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: Friday, September 29, 2023
Chapters: NEHEMIAH 11-13, PSALM 126
Message: Revival Begins With Me
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today, this passage came to mind, [1 Corinthians 12:12-14 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many.]
It is truly amazing just how diversified Christ’s Church is? Saved, born again, men, women and children of all races, families, and backgrounds all coming together for one cause, Jesus Christ. Then as I was looking up that passage, this one came to mind, [1 Corinthians 11:26-30 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.]
This really hit me today, as a witness to having seen several churches hanging on by a thread just this year, Christ’s churches are sick, and they are slowly dying a painful death. I am talking about the true Church, not these wannabe fake churches who are leading lost souls to hell with them. Is sin the cause? No. Is false doctrine the cause? No. Is a lack of funds the cause? No. The cause is a lack of interest in doing the work of God, either out of fear or ought of lack of time. You see, many Christians are so busy serving their own needs or living in so much fear that they stopped serving God, or even worse, stopped coming to church all together. If we want a revival of not only the Church, but within our own lives, then we need to start with ourselves.
[Psalms 126:1-6 A Song of degrees. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. 2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. 3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. 4 Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. 5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.]
[They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.] My goodness, is that not the truth! This brings tears to my eyes, as much as I fail God, He truly is faithful and just, and full of mercy and grace. Not because I do not mess up every now and then, but because I am faithful to confess my sins and stay faithful to Him, [Psalms 32:5-7 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. 7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.]
As we come to the end of the reading of Nehemiah, the temple was rebuilt, the walls were built, the Law was read, the oaths were taken, and now it was time to put action to their words. The rulers stayed within the walls to take care of the city, as for the rest, they literally got their names drew out of a hat so to speak.
[Nehemiah 11:1-2,4,11,16 And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. 2 And the people blessed all the men, that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem. 4 And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah; Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the children of Perez; 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, was the ruler of the house of God. 16 And Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chief of the Levites, had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God.]
[blessed all the men, that willingly offered themselves] These people were not willing to help rebuild and maintain the city of Jerusalem, but they sure blessed the efforts of those who did. Did you notice that it was one in ten people that stayed in Jerusalem? And most of those actually got picked at random. Today, I imagine that number to be even larger than one in ten as the closer we get to Jesus returning the less people are willing to serve Him. Jesus, said it this way, [Matthew 9:37-38 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.]
[had the oversight of the outward business of the house of God.] There are those who serve God in the Church and then there are those who serve Him out in the cities, but they still represent the Church. It is actually those who do the work outside that serve a greater need as they are the ones who lead the lost to the Church. Remember, we who are saved and born again are the Church, so, wherever we go we take Jesus with us, [1 Corinthians 12:21-23 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.]
Serving God is not just about being a part of His ministry, it also includes laymen and their obedience to Him while they are living their normal lives. There is several reasons why a saved, born again Christian does not step up to offer their time for God, and this has nothing to do with serving God in His ministry. They are either babes in Christ and ignorant to the Holy Spirit calling them, have no desire to serve Him, are afraid of what the world would do to them, or are living in sin. Now, after the laymen were chosen, the priests and Levites were chosen.
[Nehemiah 12:1,8,12-13,26 Now these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 8 Moreover the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, which was over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren. 12 And in the days of Joiakim were priests, the chief of the fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 Of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 26 These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.]
[which was over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren.] Instead of waiting for someone to take he lead in thanking God for all that He has done for us and His mercies, we ought to be the ones taking the lead. The reminders of God’s goodness and all His provisions and protections needs to be proclaimed, and lived out, and we ought to never be ashamed to call ourselves true Christians, [Romans 10:11-15 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!]
Do you see the importance of living and proclaiming God, whether we are called to serve God in His ministry or just being faithful to Him? It is not to save our own soul, it is to lead others to Him. Now, as the people took their places, a dedication took place of the walls being built only to discover that there were some Levites who were unaccounted for. Nehemiah, and Ezra searched outside he walls to find them.
[Nehemiah 12:27-30,43 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, with cymbals, psalteries, and with harps. 28 And the sons of the singers gathered themselves together, both out of the plain country round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi; 29 Also from the house of Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had builded them villages round about Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall. 43 Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.]
[And the priests and the Levites purified themselves,] Remember, we cannot serve God if we have some unrepentant sin that we have not addressed. This is why Jesus tells us that we need to wash our feet, [John 13:10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.] And I am pretty sure that He wants us to do that daily because we defile our temple without even trying sometimes, [1 John 1:7-9 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.]
[so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.] Can you imagine a revival for God so big that it can be heard for miles? It is not impossible for our once God ruled nations to turn themselves around. Jesus, just needs willing vessels to stand up and stick their necks out for the greater cause, [2 Timothy 2:20-21 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.]
Those who are ignorant to their sin also need to cleanse themselves of their sin once they realize that they are sinning. Now, after the dedication, and the reading of the Law, it was discovered that just like the priests and Levites, many of the Jews were married to strangers, in particular, Ammonites and Moabites.
[Nehemiah 13:1-3,6-9 On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and therein was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever; 2 Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude. 6 But in all this time was not I at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king: 7 And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 8 And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber. 9 Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.]
[the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever;] Remember, Ruth was a Moabite, but she was converted and therefore was no longer known as a Moabite, [Ruth 1:16-17 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.]
You see, God, never denies anyone the opportunity to be saved, regardless of what family they are born into. Now, just because we are saved that does not mean that we can live our lives as we please, hence why we dedicate our lives to Him. And this is not for the sake of our salvation, or even for the sake of seeing others get saved, this is about honoring and respecting Jesus for what He has done for us. Now, after everything was set in order, Nehemiah went back to Babylon, it was discovered that the people were not only selling things on the Sabbath, but within the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah, wasted no time in letting them know their error.
[Nehemiah 13:15,17-19 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. 19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.]
[I commanded that the gates should be shut,] This reminds me of what Jesus did when He saw people doing the same thing, [Matthew 21:12-14 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.]
Do you see who believed? It was the ones who had no reason to believe. Remember, we are to be separated from the world, not live with them and we are to never bring them into to church. This is basically what Nehemiah was telling them. Oh, he was angry, and lined them all up, removed anyone who did not worship God from the congregation.
[Nehemiah 13:25-30 And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. 27 Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? 28 And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son in law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me. 29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites. 30 Thus cleansed I them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;]
[Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things?] Remember also, the people we read about from the Bible as well as those we come to know who have gone through similar experiences set the example for us, whether it be they were obedient or disobedient, [1 Corinthians 10:4-6 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.]
[therefore I chased him from me. Thus cleansed I them from all strangers,] The evil things that turn a saved soul away from God. The worldly things that destroy a saved souls testimony. The immoral things that separate God from His believer, these are the things that keep a saved soul from the provisions and protections of God. Therefore, we are to come out from among those who lead us to sin, [2 Corinthians 6:16-18 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for my salvation, I know there is nothing I can do apart from receiving Your Son as my Saviour to merit eternal life. Lord, Lead me and guide me, give me Your power to serve You faithfully, keep my heart tender and willing to serve You wherever you lead me. Give me Your strength to separate myself from the world and let me not be tempted by its visage of evil. Keep me in Your Word and walking with You daily so I do not fall into temptation. And iIf there is anything that I am doing that hinders You, purge it. Let me always be a faithful witness that seasons the world with Your Son through me me. 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?: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/ready-to-follow-jesus/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Read The Bible: http://kingjamesbible.imfollowingjesus.com/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2023 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.