SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/19/2014
10:39 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Do not be Insecure PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2
Thessalonians 2:13-14
Message of the
verses: “13 But we should always
give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the
beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith
in the truth. 14 It was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may
gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Before we begin this SD I would suggest that one look at the previous SD
for a review that was posted there.
Now we must remember that Paul was writing these
exhortations in order to eliminate the fear that the Thessalonians were having
because of some false letters that they had received telling them that they
were actually in the Day of the Lord at this time. This exhortation is to remind them of the
doctrine of their salvation which they had received when Paul was with them a
few months before the writing of this letter.
If the enemy could use a false letter to confuse them about the Day of
the Lord he could also try and confuse them about the salvation that was given
to them by the Lord through the Holy Spirit at Paul’s teaching earlier.
Paul’s intent was not to just preach to them but to
shepherd them as this whole section is pastoral, that is he was not just giving
them facts about the Antichrist and the end times but is giving them practical
uses of knowing about the end times.
Warren Wiersbe writes “We must never permit the study of prophecy to be
an escape from responsibility today.”
This fits in nicely with what John MacArthur says when he talks about
Paul being a Pastor to them.
MacArthur adds “Those who reject the truth that believers
are eternally secure cannot look forward with the confident hope to Christ’s
coming. To believe that Christians
living in unconfessed sin when the Lord returns will go to hell can only
engender dread and fear—especially since sinless perfection in this life is unattainable
(1 Kings 8:46; Ps. 143:2; Prov. 20:9; Eccl. 7:20; 1 John 1:8, 10).”
Salvation began with the calling that God the Father made
in eternity past, and then when the Lord Jesus died to pay the penalty for our
sins, and then the Holy Spirit had given to the Thessalonians and to everyone
that God called an effectual call, a call that cannot be denied by who He
calls. In Romans 8:29-30 we see that all
of this will result in the glorification in the future: “29 For those whom He foreknew, He also
predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be
the firstborn among many brethren; 30
and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called,
He also justified; and
these whom He justified, He also glorified.”
John MacArthur writes “Jesus emphatically declared the
utter impossibility that any of God’s elect should ever be lost: “37 “All that the Father gives Me will come
to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 39
"This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given
Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 “For this is the will of
My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have
eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." 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.
(John 6:37, 39-40, 44.
“27 He answered them, "I told you already and you
did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His
disciples too, do you?" 28 They reviled him and said, "You are His
disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 “We know that God has spoken to
Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from." 30 The man
answered and said to them, "Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do
not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes (John 10:27-30).”
As we continue to look at our verses for today we see
that this wonderful, glorious truth gave another opportunity for Paul to give
thanks for the believers in Thessalonica, and he has done this many times
between these two letters he wrote to them.
We also see a contrast between those who believed the truth and were saved,
that being the Thessalonians, and those who rejected the truth, those he has
just written about, and thus were lost.
MacArthur writes “God’s work of salvation began with His sovereign,
uninfluenced, undeserved love. That love
was the basis for His election of believers (Eph. 1:4-5). God’s electing love is not conditioned on any
merit in its recipients, as Moses reminded Israel: ‘The Lord did not set His love on you nor
chose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were
the fewest of all peoples’ (Deut. 7:7).”
God also saved us because of His own purpose and grace
was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity as Paul writes in 2 Tim. 1:9 “who
has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus
from all eternity.”
There is more to talk about concerning the doctrine of
Gods sovereign, elective love that He has for us, but we will have to wait
until our next SD to look at it.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: On this Lord’s
day it is a good to be reminded of the wonderful salvation that God has planned
and cared for so that I can be a part of the family of God.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Be thankful for the salvation that God has
given to me.
Memory verses for the
week: Colossians 3:8-10.
8 But now you also, put
them all aside: anger, wrath, malice,
slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have laid aside the old self with
its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a
true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him-11 a renewal
in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised, and
uncircumcised, barbarian Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all and in
all.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Samaria” (1 Kings 16:29).
Today’s Bible
question: “To which prophet did Hezekiah
send for advice when Assyria came against Jerusalem?”
Answer in our next SD.
10/19/2014 11:32 AM
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