SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/26/2022 10:27 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “Believers
Reaction to Christ”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
18:12-13
Message of the verses: “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.”
The
first thing I want to write is that I forgot to write in the December 24th
SD that I was going to put my Christmas SD on Christmas day, something I wrote
a couple of years ago.
Think
about this as we look over these two verses, and that is that if a human
shepherd can exhibit so much concern for each sheep under his care, how much more
does the Lord Jesus Christ who is “the Great Shepherd of the sheep through the
blood of the eternal covenant” (Heb. 13:20), care when a single one of His
people spiritually goes astray? Now
think about this also that after He fines and then restores it to Himself how
much more heavenly rejoicing will happen over it…than over the ninety-nine
which have not gone astray?
I
really do not believe that this is the kind of rejoicing you want in heaven because
you went astray because if you need this kind of restoration over doing
something wrong then you will have to go over the troubles of what you have
done wrong.
John
MacArthur writes “On another occasion, Jesus used the same parable to teach God’s
concern for unbelievers. ‘I tell you,’
He explained, ‘that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one
sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no
repentance’ (Luke 15:3-7).
“There
is a special joy expressed for the sheep that is found not because it is more
valued or loved than the others but because its danger, hardship, and great
need elicit special concern from the caring shepherd. In the same way, when one child in a family
is ill, particularly if it is seriously ill, a mother will devote much more
time and attention to him than to the other children, often more than to all
the rest together. And when that child
finally gets well, the mother does not rejoice for the children who have been
healthy all along but for the one who was sick and suffering. And if the brothers and sisters are loving,
they, too, will rejoice in the restoration of their sibling.” To me this quotation from MacArthur helps us
to better understand the parable that Jesus is telling in Matthew’s gospel.
In
his commentary John MacArthur reminds us of a headline that took place in the
fall of 1987 about a little girl who was not quite two years old who was
trapped in an abandoned well shaft in west Texas. She was finally rescued after a lot of
drilling and other means to rescue her and then was taken to the hospital where
she received many cards and presents.
Now it was not that she was more precious or worthy than countless other
little girls, but that her need at that time was so great.
Now
if the Lord Jesus has such great compassion on all His children and cares for
them when they go astray, then we as believers should never come down on them
when they fall astray, but should love them like our Lord loves them, and help
them as only our Lord can help them.
We
have one more section to go over and that comes from verse fourteen which
speaks of “Believers’ Relation To The Father.”
Lord willing we will look at this tomorrow.
12/26/2022 10:54 AM
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