PT-4 "Intro to Matthew 28:16-20"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/24/2024 9:01 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                         Focus:  PT-4 “Intro to Matthew 28:16-20”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                              Reference:  Matthew 28:16-20

 

            Message of the verses:  “16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”

 

 

            I will continue to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary on the introduction to these very last verses in the book of Matthew.

 

            “It has never been God’s will for any person ‘to perish but for all to come to the knowledge of the truth’ (1 Tim. 2:4).  God’s heart has always yearned to bring sinful, rebellious men back to Himself, to give them men, righteous, and eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.  He so greatly ‘loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life’ (John 3:16).

 

            “Paul rejoiced that God’s ‘grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God’ (2 Cor. 4:15).  The apostle admonished the Corinthian believers and all Christians:  ‘Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’ (1 Cor. 10:31).  Every time an unbeliever is saved by God’s grace, God is glorified, and another voice is added to the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ as it were.

 

            “The great mission of the church is to so love, learn, and live as to call men and women to Jesus Christ.  As sinners are forgiven and are transformed from death to life and from darkness to light, God is glorified through that gracious miracle.  The glory of God is manifest in His loving provision to redeem lost men.  He Himself paid the ultimate price to fulfill His glory.

 

            “Therefore the believer who desires to glorify God, who wants to honor God’s supreme will and purpose, must share God’s love for the lost world and share in His mission to redeem the lost to Himself.  Christ came into the world that He loved and sought to win sinners to Himself for the Father’s glory.  As Christ’s representatives, we are likewise sent into the world that He loves to bring the lost to Him and thereby bring glory and honor to God.  Our mission is the same mission as that of the Father and of the Son.

 

            “In His great priestly prayer Christ prayed, ‘This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.  I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do” (John 17:3-4).  In His incarnation, Jesus glorified the Father by accomplishing His mission of providing eternal life to those who trust in Him, by reconciling lost men to the God they had forsaken.  Jesus’ supreme purpose on earth was ‘to seek and to save that which is lost’ (Luke 19:10).”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is my desire for those who read the Spiritual Diaries that I write to first of all through the power of the Holy Spirit give an effectual call to the lost and to cause those who are believers to continue to grow in the Lord.  Revival is a part or spiritual growth and so that is part of my prayer too for those who read these Spiritual Diaries.

 

            My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to give me grace and peace to do things that I am not comfortable in doing, and one of those things happens today.

 

10/24/2024 8:23 AM