Our Spiritual Richness

Jesus as He stood before Pilate during his interrogation of Him was asked are you a king? This lead Jesus to say that He was indeed a king and that His kingdom was not of this world. And again Pilate said so You are a king? And again Jesus stated this, you say that I am a king, it was for this purpose that I came into the world----to bear witness of the Truth. Every one who hears My voice is of the Truth. Then Pilate taking hold of this statement asked Him, What is Truth? This is found in John 18:33-38. All this being true todays subject is all about Truth and with it I may look a few days into it. But first Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on Grace and its accessing by Faith. That bring me to another area that will require some research into this question, What is Faith? This I will also be looking into in the future. But for now Truth, I will again call on the ESV translation and my LORD for assistance to bear Him witness of Truth.


"Another Consequence of Accessing Grace through Faith"


"Who through faith . . . obtained promises." (Hebrews 11:33)

"In our present section of scripture, we have begun to consider a summarized testimony of GOD's servants who experienced various consequences of accessing Grace through Faith. Two of these results were they "subdued kingdoms" and "worked righteousness." These are wonderful realities, but these accounts show that relying upon the LORD can produce more consequences than these.


Another rich blessing that came from trusting in GOD was they "obtained promises." Jeremiah, a mighty prophet (remember what I shared on 11/10/16, that a true prophet opens the seed of GOD within him first which brings him to being the righteousness of GOD within him before GOD uses him in this capacity) of GOD, certainly experienced the benefit of fulfilled promises from the LORD. He was given a challenging calling to tear down entrenched ungodliness that a fresh work of GOD might begin. "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant" (Jeremiah 1:9-10). The religious establishment would come strongly against him, but GOD promised to sustain and protect him. " 'They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,' says the LORD, 'to deliver you' " (Jeremiah 1:19). The promised opposition surely came. "Therefore the princes said to the king, 'Please, let this man be put to death' . . . So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon . . . which was in the court of the prison" (Jeremiah 38:4, 6). More importantly, the promised rescue came as well. "So they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison . . . then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah . . . that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people" (Jeremiah 38:13-14). Even more importantly, the LORD continued to speak to and through His servant in the midst of it all. "Now the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison" (Jeremiah 39:15).


We may not have a prophetic calling exactly like Jeremiah. However, we are all called "to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). If we faithfully respond, many will oppose us as well. We, too, will need to "obtain promises." We will need to rely upon the fulfillment of GOD's promised protection. "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you' . . . So we may boldly say: 'The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?' " (Hebrews 13:5-6).


Christ the Truth,


John 1:14 "The Word put on flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of Grace and Truth. (John bore witness about Him, and cried out, "This was He of Whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.'") For from His fullness we have all received, Grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen GOD; the only GOD, Who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known."

John 14:1-7 (Jesus is speaking) "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in GOD; believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him."

John 18:33-40 "Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about Me?" Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from the world." Then Pilate said to Him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, "I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber."