Spiritual Gifts part 68. Falling was easy. Restoring mankind? Priceless.

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Sunday,
January 2, 2011

Spiritual Gifts Part 68: Falling was easy. Restoring mankind? Priceless.

Son of God by nature (deity) though He was [A], He learned [B] from the things He suffered [B] —obedience! [A]"

To be a son is to be obedient.

To suffer is to learn.

The most difficult philosophical problem out there is the question, “Why is there suffering”?

Physical pain is a signal from the body to the brain that something is not right. There is a problem going on somewhere in the body.

Consider what things were like BEFORE satan fell.

There had never been a problem!

There was no need for pain, because pain is a signal that there is a problem out there.

The king of Tyre was a wicked man who was possessed by satan.

There was no outside entity that tempted satan to sin. He did it all by himself.

There was no suffering involved for satan in submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The pain is a signal. It is a sign. It is a reminder that things are still not right.

When God takes things from “not right” to “right again”, there is pain involved.

Obeying God’s will does result in suffering at times for God’s human children.

LORD’S Supper

Lighthouse Bible Church

Sunday,
January 2, 2011

In the case of Christ, we are compelled to wrestle with His death when celebrating His birth.

Because He was born, He took on our nature and became eligible to die for us.

Because of His death, we can be born again.

He came and died so we may have life, and have it abundantly.

And after He died, He lives.

The life He receives, the life He gives through His death is greater than the life He gave up.

So the purpose of life is to be spent or given away or laid down in death.

The purpose of death is to produce even more life. Superior life.

Paul wanted to be conformed to Christ’s death so he could live in Christ’s resurrection life.

Every new round of life is richer than the one that was laid down before it.

It takes faith to die to what is known in the hope of a better but unknown new life.

We lay down our temporal life so that others can receive eternal life.
The life we let go of is inferior.
The life that results is superior.

“From the highest to the lowest, self exists to be abdicated, and by that abdication, becomes the more truly self.”

The opposite of self-giving is hell.

The opposite of selfishness is the cross of Christ.

The living and dying and living circle is the giving and receiving principle but on the grandest scale.

Christ did not go to the cross for Himself.

Christ did not even rise from the dead for Himself!