Can two be in agreement as one when they walk together. In my quest for the ultimate answer we have looked into many areas with that theme in the back ground of our awareness. Well again today I will look at another area in that quest, today I will look at Knowledge being the means of preparing man for the duty of life. But first Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on Grace as the means of Abraham's journey as it is also ours when we have come to faith like Abraham's. In this way we fulfill the promise given to him in Genesis 12:3, then to Isaac in Genesis 22:18, then to Jacob in Genesis 28:14 and rehearsed in Acts 3:25. As the means of bring this promise forward into this Age of GOD's Grace and the promised new Covenant of this Gospel of hope and comfort, which operates by the law of love and faith. As opposed to that of self-works designed to bring about mans obedience, in which we also journey as in a dark place where our own Egypt is the world all around us. Egypt being made up of many lesser gods of mysteries as it's history has revealed. I will make good use of the ESV translation to do my search and quest for knowledge but here is the stinger my quest is the knowledge of GOD and Christ as our only means of Salvation which requires a life time of spiritual growth once coming out of Egypt and its many false religions. Once we have come to this understanding we also could say that we have father Abraham as our father in faith. But as we have also seen, we operate by Jesus' faith, a much stronger force. Because it operated by GOD's Love in and through Him, the secret of Christ our anointing, if we have indeed the Spirit of Christ and become as One walking in agreement.
"Abraham's Obedient, Earthly Sojourn, by Faith"
"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would afterward receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:8-10)
"Abraham provides one of the most profound studies concerning the extensive consequences of walking by faith. One lesson he offers is that trusting God enables us to obediently leave familiar settings to follow the LORD into new, uncertain situations. Beyond this, Abraham's example sheds light on how to face our entire journey on earth. We see this in Abraham's obedient, earthly sojourn, by faith.
GOD called Abraham to leave his familiar homeland and to follow Him to a new land that the LORD would give him. "Now the LORD had said to Abram: 'Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you' " (Genesis 12:1, for today look at 2Corinthians 6:11-7:3). Abraham obeyed the LORD by stepping out into this monumental change. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would afterward receive as an inheritance." He trusted the LORD to lead him, even though he was given no indication of where this land would be. "And he went out, not knowing where he was going." When he arrived in the land, his faith again was exercised by having to sojourn there, as if he were an alien in a foreign land. "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign country." Year after year, he moved about in tents with his son and grandson, who were also promised this same land: "dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise."
There certainly are times when the LORD calls us to follow Him into monumental rearrangements. Only trusting our LORD, as Abraham did, will sustain us. Still, whether circumstances are shifting or stable, we are to face all of life's journey as he did. This world is promised to GOD's children some day. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). Until the LORD makes it so, we sojourn here as visitors (in the world, but not of it), walking with our GOD and being used by Him. Meanwhile, like Abraham, we are waiting by faith for an everlasting city that man cannot produce. "For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is GOD."
Knowledge, Prepares men for the Duties of life:
Fitted Israel to Sympathize with Strangers,
Exodus 23:9 "You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt."
Prepared the Demoniac to Witness,
Mark 5:14-20 "The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged Him that he might be with Him. And He did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the LORD has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled."
Christ's Message grounded in Experience,
John 3:9-15 "Nicodemus said to Jesus, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, We speak of what We know, and bear witness to what We have seen, but you do not receive Our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly (purely spiritual) things? No one has ascended into heaven except He Who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes Him may have eternal life."
Qualified the Blind man to Testify,
John 9:24-34 "For a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give glory to GOD. We know that this man is a sinner." He answered, "Whether He is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?" And they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that GOD has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from." The man answered, "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where He comes from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that GOD does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of GOD and does His Will, GOD listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from GOD, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out."
Fitted Paul for a Ministry of Comfort,
2Corinthians 1:3-7 "Blessed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and GOD of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by GOD. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort."
Enabled the Apostles to Speak with Authority,
2Peter 1:16-18 "We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from GOD the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is MY beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased," we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain."
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