Hebrews 12:3-11
Notes
Transcript
Hebrews 12:3-11
Hebrews 12:3-11
Howdy Church! If you have a Bible, turn to Hebrews chapter 12. Our text this morning will be verses 3-11. We are continuing our sermon series, Lord’s Gym....all about spiritual disciplines.
I will try to get you guys out of here by 1 o’clock
Read Text
Hebrews 12:3–11 (ESV)
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 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? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 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? 10 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. 11 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.
PRAY
There are two types of discipline here in this passage and throughout the scriptures. Both of these disciplines are very important to the Christian life.
If you are here this morning and you don’t like discipline, the Christian life isn’t for you.
If you are a prideful person, you’re not going to like discipline. Why? Because it is admitting that there are shortcomings in your life that need attention and fixed. Every Christian needs discipline. The book of Romans tells us that we all fall short of God and His glory. The book of Corinthians tells us that our flesh will fail. Discipline is something that we MUST encounter until the day we get our glorified bodies.
The word DISCIPLE has the word DISCIPLINE in it. You cannot be a disciple of Christ without discipline.
You may say I don’t like that..... Okay, thats why Jesus says you better count the cost before following me.
Here are the two types of discipline. If you are taking notes, jot these downs
Discipline for Correction
Discipline for Cultivation
The first method of discipline is self explanatory. When you are on a path that is against the will and word of God, he will discipline you. This discipline is painful. God will do whatever it takes to get your attention and correct your sinful behavior.
How many of you have been taken to God’s woodshed and you have the scars to prove it?
The second method of discipline is to cultivate something in your life. What are we to be cultivating? Your relationship with Christ. You need this type of discipline to get closer to Christ in your life.
There are many of these disciplines. We are actually going to do a sermon series on these during the summer. Here’s what they are. Bible reading, prayer, giving, serving, evangelism, worship, fasting, sabbath, and silence.
Both types of discipline are needed in the Christian life and we are going to see that here in the text this morning.
Let’s dive right into our text for this morning in verse 3
Hebrews 12:3 (ESV)
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
This verse is one of the main turning points in the entire book. The writer openly asks the readers and the hearers to do something that could radically change their lives and I’m going to ask you to do the same. This is a DANGEROUS thing, you ready?
CONSIDER CHRIST
The writer has taken 11 chapters to build this defence and theology about Christ. The writer has shown us over and over again that Jesus is truly better than anyone or anything…now its your turn to do something about it. The burden is now on you. Consider Christ.
Maybe you are in this auditorium and you aren't a believer. You are as far away as you could possibly be. You are turn off to the things of Christ. Maybe you were dragged or tricked to come this morning or watch online....but would you just consider Christ? It might change your life forever.
When i was a teenager and I wanted something from my mom or my dad I would go to them, state my case, and I wouldn’t ask for an answer in that moment. That would be too risky. No, I stated my case and I said ‘just think about it.’ Will you just think about it for me? I didn’t want an answer....just knowing that they would think about it gave me hope they would give me what I was asking for.
This morning, I’m asking you to consider Jesus. Just think about it.....
Pause
The writer tells us to consider Christ and he is ever so kind enough to tell us what to consider when considering Christ and we see those things in the rest of the verse.
‘who endured such hostility against himself’
Step away and talk about passion week
Why did Christ endure so much suffering? It says right here in the text....so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Are you weary today? Consider Christ?
Are you fainthearted (this is your inner life. your soul, mind, and body)? Consider Christ?
Nothing that we are called to endure in this life will ever compare to that which Christ endured.
Paul tells the church in Galatians that we are crucified with Christ. We share in his suffering. Jesus went through it all to identify with us.
Aubrey, my oldest daughter is right in the middle of middle school. I pick the kids up from school and Aubrey gets in the car about 5 minutes before my littles do. I take that time one on one with her and I ask her how her day was....and uh she tells me, all about it. We are currently navigating some middle school girl drama. I don’t do well with is but my wife is great. Aubrey finds great comfort when Alli tells her about her time in middle school and all the drama and bullies she dealt with. Why? Because if mom got though it I can get through it too.
Verse 4 says,
4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
John MacCarthur writes,
None of the suffering Hebrews to whom this letter was written had endured what Jesus had endured. None had given his life for the gospel. Nor had any of them lived in absolutely sinless life as Jesus had done, living in perfect obedience to the father, and thus deserving no punishment at all. On the contrary, some of their suffering was deserved and was intended for their spiritual discipline and growth.
Verse 5 goes on to say,
Hebrews 12:5–6 (ESV)
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
How many of you in the house this morning forget things? I do!! All the time.
My wife says I have selective forget-fullness. I remember the things I want to remember and forget everything else.
When it comes to the painful discipline we face in this Christian life, the writer wants us to NEVER forget something.
WE ARE ADDRESSED AS SONS! GOD CALLS US SONS AND DAUGHTERS
This makes discipline worth it!
I’m not being disciplined by some distant person who doesn't love me. I’m being disciplined by my heavenly father who loves me so much and wants nothing but good for me. His discipline in my life is actually his grace working through my heart and the only reason he disciplines me so is that i look more like his son Jesus. Discipline hurts, but bring it on!
Hebrews 12:5–6 (ESV)
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
Discipline is proof that you are a child of God. Discipline is proof that God loves you.
We may look around at non believers seemingly have a great life and NOTHING bad happens to them. Woe to them.
Let me explain it this way.....
My son and his friend are playing and they start to wild out and get carried away. I go to my son and I calm him down and correct his behavior. Bentley says but my friend was doing it too.....my response. Thats fine. Thats not my son, you are.
Non believer will NEVER experience the discipline from God as a father, but they will experience the punishment from God as judge.
The early church father Jerome said this,
‘The greatest anger of all is when God is no longer angry at us. The supreme affliction is to be unteachable and unreachable by God. When the Lord disciplines us, we should say, “Thank you, Lord. You just proved again that you love me and I am your child.”
7 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? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 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?
There are cases of strong language in the Scriptures. Language so strong that it could come off as offensive. The offensive language is there for a reason. It is there to prove a point and the writer uses a very strong word here in verse 8. Modern translators softened the word but if you have an old King James Bible it wont say illegitimate children. The original word there should be the word bastard. I know. Offensive. But it’s making a point.
I had to read a theologian by the name of Homer in my Hebrews class my last semester of Bible College and he helped me out on this one....
The common reaction is to be envious of the person who escapes suffering (or at least seems to). It involves the old problem of why the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper. The author of Hebrews reminds us that to be without discipline is to reveal something significant about one’s father. Bastards are those who are born out of wedlock and have no legal father, status, or rights. They have no one who is responsible to train them properly. To the immature this may seem like a happy arrangement. What normal son has not been secretly envious of the boy who never had to give any accounting for his actions to a sometimes stern father? There comes a time, however, when the wisdom of a disciplined life is clearly apparent, and the folly of an unchastened boyhood becomes tragically obvious.
Step Away
Before you came to Christ, you were a bastard Child. No father. Born in sin. No rights. Nothing.
When you give your life to Christ, God becomes your father.
John 1:12 (ESV)
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
All of the rights and privileges that Christ has are now yours in him. You belong to a family. You belong to a family and you're gonna act like it.
Whenever I would go to a friends house my dad would always remind me who I was and that I should act accordingly. And if I didn't, there would be consequences.
Last two verses, look in verse 10
10 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.
This verse tells us two things about God’s discipline...
It is for my good. (explain)
Share in His holiness.
We talked about holiness on Wednesday. We are to be separate from the world. Be different. We should hate sin and strive to be like Jesus. How does that happen? Discipline.
Last verse....
Hebrews 12:11 (ESV)
11 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.
The writer closes this 11 verse segment on discipline by saying for the moment ALL DISCIPLINE.
So this is corrective AND cultivating discipline.
Most of the sermon today has been the corrective one. Last week was the cultivating. The running, throwing aside the weights, look to Jesus.
Step away and talk about the verse as my life verse.
Discipline in ALL areas of your life
TSBC Senior Year
Jocko
He yells at me and I love it
Discipline equals freedom
