I'm Following Jesus – Page 1383 – 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 11, 2020
Chapters: Isaiah 1-4
Message: Walk In The Light

Hello My Friend,

As I was reading the chapters for today I could not help, but think that we are going through the same thing that Israel went through. These verses came to mind immediately, [Romans 1:21-24 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:] We have the tendency to wonder why all these evil things are going on, not just in one country, but all over the world, none of us really want to see any of this, even God does not, and yet it is all happening before our very eyes, and God is allowing every bit of it because no matter how much He pleads with them, they will never see the Light.

[I John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 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.]

The Book of Isaiah is the twenty-third book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains sixty-six chapters. The author of the book is Isaiah and it was written to Judah and all believers. The timeline for these events took place between 766 BC to 679 BC. The purpose of the book was to teach correction and reproof to all believers. What we are to learn from the book is that rebellion leads to destruction, but repentance leads to restoration. The Book of Isaiah is actually a mirror of the entire Bible. The Bible has 66 books, Isaiah does as well. The Old Testament has 39 books covering the history and sin of Israel, the first 39 chapters of Isaiah do as well. The New Testament has 27 books describing the ministry of Jesus Christ, including the new heaven and earth, the last 27 chapters of Isaiah do as well. During the time that his father Amos was in Samaria warning Israel of the judgment they are in, Isaiah was in Judah, telling them that the same thing will happen to them in the future. The book of Isaiah begins with God in deep mourning over the sinful and corrupted state of His nation.

[Isaiah 1:2-9 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. 4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. 7 Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. 8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city. 9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.]

[we should have been as Sodom,] Can you imagine just how bad it had to be if God was comparing Israel to Sodom and Gomorrah? God will afflict us only for so long, if His people refuse to heed the warnings and repent of their sin, He will turn His back to them, and let them die in their sin. Keep in mind that God never stops pleading for His people to return to Him, even when then judgment comes, but repentance must take place while their breath is still in them. Through Isaiah, God pleads with Israel to return to Him while there was still time.

[Isaiah 1:16-20,24-27 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 24 Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: 25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: 26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city. 27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.]

[If ye be willing and obedient,] Since we are all sinners, God knows that we are going to mess up, sometimes all day long, He does not expect perfection, He does expect a perfect heart, and that means when we mess up, we admit, confess, and repent of our sin. We will all stand before Jesus one day, even those who of Old Testament days, He is the one who perfect us as we walk with Him. What we read from the New Testament about Jesus coming to judge the world is the same exact thing that God told them. In fact, through Isaiah, God gives us a glimpse of the day that Jesus would come to judge all the world.

[Isaiah 2:2-5,11 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. 11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.]
[and let us walk in the light of the LORD.] There is no greater peace than knowing that Jesus is lighting your path, He sends His light down the darkest of days. In fact, the second we get saved we are walking in then light of Christ, [I Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.]

If all Christians are walking in the light of Christ, then why are things so dark? Two words, false religion. False religion is responsible for all this, it has been preaching a false gospel, and no need for repentance, are they are going to get a huge awakening. In fact, I am sure the founders of these false religions have already seen Jesus, and were cast into hell, and are screaming up at the living for them to stop to no avail since they cannot speak to them. Ignorance does not save anyone, and those who follow the lies of false religion are not saved either, regardless of whether or not they were misguided, they believed the lies over the truth. And let me tell you, God knows exactly what they are doing, He actually hands them over to the liars because they refuse to listen.

[Isaiah 3:1-5,9,12-13 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, 2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, 3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. 4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. 9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. 12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. 13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.]

[they which lead thee cause thee to err] Think about what God is saying here, He removes His protections, His provisions, His presence, and places them under the oppression of their own children, and ungodly women will rule over them. Do you see our country? It is one by one, being ruled by ruthless women who proclaim abortion as form of birth control, make a mockery out of God, and life itself. Do you see the churches? One by one, they are being ruled by women, who do the same thing. Jesus calls them the blind leading the blind, people wrapped up in the lusts of their flesh that they are willing to believe the lies, and follow those rather than obey the truth. It is only going to get worse before Jesus returns, and yet, there is still hope. As God continues to foretell Judgment Day, He does gives some hope for those who did not forsake Him

[Isaiah 4:3-6 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: 4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence. 6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.]

[even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:] This is none other than the Book of life, in which the names of every saved soul will contain. Jesus takes away our reproach, the shame, the disgrace we face for our sin. He is the only Light and path that gets our names written in the Book of Life, [Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.]

Today’s Prayer: God, Thank you for sending Your Son to make redemption for our sins permanent. We no longer have to offer animal sacrifices because we are redeemed by the precious blood of Your Son once and for all. We know that salvation does not give us a free pass to live in sin and not suffer for it, it does give us the opportunity to show Your Son to the world and receive much more through our faithfulness to You. Lord, we who are saved and born again are Your light that shines through us as we walk the path You give us, lead us and guide us, help us to seek Your truths and live by them so we can be an honor to You. Put Your hedge of protection around us, and give us Your strength and courage to boldly proclaim Your Son to the world. Let us not be afraid to speak the true Gospel, and give the words of wisdom to approach anyone who teaches the lies. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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