King James Bible Study – [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. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday, April 28, 2024
Chapters: Psalms Chapters 81, 88, 92-93
Message: Rejoicing in Hope And Patient in Tribulation
Hello My Friend,
Yesterday was a strange day, we are packing up the house as the closing date is in a month, so the it is looking bare and unlived in. I went to visit my mom in the hospital, we are still awaiting approval from her insurance to move her to the rehab center and she was a little agitated. Let me tell you, I can now understand how so many people become mentally unstable, it is the isolation not only from family and friends, but church and other things that bring joy in your life through the good and bad times. God, did not make us to be loners, we are definitely made to interact not only with Him, but other people as well.
[Romans 12:9-18 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. 17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.]
[Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation;] I have said this before and I will probably say it until the day God brings me home, but patience is not my strong suit. Although God surely has been working on me in regards to His timing, His ways, and His understanding, I have a long way to go. As we return to the Psalms we are reminded that God chooses His people, hears His people, and also proves His people.
[Psalms 81:1-7 To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. 2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery. 3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day. 4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. 5 This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not. 6 I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots. 7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.]
[Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee;] This is God talking here, and He is referring to the time that He had heard the Israelites call out to Him and brought them out of Egypt, [Exodus 3:7-8 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.]
How many times do we call out to God only when we are right at the edge and then He delivered us from our trouble? While God will always deliver us, the problem is that we often wait until we have no other option to turn to rather than just go to God to begin with, [Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.]
[I answered thee in the secret place of thunder:] Here God is referring to when He led the Israelites to the Red Sea and the Egyptians were after them. He literally split the sea in half and they walked across it on dry land only to have it close up when the last Israelite’s foot stepped off of it, [Exodus 14:24-26 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 26 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.]
We may not like it, but God will often take us to where He is our only option, He does this for two reasons; One; to get us to call out to Him alone and Two; to prove us; [Exodus 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.]
[I proved thee at the waters of Meribah.] Here God recalls when no sooner than He had delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians they chided with Moses when they were thirsty and came to water that was bitter.
[Exodus 17:4-7 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?]
[saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?] We can ask God questions, cry out to Him in our frustrations, bring our complaints to Him, often but what we must never do is tempt God, meaning have a snarky attitude about coming to Him, [Acts 15:8-11 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.]
Believe it or not, there is great freedom in becoming dependent on God, He only has our best interest in mind, which is why He came up with His Law in the first place. And our relationship with Him is not necessarily a list of do’s and don’t’s, rather a set of guidelines to follow that lessen the blow of any affliction that we face. The only thing He asks is that we have no other gods before Him.
[Psalms 81:9-15 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. 10 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. 12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels. 13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! 14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. 15 The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.]
[So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust:] Does this sound familiar? I believe Paul wrote something like this, [Romans 1:21,25,28-29 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,]
God, was not kidding when He said that the reprobates will worship the creature more than the Creator? I will give you some examples, sea turtles, Siberian tigers, beetles, these are creatures that have more rights than humans. They will kill a baby in the womb and save a whale that has beached itself because it is sick. God, is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He loves us and will care for us all the way to the promised land, all He asks is that we be faithful to Him. We do ourselves and injustice if we do not hearken unto the voice of God.
[Psalms 88:1-7 A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: 2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; 3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. 4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: 5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. 6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. 7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.]
[and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.] There is not one of us who has not cried out to God with such pain and agony (whether it be physically, mentally, spiritually, or all of the above) that we wonder if we are but a breath between life and death. That is when we need to take a step back in our faith and remind ourselves that God is good and He will see us through our most heaviest burdens.
[Psalms 88:9-14 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee. 10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. 11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? 12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. 14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?]
[or thy faithfulness in destruction?] How many reprobates do you think turn to God only when they are cast into hell? All of them. Sadly, there are more than just reprobates in hell, there are people of all walks of life there, all because they never trusted Christ as their Saviour before they took their last breath.
[Luke 16:24-26 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.]
You see, all of our doubts, fears, the need to please everyone, the worry of saying “he” or “she” as to not offend anyone, all of that garbage is Satan, he knows our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities and preys on them until we either give in or trust God. These are all burdens that we carry with us, but when we turn our focus off the burden and not only turn it upon Jesus, but hand it over to Him, that is when they start coming off and we will start praising and thanking Him for getting us through.
[Psalms 92:1-5,12-15 A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: 2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, 3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. 4 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. 5 O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. 12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.]
[For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work:] Whatever the work that God is doing in you, trust it, you will triumph, [1 Peter 4:12-15 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.]
[To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock,] Jesus Christ is the Rock of every faithful, saved, born again Christian. And there is a very good reason why God does allow us to lose our focus on Him from time to time, and that is the be reminded that He truly is our ROCK, our King and our God.
[Psalms 93:1-5 The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved. 2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting. 3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. 4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. 5 Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.]
[The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,] I use to love, and still do, to hear the sound of the waves in the ocean come crashing onto the shore when it is pitch dark. While rain, thunder, and lightening all come from above, there is nothing on this earth more powerful than the waves. So, can you imagine just how powerful the voice of Jesus will be, when all He does is speak your name? Oh, and, it will only need to be a whisper for every believer will hear His still small voice.
[1 Kings 19:11-13 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?]
Right now, I will tell you this, it really does feel like true and faithful Christians are few and far between, many are hiding out in fear, and God is actually asking us the same question. We have nothing to fear if we have honestly and sincerity trusted Christ as our Saviour, even if we died defending our faith, we would be with Jesus. In fact, we would be seeing Him face to face as well as our loved ones that have gotten there before us. Right now, we have work to do because we truly are one blink of an eye closer to Christ returning,
[2 Peter 3:9-11 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. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Psalms 92:15 To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You, for sending Your Son, Jesus, to give His own life to save us from eternal damnation. You give us all a choice, we can either accept the truth, that Christ is the only way to be saved, or reject that truth, but once we make that choice, there no turning back. We have nothing to fear when we trust You through this walk of life that You have given us. Lord, lead us and guide us, put Your hedge of protection around us, shield us from Satan and all those reprobates who try to stop us. Let us take every burden and hand it over to You so that You can lift them from off our shoulder. Give us Your strength and courage to stand behind our faith, and not live in fear, only trust You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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