Understanding Hard Times

Going through difficult times is how the Lord teaches His children to be like Jesus

Time is our friend and time is our enemy.

Time is our enemy in that it foists upon us an unnecessary and often, ungodly, timeline.

It makes us make big mistakes because we feel like we have to act right this moment rather than wait on the Lord.

We are always in a hurry, right?

But time is also our friend in that it gives us the depth of perspective.

Ten years from now the things we are going through today will be, as I say, “Good stories to tell.”

Do you remember when….?

“Who would have thought things would have turned out this way?”

When I was in the eighth grade, I met Mozelle Crawford.

She was my Algebra 1 teacher and she was as old as Methuselah

I looked her up on in the internet.

She died on April Fool’s Day in 2019 at the ripe old age of 95.

Old lady Crawford was 44 when she taught us Algebra.

She was hard and she didn’t play.

When she came into class she started teaching and she expected us to be ready.

We thought we didn’t like Ms. Crawford.

She was a hard teacher.

When I was in high school, not enough time had passed for me to realize just what Ms. Crawford had done for me.

But after seminary, in my 30’s, working for the Road Department of Washington County while I preached at Balerma Baptist Church, it dawned on me.

I could do a lot of the things I had to do because Mozelle Crawford pushed me so very hard in Algebra.

We thought she was mean.

She wasn’t.

She actually loved her students and she knew what we needed way better than we knew what we needed.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 12.

Today we will be studying verses 4 - 17.

As you look that up, let’s talk to the children for a second.

Kids, it’s hard to be a kid.

It seems like everything you do is a lesson.

There is so much for you to learn and if you are like I was

It seems like every time you turn around you get into trouble.

That’s a part of learning too.

Now, here is the good and the bad part.

We never stop getting in trouble because we never stop learning.

You remember how the Lord’s prayer begins, “Our Father which art in heaven?”

The scripture we’re about to read says that all of our lives, our Father in heaven is teaching us.

Sometimes it’s an “OH WOW! Look at that” kind of teaching.

And sometimes its, “I did that wrong again, didn’t I” kind of teaching.

But this teacher in Hebrews tells us that the reason all of this teaching happens

Is because God loves us and wants to teach us how to live like Jesus.

And that’s what we want - we want to be able to live as much like Jesus as we can.

Kids, God loves you so much.

Everyone in this room, truly, truly, wants you to know that way down deep in your hearts.

Listen for me to say the name of Jesus in the sermon and listen to see if you can hear how much He loves you.

If you have your Bibles open to the book of Hebrews, hear now the Word of the Lord from Hebrews 12:4-17

Hebrews 12:4–17 ESV

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 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? 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. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 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; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 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.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Let us pray:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Thank you for adopting us as your children.

Thank you for loving us enough that you didn’t leave us orphans

But as a good Father, you teach us and correct us and do all that you do

So we can be like Jesus.

I’m sorry we all wrestle so hard against you.

Thank you for not giving up on us.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

We are to struggle against sin

There are all types of sin, right?

But here the Pastor has one specific sin in mind in verse 4, “In your struggle against sin…”

The sin he’s talking about is the very real temptation we all face to turn away from the faith.

And someone might be saying in their hearts right now, “I’m not tempted to turn away from the faith,” but I’d challenge that.

Every time we are confronted with something ungodly that we are in a position to say something about or do something about

And we don’t - isn’t that a type of turning away from the faith?

I’m not talking about being the work Bible bully - you know the guy that screams Jesus in everyone’s face

I’m talking about simply being in a conversation that it would be very appropriate to speak the name of Jesus

But for timidity or fear or whatever, we keep our mouths shut.

Isn’t that, well, sin?

The verb ‘struggle’ here is in the middle or passive voice which means you didn’t go looking for the struggle.

The struggle found you and because it found you, you are forced to deal with it.

Sometimes we can ignore the challenge, but if we belong to Jesus, sooner or later we have to face it.

We have to struggle with it.

These Hebrew folks are struggling a lot worse than we have so far.

They’ve had property taken from them by the government.

They’ve been ostracized in their communities and had their jobs threatened.

But notice he says, “you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”

I guess that’s good and bad right?

The good news is - you haven’t been called on to die for your faith.

The bad news is the implied last word, “yet.”

I think for this passage to really make sense to us, the very first thing we have to do is admit to ourselves that we are in a struggle.

That we are tempted every day to, at the very least, to sin, to ignore our faith

And at the very worst, to walk away from our faith.

If we will acknowledge this, the Lord can do something to help us.

The first help He gives us is a reminder

The Saved are God’s children and He loves us

I started to say, “We are God’s children,” but I realized that’s misleading.

If you have not repented from your sins and put your trust in Jesus as your Savior, you are not a child of God.

Regardless the clap-trap you hear on television and pod-casts about us all being God’s children

That’s not true.

We are all God’s creation, created in His image, born to reflect His glory.

But not all are adopted as His children.

Only those who are saved by the blood of Jesus.

Everyone else lives under God’s wrath.

What we are talking about today doesn’t apply to you.

God has one lesson for you to learn, you need to ask forgiveness of your sins and surrender your life to Jesus.

But for those who have trusted Jesus, look at verses 5 and 6 Hebrews 12:5–6 “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.””

The family is the object lesson for the way God ticks.

God the Father has adopted us through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Those who He called and those who have answered are adopted into the family.

But we aren’t adopted as full grown adults.

We become His children.

We are sons and daughters.

We could live in this verse, but let’s just say this about that - my brothers and sisters

We belong in the family of God.

Nothing anyone can say or do can change that.

You have moved out of that raggedy shack that satan told you was a mansion

And you’ve moved into the Father’s mansion - which has many rooms

Where all of his sons and daughters will live and learn forever.

Never to be removed.

To be loved as children of the best Father of all time - forever.

So being a child, what do we need to do?

We need to learn.

Now, here’s the killer - we can change our entire attitude about the hard times in our lives, by substituting one word for another in this passage.

There is a power here that truly can - if you will allow it - it can truly change the way you see the hardships and trials in your life.

Substitute the word “teaching” for the word “discipline”

In this context, it’s the same word

Look carefully at the end of verse 5 so you can see this is correct.

Hebrews 12:5 “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline

Substitute the word teaching here, “My son, do not regard lightly the teaching of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.”

See the word reproved?

We tend to think of the word discipline as in “ooooo, you got in trouble.”

You need to be disciplined.

But that’s not the way this is mean.

Reproved - oh yeah - that word means exposed or convicted.

So we can reword this verse like this - “My children, do not regard lightly the teaching of the Lord, nor be weary when we are called out by Him.”

This section is chock full of Old Testament references and this is the first one.

Hopefully your Bible has quotation marks starting at “My son” and ending at the end of verse 6 with “whom he receives.”

That’s a quote from Proverbs 3:11-12 - you can go look that up later.

The Pastor uses this quote to point out two things are going on when we face hard times.

First, we are being taught how to behave like Jesus.

The Father gave us Jesus as Savior and Example.

Follow Jesus means live like Jesus.

Handle hardship like Jesus.

Handle grumpy, nasty, misguided, ungodly people like Jesus.

Handle persecution like Jesus.

Handle hurt and hurting people like Jesus.

And the list goes on and on - there is so much we need to learn.

Second, we are being told very plainly, that when we misbehave, when we sin, the Lord God Himself will call us out.

And instead of getting worn out by that, we should be glad.

If you are truly a child of God, you will agree with me 100% that you’ve experienced being called out by God.

You know what I’m talking about - you’ve been there.

You didn’t hear an audible voice - but you knew it was your Father in heaven calling you out.

How do we handle that?

Well, I let Mozelle make me weary.

But that was on me - because I saw her reproof as a hardship, totally missing the fact that she really wanted me to know what she knew so my life could be better.

Let’s read through the rest and let the text speak to us.

Hebrews 12:6 “For the Lord disciplines,” swap the word, “for the Lord teaches the one he loves, and chastises,” swap the word, “calls out every son whom he receives.””

Hebrews 12:7 “It is for [teaching] that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [teach]?”

Some of us have gone through hardships that most of us cannot begin to understand.

You have cried out in the night with tears, “Why Lord? Why did this happen?”

The big why behind the event might be elusive forever.

But the other why is right here - the Lord chose you and called you and wants to be so close to you so you can rely on Him for your strength and love and peace.

Because He knows you CAN’T make it without Him.

This is hard.

It requires a huge shift in thinking.

Erika Kirk lost her husband in the most horrendous way because of his faith in Jesus.

His death and her response made Jesus’ name high and great in the eyes of the entire world.

Yes, this is hard

But Erika is getting to see a compassion and kindness from the Lord

She’s getting to see His power and might using Charlie and her lives to change the world.

She’s learning lessons that we can’t even think of.

As hard as it is for us to receive, the Lord is teaching her through this insanely hard time.

And the Lord is teaching us in our insanely hard times

He’s driving us deeper and deeper into His arms - that’s where the peace is found.

Hebrews 12:8 “If you are left without [teaching], in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”

Hebrews 12:9 “Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who [taught] us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?”

Hebrews 12:10 “For they [taught] us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he [teaches] us for our good, that we may share his holiness.”

Two things quick - these few verses should be an entire sermon on my parents, and specifically fathers, should be teaching their children.

Actively engaged - working daily to teach your children how to live.

Do you hear the convicting words, parents?

If you do not actively teach your children, then you are treating your children as illegitimate children.

That’s a giant ouch there.

Secondly, here is the big “why am I having to fight through this hard time?”

“…that we may share his holiness.”

The word share is a compound word made up of two words - one means with, the other means receive.

The picture this paints for me, is the Father is teaching me, so that with Jesus, I will receive His holiness.

I received Jesus saving holiness when I repented and trusted Jesus.

But I am receiving a different holiness here - this is the holiness that teaches me to act like Jesus.

Hebrews 12:11 “For the moment all [teaching] seems painful rather than pleasant,” ya think?

“but later”

Remember what we said about time, it is our enemy but it is also our friend.

And with time we can see that the “[the Lord’s teaching] yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12:12–13 “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.”

This made zero sense to me until I found out it is a quote from Isaiah 35:3-10.

Just like Jesus was sending us to Psalm 22 on the cross said, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me”

The Pastor is sending us to Isaiah 35 because Isaiah 35 is a song really about how a Big and High God loves and rescues His people.

Earl Bonds read this for us earlier - this is why he read it.

God is teaching each of us that out of our hardships will come unimaginable blessing.

That’s so hard to accept, but when we do accept it, it changes everything.

That this is going to be a blessing when this is all over.

Hebrews 12:14–17 “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 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; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. 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.”

These last three verses don’t deserve to be neglected like we are doing right now because time is short.

Simply, they are saying work hard to help everyone in the church to stay the course.

That “root of bitterness” thing is a quote from Deuteronomy 29, saying don’t let anything grow, no idolatry, whatever would take your eyes off of Jesus’ mission and put your eyes somewhere else, don’t let that happen and don’t let that remain.

And the Pastor ends this with a repeated warning - God will not put up with faithlessness forever.

If you aren’t all in for Him and you fall away - the Pastor has said it at least twice.

Hebrews 3:12 ESV

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

Hebrews 10:26–27 ESV

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Brothers and sisters,

I’m not encouraging you to dance and sing through the hardest times of your lives.

Instead, you might be like Erika Kirk, through gasping breath and tears, saying, “I forgive the man who killed my husband.”

We are called on to endure hard times.

Don’t let the hard times make you bitter.

Instead, understand that the Father is teaching us to be like Jesus so that one day, not that long from now, we will live with Him, face to face, forever.

Dear unbelieving friend,

Today the Lord has presented you with the real gospel calling.

The Lord is not calling you to a salvation of health and wealth and ease of life.

The Lord is calling you to follow His Suffering Servant Jesus wherever Jesus might lead your life.

He’s calling you to a higher purpose than good food, lots of fun and wonderfully amusing experiences.

He’s calling you to a trek.

Kill your old life.

Give it up - that’s what repent means.

Give it up.

Admit to the Father that you need Him to save you

And commit your life to following Jesus regardless.

And just this too - when you die - and you surely will

All of the things you’ve sacrificed so much for to possess and put in banks and storage units will be left for someone else to pilfer.

But those things that God walked you through - those go with you.

We’re going to pray and then sing.

I’ll be down here waiting for you to come talk to me about Jesus.

The altar is always open if you’d like to come for a special time of prayer.

Let’s pray.