Joshua and Judges: The allotment of the land, part 12 - Predestination; Jos 14-17.

Title: Joshua and Judges: The allotment of the land, part 12 - Predestination; Jos 14-17.  

 

Announcements / opening prayer:  

 

HEB 2:1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

 

HEB 2:2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense,

 

HEB 2:3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,

 

HEB 2:4 God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.

 

HEB 2:5 For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.

 

HEB 2:6 But one has testified somewhere, saying,

 

"What is man, that Thou rememberest him?

Or the son of man, that Thou art concerned about him?

 

HEB 2:7 "Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels;

Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor,

And hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands;

 

HEB 2:8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. "

 

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

 

HEB 2:9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

 

HEB 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

 

The purpose of His death was to bring many sons to glory, predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.

 

Perfect means to complete or to reach a goal. He was already perfect, but there was a goal to complete and it could only be completed through sufferings. The goal was salvation whom Jesus was the author of, which word (author) means to rule or to lead. He is the Prince Ruler of salvation and He completed its goal in the only way it could be, through sufferings.

 

"to complete the goal as Prince Ruler of their salvation through sufferings."

 

Please notice that we have no part in completing this goal. Christ did it all. It is not up to our performance as Christians, or how many works we perform, or how faithful we are. We have salvation through faith alone. We who have believed in Him have been made perfectly righteous and have been delivered from sin and death because He alone is the Prince Ruler and completer of our salvation.

 

HEB 12:1-2

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for [in the place of] the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

HEB 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

 

Glorification is in time as well as eternity. If it is to be known by us in time we must realize the fulfillment of our destiny, or our predestination.

 

2CO 3:18

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

 

This is seeing and walking in the glory of God in time, which is walking in His life, His essence, His righteousness.

 

By means of the Holy Spirit we are to complete the plan of God for our lives, realizing God's will and purpose for our lives. It is a heavenly plan with a heavenly will and purpose that has a grand earthly task - we are the salt of the earth.