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, October 04, 2024
Chapters: John Chapter 1:15-51, Matthew Chapters 3-4
Message: John The Baptist Meets Jesus
Hello My Friend,
All throughout Jesus’ ministry He preached, “Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It was not uncommon among the prophets to tell the people to repent of their sin, but as far as the kingdom of heaven was concerned, this was something they never heard of. The Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are one in the same, but it is not an actual place like heaven, it is a spiritual place in which all believers of Christ, before and after His passion, will attain eternal life when He returns to the earth. This is actually foretold in the Book of Daniel, [Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.]
As we continue in the reading of Matthew and return to the reading of John, we learn of John, the Baptist who also preached the same message, even before he met Jesus. Matthew, goes on to give us a description of what he looked like as well as what his ministry was all about.
[Matthew 3:1-6 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 4 And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.]
[were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.] This was a new way of teaching the Scriptures that true believers flocked to. John, would preach about the coming of Christ and how He would save them from their sins and to show their acceptance of what John was saying they got baptized in the Jordan River. John, was not a priest, he did not accept nor perform any sacrifices that would pardon sin, their getting baptized was for the same reason that we get baptized today, it was simply an act of professing their faith in Christ, [Colossians 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.]
Now, the difference between now and then is that they believed in that the promise of Christ saving them would be fulfilled, while we believe it after it has already been fulfilled. The Kingdom of heaven was not only for the Jews, and to prove that John made sure to point out to the Jews that their being the promised seed of Abraham would not save them.
[Matthew 3:9-11 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:]
[God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.] Stones, meaning Gentiles, God, was able to raise, and has raised up a spiritual seed to Abraham. Believers who are of the promised seed of Abraham through the flesh are the same as the Gentiles who are of the spiritual seed of Abraham, their faith in Christ makes us all the same, [Galatians 3:6-9 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.]
[I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:] John, insisted that if they were going into the water for the remission of their sins and faith in Christ coming to save them then they needed to live a repentant life as well or he would not baptize them. Of course, he saw, what he called the vipers out there, and called them out on it, but wanted to make sure they understood that he was a nobody just preaching about the Kingdom of Heaven while the true Christ is yet to be revealed.
[John 1:15-19 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?]
[of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.] While the Law brought the admission of sin and atonement for sin through the animal sacrifices, that only gave them temporary redemption and their works were evidence of their repentance. However, this One and Only sacrifice once fulfilled will make atonement not only permanent, but eternal, and it will only be granted by the grace of God through their faith in Christ, [Hebrews 10:10-12,14 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.]
[when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?] These were actually Pharisees, and known as the religious group who were supposed to not only be knowledgeable of the Law, but followers of it as well. These men had people observing John to find out who he was.
[John 1:20-23,25-25 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?]
[Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ,] So, why did John baptize them when he clearly had no authority to do so and nothing like this had even been thought of? John, answers their question with a simple statement, [John 1:26-27 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.]
So, here is the thing, for many years Jesus had been hid in Galilee, and although it had been known to some in the beginning who He is, His public admission had not been made known yet. The testimony of John relating to his specific work did not interest them, but the authority for his baptizing was a matter of much concern to them. Through water baptism, John gave the foreshadow of their cleansing from sin through their confession of sin and faith in redemption through Christ. This is actually confirmed the next day when Jesus shows up. Even though John had never seen Jesus before, he knew exactly who He was.
[John 1:29-34 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.]
[Behold the Lamb of God,] The Lamb of God Himself, the one and only atonement sacrifice necessary of whom God gave, approves of, accepts, and takes away the sins of all who come to Him, baptizing them not with water, but the Holy Spirit, [John 1:32-34 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.]
[but he that sent me to baptize with water,] God, Himself is the one who sent John to prepare the way for His Son to be revealed to the world. What confirmed it all was the dove that came down from the heavens and baptized Jesus with the Holy Spirit as soon as Jesus came up out of the water.
[Matthew 3:13-17 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.]
[for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.] Jesus, set the example for us, He in all His humbleness, made Himself of no reputation. Even though John was actually born with the Holy Spirit, Jesus, does not deny that John had need to be baptized of Him, yet he will now be baptized of John. It was an act of great humility, that He would offer Himself to be baptized of John in order to fulfill all righteousness, [Romans 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:]
Jesus, knew exactly who He is, and yet He never gloated about it, He never taunted His earthly half siblings, although I am pretty sure they taunted Him as many did not receive Him themselves until after His passion, from what we are told anyway. And if John was not amazed enough at what he saw, he heard a voice, [This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.] Well, the very next day, Jesus, returned, and it would quickly be the end of John’s ministry that beginning of His. He wasted no time in beginning His ministry, in fact, two of the men who hung out with John, started following Him, and right away they knew that He is the Messiah they had been waiting for.
[John 1:36-39 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.]
[He saith unto them, Come and see.] Just exactly what did these men expect to see? Perhaps, a beautiful home, with servants and food galore? What they found was a man camping out in the woods, but that actually did not bother them, in fact, I think they were more comfortable with Him just the way He was. While God can certainly bless us with riches through our faith in Christ, the biggest blessings come when we realize that our treasures are in the Kingdom of Heaven, [Matthew 6:19-20 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:]
Jesus, had every intention of going to Galilee, but then again, Jesus, always knew where He was going and had a purpose. On the way He found more men who were willing to follow Him, along with Andrew and Peter came Philip and Nathanael.
[John 1:41-43,45-46 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. 43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.]
[thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.] This is actually the Greek name for Peter. This is in reference to the hard work that Peter would do in building up Christ’s Church once he starts his ministry. Peter, would become a lively stone in the spiritual building of the Church, [Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.]
[Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?] Nathanael, was quite skeptical at first, in fact, rude in the way he judged Jesus before he even seen Him. However, it did not take much for him to realize that it was true that Jesus is the Messiah, [John 1:47-49,51 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.]
[Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!] Notice that Jesus is referring to him as an Israelite who is not full of deceitful sin. We are all sinners by nature, but that does not mean that we need to exercise that nature, we are all capable of avoiding sin, but those who choose to remain in it are that way because they enjoy the sin more than their relationship with Christ, [Titus 3:8-9 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.]
I cannot tell you how many saved, born again Christians that I have seen die prematurely because they could not let go of their sin. It is quite sad really, but some people will never learn from the constant warnings that God gives them and that is when God decides that they are best with Him. You know, Satan, may be the one who influences sin, but he has no more power to make us sin than God has to make us not sin. To prove this, Jesus, was led by the Holy Spirit to be tempted of the devil.
[Matthew 4:1-4 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.]
[led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.] Two things come to my mind as I read this, one; we who are saved are led by the Holy Spirit sometimes under some strange circumstances. And two; it is not the temptation that gets us into trouble, it is acting on it, [James 1:13-15 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.]
Our care must be not to enter into temptation; but if God, by His appointment bought us into circumstances of temptation, we must not think it strange, but double our guard heart. If we try to handle it in our own strength, we will fail, but if we seek Christ’s strength we can overcome the greatest of temptations. Well, Satan’s attempt to get Jesus to distrust God’s ability to sustain life failed he tries to plant the seed of self-glorification and presumption in the heart of Jesus. He figures if Jesus quoted Scripture, he might as well too in his next attempt.
[Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.]
[lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.] Do not think that Satan does not know Scripture, however, what he always does is give half truths, this was what he was quoting from, [Psalms 91:11-12 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.] What Satan is implying is that if Jesus is the Son of God then He could just jump off this huge mountain and the angels will catch Him. Of course, Jesus responds with one very obvious point, [Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.]
Right there, Jesus, is already reminding him not only that He is the Son of God, but God Himself, but just in case, Satan, decides to tempt Him one ore time, [Matthew 4:8-11 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.]
[if thou wilt fall down and worship me.] Do you see what Satan’s goal in life is? He wants to be God so bad that he can taste it, but do not let him fool you, he is subject to God just like the rest of us. He actually had it pretty good when God created him to be an archangel, he had the highest rank above all the angels, but he was not content with that and wanted everyone to fall down and worship him, including his Creator. And as we can see here, he is still obsessed with that idea but he did not win this battle so he left him alone for a while and that was when the angels came down and helped Him. Now, after Jesus returned from His the dessert, He was ready to start His ministry, John the Baptist had been arrested so heads over to Galilee where He quickly gathered up Andrew and Peter, and a few more men as well.
[Matthew 4:12,17-20,21 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.]
[And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.] The nature of true believers is following Jesus, the second that they see His Light shining through the witness, and when they do they gladly and quickly follow Him, devoting dedicating themselves to Him, [Luke 9:23-24 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.]
When Jesus started His ministry He did something that no other prophet, man, or woman of God did before, He went into the Gentile cities preaching the same message of repentance as He did the Jews. Now, the prophets of old did preach of Jesus coming, but they did not speak with such authority or knowledge as Jesus did, and for that reason people followed Him.
[Matthew 4:23-25 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. 25 And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.]
[there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee,] Not all of these people were true believers, but Jesus did something that no prophet could do, He healed those believers from something much more than their physical infirmities, He made them whole by giving them His Spirit, [Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [John 1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for wearing the shoes that I would never be worthy enough to fill myself. Thank You, for lighting Your way to me through some of Your disciples so that I found You. Now, I am one of Your disciples and as much as I enjoy being a part of Your ministry, I know I could never do one thing without You, let alone serve You. Lord, Lead me, and guide me, give me Your strength to walk and talk as You do. Put Your hedge of protection around me, and keep me looking to You myself, and let me not fall into the temptations of the devil as he tries to hinder me. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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