Accepting God’s Discipline
Hebrews 12:5-11
Introduction
President Calvin Coolidge went to church, and afterwards was asked by a friend what the minister spoke on. “He preached on sin.” The friend asked what the preacher had to say about sin, and was told, “He’s against it.”...
Sin violates God’s standard
Sin offends God and when his children sin, it goes against His plan for our lives
We are to be a mirror of His holiness, we are a Holy nation.
Our God is not a vindictive Judge but a Holy Father who loves His children enough to rebuke us when we are wrong and set us on a right path.
Read Scriptures: Hebrews 12:5-11
I. Discipline should bring us back to God and His Word
Vs. 12:5a “And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons”
When we stray from the Bible we will wander into sin, The saying goes, “This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.”
James 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”
II. Discipline should cause remorse and repentance
12:5b “My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,”
A very short boy wanted so badly to play basketball. He even told his dad that he wanted to become a pro when he was older. Knowing that his son would never be able to play the game, the dad asked the local coach if there was anything he could recommend to make the boy taller. "You might take him down to the museum and put him on the old torture stretch rack," the coach said. Several weeks later the coach asked the father if putting the boy on the stretch rack had helped. "Well, it didn’t make him any taller, but he confessed to several things that I never knew."
Admitting sin is the first step - Ps. 32:5 “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
Confessing and turning from it are the second and third steps – Proverbs 28:13 “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
III. Discipline should generate hope
Vs. 12:5c “and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,”
The word “faint” in the Greek means = become discouraged, to lose heart; give up.
In other words, do not become despondent, ineffective, do not lose hope.
Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
IV. Discipline should produce submission
Vs. 12:9 “Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!”
Submission to His discipline and, submission to His will.
1 Peter 5:6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,”
V. Discipline is proof of God’s love
Vs. 12:6a “because the Lord disciplines those he loves,”
Rev. 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.”
God’s love would never allow us the luxury of wandering into sin when He knows it would destroy us
His love protects us and corrects us, even though it might be painful for us. We are still experiencing God’s love even when He is angered by our sin
VI. Discipline is proof of our Son-ship
12:6b-8 “and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.”
Because we are His children, He sees fit to punish and correct us when necessary. He does not punish and correct those who are not his own. Those outside of His family He judges
VII. Discipline produces holiness
12:10 “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.”
Holy in our:
a. Behavior
b. Our view of sin
c. Our view of God
He wants the best for us and that is His greatest attribute, HOLY
Positionally, we are already considered holy, because we are justified - Rom. 5:1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
VIII. Discipline leads to a better, more peace-filled life
Vs. 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
Discipline hurts, but it produces in us a harvest of righteousness, and peace.
Conclusion
If you a child of God even for one day you know what it is to experience God’s discipline, tonight for our invitation you can come to the altar if you are under God’s discipline as we speak you can come and repent, and pray for patience as you edure.
