Those who choose to live in Grace and Truth are living in Christ Jesus as having put Him on as in being clothed with Christ. And those who are so clothed in Christ have the Promise of Ultimate Triumph in the Promise of Victory all of this is only through Christ and the Knowledge of Him as the Lord Jesus stated in Matthew 11:28-30, I will pick it up at verse 25 to maintain the flow of thought, "At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, LORD of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious Will. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I Will give you rest (as seen in Genesis 2:1-3). Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." Light here is understanding and there is one more words used in the Now Covenant which is "world", it should be instead "Age or Ages."
From here comes Pastor Hoekstra and his writing on Grace as a Promise received in those who become the LORD's Body or GOD's restored Family. From here I will look at The Ultimate Promise before looking at the other portions of it. When doing so I will add the illumination of the LORD where and when He gives it to me.
"Those We Hope to Reach through Ministry"
"But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe." (2Corithians 4:3-4)
"In this servants-of-Grace ministry GOD has given us, He wants to use us to reach people. These people are in a desperate spiritual condition. Those we hope to reach are perishing, spiritually blind, and unbelieving. Many of them are joined to a religious denomination of some sort and these are usually all under the bondage of law of sort and design, not of GOD's doing. Some of these go so far as to blend the Law of Moses with Grace, which is an impossibility. As the Law is the letter and all this is available in the Law is condemnation and works of the flesh which leads to mans eternal death. While Grace is GOD making Himself available to us and in us to bring about His desired end of total Salvation to His glory.
Those who do not know the Grace of GOD in Jesus Christ are "perishing." They are spiritually dead (just as we once were). "And you . . . were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). Even worse, they are heading toward an everlasting death. "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works (of faith and Love or of the flesh). Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found (where mans names are and should remain) written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:13-15). These who are dead (and facing everlasting death) are lost. They are wandering from the fold of GOD, taking a path of self-service. "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way" (Isaiah 53:6). They need a shepherd to seek after them. "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it . . . for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 15:4; 19:10).
These perishing ones are also "blinded," by unbelief primarily. This is why they cannot "see" the Truth we share with them. "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded." The false god of this world (Satan) is blinding people to the Truth by feeding them with lies and deceptions. He is constantly offering counterfeit philosophical and religious messages to keep men from embracing the Truth and Grace of the LORD.
Ultimately, the problem with blind and perishing people is they "do not believe." Consequently, they already stand guilty. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of GOD" (John 3:18). However, a loving GOD has provided the remedy. "For GOD so loved the (this Age) world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes Him should not perish but have everlasting Life" (John 3:16). By GOD's Grace and Light, we can proclaim this great message."
The Promise of Ultimate Triumph, in Spiritual Victory:
Over Evil Influence of Man,
Psalm 44:4-8 and Malachi 4:3 "You are my King, O God; ordain salvation for Jacob! Through You we push down our foes; through Your name we tread down those who rise up against us. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But You have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. In GOD we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to Your name forever."
Malachi 4:1-3 "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear (reverence and revere and Glorify) My name, the sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its (the LORD's Salvation, in His) wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day (in the Age) when I act, says the LORD of Hosts."
Over Malign Spiritual Forces,
Luke 10:18-20, 21-22 "Jesus said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are (remain) written in heaven."
In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, LORD of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was Your gracious Will. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him."
Over Severest Afflictions,
Romans 8:31-9:5 "What then shall we say to these things? If GOD is for us, who can be against us? HE Who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will HE not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against GOD's elect? It is GOD Who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—Who is at the right hand of GOD, Who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the Love of GOD in Christ Jesus our LORD. I am speaking the Truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, Who is GOD over all, blessed forever. The Amen."
Over Worldly Allurements,
1John 5:1-4, 5 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of GOD, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born (the reversal of Adams giving birth to woman in Genesis 2:21-24 and them being bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, this being our one with Him and the birth of the Bride, a virgin, as the Church in figurative form) of Him. By this we know that we love the children of GOD, when we love GOD and obey His commandments (are given and revealed to those in Christ in the Now Age of Grace and the New Covenant of Grace). For this is the Love of GOD, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.For everyone who has been born of GOD overcomes the world (this Age). And this is the victory that has overcome the (Age) world—our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world (Age) except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of GOD?"
Over all Satanic Powers,
Revelation 15:2-4 "I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of GOD in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and amazing are your deeds, O LORD GOD the Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, (the next passage has not yet taken place as Christ is LORD of All but not yet the) O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O LORD, and glorify Your name? For You alone are Holy. All nations will come and worship You, for Your Righteous acts have been revealed."
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