I have entitled our message this evening, “Receiving the Lord’s Chastening,” and I wish to begin by sharing an illustration entitled, “God’s Loving Kick”:
A Norfolk-Southern train was rolling down the rails of Indiana at 24 miles per hour. Suddenly the conductor, Robert Mohr, spotted an object on the tracks roughly a city block away. Initially the engineer, Rod Lindley, thought it was a dog on the tracks. Then Mohr screamed, “That’s a baby!” The baby was 19-month-old Emily Marshall, who had wandered away from home while her mother planted flowers in her yard.
Lindley hit the brakes. Mohr bolted out the door and raced along a ledge to the front of the engine. He realized there was no time to jump ahead of the train and grab the baby. So he ran down a set of steps, squatted at the bottom of the grill, and hung on. As the train drew close to Emily, she rolled off the rail onto the roadbed, but she was still in danger of being hit by the train. So Mohr stretched out his leg and pushed her out of harm’s way. Mohr then jumped off the train, picked up the little girl, and cradled her in his arms.
Little Emily ended up with just a cut on her head and a swollen lip. But her injuries were the result of being kicked out of the way. Sometimes, like this train conductor, God must [give us a kick] in order to save us. [That kick may feel painful, and we may get bruised, but in the end it works out for our good].
This is the main idea that we are going to discover this evening – that God chastens us for our own good. Usually, when we are going through the Lord’s chastening we resist Him with all of our might, but we are going to see that it would be beneficial to “receive the Lord’s chastening.”
Consider Jesus during Chastening (vv. 3-4)
3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.
This passage deals with God’s chastening, and when we are experiencing chastening it can sometimes be difficult. The Lord’s chastening can oftentimes be manifested in our lives though trials, times of hardship, and even suffering; and we can easily become discouraged, which means we “lose courage.” In verse 3 we are admonished to consider Jesus and all that he went through “lest [we] become weary and discouraged.”
Whenever we get down then we need to reflect on how Jesus “endured such hostility from sinners” and how He was persecuted for what He believed and stood for. Jesus said in John 15:18, 20, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you . . . If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” It is important for us to realize we are not alone in our hardships and we are not alone in our chastening, for even our Savior endured such things; and not only that, but we are to realize that Jesus went through a whole lot more than we probably ever will.
Jesus was spat upon, beaten, mocked, and crucified (Matthew 27:30), not to mention betrayed (Matthew 26:14-16), denied (Matthew 26:69-75), and even abandoned (Matthew 26:56); and we are told here of how Jesus “endured” all of this hostility and persecution. He “stuck it out,” and He “did not give up,” and we must learn from Jesus’ example and do the same.
Verse 4 says, “You have not yet resisted to bloodshed.” As long as you’re still kicking then you’re in great shape. You have not yet died for your faithfulness – you still have your life – and as long as you still have breath you can praise the Lord (Psalm 150:6).
I have heard it said that if you are ever discouraged by your problems, then look around and you will see someone else in a lot worse shape than you are. Instead of looking at what we don’t have, we need to be looking at what we do have. We need to identify the ways in which we are blessed, and then we will be a whole lot less discouraged. In fact, we should be very “encouraged” by how God has blessed us.
Look at Jesus and consider how much better off you are then He was. Are you being beaten and spat upon for your faith? Maybe you’re being mocked, but only if you are openly voicing your faith in Jesus Christ. If you will just “consider Him,” as we are told here in verse 3, and realize all that He endured, then you will be a whole lot more humble about your own set of problems. We must realize that even Jesus, the very Son of God, was not spared suffering. Romans 8:31 tells us that God “did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.” What makes us think that we will be spared times of hardship if God did not spare His one and only Son?
We Are Chastened as Children (vv. 5-8)
5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
Verse 5 is taken from Proverbs 3:11-12, which tells us, “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.” Proverbs uses the word “discipline,” whereas Hebrews uses the word “chastening.” The New International Version, along with eight other Bible translations (see NLT, HCSB, NASB, MSG, ESV, AMP, NRSV, NCV) use the word “discipline” in Hebrews chapter 12 instead of “chastening.”
The word “chasten” means to “correct by punishment or discipline.”(1) The word “chasten” makes us think of punishment, but we’re going to focus on the other aspect, which is “discipline.” God’s is not a heavenly dictator, who is just waiting to give us a hard time and kick us while we’re down. He is our heavenly Father, and He views us as His beloved sons and daughters. What we see in this passage is not God’s judgment or His infliction of punishment, but His parenting skills. This passage is about parenting, and we learn here how to raise our own children, as well as how our heavenly Father parents us.
There is a huge difference between discipline and punishment. In the book Growing Kid’s God’s Way, Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo tell us, “Today, we socially define discipline to mean spanking or punishment, but true biblical discipline refers to one thing – heart training.”(2) “It comes from the same word as disciple – one who is a learner.”(3) Discipline is not punishment. Punishment is defined as, “rough handling; mistreatment” and “a penalty imposed for wrongdoing;”(4) however discipline means, “to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control,”(5) and I must emphasize that the key word here is “control” – not “inflicting control” on someone, but “being in control” of oneself.
On an episode of “The Dog Whisperer,” Caesar Millan was talking about the difference between “punishment” and “discipline” in relation to dog training. He stated that punishment often comes from frustration and anger, and there is emotion behind it. Correcting, or disciplining, the dog is just reminding him that he broke the rules, boundaries, or limitations, and then setting him back on the right track. It is done simply, instantly, and without emotion.(6)
When God chastens, or disciplines, us He is not lashing out in anger, but He is nudging us back to the right path; not to say that He doesn’t sometimes have a right to inflict punishment, for we do read here of how God “scourges” us (v. 6).(7) The main emphasis, however, is on God’s discipline.
God gently guides us because, as verse 6 says, He loves us. In Revelation 3:19 we read where the Lord says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” We discipline children because we love them and we want them to succeed in life. Proverbs 19:18 reveals this truth for it tells us, “Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.” Discipline results in life and a better way of living, however we don’t normally see this amidst our pain. Jumping ahead to verse 11, we are told, “No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” Our trials appear overwhelming while we are in the midst of them, but we must realize that they serve to make us stronger and more Christ-like.
In James 1:2-4, we are told, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” In these verses, James says that our trials serve to produce patience within us or build endurance. In other words, they make us tougher. It is important that we start growing thicker and tougher skin, so that we can handle more responsibility in God’s kingdom. The tougher we are, the more we will be let in on those big assignments where we get to see God move in mighty ways. God disciplines us for our own good, not to harm us.
Verse 8 says, “If you are without chastening [or discipline] . . . then you are illegitimate and not sons.” I want you to think for just a moment about how children often behave today. It appears that kids are out of control. Why? The main reason is that parents are failing to spend time with their children. When parents don’t spend time with their kids, they begin acting out. This is because 1.) they are trying to gain much needed attention and affection; and 2.) they are not receiving one-on-one mentoring, modeling, guidance, and correction that teaches children the right behavior.
When we fail to train and teach our children, then we are telling them that they are not worth anything to us. God chastens us because He loves us; and if we fail to chasten our own children then we are telling them that we don’t love them and that they are not worth our time, or they are not really our children. As the King James Version bluntly says, “If ye be without chastisement . . . then ye are bastards, and not sons.”
Our Human Fathers Chasten Us (vv. 9-10)
9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.
We read here how our human fathers “corrected” us. The word “corrected” has a similar, if not the same, meaning as the word “discipline.” Once again referring to the book Growing Kid’s God’s Way, the Ezzo’s define the term “correction” as “the act of bringing back from error or unacceptable deviation from the standard.”(8)
We are informed here in verse 9 that correction leads to children paying respect to their fathers (or parents). Once again this goes back to showing our children that we love them enough to put forth the time and effort to discipline them and teach them right from wrong, because we want them to succeed in life. Whenever we discipline our children we are showing them that we respect them. If we respect our children enough to give them the necessary skills to navigate through life, then they will respect us. However, our society has instilled within our young people such a disrespect for authority that this appreciation may not be shown until later on in life.
The Bible says that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34 KJV); however, He is a lover of persons. He chastens us because of His love, and for this reason we are told in verse 9 that we should “readily be in subjection to the Father,” meaning that we must “willingly” accept what He allows or sends our way.
Verse 10 says that our human fathers chastened us “for a few days.” When we are going through chastening we often wonder when it will ever end; but we find a hint of encouragement here that our trials are temporary. We must remember that God’s time table is so much different than ours. What seems like “years” to us might only be “days” with our heavenly Father, for we read in 2 Peter 3:8, “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
Our earthly fathers chastened us for a short time “as seemed best, but He for our profit,” we are told in verse 10. Our parents did the best they could with their limited, worldly knowledge, but God always knows what’s best because of His infinite wisdom. It’s important for us to keep this fact in mind, as well, whenever we feel like we are struggling. It seems as though the chastening can be impossible to endure, and we often become impatient wondering when it will ever end; however, keep in mind that God knows what He is doing, and He is doing it for “our profit” and for “our benefit.”
Romans 8:28 is a good verse to remember whenever we are experiencing God’s discipline. Paul tells us, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Paul said that “all things” work out for our good, or for “our profit,” whether they are difficult or easy.
Chastening Is For Our Benefit (v. 11)
11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
This verse emphasizes even more how chastening is for our benefit. In condensing this verse it basically says that “chastening seems painful to those who have been trained by it.” First off, did you happen to notice how this verse tells us that “no chastening seems to be joyful,” but rather it “seems” painful? The word “seems” means to “give the impression of,” therefore it is something that appears to be what it is not – it is a false perception of reality. Chastening seems to be painful, but it is far less painful than facing life unprepared because of a lack of discipline. It is far less painful than suffering failure or making dangerous or deadly mistakes. Chastening is not as painful as we think, especially when weighed against the difficulties we face when we lack discipline.
God chastens us to prepare for us a better life. When Israel pursued false gods and idols, the Lord chastened His people with the Babylonian exile, where they were sent away from their homeland to become citizens of a foreign land. The Lord did this to spare His people destruction from His wrath. He also did it so that His people would still be able to inherit God’s promise of a blessed life. In Jeremiah 29:10-11 the Lord said to Israel, “After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Next, we see here that for those who have been “trained” by chastening or discipline, they receive “the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” Righteousness is a state of walking the “right” path after having been through discipline, and according to commentator Matthew Henry, “the fruit of righteousness is peace.”(9) He also tells us, “Short present affliction produce[s] blessed fruits of a long continuance [or endurance].”(10) The training we receive from chastening leads to endurance, and we need endurance in order to go the distance in life. Paul said in Hebrews 12:1, “Let us run with ‘endurance’ the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Chastening is the training we need to run the race of life.
Avoid Bitterness during Chastening (vv. 12-13, 15)
12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed . . . 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.
We read here about hands hanging low and feeble knees, revealing that it’s easy to become worn out and weak during chastening. We also read about making straight paths for our feet, which shows how easy it is to depart from the path of righteousness and discipline. If we allow ourselves to become spiritually weak and go astray, then what is “lame” can get worse and become “dislocated,” and we can completely fall down in our faith, or fall down in the race and refuse to get up.
This passage cautions us not to become bitter against God during times of chastening, for we read in verse 15 not to let any root of bitterness spring up within us. Bitterness will “defile,” or poison, us and cause us to stumble, fall down, and then die for sure. We are encouraged in verse 13 to be healed. We are healed by simply receiving God’s chastening and looking to the end result, keeping our focus on the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Let’s commit to being as the apostle Paul and running straight through our trials with endurance and passion to finish the race strong. In Acts 20:24, Paul spoke of his trials, saying in response, “None of these things move me . . . so that I may finish my race with joy.” Let’s not allow chastening to move us and result in running off course or stumbling, but let’s allow God’s discipline to mold us and make us into the perfect image of Christ.
Time of Reflection
As I said at the beginning of our message, God chastens us for our own good; and I think we have been able to see this. So, instead of running from God’s chastening we should submit to it and receive it.
Remember, God chastens us out of His love for you and me. We looked at where the Lord said in Revelation 3:19, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten,” but allow me to share the rest of verse 19, together with verse 20: “Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
If you are going through a difficult time, perhaps a time of chastening or maybe some trials, just realize that Jesus is knocking on the door to your heart asking to come in. That’s what chastening is ultimately meant to do – to cause us to seek the One who can rescue us and calm the raging storms of life. Jesus wants to come into your heart and shower you with His peace. Will you open your heart to Him this evening?
NOTES
(1) “Chasten,” World Web Online Dictionary, taken from the Internet in November of 2006 at http://www.wordwebonline.com/search.pl?w=chasten.
(2) Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, Growing Kids God’s Way (Louisiana. MO: Growing Families International, 2002), p. 185.
(3) Ibid., p. 185.
(4) “Punishment,” American Heritage Dictionary, taken from the Internet in November of 2006 at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/punishment.
(5) “Discipline,” Dictionary.com Unabridged, taken from the Internet in November of 2006 at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discipline.
(6) “The Difference between Punishing and Correcting Your Dog,” an article about Caesar Millan, taken from the Internet in November of 2006 at http://blogs5.nationalgeographic.com/ channel/blog/dogwhisperer/?p=16.
(7) “Scourge,” Dictionary.com Unabridged, taken from the Internet in November of 2006 at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scourge.
(8) Ezzo, p. 199.
(9) Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1997), taken from Logos 2.1E on CD-ROM.
(10) Ibid.
