SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/27/2024 11:30 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “The Bridegroom”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
25:6-12
Message of the verses: “6 “But at midnight
there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 “Then
all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 “The foolish said to the
prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 “But the
prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go
instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 "And while they were going away to make
the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to
the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 “Later the other virgins also
came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 “But he answered, ‘Truly I say
to you, I do not know you.’”
8 “The foolish said to the
prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 “But the
prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go
instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’” I guess the foolish bridesmaids tried to
light their torches and found out that they were too dry to hold the flame, and
so they needed oil, but they did not bring any and so they wanted to get some
from the prudent, but the prudent would not give them any because if they did
then they would not have enough. It is
not that they were mean in not selling the oil; it is because they would not
have enough to light their torches and then not be able to get into the wedding
celebration with the bride and groom.
MacArthur
writes “Just as one person cannot transfer part of his physical lite to another
person, neither can he share spiritual life, which is indivisible and unique to
each person who has it. Like physical
life, spiritual life is a direct, individual gift from God and is non
transferable. The saved cannot
themselves become saviors. Those who
receive grace cannot impart it. When the
call to the judgment seat of God comes to an unbeliever, whether at death or at
the Lord’s coming, the intercession of all the saints in heaven and on earth
could do him absolutely no good. After
that time there is no second chance, nor purgatory, no hope.” This paragraph from MacArthur’s commentary
reminds me of something that Paul wrote to the Romans where he said something
to the effect that if he could that he would give up his own salvation for the
sake of the Jews, but Paul knew that this was not possible to do. This can be seen in Romans 9:3-4a where he
writes “3 For I could wish that I myself
were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my
kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who
are Israelites.”
The truth is that you cannot buy
salvation and the buying of the oil from the dealers refers simply to securing
salvation from its only source, which is God.
It is bought in the sense that Isaiah used the term when he wrote, “Ho!
Every one who thirsts, come to the eaters; and you who have no money come, buy
and eat. Come buy wine and milk without
money and without cost” (Isa. 55:1). The
same idea is used by Jesus in His parables of the treasure found in a field and
of the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:44-46).
In both cases, the discoverer sold everything he possessed in order to
obtain that which was valued above all else.
In that sense, the price for salvation is the entire relinquishment of
one’s own merit, which has no value in itself but must be surrendered because
it is an absolute barrier to God’s grace.
I will conclude this second section
from verses 6-12 with a quotation that John MacArthur uses in his commentary
that comes from Luke 6:47-49, and then it is my hope to finish this section in
my next SD.
“Stressing the necessity for
individual appropriation of the gospel, Jesus said,
47 “Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words
and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building
a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood
occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because
it had been well built. 49 “But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly,
is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the
torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that
house was great."
2/27/2024 12:09
PM
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