EVENING
SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/21/2025 6:57 PM
My
Worship Time Focus: PT-3 “Survival Strategy
for Apostate Times”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Jude 17-23
Message of the verses: “17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were
spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were
saying to you, "In the last time there will be mockers, following after
their own ungodly lusts." 19 These are the ones who cause divisions,
worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves
up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in
the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal
life. 22 And have mercy on some, who are doubting; 23 save others, snatching them out of the fire;
and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the
flesh.”
This evening we begin to look at the third SD on the introduction
to these verses which will come from the commentary of John MacArthur.
“A
fifth reason is the general abandonment of Church discipline in evangelical
circles (cf. Matt. 18:15-18). When God’s
people fail to confront sin and heresy, wickedness within the body goes
unchecked. The congregation inevitably
accumulates more and more unregenerate members—unbelievers who feel comfortable
because their sin issues are sometimes overlooked, ignored under a false
pretense of love. But a church cannot
effectively promote discernment if it happily condones sin or primarily
consists of unsaved sinners. After all,
the congregation that thinks incorrectly about holiness shows that it also
thinks incorrectly about truth.
“A
final reason for the church’s lack of discernment is rampant void of spiritual
maturity within its ranks. Those with a
superficial understanding of Scripture (cf. Mark 12:24), a weak grasp sound doctrine,
and a deficient view of God cannot be discerning. Yet those are the very people who fill most
pews each Sunday. Like the unbelieving
Jews of the first century, many contemporary Christians would do well to heed
the admonition given by the author of Hebrews:
12 For though by this time you ought to be
teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary
principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid
food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the
word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the
mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil”
(Heb. 5:12-14).
“If
those in today’s church are to honor the God of revelation and enjoy spiritual
victory in their lives, despite the constant temptation to capitulate, they
must begin by developing discernment. They
must be able to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong, such
that they will be able to pursue in interpreting Scripture. Otherwise, in their confusion, professing
believers will fail to contend for the faith before they even enter the battle.
“In this section, Jude addresses how
to properly contend for the faith and prosper spiritually during increasingly
more apostate times. The Lord’s brother
presented his readers with three crucial truths that, if faithfully applied,
will grant all believers discernment: They must remember, remain, and reach
out.”
8/21/2025 7:11 PM
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