In the intro of yesterday I asked some probing questions concerning the present day claim of some of being a prophet. Because such a claim draws mans attention away from GOD by the use of His word. Since the transformation or reformation which GOD Himself pulled off. The position of a prophet has changed from what it was back while GOD was dealing solely with Israel with few exceptions. When we are one in Christ we after time becoming a pastor and teacher in and through the Spirit of Christ. And Revelation tells us that the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of Prophesy which is to say that the whole book or Bible is a Revelation of Christ and those who are His bear witness of HIM. Just as does the Bible from beginning to end. How is this accomplished when some claim to be a spiritous (as in being refined) or prophet and they speak of other things than being a witness of Christ the LORD Himself? Now for Pastor Hoekstra and his writing on Grace and our growth in the Knowledge of the LORD. And then a look into Enlightenment with the use of the ESV translation and should the LORD give more enlightenment as we go along I will add it as usual.
"Old Covenant or New, Man's Sufficiency or God's"
"(God) also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit . . . But their minds were blinded (and hearts were hardened). For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament [old covenant], because the veil is taken away in Christ." (2Corinthians 3:6, 14)
"We have seen that godly characteristics develop in our lives through the working of GOD and His Grace within us. We now begin a closely related subject: a contrast between living by the old covenant or the New (by Law or by Grace). The ongoing choices we make here determine whether we will be living by man's sufficiency or by GOD's. Various contrasting terms that describe these significant choices are set forth in the third chapter of 2 Corinthians. Verses 6 and 14 set the basic context, differences between the New (better way of) Covenant and the old: "[GOD] also made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant . . . For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament [old covenant]."
One of the drastic differences between living by the old covenant or the New is seen in verse 3: "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ . . . written not with ink but by the Spirit of the Living GOD" (2Corinthians 3:3). People write letters on paper, using ink to record the message. GOD writes His message in people's lives, using His Spirit as the instrument. What a vivid contrast, "ink" versus "the Spirit of the Living GOD." Ink is a natural resource. It is available to all humankind, regardless of their relationship with GOD. Ink is not a life-giving or life-developing entity. It is a mere element of the kingdom of man. When we chose to live by the old covenant (the letter of the Law), the only resources we have to draw upon are natural human resources. We are writing our own letter of life, and we have selected man's sufficiency, not GOD's. Such resources are as spiritually powerless as ink.
On the other hand, those who live by the New Covenant of Grace have the Holy Spirit as their supplier to bring forth the mighty, heavenly, sufficiency of GOD. His presence is within them. Think of the radical difference, ink versus the Holy Spirit, GOD. GOD wants us relying on His Spirit. He wants us living by His sufficiency, not ours."
Spiritual Enlightenment:
Psalm 18:25-29 "With the merciful You show Yourself merciful; with the blameless man You show Yourself blameless; with the purified You show Yourself pure; and with the crooked You make Yourself seem tortuous. For You save a humble people, but the haughty eyes You bring down. For it is You Who light my lamp; the LORD my GOD lightens my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, and by my GOD I can leap over a wall."
Pe.
Psalm 119:129-136 "Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your name. Keep steady my steps according to Your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man's oppression, that I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep Your law."
Proverbs 29:11-18 "A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked. The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the LORD gives light to the eyes of both. If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever. The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law."
Isaiah 29:17-21 "Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right."
Isaiah 60:15-22 "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. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it."
Acts 26:12-18 "In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king (Agrippa), I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are You, LORD?' And the LORD said, 'I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting. Arise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen Me and to those in which I will appear through you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'"
2Corithians 4:1-6 "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of GOD, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with GOD's word, but by the open statement of Truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of GOD. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of GOD. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as LORD, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For GOD said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 1:15-2:10 "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the GOD of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that HE worked in Christ when HE raised Him from the dead and seated Him at HIS right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And HE put all things under His feet and gave Him as Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him Who fills All in all. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great Love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by Grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His Grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by Grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the Gift of GOD, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which GOD prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
1Peter 2:9-10, 11-12 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are GOD's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify GOD on the day of visitation."
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