SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/31/2021 10:32 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “Repentance
and Rest”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
11:28b
Message of the
verse: “all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give them rest.”
As we look back on the time when Jesus was on the earth
we find out that the rabbinical teachings had become so massive, demanding, and
all-encompassing that they prescribed standards and formulas for virtually
every human activity. Much of what was
demanded was things pertaining to the Sabbath, something we may get into later,
but the point is that the Pharisees demanded heavy loads “spiritually” for
people to follow, rules that they themselves did not and could not follow,
which had absolutely nothing to do with getting into the kingdom of heaven, and
everything to do with not getting into the kingdom of heaven. The things we are talking about were
traditions, man made things, and not things that came from the Lord. Speaking about these things Jesus says in
Matthew 23:4 “"They tie up heavy burdens and lay
them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so
much as a finger.’” It was at the
Jerusalem Council that Peter noted that the Judaizers were trying to saddle
Christianity with the exact same man-made “yoke which neither our fathers nor
we have been able to bear” (Acts 15:10).
John MacArthur writes “Although the
term itself is not used in the text, Jesus gives a call to repent, to turn away
from the self-centered and works-centered life and come to Him. The person who is ‘weary and heavy-laden’
despairs of his own ability to please God.
He comes to the end of his own resources and turns to Christ. Desperation is a part of true salvation,
because a person does not come to Christ as long as he has confidence in himself. To repent is to make a 180-degree turn from
the burden of the old life to the restfulness of the new.”
When John the Baptist came on the
scene that was the theme of his messages, that is to repent for the kingdom of
God is near. It is the person who humbly
receives God’s revelation of Himself and His way of salvation, who turns from
the unbearable burden of his sin and self-effort, and who comes to Christ
empty-handed is the only person God will save.
MacArthur explains “Anapauo (to give…rest) means to refresh
or revive, as from labor or a long journey.
Jesus promises spiritual ‘rest’ to everyone who comes to Him in
repentance and humble faith.”
Let
us now look at Psalm 95:7-9, and 11 to show us that the theme of rest is also
found in the Old Testament: “7 For He is
our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today,
if you would hear His voice, 8 Do not
harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, 9
"When your fathers tested Me, They tried
Me, though they had seen My work. 11 “Therefore
I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.’” Perhaps you recognize that these verse are
also used by the author of the book of Hebrews as after he warns those who make
a pretense of faith in Christ but have not really trusted Him he states in
Hebrews 3:12 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil,
unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” MacArthur then adds “To intellectually
acknowledge Christ’s deity and lordship is a dangerous thing if it does not
lead to true faith, because it gives a person a false confidence of belonging
to Christ.” Now as I think about this
statement it reminds me of the Parable of the Wheat and Tares that Jesus gave,
which we will be looking at fairly soon in our study of Matthew.
I
think that we can conclude this section in our next SD which in fact will be
next year.
12/31/2021 10:59 AM
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