Hebrews 12, 2007
Pentecost 13 (Proper 16), August 26, 2007
Hebrews 12:4–24 (25–29)
“Our Daddy’s Discipline”
Boys and girls, men an women, children of all ages, this morning we’re going to talk about something none of us likes, getting in trouble. We all have gotten in trouble for doing something wrong, haven’t we? Has anyone here, adult included, ever been in trouble with Mom or Dad? What did you get in trouble for?
When I was little, I got in trouble. One of the ways my parents disciplined me was by spanking me. I’ll never forget hearing what my dad would tell me before he spanked me. He’d say, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.” It sounded silly then and frankly it stills sounds silly. What did he mean? Well, it means that parents don’t like to punish their children; it makes them sad to do it. It hard fo them to do, at least it is supposed to be. But when I was young and preparing to be spanked I wanted to say, “Let’s trade places, and we’ll see who hurts more.”
Today in our sermon, we’re going to talk about two similar things that are actually different: discipline and punishment. Does anyone know the difference between discipline and punishment? Discipline is always given by the parent with the intent of correcting a child’s behavior. It has the future in mind, as the hope is that with this correction, we will live a more disciplined life. In this kind of discipline, more often than not, we don’t really get what we deserve for what we did. That’s how God disciplines us—not to hurt us, but to correct us, to lead us to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. He always does it with our future in mind. He doesn’t give us what we really deserve.
Punishment is different. Punishment is all about getting exactly what you deserve. When God sent Jesus to the cross, he sent him there to punish him. Why would God do that? Why did Jesus have to go to the cross? Jesus went to the cross to be punished for the sins you and I have done. He suffered for every sin you and I have ever done. Was this fair? It may not seem that way, but it was. This is the reason that Jesus came to earth, to take our punishment because we could never bear to take it ourselves.
Sermon
Introduction: Our God punished Jesus, on the cross, for our sins. Our God disciplines us to correct us and guide us when we stray from Him. Today we’ll see three things about God’s discipline: first, we know who our heavenly Father is because he disciplines us; second, his discipline of us doesn’t come close to what he put his own Son through at the cross; third, because of the cross, we know we are a part of God’s family.
First, this question: "When, why, and how does the Lord God discipline us when we sin?" The Lord's discipline is an often ignored fact of life for believers. We don’t understand it but we should. When we sin, there are often consequences that cause us trouble. These consequences can be physical, emotional or even spiritual. When we face these troubles we often complain about our circumstances without realizing that they are the consequences of our own sin, and are a part of the Lord's discipline for that sin. For example, you are caught speeding. Yes you may blame the police officer for giving you a ticket. But you shouldn’t think of it that way. Rather as the officer hands you the ticket, rather you should consider it the hand of God. Just as the hand of a parent disciplining children is the hand of God and the voice that speaks words of correction is really the mouth of God. God disciplines us through human and physical means. Of course, God can and does discipline us directly as he allows our conscious to be burdened and even overwhelmed. His Holy Spirit can and does recall God Word of law to condemn us. Still, all of God’s discipline is aimed at us in an effort to bring us back to Him, to ask for forgiveness, to believe that Jesus was punished for our sins on the cross, and to believe that for His sake we are truly forgiven and commanded to live lives that are embraced by God’s grace.
God’s discipline is not to be confused with cold-hearted punishment. The Lord's discipline is a response of His love for us, and His desire for each of us to be holy. Consider Hebrews 12:5-7 (NLT), "And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, 'My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.' As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined?" God will use testing, trials, and various predicaments to bring us back to Him in repentance. The result of this discipline is a stronger faith and renewed relationship with Him.
Still, because of the hardness of our hearts, often we reject God’s discipline and try to carry on in our own merry way. Continued unrepentant sin, habitual sin, or "severe" sin is often dealt with more severely. A person may not loose eternal life freely given in Jesus Christ, however, they might not be on earth for very long! Consider again the case of the speeding ticket. OK, you have the ticket in hand, pay the fine and continue speeding. Another day and another ticket, this time you see the judge, more fines. You keep on speeding, another day and another ticket, another judge, a day in jail, insurance rates double and double again. Then one more day, in one more fast car, with one wrong move, a crash with injuries and death. So it is for persistent and unrepentant sin. Sin has consequences. Over and over in scripture we see that severe sin can and does lead to death. We might even recall the story of story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, where their unrepentant sin resulted in death. This is extreme, but definitely something to consider.
The Lord's discipline works for our own good, that He might be glorified with our lives. He wants us to be holy, 1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT), "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God-who chose you to be his children-is holy. For He Himself has said, 'You must be holy because I am holy.'" If we sin without repentance we can expect to be disciplined. The hardship of discipline, however, is like a diamond in the rough, for we will be refined and strengthened. God leads us to be His people and He makes us what we are, His children. James 1:2-4, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
We know who our heavenly Father is because he disciplines us. God’s discipline is often misinterpreted. One of the biggest reasons we misinterpret God’s discipline is because of the experience we have had with our earthly fathers. Their discipline was and is often imperfect at best. There are times when we have been punished unfairly. But there are also times we got away with some things without being punished.
Unfortunately many people see God only as a judge who is more than ready to condemn and punish. We have all heard people say God is going to get you for that. Sometimes we feel that way. If we are honest with ourselves, if we truly understand our own sins, we cannot help but come to the conclusion that God is mad at me. When we understand this we can’t help but conclude that we deserve God’s anger, wrath and punishment. The truth is that our sins deserve that! We don’t deserve correction—we deserve his wrath and punishment, both in this lifetime and for all eternity. Our sins deserve not discipline, but punishment. Sin, in any amount, any way (thought, word, or deed), deserves not discipline but eternal wrath and punishment. That’s why Jesus came! Through His blood shed on the cross, our sins are forgiven—all of them, once and for all. The cross shows our heavenly Father’s love. Our sins are laid on Jesus rather than us, and because of Jesus, we are given what we do not deserve: forgiveness, life, and salvation in his name. Just as Moses stepped in between God and the people at Mount Sinai, so Jesus is the mediator (the one who stands between us and God).
Through the cross, we are assured that we are a part of God’s family and he is our Father. Because of what Jesus did at the cross, we become a part of God’s family. Through Him, by faith in Him, we are assured that God is not mad at us, He is not angry with us, He loves us even as He disciplines us. We become a part of the family of God through Holy Baptism. In Baptism, we are connected to the cross and the blood Jesus shed there through water and the Word of God. At the font, we receive the forgiveness of our sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and are adopted as sons of God (Gal 4:4–6) In Holy Communion, our heavenly Father continues to provide for us with Christ’s true body and blood in the bread and wine, giving us in it forgiveness and endurance—strength to live the new life in Christ as a part of the family.
Conclusion: Through God’s loving discipline, we see God’s continual love and care for us. We remember that care is possible because Jesus took the punishment for our sins to the cross. Because of the cross, we are a part of God’s family, now and forever. Amen.[i]
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[i] Rev. Mark B. Anderson, associate pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church, Sealy, Texas
