I am on the last leg of my subject targeted area dealing with mans spiritual health restored within him and the last subject is our spiritual Renewal and Strength. Our being Renewed by the Holy Spirit in this Spiritual Renewal. But first lets hear from Pastor Hoekstra's pen and his target subject of Grace and the Holy Spirit. Then as has become my habit I will use the ESV translation and do some editing as the LORD the Spirit leads in both areas, while sharing the subject.
"More on Jesus and the Holy Spirit"
"A Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." (Isaiah 11:1-2)
"In this prophecy of Israel's and humanities, as it turned out, Messiah, that is to say Christ, we are told how the Lord Jesus (walking upon earth as a man) would function in order to manifest godliness. He would live by this prophetic promise: "The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him."
The Holy Spirit operating in Jesus would be to Him "the Spirit of wisdom and understanding." No one ever displayed wisdom like Christ. Whether dealing with the woman taken in adultery in John 8:2-11 or answering provoking questions about Caesar's image on a coin in Luke 20:20-26, He wisely circumvented every attempt to undermine His ministry. Jesus also demonstrated perfect understanding. When confronting the self-righteous scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:13-35, He applied perfect discernment, exposing the corruption of their hearts.
Operating in Jesus, the Holy Spirit would also be to Him "the Spirit of counsel and might." Jesus was truly the "Wonderful Counselor" of Isaiah 9:6. When counseling Nicodemus, the religious ruler in John 3:1-21, and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:7-42, He fully gave them what their hearts were seeking in the truths they needed to hear. Also, Jesus distinctively exhibited the might of GOD. Whether boldly speaking to calm the raging sea in Mark 4:35-41 or courageously remaining silent at His trial in Matthew 27:11-14, the mighty power of GOD was on majestic display.
Ministering to Jesus, the Holy Spirit would also be to Him "the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." No one ever possessed knowledge like the Lord Jesus. "Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men" in John 2:24. "Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father" in John 13:1. Jesus not only had thorough knowledge, but that knowledge was always controlled by "the fear of the LORD." Everything that Jesus ever did was under the full influence of His godly fear (reverential trust and loving respect) toward the Father. "The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him" was His witness of testimony, this time in John 2:17. Jesus exercised extreme self control of Himself through out His earthly walk though at times His deity showed in hostility towards the Jewish hierarchy when He spung a cord of nine tails and used it as a whip to run off the sellers and money changers in Matthew 21:12.
Remember, all of these wondrous expressions of Jesus' character were based upon the enabling work of the Holy Spirit. "The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him." This same Spirit of GOD can bring forth in our own lives every appropriate application of these same realities manifested in the life of Jesus."
Strength and Renewal by the Holy Spirit, our spiritual Renewal:
Psalm 51:10-13 "Create in me a clean heart, O GOD, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You."
Isaiah 40:27-31 and 41:1 "Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting GOD, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might HE increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 41:1-4 "Listen to Me in silence, O coast lands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment. Who stirred up one from the east whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before Him, so that HE tramples kings underfoot; HE makes them like dust with His sword, like driven stubble with His bow. He pursues them and passes on safely, by paths His feet have not trod. Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am HE."
Romans 12:1-2 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of GOD, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to GOD, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the Will of GOD, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
2Corinthians 4:16-18 and Ephesians 4:23 "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are Eternal."
Ephesians 4:17-24 "Now this I say and testify in the LORD, that you must no longer walk as the (earthy worldly religious) Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the Life of GOD because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about Him and were taught by Him, as the Truth (look closely at Romans 8:9) is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of GOD in true righteousness and holiness."
Special note interjected here after reading this last passage, Romans 8:9 should take on new meaning for all, "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of GOD dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to HIM."
Colossians 3:5-11 "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of GOD is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in (as one with) them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Hebrew or Jewish elitist, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is All, and in all."
Titus 3:1-11 "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of GOD our Savior appeared, HE saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Whom HE poured out on us richly through Christ Jesus our Savior, so that being justified by His Grace we might become heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in GOD may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned."
How many have received the Spirit Christ is my concern and motivation......how many have been raised from spiritual death is the next concern?
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