HEBREWS 12:4-11

A FATHER’S LOVE

 

According to Richard DeHann, A farmer had a weather vane on his barn, on which was written "God is love." When friends asked why, the farmer said, "This is to remind me that no matter which way the wind blows, God is love."

 

When the warm "south wind" with its soothing and balmy breezes brings showers of blessing, God is love. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17).

 

When the cold "north wind" of trial and testing sweeps down upon you, God is love. "All things work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28).

 

When the "west wind" blows hard upon you with its punishing intent, God is love. "Whom the Lord loves He chastens" (Hebrews 12:6).

 

When the "east wind" threatens to sweep away all that you have, God is love. "God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory" (Philippians 4:19).

Richard DeHann, Our Daily Bread, 4/20/2006 - http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb-04-20-06.shtml

 

Yes, no matter which way the wind blows you and I are still loved by our Heavenly Father.

We all know something about adversity.  We all face hardship in one way, shape or form.  But what might puzzle you is why God would allow such things to happen, especially to those who are His children?

 

If you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are God’s child.

 

John 1:12 says, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

 

If you are God’s child, God loves you and is your Heavenly Father.

 

1 John 3:1 - Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…

 

So why do we have all these troubles if God loves us? They are part of a loving discipline that moves us to Godliness.   

 

According to John MacArthur, there are three kinds of discipline: John MacArthur, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Hebrews (Chicago, Moody Press, 1983), pp. 385-389 

 

·       THERE IS CORRECTIVE DISCIPLINE

 

This is the type of discipline that we think of most often. Something goes wrong and right away we think that God is punishing us for something.

 

Common questions that we ask are “What did I do wrong to deserve this?” or “What is God punishing me for?

 

Indeed God does rebuke and punish us at times when we do what is wrong.  He does it so that we will repent so that we have a change of heart and behavior.

 

Revelation 3:19 - As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

 

Psalm 89:30-34  -  If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; [31] If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; [32] Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. [33] Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. [34] My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

 

·       THERE IS PREVENTIVE DISCIPLINE 

 

Sometimes God disciplines us to keep us from doing things that we shouldn’t do.  A classic illustration of this is Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”.

 

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. [8] For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. [9] And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

 

Paul was disciplined to keep him from becoming proud. Yet through this discipline God gave him the grace to endure and to be productive.

 

Sometimes God will discipline us to discourage us from doing what is displeasing to Him.   

 

·       THERE IS INSTRUCTIVE DISCIPLINE

 

When we are receptive to God in times of discipline he will teach us and grow us up or mature us in our faith.

 

Romans 5:3-5 - And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; [4] And patience, experience; and experience, hope: [5] And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

 

James 1:2-4 - My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; [3] Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. [4] But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

 

We must remember that all discipline is not punishment for something we’ve done wrong that needs to be corrected.   

It is our Father’s love that actively involves Him in loving discipline for His children.

 

On this Father’s Day I want us to spend a few minutes to view 5 facts about our Father’s loving discipline in Hebrews 12.   

 

In this passage of Hebrews I find at least 7 facts about God’s discipline that will help us understand what God is doing and why when He chastens us.

 

1. GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS TO BE WELCOMED – 3-5

 

Vs. 3-4 – The recipients of this letter were experiencing persecution because of the Lord Jesus Christ.  But in their suffering they had not gotten to the point of martyrdom.

 

The Lord Jesus, however, suffered the shedding of his blood in striving against sin.  Nobody has ever come close to suffering from sin and for sin as Jesus has.

 

When we consider what Jesus has done for us, we should be willing to suffer whatever God wants us to suffer for His sake.

 

Verses 5-6 are actually quotes from Proverbs 3:11-12.

 

Vs. 5 – Isn’t it amazing how easy it is to forget when God has said especially when we are facing trials?

 

 

And notice that suffering, if you are a Christian is a sure thing.

 

Remember discipline is not just punishment.  In this case the word for chastening refers to training and education

 

When we do receive discipline we are not to despise, that is take it lightly.  Also, we are not to become disheartened or discouraged by God’s discipline. We are to welcome it!

 

GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS TO WELCOMED

2. GOD LOVES YOU WHEN YOU ARE DISCIPLINED – Vs. 6

 

We wrongly think of discipline as God’s disfavor with us.

The opposite is true.  When He disciplines us it is because He loves us.

He wants us to have His best.

The only way we will have His best is when we have “grown up” in the things of God, when we mature.

 

Ideally, when we say “no” to our children it is often because we love them and know what they want is not best for them.

 

When we correct or punish our children for a misdeed it is because we love them and want them to turn out right.

 

Warren Wiersbe - “Whatever the experience, we can be sure that His chastening hand is controlled by His loving heart.”  Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Expository Commentary, N.T. Volume 2, (Wheaton, Illinois, Victor Books, 1989), p. 324

 

Our son, Mark, did very well in an ACE (Accelerated Christian Education).  He was doing third grade work during the second grade.  We moved from Pennsylvania to New Jersey from a small one room type school to a traditional school. 

 

Mark was tested and placed, at our encouragement, up a year into the third grade.

 

At this time Mark was very shy and frustrated at the new system of learning.  He was so frustrated that he cheated to pass a test.

 

Our heart went out to Mark. We felt his pain of the upheaval of a move, and the frustration at a new way of learning.  We loved him, but in love we had to punish him.

 

It wasn’t long however before Mark was on the honor roll doing his own work.  Today Dr. Mark Peters is an associate professor in classic musicology at Trinity Christian College.

 

We understood Mark’s pain and in love corrected him.

God understands your pain and in love corrects us.

 

GOD LOVES YOU WHEN YOU ARE DISCIPLINED

3. CHASTENING INDICATES OUR STANDING WITH GOD – Vss. 7-8

 

Sometimes married couples with young children will leave the kids with grandma or a baby-sitter and go out for a nice quiet dinner.  The problem is that sometimes they go to a place where someone else’s kids are at the restaurant and not with a sitter!  These kids act worse than their own!

 

Even though you’d like to, could you or would you discipline those children?  The answer of course is no!

They are not your children!

 

You may wonder why others who are not Christians seem to have an easier time of it than you.  You are committed to God and you are a Christian. You are on God’s side and suffer such misery.  The enemies of God seem to fare better.

 

Verses 7-8 give us the answer to this question. God disciplines His children.  Just as a parent does not discipline the children of others, God doesn’t either.

 

But God does correct His own children.

God does teach his own children through adversity.

God does train his own children.

 

If God isn’t disciplining a person it is simply because that person is illegitimate.  He or she is not a child of God.

 

Now don’t think that God is going to let the unsaved get away without punishment.

 

Asaph, in Psalm 73, was disturbed because of the seeming prosperity of the wicked and the easy time they had compared to him.

 

Psalm 73:3-9 - For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. [4] For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. [5] They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. [6] Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. [7] Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. [8] They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. [9] They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

 

Psalm 73:12-14 - Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. [13] Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. [14] For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

 

God gave Asaph an answer to his dilemma. God showed Asaph that although it didn’t seem so at the moment, the wicked were in big trouble.

   

Psalm 73:16-20 - When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; [17] Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. [18] Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. [19] How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. [20] As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

 

The wicked are in big trouble.

The Christian is disciplined as a child of God.  If God does not discipline a person, he is illegitimate, not a true child of God.

 

The wicked will face judgment for their sins and be punished for all eternity. 

 

Revelation 20:11-15 - And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. [12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. [13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. [14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. [15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

 

Now I realize that the unsaved are not exempt from the some of the same trials that we have.  The difference is, they are facing the same troubles without being under the loving, corrective discipline of God the Father. Their troubles could lead them to faith in Christ.  

 

CHASTENING INDICATES OUR STANDING WITH GOD   

4. GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS PERFECT AND PROFITABLE – Vss. 9-10, 11B

 

Vs. 9-10 – Earthly parents are imperfect!  Being human, they often let their humanity get in the way. Nonetheless we respected and/or do respect our parents. We often submitted to their discipline.

 

If we submitted to earthly parents, how much more, Christian, should we submit to our Heavenly Father.

When we submit to Him and accept his discipline, we have life!  We have God’s best.

 

Notice that God discipline is perfect. He will not over discipline or under discipline. He is God!

 

And notice that God’s discipline is profitable.

 

God wants us to be holy.

1 Peter 1:15-16 - But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

 

God disciplines us so that we might be partakers of His holiness.  As we learn the lessons of discipline, we will become more like Him!

 

Vs. 11 – Notice another end result of discipline. We will live righteous lives!  If we allow God to train us, we will produce the “peaceable fruit of righteousness.”     

 

He does it so that we will be like Him!

He does it so that we will be like God!

God disciplines us for our own good!

 

G. Campbell Morgan – “We cry too often to be delivered from the punishment instead of the sin that lies behind it. We are anxious to escape from the things that cause us pain rather than from the things that cause God pain.”

Warren Wiersbe, With the Word, (Nashville, Tennessee, Oliver Nelson Publishers, 1991) p. 822

 

GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS PERFECT AND PROFITABLE –

5. GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS TEMPORARY – Vs. 11a

 

No discipline is pleasant at the time.

That implies that discipline is temporary.

We found that when we disciplined our children when they were young the less discipline they required when they are older.

 

God will discipline you only long enough to get the job done.  And compared to an eternity in Heaven, that is such a short time!

He leadeth me

In pastures green? Not always. Sometimes he
Who knoweth best, in kindness leadeth me
In weary ways, where shadows be.

 

Out of the sunshine, warm and soft and bright,
Out of the sunshine into darkest night
I oft would faint with sorrow and affright

 

Only for this - I know He holds my hand;
So whether in green or desert land,
I trust, although I may not understand.

 

And by still waters? No, not always so,
Ofttimes the heavy tempests round me blow
And o'er my soul the waves and billows go.

 

But when the storm beats loudest and I cry
Aloud for help, the Master standest by,
And whispers in my soul - "Lo, it is I."

 

Above the tempest I will hear Him say,
"Beyond the darkness lies the perfect day.
In every path of time I lead the way."

 

So whether on the hilltops high and fair
I dwell, or in the sunless valleys where
The shadows lie - what matter. He is there!

 

And more than this : Where'er the pathway lead,
He gives me no broken, helpless reed.
But His own hand, sufficient is my need.

 

So where He leads me I can safely go,
And in the blest hereafter I shall know
Why, in his kindness, He hath led me so. Author Unknown

http://cpsajoburg.org.za/lit_pray/shepherd1.html

 

God in His love disciplines us. It’s a Father’s love

 

GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS TO BE WELCOMED

GOD LOVES YOU WHEN YOU ARE DISCIPLINED

CHASTENING INDICATES OUR STANDING WITH GOD

GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS PERFECT AND PROFITABLE –

GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS TEMPORARY