Pastor-teacher Don Hargrove

Faith Bible Church

Sunday, July 26, 2009

http://fbcweb.org/Audio.html  

 

1 John 2:28

GOD’S PROBLEM SOLVING DEVICE #10:

OCCUPATION WITH JESUS CHRIST

Part 56:  CHRIST’S UNIPERSONALITY & PROFILE OF BELIEVERS IN

THE 5 CAUSES OF SUFFERING

 (Messiah & A.C. #237)

 

A.  Christology: Christ’s unipersonality & the involvement of deity on the Cross.

            1.    Christ’s unipersonality refers to the fact that Christ was one person though He had two distinct natures,  Rom 1:3-4; 9:5; Philip 2:6-11; Heb 1:6-9 with 2:14; 10:5; Jn 1:1-3 with 1:14; Mat 1:21-31.

            2.    The fact that the two natures constitute only one person in Christ is proved by the fact that in Scripture human attributes are as ascribed to the person designated God as divine attributes are ascribed to the same person designated as man.  

            3.   Human attributes are ascribed to the person designated God, Acts 20:28; 1 Cor 2:8; Mat 1:33; Lk 1:31-32. 

.           4.   Divine attributes are ascribed to the person designated as man, Jn 3:13; 6:62; Rom 9:5; Rev 5:12.

            5.   The Bible presents Christ as one person with two natures so that it is proper to say that Jesus Christ is God and Jesus Christ is man.  

            6.   Whatever is predicated of either nature is predicated of His Person.  

            7.  Therefore when Christ’s humanity suffers it is proper to say that it is “God’s suffering” at least in His Person.  

            8.  It is important to understand the distinction between Christ’s active and latent attributes, Jn 10:30; Jn 17:5.

            9.  While the acts and qualities of either nature may be attributed to the one theanthropic person, the acts and qualities of one nature may not be attributed to the other nature.  

            10.  Christ in His divine person was intimately involved in the sacrifice for sins on the Cross. 

            11.   While divine essence cannot die (1 Tim 6:16), the Second Member of the Trinity living through the humanity of JC did experience physical pain, suffering and death on the Cross (Heb 1:1-3 with 2:14-18).            

            12.  The Divine Logos experienced suffering through the instrumentality of the added nature of humanity.

            13.  In the incarnation the invisible became visible; the incomprehensible comprehensible, and the impassible passible. 

            14.   The salvation work on the Cross included the divine person of Jesus Christ in cooperation with God the Father, 2 Cor 5:17-18. 

            15.   Christ’s knowledge and love for every person who would ever exist, as He bore all sins on the Cross, requires nothing less than the intimate involvement of His divine omniscience, Gal 2:20; Rev 1:5.

 

B.  Biblical Principles on Suffering. 

            1.   Bible explains the causes of all human suffering and reveals powerful solutions to all suffering.

            2.   All suffering in life must be related to the POG and the the spiritual life.

            3.   A believer’s attitude regarding towards the POG in times of suffering is perhaps the greatest indicator of where he is spiritually than any other factor, cf. Dt 8:5; Prov 3:11-12; Jn 9:1-3; Js 1:2-4; Acts 5:41; 2 Cor 12:9-10; Rom 5:3-5; Heb 2:10; 5:8-9; 11:4-11; 13-16; 12:1-3; Psa 119:67;  Eph 1:3, 13; 1 Pet  1:6-9; 2:18-25; 4:12-19; Col 1:24; Job 13:15;  Rev 3:19; Psa 66:10; Isa 48:10; Jn 15:1-8; Job 5:7; 14:1; 1 Cor 10:13; Rm 8:28-39; Rev 2-3; Psa 23:4; Hab 3:17‑19. 

            4.   Suffering is always a wakeup call and as such provides tremendous lessons about self, God and the spiritual life. 

            5.   All suffering is located in one of two categories:  deserved or undeserved. 

                        a.   Deserved:  VR (SIM) and DD (SIN)- 1 Pt 2:20a; Heb 12: 5ff

                        b.   Undeserved:  from immaturity to maturity (Js 1:2-4), development  in maturity (2 Cor 12:7-10), and in full development of maturity.

            6.   The issue in all suffering is always the WOG & the POG (Heb 4:1ff; 11:2ff).   7.  The 5 causes of suffering.

 

C.   Profile of believers in the 5 categories of suffering.

            1.    #1, VR (SIM):  the believer causes his own misery with HV thinking;  no confidence that the WOG provides all of the solutions to life; tremendous mental, psychological, and emotional suffering due to consequences of evil/false thinking; does not take responsibility for his own life; blames others, circumstances, etc for his own misery; self-centered; lives in self-justification, self-deception, self-absorption; bitter at the negative circumstances of life; seeks solutions to his problems through HV;  lives in active rejection of BD;  miserable b/c of inability to handle the pressures of life; suffers due to false thinking and motivations; lacks mental stability; lacks true spiritual self-esteem that comes from the WOG; never feels strong enough or appropriate for all of the challenges of life;  is never able to get on top of things; lives in self-deception; sleep walks through life; sensate; FSH; fails to wake up to his own self-induced misery; lives outside of the protection of 1 Cor 10:13; bad attitude to life as  result of not being able to parlay sufferings into blessings; saturated with evil thinking characterized by self-absorption, legalism; SR, and self-justification; continues to bring misery around him;  self-esteem is all related to KD; lives in delusions about own his importance and his difficulties;  rejects the riches of the grace of God for his own human good , etc. ad nauseam et al.

            2.   #2, DD (Psa 32; 38; 51; 1 Cor 3:1-6; 11:28-31; Heb 12:5-11; Rev 3):  lives a painful life under divine; fails to regularly confess sins thereby moves into more and more chain sinning; lives like an unbeliever; lives in self-delusion; lives in rejection of the CCL; sees no intrinsic value in the CCL;  unable to handle the pressures and stress of life; lives outside of the protection of 1 Cor 10:13; suffering is unbearable which requires some form of sublimation; - vol to PG; no benefits to sufferings; lives a self-deluded life under the power of KD.

 

 

 

 

 

            3.   #3, IM, Suffering designed to get the baby believer to spiritual maturity (Js 1:2-4; 1 Pet 1:6-7): believer enters into the beginning of real contentment in life as he lives in freedom from the DOL; enjoys mental stability from applying the principles of the WOG to the details of life; enjoys beginning of composure and self-assurance in suffering;  enjoys a new appreciation of grace and moves into greater grace orientation to life; enjoys doctrinal orientation to ultimate reality that brings great mental stability; enjoys freedom from inordinate ambition and the traps of envy, jealousy, and covetousness; begins to really thrive in his priesthood and ambassadorship as the life is more focused on God; leaves behind the double mindedness of immaturity; has moved to the point where BD really is #1; enjoys great confidence that all of the solutions to the problems of life are in God’s Word; views all suffering in light of the WOG; enjoys divine happiness even in the difficulties;  quickly confesses sins and regularly walks by the HS; seeks to live for the Lord in all areas of life; enjoys the discovery of his niche in the promised life; discovers and begins to really enjoy his niche in the POG; begins to have a real sense of a personal sense of destiny on life and with the Lord; gains who new attitude to life;  begins to receive greater grace blessings; continues to thrive spiritually as arrogance continues to be rooted out of the life;  loves the Giver more than the gifts due to PLG; lives under the protection of 1 Cor 10:13; continues to move into vast areas of undiscovered truths regarding life, the POG, self, and God Himself;  moves into spiritual autonomy where he has enough doctrine to think independently; continues to grow in the biblical realities of JC and the POG; does not feel threatened by others; cannot be manipulated by others; lives without fear of life or death; assumes responsibility for his own life; gains tremendous spiritual self-esteem; is totally motivated by personal love for God, glorifies God in life and death; et al. all to the glory of God. 

 

             4.#4,  DM:  Further development in maturity (Psa 23; 2 Cor 12:7-10; 2 Tim 4:6-8):   Greater capacity for life; greater focus on JC and the POG; love of God with all heart, soul, and mind; maximum happiness even under maximum pressure; superhuman attitude; his cup of life overflows; all sufferings are parlayed into most fantastic spiritual dynamics; enormous sense of spiritual destiny; lives with enormous meaning, purpose, and definition in life; enjoys complete command over self with regard to all DOL;  lives in full contentment enormous power even in the face of human inadequacies, insults, persecutions, and stressful situations; remains calm and collective in times of turmoil; has no fear of death; looks forward to being with the LJC;  enormous mental stability in life; lives without bitterness thereby has enormous capacity for impersonal, personal and romantic love; no longer has problems with thought testing in regard to BD; enjoys mental stability; further removal of pride from the life; HV is no longer a temptation; lives free of fear and anxiety; his mind is further fashioned according to the image of JC (1 Cor 2:16); further development in the perfect plan of God, et al. all to the glory of God.

 

             5.#5, SMGG: Suffering for maximum glorification of God, (Job; Eph 3:16-20; 4:12-16; 1 Cor 2:9-10; 2 Cor 10:4-6); final stage of spiritual maturity; life above what one could ask or imagine; maximum glorification of God in the AC in his priesthood and ambassadorship;  fully development of Christ in the believer; lives in the reality of loving God with all of his heart, soul, mind, and might; honored throughout all of eternity; et al. all to the glory of God.