Don’t Make Me Count To 3 Series

Don’t Make Me Count to 3

PPT 1 Series Title

We have been in Hebrews 12 for 4 months now, and have been almost exclusively in the first two verses. Today we will move a little further down the chapter and discuss what happens when you deviate from the course. I have a few more messages and then we will move on to our Jesus series, as of right now Nov. 18th will be the last Sunday in this series and it will be white hanky Sunday, and the message is entitled, "Jesus Never Tapped Out."

PPT 2 Message Title

This weeks message is entitled, "Don’t Make Me Count to 3."

How many of you have heard something along those lines growing up?

How many have had the joy of saying that to your kids, now that you are the grown up :-)

Let me show it to you in the scriptures, and then we will show an example from someone most if not all of you have heard of.

PPT 3-5 Scriptures

Heb 12:4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;

Heb 12:5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM;

Heb 12:6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."

Heb 12:7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom [his] father does not discipline?

Heb 12:8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Heb 12:9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

Heb 12:10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He [disciplines us] for [our] good, that we may share His holiness.

Heb 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Heb 12:12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble,

Heb 12:13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that [the limb] which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.

Verses 11-13 is the key portion of text for us today. In Vs 12, and 13 God basically says, I don’t want to have to do this but I am counting to 3.

Heb 12:11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

This sermon is about to take a PG. 13 rating because we need to talk about some serious stuff. I want to show video of a guy by the name of Ted Haggard, he is perhaps the most famous example of a person God counted to 3 on. After the video I will make some comments on it and then I will make two points:

God would rather heal your heart than hit your hind end.

God would rather hit your hind end than haul you to hell.

(Note to Pastor’s at this point in the message I showed clips from two videos, one showing how famous Ted Haggard was, and the other an interview he did where he talks extensively about the cost of sin. Links at end of message)

Show video

PPT 6,7

Comments: (Some of the things Haggard said about the cost of sin)

Sin is very very costly.

Ted Haggard is living in a hell, and he created it himself.

That sin was as if it wiped out my 29 years of ministry and marriage.

As part of his severance he entered into a contract with his church that said:

You can never step foot in Colorado, you can never preach again as long as you live, you can never tell anyone you ever worked at New Life Church. (Sounds like they were very hurt, and very angry.)

My grand kids will google me and read shameful terrible things about their grandfather, that he was a liar and cheat. I cannot deny those things, they are forever in the record, and I am extremely shamed that this is part of the legacy I have left my children and grandchildren.

Ted Haggard is a person whose material life was destroyed in order that his soul might be spared.

I want to bring out just two points this morning:

PPT 8, 9

God would rather heal your heart than hit your hind end.