This section of GODS Abundance of His Promise is the most misunderstood of them all. Because it is so far reaching in our lives as Believers, become Receivers of Christ, by way of Revelation. It is for that reason alone that makes it a must have to grab hold of GOD in man, again. Now looking to Pastor Hoekstra's writing on GODS Grace at work in the New Life of those who will receive HIM by Revelation within. I will continue to use the ESV translation and as usual when the LORD provides so added information I will edit.
"The Resurrection Related to Justification and Sanctification"
"I am the resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." (John 11:25-26)
"It would be appropriate to again follow a pattern we have used previously, applying our present subject (the Resurrection) both to our starting out with GOD (Justification) and our going on with GOD (Sanctification). The great value in doing such is to be repeatedly reminded that the Grace of GOD that starts us out in this New Life in Christ is the same Grace that develops this Life in Christ.
When Jesus proclaimed the words of our present verses, He was standing at the tomb of Lazarus. Martha, one of the sisters, was interacting with Him. She had hoped that Jesus would have arrived earlier, knowing He could have prevented this death. "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died," in John 11:21. Even now, with her brother in the tomb, she realizes He could possibly yet intervene. "But even now I know that whatever You ask of GOD, GOD will give You," in John 11:22. Jesus comforts her by assuring that Lazarus will be resurrected. "Your brother will rise again," in John 11:23. Martha assumes that Jesus is referring to the final resurrection of the saints. "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day," in John 11:24. For Martha and the world did not know or fully understand that the birth, death and resurrection, and His ascension still to come. Marked their period as the last of days as foretold. The last of days for GODS solely dealing with the Nation of Israel alone, that GOD was about to pull off one of the greatest transformation ever.
At this point, Jesus offers one of those glorious "I am" revelations. "I AM (NOW) the Resurrection and the Life." Then, He added two wonderful applications. First, faith in Him can even bring the dead to Life, like Lazarus. "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." Second, faith in Him can ensure Eternal Life to those who are yet alive. "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."
Think again of the implications connected with Jesus' basic statement. "I AM the Resurrection and the Life." Martha desired an immediate resurrection for her brother. She wanted him to live once again. Jesus revealed that He Himself was what Martha desired for her brother. He was (IS) "the Resurrection and the Life." Jesus provides Resurrection and Life, because in His very person He is Resurrection Life. He is the Resurrection that we all need from our deadness, whether physical or spiritual. "I AM the Resurrection." He is the Life that we need, if we are to live as GOD intended. "I AM . . . the Life." Knowing Christ by faith makes us partakers of what He Himself IS: "the Resurrection and the Life." This is vital to see, because the true Christian life is a Resurrection Life. Such a life can only be found in a Resurrected LORD, and it can only be developed following a Resurrected LORD."
Light Promised:
To the Obedient;
Job 22:21-30 "Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty you will be built up; if you remove injustice far from your tents, if you lay gold in the dust, and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed, then the Almighty Will be your gold and your precious silver. For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up your face to GOD. You will make your prayer to HIM, and HE Will hear you, and you will pay your vows. You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways. For when they are humbled you say, 'It is because of pride'; but HE saves the lowly. He delivers even the one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."
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!"
To the Upright;
Psalm 112:1 "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."
To the Just;
Proverbs 4:10-19 "Hear, My son, and accept My words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the path of uprightness. When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."
To the Benevolent;
Isaiah 58:5-12 "Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD Will answer; you shall cry, and HE Will say, 'Here I AM.' If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD Will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in."
To the true Church;
Isaiah 60:15-21 "Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I Will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, AM your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD Will be your everlasting Light, and your GOD Will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD Will be your everlasting Light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I might be glorified."
To the Followers of Christ;
John 8:12-30 "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I AM the true Light of the world. Whoever follows Me Will not walk in darkness, but Will have the Light of Life." So the Pharisees said to Him, "You are bearing witness about Yourself; Your testimony is not true." Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness about Myself, My testimony is True, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, My judgment is True, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father Who sent Me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I AM the one who bears witness about Myself, and the Father Who sent Me bears witness about Me." They said to Him therefore, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also." These words HE spoke in the treasury, as HE taught in the temple; but no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come. So HE said to them again, "I AM going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin. Where I AM going, you cannot come." So the Jews (the elite highly esteemed Hebrews) said, "Will He kill Himself, since He says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?" He said to them, "You are from below; I AM from above. You are of this world; I AM not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I AM HE you will die in your sins." So they said to Him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but HE Who sent Me is True, and I declare to the world what I have heard from HIM." They did not understand that HE had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM HE, and that I do nothing on My own authority, but speak just as the Father taught ME. And HE Who sent ME is with ME. He has not left ME alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to HIM." As HE was saying these things, many believed in Him."
1John 2:7-11 "Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the True Light is already shining. Whoever says he is in this Light and hates his brother is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother abides in the Light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."
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