MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/8/2026
11:37AM
My
Worship Time Focus:
“A
Christian Messenger Manifests Compassion”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference:
Luke 9:1b,
2b
Message of the verses: “and gave them over and authority over
all the demons and to heal diseases…and
to perform healing.”
Now as I look at all of the verse references that John
MacArthur has in this section I think that it will take more than one SD to
finish looking at these verses.
The Twelve were granted power and
authority the likes of which only Jesus (and also briefly the seventy) ever
possessed. Now if their message was to
be validated and believed, there needed to be a way to attest its divine origin. Since the completion of the New Testament, a
preacher’s message can be measured against its inspired, infallible, inerrant
standard. The Twelve’s authenticity was
verified by their God-granted ability to perform the same kind of miraculous
signs that Jesus performed (cf. 4:36; 40-41; 6:17-18; 8:1-2).
(cf. 4:36; 40-41; 6:17-18; 8:1-2)
“36 And they were all amazed and said to one
another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the
unclean spirits, and they come out!”
“40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who
had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid
his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying,,
“You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to
speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.”
“17 And he came down with them and stood on a
level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of
people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their
diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.”
“1 ¶ Soon afterward he went on through cities and
villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the
twelve were with him, 2 and also some
women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called
Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,”
MacArthur writes “Specifically, the
Lord delegated to the apostles His power and authority over all the demons, giving
them complete dominance over the supernatural realm of evil, fallen
angels. They also received power to
perform healing, and even to raise the dead (Matt. 10:8)
“8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers,
cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.”
“The
divine power they manifested proved that the apostles were preaching divine
truth (cf. Rom. 15:18-19; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3-4).”
cf. Rom. 15:18-19; 2 Cor. 12:12; Heb.
2:3-4)
“18 For I will not venture to speak of anything
except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to
obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the
power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from
Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of
the gospel of Christ;”
“12 The signs of a true apostle were performed
among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.”
“3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great
salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by
those who heard, 4 while God also bore
witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy
Spirit distributed according to his will.”
“Such
miraculous confirmation was no longer needed after the completion of the New
Testament. Even by the end of the book
of Acts, miracles were fading from the scene as the apostles disappeared. Paul healed people early in his ministry (cf.
Acts 14:9-10; 19:11-12; 28:8), but toward the end of his life, he did not heal
Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20) and advised Timothy not to find a healer, but to treat
his recurring stomach ailment with wine (1 Tim. 5:23).”
(cf. Acts 14:9-10; 19:11-12; 28:8)
“9 He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul,
looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, 10 said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your
feet.” And he sprang up and began walking.”
“11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by
the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs
or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their
diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”
“8 It happened that the father of Publius lay
sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his
hands on him healed him.”
(2 Tim. 4:20)
“20 Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left
Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.”
(1 Tim. 5:23)
“23 (No longer drink only water, but use a little
wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)
I think that I will do one more
paragraph, and then save the rest of this section for this evening’s SD.
“But of the many ways the Lord could
have shown His power through His messengers, He chose to have them, as He
Himself did (cf. the discussion of 8:42 in the previous chapter of this volume),
perform healing miracles that relieved human suffering. Those miracles reflect God’s compassionate
care for the needy and afflicted (Job 36:5-6; Pss. 9:18; 12:5; 35:10; 69:33;
140:12; Isa. 41:17), demonstrating that He is by nature a savior and deliverer,
even on a temporal, physical level (cf. 1 Tim. 4:10).”
(Job 36:5-6; Pss. 9:18; 12:5; 35:10;
69:33; 140:12; Isa. 41:17)
“5 ¶ "Behold, God is mighty, and does not
despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding. 6 He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives
the afflicted their right.”
“18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.”
“5 "Because the poor are plundered, because
the needy groan, I will now arise," says the LORD; "I will place him
in the safety for which he longs."
“10 All my bones shall say, "O LORD, who is
like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and
needy from him who robs him?"
“33 For the LORD hears the needy and does not
despise his own people who are prisoners.”
“12 I know that the LORD will maintain the cause
of the afflicted, and will execute justice for the needy.”
“17 When the poor and needy seek water, and there
is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them;
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.”
Now if you are interested in looking
at the discussion found in Luke 8:42 as is noted above, then you can go to my
evening Spiritual Diary dated 10-01-2026).
10/8/2026
12:12 PM
No comments:
Post a Comment