Spiritual Gifts part 65: Affliction teaches us not to go astray

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Sunday,
December 26, 2010

Spiritual Gifts Part 65: Affliction teaches me not to go astray.

Son by nature (deity) though He was, He learned from the things He suffered—obedience!"

“obedience” is the Greek noun
hupakoe
It has the connotation of hearing a command (ie the word of God) and executing it.

The word hupakoe is a Greek word that is not found in secular authors, and very rarely even in the Greek Old Testament (called the Septuagint).

hupakoe is a specialized word that refers to the obedience of one who conforms his conduct to God’s commands.

The verb is used for one who receives the word of God by hearing and then translates it into action.

The essence of our sonship to the Father is found in obedience.

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

1. Obedience is something that has to be learned by doing.

2. We must follow in Jesus’ footsteps and strive to obey the will of God because this is what it means to be a son.

3. You cannot be truly happy except through obedience to the plan of God.

4. Submission to authority is the mark of the mature son or daughter of God.

5. The obedience that the adult sons and daughters have to the plan of God cannot be learned except by suffering.

6. Perfect obedience under the mantle of intense suffering is what clinched the angelic conflict.

The whole mess got started when a certain angel who was created in perfection decided that he did not want to obey the Lord Jesus Christ any longer.

Satan sinned without being tempted.
There was no suffering involved for satan in submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ.

In order to win the angelic conflict, Jesus had to demonstrate that it is possible for a human being to remain obedient to the Father’s will under all conditions.

So Jesus had to remain obedient to the Father’s will under the condition of horrible undeserved suffering.

7. Obedience is never completely learned until a person is face to face with suffering and his character is put to the test.

We probably have more recorded in the New Testament about the failures of Peter than about those of any other figure in the Church Age.

The pattern is ABBA. Sometimes it is called chiasm because when it occurs in two lines of poetry it forms a cross.

A group: To be a son is to be obedient.

B group: To suffer is to learn.

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