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: Sunday, August 07, 2022
Chapters: JEREMIAH 1-3
Study: The Beautiful Feet Who Preach The Gospel
Hello My Friend,
I did something yesterday that I had honestly not done in seven years, I went soul winning with my church. I have witnessed to people since then, but the other churches I attended did not have soul winning or I was working whenever they did. And I tell you what, there is really no better spark of fire for your spirit and soul than to tell people about Jesus, it is literally in our Holy Spirit guided nature to do so.
[Romans 8:3-5,9-10 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.]
The Book of Jeremiah contains fifty-two chapters, the timeline for these events took place approximately between 629BC – 588BC, about 70 years after Isaiah spoke of the same thing. The author of the book is Jeremiah and it was written to Judah to warn them of the judgment God had placed on them, and a call for repentance. What we are to learn from the book is that the national disasters and deterioration of the world is not due to climate change, it is due to their turning their backs on God, but as we return to God things will be restored, [Jeremiah 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?]
Jeremiah, was called to prophesy at a very young age during the time that Josiah was king and removed all the idols, images, and people that were influencing these evils throughout all of Israel. God, promised Josiah that he would not have to see Jerusalem get destroyed, but knew that as soon as Josiah died that they would be right back to serving their false gods. God, had been warning Judah about the coming judgment since Manasseh was king, and now it was only days away. Now, with Jehoiakim reigning, He was about to send Jeremiah to them for one last plea to repent. Jehoahaz and Jehoiakin, actually reigned before Jehoiakim, but they are not mentioned because each of them only reigned three months, and therefore not mentioned in the testimony of Jeremiah.
[Jeremiah 1:1-5 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month. 4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.]
[and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,] Can you see how from conception, God, had a plan laid for each of us? That is not to say that we do not give God a run for His money sometimes, but if it is in His will, no one can stop it from coming to pass, []
To be honest, no true Christian ever thinks that they are qualified to serve God in such a capacity, so, when God told Jeremiah that he would be confronting the king of Judah, he actually said that he was not qualified because he was too young. Well, God responded, just like He does with all of us.
[Jeremiah 1:7-10 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. 10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.]
[and touched my mouth.] It is the Holy Spirit inside of us that touches our mouths and tells us what to say. It is incredible how the Holy Spirit speaks though you, and after seven years, I did not worry how I was going to talk to people when they answered the door, He knew exactly what I needed to say to each and every person. While I did not see anyone bow their head and trust Christ as their Saviour, I did get a couple of reassurances of their faith in Christ, and even received a bottle of water from a sweet lady. It was a great reminder for what Jesus said when He initially started soul winning, [Mark 6:7-11 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; 8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: 9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. 10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. 11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.]
There really is something incredible and overwhelming to realize that God has called on you to preach the Gospel. Since God is always with us, we have nothing to fear, this is what God told Jeremiah when He sent him to tell Judah of the judgment coming to them.
[Jeremiah 1:14-17 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. 17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.]
[lest I confound thee before them.] [Confound; To perplex with terror; to terrify; to dismay; to astonish; to throw into consternation; to stupify with amazement.] In other words, if Jeremiah approached them with any fear, then they would not take him seriously and therefore he would risk his own judgment from God. He must speak every word that God has to say to them and omit nothing for fear of offending someone. The same is true for us, we must preach the whole truth of the Gospel without fear, and trust me, they will sense your fear and walk right over you. At my job, they tell us that we are to control the call, meaning, just say what we are instructed to tell them. I had an instance where I was tripped up as soon as the person answered and I broke a violation, I kept telling myself that that would be the one call that gets evaluated to where I could lose my job. Well, Jesus said it this way, [Matthew 18:7-8 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! 8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.]
While God had told Josiah that His judgment stood, He would have done anything to get them to return to Him so He could, in fact, reverse the judgment. Do you think that while Josiah was removing the evil things from Israel that all of the people repented and turned to God? No, they did not. Yes, a few did, like any revival, but the majority of them held on to their sinful living, not to mention the rest of the kings after him doing the same things, which is why God told Josiah that His judgment stood. Do you think that it does not grieve God that so many people reject Him, especially those who know who He is? It grieves Him greatly. Religion is the biggest deterrent from the people knowing the truth about salvation, and just because they talk about Jesus that does not mean that they know Jesus. In fact, God has a question for all those who turn to these false gods.
[Jeremiah 2:4-7 Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: 5 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? 6 Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? 7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.]
[What iniquity have your fathers found in me,] Way too many people reject God because of all of the evil in the world, and yet are oblivious to the fact that they are the ones allowing it all. Yes, we are going to have setbacks and life can be unbearable sometimes, they are not what define us, it is how we handle them that does, more importantly, whether or not we handled them with God. We are what we make our lives to be, and if we say that we believe in God, then go against everything that He says, then we are the problem, [Isaiah 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.]
No one, not God or Satan, can force us to do anything, their own wickedness brings wicked evil upon themselves. To make matters worse, people all over the world are proclaiming Christ, yet living sinful lives as if He is pleased with them. Well, God does allow the evil, He places these crazy storms and viruses in the world in an attempt to open their eyes to the judgment that is coming. Instead, they turn to religion, idols, and astrology, which angers Him to no end, and then cry out to Him when things keep getting worse.
[Jeremiah 2:11-13,18-19,35 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. 12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. 13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. 18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river? 19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. 35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.]
[For my people have committed two evils;] Jesus is the fountain of living waters, and we need to be ashamed of ourselves if we believe that just receiving Christ as our Saviour is enough to get us through this time in our life without judgment. Since we will not be a part of those who will be judged for our sin when He returns, our judgment will be while we are yet in the flesh. Once we get saved, we are new creatures, and if we return to the world, it is going to be costly, which is why we are to come out from among them.
[2 Corinthians 6:14-17 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,]
Let me tell you, Christianity is the complete opposite of what the world sees as being moral and right. Just because a person says they have received Christ as their Saviour that does not mean they are living Godly lives. And just because they are in the midst of those who are living Godly lives that does not mean that they actually are themselves. There are way too many saved, born again Christians proclaiming Christ yet living sinful lives, and doing even worse. Through Jeremiah, God addresses the backsliders, who became worse than the world.
[Jeremiah 3:1-2,8-9,11 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. 11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.]
[The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more] How shameful must it be to have God tell you that the world is more righteous than His own people? Israel had already faced judgment for turning their backs on God, now, Judah, who were the Christians of that day, were about to face judgment, the sad thing, their sins were more abominable than Israel’s. God pleads with them one more time to repent.
[Jeremiah 3:12-15,22-23 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. 13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God. 23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.]
[Only acknowledge thine iniquity,] Do you think that God did not know that you would be at this point in your life? Do you think He did not know that you were going to serve Him, and fail time and time again? Oh yes, you would, and He knew, and yet, He still continues to use you. Why? You belong to Him. Those whom have received Jesus Christ as their Saviour are, in fact, children of God, and when we allow Christ to live in and through us, He keeps us repentant and all we have to do to be forgiven is to confess our sin sincerely, [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.]
[And I will give you pastors according to mine heart,] Pastors and teachers, that is, and I tell you what, there is no position more rewarding than to preach the Gospel to the lost, and you do not need to be a preacher or teacher of God’s Word to do that, you just need to be born again yourself and give your own testimony. [Romans 10:13-15 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for making it simple for us to be saved from judgment. All we have to do to be saved is believe in the Gospel of Your Son alone for our salvation, and receive Him as our Saviour. From the womb, You have made all of us for a purpose and will stop at nothing to make that happen, especially when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us as He should be. As undeserving as we are, and as much as we sin, You never give up on us, and are always encouraging us to live according to Your Word, as it really does save us from wicked evil. Nevertheless. Your mercies and grace are endless, and whenever we come to You confessing our sin, You are faithful and just to cleanse us of all our unrighteousness. Lord, Thank You for loving me, and not giving up on me, and for Your mercies, grace, forgiveness, and patience with me. I praise You for showing me Your truths, and using me to teach them to others. I pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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