SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/20/2016 10:56 PM
My Worship Time Focus: The Indignation
Bible Reading &
Meditation Reference: Zechariah 7:12-14
Message
of the verses: "12 They made their hearts like flint so
that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent
by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.
13 “And just as He called and they would not listen, so they called and I would not listen,"
says the LORD of hosts; 14 “but I scattered them with a storm wind among all
the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is desolated behind them so
that no one went back and forth, for they made the pleasant land
desolate."”
Zechariah continue to write what
the Lord is saying and that is that the people who were alive when the
Babylonians attacked Jerusalem would not listen to the Lord as He spoke through
His prophets so the Lord quit talking to them and they went off into the land
of Babylon where they remained captive for 70 years. They did not listen to the Lord because they
were listening to their rituals instead of a reality.
John MacArthur writes “What was the
answer then to the original inquiry? Do we have to keep the feasts? God's Word
came to Zechariah and said that's not the point. The point is was the feast
ever for Me anyway? The point is that all you've done is make a form of
religion. And so I say to you that God is not interested in the form, He is interested in the reality that's in your heart.
And that reality springs from hearing the words of the Lord. And the last
generation didn't hear the words of the Lord and they were judged and so I warn
you. God does not want us
to be indifferent and He does not want us to be disobedient to His Word.
“Simple message for us, isn't it?
You can't substitute any form for a reality. My great prayer tonight is that
you know the Lord Jesus Christ. Not that you go to church, or that you've had
some rite or some ritual...I always think about the story of the actor who went
to the sort of a drawing room function. And there was a lady there, a fancy
place, you know, ladies had their glasses on a stick, you know, one of those
old fancy deals. So this one lady who was the hostess came to him and said,
"Sir, we would like for you to recite for us." So the actor was in
his glory, wanted to recite. And wanting to get the benefit of all that he
could from his audience and having a rather unlimited repertoire, he said to
his audience, "What would you like me to recite?" And there was an
old preacher there, probably crashed the party, and he said, "I'd like to
hear the twenty-third Psalm." And the actor said, "All right,
I'll...I don't prefer to do that, but I'll do it on one condition," hoping
that the gentleman would back down on his request, he said, "I'll do it if
you'll do it after me."”
“The old pastor figuring twice is
better than once said, "Fine." So the actor began and his intonation
was flawless and his diction was beautiful. Masterfully he went through with
great intensity the twenty-third Psalm. When he was done, there was applause.
And the old preacher, he got up there and he had kind of a ministerial twang
and his diction wasn't that hot, his interpretation wasn't so great. He got all
done and there wasn't a sound. And there wasn't a dry eye in the place. And the
actor was overcome with the silence, stood up and he said, "I think I know
the difference. I know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd." That's the
difference. There are lots of people who know the Psalm, sadly there aren't so
many who know the Shepherd.”
7/20/2016 11:10 PM
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