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 29, 2021
Chapters: John 11
Message: Woe Unto The World
Hello My Friend,
As I was praying this morning, I asked God to let His Word be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, and keep in hid in my heart that I might not sin against Him. Then this passage came up as I read the chapter for today, [John 11:9-10 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.]
After the past couple of weeks at my job (although, praise God, I have not had any this past week), I am convinced that the reason I get so many irate customers and have a supervisor that presses me every single day has to do with the fact that they see Jesus in me. Oh, they do not even hear me say His name, but they hear His meek and mild voice inside of me. That actually leads them to believe that they can intimidate me with their verbal abuse, and are quite surprised when I do speak up. I have to say though, most of them do calm down, even if they later on complain about how bad the customer service was. Let me tell you what gets me through each day, it is something that Jesus said, [Matthew 18:7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!]
And speaking of offenses, I was watching this program last night talking about Halloween and all these warnings for people not to wear costumes that will offend someone, yet will promote a boy wearing a dress. A couple of the people on the panel literally compared this politically correct garbage to Christians. I really wished I could go through that screen and tell them not to compare us to them. Well, if they are going to get offended and angry at us for being who we are, then it is Jesus they will answer. It is not us they are angry or offended at, it really is themselves, and by belittling us they think they have control. Little do they realize that God is actually keeping count of everything they do to us, and they will give an account for the way they treated us, that is unless they actually turn to Christ themselves. As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, we heard Jesus speak a parable about a man named Lazarus, today, we learn of another Lazarus, only this is his true testimony.
[John 11:1-7 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6 When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. 7 Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.]
[behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.] I love how John always points out that Jesus loves us all individually, and yet He still gave His life for everyone. People might end up in hell for various sins due to their refusal to love Jesus in return, but they will never go there unloved because Jesus loves and died for every soul, [John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.]
Now, Jesus certainly could have gone immediately to see Lazarus, and we know that He did not even need to go there at all, He could have just touched him from right where He was. He chose to wait two days before heading over there, and here was the thing, it was also a two day journey to get there.
[John 11:11-16 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16 Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.]
[but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.] Before we know Christ as our Saviour, our bodies are literally walking corpses. Why? Our soul is dead. The second that Adam and Eve sinned, God took His Spirit away from mans soul. That means that the only thing keeping us alive is the spirit of life, which is why when we receive Christ as our Saviour we are known as, born again. Then the second that we receive Christ as our Saviour, our soul literally wakes up from the dead as the Holy Spirit enters in, and He will remain there until our own body goes to sleep, [John 3:6-8 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.]
[Let us also go, that we may die with him.] Doubting Thomas, they call him, because he refused to believe that Jesus had resurrected until he had put his finger through the holes that were in Jesus hands and feet first. The disciples feared for Jesus as He headed toward Jerusalem because they knew the Jews were out to kill Him, but also knew that their own lives would be in jeopardy just for saying they believe in Him. Of course, all of them, except John, would flee when Jesus was captured out of fear, did end up dying defending their faith. While John’s life was also threatened, he was the only one who was not martyred as the others were. We might be afraid to step foot out of that door in the land of the wolves who are out to devour us, but we need to go out there because Christ’s lost sheep are definitely not going to come to us, [Matthew 10:16,19-20 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.]
Harmless as doves, now that is an understatement. Do not let us shy, quiet, meek Christians fool you, we have the great power of the Holy Spirit backing us, and He will tell let the inner lion of Christ inside us roar when He needs to. Most of the time, He just camouflages Himself in the background, nudging those we pass by with the knowledge that Christ actually is inside of us. That does not mean that we do not get scared of the wolves or ask God why He allows these wolves to lunge at us in the first place, but it does mean that through it all, we are reminded of why we live by faith. Now, by the time Jesus arrives in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead four days, when Martha heard that Jesus was in town she quickly ran to meet Him, and asks Him why He took so long.
[John 11:20-26 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?]
[whatsoever thou wilt ask of God,] So, here is Martha saying to Jesus that she knows that whatever He asks God, He will grant it. She also believes that all the bodies of the saved souls will resurrect when He returns, but what Jesus says to her is what I believe is the most powerful statement in the entire Bible, [I am the resurrection, and the life:]. That statement should bring tingles down our spines and all the way deep into our souls. Jesus is the RESURRECTION, only through Him do we not only live, we too will resurrect if our bodies are sleeping when He returns, [1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.]
Jesus did swallow up death at the cross, and when He resurrected three days later, He gave us all victory from death. Now, when Mary heard the news that Jesus was in town, she was at home, she quickly ran to Jesus, the people in the house followed her thinking that she was going to go to Lazarus grave.
[John 11:31-33 The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. 32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,]
[he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,] Even Mary asks Jesus what took Him so long to come. Now, Jesus does not have to prove to anyone who He is, or what He is capable of, but He was about to do something that no prophet or priest could ever do, that would bring many people to believe in Him. That did not stop Jesus from feeling some grief over the way these people, who had no faith whatsoever. Some of them even made snarky comments, [John 11:37-40 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? 38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. 39 Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?]
[Could not this man,] What is the first thing people say to you when you do not agree with what they are doing or jump at their beck and call the second they ask you to do something? “I thought you were a Christian!” We are to never feel sorry for or fear those who died already that are saved, their souls are safe with Jesus. Their physical bodies, whether they are lying in a grave or even cremated and scattered wherever they may be, are sleeping, and when Christ returns, they will all be changed and made like brand new. Now, they finally roll away the stone, and what does Jesus do first? He prays to His Father.
[John 11:41-44 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43 And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.]
[but because of the people which stand by I said it,] You see, Jesus spoke these words for all to hear so that they could see that He was in fact, sent by God. Do you realize that at this point the disciples were not saved either? Yes, some believed that He is the Messiah, but they were not saved, in fact, they did not even know what that term meant. Jesus, fully God, lowers Himself to be a mere mortal man, He could have come here as an angel, as we know He had done that several times throughout the Old Testament, He could have come here as a storm, as we know He as done that too, but He chose to come here in the likeness of the very image He created, man, [Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.]
Do you see how the world reacts to Jesus? Always skeptical, and yet the first thing they do, when something tragic happens is blame God, wondering if He is so great why did He allow it to happen in the first place. There is not a one size fits all journey for Christians or anyone for that matter. We all have different paths, and God deals with each one of us differently, He never changes, but He does put us in situations that He might change our worldly thinking into faith. Well, many did believe that day, and that scared the Pharisee’s to death. When they heard the news of Lazarus being raised from the dead, they actually plotted to have Jesus killed.
[John 11:46-50,52-53 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. 49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. 53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.]
[Nor consider that it is expedient for us,] [Expedient; Literally, hastening; urging forward. Hence, tending to promote the object proposed; fit or suitable for the purpose; proper under the circumstances.] These people were well aware of the Scriptures, and yet they wanted to destroy Him. Why? Fear. Fear from losing control of their status as the holy people of God. Fear from all of their deception being exposed. Perhaps what they feared most is that He truly is the Christ and would end up in hell. You see, that is what false religion does, it puts them in power of a persons soul. They, in their reprobate minds, are too proud to admit hat there is only one person in charge of a soul and that is Jesus Christ. Oh, but I bet they sure did when each and every one of them found themselves in hell, [Revelation 21:6-8 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 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.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, No matter how I feel on the outside I know You are with me, not because of any good that I do, but because I believe in and trust in what You have done for me. I know that I have nothing to fear because You know what I need and exactly when I need it. It is hard to have patience when I have so many people and things trying to discourage and distract me, and I do admit that I am often too proud to say I need You. Lord, Lead me and guide me, give me Your power, wisdom, and grace to withstand every obstacle and to trust You with all of my life, knowing that everything is in your perfect timing. I ask these things in Your name Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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