Carrying on with the Revelation of Christ in GOD and GOD in Christ and then of man no longer being his own but GOD's. With GOD restored to the soul of man in Christ, making Him one with man as in the beginning before the foundations were laid. So that when man has this revelation within him he becomes a Living Oracle of GOD in man where man can say that he is no longer his own but that this is a fact and reality, I am in GOD and GOD is me. Having become fully clothed in the full armor of GOD clothed in and by Christ. Our prayer life and indeed everything becomes our being in His name all of the time. Now for Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on Grace. And then with the use of the ESV translation I will look at a Fuller Revelation and how we gain it. And when the LORD gives me more insight I will add it where and when He does so.
"Ministry of Condemnation versus Ministry of Righteousness"
"For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory." (2Corinthians 3:6-8)
"Here is another vivid contrast between living by the old covenant of law versus living by the New Covenant of Grace. GOD's perfect Law as given through Moses is a "ministry of condemnation," which compels people to draw upon man's sufficiency. Whereas GOD's Glorious Grace is a "ministry of Righteousness," which allows people to draw upon GOD's Sufficiency. Making man free to become One with his Creator as man was found to be in the Genesis 2.
When we try to live by the letter of the old now defunct Law, as our standard we walk only in condemnation. When we try to minister by the law, we put others under grievous condemnation. This is inevitable, since the Law is a "ministry of condemnation." Living and ministering by the Law depends upon human performance. The Law demands righteous living. "You shall be Holy" (Leviticus 19:2). The only resources available for Law-performance are natural human abilities (the flesh). All natural abilities are flawed by unrighteousness. "We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). This makes the flesh incapable of producing a righteous life. "It is the Spirit Who gives Life; the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:63). Consequently, when we try to live by law (that is, attempt to meet God's standards by our resources), we sense condemnation. Others also experience condemnation, when we point them to the law for producing godly living.
On the other hand, when we choose to live by Grace, we grow in righteousness, Holiness and Godliness. When we minister the message of Grace to others, they can also grow in GOD's Righteousness. Holiness and Godliness results from ministering the New Covenant of Grace, because it is a "ministry of Righteousness." The message of Grace tells people that Righteousness is available by faith. "But now the Righteousness of GOD apart from the Law is revealed . . . even the Righteousness of GOD which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe" (Romans 3:21-22).
In addition to this initial gift of Righteousness (imputed, or credited to our account in heaven), Grace also provides ongoing practical righteousness (imparted for our daily lives on earth): "That the Righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:4). As we humbly depend upon the LORD, the Holy Spirit brings forth a more Christlike Life through us, by His Grace. Wherein we are sealed with GOD in the spirit and action by GOD."
Fuller Revelation:
Gained by,
Persevering Endeavor,
Hosea 6:1-3 "Come, let us return to the LORD; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him. Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; His going out is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the (Grace is like taking a) showers, as the spring rains that water the earth."
Intimate Fellowship with Christ,
Matthew 13:10-17 "Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" And He, Jesus answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away (Revelation 3:5, Psalm 69:28, Revelation 13:8). This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'"You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive." For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal (restore to a Genesis 2 person) them.' But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."
Abiding in Christ's Words,
John 8:31-33, 34-38 "Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free." They answered Him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that You say, 'You will become free'?"
Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill Me because My word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."
Will Come in Due Time,
John 13:1-11 "Before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from GOD (as HIS Oracle) and was going back to GOD, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. When He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with Me." Simon Peter said to Him, "LORD!, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to Him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." For He knew who was to betray Him; that was why He said, "Not all of you are clean."
Through the Guidance of the Holy Spirit,
John 16:12-15 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, He Will Guide you into all the Truth, for He Will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He Will speak, and He Will declare to you the things that are to come. He Will glorify Me, for He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that HE Will take what is Mine and declare it to you."
Promised to the Disciples,
John 16:25-28 (Jesus is speaking) "I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I Will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but Will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day (when our identity is lost in Christ) you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from GOD. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father."
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Friday, May 6, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (Wisdom and Knowledge)
As I sit quietly and ponder the things of GOD I often wonder what it is that other people see and hear when reading their Bible, have you wondered the same? Back when I was still a lad of 19 I told the Lord that I did not understand the message within the context of His Bible. That to me it was a mystery and beyond my comprehension. That said, I went about my daily life with no more thought about what I had said. Today my life is so much more then that life has ever been. Because Now my LORD rules and reigns from within me and then through me to world around me wherever He leads. Now for Pastor Hoekstra and his writing on Grace. And then I will continue on the Fuller Revelation with the plan of Salvation being Foreordained with the use of the ESV translation. And if and when the LORD gives to me more insight I will edit what I am on at the moment, as I always do.
"Ministry of Death versus Ministry of Life"
"The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious . . . how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?" (2Corinthians 3:6-8)
"These verses contain another contrasting choice that results in people either living by bankrupt human resources, and naked before the LORD or by bountiful heavenly ones. This contrast is "the ministry of death versus the ministry of Life." These terms come from correlating four phrases: "the letter kills . . . the Spirit gives Life . . . the ministry of death . . . the ministry of the Spirit." Of course, the old covenant of law is the "ministry of death," and the New Covenant of Grace is the "ministry of Life" ("ministry of the Spirit . . . the Spirit (restored) gives Life").
When people attempt to minister by the Law of Moses, spiritual deadness results. Since this Law sets forth a perfect standard, but offers no assistance, it "kills" those who try to live by it. Only those who minister by Grace can hold forth the promised Light of Life to people, because Grace alone can provide the Life that GOD intends for humankind to experience. Ministry is to be engaged in by individuals, families, and Churches. Every ministry will either be characterized as a "ministry of death" or a "ministry of Life." Contact with ministries either brings spiritual deadness to people, or it brings spiritual vitality. And what did we find out yesterday that Light is, it is the Oracle of GOD's Revelation to man and then within man as the anointing or the Messiah and Christ restored within us.
What would people encounter if an individual, family, or church were a "ministry of death" (that is, a law-based ministry that left people relying upon their own sufficiency)? They might encounter judgmentalism or fleshly striving. They might find self-righteousness or self-confidence. They might discover hypocrisy or frustration. They might detect harshness or coldness and even bitterness within themselves by attending such ministries.
Conversely, what would people encounter if an individual, family, or Church were a "ministry of . . . Life" (that is, a Grace-oriented ministry that encouraged people to rely upon GOD's sufficiency)? Instead of judgmentalism and fleshly striving, they would encounter Love, Joy and Peace. Instead of self-righteousness and self-confidence, they would find humility and confidence in GOD. Instead of hypocrisy and frustration, they would discover genuineness and fulfillment. Instead of harshness and coldness, and bitterness they would detect gentleness and warmth.
Our GOD is a GOD of real Life. GOD's loving plan of Salvation was that the Son would die to bring us Life (John 12:24). "For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have Everlasting Life" (John 3:16). The LORD Christ has Life for us, and He wants us to minister His Life to others."
Foreordained Plan of Salvation,
First Recorded Promise concerning,
Genesis 3:8-19 "They heard the sound of the LORD GOD walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD GOD among the trees of the garden. But the LORD GOD called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." To the woman HE said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." And to Adam HE said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Announced by the Prophets,
Acts 2:14-21, 23 "Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, GOD declares, that I Will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on My male servants and female servants in those days I Will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I Will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the LORD comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.'"
"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of GOD, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. GOD raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it. For David says concerning Him, "'I saw the LORD always before me, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let Your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of Life; You Will make me full of gladness with Your presence.'"
Based upon the Foreknowledge of GOD,
Romans 8:28-30 "We know that for those who love GOD all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom HE foreknew HE also predestined to be conformed to the image of HIS Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom HE predestined HE also called, and those whom HE called HE also justifies, and those whom HE justifies HE also glorifies."
The Wisdom of,
1Corinthians 2:6-13 and Ephesians 1:5 "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of GOD, which GOD decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the LORD of Glory. But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what GOD has prepared for those who love Him"— these things GOD has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of GOD. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of GOD except the Spirit of GOD. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is GOD, that we might understand the things freely given us by GOD. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual."
Ephesians 1:3-14 "Blessed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as HE chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be Holy and blameless before HIM. In love HE predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of HIS Will, to the praise of His Glorious Grace, with which HE has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of HIS Grace, which HE lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of HIS Will, according to HIS purpose, which HE set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of HIM Who works all things according to the counsel of HIS Will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of HIS Glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of this Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation, and believed HIM, were sealed with the Promised Holy Spirit, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of HIS Glory."
An Unchanging Purpose,
2Timothy 1:8-14 "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the Gospel by the power of GOD, Who saved us and called us to a Holy calling, not because of our works but because of HIS own Purpose and Grace, which HE gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who abolished death and brought Life and immortality to light through this Gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed, and I am convinced that HE is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the Faith and Love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit Who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."
Antecedent to Creation,
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."
Provided for the Sanctification of Believers,
1Peter 1:1-2 "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of GOD the Father, in the Sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with His blood: May Grace and Peace be multiplied to you."
At the Beginning Centered in the Death of Christ,
Revelation 13:7-10 "Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of Life of the Lamb Who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints."
"Ministry of Death versus Ministry of Life"
"The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious . . . how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?" (2Corinthians 3:6-8)
"These verses contain another contrasting choice that results in people either living by bankrupt human resources, and naked before the LORD or by bountiful heavenly ones. This contrast is "the ministry of death versus the ministry of Life." These terms come from correlating four phrases: "the letter kills . . . the Spirit gives Life . . . the ministry of death . . . the ministry of the Spirit." Of course, the old covenant of law is the "ministry of death," and the New Covenant of Grace is the "ministry of Life" ("ministry of the Spirit . . . the Spirit (restored) gives Life").
When people attempt to minister by the Law of Moses, spiritual deadness results. Since this Law sets forth a perfect standard, but offers no assistance, it "kills" those who try to live by it. Only those who minister by Grace can hold forth the promised Light of Life to people, because Grace alone can provide the Life that GOD intends for humankind to experience. Ministry is to be engaged in by individuals, families, and Churches. Every ministry will either be characterized as a "ministry of death" or a "ministry of Life." Contact with ministries either brings spiritual deadness to people, or it brings spiritual vitality. And what did we find out yesterday that Light is, it is the Oracle of GOD's Revelation to man and then within man as the anointing or the Messiah and Christ restored within us.
What would people encounter if an individual, family, or church were a "ministry of death" (that is, a law-based ministry that left people relying upon their own sufficiency)? They might encounter judgmentalism or fleshly striving. They might find self-righteousness or self-confidence. They might discover hypocrisy or frustration. They might detect harshness or coldness and even bitterness within themselves by attending such ministries.
Conversely, what would people encounter if an individual, family, or Church were a "ministry of . . . Life" (that is, a Grace-oriented ministry that encouraged people to rely upon GOD's sufficiency)? Instead of judgmentalism and fleshly striving, they would encounter Love, Joy and Peace. Instead of self-righteousness and self-confidence, they would find humility and confidence in GOD. Instead of hypocrisy and frustration, they would discover genuineness and fulfillment. Instead of harshness and coldness, and bitterness they would detect gentleness and warmth.
Our GOD is a GOD of real Life. GOD's loving plan of Salvation was that the Son would die to bring us Life (John 12:24). "For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have Everlasting Life" (John 3:16). The LORD Christ has Life for us, and He wants us to minister His Life to others."
Foreordained Plan of Salvation,
First Recorded Promise concerning,
Genesis 3:8-19 "They heard the sound of the LORD GOD walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD GOD among the trees of the garden. But the LORD GOD called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel." To the woman HE said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." And to Adam HE said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Announced by the Prophets,
Acts 2:14-21, 23 "Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "'And in the last days it shall be, GOD declares, that I Will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on My male servants and female servants in those days I Will pour out My Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I Will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the LORD comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.'"
"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of GOD, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. GOD raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it. For David says concerning Him, "'I saw the LORD always before me, for He is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let Your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of Life; You Will make me full of gladness with Your presence.'"
Based upon the Foreknowledge of GOD,
Romans 8:28-30 "We know that for those who love GOD all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom HE foreknew HE also predestined to be conformed to the image of HIS Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom HE predestined HE also called, and those whom HE called HE also justifies, and those whom HE justifies HE also glorifies."
The Wisdom of,
1Corinthians 2:6-13 and Ephesians 1:5 "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of GOD, which GOD decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the LORD of Glory. But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what GOD has prepared for those who love Him"— these things GOD has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of GOD. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of GOD except the Spirit of GOD. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is GOD, that we might understand the things freely given us by GOD. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual."
Ephesians 1:3-14 "Blessed be the GOD and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as HE chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be Holy and blameless before HIM. In love HE predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of HIS Will, to the praise of His Glorious Grace, with which HE has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of HIS Grace, which HE lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of HIS Will, according to HIS purpose, which HE set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of HIM Who works all things according to the counsel of HIS Will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of HIS Glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of this Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation, and believed HIM, were sealed with the Promised Holy Spirit, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of HIS Glory."
An Unchanging Purpose,
2Timothy 1:8-14 "Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the Gospel by the power of GOD, Who saved us and called us to a Holy calling, not because of our works but because of HIS own Purpose and Grace, which HE gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, Who abolished death and brought Life and immortality to light through this Gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed, and I am convinced that HE is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the Faith and Love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit Who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."
Antecedent to Creation,
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."
Provided for the Sanctification of Believers,
1Peter 1:1-2 "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of GOD the Father, in the Sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with His blood: May Grace and Peace be multiplied to you."
At the Beginning Centered in the Death of Christ,
Revelation 13:7-10 "Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of Life of the Lamb Who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints."
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (Wisdom and Knowledge)
Just when I thought that I had exhausted all that there was to learn about Christ, GOD shows me even more. Today I will take a peek into a fuller revelation to see what lies just beneath the surface of scripture. But first I will again turn to Pastor Hoekstra and Grace. Then with the use of the ESV translation and the LORD GOD Himself I will look at a fuller revelation.
"The Letter versus the Spirit"
"[God] also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit." (2Corinthians 3:6)
"The "letter versus the Spirit" is another contrast between living by the old covenant of laws or by the New through Grace. This is another choice that determines whether we are functioning by man's sufficiency or by GOD's. If by GOD's we are become One with HIM and HE One within us, again as seen and understood in Genesis 2.
A life that is being developed "of the letter" is one that is built on rules and regulations. Not having the oracle or utterance of GOD within our earthen vessel. For we cannot become a child of GOD by rules and regulations such as mans many forms of religions and religious practices have. We cannot develop our lives as GOD's children by regulations or such practices rite and rituals. No list of demands (including even the old Mosaic Law of God itself) could ever bring us, or develop for us, a Life fit for GOD's occupation. All rules and regulations (including GOD's law) come without resource or recourse. They are a list of requirements, not a supply of Adequacy. They call for an observable response. They provide no power to produce the required effect.
Consider circumcision, which was required by the law of GOD for the Israelites. "And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised" (Leviticus 12:3). This was to be a sign acting as a reminder to GOD's people that they were His. Implementing that regulation did not inherently change the life of any Hebrew. Physical, external circumcision (that is, circumcision "by the letter") did not make a change in the heart of the one circumcised. It takes an inner working of GOD to produce a true child of GOD (in Romans 2 language, a "true Hebrew," though through the religious traditions of man it reads "Jew," which is wrong, as a Jew is a elitist holier than thou religious figure of external piety bound under law). "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in (by) the Spirit, and not in the letter." (Romans 2:28-29). GOD births His children and develops their lives through a work in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. HE indwells them in Spirit and Truth. HE is the embodiment of their life in light.
The kingdom of heaven is "of the Spirit." It is not about external "do's and dont's" (such as, whether to follow the standard of GOD's law concerning certain foods). "For the kingdom of GOD is not food and drink, but Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Entrance into GOD's Family, as well as development as GOD's children, does not hinge on following various regulations, rules, rituals, religious ceremonies or the traditions of man. Rather, it is about the Holy Spirit supplying heavenly blessings in the hearts of those who trust the LORD. Life with GOD is always "of the Spirit " (GOD's sufficiency), not "of the letter" (man's sufficiency)."
Fuller Revelation:
John 13:1-11 "Before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from GOD and was going back to GOD, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. When He came to Simon Peter, Simon said to Him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with Me." Simon Peter said to Him, "LORD! not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." For He knew who was to betray Him; that was why He said, "Not all of you are clean."
John 16:12-15 (Jesus is speaking) "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, He Will guide you into all the truth, for He Will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He Will speak, and He Will declare to you the things that are to come. He Will glorify Me, for He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you."
1Corinthians 13:8-13 "Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
The Oracle (utterance of GOD in man) of GOD, Christ's Revelation:
Deuteronomy 18:15-22 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.' The LORD said to me, 'They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And whoever will not listen to My words that He shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him."
John 8:12-20, 21-30 "Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light (Oracle of GOD) of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the (Oracle of GOD) Light of Life." So the Pharisees said to Him, "You are bearing witness about Yourself; Your testimony is not true." Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, My judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father Who sent Me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about Myself, and the Father Who sent Me bears witness about Me." They said to Him therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also." These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; but no one arrested Him, because Hs hour had not yet come.
He said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come." So the (elitist) Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, since He says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?" He said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I AM He you will die in your sins." So they said to Him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He Who sent Me is True, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him." They did not understand that He had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM He, and that I do nothing on My own authority, but speak just as the Father taught Me. And He Who sent Me is with (in) Me. He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." As He was saying these things, many believed in Him."
John 12:44-50 "Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes Me, believes not in Me but in Him Who sent Me. And whoever sees Me sees Him Who sent Me. I have come into the world as (Oracle) light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has a judge; the word that I have spoken Will Judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority, but the Father Who sent Me has Himself given Me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is Eternal Life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told Me."
John 14:8-14 "Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I AM in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father Who dwells in Me does His works. Believe Me that I AM in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."
John 17:6-19 and Acts 3:22 (Jesus is speaking) "I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word (Oracle). Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words (Oracle, light) that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in Truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I AM glorified (held in heavy reverence) in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name (Messiah-Christ), which You have given Me, that they may be One, even as We are One. While I was with them, I kept them in Your name, which You have given Me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your (Oracle-light in) word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the Truth; Your word is Truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified in Truth."
Acts 3:17-26 "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers (the Jews). But what GOD foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has fulfilled (accomplished and ended). Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the LORD, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, even Jesus, Whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which GOD spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago. Moses said, 'The LORD GOD Will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to Him in whatever He tells you (in Deuteronomy 18:18). And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.' And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that GOD made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.' GOD, having raised up His servant, sent Him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness."
"The Letter versus the Spirit"
"[God] also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit." (2Corinthians 3:6)
"The "letter versus the Spirit" is another contrast between living by the old covenant of laws or by the New through Grace. This is another choice that determines whether we are functioning by man's sufficiency or by GOD's. If by GOD's we are become One with HIM and HE One within us, again as seen and understood in Genesis 2.
A life that is being developed "of the letter" is one that is built on rules and regulations. Not having the oracle or utterance of GOD within our earthen vessel. For we cannot become a child of GOD by rules and regulations such as mans many forms of religions and religious practices have. We cannot develop our lives as GOD's children by regulations or such practices rite and rituals. No list of demands (including even the old Mosaic Law of God itself) could ever bring us, or develop for us, a Life fit for GOD's occupation. All rules and regulations (including GOD's law) come without resource or recourse. They are a list of requirements, not a supply of Adequacy. They call for an observable response. They provide no power to produce the required effect.
Consider circumcision, which was required by the law of GOD for the Israelites. "And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised" (Leviticus 12:3). This was to be a sign acting as a reminder to GOD's people that they were His. Implementing that regulation did not inherently change the life of any Hebrew. Physical, external circumcision (that is, circumcision "by the letter") did not make a change in the heart of the one circumcised. It takes an inner working of GOD to produce a true child of GOD (in Romans 2 language, a "true Hebrew," though through the religious traditions of man it reads "Jew," which is wrong, as a Jew is a elitist holier than thou religious figure of external piety bound under law). "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in (by) the Spirit, and not in the letter." (Romans 2:28-29). GOD births His children and develops their lives through a work in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. HE indwells them in Spirit and Truth. HE is the embodiment of their life in light.
The kingdom of heaven is "of the Spirit." It is not about external "do's and dont's" (such as, whether to follow the standard of GOD's law concerning certain foods). "For the kingdom of GOD is not food and drink, but Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Entrance into GOD's Family, as well as development as GOD's children, does not hinge on following various regulations, rules, rituals, religious ceremonies or the traditions of man. Rather, it is about the Holy Spirit supplying heavenly blessings in the hearts of those who trust the LORD. Life with GOD is always "of the Spirit " (GOD's sufficiency), not "of the letter" (man's sufficiency)."
Fuller Revelation:
John 13:1-11 "Before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from GOD and was going back to GOD, rose from supper. He laid aside His outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around His waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. When He came to Simon Peter, Simon said to Him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with Me." Simon Peter said to Him, "LORD! not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." For He knew who was to betray Him; that was why He said, "Not all of you are clean."
John 16:12-15 (Jesus is speaking) "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, He Will guide you into all the truth, for He Will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He Will speak, and He Will declare to you the things that are to come. He Will glorify Me, for He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you."
1Corinthians 13:8-13 "Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
The Oracle (utterance of GOD in man) of GOD, Christ's Revelation:
Deuteronomy 18:15-22 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.' The LORD said to me, 'They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And whoever will not listen to My words that He shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'— when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him."
John 8:12-20, 21-30 "Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light (Oracle of GOD) of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the (Oracle of GOD) Light of Life." So the Pharisees said to Him, "You are bearing witness about Yourself; Your testimony is not true." Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, My judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father Who sent Me. In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. I am the one who bears witness about Myself, and the Father Who sent Me bears witness about Me." They said to Him therefore, "Where is your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would know My Father also." These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; but no one arrested Him, because Hs hour had not yet come.
He said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come." So the (elitist) Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, since He says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?" He said to them, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I AM He you will die in your sins." So they said to Him, "Who are you?" Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. I have much to say about you and much to judge, but He Who sent Me is True, and I declare to the world what I have heard from Him." They did not understand that He had been speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM He, and that I do nothing on My own authority, but speak just as the Father taught Me. And He Who sent Me is with (in) Me. He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." As He was saying these things, many believed in Him."
John 12:44-50 "Jesus cried out and said, "Whoever believes Me, believes not in Me but in Him Who sent Me. And whoever sees Me sees Him Who sent Me. I have come into the world as (Oracle) light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has a judge; the word that I have spoken Will Judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority, but the Father Who sent Me has Himself given Me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is Eternal Life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told Me."
John 14:8-14 "Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I AM in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father Who dwells in Me does His works. Believe Me that I AM in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."
John 17:6-19 and Acts 3:22 (Jesus is speaking) "I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave Me out of the world. Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word (Oracle). Now they know that everything that You have given Me is from You. For I have given them the words (Oracle, light) that You gave Me, and they have received them and have come to know in Truth that I came from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I AM glorified (held in heavy reverence) in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name (Messiah-Christ), which You have given Me, that they may be One, even as We are One. While I was with them, I kept them in Your name, which You have given Me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your (Oracle-light in) word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the Truth; Your word is Truth. As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified in Truth."
Acts 3:17-26 "Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers (the Jews). But what GOD foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has fulfilled (accomplished and ended). Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the LORD, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, even Jesus, Whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which GOD spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago. Moses said, 'The LORD GOD Will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to Him in whatever He tells you (in Deuteronomy 18:18). And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.' And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that GOD made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.' GOD, having raised up His servant, sent Him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness."
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (Wisdom and Knowledge)
While watching TV yesterday I heard a young man state that we can not know GOD or see Him. This he had been told in the grossest of errors by his religious form and as we saw yesterday this is under the Law of works. For the Bible says contrary to this as it is a book of revelation of Christ the LORD of All. And yet he was being interviewed as being a "Christian" and as such he should of have known his error in this claim. For those who are actually in Christ know both Christ and GOD as their LORD and Father as well as the Vine, husbandman and even husband and Master. As these are all a portion of Who HE is within them when we One with Them. This one of the secrets of scripture which we are required to know and understand. Now for Pastor Hoekstra and Grace. And then I will look into Seeing GOD with the use of the ESV translation and as always should the LORD GOD give me revelation I will add it without hesitation on my part.
"Tablets of Stone versus Human Hearts"
"You are manifestly an epistle of Christ . . . written . . . not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." (2Corinthians 3:3)
"The old covenant of law was written upon "tablets of stone." This covenant of law passed away and off the grid with the nailing of the Lord Jesus to the tree. The New Covenant of Grace is written upon "tablets . . . of the heart and impressed on our minds." This is another vital contrast between the old now dead, as works (self-effort in and of the flesh) are dead and New Living Covenants. This difference again decides whether we draw upon man's sufficiency or upon God's.
The old covenant message of GOD's law was written on stones. It called man to holiness, as measured by the character of GOD. "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your GOD am Holy" (Leviticus 19:2). The message is magnificent. However, its impact would be limited (by design), since it was written on "tablets of stone." It was inscribed upon an inanimate object that was external, and made of the elements of the earth, to human lives. Consequently, it could not bring life or any provision for transforming lives. The law would function as a perfect standard, revealing our own unholiness and convicting us that we needed the help that only Christ in Jesus could offer. We needed some means to get the perfect message of the law (Holiness) into our innermost being. This is what the New Covenant of Grace accomplishes.
The New Covenant message of GOD's Grace is written in human hearts: "on tablets of flesh, that is, of the new heart." Grace not only forgives our failure before the law, but it goes to work to develop personal Holiness at the very core of our being. This was the promise GOD gave through His prophets of old, that He would put His Holy law into peoples' hearts. The book of Hebrews applies this promise to all believers in Christ in Jesus. "This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts" (Hebrews 10:16 from Jeremiah 31:33).
What hope we have through the Grace of our LORD Christ Jesus! Now, GOD brings His Holiness from an outside standard to an internal resource. The New Standard. Now, the LORD is making His Holy demands an internal part of our being. GOD is stirring Holy desires in us. GOD is developing Holy priorities within us and providing spiritual strength within us to walk in more and more of HIS Divine Godliness. "It is GOD Who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).
Seeing GOD:
Genesis 32:22-23, 24-32 "That same night Jacob arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.
Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him. Then He said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." And He said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with GOD and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked Him, "Please tell me Your name." But He said, "Why is it that you ask My name?" And there He blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh."
Exodus 24:9-11 "Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the GOD of Israel. There was under His feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And He did not lay His hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld GOD, and ate and drank."
Judges 13:21-23 "The angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen GOD." But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these."
Job 42:1-6 "Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question You, and You make it known to me.' I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Psalm 141:8-10 "But my eyes are toward You, O GOD, my LORD; in You I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely."
Isaiah 6:1-5 "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two He covered His face, and with two He covered His feet, and with two He flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His Glory (heavy in respect)!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him Who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"Isaiah 33:17-24 "Your eyes will behold the King in His beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar. Your heart will muse on the terror: "Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?" You will see no more the insolent people, the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend, stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand. Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken. But there the LORD in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor majestic ship can pass. For the LORD is our Judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our King; He will save us. Your cords hang loose; they cannot hold the mast firm in its place or keep the sail spread out. Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided; even the lame will take the prey. And no inhabitant will say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity."
John 14:6-7, 8-14, 15 "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."
Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father Who dwells in Me does HIS works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes (in) Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I Will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I Will do it.
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
"Tablets of Stone versus Human Hearts"
"You are manifestly an epistle of Christ . . . written . . . not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." (2Corinthians 3:3)
"The old covenant of law was written upon "tablets of stone." This covenant of law passed away and off the grid with the nailing of the Lord Jesus to the tree. The New Covenant of Grace is written upon "tablets . . . of the heart and impressed on our minds." This is another vital contrast between the old now dead, as works (self-effort in and of the flesh) are dead and New Living Covenants. This difference again decides whether we draw upon man's sufficiency or upon God's.
The old covenant message of GOD's law was written on stones. It called man to holiness, as measured by the character of GOD. "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your GOD am Holy" (Leviticus 19:2). The message is magnificent. However, its impact would be limited (by design), since it was written on "tablets of stone." It was inscribed upon an inanimate object that was external, and made of the elements of the earth, to human lives. Consequently, it could not bring life or any provision for transforming lives. The law would function as a perfect standard, revealing our own unholiness and convicting us that we needed the help that only Christ in Jesus could offer. We needed some means to get the perfect message of the law (Holiness) into our innermost being. This is what the New Covenant of Grace accomplishes.
The New Covenant message of GOD's Grace is written in human hearts: "on tablets of flesh, that is, of the new heart." Grace not only forgives our failure before the law, but it goes to work to develop personal Holiness at the very core of our being. This was the promise GOD gave through His prophets of old, that He would put His Holy law into peoples' hearts. The book of Hebrews applies this promise to all believers in Christ in Jesus. "This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts" (Hebrews 10:16 from Jeremiah 31:33).
What hope we have through the Grace of our LORD Christ Jesus! Now, GOD brings His Holiness from an outside standard to an internal resource. The New Standard. Now, the LORD is making His Holy demands an internal part of our being. GOD is stirring Holy desires in us. GOD is developing Holy priorities within us and providing spiritual strength within us to walk in more and more of HIS Divine Godliness. "It is GOD Who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).
Seeing GOD:
Genesis 32:22-23, 24-32 "That same night Jacob arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.
Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him. Then He said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." And He said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with GOD and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked Him, "Please tell me Your name." But He said, "Why is it that you ask My name?" And there He blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh."
Exodus 24:9-11 "Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, and they saw the GOD of Israel. There was under His feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And He did not lay His hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld GOD, and ate and drank."
Judges 13:21-23 "The angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen GOD." But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these."
Job 42:1-6 "Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question You, and You make it known to me.' I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Psalm 141:8-10 "But my eyes are toward You, O GOD, my LORD; in You I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely."
Isaiah 6:1-5 "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two He covered His face, and with two He covered His feet, and with two He flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His Glory (heavy in respect)!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of Him Who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"Isaiah 33:17-24 "Your eyes will behold the King in His beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar. Your heart will muse on the terror: "Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?" You will see no more the insolent people, the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend, stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand. Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken. But there the LORD in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor majestic ship can pass. For the LORD is our Judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our King; He will save us. Your cords hang loose; they cannot hold the mast firm in its place or keep the sail spread out. Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided; even the lame will take the prey. And no inhabitant will say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity."
John 14:6-7, 8-14, 15 "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."
Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father Who dwells in Me does HIS works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes (in) Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, this I Will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I Will do it.
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (Wisdom and Knowledge)
In the intro of yesterday I asked some probing questions concerning the present day claim of some of being a prophet. Because such a claim draws mans attention away from GOD by the use of His word. Since the transformation or reformation which GOD Himself pulled off. The position of a prophet has changed from what it was back while GOD was dealing solely with Israel with few exceptions. When we are one in Christ we after time becoming a pastor and teacher in and through the Spirit of Christ. And Revelation tells us that the Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of Prophesy which is to say that the whole book or Bible is a Revelation of Christ and those who are His bear witness of HIM. Just as does the Bible from beginning to end. How is this accomplished when some claim to be a spiritous (as in being refined) or prophet and they speak of other things than being a witness of Christ the LORD Himself? Now for Pastor Hoekstra and his writing on Grace and our growth in the Knowledge of the LORD. And then a look into Enlightenment with the use of the ESV translation and should the LORD give more enlightenment as we go along I will add it as usual.
"Old Covenant or New, Man's Sufficiency or God's"
"(God) also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit . . . But their minds were blinded (and hearts were hardened). For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament [old covenant], because the veil is taken away in Christ." (2Corinthians 3:6, 14)
"We have seen that godly characteristics develop in our lives through the working of GOD and His Grace within us. We now begin a closely related subject: a contrast between living by the old covenant or the New (by Law or by Grace). The ongoing choices we make here determine whether we will be living by man's sufficiency or by GOD's. Various contrasting terms that describe these significant choices are set forth in the third chapter of 2 Corinthians. Verses 6 and 14 set the basic context, differences between the New (better way of) Covenant and the old: "[GOD] also made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant . . . For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament [old covenant]."
One of the drastic differences between living by the old covenant or the New is seen in verse 3: "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ . . . written not with ink but by the Spirit of the Living GOD" (2Corinthians 3:3). People write letters on paper, using ink to record the message. GOD writes His message in people's lives, using His Spirit as the instrument. What a vivid contrast, "ink" versus "the Spirit of the Living GOD." Ink is a natural resource. It is available to all humankind, regardless of their relationship with GOD. Ink is not a life-giving or life-developing entity. It is a mere element of the kingdom of man. When we chose to live by the old covenant (the letter of the Law), the only resources we have to draw upon are natural human resources. We are writing our own letter of life, and we have selected man's sufficiency, not GOD's. Such resources are as spiritually powerless as ink.
On the other hand, those who live by the New Covenant of Grace have the Holy Spirit as their supplier to bring forth the mighty, heavenly, sufficiency of GOD. His presence is within them. Think of the radical difference, ink versus the Holy Spirit, GOD. GOD wants us relying on His Spirit. He wants us living by His sufficiency, not ours."
Spiritual Enlightenment:
Psalm 18:25-29 "With the merciful You show Yourself merciful; with the blameless man You show Yourself blameless; with the purified You show Yourself pure; and with the crooked You make Yourself seem tortuous. For You save a humble people, but the haughty eyes You bring down. For it is You Who light my lamp; the LORD my GOD lightens my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, and by my GOD I can leap over a wall."
Pe.
Psalm 119:129-136 "Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your name. Keep steady my steps according to Your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man's oppression, that I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep Your law."
Proverbs 29:11-18 "A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked. The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the LORD gives light to the eyes of both. If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever. The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law."
Isaiah 29:17-21 "Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right."
Isaiah 60:15-22 "Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your GOD will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD Will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I might be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it."
Acts 26:12-18 "In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king (Agrippa), I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are You, LORD?' And the LORD said, 'I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting. Arise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen Me and to those in which I will appear through you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'"
2Corithians 4:1-6 "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of GOD, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with GOD's word, but by the open statement of Truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of GOD. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of GOD. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as LORD, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For GOD said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 1:15-2:10 "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the GOD of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that HE worked in Christ when HE raised Him from the dead and seated Him at HIS right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And HE put all things under His feet and gave Him as Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him Who fills All in all. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great Love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by Grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His Grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by Grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the Gift of GOD, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which GOD prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
1Peter 2:9-10, 11-12 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are GOD's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 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."
"Old Covenant or New, Man's Sufficiency or God's"
"(God) also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit . . . But their minds were blinded (and hearts were hardened). For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament [old covenant], because the veil is taken away in Christ." (2Corinthians 3:6, 14)
"We have seen that godly characteristics develop in our lives through the working of GOD and His Grace within us. We now begin a closely related subject: a contrast between living by the old covenant or the New (by Law or by Grace). The ongoing choices we make here determine whether we will be living by man's sufficiency or by GOD's. Various contrasting terms that describe these significant choices are set forth in the third chapter of 2 Corinthians. Verses 6 and 14 set the basic context, differences between the New (better way of) Covenant and the old: "[GOD] also made us sufficient as ministers of the New Covenant . . . For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament [old covenant]."
One of the drastic differences between living by the old covenant or the New is seen in verse 3: "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ . . . written not with ink but by the Spirit of the Living GOD" (2Corinthians 3:3). People write letters on paper, using ink to record the message. GOD writes His message in people's lives, using His Spirit as the instrument. What a vivid contrast, "ink" versus "the Spirit of the Living GOD." Ink is a natural resource. It is available to all humankind, regardless of their relationship with GOD. Ink is not a life-giving or life-developing entity. It is a mere element of the kingdom of man. When we chose to live by the old covenant (the letter of the Law), the only resources we have to draw upon are natural human resources. We are writing our own letter of life, and we have selected man's sufficiency, not GOD's. Such resources are as spiritually powerless as ink.
On the other hand, those who live by the New Covenant of Grace have the Holy Spirit as their supplier to bring forth the mighty, heavenly, sufficiency of GOD. His presence is within them. Think of the radical difference, ink versus the Holy Spirit, GOD. GOD wants us relying on His Spirit. He wants us living by His sufficiency, not ours."
Spiritual Enlightenment:
Psalm 18:25-29 "With the merciful You show Yourself merciful; with the blameless man You show Yourself blameless; with the purified You show Yourself pure; and with the crooked You make Yourself seem tortuous. For You save a humble people, but the haughty eyes You bring down. For it is You Who light my lamp; the LORD my GOD lightens my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, and by my GOD I can leap over a wall."
Pe.
Psalm 119:129-136 "Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for Your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your way with those who love Your name. Keep steady my steps according to Your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man's oppression, that I may keep Your precepts. Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep Your law."
Proverbs 29:11-18 "A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked. The poor man and the oppressor meet together; the LORD gives light to the eyes of both. If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever. The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother. When the wicked increase, transgression increases, but the righteous will look upon their downfall. Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law."
Isaiah 29:17-21 "Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right."
Isaiah 60:15-22 "Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age. You shall suck the milk of nations; you shall nurse at the breast of kings; and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your GOD will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD Will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended. Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I might be glorified. The least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation; I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it."
Acts 26:12-18 "In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday, O king (Agrippa), I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' And I said, 'Who are You, LORD?' And the LORD said, 'I am Jesus Whom you are persecuting. Arise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen Me and to those in which I will appear through you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'"
2Corithians 4:1-6 "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of GOD, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with GOD's word, but by the open statement of Truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of GOD. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of GOD. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as LORD, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For GOD said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 1:15-2:10 "For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the GOD of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that HE worked in Christ when HE raised Him from the dead and seated Him at HIS right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And HE put all things under His feet and gave Him as Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him Who fills All in all. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great Love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by Grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His Grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by Grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the Gift of GOD, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which GOD prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
1Peter 2:9-10, 11-12 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are GOD's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 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."
Monday, May 2, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (Wisdom and Knowledge)
Every wonder about having Spiritual Vision or even having the ability to behold the Glory of things to come? In some churches there seems to be a select few who claim such abilities, will what does GODS word reveal about such things? And are these people prophets who make such statements? Before digging into the word of GOD to find out, what does Pastor Hoekstra have to say about Grace as he broadens our understanding of the LORD through the word. And then with the use of the ESV translation and the LORD if He should choose to give me utterance I will endeavor to look at Spiritual Vision as part of Heavenly Wisdom and Knowledge.
"The Exceedingly Abundant Ability of God"
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
"In light of GODS being our sufficiency for the development of godly characteristics, this benedictory prayer in Ephesians 3 becomes an appropriate and instructive response.
It begins with the most critical issue for living the Christian life: the Ability of GOD: "Now to Him Who is able." Natural religious theological thinking would consider the ability of man as the most vital matter in developing a godly life. Such an approach would leave us striving vainly under the old law, attempting to live up to GOD's perfect standards by our own inadequate resources. Praise be to GOD, He has seen fit to remove from our view such an obstacle. There is a heavenly, effective option: relying upon GOD's Ability and no longer the working of our flesh and beggarly ability. Though there are some who still choose to strive after the wind by learning the Hebrew language and Hebrew meanings hidden in scripture to gain earthy knowledge. But thanks be to GOD He has provided a better way.
Think of the immeasurable ability of the LORD. "Ah, LORD GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You" (Jeremiah 32:17). He created the entire universe. Certainly, by His power He is Able to strengthen us. "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? " (Jeremiah 32:27). Our LORD rules over all of humanity. Surely, He is able to manage our lives. Actually, our GOD is "Able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think." Everything we could ask concerning His Will, He is able to do far beyond that. Whatever we might contemplate but hesitate to ask, He is able to surpass that.
The most amazing aspect of our GOD exercising His Ability on our behalf is that He unleashes His power within our lives: "according to the power that works in us." This is exactly how the LORD wants to develop Godliness in our lives. He Himself desires to work by the power of His Grace deep within our hearts. "For it is good that the heart be established by Grace" (Hebrews 13:9). Again, the Christian life is not affected from the outside in, hoping to modify our behavior by external religious pressures. Rather, it involves a true change of character within, affected by GOD Himself. This is how GOD is ultimately glorified in the lives of His people: "to Him be glory in the Church." He works a genuine transformation of life in and through us. Then, we give Him the glory for His exceedingly Abundant Ability."
Spiritual Vision:
Given in Answer to Prayer,
2Kings 6:15-19 "When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." So He struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria."
Afflictions Prepare for,
Job 42:1 and Isaiah 29:18 "Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question You, and You make it known to me.' I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Isaiah 29:17-21 "Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right."
Heart Purity Essential to,
Matthew 5:8 and Genesis 32:30 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see GOD."
Genesis 32:22-23, 24-32 "The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.
Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him. Then He said, "Let Me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." And He said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with GOD and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked Him, "Please tell me Your name." But He said, "Why is it that you ask My name?" And there He blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen GOD face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh."
Believers Alone Possess,
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 into him and make Our home within 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."
The Holy Spirit the Author of,
John 16:12-16 (Jesus is speaking) "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, He Will guide you into all the Truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He Will speak, and He Will declare to you the things that are to come. He Will glorify Me, for He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you. "A little while, and you will see Me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see Me."
Uses the Telescope of Faith,
Hebrews 11:23-29 "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing Him Who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned."
"The Exceedingly Abundant Ability of God"
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)
"In light of GODS being our sufficiency for the development of godly characteristics, this benedictory prayer in Ephesians 3 becomes an appropriate and instructive response.
It begins with the most critical issue for living the Christian life: the Ability of GOD: "Now to Him Who is able." Natural religious theological thinking would consider the ability of man as the most vital matter in developing a godly life. Such an approach would leave us striving vainly under the old law, attempting to live up to GOD's perfect standards by our own inadequate resources. Praise be to GOD, He has seen fit to remove from our view such an obstacle. There is a heavenly, effective option: relying upon GOD's Ability and no longer the working of our flesh and beggarly ability. Though there are some who still choose to strive after the wind by learning the Hebrew language and Hebrew meanings hidden in scripture to gain earthy knowledge. But thanks be to GOD He has provided a better way.
Think of the immeasurable ability of the LORD. "Ah, LORD GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You" (Jeremiah 32:17). He created the entire universe. Certainly, by His power He is Able to strengthen us. "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? " (Jeremiah 32:27). Our LORD rules over all of humanity. Surely, He is able to manage our lives. Actually, our GOD is "Able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think." Everything we could ask concerning His Will, He is able to do far beyond that. Whatever we might contemplate but hesitate to ask, He is able to surpass that.
The most amazing aspect of our GOD exercising His Ability on our behalf is that He unleashes His power within our lives: "according to the power that works in us." This is exactly how the LORD wants to develop Godliness in our lives. He Himself desires to work by the power of His Grace deep within our hearts. "For it is good that the heart be established by Grace" (Hebrews 13:9). Again, the Christian life is not affected from the outside in, hoping to modify our behavior by external religious pressures. Rather, it involves a true change of character within, affected by GOD Himself. This is how GOD is ultimately glorified in the lives of His people: "to Him be glory in the Church." He works a genuine transformation of life in and through us. Then, we give Him the glory for His exceedingly Abundant Ability."
Spiritual Vision:
Given in Answer to Prayer,
2Kings 6:15-19 "When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." So He struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria."
Afflictions Prepare for,
Job 42:1 and Isaiah 29:18 "Then Job answered the LORD and said: "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question You, and You make it known to me.' I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
Isaiah 29:17-21 "Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless shall come to nothing and the scoffer cease, and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off, who by a word make a man out to be an offender, and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate, and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right."
Heart Purity Essential to,
Matthew 5:8 and Genesis 32:30 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see GOD."
Genesis 32:22-23, 24-32 "The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.
Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob, He touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him. Then He said, "Let Me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." And He said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with GOD and with men, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked Him, "Please tell me Your name." But He said, "Why is it that you ask My name?" And there He blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen GOD face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh."
Believers Alone Possess,
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 into him and make Our home within 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."
The Holy Spirit the Author of,
John 16:12-16 (Jesus is speaking) "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, He Will guide you into all the Truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He Will speak, and He Will declare to you the things that are to come. He Will glorify Me, for He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He Will take what is Mine and declare it to you. "A little while, and you will see Me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see Me."
Uses the Telescope of Faith,
Hebrews 11:23-29 "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing Him Who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned."
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Discovering the Great and Precious Promises of GOD (Wisdom and Knowledge)
I have been progressing with the learning and acquiring of Godlike Wisdom and Knowledge of Divine things not of this world or of the worldly kind. And to do this we must have had our spiritual Eyes Opened by GOD through the LORD Christ Jesus within us. As we become part of the active Living Word, law and Will of GOD having been restored to HIM. Now for more on Grace by Pastor Hoekstra. And then with the use of the ESV translation a look into having Eyes Opened by GOD. And when the LORD gives more insight I will add it where and when He does so.
"The Source of Our Sufficiency"
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God . . . [When we] have no confidence in the flesh . . . I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (2Corinthians 3:5-6; Philippians 3:3; 4:13)
"We have been considering how GOD's Grace develops traits of godliness within us live. Such studies are related to finding the source of our sufficiency. Where are believers in Jesus Christ supposed to find adequate resources for living godly lives? The scriptures answer this question and many others in a two-fold manner. First, GOD wants us to realize that we are not the source of anything that is needed. Second, GOD wants us to understand that He is the source of everything that is needed. For He is both the need and the supply of that need, our one and only resource of Life.
Our inadequacy is the first matter the LORD desires to clarify for us. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves." Our own personal inadequacy is so comprehensive that we cannot expect that anything godly or eternal will source from us. We do not have any resources that can save a soul, transform a life, or cause the LORD's Church to be edified. This is a drastically different perspective on life than what we initially held. And many of the worlds churches teach and instruct us to know and come to depend on, it wants us dependent on it. Man's natural mind assumes that we must be the source of all that is needed for daily living. GOD's word however repeatedly warns us not to adopt this viewpoint. The Psalmists proclaimed such. "Vain is the help of man . . . Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help" (Psalm 108:12; 146:3). Jesus elaborated on this theme. "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Paul taught the same. " [We] have no confidence in the flesh (that is, in human resources)."
GOD's adequacy is the second matter that He wants to clarify for us. "Our sufficiency is from GOD."
As surely as we are totally inadequate to supply what we need for life, GOD is fully adequate to be our comprehensive source for living. The Psalmist understood this corollary Truth as well. "Through GOD we will do valiantly, For it is He Who shall tread down our enemies . . . Happy is he who has the GOD of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his GOD, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them" (Psalm 108:13; 146:5-6). Jesus offered the same sufficient provisions. "He who abides in Me . . . bears much fruit" (John 15:5). Paul testified of the same reality. "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." GOD is to be the source of our sufficiency in all that pertains to developing Godly Characteristics."
Eyes Opened:
Genesis 21:15-19 "When the water in the skin was gone, she (Hagar) put the child (Ismael) under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bow shot, for she said, "Let me not look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. GOD heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for GOD has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation." Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink."
Numbers 22:31-35 "The LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel (messenger) of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before Me. The donkey saw Me and turned aside before Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live." Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know that You stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in Your sight, I will turn back." And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you." So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak."
2Kings 6:15-19 "When the servant (Elijah) of the man (Elisha) of GOD rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his (Elijah's) eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." So He struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria."
Luke 24:28-35 "So they (Jesus, Cleopas and another disciple) drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if He were going farther, but they urged Him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So He went in to stay with them. When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread."
"The Source of Our Sufficiency"
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God . . . [When we] have no confidence in the flesh . . . I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (2Corinthians 3:5-6; Philippians 3:3; 4:13)
"We have been considering how GOD's Grace develops traits of godliness within us live. Such studies are related to finding the source of our sufficiency. Where are believers in Jesus Christ supposed to find adequate resources for living godly lives? The scriptures answer this question and many others in a two-fold manner. First, GOD wants us to realize that we are not the source of anything that is needed. Second, GOD wants us to understand that He is the source of everything that is needed. For He is both the need and the supply of that need, our one and only resource of Life.
Our inadequacy is the first matter the LORD desires to clarify for us. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves." Our own personal inadequacy is so comprehensive that we cannot expect that anything godly or eternal will source from us. We do not have any resources that can save a soul, transform a life, or cause the LORD's Church to be edified. This is a drastically different perspective on life than what we initially held. And many of the worlds churches teach and instruct us to know and come to depend on, it wants us dependent on it. Man's natural mind assumes that we must be the source of all that is needed for daily living. GOD's word however repeatedly warns us not to adopt this viewpoint. The Psalmists proclaimed such. "Vain is the help of man . . . Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help" (Psalm 108:12; 146:3). Jesus elaborated on this theme. "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Paul taught the same. " [We] have no confidence in the flesh (that is, in human resources)."
GOD's adequacy is the second matter that He wants to clarify for us. "Our sufficiency is from GOD."
As surely as we are totally inadequate to supply what we need for life, GOD is fully adequate to be our comprehensive source for living. The Psalmist understood this corollary Truth as well. "Through GOD we will do valiantly, For it is He Who shall tread down our enemies . . . Happy is he who has the GOD of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his GOD, Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them" (Psalm 108:13; 146:5-6). Jesus offered the same sufficient provisions. "He who abides in Me . . . bears much fruit" (John 15:5). Paul testified of the same reality. "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me." GOD is to be the source of our sufficiency in all that pertains to developing Godly Characteristics."
Eyes Opened:
Genesis 21:15-19 "When the water in the skin was gone, she (Hagar) put the child (Ismael) under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bow shot, for she said, "Let me not look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. GOD heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for GOD has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation." Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink."
Numbers 22:31-35 "The LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel (messenger) of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before Me. The donkey saw Me and turned aside before Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live." Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know that You stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in Your sight, I will turn back." And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you." So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak."
2Kings 6:15-19 "When the servant (Elijah) of the man (Elisha) of GOD rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his (Elijah's) eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." So He struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he led them to Samaria."
Luke 24:28-35 "So they (Jesus, Cleopas and another disciple) drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if He were going farther, but they urged Him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So He went in to stay with them. When He was at table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures?" And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of the bread."
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