Moving on into the Promises of GOD all of which HE sworn on an Oath, to those who will receive His Divine Mercy. And as has become my custom I will pull from my E-Sword program both the ESV translation and from the pen of Pastor Hoekstra. And his dealing with both the Grace of GOD in Christ Jesus and the letter of the Law. And how and why it has become useless as an old wine skin or garment worn out by misuse. In order to bring about His wondrous reformation and transition from darkness to Light and Love in the promised newness of Life.
"Righteousness through Christ in Sanctification"
"For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:3-4)
"How wonderful it is to be "justified freely by His Grace" (Romans 3:24). Yet, what disappointment and discouragement awaits us, if we do not learn that GOD desires to sanctify us freely by His Grace as well. This plan of GOD, as we should expect, hinges upon the work of Jesus Christ. And its successful completion in the greatest reformation and transitions from darkness to Light, freely made available to all.
In matters of Justification, as well as Sanctification, the Law has a weakness, no power what so ever. This weakness is that of natural human resources, the flesh of man, cannot live up to the standards of GOD (the Higher calling if you will). Thus, to accomplish what the Law could never accomplish the Father sent His Son. "For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, GOD did by sending His Own Son."
Jesus came as a man and died on the cross to eradicate the consequences of sin. This vicarious death of Christ certainly provided Justification for all who would believe in the Lord Jesus. Yet, the next verse reveals that through His Sacrificial death on the cross progressive, practical Sanctification is available day by day through first trust and then as trust grows, it becomes faith in the LORD. "That the righteous requirement of the Law might be Fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
The word "walk" makes Romans 8:4 a verse on Sanctification, not justification. Justification takes place with the first moment of faith in Christ. Sanctification continues step by step, day by day, throughout the life of a believer now a receiver of His Righteousness in Grace.
Think of this grand Truth. GOD's Grace provides the Way "that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us." Remember, that heavenly demand is "be Holy," be like Christ. This transformation of life takes place in our daily life, of any believer who does "not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." If we renounce the natural resources of man and trust in the LORD Christ Jesus step by step through life, His Holy Spirit accomplishes His Sanctifying work in us by the Grace of GOD."
The great mystery of marriage takes place when two individuals become as One.
GODS Divine Mercy:
Exodus 34:1-9 "The LORD said to Moses, "Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain." So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a GOD merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but Who Will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, O LORD, please let the LORD go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your inheritance."
2Samuel 22:21-29 "The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my GOD. For all His rules were before me, and from His statutes I did not turn aside. I was blameless before Him, and I kept myself from guilt. And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His sight. "With the merciful You show Yourself merciful; with the blameless man You show Yourself blameless; with the purified You deal purely, and with the crooked You make Yourself seem tortuous. You save a humble people, but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. For You are my lamp, O LORD, and my GOD lightens my darkness."
2Chronicles 30:1-9 "Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem to keep the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. For the king and his princes and all the assembly in Jerusalem had taken counsel to keep the Passover in the second month—for they could not keep it at that time because the priests had not consecrated themselves in sufficient number, nor had the people assembled in Jerusalem—and the plan seemed right to the king and all the assembly.
So they decreed to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that the people should come and keep the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel, at Jerusalem, for they had not kept it as often as prescribed. So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, "O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that He may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 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."
Psalm 89:19-29 "Of old You spoke in a vision to Your godly one, and said: "I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found David, My servant; with My Holy oil I have anointed him, so that My hand shall be established with him; My arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. My faithfulness and My steadfast Love shall be with him, and in My name shall his horn be exalted. I Will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. He shall cry to Me, 'You are my Father, my GOD, and the Rock of my salvation.' And I Will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and My Covenant Will stand firm for him. I Will establish His offspring forever and His throne as the days of the heavens."
Psalm 103:6-14 "The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the people of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He Will not always chide, nor will He keep His anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast Love toward those who reverence and revere Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who revere Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust."
Isaiah 54:4-8 "Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the GOD of the whole earth He is called. For the LORD has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your GOD. For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid My face from you, but with everlasting Love I Will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer."
Isaiah 55:6-13 "Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our GOD, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."
Jeremiah 3:11-14 "The LORD said to me, "Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, "'Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I Will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed My voice, declares the LORD. Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am Your Master; I Will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion."
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