Just Believe And Receive

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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: Thursday, March 28, 2024
Chapters: Joshua Chapters 19-21
Message: Just Believe And Receive

Hello My Friend,

I do not know why, but for some reason this holy week season has me thinking about Jesus just a little bit more and what He was doing the week that led up to His crucifixion. If we were to go back to that time, this would be the day that they would lead Jesus up Golgotha to be crucified, in fact, He would actually be hanging on the cross already. Pontius Pilate, did not even know who Jesus was, he wanted nothing to do with His death, and yet he succumbed to the cries of the public, screaming, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

[John 19:5-8  Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!  6  When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.  7  The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.  8  When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;]

Jesus, said something interesting when Pilate asked Him who He was, but would not justify an answer, [John 19:9-11  And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.  10  Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?  11  Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.]

Can you imagine a sin greater than giving the order to crucify the Son of God? How about being the one to drive the nails into His wrists and feet? Or how about being the ones who tempted Him to jump down? Or How about being the ones gambling for a piece of His clothing that was stripped from His body and ripped apart? Or how about being the one who lifted up a rag to His mouth filled with a drug? Believe it or not, those people who played a part in crucifying Jesus were just as clueless to who Jesus is than Pilate, which is why Jesus literally said a prayer for them while He was hanging on the cross, [Luke 23:34  Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.]

So why are people so clueless to who Jesus is? That all depends on how they see Jesus. The world sees Jesus as some goody goody who brings conviction to them just by the mere mention of His name. The religious see Him as their meal ticket, even if they do not believe in Him they will use His name to their advantage. I admit while growing up Catholic, we followed lent, even watched the movies and reenactments about Jesus, but I had no clue who He is. Thankfully, God, saw something in me to show me the truth. I believe that everyone gets a glimpse of Jesus, but it is how they see Him that leads Him to reveal who He really is, [Matthew 11:27-29  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.  28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.]

Do you recall how restless your soul was before you knew Christ as your Saviour? Perhaps, your soul is still restless? Perhaps, you are clueless to who Jesus is? You grew up in religion or drew your own conclusion based on the stories you heard? The rest that one receives when they accept Christ as their Saviour is nothing like any rest, it is a complete and utter peace that comes way down deep inside knowing where your soul will be, [Revelation 21:6-8  And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.  7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.  8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.]

It is a scary thought to realize that there is a second death to face, and those who just believe that once you die it is all over, they really are just as fearful as the others who are clueless. However, there is nothing to fear because when you belong to God then the only thing you will do is stand before Jesus to give an account to your faith. If you have accepted Him as your Saviour, then you will go on to inherit eternal life, or I should say, immortality, [1 Corinthians 15:52-53  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.]

How is that for an inheritance? That alone ought to be our incentive to receive Christ as our Saviour. The most clueless thing is that people believe that they need to be doing all these things in order to receive Him, but the only thing one needs to do is believe on His name, [1 John 5:13  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.]

If there is anyone who can teach us that salvation has nothing to do with our obedience to God other than receiving His Son as our Saviour it is the Jews. And talk about being clueless, they did absolutely nothing to get the land that God had given them, but He gave it to them anyway. Sure, they were told to drive the people out, but just imagine furnished homes, gardens with food ready for picking right out their backyards, and beautiful landscapes to admire. Now, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh had already received the portion of land that was allotted them because they asked them for it first. The other seven, and the Levites had not, Joshua, cast lots for the rest of them, meaning he threw some dice on the map, and wherever they fell, that is what they got, well, sort of, he did go by the number or people in their tribe. As we continue in the reading of Joshua, an account is given of the land that was allotted for the rest of the tribes.

[Joshua 19:1,9-10,17,24,32,40  And the second lot came forth to Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.9  Out of the portion of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them.  10  And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families: and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid: 17  And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children of Issachar according to their families. 24  And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families. 32  The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families. 40  And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.]

[for the part of the children of Judah was too much for them:] There are several things that we can learn from this; One; God, has enough room for every soul. Two; God, knows just how much we need, and Three; God, knows just how much we can handle. No one on this earth, regardless of who they are or how wealthy they are, gets into the promise land any other way than through Christ, [John 10:8-10  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.  9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.  10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.]

Now, sometimes the earthly blessings that we get can differ, some people can handle wealth others are not so good at it. Jesus, said it this way, [Mark 10:25  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.] The honest truth is this, many of us are actually allotted more than what we think we are allotted, but we do not receive them for two reasons, One; We do not ask for it, and Two; we do not take it once we are given the okay that we can have it. Now, after all the land was divided, Joshua asked for his own land and was granted it.

[Joshua 19:49-51  When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun among them:  50  According to the word of the LORD they gave him the city which he asked, even Timnathserah in mount Ephraim: and he built the city, and dwelt therein.  51  These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they made an end of dividing the country.]

[According to the word of the LORD they gave him the city which he asked,] Joshua, did not just receive some land with a mountain on it, he got an entire city for his inheritance. While I do not want a city of my own, I have been guilty of not asking for what I want and have even rejected some things offered to me. God, actually has much more to give us than we both deserve and ask for, but the key to receiving them is asking for the right things, [James 4:3,5,10  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 5  Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.]

We must admit it, we have all had times when our faith may have even been less than I would say, the size of a mustard seed. We may let our guard down, rather, removed ourselves from the barrier that God places around us to keep us out of danger and we fail Him. When we fail Him we feel as though we have let God down so much that even He has left us to fend for ourselves, and we do not deserve His help let alone ask Him for something. Well, that is all in our head, God, knows that while we do have faith in Him, sometimes we need a place of refuge, a place where we are not judged, which is why He commanded cities of refuge among every tribe for those who feared for their lives. Actually it was a place for someone who accidentally killed someone to hide out for a fair trial. Just as He promised, He commands that six cities be appointed as a refuge.

[Joshua 20:2-6  Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:  3  That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.  4  And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.  5  And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.  6  And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.]

[That the slayer that killeth any person unawares…they shall be your refuge] Do you see this? Anyone who killed someone accidentally would stand at the gate of the city and explain their situation, and what their accident was. Then the elders would take them in, give them a place to stay so that they might get fair trial and be safe from anyone who wanted vengeance for the death of their loved one. They would either remain their until they were acquitted or until the high priest died, as long as the high priest was alive no one could touch them. Is that not what Jesus does for us, and I am sure that since He lives forever, that He is our permanent refuge, [Hebrews 6:17-18  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:  18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:]

Remember, when we accept Christ as our Saviour, we inherit more than eternal life, we inherit Christ Himself. He sets us free from our sin, removes the sin, the shame, and the guilt through our faith in Him alone. Now, one tribe did not receive an inheritance of the land, and that was the Levites. Why? Their inheritance was God Himself, and He would take care of them through the other tribes.

[Joshua 21:1-2,4,6-7  Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel;  2  And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle. 4  And the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites: and the children of Aaron the priest, which were of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities. 6  And the children of Gershon had by lot out of the families of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities. 7  The children of Merari by their families had out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.]

[The LORD commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in,] Yes, we do need to take care of our pastors and the church, for it is a command from God. By mixing the Levites with the other tribes they were made to see that the eyes of all Israel were upon them, and therefore it was their concern to walk in a way that their ministry might not be blamed. First, he allots cities for Aaron’s children.

[Joshua 21:10-13,32,36  Which the children of Aaron, being of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi, had: for theirs was the first lot.  11  And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.  12  But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for his possession.  13  Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the priest Hebron with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Libnah with her suburbs, 32  And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammothdor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities. 36  And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer with her suburbs, and Jahazah with her suburbs,]

[And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee] An interesting fact is that in one of the cities of refuge was Galilee, which is actually where Jesus was raised when He was born in the flesh. Hebron, was not only a city of refuge, it was also where the priests themselves would live, and David began his reign as king there too. God, graciously provided forty-eight cities for all of them.

[Joshua 21:41-45  All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.  42  These cities were every one with their suburbs round about them: thus were all these cities.  43  And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.  44  And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.  45  There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.]

[There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken] God, never fails any good thing that He tells us, even when we are going through things that we do not understand. We are saved by grace through our faith alone in His Son alone. Those who are not saved, He is right there with open arms, they just need to accept His offer of eternal life, [1 Peter 4:12-14  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.]

Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Joshua 20:2-3  Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:  3  That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.]

Today’s Prayer: Jesus, You are my Rock, my Refuge, the one who saved me by grace through my faith in You alone. Thank You, for standing to Your promises, and saving a sinner like me. This flesh, this wretched flesh of mine, knows what not to do, and yet it does it anyway, but I do not have to fear death because I have been pardoned by Your sacrifice. Lord, Lead me and guide me, fill me with Your power, mercies, and grace, put Your hedge of protection around me, and help me make the right decisions so that I might live my days here on earth giving honor and glory to You and showing the world that eternal life begins with You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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