PT-1 "They Are Taught By the Lord" (Matt. 16:5-12)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/23/2022 9:36 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                     Focus: PT-1 “They Are Taught By the Lord”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matt. 16:5-12

 

            Message of the verses:  “5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread." 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11 How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees (ESV).”

 

            As we look at the light that the disciples received, we can then see that the Lord gave them greater light.  Jesus now explains that He was not talking about physical bread, but that He was warning them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  It was by the Lord’s sovereign and gracious illumination, then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

            There is no greater teacher than our Lord and those who come to Him He desires to continue to teach them, and that was especially a part of His earthly ministry that is to teach those who have trusted in Him.  It was probably His greatest desire to teach the apostles, for through these 13 men (including Paul) that the Lord would use to turn the world upside down for the cause of Christ.  As we look at the first part of the book of Acts we see that Jesus continued to teach the disciples in the 40 days after His resurrection before He ascended back to the Father.  Now after His ascension into heaven the promised Holy Spirit would then come upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost as seen in the second chapter of Acts, and through the Holy Spirit, which comes to all people after they believe, He would continue to teach believers.  I know that Jesus did not teach the disciples all things as He said “I have many more thing to say to you, but you cannot bear them now but when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.  He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you. "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose [it] to you. ” (John 16:12-15).

 

            We will close with a quotation from John MacArthur’s commentary and then Lord willing we will finish this section up in our next SD.

 

            “Not only is the believer given God’s own Word to study and believe but is given His indwelling Spirit to illumine and interpret the Word.  A vital part of the Holy Spirit’s present ministry is to elucidate God’s Word and apply it to the hearts and lives of those who belong to Christ.  John assured his Christian readers, ‘You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know…And as for you, the anointing  which you received from Him abides in you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him (1 John 2:20,27).

 

8/23/2022 9:57 AM