The Disciple’s Discipline

The DISCIPLE’s DISCIPLINE—Hebrews 12:4-11

Attention:

Discipline

A Butterfly:

Pre-Emergent from cocoon...

Little Bobby notices its struggle wants to help & so splits open the cocoon.

The butterfly emerges with shriveled wings & swollen body.

The restrictive cocoon & struggle are needed for pumping fluid from body to wings.

The butterfly was never able to be what it was meant to be, & perished!

Christians are likewise trained & molded by our struggles.

Need:

The writer to the Hebrews revealed the rationale behind God’s discipline.

God’s people should know the rationale behind God’s discipline.

What is the logic/rationale/grounds behind God’s discipline?

Why does God discipline His people?

4 grounds/rationales/factors in accepting/receiving God’s discipline.

1—A Factor in accepting God’s discipline is...

The LOW RESISTANCE Factor(:4)

Explanation:(:4)

:4—“You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin;...”

It is known by the writer that the audience has not been so resistant to their sin(:1) that their blood has been shed in the attempt/cause.

One’s victorious striving against sin can result in many ‘negative’ factors such as—having one’s own blood shed...Sidelined by society...Prejudice against you—housing, purchases, jobs, education, transportation.

The ‘great drops of blood’ which Jesus shed in His battle with the temptation to avoid the Cross, were shed as a result of His successful resistance to His own flesh’s desire(See Lk. 22:44).

Lk. 22:42-44—Jesus in prayer said—...“Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Rom. 3:25-26—Of Christ Jesus—“whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” God is completely satisfied in Christ.

Rom. 5:9—“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

Rev. 1:4-6—“John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you & peace from Him who is & who was & who is to come, & from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, & from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, & the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us & washed us from our sins in His own blood, & has made us kings & priests to His God & Father, to Him be glory & dominion forever & ever. Amen.”

Argumentation:

Gen. 4:7—God to Cain—“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.””

1Cor. 10:13—“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

In EVERY temptation, God has provided your means of escape that will give Him—neither you, nor another—glory.

2Cor. 13:5—“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.”

Eph. 1:7—“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”

Jn. 15:4-8—“Abide in Me[Jesus], & I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, & I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch & is withered; & they gather them & throw them into the fire, & they are burned. If you abide in Me, & My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, & it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”

Illustration:

Ben over-weight/Coffee breaks always brought bakery goodies/Dr. enforced diet—No bakery goods/Month later/Ben drives by bakery on work related errand/Thinks to himself,—‘One trip inside wouldn’t hurt would it?’/Yet he’s wary & undecided so he prays, ‘Lord, if its okay for me to go in the bakery then give me a parking space right by the front door’/Ben waltzes into work with an armload of bakery goods/Everybody says, ‘We thought you were on a diet!?’/He responds, ‘I am, but the Lord showed me that its okay for today because I asked Him to give me a parking space right by the door & sure enough, on the eighth trip around the block there it was!