The Greatest Among You II - Syllabus

 

The Obedient Christ

Lesson 1

 

In the chain of authority, Christ is in submission to the Father:

1. "But I want you to know that the _______ of every man is Christ, the ______ of woman is man, and the _____ of Christ is God." (1 Cor.11:3)
Christ came to earth and did not seek to do His own will:
2. "I can of Myself do ________. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own _______ but the ____ of the Father who sent Me." (John 5:30)
He kept the commandments of His Father:
3. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have ____ My Father's __________ and abide in His love." (John 15:10)

Christ is the image of the Father:

4. "He is the ______ of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." (Colossians 1:15)
5. "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express ______ of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having _______ so much ________ than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." (Hebrews 1:1-4)

Though Christ was in the form of God, He humbled Himself and became like one of us:

6. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be ______ with God, but made Himself of ___ __________, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men." (Philippians 2:5-7)
Christ learned obedience through the things He suffered. We must learn obedience the same way:
7. "…though He was a Son, yet He learned _________ by the things which He suffered." (Heb. 5:8)
8. "And having been __________, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, …" ( Heb.5:9)

Christ is our example in so many ways. He teaches us how to love, how to live without sinning, how to suffer abuse from evil people and yet love their souls, how to serve others, how to bear up under hardships and privation, etc. He is also our example to follow as we learn obedience. He mastered obedience from the things He suffered.

9. Name some things that Christ suffered, from which He learned obedience:

Mothers, do we expect to teach our children obedience without allowing them to suffer? If we cannot stand to watch our child suffer, if we make it our mission in life to shield our child from all pain, punishment and want, then neither are we very wise, nor are we properly preparing our child for life and eternity. We should follow the example of the Heavenly Father, who allowed His Son to suffer so that He would learn obedience.

Perhaps the most valuable education I received, when I was growing up, was the obedience I learned through suffering in the cotton patch. The summers were long, hot and void of pleasure. We worked from before sunup until the sun went down. I remember once when I cut the top of my foot with a hoe while chopping cotton. My Dad wisely did not let me go home immediately because he knew that if he did, I might cut my foot on purpose the next day. (LOL) We looked for any excuse to stay home, but none of them worked...ever. My Dad was too smart.

Parents should assign chores to children and expect them to finish the tasks. A wise parent finds work that requires physical discomfort or inconvenience for children, especially for boys, as they grow older. Require the youngsters to mow grass, plant and harvest a garden, care for animals etc…

Our Savior learned obedience through the things He suffered. Let us meditate on what that means and pray that God will help us to learn obedience from the things that we suffer. Wouldn't you rather suffer and it be to your profit, rather than just suffer and get nothing from it but the pain?

If we are going to learn to obey the Father like our Savior did we must learn to suffer through, without sinning, any temptations to disobey the Father just as Christ did:

10. "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points ________ like as we are, yet without sin." ( Heb.4:15)
11. "Then Jesus was ____ ____ by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry." (Matt. 4:1-2)
12. "Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, ________ that these stones become bread." " (Matthew 4:3)
13. "But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that _________ from the mouth of God.' " (Matt.4:4)
14. "Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the ____ __ ____ , throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' " (Matt. 4:5-6)
15. "Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not _____ the LORD your God.' " (Matt.4:7)
16. "Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the ___________ of the world and their glory." (Matt.4 :8)
17. "And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and _________ me." " (Matt.4:9)
18. "Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall ______ ." " ( Matt.4 :10)
19. "Then the devil _____ _______ , and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." (Matt.4:11)

Let's take a look at Christ's example of obedience and discover what we can learn from it.

20. Read the following passage and in it please find two acts of obedience Christ demonstrates in this incident:

"His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously."
And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.
Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth , and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2:41-52)

Christ came to earth to do the will of His Father:

21. "Then He said, "Behold, I have come to do _____ _____ , O God."…" (Hebrews 10:9)
22. "If I do not do the _______ of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him." "(John 10: 37-38)
23. "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own _________ ; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." (John 14:10)
24. "...As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek ___ ______ ______ but the will of the Father who sent Me." (John 5:30)
25. "But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me ____________ , so I do. Arise, let us go from here." (John 14:31)
26. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My _____ , just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His ______ ." (John 15:10)
27. "I have glorified You on the earth. I have __________ the work which You have given Me to do." (John 17:4)
28. "For as by one man's __________ many were made sinners, so also by one Man's __________ many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)
29. "The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not ________ ,
Nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;…" (Isa. 50:5-6)

Christ prayed to the Father just before He was crucified:

30. "… "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, unless I drink it, _____ _______ be done." (Matt.26:42)

Christ said to Peter just before He was led away to be crucified:

31."..."Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has _______ Me?" " (John 18:11)

Why was Christ so willing and why did the Father command that He be crucified?

32. "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might __________ ____ from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father," (Galatians 1:3-4)

We see that the Father was not on a big ego trip when He asked His Son to die on the cross. He was not thinking, "I am the top authority and I can command anything I want and it will be done." Humans may let ego get in the way and abuse their authority, but not our Father in Heaven. He rules for our benefit. It was for our sins that He commanded the Son whom He loved to die on the cross.

As our Savior hung on the cross, those who crucified Him reviled Him. Christ heard their mocking words:

33. "All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,"He ________ in the LORD, let Him _______ Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!" " (Psalm 22:7-8)

The obedient loving Savior still trusted in His Father and had these thoughts in His heart as he heard their deriding comments:

34. "But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me _____ while on My mother's breasts. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb you have been My God." (Psalm 22:9-10)
The final words of our Savior while He hung on the cross were words of surrender to the will and the care of the Father:
35. "And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I ______ My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last." (Luke 23:46)
We can have a spiritual family relationship with the Savior:
36. "For whoever ______ _____ ______ of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." (Matthew 12:50)

Let's Review:

37. How did Christ learn obedience?
38. What answer did Christ give Satan every time He was tempted to disobey His Father?
39. Why did the Father want Jesus to die on the cross?
40. Why did Jesus say that He came to earth?
41. How can we obtain a spiritual family relationship with the Savior?
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Sandy Ditoro
975 Larkspur Rd.
St. George Utah
84790
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