SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/22/2022 8:30 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2 “The Purpose: To Reveal and Conceal”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matt.
13:10-17
Message of the verses: ““10 And the
disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in
parables?" 11 And He answered and said to them, "To you it has been granted to know
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 “For
whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance;
but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13
“Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see,
and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 “And in their
case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but
will not understand; and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; 15 for
the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely
hear, and they have closed their eyes unless they \should see with their eyes, and
hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I should
heal them.’ 16 “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your
ears, because they hear. 17 "For truly I say to you, that many prophets
and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and
to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
I promised to begin the SD with a quotation from John
MacArthur as he writes about the word mystery in his commentary.
“The particular mysteries about which Jesus teaches here
have to do with the kingdom of heaven (see also vv. 24, 31, 33, 44, 45, 47, 52)—which
from parallel passages in Mark (4:11, 30) and Luke (8:10; 13:18) is seen to be
the same as the kingdom of God (cf. Matt. 19:23-24). One title emphasizes the King (God) and the
other emphasizes the sphere of His reign (heaven). Of this kingdom the Old Testament gives only
limited and incomplete glimpses. Most
messianic prophecies in the Old Testament point to Christ’s second coming and
the establishment of His earthly millennial kingdom and His subsequent eternal
kingdom. Only hints are given about His
present earthly kingdom, which began with His rejection and crucifixion and
will continue until He returns. This is
the kingdom that exists spiritually in the hearts of His people while the King
is physically absent from earth. He is
present with believers, but He is not visible or evident to the world, except
as revealed through their lives and testimony.”
There are some people who do not believe that there is a kingdom
of heaven that is present at this time, however there is an example of this in
the Old Testament. The account of when
David was king and his son Absalom decides to take over the kingdom and so King
David leave and go to another place.
However while David was absent from Jerusalem he was still the
king. David would return to Jerusalem
after the defeat of Absalom and continue to reign until his death. The story can be seen in 2 Samuel 15-17. MacArthur adds “David’s kingship was
acknowledged and respected only by those Israelites who remained faithful to
him, but his rejection by the followers of Absalom did not make him any less
the rightful king. He was the only
legitimate monarch, and every faithful citizen of his kingdom recognized it.
“In much the same way, Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah
of the Old Testament, now rules in the hearts of His people, although He is
physically absent from earth and rules them from His heavenly dwelling through
His Spirit—while the usurper Satan temporarily is the spiritural ruler of this world (John 12:31).” “"Now judgment
is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.”
Let us now look at a verse that David wrote as he reminds
us that “The LORD sat as King at the flood;
Yes, the LORD sits as King forever” (Ps. 29:10). Jesus ruled the earth even when it was so
wickedly rebellious that He had to destroy every human being with the exception
of Noah and his family which took place in the flood. “The LORD has established His throne in the
heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all” (Ps. 103:19). We see from this verse that God is sovereign “over
all,” even over Satan and his demons, whom He has allowed certain freedoms for
a limited amount of time. However their
final and certain destiny is hell.
MacArthur adds “which God rules just as surely as He rules heaven. The Lord has prepared that place for the
specific purpose of their punishment along with every unbelieving human being
(Matt. 25:41). ‘Thine, O Lord, is the
greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty,’
declares King David; ‘indeed everything that is in heavens and the earth; Thine
is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all’ (1
Chron. 29:11).” Now we will look at
Matthew 15:41 which is mentioned in this previous quote: “"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.”
In our next SD we want to look at
the second aspect of the Kingdom, Lord willing.
Spiritual
meaning for my life today: As a
believer in Jesus Christ I am privileged of many things including living in
what is called the “Church Age,” and also being a part of the Kingdom of God
here on earth with my Lord and Savior ruling from heaven through His Holy
Spirit who lives in my heart and is the “down payment” given to me assuring me
of one day living in the presence of Jesus Christ.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Ephesians
5:18b gives me the command of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and so I pray
that God will enable me to be filled and live like I am filled with the Holy
Spirit.
3/22/2022 9:04
AM
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