Intro to Matthew 18:10-14

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/15/2022 10:55 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                      Focus:  Intro to Matthew 18:10-14

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 18:10-14

 

            Message of the verses:  “10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. 12 “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? 13 “And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. 14 “Thus it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”

 

            There is one thing that we need to go over and that is that an essential element in understanding the redemptive plan of God is the truth that only those who come to Him through Christ in childlike faith can enter His kingdom.  I guess what I am saying is that we have to have childlike faith in order to understand and believe that Jesus Christ has died for us on the cross and once we accept this and realize that we are sinners that we must invite Him into our hearts believing that His death on the cross was for us, as what we see in this is what is called the great exchange:  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

 

            MacArthur writes “Only those whom the Lord humbles in complete dependence on Him will become His children and therefore joint heirs with Jesus Christ (Matt. 18:4; Rom. 8:17; Eph. 1:11-14).  That is why, as Paul points out to the Corinthians, the church does not include ‘many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong’ (1 Cor. 1:26-27).  It is not that those who have great fame, high position, wealth, intellect, or other human status or achievement cannot come to God but that, because of their worldly recognition and power, they are often inclined to think they have no need of Him.”  As I read this quotation from MacArthur it makes me think of many of today’s politicians.  These people look down on what are the “normal” people of our country, and they think because they are so much better than us that they can do anything they want to do, including cheating, murder and other things and because they think they are so much better than us they have no problems in doing these things.  However there will come a day when they will have to face God Almighty if they do not repent and become believers.  Let me just show you what is going to happen to those who do not trust the Lord as their Savior and Lord. 

 

            “11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:11-15).

 

            Notice the two highlighted portions from these verses as the text says “according to their deeds.”  I think that what this means is that these unbelievers, and all at this judgment are unbelievers, will stand on how they kept the law of God by talking about the “good” deeds that they have done and all will fail and be thrown into the lake of fire.  No one can keep the Law of God, as there was only One and He kept it for us, those who accept Him as their Savior and Lord.  The choice is yours.

 

            Lord willing we will finish this introduction in our next SD.

 

I am praying today for our former Pastor who is now the president of Baptist Mid Missions and is on his way home from India, and is not feeling well.  I think it has something to do with the food that He ate there. 

 

12/15/2022 11:25 AM