“The Discipline Factor”
(The Fatherhood of God Pt 11)
I. The Likeness Factor
We manifest Dad’s impeccable genes.
II. The Unconditional Love & Acceptance factor
We rest in dad's incomprehensible love.
III. The Protection and Security Factor
We stand secure in dad's impervious protection.
IV. The Presence Factor
We anticipate dad's intimate presence.
V. The Wisdom Factor
We seek dad's infallible counsel.
VI. The Provision Factor
We enjoy dad's inexhaustible provision.
VII. The Affirmation, Encouragement and Acknowledgement Factor
We find courage in dad's inspiring affirmation, encouragement and acknowledgment.
VIII. The Discipline and Training Factor
We need dad’s impartial discipline.
Every child needs training and discipline in order to develop into a mature adult.
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him. Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness describes those actions that come from a failure to understand and follow the ways of God. Foolishness and wisdom are continually contrasted in proverbs.
The fool and the wise. The naïve and the prudent. Paul urged the Ephesians not to be foolish but to understand the will of the Lord. The fool has said in his heart that there is no God to whom he is accountable. The fool lives their life on the premise that they are accountable to no one but themselves and ignores or minimizes the consequences of their actions. Every child enters this world infected with foolishness. Children grow up expecting the world to revolve around them and their desires. They don't understand self-denial. They don't understand consequences for actions. They lack a moral compass due to ignorance of the ways of God and sin’s infection.
The parent’s responsibility then it is to help them to understand that there is a moral standard established by God and his Word. It is the parent’s responsibility to purge this fatal infection of foolishness through discipline. It is the parent’s responsibility to vaccinate their children with the truth of God. Proverbs contains a whole pharmacy of prescriptions intended to fight this fatal disease. A failure to address this illness early in life carries serious consequences.
Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, his foolishness will not depart from him. Proverbs 27:22
Just as every child born into the human realm needs discipline, every child born into the spiritual realm needs discipline in order to mature. Even though God plants His divine seed in every born again believer, we still carry the fleshly residual of Adam’s nature. All of us still carry the sin virus. So, just as every child needs training and discipline, so every believer requires discipline. Just as our heavenly father meets our need for love, acceptance, security, presence, wisdom, provision, affirmation, encouragement and acknowledgment, he also meets our need for discipline.
A. What is discipline?
Words used for discipline are translated broadly.
Hebrew = chastise, discipline, instruct, reprove, warn, correct
Greek = correct, discipline, educate, instruct, teach, punish
The core concept of discipline has to do with training and development.
Discipline employs every means necessary to produce maturity.
Training through instruction.
Training through life application and experience.
Training through reproof and correction.
Every profession or discipline understands this kind of training.
There is first a period of instruction regarding the fundamentals.
There is a period of application and practice of the fundamentals.
Throughout the practice period comes reproof and correction where necessary.
Paul reminded Timothy of the Scripture’s value in the training and maturity process.
All Scripture is profitable for teaching.
All Scripture is profitable for reproof.
All Scripture is profitable for correction.
All Scripture is profitable for instruction in righteousness.
These serve to equip and mature every believer for every good work. Paul used the term when he talked about being “educated” under Gamaliel. Hebrews says the Moses was “educated” in all the learning of the Egyptians. Paul told Timothy that the grace of God appeared “instructing” us to deny ungodliness, and worldly desires. We must never confuse discipline with punishment. There is a vast difference between the two.
• Punishment deals with past sin - discipline looks to future growth
• Punishment appeases the offended - discipline restores the offender
• Punishment comes from a judge enforcing law - discipline comes from a father extending grace
• Punishment dismisses the lawbreaker - discipline draws sons
• Punishment expresses wrath - discipline expresses love
• Punishment seeks retribution - discipline seeks repentance
• Punishment condemns - discipline corrects
• Punishment rejects - discipline reproofs
• Punishment harms and mars - discipline hurts and mends
Discipline employs every means necessary to produce maturity. God uses a variety of means to gain our attention and alter our actions.
From just this passage we learn plenty about the father’s discipline.
• His training is superior to any earthly parent.
• No child of God escapes training.
• It is for our good.
• It is temporarily sorrowful.
• It brings eternal results.
B. Who gets disciplined?
Hebrews Chapter 12 is a central passage dealing with the truth of God's discipline and training.
The term for discipline in both its noun and verb form appear nine times in just six verses.
The whole book of Hebrews was addressed to a group of Christians struggling to persevere under severe persecution. They initially embraced Christianity with enthusiasm and conviction but as time passed and tribulation increased they grew weary of the struggle and began to entertain the thought of going back to Judaism to relieve the pressure. The 11th chapter of Hebrews catalogued and honored a list of the faithful who persevered through the severest of temptation and struggle. The beginning of Chapter 12 the writer of Hebrews encouraged them to run with endurance the race of faithfulness set before them by looking to Jesus the ultimate example of perseverance. And the writer calls them to evaluate the strength of their own resolve to walk faithful.
You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; 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; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives."
Who does God discipline? God disciplines sons. God disciplines those he loves.
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? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
In fact, it is clear that God disciplines all his children. You should be concerned if you are not being disciplined. This passage focuses on God's discipline of the individual sons. God also brings discipline upon specific church bodies. The same pattern can be seen in the Old Testament as well. God disciplined individual Israelites. God also disciplined the nation Israel as God's chosen people.
C. What is God’s purpose for discipline?
A loving father disciplines for our good.
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? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 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. Hebrews 12:9-11
The reason for training, discipline, correction, instruction is life, holiness, peace.
He wants us to share His separation from all that corrupts and destroys. When we live holy, we live healthy. We discover life as God originally intended. All of life is a school of holiness. All life events serve a purpose in the hands of a loving Father. Our fathers were not able to prevent us from doing harmful things but they sought to teach us thought them.
Life becomes the potter’s hand.
The refiner’s fire
The surgeon’s scalpel
The teacher’s exams
The trainer’s exercise program
The Baker’s oven
The Miller’s grinding stone
The cleansing storm
The rejuvenating flood
The purifying fire
We error by believing life on this earth is meant for happiness, pleasure material goods.
Life here is a father’s training program for something grander than we can even imagine.
How bad do we want holiness? Only holiness leads to happiness and true meaning in life.
In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. 1 Timothy 4:6-10
Every other road is a lie of the enemy.
We must not allow our eyes to be so full of tears we cannot see…
Our hearts so full of regrets that we cannot accept…
Our minds so full of material pursuits we cannot recognize…
Our souls so full of bitterness we cannot learn…
That all of all of life is God’s holiness school so that we may share in His holiness and thus experience life as He originally intended.
D. How does God discipline?
A review of God's discipline throughout Scripture reveals a multitude of actions God may take to bring about the goal of maturity in his kids. Whether it is discipline of a nation or a church or individual children, God's goal remains the same. God seeks our spiritual maturity. He will use whatever necessary to instruct us in healthy thinking and living. He will use whatever necessary to test our character through experience and trial. He will allow whatever necessary increase our capacity to serve Him. He will use whatever necessary to reprove and correct destructive behaviors. God’s training program may ask us to do something hard. He may need to make us uncomfortable before we can become useable.
1. The Agents or teachers God uses to train us
a) The words of Scripture
b) The encouragement of the Holy Spirit
c) The words of people
d) The events of life
e) The reproofs of life
2. The Means of training
Today we will just survey only a representative of things God used to get the attention of His children both wayward and obedient.
Groups
Israel
Israel fought God’s discipline all their throughout their history. They are still fighting God’s work among them. Time and time again Israel not only resisted God but turned their back on Him. They ignored His instructions and forfeited His blessing. The Old Testament is a chronicle of rebellion. Judges catalogs seven cycles of rebellion and discipline. They turn their back on God and God allows them to suffer bondage. Each time God longs for them to cry out to Him and when they do He delivered them. He warned them concerning the consequence of rejecting His ways numerous times.
Deuteronomy 28 outlines the blessing for obedience and the consequence of not following His ways. Calamity, hunger, struggle, confusion, futility, pestilence, sickness, war, draught, defeat, physical diseases, bewilderment of heart, poverty, oppression, robbery, sexual violation, broken families, wayward children, hard labor, despair, incurable diseases and ailments, debt.
He taught them through signs and wonders, and supernatural events. After generations of rebellion and idolatry God eventfully allows a national captivity. First the Northern tribes were taken captive by Assyria. Then the Southern tribe of Judah taken captive by Babylon. After 70 years of captivity they finally broke their addiction to the idols of other nations. Along they way, God disciplined them with hunger, famine, plagues.
The church
Rev 1-3 is all about discipline of specific churches that represent churches throughout all subsequent generations.
Individuals
God disciplines individuals with correction, reproof, but also instruction and faith building opportunities through hardship.
• Adam and Eve invited the curse of death and hardship.
• Saul faced removal form office and physical death.
• Miriam became leprous for her rebellion against Moses’ leadership.
• David suffered family trauma, humiliation, death of his son, famine, war
• Esau forfeited his blessing.
• Jacob suffered a hard life and a permanent limp.
• Joseph suffered hardship and multiple disappointments.
• Peter experienced failure, humbling prison, beatings and even a rebuke for his hypocrisy.
• Paul struggled with a demonic thorn in his flesh, hardship, difficulty.
• Jesus suffered hardship and suffering – learned obedience through the things he suffered.
• Ananias and Sapphira suffered death.
• Alexander and Hymaneous were turned over to Satan so they would learn not to blaspheme.
• The Corinthian man was also turned over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh and the salvation of his soul
God provided the truth of His scripture for continual training. God gifts teachers and pastors and prophets to proclaim His word and expose our wayward ways. God’s discipline comes in many forms and intensities. It is serious business! God is not mocked there is a harvest connected to planning.
1 Corinthians 11 revealed the reason for trouble a month church members.
They were partaking in a most serious declaration of loyalty and connection with God while their lives told a different story.
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:27-32
Weak – sick – dead or asleep.
E. Response to God’s training
The writer of Hebrews identified three responses to God's discipline.
1. Don't discount or deny it
Don’t regard God's discipline lightly. When God brings something into your life to train you, don't dismiss it. Everything God does, has a specific purpose specifically designed to deal with an area of our life that needs attention. The struggles of our life should cause us to question the possible training value for godliness. He may be trying to get our attention so that we will hear His instruction. He may be trying to get us to change a destructive behavior. He may be in building our endurance for some vital task or assignment in the future. Don't deny or discount God's discipline. Don’t forget His loving purpose to makes us like Him.
2. Don’t despise or decline it
On the other end of the spectrum, don't despise it either. Don't become bitter at God. It makes no sense to despise the very training that will enable us to realize our deepest desires.
Sure discipline hurts. Sure discipline stretches us. Reproof and correction are never comfortable. Yet God has eternal purpose for those things that come into our life.
“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures … ” The verb here is strong: He compels me, he forces me to lie down in green pastures.
An American traveling in Syria became acquainted with a shepherd. Each morning, he noticed the shepherd carrying something to the sheep. The traveler followed him one morning and found that he was taking food to one sheep that had a broken leg. As he looked at the animal, he said to the shepherd, “How did the sheep break its leg? Did it meet with an accident, fall into a hole or did some animal break the leg?”
“No,” said the shepherd, “I broke this sheep’s leg myself.”
“You broke it yourself?” queried the surprised traveler.
“Yes, you see, this is a wayward sheep; it would not stay with the flock, but would lead the sheep astray. Then it would not let me near it. I could not approach it, and so I had to break the sheep’s leg that it might allow me, day by day to feed it. In doing this it will get to know me as its shepherd, trust me as its guide, and keep with the flock.”—Robert Boyd Munger
God works all things according to his purpose and for our good.
Rather than ask, “Why me?” We should be asking, “What do you want me to learn or do?"
3. Embrace it
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?
Rather than ignore God and His discipline or become bitter, we need to respect him and submit to him.
We need to embrace His training as training from a loving father who knows what is best and wants what is best and longs for us to share the very glory of His own nature with us.
“If it be that all my life is parental discipline, and the God makes no mistakes, then I can embrace whatever comes to me, and be sure that in it I shall find that which will be for my good.” McClaren
Only holiness enables us to really SEE the Lord.
Discipline is the means to that end.
We will explore these issues more next week
Today I want you to consider your response.
APPLICATION FOR TODAY
How do I embrace God’s discipline?
1. Rejoice always
You’re God’s kid. God loves you. God seeks your growth and holiness.
Count is all joy knowing that tribulation ultimately brings maturity.
2. Reflect
Examine your heart.
Have I sinned? Is there a character issue? Is He building my faith? Is He exposing a weakness?
3. Repent
4. Renew
5. Return
