Faith for Discipline

Story of Discipline from Parents

1. Persevere Like Jesus

Hebrews 12:3–4 ESV

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

This is an important cry. Each of us are at a moment that we could experience losing heart. We could easily lose heart in our sufferings. Think about the list we read just 2 weeks ago that unpacked some saints being sawn in two, some being put in jail, some being persecuted. The hardships are real and they exist. But most importantly now the reader has shifted to understanding and looking to the one that experienced these things more than any other, who experienced pain and hostility, Jesus.

As we run we are reminded to consider him who endured from sinners hostility against himself. when we experience the hostility of man we need to remind ourselves of Christ that we might not grow weary in our race. As we fix our eyes upon Jesus we lose sight of how hard the race is that we are running.

Just like in running. No one actually likes it. You have to fix your eyes on the finish line and know that there is an end in sight and continue to push on.

Jesus suffered so that we might not grow weary! (Interesting point)

And unlike Jesus none of us have resisted the devil so hard that we have shed our own blood. Something to think about (Jesus being perfect experienced every temptation to the MAXIMUM that you can. He never gave in so therefore he endured to the fullest point of temptation every single time)

Another thing to note: Christ suffered so hard against temptation and taking the easy way out and not experiencing the discipline of the Father on sin that he actually shed his blood. He started to sweat drops of blood from himself because he was praying so hard in the garden and resisting the temptation to abandon this plan that God had laid out since the foundation of the world.

In our struggle we have not gotten there yet, but we can look to Jesus to see how to endure. No one in this church that Hebrews is addressed to has given their life for the gospel yet. But we have seen that they were facing the threat of their stuff being taken in chapter 10, but for us In our race, in this thing we call the Christian life it is a grind.

Just like you cannot, well most people can’t just get up in the morning and decide to run a marathon. They actually have to train for it. They have to persevere through the hard runs, you guys man you don’t just get to play in a championship game, no you gotta go to practice and weightlifting, man you guys playing instruments you cannot just wake up one day and be Beethoven you have to grind to get better, and what I am telling you is that as you look to Jesus you see the example he has set for you to endure in life and to persevere through hostility and struggle and temptation you will keep grinding and see him gain victories in your life.

Christ suffered at the hands of sinners, and a question we have to answer is, Who does this suffering come from, and the first area that we see this pain and suffering that we have to endure comes through the hands of sinners that hate us, and that we must endure like Jesus trusting the Father. But there is a more central place that our pain comes from.

2. Proof of His Love

Hebrews 12:5–9 ESV

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. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” 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? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 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?

The author has just said that Christ had to endure at the hand of sinners. But here he says, “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons.”

God is showing that for disciplines sake you have to endure, God is at the forefront of all discipline. Now there is a note to make here. Though we suffer discipline at the hand of God we can never again be tried for our sins if we trust in Jesus. Stick with me, that means if you have put your faith in Christ that you do not stand under the punishment of God on your sins. You will stand before the Father one day and you will be in his presence forever in heaven…But the relationship shifts from that of a judge and a person on trial, to a father and a son.

You see guys, ultimately what this passage is getting at is that suffering is from the hand of God.

And hear me now, I want you to see this as comforting not as discouraging. God does not discipline you so that he might just make your hurt, and make your life hard.

But it does mean that every storm you face is working from God, he is the God of the storm, in Mark 4 Jesus speaks, peace be still and the waters are quiet, so he could do the same over anything you walk through but he doesn’t, because he is a loving Father that ordains our suffering and our correction.

We are considered sons and daughters of God and that should bring us great joy. It is a privilege to experience the reproof and correction of God, it is a proof of his love.

Think about your parents now guys. The reason that your parents discipline you is so that you might grow into a person that others like to be around, so that you won’t fall into sin and so that you are set up for success. At time is might just feel like your parents are punishing you because they are mean and evil, but im telling you when you get to my point and suddenly your parents are no longer responsible for you everyday you realize that they were doing it for your good so that you might succeed in life. (And there is a big difference between beating your child in anger, and spanking them in love.)

If God did not try us or put us through the ringer to shape our growth then he wouldn’t really be our Father. If someone is not your kid you do not have the right to discipline them.

With this in mind think about God as a loving Father that disciplines his children. He does it so that they might prosper but more than anything that they might grow more into the image of Jesus.

Jesus was ordained by God to go to experience one of the most gruesome ways to die and that wasn’t it, he also had to go and experience the pain and anguish of being left by his father and facing the punishment of sin upon himself.

The author has just told us we have to run with endurance the race of life set before us and now part of that enduring is enduring the Father’s correction and discipline

This makes me think about Jonah, we just went through a whole series on Jonah. God had to throw a major storm that threatened to destroy a boat and put all of the lives of the sailors on board at risk, but it was in order to get ahold of Jonah and make him realize the sin he was walking in. God will use your hard situations, he will throw storms into your life to make you realize how much you need him. The same way that your parents might take your phone away until you realize how to be nicer to your siblings. or to stop talking back.

It is a great comfort to know that God does not react to what Satan has done in our life, or what wicked sinners have done, instead he is using those wicked sinners and even Satan’s terrible plans to work things out for good.

God is not reacting to the wickedness of Satan. HE IS NOT A PASSIVE GOD WAITING FOR THE NEXT THING SATAN THROWS AT YOU TO SEE HOW HE CAN MAKE THAT AWFUL THING GOOD.

He is using them to accomplish our growth. And more than anything this is a proof of his love for us. He loves us enough to not let us stay at an elementary knowledge and depth of him, but to actually struggle and realize what it means to be his disciple.

3. Peace and Meaning through Discipline

Hebrews 12:10–11 ESV

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. 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 discipline of God leads to our holiness. As God disciplines us we are made more into the image of Jesus.

We share in the holiness of Jesus as we suffer and face discipline.

And just like our suffering, our pain, our correction from our parents seems to hurt so bad in the moment, that its the worst, that spanking as a kid was awful, your parents taking away your door off the frame was terrible, but in the end it was for your good. God is the same way. He corrects, rebukes, sends storms, makes life hard FOR YOUR GOOD.

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Romans 8:29 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

God is conforming us into the image of his Son, making us look more like Jesus daily and one of the ways he does that is through discipline and correction.

And through suffering your will experience peace in Jesus.

So remember there is meaning in your discipline and their is peace awaiting you.

In the moment the discipline the struggle seems painful and not pleasant but it produces in you endurance you did not know possible. You will grow in the pressing times much more than in the mountain top experiences.

Think to our savior, you want to talk about painfully enduring the hand of God’s discipline upon you. Jesus the Son of God, the God man himself, lived a perfect life and was falsely accused and condemned. Stick with me. He was taken before a group of men, he was spit on, he was beaten, he was whipped until his bones and flesh were showing, he had a crown of thorns wrestled into his head, he carried a heavy wooden splinter filled cross on his open wounds, his hands were nailed to a cross, his feet were nailed to a cross, and he died on that cross. But the physical punishment was not even the worst part, he that day while on the cross was dying as a sacrifice once and for all to justify us before the Father, he was taking on the punishment for your sin and this meant he had the wrath of God upon him. Guys the hand of God’s discipine and suffering was on Jesus but it was so that three days later he might rise again from the dead, defeating sin and death forever. God’s purpose in making Jesus, his only begotten Son, suffer was realized in the ability for all people to be saved that would believe.

And so listen to me, if you have never trusted in that message I want you to know God is standing at the door knocking, waiting for you to let him in. Call on the name of Jesus tonight and Romans tells us you will be saved.

But also what I want you to see is that we face the discipline of God, but because of Jesus we no longer face the judgment of God, we can be forgiven of our wrongs and sins against God, but he will still use pain and discipline to grow us.

God is a big God that is sovereign over our hurting and pain. So take heart in the tough times, yes our struggle is against enemies, people and spirits that hate us, but God is working it for your peace and good. SO take heart, and look to Jesus to endure.