SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/5/2022 9:31 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “Intro to Matthew 16:18-20”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matt.
16:18-20
Message of the verses: “18 "And I
also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. 19 “I will give you the keys of
the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 20
Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the
Christ.”
These verses are a continuation of what Jesus was
saying in response to Peter’s answer to Jesus’ question as to who the disciples
think that He is, and I must say that over the next week or so as we look at
these verses and the ones that follow we will be looking at some of the more
difficult verses in the gospels to understand as there are many different ways
that these verses have been interpreted.
I guess what I am saying is fasten your seat belts for this ride may
become a bit bumpy to say the least.
While
I was taking my walk yesterday, and much of it was in the rain I listened to
two sermons by John MacArthur from verses 18-20 as he explained what he thought
these controversial verses mean.
I
don’t think that it will surprise any of those who read this SD to believe that
over the years, and especially since technology has exploded in the last fifty
or so years that many philosophers have written or spoken on the reason for man’s
existence, the purpose and meaning of human life. Dr. G. N. Clark said the following in his inaugural
address as president of Cambridge University “There is no secret and no plan in
history to be discovered.” A French
novelist and critic Andre Maurois wrote, “The universe is indifferent. Who created it? Why are we here on this puny mud heap
spinning in infinite space? I have not
the slightest idea, and I am quite convinced that no one has.” He is another quote this time from Jean-Paul,
the famous existentialist philosopher who maintained that man exists in a
watertight compartment as an utterly isolated individual in the midst of a
purposeless universe.
I
have spoken about the orgins of man in my SD’s and especially about evolution,
and one thing that I think can make clear and that is that all people who
believe in evolution always have something to start with in order to show how
the universe began. My question has
always been “where did that come from that started the universe?”
I
remember a Pastor friend of mine was talking about 14 years ago about the top
ten reasons about how the universe was created and the tenth reason on this
chart of what people believe is that of what the Bible has to say about
creation. I have to say that since I
have become a believer that I knew that things were about to run down as far as
what the Bible talks about will happen in the end times. Remember that the prophetic Scriptures like
the OT book of Daniel, and the NT books of the end of the gospels where Jesus
speaks of what will happen in the end times like in Matthew 24-25 and Mark 16
and then in the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and then of course the book of
Revelation, especially chapters 6-19 we see how the world will eventually come
to an end of its existence. 2 Peter 3:10
tells us how it will all end and then the chapters mentioned earlier here tell
of what will happen after the church age when Daniel’s last week of years will
come about as that Tribulation period will come about followed by the 1000 year
kingdom of Jesus Christ. It is all there
for people to read, but one has to become a believer in Jesus Christ and then
will receive the Holy Spirit who will cause believers to understand the
Scriptures. To unbelievers it means
really nothing as if they are reading a book in a language that they do not
understand.
John
MacArthur writes “When men see not ultimate and eternal reason for their
existence and no accountability to God, they see no reason for anything else,
including law, morality or religion.
Their only motive for self-restraint is fear of criticism by their peers
or of being caught and punished by civil authorities. Their ultimate standard is hedonism, the desire
to get everything out of life you can, while you can and in whatever way you
can.
“The
Bible, however, makes clear that there is divine and eternal value and meaning
to human life and that God revealed His high purpose to men. Despite men’s spiritual darkness caused by
the Fall, ‘that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made
it evident to them For since the
creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine
nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made’
(Rom. 1:19-20). In the same letter Paul
declares that ‘from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever’ (11:36).
9/5/2022 10:48 AM
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