PT-2 "Worship" (Matt. 28:17-18a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/30/2024 8:59 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                      Focus:  PT-2 “Worship”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                             Reference:  Matthew 28:17-18a

 

            Message of the verses:  “And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.  And Jesus came up and spoke to them saying,”

 

            I will attempt to begin to write about these verses as yesterday I used another very important topic from the book of Ezra and did not write about these verses.

 

            Today we begin the second element implied here for effective fulfillment of the church’s mission and that is the altitude of genuine worship.  “When God is not truly worshiped, He cannot be truly served, no matter how talented, gifted, or well-intentioned His servants may be” writes John MacArthur.

 

            Dr. Warren Wiersbe wrote a book about worship that a long time ago when we had a small men’s Bible Study we went over it, and also went over the same book in our Sunday school class as the same person was teaching both the Bible study and the Sunday school class.  I can say that worshiping the Lord is not play time but something very serious to learn and do.

 

            We can look at our verses for today and see that the moment that Jesus appeared, and the moment the disciples saw Him, they worshiped Him, actually prostrating themselves in humble adoration before their divine Lord and Savior.  The disciples of Jesus were not actually acting like the women who saw Jesus as the women were taking care of His body after His death, while the disciples were hiding from the Jewish leaders.  Now when they saw the risen Jesus on the hillside, their confusion disappeared and their shattered dreams were restored just as the site of the risen Lord.  The disciples sorrow turned into unbelievable joy and their disillusionment into unwavering hope. 

 

            MacArthur writes “The believers gathered there were not given homage to a human dignitary or mere earthly ruler but were worshiping God’s own Son, the Lord of heaven and earth.  Though no spoken words are recorded, in their hearts they must have been saying with Thomas after his last doubts were assuaged, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).”

 

            We have to go back and look at a passage from Matthew 14:33 to see the only other time that the eleven worshiped the Lord Jesus Christ.  “And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God’s Son!’”  This seems a bit different as their awe and their certainty of His divinity were now immeasurably greater, because He was now risen from the dead.  So it is probable that the worship of Christ on that day in the Galilean hills has been equaled few other times in all of human history, as this was a very special time indeed.

 

            Now we have to talk about what to me is kind of a downer as some were still doubtful.  MacArthur writes “That simple phrase inserted by Matthew is but one of the countless small and indirect testimonies to the integrity of Scripture.  In transparent honesty, the gospel writer sets forth the incident as in actually happened, with no attempt to make it more dramatic or convincing than it was.  As he portrayed Jesus in His divine perfection, he also portrayed Jesus’ followers, including himself, in their human imperfection.

 

            “Those who attempt to write history to their own liking are inclined to magnify that which is favorable and omit that which is not.  Had Matthew and the other writers contrived Jesus’ resurrection, they would have made every effort to exclude any fact or incident that would have tarnished their case.  Nor would they have hesitated to falsify evidence and distort the truth.  A person who lies about something of major importance has no scruples about telling lesser lies to support his primary deceit.  Matthew’s simple honesty testifies both to his own honesty and to the integrity of God’s Word.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my Life Today:  Living in this sinful body that came from Adam makes it hard to do the right thing all of the time, even though I have been born-again through the blood of my Lord Jesus Christ.  Worship can be difficult when my life is not what I want it to be.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today: “23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”

 

10/30/2024 9:26 AM