Page 10 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

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FIFTY-TWO KEY PASSAGES OF THE BIBLE
components of making disciples. And you’re not alone sin take over. Don’t present your members as instru-
in this enterprise. “Lo, I am with you always, even to ments of unrighteousness. Keep presenting yourself
the end of the age.” Until the time is completely done for to God. Your members are instruments of righteous-
evangelism, Jesus is with you helping you to do so. This ness to God. Fill your mind with biblical truth. And
is our commission and the reason God leaves us here on make sure that you stay in the presence of God so that
earth—to bring people to Christ from all the nations by His power and truth lead you to present yourself as an
going, baptizing, and then teaching them so that they instrument of righteousness.
can observe everything the Lord commanded. Make
sure you’re involved in this joyous duty. Week 16
Week 14 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come
after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life
mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will
you may observe to do according to all that is written in save it.”—LUKE 9:23,24, page 342
it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and
then you will have good success.”—JOSHUA 1:8, page 333 With these words, Jesus clearly states the cost of
following Him. This was Jesus’ invitation to the crowd
In the case of Joshua, the “Book of the Law” specif- to follow Him; and the price, supreme. “If you want to
ically referred to Genesis through Deuteronomy as come after Me, deny yourself.” It’s the end of you—
written by Moses. But it can be expanded, of course, your dreams, hopes, ambitions, goals. The gospel is
to refer to all the Word of God. And it says that it not about self-fulfillment; it’s about self-denial. In the
should not depart from your mouth. You should be Greek, the statement “deny himself” basically means
speaking the words of Scripture at all times. That will “to refuse to associate with.” That means that you’re
happen when you meditate in it day and night. It’s a coming to Christ because you refuse to any longer
simple principle, isn’t it? You saturate your mind and associate with the person that you are. You’re sick of
thoughts with the Word of God, and it comes out in yourself and your sin, and with desperation you will-
your speech. When you’re filled with the Word of ingly yield up that empty life you no longer want to
God, that’s what’s going to come out of your mouth. associate with. You lose your life to gain it.
The verse also says that the purpose for this med- How extreme is this commitment? It involves tak-
itation is that you may observe to do according to all ing up your cross daily. In the ancient world, the cross
that is written in it. And that’s what will happen. As only meant one thing—a painful, horrible, shameful
you meditate or feed on the Word of God, it nourishes death. Jesus was saying, “If you want to follow Me, it’s
and shapes you as a person. It says that if you meditate, the end of you and not just your hopes and dreams. It
speak the Word, live the Word, you’ll make your way may even cost you your physical life. But the infinite
prosperous and you’ll have good success. The promise value of following Me is worth the high cost, because
of God is a blessing on your spiritual effort and spiritu- if you do lose your life for My sake, you’ll save it for-
al enterprise through the deep understanding and the ever.” Ask yourself if you’re truly following Jesus.
application of Scripture.
Week 17
Week 15
For when we were still without strength, in due time
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous
that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone
your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own
but present yourselves to God as being alive from the love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ
dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness died for us.—ROMANS 5:6–8, page 784
to God.—ROMANS 6:12,13, page 787
It’s a powerful truth, isn’t it? People rarely die for
These verses speak about our physical body. Paul other people. Occasionally we read about someone
tells us that the only remaining repository where sin giving his life for someone else. It’s rare, even for the
finds the believer vulnerable is in our humanness. It is best of men, that someone would actually die on their
physical, but it is also mental, because it mentions behalf. It’s notable when it happens. It is also true that
lusts. When you come to Christ, you are made a new sometimes for a good man someone will dare to die.
creation. You are given a new nature with new But have you ever heard of anybody willing to die for
desires, and you long to do what’s right. The pattern a wicked, vile, evil man? That doesn’t happen…unless
of sin is broken, and you are no longer under the you’re Jesus Christ.
dominion of sin. But your new nature is still incarcer- And what kind of love is it that causes Christ to die
ated in fallen humanness. That’s going to be that way for the worst of us? That’s the wonder of the love of God
until we leave this world.
demonstrated toward us. Christ died for us. Christ died
For all the wonders I’m looking forward to in heav- for the “ungodly.” What a statement! It wasn’t based on
en, what appeals most to me is the absence of sin. I how worthy we were, how lovable we were, how godly
hate the fact that there is residual sin in my life now. we were. He died for the unworthy, the weak, the per-
The appeal of heaven is to end the internal war with verse. You can’t say it any more directly than He died
sin. But in the meantime, we’re commanded to not let for the ungodly—not the righteous, not the good. He

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