Okay the big day has arrived I will today look at Grace from first what is revealed about GODs Grace and then following Him comes the LORD Christ Jesus. But first Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on our obedience both in and by Grace. Then with the use of the ESV translation and the LORDs help the Grace of GOD.
"Obedience and the Life of Jesus"
"He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him . . . Christ in you, the hope of glory." (John 8:29 and Colossians 1:27)
"Our LORD, the LORD of our ascension the Lord and man Jesus wants His students to live in obedience to His Will: "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). Our Lord is also with us every step of our pilgrimage on earth, granting us His Grace unto obedience. "I am with you always . . . through Whom we have received Grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith" (Matthew 28:20 and Romans 1:4-5). This is also the way that Jesus Himself lived here on earth in relationship with His heavenly Father. "And He Who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." The Father was with the Son, as the Son lived to please the Father. So we as restored Sons live to please our Father through His Son.
Jesus came to earth to live in humble dependency upon, and full obedience to, the Father. "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8). Even though obedience led to the cross, Jesus obeyed the Will (plan and purpose) of the Father. In the garden of Gethsemane, the obedient Son wrestled with the implications of the impending cross. The holy, eternal One was to taste the cup of sin and death for all of us. His entire being was repulsed by that which was so contrary to His nature. "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death . . . O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me" (Matthew 26:38-39). Yet, He obediently yielded to the Father's Will. "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You Will" (Matthew 26:39). This is the ultimate example of obedience. It is to be our stance and standard as well.
This same Jesus Christ (who always pleased the Father, even unto death) now lives in us. This same Jesus is our "hope of glory." He is our hope (expectation, confidence) of making it to glory (heaven) when this body made from the elements of this earth gives up the ghost. He is also our hope of walking in any heavenly reality here on the way to glory. He is our hope of an obedient life.
Obedience is essentially related to the life of Jesus. The life Jesus lived on earth is our perfect example of obedience. The life He now wants to live in and through us is our glorious hope of obedience."
GOD's Grace:
Freely given, Psalm 84:8-12 and Acts 11:19-26, 13:42-43 "O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of Your anointed! (those called saints who possess the ontological essence of Christ within and around them as a covering or badge of holiness of righteousness in godliness) For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my GOD than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows Grace and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in You!"
Acts 11:19-26 "Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. The hand of the LORD was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the LORD. The report of this came to the ears of the assembly of believers in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the Grace of GOD, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the LORD with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the LORD. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the assembly of believers and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians."
Acts 13:42-43 "As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the Grace of God."
Empowers men for service,
1Corinthians 3:10-15 and 15:3-11 "According to the Grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day (of the LORD) will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on this foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."
1Corinthians 15:3-11 "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of believers of GOD. But by the Grace of GOD I am what I am, and His Grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the Grace of GOD that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believe."
May be rendered ineffectual,
2Corinthians 6:1-10; Galatians 2:15-21; Ephesians 3:1-13; Hebrews 2:10-13; James 4:1-10 "Working together with Him, then, I appeal to you not to receive the Grace of God in vain. For He says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of Salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of GOD we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine Love; by truthful speech, and the power of GOD; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything."
Galatians 2:15-21 "We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through Faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by Faith in Christ and not by works of the Law, because by works of the Law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified through Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to GOD. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of GOD, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the Grace of GOD, for if righteousness were through the Law, then Christ died for no purpose."
Ephesians 3:1-13 "For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of GOD's Grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same Body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of GOD's Grace, which was given me by the working of His power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this Grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God Who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of GOD might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that He has realized in Christ Jesus our LORD, through Whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory."
Hebrews 2:5-9 "For it was not to angels that GOD subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, "What is man, that You are mindful of him, or the son of man, that You care for Him? You made Him for a little while lower than the angels (for a short time); You have crowned Him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under His feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to Him, He left nothing outside His control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to Him. But we see Him Who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the Grace of GOD He might taste death for everyone."
James 4:1-10 "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with GOD? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of GOD. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that He has made to dwell in us"? But He gives more Grace. Therefore it says, "GOD opposes the proud, but gives Grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to GOD. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to GOD, and He Will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the LORD, and He will exalt you."
Not given for selfish use,
1Peter 4:1-11 "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the Will of GOD. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him Who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead (separated from GOD while remaining mere men), that though judged in the (corruption of their) flesh the way people are, that they might live in the spirit the way God does. The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of GOD's varied Grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of GOD; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that GOD supplies—in order that in everything GOD may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. The Amen."
Promised to the humble,
1Peter 5:1-5 "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as GOD would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "GOD opposes the proud but gives Grace to the humble."
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