I have been using Norman Grubb's insight into the born again spiritual side of man. And mans ability to see and hear things that often run contrary to that of the world and mans many religious forms all of which hinder mans progression into the Grace and other things of GOD. Today, Norman used Rahab to reveal GOD's Grace in action and for that reason I will also share what he said and then look at Pastor Hoekstra's teaching on Grace and our need to allow GOD to progress in His development of Grace within us. Then I will share our need for the indwelling of Christ in Whom is found Grace and Truth and the benefits we receive when this takes place. I will use the ESV translation while sharing of these benefits.
Romans
By Norman P. Grubb
"You get the same illustration, which is one of the highest places given women in the Bible, which is the harlot, Rahab. There in Jericho she alone had heard about God and believed in this God of Israel. She believed that He was the true God and that these were God’s people. All the people of Jericho were trembling and wanted to escape, but she believed. So when the king sent emissaries out to catch the spies, she hid them on her roof. When the King’s men came she told them, “They have gone up into the mountains. They left here two days ago. Chase them.” That was a lie. And, those wretched men went up into the mountains to chase them. As soon as they had gone, Rahab said, “Hurry and slip out and get back across the Jordan to Joshua.” And, that lie is presented as a great act of faith by a harlot. That harlot actually was a progenitor of Jesus. She married and she became one of those who lined up in the generations of Mary.
So in both cases God justified a lie and a murder. What Kierkegaard is saying on that point of faith is that faith will not be understood. In this book he talks about it. He says you can be a knight of faith or a knight of consecration. A knight is an important person who is going to give himself to war. Anybody can admire a knight of consecration. “Oh you are going to fight a crusade and you are going to kill people for Jesus.” You know that famous picture of a man presenting his sword—a young knight before the altar—“Oh that is magnificent. He is going out.” But, that is still self-effort. It is self which is going to do something which they think is for God. But, a knight of faith is crazy. A knight of faith is saying God is going to do something which the world can’t take at all. There is no admiration in that. You walk a path which makes you a fool. And, the world says, “You are a fool.” And you are a knight of faith and the world despises you. You are moving along the line which the world says, “Nonsense!” That is faith. Faith is always in that dimension. It is in the absurd dimension. That is part of that suffering we talked of. That is what Kierkegaard calls, “the absurdity of faith.” So there is an area to understand that this is the point of this chapter. We never know God.
“It doesn’t seem just; it doesn’t seem right to me; I can’t see that.” You have got to believe first and then you fit in afterwards. And so, you have it presented in the boldest way. Presented to us in, “Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated.” Then he says in Verse 14, “Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.” Paul’s strong word—forbid. Ridiculous! A strong word, get out, impossible! Then he says, “God says, ‘I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’” Paul says, “It has nothing to do with you willing and you running. It is on whom God has mercy.” So this is the first presentation of a God of mercy. “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,” meaning there may be some whom He will not have mercy on. And, “I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” It is not a question of you running and seeking. It is God’s free choice. Then he goes stronger and says, “That is why I hardened Pharaoh, even for this very purpose of displaying My power in dealing with you, so that My Name may be claimed the whole world over.” He destroyed Pharaoh, who was swallowed up by the Red Sea when he was chasing the Israelites with his chariots. So the comment he makes is, “Therefore He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and harden whom He will harden.”
"Continuing in the Grace of God"
By Pastor Hoekstra
"When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord . . . Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God." (Acts 11:23; 13:43)
"Whenever the grace of God is allowed to work in human hearts, visible spiritual evidences eventually appear. This can bring joy to those who are outwardly observing this inward work of grace. Still, it is appropriate to exhort those who have made progress in grace to continue in the grace of God. GOD is both the source and resource for all wonders seen as Grace for HE is the wonder unseen.
When Barnabas arrived in Antioch to evaluate the reported spiritual revival, he was able to observe (the fruit) the outward confirmations of God's inward work of grace. These verifications of grace caused him to rejoice. "He was glad." However, he knew that words of exhortation were appropriate. Thus, he began to urge them to press on with Christ. He "encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the LORD." It is important for those who have started out with the LORD (through faith in His name) to go on with the LORD. Life in Christ is the most vital relationship of all. "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true GOD, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent" (John 17:3). The "Christian," Christ-life is not only about meeting the LORD and receiving eternal life. This life-giving relationship with the glorified Lord Who was an is LORD is to be nurtured and developed day by day unto abundance of life.
Some time after Barnabas shared this exhortation with the saints in Antioch (north of Israel), he and Paul were visiting the believers in another Antioch (in Pisidia, in the region of modern day Turkey). Here, they gave a similar exhortation. However, on this occasion, their urging was related to GOD's Grace: "persuaded them to continue in the grace of God." Yes, grace is not only the way we begin with the Lord, but it is also the means by which we go on with Him. GOD's Grace is something we are to be seeking after every day. It is a major error of the faith to relegate grace to days gone by. We can praise and thank the Lord for all of His grace experienced in previous years. Nevertheless, the Grace of GOD is essential today — and in each new day. Also, it is so fitting that the saints in one town were exhorted concerning continuing in the Lord, whereas others later were urged regarding continuing in grace. Grace cannot be separated from the Lord Jesus. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2Corinthians 8:9).
Christ's Indwelling:
Revealed in the Coming of the Holy Spirit,
John 14:18-24 (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 to 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."
Demonstrates to the World Christ's Mission,
John 17:20-24 and Romans 8:9-11 "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are One, I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world."
Romans 8:9-11 "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of GOD dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. For if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit (our spirit) is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, HE Who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you."
The Old life dies that the New Life may Live,
Galatians 2:15-21 "We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works (obeying) of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law, because by works of the Law no one will be justified (the Law having only the means of condemnation). But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to GOD. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of GOD, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of GOD, for if righteousness were through the Law, then Christ died for no purpose."
Obtained by Faith,
Ephesians 3:14-19, 20-21 "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory HE may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of GOD.
Now to Him Who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
A Glorious Mystery,
Colossians 1:24-29 "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from GOD that was given to me for you, to make the word of GOD fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. To them GOD chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me."
Obedience Essential,
1John 3:23-24 "This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He has commanded us. Whoever keeps His commandments abides in GOD, and GOD in him. And by this we know that HE abides in us, by the Spirit Whom HE has given us."
Possible to All,
Revelation 3:15-22 (The risen LORD Jesus is speaking) "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with Me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
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