Hebrews 2:10 NLT
10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
Amazing when you look at this verse, take it and ponder it over and over in your mind. He made Jesus the perfect leader through his suffering. There is something to be said about suffering.
#1. It stinks.
#2. Nobody enjoys it.
#3. It is reality of life in a fallen world.
#4. If God used suffering to make Jesus the perfect leader then we are not going to escape the same suffering.
Now, just let me say, as I read through the New Testament with all of you, God is teaching me and reminding me of so much. I am like the children of Israel, I whine, and I sometimes complain. Then I repent and ask God to forgive me, restore, me and use me.
No Fear Of Death
Hebrews 2: 14-15 NLT
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
And you thought that was a slogan someone came up with recently. God came up with that one. We have no need to fear death. Nuff said…
You thought you were hiding that….didn’t you?
Hebrews 4: 12-13 NLT
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.
What this means is you are not fooling God. You know how when you read the scripture and you get convicted. You know that you’re doing something that shouldn’t be doing or you need to be doing something that you’re not. That is God! That is this scripture come to life. It is sharper than a double sided sword, it will cut right through you. By the way, if you don’t like what scripture says, you have to deal with it. We do not have the privileged of explaining it away or ignoring it. We conform to scripture and scripture doesn’t not conform to us.
By the way, a great deal of getting better is admitting your issues and not only does God know our issues, most people know them too. We just think they don’t.
Hebrews 5:8 NLT
There’s that suffering again…
8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
Hebrews 5:11-14 NLT
11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. 12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. 13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. 14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.
Here is an issue that I am passionate about. Paul is saying these people need to grow up, they need to get off the milk and baby food and get on to solid food. Paul is talking spiritual matters here. He is talking, we have to stop dwelling in the mud puddle and get into the ocean. We need to obey what we already know and move on to bigger and better things.
Listen, let go of that sin that you keep holding onto. I know it is comfortable and even though it is wrong you have struggled with it so long that you believe God made you that way and you will just remain that way.
No he didn’t and no you shouldn’t.
Walk away from it and when you fall again, dust yourself off and get moving again. Stay in the struggle and one day, freedom will come.
Pastor Ronnie
