December 27, 2020 – I'm Following Jesus

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: Sunday, December 27, 2020
Chapters: Revelation 1-3
Message: Remain Zealous And Repentant

Hello My Friend,

The believer of Jesus Christ and all that He is might be the worse offender, but there is one thing that we all have in common that no one in the world will ever have, and that is eternal life through Christ. And because we are all united together by one faith we are given the same promise no matter how many times we fail Him. Why? We are save by our faith and not of our works. Praise God! Now, that does not mean that God is pleased with the way we are conducting ourselves as His children, He will rebuke and chasten us. Why? Well, think about it, we are saved by grace alone, once we leave the earth we will have no more pain, sorrow, or even death. Therefore, God is not going to let His children live ungodly and immoral lives and not suffer for it, [Revelation 3:19-21 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.]

[be zealous therefore, and repent.] Zealous means to be warm and inviting to Christ, and repent, that means to feel deep sorrow for having failed Him due to sin. Let me tell you, we will never be sin free until we get to heaven, but we do need to be zealous and repentant when we do. The Book of Revelation was written about 94AD, by John, and is addressed to the seven churches in Asia, and all believers. The purpose of the book is to give assurance of Christ’s return and be prepared of His judgment. What we are to learn from the book is that God always does what He says, judgment is coming to the living and dead, and only those who’s names are are written in the Book of life will escape Judgment Day. The book, begins with the revelation, or the act of disclosing what is to come when Jesus returns. Since judgment always begins with the house of God first, Jesus is starting with a warning to the seven churches of Asia, which by the way, every church today, including masques and synagogues, has evolved from one of these.

[Revelation 1:1-5,7 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: 2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.]

[Behold, he cometh with clouds;] Jesus is not going to be the meek and mild man that He was when He came here the first time, He is coming as the Almighty KING, and everyone will know who He is, both Jews and Gentiles. Revelation gives us a description of what Jesus will look like and if you read Ezekiel it gives a similar description as well, and something else is revealed, seven candlesticks, which are the seven original churches.

[Revelation 1:13,16-20 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.]

[and have the keys of hell and of death.] Jesus, who is God in the flesh, is the sole possessor of the keys of death and hell, that means, no one, not even Satan, can send someone to hell, and by the way, Jesus does not either, man does that by their choice to reject Him. Again, every house of worship that we see today comes from one of these seven churches, and if they think that God is not watching how they are ruining His Church, they better think again, they are given a warning, repent. Jesus begins with the Church of Ephesus. The church of Ephesus was planted by the apostle Paul (Acts 19), and afterwards governed by John.

[Revelation 2:2-4,7 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.]

[because thou hast left thy first love.] You know, we can identify ourselves with one of these churches. How many people since this pandemic have stopped serving God? That number is staggering, and while much of it has to do with many of the churches being forced to remain shut, some of it comes from our own lack of zeal. I will admit that I am guilty of this, not that I could control the fact that my church has pretty much eliminated their ministries during all this, but my zeal for serving God in the church has lessened. I vow that this next year is not going to be like this, I will get back to serving God as He instructs me because there are people counting on me. Now, Jesus addresses the Church of Smyrna was the nearest city to Ephesus, it is situated on lower ground than the ancient city, and was about forty-five miles northward of Ephesus.

[Revelation 2:8-9,11 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.]

[He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.] That second death, which is being cast into the lake of fire for eternity, is what takes place when Jesus judges the people who are not saved, they will be resurrected, just like the saved will be, only they will actually see a replay of every sin they committed and including they times when they had the opportunity to be saved, but rejected Christ. All who are saved will be judged too, but our judgment is not the same, we will not face the second death, we will be judged according to what we did for Christ after we got saved. Now, the Jesus addresses the Church of Pergamos, now Bergamo, it was the ancient metropolis of Mysia, and the residence of the Attalian kings, and is situated on the river Caicus, about sixty miles north of Smyrna.

[Revelation 2:12–14,17 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; 13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. 14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.]

[and in the stone a new name written,] The hidden manna is the influences and comforts of the Spirit of Christ in holy communion with him, coming down from heaven into the soul, and is hidden from the rest of the world. The white stone, with a new name engraved upon it is the absolution from the guilt of sin, alluding to the ancient custom of giving a white stone to those acquitted on trial and a black stone to those condemned. A new name is given, and it is the name of adoption, adopted persons took the name of the family into which they were adopted, believers are given a new name that Jesus gives them Himself. Now, we come to the Church of Thyatira which was in a city of the proconsular Asia, bordering upon Mysia on the north and Lydia on the south, a town of trade.

[Revelation 2:18-25 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; 19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. 20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. 22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. 24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.]

[and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.] Do you see how it says that Jesus will give them according to the works of the church? Ignorance saves no one, if they trusted their religion, they will end up in hell if they do not repent of that false religion, and turn to Christ. [I will put upon you none other burden.] This is why I believe that we are judged before we get to heaven. Those who are saved and refuse to turn away from living a sinful life will spend the rest of their lives in pain unless they repent or suffer so much in their sin that God sees they have had enough pain and is time to go home. [But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.] Whatever trials and tribulations you face for your faith, keep your faith in Christ until the day He brings you home. You see, while no saved, born again Christian can lose their salvation, even if they live a life of sin, we must believe that until our last breath or we will not be saved from the second death, [Matthew 24:12-13 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.]

Now, Jesus addresses the Church of Sardis, which was an ancient city of Lydia, on the banks of the mountain Tmolus, said to have been the chief city of Asia the Less, and the first city in that part of the world that was converted by the preaching of John. [Revelation 3:1-3 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.]

[that thou livest, and art dead.] This is a prime example of the Catholic church. Thousands of churches teach salvation by grace, but never preach repentance, meaning never show how to be saved through Christ, and quite frankly have no idea how to be saved themselves. You can believe in the Gospel all you want, but unless you receive Christ as Your Saviour, meaning admit You are a sinner, believe that He died to save you from the punishment of sin (death and hell), and ask Him to save You, fully believing by faith, then you are not saved, [Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.]

[I will come on thee as a thief,] Jesus will return when we least expect it, those who are dead in their sin will not know what will hit them, but those who are alive in Christ will have their names written in the Book of Life. Now, we come to the Church of Philadelphia, this also was a city in Asia Minor, seated upon the borders of Mysia and Lydia, and had its name from that brotherly love for which it was eminent, who were prominently saved Jews. They were the most faithful of all the churches in regards to following the Gospel.

[Revelation 3:7-8,10-12 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.]

[I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,] Temptation, meaning turn away from our faith. When we are faithful after we are saved, Jesus protects us, He will not even allow us to get near the temptation to seek other religions. We cannot have both, Jesus and the world, we must choose one way or the other, and if we are saved and choose the world, we will suffer, and perhaps even die in our sin, which brings us to the Church of Laodicea. This was a once famous city near the river Lycus, had a wall of vast compass, and three marble theatres, and, like Rome, was built on seven hills. They had the worse sins of the seven, lukewarm faith.

[Revelation 3:14-18 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.]

[and have need of nothing;] Do you see what happens when the saved have everything, but lack a relationship with Christ? This is often why God keeps us living each day by our daily bread. The more we get in our own works the less we seek Christ to get the things we have need of. That is when we become lukewarm, and this is the worse sin of all. God rather have us confess our sin daily than walking around as though we have no sin at all, [1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.]

Today’s Prayer: God, You have given us the key to open the door to a life that is satisfying to the body, soul, and spirit. That key is Jesus Christ, and while we know we are saved just by believing in and accepting Him as our Saviour, no joy on earth comes more than being a witness for Him. As the circumstances in our lives drain us of that joy and keep us from our first love, they also drain us from the joy of life itself, even when serving You. Lord, touch every heart, comfort every grieving and battered soul, ease every worried mind, and give them the peace that only You can give them as they endure this life, and take the crown that You have waiting for them through their patience and faith. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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