I'm Following Jesus – Page 1349 – Mark 8:34 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.

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, September 07, 2020
Chapters: Ezekiel 34-36
Message: God’s Sheep

Hello My Friend,

I discovered something through this crazy year, everyone is broken, even the strongest Christian needs spiritual guidance, everyone has ups and downs in their faith, and no matter how strong our faith, we all need someone to keep us encouraged in the LORD. Jesus does something to us as we grow closer to Him, He gives us a new heart, one that gives us compassion on the lost, the broken, the fallen. Basically, He gives us a new spirit, in fact, His Spirit, which reminds us that He is our God, and if we focus on Him, He will mend us as we help mend others, [Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.]

The head pastors within Christ’s church are known as the under shepherds to the sheep of the Good Shepherd who calls them to keep watch over His sheep while they are here on earth. I suppose this can be true for missionaries and teachers who represent His church out in the world also. Sadly, there has been a steady decline of shepherds leading Christ’s sheep through the Word of God, leaving them scattered all over the place, and making unwise decisions while the shepherds are enjoying prosperity, feeding off their wealth. It angers God to see His shepherds feeding off the lost sheep with no intention of searching them out, through Ezekiel, God lets that be known.

[Ezekiel 34:2-6 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. 5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.]

[and none did search or seek after them.] It is the responsibility of every saved, born again Christian to preach the Gospel to the lost. I get that the pandemic has caused a disruption in every day life, and I am guilty of this too, I have not led one soul to Christ since the pandemic started. However, this is the time that we need to be out there telling people about Jesus as it is a time when everyone is scared, lost, and confused. We do not have to physically talk to people about Christ, we can talk to them virtually, by phone, email, even through facebook. How ever the Holy Spirit leads you, we need to use this time to find God’s lost sheep, [Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.]

Shepherds have a duty to feed God’s sheep, to care for them, minster to them, and provide them with the spiritual medicine they need to heal them from their sin, which is the Gospel, and living by it. God will expose the truth of every person who reaps all the money, power, and fame of being a shepherd, yet refuses to feed His sheep. However, He will also bring His sheep back to the Good Shepherd with some good old fashioned discipline of their own since they followed them in the first place. Through Ezekiel, God reveals that He will send His Shepherd to find and keep His lost sheep.

[Ezekiel 34:10-12 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. 11 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.]

[and I will require my flock at their hand,] These are the churches who shut out God’s sheep with rules too harsh for God to even impose. We truly have only one Shepherd, and He is the Lord, Jesus Christ, you know, we are all sinners, we have all done things that we are not proud of, and will be accountable for them, whether we choose to believe it is sin or not. However, God’s people are His people, and He will deal with each and every one of us as He sees fit, but He will not tolerate those who cause His sheep to walk away from the church because they were shunned or had no spiritual guidance to keep them in check, [Ezekiel 34:15-16 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.]

Mt. Seir, which is Edom, are descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother to be exact, they boasted over Israel’s fall and vowed to take the land for themselves. While God did judge Israel for their sin, He did have an expected end of it, a time where they would be able to return. Through Ezekiel, God addresses Edom, and tells them of the judgment they will no receive along with the reason why.

[Ezekiel 35:2-3,5,9-11 Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, 3 And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. 5 Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time that their iniquity had an end: 9 I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 10 Because thou hast said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas the LORD was there: 11 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will even do according to thine anger, and according to thine envy which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them; and I will make myself known among them, when I have judged thee.]

[Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred,] I see how the world despises America, even American are showing such a hatred for their country. What was once called, the land of the free, especially since we have a president that has actually done more to turn the country around since I was a kid, is losing its freedoms every day. You see, God may place judgment upon His people, but it is not permanent, we are not punished until the day we die, unless we have really done something that the only option to save us from our sin is to take us home, it is man who makes us suffer more than we need to. This angers God, and He will come after all who bring added suffering and oppression to His people. Through Ezekiel, God explains why He protects His own, even though we do not do anything to deserve it.

[Eze 36:2,7-9,11,22-23 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: 7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, they shall bear their shame. 8 But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. 9 For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: 11 And I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.]

[and will do better unto you than at your beginnings:] What a great reminder! We may rise and we may fall, but as long as we are trusting Christ as our Saviour, we will rise even higher than in our best days. I do not know about you, but as much as my faith goes up and down, this gives me great hope that as I endure the downs with Christ I will come out stronger, and God will bless me so much more. We are all sinners, and deserve hell for our sins, if we are saved, it is by the grace of God through Christ alone that we are saved. Nothing we do in our own flesh can save us, and once we are saved nothing we do can take that away, it is a gift from God, not for our own sakes, but because of the promise He made to us, [Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.] Amen!

Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for taking my place on the cross, and for giving us hope of eternal life. It is because of Your resurrection that we have hope of our own resurrection, when our bodies will be stripped of the graven clothes of this mortal life, and clothed with eternal life. We will no longer suffer with sickness, sorrow, pain, or sin, the temptation to sin will not even exist and our adversary, the devil, will bother us no more. What anticipation this builds when we see You face to face in our glorified, eternal bodies. Lord, Keep us faithful and looking unto You until the day You return. Let us be honest and true shepherds as we await the day we get to join our Good Shepherd in His Kingdom. It’s comforting to know that Your mercy endures, even if we mess up, time and time again. In Your name, Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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