SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/9/2022 10:26 AM
My Worship Time
Focus: PT-2
“The Danger of Reformation”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matt.
12:43-45
Message of the verses: “43 “Now when the
unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking
rest, and does not find it. 44 “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house
from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put
in order. 45 “Then it goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more
wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that
man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this
evil generation."
I said in yesterday’s SD that we would talk today
about verse 44, which speaks of this demon who had left this person’s body to
come back and find out that it had been “swept and put in order.” MacArthur writes “Whether the spirit was
simply being presumptuous or whether it had some continuing access to and
control over the man’s life, its reference to my house indicates a strong sense
of ownership and possessiveness. And the
fact that it was able to regain entrance so easily proves the boast was not in
vain. When it returned and found its
former house was unoccupied, swept, and put in order, the first spirit took along…seven
other spirits more wicked than itself, and they [went] in and lived there.”
As we look at this statement that the man’s house
was not occupied, that must be that no other demon was living there, ‘and
swept, and put in order” suggests that a genuine moral reformation had taken
place. I am not sure that this came from
the power of the man’s will or by the cleansing of God, that he was temporarily
free of that sin and its related demon and free from other demons.
MacArthur
comments: “Through fear of imprisonment,
disease, social stigma, financial ruin, and many other such motivations, a
person can manage to rid himself of certain sinful habits. Sometimes the motive is more positive and the
person determines to change because of love for wife, husband, or
children. But such self-cleansing—no matter
how thorough and extensive and no matter what the motivation—is never permanent. Even if the cleansing is by the Lord, it is
not permanent if not accompanied by saving faith in Him. Surely many of the people whom Jesus cleansed
of demons died and joined those demons in hell, because they did not also
accept the Lord’s forgiveness and offer of salvation. The vast majority of those to whom Jesus
ministered accepted only temporary healing from disease and temporary relief
from demonic control. They surrendered
the symptoms and consequences of sin to Him, but not sin itself. Of the ten lepers Jesus cleansed on one
occasion, only one received the true wholeness of salvation (Luke: 17:11-19).”
Now
as I have been thinking about what Matthew’s gospel is about which is the
kingdom of God, and I believe we have learned that it pictures the millennial
kingdom then the question comes up in my mind as to whether things like this
will go on there. I know that not all
people who are born in the millennial kingdom will be believers as many will
die at the end during the war when Satan is left out of hell to head up the war
against the Lord, but will people be healed when sick in that kingdom like what
Jesus is doing here in Matthew’s gospel?
I can’t answer that question, but my thoughts are that there will be
many children born in the millennial kingdom who will act like they are saved,
but really are not.
We
know that everyone born has a basic sin nature which came from Adam, and if
that is not dealt with through the miracle of repentance and trust in Christ,
the removal of a particular sin or even a demon leaves a person’s spiritual
house “unoccupied, swept, and put in order,” but subject to reoccupation by ‘seven
other spirits more wicked than” the first.
“And the go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes
worse than the first.”
One
more quotation from MacArthur’s commentary and we will be done for today: “A religious, self-righteous person is subject
to Satan in a way that a guilt-ridden immoral person is not, because his very
morality blinds him to his basic sinful condition and need. He is perfectly satisfied with his empty
house, thinking that freedom from outward manifestation of sin is freedom from
its presence, power and damnation.”
This
last quote can give some of us something to think about.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: “5 Test yourselves to see if you are
in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about
yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the
test? 6 But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the
test.”
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust that
the Lord will keep me from sin as I desire to do the will of the Lord each day,
but I know that I go through battles along the way.
3/9/2022 11:06 AM
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