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: Thursday, October 21, 2021
Chapters: Mark 9
Message: The Kingdom of God With Power
Hello My Friend,
It does not matter how many times you read the Bible there are some things that we may never understand until we see Jesus face to face. Can you imagine having an actual face to face conversation with Jesus and talking to Him about the Scriptures? Thank God, that I can only imagine how that conversation goes when those who are not saved stand before Him, but I imagine that it is quite heartbreaking for Jesus to have to tell them that He never knew them while showing them all the times in which they had the opportunity to know Him. It certainly gives new meaning to what Jesus said, [Mark 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.]
This power that Jesus was referring to was the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit arrived on the earth shortly after Jesus had ascended back up to heaven, [Acts 2:3-4 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.] There will be many standing before Jesus with the assumption that their “good works” saved them only to discover that He never knew them. Now, as we continue in the reading of the Gospels, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him to witness an incredible event.
[Mark 9:2-8 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.]
[and let us make three tabernacles;] I am sure that Peter meant well when he offered to make three different tents for each of the men, but his missed what the transfiguration was all about. We have Moses, who represented the Law and Elijah, who represented the prophets. Jesus would later explain, [Luke 24:44b These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.]. [This is my beloved Son: hear him.] God Himself spoke, confirming that Moses and Elijah, the Law and the prophets, were not to be distinct and separated from Jesus, but be as one with Him. We too are one with not only Jesus, but Moses and Elijah as well, and it all comes through our faith in Jesus when we hear Him, [Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.]
Now, if seeing these men with Jesus among them and all glowing with this white hue around them was not strange enough, Jesus told them something that added to that confusion, [Mark 9:9-10 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.]
[questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.] I have to say that when I created the page that gives the plan of salvation from Old Testament Scripture I was looking for verses that prophesied of Jesus resurrecting, but I could not find any. I referenced Jesus when He said, [Matthew 16:4 a A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.] Jonah was in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights before God spit him out of it, this was the sign that Jesus gave concerning His death and resurrection. So, I imagine that the disciples really did not understand what Jesus meant when He told them not to tell anyone about the transfiguration until He had risen from the dead. Well, perhaps they would understand when He tells them all what is about to happen to Him.
[Mark 9:30-35 And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it. 31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. 32 But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him. 33 And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 34 But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. 35 And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.]
[and were afraid to ask him.] They not only did not understand, they were afraid to ask Him what He was talking about. You know, sometimes we are all afraid to ask God what He means when He tells us something. Just this morning I was trying to ask God a question, but what I actually feared was what His answer might be. Then I just said to Him, “You know what my question is, and even if I do not like the answer, Your will be done”. Well, many people are afraid to come to Christ because they do not want to be in God’s will if it means that they need to give up something or even someone that they love. This is not what Jesus is about! Yes, God wants us to be in His will, but more important than giving up a sin is where your soul will end up if you are not saved. This is what Jesus started explaining to the disciples when they told Him about the person they had forbade to tell about Him who was not one of them.
[Mark 9:38-42 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. 39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. 40 For he that is not against us is on our part. 41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.]
[because ye belong to Christ,] We may not like the way our fellow Christians live, if they know they are sinners saved by grace through their faith in Christ, then we all belong to Him. And if they are passionate about telling others about Him, then we need to go a little easier on them. Hell is real, and unless you are saved, it does not matter if you gave up smoking, you would still be in hell. Giving up a sin comes with time as the Kingdom of God comes upon us with power and begins to work in our lives. Jesus goes on to explain this.
[Mark 9:43-48 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.]
[it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye,] Sin will always get the best of any of us as our salvation does not take away the temptation to sin. However, the Holy Spirit inside of us does give us the power to overcome it. Remember, what the Bible also says, [Proverbs 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.]
It is not how many times we fall, it is how many times we get back up in repentance. Now, why does this matter? It is the acknowledgment that we know we are sinners and need Christ every day that keeps us saved. The second one turns a blind eye to sin, that is when Christ no longer matters to them, then their salvation is in jeopardy. How so? Well, Jesus said it best, [Mark 9:49-50 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. 50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.]
[For every one shall be salted with fire,] Jesus is referring to the animal sacrifices that were presented to God from the sinner who sought atonement for their sin. It was a command that the sacrifice be salted with salt as they offered it to God, [Leviticus 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.] Salt is used for preserving, and in this case, it was to signify the cleansing of the mind, the sincerity of the grace of God, and His preserving a soul that had sinned. Today, Jesus is the sacrifice and we are the salt, and what that salt is is our faith in Christ. If we lose our faith in Christ, then we have lost our salvation, because without Him, there is no salvation, [Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.]
[but if the salt have lost his saltness,] There is absolutely nothing that we can do to lose our salvation, except for one thing, if we stop believing in Jesus. This is also why Jesus said, [Matthew 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.]
We can sin a thousand times a day, but as long as we come to God with the acknowledgment that we know we have sinned, we are forgiven each and every time. The second we think that we have no sin, that is when all it takes is one sin for us to turn our heart away from Christ all together. Personally, I do not believe that anyone who loses their faith in Christ was honestly saved to begin with. If we truly have accepted Christ as our Saviour, there is nothing that we could ever do to lose it. Oh, we could fall into sin and dangle there by the thread of our salvation, but as long as we know we are sinners, and need Jesus we will never lose our faith in Him. On the other hand, those who do not, well, then the Kingdom of God has not come upon them with power, [1 John 1:7-10 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. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank Your for the amazing transformation You have made in me as I walk with You. I know that You are always with me, and I know that I fail You more times than I can count, but Your mercies endure, and Your grace abounds so much that You continue to work in me daily. Lord, I want to live as a reflection of You, I want to hear everything You are saying to me and do everything You have called me to do. Watch over me, guide me, and keep Your truths in me. Help me to learn and grow in Your Word daily so that the world can see You through me. Open my heart to be receptive to You and only You, clear my mind of every doubt and fear and fill it with joy and peace only revealed as the kingdom of God comes with great power upon my life. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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