SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/12/2018
11:33 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-3 “The Redemption Results”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
1:7b-9a
Message of the verses: “the forgiveness of
our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us.
In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will,”
We
have been talking about sin and how the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross
took care of our sins that we have committed long before we even committed them
and they remain forgive forever. John
MacArthur writes the following important truth:
“Because we continue to sin, we need the continued forgiveness of
cleansing; but we do not need the continued forgiveness of redemption. Jesus told Peter, ‘He who has bathed needs
only to wash his feet, but is completely clean’ (John 13:10). Even though we continue to sin, Jesus ‘is
faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9). He
forgives all our sins in the sweeping grace of salvation. That does not mean we will no longer sin, nor
that when we do our sins have no harmful effect. They have profound effect on our growth, joy,
peace, usefulness, and ability to have intimate and rich communion with the
Father. Thus the believer is called on
to ask for forgiveness daily so that he may enjoy not just the general
forgiveness of redemption, but the specific forgiveness of daily cleansing,
which brings fellowship and usefulness to their maximum. That is the issue in our Lord’s teaching on
prayer recorded in Matthey 6:12, 14-15.”
This last quote from MacArthur is very important to understand as some
believers wonder about this important truth.
Some think that the Christian faith tells us that we can sin all we want
because God will forgive us. God will
forgive us, but as mentioned in the quote there are great consequences for our
sins. Think about when David committed adultery
with Bathsheba, and then killed her husband to cover up the fact that she was
with child. Nathan came to David and
told him that God would forgive him of his sin, but the consequence of the sin
caused many problems with David and his family as four sons died and David came
close to losing his kingdom when Absalom tried to usurp his father’s kingdom,
but was killed in the process.
There
are no second class Christians as God has forgiven all of the sins of every
person who has or will come to Christ for salvation. The reason that He can do this is because we
are in Christ once we become believers and so God can say “I am satisfied with
you because I am satisfied with My Son, to whom you belong. When I look at you, I see Him, and I am
pleased.”
I
have to say that it is very hard for me to accept myself as I know that my
thoughts are not always what they should be, nor my actions what they should
be, but God accepts me and so I ought to accept myself in Christ just as God
sees me. John MacArthur writes “We
accept ourselves as forgiven and as righteous because that is what God Himself
declares us to be. To think otherwise is
not a sign of humility but of arrogance, because to think otherwise is to put
our own judgment above God’s Word and to belittle the redemption price paid for
us by His own beloved Son. A Christian
who denigrates himself and doubts full forgiveness denies the work of God and
denigrates a child of God. If we matter
to God, we certainly ought to matter to ourselves.”
We
may know people who have friends in high places, like knowing Presidents, kings
or other high officials, but all believers know and are known by the Creator of
the Universe. The following poem is from
the pen of Philip Bliss who is quoted in MacArthur’s commentary:
“I am so
glad that our Father in heav’n
Tells of
His love in the Book He has giv’n.
Wonderful
things in the Bible I see;
This is
the dearest, that Jesus loves me.
Oh, if
there’s only one song I can sing,
When in His
beauty I see the Great King,
This
shall my song in eternity be;
“Oh,
what a wonder that Jesus loves me!’”
We
will end this portion of this SD for now, but I truly have to agree with what
Philip Bliss wrote in this poem that is now a song that I have sung many times
as I too contemplate the truth that Jesus loves me.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: “To think
otherwise is not a sign of humility but of arrogance, because to think
otherwise is to put our own judgment above God’s Word and to belittle the
redemption price paid for us by His own beloved Son.” This quote says volumes to me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To begin to think of myself as God thinks and
looks at me, that is in Christ.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Israel” (1 Kings 20:3).
Today’s Bible question: “To whom did Abraham give tithes?”
Answer in our next SD.
11/12/2018 12:11 PM
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