Saturday, October 26, 2024

PT-6 "Intro to Matthew 28:16-20"

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/26/2024 9:08 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                         Focus:  PT-6 “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 have been quoting from the introduction that John MacArthur wrote on this very last section of the book of Matthew and I have one more section to quote before I get into looking more closely to these verses.  I have to say that in some ways I am sad to finish up this wonderful gospel of Matthew and am wondering where the Lord wants me to go next.  I am thinking about doing the book of 2Corinthians as I have always enjoyed reading that book as Paul has many things to say that helps a person to grow in the Lord, something that I am always wanting to do, and have actually been looking at that process from 1 John as I have posts on my blog from my study of 1 John.

 

            “In his devotional book Quiet Talks with World Winners, S. D. Gordon recounted the story of a group of amateur climbers who planned to accent Mount Blanc in the French Alps.  On the evening before the climb, the guides started the basic requirement for success.  Because it was an exceedingly difficult climb, one could reach the top by taking only the necessary equipment for climbing, leaving all unnecessary accessories behind.

 

            “One athletic young man discounted the guides’ advice, thinking it could not possibly apply to him.  He showed up for the climb with a blanket, a small case of wine, a camera, a set of notebooks, and a pocketful of snacks.  Although warned again by the guides, the strong-willed young man nevertheless started out ahead of the rest to prove his superior skill and endurance.

 

            “But as the other climbers proceeded up the mountainside, they began to notice various articles left on the path.  First, they noticed the young’s man food and wine, a short while later the notebooks and camera, and finally the blanket.  The young man managed to reach the peak, but, just as the guides had predicted, he did so only after discarding all his unnecessary paraphernalia.

 

            “Apply that illustration to the church, Mr. Gordon comments that, unlike that young climber, who eventually paid the price for success, many Christians, when they discover they cannot reach the top with their loads, simply stop climbing and settle down on the mountainside.

 

            “In the final message of Christ reported by Matthew, Jesus gives five explicit or implicit elements that are necessary for His followers to fulfil their supreme mission on earth—to reach the mountain peak of their calling, as it were.  These essential elements may be summarized as availability, worship, submission, obedience, and power.”

 

            With that I end this fairly long  introduction to the last verses that are found in the book of Matthew, and set out next to look at the first point, Availability.

 

10/26/2024 9:24 AM  

 

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