Yesterday, I looked at Christ the Truth, today I want to look at the GOD of Truth as we find Him. But little is truly known of GOD because like with Christ so much is assumed by us all. We each think that we know Him when in all truth we do not. This is also true of that of the Bible, because man does not like change and in fact resist's change. What I am about to say may send some back reeling but truth is truth and it will indeed set you free as GOD in Christ wants us all set free from the oppression and occupation of the evil one. Yes, occupation of the evil one is the truth as Jesus standing before the religious rulers of Israel told them that even they were posed by the evil one and were slaves to him. GOD in Jesus and through Jesus as the son of man came to break this hold of the evil one that is was strong man of His parable in Matthew 12:29, Mark 3:27 and Luke 11:21. When we have released the strong mans hold on us after redemption we then move into GOD's plan and purpose, that is to say His Will. For this Will is the same and to gain entry is the same for all. The word for it is revelation, transformation, reformation and light brought about by the Spirit of Truth which is Christ in you. With Christ in you your soul has received healing while the outer court of our flesh remains as it is, in the figure of the ancient temple of Israel's history. In this temple the center was for GOD's presence, well that is what takes place within us. When this takes place we become "Christ-ones" and by so doing are strangers as in a foreign land in which there are all forms of hostilities wherein are all forms of anti-Christ ones, million upon millions of them. Okay, now for Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on Grace and accessing grace by faith. Then I will look into GOD of Truth making use of the ESV translation with the LORD's help.
"Even More Consequences of Accessing Grace through Faith"
"Who through faith . . . stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire." (Hebrews 11:33-34)
"Through various testimonies of GOD's servants, we have considered some consequences of accessing Grace through Faith. By trusting in the LORD, they "subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises" (Hebrews 11:33). Yet, through these lives we can see even more consequences.
Through faith in GOD, they "stopped the mouths of lions." This is clearly a reference to Daniel. His enemies conspired to trap him through a new law that would ban prayer to GOD. "Whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions" (Daniel 6:7). Such a godless decree could never stop Daniel from his daily practice of prayer. "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days" (Daniel 6:10). The reluctant king (who respected Daniel greatly) had to apply the irreversible law. "So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions" (Daniel 6:16). The next day, Daniel was found alive, rescued by the GOD in whom he trusted. "So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God" (Daniel 6:23).
These testimonies also include that they "quenched the violence of fire." This would clearly refer to three contemporaries of Daniel: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. They were given courage through faith to refuse worship before the king's idol, even though a fiery furnace awaited them. After GOD preserved them intact, the king extolled the LORD with understanding. "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who . . . delivered His servants who trusted in Him" (Daniel 3:28).
By faith, we, too, can stop the mouth of the lions that threatens us. "Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith" (1Peter 5:8-9). Also, by faith in the promises of GOD, we can quench the violence of fiery trials that come against us. "When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God" (Isaiah 43:2-3)."
GOD of Truth,
Deuteronomy 32:1-14 "Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of My mouth. May My teaching drop as the (figurative language for Grace) rain, My speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! "The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A GOD of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is HE. They have dealt corruptly with Him; they are no longer His children because they are blemished; they are a crooked and twisted generation. Do you thus repay the LORD, you foolish and senseless people? Is not HE your father, who created you, who made you and established you? Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and HE will show you, your elders, and they will tell you. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when HE divided mankind, HE fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of GOD. But the LORD's portion is in His people, like Jacob His allotted heritage. "He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness; HE encircled him, HE cared for him, HE kept him as (like) the apple of His eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him. HE made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and HE suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming (not a mixed wine but pure fermented) wine made from the blood of the grape."
2Samuel 7:18-29 and Psalm 33:1-5 "Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, "Who am I, O LORD GOD, and what is my house (inward parts), that You have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O LORD GOD. You have spoken also of Your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O LORD GOD! And what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O LORD GOD! Because of Your promise, and according to Your own heart, You have brought about all this greatness, to make Your servant know it. Therefore You are great, O LORD GOD. For there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom GOD went to redeem to be His people, making Himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? And You established for Yourself Your people Israel to be Your people forever. And You, O LORD, became their God. And now, O LORD GOD, confirm forever the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, and do as You have spoken. And Your name will be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of hosts is GOD over Israel,' and the house of Your servant David will be established before You. For You, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. And now, O LORD GOD, You are GOD, and Your words are true, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant. Now therefore may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You. For You, O LORD GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing shall the house of Your servant be blessed forever."
Psalm 33:1-5 "Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to Him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD."
Psalm 146:1-8 and Isaiah 65:13-16 "Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my GOD while I have my being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the GOD of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, Who keeps faith forever; Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous."
Isaiah 65:13-16 "Therefore thus says the LORD GOD: "Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; behold, My servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit (of heart). You shall leave your name to My chosen for a curse, and the LORD GOD will put you to death, but His servants He will call by another name. So that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the GOD of Truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the GOD of Truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from My eyes."
Romans 3:1-8 and Titus 1:1-3 "Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of GOD. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of GOD? By no means! Let GOD be true though every one were a liar (in Psalm 116:11), as it is written, "That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are (in your judging) judged (in Psalm 51:4)." But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of GOD, what shall we say? That GOD is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could GOD judge the world? But if through my lie GOD's truth abounds to His glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just."
Titus 1:1-3, 4 "Paul, a servant of GOD and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of GOD's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which GOD, Who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in His word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of GOD our Savior;
To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior."
Hebrews 6:13-7:3 "For when GOD made a promise to Abraham, since HE had no one greater by whom to swear, HE swore by Himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when GOD desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, HE guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for GOD to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High GOD, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of GOD He continues a priest forever."
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