SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/6/2024 12:31 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “Intro to Matthew 26:31-35
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
26:31-35
Message of the verses: “31 Then Jesus said
to them, "You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is
written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE
SCATTERED.’ 32 “But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to
Galilee." 33 But Peter said to Him, "Even though all may fall
away because of You, I will never fall away." 34 Jesus said to him,
"Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows,
you will deny Me three times." 35 Peter said to Him, "Even if I have
to die with You, I will not deny You." All the disciples said the same
thing too.”
Now as I look at this passage I have the advantage
of knowing what will happen because of studying this many times. However I do have to say that I am learning
things that I either did not know before of have forgotten them, which is
possible as my memory is not what it use to be.
What I see here is the disciples of Jesus were dealing with what I call
the flesh, they were processing what Jesus was saying through their own minds,
thinking that they were totally able to do what they felt that they were
capable of doing. The truth is they will
learn that this would not happen the way they thought it would. I can say that the disciples should have
known what was going to happen to Jesus because there are places in the Old
Testament that have predicted what will happen to Jesus, places like the 22nd
Psalm, and the last part of Isaiah 52 through chapter 53. Their minds were thinking that nothing was
going to happen to the Lord and that they would soon be seated with Him on
twelve thrones judging the tribes of Israel.
John MacArthur writes “The self-affirmations they expressed on this occasion
were based on false feelings of personal strength and commitment. They thought their ability to handle
temptation and intimidation was greater than it was.
“Of
all the things Jesus could have said to them, of all the things about which He
could have warned them, He chose to tell them on this occasion of their
imminent and certain desertion of their Master.
Their failure to live up to their high estimation of themselves would
prove to be a profound and unforgettable lesson, a lesson that, along with the
reality of the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell them
would change the course of their lives.
“The
incident recorded in 26:31-35 is integral to Matthew’s presentation of Jesus’
preparation for the cross. As He prepared
to die for the sins of the world, Jesus needed to teach the disciples the need of continually dying to
themselves (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3, 31; 2 Cor 5:15) and of never trusting in
themselves (cf. 2: Cor. 1:9).”
Now I want to quote these verses mentioned in this section so we will
understand things better.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (1 Cor.
15:3).
31 I affirm, brethren, by the boasting in you which I have
in Christ Jesus our Lord, I
die daily (1 Cor. 15:31).
15 And He died for all, so that they who live might no
longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf
(2 Cor. 5:15).
9 Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so
that we would not trust in
ourselves, but in God who raises the dead (2 Cor. 1:9).
MacArthur goes on:
“Besides the certainty of Jesus’ resurrection and the empowering of the
Holy Spirit within them, perhaps
the most important thing the disciples needed was an honest awareness of their own weakness. They desperately needed the poverty of spirit
(see Matt. 5:3) ("Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.), without which no person can come to Christ and without which no believer can be
effectively used by Christ. The first step to spiritual
strength is the sincere, humble acknowledgment of one’s own spiritual weakness
(cf. 2 Cor. 12:9-10).”
“9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is
perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather
boast about my weaknesses, so
that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well
content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with
difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
5/6/2024 1:10 PM
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