The School of Hard Knocks

A Series on the Milestones in Jesus’ Life

Matthew 3:16-4:11

 (Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%203%3A16-4%3A11&version=NIV;NLT

 

Have you ever experienced the school of hard knocks?

 

 

Maybe you went through a nasty divorce; struggle with an addiction; suffered the death of a loved one; or was fired from your job. When “trials of many kinds” come your way, they can be the school of hard knocks where you learn from the experience and grow in your faith.

 

¹⁶ As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.   NIV

 

In a way, the baptism of Jesus was his coronation as the King of Kings. It was the commissioning of his ministry. But instead of sending him to the mission field, the Spirit lead him immediately to a place that could easily cause him to fall; to derail his ministry before it even began. He was an easy target for temptation.

 

Verse 2 has to be the biggest understatement in the Bible. After spending forty days and nights without food, Matthew wrote, “He was hungry”. Duh!!! Not only was Jesus hungry, but he had been isolated from others the whole time. He was at his weakest and most vulnerable condition. Why did the Spirit lead him there?

 

Maybe, these forty days in the wilderness were a time of increasing his faith; of coming to maturity; of preparing him for all the struggles that lay ahead. Maybe Jesus was growing in his faith through the school of hard knocks.

 

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.                       Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV

 

This milestone in Jesus’ life, makes it possible for us today to approach him with confidence; to experience his strength; to persevere and grow through our own school of hard knocks. This milestone brings us hope.

 

 

 

 

Building Blocks

2 Peter 1:3-8

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%201%3A3-8&version=NIV;NLT

 

At my house, there’s an area in the living room that is dedicated to our grandchildren with various toys for them to play when they visit. One of the toys that they enjoy is a set of large Legos. Normally, what happens is one of them builds a tower that the other knocks down. No sibling rivalry there.

 

Each time a block is placed on top of another it becomes a building block. The foundation of course, is most important because if the foundation isn’t constructed correctly, the whole thing will fall down; even without the help of a grandchild.

 

The definition of a building block is “a unit of construction or composition; especially something essential on which a larger entity is based”. If you think about it, that’s what Peter is describing in these verses.

 

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. NIV

 

Peter knows all about building blocks and growing in his faith. He was very impetuous and immature during Jesus’ three years of ministry on earth. It wasn’t until after the resurrection and Pentecost that Peter began to bear fruit. The truth is that all of us who have been called have received what we need to bear fruit.

 

³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. NLT

⁸ The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. NLT

 

As I thought about these verses, some questions came to mind. What am I doing to grow? What do I need to change to grow? And, in the spirit of my grandchildren’s Legos, What are the building blocks of my spiritual growth?

 

Whatever your answers are to these questions, the goal is to share in God’s nature; to become more like Jesus.