The Christology of Our Sonship: Seeing the Discipline in My Suffering

Introduction/Review:

What have we learned:

Jesus is the Eternal and Exalted Son who is Superior to the Prophets and Angels ()

Jesus Is the Son of Man who brings back to our former glory lost in the garden of Eden ()

Jesus is our High Priest who can be touched by our struggle with temptation. (, ).

Jesus is our high priestly Sacrifice who died one time for all time ()

Jesus is the Suffering Son ()

Thesis:

Since we are sons of God, we must understand not only how to suffer, but why we suffer, which is to be disciplined by God. Discipline is not always punishment, but intended to bring forth a righteous lifestyle.

Main Text:

Hebrews 12:5–11 NASB95

and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Lesson Outline:

Lesson Outline:

I. The Context:

I. The Context:

A. The context is practical exhorting Christians to remain Faithful by looking back at the cloud of witnesses and looking/ fixing our eyes on Jesus. (Notice examples of faith and )

B. It is important to pay attention to examples of faith as a testimony of how they survived crisis so that we can be encouraged in our crisis

C. sits in a that section of the book of Hebrews that is less doctrinal and focuses on practical Christianity. Ultimately the author is encourages to put faith to practice through an intentional commitment to never leave Christ.

II. The Contest (12:1–4)

The Contest (12:1–4)

A. The race (12:1): We are to faithfully run the spiritual race God has marked out for each of us.

B. The role model (12:2–3)

1. Who he is (12:2a): We are to fix our eyes on Jesus, the start and finish of our faith.

2. What he did (12:2b–3): He endured the opposition of sinners and died on the cross.

3. Why he did it (12:2c): Because of the joy he knew would be his, the accomplishment of our salvation.

4. Where he is now (12:2d): At God’s right hand.

III. The Chastening (12:5–13): Divine discipline is the theme of this passage.

A. The relationship (12:7b–10)

1. The disciplinarian (12:9–10): The heavenly Father himself.

2. The disciplined (12:7b–8): All believers. As earthly fathers discipline their children, so the heavenly Father disciplines his children.

B. The reminder (12:5a): The readers have forgotten Solomon’s words concerning this in .

C. The reaction (12:5b–5c, 7a): Believers are urged to respond positively to discipline.

1. Negative reactions (12:5b–5c)

a. “Don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you” (12:5b).

b. “Don’t be discouraged when he corrects you” (12:5c).

2. Positive reaction (12:7a): “Remember that God is treating you as his own children.”

D. The reasons (12:6)

1. To prove we are his children (12:6b)

2. To prove his love (12:6a)

E. The rewards (12:11)

1. Discipline produces righteousness (12:11b).

2. Discipline produces peace (12:11a).

F. The renewal (12:12–13)

1. “Take a new grip with your tired hands and stand firm on your shaky legs” (12:12).

2. “Mark out a straight path for your feet” (12:13).

Conclusion:

Studying through this section is designed to aid us with the “why” question. So many people have difficulty navigating the “why” and ultimately are discouraged. Sometimes, christians abandon their faith because there is no clarity concerning “why” in their minds. However, we know that God loves us and shapes our character through suffering. It is through our struggle that God brings forth the fruits of righteousness.