Traveling on in our investigation of GODS Promises which HE Swore to man by an Oath we come upon the Upright and Uprightness in heart. To get us started on the right foot I will make use of Pastor Hoekstra's account of GODS Grace teachings once again, with little editing. And has become my usual practice I will make use of the ESV translation in e-Sword.
"Access to Grace"
"For you know the Grace of our LORD Jesus Christ . . . The Grace of our LORD Jesus Christ be with you all . . . And GOD is able to make All Grace abound toward you." (2Corinthians 8:9, 9:8, and Revelation 22:21)
"We have seen that Abundant Grace is available from the LORD, not only for Justification, but also for Sanctification. Yet, how does a person access the Sanctifying Grace of GOD? How does one actually live day by day by Grace? Soon, we will consider the two relational realities that GOD wants to develop in our lives that we might live daily by (in) His Grace. First, a reminder of where that Grace is, and the ability upon which it all depends.
The Grace we need is always found in a Person, not a procedure. "For you know the Grace of our LORD Jesus Christ ." Consequently, in order to access this Grace, we must be seeking after the Person in Whom the Grace resides. No wonder that many of the letters of the New Testament end with "The Grace of our LORD Jesus Christ be with you all" (Revelation 22:21).
Our GOD is not one who wastes words. He does not speak vainly. Nor does He stand on human formalities. These repetitious conclusions are an emphasis from the Heart of GOD. When all is stated on any subject to any people, the ongoing need will ever be that they learn to live by the Grace that is found in Jesus Christ. (John 1:14, 17)
Furthermore, upon whose ability does the Grace of GOD depend? We so easily become preoccupied with our own ability. "Will I be able to please and serve GOD?" "Will I be able to be an effective witness?" The focus of the word of GOD is on His Ability, not ours. "Our GOD Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace" (Daniel 3:17). "Therefore He is also Able to save to the uttermost those who come to GOD through Him" (Hebrews 7:25). "Now to Him Who is Able to keep you from stumbling" (Jude 24). "Now to Him Who is Able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20).
Concerning Grace we may even be thinking, "Will I be able to live by GOD's Grace?"Again, GOD's Ability is the issue, not ours. "And GOD is Able to make all Grace abound toward you." If we are willing to rely upon the One Who is Able, GOD, we will experience His Sanctifying Grace Abundantly in our lives."
To the Upright in (Uprightness of) Heart:
Psalm 7:6-11 "Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; lift Yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; You have appointed a judgment. Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about You; over it return on high. The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me. Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may You Establish the Righteous— You Who test the minds and hearts, O Righteous GOD! My shield is with GOD, Who Saves the upright in heart. GOD is a Righteous Judge, and a GOD Who feels indignation every day."
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 in the LORD. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"
Psalm 37:35-40 "I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD Helps them and Delivers them; He Delivers them from the wicked and Saves them, because they take refuge in Him."
Psalm 49:13-15 "This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah (think awhile on this). Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell. But GOD Will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for HE Will receive me. Selah (think a while on this)."
Psalm 64:7-10 "But GOD shoots His arrow at them; they are wounded suddenly. They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them; all who see them will wag their heads. Then all mankind fears; they tell what GOD has brought about and ponder what HE has done. Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him! Let all the upright in heart exult!"
Psalm 97:10-12 "O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to His Holy name!"
Psalm 112:1-6 "Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; He is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever."
Proverbs 2 is dealing with the Pursuit of Wisdom which Brings Security
Proverbs 2:1-22 "My son, if you receive My words and treasure up My commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear (reverence) of the LORD and find the knowledge of GOD. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of His saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.
So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words, who forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God; for her house sinks down to death, and her paths to the departed; none who go to her come back, nor do they regain the paths of life.
So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it, but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out of it."
Proverbs 10:6-11 "Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot. The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin. Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out. Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence."
Proverbs 14:5-12 "A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance. The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."
Proverbs 28:3-7 "A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food. Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive against them. Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely. Better is a poor man who walks in His integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding, but a companion of gluttons shames his father."
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