The Benefits of Receiving and Heeding God’s Discipline

Introduction|

Attention:

For just a moment, I want you to think back to your childhood. As you are thinking about your childhood, I want you to recall a time that your parent corrected you. Now, let me ask you a simple question: why did your mother or father discipline you for doing wrong?

Background:

God used many different ways to correct and discipline his people (e.g., the sea and storm in Jonah, the earth and animals of nature, etc.). However, we discover three main methods and means of correction in the Bible. In the Old Testament, God used three means to correct and discipline his people: 1) the law (), 2) the Spirit (), and 3) the prophets who proclaimed the revelation of God as guided by the Spirit of God (, , etc.). In the New Testament, God uses three means to correct and discipline his people: 1) the Scriptures (, , and ), 2) the Spirit (), and 3) the servants who proclaim God’s message of revelation (the recorded word and the revealed Word—Jesus) with the help of God’s Spirit (). As New Testament believers, we have been redeemed by the work of Christ upon the cross of Calvary. When Christ died on the cross, he ultimately paid for our sins with his precious blood. We receive the forgiveness of our sin by believing in Christ’s finished work and repenting our of sin. At that moment, the Holy Spirit took up residence in our hearts. Now, the Spirit of God is at work in our hearts and minds trying to make us more like Jesus () through the process of sanctification ( and ). One of the aspects of sanctification is the correction and discipline of the Lord as He, through the Spirit and the Scriptures, seeks to make us more like Jesus.

Need Element:

Because God loves us, He corrects us and discipline us. Sometimes, God’s discipline hurts. If we are not careful, we can become hard towards God’s correction and discipline. Job reminds us not to despise “the discipline of the Almighty” (). We need to remember that God corrects us because He loves us (, , and ).

Textual Idea: 

Solomon reminds his son that God corrects his followers from a heart of love. 

Big Idea:

God corrects us because He loves us!

Interrogative:

How should we respond to God’s correction? 

Outline|

I. We shouldn’t reject His discipline but receive it (vv. 11-12)

Explanation:

Solomon says to his beloved son: “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (, KJV). I want to draw your attention to the first portion of Solomon’s instructions—“despise not the chastening of the Lord.” The word despise denotes the idea of rejecting something or avoiding something. An interesting fact is that this word in the original text suggests an act of the will—a choice. Solomon urges his son not to reject the discipline of the Lord. The word chastening means disciples, correction, or even instruction. Solomon calls his Son to accept God’s discipline by reminding his of God’s motivation for discipline and correction—a loving relationship. The Bible says: “For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (, KJV). God corrects us because we are his children.

God told his people: “thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee” ().

In the New Testament, God reminds us that his discipline is a sign of our relationship with Him.

reads: “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” (ESV).  

Illustration:

Discipline is not God’s way of saying, “I’m through with you,” or a mark of abandonment by him. Rather, it is the loving act of God to bring you back. C. S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures; he speaks to us in our work; he shouts at us in our pain.” Every one of us knows that there have been times when we would not listen to God or pay any attention to what his Word was saying, until finally he used a severe discipline to get our attention so that we would listen.

Argumentation:

What happens when we reject God’s discipline?

The rejection of God’s discipline leads to a place of brokenness. However, if you haven’t experienced the correction of God, I want to encourage you to examine your heart, mind, and soul. A lack of correction might mean a lack of regeneration.

says: “If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (ESV). 

What happens when we receive God’s discipline? 

When we listen to God’s correction, it brings us to a place of repentance.

Jesus reminds the Church at Laodicea: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” ().

When we repent of our sin and receive God’s correction, it leads to a place of blessedness.

The author of Psalms says: “Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity until the pit be digged for the wicked” (

Application:

The discipline of God is a reminder of His love and his relationship with you. As believers living in the age of grace, God uses His word and Spirit to confront, convict, and, correct you of your sin. When the Spirit of God whispers a word of correction, God reminds us of his love for us and our relationship with Him. When the Word of God confronts, convicts, and corrects us, God tells us of his love for us and our relationship with Him. When God corrects you in love, you are given a choice—you can receive it, or you can reject it. When you are confronted, convicted, and corrected by the Spirit or the Word, you should respond with repentance and not rebellion. I want to encourage you to not despise “the discipline of the Almighty” (, ESV).  

II. We shouldn’t hate His discipline but heed it (vv. 11-12)

Explanation:

Next, I want to draw your attention to the next phrase—“neither be weary of his correction.” One translation says: “do not loathe his rebuke” (NET Bible). The word weary can mean of a couple of things: 1) it can suggest a feeling of loathing, 2) a sickening feeling, 3) a feeling of disgust, or 4) a feeling of detest. Solomon urges his son to not find the reproof of God as detestable. The word correction is an educational term for reprimanding someone by instructing them. Solomon begs his son not to loathe the correction of the Lord. When this happens, we allow God’s correction “to completely estrange us from him.” Instead, we must remember that God corrects us because He loves us and wants the best for us! Once again, the Bible says: “For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (, KJV). When Christ died on the cross, the love of God was displayed to the world. The Bible says: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (, ESV). Because of the righteousness of Christ made accessible to us through Jesus Christ, God has brought us into His family. Now, God has transformed our lives through the gospel and continues to transform us into the image of His Son (). When we experience his correction, we must heed it instead of hating it.

Illustration:

A boy’s toy boat went out of reach on a pond one day and started floating away. A man on the side began throwing rocks at the boat, and the boy became horrified at what might happen. But then he realized that the stones were going over the boat and making ripples that finally pushed the boat back to shore and into the boy’s hands. Many times, when we stray away from God, it appears that he is throwing rocks at us. But he is really using the ripples to bring us back home.

Argumentation:

How can we heed God’s correction?

We should listen to God’s correction by responding with repentance.

Jesus says to us: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (, ESV).

The manifesto of God’s love ought to bring us to a place of repentance and zeal.

Application:

The discipline of God is a reminder of His love and his relationship with you. As believers living in the age of grace, God uses His word and Spirit to confront, convict, and, correct you of your sin. When God confronts, convicts, and corrects you, we should listen to the Spirit of God and the Word of God at work in our hearts. Instead of getting mad, you should be thankful that God loves us enough to correct and discipline us. Tonight, I want to encourage you to respond to the Lord’s correction with an attitude of gratitude for God’s love, mercy, and grace.

Conclusion/Application|

Visualization:

As we consider this truth, It reminds me of David. God describes David as “a man after my heart” (). While David was a man after God’s heart, he was also a man who messed up when he committed adultery with another man’s wife. In , God sends the prophet Nathen to David. God used his servant to discipline the famous King of Israel. 

Action:

As we consider , we are reminded of God’s love for us as His children. When you experience the discipline of God, you are told of two critical facts: 1) God loves you, and 2) you have a relationship with the Lord. However, when we are confronted and disciplined by the Lord, we should respond in repentance to His discipline and correction (). 

Appeal:

So, tonight, I want to invite you to respond to the Lord by asking Him to forgive you and help you. Maybe, you have been disciplined by the Lord lately. I want to encourage you to thank Him for this simple reminder that you belong to Him!