Preacher: Pastor Ray
Main text: Heb 12:3-11
God disciplines those He loves and this discipline leads to life (12:9), holiness (12:10), and righteousness (12:11).
Heb 12
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Father, we ask that you teach us about your discipline, why you discipline us, what is the purpose of this discipline, and what your heart is toward those you discipline. We need to receive your discipline, Lord. This is such an important message. We ask that you give us understanding through your Word. We give you this time. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen
Discipline is an important topic in Scripture. And the Lord may have disciplined you last week about anger. And I think you have one of two reactions to the Lord’s discipline. One is that you believe, He loves me. My Father loves me. And I am more confident in His love because I heard His discipline and I received it. And now I’m being trained by it. The other reaction is, well, I’ve had this issue for my whole life, for me, I’ve lived with anger in in various forms for 44 years.
So how did God look at me during those 44 years? There’s even a famous message preached by Jonathan Edwards — Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. So is He angry toward us? Is He angry toward His children? Does He look at us with irritation? Annoyance? Does He just barely tolerate our presence? Zeph 3 says, He sings over us, He rejoices over us, but what does He really sing and rejoice over me when I have carried this sin for my whole life?
And that’s a natural reaction? I think even as parents, while we are disciplining our kids, and at times, there is irritation. There’s annoyance. And so even in our parenting toward our kids, we see that we can have a heart that is not right. And what do we do? We superimpose that kind of heart to God. God must look at me the same way that I look at my immature, unsanctified child when they’re under discipline. There’s an anger that’s within me. God met must look at me the same way. And I just want to start by saying, that is not true at all. That is not true at all.
Let me just share some verses about discipline first so that we’re all on the same page and believe that the discipline of the Lord is a very important topic.
Job 5:17
“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.
Deut 8:5-6
5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.
Psalm 94:12-14
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage…
Proverbs 3:11-12
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
Prov 6
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, 24 to preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.
Proverbs 10:17
Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
Proverbs 12:1
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
Proverbs 13:1
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
Proverbs 13:24
Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Proverbs 15:32
Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
Proverbs 19:18
Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:15
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
Proverbs 23:13-14
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.
Proverbs 25:28
A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
Proverbs 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
Proverbs 29:17
Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
1 Corinthians 11:32
But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
Eph 6:1-4
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Revelation 3:19
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.
Hebrews 5:8
Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
The summary statement for today is this — God disciplines those He loves and this discipline leads to three things — life, holiness and righteousness.
First of all, what is God’s heart toward you while He’s disciplining you? Is He angry? Is He annoyed? Is He bothered when He sees you in your unsanctified state? A parent might be angry, may be bothered, may be irritated toward their children. But is God like us? No. God’s ways are higher than our ways.
When parenting is done right, you see a reflection of God’s heart toward His children, those whom he loves. And there is zero anger. Zero anger. God is convincing me of this even as I speak. There’s zero anger in His discipline. He does not look at us with annoyance. We are beloved children.
And so when you are angry when he shouldn’t be angry toward your kids, or when you’re annoyed when you shouldn’t be annoyed toward your kids, or when you’re barely tolerating them because they’re on your nerves when there shouldn’t be that type of heart toward the kids, do they ever stop being your kids? No. They are 100% your kids from birth.
And so nothing they do will change that fact. They are not 1% your kid and as they mature and they’ve learned to listen to you, they become 50% your kids, and then eventually, there become a good boy and a good girl, and later in life, they are 100% your kids when they’re mature adults.
Your kids are your kids from birth. From day one, they’re your kids. And so when God looks at us, are we ever not His children if we’re in Christ? There is an amazing verse that the Lord gave to me this past week from Hebrews 10:14.
Hebrews 10
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And so this verse, assuming we’re being sanctified, assuming we’re on the path to maturity, assuming we’re growing in our holiness, because of what Jesus did on the cross, because of His sacrifice, we as children of God. We have been perfected. His mission has been completed. He who began a good work will bring it to perfection, to completion. And so when God looks at you, you’re fully His, you’re 100% His child, you’re fully completed. The mission is done. The penalty of sin has been paid in full. What good news is this! Such good news.
So you’re not 1% His child. And as your sanctified, you’re 50% His child and then by the end of your life, you’re 100% His child. No. You are fully His. It’s been completed on the cross when Jesus died and resurrected and ascended to heaven. It’s been completed. Mission accomplished. Penalty paid. You’re fully His kids.
And for the rest of our journey, from the moment that we believed in Christ, now we’re growing into our identity as children of God. The path has been paved before us. It is a clear path. And now we can grow into our identity, our destiny. We can grow into it. We will become that spotless Bride. It’s been done. And now God will help you along the way and you’ll grow into it. And so when the Father disciplines you, you have to know that it’s out of His love.
Heb 12
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
God is treating you like a son and daughter when He disciplines you. And it is painful. It is not pleasant. No child is happy when the rod comes out. No child is happy when they’re told, go do timeout. No child is happy when privileges are taken away. No one is happy when under discipline. It is unpleasant. But unless you submit under this discipline, you are not a child of God.
For example, last Sunday, if you heard God’s Word regarding anger and you received it as discipline from the Lord, that is proof, brothers and sisters, that you are a beloved child of God. That is proof.
Discipline is painful. There’s something about human nature — we just don’t like pain. Why is there such an epidemic with the opioids? It’s because whenever there is pain, we just reach for an easy solution to take away the pain immediately. Just give me a pill. This word for painful in Scripture implies that this could be physical pain, or it could refer to mental pain. We reach for the pill for both.
We see the counselor instead of asking, Father, what are you disciplining me about? I know you’re doing it out of love. What are you disciplining me about? Many Christians think that God loves you. And they assume this means your life should be peaceful at all times. And you should be left alone to do your own thing. And God is there just to bless you.
We had two kinds of parents growing up. Either they were suffocating and overbearing and they left you exasperated. That’s one type of parenting. Tiger parents who never leave you alone. Is God like that? From day one of your Christian journey, is God the type of Father who disciplines you for all your sins non-stop? Does He pounce on you like a lion? Is He suffocating? Overbearing?
No, He is so wise. And how He disciplines is so wise. He waits for the right time to discipline. You deals with one issue at a time. He is not a tiger Father. He leaves plenty of breathing room so that you don’t feel like He’s on your case all the time. He allows you to enjoy season of peace. This doesn’t mean that God is just going to be nice to you all the time. He’s always going to be kind. He’s never gonna butt into your life. There’s never gonna be pain. My life should always be smooth sailing.
If this is how you think, then you have a wrong picture of God and you don’t understand how much you and I have to be sanctified.
Heb 12
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
Verse 5 – when it says “discipline” — the discipline here is very specific. It’s talking about rearing children, it’s talking about correcting the kids. It’s about educating and training. It’s exactly what parents do to their kids while we rear them for 18 years while they’re under our roof. The Father does the same thing — He disciplines us over our lifetime. And He does not do it as an overbearing Father. He leaves breathing room, but at certain moments, He does discipline. And when He disciplines us, it is painful.
He’s trying to sanctify you in an area. And it is painful. So don’t think God is against you. Don’t think God has abandoned you. Quite the opposite. Exactly the opposite. No, God loves you. That’s why He’s coming to you and disciplining an area of your life. And you have to be trained by it. The same way that kids have a choice. They can hear all the discipline and just pretend they’re going along, but they’re not really understanding it. Inside, they’re really opposing the discipline. They are really rebellious in their heart. And when they go off to college, all of that will come out. That could be our attitude when God disciplines us.
Or we can allow ourselves to be trained like a child by the Father’s discipline,
Heb 12
5 …do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
When reproved by Him, when rebuked by Him, when exposed of our sins, when shown to be guilty by Him in a specific area, He wants to set you free from that issue. He wants to forgive you. He wants you to become more Christ-like in that area of your life. That is why the Father disciplines at the right time.
And as a child of God, while I had this issue of anger and I didn’t even know I had this issue for 44 years, God was not against me. God was not annoyed with me. God was not upset with me. No, He brought up this issue at the right time and I heard it and He disciplined me and I received it. That’s what children do. God was merciful.
I was so angry going up. I was so angry at life and my parents I was so angry. I didn’t show it. And so my parents would probably never think of me as an angry person. But in my heart, I was seething with anger. If God exposed the thoughts of rage I had and the murderous thoughts I had growing up, it would be a shock to anyone who knows me.
And God saw all of the anger that resided for 44 years. But last week or two weeks ago, He began dealing with me on this issue. And so my view is, God has loved me from the beginning. I never felt condemned. And when He disciplines me, I receive it as Fatherly love. He loves me as His child.
Heb 12
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
To reprove is to rebuke. To chastise is a lot stronger of a word. To chastise is the same word used when Jesus is about to go on the cross and He is scourged, whipped. God brings out the whip at times. His discipline is painful. He chastises every son and daughter. None of us will can go through life without some form of chastisement and discipline. If we do, then we’re illegitimate children.
You look at some people and they never repent. They think that it’s just all grace, and they’re the same person at the end of their life as they were when they began walking with Jesus 50 years prior. I would say that person does not understand spiritual life and what it means to have a Heavenly Father who disciplines, whose goal is to make us just like His Son.
One characteristic about Jesus and the Spirit and the Father is that they’re Holy. You call no man on earth “father” except one, our Heavenly Father. And yet, some denominations have committed such a blasphemy by calling a mere man — Holy Father — when there is only one Holy Father. And the Spirit — out of all the adjectives that could have been used to describe the Spirit, which one was used? It is Holy Spirit. And if the Spirit is active, one of His main ministries to you and me is to make us holy. And Jesus is holy through and through. Jesus learned through suffering how to obey as an obedient Son.
Heb 12
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
So one type of parenting is a tiger parent who is overbearing, leading to suffocation, anger and exasperation. That is one type of parenting. The other extreme is a parent who neglects the kids. And to me, this is way more wicked. A father or mother who is absent, who is not present, who’s busy chasing after money rather than being with the children, who is trying to make a name for themselves in the world and trying to be famous in the world and their kids get the leftovers, to me, this is wickedness. We have no respect for fathers who are absent. We have some respect for fathers, as fallen as they are, trying their best to discipline their children. And if this concept is foreign to you — the discipline of the Lord — then this verse says you’re an still illegitimate.
But if you understand that the Father does discipline and this involves pain and this has nothing to do with how He feels about you, it has nothing to do with your status as children. Is He annoyed? Is He angry? No, none of that applies. This is how God the Father expresses His love to His children — He disciplines.
Heb 12
9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
So when the Father disciplines, one of the goals of His discipline is life. He disciplines you. And what is the first thing you do? You repent. You go back to Jesus, the Author of life. That is what it means to choose life. God disciplines those He loves. And this discipline leads to life because you go to Jesus in repentance. You’re choosing life.
Heb 12
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
Earthly parents disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them. But He disciplines us for our good that we may share His Holiness. So Christian parents, we’re trying our best to discipline our children, to bring out the rod, to take away privileges, to instruct, to train. We have many agendas as parents when we’re raising up our kids in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. But is it effective 100% of time? Maybe, Maybe not. I mean, we’re not God. So I doubt that we’re 100% successful in our discipline. We’re just doing it as it seems best to us. We’re just trying our best to discipline our children.
But when God disciplines us, He is successful 100% of times. God is wise. He knows how to discipline us. He knows what pain is necessary and the degree of pain and the timing of the pain. He knows what is necessary for us to be trained by His discipline. And that’s why He did not discipline me in anger when I was 19 years old and just starting my journey with Jesus Christ. He waited until I was 44. There’s a timing because God’s discipline is 100% effective. His timing is perfect and His methodology is perfect. He does not do it with anger. Please be convinced of that. You don’t have to earn status as a child of God. No, it’s already given. The mission of God has already been completed on the cross. It’s already yours. Now we’re walking in, and now we’re growing into our new identity as child of God. He’s not annoyed at you. He’s not angry towards you. Believe this, please.
If you do not believe this, every time discipline comes, you will have the complete opposite reaction. Instead of choosing life, you will choose death. Every time things are going wrong, every time there’s pain, every time God is trying to get your attention, if you do not have the right perception and perspective that God loves me, that’s why He’s doing this, if you do not have this perspective, every time the discipline comes, instead of choosing life, you’ll choose death. You will not go to Jesus. You’ll choose condemnation. You will choose guilt. You’ll choose to flee from His presence.
You’ll believe, God is punishing me. He doesn’t like me. It’s so false. If you believe that you are a beloved child of God and that’s why the discipline is coming, when the pain comes, you will choose life. You will repent and go to the Author of life, Jesus Christ.
Heb 12
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
This verse is going back to Heb 10:14.
Hebrews 10
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
The job has been completed on the cross. We are perfect and God will bring it to completion in each of our lives as He sanctifies us. And how does He sanctify? The Father brings His discipline. And one goal of this discipline is life. We talked about that. And now we’re talking about how this discipline leads to holiness.
As stubborn sinners, we do not change unless there’s pain. And that’s why when you discipline your children, if they do not feel pain, if they don’t feel that something is being taken away from them, if it’s too easy, the children will not change. And the same goes for the children of God. We do not change without some degree of pain. And that’s why it says God’s discipline is painful. It can be bodily pain. It can be mental pain. You feel afflicted. You feel sorrow. You feel a heaviness. It is not easy, but it only lasts for a short while. It’s not pleasant. It’s not something we’re joyful about. It’s not something we’re delighted about, or that we readily welcome.
But if you are trained by the Lord’s discipline, not only are you on the path of life, you’re also on the path toward holiness. So many people who do not understand discipline of God and its role in the Christian journey, they’re not holy at all. And that’s why they think God accepts me the way I am. That’s only half true. Of course, He accepts you the way you are. But as you walk with Jesus and as the Father disciplines you along this journey, you will not remain the same.
He will make you holy. It is a painful pruning. It’s like a part of your life is being cut off. It’s painful. He’s removing the idols. He’s removing the addictions. It’s painful because you’ve been following that idol for your whole life. You’ve been living this way for your whole life. You’ve been following certain addictions. It is a painful process to have those branches cut.
Without pain, we don’t change. Even Jesus had to learn obedience through suffering. It didn’t come naturally for even Jesus since He was limited by His human flesh. It did not come naturally. It was not easy, even for Jesus who was fully God, He had to learn obedience through what he suffered.
God disciplines those whom he loves. And this discipline leads to life, it leads to holiness. And lastly, it leads to righteousness. Verse 11.
Heb 12
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
The peaceful fruit of righteousness. It is Heavenly Father’s divine approval over your life. At the end of your life, Jesus says, Well done, good and faithful servant. It’s somebody who crosses the finish line of glory and looks just like Jesus, the spotless Bride.
How do we get there? Through the Father’s discipline. It is painful, but it’s only for a short while. And then He gives you breathing room. And then after some time passes, He goes for the next thing. Again, it is painful, followed by some breathing room. This is how sanctification works.
That’s why I said last week — sanctification is not a gradual climb. I think it’s like you’re leveling up. You’re moving forward at one level. It’s a season of peace. You have some breathing room. Then, God addresses an issue. There is discipline. There’s a painful period. And you have a choice. Will I choose death or life? And if you choose life and you choose to be trained by this discipline, you will change.
Heb 12
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
We have to be trained by the Lord’s discipline. And this training is an athlete who goes into training. This is not a casual event. This is intense training. If you’re trained by the Lord’s discipline because you chose life, you’re made holy and at the end of your life — because it says this fruit is produced later on, it doesn’t grow instantly — God will give you His final seal of approval. God loves you. He accepts you now in your present condition.
But this fruit of righteousness, this divine approval, takes time. You have to grow into this approval. This divine approval when God looks at you the same way He looked at Jesus. Jesus was a righteous Son. So many people in the Bible that God uses, why did He pick them? It’s because they were righteous. They were trained by the Heavenly Father’s discipline. And then, God says, now is time to move. Now here’s your assignment.
This righteousness, this divine approval, takes time. First, the seed is planted. Then the discipline is upon you. And then we have a choice whether or not to be trained by it. There’s a period of time before a peaceful fruit of righteousness bursts forth.
So if you’re under the Lord’s discipline, you’re a beloved child. Praise God. You’re a beloved child. Don’t run away from it. Don’t don’t feel condemned because you’re going through a rough patch. Don’t feel like God is against me. Or that God is annoyed with me. Instead, know that you are a beloved child.
And that’s why in Hebrews 10, it says, we can approach the throne with confidence, with full assurance, even as we’re still being sanctified. The moment you’re become child by believing in Christ, you can approach the throne with confidence. You don’t have to get your act together before you can approach Him as your Father with full confidence. Yes, we’re still being sanctified. Yes, there will be times of discipline. He’ll give you some breathing room. The discipline will come. You will level up, then you’ll have some breathing room. The discipline will come. You’ll level up. And that’s why sanctification happens in leaps as the spirit of your mind is renewed in one area after the next. And over the course of your lifetime, you will look more and more like Jesus. This is what the Father’s discipline accomplishes.
Okay, let’s pray,
Father, we remember the body that was broken for us and the blood that was shed, the once-for-all, final sacrifice of Jesus for sins. And because of what Jesus did for us, we can rest assured that the mission of God in our lives has been completed, that we will in fact be perfected. We will become just like Jesus. We will become the spotless Bride of Christ.
Jesus has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. God, you’re timeless. And this perfection and completion applies for all time, that even before the foundation of the world, you saw your Bride fully completed and perfected. We can’t understand how this works. how this one sacrifice was for all time — past, present, future — been completed. We don’t understand, Lord, but when you look at us, you see a spotless Bride. And now, over the course of our lifetime, we are being sanctified.
Father, as children of God, help us to know that we’re so beloved. You’re not angry with us. You’re not upset. Even as earthly parents, who try our best to parent, at times, we can be upset. Lord, you’re not like us. You’re not upset. You’re not angry. We’re not sinners in the hands of an angry God. We’re sinners in the hands of such a merciful, Heavenly Father, who out of His mercy disciplines us.
We want to receive this heavenly discipline. Although it is so painful, we receive it and we pray that through undergoing this kind of training, we would choose life, and we would grow in holiness, and eventually bear the fruit of righteousness.
Father, as we come to Your Table, we pray that You would affirm your love for us, that whatever issue that You’re disciplining us about, help us to be trained by it. However long it takes, we have to struggle with sin to the point of shedding blood. It is not an easy fight. It is not an easy journey. We have to be trained like an athlete. I pray, O Lord, that we would have willing hearts and willing spirits to be trained by your discipline. We submit under Your discipline. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen
