by Pastor Mark Downey

Scripture Reading:  Matthew 13:35-43

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if there weren’t any lies?  A world where truth is the only way.  Bearing false witness would no longer be a means to an end.  From the time a child is able to walk, the programming and processing has begun, whereby they are lied to and it continues throughout their lives in school, churches, government and media.  There are some who escape the matrix of deceptions and become knowledgeable of the truth, but they dare not speak out lest they be persecuted.  The rest of society lives in this ocean of disinformation.  Since the majority of people believe in the prevailing body of lies, they assume that it is the truth.  And hence, they make important life decisions that are all too often disastrous. 

The trial against universalism will resume momentarily, but we shall keep a few things in mind before the closing remarks of the defense and the prosecution.  The biggest enemy of mankind is time.  James 4:14 says, “You don’t know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  It is a vapor that appears for awhile and then vanishes.”  It is not within the power of all the creatures whom God has made to command one moment of what is to be the future.  Our times are not in our own hands, but at the discretion of God.  Our minds may be filled with the cares of this life and Providence will often confuse it.  We are made in His image and all that we do and design intelligently must be done in humble submission to the God of intelligent design.  God can and does place deterrents upon those who would boast that something is in their authority or of their own ability.  God alone can keep us from our own devices and make our plans prosper when they are in accord with His will.  “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.