To day I will look at the refining influence of our spiritual refining. But again before we get into it we will look again at prayer. And how prayer works in the process of GODS wonderful work to conform us to His image and likeness again. So again I will pull in Pastor Hoekstra's teaching on Prayer from my e-sword program as our aid and comfort, Again I will make use of the ESV translation.
"An Invitation to Pray at the Throne of Grace"
"Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)
"If we are going to live by Grace, we must relate rightly to the GOD of all Grace: namely, by walking in humble dependency. Continual, Spirit-led prayerfulness is the basic way to express humility and faith to the LORD. How fitting it is, then, to consider GOD's invitation to pray at the Throne of Grace.
The throne to which we are invited is the Throne of GOD, revealed to the Apostle John. "Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the Throne" (Revelation 4:2). This honored King of the universe is the Creator of everything, exercising His sovereign Will by His infinite power. "You are worthy, O LORD, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your Will they exist and were created" (Revelation 4:11). This is a throne of everlasting Holiness, as declared constantly by angelic creatures. "And they do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, LORD GOD Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!' " (Revelation 4:8). For the godless, this will become a Throne of Judgment. "Then I saw a great white Throne and Him Who sat on it . . . And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before GOD . . . And they were judged, each one according to his works . . . And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:11-13, 15).
If this throne were only characterized by sovereign power, holiness, and judgment, we could never approach it with any expectation of blessing. Yet, for those who will humbly Receive Eternal Life through faith in Christ Jesus, this is a Throne of Grace. "Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace." We can approach this throne with spiritual confidence, because Christ Jesus is seated there with the Father. "And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the Throne . . . stood a Lamb as though it had been slain . . . Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!" (Revelation 5:6, 12). The worthy One, Who died for our sins, has opened the door to an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by (through) Whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father' " (Romans 8:15). The Dread of GOD is replaced with Boldness, by the Grace of Christ Jesus: "in (through) Whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him" (Ephesians 3:12). Now, this throne is to us an altar of prayer for mercy and Grace!"
The Refining Influence of our spiritual refining:
Job 23:8-17 "Behold, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive Him; on the left hand when He is working, I do not behold Him; He turns to the right hand, but I do not see Him. But He knows the way that I take; when He has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my portion of food. But He is unchangeable, and who can turn Him back? What He desires, that He does. For He will complete what He appoints for me, and many such things are in His mind. Therefore I am terrified at His presence; when I consider, I am in dread of Him. GOD has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; yet I am not silenced because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness covers my face."
Psalm 66:8-15 "Bless our GOD, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard, Who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. For You, O GOD, have tested us; You have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; You laid a crushing burden on our backs; You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet You have brought us out to a place of abundance. I will come into Your House with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to You, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. I will offer to You burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats."
We must keep in mind that when this was first written, sin offerings were of the animal sacrifice. However now that the true Lamb of His intent has been offered, we can approach Him with Praise and Thanksgiving for the blood that cleanses us.
Isaiah 1:24-26 "Therefore the Lord declares, the LORD of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: "Ah, I will get relief from My enemies and avenge Myself on My foes. I will turn My hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy. And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city."
Isaiah 48:4-5, 6-11 "Because I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew and your forehead brass, I declared them to you from of old, before they came to pass I announced them to you, lest you should say, 'My idol did them, my carved image and my metal image commanded them.'
"You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known. They are created now, not long ago; before today you have never heard of them, lest you should say, 'Behold, I knew them.' You have never heard, you have never known, from of old your ear has not been opened. For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and that from before birth you were called a rebel. "For My name's sake I deferred My anger, for the sake of My praise I restrained it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I do it, for how should My name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another."
But still to this day the world over, modern man practices the same evils that ancient Israel did eons ago. With each new pagan season and its holiday all is done in the name of the LORD, for the same reason herein given. For few there are who stand alone in this matter calling it out for what it is SIN. And the honoring of a pagan deity and making the use of the LORDS own name in the process making it vain.
Jeremiah 9:7 "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: "Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do, because of My people? Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully; with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he plans an ambush for him.
Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD, and shall I not avenge Myself on the nations such as this?"
Zechariah 13:7-9 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the man who stands next to Me," declares the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn My hand against the little ones. In the whole land, declares the LORD, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon My name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'They are My people'; and they will say, 'The LORD is my GOD.'"
Malachi 3:1-4 (it should be pointed out that this can have a double meaning because those who are the LORDS typify Him) "Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the LORD Whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years."It can be stated that John the Baptist was the first to be the typifying person but with the infilling of the LORDS Own Spirit within His own, they can also fit the description given here.
1Peter 1:3-9 "Blessed be the GOD and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by GOD's power are being guarded through faith for a Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Christ Jesus. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the Salvation of your souls."
1Peter 4:12-19 "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of GOD rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify GOD in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of GOD; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the Gospel of GOD? And "If the Righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" Therefore let those who suffer according to GOD's Will entrust their souls to a Faithful Creator while doing good."
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