SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/6/2021 12:29 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “Two Ways”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matt. 7:13-14
Message of the verses: “13 “Enter through
the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the
road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (NIV).
I
continue to say that the book of Matthew is a book about the King, who is the
Lord Jesus Christ, and so that makes the book of Matthew about His
Kingdom. Those who desire to be a part
of His Kingdom must come to the King in poverty of spirit, and must be mourning
over their sin; also they must be hungering and thirsting for His righteousness
in order to replace it with their own.
We see this in Matthew 5:3-4 and 6.
His Kingdom is for those who want it at any cost, which certainly goes
against the health and wealth gospel. I
was listening to a fairly extensive sermon while on my treadmill this morning
by J. Edwin Orr, a man I have listened to a lot this week. At any rate he was telling how much that he
hates the health and wealth gospel.
People who are a part of this will tell to send them $25.00 and then
they tell you by doing this that the Lord will give you back $75.00. Orr says that he wanted them to send him
$25.00 and when it makes $75.00 he will return that to them. So we go on talking about the cost of being a
part of Christ’s Kingdom, and Jesus gives a couple of stories to show us about
this. “44 "The kingdom of heaven is
like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again;
and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 "Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he
went and sold all that he had and bought it’” (Matt. 13:44-46). MacArthur writes “It is not for those who
want a cheap and easy way to assure heaven, while continuing to live their own
selfish and worldly lives on earth.
Jesus only saves those for whom He becomes Lord. Sadly, most people think that heaven can be
obtained on much easier terms than those prescribed by Christ.” I will continue this quotation in a moment,
but I want to explain about the phrase “for whom He becomes Lord.” Many have a problem with this phrase; people
I know and respect are some of those who have a problem with this phrase. I have to say that after I became a believer
that I did not know much about who Jesus even was, but God was patient with me
showing me that Jesus was God who came in the flesh to earth to purchase my
salvation by dying on the cross in my place and then giving me His
righteousness. It was even longer than
after learning this that I knew that Jesus was my Lord along with being my
Savior. John MacArthur has always had a
problem with those believe in easy believism, those who are mostly charismatic. I have to say that I do believe that
believers are to have Jesus as their Lord in order to understand who He really
is, but as in my case this may come a bit later on in their walk with the
Lord. I can say that I truly believe
that Jesus is my Savior and my Lord whom I want to obey.
MacArthur
quotes William Hendriksen who comments:
“The Kingdom then is not for weaklings,
waverers, and compromisers…It is not for Balaam, the rich young ruler, Pilate
and Demas…It is not won by means of deferred prayers, unfulfilled promises,
broken resolutions and hesitant testimonies.
It is for strong and sturdy men, like Joseph, Nathan, Elijah, Daniel,
Mordecai and Peter…and Paul. And let us
not forget such valiant women as Ruth, Deborah, Ester and Lydia.” (Exposition
of the Gospel According to Matthew [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973], p. 490.)
Paul
expresses this in Romans 7:14-25, as it should be the desire of our hearts as
believers to fulfill ever command and every requirement of our Lord, even
though we know that we will fail. When
we fail we then must go to 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” MacArthur adds “And
the gracious God who saved us because we could not fulfill His law in our own
power knows that, even after salvation, we still cannot fulfill His law in our
own power. The great difference is that in Christ we not only have a
Savior but a burden bearer. He
helps us carry all our burdens, including the burden of obedience. ‘Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me,’
Jesus says, ‘for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for
your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My
load is light’ (Matt. 11:29-30).”
I
truly believe that God’s way of salvation is remarkably simple, but it is not
easy. The truth is that we can give
nothing or give up nothing that will earn us entrance into His Kingdom, but if
we long to hold on to forbidden things it can keep us out of the kingdom, things
like are found in this world who Satan is ruler because he usurped it when man
sinned. This is another reason why “few
are those who find it.”
2/6/2021 1:06 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment