The Lord Jesus Christ while He was in His ministry to Israel as Promised of Him went about preparing this Nation for the transformation that GOD through GOD in Him was about to pull off. First for Israel and then the world of many nations. As seen in the promise given to Abram in Genesis 12:3. Which GOD later confirmed by way of an Oath between Himself and Abraham. But as was by now the habit of Israel, they had no part of it. They wonted what they wonted and expected a man to be their King to set them free from Roman occupation and then to Rule. The enemy within them blinded them from their own self for self sin of satan's of nature in sin. This was fostered by their religious and thro lacking spiritual leaders. They did not see themselves as sinners with the dogs of the gentiles but sadly they were and in many ways even worse. GOD in Jesus spoke of these things and more in parables because He was under restrictions or restraints of the Law and the Prophets. After His ascension He set the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth to reveal the secret things of GOD (Deuteronomy 29:29) which were keep from Israel because of their callousness of heart in the deadness of spirit which held them and the world. The book of Acts reveals the transformation of GOD's working once restored within receptive man. Now for Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on Grace and GOD's activities in redeemed man as the receptor of the words of Christ. Then with the use of the ESV translation and my LORD I will look at the Characteristics of Christ's words.
"Truth to Set Us Free from the Enemy's Bondage"
"If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free . . . that they may know the truth . . . and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him." (John 8:31-32 and 2Timothy 2:25-26)
"As followers of Jesus Christ, it is so important that we abide in His word. We are called to live in the word of the Lord that we might know His truth. Then, as we are embracing GOD's Truth, we are impacted by its liberating power. "The Truth shall make you free." Bondage from the enemy is one fundamental area where people are in need of spiritual liberation. For all are born in satan's sin nature.
The entire realm of unbelieving humanity lies under the binding influence of the evil one, in bondage to satan's sin nature. "The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1John 5:19). Even those unbelievers who do not accept the truths of GOD about Satan and sin, are nonetheless captivated by him. Consequently, we are to humbly reach out to them with the truth: "in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if GOD perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the Truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will." Paul was sent forth to proclaim the Gospel Truth that offers freedom from such bondage: "to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to GOD" (Acts 26:18). The testimony of all who believe the Truth of this Gospel is this: "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Colossians 1:13).
The problem of Satan's binding, hindering, restricting influence is not ended at Redemption nor when in Salvation. Many saints (though headed for heaven) are still bound in areas of their thinking and behaving. They are still influenced by the enemy's lies and satan's sin nature. They cannot make the liberating confession of Paul and his missionary team: "we are not ignorant of [Satan's] devices" (2Corinthians 2:11). Ignorance of the enemy's tactics will persist in the lives of those who do not know (or will not yield to) GOD's liberating Truth. On the other hand, all who are willing to embrace these Truths of GOD's word will increasingly enjoy freedom from the enemy's lies. They will grow in understanding of, and reliance upon, the victorious purposes of Jesus' coming to this earth. "For this purpose the Son of GOD was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1John 3:8).
Characteristics of Christ's words:
Imperishable,
Mark 13:28-32 (Jesus is speaking) "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that He is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
Gracious,
Luke 4:16-30 "Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." After reading this He rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from His mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" Hearing this He said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to Me this proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself.' What we have heard You did at Capernaum, do here in Your hometown as well." Then He said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." (He was telling them to their faces that because of their callousness of heart these people were not healed and neither will you be.) When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. Then they rose up and drove Him out of the town and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went away."
Mighty,Luke 4:31-37 "Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And He was teaching them on the Sabbath, and they were astonished at His teaching, for His word possessed authority. Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, "Ha! What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of GOD." To this Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. And they were all amazed and said to one another, "What is this word? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!" These reports about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region."
Spiritual,
John 6:60-65 "When many of His disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" Jesus, knowing this in Himself that His disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives Life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray Him.) Because of this He said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted Him by the Father."
Life-Giving,
John 6:66-71 "After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of GOD." Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil." He spoke this of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray Him."
Incomparable,
John 7:45-53 "The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why did you not bring Him?" The officers answered, "No one ever spoke like this man!" The Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed." Nicodemus, who had gone to Him before, and who was one of them, said to them, "Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?" They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee." [They went each to his own house.]
Words of Judgment,
John 12:44-50 "Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him Who sent Me. And whoever sees Me sees Him Who sent Me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority, but the Father Who sent Me has Himself given Me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. For I know that His commandment is Eternal Life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told Me."
Divine,
John 14:18-24 and 1Timothy 6:3-10 (Jesus is speaking) "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and WE Will come into him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's Who sent Me."
1Timothy 6:3-10 "If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs."
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