Week One, KJV Reformation Study Bible

So I started reading the KJV Reformation Heritage Study Bible on Easter weekend. I am LOVING it so much. Usually when I attempt to read a study bible, I soon realize that the notes are going to be something that I skip most of the time, with an occasional skim. Not so with the KJV Reformation Bible. There are notes that clarify the KJV text itself. There are notes that point you to Christ, to the glory of God. There are notes that amplify the meaning and application of the text. It's not just notes in Matthew that are proving enlightening. Time and time again, the notes have proven themselves to be worth my time!!!

• Rahab is a wonderful example of the power and sovereignty of grace. She appears to be an unlikely candidate for grace, but that is the point. She is a vivid picture of all who are dead in sin and who are made alive by the greater Joshua, the Lord Jesus Christ. The depths of her sin magnify the beauty of grace. From every appearance Rahab was without hope, a citizen of a doomed city, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, a stranger to the covenant promise. But God sovereignly directed the spies to her house. Indeed, God had put the “scarlet cord” there in eternity long before the spies arrived. Although Joshua sent the men to spy the land, they had a commission from God to preach to Rahab. Significantly, James refers to them not as spies but as messengers (James 2:25). They had a word for Rahab. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and that hearing comes through preachers (Rom. 10:13–14). How has God’s sovereign hand reached out to you? KJV Reformation Bible, Joshua 2
• Is any thing too hard for the Lord? The phrase often refers to the miraculous; what is impossible to man is not to God. God promised to give a son to an old, barren woman by His power, calling her to trust His Word. By the same power He created the world out of nothing, caused His Son to be born of a virgin, and raises the dead (Luke 1:35,37; Rom. 4:17–21). Like Isaac, the children of God are created not by human power or will (John 1:12–13), but by God’s Spirit working through God’s promise (Rom. 9:8–9; Gal. 4:23,28–29). KJV Reformation Bible, Genesis 18
• God’s promises cannot fail, for they do not depend upon man’s unstable will but upon God’s eternal will. Trust in the Lord; do not let the fear of man rule you. KJV Reformation Bible, Genesis 20
• If your heart delights in Christ’s teachings even as they humble you over your sins, then it is a sign that you are a Christian. The believer delights in the law of God in the inner man even as he grieves over the rebellion against that law he finds in himself. If this is true of you, what is one way Christ’s words challenge you to grow in repentance? If you find Christ’s words offensive, foolish, or legalistic, then what does that reveal about your relationship with Him? KJV Reformation Bible, Matthew 5
• The kingdom of grace is a place where God’s Spirit uses the Word to help us see the judgment we are under and to encourage us to seek mercy by Christ’s death and to show mercy to one another. How are you tempted to judge others? How should you instead judge yourself first? KJV Reformation Bible, Matthew 7
• People today speak of forgiving themselves, but they fail to see that they are not the Judge. Christ alone possesses the authority to condemn or to forgive. In this chapter we see Him granting forgiveness to weak and worthless sinners like the paralytic and great sinners like Matthew the tax collector. Obviously His forgiveness is not bought with money or earned with good works. Rather it is received by faith, just as healing was received by faith when Jesus worked miracles (vv. 2,22,28–29). Do you believe that Christ is able to forgive your sins? Are you trusting Him to actually forgive you? Remember, Christ did not come to save the righteous, but as a spiritual doctor for sinners. KJV Reformation Bible, Matthew 9
• Notwithstanding the intrigue and deception employed by the Gibeonites, their pursuit of peace with Joshua illustrates gospel truths. They recognized that unless they entered into covenant with Joshua they would be doomed. Only identification with Israel would save them. The way they sought for mercy was flawed and far from perfect but the fact of the matter is they recognized their need for mercy. Similarly, there has never been a sinner who has come to Christ with perfect faith or repentance, but the gospel promise is that Christ will not cast out those who come to Him (John 6:37). It is only as sinners sue for peace with the greater Joshua through the blood of His cross that they can be delivered from death. The key difference between the lesser and the greater Joshua is that the lesser was duped into showing mercy whereas the greater Joshua knows every sinner who comes to Him for what he really is and receives him nonetheless. His grace is greater than our sin. Praise Jesus for His grace and mercy! KJV Reformation Bible, Joshua 9
• Only Caleb and Joshua (19:50) were allowed to choose the place of their inheritance in the Promised Land. Although Caleb was advanced in years, he claimed that his strength had not abated. He could have chosen wherever he wanted, but he laid claim to what potentially was the most difficult and dangerous to possess. He chose the place where the Anakims were. Ironically, it was the sight of the Anakims, the giants, that caused the fear and convinced the nation that they could not possess the land. Not only had Caleb’s strength not abated, neither had his faith. Before the wilderness, he believed God would deliver the giants into the hands of His people, and nothing had changed. Believers often hesitate to ask of God the big things. Caleb is a wonderful example of asking God for big things because nothing is impossible for Him. What big things should you be asking and trusting God for? KJV Reformation Bible, Joshua 14
• Never let us be content with saying our prayers. What God requires of us is not formality but personally drawing near to His presence at the throne of grace. True religion is finding, knowing, and enjoying God—do not be satisfied with anything less than this. True believers have much to be joyful about: God is our portion; we are precious in His sight; and our sins are all forgiven. In addition to all this, God sees our tears, hears our sighs, and is able and willing to answer our prayers. How is it then that we are so often cast down? How can loving God’s name lead us into more joy? KJV Reformation Bible, Psalm 5
• Though Christ may have appeared like a helpless victim being abused by religious and civil leaders, His institution of the Lord’s Supper shows that His suffering and death was not an accident or some tragedy. His death was appointed in order to accomplish redemption from sin and the full penalty it demanded. How does Christ’s knowledge of what was to come and His submission to His Father’s will increase your own love for Him? KJV Reformation Bible, Matthew 26
• Christ’s suffering at the hands of men was terrible. Being forsaken by His Father, however, was the worst part of Christ’s sufferings. He bore the iniquity of His people and He did so as a public person, as the representative and head of all His people. He was made a curse that the blessing might flow to all who believe, both Jews and Gentiles (Gal. 3:10–14). How do Christ’s sufferings in this chapter reveal what our sins deserve? How do they show the love of God? KJV Reformation Bible, Matthew 27
• Singing is a key means by which we can render our praise unto the Lord. A well-used hymnal in the home will glorify the Lord. A Spirit-filled people who know the victory of Christ in their lives will feel compelled to sing. When are you singing His praise? KJV Reformation Bible, Judges 5
• Abraham believed the gospel (John 8:56; Gal. 3:8,17), as did Moses (Heb. 11:24–26) and David (Ps. 32). There has only been one way of salvation for any sinner since the fall of man in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15), and there will be only this one way until the end of the world (Rev. 22:17). Only in Christ is there acceptance with God. We must trust in the one Seed, Jesus Christ, in whom many of Abraham’s literal seed and sinners from all nations are blessed (Gal. 3:16). KJV Reformation Bible, Romans 4
• God does not use angels to preach the gospel, but He does use redeemed sinners. KJV Reformation Bible, Judges 7
• A man’s Christianity is not to be measured by the number of sermons he has heard or prayers he has recited.
• To pray effectively, our minds must be filled with the truth of God’s Word. To praise acceptably, our hearts must be filled with the Word of Christ and with the Holy Spirit. KJV Reformation Bible, Means of Grace
• The strength of Paul’s expression of compassion for the lost (vv. 1–3) may startle us; it should. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we care about not going to hell ourselves, how can we be indifferent to our neighbor being on the broad road that leads to destruction? How does this challenge you to pray and to take action? KJV Reformation Bible, Romans 9
• The whole gospel stands upon God’s demand to judge sin to the full. As believers, we confess that on that awful day at Calvary the full weight of divine justice fell on our Lord Jesus when He suffered in our place as our substitute. The gospel is not a cover up of sin, for in Christ’s redeeming work justice was fully and legally settled. Justice being settled, it now stands guard for our salvation, for “Payment God cannot twice demand—/ First at my bleeding Surety’s hand, / And then again at mine,” as hymnwriter Augustus Toplady expressed it. Because of Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary there is a sure hope for every soul who trusts in Him for salvation. How does it stir your soul to consider that God’s wrath fell on Christ instead of sinners? KJV Reformation Bible, Judges 20

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible