy of Holies represented the very presence of God. Only the high priest could go in, once a year. But, what happened when Christ died-it made it possible for all of us to directly to God in prayer in a way that men had never been able to do before. What happened? That veil was ripped in two supernaturally, by God. Matt. 27:51 "Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split."

The whole earth was shaking and perhaps there was thunder and lightning in this eerie darkness, sending chills up and down men's spines. Perhaps some realized that the Creator was intervening in the creation. Here, dying, was the Son of God-the One who created everything, as the Bible tells us in a number of places. John 1:1-10 and Ephesians 3:9 tell us that God created all things by Jesus Christ. He was with God from the beginning. He was the Logos, the Spokesman. He said, "Let there be light" and there was light. He created for the Father. That Creator died.

Matt. 27:52 "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised."

Perhaps the earthquake opened the graves. The bodies of the saints were raised, and they came to Jerusalem after Christ was raised. He was raised to supernatural life, and they were raised back to physical life as a witness that He was indeed the Son of God. Made available in this format by Living Education

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Matt. 27:53-58 "And coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many [as an additional witness to the resurrection of the Son of God]. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, 'Truly this was the Son of God!' [Even some of those carnal, Roman soldiers realized that this was a remarkable individual.] And many women who followed Jesus [and it names them] ‌ Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate [he had the courage to go right up to the Roman governor] and asked for the body of Jesus. [Joseph of Arimathea was apparently a rich man, used to dealing with governors and kings. He went right up and asked for the body of Jesus.] Then Pilate [checking that Jesus was dead.] commanded the body to be given to him."

Other scriptures tell us that he was joined by Nicodemus in taking Jesus down from the cross and burying Him. Matt. 27:61-64 "And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, 'Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, "After three days I will rise." [Now they became scared. "Maybe He really will rise," they thought. They were also concerned that His disciples might steal Him away. They were not sure what was going to happen.]

Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, "He has risen from the dead." So the last deception will be worse than the first.'"

They hated for people to think that Jesus was in fact raised from the dead, or that He was the true prophet of God. They wanted to prevent that in every way they could.

Matt. 27:65-66 "Pilate said to them, 'You have a guard; [They apparently had four soldiers or a number of soldiers that were assigned to the temple that they could use.] go your way, make it as secure as you know how.' So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard."

Yet, Jesus rose anyway, as we shall see in our next program. There was an empty tomb, and that cannot be answered. The Jews and the Romans would love to have revealed that it was a fraud if they could have, but no one ever produced the body of Jesus of Nazareth. He had risen from the dead, and we must always understand that-there is no way around it.

At this point I would like to encourage you to contact us and request our booklet Do You Believe the True Gospel? It will give you the picture of much we are saying here, and other truths about the true Gospel that you have probably never understood before. Call us, or write us, or just click the "Order FREE" button on our Web site and request this booklet. It will be sent to you absolutely FREE upon your request and you will learn a lot of things you have perhaps never understood before.

Copyright Š 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 30

In our next program we will continue on toward the finish of this powerful book of Matthew-the introductory book of the New Testament.

This is Roderick Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 31 Matt. 28:1 – 28:20 This was after God's Sabbath. Most of you know that the Jewish Sabbath-God's Sabbath, the Sabbath that Jesus Christ in fact observed-is from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. This verse took place on Sunday morning, after the Sabbath, when at dawn these ladies came to see if Christ was there.

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you this overview of the book of Matthew, giving you the real understanding of this book. I hope you have been following this series, because we have covered almost every verse and have given you, I am sure, understandings and insights you did not have before. Now we are coming to the very last chapter, so pick up your Bible, follow along and check up on me, and let's see what Jesus Christ actually taught-what the true message of the Son of God was.

Matt. 28:1 "Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb."

This was after God's Sabbath. Most of you know that the Jewish Sabbath-God's Sabbath, the Sabbath that Jesus Christ in fact observed-is from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. This verse took place on Sunday morning, after the Sabbath, when at dawn these ladies came to see if Christ was there.

Matt. 28:2-4 "And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. [Here was a great earthquake. God supernaturally intervened so these women could see inside that the tomb was empty.] His countenance was like lightning [this angel], and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men."

Every time angels appear in the Bible, they appear in the masculine gender-not that angels are men but they appear as men with a supernatural brightness. Something is different about them, though the Bible does tell us to be careful not to forget to entertain strangers, "for some thereby have entertained angels unawares." Angels can appear as a man.

In all the examples of sin in the Bible, angels would appear. Not smoking or getting drunk or doing dope or doing some bad thing; they would always be doing a good thing. They would be very "clean cut." If they appear in glory, as they usually do, men are startled with this unusual brightness and this sense of power coming out from them. Often, where it was an archangel or cherub such as Michael or Gabriel, men fell on their faces before them. But here was an angel and these guards-and these Roman soldiers were literally shaking. Here was something they had never experienced before.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 31

Matt. 28:5-6 "But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified [but have found the tomb they could see was empty]. He is not here‌'" He was already risen. As I explained back in Matthew 12:40, the sign Jesus gave of His Messiahship was that he would be three days and three nights in the tomb, in the heart of the earth-as Jonah was three days and three nights in the heart of the great fish. Christ had risen Saturday night.

When you understand it, you see that He was put in the grave Wednesday night. Thursday night was one night. Friday night was two nights. Saturday night was the end of three days and three nights. The Good Friday-Easter Sunday morning tradition is a pagan invention. It is not in the Bible at all. They came early Sunday morning. There was not any Easter sunrise service. He was gone.

Matt. 28:6-8 "'‌for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. [They were invited into the tomb.] And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee [several miles north]; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.' So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word."

They were just ecstatic with joy-probably almost a hysterical excitement-that here was the Son of God, the One they loved and yet they thought He was dead. They had heard He was going to rise, but they did not fully believe it. It was hard to understand. It had never happened before like this-but now it had happened, and they ran with joy.

Matt. 28:9 "And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him." That account is given in John 20:14, where they thought at first He was the gardener; apparently another account of the same thing.

Matt. 28:10-15 "Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.' [They had to go up to Galilee, up in the hill country, where Jesus had spent most of His ministry.] Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests [Here the religious leaders get into the act once again. They were jealous of Christ. They hated Him. They did not want His name honored in any way.] all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, [Money was paid to these Roman soldiers to lie.] saying, 'Tell them, "His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept." And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you

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secure.' So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day."

These jealous people were trying to "stamp out" one of the most wonderful occurrences in all of human history-the resurrection and the empty tomb. The Romans would have loved to have shown that it was a fraud. The Jews would have loved to have shown that was a fraud. But, they could not and they did not, because too many people saw Him after He was risen from the dead. It tells in 1 Corinthians 15 that more than 500 brethren saw Him at one time, and we see that He appeared to quite a number of the disciples on various occasions-and eventually to all of them.

Matt. 28:16-18 "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them [the mountain to which He told them to go]. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. [Even then, some doubted that Christ was risen. It was just too much. The Holy Spirit was not yet given, until the Day of Pentecost, after His resurrection.] And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'"

Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. He had qualified to be our high priest in heaven at God's right hand. He was back, given the same glory that He had had from the beginning of the world, as he prayed in John 17. He appeared to them without that glory, but He had that glory and that power. He was the High Priest, the Living Head of the Church, the Son of God sitting at the right hand of the Father from now on. God had given Him all authority to make decisions, to guide the Church and to deal with the whole world. God has always dealt with this world and with human beings through Jesus Christ, from the Garden of Eden right on. As it tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:4, the Rock that was with ancient Israel, "That Rock was Christ." Christ was the God of the Old Testament. It tells us that also in John 1:1-10. He was the Word. He was in the beginning. "The Word was with God and the Word was God." He then came to be among men-Immanuel, God with us-and He told His disciples that He had all authority.

Matt. 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…"

That is what He told His followers, and that is what we must do. That is why we are doing this program now. We, and all of you who believe must go out and make followers to get behind the Work of God, to do the Work of God all over this earth.

Matt. 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [We are to baptize them and teach them God's ways.] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…"

Here is one of the most important verses in the entire Bible. Jesus, after everything was nailed to the cross that was going to be nailed to the cross, did not say, "Well, now, the Apostle Paul is going to come along, and he is going to teach a different Gospel. The Law of God I have taught you throughout all My ministry will now be done away. It has been nailed to the cross, and people don't have to keep the commandments of God anymore. They don't need to keep God's Sabbath and God's Holy Days anymore.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 31

They don't need to obey God anymore. They just need to have faith in Me, love Me, and accept Me in their hearts-that is all there is!" Is that what Jesus Christ said? Of course not! He said no such thing! And any ministers who tell you otherwise are liars-and they ought to know that they are lying, and that it is a damnable lie to say otherwise. In fact, Jesus Christ said this, "You go out to….

Matt. 28:19-20 "…all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…"

"Teach them the same things I have commanded you!"

Matt. 28:20 "…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

What did Jesus teach them? Throughout His entire ministry, He taught them to obey God's Laws.

Throughout His entire ministry, He taught them by His example to keep God's Sabbaths and the Holy Days. We find even in John 7 that Jesus was going to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. We read back in Zechariah 14 that when Christ comes again, all nations are going to go up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles-one of God's annual Holy Days. Jesus Christ taught them a way of life-an entire way of life.

We ought to be following that way of life today. That is what true Christianity is all about.

He said, "Don't hate your neighbor. Love your enemies, pray for them, do good to them." But in our socalled Christian society, what do we do? Well, one so-called "Christian" nation in Europe has been attacking another so-called "Christian" nation for hundreds and hundreds of years. Young men, often in the same church denomination, will rush up from opposite sides of the ridge with their bayonets fixed, and will stab each other and kill each other! They are supposed to be Christians, but they are defying and denying by their actions everything the Son of God, our Savior, taught. They are not honoring Him. Jesus said in Luke 6:46, "WHY call you Me Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?" But people don't want to do what He said. They want to change it all around and invent some different gospel. That is wrong, and that is damnable. He said, "You go out-you ministers, you disciples of mine-and teach all nations to observe all things I have commanded you. Not some things!

Don't add and subtract when it is convenient, and say that we must fit the Bible in with the times!

Christ was with the Apostles during the book of Acts. He was there leading them, guiding them and inspiring them to teach the same message-not some different message. "I am with you always." How long? Just until the Day of Pentecost? Just until the Apostle Paul came along and changed everything?

No! "I am with you," He said, helping them to teach all things that He had commanded "even to the end of the age." The end of this 6,000 years of human experience is when He will come back. The scriptures show us very clearly that then, even during the Millennium, people will be keeping His Laws and they will be following His Sabbaths and His Holy Days-no question about it! This is powerful! The true Christianity is based on doing what Christ did, believing what Christ taught-not accepting some false gospel men have invented about Him, but doing what He said.

One of the most powerful verses in the Bible, which I often mention and I want to mention again here in closing this program, is Galatians 2:20-a verse written by the Apostle Paul. He said, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." That was Paul's life. That must be your life and my life if we are real Christians. "Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." We have to live by that faith.

We have to have Christ living in us through the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, "Jesus Christ is the

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same yesterday, today and forever." He does NOT change. He will live within us that same life-He really will. We need to understand the real teaching of Christ.

One of the most powerful booklets that we offer is titled Restoring Apostolic Christianity. It will give you scripture after scripture, and historical references most have never seen, showing how men changed the whole Truth of God-they know that they changed it, and church historians admit it. In one sense, they reinvented Christianity and made it in their own image. They did not stick with this verse. They did not stick with what Christ taught. They did not stick with what the Apostles did. This booklet will help you to understand the teachings of Christ and the New Testament Church. What was real Christianity like? You need this information, more than you may even realize, to understand what the Christian religion is all about, so click the "Order FREE" button on our Web site and ask for this booklet: Restoring Apostolic Christianity.

That's it for today. In the next program, I am going to continue and give you something very special about the book of Matthew that you won't want to miss. Keep following this series, going into the Bible in depth, gaining understanding that perhaps you have never grasped before.

This is Roderick C. Meredith, for the Living Church of God.

Copyright Š 2018 Living Church of God

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 32

The Gospel of Matthew - Program 32 Key Scriptures Yes, the Ten Commandments are God's character. Will you obey what Christ taught, or will you allow men to deceive you with clever words to turn you away from true Christianity? At the very end of Jesus' ministry, after His resurrection-after everything was nailed to the cross that was nailed there-Jesus then came and talked to His disciples saying…

Greetings, friends around the world!

This is Roderick C. Meredith, bringing you this commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. We have come through the entire book in this commentary. We are very grateful to have been able to go through this with you and to share with you the experiences of some thirty years teaching the Gospel class at Ambassador College. I hope you have gained some insights into the book of Matthew you may have not had before.

Now I want to give you something special here at the very end of our series. I hope it will be very special and very helpful to every one of you. I want to give you an overview of the highlights of this book, to help you grasp what Christ taught. I wish I could give you twice as many highlights, but time won't permit that.

So open up to the book of Matthew, and let's go through some of the very key points that Jesus Christ taught. Notice the beginning of Jesus' ministry back in Matthew 4:23. Follow along in your Bible-turn to the scriptures with me-and you will enjoy this. You will learn from it.

Matt. 4:23 "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom…"

From the very beginning, Jesus was preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God-the Kingdom of Heaven, as it is sometimes called. It is not the Kingdom in Heaven-it is not Mr. Morgan's piggy bank.

"The Bank of Morgan" doesn't mean that Mr. Morgan swallowed his piggy bank. It is not the bank in Morgan. It is the bank of Morgan. Morgan controls it. It is the Kingdom of Heaven. Heaven is God's throne. God controls that Kingdom. Jesus went all over, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Matt. 4:23 "…and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people."

These two activities were put together. Jesus would preach the Truth of God, and He would heal the sick, showing not only God's power to forgive sin spiritually, but his taking away the penalty-the suffering, the sickness, the terrible feelings of physical mistakes-the physical sins, if you would call them that. One is a type of the other. Jesus healed all sickness and disease.

Matt. 4:24 "Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demonpossessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them."

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He healed every sickness and every disease, and then cast out unclean spirits-fallen spirits who had followed Satan the Devil in his rebellion against God. Through the power of God, Jesus cast those out.

Then, in Matthew 5, we have the "Sermon on the Mount," as it is called.

Matt. 5:1-3 "And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'"

Poor in spirit? That does not mean spiritually poor, but it means those who are broken, who are humble, who are willing to listen. Here, He went ahead explaining the right attitude.

Matt. 5:4-6 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek [Meek means "teachable"-willing to learn, and teachable like little children.] ‌ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."

Are you hungering and thirsting for righteousness? These attitudes in a Christian will get us into the Kingdom of God. Matt. 5:17 "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."

"Fulfill" here means "to fill to the full." Jesus Christ came to magnify the Law. Isaiah 42:21 tells us that Christ was sent to "magnify the Law and make it holy." Did you ever put a magnifying glass on something? Magnifying does not destroy it, it simply makes it far bigger, and far more meaningful. You can see it all in its intricate parts. Jesus did that. He magnified God's Law. He showed the spiritual intent, the great spiritual purpose and the attitude in which we ought to keep it-not doing away with it all, but making it all the more binding.

Matt. 5:18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle [one little crossing of a "t" or dotting of an "i" in the Hebrew alphabet] will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."

Every human being will have to learn to keep God's Law, or they won't be in God's Kingdom.

Matt. 5:19 "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments [Men often try to say the fourth commandment is the least and try to get rid of that one. Well, it does not make any difference which one you think is the least. ALL TEN are God's Commandments! They were written by the finger of God.], and teaches men so, shall

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 32

be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

Christ talked about God's Law. He was certainly talking about the Ten Commandments. A little later He says: "Your righteousness has to exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees."

Matt. 5:20 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder,'" ["But I am telling you, you are not to even have the attitude of hate in your heart."]

You are not even to have the attitude of hate in your heart. You are not to think of murder. You are not to think of hatred. Yet our whole American society is filled with images of violence and death-spawning that type of attitude-and that is terrible.

Then He went into verse 27, where you will see more about the Ten Commandments.

Matt. 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'

[That was one of the Ten Commandments also.] But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

You are doing the act in your mind. You are running through it in your own mind, and in that way you are committing adultery-you are breaking the spirit of the Law. Jesus magnified God's Law and made it holy. He tells us to keep it not only in the letter, but in the spiritwhich is even more difficult and even more meaningful, because then we develop the very character of God! We learn to really love our neighbors as ourselves. We don't just barely keep ourselves back physically from killing or committing adultery. We don't even put those images in our minds. We don't think about it and wish we could do it. We get rid of the attitude. When we are made spirit beings in the very family of God, we won't have that kind of attitude in our hearts. That is what God wants.

Matt. 5:43-44 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

[Some have taught that.] But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you."

Can you imagine men going to war and yet having that attitude? Of course you can't! That is the exact antithesis of everything that Jesus Christ stood for. Warfare is the exact opposite of the teachings of Christ. So, Christ taught them a different way of life. Our so-called Christian civilization goes totally contrary to that over and over, as we have discussed.

In Matthew 6, He gives them a way of life.

Matt. 6:1 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.

Otherwise you have no reward."

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He tells you to help others, but to do so quietly-not trying to show off, not establishing some big foundation in your name to get a lot of human credit, but quietly giving and helping and serving.

Matt. 6:5 "And when you pray."

He assumes that you would pray. A Christian must pray.

Matt. 6:5 "…you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray [showing off to others]."

He says, "Don't repeat the same thing over and over using vain repetitions-memorized prayer-as you have been doing. Don't do that! Jesus commanded you to pray from the heart. Talk to God as your Father.

Matt. 6:16 "Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, [showing off to men]."

He shows that you should be fasting, doing without food and water to seek the invisible God, to get closer to that God. Christians should be giving. They should be praying. They should be fasting. Jesus Christ here talks about a way of life that most Christians have never heard of-seeking God with their being.

Then He shows how we are not to be worrying about what we will eat or drink or put on-the clothes we will wear or where we will live.

Matt. 6:32-33 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first [Have your mind on what is important.] the kingdom of God…" Seek God's Kingdom. Seek God's way of life. Cry out for God to send Jesus back to this earth as King of kings. Do all you can to prepare for it personally and to help others know about it and learn the Truth.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Back in Psalm 119:172, God says, "All Thy commandments are righteousness." That is what the commandments are. They are righteousness. God expresses His character through the Ten Commandments, so seek God's Kingdom and His character. Seek to express that righteousness by keeping God's Law. Matt. 6:33-34 "…all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Don't always worry about all the physical things. Seek God's Kingdom. He will take care of you.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 32

Matt. 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you…'"

Preachers who preached in Christ's name will claim to have done great works in His name. Jesus will tell them in the judgment, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" That, my friends, is the way it is worded right here in the New King James Version of your Bible-and in other versions. The Greek word is exactly that, anamos-against law. These preachers that say you don't have to keep God's Law-He said, "depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" "You who have cheap grace, you who say, 'Just believe on Christ. Just give your heart to the Lord. Just accept Christ and that is all you have to do.'" What a lie that is! He is going to tell them, "Get out of here! I don't know you because you taught a way of life contrary to my Law-the very character of God." "You who practice lawlessness;" that is powerful stuff. Please understand this for your good.

Matt. 8:16-17 "When evening had come [He was here teaching people.], they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'"

That prophecy was to be fulfilled in His body, when He was beaten. He paid the penalty for our physical sickness, our suffering, our physical mistakes-our physical sin-and took that on Himself so that we could be healed. He preached the Gospel. He healed the sick. He cast out demons. He told His ministers to do the same thing. That is what ministers of Christ ought to be doing today, but very few do. Most of them don't even know the true Gospel, so they couldn't preach it and they certainly don't heal the sick and cast out real demons.

Matt. 10:1, 5-7 "And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. [He sent them out and He names them.] …. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: 'Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."'"

Be aware. Be ready to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. Kingdom means government.

Secondly…

Matt. 10:8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons."

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He told them to them to do these things. So, He healed them. He told them to go out and heal people.

First of all, preach the Gospel, then heal the sick.

Thirdly…

Matt. 10:9 "…cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

This was the kind of ministry Jesus had, the kind of message He told them to preach and the kind of actions He told them to take.

Back in Matthew 19, a young man came to Christ and asked Him: Matt. 19:16-17 "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" So He said to him…"

Jesus Christ is telling this young man how to enter eternal life. Was this to be all changed around after He died? Think about it! Who had the authority to change it all around, contrary to the Son of God? Matt. 19:17 "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.'"

That is the way. Let God build His character inside of you through the Holy Spirit. Let God fashion and mold you! Surrender your life to God so Christ can live His life in you through His Spirit!

Matt. 19:18-19 "He said to Him, 'Which…' [and Jesus began to name some of the Ten Commandments] "'You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother…'"

Yes, the Ten Commandments are God's character. Will you obey what Christ taught, or will you allow men to deceive you with clever words to turn you away from true Christianity?

At the very end of Jesus' ministry, after His resurrection-after everything was nailed to the cross that was nailed there-Jesus then came and talked to His disciples saying…

Matt. 28:18-20 "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [not just the Jews-all the nations], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them [all the nations-the Chinese, the Russians, the Canadians, the Americans-everybody] to observe all things that I have commanded you."

We have just finished reviewing the fact that Jesus taught them constantly to keep the Ten Commandments and to obey God's Law-and that if they were lawless men, not teaching God's Law, they would be considered unknown by Christ. He said, "Go out and teach all nations this way of life.

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The Gospel of Matthew - Program 32

Matt. 28:20 "‌teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you [Christ is the living, active Head of the true Church of God.] always, even to the end of the age."

He would be with them-guiding them, leading them and inspiring them. And He will be with-and guiding and leading and inspiring-us, helping and empowering us if we have the faith, the understanding and the courage to step out and do what Christ really taught.

At this point, I want to urge you to contact us and request our Tomorrow's World Bible Study Course.

Just ask for the Bible Study Course. Click the "Order FREE" button on our Web site and the first four lessons will be sent to you. Then if you return the test after Lesson Four, you can keep right on. It is all free-all the way through. This Bible Study Course will open your eyes to literally hundreds of things in the Bible you have probably never understood before. Study this course. It is different. It does not tell you "Just give your heart to the Lord." It is filled with detailed information-historical information, technical information and information about the prophecies of the Bible and the whole purpose of human existence. So request this free Bible study course right now. It can change your life.

It has been a privilege to be here with you for this series on the Gospel of Matthew. Let us know if you have appreciated it, and if you have learned from it. I hope that you will keep in touch with us, because in this same space here we will be covering other books in the Bible. Others will be covering other books of the Bible thoroughly. I look forward to covering the Gospel of John, because it is so different, then the book of Acts. Perhaps later I will cover the Epistles of Paul. So if you want to learn in detail, just keep watching right here. We are here to serve you. We are here to prepare for the Kingdom of God. This is Roderick C. Meredith, speaking for the Living Church of God.

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