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, August 31, 2021
Chapters: Ezekiel 16-17
Message: A Pure Heart For The Pure Blood
Hello My Friend,
I was talking with my Sunday School class about people who follow Christ for a short time, then literally turn on Him and forsake Him when affliction comes, getting much worse than they were before they “accepted” Him as their Saviour. We discussed how someone with an honest and pure heart, who truly accepts Christ as their Saviour, may backslide and hang on the edge of sin, but Jesus never lets them go because they are His. So, if they turn on Jesus, then their heart was never pure to begin with. It takes a pure heart, who honestly wants their lives to change to accept the pure blood of Jesus Christ as the payment for their sin debt. It takes a pure heart for the pure blood of Christ that sees Him as more than just the payment for their sin debt, He becomes a part of their life, [John 15:9-10 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.]
The second we received Christ as our Saviour, we actually entered into a covenant with Him, a joint union, as a man and His Bride, [Revelation 21:2], we also become what Jesus calls as being born again. That is when God’s Spirit enters into our soul and gives life to it, just as when we were given the breath of life to our flesh, Jesus gives us the breath of life to our soul. Before we receive Christ as our Saviour, we are polluted with blood that has been tainted with sin, and yes, we sin from birth, although we have no clue that we are at that time. As we continue in the Book of Ezekiel, God first describes Jerusalem as a child born in polluted Canaan.
[Ezekiel 16:2-6 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite. 4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. 5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. 6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.]
[I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.] The creation of a child is something extraordinary. Science can capture images inside of a womb, but it cannot capture each organ as it forms, or each bone as it fashions itself, or that soul that entered into that tiny little egg the second conception was made. And even though that life is precious to God, the curse of death was placed on man due to sin, and that means that the second he or she was born their blood as well as their soul was polluted. However, by the birth of one man, Jesus Christ, who did not get conceived like the rest of us, His blood and soul was pure and without spot. Therefore, it was not polluted, but life giving after He gave His life on the cross. Life is always in the blood, whether it is in our flesh or soul, and when we accept Christ as our Saviour, solely upon our faith in what His pure blood did to save our soul, that is when we are given life to our soul and Live, [1 Peter 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:]
We were bought with a price, and that price was the pure blood of Jesus Christ, it is time that Christians start taking that more seriously, and remember where you would be if it had not been for Christ saving your soul. Naturally, when we come to Him to save our soul, God, our Father, is going to have a say in how we live our lives. He wants to nurture us and teach us right from wrong, just like any Father would do. God goes on to describe what He does for us the second we accept Him, but what also happens when we take Him for granted.
[Ezekiel 16:8-9,13-15,18-19 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine. 9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. 13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom. 14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD. 15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was. 18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them. 19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.]
[for it was perfect through my comeliness,] [Comeliness; That which is becoming, fit or suitable, in form or manner. It signifies something less forcible than beauty, less elegant than grace, and less light than prettiness.] This is what Jesus is describes as, meaning no one would desire Him as we desire the flesh. When we come to Christ, we are naked and exposed to the elements of this world, just like a baby is when it is born. Jesus is the one who covers us in His pure blood, entering into a covenant with us, which is everlasting life. What sin has polluted us with has made us less than perfect, but through the pure blood that Christ gives us, we are perfected, or in other words, justified, [Romans 3:23-25 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;]
As I said at the beginning of the message, the second we accept Christ as our Saviour, we enter in a covenant with Him, He considers us as His bride. So, if we are living a life of sin, God is going to see that as pure adultery. And God knows exactly why we stray, a weak heart, [Ezekiel 16:30-34 How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; 31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; 32 But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband! 33 They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom. 34 And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.]
[And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms,] [Contrary; Opposite; contradictory; not merely different, but inconsistent or repugnant.] If you think that the life you live after you are saved does not matter to God, think again. Our soul may be saved by grace, but if we are living a life that is contrary to everything that Jesus stands for, all He sees us as is an adulterous wife, and He is very jealous.
[Ezekiel 16:36-38,41 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them; 37 Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness. 38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. 41 And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.]
[and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot,] Do you see why I say that we are judged before we get to heaven? Once we get there, there is no death, pain, or sorrow from sin, but that does not mean that God wants us to live any way that we please. Life has so many trials and tribulations as it is without adding more sorrow to it by living our lives as harlots, if we just give it all over to Jesus, there will be less. Trust me on this, the world will never accept us because we do not belong there, and they will devour us if we remain in it, [John 15:18-20 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.]
All right, so, once we are saved, our new life with Christ begins, as He starts to purge sin from our lives. He replaces the sin that brought death to us with the things that bring life to our spirit. We will find that our flesh will start to desire the spiritual things more than what the world can give us. However, that can sometimes be a battle as a lot of Christians, once they become strong in the LORD, become lax on their dependence on God. Once that happens, it does not take long before they start slipping as the world creeps in more and more. However, He established that everlasting covenant with us, while He may chasten us, He will never forsake us. And God goes on to explain this as well.
[Ezekiel 16:59-63 For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. 60 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. 61 Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. 62 And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: 63 That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.]
[and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.] That everlasting covenant is none other than eternal life through our faith in Jesus Christ. My goodness, there are some Christians more worldlier than the world, and for that reason, God judges His house first. Wake up, Christian, stop taking your salvation for granted, stop using it as a cloak for your sin, you were bought by the pure blood of Christ, get your act together before God stops you that hard way in your sin, [1 Peter 4:16-17 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17 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?]
As long as we stick close to Jesus we have nothing to worry about, even if we fall into sin, He will pick us back up, and we will even prosper through them as we learn to fear Him more, and become stronger in the LORD. Remember, if we do fall, that covenant Jesus made with us still stands, we still belong to Him, and He belongs to us. Through Ezekiel, and a parable about some eagles and trees, God reminds believers of what everlasting life is.
[Ezekiel 17:3,7-9,16 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar: 7 There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend her roots toward him, and shot forth her branches toward him, that he might water it by the furrows of her plantation. 8 It was planted in a good soil by great waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. 9 Say thou, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither? it shall wither in all the leaves of her spring, even without great power or many people to pluck it up by the roots thereof. 16 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.]
[shall he not pull up the roots thereof,] This is the same thing that Jesus said would happen regarding those who turn on Him. Jesus is the Vine, the souls that He saves are His branches, as long as we remain on the Vine through our faith in Him, we will grow and become fruitful, [John 15:3-6 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Ezekiel 16:59-60 For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. 60 Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I know that I have done wrong in my life, but thanks to Your mercy, grace, and sending Your Son to pay my sin debt, all the wrong is now erased, never to be remembered. Jesus, with Your pure blood, I am not only born again, I am Your bride, and have become one with You. If there is one thing I am learning through this pandemic it is that Your mercy endures. You are longsuffering, so good to me, and I never want to take that for granted. Lord, Lead me and guide me, please continue to give me Your mercy and grace, take my life, You are in control of it, let it flourish and grow as You purge it. Keep my heart tender, and help me remove anything that weakens it. I love You, Lord and ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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