I started the daunting task of discovering the Spiritual Gifts that belong to us in the LORD who are in the Now Covenant of Grace. I say daunting because as with the many Promises some of them belong solely to Israel and their time of restoration as the wife of GOD after the virgin Bride of the LORD Christ Jesus has been taken home. When those Promises and Gifts will then become operational in the Nation of Israel as the salt of the earth that regains its saltiness. But for our time of this Age of Grace in the New Now Covenant in which is the calling of a people, made up of all nations and all people that make up the virgin betrothed bride of Christ those gifts and promises do not belong to Israel as a Nation but only the people which are GOD's as a called out people as a whole within the scriptures. All that said I will now turn my attentions toward Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on Grace and our time in this Age of a Body and Bride being formed from all peoples and races. As promised to the seed of Abraham and Isaac as being the families and nations in Genesis 12:3, 18:18, 22:18 and 26:4-5. Then with the use of the ESV translation and the LORD in both I will return my attentions to the Spiritual Gifts of Promise.
"The Process that Magnifies the Treasure"
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." (2Corinthians 4:7-9)
As New Covenant servants (but not slaves and followers of Jesus Christ we) are in "earthen vessels," as ordinary clay earthen pots. Yet, in the container of our redeemed humanity dwells "this treasure," the Spiritual essence of the Son of GOD Himself. This arrangement calls for the treasure (Jesus), not the vessels (you and me) to be the object of all trust and the recipient of all glory: "that the excellence of the power may be of GOD and not of us." Appropriately, the LORD eons ago arranged a process that magnifies this treasure. This took place before the worlds were formed and during which Age, I say Age because until there was a day and a night there was no time in existence. There was only GOD (Elohim) and those things that HE made in HIS Divine universe. During that Age HE made a book and wrote within it all the names of the million upon millions of spirit people that were planned for. It is how we respond to HIM in this Now that determines by us whether our name remains written in this book of Life.
This process involves the every day pressures of life, which come from all sides. "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed." Clay pots cannot withstand much pressure, but the treasure within us (ie..Christ) is able to keep us from being smashed. "Be strong in the Grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2Timothy 2:1)
The process that draws attention to the treasure also involves many perplexities. "We are perplexed, but not in despair." We face difficult decisions and impossible issues, but our Wonderful Counselor protects us from hopelessness: "in Whom are hidden all the treasures of (divine spiritual) wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).
Persecutions are included in the process: "persecuted, but not forsaken." People accuse us, misunderstand us, or lie about us. Still, we know we are not abandoned by our LORD Who lives within us. "For He Himself has said, 'I Will never leave you nor forsake you' " (Hebrews 13:5).
Even the worlds catastrophes are a part of the process that magnifies the treasure Who indwells us: "struck down, but not destroyed." If all we have is the essence of evil within evil will be what is magnified, made known by our course of words and actions. And these things natural man loves as they have a sweet savory taste for him in his appetite for more sin. Circumstantial upheavals and overwhelming heartaches occur, but the LORD stabilizes our souls, so we don't "tip over" under the weight of these circumstances that are so common to man as a whole. "They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support" (Psalm 18:18).
Thus, life comes at us like an overpowering military tank, ready to flatten us. There is no natural hope, because clay pots can't handle tanks. Yet, as the dust clears, the flower pot of our lives can remain intact (if we are trusting in the able and faithful One Who lives in our hearts). There is no attacking tank that can overcome the LORD Christ Jesus. For "He Who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1John 4:4).
The Promised Spiritual Gifts:
An Everlasting Name,
Isaiah 56:1-5 "Thus says the LORD: "Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon My Salvation will come, and My Righteousness be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath (when we have accepted the LORD's yoke of Matthew 11:28-30 we have then entered His Sabbath rest) and, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from His people"; and let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree." For thus says the LORD: "To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose the things that please Me and hold fast My (Promised New Covenant of Grace here not yet seen or known) Covenant, I Will give in My house and within My walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I Will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off."
Spiritual Knowledge,
Jeremiah 24:4-7 "The word of the LORD came to me: "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans. I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be My people and I Will be their GOD, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart." (This was again rejected at Jesus' death and then the death of Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit , in Acts 7 and 8.)
A New Heart,
Ezekiel 11:14-21 "The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those of whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, 'Go far from the LORD; to us this land is given for a possession.' Therefore say, 'Thus says the LORD GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.' Therefore say, 'Thus says the LORD GOD: I Will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I Will give you the land of Israel.' And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. (this has not as of yet taken place throughout the land of the Nation of Israel) And I Will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I Will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, (This has however happened to the people of all nations races and tongues including those Hebrew children who turn to the LORD Christ and come out from among them.) that they may walk in My statutes and keep My rules and obey them. And they shall be My people, and I Will be their GOD. But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I Will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the LORD GOD."
Spiritual Rest,
Matthew 11:25-27, 28-30 "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. (Are you ready to) 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."
The Holy Spirit,
Luke 11:9-13 (Jesus is speaking) "I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Eternal Life,
John 10:22-39 and James 1:17 "At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. So the (Elitist high minded, those who opposed Him known as the) Jews gathered around Him and said to Him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name bear witness about Me, but you do not believe because you are not among My sheep (the common day Hebrew person during their Age). My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow (know Who I AM) Me. I give them Eternal Life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are One." The Jews (the Elitist high minded) picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you many good works (proving the Father's Faithfulness to His Promises given to Israel as a nation) from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?" The Jews answered Him, "It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself GOD." ( I left in the lower case lettering to show the contempt for Jesus that these Elitist had toward Him, this same contempt is heard among the religious under law and [denom-nations or the worldly churches as] denominations to this every day) Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, you are gods'? If He called them gods to whom the word of GOD came—and Scripture cannot be broken— do you say of Him Whom the Father Consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I AM the Son of GOD'? If I am not doing the works (of Faith required) of My Father, then do not believe Me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I AM in the Father." Again they sought to arrest Him, but He escaped from their hands."
James 1:1, 17 "James, a servant of GOD and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
Every good gift and every perfect Gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
A Spiritual Crown,
Revelation 2:9-11, 12-17 (the ascended LORD is speaking) "'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are [spiritually] rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan (these are those who are under the Sharia Law of Islam. Because this Law is based on the Laws of Moses from which it was copied and perverted, this is applicable to two peoples not just the Islamic). Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of Life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (this is the advantage of our now having eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying and this is what sets those who have become HIS from the rest of the world, our being One in Him). The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.'"
"And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
'The words of The One Who has the sharp two-edged sword.
"'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.(The Roman Catholics, and other denominations that practice and fit in here as they say prayers for the departed and the likes of other things dead.) Therefore repent. If not, I Will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I Will give some of the hidden manna, and I Will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.'"
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