Discipline
Uncovering Faith - A Study of Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted
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· 4 viewsRemind yourself of the discipline to life from God, our Father. He is able to use every situation (all things) for our good.
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Introduction
Introduction
New Wine
New Wine
In the crushing, in the pressing You are making new wine! What a picture…NEW WINE!!! Don’t we need new wine, a new move of God, an outpouring of His Spirit, an awakening, revival!!! Yes God, give us new wine!
Don’t we need the new wine of God, a new move, an outpouring of Holy Spirit, an awakening, a revival in our marriages, in our familes, in our finances, in our careers, in our hurts, and in our habits, and in our hangups. Yes God, give us new wine!
But let’s pay close attention to the words…it says
“In the crushing...
...In the pressing...”
You are making new wine!
The grapes can’t stay intact if wine is to be produced…the way wine is made is that all the grapes are pressed and crushed, broken…in biblical times people would get into a winepress and crush the grapes with their feet, or later times a beam-press would be used to press down on the grapes in the winepress or vat, which in turn releases the grape juice…PRESSURE IS APPLIED!!!
THIS IS INTENTIONAL!!! The grapes have no choice here…IT IS THE PROCESS!!!
There are times when we choose transformation and change, BUT then there are times when God works transformation in us, and it’s not our choosing :)
You see God is not going to come down and transform us, but here’s what He often does, He uses life’s circumstances, the pressure and challenge of hardship and trial, and dissapointment, and closed doors, and defeat to change us...
You see God often uses life’s circumstances, the pressure and challenge of hardship and trial, and dissapointment, and closed doors, and defeat to change us...
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Winepress
A sunken area (Jgs 6:11) into which the grape harvest was thrown, to be trodden with bare feet amid shouts of joy and traditional vintage worksongs (Jer 48:33; cf. Is 65:8).
You see it is brokeness, a brokeness to ourselves, a broken before God, a total and utter dependancy on Him that brings forth wine, or transformation, brings forth the anointing, brings forth a move of God, both individually and collectively.
And as individuals
Wine A Symbol Of Transformation. Wine traditionally is the central symbol for transformation. ... The process of winemaking is that of transformation, a result of breaking wholes into parts and integrating parts into wholes, grapes into wine.
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Winepress
A sunken area (Jgs 6:11) into which the grape harvest was thrown, to be trodden with bare feet amid shouts of joy and traditional vintage worksongs (Jer 48:33; cf. Is 65:8).
In ancient times wine was a prized trade item, but more importantly it was considered to have medicinal benefit. In the temple, wine was used for the sick and the poor. In the parable of the good Samaritan in , the bible says the Samaritan used his own olive oil and wine to apply to the wounds of the injured man he encounterd on the way to Jericho.
The young boy who is suffering physical, emotional and sexual abuse
The homeless woman on the street
The
What about the wounded and injured in our world?
The injured and the wounded are waiting...
Give examples
But before we all rush out to BWS, Thirsty Camel or Dan Murphy’s states
And don’t get drunk with wine, which is rebellion; instead be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
m
It’s the symbolism of wine and the process of wine making that we’re talking about…wine representing the transformative outpouring of Holy Spirit in every aspect of our personal lives, impacting peoples and cultures around us...
This is what the author of Hebrews is communicating to his audience in Hebrews chapter 12. They’re facing hardship, they find themselves in the winepress as it were, and are facing resistance from the governing authorities, they’re suffering persecution.
And so he encourages them to:
Hold in view the great cloud of witnesses, and their stories of persecution and struggle, as encouragement of God’s faithfulness
Rid themselves of every weight and run the race
Fix their eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of faith
who endured the cross
who endured hostility
so they won’t grow weary and give up
Scipture Reading
Scipture Reading
Let’s pick the story up at verse 4 of Hebrews chapter 12
You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood as you struggle against sin.
And have you completely forgotten the exhortation which instructs you as sons? “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or give up when you are corrected by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves, and punishes every son whom he accepts.”
Endure it for discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline?
But if you are without discipline, in which all legitimate sons have become participants, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
Furthermore, we have had our earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Will we not much rather subject ourselves to the Father of spirits and live?
For they disciplined us for a few days according to what seemed appropriate to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we can have a share in his holiness.
Now all discipline seems for the moment not to be joyful but painful, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it.
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Heb 12:
What's the back story here?
What the back story here?
Start with the back story...
It’s so easy to be overwhelmed, and to lose perspective when we are in the midst of crisis, easy to be enveloped in our circumstances, the hopelessness of tragedy, or dissapointment. When everything around us seems to be falling apart, marriage, family, career, business, friendships, finances. We lose sight of purpose and direction....
Like a pilot navigating his aircraft through a storm, we no longer see the horison or we are no longer able to gauge where we are in relation to the ground, and we begin to trust our own subjective physical and emotional sensations. Any pilot will tell you in those situations that it is important to trust the instruments.
Trust the intrumentation dashboard i.e. the artificial horizon, turn and bank indicator, altimeter, tachometer, airspeed indicator, gyroscopic compass, and radio beam receivers -- were all reliable and can be trusted.
This is exactly what the author is doing - he is pointing his audience back to the instruction manual of life!!! He reminds them:
You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood as you struggle against sin.
Whereas chapter 12 starts out in verse 1 with an athletic metaphor of a race “...run with patient endurance the race that has been set before us.”
Here the imagery changes from a race to a boxing/wrestling...facing an opponent.
An event that combined wrestling and boxing with kicking, strangling, and twisting limbs.
Imagery that paints the picture of a physical encounter, and the truth of the situation in this chapter is that some of the members of the community in the book of Hebrews have experienced physical abuse, suffered violence, BUT NOT martyrdom like the some of the saints in or Jesus on the cross for our sins. The sin referred to here points to those who’s opposing Christianity, who’s opposing the community of saints in Rome.
an event that combined wrestling and boxing with kicking, strangling, and twisting limbs
What about our Christianity here in Australia? What adversity do we face in our own lives?
And so in light of these circumstances, the author starts pointing the community of believers, who find themselves embroyled in persecution and hardship, back to the instruction manual!
Have you forgotten...
Have you forgotten...
Have the right perspective
Have the right perspective
He tells them to:
Have you lost your perspective???
Talk about our move to Australia - how the door closed for a job opportunity in Sydney, which left us hanging for three months…we wanted to go back and ask for our old jobs, then God said for us to wait, that He is in control and that He is calling us to Australia.
Remember
Remember
And have you completely forgotten the exhortation which instructs you as sons? “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or give up when you are corrected by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves, and punishes every son whom he accepts.”
Heb
Have you lost your perspective???
Have you forgotten????
That God is dealing with you as sons and daughters?
That sonship and discipline/suffering is connected?
Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?
The reality is the path of life is not always smooth and easy! Our walk of faith is not always easy.
Jesus says that we will have trouble in this life...
And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!”
john 16:
Ps Phil talked about the marathon or long distance runner last week, and they train themselves bearing in mind that there’s a very good chance that they’ll hit a mental wall in their run, where the race seems impossible, too long, too hard, when their bodies will feel like quiting, but every runner also knows if they just keeping putting one foot in front of the other, that a biochemical phenomenon called the second wind will kick in…and it’s like they get their energy back and they’re refreshed and can run the rest of their race well...
Ps Phil talked about the marathon or long distance runner last week, and they train themselves bearing in mind that there’s a very good chance that they’ll hit a mental wall in their run, where the race seems impossible, too long, too hard, when their bodies will feel like quiting, but every runner also knows if they just keeping putting one foot in front of the other, that a biochemical phenomenon called the second wind will kick in…and it’s like they get their energy back and they’re refreshed and can run the rest of their race well...
Remember...
Remember...
BUT CHRISTIANS ARE NOT MEANT TO SUFFER HARDSHIP!!! DIDN’T WE BECOME CHRISTIANS TO ESCAPE HARDSHIP!!!
Ps Phil talked about the marathon or long distance runner last week, and they train themselves bearing in mind that there’s a very good chance that they’ll hit a mental wall in their run, where the race seems impossible, too long, too hard, when their bodies will feel like quiting, but every runner also knows if they just keeping putting one foot in front of the other, that a biochemical phenomenon called the second wind will kick in…and it’s like they get their energy back and they’re refreshed and can run the rest of their race well...
And it’s like they get their energy back and they’re refreshed and can run the rest of their race well
I believe God is going to give some people a second wind today…stength renewed, hope restored, joy overflowing, peace and rest in every circumnstance...
“…which instructs you as SONS/DAUGHTERS?”
That God is dealing with you as sons and daughters?
In verse verse 5-6 of this chapter, the author is qouting a passage in Proverbs
In verse verse 5-6 of this chapter, the author is qouting a passage in Proverbs
That God is at work in you
That God is at work in you, even in the midst of hardship and trials
That God is at work in you
My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction;
For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
And have you completely forgotten the exhortation which instructs you as sons? “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or give up when you are corrected by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves, and punishes every son whom he accepts.”
Heb
Prov 3:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
If you read the preceding verses 9-10 we are told to honour God during prosperity, while verses 11-12 train us to honour God in the midst of adversity.
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.
Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
or give up when you are corrected by him.
This is what the believers in Rome lost sight of and why they became “...weary in their souls and wanted to give up” vv.3
6 For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves,
Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered,
They are being instructed by God, God is using their hardship as a means of discipline...
The reality is the path of life is not always smooth and easy! Our walk of faith is not always easy.
Jesus says that we will have trouble in this life...
and punishes every son whom he accepts.”
I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”
John
Take heart!
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
But why discipline?
Discipline used in
A couple of things about God’s discipline - translated from the Greek word “paideia” or “instruction”
It is not punitive, i.e. we are not being punished, instead discipline here is:
training and testing the listeners so that they develop a greater capacity for endurance
training and testing the listeners so that they develop a greater capacity for endurance
Training and testing the listeners so that they develop a greater capacity for endurance
Theory and practice, preparation and testing. Those who are subject to discipline or “paideia” are equipped with certain abilities, then placed in situations where their abilities are tested
Instruction includes training, and training includes the equipping that helps people meet a challenge.
God’s discipline or instruction is only for his children
Keep in mind that the Lord your God has been disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
Dt 8:
He disciplines every son and daughter
We are legitimate sons when we are disciplined by God
It is a sign of God’s love
Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
He delights in you
Brings maturity of character
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Proves the genuiness of our faith
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
We share in God’s holiness
Yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness
We are to embrace God’s discipline
The right response
The right response
1. My son, do not make light of, or despise the Lord’s discipline
Watch out for bitterness, anger and resentment
Just as some children foolishly resist parental discipline, we are warned not to ‘reject the discipline of the Lord, or loathe his reproof’ (v. 11). Some professing Christians become bitter and even angry with God when they endure physical and emotional pain.
Example of Joseph...
Do not give up
2. “…or give up when you are corrected by Him”
Do not give up
Endure it for discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline?
Others are tempted to despair, wallowing in their misery. Instead, we should remember that we are children in whom our heavenly Father delights (v. 12b) and that he is sovereignly allowing us to suffer because he loves us
Endure it
Newheiser, J. (2008). Opening up Proverbs (p. 65). Leominster: Day One Publications.Endure it
3. Endure
Endure it for discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline?
Jas
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?
If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.
Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
We are God’s legitimate children
The Epistle to the Hebrews F. Discipline is for Sons (12:4–11)
A father would spend much care and patience on the upbringing of a trueborn son whom he hoped to make a worthy heir; and at the time such a son might have to undergo much more irksome discipline than an illegitimate child for whom no future of honor and responsibility was envisaged, and who therefore might be left more or less to please himself.
A father would spend much care and patience on the upbringing of a trueborn son whom he hoped to make a worthy heir; and at the time such a son might have to undergo much more irksome discipline than an illegitimate child for whom no future of honor and responsibility was envisaged, and who therefore might be left more or less to please himself.
God is better than our earthly fathers
God is better than our earthly fathers
God is better than our earthly fathers
And it happened that while traveling toward Jerusalem, he was passing through the region between Samaria and Galilee.
Therefore if you, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?
And he answered and said, “Elijah indeed is coming, and will restore all things.
4. Count it all joy
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Consider it all joy, my brothers, whenever you encounter various trials,
Rom 5:3-4
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
in which you rejoice greatly, although now for a short time, if necessary, you are distressed by various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith, more valuable than gold that is passing away, but is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
in which you rejoice greatly, although now for a short time, if necessary, you are distressed by various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith, more valuable than gold that is passing away, but is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,
in which you rejoice greatly, although now for a short time, if necessary, you are distressed by various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith, more valuable than gold that is passing away, but is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
God’s discipline produces
God’s discipline produces
1. Holiness
They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
Heb
We are the people of God, we are His. God’s discipline is meant to produce God’s character in us.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
The peaceful fruit of righteousness
God’s
2. The peaceful fruit of righteousness
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
“…for those who have been trained by it” Learn and be trained in your season of adversity…pay attention!!! Suffering has to be accepted in the right spirit for it to yield a harvest.
Look at the nation of Israel in the wilderness…their response to their testing was not acceptable, and they did not inherit the promise, they did not see the harvest of their obedience, rather they suffered the consequences of their disobedience and stubborness...