King James Bible Study – [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.]
Date: Friday, November 11, 2022
Chapters: JOHN 15-16
Study: Fight The Good Fight
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today, this passage came to mind, [2 Timothy 4:2-7 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:]
Jesus, might have known when He last days on earth would be, but we do not, therefore, we need to make each day count. I for one have determined that I can no longer afford to waste what precious time I have left, if I can at least put a smile on someones face with my love for Christ leading the way, then I will have finished my course until the very end. As we continue in the reading of the Gospels, John, continues to give his account of the night that Jesus was captured. During the Passover meal, Jesus, is telling the disciples what is about to happen, and as you can imagine, they are a little confused. Remember, the parable that Jesus had given regarding the husbandman and vineyard? Well, Jesus elaborates on who the husbandman is, and who the vineyard actually is, Jesus Himself being the True Vine.
[John 15:1-7 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.]
[I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.] We can get a great picture of this by imagining our own body and the veins that run through it. The veins contain the life giving blood that sustains us, without blood, and that also includes blood that is pure, we die. Jesus, would be the main vein, the one who distributes His life giving blood to our soul, then spreads it throughout the rest of our body, [Hebrews 9:12-14 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. 13 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: 14 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?]
[for without me ye can do nothing.] Now, that is an understatement, I truly am nothing without Jesus in my life, and have no idea how I had gotten through the years I did when He was not prominent in it. Thank God, that He does not base my future on my past because I would truly be among those branches to be cut off and cast into the fire. You see, Jesus, knows who truly believes in Him, and whether or not we are trusting in Him solely for our salvation. Anyone who believes anything else, but the Gospel is not saved because we cannot add to nor take from the simplicity of the Gospel and expect God to save us, [Galatians 1:6-8 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.]
[and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.] Speaking of fire, those trials and tribulations that we face in life, they are what Jesus uses to actually purge those dead branches from us so that we can become fruitful. What exactly does that mean? We are faithful to follow God’s commands and He not only blesses us, He ordains us to bring more fruit. Jesus explains it this way.
[John 15:11-16 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.]
[Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.] This may sound redundant, but it is not. Those who truly believe in what Christ has done for them and are trusting in Him as their Saviour seek the things of God, and that includes serving Him, [Romans 6:16-18,21-22 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.]
[for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:] Servants do not associate themselves with their bosses other than their job. They do not know anything personal about their employer, but as for a friend, even though they may still work for them, they know everything about them. Employers choose their employees, not necessarily based on their experience, but based on how genuine they are. Yes, some jobs do require special skills, but most will gladly train someone who is genuine over the most qualified individual any day, [2 Timothy 2:15-16 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.]
I do not know why this passage came to mind as I was writing this, but I guess God does. Profane and vain babbling, that is what the world tends to use to get us to trip and fall whenever they see us prospering. Oh my goodness, watch how someone who has deceived their way to the top of anything reacts when they see a less then qualified Christian move to the top, and it is not pretty. Do you know why they react the way they do? Jesus has the answer, we expose their sin. Jesus goes on to explain that we are hated by the world because when they see us, they see Jesus and when they do, their sin is wide open for all to see.
[John 15:19-25 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.]
[if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.] Oh my goodness, if you think that the world and religious alike are not watching our every move and listening to everything that we say, think again. They are waiting for anything they can use to try and blemish, not our testimony, but Christ’s. If they can catch us doing something that is not Christlike, then they can say that it came from Jesus. Look at how all those transgender and abortion activists are accusing us of being the haters and terrorists when they are the ones terrorizing us.
[but now they have no cloke for their sin.] The world is oblivious to what sin is, they really do not know what they are doing. The religious world thinks they have no sin as they base their salvation on their obedience to their religion. What Jesus does is open their eyes to sin, in fact, He pierces their conscience as well as their ego, as He exposes the sin, and that is why they hate Him and everyone who follows Him as well.
[They hated me without a cause.] Jesus, is referring to this passage, [Psalms 69:4-7 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. 5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. 6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel. 7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.] While Jesus certainly did not sin, when He hung on the cross, He took on every sin and in fact became sin for us, [2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.]
You see, people do not want to accept the fact that what they are doing is sin and cause for hell, they cover their sin so that it appears acceptable. Then Jesus shows up, their sin is exposed, and they get offended, so offended that the only option is to destroy Jesus, and anyone else who represents Him. Jesus explains not only that we are hated, but that they will try to destroy us too, but that we ought not be offended, but rather rejoice in all this because God is on our side.
[John 16:1-7 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.]
[that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you] When we are facing these trials that purge us and make us fruitful we honestly do not understand them while we are facing them. Once we endure them and look back, we will remember everything that God not only promised, but did for us. [the Comforter will not come unto you;] When life beats us down and nothing or no one can comfort us it is time to turn to our Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, He strengthens, invigorates, and cheers us on when everything and everyone seems to be pulling us down. I will tell you this, there are some things that we will face in this lifetime that we will never understand, but that is what trusting Him is all about.
[John 16:12-16 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.]
[and again, a little while, and ye shall see me,] This is the promise that Jesus gives us through our faith in Him, when our soul leaves this earth, we will be present with Jesus. He actually goes on to explain this as the disciples were quite confused about what He had said.
[John 16:19-20,22-24 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.]
[that your joy may be full.] Let me remind you, that nothing, and I mean nothing, can separate us from Christ, even though we cannot escape the persecution, Christ is right there with us, and that is all we need to know for our joy to be full. He tells His disciples and all of us that His death will cause much sorrow for His believers, and while the world will rejoice, we will have the victory, and if He can endure it, so can we.
[John 16:27,32-33 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.]
[but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.] Jesus is saying that since He has overcome the world, when He arose three days later after His death, so will those who believe in all that He is and accept Him as their Saviour. Let me tell you, I literally asked God this morning to help me shorten my time in studying the Scriptures so that it does not take me three hours to write the devotions. Well, God reminded me of how important my work is for Him, even if I have to rewrite one paragraph several times, He is depending on me to make sure that His voice is heard through the messages I write. Well, how can you argue with that? It is not about me, it is about those that God entrusts me with to teach His Word.
[2 Timothy 2:19-21 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I want to thank You for sending Your Son to save me, I am trusting fully in Him for eternal life with You. While I humble myself to You, help me to submit solely to You, with all the joy, peace, and comfort that only comes from Christ who is mine. Lord, just as You are the friend that sticks closer to me than my own brother, I want to be a friend that gives my life as a living sacrifice to be the faithful servant that You called me to be. Lead me and guide me, give me Your mercy, grace, and compassion on the lost. Let me keep studying Your Word with an open and tender heart so that I can be approved by You and teach others Your truths. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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