I'm Following Jesus – Page 1663 – 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: Wednesday, October 02, 2019
Chapters: Matthew 1, Luke 2:1-38
Message: Faith In The Impossible

Hello My Friend,

We talk a lot about faith, many people do not even believe in faith, but fail to recognize that whatever it is that they believe in is their faith. I tell you what, it takes much stronger faith to believe that you evolved from a monkey than it does to believe you were created by an all powerful and omnipotent supernatural being that controls the universe. It is quite sad really, but without faith in the impossible it is impossible to know, and please God. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” – Hebrews 11:1,3,6.

The Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew to all believers, as with all four Gospels, each one is addressed to a specific group of people, Mathew is directed to the Jews to teach them that Jesus is their long awaited Messiah. The purpose of the book was to present the ministry of Jesus, stressing His role as King of the Jews. What we are to learn from the book is, the Gospel of Christ is to be preached in all the world until He returns. Matthew begins by listing the generations of Judah, including David and Joseph. Something interesting comes to mind as you discover His lineage.

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.” – Matthew 1:1-6,16-17.

“And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus,” While Joseph is mentioned in the lineage of David, he is not mentioned as Jesus’ father, only that he is the husband of Mary. To be a father to a son is of the highest respect to a Jew, so you can image that the father would be quite proud to introduce their son to the world, naturally God is the same way. Some interesting facts, Judas (Judah), thinking that he was getting with a prostitute, had two twin sons with his daughter-in-law Thamar (Tamar) (Genesis 38), Booz (Boaz) married Ruth, the Moabite woman who became a converted Jew, Boaz became the kinsman redeemer who would keep the lineage of Judah going, Ruth being grandmother to David (Ruth 4). And Rachab (Rahab) was a prostitute herself, when the Jews were about to come into the land God promised them, she protected the spies sent over, her and her family was spared and then she became converted Jew (Joshua 6). All of this proves one thing, flesh and blood or your past does not define who you are to God, faith does. If any of these people did not have faith in the impossible God would have never used them. Now, when Joseph first discovered that Mary was going to have a baby, he did not have faith in the impossible.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” – Matthew 1:18-25.

“Now all this was done,” You see, he was reminded of God’s promise, and right away his doubts in the impossible turned into faith in God. When you think about it, can you imagine how Joseph must have felt? He had to have the faith, and raise a child that was not his own son, but the Son of God Himself. Talk about fear and love? Joseph had his doubts at first, like anyone else would, but he came around and was used to play a huge part in Jesus’ life as the Son of man. We do not need a lot of faith in the impossible to believe, we just need it to be the size of a mustard seed and it will move mountains. So, why do we struggle so much more than we need to? Unbelief. “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” – Matthew 17:20-21.

Now, Mary and Joseph were devout Jews also, which meant they followed the Law of Moses and even government laws. Every year the males had to go to Jerusalem to pay taxes, he took Mary because he knew she would be having the baby at any time. And when they got to Bethlehem she gave birth to this amazing miracle. “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:1-7.

“And she brought forth her firstborn son,” Talk about the impossible. Mary was holding in her arms, not only the Son of God, but God Himself. One of the hardest things for people to believe is that Mary was a virgin, skeptics love to discredit this miracle. God could have came any other way, if you read through the Old Testament, Jesus was in the earth more than you think, but it was important that He came here in the flesh of man. Why? Two reasons; One, it fulfilled Scripture, and Two, to redeem fallen man, man being flesh and blood of Adam, which we all are. We are all born under the curse of Adam, meaning death were passed down to all of us. Since Mary was conceived of the Holy Spirit that meant Jesus was not born of the flesh and blood of Adam. Mary was the mere surrogate of God’s only begotten Son. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” – I Corinthians 15:19-22.

Mary was extremely blessed to have been given the privilege to bring God’s Son into the world in the flesh, I often wonder what she thought of the whole time she carried Him, perhaps wondering if she were doing or even thinking the right things and what was going to happen after He was born. I image it must have been a bit overwhelming to her and Joseph as well. Now, immediately after she had given birth the angels rejoiced and told the nearby shepherds.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” – Luke 2:8-11,15-20.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,” Do you ever wonder why the angels revealed the good news to the shepherds first? Many people surmise that it was because they were the lowliest people, and Jesus would appeal to the lowliest first. But think about who Jesus is, and who they are. Shepherds care for their sheep, they watch over and protect them, and if one gets lost never give up until they have found them. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, He gave His life for His sheep, He takes care of His sheep, and He never gives up looking for His lost sheep. “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” – John 10:14-15,27-28. Amen!

Jesus Christ Magnified: “And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” – Luke 2:34-35.

Today’s Prayer: God, Nothing is impossible for those who believe in You. It is predetermined for man to die once, but You have given us all a choice on whether or not we die a second time, and that is upon our faith in Your Son, Jesus. We understand that only through Him can we be saved from eternal death and given eternal life. Thank You for giving us a way to permanent salvation, and for sending Your Son to die for us. As much as we would like to change the fate of all, it is up to each person to make that decision by their own faith. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me Your power, wisdom, guidance, mercy, and grace to follow Your will and ways so that I can be a faithful witness of what Your Son has done in me. Keep my heart open, tender, and always believing that the impossible is always possible with my faith in You. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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