No Greater Sign

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional Message Title: No Greater Sign Date: Saturday September 24, 2011 Chapters: The Book of Jonah, Proverbs 24, Psalm 103 Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-24 Highlight of Chapters: Jonah’s commission and effort to avoid God’s will, Jonah gets swallowed by a big fish, three days later Jonah is expelled out the fish, Jonah goes to Nineveh, Nineveh is spared upon the repentance of the inhabitants, Jonah is displeased, He is taught by the withering of a gourd, that God spares all who repent. Hello My Friend/Guest, “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” - Matthew 1238-41. God is not the God of the Jews, He is the God of the Jews, the Greeks, the Italians, the Chinese, the Russians, the Americans, and everyone in between. He is the God of everyone who believes in His Son, Jesus Christ. Still today people want a sign, want proof that Jesus died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead three days later almost 2000 years ago. The sign for the Jews was the through Jonah, the sign for us is through the Gospels, many people who walked with Jesus here on earth were a witness to His death on the cross, His burial, and saw Him after He was resurrected, He was not a ghost, He was flesh and bones, and alive. God chose the Jews to represent Him and to prove to all nations that He is the one and only living God who created them too. The book of Jonah is the thirty-second book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains four chapters. The author of the book is Jonah and it was written to the nation of Nineveh. The time line for these events took place approximately between 825C and 790BC. The purpose of the book was to get Nineveh to acknowledge God, repent, and turn to Him. It was also to document to the Jews that salvation was not for them only, but for all who repent and turn to Him. What we are to learn from the book is that salvation is not restricted by race, religion, culture, or any other barriers, it is for all who shall call upon the name of the Lord. “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” - Jonah 4:11. Jonah was a native of Galilee, God commanded him to go the Nineveh to warn them of the destruction that would occur, just like He did with Israel, if they did not repent and turn to Him. Jonah believed Nineveh was a threat to Israel and deserved to be destroyed so instead of doing what he was told, he ignored God's call and took off on a ship. “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. ” - Jonah 1:2-6. Here is Jonah, sound asleep on the ship when everyone else is scrambling around trying to save themselves from the storm. When they looked over and saw Jonah asleep they knew he must have had something to do with this since he was not scrambling with the rest of them. Let me tell you, when God calls upon us to do something for Him He means business and He will do whatever it takes, however long it takes, to get us to follow His will. There is no escape, we can not run from God, so we might as well run with Him. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:1,2. Instead of telling the men to turn back, or saying to God, I will follow your will, Jonah told them to cast him overboard. Jonah would rather die himself then go to a heathen nation and tell them how to be saved. Of course, this was not in God's plan so, while they did cast him into the sea, which did calm the sea, God allowed him to be swallowed up by a big fish. For three days and three nights, Jonah sat in the belly of a fish. “And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” - Jonah 1:12-17. Something amazing is illustrated here as the people on the ship were trying to save themselves, we first learned that they were praying to their gods, but as the storm raged and their lives were on the line, they discovered that there was only one God. Their fear of God showed them that they could not save themselves, but God could, they repented themselves and He saved them. God saves all who will repent, meaning all who trust only in Him to save them. “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:12,13. After three days and nights of soul searching, a repentant Jonah was expelled onto dry land. He then became the greatest evangelist of his day, and saw the entire city of Nineveh repent of its wickedness. Jonah could not understand why God spared them, to illustrate, God used a withering gourd. “And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death. Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” - Jonah 4:9-11. Since people are more precious to God than anything else He created He gives everyone the opportunity to come to realize that He is the one who actually created them. God does not want to see any person die and end up in hell, that is why Jesus has not returned yet, He will not return until all who believe in Him have the opportunity to receive Him. We have no idea when He is coming, but it's not too late, all who are here right now have the opportunity to know Christ personally as their Savior. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up...Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” - II Peter 3:9,10,17,18. Today's Prayer: Dear God, Lord, You have blessed us with so much, You have given life to all who believe and receive Your Son. We are saved only by trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and He alone not only saves us from hell, but brings us out of every mess that we have gotten ourselves into over the years without Him. How merciful You are, how wonderful You are, to save a sinner like me. Thank You, Jesus, and thank You God for giving me the opportunity to repent and enjoy a new found, abundant, never boring, life with You in it. I love You Lord, and pray in Jesus' name. Amen. God Bless You, I am praying for you, Christina Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com Missed A Devotional: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study Subscribe To This Devotional: King James Bible Study Visit: I'm Following Jesus

Backsliders Of The CROSS

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional Message Title: Backsliders Of The CROSS Date: Tuesday September 20, 2011 Chapters: Hosea 7-14, Proverbs 20, Psalm 99 Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-20 Highlight of Chapters: Israel’s sad state, Sins denounced and their captivity foretold, Israel’s coming distress because of sin, God's tender love for Israel, Israel’s ruin, their return in the kingdom age, and their restoration foretold. Hello My Friend/Guest, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities...Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;..While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” -II Peter 9,10,15,19-21. There are two types of Christians, there are those who follow Christ the day they got saved, learning and growing day by day in the Lord, as they live a more godly life. Then there are those who see fit to turn their knowledge of Christ into a commodity, a profit for themselves, the sad thing is in all of it, while they seldom deny Jesus Christ “who TAUGHT” they do deny Christ “who BOUGHT”. You see, Satan has no problem with people knowing the name Jesus Christ, what he has a problem with is teaching the CROSS of Christ and his target to get people off of the CROSS is using people who have the received the CROSS. While these backsliders of the CROSS prosper for a time in teaching false doctrine they will fall as they have God to answer to. A slew of charges were drawn up against Israel by God Himself, to name a few, they are charged with ingratitude to God, sinning in a daring manner against His mercy, mixing themselves with the nations of the world, learning their ways, and bringing their superstition and idolatry into the worship of God. God's punishment, the destruction of Israel. “When they shall go, I will spread my net upon them; I will bring them down as the fowls of the heaven; I will chastise them, as their congregation hath heard. Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me. Though I have bound and strengthened their arms, yet do they imagine mischief against me. They return, but not to the most High: they are like a deceitful bow: their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue: this shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.” - Hosea 7:12-16. You know, God has no problem with people who are living an ungodly life that simply have no idea who He is, but He does have a problem with those who have received Christ, know Him, yet constantly live a corrupted, ungodly life, knowing well that they are redeemed. The amazing thing is that He will not destroy them completely, but He will chastise them. Still today, God charges Christians with the same charges He charged Israel with, He will never destroy a saved soul, but you can expect chastisement if you are living an ungodly life. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?..Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” - Hebrews 12:6,7,11. The people of Israel are often compared to a vine being planted in a good soil and well taken care of, yielding much fruit. This time, God compared Israel to an empty vine that only brought fruit to themselves, which had no value to it. A vine is only valuable for its fruit, but Israel now brought no fruit to perfection. Their hearts were divided and since God is the Sovereign of the heart, He will have all of it, or none of it, but He gives them a chance to repent. “Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images. For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the LORD; what then should a king do to us? They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the field...Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” - Hosea 10:1-4,12. God always gives us a chance to repent, if you think about it, He truly does give us several warnings to repent before He allows what we are trying to do to happen in the first place. God refers Christians as those who abide in the Vine, who is none other than Jesus Christ. “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. 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. ”- John 15:4,5. In order to show us that we need to be dependent only on Him, God is going to place chastisement and suffering in our lives. Satan will constantly entice Christian's with false religion and false hopes, bringing them away from the truth and living ungodly, corrupted lives. However, as long as we abide in the Vine we can live a godly prosperous life as we allow the truth of the CROSS to be our guide. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me..Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; ” - John 14:6,12-16. Today's Prayer: Dear God, Lord, God of all wisdom, we come to you seeking Your direction in our lives. We ask for a discerning heart so that we can effectively lead the people entrusted to our care. We need Your wisdom to distinguish between right and wrong, truth and error. As we pray in the Spirit and absorb Your Word into our hearts we will walk uprightly and do justly. It is a natural outflow of Your wisdom and Spirit that abides within us as we choose to walk in Your ways. Be our vision during the light of day and darkness of night; whether waking or sleeping we yield my all to You. In Jesus' name. Amen. God Bless You, I am praying for you, Christina Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com Missed A Devotional: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study Subscribe To This Devotional: King James Bible Study Visit: I'm Following Jesus