“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing."
{Matthew 23:37} (NIV)
The message of our Lord Jesus is clear! The leaders of Israel and therefore the majority of the people have not been willing or obedient. Instead they have resisted the Word of God and rebelled against His prophets and His Word. Our Lord knows that the children of God have been chosen before creation (Eph 1:4). He Himself told us that only those the Father draws will come to faith (Jn 6:44). He also told us the parable of the sower.
Our Lord obviously believes that God is Sovereign in every aspect of salvation. Some would call Him a Calvinist. Yet He makes it very clear in this verse that it was not the Lord’s lack of desire to see good come to them, that would bring destruction upon the people. Rather, it is the people’s lack of willingness that brought about their destruction. Their spirits were not willing. They did not WISH to drink from the stream of eternal life, therefore they would see the prophecy of Isaiah fulfilled in their time. The sword would come against them and Jerusalem would be destroyed.
O friend, do not become fatalistic about salvation. Do not become fatalistic about your future and your family’s future. Salvation and how our lives play out on earth, depend on whether or not we are willing and obedient! Let us instead pray for a willing spirit!
No comments:
Post a Comment