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: Saturday, October 01, 2022
Chapters: LUKE 1, John 1:1-14
Study: All Things Are Possible For Believers
Hello My Friend,
I apologize for getting this out late, the past couple of days has been quite the adjustment after the hurricane, I am home now, but we limited as to what we can do as we cannot do anything to repair any damage until the insurance adjusters come out to inspect the house. On top of that I had a migraine as a result of a mixture of dehydration and not eating right. All in all, God has been good to us as He always is, and as I know God will work this out for good, there still is the thought in the back of my mind that asks God, “Why our house when no other house was damaged?” It is not doubt or lack of faith to ask God “Why?” it is just human nature, of course, we get the same response from God, [Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.]
I was really excited to realize that it is October 1st as I love getting into the Gospels, at the same time, it is quite the shocker to realize that there are only three more months left to this year. Now, each of the four Gospels, has a particular audience that it addresses as well as how it addresses Jesus. The Book of Luke, written by Luke, between 63 and 68 AD, 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 Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost, [Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.]
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 to 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.
[Luke 1:1-4 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, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.]
[wherein thou hast been instructed.] Everything written in the Word of God is given to us in order to give us a perfect understanding of God, and what He intended from the very beginning before sin destroyed mans hope of eternal life. Luke, does not start with the testimony of the birth of Jesus, rather John, the forerunner that we read about from Malachi. 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 a man appeared to him to tell him of the quite shocking news that his wife was going to have a baby.
[Luke 1:5-7,11-13,18 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. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 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. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.]
[Whereby shall I know this?] Well, this response actually got Zacharias in a bit of trouble, that man was an angel, in fact, the archangel Gabrielle, and his question was not in the form of just asking God “Why? Or How?”, it was in the form of, “Show me proof that this is true.” God, has no problem with is asking Him “Why?”, but He does have a problem with disbelief, which is why God took away his voice until John was born.
[Luke 1:19-20,23-25 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. 23-25 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.]
[to take away my reproach among men.] To a Jew, if a woman was unable to have a child, then there must be some sin in their lives and they must not have the favor of God. Well, it was a bit of a shocker for Elisabeth to realize that she was going to have a baby, at this point she was about sixty years old, but it was impossible for her not to believe as she was carrying this miracle from God. Well, Zacharias, was not the only one to get a visit from Gabriel, six months into Elisabeth’s pregnancy, 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.] Remember, there was not one word spoken of God by a prophet or anyone for a long time, so, it was a shock to anyone to hear anything like this. So, this man shows up and tells her that she is highly favored with God. Well, there was two reasons for her response, the first one was that men did not converse with women in such a manner, and the second was that he told her that she was highly favored and that God was with her. Well, Gabriel, saw the fear in her eyes and repeated what he said, with another added shocker.
[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.] It truly is amazing when you look up the meaning of favor through the Strong Numbers, [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).]. We must understand that Mary was not without sin, Mary, understood this, which is part of the reason why she reacted the way she did. God, has favor with every believer, who has faith in Him, [Psalms 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.]
[How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?] Joy, definitely does come in the morning with God, after all the storms, after all the trials, after all the tribulations, even after all the sin, God, does bring much joy once it all comes to pass. Now, this was quite the shocker for Mary since she was only engaged to be married and never touched a man. Again, she was not doubting God like Zacharias did, she just wanted to understand how it was possible. Well, Gabrielle, actually explained how it was possible.
[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.] Do you see the difference? When Gabrielle told her that she was going to have God’s baby, she did not question His ability, and she basically said, “Thy will be done.” Unlike Zacharias, Mary did believe Gabriel right away after he had told her how it was possible. It aggravates me whenever people question Mary’s age as she was a young teenager when this took place, to my response I believe there are two reasons for this. One; Most women were married off as teenagers as it was their culture, and Two; this was not a normal conception, this was an immaculate conception, which means that God never touched her as a man would so it would be more believable. It was not as though God could not have used an older woman, or that He needed to prove to anyone what He is capable of, it was a simple as Mary’s faith, [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.]
We need to get a mental picture of what is taking place, this was a time like now when there were no prophets speaking. So, anyone who believed in and accepted God’s Word did so like we do, they read the Scriptures, believed them, and obeyed them by faith. Well, after Gabriel left Mary, did not waste any time, she rushed over to see 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:] At this point, Jesus, was barely in Mary’s womb, but as soon as she walked in the room the little baby in Elisabeth’s womb jumped and kicked around (remember it was told to Zacharias that John would be born with the Holy Spirit inside of him) and Elisabeth was also filled with the Holy Spirit. You tell me that life does not begin at conception and I will tell you that you are a fool for the fact that life really is detectable in the womb. Those who question life need to take a serious look at themselves for God even considered them, [Ecclesiastes 11:4-5 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. 5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.]
It is not for us to question God in the sense that we doubt or test Him in a way that questions who He is, it is for us to trust Him when He does tell us these things. Now, after Mary heard the words of Elisabeth, she had no doubts at all that she had a baby growing inside of her, she not only believed, she accepted God’s calling for her, and even 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 the one God used to achieve this. I will tell you this, I will never understand God’s methods sometimes, but I will always understand the God has a purpose for every single thing that we go through, He will use His faithful and even His unfaithful in some mysterious ways, but it will all work out for good, [Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.]
Now, the time had come for Elisabeth to have her baby, she 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, started a debate when the day came to dedicate the child.
[Luke 1:57,59-66 Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 59 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, little did he realize 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, and 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, [Mark 1:2-3 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.]
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.]
Just like any other faithful person that God used, they had to believe before they were blessed to do the task that God had called them to do. Can you imagine having the task of carrying the Son of God in your womb, or leading a group of people across the wilderness for over forty years, or being the one to prepare the Jews for the first coming of Christ? That was exactly what John was called to do for God, and He too did it by faith.
[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, [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.]
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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