1 Corinthians 11, 2 Corinthians 4:7 – God knows what we are made of, He knew how his disciples struggled. Peter, even with the best of intentions denied Jesus. He knows how the weaknesses that we have in our flesh affect us.
Mark 11:1-33 – Jesus was coming into Jerusalem riding the donkey, He was surrounded by a mob who were shouting Hosanna! Matthew says that the people were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David.” There was a lot of support and adoration for Jesus, but not all were adoring Him.
The Scribes and Pharisees were not on board with all of these praises and adoration. They were indignant and upset. When Jesus declared that the Jews had made the temple into a den of thieves they plotted to destroy Jesus. Not only who He was, but they were terrified of the support He was receiving from the people.
Jesus knew the hardness of their hearts. He knew the judgment that was going to come upon Jerusalem. If we look at the characteristics of these Jews and compare them to ourselves, we will see sometimes faint similarities.
Even as converted disciples of Jesus we can struggle with the old nature and the different ways that it can raise its head and manifest itself.
Diagnostics Tests on Ourselves With the Help of the Spirit
- How does my love match up with God’s description of what love is? – 1 John 5:2-3, 1 Corinthians 13, Romans 13:10 – We are familiar with the first and second commandments. Not even the Bible can tell an individual man whether he loves the Lord or not. It does tell us though what a life of a person who loves the Lord looks like.
- Humility – Jesus came riding a donkey into Jerusalem. Jesus was lowly and humble, even though He was King, and Creator of the universe.
- Mercy – Luke 6:36 – It is a tendency of man not to extend mercy. Which characteristic is strongest when we are thinking about other people? What about ourselves? Do we look for justice or do we look first for mercy?
- Maintenance – Through carelessness and indifference we can sometimes not work on the things that we need to as we pursue holiness. We need to take care of our hearts. A converted heart that is feeding on the things of God has great potential to grow and mature.
- Prayer – Are we a “house of prayer?” Do we come to Jesus humbly and repentantly? “Help though my unbelief.” Pray for God’s work in our hearts and lives that we may become more mature, more like Christ. Do concerns that we hear not just register as troubling? Our first thought should be prayer…
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