Spiritual Gifts part 70. Christ's winning formula is death and resurrection

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Thursday,
January 6, 2011

Spiritual Gifts Part 70: Christ’s winning formula is death and resurrection.

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

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

The Bible calls this “not right” quality ... darkness.

This is a dark world, JOH 1:4-10.

We walk in darkness at times, JOH 12:35-36.

The kingdom we struggle against is the kingdom - of darkness, EPH 6:12.

The fall of angels and the fall of Adam plunged God’s creation into a state of chaos, sin, evil, pain, and death.

So Christ came and obeyed His Father’s will in the face of unimaginable suffering. He turned everything around.

One day things will all be right again, and that will be a day of no more sorrow, no more pain.

It actually began with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the first fruits of all that will follow.

Another piece of the puzzle comes into place at the Rapture, when the adopted sons and daughters of the Father get our resurrection bodies.

When Christ steps foot on planet earth again to begin the Millennial Reign, nature will be restored to match our resurrection bodies.

But now we are right in the midst of the intensified stage of the angelic conflict, the great problem solving phase of things.

So try to see pain as a signal. It is a reminder that things are still not right. But we have the great hope, knowing one day they will be.

Now, when God takes things from “not right” to “right again”, there is also going to be pain involved.

One of the things that is part and parcel of being a church age believer is having conflict and tension.

Old sin nature vs. Holy Spirit
Redeemed soul vs. unredeemed body
Conflict in our families
Earthly things vs. heavenly things
What we already are vs. what we are waiting to become
Our battle against the kingdom of darkness

conflict equals pressure equals pain.

Having God move in our lives to change us, so we become more like His design for us.... that is painful too.

The ultimate issue is to have all creatures and things put back in the right order.

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

“The Son of God suffered unto the death,
not that men might not suffer, but that their
sufferings might be like His.”

George Macdonald,
Unspoken Sermons

He came and suffered in order to seek and save the lost, to destroy the works of the devil, restore His Father’s name, and reconcile all things to Himself.

We have the unparalleled sufferings of Christ, placed in the middle of a series of commands to the Church having to do with the basic authorities in life.

Christ at the cross was obedient to His Father’s will even though it meant suffering.

The issue is obedience to authority even when it hurts, 1PE 2:18-20.

Christ could not fulfill this as long as He remained in the Godhead.

For Adam it was a simple bite, but for Christ it was a lifetime of suffering punctuated by the horror of the cross.

No suffering to make the mess.
Suffering to make it right.

Disrespecting authority is easy.

Restoring rightful order is costly.