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: Monday, November 04, 2019
Chapters: Mark 12, Matthew 23
Message: Give A Little, Get A Lot
Hello My Friend,
I had been observing this man, he was a very successful, smart, and godly man. Something was not quite right, you could see it in his eyes, he was hurting deep inside. No matter what he did, no matter how successful he became, there was pain in him that no amount of skill or labor could cure. And here is the thing, I see a lot of him in myself, I have skills that you would not believe, having gone from one career to the next since I was fifteen. As I reflect on all this, I was never happy, in fact, the most happiest, successful, and prosperous time in my life was when I dedicated my life to Christ and started to not only serve Him, but feared Him greatly. I was actually self employed, and made more money in a week than I now do in a month. You know the saying, “Give a little, get a lot”? Well, God rather us give Him a little bit with all our heart than a lot with self attached to it. “And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” – Mark 12:41-44.
“That this poor widow hath cast more in,” Do you know why the majority of Christians struggle so much? They lack the want. There is a difference between doing something because we want to do it. Remember, Jesus knows our heart, whatever we do, especially when it comes to His work, He wants us to want to do it. If we do anything just to add another notch on our belt, or to make ourselves look good to others, God will know our intentions, and He will not be pleased. Jesus was in the temple teaching all this, He spoke a parable of Himself, and how He was perceived by the Jews.
“And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others. And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” – Mark 12:2-11.
“and the inheritance shall be ours.” The servants are the prophets, the husbandmen are the religious. Since creation, the religious, who think they know more than God, have been killing the prophets of God, not leading one soul to God. The religious think that they can take heaven by force, but they do not know God very well. Romans, Chapter 1, describes how fools profess themselves to be wise, and it is so true. One can recite every line of Scripture in the sixty-six books of the Bible, but that does not mean they know what it. The Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducee’s, all thought they knew the Scriptures, and could trip up Jesus, but they underestimated the fact that Jesus not only knew every line of Scripture, He knew what exactly what it meant. The Scribes, these are the ones who supposedly, actually interpret the Scriptures, hearing all this thought they would chime in, and show the rest of them how foolish they were.
“And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.” – Mark 12:28-34.
“Well, Master, thou hast said the truth:” Remember, just knowing the Scriptures will not get us anywhere, we must obey them. I am feeling repentant today because I made an unwise decision in a panic, and sinned against God, when He told me not to even go into the place I went into to begin with. I do not know what bothers me more, the decision I made, or the fact that I went against God when He specifically told me not to. Either way, I sinned against God, and yes, I confessed my sin, and asked for forgiveness, and know that He has forgiven me. I still feel bad, and know that I do not want to disappoint Him again. You know, that is exactly the fear God is looking for, He wants us faithful, repentant, and when we mess up, confess it, then sin more more.
“Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” – II Corinthians 7:9-11.
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation” It is by our admitting that we are sinners that leads us to Christ, and repenting of our own righteous to save us (Romans 10:9-10). “ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” It is by our confessing and repenting, turning away from sin, after we are saved, that clears our conscious, brings us to fearing God as we ought to be, and reconciles us with Him (I John 1:9). Keep in mind that unrepentant sin causes Him to close His ears to our prayers (Isaiah 1:14-20). Something caught my attention this morning in today’s reading, Jesus points out how we are to observe the religious.
“Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” – Matthew 23:1–4,8-13.
“that observe and do; but do not ye after their works:” There are those who love to preach what we are to say, do, act, how we are to live, and how sinful we are, but they are the worse offenders of their own law. It does not matter what church you attend, every one has their own set of rules to follow in order to be a member, and let me tell you, the majority of them have nothing to do with obeying Scripture. I will tell you this, everyone interprets Scripture differently, but what they are telling you should not be so far out there that one, it takes away the simplicity of the Gospel. And two, has a completely different message from what the Bible clearly says. “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” The most successful and prosperous Christian is not the one leading the most to Christ, not the one most righteous, not the one who does the most in the church, it is the one who humbles themselves as the sinners they are, confessing their sin in full repentance, and turning to God with all their heart. “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” – James 4:2-3,7-10.
Today’s Prayer: God, You have given us the greatest example of living in Your will in the person of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Others in this world may earn titles and win prizes for worldly pursuits, but the greatest prize I will ever obtain in serving You is getting to see You face to face. And amazingly, it is not because I earned it, but because I put my faith and trust in Your Son alone for my salvation. Thank You for all that You do for me, the little I get You is certainly much when I give You my all. Lord, Lead me and guide me, keep me in Your Word, studying and living in Your will, help me to always love You with my heart, soul, mind, and strength as to not sin against You. Forgive me where I have failed You, and let me also be forgiving to those who wronged me so that I can be blessed even more. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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