SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/3/2016 7:00 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
In the Midst of the Feast: Debate
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: John 7:17-19
Message of the verses: 17 “If anyone is willing to do His will, he
will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.
18 “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the
glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in
Him. 19 “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the
Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?"”
In this SD
I want to quote from Warren Wiersbe, from his teaching on these verses and then
we will look once again from what John MacArthur has to say on these verses in
our next SD. I don’t always look at Dr.
Wiersbe’s comments from John’s gospel, but I did find something very worth
quoting from these verses that I want to use for this Spiritual Diary.
“But when
Jesus began to teach openly in the temple, the debate shifted to His doctrine (John 7:14-19). Character and doctrine go together, of
course. It would be foolish to trust the
teachings of a liar! The Jews were amazed
at what He taught because He did not have any credentials from their approved
rabbinical schools. But since He lacked
this ‘proper accreditations,’ His enemies said that His teachings were nothing
but private opinions and not worth much.
It has often been said that Jesus taught with authority, while the
scribes and Pharisees taught from authorities, quoting all the famous rabbis.
“Jesus
explained that His doctrine came from the Father. He had already made it clear that He and the
Father were on in works that He performed (John 5:17) and in the judgment that
He executed (John 5:30). Now He claimed
that His teachings also came from the Father, and H would make that astounding
claim again (John 8:26, 38). When I
teach the word of God, I claim authority for the Bible not for all of my
interpretations of the Bible. Jesus
rightly could claim absolute authority for everything that He taught.
“But does
not every religious teacher make a
similar claim? How, then, can we know that
Jesus is teaching us the truth? By obeying what He tells us to do. God’s Word proves itself true to those who
will sincerely do it. The British
preacher F. W. Roberson said that ‘obedience is the organ of spiritual
knowledge.’ John 7:17 literally reads, ‘If
any man is willing to do His [God’s] will, he shall know.’ This explains why the Jewish leaders did not
understand Jesus’ teachings: they had stubborn
will and would not submit to Him (John 5:40).
“Is our
Lord suggesting here a ‘pragmatic test’ for divine truth? Is He saying, ‘Try it! If it works, it must be true!’ and thus
suggesting that if it does not work it must be false? This kind of a test would lead to confusion,
for almost any cultist could say, ‘I tried what the cult teaches, and it works!’
“No, our
Lord’s statement goes much deeper. He
was not suggesting a shallow ‘taste test’ but rather the deep personal
commitment of the person to truth. The
Jews depended on education and authorities and received their doctrine
secondhand, but Jesus insisted that we experience the authority of truth personally. The Jewish leaders were attempting to kill Jesus, yet at the same time they
claimed to understand God’s truth and obey it.
This proves that an enlightened and educated mind is no guarantee of a
pure heart or a sanctified will. Some of
the world’s worst criminals have been highly intelligent and well educated
people.
“Satan
offered Adam and Eve knowledge but it was knowledge based on disobedience (Gen.
3:5). Jesus offered knowledge as the
result of obedience: first the yoke of
responsibility, then the joy of knowing God’s truth. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan said it
perfectly: ‘When men are wholly,
completely consecrated to the will of God and want to do that above everything
else, then they find out that Christ’s teaching is divine, that it is the teaching
of God.’
“If we
really seek God’s will, then we will not worry over who gets the glory. All truth is God’s truth and God alone
deserves the glory for what He has taught us.
No teacher or preacher can take the credit for what only can come from
God. If he does go after the glory then
it is proof that his teaching is self-generated and not received from God. This is the origin of many cults and church
splits: somebody ‘invents’ a doctrine, takes credit for it, and uses it to
divide God’s people.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: To God be the glory!
My Steps of Faith for
Today: Remember that those who teach
the Word of God are just the hose that the water of the Word goes through.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible question: “Hiram” (1 Kings 5:7).
Today’s Bible question:
“Paul instructed the Colossians to also read the letter from where?”
Answer in our next SD.
5/3/2016 7:38 AM
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