I have been stressing Amos 3:3 as our own walking as One with the LORD-GOD. Today I am adding an other tier or level to this understanding. "In the beginning GOD created," of Genesis 1:1. This meaning that there was only One Person in all of the universe, that is HE and His whole universe is ME, the One person; That is it is His manifestation. That means that every thing IS, is some form of GOD. Or we have more than GOD. Like all the rest of humanity I had to discover life isn't GOD and.....It IS GOD! It is Not GOD and. Did you get it? If we do not get it we are in trouble. Life is GOD, or we have a multitude of ands.....and that is mans trouble. Mans fall caused this, our separation from, making separation our trouble. Jesus as Christ came to bring us all to unity, our secret of can two walk together except they be in harmony, of one mind and Spirit to spirit. Christ is our means of unification. If you prefer it that way. It is not GOD and. It's GOD only, still. GOD is me. Because every thing must be a part of Him, some of Him. When I move through scripture, I fine we are told the end. We are told the consummation is of fire, for it is by fire that all is sanctified or that salt has regained it's saltiness. Then it states that the last enemy is death and the Son destroys death, in 1Corinthians 15 and then Jesus renders up the Kingdom to the Father that GOD may be All in all. If HE is all, He is not "some." He is all there IS! Then we fine that Jesus gave and inner revelation of Who this Person is.....when He says, "HE is Spirit." This Jesus said to the lowly woman at the well and not to some lofty Theologian. As in the beginning it was man a spirit with GOD the Spirit, did you see that in Genesis 1 and 2? The strongest one is in Genesis 1:26-27 before GOD's day of rest in Genesis 2:1-2 of the seventh day. Then later GOD forms a clay image of Himself and breathed His Spirit into the clay image of Himself giving His Life to this image of His Spirit and the word, law and Will took on flesh. This was done so that we would know our real self.....our "I AM" is spirit. This is the unchangeable universe, you. Our knowing and desiring with our willing, our form of expression through our soul and body, our "I am." For the "I am" must have form to express or all is meaningless. This revelation may cause many to stumble as it did me at first. But ounce this sunk in, I had to get over my self in order to get on with GOD my LORD and Christ. When this is settled within us all becomes a clearer perspective our vision and hearing being restored, our faith has strength. With all that said, I will now look to Pastor Hoekstra as he uses Josiah as his example of Grace in operation. And then the LORD willing I will look at another area of our self-denial with the subduing of flesh. All with the use of the ESV translation.
"More on Josiah Humbling Himself before the Lord"
"Thus says the LORD GOD of Israel: "Concerning the words which you have heard — because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before GOD when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the LORD . . . "your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants." (2Chronicles 34:26-27)
"King Josiah was a godly ruler, who purged the land of idolatrous activities. When the neglected word of GOD was discovered in the temple, he responded humbly as he heard it read. "Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes." He thereby escaped the judgment that was deserved by a rebellious people. Also, this appropriate wrath was postponed until after his reign.
These blessings of Grace were related to Josiah's humble response to GOD's word. His heart was soft when he heard the word of the LORD. "Concerning the words which you have heard — because your heart was tender." The attitude of the heart toward the scriptures is pivotal if a person is to experience the Grace of GOD at work in his life. A hardhearted response to the word of GOD does not receive the Grace of GOD. The Israelites in Zechariah's day were a sad example of this. The LORD sent His word to them, "But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the Law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 7:11-12).
Josiah's attitude was a vivid contrast. "You humbled yourself before GOD when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants." He did what James would later call GOD's people to do. "Receive with meekness the implanted word" (James 1:21). Josiah's humility was so evident. "You humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me." The result was that Josiah would enjoy the Grace of GOD. His time of leadership would not have to go through the wrath that the people deserved from their previous rebellions and hardheartedness. "Your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants."
Self-denial by Subduing or Mortifying the Flesh,
Matthew 5:27-30; 18:8-9 (Jesus is speaking) "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery [lust or cravings of worldly things no matter the object falls into this term Jesus uses the following to describe this truth].' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."
Matthew 18:8-9 (Jesus is speaking) "If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire."
Romans 6:1-7; 8:12-17 "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin."
Romans 8:12 "So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of GOD are sons of GOD. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of GOD, and if children, then heirs—heirs of GOD and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him."
Galatians 5:16-24, 25-26 "I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (look at the struggles of Paul in Romans 7:14-8:8 to see this.) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law (the Law of Moses now being rolled up by destruction in death of the flesh of Christ Jesus, the benefit of promise). Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of GOD. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. (Amos 3:3 and Genesis 1 and 2) Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."
Colossians 3:5-11 "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of GOD is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all."
1Peter 2:11-12 "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul [or spirit]. 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."
1Peter 4:1-11, 12-19 "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), that though judged in the 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 [who does these things] belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of GOD rests in you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify GOD in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of GOD; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the Gospel of GOD? And "If the righteous are scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" Therefore let those who suffer according to GOD's Will [plan and purpose] entrust their souls [spirit] to a faithful Creator while doing good."
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