Hebrews 12:5-11
And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“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 the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 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 spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 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.
Last time I talked about resisting sin to the point of shedding blood. We have to realize the seriousness of sin and do all we can to resist it. Joseph ran away leaving his cloak behind, Lot was told to not look back as he fled, and we put ourselves right in the middle of it. Trade your smart phone for a flip phone if you have to but cut off all of sin's grasps on you.
If you don't, this passage tells what is next - discipline. Of course if you aren't saved this won't happen because God isn't your Father, the Devil is. But if you are a child of God, here is what is in store. It's not punishment like if you don't stop sinning God is going to get you. It is a rod of correction. Punishment is what unbelievers will get at their judgement and it is recompense for their sins. Discipline is what believers get in this life to encourage them to take the steps they should have taken to avoid sin. Jesus already took the punishment for our sins on the cross so there is no punishment for us, yet every time we sin it's like we pick up a whip and scourge Him again or grab a hammer and pound another nail in. Do you view sin that way?
Have you ever experienced discipline by God? As I look back on my life I can see several examples that I am willing to share. Making more money, as a doctor, than I knew what to do with, in my earlier years I bought a BMW 929 and a '59 Corvette convertible. The BMW got some kind of crack in the engine where oil and gas were mixing and the Corvette's engine caught on fire. God was telling me what I already knew but was ignoring, "Store up your treasures in Heaven not Earth." I could go on and on and tell tales of all my stupidity but hopefully I'm learning to not let it get to the point where my heavenly good good Father doesn't see the need to discipline me quite as much. How about you?
And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“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 the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a]
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”[a]
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 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 spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 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.
Last time I talked about resisting sin to the point of shedding blood. We have to realize the seriousness of sin and do all we can to resist it. Joseph ran away leaving his cloak behind, Lot was told to not look back as he fled, and we put ourselves right in the middle of it. Trade your smart phone for a flip phone if you have to but cut off all of sin's grasps on you.
If you don't, this passage tells what is next - discipline. Of course if you aren't saved this won't happen because God isn't your Father, the Devil is. But if you are a child of God, here is what is in store. It's not punishment like if you don't stop sinning God is going to get you. It is a rod of correction. Punishment is what unbelievers will get at their judgement and it is recompense for their sins. Discipline is what believers get in this life to encourage them to take the steps they should have taken to avoid sin. Jesus already took the punishment for our sins on the cross so there is no punishment for us, yet every time we sin it's like we pick up a whip and scourge Him again or grab a hammer and pound another nail in. Do you view sin that way?
Have you ever experienced discipline by God? As I look back on my life I can see several examples that I am willing to share. Making more money, as a doctor, than I knew what to do with, in my earlier years I bought a BMW 929 and a '59 Corvette convertible. The BMW got some kind of crack in the engine where oil and gas were mixing and the Corvette's engine caught on fire. God was telling me what I already knew but was ignoring, "Store up your treasures in Heaven not Earth." I could go on and on and tell tales of all my stupidity but hopefully I'm learning to not let it get to the point where my heavenly good good Father doesn't see the need to discipline me quite as much. How about you?
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