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: Wednesday, July 08, 2020
Chapters: II Kings 15, II Chronicles 26
Message: Be Strong In Christ
Hello My Friend,
There are two types of strength, one is the strength of the flesh, which will take us as far as our human abilities can take us. The second is the strength of Christ, which combined with our own abilities can take us far beyond anything we could ever do in our own strength. Those impossible situations are only made possible by our faith in Christ, for it is His strength that gives us the ability to do what we can in our strength, while He takes care of the rest, [II Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.]
This is one of my favorite verses, it is a constant reminder that no matter how strong I think I am, my flesh is weak, and does not have the ability to handle everything on its own. It is Christ who gives me the strength to carry me through every challenge life throws at me. Being strong in Christ means; Well established; firm; not easily overthrown or altered; Having virtues of great efficacy; or having a particular quality in a great degree. Our faith in Jesus Christ is a great reminder that it is impossible to be saved from death and hell by our own strength, He need Christ for our salvation. We also need Christ to assist us in every matter in our lives, from our relationships to our jobs, even a housewife needs the strength of Christ to assist her in the daily challenges that come with raising godly children. Uzziah (Azariah), was the longest running king in all of Judah, he had done more to restore the kingdom back to God than any king since David. He knew his success depended on God.
[II Chronicles 26:3-5,7,14-15 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah did. 5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper. 7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims. 14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. 15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.]
[or he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.] Who helped Him? God helped him. We need to be careful as God strengthens us, pride has the tendency to kick in, and if we are not careful it will overtake us. Christ is our strength, He knows what we need, what will harm or even destroy us. Therefore, it is important that we keep our heart tender, our mind in His Word, and our eyes on Him at all times, [Philippians 3:20-21 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.]
God designed His Word specifically as it is, every word, every story, every person is in it for a reason. He did not leave anything out, even thought there are other books mentioned in Scripture. Why? Every every word in the Bible is inspired, meaning God told them what to pen down, sometimes it was word for word, other times it was their story of what God did in their lives, other times it was a prophet telling a story of what God had called them to do. The books mentioned like, the chronicles of the kings of Israel, these were written by someone who was not led by God to do so, therefore they are not inspired by God He did not put in with Scripture. The Bible is more than a book about God, He tells us about His people, how they are blessed, how they are cursed, and how we as Gentiles came to know and love Him. Now, we come to the beginning of the end of Israel as a nation. When God had Jehu anointed as king he said it would only be for four generations, now, God removes them from the throne during the time that Uzziah was king in Judah.
[II Kings 15:8-12 In the thirty and eighth year of Azariah king of Judah did Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months. 9 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 10 And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against him, and smote him before the people, and slew him, and reigned in his stead. 11 And the rest of the acts of Zachariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 12 This was the word of the LORD which he spake unto Jehu, saying, Thy sons shall sit on the throne of Israel unto the fourth generation. And so it came to pass.]
[This was the word of the LORD] We think that the events in the world today are just crazy people doing these wicked things and there is no possible way that God would allow it. The truth is, if He judged Israel the way He did, He will certainly judge every nation the same. In fact, He warned us that every nation would be judged. While God does not want any soul to end up in hell, He is not going to force Himself on those who reject Him, even if they do know of Him. Knowing who Jesus Christ is as a person is not enough to be saved from judgment, in order to know Him, and become part of His Kingdom we need to know Him as our Saviour. We must understand that even the people who were here before Christ came in the flesh knew that He was coming, they too had faith in Him, which is why every time a male child was born from the lineage of David they had hopes that it was Jesus, especially with all the evil that was taking place at the time, [Isaiah 8:8,10 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. 10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.]
So, what happens when pride overtakes the strongest Christian? We start thinking we are strong enough to handle things on our own and perhaps do not need Christ so much. Let me tell you, we always need Jesus, the second we think we do not, that is when we not only become weak, we lose everything we had gotten in His strength. As long as Uzziah keeps his eyes on God He prospered, the second he became strong in his own abilities, he thought he could do whatever he wanted without consulting God. In fact, he thought he was so powerful on his own that he thought himself above the laws of God. He literally went into the temple and burned incense, which was forbidden to all to do except consecrated priests.
[II Chronicles 26:16-20 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense. 17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the LORD, that were valiant men: 18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God. 19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the LORD, from beside the incense altar. 20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the LORD had smitten him.]
[his heart was lifted up to his destruction:] Strong in the flesh; Self efficient; adapted to make a deep or effectual impression on the mind or imagination; striking or superior of the kind; powerful; forcible; behaving aggressively or assertively. Pride is the number one reason people end up in hell. You cannot make up your own rules and expect God to save you. People who refuse to accept Christ on His terms might as well be sticking their finger in an electrical socket because they are going to be in for a huge shock when they do. God wants us to prosper, He wants to give us the best life we can possibly have here on earth well before He takes us to heaven, but He is not going to fight with us on this. We can do nothing in our own strength, we need to be strong in Christ, [Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for sacrificing Your life so that I do not have to face the judgment set before me for my sin. Everything we go through in this life is meant to grow, strengthen, discipline, and guide us to be a reflection of You. Just like a parent or teacher pushes us a little bit harder to excel, so do You, Your laws are not meant to keep us from living life, but to give us the best life we can live in a wicked and corrupt world so that we can show them who You really are. Lord, lead us and guide us, help us to watch, pray, and listen for You in everything that we do, let us never forget that You are our strength and power, fill us with Your mercy and grace, keep our hearts tender, our minds open to Your understanding, and our eyes looking to You at all times. Forgive us where we failed You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://readytofollow.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Missed A Message: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I’m Following Jesus Missions: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/welcome/
I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/readytofollowJesus/
Copyright © 2020 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.