There remains but a few areas of Promises left and Divine Guidance is where I am for now. But first Pastor Hoekstra's writing on Grace and the Holy Spirit. And I will look at Divine Guidance and will make use of the ESV translation in so doing. And as always If the LORD gives some more understanding on His word I will edit with this also.
"Praying for the Fullness of the Spirit"
"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19)
"For those who are wondering how to be filled with the Spirit, the prayer in Ephesians 3 offers excellent insight. The precise relevance of this passage for our present subject is obvious, when the concluding purpose of the prayer is noted: "that you may be filled with all the fullness of GOD."
The opening phrases use the language of Grace: "That He would grant you, according to the Riches of His Glory." That part of man that was lost to mankind through Adams disobedience now being restored as Promised. Grace is about GOD at work, giving us Blessings we cannot deserve. These Blessings are in proportion to His Glorious Spiritual Richness. This perspective fits our studies on the Spirit perfectly, because when the Holy Spirit is at work, He gives out GOD's Grace.
The initial request pertains to an inner working of the Spirit: "to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man." Note, this request is made on behalf of those who already have the Spirit residing in their hearts. The specific issue is about Receiving New Measures of spiritual power at the core of our being. This reestablishes within us what man has in Genesis 2 and was lost in Genesis 3, Oneness with GOD. This is later spoken of in Deuteronomy in chapter 29:29 and elsewhere as being written on the scroll which was eaten by Daniel and others in the old testament.
The desired result of this work of the Spirit is "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." The character and nature of Jesus as the Christ is present in the heart of every believer. Here, He is being asked to settle down fully and make Himself at home. Christ Jesus is being given free rein to rearrange our innermost being to fit His good pleasure. Allowing Christ Jesus to rule our hearts requires the empowering work of the Holy Spirit to break past spiritual obstacles (deadness as a seed the remains on a shelf is dead) such as apathy, fear, self-focus, and temptations. To allow Christ Jesus to lead us in His way, we need the Holy Spirit's enabling us to stay in GOD's word, to pray without ceasing, to worship often while it is today, and to fellowship regularly.
Then, as Christ Jesus rearranges our inner life, He wants to anchor every aspect of our lives in GOD's selfless Love: "that you, being rooted and grounded in Love." With this, He wants us to experience the dimensions of His Love, which are beyond mere head knowledge: "to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the Love of Christ which passes knowledge." This Holy Spirit process is always leading to more Spiritual Fullness: "that you may be filled with all the Fullness of GOD.""
Divine Guidance:
Promised to the Obedient,
Into a Pleasant Path,
Psalm 23:1-3 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul (spirit). He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake."
In Making Decisions,
Psalm 25:8-11 and 32:8 "Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast Love and Faithfulness, for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great."
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 the LORD. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"
Unto the End of Life,
Psalm 48:9-14 "We have thought on Your steadfast Love, O GOD, in the midst of Your temple. As Your name, O GOD, so Your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. Let Mount Zion be glad! Let the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments! Walk about Zion, go around her, number her towers, consider well her ramparts, go through her citadels, that You may tell the next generation that this is GOD, our GOD forever and ever. He will guide us forever."
By Wise Counsel,
Psalm 73:21-24 "When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward You. Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory."
By the Still Small Voice,
Isaiah 30:19-21 "For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He Will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as He hears it, He answers you. And though the LORD give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher Will not hide Himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And 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."
In the Midst of Uncertainties,
Isaiah 42:14-17 and 48:17 "For a long time I have held My peace; I have kept still and restrained Myself; now I will cry out like a woman in labor; I will gasp and pant. I will lay waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn the rivers into islands, and dry up the pools. And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I Will guide them. I Will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them. They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved idols, who say to metal images, "You are our gods.""
Isaiah 48:17-19 "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your GOD, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea; your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before Me.""
By Divine Illumination,
Luke 1:67-79 and John 10:4 (John the baptists) "His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, "Blessed be the LORD GOD of Israel, for HE has visited and redeemed His people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as HE spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the Oath that HE swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in Holiness and Righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the LORD to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.""
John 10:1-10 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have Life and have it abundantly."
Into All Truth,
John 16:12-15 (Jesus is speaking) "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, He Will guide you into all the Truth, for He Will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He Will speak, and He Will declare to you the things that are to come. He Will glorify Me, for He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you."
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