King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 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.]
Date: Friday, October 01, 2021
Chapters: Luke 1, John 1:1-14
Message: Most Excellent Theophilus
Hello My Friend,
When I was praying this morning, I praised God for opening my heart up to Him as I do every morning prayer, then it occurred to me how He gives all a heart for Him from conception, but most turn it away from Him by the time they are adults. That made me really sad at the thought of so many souls in hell, even though there are a multitude of believers in heaven there are multitudes more in hell. Then God had given me the reality of why they are, [Romans 1:28-31 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:]
Does any of what God describes as a reprobate sound familiar to you? Something actually hit me hard yesterday after reading Malachi, the Church is so broken and needs to mend itself so it can get back to preaching the Gospel. So many people are caught up in this Covid stuff and lost touch with the fact that no matter what you do when it is your appointed time your time to die, nothing will prevent that. We cannot save everybody, but we can make sure that everybody come in contact with hears the Gospel. Sadly, many will not accept it because they cannot see what is going on right before their eyes, [Matthew 13:14-16 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.]
Each of the four Gospels, has a particular audience it addresses as well as how it addresses Jesus. The Book of Luke, written by Luke, between 63 and 68 AD, the timeline for these events took place approximately between 4BC and 33 AD, and it was addressed to the Greeks, hence the name, Theophilus, of whom Jesus is presented as the perfect man. The purpose of the book was to give an orderly account of Jesus from birth to show that He is the promised Messiah, descending through the lineage of David and also to give an account to the Scriptures regarding John the Baptist, the forerunner for Jesus. What we are to learn from the book is that nothing is impossible for God as long as you believe in Him, [Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.]
Luke, who also wrote the Book of Acts, treasured the words that Jesus spoke as well as everything else that concerned the Saviour’s life. As one of the twelve disciples that walked with Him during His entire ministry, he actually begins His testimony with a dedication, [Luke 1:1-3 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,]
[most excellent Theophilus,] [Theophilus; friend of God; a Christian] Luke is not dedicating this to one person, rather, every saved, born again believer, and receiver of Christ, who Jesus calls His friend, [John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.]. Luke does not start with the testimony of the birth of Jesus, rather John, who would become the forerunner that Malachi spoke about. John was born to a couple named Zacharias’ and Elisabeth. Zacharias was actually a priest in the temple, it was his job to keep the incense burning on the altar of incense. He and his wife were quite up in age, and had no children. One day, he was beside the Altar of Incense when someone appeared to him.
[Luke 1:5-11 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.]
[And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord] Now, this was not Jesus as he would often appear as, this was actually as angel, Gabriel, and he had a rather interesting message for him, [Luke 1:13-17 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.]
[him in the spirit and power of Elias,] Remember, we read about this yesterday? So, the prophecy spoken by Malachi about a messenger coming to prepare the world for Jesus, was now coming to pass. This is probably why it scared Zacharias half to death as no one had heard a peep from God in over four hundred years. He actually had a hard to believing it, which did get him into a bit of trouble, [Luke 1:18-20,24 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,]
[thou shalt be dumb,] Until John was born, Zacharias was mute. Do you see how God still used Zacharias even though he did not believe it was possible for his wife to have a baby? While he could not speak until the baby was born, God never gave up on him because he was still faithful to Him. Sometimes we need infirmities in order for God to work through us, [John 9:2-3 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.]
Zacharias was not the only one to get a visit from Gabriel, six months later, a young lady by the name of Mary received a visit from him also, [Luke 1:26-29 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.]
[what manner of salutation this should be.] So, here she is, this man shows up and tells her that she is highly favored with God. Forget the fact that men did not converse with women back then, but when he said that to her, she felt quite troubled. Nevertheless, Gabriel saw the fear in her eyes and repeated what he had said, only added to the reason why he said that she was favored with God, [Luke 1:30-34 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?]
[for thou hast found favour with God.] [Favor; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude): – acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace (-ious), joy liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).] It truly is amazing when you look up the meaning of the work through the Strong Numbers, We must understand, and even Mary understood this, which is why she was troubled with Gabriel told her that she had favor with God, she was not without sin. She sinned like the rest of God’s faithful, but she was repentant and believed every word that Gabriel spoke by her faith in God. And God has favor with every believer, who has faith in Him, [Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.]
[How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?] Much to her surprise since she was a virgin, and only engaged to be married she obviously questioned how she could be having a baby, [Luke 1:35-38 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.]
[be it unto me according to thy word.] Unlike Zacharias, Mary did believe Gabriel right away after he had told her how it was possible that she would have a baby through God. We need to get a mental picture of what is taking place, this is a time when there were no prophets speaking, it has been centuries since God spoke to anyone, let alone an angel showing up. So, anyone who believed in and accepted God’s Word did so like we do today, they read the Scriptures, obeyed them by faith, and received them. And Mary did not waste any time after Gabriel left, she rushed over to see Elisabeth, and something incredible happened as soon as she walked in the house and spoke to Elisabeth.
[Luke 1:41-45 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.]
[and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:] That instantly, when Jesus was barely in Mary’s womb, Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and so was Elisabeth. That is what Jesus does to those who have faith in Him, they did not need to see Him, their faith saved them. [And blessed is she that believed:] Mary, not only believed, she accepted God’s calling for her, and praised God for using her, [Luke 1:46-50-55, And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.]
[He hath holpen his servant Israel,] [Holpen; to take hold of in turn, that is, succor; also to participate: help, partaker support.] Mary knew from the Scriptures that God was going to send someone to redeem Israel, little did she realize that she would be used to achieve this. Now, the time had come, Elisabeth had given birth to a beautiful baby boy, but guess what, thanks to their family members who would have a fit if the eldest boy was not given the fathers name, a debate started when the day came to dedicate the child.
[Luke 1:59-66 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.]
[What manner of child shall this be!] These people were shocked to hear Zacharias speaking, let alone say that his son would be named John, they immediately knew something was different. Interestingly, as soon as Zacharias had written the name John, he too was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking of the prophecy that Malachi had spoken, he too, read the Scriptures and little did he realize all those years that his very own son would be the forerunner for Jesus.
[Luke 1:67-71,76-79 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.]
[To give light to them that sit in darkness] Can you imagine being the one to prepare the Jews for the first coming of Christ? That was exactly what John was called to do for God, ad He too did it by faith. He would be the one who would shine the light of the Gospel, even before Jesus would begin His ministry. The Book of John was written by John, not the Baptist, a mere disciple of Jesus, between 85 and 90 AD, these events also took place approximately between 4BC and 33 AD, and it is addressed to both Jews and Gentiles. Of whom Jesus is presented as the Son of God. The purpose of this book was to show All that Jesus is not only the Messiah, but the Son of God, and only way to eternal life. What we are to learn from the book is Jesus is the Christ, the only way to God and everlasting life, [John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.]
[John 1:6-14 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.]
[and the world knew him not.] Yes, the very man that walked the earth just like you and I is the very man who created the world and everything on it, and the world never knew Him when He did. Yes, God Himself loved His human creation so much that He came here in the form of man to give His life to all who receive Him. The key in not in believing who God is for Jesus for that matter, it is about accepting it and receiving it. In other words, faith without works is dead, most excellent Theophilus, [James 2:18-19,23-24 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.]
Today’s Prayer: God, It is often said that seeing is believing, well, I for one know that to be true, but not as the world would see, but as You would see. I may not have seen Your Son in person the day I believed in Him, but I have seen what Your Son has done in my life since making Him my Saviour. Just like the miracle of birth, You created another miracle in my spiritual birth, and while I may not always understand Your ways, I do understand that You love me so much, that Your only option to save me was to give Your own life through Your Son. Today, I do not want to ask You for anything, I just to thank You and praise You for being my God, my Father, and my Saviour. I pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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