PT-9 "Obedience" (Matt. 28:19-20a)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/12/2024 9:14 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                   Focus:  PT-9 “Obedience”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                             Reference:  Matthew 28:19-20a

 

            Message of the verses:  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;”

 

            I hope to finish this section on “Obedience” in today’s SD, and then Lord willing, one more to do on the last half of verse 20 and then on to beginning my study on Second Timothy.

 

            Today we are talking about the third requirement of making disciples of all nations and that is to be teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.”  When a person becomes a new believer in Jesus Christ, which is the greatest step a person can take, that is only the beginning as we see in the quote from verse twenty.  Once a person become born again it is then the churches responsibility to teach about a life of obedience to this new convert and in order to obey Him it is obviously necessary to know what He requires.  This word requires made me think of a verse in the OT book of Micah “He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” (Mic. 6:8).  I believe that this is a good verse to teach, not only new believers, but all believers to follow, and this is a part of what a believer is to do as a good definition of a believer is a learner and a follower.  MacArthur adds “Therefore, studying, understanding, and obeying ‘the whole purpose of God’ (Acts 20:27) is the lifelong task of every true disciple.

 

            “In Jesus’ parting discourse to the disciples in the upper room, He said, ‘"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24  "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. 25 "These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

 

            I realize that many, if not most of Jewish people who were alive when Jesus came to earth did not realize what His purpose was, and that purpose was to provide salvation for those who would realize that they were born into this world as a sinner, and because of that they sinned, and because of being a sinner and sinning they, on their own had no way to become righteous before God, and thus enter into heaven.  Jesus provided the righteousness that was needed for unbelievers in His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead at His first coming, and now He is in heaven interceding for those who belong to Him.  Now “His second mission” writes MacArthur “was to teach God’s truth to those disciples.  That is the same twofold mission He gives the church.

 

            “Now one is a true disciple apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ, and there is no true disciple apart from an obedient heart that desires to please the Lord in all things.  The writer of Hebrews makes that attitude of obedience synonymous with saving faith, declaring that Christ ‘became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation’ (Heb. 5:9).  Thanking God for the salvation of believers in Rome, Paul said to them ‘Though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed’ (Rom. 6:17).

 

            “Every Christian is not gifted as a teacher, but every faithful Christian is committed to promoting the ministry of teaching God’s Word both to make and to edify disciples of Christ.”

 

            Once a person becomes a born-again believer in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit will put it into their heart to learn and grow and to tell others about what happened to them. 

 

Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have to admit that there are hills and valleys in the walk with the Lord, and suppose it is true that I am now in a valley, but I know that God is faithful and will bring me out of this valley in order that I will walk closer to the Lord.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust the Lord to do what it takes to bring me out of this valley so that my walk with the Lord will be very faithful.

 

11/12/2024 9:42 AM