SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/8/2021 10:13 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
“Two Destinations”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matt.
7:13-14
Message of the verses: “13 Enter in
through the strait gate; for wide is the gate of perdition, broad is its way
leading thither; and many are they who enter by it. 14 But how strait is the
gate of life; how narrow the way leading thither; and how few are they who find
it! (Living Oracles).
I
think that this will be a rather short SD, but hopefully it will be a blessing
to those who read it. The first thing we
want to say here is that both of the ways, the broad and the narrow, point to
the good life, to salvation and to heaven, God, the kingdom, and blessings,
however only the narrow way actually leads to those. Something that may sound strange here is the
there is nothing here to indicate that the broad way is marked “Hell.” With that say we can see that the point our
Lord is making is that it is marked “Heaven” however it does not lead there,
according to MacArthur’s commentary. He
goes on to state “That is the great lie of all the false religions of human
achievement. The two very different
destinations of the two ways are made clear by the Lord (cf. Jer. 21:8).” “"You
shall also say to this people, ’Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I set before
you the way of life and the way of death.”
MacArthur goes on “The broad…leads to destruction, whereas only the
narrow…leads to life. Every religion except Christianity, the
only religion of divine accomplishment, follows the same spiritual way and
leads to the same spiritual end, to hell.
There are many of those roads, and most of them are attractive, appealing,
and crowded with travelers. But not a
single one leads where it promises; and not a single one fails to lead where
Jesus says it leads—to destruction.”
We
need not to look at the word “destruction” and find its meaning. “1) destroying, utter destruction
1a) of vessels
2) a perishing, ruin, destruction
2a) of money
2b) the destruction which consists of eternal misery in hell”
Focus
in on the “2b” meaning of this word.
MacArthur writes that this word does not refer to extinction or
annihilation, but to total ruin and loss and gives the following references to
look up: Matt. 3:12; 18:8; 25:41, 46; 2 Thess.
1:9; Jude 6-7. I want to look at a few
of these verses to help us better understand this word “destruction.” 41 “Then He will also say to those on His
left, ’Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been
prepared for the devil and his angels; 46 “These will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal life’” (Matt. 25:41 and 46). “9 These
will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord
and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:9). “6 And
angels who did not keep their own
domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under
darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and
the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross
immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in
undergoing the punishment of eternal fire” (Jude 6-7).
What
this word can mean is that it is not the complete loss of being, but the
complete loss of well-being. MacArthur
adds “It is the destination of all religions except the way of Jesus Christ,
and it is the destiny of all those who follow any way but His. It is the destination and destiny of
perdition, hell, and everlasting torment.
‘The way of the wicked will perish’ (Ps. 1:9).” Some believe that destruction means that after
death that they won’t be around, won’t be found, but that certainly is not what
the Bible teaches.
Now
we come to the “good news” and that is that God’s way, the way that is the
narrow way leads to eternal life, to everlasting heavenly fellowship with God,
with His angels, and also with His people.
Now everlasting life is a quality of life, which is the life of God in
the soul of man as seen in Psalm 17:15. “As
for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with
Your likeness when I awake.” We will
close by looking at John 14:2-3, a wonderful promise to all those who belong to
Christ: “2 “In My Father’s house are
many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to
prepare a place for you. 3 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be
also.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I am thankful that the Holy Spirit of God
gave me an effectual call on the 26th of January of 1974, and that
for the reason that only God knows chose me before the world was ever formed,
and that His Son became a man came and took my place on the cross “He made Him
who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
“The Great Exchange!
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to peruse revival in my life, in my
families lives, in my Sunday schools lives, and in our Churches life.
2/8/2021 10:49 AM
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