SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/17/2020 11:05 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “The Perspective of Divine Truth”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matthew 5:39-42
Message of the verses: “39 “But I tell you
not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn
the other to him also. 40 “If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic,
let him have your cloak also. 41 “And whoever compels you to go one
mile, go with him two. 42 “Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to
borrow from you do not turn away.”
John
MacArthur begins this section with what is the truth about this section of
Scripture, something that has been misunderstood for a very long time: “In the command ‘do not resist him who is
evil’ Jesus rebuts the Pharisees’ misinterpretation and forbids retaliation in
personal relationships. He does not
teach, as many have claimed, that no stand is to be taken against evil and that
it should simply be allowed to take its course.
Jesus and the apostles continually opposed evil with every means and
resource. Jesus resisted the profaning
of God’s Temple by making a scourge of cords and physically driving out the
sacrifice sellers and moneychangers (Matt. 21:12; John 2:15). We are to ‘resist the devil’ (James 4:7; 1
Pet. 5:9) and all evil that he stands for and inspires (Matt. 6:13; Rom. 12:9;
1 Thess. 5:22; 2 Tim. 4:18).”
As
I begin to talk more about this section the author, John MacArthur is in a
fight with the people of Los Angelos over whether or not churches should meet
because of Covid 19. He has been
threatened of jail time and to close down his church. He is resisting evil, the evil that is surely
coming from Satan in our country as Satan is trying to take down our country,
making it a society of Socialism so that church will be outlawed and Christians
will be targeted for their faith. MacArthur continues in his writings from his
sermons in 1978 “A proper resisting of evil includes resisting it in the
church. When Peter compromised with the
Judaizers, Paul ‘Opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned’ (Gal.
2:11). When there is immorality in the
congregation, God says, ‘Remove the wicked man from among yourselves’ (1 Cor.
5:13; cf. Deut. 13:5). Jesus said that a
believer who sins should first be reproved in private, and then before two or
three other church members if he does not repent. ‘And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it
to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to
you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer’ (Matt. 18:15-17). Paul echoes Jesus’ teaching when he says that
those in the church who continue in sin should be rebuked ‘in the presence of
all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning’ (1 Tim 5:20).” I realize that this is talking about church
discipline and not what the church has to stand for in an evil world like what
is happening in our country today and especially to John MacArthur’s church.
Paul
talks about Civil government in Romans 13:4 and Peter also in 1 Peter 2:13-14,
verses we will look at in a moment, but first I want to say that the principle
of nonresistance does not apply to governmental authorities as it is seen in
the verses mentioned above “for it [civil government] is a minister of God to
you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the
sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on
the one who practices evil.” “13 Submit
yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as
the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of
evildoers and the praise of those who do right.” I want to bring up what the apostles stated
in the book of Acts when they were told by the civil government of the time not
to preach in the name of Jesus anymore.
Their response was that “we have to obey God and not man.”
Why
are believers to obey the law? They do
it for the sake of God’s righteousness, as well as for the sake of human
justice. Believers are to report crime
as well as to do this is an act of compassion, righteousness, and godly
obedience as well as an act of civil responsibility. MacArthur adds “To belittle, excuse, or hide
the wrongdoing of others is not an act of love but an act of wickedness,
because it undermines civil justice and divine righteousness.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I desire to obey God and when human government
is trying to stop me from doing this I need to do it anyway.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To pray for what is going on in our country,
knowing that in the end that all who are following Satan will end up with him
in the lake of fire forever.
9/17/2020 11:42 AM
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