Discipline by Faith

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.

Pray

One of the most pervasive, and frankly most pernicious, lies about Christianity is the misconception that faith is easy. It’s a breeze, right? Just believe. This easy-believeism of televangelists and mega-church pastors make faith seem so simple. Their fancy suits and smooth words lure crowds into the notion that Christianity is the easy road, and the least difficult path to your best life.

But we know better. We know that:

Faith Is Not a Cakewalk; It Is a Struggle

That’s not a surprise to anyone who has been a believer very long. In fact, unless you’re a newer believer than Brantley, you’ve probably already learned that faith is a struggle and not a cakewalk.

Look at the life of Job. His live was going really well - he was blessed by God with a large family and many possessions. Everyone knew that he was a man of faith - after all God was blessing him immensely.

Then everything vanished. His property was stolen and destroyed, his children killed…his health endangered. Within a short time, Job goes from the envy of the neighborhood to sitting among the ruins, scratching his wounds with shards of pottery.

We have an advantage - we know all about the conversations in heaven. We know why Job is suffering. But he doesn’t. And when his friends come to comfort him, they don’t know why Job is suffering either. Job is learning firsthand that faith isn’t a cakewalk. Faith is a struggle.

Hebrews 12:4 ESV

4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

When we apply faith in our daily walk with God, as we learn each day to trust him and to follow his commands, God brings us into deeper struggles against sin. The call to repent is not a call to resist sin merely at the moment of turning from it, but a call to continuing to resist. We are fish swimming against all the other fish, but also against the tide and against even gravity itself.

And that struggle is ongoing. Verse 4 tells us that we have more struggle left, for we have not struggled to the point of shedding your blood. The struggling is intensive and personal. It is ongoing; it envelops every moment of our lives. It also calls us back to verse 1, where the same root is used to describe the “race” that we must run with endurance. Jesus also uses this root when he instructs in Luke 13:24:

Luke 13:24 ESV

24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Notice that in Jesus’ words, heaven is not handed to you on a golden platter. You must strive to enter. Does that put faith out, making our works the basis for salvation? No! We strive not to earn our way in the door but to make our way to the door. We strive not to achieve entry but to fight off sin in the meantime. We struggle not to win salvation but to realize it.

Do you struggle against sin? I don’t just mean do you try not to sin. I mean do you actively seek to eliminate sin? Do you avoid those situations where you’re more likely to give in? Do you put guardrails around your heart? Do you memorize Scripture that deals specifically with your areas of weakness?

When I was younger, a deacon at a church I went to told the church about his own spiritual growth. He spoke about having anger management problems. He used to be easily enraged over the smallest things. But he said that one of the ways God changed his heart was by bringing him to the Word. Verses like “be angry and sin not” and “let not the sun go down on your anger” and “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for the anger of men does not bring about the righteousness of God” pricked his heart and changed his attitude.

That’s what I mean when I ask if you struggle against sin. Not just “do you want to beat it” or “does it ruffle your feathers,” but what specific strategies are you employing to become more like Christ and less sinful? How are you growing?

God Loves Us, So He Disciplines Us

We all face that struggle, and in the middle of the struggle God often brings discipline. In fact, God always disciplines his children as they seek to follow him. Just tell God you want to follow him, and the Holy Spirit will immediately bring up your sin. That’s his first work - conviction. Before God can make you a great man or woman, and before he will accomplish great things through you, he must first deal with your sin. That’s the discipline the writer of Hebrews points us to in verses 5-11. Let’s look at those verses directly:

Hebrews 12:5–6 (ESV)

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.”

Verses 5-6 quote from Proverbs 3:11-12. These verses present a call to endure the discipline of the Lord. Just as we must run our race with endurance, and mimic our Savior’s endurance of hatred and death, our endurance must also remain through God’s discipline.

Before I continue, consider this word discipline. We think of discipline as primarily negative. You did wrong, so you deserve discipline. Discipline is punishment; it’s forcing yourself or being forced to do something you don’t really want to do.

But that’s not the full picture. Thinking of discipline like that is like thinking of a salad as only the red cabbage pieces. Yes, that salad may have red cabbage in it, but there’s a lot more to the salad than that! Discipline in the biblical sense is mostly positive. It’s exhortation and encouragement. It’s learning while doing. It’s love - look at verse 6 again. Who does God love? The one he coddles and treats with kid gloves? The one who he never expects to do anything? The one who he buys everything for that they could possibly want? No...the one God loves is the one God disciplines.

God’s discipline isn’t a burden to bear. It’s hard to endure, yes. But so is leg day at the gym or preparing for a difficult exam. The hours of preparation take their toll, but the end of being stronger or achieving a goal are worth the additional toil.

Thus the author of Hebrews tells us in verse 7:

Heb12.7

Hebrews 12:7 ESV

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?

The whole reason we must fight this fight and endure these struggles makes all the toil and anguish, all the fighting and struggling worth it. Paul tells Timothy in 1Ti 4:7-8:

1 Timothy 4:7–8 ESV

7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

The goal is godliness, and if we are to achieve that goal we must endure the process. Just like an athlete must endure training to achieve his goal in competition, or a student must endure through numerous years of medical school to achieve the title of Doctor, so must we endure to achieve godliness. And how do we get that godliness? Through discipline. Look at Hebrews 12:7-8:

Hebrews 12:7–8 ESV

We will talk so much more about fathers in a couple of weeks on Father’s Day, but for know I want you to see how our heavenly father takes discipline very seriously. Fathers discipline their sons. The father’s presence and involvement helps kids learn how to live.

How much more true is it, then, that having a close relationship with our heavenly father shapes us to be the men and women we are intended to be? Verses 9-11 are three similar statements in Greek. All have a “on the one hand...but” construction.

Look at verse 9:

Hebrews 12:9 ESV

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?

All of us have had, to some degree, a father on earth that disciplined us. That discipline, in part at least, showed us how to submit to proper authority. Dad disciplined, and we respected him. There’s deference in that word respect. I was told by a pastor one time that he had a small church that every time something came up for a vote, the members looked at an elderly man. If he showed approval, it would pass unanimously. If not, then the vote was a loud “NO!” He held that high esteem among that congregation. That’s the picture of this word.

Through a father’s discipline, we learn what will fly, and what won’t. How much more should that be true of God - the father of spirits? By the way, do you seek the approval of God the Father, or are you rushing forward in your own judgment without even consulting him? Are you deferring to his judgment?

Verse 10 gives us another “on the one hand...but” statement.

Hebrews 12:10 ESV

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.

When our earthly fathers disciplined us, it might have been good for us. It might not have been very good at all! His standard might have taught us valuable lessons that have helped us over the years, or they may have just set the lines of what he likes/doesn’t like. His standard might have been in line with God’s, or it could have been very different.

But not so with God. When God disciplines us, it is ALWAYS for our good. It is ALWAYS toward the good - holiness is the aim of God’s discipline, and when we submit ourselves to his rod and staff we find ourselves on the path of righteousness. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

And notice whose holiness this is...is it mine? Yours? Momma’s or Grandma’s? Is it the holiness of the elders or the prophets or apostles? Nope. It’s God’s own holiness. He beckons us to share in his own holiness, not to make a cheap imitation for ourselves! Why have some cheap knock-off when you can have the real deal? The only way to radiate the light of the Father’s holiness is to have the element of God’s Son in the fusion of the Holy Spirit.

Now look at verse 11.

Hebrews 12:11 ESV

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.

Now, instead of contrasting earthly fathers with the heavenly Father, he contrasts to present struggle with the future result. I know some of you have been struggling against sin, and you are wore out. You have done everything you can to mortify the sin in your flesh, and you feel like you’ll never win.

Or, you’re in the thick of battle and you don’t know where the strength to endure will come from. You bear the scars of the struggle on your soul and you cry out for the pain to finally cease.

Or, perhaps you’re struggling has been so slow to progress that you don’t think you’re getting anywhere. You’re fighting as hard as you can and you’re in the same place you’ve been for so long. You’re discouraged, and the pain you face is discouragement or maybe even depression.

Endurance through Discipline Strengthens Us in the Faith

Hebrews 12:12–17 ESV

12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.