PT-2 "Things Learned from Jesus' Ministry at Decapolis"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/7/2022 8:02 AM

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  PT-2 “Things Learned from Jesus’ Ministry at Decapolis”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  Matt 15:29-39

 

            Message of the verses:  Once again I will not copy and paste these verses as they have been on a great number of SD’s since we started this section on July 30, 2022.

 

            We begin this morning by looking at the third important lesson from Jesus’ ministry at Decapolis, and that is that we learn that the goal of ministry is worship.  We have mentioned in earlier SD’s that most, if not all of the multitudes in Decapolis were pagan Gentiles, and when they saw the enormity and perfection of Jesus’ healing power, then they not only were astonished beyond measure but they also “glorified the God of Israel” (v-31).  That certainly had to be refreshment to our Lord as most of the people of Israel did not realize who had come to visit them.  Jesus now witnessing such a divine display demanded much more than awe; as it demanded reverential worship, which those Gentiles offered as best that they knew how.  As mentioned that had to be refreshment to our Lord.

 

            The worship that they gave was Jesus’ supreme goal.  Jesus had unqualified compassion to heal their broken bodies and then to fill their empty stomachs.  However He was substantially more concerned that, through their trust in Him as Lord and Savior, He could also save their souls from eternal damnation and make them citizens of His heavenly kingdom.

 

            The followers of Jesus Christ are likewise called to minister not only to people’s physical and temporal needs but to lead them to glorify God, “that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:15).  It is the goal of evangelism and of Christian living to “worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers” (John 4:23).  Only when devotion to the Lord is sincere and unqualified, service to others truly selfless and daily living consistently Christlike, will God then be glorified.

 

            In the days that we are now living in, and they seem to become more evil by the day, this is  especially important for us to learn, in which self-love and self-satisfaction have become accepted and touted even in much of the church.  MacArthur writes “We are tempted to offer the gospel simply for what it can do for a person, with no suggestion of the need to turn from self to God and from our priorities to His.  We like to make the way of salvation seem wide, although the Lord says it is narrow (Matt. 7:14).  We want to make the Christian life appear easy, although Jesus declared that ‘he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me” and  “he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it” (10:38-39).”  I have to say that I listen to many sermons by John MacArthur and other people but mostly MacArthur as I prepare to do my Spiritual Diaries which go onto my blogs and also in order to help me in my study of the book of Hebrews for our Sunday school class.  I believe it was in the sermon that goes along with our verses that he talks about when the Puritans would witness to a person that they began with the Ten Commandments making sure that the person they were witnessing to knew that he was lost, as can be seen when one looks at the Ten Commandments, especially the tenth which speaks of coveting.  They then could tell them the good news of the Gospel as they now knew that they were lost and had no hope of doing anything in their lostness to please God, it was all done for them and all they had to do was accept it by faith. 

 

8/7/2022 8:26 AM