PT-3 "The Plot" (Matt. 28:11-14)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/15/2024 8:26 AM

 

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

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 28:11-14

 

            Message of the verses:  “11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, "You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep’ 14 "and if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble."

 

            I want you to think about something that to me is significant and that is that the Jewish leaders have been trying to get rid of Jesus ever since He was born in that cave in Bethlehem, I think 33 years before they were having Him crucified.  They even killed many babies in Bethlehem that were two years old or younger, that is young boys.  You see the Magi who came to give gifts to Jesus didn’t come until sometime after Jesus was born and so in order to try and make sure that the Messiah would be killed they killed all those boys two years and older.  Of course they failed in their effort.  Now think about what is happening after Jesus was crucified, arose and then went into heaven in order to intercede for His church, and that is because Jesus is not here now that for the last two thousand years the devil has instigated the killing of many of Jesus’ true followers, so the beat goes on so to speak.  This will continue to happen until the end of the church age when the rapture of the church will take place.  After that the tribulation period will begin and the Antichrist will arise and after three and a half years he will begin to kill the Jews whom he had made a pack with and also begin to kill all the new believers who are now populating around the world as they will be brought to a saving knowledge of Christ through, first of all the 144,000 Jewish evangelists.  Then those they bring to Christ will continue to witness of what is going on and what will happen as they too will lead many to Christ.  I have read that during this time on planet earth that more people will come to Christ than any other time period, and this lasts only seven years.  I suppose it is also true that during those last three and a half years that move believers will die for the cause of Christ than any other time period.  Ok I have rambled on and need to get back to writing about these verses in Matthew’s gospel and the subject of “The Plot.”

 

            Next I write about how these Jewish religious leaders “had accused Jesus of working miracles in the power of Satan, of being an associated of sinners, of breaking God’s law by healing on the Sabbath, and of blasphemy for claiming to be the Messiah and God’s Son.  They perverted both biblical and rabbinical justice in order to convict Him, employed blackmail to get Him crucified, used armed force to try to keep His body in the grave, and now engaged in bribery to hide the truth of His resurrection” writes John MacArthur.

 

            MacArthur goes on “The soldiers’ news brought alarm, fear, and confusion to the religious leaders, but it did not bring repentance or faith.  They were without excuse.  They were informed about the resurrection and did not try to deny it.  Their only concern was to keep that news from their fellow Jews, fearing tat many would accept Him as the Messiah and that their own influence, power, and wealth would be severely diminished.”  All of this will come true a little over 35 years from now as the Romans will destroy the city  of Jerusalem, burn down the Temple and kill many, many Jews and send them off into exile where they roamed from country to country for almost two thousand years, that is until the fulfillment of prophecy as Israel became a nation on May 5, 1948 and they have had to struggle to defend their nation, and still are to this day.  That is why I pray for the people of Israel to defeat the Satanic backed enemies that surround them, and pray that they would understand that their Messiah came almost two thousand years ago in order to die for their sins, and not only theirs but for all who will accept that forgiveness.

 

            I think that I will end this SD now and will try and complete it in tomorrow’s SD, Lord willing.  This is a very important chapter in Matthew, and when one combines it with the ends of the other gospel writings a view of what happened after Jesus arose from the grace can be seen in its entirety, that is until He was taken up into heaven just before His Church began as seen in the first chapter of Acts and following.

 

10/15/2024 8:51 AM 

 

PT-2 "Love As A Way of Life" (1 John 2:9-11)

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/14/2024 10:19 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  PT-2 “Love As A Way of Life”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference:  1 John 2:9-11                       

            Message of the verses:  “9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

 

            I want to conclude this section this evening on this important subject about love by looking at how John emphatically reiterates that anyone who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks [follows a normal course of live] in the darkness.  John is saying that such people do not know where they are going.  Let us look now at John 12:35 “So Jesus said to them, "For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes.”  Now the reason that they do not know where they are going is because the darkness has blinded their eyes.  These are like those who are completely blind and actually grope around to determine where they are (cf. Gen. 19:11; Acts 13:11-12).  Let us look now at those verses.  “They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.”  These were the men who came to Lot’s house to have immoral relations with what they thought were mere men but were actually angles as they had the power to cause these men to be blind, but something worse was about to happen to them the next day when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. “11 “Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time." And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord” (Acts 13:11-12).  MacArthur concludes “Such loveless people are clearly outside the kingdom of Light (cf. Matt. 5:21-22; 1 John 3:15) and void of spiritual life.  John described such claimants earlier as liars:  ‘5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.’

 

            “Unconverted sinners, devoid of love and living in spiritual darkness, cannot possibly fulfill Jesus’ well-known love command (see again John 13:34-35), which He originally gave to the apostles in the upper room.  Neither can they express the kind og sacrificial love Jesus showed when He washed the apostles’ feet (John 13:3-15), nor what He referred to later that evening when He declared, ‘Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13; cf. 1 John 3:16).

 

            “on the other hand, obedience to that commandment is a valid test for each believer’s genuineness.  Such obedience provides a distinct contrast to those who are without love and persist in walking in darkness.  Believers who manifest the new kind of love first taught by Jesus and reiterated by John truly obey the Lord’s command in the Sermon on the Mount, ‘Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven’ (Matt. 5:16; cf. Eph 5:8; Phil. 2:15; 1 Peter 2:9).”

 

            Now with that quote we end this sixth chapter in John MacArthur’s commentary on the book of 1 John and look forward to beginning the 7^th chapter titled “The Stages of Spiritual Growth” which cover 1 John 2:12-14). 

 

10/14/2024 10:39 PM

 

           

  

PT-2 "The Plot" (Matt. 28:11-14)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/14/2024 9:06 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                      Focus:  PT-2 “The Plot”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 28:11-14

 

            Message of the verses:  “11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, "You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 "And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble."

 

            Now I want to pick up where I left off in the last SD on these verses, and so let us begin with what is included in all the things that had happened, and they were the earthquake, the rolling away of this stone, the blazing angel sitting on the stone, and the empty tomb. That is quite a list of miracles that happened, and yes they were all miracles from God that would show the greatest miracle of all, and that was Christ’s resurrection from the dead.  Now think about all the people that Jesus raised from the dead, and I won’t list all of them but will mention Lazarus which is found in John’s gospel.  Lazarus had been dead for three days when Jesus raised him from the dead.  The point I wish to make is that all of those people that Jesus raised from the dead, and all the people found in the Word of God who had been raised from the dead died again, but not Jesus as Paul says He was the first fruits of those who will be raised from the dead never to die again.  Now back to our verses where I will let MacArthur pick it up for us.  “The soldiers knew those happenings had a supernatural origin, and it was that knowledge that caused them first to shake violently and then freeze in catatonic fear.  They did not try to explain because of the guards’ report, the chief priests learned of Jesus’ resurrection even before the disciples did.”

 

            It is around the time of Easter that films come out about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and there is one movie, I forget the title, which is about a Roman soldier who was actually friends of Pilate and Pilate sent this soldier to find the body of Jesus.  The man looks and looks but could not find Jesus’ body and as the movie goes on the man found some of Jesus’ disciples who were in a house and so the soldier went into the house with the disciples and the resurrected Jesus appeared with them.  Now before that happened this soldier got in contact with one of those soldiers who had been at the tomb and pressured him into telling his the truth.  In the end this soldier went with the disciples of Jesus to Galilee where Jesus would go back to heaven, according to the story and became a disciple of Jesus as he ran away from the Romans.  Most of the movies are not real accurate in all of the things that the Bible has to say and that is why I don’t really like to watch them, but this one was pretty good other than showing Jesus’ resurrection in Galilee which was not right as that happened in or near Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives which is where Jesus will return to earth from that exact spot.  There is a fault there that could split the mountain, but it is waiting for the foot of the Lord Jesus to land there and then it will split.

 

            Now the chief priests had heard that Jesus would rise on the third day, but even though the evidence was clear to them that this is what happened, they chose not to believe it.  Greed and politics were involved and so lies had to be told, and the truth is that this same kind of lies are going on in our country and have been for a long time in the politics now.  Not sure who will win for now but I know who will win in the future and that will be the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to place His foot on the Mt. of Olives and then all lies will stop and at that time Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats, the sheep go into the kingdom and the goats go into Hades. 

 

            These Jewish leaders blew it and the stories that they began are still going on in Israel today, but it seems to me that the Spirit of God is causing the hearts of many in Israel to realize that these are lies and that Jesus Christ is indeed their Messiah.  I pray for Israel most every day, pray that their eyes will be opened to the truth that their Messiah has already came to earth almost 2000 years ago, and He suffered and died for them, so I pray that the Holy Spirit of God will be active in opening the hearts of the children of Israel.  John MacArthur concludes this thought at the end of a paragraph in his commentary with the following:  The chief priests were so evil, self-willed, and spiritually blind that they shut their eyes to every confirmation of Jesus’ claims.  The god of this world had totally blinded their eyes (2 Cor. 4:4).  “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

 

            Perhaps I will get this section concluded in the next SD.

 

10/14/2024 9:40 AM

 

PT-1 "Love As A Way of Life" (1 John 2:9-11)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/13/2024 11:21 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  PT-1 “Love As A Way of Life”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference:  1 John 2:9-11                       

            Message of the verses:  “9 The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. 10 The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.”

 

            This evening I will be looking at the concluding portion of the passage, John applies the test of supernatural love to those who claim to be Christians, and as you look at these three verses you will know where he is applying the test.  It’s presence is a sure indicator of transformation, salvation, and divine life.  MacArthur writes that “The false teachers of John’s day arrogantly claimed a higher knowledge of the divine nature and communion with deity, but it produced only proud disdain for unenlightened, common people.  But the Christians, most of whom were slaves or members of the working class (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26-29), were the truly enlightened who demonstrated their true knowledge of God as they not only loved one another, but reached out in love to those lost in sin’s darkness (cf. Matt. 5:44; Luke 6:27, 35).”

 

            Now think about the truth that it is a meaningless boast for someone to say he is in the Light if he (or she) hates his brother—meaning that he does not love saints selflessly as God does—he is not in the divine kingdom of light but remains in darkness until now.  Now that does not mean that he or she could become a true believer for if a person is alive they will still have the opportunity to become a believer.  Now on the other hand, the one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.  Those that truly love and obey God’s Word and also express selfless love to fellow believers are truly transformed; they are not going to cause others to fall.  I know that this is one of the things that I desire not to do, that is cause a fellow believer to fall.  In the New Testament stumbling refers to sinning and this can be seen in verses like (Matt. 5:29-30; 13:41; 18:6, 8-9; Luke 17:2; John 16:1; 1 Cor. 8:13; and in Rev. 2:14).  MacArthur concludes this by writing “John used the term to explain that the person who truly loves others—as as a reflection of his love for Christ—will not cause them to sin (cf. Rom. 13:8-10) or reject the gospel.  So there is a love that proves salvation, as the Son of God said, ‘A new commandment AI give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  But this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another’ (John 13:34-35).

 

            Lord willing we will be able to finish this section in the next SD.

 

10/13/2024 11:44 PM

PT-1 "The Plot" (Matt. 28:11-14)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/13/2024 7:56 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                      Focus:  PT-1 “The Plot”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 28:11-14

 

            Message of the verses:  “11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, "You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 "And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble."

 

            Now in order to understand who the “they” is talking about it refers to the women whom Jesus had just spoken and who were obediently on their way to give the disciples His message to meet Him in Galilee found in verses 5-10.

 

            Now we move on and talk about what was happening at this same time in the following behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened (11b).  Only some of the guard went into the city of Jerusalem and reported to the chief priests, MacArthur adds “probably as representatives of the whole contingent which may have numbered as many as a dozen.  For all of them to have gone together would have attracted considerable attention, and word of their mission would surely have reached Pilate’s ear.  Because it was still early on the third day after Jesus’ crucifixion, Pilate would immediately have had them arrested and probably executed, both for leaving their post while on duty and for failing to fulfill their assignment to protect Jesus’ body from theft (see. 27:62-66).  Presumably the rest of the guard remained at the tomb.”  Now trying to put this time table together all of this must have happened before the women came to the tomb for when they get there all of the guards were gone.

 

            As mentioned these guards did not go to see Pilate or would have been executed, but they wisely reported to the chief priest all that had happened at the tomb.  Now remember these guards were on a temporary service of the Jewish religious leaders.  Going to the chief priests would give them much less to fear than going to Pilate, and they probably hoped those leaders could somehow protect them from the governor.  Now remember the Jewish leaders had many things on Pilate and so they could get him to do things that they needed done.  Finally this would come to haunt Pilate as he would be replaced sometime down the road. 

 

            Ok, it is Sunday morning and my SD’s are usually shorter than other days of the week as I have to get ready to go to Sunday school.

 

10/13/2024 8:18 AM

PT-3 "Intro to Matthew 28:11-15

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/12/2024 7:20 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                       Focus:  PT-3 “Intro to Matthew 28:11-15”

 Bible Reading & Meditation                                               Reference: Matthew 28:11-15

              Message of the verses:  “11Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, "You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 "And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.”

            I have been looking at the different theories that have come up about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, and the theme of all of these is that they are false.  John MacArthur continues to write about these different theories:  “The ‘telepathy theory’ proposes that there was also no physical resurrection, but rather God sent divine telepathic to Christians that caused them to believe Jesus was alive.  But that theory, among other things, makes the God of truth a deceiver and the apostles and gospel defective and slow to produce te intended result, because in a number of instances Jesus was not recognized when He first appeared to individuals and groups who knew Him intimately.

            “The ‘séance theory’ suggests that a powerful spiritualist, or medium, conjured up the image of Jesus by means of occult power and that His followers were thereby deluded into thinking they saw Him.  But if that were so, how did they hold onto His feet, put a hand in His wounded side, and eat a meal with Him?  Séances deal strictly in the noncorporeal and ephemeral and are not made of such physical and tangible things as I those.

            “The ‘mistaken identity theory’ is based on the assumption that someone impersonated Jesus and was able to dupe His closet friends and companions into thinking he was really their Lord come back to life.  But the imposter would have had to have himself scourged, crowned with thorns, pierced in his hands and feet, and wounded in the side too make such an impersonation even close to convincing .  He would also have had to mimic Jesus’ voice, mannerisms, and other traits to an unimaginable degree of perfection.  He would have had to steal Jesus’ body from the tomb and hide it.  He would also have had to be an insider among Jesus’ followers in order to identify and talk convincingly with the many people he met during the appearances.  He would also have to had to know exactly where to find the people on every occasion and been able to perform such illusions as materializing through walls and appearing and vanishing at will.  And he would have had to be prepared in advance even of the crucifixion to do all of those amazing things, because the first appearance was early on resurrection morning.

            “The noted French philosopher Renan debunked the resurrection by foolishly claiming the whole idea was based on the hysterical delusions of Mary Magdalene (The Life of Jesus [New York: Carleton, 1886], pp. 356-357).  But Mary was but one among more than 500 witnesses, all of whom testified to the same reality.  In his book Risen Indeed, G. D. Yarnold advances the idea that the material of which [Christ’s] earthly body had been composed ceased to exist, or was annihilated’ ([New York: Oxford, 1959], p. 22).

            “Besides their own unique shortcomings, all of those theories fail to explain how the apostles could be transformed from cowards to heroes and how such a dynamic entity as the church could come into existence, produce thousands of followers willing to die for their beliefs, and manage to turn the world upside down if their faith was built on illusions and falsehoods.

            “The ‘theft theory,’ which contends that someone managed to steal the body and hide it, is the only one that attempts to explain the missing body.  But the only ones who might have had a motive for stealing it were the disciples, in order to try to fulfill Jesus’ prediction that He would rise from the dead on the third day.  That, as Matthew explains in the present passage, was the explanation promulgated by the Jewish leaders.

            “Yet Matthew’s narrative of this strange episode reveals that even that deceitful scheme became a rich and compelling apologetic not against but for the resurrection. He first describes the plot itself and then briefly tells how the proposed lie was propagated.”

            Well I have my assignment for the next few days in looking first at “The Plot” and then after a couple of days look at “The Propagation.” 

10/12/2024 7:50 AM

 

PT-2 "Love As A New Commandment" (1 John 2:8)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/11/2024 11:10 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                Focus:  PT-2 “Love As A New Commandment”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  1 John 2:8

 

            Message of the verse:  “On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.”

 

            This commandment to love not only has a new expression, and it is because of love’s powerful display in Christ’s life and ministry; it is also fresh because of its manifestion in the lives of believers.  (Now it is starting to make sense to me.)  It is a glorious demonstration of what it means to be a new creation in Christ as seen in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”  Now if anything defines this love from the human side, it is humility.  Sinners are radically humbled (cf. James 4:6-10) to the point of self-hate (Luke 14:26) and self denial (Matt. 16:24-27), so as to be like the penitent tax collector in Luke 18:13-14:

 

“13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14  "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

 

            MacArthur then adds “At salvation, the Holy Spirit takes up resident in the believer’s life (John 14:16-17; Rom. 8:9, 114; 1 Cor. 6:19; Eph. 1:13-14; 2 Tim. 1:14; 1 John 2:27; 3:24; 4:13) and sustains the original humility, out of which He produces spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22-23), the most important of which is love.  The apostle Paul affirmed the presence of this love in believers when he wrote to the Romans, ‘the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us’ (5:5), and when he wrote to the Thessalonians that ‘as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you…for indeed you do practice it toward all….But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more’ (1 Thess. 4:9-10).

 

            “The new commandment or manifestation of live has come because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.  Obliviously, the true Light is Jesus Christ (John 8:12), who has come and inaugurated His kingdom (Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:5; John 12:12-15; Heb. 1:8-9; 12:28; cf. Ps. 24:7010), in which He (and this new dimension of Messiah’s spiritual kingdom, the true Light began shinning and overcoming the darkness of Satan’s kingdom (Rom. 16:20; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8; cf. Eph. 6:11-16).  Right now the light coexists with the darkness but the Light and the divine love He bears will increasingly dispel the darkness (cf. 1 John 2:17a), shine ever brighter during Christ’s millennial reign, and eventually rule supremely throughout eternity.  Thus, it is only because believers have been ‘rescued…from the domain of darkness, and transferred…to the kingdom of His beloved Son,’ the Light, that this new commandment is a reality in their lives (Col. 1:13).   

10/11/2024 11:44 PM

 

PT-2 "Intro to Matthew 28:11-15"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/11/2024 8:17 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                       Focus:  PT-2 “Intro to Matthew 28:11-15”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                               Reference: Matthew 28:11-15

 

            Message of the verses:  “11Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, "You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 "And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.”

            I want to continue to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary on the “swoon theory.” 

 

            “That theory was not dreamed up until around 1600, by a man named Venturini. But the idea flies in the face of many eyewitness reports, not only by Jesus’ followers but also by His enemies.  The Roman soldiers standing guard over Jesus at the cross were the first to report His death.  They were experts at execution and would stand to forfeit their own lives if they allowed a condemned man to escape death.  They were so certain He was dead that they did not bother to break His legs, and when the spear thrust brought forth blood and water, they had final proof of His death.  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, with many women as witnesses and perhaps as helpers, worked with Jesus’ body for an hour or so as they wrapped it in the linen and spices.  They would easily have sensed any spark of life still remaining.

 

            For that theory to be true, Jesus would have had to survive the massive loss of blood from the scourging, the nail wounds, and the spear thrust.  He would also have had to survive being wrapped tightly in the linen cloths that were filled with a hundred pounds of spices. Besides all of that, in His extremely weakened condition He would have had to endure more than forty hours without food or drink, manage to unwrap Himself, singlehandedly roll the stone away from the inside of the tomb, walk out unchallenged by the guards, and then convince His followers He had actually been dead and miraculously raised.  He would have had to have developed the strength to travel countless miles in that condition to make the many appearances to His disciples over a period of forty days.  Finally, He would have had to delude the apostles into thinking He entered a closed room without opening the door and ascended to heaven before their eyes.  The absurdity of that theory is too obvious to be accepted by any clear-thinking person, believer or not.”

 

            He then goes on to talk about the “no-burial” theory which “contends that there was actually no interment, that Jesus was never placed in the tomb and therefore would no have been in it on Sunday morning.  His body was instead thrown into a mass grave for criminals, according to Roman custom.  But neither the Jewish leaders nor the Roman guards would have bothered to secure and seal the tomb if they knew Jesus’ body was not inside.  Not only that, but to disprove Jesus’ resurrection they would only have had to retrieve His body and pit it on display.”

 

            Next “The ‘hallucination theory’ maintains that everyone who claimed to have seen the risen Jesus simply experienced a hallucination, induced by an ardent expectation of His resurrection.  But Thomas was not the only believer who was slow to believe the Lord was alive again.  Every gospel account makes clear that most of His followers, including the apostles, did not believe, either before or after the crucifixion, that He would be raised.  Besides that, how could more than 500 people hallucinate in exactly the same way?

 

            There are more of these false theories that I will go over in the next SD, Lord willing, but my thought on all of these theories is that they perhaps came about by Satanic influence, and also there are many people who do not want to believe the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection because by believing that then they could possibly be saved, but it seems to me than many of them do not and so they can’t stand the truth so they make up false stories to taint their conscience. 

 

10/11/2024 8:02 AM

PT-1 "Intro to Matthew 28:11-15"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/10/2024 8:17 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                         Focus:  PT-1 “Intro to Matthew 28:11-15”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                               Reference: Matthew 28:11-15

 

            Message of the verses:  “11Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, "You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 "And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble." 15 And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.”

 

            John MacArthur entitles this 25^th chapter of his fourth commentary on the gospel of Matthew “The Lie That Proves the Resurrection.”  This to me is an interesting title for these verses and I am happy to be able to look at this section to find out the answer to this title, although I think that verse thirteen has a lot to do with that answer as that verse has always been a verse that I am dumbfounded by the fact that the soldiers were to tell people that they were sleeping and then the disciples came and stole the body of Jesus.  I guess my question is how they knew what happened while they were sleeping, that is how did they know that it was the disciples of Jesus who came and stole the body of Jesus.  I guess that I will be talking about this as I get to verse 13.

 

            John MacArthur begins his introduction with the following:  “Some years ago the Canadian Author G. B. Hardy wrote a book about life, philosophy, and destiny entitled Countdown: A Time to Choose (Chicago:  Moody, 1971). He noted that there are really only two questions to ask with regard to destiny:  (1) Has anyone ever defeated death? And (2) If so, did he make a way for us to do it also?  Hardy then explains that he found the answer to both questions in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that with that answer he also found salvation and eternal life (pp.31-32).”

 

            I have been writing about the resurrection of Jesus Christ for a while now and it seems to me that the Spirit of God is the One who has been causing me to have a greater understanding of just how very important the resurrection of Jesus Christ is, now only for me, but for everyone who realizes that this is the greatest miracle that has ever happened, and just as the author Hardy asked those two questions as seen in the paragraph above the answer to those questions caused him to realize that Jesus Christ was the answer and that He indeed rose from the dead, which caused him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.  If there was no resurrection then there is no salvation for anyone that is how important the resurrection of Jesus Christ is.

 

            However the sad truth is that the knowing that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is man’s only hope for eternal life, the majority of people, including many who have studied it thoroughly, have rejected it.  Now in doing so, they not only forfeit the future life but are left without true meaning or significance in the present life, and that is a very sad way to live.  Rejecting the resurrection is spiritual suicide, and that is not the way to go, for that has eternal problems, and people are doing it every day.

 

            MacArthur writes that “Furthermore, denying the resurrection goes against the very grain of the human heart and soul.  Solomon wrote that God ‘has also set eternity in their heart’ (Ecc. 3:11).  Something within man is not satisfied with present earthly living.  He instinctively reaches out for immortality, for a life that transcends his present life and that will continue after he dies.  Throughout history countless religions and philosophies have proposed means for man to achieve immortality, to find a better life beyond the grave.”  Solomon’s life began great as he asked the Lord for wisdom and he became the wisest man ever to live with the exception of Jesus Christ, yet he went away from that wisdom in his later life and actually made a mess of his life by doing the things that his wisdom told him not to do. 

 

            Now the problem is as MacArthur goes on to write “Yet, strangely, there seems always to have been more religious than irreligious people who consciously deny the only hope for immortality.  And through the years many theories have been propounded for the explicit purpose of explaining away the resurrection, especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

 

            One of the theories given to explain away the resurrection of Jesus Christ is what is called the “swoon theory” and this theory proposes that Jesus did not actually die but went into a deep coma, or swoon, from the severe pain and trauma of the crucifixion.  Then while in the cool tomb and with the stimulating aroma of the burial spices, Jesus revived and was somehow able to unwrap Himself and escape after the grave was opened. When he showed Himself to the disciples, they erroneously assumed He had been raised from the dead.

 

            I don’t really know a lot about the crucifixion practices of the Romans, but what I do know is that the ones they crucified were dead, as seen in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ when after He died they broke the legs of the two criminals to that they would die in order to be taken down from the cross because of the Jewish holiday.  They were all dead including Jesus who gave up His life after completing being the sacrifice for all sinners. 

 

            Lord willing in my next SD will quote from John MacArthur’s commentary as he writes about this so called “swoon theory” which did not begin until around 1600. 

 

10/10/2024 8:59 AM

PT-1 "Love As A New Commandment" (1 John 2:8)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/9/2024 4:01 PM

 

My Worship Time                                                Focus:  PT-1 “Love As A New Commandment”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                           Reference:  1 John 2:8

 

            Message of the verse:  “On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.”

 

            Now I am getting into the “problem” that I have always had with the difference between verse seven which says “Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, which appears to contradict John’s saying that I have quoted above.  MacArthur explains “But a closer look clearly reveals that John was using this seeming contradiction to clarify how the old commandment to love is at the same time now new and yet new.  There is a sense in which John was writing a new (kainos) commandment.  Kainos (used in both vv. 7 and 8) defines something that is fresh in essence and quality while not necessarily chronologically new (kairos).” 

 

            Here is how it is different as the commandment’s newness is not found in the words, but in the illustration of love, described in the expression, which is true in Him. Now it is starting to make more sense to me.  MacArthur explains “Even though the Old Testament taught the duty to love, never before had perfect love been so plainly manifested as it was in the incarnate Christ (John 13:1; 15:13; Acts 10:38; 2 Cor. 8:9; cf. Isa. 40:11; Matt. 4:23-24; 11:28-30; 23:37-39; Luke 19:41).  So the newness is not in the command to live, but in the perfect manifestation of love in the person of Christ.  This is one of many ways in which the Son of God incarnate revealed the nature of God in a fullness not before manifest (cf. John 1:14-15; Col. 2:9).”  “14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.   15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’’”  “9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,” (Col. 2:9).

 

            I am not about to quote two sections from the New Statement in order to help us better understand this verse from 1 John 2:8.  Jesus did a wonderful job in illustration this true while in the upper room only hours before His death.  One of the things that I like about the gospel of John is the last nine chapter speaks of Christ last moments on earth as He was crucified, and then speaks of things that happened after His resurrection including taking care of forgiving Peter for his denial of Christ.  Jesus promises in that night to the apostles that He would first of all prepare a place in heaven for them (John 14:1-4), that His peace would be with them (John 14:27), that He would send the Holy Spirit to them (John 14:25-26; 15:26; 16:7-15), and that by abiding in Him the disciples and all of His believers would bear much fruit (John 15:1-11) as these were reflections of His divine love.  But Jesus displayed love most graciously in His humbling service to them.  John 13:1-17 records what happened:

 

1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3  Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5 Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter." 8 Peter said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head." 10 Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." 11 For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, "Not all of you are clean." 12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13 "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

 

          It was the Lord’s selfless, humble act that was in keeping with Paul’s portrait of Him in his letter to the Philippians:  I have to say that these are some of my very most beloved verses, Philippians 2:6b-8:

 

He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

 

            MacArthur concludes his thoughts on these verses:  “Christ’s ministry in the upper room manifested the heart of God—perfect love, perfect sacrifice (Isa. 53:3-12; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 9:12), and perfect humility (Luke 22:27). 

 

10/9/2024 4:51 PM

Hope (Matt. 28:10)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/9/2024 7:40 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                                    Focus:  “Hope”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matthew 28:10

 

            Message of the verse:  “10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.’”

 

            Jesus repeated the angel’s message, saying, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee.”  I can understand why John MacArthur entitles this section hope, for despite the disciples’ lack of faith, their cowardice, and their defection, the Lord graciously spoke of them as His brethren.  God is a forgiving God who desires to forgive us so that we can have fellowship with Him, and so we can learn and grow in our faith and in our walk with Him.  He even gives us challenges to make us stronger, something that I believe I am going through at this time and really not likening it but willing to trust the Lord to see me through it so that I can grow in my faith and walk in the Lord.  Now when His disciples arrived in Galilee, they would see Him again, and there they would experience a great convocation and commissioning by their Lord.

 

            I know that one of the things about Matthew’s gospel writing is that he has a brief glimpse of the resurrection which “is artless and unadorned, completely lacking pretense or exaggeration.  He does not argue or beg the issues but simply places the truths before the reader to be accepted for what they are” writes John MacArthur. 

 

            He goes on to write “The basic truth of the resurrection undergirds a number of other truths.  First, it gives evidence that the Word of God is totally true and reliable.  Jesus rose from the dead precisely when and in the way He had predicted (see Matt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:9, 23).

 

            “Second, the resurrection means that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, as He claimed to be, and that He has power over life and death.  Third, the resurrection proves that salvation is complete, that on the cross Christ conquered sin, death, and hell and rose victorious.  Forth, the resurrection proves that the church has been established.  Jesus had declared, ‘I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it’ Matt. 16:18).  ‘The gates of Hades’ was a Jewish colloquialism that represented death.  His resurrection proved that death itself could not prevent Christ from establishing His church.

 

            “Fifth, the resurrection proves that judgment is coming.  Jesus declared that the heavenly Father ‘has given all judgment to the Son’ (John 5:22), and since the Son was now risen and alive, His judgment is certain.  Sixth, the resurrection of Christ proves that heaven is waiting.  Jesus promised, ‘In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you’ (John 14:2). Because Christ is alive by the resurrection, believers have the assurance that He is no preparing a heavenly dwelling for them.”  

 

            I can say that as I have been studying this last chapter of Matthew’s gospel that the resurrection of Jesus Christ has had greater meaning to me that before as the Lord is the One making this meaning grow and for that I am thankful.

 

10/9/2024 8:04 AM