April 10, 2021 – 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: Saturday, April 10, 2021
Chapters: I Samuel 8-10
Message: My GOD and my KING

Hello My Friend,

I have been studying in my Civics class how the Constitution came into existence, there was so much corruption going on and no order, that it made the country weak and powerless against the enemy. The United States Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land, interestingly called a living document in that even though it was written over two hundred years ago, it has withstood the test of time. They have added some amendments to account for the abolishment of slavery and women’s rights, but no law can supersede it, and no one can change it. Sadly, the Constitution has gotten lost just as the Bible has, also a living document, there are not many people that know it, and those who do have gotten away with not following it. Even the Supreme Court has abused the Law to allow immoral and unethical practices that if the framers were alive today, would impeach most of Congress, the President, and Vice President. Why the history lesson? Well, if only the people who are voting in the corrupt politicians who destroying this country would learn what happened to Israel, then they might think twice about keeping them in office. This is a great reminder of what Jesus said, [Mark 3:24-25 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.]

That Bible quote was actually spoken by Abraham Lincoln, but since half the country has no idea what the truth is, his legacy has been destroyed. It is really sad to see how far our country has come in the last fifty years only to be going backwards. Then again, the one who is really in charge is God, and He is the one who allows the people to have what they want. Samuel judged Israel from the time he was of age until his death, he was now about fifty-four years old, his health may not have been the best so, he was unable to go to all the places as he did. He chose to remain in Ramah for the most part, and made his two sons judges over Israel to help him. Unfortunately, Samuel’s sons got caught up in the money. The elders confronted Samuel about this.

[1 Samuel 8:4–7,9-10 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. 7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.]

[now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.] When I was reading these chapters, this verse came to mind, [Psalms 5:2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.] Israel, and neither is America like all the other nations, believe it or not, God has been over this nation just as He does Israel. While we who know the truth and live by it have to suffer with what is going on, our King and our God is in control and will protect us through it all. So many people vote these corrupt politicians in in the first place because they are good at reeling the people in with promises of getting the things they need for free without having to lift a finger to get them. What ends up happening, as many are finding out right now, is they end up actually becoming servants of the government, and oppressed as they become the property of them. Samuel lists all that things that will be required of them if they choose to have an earthly king over them.

[1 Samuel 8:11-18 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.]

[and the LORD will not hear you in that day.] Do you see all those evil protests that are still out in the streets after the people manipulated their way into getting these politicians in office? Do you see all the oppression in these states that have such terrible mandates? Do you see all the racial tension that this country has fought so hard to overcome? Do you also see how misinformed and misled the people are, which led to all this to begin with? Well, you get what you ask for, and if you are going to remove the very foundations that withstood the test of time and reject God, then He will reject you, [Titus 1:15-16 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.]

If there is one thing about God that we should know by now, it is that He is different. And since He is different we who choose Him are to be different as well, we are not to be like the world, but like God. Now, Samuel did not like that idea at all, he felt rejected, but God knew what it all was really about. He answers Samuel’s prayer, and actually told him to grant their request. However, if they wanted a king, God was going to be the one to choose him, and He chose a very handsome and tall man, name Saul.

[1 Samuel 9:1-2,9,5-17,27 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) 15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. 17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people. 27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.]

[for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.] Notice that capitalization of the words here. The man of God, the one who had the visions and knowledge of God was known as the one who was favored with those visions of future events. The Prophet, God’s Prophet, happens to be our King and our God, and He is Jesus Christ. When the people who heard of all the miracles Jesus performed and the disciples saw them first hand, He was not concerning about who the people thought He is, He was concerned about who they thought He is. Whether we believe in who He is or not, He is still in control, and all will bow down to Him, we might as well accept Him now, because there will be hell to pay for those who deny Him, [Matthew 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.]

[that I may shew thee the word of God.] Remember, God will only reveal Himself to those who are willing to come to Him. I love it when someone is attentive to hearing what God has to say, and I grieve for those who do not. I can only imagine how God feels when He hears people say that they do not want to hear what He has to say to them. Now, Saul followed Samuel and something kind of weird happened, Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his head.

[1 Samuel 10:1,3-7 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? 3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: 4 And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands. 5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.]

[and shalt be turned into another man.] There is nothing more powerful than to receive Christ as your Saviour, King and God. Jesus literally turns you into another creature, and no, it is not a misprint when the Bible says that we new creatures, [2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.]

[Creature; 1. A human being, in contempt; as an idle creature; a poor creature. 2. A person who owes his rise and fortune to another; one who is made to be what he is.] Before we know Christ as our Saviour we are in contempt, an idle, and poor creature, but the second we receive Him, we become new, we will rise with our King and our God, we will be made into the very image of God. There should be great evidence that Christ is in us as He renews and transforms our very existence into one that reflects Him, those who do not, well, perhaps they need to rethink their salvation. Are we at all a part of all this corruption that is going on? Have we done anything to show Christ through this mess, or have just sat idle, waiting for someone else to do something? They are the ones who demand the ruler that the rest of the world has, and they will learn the hard way what happens when they put their trust in the earthly rulers and not the KING of kings. Now, Samuel gathers all the people, ready to reveal to them who their king would be, but Saul was no where to be found.

[1 Samuel 10:17,19,21-25 And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; 19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands. 21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. 23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king. 25 Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.]

[he could not be found.] The biggest, tallest man in all the nation of Israel and he is hiding out of fear. Of course, they found him, actually God was the one who pointed out where he was. Did you know that those who are anointed with the blood of Christ cannot hide themselves, they stick out, are found out, and their names are written in a book? The book has a name and is called the Book of Life, [Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.] Every name of every soul that ever received Christ from Adam is written in that book. So, how can Adam’s name be written in the book when he had not known Christ? His faith, as well as every other believer, in God telling them that He was going to send Him is what saved them, [Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.]

Man puts their trust in man to save them, and let me tell you, they are the first to reject man also. Saul was pretty scared to stand before the congregation, in fact, he went back home and started working on the farm again after they were yelling, “God save the king!”. While there, Ammon rebelled and wanted to start a nation of their own, with a price, and a war was about to take place. However, with Saul’s new heart he was able to communicate with God, and be the king He anointed him to be.

[1 Samuel 11:1,3,5-7,12-13 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. 3 And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days’ respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee. 5 And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh. 6 And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. 7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. 12 And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death. 13 And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.]

[for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.] The second we receive Jesus as our Saviour we are saved from death, the second death that is, that is unless He returns in our lifetime and we are raptured out of here. Nevertheless, our true King will stand before His throne and judge each and every one of us, we who are saved, are the minority, the elect, the few, who honor and respect Him as our King today. When the world comes to an end and everyone is scrambling, we will be carried to safety to await our new and permanent home, while the rest of them will be judge out of what I call the book of the dead, [Revelation 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.]

Jesus Christ Magnified: [1 Samuel 9:9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)]

Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for the freewill to decide how I believe and what I want to do with my life. Thank You for changing my heart and making me a new creature the second I accepted You as my Saviour. You are my KING and my GOD, and I will forever be thankful for You taking my place on the cross. You saw something in me before I was even born that, You knew I would find You, You watched over me, protected me through my crazy pursuits, and yet was willing to accept me as I am once I was ready to fully accept You. Lord, Lead me and guide me, give me Your power, Your strength, mercy, and grace to live in Your will. Open my heart completely to let You rule every area of my life, put Your hedge of protection around me as our nation gets more corrupt by the day. Let me not sit idle and watch them make a mockery out of You, but boldly proclaim You and pledge to be one nation under God. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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