I looked at the Grace that is in Christ Jesus our risen LORD. Today I want us to look at the Richness of this Grace. But first Pastor Hoekstra and his writing on Grace and I will turn my attention towards Grace's richness with the use of the ESV translation. And as always should the LORD broaden my insight and understanding I will add it without hesitation.
"God Working in Us Both to Will and to Do"
"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13)
"Again, our meditation is from Philippians 2:12-13. Yesterday, we saw that God must be allowed to work within our hearts, if we are to walk in obedience. "It is God who works in you . . . for His good pleasure." Today, we will consider the extent to which He desires to work: "both to will and to do." In order to fully obey the LORD, we need His working within us for both the willing and the doing. Because in our fallen nature we have become resistant to such things after all we like the animal kingdom have become creatures of habit. As of foster father is a creature of habit.
First, the LORD wants to affect our willingness to obey Him (to fulfill "His good pleasure"). So, He invites us into His word to learn of His Will. "Oh, that My people would listen to Me . . . [and] walk in My ways!" (Psalm 81:13). Then, His word goes to work within our hearts, convicting us of our need to obey it. "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). All the while, He is nurturing in us a love for His word. "Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, yes, than fine gold!" (Psalm 119:127). Increasingly, we become willing to (we desire to) obey His word. "I delight to do Your Will, O my GOD" (Psalm 40:8).
After working in our hearts a willingness to obey Him, the LORD also wants to work in us until we are doing His Will. Yes, willing and doing are two different matters, just as Redemption and Salvation are also two different matters. Redemption comes first as it is within this corral that obedience and His desire is perfected. Then in Salvation we learn even more of Him than in the beginning as His Grace and Love are perfected. We easily forget this distinction. We wrongly assume that once the willingness is present, the doing will inevitably follow. Jesus revealed the fallacy of this thinking in a well-known warning to His disciples. "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Even when our hearts are willing to obey, our flesh is inadequate to bring the willingness on to obedience. Thus, we are to be alert to our need for prayer that we might obey and not yield to temptation. The word even teaches us how to cry out to GOD for the internal inclination from Him that we need to actually obey His Will. "Make me walk in the path of Your commandments . . . Incline my heart to Your testimonies" (Psalm 119:35-36). Along the way there are many pitfalls of afflictions designed to bring us closer to GOD's desire for us.
The Riches of Grace,
Rom 2:1-11 and 9:19-26 "Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of GOD rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of GOD? Or do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that GOD's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when GOD's righteous judgment will be revealed. He Will render to each one according to His works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He Will give Eternal Life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the Truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the (those relegated unbelieving aspiring to being religious, churchy folks) Jew first and also the Greek (the gentile unbelieving world of mankind), but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For GOD shows no partiality (they are both worthy of wrath)."
Romans 9:19-26 "You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who can resist His Will?" But who are you, O man, to answer back to GOD? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if GOD, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of His glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom He has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed He said by Hosea, "Those who were not my people I Will call 'My people,' and her who was not beloved I Will call 'beloved.'" And in the very place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' there they Will be called 'sons of the living GOD.'"
Ephesians 1:3-14 "Blessed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love HE predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His Will, to the praise of His glorious Grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have Redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His Grace, which He (Lovingly) lavishes upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of His Will, according to His purpose, which HE set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him Who works all things according to the counsel of His Will (plan and purposes), so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. For in Him you also, when you heard the word of (this revelation of) Truth, in the gospel for your Salvation, and believed Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory."
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 (those of His Salvation known as) 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 age to yet come. And HE has 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 (not the church of frigidair, death warmed over being lukewarm, of resistance to GOD). In which 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 loves 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 (how have Salvation) 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's (working within us), 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 (lovingly) prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Philippians 4:15-20, 21-22, 23 "You Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my GOD Will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our GOD and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.
The Grace of the LORD Jesus Christ be with your spirit."
1Timothy 1:12-17 and Titus 3:1-11 "I thank Him Who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our LORD, because HE judged me faithful, appointing me to His service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the Grace of our (ascended Now) LORD overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe Him for eternal life. To the King of the Ages, immortal, invisible, the only GOD, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."
Titus 3:1-11 "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of GOD our Savior appeared, HE saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Whom HE poured (gave) out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His Grace we might become heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed GOD may be careful to devote themselves to good works (standing steadfast in the Knowledge of Christ). These things are excellent and profitable for people. But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned."
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