Yesterday, I took a short detour to take a look at how we are to grow spiritually. Because there are many who believe otherwise, because they are told that this is not to take place within man. And many have the mistaken concept that GOD is somewhere in the great beyond sitting out there on a great throne with a large hammer or wipe in His hand. GOD is Spirit and for that reason alone HE is every where and then again no where, HE is omnipresent. Where Satan is only present but does effect man by his imagination and thought process because of the transfer that took place in Genesis 3 when man yielded to do and then did what GOD told him not to do. Changing the dimension of mans make up, with it the lost of communication with his Creator the LORD GOD. All that said we have been looking at Faith and Grace as written by Pastor Hoekstra and will continue to do just that. I will also pull from my e-Sword program the ESV translation.
"Reflecting on Grace: Humility and Faith"
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich . . . Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God . . . If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." (2Corinthians 8:9, 3:5, Romans 10:17 and Luke 9:23)
"Let's take a reflective look at humility and faith. We have repeatedly encountered these two relational realities. This is to be expected, since "GOD . . . Gives Grace to the humble" (James 4:6), and "we have access by faith into this Grace in which we stand" (Romans 5:2).
In our first devotional study, humility and faith were evident. "For you know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." In order for Jesus to rescue us from our desperate situation, He had to become poor. When the LORD came to earth clothed as it were, in mans flesh, He took on mans plight of being spiritually poor and quite destitute. Because of mans lost of communication with the Spirit of GOD. When He hung on the cross for us, He took the spiritual poverty of our sin and guilt upon Himself. What a humbling picture of our innate spiritual condition. Basically, we have to agree with the LORD, humbling ourselves before Him, asking for His help. Additionally, our trusting in His faith was involved. We had to believe that through this death on our behalf, we could become spiritually rich, that is, forgiven of sin and be righteous in His sight.
Humility and faith were later seen as vital for walking in this New Life in Christ, with Christ's essence of Spirit restored inside of us. This is our richness and faith. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from GOD." The adequacy we need for Christian living does not originate in us. Actually, we must not think of "anything as being from ourselves." How humbling to learn, even as born again believers. And as woman was creator to be a receiver, we are also receivers in what is known as a marriage, that we need the LORD in everything. Then, how do we find the necessary adequacy? This is where faith pertains. "Our sufficiency is from GOD." This is the Truth that we are to believe.
When we examined Christian discipleship, humility and faith again appeared. "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). Jesus' call to come and follow Him can only be received by those who will say, "No to self" and "Death to self." This is humiliating to the self-life, to think it is not good enough, to admit that it belongs on the cross. This is especially humbling when we see that these are to be our daily confessions. The rest of the issue is settled by faith, trusting in the LORD Christ Jesus each step of every day."
Our Spiritual Growth enjoined:
In Fruitfulness:
2Corinthians 9:6-15 "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for GOD loves a cheerful giver. (boy has this one been corrupted over the centuries) GOD is able to make all Grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work (sowing the secret and mysteries of the LORDS Gospel message). As it is written, "He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor (those destitute of His Spirit, not of the worlds riches); his righteousness endures forever." He Who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to GOD. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to GOD, (John 4:24). By their approval of this service, they will glorify GOD because of your submission that comes from your confession of the Gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing Grace of GOD in you. Thanks be to GOD for His inexpressible gift!"
Into Christ:
Ephesians 4:7-16 "But Grace is given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's Gift. Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men."
(In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that He had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He Who descended is the one Who also ascended (not alone, as He carried the souls of the saints of old with Him) far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave (these are the gifts of our calling) the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers (pastor and teacher, in 2Timothy 4), to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up (bring to maturity) the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the Unity of the Faith in 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. Rather, speaking the Truth in love, we are to Grow up in every way into Him Who is the Head, into 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."
In Love:
1Thessalonians 3:11-13 "Now may our GOD and Father Himself, and our LORD Christ Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the LORD make you increase and abound in Love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in Holiness before our GOD and Father, at the coming of our LORD Jesus with all His saints."
Unto Perfection:
Hebrews 6:1-8 "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 (this by the way is the habit of some churches and denominations as their standard worship), and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do (the bring many to Maturity) 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, 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 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."
Through "The Word:"
1Peter 2:1-3 "So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the LORD is good."
By Accretion:
2Pe 2:4-16 "For if GOD did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if He did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes He condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if He rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the LORD knows how to rescue the Godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold, self-willed (being presumptuous) and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the LORD. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness."
In Grace and Knowledge:
2Peter 3:14-18 "Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our LORD as Salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But Grow in Grace and Knowledge of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. The Amen."
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