Glory Through Sufferings

Glory Through Sufferings

“Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected . . . .” Heb. 5:8-9.

Jesus was never disobedient, and yet He learned obedience. Sufferings have the effect of causing a need. In these needs Jesus sought the Father, and the Father could write His laws into His Son’s heart and mind. Thus Jesus received new areas in which He could learn obedience. Jesus’ ear was opened through sufferings, and He heard as a disciple hears. Isa. 50:4-5. He had to live by faith, for He is the author and finisher of faith. Heb. 12:2. In the volume of the book it was written of Him. Heb. 10:7. He had to read, and then walk by faith, and when He was perfected, the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him bodily. Col. 2:9.

This is the Jesus who says to us, “Follow Me.” This is the same way we have to go as God’s children and Jesus’ disciples. He has become our forerunner (Heb. 6:20) and the captain of our salvation who was perfected through sufferings, and He says that no one can be His disciple unless he forsakes everything! Then we are at the beginning where Jesus was when He came into the world. “A body You have prepared for Me . . . . ‘Behold, I have come . . . to do Your will, O God.’” Only if we are thus fully surrendered can we grow.

Jesus became a life-giving spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), and He is the One who sanctifies. If we are His disciples, He will also make our spirit alive. What does it mean that our spirit is made alive? It is the same as God writing His laws in our hearts and minds.

No one can do a job properly unless he knows the laws that concern the job he is doing. If he does not know the laws, he will struggle and wear himself out and end up in a lot of sufferings, but then he will also accept help. The help is not in someone else doing the work for him. Perhaps it helped once, but he didn’t learn anything. He remained “dead” in that area. But if another person enlightened him about the laws that concerned the matter, he would be made alive so he could do the job. He will be glad to understand how to go about it, and he can talk about it and be useful.

This also applies to spiritual work. There are so many sufferings here in this world. The poor person has his sufferings, and so does the rich person; the employer has his and the employee has his; those who have children have their sufferings, and those who are childless have theirs, etc. Everyone murmurs and complains, struggles and toils, but only those who partake of sanctification—those who learn to know God’s laws for the situations in which they are—become happy. Therefore we read that blessed is the man who meditates on God’s laws day and night. Whatever he does shall prosper. Ps. 1.

Those who are Jesus’ true disciples and are fully committed to being obedient learn obedience by the things they suffer. They get something out of life. The majority of those who believe in Jesus as an atoning sacrifice have not become His disciples. They sin in their sufferings just like other people, and so they console themselves with the thought that Jesus has done what they cannot do. They are and continue to be dead to God’s laws, and so they sin again the next time. In other words, they have not really been helped by just having their sins forgiven. Many of them even get quite angry when they hear about God’s laws and commandments. They think that Jesus kept the commandments on their behalf so they wouldn’t have to keep them. Thus they miss out on gaining spiritual content, and their conversations are about earthly things.

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory . . . .” 2 Cor. 4:17. This is the result for a disciple of Jesus. The glory is in God’s commandments and laws, and we obtain it through sufferings if we have the invisible in mind. “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God . . . .” It is God who makes us poor or rich, who humbles and exalts, etc. It was God whom David met when Shimei cursed him, and David humbled himself under God’s mighty hand. We are in God’s hand as the clay is in the potter’s hand. There have to be sufferings if He is to mold us. Do not cast your anxieties on people but on the Lord. The sufferings will cause you to long for God. You learn to pray. Your ear will be opened, and you will hear as a disciple hears. Then Jesus can make your spirit alive to God’s laws and commandments, and He can write them in your heart and mind. If you are obedient, they will become your possession. You will partake of divine nature. You will receive light in areas where you were previously in darkness. Now you are receiving true help. Now you are blessed in whatever situation you are. You know how to react. You have fellowship with Jesus in His steps. Now you can take part in conversations that concern these things.

Isn’t it all these blessed laws of God that have given us such harmony in life and harmony in our midst—as many of us as have learned obedience, high and low, poor and rich, talented or less talented, strong and weak? Isn’t it this fullness of glory of which we have partaken through sufferings that gives us such richly blessed meetings and conferences and conversations? Fellowship among these spirits that have been made alive causes time to fly so that you don’t even realize that it is already the wee hours of the morning. The Lord’s ways are unsearchable, and it is interesting to be together with those whose delight is in the Lord.