SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/23/2021 10:09 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-3 “Humility and Dependence”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
11:25b-26
Message of the verses: “that You have
hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them
to infants. 26 "Yes, Father, for
this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.’”
We now move on to the next phrase “wise and
intelligent.” This does not refer to
mental ability but to a proud spiritual attitude, and “babes or infants” do not
refer to physical age or capability but to humble spiritual attitude. I realize that when we say the word babes or
infants that we think of young babies, but that is just not the case here.
Now
as we think of babies we know that a baby is totally dependent on others to
provide everything it needs, and if a baby is not cared for they will soon
die. A baby has no abilities; it has no
skills or knowledge, and has no resources at all to help itself. MacArthur writes “Nepitos (babes) is used in 1 Corinthians 3:1 and Hebrews 5:13 of
infants who cannot eat solid food but only milk. In 1 Corinthians 13:11 it is used of those
who have not yet learned to speak and in Ephesians 4:14 of those who are
helpless.”
I
think that perhaps it is best if I quote another paragraph from MacArthur’s
commentary as it may answer questions that some people have, and so I pray that
this will bring comfort to those who are in need of it. “During a question and answer period in a
meeting one time, a young girl, perhaps nine or ten years old, came up to me
and asked, ‘What happens to babies when they die?’ She was obviously very serious, and I did my
best to answer her from Scripture.
Beginning with David’s comment about his infant son who had died, ‘I
shall go to him, but he will not return to me’ (2 Sam. 12:23), I explained that
God takes to Himself all of those, such as babies and mentally handicapped
people, who are not able to choose Him.
Afterward her mother explained that a younger brother fit his category
and understood almost nothing of what went on around him. His sister, young as she was, knew the way of
salvation and was deeply concerned that her little brother might not go to
heaven because he was not able to understand how to receive Christ as
Savior. I reminded her that Jesus said, ‘Unless
you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of
heaven’ (Matt. 18:3). She was greatly
relieved when I said that her little brother was a living illustration of the
kind of person Jesus came to save and to receive into heaven—the utterly
helpless.” John MacArthur has written a
book about this subject entitled “Safe in the Arms of God,” and so if someone
needs more information on this subject that book will be very helpful. It was almost 43 years ago, in fact 43 years
and one month ago that our son was born with some very difficult heart issues,
and so after we found out what would have to be done to him in order to save
his life I ask our then pastor similar questions that this little girl asked
MacArthur. I remember that Pastor Burns
told me similar things, and added that Jesus died for sin and for sins. Sin is the nature we are born with and sins
are what we do wrong against God. He
said that a baby that dies will go to heaven because Christ died for the sin
nature, but has not sinned because they are too young to understand anything
about sin. It has to do with what is
called “the age of accountability.”
I
have an article that is about six pages long about Christmas that our Pastor
sent to me, and it is a bit different than the one that I usually post on
Christmas day, in fact a lot different.
Because of the length I will take the next two days to quote this onto
both of my Spiritual Diaries. And with
this said I want to take the time to wish everyone of you who have read from my
blogs a very Merry Christmas, and a very Happy Newyear.
12/23/2021 10:34 AM
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