SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/21/2023 9:52 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-1 “The Application”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matt. 21:43-44
Message of the verses: “43 "Therefore
I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a
nation producing the fruit of it. 44 “And he who falls on this stone will be
broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.’”
I have to say as I read over these two verses that
there are some very harsh words of warning that Jesus gives to this group of
Jewish leaders, and the truth of it is that they all came true. These are straightforward, unambiguous words,
as Jesus removed whatever uncertainty may have remained in the minds of the
chief priests and elders about exactly what He was saying to them. It can be seen in the first half of verse 43
and in verse 44, the Lord reiterated the judgment on unbelieving Israel and her
ungodly leaders; in the second half of verse 43 Jesus reiterated their replacement
by believing Gentiles, that is the Church.
I
think that as Jesus spoke the following 43 "Therefore I say to you, the
kingdom of God will be taken away from you,” that He probably was looking them
right in their eyes in order for them not to miss what He was saying to
them. MacArthur writes “In their stead
the kingdom would be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.”
I
want now to go back to Matthew 3:7-8 verses that was from the mouth of John the
Baptist “7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for
baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee
from the wrath to come? 8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” MacArthur adds “The fruit of the kingdom is
the demonstrated righteousness produced out of a life turned from sin (see
Phil. 1:11; Col. 1:10). The unbelieving
religious leaders would not turn from their sin and repent, and therefore they
could not produce kingdom fruit (genuinely righteous behavior). They were spiritual barren, and because of
that willful barrenness they were cursed, like the fig tree that had leaves but
no figs (21:18-19).”
In
my study of the book of Zechariah for teaching Sunday school there are some
prophetic promises that show that Israel truly does have a future. Paul writes to the Romans in 11:26 that there
will be a time “when all Israel will be saved.”
The way that this will happen is the way that anyone is saved, and that
is to realize that they were born sinners, and sin because they are born
sinners. Next they will confess to the
Lord and realize that when Jesus died on the cross that their sins were paid
for if they realize this truth. Next
invite Jesus into their hearts in order to have a relationship with Him, and
then you will be saved.
7/21/2023 10:18 AM
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