"Ver. 24.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it."
"The term 'lose,' as here employed, is to be understood in the sense of parting with, giving up, surrendering"
"...something entirely gone, completely lost."
"...the act is deliberate & willingly done."
"For what, then, are you living - Self or Christ?  (J. T. Higgins.)"
​"...not self-preservation, but self-renunciation"
"All that a man may win of earthly good he must be ready to sacrifice, if need be, in order to save his soul."
"The life temporal may have to be flung utterly away in order to make sure of the life eternal."
"He that most utterly forgets himself is the one most surely & most warmly remembered by the world."
"'What is a man profited if he should gain the whole world, & lose his own soul?'"
​"...your self-interest is deluding you?  The bubbles you grasp burst in your hand; the flowers you gather fade at your touch"
"Ver. 25.  What is a man advantaged."
"...there are but 2 ways in the universe - God's & man's."
"We run after the mists & clouds, & neglect that which is everlasting.  We frustrate the merciful designs & endeavours of God.  (Tourbe.)"
"1. 'Esau made a bad bargain when he sold his birthright for a mess of pottage.'  2. 'Judas made a bad bargain when he sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.'  3. 'He makes a bad bargain, who. to gain the whole world, loses his own soul.'"
​"Ver. 26.  Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me."
"'Ashamed' of Christ - 1. In a skeptical rejection of Him as the true Messiah."
"2. In an unbelieving disregard to His demands & authority.  3. In a compromising spirit of conformity to the world.  4. In a neglect of His ordinances, & in avoiding a public profession of Him before men.  5. In an unwillingness to consecrate all we are & have to His service."
"THE INEVITABLE RESULTS DECLARED.  'Of Him shall the Son of man be ashamed,'  (J. Burns, D. D.)"
"There is too much silence among Christian men when the honour of Christ is at stake."
"Every one who is unwilling to sacrifice his temporal ease & pleasures, or to lay down his life for the sake of Christ, & who neglects to persevere in a steady & uniform course of obedience to His commands, in spite of all opposition & of every indignity that may be cast upon him, is considered - Jesus being His own interpreter - as ashamed of Christ."
"It cost something to acknowledge Christ in those early days of His church."
"'I'm ashamed of myself, but I'm not ashamed of Christ.'  (D. L. Moody.)"
"Vers. 28 - 36.  He took Peter, & John, & James."
"We cannot spend our lives on the mountain-top of vision, or of ecstasy, or of contemplation.  'It is good to be here,'"
"But we may not thus spend our lives.  The voice of God calls us down to grapple with the problems & the duties which wait on every side."
"We need experiences which remind us that we are citizens of eternity..."
"Is it not plain that the 3 who most needed this lesson were Peter, who had protested most vehemently against the cross, & James & John the throne-seekers?  Peter, who will take the sword to assault the High Priest's servant, & the sons of Zebedee, who would call down fire from heaven after the manner of Elijah before he learned to understand the power of Christ revealed in the still, small, voice?  Did not these most need to be taught that the throne of God was the cross?"
"...the seasons of our greatest glory are commonly connected with gloom"
"...special temptations, special duties, special sufferings, & special good, all call for special wrestling with God; ...instruction & strength, fortitude & honour, are to be sought from heaven; ...only in prayer can we meet our enemy, only in prayer can we fulfil our vocation, only in prayer can we drink the cup of love, & only in prayer can we gain 'the Spirit of glory & of God.'"
"Be contented to be like Christ in reproaches, disgraces, & neglect in the world, that you may be like Him in glory."
"The glory of Christ should put out the glory of these petty stars that shine in the world, as the sun puts out the fire."
"'Possess your vessels in sanctification & honour,' do not offend God to gratify the body, as they do (Romans 14:13) who make provision for the flesh to fulfil the lust thereof.  Do not spare the body to do God service (Acts 26:7).  (T. Manton, D. D.)"
"God will not know us in our own form & filthiness, unless we put on the image of Christ."

"Disbelief involves a certain exercise of mind as to the claims of Christianity.  Unbelief may be nothing more than simple passive indifference.  Disbelief says there is no Christ, no atonement, no redemption.  Unbelief says if there be a Christ I will not worship Him; though there be an atonement I care not to seek its blessings; though there be a Redeemer, of His salvation I care not to partake.  Disbelief take up an attitude of positive opposition, & would fain disprove the claims of the gospel.  Unbelief may often use friendly words, & do some kindly deeds on behalf of the truth - may treat it with seeming reverence, & even make generous contributions for its support - will, in truth, do everything but receive its message & submit to its power."
In some it is the all-absorbing passion of worldliness which holds the spirit back from faith.  In others the pride of self-reliance revolts against a scheme of salvation which ascribes nothing to human merit, & therefore leaves no place for human boasting."
"It is the expression of a personal faith."
"It is nothing less than the man's own sense of dependence on Christ as a Redeemer."
"Peter had not reached the conviction thus boldly uttered by means of greater intellectual vigour, or in virtue of any special opportunities of observation, but solely through the grace of God."
"'With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.'"
"To confess Christ, we must seek to be like Him, but we must also obey Him by bearing His name, & uniting with His people to show forth His death until He come.  (J. G. Rogers, B. A.)"
​"IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THE TRUE ESTIMATE OF HIM..."
"He is not only the greatest of men, but the Son of the Living God, the Saviour of the world.  (Thomas Jones.)"
"It is only the real Christ of God that saves with a real pardon, a real sanctification, a real crown of glory."
"Ver. 22.  The Son of Man must suffer many things."
"OUR LORD'S ANTICIPATION OF THE CROSS."
"OUR LORD'S RECOGNITION OF THE NECESSITY OF HIS SUFFERING."
"...OUR LORD'S WILLING ACCEPTANCE OF THE NECESSITY.  It is one thing to recognize, & another thing to accept, a needs-be."
"...OUR LORD'S TEACHING THE NECESSITY OF HIS DEATH."
"'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.'"
"That was the first volume of their lesson-book.  The second volume was this, that 'Christ must suffer.'  And so let us learn the central place which the Cross holds in Christ's teaching.  (A. Maclaren, D. D.)"
​"Ver. 23.  If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself."
"When our views of the character of God are in any way interfered with, & we begin to entertain a false ideal of Him..."
"...My will is fixed, My face is set like a flint; the will which reigns within My bosom is the will of the Everlasting God Himself.  I am content, My God, to do Thy will.  And now this is the course I take:  & if any of you want to follow Me, you must go the same road."
"It is self-sufficiency, the opposite of Christian faith.  It is self-will, the opposite of Christian submission.  It is self-seeking, the opposite of Christian benevolence.  It is self-righteousness, the opposite of Christian humility & reverence, the reflex act of sin; putting self in God's place as the object of praise & homage."
"The Christian surrenders himself, without reserve, to God his Creator & Redeemer; &, in love to Him, freely devotes himself to the service of his fellow-men, a worker, together with God, in the sublime work of renovating the world..."
"...what is it to deny or renounce our understandings?  1. Such things as are unprofitable & useless to us."
"...things that are unlawful for us to pry into"
​"Self-denial must show itself in renouncing of vainglory, & all inordinate desires of honours & preferments."
"The sinful pleasures & delights of the flesh are to be abstained from by all the true practisers of self-denial."
"...your self-denial ought to discover itself, in renouncing whatever it is that administers to pride, or lust, or revenge."
"A Christian must not do what he would, that is, what his sinful inclinations prompt him to do.  He must be confined within bounds; he is a person pre-engaged, & must not, cannot be at the beck of every foolish lust."
"Self-denial: - It is not what a man takes up, but what he gives up, that makes him 'rich towards God.'  Now what ought a follower of Jesus to give up for his Master's sake?  1. Of course every man who would become a Christ's man must renounce everything that God's Word & a healthy conscience set down as wrong."
"We must give up whatever, by its direct influence, tends to injure ourselves or others."
"Give up whatever tends to pamper the passions, or to kindle unholy desires."
"...how few Christians are willing to give up to Jesus the key to their purses & bank-safes!  Too many go through the solemn farce of writing 'Holiness to the Lord' on their property, & then using it for their own gratification.  (T. L. Cuyler, D. D.)"
"...Christ & self are contraries, leading contrary ways."
"...the self to be denied is our corrupt self, the old man, the unrenewed part."
​"...however heavy the cross be, we are not to refuse it.  Our very life, which of all worldly things is dearest to us, must be laid at the Lord's feet, & we ready to part with it for Christ."
"We must yoke with the cross willingly & submissively..."
"Christ is willing to save us from our sins, but He will not save us in our sins."
"There is a man whose self lies in his intellect.  He makes much of his own intellect."
"Another man's self is pleasure.  That pleasure may take different forms."
"...his bodily appetites  ...worldly amusements  ...the pride of life   ...in money  ...in business  ...in ambition."
"...most men perish through the unlawful use of lawful things."
"...he denies self in the end, because he will have not other end but the glory of God.  (J. Vaughan, M. A.​)"
"The living men; they who being dead yet speak, are the men who thought first of others & last of themselves; who were ready to abandon country, & kinsfolk, & friends, to help the poor out of the dust & the feeble out of the mire."
"Christ's terms of discipleship: - I. THE TERMS OF DISCIPLESHIP are - 1. Self-denial.  2. Endurance - 'Take up his cross daily.'  3. Perseverance - 'And follow Me.'  II. THE REASONS GIVEN.  1. Because selfishness brings ultimate loss.  2. Because sacrifice brings ultimate salvation.  III. THE MOTIVE INCULCATED - 'For My sake.'  (A. F. Barfield.​)"
"If we mean to be disciples of Christ indeed, we shall have every day - 1. Something to put away for Christ's sake - 'Let him deny himself.'  2. Something to take up & bear for Christ - 'Take up his cross.'  3. Something actively to do for Christ's sake - 'And follow Me.'  (R. Tuck, B. A.)"
"The way of the cross is the way to heaven, & the crown of thorns prepares for the crown of glory.  (Canon Liddell.)"
​"Self-denial..."
"...it is the upward life of a child of God, loving what God loves, refusing to be in bondage to anything that would remove him from the light of his Father's face.  (J. H. Thom.)"
"Strong faith & love will endure strong trials."
"...no affliction is so great but God can deliver thee out of it"
​

"VERS. 1, 2.  Then He called His 12 disciples together."
"I. TO WHOM THEY WER TO GO.  1. Not to the heathen.  ...2. Nor to the Samaritans"
"II. THE PREPARATION THEY WERE TO MAKE."
"...rely with confidence on the providence of God, who would show them that they were special objects of His care, would cause all their wants to be supplied, & thus to convince them that they were engaged in the business of heaven."
"III. WHAT THEY WERE TO DO.  1. Proclaim (1) the coming of the kingdom; (2) the need of reformation."
"...they were empowered, during this journey, to perform miracles by curing all sorts of diseases."
"...to depend on the hospitality of those whom they visited."
"...to behave with courtesy to every person they visited."
"When repulsed, they were to shake off the dust from their feet  (J. Thomson, D. D.)"
"Love increases by just loving.  Hope enlivens itself by just hoping.  Zeal gets on fire, & keeps on fire, by just arousing the heat.  Knowledge is augmented in all cases more by the effort more by the effort of teaching others than by simply studying for one's self alone."
​"THEIR MARCHING ORDERS.  They were to be encumbered with nothing superfluous."
"Every disciple should be a witnesser for Christ."
"Every one whom Christ sends forth may confidently expect every needed equipment if he ask."
"Surely the fields are now ripe for the harvest."
"Let us not only pray that God will send labourers, but be willing to be labourers ourselves.  (D. C. Hughes, M. A.)"
​"Let us think highly of the weapons we have received for the accomplishment of our work.  'The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual, & mighty through God to the casting down of strongholds.'"
"This work requires zeal for God & love for souls."
"'The world for Christ' will yet be realized.  (David LIvingstone, LL. D.)"
"...God does not elect to privilege, He selects for duty."
"THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTIAN WORK.  'Freely ye have received, freely give.'"
​"Bodily healing a preparation for spiritual instruction"
"Ver. 3.  Take nothing for your journey."
"It is easy traveling if you have no burden."
"'Lo, I am with you alway.'  And what for?  1. Surely to provide.  ...2. Surely to direct.  ...3. Surely to lead.  ...4. Surely to carry all their burdens (Psalms 55:22; I Peter 5:7)."
​"'If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence'  (Exodus 33:15).  (Sunday School Times.)"
"Ver. 4.  And whatsoever house ye enter into."
"Vers. 5, 6.  Shake off the very dust."
"The rejection of the gospel is not the rejection of a mere theory on which men may innocently entertain different opinions.  It is the rejection of a message which, if faithfully received, reveals God, & subdues us to Him, & transforms us into His likeness."
"'He that heareth you, heareth Me, & he that despiseth you, despiseth Me, & he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me.'  (M. F. Sadler, M. A.)"
"Ver. 7.  Herod the tetrach heard."
"Herod was perplexed about Christ, & curiously perplexed..."
​"The only thing that will bear the stress of every weight, the collision of every conflict, is faith - simple, loving, grateful faith:  Lord, increase our faith.  (J. Parker, D. D.)"
"...the power of a roused conscience as God's avenger of sin."
"The accusing voices were imaginary - merely the echoes of a guilty conscience."
"The long-forgotten sin is now remembered."
​"Ver. 10.  Aside privately."
"Ver. 11.  He received them."
"He was seeking rest for His disciples, who were weary after their labours."
​"Healed them that had need."
"'Whole,' 'sound,' 'healthy,' are words descriptive of but few persons, & of but few households, & of but few communities.  In this world of ours there is evidently a great work of healing to be wrought."
"All are 'healers' who guide men to Jesus."
"1. You may heal by the tongue.  'How forcible are right words.'  'A wholesome tongue is a tree of life.'  'The tongue of the just is as choice silver.'  'Pleasant words are as a honeycomb.'  2. You may heal by the light of the countenance."
"Genuine & kindly smiles have a healing power.  A countenance alive with sympathy & bright with love heals.  3. You may heal by the hand..."
"All help has healing power, if delicately & wisely & kindly administered.  4. You may heal by your purse."
"...money does much in the service of healing.  5. You may heal by your presence."
"Presence speaks, for it tells of sympathy; presence cheers, it diverts the thoughts & lessens the burden; presence will sometimes have in it a wealth of consolation."
"7. You may heal by making intercession for others.  This is a power which all possess."
"The achievements of prayer, as recorded in holy Scripture, are wonderful..."
"8. You may heal by teaching Jesus Christ.  (S. Martin, D. D.)"
"Vers. 13 - 17.  Five loaves & two fishes."
"Our Lord welcomes all who come to Him by faith."
"In all situations of danger let the people put their trust in Jehovah, remembering that He who is for them is much greater than all who can be against them.  (J. Henderson.)"
​"Our first condition of usefulness is to take the little we have to Christ, if we have only the little.  That which is blessed by Him is equal to all that life's occasion demands."
"Give ye them to eat.​"
"'Give ye them to eat.'"
"1. They have not the knowledge of God.  2. They have not the knowledge of the meaning of life.  3. They have not the knowledge of the gospel."
"Vers. 18 - 20.  Whom say the people that I am?​"
"He knew all the numerous opinions afloat concerning Him."
"'The Son of Man must suffer many things, & be rejected of the elders & the chief priests & the scribes, & be slain.'"
"'And be raised the 3rd day.'"
"The Lord's question: - Who say ye that I am?  1. A question of conscience.  2. A question of controversy.  3. A question of life.  4. A question of the times.  (Van Oosterzee.)  Jesus will have His disciples - 1. Independently recognize Him as the Christ; 2. Voluntarily confess Him as the Christ."
The Biblical Illustrator​, Baker, pgs. 92 - 112.

"Virtue has gone out of Me to ONE WHO HAS FAITH."
"We learn in suffering what we teach in song.  (R. D. Hitchcock, D. D.)"
"...IF SOMEBODY SHALL TOUCH JESUS, THE LORD WILL KNOW IT.  (C. H. Spurgeon.)"
"Do not excuse yourselves through pretended humility."
​"The power of God moves in upon us at the touch of faith.  (Methodist Times.)"
"Vers. 49 - 56.  Thy daughter is dead."
"...those who have died in Christ have made a blessed & happy change in leaving this world for that where they are now."
"...if you & they be both united to Christ, you have the confident assurance that you shall meet again."
"'to die is gain.'"
​"Our Master teaches us in the text that we are not to sorrow for the sainted dead as those who have no hope.  They 'sleep.'  They shall rise.  (Bishop W. H. Odenheimer.)"
"How well are 'Fear not' & 'Believe only' coupled together!"
"Instead of a burial she was going to be raised to life."
"How much more are men governed by their natural views & feelings than by the word of truth; & how easily are they befooled in Divine things by their sense & reason!"
"Every spiritual blessing is promised alone to those who believe in the Saviour."
"Unbelief, Pride, Despondency, Indolence, all say 'Trouble not the Master.'"
"1. 'Trouble not the Master,' for there is no real power in prayer.  2. For the help you ask is too great for Him to render.  3. For the help you ask for relates to matters too insignificant for His dignity to notice.  4. For you have no assurance of His love.  5. For this is not the right time for your supplication.  Be deaf to every voice that bids you 'trouble not the Master,' & listen to the voice from heaven that is for ever saying, 'Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, give Him no rest, till He establish, & till He make Jerusalem a praise in all the earth.'  (C. Stanford, D. D.)"
"Fear not, only believe."
​"Cling to Christ, the truth, hold fast the gentle & healing hand of Christ.  (J. Clifford, D. D.)"
"THE REASON WHICH CHRIST GAVE WHY THEY WERE NOT TO WEEP.  'She is not dead.'"
"Out of sleep there is awakening, & the light of the eternal morning gladdens the vision of all who fall asleep in Christ.  (J. R. Bailey.)"
​The Biblical Illustrator​, Baker, pgs. 84 - 92.

"Some prayers may be answered in judgment, & some refused in mercy."
"Ver. 35.  Sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, & in his right mind."
"1. Reverential affection for his Deliverer."
"2. Confidence in His power to save.  'Sitting at the feet of Jesus...'"  "...as the place of safety."
"3. Docility under His instructions."
"4. Submission to His authority, & devotedness to His service."
"'O Lord, I am Thy servant, truly I am Thy servant, Thou hast loosed my bonds.'"
"...in cherishing such sentiments & affections toward Jesus, we will show that we have come to ourselves, that we are now in our right minds.  2. By cherishing such sentiments & affections towards Jesus we consult our true happiness.  (J. Henderson, D. D.)"
"Is there rest anywhere?  Yes, at the feet of Jesus."
"To live without God is to be out of our true, proper, right mind.  (T. R. Stephenson.)"
​"There are no chains so galling as those which are forged by enslaving passions or degrading appetites."
"...sit at His feet."
"1. It implies laying down at His feet the whole burden of one's sin that He may pardon & purify - that He may forgive & cleanse from all pollution."
"2. Sitting at the feet of Jesus may be regarded as implying the willing reception for directions in faith & life of the heavenly lessons taught in His Word."
​"Vers. 38, 39.  Return to thine own house."
"Every man is to be to those around him a living preacher of the power of the Redeemer; he is to walk amongst his fellows as a witness for Christ."
"True Christian men in their own station do raise the tone of life round them:  In a thousand little instances which are occurring daily, they are bearing a witness for truth, for sincerity, for reality, for purity, for meekness, for self-denial, for a spiritual life - which is not lost."
​"The Dead Sea is a dead sea because it receives all & gives nothing.  The brook is beautiful & lovely because it is constantly flowing..."
"'Go & show what great things God hath done unto thee.'  Your power for usefulness will not depend upon what you say, so much as upon what you are;"
"Seek first of all to have an experimental acquaintance with Christ's power upon your own heart."
"The home-circle should be the great missionary-field."
​"Our Lord sent this restored man away, that he might bear witness for God unto his kinsfolk & countrymen."
"...the power of his witness was not in his lips, but his life.  They saw that he was a changed man."
​"As the Gadarenes saw that the demoniac was restored, so must the world see that the sinner is converted."
​"Ver. 40.  The people gladly received Him:  for they were all waiting for Him"
"When Jesus is waited for & welcomed, He delights to come."
"Do you welcome Christ?"
"Want of punctuality, & irregular attendance, often show that Jesus is not waited for."
"We are quite sure that our Lord will graciously appear to those who are 'all waiting for Him'"
"'Lo, I am with you alway'  (Matt. 28:20)."
"What countless blessings His coming will bring!"
"'The people gladly received Him.'"
"When our heart is with Him, we rejoice in HIs appearing."
"Jesus never disappoints those who wait for Him.  Jesus never refused those who welcome Him.  Jesus is near us now:  will you not open the doors of your hearts to receive Him?  (Rev. 3:20)  (C. H. Spurgeon.)"
"A congregation cannot be said to welcome the Lord Jesus unless they are all there..."
"...unless they have come with design to meet Him, which implies prayerful expectancy; unless they are ready to hear from Him, which involves attention; & unless they are resolved to accept His teaching, which demands obedience."
"'They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.'"  "'The Lord is good to them that wait for Him.'"  "'''Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, & He shall strengthen thy heart.'"
"He waits for the fit times & seasons of His own appointment, that He may be gracious..."
"In order to al full enjoyment of Christ, there must be not only a waiting for Him, but also a glad receiving of Him."
"It is a blessed state to be in, to be waiting for Jesus - to have the soul in that position of expectancy that looks & longs for His appearing.  (Bp. Stevens.)"
"Vers. 41, 42.  And, behold, there came a man named Jairus."
"This ruler was never so truly a ruler as when he fell on his knees & besought Christ to help him."
​"Jairus needed the discipline of the woman's cure.  It prepared him for the miracle that was to be wrought for himself.  (H. Macmillan, D. D.)"
"Vers. 43 - 48.  Came behind Him, & touched the border of His garment."
"She had tried life away from Christ; & that had proved a failure.  Now, she tries life in contact with Christ; this proves an immediate success."
"What brought her to Christ at all?  we can only answer, She was driven by her sense of need, & drawn by her faith in Christ.  Driven & drawn.  This, more or less, is the experience of all who come to Christ.  A sense of their need drives them; a knowledge of His character draws them."
"Oh!  what a glory comes into the experience of him whose life is blessed with the friendship of Christ!"
"...there are those who seek to touch Jesus through sacraments & ceremonies."
"There are those who touch Jesus timidly..."
​"...he who has really touched Jesus will in some way make the secret manifest, not in the mere profession of the lips, but in the confession of the life.  (E. H Chapin, D. D.)"
"THERE IS NOTHING WHICH CHRIST SEEMS TO LOVE SO MUCH AS FAITH IN HIM.  (N. Adams, D. D.)"
"There is the unbeliever's 'touch'..."
"How many there are that rudely & profanely handle the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ..."
"...there is the cold 'touch' of the critic."
"...he is simply critical."
"...there is the fashionable 'touch'"
"...there is the formalists' 'touch'..."
​"...the 'touch' of indifference."
"The poor woman believed that the faintest contact with Christ would heal her."
​"He might have called her 'rude' or 'foolish.'  Not so.  He calls her 'daughter.'"
​"1. The loving address - 'daughter.'  2. The comfortable words - 'Thy faith hath made thee whole.'  3. The gracious dismissal - 'Go in peace.'"
"('Many' says Ambrose, 'press upon Christ, in outward ordinances, but believers touch Him; it is by faith that He is touched, so as to have virtue from Him.')"
"Jesus meant that power had gone out from Him."
The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 63 - 83.

"CHAPTER 3"
"COSMIC UTOPIA:  EARTH GODDESSES & ALIEN WORSHIP"
"HUMANS ARE A VIRUS"
"Some environmentalists now speak of Gaia as a real presence, similar to a universal spirit or the 'world soul' of Plato's metaphysics.  In Green-speak, she maintains Earth's equilibrium - even at the expense of us, the only inhabitants on the planet conscious of her existence,' wrote Joe Humphrey, assistant news editor at The Irish Times in an article titled, 'God Make Way for Gaia:  A Deity Even Atheists Can Believe In.'"
"...Gaia, a 'lustful, irritable & contrary' goddess of Greek mythology, who is similar to Mother Earth:
is not a malevolent force, but she is concerned to protect the climatic equilibrium that she has established over many millennia, & if she identifies us, the human species, as a virus that is likely to disrupt, & even destroy, that equilibrium, through our reckless greed & devotion to infinite, exponential 'growth,' she will take steps, either to eliminate us altogether or to cut us very much down to size.'"
"...worshipers of Gaia  ...found in both climate science & various shamanistic practices, are influenced by the myth of overpopulation & tend to see the Earth 'as a living system' & humanity as a threat to the balance of equilibrium."
"...stringent population control & radical environmental measures"
"...author of Occult Feminism Rachel Wilson brings to light that 'all share the same worldview & perception of humanity as a scourge on the planet which must be managed, controlled, & reduced by the ruling class who have combined ancient occult beliefs  ...to produce anti-Christian, anti-human ideas about what the world should be."
"The British economist Thomas Malthus, in his 1798 work An Essay on the Principle of Population..."
"...the power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man.'  He believed that overpopulation was the root cause of disease, hunger, & war & that preventing population growth was the primary solution."
"While corrupt world leaders have used Malthus' ideas to frighten & coerce the masses (i.e., China's one-child policy), modern research has proven these ideas patently false."
"Austin Ruse, author of Fake Science:  Exposing the Left's Skewed Statistics, Fuzzy Facts & Dodgy Data, reveals:
'The claim that the world will become dangerously overpopulated has never been true.  It was false when first postulated in the 19th century.  It was false when The Population Bomb was first published in the 1960's.  It is false now.  That this theory is still taught in grade schools all over the world even today does not make it any truer.  It remains a false theory.'"
"...contrary to Malthus' claims, fertility rates are 'plummeting rapidly all over the world.'"
"...Elon Musk, & others  ...'population collapse due to low birth rates is a much bigger risk to civilization' than overpopulation."
"...co-authors Marian Tupy & Gale L. Pooely"
"...Superabundance:  The Story of Population Growth, Innovation, & Human Flourishing on an Infinitely Bountiful Planet"
"'The more people there are, the more innovation there is  ...assuming that individuals were  ...'free to think, speak, read, publish, & interact with others.'"
"But my fellow humans must learn to live in partnership with the Earth, otherwise the rest of creation will, as part of Gaia, unconsciously move the Earth to a new state in which humans may no longer be welcome.  The virus, COVID-19, may well have been one negative feedback.  Gaia will try harder next time with something even nastier.' ~ James Lovelock, November 2021"
"Rather than the anthropocentric message of the Bible (in which humanity plays the central role within God's creation acting as a steward of the Earth until Christ's return), Lovelock introduced a self-regulating biocentric sentient planet that is pleased to annihilate humanity if we become a threat to her existence."
"SORCERY & THE GLOBAL DECEPTION"
"As is peering into the events of the Book of Revelation in real time, the rise of Earth-worshiping Pagan practices such as Wicca & witchcraft (which employ magical spells & curses, as well as hallucinogenic drugs) appears to signal that the great deception described in the Bible's final chapter may already be unfolding."
"'It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen!  She has become a home for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit  ... because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery,' prophesied John the Apostle in the Book of Revelation."
"...the term 'sorcery' (translated from the Greek word pharmakeia) implies the manipulation & seduction of entire nations using magical arts & witchcraft & often relates to idolatry & the administering of mind-altering drugs, ultimately leading to widespread spiritual & moral decay."
"...Daniel Zomparelli"
"...a major draw into witchcraft & spellwork for him was gaining a sense of control, which he attributed to alleviating his very bad anxiety.  This sense of empowerment is a significant attraction for neo-Pagans who are looking for ways to handle the chaos & uncertainty of the modern world.  Through countless spells, oils, the lighting of candles, & other practices, Pagans claim the power to affect various aspects of life through shamanistic powers, giving rise to even deeper deception."
"Feigning an innocent spirituality, behind the advertisement is a cold plunge into demonic spirits & dark energy, drawing individuals further away from true light & into deeper darkness.  Events such as these, which regularly make use of hallucinogenic teas or mushrooms, ceremonial cacao, or mescaline to induce altered states of consciousness, prey upon people's anxieties & personal insecurities, while promising healing & mystical encounters.  Practices such as witchcraft & Wicca, relying 'heavily on hedonism - sensual gratification & self-indulgence,' encourage illicit drug use & deceive practitioners into welcoming demonic spirits, whereas Christianity teaches its followers to 'be sober-minded,' because 'the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.'"
"Additionally, the Bible encourages 'dying to self,' & trusting in '[God's] power that is at work within us,' rather than our own."
"WITCHES IN THE CAMP"
"...celebrities like Ariana Grande have openly embraced occult practices"
"In a revealing interview on the Zach Sang Show, Grande was asked, 'Is there an in-between anywhere, where craft meets the universe?'  The artist known by her fans as 'Ari' answered, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I'm somewhere in between, I've learned.  I don't know, it's somewhere between being a literal witch, a literal witch, I'm not kidding...'"
"In her music video for the song 'God is a Woman,' Grande, who admits to carrying Queer tarot cards, 'protecting dust,' & rose quartz in her purse (presumably as tools for spiritual insight & protection) showcases various elements of witchcraft & divine femininity.  Throughout the video, Grande flaunts her mostly nude frame in several symbolic displays, including sitting enthroned within an occultic triangle, dancing within a celestial vortex as if begetting creation herself, & straddling the Earth in lingerie as a Gaia-like figure."
"...Grande's esoteric spirituality is Kabbalah:  a blend of Judaism & ancient mysticism.
"Although raised Catholic, Grande, whose brother is gay, admitted to The Telegraph that she distanced herself from the Christian faith after finding conflict with the Church's position on homosexuality."
"'When my brother was told that God didn't love him I was like, 'OK, that's not cool.'  They were building a Kabbalah center in Florida so we both checked it out & really had a connection with it.'  Through the 'tools' of Kabbalah, she added, 'my life has unfolded in a really beautiful way.'"
"The influence of Kabbalah extends...  Britney Spears & Madonna"
"Kabbalah, originally a secretive mystical practice among older men in Israel, has now permeated mainstream culture, enticing stars like Ashton Kutcher & ex-wife Demi Moore, Gywneth Paltrow, & Paris Hilton."
"Joining Grande in her pursuit of witchcraft is Vanessa Hudgens, known for her roles in Disney films.  Hudgens who openly identifies with witchcraft & has spoken about using tools like spirit boxes to communicate with dead spirits, recently described her practice:
'...I do consider myself a witch & I love working with the moon & with herbs & with stones, &, you know, everything has a meaning & an energy, & the more you learn about what everything has to offer, the more you can use its energy to bring forth the things you want in your life.'"
"Hudgens reveals:
'I've always been... very much an earth witch.  I've always felt the most grounded in nature... playing in the dirt & ...trying to make potions when I was, like, 3 years old, that's always been something that has been a part of me, but... now connecting to... my ancestors & my angels &... just figuring out ways how to... ground myself ...spiritually; I feel it's just an empowering thing.'"
"Instead of seeking guidance from the Creator, so-called Earth witches prioritize their connection to nature above divine authority, often using herbs, crystals, & rituals that are occultic or Pagan in nature.  Drawn in by the attractive exterior to witchcraft provided by faces like Grande's & Hudgens, teens & young adults, already indoctrinated by radical environmentalism & deeply concerned about the health of the planet, become easy prey for Luciferian groomers & shaman practitioners who promote cosmic consciousness & revere earthly forces & elemental energy above the worship of the Almighty.  As Paul writes in Romans, 'They exchanged the truth of God for a lie & worshiped & served what has been created instead of the Creator.'"
​"ANCIENT ALIENS"
"In February 2024, Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna...  unidentified anomalous phenomena...  'UAPs'  ...'I wouldn't call them aliens...  I really like what [former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer David Grusch] calls them:  He says that they're inter-dimensional beings, & he's very specific about that.'"
"Despite a robust 2024 U.S. Department of Defense investigation finding 'no evidence that extraterrestrial intelligence has visited Earth or that authorities have recovered crashed alien spacecraft & are hiding them from the public,' more than 51% of Americans still believe in extraterrestrials."
​"Zecharia Sitchin, a popular ancient alien theorist, explains:
'I have done my best to show that there is no conflict between Bible & Science, Faith & Knowledge.  The 'Link' is missing, I said, because someone jumped the gun on Evolution & used sophisticated genetic engineering to upgrade a Homo erectus or Homo ergaster  ...​by mixing his genes with their advanced genes.  That 'someone' were the biblical Elohim (whom the Sumerian called Anunnaki) who came to Earth from their planet, Nibiru, fashioned The Adam, then took the Daughters of Man as wives.  That was possible, I explained, because life on their planet & on our planet is based on the same DNA.'"
"This theory, described as UFO spirituality, 'is no longer comprised only of small cults; it's a burgeoning movement' that is said to 'fill the spiritual needs' of an increasing cross-section of Americans who seek to find a way to harmonize their radical views of the environment with a higher form of spirituality."
​"In this view, it isn't Christ who will return to earth, but ancient extraterrestrials."
"...their true identity - fallen angels!"
"Alien seekers, by venerating these cosmic spirits & other-worldly guides, are opening a portal into their hearts & minds for fallen angels & demonic beings to divert their attention from the worship of the true Creator, Yahweh, the God of the Bible, & toward a complex web of deception & false doctrines.  By turning to these alternative beliefs, UFO spiritualists embrace a worldview that maligns biblical teaching & promotes a form of New Age Pagan idolatry.  They are drawn to these ideas by a quest for harmony & higher knowledge, seeking a spiritual connection, that isn't Christianity, that they perceive as transcending earthly limitations."
"Ignoring the numerous disastrously failed attempts over the past 100 years to implement socialism throughout the world, Pagan dreamers, like J. Posadas, would rather continue their fool's errand of chasing a global utopian homeostasis courtesy of insidious space demons than acknowledge their rebellious attitude toward God & accept the transformative hope & redemption offered through faith in Jesus Christ."
​"YIN & YANG"
"One common denominator among radical environmentalists, Pagan occultists, & UFO spiritualists is their shared sense of an approaching global cataclysmic event.  Atheistic scientists warn of 'errand asteroids, soaring superflares, & exploding super-novae,' as well as threats of food shortages, contaminated water, & the impact of 'when cows belch & fart.'  More esoteric Pagans speak of the death of the gods in the battle of Ragnarok, the Q'ero Inca Shamans' idea of Pachacuti, or earth-shaking.  UFO spiritualists, meanwhile, fear the disruption of cosmic harmony or the consequences of interstellar conflict."
"The glue, of course, that holds them all together is Marxist ideology."
"The result is fear, panic, & a 'sky-is-falling' mindset, that if not willingly reciprocated by those around them, leads to forced mandates & green policies designed to control the masses.  In this repressive framework, individuals are free to believe anything they want to believe, assuming it isn't Christianity."
"Whereas Christianity holds that eternal salvation is only found in Christ & that our present world is destined for destruction, Pagan practices, such as shamanism, witchcraft, or ancient alien theory, pumped full of Marxist dogma, seek to establish a new world order based on perceived ecological & social justice, striving for a balance that aligns with their vision of a harmonious existence - an unattainable utopian planet Earth."
​"...stringent regulations, such as onerous emissions standards or state-wide bans on gas stoves, & societal reorganization to mitigate perceived environmental harm, like minimizing meat consumption or restricting the use of personal vehicles.  Guided by the Hegelian idea of progress through conflict, a yin-yang dynamic develops among Pagans in power, through which 2 opposing forces become complementary &, in their minds, necessary for cosmic harmony."
"...consider Medium contributor Kenan Kolday's explanation:
'The yin yang also shows that within each thing there is the seed of its opposite.  For instance, a snowflake has the potential to become a drop of water which has the potential to become steam which has the potential to become a cloud.  Nothing is ever completely yin or yang, but rather a mixture of both in varying degrees.'"
"From a neo-Pagan perspective, this means that light contains darkness, & darkness contains light.  War contains peace, & peace contains war.  Standing as a blatant rejection of biblical truth, the concept of the yin & the yang defiantly disregards the testimony of John's first letter:
'This is the message we have heard from him & declare to you:  God is light, & there is absolutely no darkness in him.  If we say, 'We have fellowship with him,' & yet we walk in darkness, we are lying & are not practicing the truth.  If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, & the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.'"
"As John declares, in the light of God, there is no darkness, & those who dwell in darkness have no fellowship with the light.  Dismissing this truth, Pagan practitioners & Woke ideologues embrace a worldview that twists & distorts fundamental realities, like holiness, righteousness, & justice.  In their attempt to blend & reconcile opposites like yin & yang, they create a false dichotomy that rejects the absolute nature of divine truth.  This flawed perspective not only undermines the clear distinctions between light & darkness, good & evil, but also contributes to a broader cultural confusion about identity & morality."
"...today's most sinister form of witchcraft:  Transgenderism.  This new twisted element preposterously concludes that the male can exist within the female, & the female can exist within the male.  Through this, these modern witches cast their strongest spell, deluding humanity into believing they can become whatever they desire, no matter how perverted & crude."
Pagan Threat, by Lucas Miles, pgs. 47 - 66.

"1. A critical spirit is a great hindrance to profitable hearing.  2. A formal spirit is a great hindrance to profitable hearing.  3. The preparation of the heart is necessary to profitable hearing.  4. A teachable spirit is needful for profitable hearing.  5. Attention is necessary to profitable hearing.  (J. Kelly.)"
"I. THE HEARER SHOULD BE PREPARED AS WELL AS THE PREACHER."
"Worldly cares & preoccupations should be bidden to stand aside."
"II. THE PREPARED HEARER WILL HEAR ATTENTIVELY"
"III. THE PREPARED HEARER WILL NOT HEAR CENSORIOUSLY."
"To him shall be given."
"Hearing & doing should go together."
"...knowledge that never blossoms into character, shall by & by cease even to be knowledge."
"Having is using.  Not using is losing.  Idleness is paralysis."
"From him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have."
"THERE IS A SEEMING POSSESSION WHICH IS FALSE."
"TRUE POSSESSIONS TRULY USED EVER INCREASE, WHILE UNTRUE POSSESSIONS VANISH."
"To have the truths of God is to live in them & for them; to rise towards them, to grow in them, to learn somewhat more of God by them; it is to make them part of our lives constantly by day & by night"
"Vers. 19 - 21.  Then came to Him His mother & His brethren.​"
"The 2 families - the natural & the spiritual"
"...without repudiating the family relations on earth, He institutes & proclaims the family relations of heaven."
"The one is the grand Institute of Nature; the other the grand Institute of Grace."
"The first is the family for time; the second is the family for eternity."
"It is a sad thing for any of us to be called by His name, & not know Him."
"...our relation to God is infinitely nearer than any relation by nature.  (George Macdonald.)"
"The household of faith"
"No tie of blood can be closer than that by which He & they are connected.  It is an endearing connection.  Love wells out of it - reciprocal love."
"...even death cannot prevail against the bond by which Christ & His disciples are united.  He liveth for evermore, & so do they."
"'To as many as receive Him, to them gives He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His name.'"
"It is by faith that we enter the family of Jesus."
"Vers. 22 - 25.  He went into a ship with His disciples."
"The greater number of us, at some time in our lives, have known what it was to touch the last limit of our strength."
"None of us know what to pray for as we ought."
"In the face of the might of nature & the terror of her elements there rises up a Man in answer to man's cry - there is heard a Man's voice, which is yet the voice of God; & it rebukes the winds & the sea, & the elements of nature own their real Lord; & immediately there is a great calm."
"...God is Lord both of man & of nature"
"1. This miracle proved Jesus to be both God & man, & therefore able to save us from our sins.  2. This miracle proves that the Redeemer never forgets His people, though He sometimes appears to do so.  3. This miracle proves that the Redeemer will certainly deliver His people at last.  What should hinder Him? - not want of power, for He is 'the mighty God,'"
"...not want of knowledge, for He is infinitely wise to know how to save; not want of will, for He loves them & delights to help them.  4. This miracle proves that Jesus is a Being whom it is impiety & ruin to resist, but duty & happiness to obey.  (James Foote, M. A.)"
​"...if it is necessary to our safety that we have Jesus with us in crossing over, it is equally necessary to our calmness, our peace, our joy, that Jesus be awake in us.  It is in the storms of life that the all-sufficiency of Jesus comes out.  (F. Whitfield.)"
"And they launched forth."
"Dear friends, it hurts Jesus Christ when we shut Him out.  Mother, there are those boys of thine.  You have often asked the Lord to bless & save their souls, but thou art worrying thyself about what they are going to do in life.  The Lord Jesus Christ knows how to help them a great deal better than thou dost.  Ask Him to come in & guide thee & them.  Sir, thy Master understands your business better than thou dost.  Make him the head of the firm, & say 'Come in.'"
"...our Lord hath joy in stooping down & taking into His hand our poor little sorrows, & healing them & wiping our tears away, & watching the sunshine come back again.  Oh, how sorry Jesus is when you shut Him out, when you do not open the door to Him!"
"...we have never to speak twice before He hears.  The first time He is awake & listening, & there is a great calm.  (M. G. Pearse.)"
"Ver. 25.  Where is your faith?"
​"Do we believe?"
"Thou believest there is one God.  Thou doest well.  The devils also believe; nay more, they tremble."'
"Had we but faith as a grain of mustard seed we should remove the mountains which overshadow & threaten to fall on us.  (Archdeacon Farrar.)"
"Vers. 27 - 40.  A certain man who had devils long time."
"Observe the parallel that exists between this poor demoniac & the unconverted sinner.  I.  PREVIOUS TO CONVERSION.  1. Possessed by an unclean spirit.  2. Living among the dead.  3. Disordered in intellect.  4. His own tormentor.  5. In a state of utter destitution & wretchedness.  6. Beyond the power of human assistance or restraint.  II. AT CONVERSION.  1. The means employed:  the Word of Christ.  2. The influence exerted:  the almighty power of Christ.  3. The effect produced:  (1) The unclean spirit expelled.  (2) The naked one clothed.  (3) The wanderer sitting at the feet of Jesus.  (4) The maniac in his right mind.  III.  AFTER CONVERSION.  1. Desiring to remain with Jesus.  How natural - wishing to forsake all, in order to be near the Great Physician.  2. Christ's command, whatever it may be, is immediately obeyed.  (J. J. Rew, M. A.)"
​

"...how can a man walk on cheerfully in his way that hath a thorn sticking in his foot?  No less do these thorns cast men back in their way of obedience.  (Thomas Taylor, D. D.)"
"Ver . 8.  And other fell on good ground."
"It is called a good heart in 2 respects.  1. As emptied of bad qualities.  2. As well qualified by grace."
"A good heart resteth & rejoiceth in God as in the best & only portion (Psalms 73:25)."
"...A good heart prepares a room in it for Christ to dwell in (Ephesians 3:17)."
​"An honest heart is one that acknowledges its wrong."
"The acceptance of the remedy offered."
"Ver. 10.  Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God."
"A mystery, as the word is used in Scripture, is nothing more than an unknown thing.  It has no reference to anything obscure, or awful, or difficult to understand."
"...the disciples - that is, the learners - longed to know the whole meaning of the Saviour's lessons.  They heard the parables, & they sought the interpretation."
"The Holy Spirit they have resisted & repelled.  The avenues by which pure, Divine, holy truth might reach their hearts they have closed by the corruptions of the flesh, & the cares of the world."
"HIs words, read in the letter of Scripture, became much more than letter as you read them; they became spirit & life.  You felt their spiritual quickening power."
"The good seed in their hearts brought forth its own fruit in its season."
"We can seek wisdom, & seek it in the path of obedience."
"The Lord speaks, I say, in all His parables to wake up that power of life in us that makes a man put everything  aside & look up & feel that he has but to be, & he must be, he must be the thing that the Eternal Father made HIs child to be, else we are but the defective insect we may be born."
...when the word drops into the true heart, the true heart says, 'I must keep that..."
"Are we seeking Him as the business of life, or are we making money the business of life, & thinking of God now & then, sometimes?"
"The inner holies of God are fast concealed from those who will not come aright, with a heart of love & trust, but open to all who are willing to see & to hear.  (Christian Age.)"
"Ver. 11.  The seed is the Word of God."
"I. WHAT IS THE SEED TO BE SOWN?  The Word of God.  II. THE MANNER OR SPIRIT IN WHICH THE SEED IS TO BE SOWN.  1. With much prayer.  2. In simple faith upon God's promises.  3. In entire dependence upon the influences of the Holy Ghost.  4. In a spirit of love to Christ & the souls of men.  5. Not sparingly, but bountifully.  (J. Hatchard, A. M.)"
"Ver. 12.  Then cometh the devil."
"I. First observe the evil one's PUNCTUALITY."
"Whoever else may loiter, Satan never does."
"II. Notice his POWER."
"He has also acquired fresh cunning by long practice in his accursed business."
"III. HIS PURPOSE.  'Lest they should believe & be saved'  Satan takes away the Word out of their hearts.  (C. H. Spurgeon.)"
"...Let us admire & adore the grace of God which defeats the designs of Satan, & makes the Word effectual upon the hearts of multitudes, notwithstanding all the opposition it meets with.  (S. Stennett, D. D.)"
​"They make a great flame for a time like the crackling of thorns, but lo! the flame has soon expired, for they are not like the miraculous bush which burned, God dwells not in them.  (C. H. Spurgeon.)"
"Ver. 14.  And that which fell among thorns."
"...it is so hard to fix the boundary between a necessary attention to business & a sinful absorption in it."
​"It cannot be questioned that a pleasure, though not sinful in its character, may, in its general influence, be unfriendly to spiritual earnestness."
"Ver. 15.  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest & good heart, having heard the Word, keep it."
"The best ground brings no fruit unless it endure the plough, the harrow, the cold, the frost..."
"If you would hear the Word aright, be not only attentive, but retentive.  Lay the Word up in your memories & hearts.  'The seed on the good ground are they who, having heard the Word, keep it.'  The Greek word for 'keep' signifies 'to hold the Word fast, that it do not run from us.'"
"Many people have memories like leaky vessels - the Word goes out as fast as it comes in:  how, then, can it profit?"
​"How vain to hear much, but to retain little, & to practise less."
"Ver. 16.  No man, when he hath lighted a candle."
"...the best Christian is he who reflects most of Christ & least of self."
"Ver. 17.  For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest."
​"Ver. 18.  Take heed, therefore, how ye hear."
"THE INDIFFERENT HEARER."
"...THE CRITICAL HEARER."
"...CAPTIOUS HEARERS."
"Endeavour always to listen to the preaching of the gospel with a mind free from prejudice."
"Sermons should be heard with a desire to profit by them."
"Sermons should be heard with humble dependence on God's Holy Spirit, to open the understanding & to touch the heart."
"God does not speak to amuse our intellect, or to send to our hearts a sweet & figurative emotion.  He wants to restore us to the truth in every respect."
"He shows us, in the narrow path which proceeds from the cross, the way of returning to God & to be restored to our own."
"...God will not leave HIs pearls with swine"
"Few hear well.  There are not many good hearers..."
"Distractions:  Wanderings, rovings of mind, will, affections senses, caused by the cares of the world & lusts of the flesh; carefulness of other things make careless of the Word."
"Come with resolution to do whatever ye shall hear, to comply with the whole will of God without reserves."
"'The word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.'  (Hebrews 4:2)."
"...hear ATTENTIVELY, & WITH DISCRIMINATION & JUDGMENT."
"...hear on all occasions, WITH AN EARNEST DESIRE TO BE PERSONALLY BENEFITED.  (J. P. Dobson.)"
"Our hearing should be preceded, accompanied, & followed by earnest prayers for the Divine blessing."
"Cultivate an honest, impartial love to truth, & a meek, humble, candid, & teachable spirit."
"Hear the word with understanding & judgment."
"Hear with attention, seriousness, & solemnity of spirit."
"Wisely apply what you hear to your own case..."
"DIRECTIONS AFTER HEARING.  1. Endeavour to remember what you have heard.  ...2. Meditate, & expostulate with your hearts, upon what you have heard.  ...3. Converse with your fellow-Christians about what you have heard.  ...4. Reduce what you have heard to practice.  5. Often examine how you have heard & improved the Word.  6. If you have received any benefit by the Word, ascribe to God all the glory.  (J. Erskine, D. D.)"
The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 21 - 40.

"VER. 1.  He went throughout every city & village, preaching."
"The Greek word translated 'kingdom'...  being equally adapted to express both the terms 'reign' & 'kingdom.'"
"Vers. 2, 3.  And certain women. - Mary of Magdala"
"She was - 1. A GREAT SUFFERER HEALED BY CHRIST (Luke 8:2).  II. A GREAT MINISTRANT TO CHRIST (Luke 8:2, 3; Mark 15:41).  III. A FAITHFUL ADHERENT TO CHRIST.  She follows Him to the last, & is one of the women who played such a prominent part in connection with the death, burial, & resurrection of the Saviour (Mark 15:40; John 19:25).  IV. A SINCERE MOURNER FOR CHRIST (cf. Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47; John 20:1, 2, 11-18).  V. AN HONOURED MESSENGER OF CHRIST (John 20:17, 18; Mark 26:10).  (T.S. Dickson, M. A.)"
"Ver. 4.  He spake by a parable. - Nature & design of parables: - I. WHAT IS A PARABLE?  It is a mode of instruction founded on the resemblances or analogies between spiritual & natural objects or events."
"II. WHY DID THE LORD JESUS CHRIST TEACH BY PARABLES?  1. He designed to show the union between nature, human life, & the gospel."
"2. To unveil the mysteries of redemption.  3. To conceal the truth.  'That, seeing they might not see.'  He aimed again at avoiding a premature irritation of his enemies.  (E. N. Kirk.)"
​"...we learn that the responsibility of all heart-hardening under the gospel lies only upon the witnesses of the man whose heart has been hardened.  (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)"
"Vers. 4 - 15.  A Sower went out to sow his seed."
"I. BY THE WAYSIDE.  ...A hindrance, with many, occurs at the very outset."
"II. UPON A ROCK.  A class of hearers in whom there is some appearance of believing the gospel."
"III. AMONG THORNS."
"IV. ON GOOD GROUND.  ...Here is 'an honest & good heart.'"
"1. Are you a careless hearer?  2. Are you an unsteadfast hearer?  3. Are you a worldly-minded hearer?  4. Are you a faithful hearer?"
"As wonderful as the unfolding of a beautiful flower from an almost invisible seed is the unfolding of the depth & fulness of meaning that is in the smallest precept of Scripture."
"The 4 fields: - 1. On the hard field the seed can take no root."
"2. The seed which fell on the shallow field took root, & grew up very fast.  But there was no depth of soil, the seed was not well rooted, & so it quickly withered away, & brought no fruit."
"3. Some seed fell on the thorny field, where the weeds grew thickly & choked it."
"4. And last of all, there is the good field, where the seed grows & bears abundant fruit."
"I. THE HEEDLESS."
"II. THE HEARTLESS."
"III. THE BREATHLESS."
"IV. THE GUILELESS."
"Gospel truth is the incorruptible & immortal seed..."
​"Men do not perish, brethren, because there are not sufficient truths to save them."
"Ver. 5.  Some fell by the wayside."
"...they tread the seed under foot; that is, despise & undervalue it.  It is the careless hearer who understands not, nor attains."
​"Ver. 6.  And some fell upon a rock."
"This withering is a falling away, but not all at once, but by little & little, as a leaf loseth his greenness & flourish, & withers by degrees."
​"There lies in that heart the deep, dead, broad rock of impenitence & pride.  Into its compact substance no root of conviction, of repentance, of faith, of love, ever penetrated."
"Ver. 7.  And some fell among thorns."
"They cannot seek God with their whole heart, because their heart is always occupied, part at least, with some other object."
"...they wish to enjoy the glories of heaven, but they wish also to have all they can of the enjoyments of earth"
​"Thorns draw away the moisture which should preserve the plants in their growth & greenness; even so these inward lusts draw the heart from means of moisture & grace"
The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 1 - 20.

"Ver. 44.  Simon, seest thou this woman?"
"Spiritual tears are either tears of passion & contrition, as Matthew 26:75, or of compassion & devotion, as Jeremiah 9:1, 2; Luke 19."
"(1) Worldly tears are those which are occasioned merely for worldly losses.  Of these we read in Ezekiel 8:14; Hosea 7:14; Hebrews 7.  (2) Hypocritical tears are those which are produced from dissimulation & deceit.  Of these we read in Jeremiah 41:5, 6."
"Infernal tears are those shed by the damned in hell (Luke 8:28; Matthew 24:51; 25:30)."
"Wiped them with the hairs of her head: - 1. In true repentance there is a converting of those things which have been abused to the service of sin to the service of God."
"Seest thou this woman? - Simon had not seen the woman yet.  He had only seen the sinner."
"Thou poor blind Pharisee!  if love be the proof of forgiveness, how much hast thou, loving so little, been forgiven?  (S. D. Cox.)"
"Ver. 46.  My head with oil thou didst not anoint."
"Ver. 47.  Her sins, which are many, are forgiven."
"Though then thou hast been an egregious sinner & led a vicious life, defiling thy soul with many sins, yet suffer not thyself through Satan's malice to be plunged into the pit of despair;"
"For she loved much."
​"CHRIST HERE STANDS AS A MANIFESTATION OF THE DIVINE LOVE COMING FORTH AMONGST SINNERS."
"'Daughter, I know all about it - all thy wanderings & thy vile transgressions:  I know them all, & My love is mightier than all these.  They may be as the great sea, but My love is like the everlasting mountains whose roots go down beneath the ocean; & My love is like the everlasting heaven, whose brightness covers it all over.'"
"THIS WOMAN - THE PENITANT LOVINGLY RECOGNIZING THE DIVINE LOVE."
"...her love was the proof of her forgiveness."
"Love precedes all acceptable & faithful service.  If you want to do, love.  If you want to know, love."
"...THE UNLOVING & SELF-RIGHTEOUS MAN, ALL IGNORANT OF THE LOVE OF CHRIST."
"Gratitude in a living heart will not be stationary."
"Ver. 48.  Thy sins are forgiven."
"Pardon available for the greatest sinner..."
"Ver. 49.  Began to say within themselves."
"Ver. 50.  Thy faith hath saved thee."
"There is a faith that saves; it puts us into immediate & vital & permanent union with the Son of God."
"The woman was really saved through her faith.  Jesus Christ Himself did the saving work."
"When I exercise faith in a crucified Saviour, I put my guilty self into connection with His Divine self, my utter emptiness into connection with His infinite fulness."
"'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, & thou shalt be saved.  Not in Christianity, but on Christ.'"
"The highest exercise of reason is to trust what the Almighty has said, & to rely on what He has promised."
"It was a change of mind God-ward, & so was faith in God; & Christward, because it recognized in the Lord the Saviour from sin"
"She was attracted to the former guilty partners of her sin by unholy love; she was attracted to Christ by penitent, believing, hopeful, holy love."
"THE PRINCIPLE TO WHICH OUR LORD ATTRIBUTED HER SALVATION WAS HER FAITH."
​"In peace."
"That peace which our Saviour speaks of is true & sincere peace"
"External.  This is that peace we have with men for the time we live in this world (Romans 12:18)."
"Internal, which is the peace of conscience, proceeding from the assurance we have of God's favour through Christ."
"Eternal, which is that perfect rest & happiness, which the saints shall enjoy in heaven with God hereafter (Isaiah 57:2)."
"'there is no peace to the wicked, saith my God'  (Isaiah 57:21)."
"...a good conscience is very fearful of giving God the least offence."
The Biblical Illustrator, Baker, pgs. 728 - 740.