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 08, 2021
Chapters: John 5, Matthew 12, Mark 3
Message: Search The Scriptures
Hello My Friend,
I have been struggling with some things this entire year, since last October actually. God has shown me some things that I really did not want to see, but He really had to let me see them in order for Him to open my eyes to the truth. Did you ever wonder how your heart can change toward someone so quickly? I am not talking about Christ love, I am talking about the humanly love. God actually showed me that how we as Christians love someone is based on their love for Him. Yes, those who truly love God, love Jesus just the same, and when we see their love for God it brings out our humanly love for them. When we find out that the one we come to love does not have the same love toward God, it changes our own heart toward them. Not everyone who says they love God does, nor are those who say they have received Christ saved. Jesus knows who are true, even though we may be fooled, Jesus always calls out the impostors for who they are. And it all comes down to how they receive His Word, [John 5:39-42 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. 41 I receive not honour from men. 42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.]
Those who truly have the love of God in them not only want to search the Scriptures, they believe all of them. As we continue in reading through the Gospels, we come to the knowledge that the Pharisees and Scribes were very good at “pointing out the Law”, but very bad at knowing the actual Scriptures. They loved to press Jesus about the Law, especially concerning the Sabbath. Sabbath’s were not always on Saturday, whenever there was a feast they treated those days as Sabbath’s. A few days after the Passover it the day of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), Jesus went back up to Jerusalem and saw a man at the pool of Bethesda. This where people desperate to be healed of their infirmities would flock for a chance in a million to be healed.
[John 5:2–8 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.]
[another steppeth down before me.] Now, I imagine there were quite a few people hanging around this pool, so desperate for a cure. I think about my having Celiac and how much pain I am in right now because I had eaten something that was processed, the thought does cross my mind as to why I cannot just eat what I want. Then again, not everything we do is good for us, but that is for another lesson. Not one person was willing to help the man, only thinking of themselves. Well, the love of Christ actually does bring us to not think of ourselves so much, but others, even though we may never see them do anything in return, [Galatians 6:1-2 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.]
Now, when this man came running through town carrying his stretcher, it caused a big stir among the Jews, since it was the Sabbath. How dare this man be carrying the bed that he must have had someone carry him on at one point to even be laying by the pool. When they confronted the man about why we was carrying it on the Sabbath, instead of praising God, he actually told him that it was the man who healed him that told him to do it. Well, little did he know that the man that healed him would show up in the temple.
[John 5:14-19 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.]
[lest a worse thing come unto thee.] You see, Jesus actually does heal each and every person who gets healed or cured of their diseased. However, very few actually believe that it is Him and receive Him, which is why Jesus said what He did. You cannot be touched by the hand of God, and expect anything good to come out of it if you refuse to accept that it is Him. In fact, Jesus flat out tells them what the worse thing to come to them would be, [John 5:25-29 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.]
[and they that hear shall live.] These all self righteous thinking, Law abiding thinking fools, thought that they knew the Scriptures and the Law, little did they realize that their beliefs were leading them straight to hell. That did not stop them from trying to catch Him doing something that would discredit Him. On yet another Sabbath, Jesus and the disciples were near a field of corn and decided to grab a few to eat, [Matthew 12:2-8 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.]
[Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful] Notice that they did not say that Jesus was breaking the Law, which was not the Law of Moses, rather their own law. Being in the corn-fields, the disciples began to pluck the ears of corn, which the Law actually allowed, [Deuteronomy 23:25 When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn.]. Christ came to set His believers from not only from these corrupted false religions, but from their rules that are not one bit scriptural. In fact, any by laws given by the churches must not contradict Scripture. And since Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath, it is fitting that the day that any work be done on it should be dedicated to Him.
[But if ye had known what this meaneth,] Of course, Jesus was referring to Himself when He said that there is one greater than the temple, and surely if they had honestly searched the Scriptures, they would have know the Law, and that Jesus was also referring to this Scripture, [Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.]
You know, Jesus often did things to instigate the Jews, not to provoke them, but to see if any would open their hearts and believe. On yet again, on the Sabbath, He entered in a synagogue and walked up to a man with a cripple hand, [Matthew 12:10-15 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. 11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. 15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;]
[he went into their synagogue:] Notice, that Matthew points out that was their synagogue. Jesus was actually angry at how hardhearted they were. He knew who these people were, that they were only out to destroy Him, and yet when He walked out of there, many who truly did believe came to Him and He healed them all, [Matthew 12:17-21 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.]
[till he send forth judgment unto victory.] A bruised reed, meaning, a convinced sinner, one that is bruised with the weight of sin upon their soul. Smoking flax, meaning one that has the least good desire, the faintest spark of grace, that is until Jesus sends forth judgment unto victory. In other words, once He gives His sinless life, and resurrects three days later, there will be victory in judgment for every believer, [1 Corinthians 15:55-57 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.]
Sin takes one to a level that is beyond recognizable, when it takes over the one it is subject to. In fact, friends and family will see it before you do, and Jesus is the only cure. That is another thing that religion will not do, tell you that Jesus is the only cure. And those who do will tell you that Jesus can save you, will tell you that He is in addition to. Jesus went back home to Capernaum for a bit, it was there that Mark gives an account to Jesus ordaining the twelve disciples that would walk with Him for the next three and a half years, also pointing out that Judas Iscariot was among them, but something else happened.
[Mark 3:14-21 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: 16 And Simon he surnamed Peter; 17 And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18 And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house. 20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.]
[And when his friends heard of it,] The Pharisees just knew that if they watched Jesus long enough they would find something to convict Him on. As He was speaking someone brought to Him a man possessed, in which when Jesus touched him and he was instantly cured. People were coming from all over to be healed by Jesus, but when they noticed that He started casting out the evil spirits in some of them, they accused Him of being the one with the unclean spirit. Jesus calls them out as only He would do.
[Mark 3:23-29 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 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. 26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. 27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. 28 Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29 But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation:]
[But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost] I have read through the Gospels dozens of times and for the first time am now understanding what Jesus meant by it. When they were accusing Jesus of being the son of the devil, they literally were blaspheming the Holy Spirit for the fact that He is the one who enters a soul, giving life to it. The second we accept Jesus as our Saviour the Holy Spirit literally comes in, and Satan loses the ability to be able to posses that soul. Someone asked at the prayer meeting why someone can commit such evil acts, I kept thinking about the fact that Satan is the one controlling these people. Those who truly love God do not need the Scriptures to know that He is God, they use them to know how He wants them to live. Jesus goes on to tell us that it is our heart that proves who we really are, which is actually in Matthew as well.
[Matthew 12:35-40 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.]
[An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign;] [Idle; Useless; vain; ineffectual.] Useless words of no profit, they are often brought on by religious people who do not even follow their own rules themselves, but every idle word will be judged by Christ. Those who search the Scriptures and believe in them, do not need to physically see a sign that they are justified through their faith in Christ, they know they are justified by their faith alone. True Christians live godly lives, not because it is required by the law, but because they want to please God. We are not perfect, we are all sinners and have something that we need to work on, that is why we need to embrace God’s gift of eternal life, not put it to the side like some gift we have no use for. It’s not about following a set of rules, it’s about living to please God and no one else, [Galatians 5:13-14 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.]
And here we are right back to loving as Christ and not of our own humanly love. And let me tell you, you will never understand how you can love someone as Christ until He places you in a situation that teaches it to you. There is something else that I learned today for the first time, since Jesus was close to home his mother wanted to visit with Him and even brought the family, notice how Matthew words it, [Matthew 12:46-50 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.]
[And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples,] Not all of His earthly half brothers and sisters actually believed in Him at that time, of course, His mother did, but it was not his family that he was reaching out to that He calls His family, it was His disciples. He does include His family, but He is tells us that those who believe in Him are His family. An amazing thing happens the second we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we not only get to be with God, avoid hell, and are pardoned of our sins, we become joint heirs with Jesus, that means we are part of His family, [Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your simple plan, You do not make us follow a bunch of rules that we have no way of keeping, You just want us to embrace You and let the Holy Spirit be our guide to live in a way that pleases You. I embrace Your gift of eternal life that You have given to be for believing in the finished word of Your Son on the cross. I may be weak, but Your Word is powerful to fight off the temptation to sin and reassure me that You are with me even when others may forsake me. I can do this because I know that Christ, who lives in me gives me the strength to do so. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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