Today I will broaden our targeted passage but not by much, so here it is, 1Corinthians 2:6-13, 14-16 which states this in the ESV, our target is verse 14, "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of GOD, which GOD decreed before the (Genesis 1) ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the LORD of glory. For, as it is written (by Isaiah in 64:4, 65:17), "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him"— these things GOD has revealed to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of GOD. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit [be it evil or redeemed to goodness in righteousness] of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of GOD except the Spirit of GOD. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, again, but the Spirit Who is from GOD, that we might understand the things freely given us by GOD. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
For the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of GOD, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. "For who has understood the mind of the LORD so as to instruct Him?" But [For] we have the mind of Christ." Over the past few days we have intensely looked at ignorance which carries the curse of Deuteronomy 18:15-22 and more of verses 18 and 19. Verse 14 speaks of the carnally minded (in the phrase the natural) person which is the beginning point for all. So I will undertake the looking into carnal mind, evil thoughts, evil imagination, grossness and then the spiritual mind.
Carnal Mind, by some general references,
Romans 1:18-23, 24-25, 26-27, 28-32, 2:1-11 "For the wrath of GOD is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about GOD is plain to them, because GOD has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew GOD, they did not honor Him as GOD or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal GOD for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Therefore GOD gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about GOD for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason GOD gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge GOD, GOD gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know GOD's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of GOD rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of GOD? Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that GOD's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when GOD's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, HE will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For GOD shows no partiality."
Romans 7:14-25, 8:1-8 "For we know that the [new covenant of grace or] law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the [old covenant of] Law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin [slavery] that dwells within me. So I find it to be a [principle of sin as a] law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the [new covenant of grace as a new] law of GOD, in my inner being, but I see in my members another [the new covenant of grace as a] law waging war against the law [the old now defunct covenant of] of my mind and making me captive [a slave] to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to GOD through Jesus Christ our LORD! So then, I myself serve the [new covenant of grace as a] law of GOD with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the [old now defunct covenant of] law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the [former] Law of [condemnation attached to] sin and death. For GOD has done what that Law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of that Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to His Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things [outward things] of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the [inward] things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to GOD, for it does not submit to GOD's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
Ephesians 4:17-24 with Colossians 1:21 "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. For 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. Having become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. For that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about Him and are being taught by Him, as the truth [which resides] in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, by being 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."
Colossians 1:19-20, 21-23 "For In Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.
And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, HE has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister."
Titus 1:10-16 "For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; for both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work."
Saturday, December 9, 2017
Friday, December 8, 2017
The Secrets and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 10b x3
Studying GOD's word does us no good if it is not applied to our daily life as applied by the Lord Jesus and later Paul and the disciples. Today there are many terms being bantered around and used to be forcibly applied to those who call themselves conservationists by what the Bible in Revelation chapters 2-3 calls preservationists of all that GOD deems evil and wickedness of man. For the past few days I have looked into the willful ignorance of man, today it will be the willful ignorance of GOD and then that of Christ as the unknown factor. Sometime back we looked into the warning of Deuteronomy 18:16-19, keep it in mind as we move through this that follows.
Ignorance of GOD, man's,
Job 2:9-10 "Then his wife said to Job, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Will we receive good from God, and will we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips."
Jeremiah 4:19-22 "My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment. How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? "For My people are foolish; they know Me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are 'wise'—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not."
Jeremiah 8:1-3, 4-7 with 9:3 "At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be brought out of their tombs. And they will be spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which they have gone after, and which they have sought and worshiped. And they will not be gathered or buried. They will be as dung on the surface of the ground. Death shall be preferred to life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family in all the places where I have driven them, declares the LORD of hosts.
"You will say to them, Thus says the LORD: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, 'What have I done?' Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but My people know not the rules of the LORD."
Jeremiah 9:1-6 "Oh that My head were waters, and My eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of My people! Oh that I had in the desert a travelers' lodging place, that I might leave My people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me, declares the LORD. Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know Me, declares the LORD."
John 15:18-25, 26-27 (Jesus is speaking) "If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, for I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they keep My word, they will also keep yours. For all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him Who sent Me.If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. For the word that is written in their Law (Psalm 35:19, 69:4) must be fulfilled: 'They hated Me without a cause.'
"For when the Helper comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, Who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."
John 16:1-4 (Jesus is speaking a warning) "I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me. For I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you."
Acts 17:22-31 with 2Timothy 3:7 "Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God Who made the world and everything in it, being LORD of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is HE served by human hands, as though HE needed anything, since HE Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And HE made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek GOD, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet HE is actually not far from each one of us, for "'In Him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed His offspring.' Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now HE commands all people everywhere to repent, because HE has fixed a day on which HE will judge the world in righteousness by a man Whom HE has appointed; and of this HE has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead."
2Timothy 3:1-9 "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. For they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men."
Man's Ignorance Concerning Christ, Christ unknown,
John 1:9-13, 26 "The true light, which gives light to everyone, was come into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did [does] not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
John 1:24-28 "(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked John, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing."
John 4:7-14 "A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
John 8:12-20 "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows [falls in line with] Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." So the Pharisees said to Him, "You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true." Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh [external and physical things, by this means]; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, My judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father Who sent Me. In your Law (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15) it is written that the testimony of two people is [valid and admissible] true. I am the one who bears witness about Myself, and the Father Who sent Me bears witness about Me." (Deuteronomy 18:18-19) They said to Him therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also." These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; but no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come."
John 9:24-34 "So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?" And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, for if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out."
John 14:8-14, 16:3 "Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father Who dwells [is the Christ] in Me, does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."
John 16:1-4 (Jesus is speaking) "I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19) For I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you."
Acts 13:26-41 with 1John 3:6 "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear [reverence, with reverential obedience] GOD, to us has been sent the message of His salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize Him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him. And though they found in Him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him [Matthew 27:51b-54] from the dead, and for many days He appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised (Psalm 2:7) to the fathers, this HE has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, "'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.' And as for the fact that HE raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption (Isaiah 55:3), He has spoken in this way, "'I will give You the holy and sure blessings of David.' Therefore He says also in another Psalm (Psalm 16:10), "'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.' For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, (1Kings 2:10) but He Whom GOD raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the Law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets (Habakkuk 1:5) should come about: "'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'"
1John 3:4-10 "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins, for in Him there is no sin. No one who abides In Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for GOD's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of GOD. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."
Ignorance of GOD, man's,
Job 2:9-10 "Then his wife said to Job, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die." But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Will we receive good from God, and will we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips."
Jeremiah 4:19-22 "My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment. How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? "For My people are foolish; they know Me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are 'wise'—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not."
Jeremiah 8:1-3, 4-7 with 9:3 "At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be brought out of their tombs. And they will be spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which they have gone after, and which they have sought and worshiped. And they will not be gathered or buried. They will be as dung on the surface of the ground. Death shall be preferred to life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family in all the places where I have driven them, declares the LORD of hosts.
"You will say to them, Thus says the LORD: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, 'What have I done?' Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but My people know not the rules of the LORD."
Jeremiah 9:1-6 "Oh that My head were waters, and My eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of My people! Oh that I had in the desert a travelers' lodging place, that I might leave My people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men. They bend their tongue like a bow; falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me, declares the LORD. Let everyone beware of his neighbor, and put no trust in any brother, for every brother is a deceiver, and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. Everyone deceives his neighbor, and no one speaks the truth; they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves committing iniquity. Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit, they refuse to know Me, declares the LORD."
John 15:18-25, 26-27 (Jesus is speaking) "If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, for I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they keep My word, they will also keep yours. For all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him Who sent Me.If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. For the word that is written in their Law (Psalm 35:19, 69:4) must be fulfilled: 'They hated Me without a cause.'
"For when the Helper comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, Who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning."
John 16:1-4 (Jesus is speaking a warning) "I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me. For I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you."
Acts 17:22-31 with 2Timothy 3:7 "Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God Who made the world and everything in it, being LORD of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is HE served by human hands, as though HE needed anything, since HE Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And HE made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek GOD, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet HE is actually not far from each one of us, for "'In Him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed His offspring.' Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now HE commands all people everywhere to repent, because HE has fixed a day on which HE will judge the world in righteousness by a man Whom HE has appointed; and of this HE has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead."
2Timothy 3:1-9 "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. For they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men."
Man's Ignorance Concerning Christ, Christ unknown,
John 1:9-13, 26 "The true light, which gives light to everyone, was come into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did [does] not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
John 1:24-28 "(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked John, "Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even He who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing."
John 4:7-14 "A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock." Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
John 8:12-20 "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows [falls in line with] Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." So the Pharisees said to Him, "You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true." Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh [external and physical things, by this means]; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, My judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father Who sent Me. In your Law (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15) it is written that the testimony of two people is [valid and admissible] true. I am the one who bears witness about Myself, and the Father Who sent Me bears witness about Me." (Deuteronomy 18:18-19) They said to Him therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also." These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; but no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come."
John 9:24-34 "So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?" And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, for if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out."
John 14:8-14, 16:3 "Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father Who dwells [is the Christ] in Me, does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."
John 16:1-4 (Jesus is speaking) "I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor Me. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19) For I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. "I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you."
Acts 13:26-41 with 1John 3:6 "Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear [reverence, with reverential obedience] GOD, to us has been sent the message of His salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize Him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him. And though they found in Him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have Him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him [Matthew 27:51b-54] from the dead, and for many days He appeared to those who had come up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised (Psalm 2:7) to the fathers, this HE has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, "'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.' And as for the fact that HE raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption (Isaiah 55:3), He has spoken in this way, "'I will give You the holy and sure blessings of David.' Therefore He says also in another Psalm (Psalm 16:10), "'You will not let your Holy One see corruption.' For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, (1Kings 2:10) but He Whom GOD raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by Him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the Law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets (Habakkuk 1:5) should come about: "'Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.'"
1John 3:4-10 "Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared in order to take away sins, for in Him there is no sin. No one who abides In Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for GOD's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of GOD. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother."
Thursday, December 7, 2017
The Secrets and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 10b x2
Slow and easy is the way of GOD to get man to learn and receive of Him all that HE wants us to have, that was lost to man by a man, the first Adam. Again I am looking into the mystery of 1Corinthians 2:6-13 which like those of the first witness [watch] of the Old Testament has veiled and obscured language within the context of scripture, intentional veiled by GOD for GOD's glory. I am still dealing with the reason that so many still lack training in the true and correct knowledge of Christ a mystery held within GOD until the time of restoration and transformation which took place in Acts 2. Today's blog will deal with some general references to "man's ignorance and then spiritual ignorance." Now this all maybe a repeat but we need to know and understand why we have problems with our expected receptivity of spiritual things as sons and daughters in the kingdom of GOD.
Man's Ignorance, by way of general references,
Brevity of Life Limits Knowledge,
Job 8:8-10 with Psalm 73:22 "For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding?"
Psalm 73:21-24 "When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward You. Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory."
The Future Hidden,
Ecclesiastes 8:5-9 "Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt."
Coming Evils Unforeseen,
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so are the children of man caught and snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them."
Life Mysteries,
Ecclesiastes 11:1-5 "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything."
Nature and Grace full of Mysteries,
John 3:4-8 "Nicodemus said to Jesus, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Ignorance of Spiritual Things, some general references,
Isaiah 1:1-3 "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: "Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand."
Isaiah 59:1-8 "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear; for your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness. No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. They hatch adders' eggs; they weave the spider's web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace."
Jeremiah 5:4-6, 7-9 "Then I said, "These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God. I will go to the great and will speak to them, for they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God." But they all alike had broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds. Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities; everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.
"How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken Me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD; and will I not avenge Myself on a nation such as this?"
Amos 3:9-10 "Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst." "They do not know how to do right," declares the LORD, "those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds."
Micah 4:9-13 "Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor? Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you will go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you will go to Babylon. There you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, "Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion." For they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand His plan, that He has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you will beat in pieces many peoples; and will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth."
Romans 10:1-4 with 1Peter 1:14 "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of GOD, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to GOD's righteousness. For Christ [Christ's goal] is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
1Peter 1:10-12, 13-16 "Concerning salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be ours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
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 [again] 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 (shall0 will be holy, for I am Holy."
Man's Ignorance, by way of general references,
Brevity of Life Limits Knowledge,
Job 8:8-10 with Psalm 73:22 "For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding?"
Psalm 73:21-24 "When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward You. Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory."
The Future Hidden,
Ecclesiastes 8:5-9 "Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt."
Coming Evils Unforeseen,
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 "Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so are the children of man caught and snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them."
Life Mysteries,
Ecclesiastes 11:1-5 "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything."
Nature and Grace full of Mysteries,
John 3:4-8 "Nicodemus said to Jesus, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Ignorance of Spiritual Things, some general references,
Isaiah 1:1-3 "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: "Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand."
Isaiah 59:1-8 "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear; for your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies; your tongue mutters wickedness. No one enters suit justly; no one goes to law honestly; they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies, they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity. They hatch adders' eggs; they weave the spider's web; he who eats their eggs dies, and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched. Their webs will not serve as clothing; men will not cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of iniquity, and deeds of violence are in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; desolation and destruction are in their highways. The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace."
Jeremiah 5:4-6, 7-9 "Then I said, "These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God. I will go to the great and will speak to them, for they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God." But they all alike had broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds. Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities; everyone who goes out of them will be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great.
"How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken Me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor's wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD; and will I not avenge Myself on a nation such as this?"
Amos 3:9-10 "Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt, and say, "Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria, and see the great tumults within her, and the oppressed in her midst." "They do not know how to do right," declares the LORD, "those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds."
Micah 4:9-13 "Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor? Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you will go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you will go to Babylon. There you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. Now many nations are assembled against you, saying, "Let her be defiled, and let our eyes gaze upon Zion." For they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand His plan, that He has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze; you will beat in pieces many peoples; and will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of the whole earth."
Romans 10:1-4 with 1Peter 1:14 "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of GOD, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to GOD's righteousness. For Christ [Christ's goal] is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
1Peter 1:10-12, 13-16 "Concerning salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be ours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
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 [again] 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 (shall0 will be holy, for I am Holy."
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
The Secrets and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 10b x1
We just looked into man's having "No Understanding," from there I want to look elsewhere at mans ignorance and spiritual ignorance, one of GOD and then of Christ but first mans willful ignorance. And again I may have covered these things elsewhere in this blog but because they remain of great importance I will cover them again. But first here is our base passage of scripture from 1Corinthians 2:6-13, "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. For we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. For, as it is written [by Isaiah in 64:4 and 65:17], "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from GOD, that we might understand the things freely given us by GOD. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual."
Man's Willful Ignorance,
Job 21:4-16 "As for me, is my complaint against man? Why should I [my spirit] not be impatient? Look at me and be appalled, and lay your hand over your mouth. When I remember, I am dismayed, and shuddering seizes my flesh. Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry. They send out their little boys like a flock, and their children dance. They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. They say to God, 'Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we get if we pray to Him?' Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand? The counsel of the wicked is far from me."
Zechariah 7:8-14 "The word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart." But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. "As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear," says the LORD of hosts, "and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate."
Romans 1:17, 18-23, 24-25, 26-27, 28-32 "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as GOD or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal GOD for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Since they do not see fit to acknowledge GOD, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know of God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
Of Spiritual Instruction, Instruction being Despised,
2Chronicles 30:7-9, 10-12 "Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that He made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that His fierce anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away His face from you, if you return to Him."
So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD."
2Chronicles 36:15-21 with Psalm 50:17 "The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on [they being] His dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against His people, until there was no remedy. Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years."
Psalm 50:16-21 "But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite My statutes or take My covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you. If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. "You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you."
Proverbs 1:7, 22 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction..... Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at My reproof, behold, I will pour out My spirit to you; I will make My words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out My hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all My counsel and would have none of My reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently but will not find me. Because they hate knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, they would have none of My counsel and they despise all My reproof, therefore they will eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to Me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."
Proverbs 5:1-6, 7-14 "My son, be attentive to My wisdom; incline your ear to My understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden [religion as a] woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.
Now, O sons, listen to Me, and do not depart from the words of My mouth. Keep your way far from her [religions evil poison], and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, and you say, "How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation."
Man's Willful Ignorance,
Job 21:4-16 "As for me, is my complaint against man? Why should I [my spirit] not be impatient? Look at me and be appalled, and lay your hand over your mouth. When I remember, I am dismayed, and shuddering seizes my flesh. Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry. They send out their little boys like a flock, and their children dance. They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. They say to God, 'Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of Your ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? And what profit do we get if we pray to Him?' Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand? The counsel of the wicked is far from me."
Zechariah 7:8-14 "The word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart." But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great anger came from the LORD of hosts. "As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear," says the LORD of hosts, "and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and the pleasant land was made desolate."
Romans 1:17, 18-23, 24-25, 26-27, 28-32 "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as GOD or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal GOD for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen.
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Since they do not see fit to acknowledge GOD, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know of God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
Of Spiritual Instruction, Instruction being Despised,
2Chronicles 30:7-9, 10-12 "Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that He made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to His sanctuary, which He has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that His fierce anger may turn away from you. For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away His face from you, if you return to Him."
So the couriers went from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, and as far as Zebulun, but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. However, some men of Asher, of Manasseh, and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD."
2Chronicles 36:15-21 with Psalm 50:17 "The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on [they being] His dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against His people, until there was no remedy. Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years."
Psalm 50:16-21 "But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite My statutes or take My covenant on your lips? For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you. If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. "You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you."
Proverbs 1:7, 22 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction..... Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at My reproof, behold, I will pour out My spirit to you; I will make My words known to you. Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out My hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all My counsel and would have none of My reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently but will not find me. Because they hate knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, they would have none of My counsel and they despise all My reproof, therefore they will eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to Me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."
Proverbs 5:1-6, 7-14 "My son, be attentive to My wisdom; incline your ear to My understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. For the lips of a forbidden [religion as a] woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.
Now, O sons, listen to Me, and do not depart from the words of My mouth. Keep your way far from her [religions evil poison], and do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, and you say, "How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation."
Sunday, December 3, 2017
The Secrets and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 10b
1Corinthians 2:6-13 has within it many hidden subjects and topics of great revelation of GOD and Christ as the word of GOD received within the soul of mankind. And how GOD in man causes fruit to grow when His faith and grace are the seed stock of mans spiritualism. For it is GOD Who both planted and causes that which He planted to become productive unto newness of His Life within this seed of the Living Word, GOD Himself being this seed and word. GOD by His plan uses many phrases and terms to express this mystery to receptive souls [born again ones] in which His Life, Light and Love now reside. This process is known by man as Salvation a continuing growth even when in maturity [the perfect becomes One with Him] because of the abundant life of Christ given to us to work within us and then through us as the fruits of GOD, the LORD. The term LORD itself is a hidden mystery wherein all three are One including the spirits of redeemed man, as the Vine and engrafted [imbued] branches are one. But man by way of choice walks away from GOD and His Christ and it is this area that I am looking into next.
No Understanding, by way of examples of those slow to believe,
Psalm 32:8-11 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts the LORD. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"
Psalm 49:15, 16-20 "For God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah. (think on this)
Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself— his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish."
Proverbs 12:5-13 "The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them. The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand. A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of twisted mind is despised. Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread. Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit. An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble."
Proverbs 18:1-10 "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace. The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys. The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."
Proverbs 24:30-34 "I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man."
Proverbs 28:11-20 "A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out. When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days. If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death; let no one help him. Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall. Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished."
Isaiah 27:7-11 "Has He struck them as He struck those who struck them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain? Measure by measure, by exile You contended with them; He removed them with His fierce breath in the day of the east wind. Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim [a female deity] or incense altars will remain standing. For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness; there the calf grazes; there it lies down and strips its branches. When its boughs are dry, they are broken; women come and make a fire of them. For this is a people without discernment; therefore He who made them will not have compassion on them; He who formed them will show them no favor."
Isaiah 44:18-20 "They know not, nor do they discern, for He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?" He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
Jeremiah 4:18, 19-22 "Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has not reached your very heart."
My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment. How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? "For My people are foolish; they know Me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are 'wise'—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not."
Jeremiah 5:20-29 "Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah: "Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. You do not fear Me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before Me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. For this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say in their hearts, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, Who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.' Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you. For wicked men are found among My people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men. Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich; they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. Will I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and will I not avenge Myself on a nation such as this?"
Matthew 13:16-17, 18-23 (Jesus is speaking) "But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
"Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
No Understanding, by way of examples of those slow to believe,
Psalm 32:8-11 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts the LORD. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"
Psalm 49:15, 16-20 "For God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah. (think on this)
Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself— his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish."
Proverbs 12:5-13 "The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them. The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand. A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of twisted mind is despised. Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread. Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense. Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit. An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble."
Proverbs 18:1-10 "Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. When wickedness comes, contempt comes also, and with dishonor comes disgrace. The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice. A fool's lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating. A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys. The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."
Proverbs 24:30-34 "I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man."
Proverbs 28:11-20 "A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out. When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves. Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days. If one is burdened with the blood of another, he will be a fugitive until death; let no one help him. Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall. Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished."
Isaiah 27:7-11 "Has He struck them as He struck those who struck them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain? Measure by measure, by exile You contended with them; He removed them with His fierce breath in the day of the east wind. Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim [a female deity] or incense altars will remain standing. For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness; there the calf grazes; there it lies down and strips its branches. When its boughs are dry, they are broken; women come and make a fire of them. For this is a people without discernment; therefore He who made them will not have compassion on them; He who formed them will show them no favor."
Isaiah 44:18-20 "They know not, nor do they discern, for He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, "Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?" He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
Jeremiah 4:18, 19-22 "Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has not reached your very heart."
My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment. How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? "For My people are foolish; they know Me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are 'wise'—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not."
Jeremiah 5:20-29 "Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah: "Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. You do not fear Me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before Me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. For this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say in their hearts, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, Who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.' Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you. For wicked men are found among My people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men. Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich; they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. Will I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and will I not avenge Myself on a nation such as this?"
Matthew 13:16-17, 18-23 (Jesus is speaking) "But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
"Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
Saturday, December 2, 2017
The Secrets and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 10a x4
And again connecting to our expected maturity and growth of Grace's perfect works within our receptive heart, often spoken of as faith. This morning on my Face page I shared this important reality and great hidden Truth of the living and abiding word of GOD within us. I want to look more fully into the mystery of the larger life that has been enjoined and enlarged within those who have become receptive ones. Our base passage is from our larger passage of 1Corinthinas 2:6-13 and more particularly verse 6 where one of two terms is used, perfect or mature.
The Larger Life, enlargement,
2Sameul 22:31-37 "This God—His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. "For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and Your gentleness makes me great."
1Kings 4:29-34 "Now God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom."
1Chronicles 4:1-10 with Psalm 18:36 and 118:5 "The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. Reaiah the son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites. These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi, and Penuel fathered Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah; Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum. Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked."
Psalm 18:30-36 "This God—His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?— the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand supported me, and Your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip."
Psalm 118:5-9 "Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I will look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes."
Isaiah 54:1-3 "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married," says the LORD. "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities."
John 10:1-10 with 2Corinthians 6:11 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. For he who enters by the door [way of the cross] is the shepherd of the sheep. To Him the gatekeeper [the Holy Spirit] opens. The sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes before them, and the sheep follow [walk in total agreement and harmony with] Him, for they know His voice. A stranger they will not follow, for they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters (by) with Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
2Corinthians 6:11-13, 14-18 "We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with [from here on we have Easter and Christmas and other pagan holidays spoken of as] Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of GOD with idols? For we are the temple of the living GOD; as GOD said [in Exodus 29:45, Leviticus 26:12, Jeremiah 31:1, Ezekiel 37:27], "I will make my dwelling [Exodus 25:8] among them and walk among them {Revelation 2:1], and I will be their GOD, and they shall be My people. Therefore [Isaiah 52:1] go out [Revelation 18:4] from their midst, and be separate from them, says the LORD God, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, [2Samuel 7:14, 1Chronicles 17:13, Isaiah 43:6, Hosea 1:10] and I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the LORD God Almighty."
Ephesians 3:14-19 "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [Christian], that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of GOD."
The Larger Life, enlargement,
2Sameul 22:31-37 "This God—His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. "For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and Your gentleness makes me great."
1Kings 4:29-34 "Now God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom."
1Chronicles 4:1-10 with Psalm 18:36 and 118:5 "The sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. Reaiah the son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites. These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi, and Penuel fathered Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah; Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum. Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that You would bless me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!" And God granted what he asked."
Psalm 18:30-36 "This God—His way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?— the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand supported me, and Your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip."
Psalm 118:5-9 "Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my helper; I will look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes."
Isaiah 54:1-3 "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married," says the LORD. "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities."
John 10:1-10 with 2Corinthians 6:11 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. For he who enters by the door [way of the cross] is the shepherd of the sheep. To Him the gatekeeper [the Holy Spirit] opens. The sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes before them, and the sheep follow [walk in total agreement and harmony with] Him, for they know His voice. A stranger they will not follow, for they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters (by) with Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
2Corinthians 6:11-13, 14-18 "We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open. You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections. In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with [from here on we have Easter and Christmas and other pagan holidays spoken of as] Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of GOD with idols? For we are the temple of the living GOD; as GOD said [in Exodus 29:45, Leviticus 26:12, Jeremiah 31:1, Ezekiel 37:27], "I will make my dwelling [Exodus 25:8] among them and walk among them {Revelation 2:1], and I will be their GOD, and they shall be My people. Therefore [Isaiah 52:1] go out [Revelation 18:4] from their midst, and be separate from them, says the LORD God, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, [2Samuel 7:14, 1Chronicles 17:13, Isaiah 43:6, Hosea 1:10] and I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the LORD God Almighty."
Ephesians 3:14-19 "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [Christian], that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of GOD."
Friday, December 1, 2017
The Secrets and Mysteries of GOD revisited, part 10a x3
Continuing with 1Corinthians 2's verse 6 which is part of the bigger picture of 6-13. In our last blog we looked at two areas which were "spiritual immaturity and the things devoted for destruction." Today I want to look at two more which are, "Spiritual Maturity and Spiritual Progress."
Spiritual Maturity, how it is Secured;
By Putting away Childish Things,
1Corinthians 13:8-14:5 "Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect [maturity, the consummation with Christ childhood ceases] comes, the partial [child likeness] will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I will know fully, even as I am fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy [empowered to reveal divine things even the secret and mystery of Christ]. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to GOD; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their up-building and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up."
By Cultivating the Understanding,
1Corinthians 14:20-25 "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written (in Isaiah 28:11f), "By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the LORD." Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you."
By Striving after the Christlike Ideal,
Ephesians 3:14-19, 20-4:6, 4:7-16 "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named (Christian), that according to the riches of His glory HE may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of GOD.
Now to Him Who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, the Amen. I therefore, a prisoner for the LORD God, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one LORD, one faith, one baptism, one GOD and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in All. For grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore HE says, "When He ascended on high He (Colossians 2:9-14)led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men (Psalm 68:18)." (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that He had also descended (Colossians 2:9-14, 15) into the lower regions (Isaiah 44:23), the earth? He Who first descended (Matthew 27:51 at the ; make as a time break, through 53) is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave (Acts 2 and there after) the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes (of mans religions). Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him Who is the head, Christ, from Whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
By Partaking of the Deeper Truths of His Gospel,
Hebrews 5:11-6:8 "About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing (remaining under religions curse of having eyes without sight and ears without hearing by a spirit of stupor, Romans 11:8, 1Corinthians 15:34). For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of GOD. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. For solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if GOD permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of GOD and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance (as was Esau), since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain (of grace) that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned."
By Overcoming Temptations,
1John 2:12-14 "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him Who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know Him Who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word [which is] GOD abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one."
Spiritual Progress, the Characteristic of the Righteous,
Job 17:6-16 "He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit. My eye has grown dim from vexation, and all my members are like a shadow. The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent stirs himself up against the godless. Yet the righteous holds to His way, and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger. But you, come on again, all of you, and I will not find a wise man among you. My days are past; my plans are broken off, the desires of my heart. They make night into day: 'The light,' they say, 'is near to the darkness.' If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I make my bed in darkness, if I say to the pit, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother,' or 'My sister,' where then is my hope? Who will see my hope? Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Will we descend together into the dust?"
Psalm 84:5-7 "Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion."
Psalm 92:10-15 "For You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; You have poured over me fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants. The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."
Proverbs 4:10-19 with 2Corinthinas 3:18 "Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. For the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."
2Corinthians 3:11, 12-18 "For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have more glory.
Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. For their (hearts) minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But only when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the LORD, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit. (John 4:24)
1Timothy 4:10, 11-16 "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living GOD, Who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."
Spiritual Maturity, how it is Secured;
By Putting away Childish Things,
1Corinthians 13:8-14:5 "Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect [maturity, the consummation with Christ childhood ceases] comes, the partial [child likeness] will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I will know fully, even as I am fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy [empowered to reveal divine things even the secret and mystery of Christ]. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to GOD; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their up-building and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up."
By Cultivating the Understanding,
1Corinthians 14:20-25 "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. In the Law it is written (in Isaiah 28:11f), "By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the LORD." Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you."
By Striving after the Christlike Ideal,
Ephesians 3:14-19, 20-4:6, 4:7-16 "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named (Christian), that according to the riches of His glory HE may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of GOD.
Now to Him Who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever, the Amen. I therefore, a prisoner for the LORD God, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one LORD, one faith, one baptism, one GOD and Father of all, Who is over all and through all and in All. For grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore HE says, "When He ascended on high He (Colossians 2:9-14)led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men (Psalm 68:18)." (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that He had also descended (Colossians 2:9-14, 15) into the lower regions (Isaiah 44:23), the earth? He Who first descended (Matthew 27:51 at the ; make as a time break, through 53) is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave (Acts 2 and there after) the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes (of mans religions). Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him Who is the head, Christ, from Whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."
By Partaking of the Deeper Truths of His Gospel,
Hebrews 5:11-6:8 "About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing (remaining under religions curse of having eyes without sight and ears without hearing by a spirit of stupor, Romans 11:8, 1Corinthians 15:34). For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of GOD. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. For solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if GOD permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of GOD and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance (as was Esau), since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt. For land that has drunk the rain (of grace) that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned."
By Overcoming Temptations,
1John 2:12-14 "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name's sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him Who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know Him Who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word [which is] GOD abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one."
Spiritual Progress, the Characteristic of the Righteous,
Job 17:6-16 "He has made me a byword of the peoples, and I am one before whom men spit. My eye has grown dim from vexation, and all my members are like a shadow. The upright are appalled at this, and the innocent stirs himself up against the godless. Yet the righteous holds to His way, and he who has clean hands grows stronger and stronger. But you, come on again, all of you, and I will not find a wise man among you. My days are past; my plans are broken off, the desires of my heart. They make night into day: 'The light,' they say, 'is near to the darkness.' If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I make my bed in darkness, if I say to the pit, 'You are my father,' and to the worm, 'My mother,' or 'My sister,' where then is my hope? Who will see my hope? Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Will we descend together into the dust?"
Psalm 84:5-7 "Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion."
Psalm 92:10-15 "For You have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; You have poured over me fresh oil. My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants. The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."
Proverbs 4:10-19 with 2Corinthinas 3:18 "Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. For the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."
2Corinthians 3:11, 12-18 "For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have more glory.
Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. For their (hearts) minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But only when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the LORD, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit. (John 4:24)
1Timothy 4:10, 11-16 "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living GOD, Who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers."
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