SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/9/2023 12:21 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “The Response by Jesus”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matt. 19:17-19
Message of the verses: 17 And He said
to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only
One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the
commandments." 18 He said to Him, "Which ones?" And Jesus said,
"YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER; YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY; YOU SHALL NOT
STEAL; YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS; 19 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER; and YOU SHALL LOVE
YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’”
Jesus answers this young man’s question with
something that is even more amazing than his request. He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about
what is good? There is only One who is
good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Put yourself in the position of Jesus in answering
this man’s question about what he had to do to have eternal life. You probably would say something like you
have to realize that you are a sinner, born a sinner, and you sin because you
are a sinner, and you can do nothing on your own to receive eternal life, but
what the Lord did for you is die in your place and if you will confess that you
are a sinner and believe that the Lord died in your place and then invite Him
into your life to save you then you will receive eternal life. However eternal life is more that life after
you die, it is something that you receive once you have been born-again and
will continue through all eternity.
That
is not what Jesus said and that is why it is amazing that the answer He gives
to this young man. First He wondered why
this young man asked Him about what is good, and then He answers him by saying
no one is good but God, and then He tells him if you wish to enter into life,
keep the commandments.
I don’t really think that this young man knew that
the One he was talking to was Good, because He was God incarnate. It was because the man made no response
concerning the only One who is good, it seems certain that he viewed Jesus as
no more than an especially gifted human teacher. He had indeed come to the right source for
the answer to his question and the fulfillment of his need, but he did not
recognize that Source for who He really was.
This
man was missing an essential quality and that is that he lacked the sense of
his own sinfulness and Jesus had to point that out. Now how did Jesus point this out? He says to the young man If you wish to enter
into life, keep the commandments.” This
was more familiar to the man that is keeping the commandments. I think that at this time I want to say
something about the Ten Commandments, something brief, and that is in the first
place no one can keep these commandments for as we learned in the Sermon on the
Mount for instance not committing adultery means not to think about a women to
lust after her, so this speaks of something that goes on in the heart and
mind. The last commandment has to do
with covertness: “"You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall
not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his
ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’” This has to do with the mind also and I don’t
think that anyone has ever not coveted something that they did not have.
I
will conclude with a quotation from MacArthur’s commentary to help sum up what
I have been writing about here. “Judged
by the principles and strategy of much contemporary evangelism, Jesus seems to
have made a serious insensitive mistake.
He not only did not take advantage of man’s obvious readiness to make a
decision but He even seemed to be teaching righteousness by works.
“But
Jesus knew this man’s heart was not ready to believe in Him, just as the hearts
of many people who express great interest in Him are not ready to believe. The man had a deep longing for something
important in his life that he knew was missing.
He doubtlessly had anxiety and frustration and longed for peace, joy,
hope and assurance. He wanted all the
inner blessings the Old Testament associated with spiritual life. He longed for God’s blessings, but he did not
long for God. He wanted to know what good
things he should do, but he did not want to know the only One who is good.”
I
will try and remember to tell a story that goes along with this section in my
next SD.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Understand better all that is involved in
salvation, for as stated about this man and his question I may have missed what
his real issue was.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Be ready to tell the entire truth of
salvation to any one that the Spirit of God brings my way for a divine appointment.
3/9/2023 12:51 PM
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