I have been showing how we are made the Righteousness of GOD and how after becoming One with HIM through Christ. We are seen by GOD as being Holy which I should finish today. The next one I will tackle is Godliness. I am doing this because of the err in the worlds ungodly religious churches who foster doctrines that teach contrary to GOD's word, these strong Bible Truths. But first a word from Pastor Hoekstra on the Grace revelation of Christ being within us. Then I will use the ESV translation as it has become my own habit to so. And if the LORD givens some enlightenment I will edit where and when HE does so.
"Christ in Us, Our Hope of Glory"
"To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)
"We have been considering the wondrous Truth that we who believe in Jesus are in Christ. "Blessed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). And because HIS status changed at HIS ascension He is now returned to HIS original state of LORD and Christ Who rules and reigns from the receptive heart of man. All that GOD has for us is ours "in Christ." We can now enjoy the Benefits of Who Christ is and all that HE has accomplished for us, because we are in HIM. Our present verse adds another extraordinary dimension. Not only are we "in Christ," but Christ is also in us: "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
GOD wants to make something known among all the nations: "to make known... among the Gentiles." The message HE desires to reveal is glorious in spiritual richness: "the riches of the glory of this (secret) mystery." However, it truly is a mystery, in the New Testament use of that term. A biblical mystery is something that can only be known by the revealing work of GOD. The mysteries of the scriptures cannot be discovered or understood by intellectual investigation or personal experience. GOD Himself must make them known. The LORD does this through Grace-empowered, Spirit-empowered proclamation of HIS Life in the Living word. Here, the great mystery GOD wants to unfold is "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
What a grand hope this message brings! Jesus, the Son of GOD, is willing to come and dwell within us to assure us of making it to glory (heaven), while we remain here on earth we are still seated with HIM in the Heavens today, being a part of the ever active NOW of the I AM. Meanwhile, Christ wants to reside at the very core of our being: "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" (Ephesians 3:17). As we are Trusting in Him, He is living in, and working through, our hearts. Then, from this strategic point of Intimacy and Access, He gives us heavenly hope. That confident expectation includes the joyous fact that He is coming again: "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great GOD and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Yet, His return is not our only hope. HE, Himself, is our day by day hope: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of GOD our Savior and the LORD Jesus Christ, our hope" (1Timothy 1:1). Jesus is our comprehensive hope!"
Holiness Enjoined (Commanded upon us):
Exodus 19:1-9 "On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to GOD. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel." So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do." And Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever."
Leviticus 11:41-45, 19:2 and 1Chronicles 16:29 "Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten. Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable. You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them. For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am Holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the LORD Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your GOD. You shall therefore be holy, for I am Holy."
Leviticus 19:1-4 "The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your GOD am Holy. Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the LORD your GOD."
1Chronicles 16:25-33 "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and HE is to be feared (reverenced and revered) above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him! Worship the LORD in the splendor of Holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!" Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for HE comes to judge the earth."
Luke 1:67-79 (John the baptist) "His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the LORD GOD of Israel, for HE has visited and redeemed His people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as HE spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the Oath that HE swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the LORD to prepare His way, to give Knowledge of Salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
2Corinthians 7:1 and Ephesians 4:24 "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing Holiness to completion in the fear of God."
Ephesians 4:17-24 "Now this I say and testify in the LORD, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the Life of GOD because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, as the Truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life (of deadness toward GOD) and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of GOD in true Righteousness and Holiness."
Hebrews 12:14-17 "Strive for peace with everyone, and for the Holiness without which no one will see the LORD. See to it that no one fails to obtain the Grace of GOD; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears."
1Peter 1:13-16 "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the Grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as HE Who called you is Holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am Holy.""
2Peter 3:11-13 "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of Holiness and Godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of GOD, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which Righteousness dwells."
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (the Righteous are Saints before GOD)
In today's post I will look at GOD's Holiness before HIS Godliness our inheritance when we become One in Christ and Christ is One in us. But before getting there I want to look at what Pastor Hoekstra has to say about Christ and Grace. Then with the use of the ESV translation I will move on and as is my usual custom should the LORD give me utterance I will break in and share it wherever and when even HE does so.
"Jesus Christ, Our Only Foundation"
"According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1Corinthians 3:10-11)
"Another wonderful blessing in Christ is the foundation that He provides for all who live by (meaning in) His Grace. As with buildings, lives also need solid foundations. Our foundation is in the person, Jesus Christ. "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." By the Grace of GOD enabling Him, Paul ministered the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "According to the Grace of GOD which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation." In doing this, he was laying the only reliable spiritual ground for living as GOD intended. So many people attempt to lay other foundations for their lives. Some turn to earthly riches. Others hope in human wisdom. Others put their confidence in personal power and influence. Such vain pursuits are like attempting to construct a building upon shifting, sinking sand.
Our lives need to be built on bedrock as our foundation. It has always been the Father's purpose to provide such for His people. David experienced this through his pilgrimage, as he trusted in the Lord. "From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). In the most extreme situations on earth, when circumstances were overwhelming him, David cried out to His God. He looked to the LORD to be to him a rock upon which he could stand above the rolling waves of impossibility. "He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved" (Psalm 62:6). David stood on the LORD alone as his solid spiritual ground. Standing by faith he would not be destroyed.
Of course, the ultimate expression of GOD being the Bedrock to His people would be in the coming of the Son of GOD to earth as a man. This great plan the LORD promised through Isaiah. "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily" (Isaiah 28:16). Jesus is that proven, priceless, and secure foundation. Now, all who stand in Him by faith will not be driven about frantically, searching for solid ground on which to plant their feet."
Holiness, GOD's Holiness:
The first one is found in Moses' song found in Exodus 15,
Exodus 15:2-18 The LORD is my strength and my song, and HE has become my salvation; this is my GOD, and I will praise Him, my father's GOD, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name. "Pharaoh's chariots and his host HE cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of Your majesty You overthrow Your adversaries; You send out Your fury; it consumes them like stubble. At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.' You blew with Your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in Holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them. "You have led in Your steadfast Love the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them by Your strength to Your holy abode. The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fell upon them; because of the greatness of Your arm, they are still as a stone, till Your people, O LORD, pass by, till the people pass by whom You have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them on Your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your abode, the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. The LORD will reign forever and ever."
1Samuel 6:19-21 "HE struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the LORD. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great blow. Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this Holy GOD? And to whom shall HE go up away from us?" So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you."
Psalm 99:6-9 "Moses and Aaron were among His priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon His name. They called to the LORD, and HE answered them. In the pillar of the cloud HE spoke to them; they kept His testimonies and the statute that HE gave them. O LORD our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy mountain; for the LORD our God is Holy!"
Isaiah 6:1-5 and Ezekiel 39:7, Habakkuk 1:13, Revelation 4:8 "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two HE covered His face, and with two HE covered His feet, and with two HE flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him Who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts!"
Ezekiel 39:7-8 "My Holy name I Will make known in the midst of My people Israel, and I Will not let My Holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is coming and it will be brought about, declares the LORD GOD. That is the day of which I have spoken."
Habakkuk 1:12-17 :Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have ordained them as a judgment, and You, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You Who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do You idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?"
Revelation 4:1-11 "After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne. And HE who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven Spirits of GOD, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD GOD the Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are You, our LORD and GOD, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your Will they existed and were created."
Revelation 15:2-4 "I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of GOD in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are Your deeds, O LORD GOD the Almighty! Just and True are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O LORD, and glorify Your name? For You alone are Holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your Righteous acts have been revealed."
"Jesus Christ, Our Only Foundation"
"According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1Corinthians 3:10-11)
"Another wonderful blessing in Christ is the foundation that He provides for all who live by (meaning in) His Grace. As with buildings, lives also need solid foundations. Our foundation is in the person, Jesus Christ. "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." By the Grace of GOD enabling Him, Paul ministered the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "According to the Grace of GOD which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation." In doing this, he was laying the only reliable spiritual ground for living as GOD intended. So many people attempt to lay other foundations for their lives. Some turn to earthly riches. Others hope in human wisdom. Others put their confidence in personal power and influence. Such vain pursuits are like attempting to construct a building upon shifting, sinking sand.
Our lives need to be built on bedrock as our foundation. It has always been the Father's purpose to provide such for His people. David experienced this through his pilgrimage, as he trusted in the Lord. "From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). In the most extreme situations on earth, when circumstances were overwhelming him, David cried out to His God. He looked to the LORD to be to him a rock upon which he could stand above the rolling waves of impossibility. "He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved" (Psalm 62:6). David stood on the LORD alone as his solid spiritual ground. Standing by faith he would not be destroyed.
Of course, the ultimate expression of GOD being the Bedrock to His people would be in the coming of the Son of GOD to earth as a man. This great plan the LORD promised through Isaiah. "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily" (Isaiah 28:16). Jesus is that proven, priceless, and secure foundation. Now, all who stand in Him by faith will not be driven about frantically, searching for solid ground on which to plant their feet."
Holiness, GOD's Holiness:
The first one is found in Moses' song found in Exodus 15,
Exodus 15:2-18 The LORD is my strength and my song, and HE has become my salvation; this is my GOD, and I will praise Him, my father's GOD, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is His name. "Pharaoh's chariots and his host HE cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of Your majesty You overthrow Your adversaries; You send out Your fury; it consumes them like stubble. At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.' You blew with Your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. "Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in Holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them. "You have led in Your steadfast Love the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them by Your strength to Your holy abode. The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia. Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fell upon them; because of the greatness of Your arm, they are still as a stone, till Your people, O LORD, pass by, till the people pass by whom You have purchased. You will bring them in and plant them on Your own mountain, the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your abode, the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands have established. The LORD will reign forever and ever."
1Samuel 6:19-21 "HE struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the LORD. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great blow. Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this Holy GOD? And to whom shall HE go up away from us?" So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you."
Psalm 99:6-9 "Moses and Aaron were among His priests, Samuel also was among those who called upon His name. They called to the LORD, and HE answered them. In the pillar of the cloud HE spoke to them; they kept His testimonies and the statute that HE gave them. O LORD our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy mountain; for the LORD our God is Holy!"
Isaiah 6:1-5 and Ezekiel 39:7, Habakkuk 1:13, Revelation 4:8 "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two HE covered His face, and with two HE covered His feet, and with two HE flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him Who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts!"
Ezekiel 39:7-8 "My Holy name I Will make known in the midst of My people Israel, and I Will not let My Holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is coming and it will be brought about, declares the LORD GOD. That is the day of which I have spoken."
Habakkuk 1:12-17 :Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have ordained them as a judgment, and You, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You Who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do You idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his dragnet; for by them he lives in luxury, and his food is rich. Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever?"
Revelation 4:1-11 "After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne. And HE who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven Spirits of GOD, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD GOD the Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are You, our LORD and GOD, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your Will they existed and were created."
Revelation 15:2-4 "I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of GOD in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are Your deeds, O LORD GOD the Almighty! Just and True are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O LORD, and glorify Your name? For You alone are Holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your Righteous acts have been revealed."
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (the Righteous are Saints before GOD)
Yesterday we saw that GOD has commanded, by enjoining us, that we all acquire HIS Righteousness and Holiness and that this is done by our actually doing HIS Will not in word only but by revelation of the secret things. These secret things where written in the scroll of the book that a few of HIS Prophets were directed to eat, as was the case with Daniel. Now for Pastor Hoeksstra's writing on Grace. And then I will look at our Sanctification again to acquire the rest of the story with the use of the ESV translation. And as is my usual custom should the LORD give me additional insight I will edit the location and add it.
"Jesus Christ, Our Great High Priest"
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)
"Jesus as our High Priest is one of the magnificent Truths that matures us in the Faith and draws us more Intimacy with Him. When we see the greatness of Jesus in this office, our steadfastness is strengthened. "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of GOD, let us hold fast our confession." Jesus was completely successful in His mission of Redemption. He came and died as the Sacrifice for our sins. He rose victorious over sin and death. He Ascended to the heaven of heavens, seated in Authority at the right hand of the Father. Knowing this, we have great cause to remain steadfast in our confession of hope in Him.
Furthermore, our great High Priest is not aloof from our needs or impervious to our frailties. "For we do not have a High Priest Who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses." The enemy of our souls threw all of his tempting devices at Jesus. He faced what we face, so He understands our battles in a very personal manner. Another matter of even greater significance is that He never yielded to the tempters attacks: "yet without sin." Thus, He not only understands our plight, but He can also provide victory.
We are hereby given reason to approach GOD, through our great High Priest, without hesitation or apprehension to find the help we need. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find (even more) Grace to help in time of need." Our GOD rules this universe from a throne characterized by Grace. This Grace can only be properly known by those who live under His New Covenant of Grace. This Grace is sufficient to Justify and to Sanctify all who humbly trust the (speaking of His humanity) Lord Who is now LORD. The Grace offered here is not for initial Salvation. Rather, it is for rescuing the Redeemed when they are aware of their inadequacy. We are invited to draw near, approach our GOD in an Intimate fashion, and partake of His fullness in light of our emptiness." The ascended LORD as Christ, the anointed one. When we receive Him as Jesus in the revelation of His resurrection, as the bright and morning star of Peter, arises within our circumcised heart we become One with Him. Christ being the Light, Love Life, law and Living word of GOD. We see this in the first verse of the first passage shared below in John 17:6 and following.
Sanctified Ones:
John 17:6-19 (Jesus is speaking) "I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in Truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given Me, that they may be One, even as We are One (Deuteronomy 6:4). While I was with them, I kept them in Your name, which You have given Me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the Truth; Your word is Truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified in Truth."
Acts 20:25-35 "Now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole (Will) counsel of GOD. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the Church (Family) of GOD, which HE obtained with His own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to GOD and to the word of His Grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are Sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
1Corinthians 1:1-3 "Paul, called by the Will of GOD to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the Church (Family) of GOD that is in Corinth, to those Sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their LORD and ours: Grace to you and peace from GOD our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
1Corinthians 6:9-11 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of GOD? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of GOD. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were Sanctified, you were Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our GOD."
Ephesians 5:25-33 "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church (Family) and gave Himself up for her, that He might Sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that HE might present the Church (Family members) to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the (Family His) Church, because we are members of His Body (the Church). "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church (His Family as a Body of many members of One). However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
Hebrews 2:10-13 "For it was fitting that HE, for Whom and by Whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For HE Who Sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why HE is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, "I will tell of Your name to My brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise." And again, "I will put My trust in Him." And again, "Behold, I and the children GOD has given Me."
Jud 1-3 "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in GOD the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."
"Jesus Christ, Our Great High Priest"
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)
"Jesus as our High Priest is one of the magnificent Truths that matures us in the Faith and draws us more Intimacy with Him. When we see the greatness of Jesus in this office, our steadfastness is strengthened. "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of GOD, let us hold fast our confession." Jesus was completely successful in His mission of Redemption. He came and died as the Sacrifice for our sins. He rose victorious over sin and death. He Ascended to the heaven of heavens, seated in Authority at the right hand of the Father. Knowing this, we have great cause to remain steadfast in our confession of hope in Him.
Furthermore, our great High Priest is not aloof from our needs or impervious to our frailties. "For we do not have a High Priest Who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses." The enemy of our souls threw all of his tempting devices at Jesus. He faced what we face, so He understands our battles in a very personal manner. Another matter of even greater significance is that He never yielded to the tempters attacks: "yet without sin." Thus, He not only understands our plight, but He can also provide victory.
We are hereby given reason to approach GOD, through our great High Priest, without hesitation or apprehension to find the help we need. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find (even more) Grace to help in time of need." Our GOD rules this universe from a throne characterized by Grace. This Grace can only be properly known by those who live under His New Covenant of Grace. This Grace is sufficient to Justify and to Sanctify all who humbly trust the (speaking of His humanity) Lord Who is now LORD. The Grace offered here is not for initial Salvation. Rather, it is for rescuing the Redeemed when they are aware of their inadequacy. We are invited to draw near, approach our GOD in an Intimate fashion, and partake of His fullness in light of our emptiness." The ascended LORD as Christ, the anointed one. When we receive Him as Jesus in the revelation of His resurrection, as the bright and morning star of Peter, arises within our circumcised heart we become One with Him. Christ being the Light, Love Life, law and Living word of GOD. We see this in the first verse of the first passage shared below in John 17:6 and following.
Sanctified Ones:
John 17:6-19 (Jesus is speaking) "I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in Truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given Me, that they may be One, even as We are One (Deuteronomy 6:4). While I was with them, I kept them in Your name, which You have given Me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the Truth; Your word is Truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified in Truth."
Acts 20:25-35 "Now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole (Will) counsel of GOD. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the Church (Family) of GOD, which HE obtained with His own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to GOD and to the word of His Grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are Sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
1Corinthians 1:1-3 "Paul, called by the Will of GOD to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the Church (Family) of GOD that is in Corinth, to those Sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their LORD and ours: Grace to you and peace from GOD our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
1Corinthians 6:9-11 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of GOD? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of GOD. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were Sanctified, you were Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our GOD."
Ephesians 5:25-33 "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church (Family) and gave Himself up for her, that He might Sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that HE might present the Church (Family members) to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the (Family His) Church, because we are members of His Body (the Church). "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church (His Family as a Body of many members of One). However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
Hebrews 2:10-13 "For it was fitting that HE, for Whom and by Whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For HE Who Sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why HE is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, "I will tell of Your name to My brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise." And again, "I will put My trust in Him." And again, "Behold, I and the children GOD has given Me."
Jud 1-3 "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in GOD the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."
Monday, April 4, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (the Righteous are Saints before GOD)
I have established that we are indeed Sanctified by GOD Himself by the circumcision of heart and the Eternal Blood of Jesus, the Sanctifying and Living word. Which also makes us His Righteousness but I am not finished with this subject as yet. But before continuing I will look to Pastor Hoekstra's writing on Grace. And then dig into Sanctification again today using the ESV translation. And is my habit should the LORD give me more utterance I will break in and share it when it happens.
"Proclaiming Christ for Maturity in Christ"
"Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." (Colossians 1:28)
"Spiritual Maturity is one of the heavenly blessings that is ours "in Christ Jesus." Our heavenly Father desires that all of His children develop in this blessing of maturity: "that we may present every man perfect [mature] in Christ Jesus." As GOD's people are being built up, the goal is that "we all come... to a perfect [mature] man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children... but... may grow up in all things into Him Who is the Head — Christ" (Ephesians 4:13-15). Jesus is our standard of spiritual maturity. The LORD wants us to be maturing into the likeness of the character of Christ.
For the saints to mature in Christ requires the proclamation of Christ. "Him we preach... that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." Truth about the Lord Jesus Christ is the message that matures the people of GOD: "Him we preach." We need to know Who the LORD is, what He has done, and what He wants to do in our lives, that we might trust in Him as our source and resource: "from Whom the whole Body" (Ephesians 4:16).
The scriptures abound with many beautiful Revelations of such Truths about Jesus. He is the Son of GOD, Divine. "And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of GOD" (John 1:34). He is the Son of Man, Immanuel, GOD coming as man. "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head... Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel... GOD with us" (Matthew 8:20; 1:23). He is the lamb of GOD. "Behold! The Lamb of GOD Who takes away the sin of the world! " (John 1:29). Who is this GOD? HE is EL and in many places and times HE is ELOHIM, YHWH, and as LORD, HE is Adonai, our Master YEH.
This Jesus is our Mediator, bringing us the New Covenant of Grace. "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the New Covenant" (Hebrews 9:15). He is our Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, supplying all we need from start to finish. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:13). He is our "All in all." "Christ is All and in all" (Colossians 3:11).
Such Truths about Jesus are the ultimate message to mature the saints."
Sanctification Enjoined:
Exodus 19:16-25 "On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet GOD, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and GOD answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them." And Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You Yourself warned us, saying, 'Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.'" And the LORD said to him, "Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest HE break out against them." So Moses went down to the people and told them."
Leviticus 20:20-26 "If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless. "You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. But I have said to you, 'You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.' I am the LORD your GOD, Who has separated you from all the peoples. You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am Holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine."
Numbers 11:16-23 "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Gather for Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. And say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, "Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the LORD Who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, "Why did we come out of Egypt?"'" But Moses said, "The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, 'I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!' Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?" And the LORD said to Moses, "Is the LORD's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not."
Joshua 3:5-13 "Then Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you." And Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. The LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, 'When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'" And Joshua said to the people of Israel, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your GOD." And Joshua said, "Here is how you shall know that the Living GOD is among you and that HE will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap."
1Samuel 16:1-5 "The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for Myself a king among his sons." And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for Me him whom I declare to you." Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, "Do you come peaceably?" And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice."
2Chronicles 29:3-11 "In the first year of Hezekiah's reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and said to them, "Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the LORD our GOD. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the LORD came on Judah and Jerusalem, and HE has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, in order that His fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in His presence, to minister to Him and to be His ministers and make offerings to Him."
1Thessalonians 4:1-8 "Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please GOD, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the Will of GOD, your Sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know GOD; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the LORD is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For GOD has not called us for impurity, but in Holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but GOD, Who gives His Holy Spirit to you."
1Thessalonians 5:23-24 "Now may the GOD of Peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He Who calls you is faithful; HE Will surely do it."
"Proclaiming Christ for Maturity in Christ"
"Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." (Colossians 1:28)
"Spiritual Maturity is one of the heavenly blessings that is ours "in Christ Jesus." Our heavenly Father desires that all of His children develop in this blessing of maturity: "that we may present every man perfect [mature] in Christ Jesus." As GOD's people are being built up, the goal is that "we all come... to a perfect [mature] man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children... but... may grow up in all things into Him Who is the Head — Christ" (Ephesians 4:13-15). Jesus is our standard of spiritual maturity. The LORD wants us to be maturing into the likeness of the character of Christ.
For the saints to mature in Christ requires the proclamation of Christ. "Him we preach... that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus." Truth about the Lord Jesus Christ is the message that matures the people of GOD: "Him we preach." We need to know Who the LORD is, what He has done, and what He wants to do in our lives, that we might trust in Him as our source and resource: "from Whom the whole Body" (Ephesians 4:16).
The scriptures abound with many beautiful Revelations of such Truths about Jesus. He is the Son of GOD, Divine. "And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of GOD" (John 1:34). He is the Son of Man, Immanuel, GOD coming as man. "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head... Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel... GOD with us" (Matthew 8:20; 1:23). He is the lamb of GOD. "Behold! The Lamb of GOD Who takes away the sin of the world! " (John 1:29). Who is this GOD? HE is EL and in many places and times HE is ELOHIM, YHWH, and as LORD, HE is Adonai, our Master YEH.
This Jesus is our Mediator, bringing us the New Covenant of Grace. "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the New Covenant" (Hebrews 9:15). He is our Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, supplying all we need from start to finish. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:13). He is our "All in all." "Christ is All and in all" (Colossians 3:11).
Such Truths about Jesus are the ultimate message to mature the saints."
Sanctification Enjoined:
Exodus 19:16-25 "On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet GOD, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and GOD answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them." And Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You Yourself warned us, saying, 'Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.'" And the LORD said to him, "Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest HE break out against them." So Moses went down to the people and told them."
Leviticus 20:20-26 "If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless. "You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. But I have said to you, 'You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.' I am the LORD your GOD, Who has separated you from all the peoples. You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am Holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine."
Numbers 11:16-23 "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Gather for Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. And say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, "Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the LORD Who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, "Why did we come out of Egypt?"'" But Moses said, "The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, 'I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!' Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?" And the LORD said to Moses, "Is the LORD's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not."
Joshua 3:5-13 "Then Joshua said to the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you." And Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. The LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, 'When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'" And Joshua said to the people of Israel, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your GOD." And Joshua said, "Here is how you shall know that the Living GOD is among you and that HE will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap."
1Samuel 16:1-5 "The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for Myself a king among his sons." And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for Me him whom I declare to you." Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, "Do you come peaceably?" And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice."
2Chronicles 29:3-11 "In the first year of Hezekiah's reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and said to them, "Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the LORD our GOD. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the LORD came on Judah and Jerusalem, and HE has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, in order that His fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand in His presence, to minister to Him and to be His ministers and make offerings to Him."
1Thessalonians 4:1-8 "Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please GOD, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the Will of GOD, your Sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know GOD; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the LORD is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For GOD has not called us for impurity, but in Holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but GOD, Who gives His Holy Spirit to you."
1Thessalonians 5:23-24 "Now may the GOD of Peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He Who calls you is faithful; HE Will surely do it."
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (the Righteous are Saints before GOD)
I have been dealing with what and who a Saint is, that I over looked the one most important requirement of them all, our Sanctification. So today I want to look at just how it is secured as the prerequisite for all that is Promised to be secured. But first Pastor Hoekstra'a writing on Grace and then I will look into our Sanctification. And as has become my habit I will make use of the ESV translation and also any inspiration will be added where and when the LORD speaks to me.
"God Enlightening Us about Our Spiritual Resources"
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ... the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling." (Ephesians 1:3, 18)
"We have seen that all the Grace resources GOD has for us to live by here on earth are already ours "in Christ." Now, our need is to have these comprehensive Spiritual Treasures Revealed to us by the LORD Himself: "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling." In order to draw upon these heavenly divine provisions, we need the LORD to enlighten our understanding concerning what is ours in Christ Jesus. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of (natural, worldly, earthy) man the things which GOD has prepared for those who love Him. But GOD has revealed them to us through His Spirit" (1Corinthians 2:9-10). As the Holy Spirit uses the word of GOD to reveal these matters to us, our faith develops so we might access them by faith. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
The scriptures teach us to pray for such spiritual enlightenment. "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law" (Psalms 119:18). In the word of GOD, we are told of the wonderful things that GOD has for His people. This things are in open language but remain hidden from sight until we have received of Him our Sanctification (a circumcised heart), at which point all things become New, even our sight and hearing. If we prayerfully seek the LORD concerning His insight into these blessings, the LORD Will Enlighten us. His willingness to respond is evident in His word. "Call to Me, and I Will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).
The LORD GOD delights to give heavenly Spiritual Insight to the humble of heart, a Sanctified (circumcised) heart, not to those who trust in their own wisdom and prudence or even worldly piety. "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, 'I praise You, Father, LORD of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes'" (Luke 10:21). This picture of a little one humbly trusting in the Heavenly Father to reveal His ways fits perfectly GOD's pattern for living by Grace: humility and faith. What GOD has given us in Christ are His Grace resources. It takes Grace at work through faith's reveiving for us to even see what is ours in Him. Therefore GOD gives Grace to the humble (James 4:6), and faith accesses Grace (Romans 5:2)."
Sanctification,
How it is Secured,
John 17:6-19 and Romans 15:16 (Jesus is speaking His LORD's prayer) "I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept (received inwardly, as in absorbed) Your word. Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in Truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine (Deuteronomy 6:4), and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are One (Deuteronomy 6:4 again stressing it's importance for clarity and understanding). While I was with them, I kept them in Your name, which You have given Me (the Living Word, the law, the Messiah that is Christ, the anointed One). I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the Truth; Your word is Truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified in Truth."
Romans 15:14-21 "I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the Grace given me by GOD to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the Gospel of GOD, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, Sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 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, 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; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of Him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."
1Corinthians 1:26-31 and 6:11 "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But GOD chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; GOD chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; GOD chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of GOD. And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us Wisdom from GOD, Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the LORD."
1Corinthians 6:9-11 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of GOD? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of GOD. And such were some of you. But you were Washed, you were Sanctified, you were Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our GOD."
Ephesians 5:25-33 "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved His Church (the assembly of those having One mind, One LORD, One Head, One GOD and Father as seen in Genesis 2:1-3) and gave Himself up for her, that HE might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that HE might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does His Church, because we are members of His Body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and His Church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
2Timothy 2:20-26 and Hebrews 10:10 "Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as Holy, useful to the Master of His House, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the LORD from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the LORD's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. GOD may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a Knowledge of the Truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will."
Hebrews 10:1-10 "For since the Law (as seen in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy as given to a rebellious people therefore keeping them corralled) has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near (under the penalty of this Law). Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, "Sacrifices and offerings YOU have not desired, but a Body have YOU prepared for Me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings YOU have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do Your Will, O GOD, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book.'" When He said above, "YOU have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the Law), then He added, "Behold, I have come to do Your Will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that Will we have been Sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Hebrews 13:7-16 "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange (pious religious sounding) teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by Grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent (old Temple) have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to Sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach HE endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come (the true Zion). Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to GOD, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge HIS name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to GOD."
1Peter 1:1-2, 13-16 "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of GOD the Father, in the Sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with His blood: May Grace and Peace be multiplied to you........Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the Grace that will be brought to you at the Revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as HE Who called you is Holy, you also be Holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be Holy, for I am Holy."
"God Enlightening Us about Our Spiritual Resources"
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ... the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling." (Ephesians 1:3, 18)
"We have seen that all the Grace resources GOD has for us to live by here on earth are already ours "in Christ." Now, our need is to have these comprehensive Spiritual Treasures Revealed to us by the LORD Himself: "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling." In order to draw upon these heavenly divine provisions, we need the LORD to enlighten our understanding concerning what is ours in Christ Jesus. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of (natural, worldly, earthy) man the things which GOD has prepared for those who love Him. But GOD has revealed them to us through His Spirit" (1Corinthians 2:9-10). As the Holy Spirit uses the word of GOD to reveal these matters to us, our faith develops so we might access them by faith. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
The scriptures teach us to pray for such spiritual enlightenment. "Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law" (Psalms 119:18). In the word of GOD, we are told of the wonderful things that GOD has for His people. This things are in open language but remain hidden from sight until we have received of Him our Sanctification (a circumcised heart), at which point all things become New, even our sight and hearing. If we prayerfully seek the LORD concerning His insight into these blessings, the LORD Will Enlighten us. His willingness to respond is evident in His word. "Call to Me, and I Will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).
The LORD GOD delights to give heavenly Spiritual Insight to the humble of heart, a Sanctified (circumcised) heart, not to those who trust in their own wisdom and prudence or even worldly piety. "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, 'I praise You, Father, LORD of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes'" (Luke 10:21). This picture of a little one humbly trusting in the Heavenly Father to reveal His ways fits perfectly GOD's pattern for living by Grace: humility and faith. What GOD has given us in Christ are His Grace resources. It takes Grace at work through faith's reveiving for us to even see what is ours in Him. Therefore GOD gives Grace to the humble (James 4:6), and faith accesses Grace (Romans 5:2)."
Sanctification,
How it is Secured,
John 17:6-19 and Romans 15:16 (Jesus is speaking His LORD's prayer) "I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept (received inwardly, as in absorbed) Your word. Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in Truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine (Deuteronomy 6:4), and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are One (Deuteronomy 6:4 again stressing it's importance for clarity and understanding). While I was with them, I kept them in Your name, which You have given Me (the Living Word, the law, the Messiah that is Christ, the anointed One). I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the Truth; Your word is Truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified in Truth."
Romans 15:14-21 "I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the Grace given me by GOD to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the Gospel of GOD, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, Sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 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, 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; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of Him will see, and those who have never heard will understand."
1Corinthians 1:26-31 and 6:11 "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But GOD chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; GOD chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; GOD chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of GOD. And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us Wisdom from GOD, Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the LORD."
1Corinthians 6:9-11 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of GOD? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of GOD. And such were some of you. But you were Washed, you were Sanctified, you were Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our GOD."
Ephesians 5:25-33 "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved His Church (the assembly of those having One mind, One LORD, One Head, One GOD and Father as seen in Genesis 2:1-3) and gave Himself up for her, that HE might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that HE might present the Church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does His Church, because we are members of His Body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and His Church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
2Timothy 2:20-26 and Hebrews 10:10 "Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as Holy, useful to the Master of His House, ready for every good work. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the LORD from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the LORD's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. GOD may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a Knowledge of the Truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will."
Hebrews 10:1-10 "For since the Law (as seen in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy as given to a rebellious people therefore keeping them corralled) has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near (under the penalty of this Law). Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, He said, "Sacrifices and offerings YOU have not desired, but a Body have YOU prepared for Me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings YOU have taken no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do Your Will, O GOD, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book.'" When He said above, "YOU have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the Law), then He added, "Behold, I have come to do Your Will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that Will we have been Sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Hebrews 13:7-16 "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange (pious religious sounding) teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by Grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent (old Temple) have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to Sanctify the people through His own blood. Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach HE endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come (the true Zion). Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to GOD, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge HIS name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to GOD."
1Peter 1:1-2, 13-16 "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of GOD the Father, in the Sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with His blood: May Grace and Peace be multiplied to you........Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the Grace that will be brought to you at the Revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as HE Who called you is Holy, you also be Holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be Holy, for I am Holy."
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (the Righteous are Saints before GOD)
I am still looking at Saints and Righteousness and how they marry up. Today I will look at GODS Righteousness because when we have become One with HIM we acquire all that HE is, as One being. But first for the writing of Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on Grace and how all that I have been sharing come together in the LORD Christ our anointing. I will as usual use the ESV translation and as the LORD leads edit where and when HE gives me utterance.
"Every Spiritual Blessing Ours in Christ"
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)
"Living day by day by Grace is essentially about developing an Intimate Relationship with the LORD. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." We have considered in part some of the radical extent of this Intimacy through the intriguing phrase "in Christ." "You also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, even to Him Who was raised from the dead" (Romans 7:4). Through this profound uniting with Christ, astounding spiritual riches are now ours.
This is why Paul offered grateful praise to the ascended Lord: "Blessed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul's thanksgiving was for what the Father has given to us: "Who has blessed us." Notice, the verb is in the past tense — this has already happened. What is it that has already been given to us? It is "every Spiritual Blessing in the heavenly places." Think of it. This truth is staggering in its implications. Every Grace resource that heaven has to offer is already ours here on earth, in the present NOW of the "I AM". This does not mean that we are fully aware of all that has been given to us. Certainly, it does not mean that we are experiencing all of these Promised Blessings. Yet, it does mean that they are all ours to draw upon for fullness of life here on earth!
The reason these rich blessings are ours is that they all reside in Christ. In Christ is Forgiveness, Righteousness, and Wisdom. Also, love, joy, and peace are found in Him. In Christ dwells victory, discernment, and courage. Moreover, compassion, strength, and perseverance are part of Who He is. All this and far more is found in Christ. "For it pleased the Father that in Him [in Christ] all the fullness should dwell" (Colossians 1:19). Now, we dwell in the place ("in Christ") where all of this richness resides: "Who has Blessed us with every Spiritual Blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." All these Spiritual Resources of the kingdom of heaven are now ours "in Christ." "And of His fullness we have all received, and Grace for [upon] Grace" in John 1:16."
Righteous of GOD or the GOD of all Righteousness:
Ezra 9:10-15 "Now, O our GOD, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land that You are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.' After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break Your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD, the God of Israel, You are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before You in our guilt, for none can stand before You because of this."
Psalm 48:9 and 65:5 "We have thought on Your steadfast Love, O God, in the midst of Your temple. As Your name, O GOD, so Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with Righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments! Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that You may tell the next generation that this is GOD, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever."
Psalm 65:5-8 "By awesome deeds You answer us with Righteousness, O GOD of our Salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one Who by His strength established the mountains, being girded with might; Who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at Your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy."
Psalm 97:1-6 "The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around Him; Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His Righteousness, and all the peoples see His Glory."
Tsadhe.
Psalm 119:137-144 "Righteous are You, O LORD, and right are Your rules. You have appointed Your testimonies in Righteousness and in all Faithfulness. My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget Your words. Your promise is well tried, and Your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget Your precepts. Your Righteousness is righteous forever, and Your law is true. Trouble and anguish have found me out, but Your commandments are my delight. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live."
Psalm 145:17-21 "The LORD is Righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear (worship and revere) Him; HE also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked HE will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless His Holy name forever and ever."
Jeremiah 23:5-6 and 1John 2:29 "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I Will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which He will be called: 'The LORD is our Righteousness.'
1John 2:28-29 "And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when HE appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that HE is Righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices Righteousness has been born of Him."
"Every Spiritual Blessing Ours in Christ"
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3)
"Living day by day by Grace is essentially about developing an Intimate Relationship with the LORD. "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." We have considered in part some of the radical extent of this Intimacy through the intriguing phrase "in Christ." "You also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another, even to Him Who was raised from the dead" (Romans 7:4). Through this profound uniting with Christ, astounding spiritual riches are now ours.
This is why Paul offered grateful praise to the ascended Lord: "Blessed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paul's thanksgiving was for what the Father has given to us: "Who has blessed us." Notice, the verb is in the past tense — this has already happened. What is it that has already been given to us? It is "every Spiritual Blessing in the heavenly places." Think of it. This truth is staggering in its implications. Every Grace resource that heaven has to offer is already ours here on earth, in the present NOW of the "I AM". This does not mean that we are fully aware of all that has been given to us. Certainly, it does not mean that we are experiencing all of these Promised Blessings. Yet, it does mean that they are all ours to draw upon for fullness of life here on earth!
The reason these rich blessings are ours is that they all reside in Christ. In Christ is Forgiveness, Righteousness, and Wisdom. Also, love, joy, and peace are found in Him. In Christ dwells victory, discernment, and courage. Moreover, compassion, strength, and perseverance are part of Who He is. All this and far more is found in Christ. "For it pleased the Father that in Him [in Christ] all the fullness should dwell" (Colossians 1:19). Now, we dwell in the place ("in Christ") where all of this richness resides: "Who has Blessed us with every Spiritual Blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." All these Spiritual Resources of the kingdom of heaven are now ours "in Christ." "And of His fullness we have all received, and Grace for [upon] Grace" in John 1:16."
Righteous of GOD or the GOD of all Righteousness:
Ezra 9:10-15 "Now, O our GOD, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments, which You commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, 'The land that You are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.' After all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that You, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, shall we break Your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? O LORD, the God of Israel, You are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before You in our guilt, for none can stand before You because of this."
Psalm 48:9 and 65:5 "We have thought on Your steadfast Love, O God, in the midst of Your temple. As Your name, O GOD, so Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with Righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments! Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that You may tell the next generation that this is GOD, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever."
Psalm 65:5-8 "By awesome deeds You answer us with Righteousness, O GOD of our Salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one Who by His strength established the mountains, being girded with might; Who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at Your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy."
Psalm 97:1-6 "The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around Him; Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His Righteousness, and all the peoples see His Glory."
Tsadhe.
Psalm 119:137-144 "Righteous are You, O LORD, and right are Your rules. You have appointed Your testimonies in Righteousness and in all Faithfulness. My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget Your words. Your promise is well tried, and Your servant loves it. I am small and despised, yet I do not forget Your precepts. Your Righteousness is righteous forever, and Your law is true. Trouble and anguish have found me out, but Your commandments are my delight. Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live."
Psalm 145:17-21 "The LORD is Righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear (worship and revere) Him; HE also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked HE will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless His Holy name forever and ever."
Jeremiah 23:5-6 and 1John 2:29 "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I Will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which He will be called: 'The LORD is our Righteousness.'
1John 2:28-29 "And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when HE appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that HE is Righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices Righteousness has been born of Him."
Friday, April 1, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (the Righteous are Saints before GOD)
Saints and Righteousness are what I have been looking into and will continue to with the Beneficent Influence of the Righteous, the seed of Righteousness is another phrase for it. What is the new thing belonging to a New Creation, who is in Christ? But first what does Pastor Hoekstra have to share on Grace? And then my targeted subject using the ESV translation. And as is my habit if the LORD gives insight into something I will edit what every area I am in at that moment.
"New Creatures in Christ"
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2Corinthians 5:17)
"Everyone who is "in Christ," through faith in His name, is a "New Creation." We are new people. We are no longer who we were before we put our trust in the Lord Jesus. We are not the old person reformed or improved; we are a "New Creation." Yes, we have the same body, but that is a mere tent (a temporary housing made of the elements of the earth upon which we live and) in which we dwell. "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from GOD, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2Corinthians 5:1). Some day in glory, we will trade this temporal, earthly tent for an eternal heavenly one. Meanwhile, though we live in the same old tent we had in Adam, we are new tenants, a "New Creation." We may have the same old physical brain, but we are learning to think an entirely new way. Our western things processes are being reprogrammed daily to give us clear perception of spiritual things, as we learn Christ in GOD and GOD in Christ in us. "We have the mind of Christ... be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2 and 1Corinthians 2:16). Christ lives in us, and His Spirit also dwells in us. His Spirit takes the word of GOD and unfolds the thinking of our LORD for us. As we embrace GOD's way of thinking more and more, we are transformed to walk in the newness that is ours in "in Christ."
In all the ways that matter before GOD, "old things have passed away; behold, all things have become New." The old guilt is replaced by new forgiveness and Righteousness leading to Holiness and true Godliness. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus... in whom we have... the forgiveness of sins" (Romans 8:1 and Colossians 1:14).
The old foolishness is replaced by Wisdom. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God... But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became for us Wisdom from God" (1Corinthians 3:19, 1:30). The old unrighteousness is replaced with His Righteousness. "All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags... For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the Righteousness of GOD in Him" (Isaiah 64:6 and 2Corinthians 5:21). The old hope of changing (self-help) is replaced by new hope of changing (sanctification, GOD changing us). "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength... You are in Christ Jesus, Who became for us... sanctification" (Jeremiah 17:5 and 1Corinthians 1:30). This is Grace upon grace."
Seed of Righteousness, Beneficent Influence of the Righteous:
Psalm 25:12-15 "Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will HE instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear (reverence and revere) Him, and HE makes known to them His Covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for HE will pluck my feet out of the net."
Psalm 37:23-26 "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when HE delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing."
Psalm 69:34-36 "Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For GOD Will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; the offspring of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His name shall dwell in it."
Psalm 102:23-28 "He has broken my strength in mid-course; He has shortened my days. "O my GOD," I say, "take me not away in the midst of my days— You whose years endure throughout all generations!" Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but You are the same, and Your years have no end. The children of Your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before You."
Psalm 112:1-6 "Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever."
Proverbs 11:20-25 "Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are His delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion. The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked in wrath. One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered."
Proverbs 14:23-35 "In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly. A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful. In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined. Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors Him. The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death. Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. A servant who deals wisely has the king's favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully."
Proverbs 20:1-9 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find? The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him! A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes. Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"? "
"New Creatures in Christ"
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2Corinthians 5:17)
"Everyone who is "in Christ," through faith in His name, is a "New Creation." We are new people. We are no longer who we were before we put our trust in the Lord Jesus. We are not the old person reformed or improved; we are a "New Creation." Yes, we have the same body, but that is a mere tent (a temporary housing made of the elements of the earth upon which we live and) in which we dwell. "For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from GOD, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2Corinthians 5:1). Some day in glory, we will trade this temporal, earthly tent for an eternal heavenly one. Meanwhile, though we live in the same old tent we had in Adam, we are new tenants, a "New Creation." We may have the same old physical brain, but we are learning to think an entirely new way. Our western things processes are being reprogrammed daily to give us clear perception of spiritual things, as we learn Christ in GOD and GOD in Christ in us. "We have the mind of Christ... be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2 and 1Corinthians 2:16). Christ lives in us, and His Spirit also dwells in us. His Spirit takes the word of GOD and unfolds the thinking of our LORD for us. As we embrace GOD's way of thinking more and more, we are transformed to walk in the newness that is ours in "in Christ."
In all the ways that matter before GOD, "old things have passed away; behold, all things have become New." The old guilt is replaced by new forgiveness and Righteousness leading to Holiness and true Godliness. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus... in whom we have... the forgiveness of sins" (Romans 8:1 and Colossians 1:14).
The old foolishness is replaced by Wisdom. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God... But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became for us Wisdom from God" (1Corinthians 3:19, 1:30). The old unrighteousness is replaced with His Righteousness. "All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags... For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the Righteousness of GOD in Him" (Isaiah 64:6 and 2Corinthians 5:21). The old hope of changing (self-help) is replaced by new hope of changing (sanctification, GOD changing us). "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength... You are in Christ Jesus, Who became for us... sanctification" (Jeremiah 17:5 and 1Corinthians 1:30). This is Grace upon grace."
Seed of Righteousness, Beneficent Influence of the Righteous:
Psalm 25:12-15 "Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will HE instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear (reverence and revere) Him, and HE makes known to them His Covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for HE will pluck my feet out of the net."
Psalm 37:23-26 "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when HE delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing."
Psalm 69:34-36 "Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For GOD Will save Zion and build up the cities of Judah, and people shall dwell there and possess it; the offspring of His servants shall inherit it, and those who love His name shall dwell in it."
Psalm 102:23-28 "He has broken my strength in mid-course; He has shortened my days. "O my GOD," I say, "take me not away in the midst of my days— You whose years endure throughout all generations!" Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but You are the same, and Your years have no end. The children of Your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before You."
Psalm 112:1-6 "Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever."
Proverbs 11:20-25 "Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are His delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion. The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked in wrath. One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered."
Proverbs 14:23-35 "In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly. A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful. In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. In a multitude of people is the glory of a king, but without people a prince is ruined. Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors Him. The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing, but the righteous finds refuge in his death. Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. A servant who deals wisely has the king's favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully."
Proverbs 20:1-9 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find? The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him! A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes. Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"? "
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