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, May 14, 2021
Chapters: I Chronicles 20, Psalms 32, 86, 122
Message: The Upright Heart
Hello My Friend,
The heart is an incredible thing, it is more than an organ that pumps blood through our body to keep it alive, it pumps life through our spirit, and if we are saved, it pumps God’s spirit through our soul. The heart is the center of our being, it acts on our joys, our sorrows, our dealing with life, and our emotions. The heart, while it can drive us to do some amazing things for God it can also deceive us, and drive us to do some foolish things for our flesh. I believe that when we become tempted into sin it is because our heart is not right to begin with, [Matthew 15:18-20 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.]
When David sinned with Bathsheba his heart was not right, we saw that because Nathan was the one who had to tell him that God knew what he had done. Now, after all that came to pass, and he got his heart right with God, he was reminded of just how merciful He is when we confess our sins.
[Psalms 32:5-6,8,10-11 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. 11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.]
[all ye that are upright in heart.] [Upright; Honest; just; not deviating from correct moral principles;] Being upright does not mean that we are not going to mess up from time to time, it does mean that when we do we are honest about it. God truly is merciful and will forgive every one of our sins when we get our heart right, [Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.]
Of course, there are always repercussions that come from sin, if we are saved, then we are not condemned for our sins, but we will still suffer in this life for the things we have done. Nevertheless, God will help us endure it as long as we come to Him. God told David that because of his secret sin, and how he dealt with it, that he would be at war for the rest of his life. Now, it was all coming to pass, Israel was repeatedly attacked, and yet, God was still with him.
[I Chronicles 20:4-8 And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued. 5 And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam. 6 And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant. 7 But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him. 8 These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.]
[and they fell by the hand of David,] While God will judge the sins of His people, He will not leave them in the hands of their enemy, this is the power of His mercy. God’s hand is in all that we do, even if we have messed up, His assistance will help us overcome all the wars that we encounter as His judgment brings. Let me tell you, His judgment does not last, it will end when He changes our heart. We must understand how God works, He is not out punish us for every sin, we are forgiven, He is out to change our heart, and keep it on Him always so we do not desire the things of the flesh, rather His Spirit. When we call on Jesus to save us we do not stop calling on Him, we need to call on Him for everything, [Psalms 86:4-10 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 6 Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. 7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. 8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. 9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. 10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.]
[Among the gods there is none like unto thee,] David is not comparing the Almighty God to other spiritual beings or saying that there are other gods, he knows there is only One God. Kings, queens, and princes are often referred to as gods or lords, not because they have some special power or thing of themselves as a god (although some do), it is because they are a monarch. While God will judge the sins of His people, He will not leave them in the hands of their enemy, this is the power of His mercy. God’s hand in all that we do, even if we have messed up, His assistance will help us overcome and be a testimony for those who are struggling.
[Psalms 86:11-15 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. 12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. 13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. 14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them. 15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.]
[unite my heart to fear thy name.] Just think about what your salvation is, it has more to do with saving you from hell when you die, it is about saving you from a life of bondage. Before we knew Christ as our Saviour we were surely in bondage to sin, to the world, to whatever it is that we sought comfort in. The problem with seeking comfort in what the world offers is that it never lasts, we are always searching for the next thing that will give us hope and peace. With Jesus we do not need to seek the things of the world to bring us comfort as He is all we need for hope and peace, [I Peter 3:15-16 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.]
People confuse religion with Jesus, it is not the same thing, if we did everything based on religion then no one would ever get saved because they would never see Jesus. Do you think that God wants His people to live in a bubble for the rest of their days, or in misery and be tortured all their days on the earth for their sins? He does not, He wants to bless us with peace, prosperity, and an abundant life while we are here as we await a much better one in His Kingdom. David’s heart delighted in God’s mercies and forgiveness toward Him, he wanted all of his brethren to experience the same joy and peace.
[Psalms 122:3-8 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: 4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. 5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. 7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. 8 For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.]
[For my brethren and companions’ sakes,] You heard about the recent attacks on Israel, we need to be praying for Israel, not because they are more righteous, it is because that is what God tells us to do. Many may not acknowledge Christ right now, but they will one day, and we wall be united, compact together, [Luke 13:29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.]
We are going to mess up, we are going to get chastened sometimes because of it. If we belong to Christ, then we belong to God, and when we belong to God, He wants the best for us, and only has our best interests at His own heart, [Isaiah 1:18-20 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.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Psalms 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for Your mercy, no matter what I do or how many times I mess up You still love me and are merciful to me. I know that my heart is not always right, life has a way of making that happen, but I know that You can change my heart because You have already, and continue to do so. You already got me this far, I know that I am forgiven, and that I have the hope of Your Kingdom to look forward to. Lord, I do want to live a life that is pleasing to You, open my heart, remove anything from it that is trying to compete with You. Fill me with Your grace, never let it depart from me so that I may walk in Your Spirit and prosper in all that do. Teach me Your will for my life and help me to walk in Your truths continually so that my heart never sways. And use me to be a testimony to 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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