Study Notes

I.      Hebrews 5:4-9

A.    He learned obedience  (Learn-To acquire skill in anything; To gain by practice a faulty of performing; Obedience-Compliance, submission)

1.      This obedience and submission was something he acquired, not something he was born with – His obedience wasn’t automatic

2.      Submission/compliance–You submit your will to their will–What you want and what they want is different so you’re going to submit and comply

3.      Learning obedience (submission) is part of the perfecting process – It’s part of growing up spiritually – Submitting your will to God’s will

B.     How did he learn this obedience/submission?  By the things which he suffered (Suffered-To feel, have a sensible experience, undergo

1.      What things that he suffered is this referring to?

a.    In the days of his flesh – This points us to the fact that Jesus was in his body when this happened and also to the fact that he had human nature

b.    Hebrews 5:7-The topic here is, “to save him from death,” and Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to be saved from death in the Garden of Gethsemane – Matthew 26:36-44, Luke 26:39-44, Mark 14:33-42, John 12:27

1)       The big thing he’s struggling with is the He wants to do it another way and the Father wants to do it this way – He’s not getting his way

c.     He didn’t learn obedience by the suffering on the cross; Had he not learned obedience before the suffering of the cross, he wouldn’t even had been on the cross; He would have called those legions of angels down; Besides that after he suffered on the cross he didn’t learn he died

2.      Hebrews 2:18, 1 Peter 4:1-2-His suffering was being tempted and NOT EVER yielding to the temptation – If you give into the flesh you didn’t suffer

a.    He learned to obey and submit by suffering, by telling his flesh no, by not giving into the dictates of his flesh, by not getting his way

C.    Being made perfect (Perfect-Complete, perfect, bring to end, consummate human integrity and virtue, full grown, adult, full age, mature)

1.      Saying no to his flesh, submitting to the Father’s will when he didn’t want to, lead to his development (Luke 1:82, 2:52-Jesus had to grow in spirit)

II.     We grow by suffering

A.    1 Peter 2:19-24-We are called to suffer and follow in Jesus’ example who didn’t yield to his flesh when he was being reviled

1.      You can’t take all suffering and put it in the same sack (like you can’t do with prayer) – There are different kinds of suffering

a.    When Jesus suffered resisting sin you can follow his example, but when he suffered on the cross you can share in that b/c he was your substitute

b.    2Cor1:5-Anything Jesus suffered on the cross are things you are not to suffer with because he did that as your substitute, but the suffering of his in resisting sin is the suffering you and I share in

2.      Romans 8:17-19-You suffer with him, but submitting to the will of God and not pleasing your flesh

a.    Glorified together-This has to do with us reaching our most exalted state, most glorious condition

b.    The whole creation is waiting for the manifestation of the mature sons of God

c.     2 Timothy 2:12-If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him

B.     Our attitude towards suffering-1 Peter 4:12-16

1.      1 Peter 3:14-If you suffer for righteousness’ sake happy are you

2.      Acts 5:41-They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name

C.    1 Peter 5:10-Your development is connected to your suffering (Suffered-To feel, have a sensible experience, undergo)

1.      Make you perfect [Perfect-Complete, sound, equip, strengthen, make you what ought to be (1 John 2:6-You ought to be like Jesus)]

a.    Stablish-Make stable, make firm; Strengthen-Make strong, of one’s soul; Settle-Establish, make stable

2.      Ephesians 4:14-Children are not firm and settle and established, but rather they are tossed to and fro

D.    1 Peter 4:1-2-What does he mean when he says, “after you have suffered a while” – What suffering is he referring to? The suffering is not giving into your flesh, pleasing yourself, living by human appetites and instead pleasing God and living for what God wills/wants

1.      2-But to the will of God – Not my will, but your will be done – This is suffering

2.      You suffered when you said no to your flesh – When you said yes to your flesh you didn’t suffer

E.     Saying no to your flesh and submitting to God when you don’t want to will lead to your development

1.      If you always give into your flesh and yield to it you won’t develop the way you should – Your development is in the NO and the more you say no to your flesh the more you develop – Every time you say no to your flesh you develop

2.      Every time I say “NO” I grow

3.      You need to say no to the stuff your flesh likes to say yes to the most those are the things that are going to help you grow the most

III.   To grow spiritually arm yourself with this mind – I’m not giving my flesh what it wants even when it hurts

A.    Psalm 15:4-I’ll swear to my own hurt and change not

B.     James 1:2-4-If you won’t change you will develop – If won’t allow the temptation to move you, you will develop

1.      Temptations-The trial of man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy – The temptation comes to get you to change

2.      When you’re flesh is being pulled on your faith is being tried; When your faith is bring tried put patience to work

a.    Patience-Steadfastness, constancy, perseverance, endurance

3.      That you may be perfect – (Complete, perfect, bring to end, consummate human integrity and virtue, full grown, adult, full age, mature)

C.    Isaiah 50:7-Your development is in your refusal to change when it hurts

1.      Isaiah 41:10-You can’t get to the place where you become hardened to difficulties and what used to move you doesn’t move you anymore – What you used to give into you just don’t give into anymore

IV.   You will have God-ordained opportunities to have your flesh graded and you say no to it – Remember your development is in your NO

A.    Matthew 4:1-God will put you in situations that grate your flesh to give you the opportunity to respond right and develop

1.      The spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness (solitary, lonely, desolate) to be tempted of the devil; Tempted-Test, try, make trial of: for the purpose of ascertaining his quality, or what he thinks, or how he will behave himself; test one’s faith, virtue, character by enticement of sin; to prove character and steadfastness of faith

2.      1 Peter 1:7-There is a trying of your faith and time of testing that where you prove your faith and your character and your steadfastness

3.      James 1:13-God’s not tempting you and he doesn’t have to – You’re going to have opportunities to prove yourself and God watches

4.      You can’t develop without pressure, without practice, without opportunity to perform under pressure

a.    KENNETH HAGIN (MUST CHRISTIANS SUFFER)-Smith Wigglesworth said, “Great faith comes out of great tests.” We read, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). Of course, you can believe what God’s Word has promised you. But great faith doesn’t come just by feeding on God’s Word. Great faith doesn’t come just by hearing cassette tapes. The potential of great faith comes by hearing. But the great faith itself comes when you put what you have heard into practice.  You see, faith is a force. To build up faith muscles, you have to use your faith against something. You don’t build up muscles in your body just by reading books on building muscles, do you? No! It’s when you put into practice what you read and start lifting weights that the muscles begin bulging out. 

B.     Suffering will make you grow spiritually in a hurry – Being put in that situation where your flesh is being grated and not yielding causes you to grow up

1.      Matthew 4:1-As a result of not yielding to the flesh when he was tempted Jesus grew up and developed and had he not had the opportunity to be in this situation he would not have developed the way that he did

2.      Kenneth Hagin-“I didn’t know that you could hurt in so many places and still be in the will of God.”

3.      KENNETH HAGIN (MUST CHRISTIANS SUFFER)-We need to learn the way of the Spirit, dear friends. And He doesn’t always lead in a bed of roses or where the going is good. He doesn’t always lead where there’s smooth sailing and no opposition or persecution. Christ was made perfect or reached maturity through the things He suffered. Whether you like it or not, these are the things that mature us. We need to learn the way of the Spirit. He’ll lead you into things like that. Jesus, full of the Holy Ghost, was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted or tested of the devil.  We need to learn the way of the Spirit, because sometimes He’ll lead you in ways your natural mind doesn’t like. It is well to remember that some of our hardest tests are God’s way of leading us into a deeper place in Him.

4.      KENNETH HAGIN (MUST CHRISTIANS SUFFER)-As I look back now, I can see I wasn’t conscious of the fact that the Holy Spiit led me into many hard places. Just knowing the Word and walking by faith won’t mature you. That’s the reason many people never get settled or matured—they won’t stay in a hard place. I thank God now for all those hard places He led me through.  We don’t like to hear that side of it too much. But when the Lord has told you something, stay hooked. Go right on through the tests and trials and be perfected.  Do you know why I’m settled? It’s because I suffered awhile. The foundation for my ministry today came in my staying put. I stayed in places where I didn’t want to stay. That’s where I learned so much. That’s when the foundation was established in me.  Stay put in hard places, and you will eventually rest upon the mountaintop.