April 6th 2014 RESPONDING TO HIS INNER PROMPTING And of His - TopicsExpress



          

April 6th 2014 RESPONDING TO HIS INNER PROMPTING And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. John 1:16 It is by grace that God authors and produces within us the promptings to Himself. Then He supplies grace once again at every point that we obey His voice and respond to His inner promptings. This is what is meant in the phrase grace for grace (or, grace in exchange for grace-- Gk:anti). When we obey by saying Amen to His speaking, we are not carrying out an act of obedience from our own energy or strength. We are exchanging the grace of His promptings for a fresh supply of grace to work out those promptings in our practical experience. Obedience under the new covenant is a step of faith to open ourselves to the flow of Gods grace to once again supply us with Himself. Thus, to hear His voice is not to come under a demand of the law. Rather, it is to hear a call to enjoy a fresh supply of grace. The Lords voice is located in the region of our heart. Hebrews 3:7- 8 tells us, Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness. The voice of God speaks in our hearts. When the Lord is speaking, we can either constrict and harden our heart so that it is not soft and pliable to His voice, or we can hear His voice and soften our heart and go along with that voice. This is the way we interact with the Lords voice under the new covenant. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.[John 1:16]. And out of his fullness. He begins now to preach about the office of Christ, that it contains within itself an abundance of all blessings, so that no part of salvation must be sought anywhere else. True, indeed, the fountain of life, righteousness, virtue, and wisdom, is with God, but to us it is a hidden and inaccessible fountain. But an abundance of those things is exhibited to us in Christ, that we may be permitted to have recourse to him; for he is ready to flow to us, provided that we open up a channel by faith. He declares in general, that out of Christ we ought not to seek any thing good, though this sentence consists of several clauses. First, he shows that we are all utterly destitute and empty of spiritual blessings; for the abundance which exists in Christ is intended to supply our deficiency, to relieve our poverty, to satisfy our hunger and thirst. Secondly, he warns us that, as soon as we have departed from Christ, it is ill vain for us to seek a single drop of happiness, because God hath determined that whatever is good shall reside in him alone. Accordingly, we shall find angels and men to be dry, heaven to be empty, the earth to be unproductive, and, in short, all things to be of no value, if we wish to be partakers of the gifts of God in any other way than through Christ. Thirdly, he assures us that we shall have no reason to fear the want of any thing, provided that we draw from the fullness of Christ, which is in every respect; so complete, that we shall experience it to be a truly inexhaustible fountain; and John classes himself with the rest, not for the sake of modesty, but to make it more evident that no man whatever is excepted. It is indeed uncertain whether he speaks generally of the whole human race, or means only those who, subsequently to the manifestation of Christ in the flesh, have been made more fully partakers of his blessings. All the godly, no doubt, who lived under the law, drew out of the same fullness; but as John immediately afterwards distinguishes between different periods, it is more probable that here he especially recommends that rich abundance of blessings which Christ displayed at his coming. For we know that under the Law the gifts of God were more sparingly tasted, but that when Christ was manifested in flesh, they were poured out, as it were, with a full hand, even to satiety. Not that any of us has obtained a greater abundance of the grace of the Spirit than Abraham did, but I speak of Gods ordinary dispensation, and of the way and manner of dispensing. John the Baptist, that he may the more freely invite his disciples to come to Christ, declares that in him is laid up for all an abundance of the blessings of which they are destitute. And yet if any one choose to extend the meaning farther, there will be no absurdity in doing so; or rather, it will agree well with the strain of the discourse, that all the fathers, from the beginning of the world, drew from Christ all the gifts which they possessed; for though the law was given by Moses, yet they did not obtain grace by it. But I have already stated what appears to me to be the preferable view; namely, that John here compares us with the fathers, so as to magnify, by means of that comparison, what has been given to us. And, grace for grace. In what manner Augustine explains this passage is well known- that all the blessings which God bestows upon us from time to time, and at length life everlasting, are not granted as the reward due to our merits, but that it proceeds from pure liberality that God thus rewards former grace, and crowns his own gifts in us. This is piously and judiciously said, but has nothing to do with the present passage. The meaning would be more simple if you were to take the word for (ἀντὶ) comparatively, as meaning, that whatever graces God bestows on us, proceed equally from the same source. It might also be taken as pointing out the final cause, that we now receive grace, that God may one day fulfil the work of our salvation, which will be the fulfilment of grace. For my own part, I agree with the opinion of those who say that we are watered with the graces which were poured out on Christ; for what we receive from Christ he does not bestow upon us as being God, but the Father communicated to him what would flow to us as through a channel. This is the anointing with which he was anointed, that he might anoint us all along with him. Hence, too, he is called Christ, (the Anointed,) and we are called Christians. April 6 MORNING He ever liveth to make intercession. Who [is] he that condemneth? [It is] Christ that died,... who also maketh intercession for us.-- Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous-- [There is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Seeing... that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.-- Through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. HEB 7:25. Ro 8:34.-- Heb 9:24. 1 Jn 2:1-- 1 Ti 2:5. Heb 4:14- 16.-- Ep 2:18. April 6 EVENING They that know thy name will put their trust in thee. This [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.-- I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD:I will make mention of thy righteousness, [even] of thine only. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor.-- O LORD, I know that the way of man [is] not in himself:[it is] not in man that walketh to direct his steps. The mighty God, The everlasting Father.-- I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. The Prince of Peace.-- He is our peace.-- Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The name of the LORD [is] a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.-- Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help.-- As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver [it; and] passing over he will preserve it. PSA 9:10. Je 23:6.-- Ps 71:16. Is 9:6.-- Je 10:23. Is 9:6-- 2 Ti 1:12. Is 9:6.-- Ep 2:14.-- Ro 5:1. Pr 18:10.-- Is 31:1, 5.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 16:43:23 +0000

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