Thursday, July 9, 2026

PT-3 “The Popularity and Power of Jesus” (Luke 6:17-19)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/9/2026 8:02 PM

My Worship Time                               Focus: Intro to PT-3 “The Popularity and Power of Jesus”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                 Reference:  Luke 6:17-19

            Message of the verses: “Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the costal region of Tyer and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were begin cured.  And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.”

            I want to begin where I left off in this morning's SD as I continue to quote from John MacArthur’s commentary as he introduces these verses in his introduction.

            “Scripture reveals secondly that God judges sin and disobedience.  Only four of the Bible’s 1, 189 chapters—the first two, which take place before the fall (Gen. 1,2) and the last two, which take place after the creation of the new heaven and the new earth (Rev. 21, 22)—do not occur in the context of a fallen, sin-cursed world.  The disastrous consequences of sin began with Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden after the fall, and continued through Cain’s murder of Abel, to the universal wickedness of the human race that brought the worldwide flood of Noah’s day, the dark days of the judges, and the rebellion and idolatry of God’s people that resulted in the destruction and deportation first of Israel, and then of Judah.

            “The New Testament also continues the saga of sin and its tragic results.  The preaching of John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the apostles featured a call for repentance (Matt. 4:17; Mark 6:12; Luke 5:32; 13:1-5; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20; 2 Peter 3:9).”

(Matt. 4:17; Mark 6:12; Luke 5:32; 13:1-5; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20; 2 Peter 3:9)

17  From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’’

“12  So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent.”

“32  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

“1 ¶  There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2  And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’’

“47  and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

“38  And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

“19  Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,”

“31  God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

“30  The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,”

“21  testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“20  but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”

  9 ¶  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

“But the Jewish people and the Gentiles rejected the call and murdered the messengers.  Their disobedience was even more flagrant than that in the Old Testament, because it was committed in the clearer light of the New Testament.

            “A third feature in Scripture is the divine blessing for faith and obedience.  Those who recognize their inability to keep God holy law, acknowledge and repent of their sin, and ask God for forgiveness through the work of Christ, based solely on His grace and mercy, receive redemption and blessing, both for time and eternity.  The heroes of faith in the Old Testament, from Abel through the patriarchs, to the believing remnant of Israel, and even Gentiles (such as those in Nineveh who repented under the preaching of Jonah) were the recipients of God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness because they repented of sin and entrusted themselves to God who gives mercy and grace to those who turn to Him in faith.  The New Testament proclaims the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is ‘the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek’ (Rom. 1:16).

            “Above all those wondrous realities is the overarching glory of both the Old and New Testaments—the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is the one of whom ‘all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins; (Acts 10:43).  Therefore ‘the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’ (Rev. 19:10), and as the Lord declared, the Scriptures testify about Him (John 5:39; cf. Luke 24:27, 44).”

(John 5:39; cf. Luke 24:27, 44)

“39  You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,”

“27  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

“44  Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’”
7/9/2026 8:52 PM

 

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