How Does God Correct His Children Series

Title: Who is the Enemy? – 2

“How Does God Correct His Children?”

Text: Hebrews 12:6

Last week we started on a subject of “Who is my enemy? Is God my problem or is Satan? Is there a shady area between the two?”

We started on another question that we did not get a chance to finish. So, this morning I want to finish this topic. The question that rings through everyone’s ear at some point or another is does God use Satan’s tactics to discipline His family? What is the chastisement of the Lord? Does it mean the same in the New Testament as it meant in the Old Testament? To answer these questions, we must know how to rightly divide the Word of Truth. The way you divide it is before the Cross and after the Cross.

Isaiah 53:5; “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53 is a prophecy of Jesus, the Messiah. Isaiah is prophesying here and is speaking of the things that are to be laid on Jesus.

The English Dictionary defines chastisement as “punishment by inflicting pain.” Chastisement means punishment. Jesus bore our sins so that we don’t have to bear them. Jesus bore our sicknesses so that we don’t have to bear them. Jesus bore our punishing chastisement so that we don’t have to bear it!

Isaiah 53 is a prophecy of what will be taking place on the Cross, while Isaiah 54 is a prophecy concerning the Resurrected Jesus, the Redeemer. So, Isaiah 54 speaks of what will take place after Jesus dies and rises again and ascends into heaven. In Isaiah 54 God is no longer speaking to Israel, but to the Church of Jesus Christ. Listen to what the Resurrected Jesus says to us, His Church!

Isaiah 54:8; “With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you," Says the LORD, your Redeemer.”

Isaiah 54:13-17; “All your children shall be taught by the LORD, And great shall be the peace of your children. 14 In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you. 15 Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake. 16 "Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, Who brings forth an instrument for his work; And I have created the spoiler to destroy. 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.”

This is the review from last week and we want to start off here this morning. So, how does God correct His children?

THROUGH HIS WORD

We found that the word chastisement means, “Punishment by inflicting pain” and that Jesus bore our chastisement, or our punishment, with pain on the cross.

The Greek word translated chastise in the New Testament actually means, “to instruct or to train.”

I have heard to question for years: “How does God chastise His own?” How does God instruct and train us? Does He unleash His bad dog to bite us on the leg, so we will learn to wear our boots? No, He doesn’t! Listen to this Scripture:

Hebrews 12:6-9; “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

Jesus said in John 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Our earthly fathers correct us in the flesh, but God is a spirit and He uses spiritual tools, not carnal, fleshly tools. He uses spiritual weapons, not carnal weapons. Jesus said, “My Words are Spirit.” He chastises with His Words.

“For whom the Lord loves he chastens.” A loving God does not send tornadoes, tsunami’s, or cancer to His children. God never told Jesus not to pray for someone’s healing because He had put sickness on them and needs to teach them something. He never told a leper that he would have to keep his leprosy for a time because God is trying to work something out for him.