I'm Following Jesus – Page 1363 – 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: Saturday, July 25, 2020
Chapters: Isaiah 37-39, Psalm 76
Message: Stay Faithful

Hello My Friend,

The second we receive Christ as our Saviour we start seeing how He plays such a great part in our lives as we walk and grow with Him, from answering prayer, to removing sin, to changing our lives completely. Since Christ went through so much pain to save us, it would be wise for us to return the favor by being faithful to Him. Now, God does not expect us to be perfect because even on our best day we fail Him because we carry this flesh around with is that is always doing something that is not very pleasing to God. That is what Jesus is for, He is our salvation, even when we are being chastened for no wrong doing at all, we have nothing to fear for He promises to never leave nor forsake us, and He keeps that promise. Since we really do not get what we deserve, the more important thing to remember here is that when the ultimate judgment does come, we will be saved.

“At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry? Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was still, When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.” – Psalms 76:6-11.

[the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.] Of all the billions of people God created since He created the earth, only a small remnant will be saved. Since we are saved by grace, through our faith in Christ, we should expect that God would want His people to follow His commands, or at least, work at following them, which is why judgment does come to us first. Always keep in mind that God warns us ahead of time and also teaches us through His mercies that He really does not want to send judgment to us. Isaiah goes into more detail as to what happened when the Assyrian’s attempted to take Judah as they did Israel. Rabshakeh showed up in Judah, along with an army, pretty much calling them fools for trusting King Hezekiah, who put his trust in God to deliver them. Instead of caving, Hezekiah goes to God in prayer and fasting, and sends for Isaiah to help.

“And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz. And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah. And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say unto your master, Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” – Isaiah 37:1-7.

[for the children are come to the birth,] Hezekiah realizes that all of this was due to the sin that was in Judah, in particular, the idolatry. He knows that whatever befalls them it is of God’s will, but is hopeful that He will deliver them out of their judgment for the fact that Rabshakeh was blaspheming God. The sign of a faithful Christian is not the pride that comes from the flesh in knowing they are saved, it is the humbleness that comes in knowing they deserve the judgment, but are grateful that their faith has saved them from it. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” – I Timothy 1:15-16.

Do not let the world fool you, they know that Israel’s God is the same God of all nations that call Him LORD, and they want all that power of God on their side, even though they want nothing to do with God. You see, the Assyrian’s were not trying to capture Judah because they were stronger than them, they wanted Judah on their side to help them defeat Libnah. They thought by intimidating Judah into submission they would be able to fight Libnah with them and win. He tried once again to intimidating them by sending a letter with the kings signature. This is when Hezekiah takes the letter into the temple, spread it upon the altar and prays.

“Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only. Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria: Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof. And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this. For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.” – Isaiah 37:17,20-21,29-32,35.

[For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant,] You see, this was God’s last attempt to get Judah fully trusting and turning to Him completely, if He delivers them from the Assyrian’s then they would remove all the idols and worship only Him. [and for my servant David’s sake.] Do you understand just how sinful we are? Even on a good day we manage to fail God. God does not save us for any of our own righteousness, He saves us for His Son, Christ’s sake. Christ is our mediator, without Him we would still be sacrificing animals, and we would not have His Spirit in us at all times as we do now. “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” – Hebrews 9:12-15.

We can never underestimate the power of our living God, He alone has the power to give life, death, and everything in between, it is how we choose to live between life and death that determines how our end will be, and in some people, how long their end will be. After God delivered Judah out of the hands of the Assyrians Hezekiah became deathly ill, we learn of the miraculous turn of events as Hezekiah humbly prays for God to prolong his life, and by His grace, He adds fifteen years to his life. Now, after Isaiah came to him with the news that God had granted his prayer, Hezekiah wrote some amazing, and thought provoking words.

“The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness: Like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter: I did mourn as a dove: mine eyes fail with looking upward: O LORD, I am oppressed; undertake for me. What shall I say? he hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it: I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.” – Isaiah 38:9,14-20.

[The LORD was ready to save me:] Jesus truly is ready to save every soul who comes to Him, and as I read this again I cannot help, but think of how He saved this wretched soul bound for hell, and how He delivered it from the pit of corruption and cast all my sins behind His back. Amen! Jesus will save anyone who comes to Him, regardless of their past, and even present. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” – II Peter 3:9

Today’s Prayer: God, I know that you are the only living God and that because I put my faith and trust in Your Son, I know You are my God. You already produced one miracle by giving me eternal life, now, I am trusting in You to do more as you help me endure the afflictions in life until You bring me home. Lord, Lead me and guide in me in Your will and Your way, let me be a witness and a story for all to tell of my love for You. I love you and ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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