SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/23/2015
12:12 PM
My Worship Time Focus: Introduction
to John 1:38-51
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: John 1:38-51
Message of
the verses: I want to do something a bit different for
this SD and that is I want to quote from a more recent sermon by John MacArthur
as we begin this Spiritual Diary. I have
mentioned before that as I prepare for these Spiritual Diaries on the gospel of
John that I listen to sermons by John MacArthur, read from his commentary along
with Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s commentary.
MacArthur did sermons in the 1970’s and then wrote his commentary in
2006, and then also is not doing a series in the gospel of John at this time, beginning
sometime in 2012 so it is interesting to listen to his sermons from the 70’s
and the ones he is doing now. At any
rate I chose to quote from his more recent sermon that he did on verses 38-51
and chose to quote the very last portion of it including the prayer that he
prays at the end of it for this SD.
“Now that’s the introduction. Now let me give you
the message. (laughter) I have a three-point outline (laughter) Here you have a microcosm of how
salvation works. I’m just going to let you think about it. I could say a
lot more. Here’s a microcosm of how salvation works. There must be a seeking soul. There must be
a seeking soul, verse 38. Jesus turns and sees Andrew and John and says, “What
do you seek?” “What do you seek?” Verse 39, “They came and saw where He was
staying...they stayed”--that’s more of that evidence of their seeking. Verse
45, Philip, “We have found Him,” again indicating that he was a seeker. “We have found
Him.” “We have found Him.” Verse 47, Nathanael is coming to Him. Salvation
requires a seeking sinner, a seeking soul. “If you seek Me with all your heart,
you’ll find Me,” right? “Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be
opened.” You know all of that.
“Prompted by a sense of sinfulness, prompted by a
heart of repentance, prompted by faith in the Scripture, the seeking soul
comes. But salvation also
requires a seeking Savior, and that’s illustrated here. It is Jesus who initiates things.
Verse 38, “What do you seek?” Verse 39, “Come, and you will see.” Verse 43,
“Jesus says to Philip, ‘Follow Me.’” Verse 47, “Jesus sees Nathanael coming to
Him, and says, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there’s no deceit!’”
“There’s no possibility for the sinner to be seeking unless the Savior
is seeking. Jesus said, “You have not chosen Me, but”...What?...“I’ve
chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bear forth fruit.”
“But there’s another element, too. Salvation requires a seeking
soul, a seeking Savior, and a
seeking saint. What does that fit in? “How will they hear without a preacher?” “Faith
comes by hearing the Word.”
“So you have John the Baptist telling his
disciples, verse 37, “Follow Jesus.” You have verse 40, Andrew; verse 41,
finding his own brother and telling him we found the Messiah. And then in verse
42, bringing Peter to Jesus. And then you have Philip, verse 45, finding Nathanael
to bring Nathanael to Jesus.
“Here at the very start, as the Holy Spirit moves John, to lay out
testimony to the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ, we see the elements of
salvation. It requires a seeking sinner, a seeking Savior, and a seeking saint to
bear the message. So much more, but we’ll see it all unfold as we go through
the gospel of John. Let’s pray.
“Again we are overwhelmed, our Father, with the
rich treasure of Holy Scripture. We...we’re in awe of it. It is so obviously
supernatural and divine, and at the same time so accessible, believable,
precious to us. Thank You for this revelation again of the identity of our Lord
Jesus. We have come together because we can make that confession. We have found
the Messiah, the One of whom the Old Testament speaks, the One who is the Son
of God, the King of Israel. We have found the Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world. All that He is, the Lamb, the Messiah, the fulfillment of Old
Testament prophecy, the Son of God, the King of Israel, the King of kings, all
laid into this testimony of these humble men who had no religious motivation
other than their own heart love for the true God and the Scripture and a desire
to be obedient, penitent believers. And it was to them that you revealed the
truth, and it’s their testimony that we cherish. Thank You for it. Thank You
for making it a living testimony that has the power to quicken our own hearts
from death to life. Do that, we pray, in some hearts even today.
“Now, Father, we go from this place with a new responsibility, a new
level of accountability because You have given us this glorious truth, not as
an end, but as a means to proclaiming it to others. May we be like Andrew who
found Peter, and Philip who found Nathanael. May we spend our lives finding
others and declaring the truth of Christ to them. Use us in that way, and we’ll
thank You and praise You in Your Son’s name. Amen.”
I am sure that I will do more for this
introduction in our next SD, but as you read these words let them sink into
your heart and your soul and if this perhaps is the first time that you have
heard anything like this then follow what has been said, seek the Savior so
that then He will seek and save that which is lost, and then go tell others
what you have done so they can do it too.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible question: “Claudius Lysias” (Acts 23:33-36).
Today’s Bible question: “What was the last Epistle written by Paul?”
Answer in our next SD.
12/23/2015 12:31 PM
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