Title: The Disciplines of a Disciple of Christ, part I
Robert Baxter, an English Puritan church leader during the 1600’s, had this say:
"It is a most lamentable [regrettable] thing to see how most people spend their time and their energy for trifles [unimportant things], while God is cast aside. He who is all seems to them as nothing, and that which is nothing seems to them as good as all. It is lamentable indeed, knowing that God has set mankind in such a race where heaven or hell is their certain end, that they should sit down and loiter [linger, loaf, waste time], or run after the childish toys of the world, forgetting the prize they should run for. Were it but possible for one of us to see this business as the all-seeing God does, and see what most men and women in the world are interested in and what they are doing every day, it would be the saddest sight imaginable. Oh, how we should marvel at their madness and lament their self-delusion! If God had never told them what they were sent into the world to do, or what was before them in another world, then there would have been some excuse. But it is His sealed word, and they profess to believe it."
Some very sound advice that seems to be an echo of the verses that we are studying in Hebrews, chapter 12. Self-educated and coming from a very poor background, where he lacked everything, Baxter was concerned about the church and the materialistic direction it was taking in the middle 1600’s. He was concerned because Christian men and women were letting their time be taken up with what he called, trifles. Things that were unimportant; things that didn’t really matter and really only amount to wood, hay, or stubble:
(1 Corinthians 3:12 NIV) If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
How about this… Have you ever heard of a marathon runner stopping in at McDonalds for a quick snack while they are in the middle of a marathon? Or, have you ever seen a bird that is flying along in the sky suddenly fold its wings?
Yet, that is what a lot of Christians do in their daily walk.
During our day, like the bird that doesn’t want to fly anymore, we fold our wings and we instead attend to something that hinders or something that easily entangles. Like the boxer that is dancing around on the canvas and on the offensive, when suddenly he drops his guard to pick up a dollar on the floor. He attends to something that easily hinders or easily entangles. Many Christians do the same thing in their Christian walk with God. We say such things as, We’re going to step back from ministry for a while…then we expect other servants of God to go out of their way to take care of us because it’s their reasonable duty to do so, isn’t it? Does that about sum it up?
Robert Baxter said,
It is a most lamentable thing to see how most people spend their time and their energy for trifles [unimportant things], while God is cast aside.
The Bible says in verse one of Hebrews 12:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
The author of this book is calling the Hebrews back to a persevering obedience of faith in Christ. That is the race that was set before the Hebrews when they put their faith in Jesus, and that is the race that is set before us.
It seems the Hebrews had yet to give up some of their habits. And, like unwashed and raggedy clothing, those habits were making them dirty when they would put them back on. Those things that were hindering were preventing them from walking consistently with the Lord. Those things that were hindering were preventing them from receiving the full blessing of the Lord.
This analogy is so appropriate because, as we think about it, people today have different sets of clothes for different situations, occasions, or events. We have our church clothes, our work clothes, or those clothes we wear when we clean house or fix the car. When any of those clothes become stained we throw them away. If they become soiled or raggedy beyond cleaning or repair, we throw them away. Now imagine this…what if you take a shower, clean yourself up, and then you put on stinky, filthy clothes? The stink and filth of the clothes will transfer to us sooner or later.
The same reasoning holds true with God working in and through us. We come to church; we repent, or re-dedicate, or re-adjust, or simply put, we get cleaned up by the Spirit through focusing on God in our Bible studies, our praises, prayers, messages, laying on of hands, etc., but, then we go out and return to something that hinders. We go out and put on the same dirty suit or coat that made us dirty in the first place.
…let us throw off everything that hinders
We need a new wardrobe in Christ. We need Him to clothe us in love and throw those dirty clothes away.
…and the sin that so easily entangles
We have to understand what he means here. He’s essentially telling the Hebrews that everyone, every person, has a sin that easily entangles them. Every person has a weakness. It doesn’t matter however we are exposed to it; by habit, age, or circumstances, every one has a sin that they are most prone or to which they are most exposed.
This is a very important exhortation, or admonishment. The reason we say that is because any sin that we are most prone to do, will hinder us from running the Christian race. That sin that we are most prone to do will rob you of that humble motive to serve God. That sin will re-direct that inkling to read His Word. That sin will purge every desire to serve others. And, that sin will remove every leaning to do the will of God and instead give that power over to the power of discouragement.
The important thing is to recognize when this begins to happen in your life and,
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
There is also a ‘proneness’ today in serving Jesus to grow weary and fatigued, just like there was 2000 years ago. There is a ‘proneness’ today in serving Jesus to seek recreation, rather than sanctification. There is a ‘proneness’ today while serving Jesus to seek out what I want to do, rather than what He wants me to do.
Why brings this up? Because, this proneness to seek recreation rather than sanctification, or what you want to do rather that what He wants you to do, will only bring you back to that pile of dirty clothing. It will only bring you back to that sin that easily entangles.
There are many things about this that we could say… When you walk through mud, you get muddy. When you walk in the rain you get wet. When you walk according to your own desires, you fail and you’re miserable. When you walk according to Jesus’ requirements, you succeed, and you’re happy.
A recovering alcoholic doesn’t’ witness in bars. A recovering gambler doesn’t go to Las Vegas and talks to people while their playing the slot machines. A recovering bulimic doesn’t go to Krispy Kreme and pass out tracts.
But, then, you say, “well, I’m not one of those…” Yes you are. All sin is the same in God’s eyes. Adultery, murder, bulimia, alcoholism, lying, gossiping, or even a sedentary lifestyle [the sin of doing nothing] are all the same in His eyes.
So what we do then is to fix our eyes on Jesus. We let Him lead. We let Him guide and decide. We let Him choose. We let Him strengthen. Listen to this scripture from 1 Corinthians 1:1-9:
1 Cor 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, [are you called? YES, you are…]
2 To the church of God [is this the CHURCH OF GOD? YES it is!] in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus [are you sanctified, being set apart? YES, you are] and called to be holy [are you called to be holy, YES, you are], together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and ours: [do you call on the name of the LORD Jesus Christ? I don’t know…]
4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. [have you been given grace in Christ Jesus? YES, you have!]
5 For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—[have you been enriched in every way? YES, you have!]
6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.
7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. [do you lack any spiritual gift? Do we lack any spiritual gift in this church? NO, we (you) don’t.]
8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [are you kept strong?]
9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. [have you been called into fellowship?]
Verse 9 of 1 Corinthians 1 and verses 2 and 3 of Hebrews tell us
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
By steadfastly looking to Jesus, your thoughts will be strengthened by His holy love, and will enable you to keep that sin out of your life. Frequently considering Him will discipline our minds. It will train our minds to have the mind of Christ.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
The word discipline has somehow mutated into a word that seems to always have negative connotations. Somehow the love that is supposed to be associated with this word has fallen by the wayside. We think of it as something that tears us down, or we think of it as something that is waiting for us when only when we do something wrong. That’s not the case. But, before we go any further some tempering of the word needs to be done. Look at verse six, he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. That word ‘punish’ means to flog, to scourge. God loved His Son but He still allowed Him to be handed over for flogging. God loves you just as much, but sometimes we need to grow and those periods of persecution [flogging, scourging] are given as discipline.
The word used for discipline also means to instruct, or to educate, or to teach. Our contemporary language is giving us a negative feeling for this verse but it shouldn’t be that way. Look at these definitions of discipline:
• a branch of knowledge; "in what discipline is his doctorate?"; "teachers should be well trained in their subject"; "anthropology is the study of human beings"
• a system of rules of conduct or method of practice; "he quickly learned the discipline of prison routine"; "for such a plan to work requires discipline";
• the trait of being well behaved; "he insisted on discipline among the troops", “good order and discipline”
• training to improve strength or self-control
• train by instruction and practice; especially to teach self-control; "Parents must discipline their children"; "Is this dog disciplined?”
• the act of punishing; "the offenders deserved the harsh discipline they received"
• punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience; "The teacher disciplined the pupils rather frequently"
You see what has happened? We grab on to those last two definitions and we then interpret this scripture to mean that God is watching for us to do something wrong so He can hit us with a big stick, so that he can discipline us. That’s how we think of discipline. But that’s not it at all.
The Lord teaches, educates, and instructs those He loves; and, yes, the Lord punishes and flogs, even His own son, even His own children. And, we must bear up with His faith and His patience. God may leave the non-believer alone in their sins, but He will correct you in your sin.
Some of us here today may have been taught by our earthly parents to give in to our desires and passions, but God is not that way. The Father of our faith never willingly exasperates, or grieves or afflicts his children. It is always for our profit that He educates and instructs. Our whole life on this earth can be compared to something similar to a perpetual state of childhood since we are imperfect when compared with spiritual things, therefore we must submit to the discipline that such a state of perpetual childhood brings with it.
When we are finally brought into a perfect state and only that when we are before God, we shall be fully reconciled to all God’s chastisement and discipline of us now.
Don’t think of God’s correction as condemnation because then that correction will go unaccepted, it will go unheeded. Instead, bear the chastening with patience, as it will promote sanctification and holiness within your spirit.
3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Consider then, like Jesus, the afflictions brought on you by sinful and hurtful people as corrections sent by our wise and gracious Father, for our own spiritual good.
Consider then, like Jesus, the afflictions brought on you by sinful and hurtful people as instruction and training in righteousness, that you can show yourself improved before God.
Consider then, like Jesus, the afflictions brought on you by sinful and hurtful people as an encouragement and an education in how not to treat others.
Don’t lose heart, for He loves you. Don’t lose heart, for He desires only the best for you. Don’t lose heart, for He only seeks to make you perfect in His Son before Himself.
