I'm Following Jesus – Page 1549 – 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: Thursday, February 07, 2020
Chapters: Exodus 22-24
Message: Behave Yourself And Wait For God

Hello My Friend,

This past week, in Bible Study, we were discussing televangelists, and how they lure people into sending money in hopes that God will touch them in some way by bringing people on the air with some miraculous recovery. We fall into these traps, we want to be healed, prosperous, successful, we are willing to do anything for God to touch us just to make us feel whole, and complete. Then when we do them and still struggle we are told we have some sin in our lives and need to repent before God blesses us. So, we wreck our brains, pray, and pray for God to forgive us and show us what we need to be doing, and still nothing. Do you know what the problem is? Us. We convince ourselves that we are sick, afflicted, lonely, poor, or whatever it is that we struggle with because God is angry at us, and this is our punishment. Let me tell you, that is not Your thinking, that is Satan. The suffering we go through as Christians, as long as we are saved, and living a moral life, are not punishment, rather for pour consolation. “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.” – II Corinthians 1:5-7.

“it is for your consolation and salvation,” Consolation; Comfort; alleviation of misery, or distress of mind; refreshment of mind or spirits. In other words, they keep us in check as we seek Christ for the alleviation of our misery. We must realize that we are sinners, and as much as we would like to convince ourselves that we have no sin, we do sin, and not intentionally, well, not most of His faithful, but in the weakness of our flesh. We sin out of anger, frustration, jealousy, envy, sickness, loneliness, hunger, even gluttony, the list goes on and on. And let me tell you, we do suffer for it when we do not just go to God and confess. The flesh is weak, and while we are saved by grace, it does us good to maintain the Law of God. As God continues to give Moses instructions on how His people were to behave themselves, He enforces retribution to those whom have had things stolen, and for the accuser. He also enforces social justice, in other words, how they were to treat one another.

“And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed. Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.” – Exodus 22:16-27.

“Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Now, we are not to go around literally killing witches, but any type of witchcraft, sorcery, is from Satan, and his contention with God. Any act of evil, even with good intentions, will be the death of us, and we need to put it away. And this includes, alcohol, which is an evil spirit that takes over the entire body. “thou shalt not be to him as an usurer,” Way too many Christians find themselves in huge amounts of debt, and contention between each other because they somehow have lost the ability to give to each other in need. God does not work that way, we cannot expect God to bless our tithes and offerings if we are not willing to just give someone something, expecting something in return. This is not about handing a dollar to every bum on the street, or bailing people out of their debts, this is about giving help to someone out of the kindness of your heart, expecting nothing in return. Let me tell you, if they ask for money instead of what they are needing when you have offered to help them, then perhaps they are not being true to you (Acts 3:6). God continues giving out instructions on Israel was to treat one another, this includes strangers or foreigners.

“Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment: Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause. Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous. Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.” – Exodus 23:1-3,7-9.

“Thou shalt not raise a false report:” Falsely accusing someone, spreading rumors about someone, these are all sin. I have been falsely accused of things by so many Christians, and it is quite heartbreaking, but let me tell you, those who are quick to accuse or spread lies have something they are hiding themselves, and God will deal with them. “And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect:” Circumspect; Cautious; prudent; watchful on all sides; examining carefully all the circumstances that may affect a determination, or a measure to be adopted. Before we even make one move, we are to think about what would happen before doing it. You see, God promises to always be there for us, to love us, protect us, and provide for us, by His grace, He really does this whether we obey or not, but imagine the blessings He would give if we paid more attention to what we were doing instead of acting on impulse. If we are saved, and faithful to Him, Jesus really is always with us, leading us with every step, and He was even with Israel, God reveals to Israel, that He is sending His Angel.

“Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.” – Exodus 23:20-25,28-30,32-33.

“Beware of him, and obey his voice,” Keep in mind that while we are saved by grace through our faith in Christ, it is important to maintain good works by obeying His commands. Too many Christians take their salvation for granted, living in sin, and then justifying their actions by their faith. And they will regret it unless they repent (Titus 3:8). “By little and little I will drive them out from before thee,” Do you see why God does not take all the wicked out at once? There is much more of them, and quite few of us, we would not be able to survive as they are the ones God uses in order for us to be provided for. However, we are never to be of the world or bring the world into the Church. “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” – John 17:14-17.

God’s Law should be common sense to us. Do you realize He can see everything? He sees what we do, He knows what we think. Nine times out of ten the things we think become actions regardless of whether they are good or bad if we do not obey His law. It is important that we keep godly thoughts with us and separate from those who would bring the temptation in the first place. God was going to test the Israelites faithfulness. God instructs Moses to write down the laws in a book, the book of the covenant it is called, then he built an altar.

“And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.” – Exodus 24:4-8.

“Behold the blood of the covenant,” When something is signed with blood, it is set in stone, which means it cannot be broken by either party. When God said He would give eternal life to all who receive the blood of Christ, He means it, and if we say we receive His blood and mean it, then He gives us eternal life (Romans 6:23). After Moses read the law before the congregation, He calls for him to bring Aaron, his sons, and the noble elders to go up the mountain, it was there that God wanted to spend some time with only Moses on top of Mount Sinai, he tells the others to stay where they were until he had finished talking with Him.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.” – Exodus 24:12-18.

“that thou mayest teach them.” It is important that we teach God’s Word, not only with Bible Studies and sermons, but with actions, we must show how we are to behave so that the world can see Jesus too. “Tarry ye here for us,” More often than we care to admit we are going to wait for God, His timing is everything, and let me tell you, the majority of the time the waiting has to do with God proving our faithfulness to Him. If we trust and obey God, when it seems we are doing everything wrong, He will bless is in His time, and it will be quickly, and abundantly. “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” – Hebrews 10:36.

Today’s Prayer: God, As much as I try to behave myself according to Your Law, I know that I mess up from time to time. Thank You for sending Your Son to pardon me of the judgment I faced, and thank You Jesus, for the sacrifice You made. Lord, help me to be obedient to Your Law, to love everyone as Christ loves me, and to keep serving You, even when I do not see You, with the promise that You are preparing me for something amazing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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