Pastor-teacher Don Hargrove

Faith Bible Church

Sunday, July 12, 2009

1 John 2:28

GOD’S PROBLEM SOLVING DEVICE #10:

OCCUPATION WITH JESUS CHRIST

Part 52: OWC, THE HYPOSTATIC UNION,

& SUFFERING

(Messiah & A.C. #233)

A. The Hypostatic Union of Jesus Christ, Philip 2:5-11.

1. The OT and NT explicitly ascribe the properties of full deity and full humanity in the One Person of Jesus Christ forever, (Jn 1:1-3, 14; Philip 2:5-11).

2. Scripture coupled with the logical laws of necessity demand that JC is none other than God Himself - just as predicted in the OT, Gen 4:1; Isa 9:6.

3. A bit of sequential logic on the deity of Jesus Christ.

a. The Nicodemian Modus Tollens, Jn 3.

1. Jesus performed a certain class of miracles.

2. Not one can perfect acts of class of miracles unless he is a teacher come from God, thus.

3. Jesus was a teacher come from God.

b. Soteriological Sequential logic, Mark 2:7.

1. Jesus can forgive us our sins and offer us salvation.

2. Only God can forgive us our sins and offer us salvation;

3. Jesus is God.

c. Liturgical Sequential logic, Philip 2:9-11; Jn 20:26.

1. Jesus is properly worshiped.

2. Only God is properly worshiped; thus

3. Jesus is God.

d. Revelatory Sequential logic, Jn 14:9; Heb 1:3, 8.

1 – Jesus reveals God perfectly

2 – Only God can reveal God perfectly; thus

3- Jesus is God.

4. Review of the fundamentals of HU.

a. Jesus Christ is One Person with two complete individual natures which are united but not mingled or confounded: the hypostatic union of deity and humanity in one person forever.

b. What is predicated of either of His natures is predicated of His person.

c. All acts of Jesus Christ are acts from His Person.

5. Spiritual growth in OWC requires both a functional AND ontological view of JC, Philip 2:5-11; Hebrews ; Revelation; Titus 2:13.

6. It is impossible for any believer to advance in grace and true OWC apart from advancing in the ontological view of Christ, 2 Pet 3:18.

7. The power and blessedness of moving into OWC, Philip 3:10; 4:4-13; Gal 2:20.

8. World’s rejection of the ontological truths of Christ will culminate with the world’s acceptance of the Antichrist, Rev 11:7-10; 13:1-8; 2 Thess 2:5-12.

9. The believer who does not advance in knowledge of JC in both the functional as well as ontological realms will be blown off course and end up with the shipwreck of the faith, 2 Pt 3:18; 2 Tim 4:10; Heb 5:11-6:8.

10. All of God’s wonderful greater grace blessings and the grace to move into the fantastic promised life come only through continued growth in understanding of JC, 2 Pet 1:2-4; 3:18; 2 Cor 1:20; 12:7-10.

B. Christian Suffering.

1. The Bible not only explains suffering, it reveals powerful solutions to all human suffering, Job 5:7; 14:1; Mt 10:38; 16:24; Jn 15:2; 16:33; Acts 9:16; 14:22; 1Thess 3:3; 2Tim 3:12; Heb 5:8; 12:6‑8; 1 Cor 10:13; 1 Pt 2:20; 1 Pt 4:12; Rm 5:3.

2. The most critical thing about difficulties and sufferings is not the kind or amount of suffering but how we process them.

3. God has a plan for every aspect of your life and this plan includes overcoming difficulties and sufferings, (Psalm 138:8; 139; Isa 43; Rom 8:28‑39; 2 Cor 12:10; Psa 23:4; Hab 3:17‑19).

4. There are only two categories of suffering (1 Pet 3:17; 2:11-25; 3:13-4:2).

a) Deserved suffering: VR and DD, Gal 6:7; 1 Pt 2:20a;

b) Undeserved suffering: designed to refine and advance the believer to spiritual maturity, 1 Pt 2:20b; Rom 8:28-30; 1 Pet 2:20b; 2 Tim 3:12.

5. Under the two categories of suffering (undeserved and deserved) there are five reasons people suffer.

a) #1 Deserved: VR: Gal 6:7; Hosea 5:12‑14; 8:7; Col 3:25; Prov 1; 2:10‑17; 12:13; 13:20; 22:8.

b) #2 Deserved: DD: Persistently living out of fellowship with God, Heb 12:5-1; 1 Cor 11:31.

c) #3 Undeserved: To get the believer to spiritual maturity, Js 1:2ff.

d) #4 Undeserved: To further advance the believer in the greater blessings of maturity and the promised life, 2 Cor 12:7-10.

e) #5 Undeserved: Maximum glorification of God as a winner believer in the angelic conflict (evidence testing); Job 1-3; 42:1-10;

C. The 5 Major Tests associated with suffering to get the believer into the greater grace blessings of the promised life, 2 Cor 12:7-10.

1. Weaknesses (ἀσθένεια).

2. People testing (ὕβρις), Mt 10:34-36; 2 Cor 6:3-5; 1 Cor 15:33; Prov 13:20.

3. Thought testing (ἀνάγκη), Prov 23:7; Mt 6:7; 9:4; Gal 6:3; Rom 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 10:12; Phil 2:5; 2 Cor 10:4-6; Jn 8:31-32; Jn 4:24.

4. System testing (διωγμός), 1 Thess 2:4.

5. Disaster testing (στενοχωρία), Lev 26:16-46.