March 21, 2023 – I'm Following Jesus

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: Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Chapters: DEUTERONOMY 29-31
Study: God Sent His Son

Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,

Do you ever wonder with all our faults and failures why God does not just give up on us? I must fail Him a thousand times a day on a good day and yet He still wakes me up every morning to start a new day. Well, I will be the first to tell you that I really do not understand why God is so good to me, but I will tell you that God’s love for man is so great that He built the whole world for us. I will also tell you that His love for us supersedes any love that we will receive from anyone else. How do I know that? He gave His Son for us, [John 3:16-17 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.]

Let me tell you, God, never intended for any soul to end up in hell, that was reserved for Satan and his demons. That all got ruined when sin entered the world and sent the curse of death and hell upon every soul that sins. And just in case you need a reminder, there is not one person on this earth that has not sinned. So, I am pretty sure that that curse applies to all of us. Nevertheless, God, sent His Son to break that curse, and He sure did when He died a sinless death on the cross. Now, the reason why God has not condemned the world just yet has to do with there being some souls that have not received Christ yet.

[2 Peter 3:9-10 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.]

As we continue in the reading of Deuteronomy, Moses, sums up his speech to the Israelites and anyone else who chooses step foot across that Jordan, with the reminder of the covenant that He made with them in addition to the first ten that God had given them on the tables of stone.

[Deuteronomy 29:1-4 These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb. 2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; 3 The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles: 4 Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.]

[Yet the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive,] [Perceive; To know; to understand; to observe.] At this point, God, did not give them the heart to love Him, that came as they started trusting Him. God, actually prepares us to receive His Son well before we get saved for the day that we are ready to accept Him. In fact, Jesus, said this when He prayed to our Father for us

[John 17:6-9 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.]

Because we are not of this would it goes without saying that we should keep His commandments if we want to live a blessed life with minimal pains and sorrows that is. Moses, goes on to encourage the congregation to live by the covenant that God made with them and why it was important.

[Deuteronomy 29:9-13 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do. 10 Ye stand this day all of you before the LORD your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, 11 Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water: 12 That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the LORD thy God, and into his oath, which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day: 13 That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.]

[our little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp] This covenant was not just for the Israelites, it was for all that chose to dwell among them. God, does not nor ever has denied anyone the opportunity to come to Him. The covenants that God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were made for all who desired Him in their lives. We can either accept that or deny it, the choice is ours, but that does not change where we would end up if we deny Him. Moses, goes on to explain this.

[Deuteronomy 29:18-21 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; 19 And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: 20 The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven. 21 And the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:]

[and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.] God’s people are not a specific race or earthly heritage, they are Jews and Gentiles of every walk of life, from the rich to the poor, from the maid to the president, there is not one person that God has not created that He does not give the opportunity to receive Him, but if they do not then their names will be blot from under heaven, which is another way of saying that their names will not be in the Book of Life, [Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.]

Our faith is what changes who we perceive God to be, and the desire to love Him comes when we find out the truth about Him and accept it. Not all of the Israelites would enter the covenant with God, in fact, many would break it, likewise, many who were not Israelites would enter it. Moses, goes on to paint a grim picture of what will happen when they turn their backs on God, even the world will know that God has turned on them.

[Deuteronomy 29:24-29 Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? 25 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt: 26 For they went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them: 27 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curses that are written in this book: 28 And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day. 29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.]

[and cast them into another land, as it is this day.] For the life of me, the one thing I will never understand is why God is so merciful to me and has established me as one of His when I fail Him so much. Then again, God is a just God also, so those calamities that we go through are His way of establishing us. You see, while our salvation may be by grace, and cannot be taken from us, that does not mean God is okay with our living in sin. When He reveals to us that what we have done is wrong, we need to repent, otherwise, we will continue to suffer until we do. That is actually the blessing and the curse that comes from our faith. Moses, warns them what will happen when they go against Him, and yet His compassion on them is astounding.

[Deuteronomy 30:1-4 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:]

[That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity,] How awesome is God, that when we fail Him, and come to Him with true repentance that He will turn things around for us. We still may have to suffer some, but in the end, we will be with Christ, Amen! [Hebrews 12:10-11 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.]

God, gave us His Word so that we may know it, say it, and do it, God, thought it beneficial for us to have His Word so that we can live the best life here on earth. The world, through their foolish hearts have made a mockery out of His Word, they have distorted, taken from, and added to His Word so much that it is no longer His anymore. Why is it so important? It is Life. The Bible is the only book that contains the very words of The One And Only Living God in it. The truth is right there, He has not hidden anything from us that is essential to our wellbeing, if we hearken to Him we will be just fine.

[Deuteronomy 30:10-11,14,19-20 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.]

[But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart,] The Gospel is not hid from anyone, it is right there for all to have the opportunity to find Christ. Those who refuse to see it have chosen from the heart that they would not believe no matter what anyone tells them. While Christ did die for all, He did not come here to save those who are too proud to admit they need Him, He came here to save those who admit they are sinners and need Him alone to save their souls, [Romans 10:10-11 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.]

Salvation, has always been given to us by the grace of God, He just dealt with believers differently in regards to how they were atoned for their sin. Christ, has always been the LORD, and is present just as much in the Old Testament as He is in the New. It is the few and faithful that God uses to keep His Word going strong, He appoints people of all walks of life to preach and teach His Word, and will always use a successor to take their place, that is as long as they are willing. Joshua was the successor of Moses, and now, God tells Moses that it was time for him to take over as the leader. Moses encourages both the people and Joshua to go into the land.

[Deuteronomy 31:1-3,6 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the LORD hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said. 6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.]

[The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee,] Everything that we go through has already been seen by God well before we even get there. He knows each path, each pain, and each sin that will befall us too, in fact, He goes right before us and prepares us for where we are going. If we are in the will of God we will walk right where He had gone, but if we take a detour we may end up walking away from God. However, He will always guide us right back in the right direction. This is why it is important that we have men and women of God guiding us as in His Word and encouraging us to keep going. Moses, calls Joshua and encourages him to lead the people with the promise that God will be there every step of the way.

[Deuteronomy 31:7-9,12 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. 8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. 9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. 12 Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:]

[that they may hear, and that they may learn,] A copy, probably the very first copy written of the Law was placed inside the Ark, and it is still there today. In the heart of every believer stands a copy of His Word, we may not remember every word, but since the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, He will reveal it to us as our heart is prepared to handle it, [John 16:12-14 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.]

Can you see why God shows us things a little at a time and not all at once? People will often get angry at God for the evil things that are happening all over the world. This is not God’s doing, this is a result of His turning His back on His people, He is hiding His face from all the evil, and will not show it until they repent. Of course, that all comes back to the heart, but let me tell you, there will come a day when there will be no believers left and when that day comes that is when Jesus will return and judgment will begin upon all those whom have turned their hearts away. God, actually tells Moses what is going to happen once he is gone.

[Deuteronomy 31:14-16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. 15 And the LORD appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. 16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them.]

[and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods] How would you like to hear those words from God? Even more, how would you like to be told that you are going to lead these rebels to their inheritance? That is exactly what Moses tells Joshua.

[Deuteronomy 31:23-27 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee. 24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, 26 Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. 27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?]

[and how much more after my death?] This reminds me of this passage, [1 Peter 4:17-18 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?] Do you realize that every day that we get here on earth is a new day? It is a new to make better choices, to tell someone, “I love you”, to make a difference in someone’s life, to preach the Gospel, and to let go of doubts, fears, and chains that hold us bondage. There are definitely better things in this life that accompany our salvation, we just need to embrace it by giving our all to Jesus.

[Romans 8:13-17 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 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, You love us too much to see us suffering, especially for things unnecessary. You do not give us rules to stop us from living a great life, but so we can live the greatest life with You in it. We often forfeit blessings or even bring about curses if our hearts get hardened. Thank You for Your mercy and grace to never leave nor forsake us, and Your ability to change those curses into blessings when we turn to You. Lord, give us Your power to remove the things and people from our lives that can harden our hearts, open our hearts to perceive what You have to show us, help us to know Your will and follow it so we can receive those blessings You have waiting for us. And let us be the successor or draw near to our successors so that we can be the holy people that You call us to be. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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