DRAWING NEAR
MAY 23
Marveling at God's Forgiveness
The twelve apostles included "Matthew the tax-gatherer" (Matt.
10:3).
Matthew describes himself as "Matthew the tax-gatherer" (Matt. 10:3).
He is the only apostle whose name is associated with an occupation.
Apparently Matthew never forgot what he had been saved from, and
never lost his sense of awe and unworthiness over Christ's
forgiveness.
This is how he set the scene of his own conversion: Matthew 9:1-8
tells us Jesus forgave the sins of a paralytic man and then healed
him of his paralysis. When the Jewish scribes accused Him of
blasphemy for claiming to have the authority to forgive sins, He said
to them, "Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? For which is
easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, and
walk'?" He wanted them to know His miracles testified of His deity.
As God, He could as easily forgive sins as He could heal diseases.
Immediately after that account, Matthew gave the account of his own
call. It's as if he wanted his own salvation to serve as an
illustration of Christ's ability to forgive even the vilest of
sinners. Matthew 9:9 says, "As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a
man, called Matthew, sitting in the tax office; and He said to him,
'Follow Me!' And he rose, and followed Him."
When the Pharisees questioned Jesus's practice of associating with
tax-gatherers, He said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who
need a physician, but those who are sick. . . . I did not come to
call the righteous, but sinners" (vv. 12-13). The Pharisees were sick
with sin but thought they were healthy. Matthew and his associates
knew they were sinners who needed a Savior.
Do you share Matthew's humility and sense of awe at receiving
Christ's precious gift of forgiveness? I pray that you do and that
you are continually praising Him for it.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Thank God for the wonder of forgiveness. If you have lost your
sense of awe over God's forgiveness, perhaps you're taking His
grace for granted. Confess your apathy and ask Him to give you a
deep appreciation for the enormous price He paid for your
salvation.
For Further Study:
As a reminder of what Christ endured for you, read Matthew 26:17
--27:56, which chronicles the events of His betrayal and crucifixion.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Matthew 9:1-13
9:1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.
2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When
Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good
cheer; your sins are forgiven you."
3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man
blasphemes!"
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in
your hearts?
5 "For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to
say, 'Arise and walk'?
6 "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to
forgive sins"; then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your
bed, and go to your house."
7 And he arose and departed to his house.
8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God,
who had given such power to men.
9 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting
at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he arose and
followed Him.
10 Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that
behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him
and His disciples.
11 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why
does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have
no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
13 "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not
sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to
repentance."
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase@wowway.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel
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There is a living God. He has spoken in His word. He means just what he says, and will do all that He has promised. - Hudson Taylor
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