SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/19/2020
12:04 PM
My Worship Time Focus: “The
Location & The Style”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew 5:1
Message of the
verse: “1 And
when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down,
His disciples came to Him.”
The Location: When some folks from our church went to
Israel a couple of years ago our Pastor was one who went along and preached
little sermons when they got to different places in Israel and one of the
places this happened was on a hillside or what the Bible calls a mountain where
it is possible that the Sermon on the Mount was given by our Lord. From what he said it was like an amphitheater
which would mean that the sound traveled really well. I am sure that all who were there heard the
words of Jesus very well. This was
probably on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The Style: We know from the text that Jesus sat down
while he was speaking and this was the way that Rabbis would teach. If He spoke while standing or while walking
that would have been considered as to be informal or unofficial, however when He
was sitting what He was saying was authoritative or even official. MacArthur adds “When Jesus ‘sat down’ and
delivered the Sermon on the Mount, He spoke from His divine chair with absolute
authority as the sovereign King.”
Remembering once more that Matthew’s gospel speaks of Jesus as King,
something we continue to mention.
We mentioned earlier and I believe
this is very important and that is that those who were there would be receiving
an evangelistic sermon, as the standards of spiritual life that Jesus gave here
could not apply to this audience or even be followed by them unless they
belonged to Jesus Christ.
We know that his disciples were
there and here is where I have some trouble for we know that only eleven of
them were believers so I suppose that they were the possibility the only
believers there when Jesus gave this great sermon.
John MacArthur states “An archbishop
of the Church of England once remarked that it would be impossible to conduct
the affairs of Britain on the basis of the Sermon on the Mount, because the
nation was not loyal to the King. The
sermon of the King can be understood and followed only by faithful subjects of
the King.”
He goes on to write “Tying to apply
Jesus’ teachings without receiving Him as Lord and Savior is futile. Those, for example, who promote the social
gospel, endeavoring to institute Jesus’ teaching apart from His saving and regenerating
work, prove only that His principles cannot work for those who do not have a
transformed nature and God’s indwelling power.
One cannot behave
like Christ until one becomes like Christ.
Those who do not love the King cannot live like the King.”
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: What I
have highlighted above is surely something that I desire to live like, that is
I desire to behave like the King and to do that I have to love the King.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To live like
the King means to be humble, and to love the King means that I will find joy in
studying His Word.
3/19/2020 12:34
PM
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