Many people who call themselves by Christ's name get hung up on the Temporal part of the Promised Blessing of GOD. And because they do they miss out on the greater and Better portion of GOD Himself. In the beginning of my own walk that was exactly where I stood and it frustrated me no end because I was so caught in that snare. And I guess that is the reason I do what I do and say what I say today. Because GODS Own Love within me wants the world at large and the nations within it to be freed from that snare. This is know in scriptures as having the mind of Christ, the setting of all sons of Adam at liberty, freed from the snare of mans own religions and denominations under the spell of Satan's deception and perversion of the LORDS Gospel. And has become my standard of operation I will turn to Pastor Hoekstra's writings on Grace and then use the ESV translation for our subject passages on the Temporal and Spiritual Blessing.
"Growing in the Grace of God"
"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ." (2Peter 3:18)
"Let's reflect upon some of the heavenly territory we have explored thus far. Grace is for our Spiritual Growth and Progress in the Knowledge of the LORD. It is not intended only for our re-birthing and starting out with the Lord. "But Grow in the Grace . . . of our LORD and Savior Christ Jesus." Growth in Christ is to be produced by GOD's Grace at work in us.
Often, GOD's people are apprehensive about an emphasis upon His Grace. We become concerned that irresponsibility, ungodliness, laziness, or indulgence will result. We can rest assured on the Promises and Purposes of GOD that true Grace does not produce such consequences. Such effects are produced by the flesh of man, either by licentiousness or by legalism. Because swore on a Oath to DO His Will within those who would become His Adam sons again.
Licentiousness hopes to turn Grace into a means by which sinful indulgence is acceptable. "For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the Grace of our GOD into licentiousness" (Jude 4). Legalism aspires to add religious performance to Grace, thereby appealing to the self-righteous hopes of man. "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:2-3).
When a person truly lives by the Grace of GOD, Righteousness results, not ungodliness. When a person increasingly learns to draw upon the Grace of GOD for daily living, Christ-likeness develops, not worldliness. When Grace becomes more and more the resource for Life, sin diminishes; it does not increase. "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under Law but under Grace" (Romans 6:14).
The temptation is to rely upon the Law of GOD in order to generate godliness. The demand of the Law to be Holy, Loving, and Perfect becomes a false security to our flesh. We think that by hearing, repeating, or depending upon this demand, we can thereby accomplish it. Let us not forget that "the Law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a Better Hope" (Hebrews 7:18-19). GOD's Perfect Grace is the "Better Hope" that does not fail to bring forth what GOD Desires.
The LORD GOD (Christ's Own Anointing in us) has ordained for us a life-long involvement with His Grace. He wants to work "Grace for [upon] grace" (John 1:16) for the rest of our days. This is the "New and Living way" (Hebrews 10:20). Perhaps this could all be summarized in another acrostic on Grace: Glorious Realities As Christ Empowers."
Blessing Temporal and Spiritual as Promised:
Exodus 23:24-25, Deuteronomy 28:2 "You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. You shall serve the LORD your GOD, and I Will bless your bread and your water, and I Will take sickness away from among you."
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 "And if you faithfully Obey the Voice of the LORD your GOD, being careful to do all His commandments that I command you today, the LORD your GOD Will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you Obey the Voice of the LORD your GOD."
Psalm 81:13-16, Proverbs 28:20 "Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes. Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward Him, and their fate would last forever. But He would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you." Proverbs 28:18-20 "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 30:21-26, Joel 2:26 "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, "Be gone!" He Will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, and the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder, which has been winnowed with shovel and fork. And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of His people, and heals the wounds inflicted by His blow."
Joel 2:24-27 "The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I Will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, My great army, which I sent among you. "You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your GOD, Who has dealt wondrously with you. And My people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your GOD and there is none else. And My people shall never again be put to shame."
Amos 9:13-15, Zechariah 10:1 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them," says the LORD your GOD."
Zechariah 10:1 "Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD Who makes the storm clouds, and He Will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field."
Malachi 3:9-12, 13-15, 16-18 "You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe (our spiritual worship of Romans 12:1-3 done in spirit and Truth, John 4:24)) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby put Me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I Will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I Will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of Hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of Hosts.
"Your words have been hard against Me, says the LORD. But you say, 'How have we spoken against you?' You have said, 'It is vain to serve GOD. What is the profit of our keeping His charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of Hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.'"
Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed His name. "They shall be Mine, says the LORD of Hosts, in the day when I make up My treasured possession, and I Will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the Righteous and the wicked, between one who serves GOD and one who does not serve Him."
Matthew 6:25-33, 34 and Luke 18:30 (Jesus is speaking) "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if GOD so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But Seek first the kingdom of GOD and His Righteousness, and all these things Will be added to you.
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Luke 18:28-30 "Peter said, "See, we have left our homes and followed you." And He said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of GOD, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life."
No comments:
Post a Comment