Hebrews 5:8, 9 - Jesus Was Omniscient; Yet He "Learned" (part 2).
Hebrews 5:8, 9 - Jesus Was Omniscient; Yet He "Learned" (part 2).
Hebrews 5:8, 9 (KJV) Though he were a Son, yet learned he
obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he
became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Hebrews 5:8, 9 (TLB) And even though Jesus was God's Son, he
had to learn from experience what it was like to obey when obeying
meant suffering. It was after he had proved himself perfect in this
experience that Jesus became the Giver of eternal salvation to all those
who obey him.
While engaged in our daily work, we should lift the soul to
heaven in prayer. These silent petitions rise like incense before the
throne of grace; and the enemy is baffled. The Christian whose heart is
thus stayed upon God cannot be overcome. No evil arts can destroy his
peace. All the promises of God's word, all the power of divine grace,
all the resources of Jehovah, are pledged to secure his deliverance.
It was thus that Enoch walked with God. And God was with him, a
present help in every time of need... Prayer is the breath of the soul. It
is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be
substituted, and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart
into immediate contact with the Well-spring of life, and strengthens
the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the
exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as
seems convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual
faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health and
vigor. It is only at the altar of God that we can kindle our tapers
with divine fire. {GW 254}
Life is difficult ... really very little more than an endless
series of problems. Do we want to moan and groan about them or face
them? Do we want to teach the next generation the disciplines involved
in accepting and solving them or encourage them to run and hide
from them? ...
The tragedy, of course, is that the substitute itself
ultimately becomes more painful than the "legitimate suffering" it was
trying to avoid. And, adding insult to injury, the avoidance of
legitimate suffering means we also avoid the growth that problems demand of
us. Our determination to push pain away instead of meeting it head
on creates a vicious circle.
Could this explain why God's wisest saints are often people
who endure pain rather than escape it? Like their Savior, they are
men and women "acquainted with grief." I recall that Jesus "learned
obedience from the things which he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8), not in spite
of those things.
Do you have a problem? You're smiling back at me. "A problem?
Would you believe several dozen problems?" If you listen to the voices
around you, you'll search for a substitute - an escape route. You'll
miss the fact that each one of those problems is a God-appointed
instructor ready to stretch you and challenge you and deepen your walk with
Him. Growth and wisdom await you at the solution of each one, the
pain and mess notwithstanding. Charles Swindoll [Inspirational SB]
Jesus experienced all of what a person goes through on this
earth. He knows how difficult it is to obey God completely, just as He
understands the attractions of temptation (2:18). Yet He persisted in
obedience, leading a sinless life (1 John 3:5)... Having been perfected does
not suggest that Jesus had not been perfect before. It means that He
successfully carried out God's plan for Him. He endured suffering and
temptation so that He could truly function as our High Priest,
understanding our weaknesses and interceding before God for us. [Nelson SB]
Jesus had to learn obedience, just as we do. What teacher did
God use? Suffering--just as He does with us. God intends to use our
suffering to teach us the value and the power of obedience... Does our
obedience gain us a Savior? No. Nothing we do can ever earn our salvation.
And yet, all those who truly believe will obey. If we habitually
disobey Him, we should re-examine our connection to Him.. Spiritual
maturity comes not merely by hearing God's Word, but by making it a habit
to put it into practice. [Life Principles SB By Charles Stanley re
Heb. 5:8, 9]
There is a positive aspect to suffering. We all endure
suffering to some degree, but the good news is that through it we can
become like Jesus. Are you willing to pay whatever price is necessary
in order to become like Christ? There are some things that God can
build into your life only through suffering. Even Jesus, the sinless
Son of God, was complete only after He had endured the suffering His
Father had set before Him. Once He had suffered, He was the complete,
mature, and perfect Savior through whom an entire world could find
salvation.
If you become bitter over your hardships, you close some parts
of your life from God. If you do this, you will never be complete.
Some places in your soul can be reached only by suffering. The Spirit
of God has important things to teach you, but you can only learn
these lessons in the midst of your trials. King Saul was made king
without ever enduring hardship, but he never developed the character or
maturity to handle God's assignment. David spent years in suffering and
heartache. When he finally ascended the throne, he was a man after God's
own heart.
Don't resent the suffering God allows in your life. Don't make
all your decisions and invest everything you have into avoiding
hardship. God did not spare His own Son. How can we expect Him to spare
us? Learn obedience even when it hurts! [Henry and Richard Blackaby
re Heb. 5:8, 9]
Jesus, who was and is perfect as God (see Hebrews 13:8), had to
go through a painful growing and learning process (see Luke 2:52)
that culminated in his death on the cross. His success in that
process lends us great hope as we pursue eternity. He is the one who
goes before us and has prepared the way, and he is with us in every
step we take. [Life Recovery SB]
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