PT-5 "Jesus Loves the Little Children" (Matt. 19:13-15)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/27/2023 9:36 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                  Focus:  PT-5 “Jesus Loves the Little Children”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matt. 19:13-15

 

            Message of the verses:  “13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 15 And after laying His hands on them, He departed from there.”

 

            The SD’s in this section of Matthew 19 are a bit different than other SD’s I have been writing because there is a lot of commentary as we look at how Jesus loved the little children.  Sometimes I have written one SD on an entire chapter, (mostly from the OT), and sometimes there is more than ten SD’s for only one verse.  At any rate we want to continue looking at these three verses and will be doing this for some time.

 

            There is nothing in these verses to indicate that, as some claim, Jesus was isolating these supposedly elect children from others who were nonelect.  We have gone over the term elect in many of the SD’s that I have written, but just a refresher on this subject and that is that I believe that before the foundation of the earth, before even angels were created that God chose people who would become believers.  I can’t explain this, as no one can, but I believe this is what the Bible teaches.  Looking at Ephesians one can see this truth along with passages in Revelation and other NT books.  Jesus makes no mention of baptism, parental covenant, parental faith, or ecclesiastical rite.  He does not mention personal faith on the part of the children, who were probably too young to have exercised such belief.  What is happening here is the Lord was simply saying that those children, representative of all children, were a picture of the humility, dependency, and trust of those of any age who enter His kingdom.

 

            MacArthur writes:  “The kingdom of heaven is the sphere of God’s rule in Christ through gracious salvation.  For those who have reached the age when personal saving faith can be exercised, the kingdom is entered only by a divinely illuminated understanding of what it means to trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  The implication of such as these is that for those who, because of young age or mental deficiency, are incapable of exercising saving faith, God grants them, in the event of death, entrance into the kingdom by the sovereign operation of His grace.  When children die before they reach the age of decision, they go into the presence of Jesus Christ, because they are under the special protection of the sovereign King.”

 

            When I was growing up I went to a Methodist church and the belief there was that the “age of accountability” was 12 years old.  I thought that I could do what I wanted to do before 12 years of age, and then after that I would have to behave or I would be lost.  In the first place the age of accountability is when a person knows that he is lost and in need of a Savior in order to save them, and this varies between individuals as some can understand this truth at a very young age, and some as MacArthur writes never reach that knowledge because of mental issues that prevent them from understanding it. 

            When David sinned with Bathsheba and she became pregnant God told David through Nathan the prophet, which is seen in 2 Samuel 12, that David had sinned against God in doing what he did and that four of his offspring would die because of this sin.  In truth there was no sacrifice that could be offered to cover David’s sins and so it was by God’s grace that David was not killed.  The point of this story that I want to make is that pretty soon after the baby was born it got sick and died.  David put on sackcloth and prayed that the baby would live to no avail.  David said in 2 Samuel 12:23 “But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."  David was saying that when I die then I can go to heaven and see him.  Peter writes about the confident that David had in his sermon from Acts chapter 2 as we read:  “25 “For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence’” (Acts 2:25-28).  “8 I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. 10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. 11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever” (Ps. 16:8-11).  I believe that this is where Peter quoted from in his sermon found in Acts chapter two.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look again at these verses in Acts and in the Psalms I think about just how unworthy that I am to receive the salvation that God has provided for me through Jesus Christ my Lord.  Perhaps in heaven I will get a better understanding of what it was on that warm January day while in Florida that the Holy Spirit gave me an effectual call that I could not say no to, and at that moment I became a born-again believer in Jesus Christ.  I am thankful for that gift of salvation that was bestowed on me that day.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust that the Lord will allow me times where I can share my faith with someone so they too can experience the wonders of salvation.

 

2/28/2023 10:16 AM  

PT-4 "Jesus Loves the Little Children" (Matt. 19:13-15)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/27/2023 9:58 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                  Focus:  PT-4 “Jesus Loves the Little Children”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matt. 19:13-15

 

            Message of the verses:  “13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 15 And after laying His hands on them, He departed from there.”

 

            It was last Wednesday evening in our service that our Pastor was talking about reaching out to the next generation in order to see what the Lord is preparing them for in their Christian life.  We start young at our church from the nursery to the time when young people graduate from High School.  We are those who share the mind of Christ and who share His concern and love for children.  The fact is that no church or Christian movement has prospered spiritually that has disregarded or neglected the care and training of its children.  The truth is that the heart  that is warm toward the Lord will inevitably be warm toward children.

 

            The following is from John MacArthur’s commentary who quotes one writer who has made the following beautiful observation:

 

“As the flower in the garden stretches toward the light of the sun, so there is in the child a mysterious inclination toward the eternal light.  Have you ever noticed this mysterious thing that, when you tell the smallest child about God, it never asks with strangeness and wonder, ‘What or who is God?  I have never seen Him’—but listens with shining face to the words as though they were soft loving sounds from the land of home?  Or when you teach a child to fold its little hands in prayer, it does this as though it were a matter of course, as though there were opening for it that world of which it had been dreaming and longing and anticipation.  Or tell them, these little ones, the stories of the Savior, show them the pictures with scenes and personages of the Bible [land] see how their pure eyes shine, how their little hearts beat. (R. C H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Matthew’s Gospel [Minneapolis: Augsburg. 1943], p. 743.)”

 

            Jesus said the following to the Twelve and still says it to His disciples today:  “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me.”  MacArthur adds “The Greek verb behind let…alone is in the aorist tense, whereas the verb behind do not hinder is in the present tense with a negative, indicating a call to stop something.  The Lord was therefore saying, “Let the children alone, beginning immediately, and stop hindering them from coming to Me.”

 

            Let us look at Mark 10:14 to show us that Jesus was greatly indignant with His disciples:  “But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  From reading through the NT gospel writings we see that our Lord was frequently frustrated and disappointed with His disciples in things like their insensitivity and selfishness, however this is one of only two or three occasions on which He actually became angry with them.

 

            Jesus was angry with them perhaps for a number of reasons.  I think that He was angry because of the fact that He loved little children with such a great affection, and then He no doubt felt special compassion for them because of the sinful, painful, corrupt world into which they had been born and whose evils they would progressively have to faces while they were growing up.  Then He was angry because He also loved parents and He understood the special longings and anxieties they had for their children.  Children can surely break parent’s hearts.  I really can’t think back in the raising of our two children of many times when they broke our hearts, and I am thankful to the Lord that before our children were born that both my wife and I became born-again believers in Jesus Christ and therefore because of this it was our desire to raise them up in the teaching that comes from the Word of God, and so when they began to go to school we sent them to a Christian school and then after that a Christian college.  Our children are all married now and have children of their own as God has blessed us with seven grand-children and they too are going to a Christian school, in fact our son’s children are going to the same school that he and our daughter went to.  The Lord has certainly blessed our family and I think that part of the reason is that what we taught them at home they were taught in their school and college to reinforce what we had been teaching them at home. 

 

            Now back to Jesus’ reason for being angry as he was angry because no one, not even the tiniest infant, is outside the care and love of God.  Next He was angry because of the disciple’s persistent spiritual dullness and hardness.  Finally He was angry because the disciples presumed to determine who could and could not approach Him; after all He was and is the Christ and Son of God.  The disciples really had the right to stop anyone from seeing the Lord while He was on earth.  Jesus was specifically angry because the kingdom of heaven belongs to, that is, it encompasses and is characterized by children such as these.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that one of the things that the Lord is teaching me and that is to have a more active part of our grand-children’s lives. 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Have a more active part of our grand-children’s lives.

 

2/27/2023 10:50 AM

 

 

PT-3 "Jesus Loves the Little Children" (Matt. 19:13-15)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/26/2023 8:06 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                  Focus:  PT-3 “Jesus Loves the Little Children”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matt. 19:13-15

 

            Message of the verses:  “13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 15  And after laying His hands on them, He departed from there.”

 

            We ended our last SD with a quotation from John MacArthur as he was speaking about what the Talmud had to say about Jewish parents bringing their children to respected Rabbis and today we begin to look at that tradition these Jewish parents in Perea, “The region of Judea beyond the Jordan” (v. 1), brought their children to Jesus to be blessed.  Jesus was not only popular at this time and was also a controversial rabbi but had the reputation of good preaching and also healings that He was doing.  He also had the reputation of His willingness to meet the needs of even the lowliest and most helpless people of society.  Now if He were indeed the Messiah, as He claimed to be, those parents saw a marvelous opportunity to have their children blessed by the Lord’s own Anointed One, the Deliverer of Israel and that certainly indeed was a wonderful thing to do for their children, something that both parents and children would remember all their lives.

 

            Jesus as we know was all knowing and so because He did not rebuke the parents or resist blessing their children, it they was obvious that their motives were pure in bringing their children to Jesus.  MacArthur adds “They did not comprehend Jesus’ true greatness, and probably few if any, of them had put their trust in Him as Lord and Savior.  But they recognized Him as a genuine teacher from God who loved them and who cared for their precious little ones.  They therefore sought His intercession with God on their children’s behalf, in the  hope that they might grow up as the Talmud admonished: strong in the law, faithful in marriage, and known by good works.”

 

            When children are born parents and others who know their parents can think nothing but good thoughts about the little children, but the truth is that little children grow up and many of them do things that are harmful to others.  Think about how happy the parents of Adolf Hitler were when he was born, of other famous people who have done much harm to others and so as Jesus was blessing these little children He was not naively sentimental about children.  Having created them, He well knew that they are born with a sinful nature.  It is true that children have a certain innocence, but they are not sinless.  Children do wrong because of having a sinful nature, as they do not have to be taught to do wrong, they have to be taught to do what is right.  Their little hearts were naturally bent toward evil.  However He loved them with a special compassion and, because of their natural openness and trustfulness, He held them up as examples of the attitude required for kingdom citizenship as seen in Matthew 18:3-5).

 

            We will continue this theme in our next SD, Lord willing.     2/26/2023 8:27 AM

PT-2 "Jesus Loves the Little Children" (Matt. 19:13-15)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/25/2023 10:28 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                  Focus:  PT-2 “Jesus Loves the Little Children”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 19:13-15

 

            Message of the verses:  “13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 15 And after laying His hands on them, He departed from there.”

 

            We are not sure how long it was after Jesus finished teaching about marriage, divorce, remarriage, and singleness that parents began to bring their children to Jesus, for they knew that Jesus loved children.  John MacArthur writes “Both Mark and Luke use the imperfect tense (‘they were bringing’), indicating a continuing process and likely an extended period of time (Mark 10:13; Luke 18:15).  When word spread that Jesus was in the area, parents were drawn to this Teacher whose love of children had become known throughout Palestine (cf. 17:18; 18:2-3; John 4:50).”

 

            The Greek word for children used here was paidia, and this was a term referring to young children from infancy through perhaps toddler age.  Let us look at the companion verse Luke 18:15 “And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them.”

 

            As we continue looking at these verses I see something that has always bothered me, and that is that the disciples of Jesus resented the intrusion into their private time with Jesus and so they rebuked the parents.  As I look at how the men of this time actually treated their wives and were able to divorce them for any reason as we have just spent a considerable amount of time looking at I wonder if this was a part of the reason that the disciples rebuked the parents as they brought their children to Jesus.  I know that for a long period of time we have been studying this part of Matthew where Jesus was spending much time in teaching His disciples to prepare them for when He would be gone, but like I say I don’t understand why the disciples acted like they did when these parents brought their children to Jesus.  John MacArthur writes on this subject:  “As more and more parents brought their children to Jesus, the disciples continued to try to repulse them.  Obviously the Twelve, who had spent the better part of two years living with Jesus and hearing every word He spoke and observing everything He did, did not yet fully share His mind and heartbeat.”  All I can say is “Obviously.”

 

            MacArthur goes on explain:  “Only a few days earlier Jesus had taken a young child in His arms in the disciples’ presence.  Specifically for the sake of the disciples, who were in the midst of a dispute about who was the greatest in the kingdom, He had declared, ‘Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt. 18:1-4).  No doubt at countless other times the Twelve had witnessed similar expressions of Jesus’ tenderness and gentleness and His great patience with those who came to Him for help.  They had seen His compassion pour out in an endless flow of healing, encouragement, and comfort.

            “They also knew that the Talmud taught Jewish parents to bring their children to respected rabbis for blessings and prayer.  A father would customarily bring his infant child to the synagogue and pray for the child himself.  He would then hand it to the elders, who would each hold it and pray for God’s blessing on the young life.  Many churches today follow a somewhat similar pattern in prayerfully dedicating small children to the Lord.”

 

            Lord willing we will continue looking at this subject in our next SD.

 

2/25/2023 10:56 AM

PT-1 "Jesus Loves the Little Children" (Matt. 19:13-15)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/24/2023 9:44 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                  Focus:  PT-1 “Jesus Loves the Little Children”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 19:13-15

 

            Message of the verses:  “13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 15 And after laying His hands on them, He departed from there.”

 

            I want to begin by stating that in this 17^th chapter of John MacArthur’s third book of four on his commentary that the title of this chapter is “Jesus Loves the Little Children” and in this chapter there is really no introduction and not any sub-sections so we will be looking at it this way as we study these three verses, verses that have a great deal of meaning on children.

 

            I think that we continue to see a lot of “Jewish Tradition” in these verses as we saw much of that in our previous studies about marriage, divorce, and remarriage in our last section. 

 

            The title MacArthur gives to this chapter comes from the Sunday school song of the same name, along with another song many of us who went to Sunday school sung “Jesus Loves Me.”  Both song titles are true as Jesus certainly loves children very much. 

 

            While I was listening to the sermon that goes along with this section of Scripture I heard a story that was very hard to listen to, but at any rate I will copy it here as this will make up the bulk of this SD.  We pick up the story of a woman in MacArthur’s church back in 1983 who wrote the following letter.

 

“And I know there are parents throughout all the countries of the world who know the Lord, who have the same longing as these parents, in a spiritual sense, to bring their children to Jesus. There’s a family in our church that had the pleasure of doing this - among many families. Deanne wrote this particular testimony regarding one of their little children, by the name of Tanya. I don’t normally read something like this, but I want to read it to you, because it’s her own testimony. Listen carefully.

“I sat down on the bed, and picked up my crocheting to learn a couple new stitches before our long flight to Auckland on Monday. The girls had just gone outside to play, and I had a few moments to get some details of the trip sorted out in my mind. I had missed my husband very much during the past three weeks, as he went on ahead of us to New Zealand on a preaching itinerary, but soon we would be on our way to meet him. My plans were interrupted by the loud screeching of tires.

“I waited to hear the collision, but there wasn’t any sound of impact; so I figured someone on the boulevard near our home had been very lucky. Within seconds, my ten-year-old came running into the house, and shouted upstairs, ‘Tanya’s been hit by a car.’ My body reacted immediately with terror and fright as I raced down the stairs. I could tell as I ran past Sonya that her little heart was in knots. Mary, my neighbor, met me on the porch and said, ‘Hurry.’ ‘Oh, my God,’ was all I could say.

“I felt every second was an eternity as I sped toward the people who were there even ahead of me. Fear gripped my soul as I imagined what my child was feeling. Surely it couldn’t have happened. I knelt over Tanya, as the off-duty fireman from across the street covered her with a blanket. She was unconscious, and the neighbor told me she couldn’t feel any pain, that her being out was good. I didn’t see any blood or any broken bones; if only she would wake up and tell me where it hurt.

“I didn’t dare move Tanya, for fear of hurting something, and I was told the ambulance was already on the way. All I had to do was wait. What was taking so long? I picked up her tennis shoe that had been knocked off, and looked at her face. I talked to her, but she couldn’t hear me. She breathed a heavy sigh, and her head turned to the side. I began to cry. I asked the fireman how she was as she monitored - he monitored her pulse, and he assured me she was still breathing.

“Deep inside, I told myself, ‘She couldn’t be badly hurt. She looks all right. If only she’d wake up and tell me how she is.’ “Finally, the ambulance arrived. It had been about five or six minutes, the longest I can remember. If only my husband were with me, instead of halfway around the world. As we backed into the emergency entrance, the staff was waiting for us at the door. I felt relieved to finally be here; now everything would be okay. Tanya was in good hands, and I would soon know what injuries she sustained.

“They took her into a treatment room and closed the door. I was asked to give some information and sign a slip authorizing the doctors to do what was necessary. I picked up the pen and scrawled my name and the word mother, but it was hardly legible. I realized I was under severe emotional stress, and all I could do was wait. I sat on a bench and prayed. I sobbed inside and out as I asked God to take of my dear little seven-year-old. I felt confident He was there with me, so I wasn’t alone, even for a moment.

“After about a half an hour, a young nurse came over to me and took hold of my hands. I wasn’t ready for what she was going to tell me. ‘Tanya’s condition is very serious. She has brain damage. She isn’t breathing on her own.’ ‘You mean she might die?’ ‘Yes, she certainly might.’ I was completely numbed with the possibility that Tanya’s life might be taken from me. I was mighty thankful that God could work miracles, because I was going to ask for a big one. It would be hours before my husband would get here.

“Would it be all over? Would Tanya be gone? My parents arrived; they were already crying, and I hadn’t even told them the grisly news yet. The words came pouring out: ‘Tanya may die.’ Soon the doctor came in. He introduced himself as a neurosurgeon, and I felt sure Tanya was in capable hands. His assessment of her condition was totally pessimistic. She had sustained a blow to the brain stem. Her brain had been shaken like a bowl of jelly. It had been damaged - they didn’t know how much - but she didn’t have much chance of a full recovery.

“He gave her about 5 percent chance of coming out of it. We all dropped to our knees in that little room, and prayed through tears and grief that God would heal Tanya. We asked God to glorify His name by restoring her to her normal vivacious self. The night was a long, hard one. I sat holding Tanya’s tennis shoe. There was no place to put it, so I held on to it all night long. It was good to have something to occupy my hands anyway, and every time I spotted a nurse walking our direction, my heart stood still, as I waited for her to walk up and say it was all over.

“But all night long, they just went about their business. Oh, how I wish Silas were there to relieve some of the strain I was undergoing. I felt I had to do the feeling for both of us. The doctor’s reports grew steadily worse, and I prayed even more. Finally, about 24 hours after the accident, he gave us another hopeless diagnosis. He said Tanya could remain indefinitely on those machines, but would probably never improve. She hadn’t regained consciousness, and showed no signs of improvement.

“Her brain had been changed - damaged too badly. I felt my skin grow cold as he completed his report and walked away. I couldn’t wait much longer for that miracle. I decided to go and stay with Tanya until Silas returned, no matter how long it was. I asked for a chair, and pulled it close to Tanya’s side. I began sobbing uncontrollably, as I begged aloud for God to return my little girl to me. I kept choking on the tears as I prayed, recited the Lord’s prayer, and poured out all the tension, fear, and emotion building up, for more than a day.

“I uncovered Tanya’s foot to touch her; there were black pin marks put there by the doctors. I stroked her forehead and talked to her, hoping she would wake up. My brother’s father-in-law, a doctor, entered, and checked the charts and machines. I kept on crying out to God for that miracle, and after about a half an hour, I finally came to the place where I was ready to accept God’s will, no matter what it was. I asked God to take Tanya if He wanted to, but I still wanted her back, and I told Him so.

“Someone came and asked me to return to the waiting area, where family and friends were gathered to hear our family doctor give his appraisal of Tanya’s chances. I felt I could leave for a couple minutes, and then return to my vigil until Silas arrived. He spoke in much the same language as the neurosurgeon; he said Tanya’s brain was gone. He spoke in such final terms, as if the battle were over. I interrupted, ‘Where is Tanya right now? Is she in the intensive care room, or with the Lord?’ He repeated his statement about her brain, and I asked again, ‘Where is Tanya? Is she with the Lord?’

“I had to know if God had made the decision already, and finally, he said, ‘Her body is being kept working, but Tanya isn’t there anymore. She’s with the Lord.’ And I remember what I had just said to the Lord: ‘Have Thy will, not mine.’ Friends later told me I was radiant, as I then replied, ‘I shall not forsake my Lord, because if I did, I would be saying Tanya’s gone forever.’ I would do as King David in the Old Testament had done when his child was taken; he washed his face, changed his clothes, and went about his business, satisfied that God knew best.

“I returned to the room to say good-bye to Tanya, and that I would see her again. There would be no more begging to God to bring her back. It was then I realized she had actually been taken home to heaven the day before, in the street. When I saw her heave that sigh and turn her head to the side, that was when she went to be with Jesus. As I stood there with an inner strength that was foreign to me, I remember how Tanya had prayed during her last few months, ‘Lord, I want to go and be with You while I’m young.’

“When I asked her why she prayed like that, she smiled and said, ‘Because I want to sit on Jesus’ lap when I get there, and I don’t want to be too big.’ A new assurance and peace surged through my sorrowful soul, and I was refreshed with the joy that we were all in good hands, and God hadn’t forsaken us for an instant.” Great testimony; great testimony. You see, the reason that family had joy was because they knew where Tanya went. She was gathered into the arms of the Savior, because they had brought her to Jesus.

“And they live, even to this day, in the exciting anticipation of a reunion with her. As a parent, I have always lived with a tremendous, almost overwhelming, desire to bring my children to Jesus; haven’t you? I want nothing in life more than that. I take to heart the words of the Apostle Paul: “Bring your children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” And it is so hopeful, when you have the confidence that you’ve brought your child to Jesus, that if they die, you know where they are; if they live, you know to whom they belong.”

2/24/2023 10:07 AM

 

 

 

 

 

PT-6 "The Appropriation" (Matt. 19:10-12)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/23/2023 11:10 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                      Focus:  PT-6 “The Appropriation” 

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matt. 19:10-12

 

            Message of the verses:  “10 The disciples said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry." 11 But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 “For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.’”

 

            I mentioned in our last SD that John MacArthur never mentions what I had learned about the Apostle Paul, who I said that I heard on a Christian radio station from someone who I think is very reliable who said that because Paul was a Pharisees that he had to be married for that was one of the qualifications of being a Pharisee.  John MacArthur writes “Paul had the gift of celibacy and strongly exhorted others who had the gift to be content with it and to use its obvious advantages for God’s glory.  ‘One who is unmarried is concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord,’ he said; ‘but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and his interests are divided.  And the woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how sh may please her husband’ (1 Cor. 7:32-34).”

 

            “He who is able to accept this, let him accept it, Jesus said.  In the narrowed and most specific sense the Lord was saying that those who by God’s gift are able to accept a life of celibate singleness should accept it as God’s will for them.  But He seems also to have been speaking more broadly about the disciples’ accepting everything He had just taught about marriage, divorce, remarriage, and singleness.  They were to put aside the false ideas and practices they had inherited from the humanly-devised and unscriptural rabbinical traditions.  In other words, accept what I have been teaching as God’s Word and live accordingly.”

 

            The truth is that the unsaved person cannot accept Jesus’ standards for marriage and divorce, for they would not have the resources to live up to those standards if he did accept them, the reason is that unsaved people do not truly understand the things of God totally.  The idea of self-giving, unconditional, and life-long commitment in any area of life, including marriage, runs completely against the grain of fallen human nature.  The truth of God has no authority in an unredeemed life because God Himself has no place in that life.

 

            Things are worse off in our country since our country began over 200 years ago as what is going on now with the sexes is so much against what the Word of God has to say that we are much in danger of having the wrath of God fall upon our nation.  God made man and out of man He made woman, only two genders and that is the truth.  God hates homosexuality very much and in the Word of God in the first chapter of Romans we learn the downwardness of mankind:  “18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 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, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27  and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29  being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30  slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31  without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32  and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.”  Italics added.

 

            The last part seen in verse 32 I believe is where we are in our nation today.  Billy Graham said years ago that if God did not deal with sinful America that He would have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. 

 

            I realize that this whole section has been talking about marriage and marriage and remarriage, but the worse off our country is becoming the worse our marriages are becoming and that is why I quoted the section from Romans 1:18-32.

 

2/23/2023 11:46 AM

PT-5 "The Appropriation" (Matt. 19:10-12)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/22/2023 10:15 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                      Focus:  PT-5 “The Appropriation”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                               Reference: Matthew 19:10-12

 

            Message of the verses:  “10 The disciples said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry." 11 But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 “For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.’”

 

            We continue commenting on these verses, and I want to say that there are probably many believers today who do not really want to get married for one reason or another, but while they are single they endure continual frustration, temptations, and unnecessary loneliness because, for one reason or another, the intentionally avoid marriage.  Perhaps they have had bad experiences and therefore just don’t want to get married because of bad experiences.  I do believe just as the Lord says in verse twelve that there are some people called to be single, single in order to serve the Lord.  I remember a long time ago that I listened to a Christian radio show and the man started his short talk by saying that Paul (the apostle) was married, and the reason that he said this was because he was a Pharisee and Pharisee’s were required to be married.  If he was we don’t know what happened to his wife, and Paul writes that it is better for people to be single in order to serve the Lord, but if they burn with lust then they should get married. 

 

            When one thinks of the sovereignty of God as He has chosen all who will come to Him will come, and this was done before the foundation of the world.  Now I believe this with all my heart, but I will never understand this while on this earth, perhaps in heaven I will understand this, but I am not sure of that.  Now with that said all that God chose in eternity past will have to be born as that only makes sense.  Think of the human provability of this happening and it will stagger your mind.  My late father-in-law was almost killed in WWII as a shell came into the jeep that he was riding in.  He had a driver because he was an officer, and the shell came between the two front seats of the jeep and he was spared.  As I look back on knowing this I knew that nothing was going to happen to him then for although he was married at the time they had no children then.  My to be wife was born on March 18, 1950 and as stated she had to be born because God chose her for salvation before the world began.  This is just one of millions of stories that are out there.  As far as I know my wife is the only believer in her family, and I am speaking of a large family when it comes to my wife’s family is very large when you count all of the cousins in it. 

 

            Ok, I am done going down a rabbit hole, but I will say that although many don’t believe what I have just written, I do and it is not a problem for my God to make all of this happen.

 

            Jesus talks about three categories where there can be successful singleness.  MacArthur writes “First are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb.  These are people who are born with congenital deformities that involve undeveloped sexual capacity.  Second are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, such as were male harem guards of that day.  In some ancient religions, castration was considered a way of pleasing and serving a pagan deity, and parents sometimes even had their infant sons castrated for that purpose.  Obviously, castrated men do not have normal desires for woman.

 

            “Third are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  Unlike the other two forms, this one is not physical.  Mutilation of the flesh in order to please God is purely a pagan idea.  Jesus is speaking of the voluntary celibacy of those to whm that gift has been granted (v.-11).  In that case, celibacy can indeed be for the sake of the kingdom of God and be pleasing to Him and used by Him.”

 

            Lord will we will conclude this section in our next SD as we begin with something that John MacArthur states that differs from what I heard on the radion many years ago.

 

2/22/2023 10:42 AM

PT-4 "The Appropriation" (Matt. 19:10-12)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/21/2023 9:38 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                      Focus:  PT-4 “The Appropriation”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matt. 19:10-12

 

            Message of the verses:  “10 The disciples said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry." 11 But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 “For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.’”

 

            I want to continue quoting John MacArthur as we begin this SD, as the things that he is teaching about marriage are things that all married people should listen to, myself included.

 

            “Most people, including Christians, know little of the self-giving self-committing, and self-sacrificing love that knits two souls together for a lifetime of sharing and happiness.  Instead of the rich, deepening, meaningful, and thrilling friendship that only such love can bring, they settle for a cheap, shallow substitute that fluctuates with every mood and that is doomed from the beginning to be disappointing and short-lived.  A relationship that is built only on pleasant emotions and good feelings will soon die, because those emotions and feelings are built on circumstances and on superficial and selfish expectations.  But amazingly, a relationship that is built on loving commitment and self-giving concern for the other person will produce emotions and feelings that not only do not die but grow richer and more satisfying with every year.  Feelings are a poor foundation for marriage, but they can be a wonderful, glorious by-product.

 

            “The committed marriage is the only happy and enduring marriage.  “When two Christians love each other for the other’s sake rather than their own and live their lives in humble submission to God’s Word and to each other, a bond is formed that can withstand every temptation, disappointment, and failure that Satan and the world can hurl against them.  They become lovers and friends in a way that the unbeliever and the disobedient Christian can never know.  In sharing everything together, they forge a friendship that knows no limitations, no bounds, no secrets, and no conditions.

 

            “Like the disciples, some Christians today seem afraid that lifelong, unconditional commitment would destine them to a life of boredom and frustration restrictions.  They conclude with the Twelve that it is therefore simply better not to marry.  But God planned and designed marital commitment to bring just the opposite.  No marriage can be happy and satisfying, much less enduring, without it.  God blesses a committed union in ways that a single person, or an uncommitted husband and wife, can never experience and hardly imagine.  Far from being a reason to avoid marriage, lifelong and loving commitment is the very thing that makes it most fulfilling and desirable.

 

            “Obviously a Christian’s marriage partner should be chosen carefully and with much prayer.  Marriage commitment should only be given to a person who shares one’s spiritual values and commitments.  But there is no human joy or fulfillment that can measure up to that which is experienced by a husband and wife who love Jesus Christ and each other and who live together in obedience to His Word and in the power of His Spirit.

 

            “There is a certain truth to what the disciples had just said about it being better not to marry, but the context suggests that it was not that truth they had in mind.  Their view of marriage, like that of their fellow Jews, focused primarily on selfish, shallow satisfaction and fulfillment.  From a purely practical standpoint they therefore concluded that lonely singleness is preferable to risky marriage.

 

            “Jesus reminded them that not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.  Singleness has its own problems and temptations, and not every Christian is capable of living a godly single life.  Paul said that it is good to remain single for spiritual purposes, but that it was ‘better to marry than to burn’ with lust (1 Cor. 7:8-9).

 

            “Accept is from choreo, which has the basis idea of making room or space for something.  Metaphorically it means to completely embrace and idea or principle with the heart and mind so that it becomes part of one’s very nature.  Singleness cannot be wholeheartedly accepted simply by human will power or sincerely.  Nor can it be successfully lived out simply by applying the right biblical principles.  Celibate singleness is a kind of spiritual gift (1 Cor. 7:7), and only those to whom it has been given can hope to spiritually survive in it, much less find happiness and be effective in the Lord’s service.”

 

            We will stop at this point, and Lord willing pick up some more from MacArthur’s commentary in our next SD.

 

2/21/2023 10:08 AM

 

PT-3 "The Appropriation" (Matt. 19:10-12)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/20/2023 9:39 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                      Focus:  PT-3 “The Appropriation”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matt. 19:10-12

 

            Message of the verses:  “10 The disciples said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry." 11 But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 “For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.’”

 

            In his commentary on this section of Scripture John MacArthur talks about what and what is not the basis of a sound marriage.  He says that romance, although a part of a good marriage is not the main thing that will keep a marriage strong as feelings like this are subject to change.  He writes “A sound marriage is based on permanent, unconditional commitment to one’s spouse, even if romantic feelings flicker or are extinguished altogether.  If romantic feelings are the basis of a marriage, when a spouse begins to lose attractiveness, the other’s attention is turned to someone else who seems more promising and exciting.  When one romantic fling after another is pursued, emotional burnout is inevitable.  Such a superficial relationship cannot last long and never achieves the expected fulfillment.  Each successive failure brings less satisfaction and more disappointment, disillusionment, and emptiness.  The collective result, as seen so dramatically and tragically in modern society, is a generation of disoriented, lonely, isolated untrustworthy, untrusting, and emotionally bankrupt misfits looking for the next arousing sensation.”

 

            There is a story in MacArthur’s sermon on these verses about marriage that is too good to pass up and so I must share it with those who will read this Spiritual Diary.

 

            "Some years ago I heard the story of an elderly minister who had been married for fifty years.  One morning at breakfast his wife slumped over the table, unconscious.  By the time her husband got her to the hospital she was dead.  After the funeral he said to his sons, "This is a good day, a wonderful day.'  When they asked what he meant, he explained, 'Well, I know she is with the Lord now.  And I am glad she went first.  That's the way I wanted it to be, because I didn't want her to have the grief of burying me and of having to live alone.

          "Some years later that minister was asked to speak at a feminist meeting on the subject of marriage.  He recounted his wife's death and his gratitude that she had died first.  'Listen,' he told them, 'anybody who knows the meaning of true love always wants the other person to go first, because they don't want them to endure the pain and the sorrow and the anxiety and loneliness of burying the one they've loved.  I daresay, that the modern romantic relationships that try to pass for love are a far cry from that kind of feeling and that kind of reality.'  He was right."

2/20/2023 10:06 AM