It's for your own good
It’s for your own good.
Heb 12:1-13
Text: “for whom the lord loveth he chaseneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth: vs. 6
Introduction: I wonder sometimes why bad things happen to nice people. Good people. Godly people. People like you here today at St John. Folk that love the lord, are trying to do right, trying to live right, and for whatever reason bad things happen. For whatever reason:
- Folk get sick and seems like they just can’t get well
- For whatever reason death knocks on their door
- Folk lose their jobs
- Families fall apart
- Spouses aren’t on one accord
- Kids are disrespectful and are out of control
The list could go on and on….I’m not talking about the bad guys. I’m not talking about gangsters, murderers or sex offenders. I’m not talking about folk that are living riotous lives and worldly lifestyles. No I’m talking today about church folk. I’m talking about those that are born again; dug up by the gospel plow, saved sanctified and set aside for the use of the master. And so I wondered why a loving, merciful God would allow bad things to happen in the lives of his children. And so I got tired of wondering in my mind (the brother testified last week he said his best thinking got him in trouble) so I decided to stop thinking and to go to the word for my answers. Cause you do know that God has already spoken to every issue, every question, every concern that you or I can phantom in his word. He does say that his word that is all scripture is good (profitable) for doctrine, reproof, for correction, and instruction in righteousness. (2Tim 3:16)
And so the word of God said to me” that when seemingly bad things happen to us it is for our own good”. And so that’s what I want to talk about this Sunday morning I want to use for a subject“it’s for your own good”. Are yall going to pray with me?
In our reading today we find ourselves in chapter 12 of the book of Hebrews. But in order to understand chapter 12 we need to put it into perspective. So we look at it in light of chap 11 the previous chapter. Some of us have come to know chap 11 as the role call of the heroes of faith. The writer opens this chap by saying“ faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.” He then goes on to list those that have died, but refused to waiver in their faith. He starts with Able and concludes by saying that time would not permit him to name all of them that had gone on in the faith. He surmises by calling them a cloud of witnesses.
And saints you and I need to know that not only do we have the biblical cloud of witnesses. No some of us have mothers and fathers. We have grand parents and great grand parents that have been faithful to God unto the end. They have never waivered in their faith. The went through slavery, racism, segregation, Jim Crowism. They got maced with gas, hosed with water, and attacked by dogs. Some paid the ultimate sacrifice by being lynched, but they never wavered in their faith.
And I’m sure they wondered why. They wondered why God would allow them to suffer some of the hardships, trials and tribulations. And so you and I today are in good company, we are surrounded by this great cloud of witnesses.
Points
God allows you and I to go through some stuff, because he loves us. Vs. 6 and our lesson text says “for whom he loveth he chaseneth”. The Greek word here for chaseneth is (paideia) means to educate or to train. By implication it also means to discipline.
I can remember when I was a boy and my parents would chasten me when I did something wrong. Actually they would whip me. But it wasn’t until years later when I was older that I understood that what they did was because they loved me. They trained me, they corrected me, they instructed me, because they wanted me to be somebody. Somebody that would earn the respect and trust of others in the world that they knew I had to face. In others world they chastened me for my benefit. Likewise the lord does the same.
Vs. 10 says “for they verily (our earthly parents) chaseneth us for a few days. But he (the lord) for our profit.
The lord chastened us that we might profit from it. In other words God doesn’t allow us to grow through something for no reason. It’s for our profit. Well pastor how do I profit from losing my job? How do I profit from lying in my sick bed. How do I profit from a failed relationship. How do I profit from a financial meltdown? How do I profit from my children being out of control?
And the spirit of God says to me—you and I profit
because:
Now I’m thankful and grateful for the next job that I get and I won’t treat it lightly
Now I’m thankful for the portion of health that I do have
Now I appreciate that person that God has put into my life
Now I spend my money wisely and not frivolously on stuff I don’t need
Now I can be empathetic when someone else is going through with their kids
And because now I’m more thankful, now I’m more forgiving, now I’m more loving, now I’m more understanding, now I can be a partaker of his holiness!!!
Vs. 10 the c clause says” that we might be partakers of his holiness”. He chastens us that we might be partakers of his holiness. God wants you and I to be holy. Because he is holy!!
But the truth be told we don’t want to holy, we want to go to heaven, but we don’t want to be chastened. And the only way to be holy is for the lord to chaseneth us. Remember it means to educate us, to instruct us; to discipline us. Vs. 11 says no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.” Its not fun to be chastened!!!
When my parents were whipping me, I can remember them saying this hurt me as much as it hurt you. But you’re going to take this whipping. I know you don’t understand it, don’t like it, and I know it hurts. But it’s going to make you better—not bitter!!!
So then the lord chaseneth us for our profit, he chaseneth us that we may be partakers of his holiness, and lastly he chaseneth us that we might yield the peaceable fruit of his righteousness.
Vs. 11 the last verse says “nevertheless afterward (after chastening) it yeildeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby”.
As I close this Sunday morning what I’ve been trying to say St John is to hold on and to hold out. Whatever it is that you are going through just know that God is allowing it and that you and I might obtain peace of his righteousness in this life that we live. He wants you and I, his son’s and his daughters to yield that is to produce peaceful fruit of his righteousness. Because we’ve been trained, because we’ve been disciplined, because we’ve been taught, because we’ve been corrected, by the master himself.
So I don’t know about you. But I’m learning how to thank the lord for my trials. Cause when they come I know its because he loves me. And what ever he allows to happen in my life its for my own good.
Now I know and understand why Paul could say “that all things work for the good of those that love the lord and are called according to his purpose. If you love the lord, then what ever comes your way its for your good. So all of that stuff:
All of those folk that use you and abuse you
Call you out of your name
All of those that are jealous of you and envious of you
All of those heartaches and setbacks
All that God allows to happen to you and to me is for our own good.
I know that it don’t feel good
I know that it don’t taste good
But I know it’s for my profit
It’s so I can partake of his holiness
It’s so I can yield his peaceable fruit of his righteousness’ right here on this earth
Until he call me home or come back for his church Make it plain preacher
I can love folk that don’t love me back
I can forgive folk that have done me wrong
I can be kind to folk that treat me mean
I can be joyful
I can be the peacemaker and not the hell raiser
And the good news about the lord is this
Even though he allows me to go through some stuff
He doesn’t let me go at it alone
He’s a very present help in the time of trouble
He’s my rock, my sword, my shield, while he’s making me better.
Say yeah, say yeah. Say amen!!!