Willing or Unwilling

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional

Message Title: Willing or Unwilling
Date: Saturday July 09, 2011
Chapters: Isaiah 1-2, Proverb 9, Psalm 29
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-july-9
Details of Today's Chapters: God's charge against Israel for their ingratitude and degeneration, a call to repentance and reformation, the coming glory of Jerusalem and Israel, the humbling of the haughty and the shame of sinners in that day.

Hello My Friend/Guest,

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: ” - II Peter 1:3-10.

You can not expect to get saved and completely change over night, God knows this, therefore, He is content to watch you grow. He loves to watch you grow as you slowly remove the old, sinful habits and replace them with new, godly habits. However, He knows the difference between someone who is truly willing to grow and someone who is unwilling to grow. The one who is willing to grow, although they may mess up from time to time, will not fall away from Him. The one who is unwilling to grow becomes blind, will forget that Christ removed all their sins away, and will fall away from Him.

The Book of Isaiah is the twenty-third book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains sixty-six chapters. The author of the book is Isaiah and it was written to Judah and all believers. The time line of these events took place approximately 977 BC to 698 BC. The purpose of the book was for correction and reproof of believers. What we are to learn from the book is that rebellion leads to retribution (punishment), but repentance leads to restoration. The book of Isaiah is actually a mirror to the entire Bible. The Bible has 66 books. Isaiah has 66 chapters. The Old Testament has 39 books covering the history and sin Israel and the first 39 chapters of Isiah are on the same subject. The New Testament has 27 books describing the ministry of Jesus Christ and the last 27 chapters describe the same subject. The New Testament begins with the ministry of John the Baptist and Isaiah begins with predicting his ministry. The New Testament ends by describing the new heavens and earth and Isaiah ends by describing them as well. “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.” - Isaiah 1:18.

The name of the prophet, Isaiah, which, in the New Testament is read Esaias, signifies the salvation of the Lord, Isaiah prophesied in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Isaiah begins with a testimony to the sad condition of Israel. In order for a person to be saved during Old Testament times they had to bring sacrifices, many sacrifices to the priest and he would offer the offering to God in his place, which would atone for the sinners sin.

“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint... To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.” - Isaiah 1:2-5,11.

God was fed up with His people, they lost their fear of Him, He knew there was no use chastising them because they would only rebel even more. What made Him even more angry was the fact that they refused to change their ways yet brought many scarifies to atone for their sins, fully aware that it was the only way to be saved. Their ceremonies were now an abomination to God, He no longer wanted their sacrifices, He wanted their faithfulness. God concluded that no amount of righteousness or sacrifices will change a person, therefore, He did away with the endless vain sacrifices and sent Jesus to make once sacrifice for all and only by their individual faith in Him will a soul be saved.

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God...There is no fear of God before their eyes...But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” - Romans 3:10,11,18,21-24.

God is so amazing that once a person is saved, they are saved, no sin can take away their salvation. Is God happy? Absolutely not. A saved person living in sin will suffer living in that sin, but He never gives up on them. He will always wash clean the sins of all who repent. God explains this further through Isaiah.

“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 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. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” - Isaiah 1:16-20.

Salvation is nothing new, all throughout the Old Testament we learn that we must be saved to get to heaven and that salvation makes us white as snow. The difference between us and them is that they trusted in Christ before He came to earth and we trust Him after He left earth. What actually is salvation? Salvation is the act of saving, it is the preservation from the destruction, the sword of God, and the great calamity all who do not have Christ will face. “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” - Revelation 3:5.

It is often said that God only saves the Jews and that the Jews are exempt from God's judgment, this is false. Even in Old Testament days God accepted anyone who was willing to forsake their god and turn to the one true God. For the first time we hear of the Gentiles, who were known as the heathens, non Jewish people, seeking salvation and God granting it to them.

“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.” - Isaiah 2:3-5.

While God did choose Israel to represent Him, He used them to bring all to repentance. God calls all to walk in the light of the Lord, regardless of where they came from or what nationality they are born. God saves all who willingly come to Christ and seek salvation through Him. “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;” - Romans 2:9-12.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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