SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/2/2021 9:52 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “Veneration of God”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
10:28
Message of the verse: “28 “And do not
fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear
Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’”
I have to say that it seems like preachers when they
are preaching with multiple points in their sermons seem to always try to have
the first word of their points start with the same letter. Veneration has the following synonyms: worship, adoration and regard. As I looked up this word the three meanings
that I found all had the word “respect” in it.
We
have been looking at “do not fear” statements found in our verses from this section
of Matthew chapter ten, and this do not fear has to do with “those who kill the
body.” Now if a believer is killed, and
I am talking about for their faith in Jesus Christ, the harm that is done to them
is only temporary. What we should fear,
and I am talking about those who are unbelievers is to “fear Him who is able to
destroy both soul and body in hell.” John
MacArthur writes Fear is used here in two senses. The first has to do with fright and terror,
while the second has to do with awe and veneration.” I have to say that I like the word “respect”
here as I certainly have to have awe and respect for my Lord.
Jesus
is saying here that there may be a price to pay for speaking God’s truth in the
light and proclaiming it from the housetops.
As we look at the 21st chapter of Acts we see these rather
familiar words of Paul. “10 As we were
staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And
coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said,
"This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem
will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the
Gentiles.’" After that Paul’s
friends begin to cry at the news, and then Paul tells them: “13 Then Paul answered, "What are you
doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I
am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem
for the name of the Lord Jesus.’” We can see here that Paul had no fear of
those who could kill the body, as he had already said “Neither count I my life
dear unto myself” in Acts 20:24.
There
are people in this world, and we can include Satan himself, “are able to kill
the soul.” Physical death is the full
extent of the harm that these people can bring us as they cannot touch the
soul, the eternal person. The bodies
that they kill will one day be resurrected and become imperishable: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It
is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;” writes Paul in 1 Cor. 15:42.
MacArthur writes “It should be made
clear that “destroy” does not here mean annihilation” (extinction). “The lost will not cease to exist, but in
their resurrected bodies ‘will go away into eternal punishment,’ just as the
saved in their resurrected bodies will go into ‘eternal life’ (Matthew 25:46). The word behind destroy (appolumi) does not convey the notion of extinction but a
great loss or ruin. Paul uses the same
term in 2 Thessalonians 1:9, where he speaks of ‘eternal destruction’—a phrase
that would not make sense if ‘destruction’ meant annihilation, which by
definition cannot be eternal. That which
is annihilated ceases to exist.”
What Jesus’ point here is that the
only fear a believer should have is of “Him who is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell.” It is only God who
can do that. In the last days Satan
himself will be cast into hell, which is the Lord’s domain, not Satan’s.
Now we want to talk more about the
fear that a Christian has of God as it is not terror or fright but of
reverential awe and honor or respect as we have already stated. MacArthur writes “It is not that a believer is
in danger of having his soul and body cast into hell, because his eternal
destiny is heaven. God’s ability to destroy
both soul and body in hell is mentioned here only to contrast His unlimited and
permanent power with Satan’s limited and temporary power. God is the only One who can determine and
bring to pass the destiny of souls and bodies.”
As we think about reference to God
we must realize that it is a power motivation for believers to serve Him and to
be fearless of any earthly or physical consequences that service for the Lord
may bring to them. The power of human
threats seems rather puny if we compare it to the power of God’s promises.
In our next SD I want to begin with
a story that is quoted in John MacArthur’s commentary, a story that illustrates
a believer who certainly did not have any fear of the one who was trying to do
harm to him.
Spiritual meaning for my life
today: Fear is a very powerful
emotion that can cause me to not do the things that I know that I need to do
for the Lord. I pray that if the day
comes when harm will come to me because of my service to the Lord that God will
cause me not to fear what will happen to me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the
Lord to give me grace not to fear.
11/2/2021
10:36 AM
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