King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Chapters: Jeremiah 26-29
Message: Get Under The Yoke of Christ
Hello My Friend,
Yoke; A chain; a link; a bond of connection; service. I have never been a person who is clingy, of course, there are times that I would like to be embraced, but to constantly have someone clinging to me is suffocating to me. Even a chain or collar around my neck can feel the same way, but if there is one thing I have learned since dedicating my life to Christ, it is this. Without Christ leading me, walking with me, carrying me, and following behind me, I would suffocate in this world. We need to be under the yoke of Christ at all times for He is the only one who can protect and shield us, not only from the outside world, but our own. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30.
“For my yoke is easy,” There is no greater freedom than clinging to Jesus, by serving Him, only the world sees this as suffocating. By now, Nebuchadnezzar’s men were invading Jerusalem, taking many of the Jews into Babylon, the leaders, priests, and prophets were scrambling around trying to find a way out of this, but the only way out was to let them take them into Babylon. Of course, they did not take too kindly to the news, and wanted to capture and kill Jeremiah for spreading such lies, but interestingly someone came to his defense.
“When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king’s house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD’S house. Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.” – Jeremiah 26:10-16.
“and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.” Keep in mind that while the judgment stood, as God was still going to allow Judah to be destroyed because it was evil, they would only be in it if they refused to listen and be taken into Babylon. We may not always like where God sends us to keep us from being in the midst of His judgment, but as long as we are under His yoke we will be safe, and even blessed. This message was not only for the Jews, it was for every nation in the country of Israel. God sent Jeremiah to all the nations with a yoke around his neck to tell them that they were about to be yoked under Nebuchadnezzar.
“And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.” – Jeremiah 27:3-8.
“will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon,” War, famine, disease, these are all things that are in, and coming to every nation that refuses to get their neck under the yoke of Christ. We do not want to loosen our grip on Jesus because without Him we will be suffocating in all of it. Christ sets us free from hell when we put our soul under His yoke, and will set us free from every burden that will come our way through our faith as long as we stay under His yoke. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:1,13-16.
“take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.” There is more strife among save, born again Christians then there is of the lost. This is because there is always someone who wants to get the glory and say, as in the words of Satan, “Ye, shall not surely die.” Just as Jeremiah finishes talking here comes a false prophet Hananiah, trying to show himself up by going up to Jeremiah, speaking a false prophecy, and breaking the yoke off his neck.
“Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD’S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place. Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people; Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it. And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.” – Jeremiah 28:2-3,6-7,10-11,15-17.
“The LORD hath not sent thee;” If you are being taught anything but, the Gospel of Christ, if you are being taught anything but, “Thus saith the LORD”, if you are being taught anything, but the resurrection of all Christ’s saints, if you are being taught anything but, Christ returning and His judgment upon all the earth, then you are not under the yoke of Christ. God has not sent one saved soul to preach against His Word, anyone preaches anything else are liars and they shall surely die. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” – Revelation 21:8.
“But the fearful, and unbelieving,” Remember, ignorance saves no one, neither does fear, we must believe in Christ if we want to be saved from judgment. And by the way, while many will blame and reject Christ because they believe He is the cause of all the war, disease, and famine, they are the ones causing all this over the very things that will send them to hell. Some people will never learn that rebellion does nothing, but send them to hell. Look at the fate of the devil for his causing all of mankind to fall, he too will take his part in the lake of fire. We must understand that the only place to be right now and beyond this life is under the yoke of Christ. He will protect and shield us from the evils of this world, even if He has to send us out of the comforts of our homes. Although God was sending the Jews into Babylon, He assures them that they will be safe there, to be at peace, and do the things they would normally do, and after the judgment is over, they will be able to return home.
“Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:5-8,10-13.
“to give you an expected end.” We have an expected end to all the pain and suffering we deal with in this life, but it is no end for the saved, born again believer. After we have spent our time in captivity to the earth, we will be able to return home to our promised land. This is not our home! Amen! While we are here, God expects us to do the same thing, build houses, plant gardens, get married, have children, preach the Gospel, so that we may not decrease or diminish. Seek peace through Jesus, get under His yoke, and we too will have an expected end. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” – Revelation 21:4. Amen!
Jesus Christ Magnified: “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” – Jeremiah 29:13-14.
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, I know I am not perfect, I know I am going to make lots of mistakes, even when I am clung tight to You. Lord, lead me and guide me, put Your hedge of protection around me and shield me from the evils of this world until You bring me home. Give me Your power, wisdom, mercy and grace to follow in Your footsteps, and stay under Your yoke while You have me here, let me not be tempted to turn to the right or left, but keep my eyes on You. Help me heed and listen for the warnings as I serve You, knowing that no matter where You take me, it will lead me to where You want me to be. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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