“The Principle of True Discipleship” (Luke 9:23)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/21/2026 8:51 AM

My Worship Time                                            Focus:  PT-1 “The Principle of True Discipleship”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 9:23

            Message of the verse:  “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

            This morning we begin to look at this very critical verse from the gospel of Luke, and will probably only get part way through it and have to finish it in this evenings SD.

            There is good news, actually the best news anyone can have, and that is the good news Jesus preached is the truth that God offers forgiveness of all sin and the gift of eternal life to those who genuinely follow Him in faith.  This calls for the total abandonment of self; as Paul wrote to the Galatians in Gal. 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

            Now while listening to John MacArthur’s sermons on this section of Luke’s gospel he talks a lot about “easy-believism” which is rampant in the church today.  Now the Bible speaks of becoming a Christian as difficult.  MacArthur writes “In Matthew 7:13-14 the Lord used the analogy of two gates to depict the choice facing every individual.  The first is a wide gate, which is easy to enter.  It opens into a broad, easily traversed path.  That easy way, however, leads to eternal destruction (v. 13).  The other gate is small and constricted, and the path is open into a narrow and difficult.  Yet that difficult way is the only one that leads to eternal life.”  Now I will quote Matthew 7:13-14.

(Matthew 7:13-14.)

“13  "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

            “Later ‘someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’’ (Luke 13:23).  Christ’s reply reinforced the point He had made earlier in Matthew 7: ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able’ (v-24).  In Matthew 11:12 Jesus again stated the difficulty of entering the kingdom, noting that ‘from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force’ (cf. Luke 16:16), while Peter asked rhetorically, ‘If it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?’ (1 Peter 4:18).”

(cf. Luke 16:16)

“16  "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.”

(1 Peter 4:18)

“18  And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

“You will seek Me and find Me,’ God declared, only ‘when you search for Me with all your heart’ (Jer. 29:13).”

(Jer. 29:13)

“13  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

“Sinners struggle mightily to come to true self-rejection, hatred of sin, and submission to Christ.  And such a struggle ending in salvation is nothing less than energized by the power of the Holy Spirit operating in the sovereign purpose of God.

            “What makes the narrow gate so difficult to get through is the necessity for self-denial.  Rejecting the Lord’s call for him to forsake all and follow Him, the rich young ruler, as noted above, ‘was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property’ (Mark 10:22).  Refusing Christ’s call for extreme and absolute commitment to Him, ‘many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore’ (John 6:66).

            “Because of the necessity for self-denial, Jesus challenged His would-be followers to consider what it might cost them to come to Him:

For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’  Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. (Luke 14:28-32)

Then He applied the illustrations to His hearers:  ‘So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions’ (v. 33).  The Lord was not, of course, teaching that salvation comes by impoverishing oneself.  The self-denial in view is not merely of material things, but of anything that merits salvation (Rom. 7:18) or is more important to a person than God.”

(Rom. 7:18)

“18  For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”

His point is that coming to Him involves full submission to His lordship and willingness to abandon whatever He asks for His purpose.  That is the point of the parables of the treasure hidden in the field, and the pearl of great price in which the treasure and the pearl were only acquired when the man sold everything (Matt. 13:44-46).”

(Matt. 13:44-46)

“44 ¶  "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46  who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he and bought it.”

“The sinner is to understand the priceless value of eternal life and eagerly be rid of anything that would be a barrier to that everlasting joy.

            “As noted, the gospel is so contrary to fallen mankind’s self-love, selfishness, and stubborn self-will that no one can come to faith in Christ apart from the convicting and regenerating work of the Spirit.  The unregenerate, being dead in their sins, live lives totally controlled by personal desire driven by the lusts of the flesh (Eph. 2:1-3).

(Eph. 2:1-3)

“1 ¶  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

“By nature. They love the darkness of sin and hate the light of the truth (John 3:19-20), and are blinded by Satan so they cannot see that light (2 Cor. 4:4).”

(John 3:19-20)

“19  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”

(2 Cor. 4:4)

“4  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

“Only when the Spirit convicts unbelievers of sin (John 16:8-11), draws them to Christ (John 6:44, 65) and gives them life (John 3:3-7) can salvation take place.”

(John 16:8-11)

“8  And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9  concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10  concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11  concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

(John 6:44, 65)

“44  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

“65  And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

(John 3:3-7)

“3  Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the of God.” 4  Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second

time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5  Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6  That which is born of the flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

            “Having ‘summoned the crowd with His disciples’ (Mark 8:34), Jesus began giving to them all this important teaching on genuine discipleship.  A true commitment to Christ involves self-denial, cross bearing, and obedience.”

(Mark 8:34)

“34  And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  What I have to say does not actually go with what I have studied in this section, other than trusting the Lord.  I have been wrestling with an issue for a while, and struggling with it more lately.  I have a friend who desires to go into missionary work and because of a lack of funds I have been trying to help her.  It is my desire to pay for some tests that I believe she needs so that she can have more energy to do her tasks. 

10/21/2026 10:02 AM

 

PT -2 Intro to “A Portrait of True Discipleship” (Luke 9:23-26)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/20/2026 8:45 PM

My Worship Time                                   Focus:  PT -2 Intro to “A Portrait of True Discipleship”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 9:23-26

            Message of the verses:  “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.  For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

            I am going to continue to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary, picking up where I left off.  “Jesus encountered an important, wealthy young man eagerly seeking the answer to the crucial question of how to be saved.  Mark records that he ‘ran to [Jesus] and knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’’ (Mark 10:17).  Here was a seemingly sure-fire prospect.  He had a felt need for salvation, whent to the right person, and asked the right question.  Yet in a manner that would have caused Him to fail any modern seeker-friendly course in evangelism, Jesus seemingly let him slip away.  In fact, the Lord intentionally set the standard for eternal life far above what this tragic young man was willing to pay:  ‘Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me’’ (v. 21).  Crestfallen, he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property’ (v. 22).  He wanted Jesus on his terms, with his wealth intact.  He had no interest in self-denying sacrifice. EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/20/2026 8:19 PM

            “Three incidents at the end of Luke 9 further reinforce the principle that following Jesus demands a willingness to give up everything if He asks.  When a would-be disciple said to Him, ‘I will follow You wherever You go’ (Luke 9:57), Christ replied, ‘The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head’ (v. 58(; in other words, following Him could be a homeless experience.  More to the point, following Him promised nothing in this world.  Jesus was not building an earthly kingdom of comfort and prosperity.

            “When Jesus challenged another man to follow Him, he replied, ‘Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father’ (v. 59).  The implication is that the man’s father had not yet died, and he wanted to delay following the Lord until he received his inheritance.  But Jesus replied, ‘Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God’ (v. 60).  Again, this would-be disciple wanted to wait until his father had died so he could receive his inheritance.  He would follow Jesus when he had all the earthly treasure coming to him.

            “Finally, ‘another also said, ‘I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home’’ (v. 61).  Here was the same issue again.  The man wanted to go home to negotiate some support from his family.  Jesus and earthly possessions were his requirement.  Jesus’ reply, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (vs 62) confronted him with the true call to discipleship—let everything go and follow Me.  Christ would later emphasize that a clean break with family may be required, since they are unbelievers.  He said, ‘If anyone come to Me, and does hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers ad sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple’ (Luke 14:26).  Those who would be His followers must be desperate enough to be delivered from sin and hungry and thirsty enough to pursue righteousness radically.

            “The Lord’s teaching in this brief but potent invitation may be expounded under three headings:  the principle of true discipleship, the paradox of true discipleship, and the punishment of false discipleship.”

10/20/2026 8:41 PM

 

PT -1 Intro to “A Portrait of True Discipleship” (Luke 9:23-26)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/20/2026 8:44 AM

My Worship Time                                   Focus:  PT -1 Intro to “A Portrait of True Discipleship”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 9:23-26

            Message of the verses:  “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.  For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

 

            This morning we begin looking at the verses above, which begin a new chapter in John MacArthur’s commentary, number 28 in his second book on the gospel of Luke.  I have mentioned that it took him ten years to preach through the entire gospel of Luke, and we are only on the second commentary that he wrote on Luke’s gospel.  I will begin this morning to quote the introduction to these verses.

            “The brief passage is a diamond of truth, clear and brilliant, and it contains the heart of Jesus’ invitation to sinners contemplating becoming one of His disciples.  In His own words the Lord laid out what it means to be a genuine believer in Him; to be included in His salvation kingdom.  It consequently reveals truth that is unsurpassed in importance.

            “What is most striking about the Lord’s call to discipleship is that it demands radical self-denial, perhaps to the point of dying, while also living in complete obedience to His commands.  That puts the true gospel, preached by Jesus, in sharp contrast with the contemporary pseudo-gospel of self-fulfillment popularly proclaimed and received by many who identify themselves as Christians.  Such false teachers in effect view the Lord as little more than a utilitarian genie, who grants people whatever they wish.  Some claim that Jesus wants people healthy and rich, and if they are not, it is because they have failed to claim their blessings.  Others maintain that God’s primary goal is to make people feel better about themselves by elevating their self-image (as if sinners had humility issues and needed more self-love) and eliminating their negative thinking.  Some have even called for a ‘new reformation,’ abandoning biblically of self-esteem.  This ‘seeker-friendly’ approach came along to replace the biblical gospel of salvation from sin with a set of psychological props to elevate people to fulfillment and higher life purposes.  The quasi-Christian narcissism unabashedly promises self-love, which characterizes the false teachers who preach it (2 Tim. 3:2) and focuses, as they do, on their satisfaction instead of God’s glory.”

(2 Tim. 3:2)

“2  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,”

            “A prayer from the pen of a godly saint of the past reveals the difference between today’s man-centered false gospel and the attitude consistent with true saving faith:

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly…

Let me learn by paradox

  that the way down is the way up,

   that to be low is to be high,

   that the broken heart is the healed heart,

   that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

   that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

   that to have nothing is to possess all,

   that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

   that to give is to receive…

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

            thy life in my death,

            thy joy in my sorrow,

            thy grace in my sin

            they riches in my poverty,

            thy glory in my [humiliation].

(Arthur Benett, The valley of Vision [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1977], xv)

            “This is not an obscure passage that differs from Christ’s normal teaching.  Our Lord’s teaching on the occasion of this passage is also recorded by Matthew (16:24-27) and Mark (8:34-38).

(Matthew (16:24-27)

“24 ¶  Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26  For what will it profit a man if he the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27  For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

(Mark (8:34-38)

“34  And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37  For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38  For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

“The principles it contains are the same ones He repeatedly taught and modeled throughout His ministry.  And since Jesus was the prototypical divine evangelist, He has given believers the pattern of how to evangelize.  In Matthew 10:34-36 Jesus cautioned,

Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

Believing in Him may actually make one’s situation on earth worse.  But instead of promising that their circumstances would improve, Jesus insisted that His followers be willing to pay whatever price is necessary for following Him:

He who love father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.  He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. (vv. 37-39)

The supreme goal for believers is not the development of their self-confidence by the betterment of their life perspective and situation, but following Christ no matter how severe the consequences.”

              I will try and finish this introduction in this evening’s SD.

Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  These are serious matters being spoken about in this SD, and I must heed to what is written here.

My Steps of Faith for Today: I am trusting the Lord to help me do the things that I believe need to be done for a person that I am acquainted with.

10/20/2026 9:34 AM

 

 

 

PT-3“The Answer of Divine Revelation” (Luke 9:20-22)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/19/2026 4:52 PM

My Worship Time                                              Focus:  PT-3“The Answer of Divine Revelation”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 9:20-22

            Message of the verses:  “And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”  But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

            John MacArthur writes “Instead, Jesus told the apostles, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”  If His prohibiting theme to spread the truth that He was the Messiah had puzzled the Twelve, this statement must have floored them.  There was no mistaking the significance of Christ’s words; the word must reveals that the Savior’s death was part of God’s unalterable plan.  Jesus was, as Peter would later proclaim, ‘delivered over [to death] by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God’ (Acts 2:23; cf. 3:18; 4:27-28; 13:27-28; Luke 9:31; 22:22, 37).”

(Acts 2:23; cf. 3:18; 4:27-28; 13:27-28; Luke 9:31; 22:22, 37)

“23  this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

“18  But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.”

“27  for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28  to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.”

“27  For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28  And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.”

“31  who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”

“22  For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!"

“37  For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment."

“What Isaiah predicted would infallibly come to pass:

4 ¶  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned— every one— to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8  By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9  And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 ¶  Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”

            “The many things the Son of Man would suffer included the hatred of the Jewish leaders, the agony in Gethsemane, the betrayal by Judas, mockery, a brutal whipping, the crown of thorns, being rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and being forsaken by the Father and killed.  All of that must have dealt the apostles’ messianic hopes a staggering blow.  The plan was not that Jesus usher in the kingdom, but that He suffer death and the instigation of the rulers of the nation.  Jesus came to be ‘made…sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God  in Him’ (2 Cor. 5:21).  Having accomplished redemption, Jesus would be raised up in triumph on the third day.”

10/19/2026 5:31 PM

 

 

PT-2“The Answer of Divine Revelation” (Luke 9:20-23)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/19/2026 8:58 AM

My Worship Time                                              Focus:  PT-2“The Answer of Divine Revelation”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 9:20-22

            Message of the verses:  “And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”  But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

            This section is a long section that also has many verse references in this section which I will quote when they come up.

            I will begin this SD by quoting from John MacArthur’s commentary: “Matthew’s account records that Jesus also told Peter, and by extension the rest of the Twelve (except for the traitor, Judas Iscariot), ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven’ (Matt. 16:17).  Spiritually dead people (Eph. 2:1-3) cannot be convinced that Jesus is God, Messiah, Savior, and King unless God awakens the mind, and gives understanding to the heart (1 Cor. 1:21; 2:10-14; 12:3).”

(Eph. 2:1-3)

“1 ¶  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3  among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

(1 Cor. 1:21; 2:10-14; 12:3)

“21  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”

“10  these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11  For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13  And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14  The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

“3  Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says accursed “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.”

“For that reason Jesus declared, ‘No one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him’ (Matt. 11:27) and, ‘No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him’ (John 6:44).

            “Since they had just confessed their belief in Him this would seem to have been an appropriate time for the apostles to spread the word about Christ’s true identity.  They must have been puzzled when He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone.  The forceful terms epitimao (warned) and paragello (instructed) indicate that Jesus strongly, sternly commanded them not to spread the news that He was the Messiah.  In John 12, this was a judicial act on the part of Jesus, hiding the truth from those who were already confirmed in their rejection of it, and the people who had recently been thwarted in their rejection of it, and the people, who had recently been thwarted in their attempt to make Jesus king (John 6:14-15), did not need to be incited try again.”

(John 6:14-15)

“14  When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world! 15 ¶  then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”

“But the reason for this prohibition was to instruct His followers that the message they were going to preach was not that Jesus was a healer or provider—but the Savior.  They would never be sent out to preach permanently until after His death and resurrection.  Those consummate achievements by the Lord Jesus would be the essential heart of the gospel they and all who followed them would preach.  To show that this was His reason, He immediately spoke of it (cf. Matt. 16:20-23; Mark 8:30-33).”

(cf. Matt. 16:20-23; Mark 8:30-33)

“20  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22  "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23  but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

“30  And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. 31  And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32  And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33  But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

“On many occasions He restricted the proclamation of His power (Mark 1:25, 34; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, 30; 9:9).  The Lord had no intention of starting a revolt against Rome—a revolt based on false expectations of Messiah’s mission.”

(Mark 1:25, 34; 3:12; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, 30; 9:9)

“25  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

“34  And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.”

“12  And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.”

“43  And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.”

“36  And Jesus charged them to tell no one. But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.”

“26  And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

“30  And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.”

“9  And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”

Spiritual Meaning for my life today:  Trusting the Lord to be ready to tell the gospel story to those that the Spirit leads me to tell it to.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to help Vivian get over her tiredness so that she can be more effective in doing what the Lord has called her to do for the cause of Christ.

10/19/2026 9:41 AM

 

 

 

 

PT-1“The Answer of Divine Revelation” (Luke 9:20-22)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/18/2026 7:52 PM

My Worship Time                                              Focus:  PT-1“The Answer of Divine Revelation”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 9:20-22

            Message of the verses:  “And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”  But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.”

            This section is a fairly long section that also has many verse references in this section which I will quote when they come up.

            Now in light of the confusion and unbelief that His first question revealed, the Lord asked the Twelve, “But who do you say that I am? Now the word you is emphatic in all three gospel accounts of this incident (cf. Matt. 16:15; Mark 8:29).  Who did they, in contrast to prevailing public opinion, believe Jesus to be.

(cf. Matt. 16:15; Mark 8:29)

“15  He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

“29  And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

            The apostles’ answer, voiced by their spokesman Peter, was the absolute antithesis of the crowd’s suggestions.  When the Twelve confessed Jesus to be the Christ of God, they did so with full knowledge of the alternative views of Him being proposes.  To make their view of Him unmistakably clear, they added their affirmation that He is ‘the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).  Christos (Christ) is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word mashiach.  Both words refer to the anointed one (cf. 4:18; Acts 10:38; Heb. 1:9), the one whom God Himself chose to be prophet priest, and king, as the possessive phrase of God indicates (cf. 2:26; 23:35; Acts 3:18; 4:26; Rev. 11:15; 12:10).

(cf. 4:18; Acts 10:38; Heb. 1:9)

“18  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,”

“38  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

“9  You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."

(cf. 2:26; 23:35; Acts 3:18; 4:26; Rev. 11:15; 12:10)

“26  And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

“35  And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

“18  But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.”

“26  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—”

“15  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

“10  And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”

Anyone who rejects Jesus, God’s Messiah, is cursed (1 Cor. 16:22) and deserving of the most severe punishment (Heb. 10:29).

(1 Cor. 16:22)

22  If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!”

(Heb. 10:29)

“29  How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?”

            John MacArthur writes “The apostles knew Jesus was not merely another prophet, nor was He the political and military ruler that fit the expectation of the people. He was God’s chosen, anointed Messiah and His beloved Son (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Col. 1:13; 2 Peter 1:17), the king of Israel (John 1:49).”

(Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Col. 1:13; 2 Peter 1:17)

“17  and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

“5  He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

“13  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,’

“17  For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,”

(John 1:49)

“49  Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

“The faith of the apostles would continue to waver at times between this confession and the Lord’s death and resurrection.  But despite the fluctuations of their trust, they would hold fast to their identification of Him.  They would question His plan, especially when He spoke of His death.  But never did they doubt His person.”

10/18/2026 8:28 PM

 

 

 

 

 

PT-3 “The Answer of Human Opinion” (Luke 9:18b-19)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/18/2026 8:18 AM

My Worship Time                                                Focus:  PT-3 “The Answer of Human Opinion”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                               Reference:  Luke 9:18b-19

            Message of the verses:  “and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?”  They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijay; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.”

            I will pick up where I left off in last nights SD:  “John 12 reveals two significant reasons for the crowd’s perplexing inability to correctly identify Jesus.  Even during Passion Week, just days from His death, the crowd was still asking Him, ‘Who is this Son of Man?’ (v. 34).  Jesus replied that they were not lacking information; they already had the light, and needed to believe the truth that had been revealed to them (vv. 35-36).”

(vv. 35-36)

35  So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.”

“Having said that, Jesus ‘went away and hid Himself from them (v. 36).  The people knew the truth and rejected it, and as a result God judicially abandoned them:

37 ¶  Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38  so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39  Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40  “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” (John 12:37-40)

“Tragically, their persistent rejection of the truth eventually brought God’s judicial hardening so that they could not believe.

            “Another statement in John 12 reveals the second major reason that people fail to affirm Christ’s true identity:  Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God’ (vv. 42-43).  Here is a sobering illustration of the power of false religion—they knew the truth, but refused to act on it.  Maintaining their façade of self-righteousness, being accepted by the Jewish religious authorities, and avoiding the trauma of being put out of the synagogue was more important to them than the truth.  Like the fickle crowd, because they would not believe they eventually could not believe.”

10/18/2026 8:32 AM