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Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 15th July 2007 AMLETS SUBMIT TO GOD'S DISCIPLINE! Pastor Colin MeadowsHebrews 12:1-13, Proverbs 3:5-12 Ø Let’s talk about something else! Discipline is not high on the list of the most favorite topics for people to discuss over coffee. I haven’t had it ever suggested to me as a sermon topic! It seems that none of us like to even think about discipline, let along be taught about it. We like to focus in other areas… the love of God, his grace and holiness, perhaps the second coming of Christ. Today, however we will look at the way that God disciplines his children, for without such discipline we will not mature to be what God intends us to be. We most likely have had experiences of seeing children behaving badly in public. Perhaps they were our own children and that added to our discomfort!! Part of this is due to the times in which we live. We have been encouraged to release our inhibitions to satisfy our selfish desires, to be free to do whatever feels good. We are now reaping the fruits of such undisciplined lives. Our courts are crowded with people charged with acts of domestic violence, sexual and drug abuse, road rage and the like. What we have ignored is the fact that God has so structured life that every joy we know is the product of discipline. Ø Let’s examine what God’s discipline is! Just what is this discipline we are speaking about? Some understand discipline as one of the unfortunate pains of life, something to be endured, a fatalistic approach to the difficulties we face. We just have to accept that difficult times will come and then move on. Godly discipline however is something incredibly positive. It is introduced in the book of Hebrews as being ‘a word of encouragement’. The main word used here for discipline has the sense of ‘that which corrects a child and directs towards a better way of living.’ Godly discipline involves teaching or instruction so that wisdom is gained. Discipline is learning what is acceptable, desirable and pleasant for all. It is not about what happens to us but what happens for us. The purpose of godly discipline is thus to teach so as to gain wisdom. Note that the passage in Proverbs on discipline is in the context of growing in wisdom. Proverbs 3:13-14 “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable that silver and yields better returns than gold.” When we begin to understand that discipline is about teaching us to grow wiser then we will see it in a totally different light. Sometimes punishment is added in order to reinforce the teaching process but punishment is never used as an end in itself. The Hebrews passage highlights the punishment aspect of discipline. Hebrews 12:6 “…because the Lord disciplines those he loves; and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” The word used here ‘to punish’ is also translated as ‘to scourge’ in other places. The Jewish method of scourging in those days was the use of three thongs of leather, the offender receiving thirteen stripes on the bare breast and thirteen on each shoulder, making a total of forty less one. The Apostle Paul knew of such punishment as he was scourged five times. 2 Corinthians 11:24 “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.” While we might shudder to consider such punishment today, what we should learn is this – godly discipline can be painful at times but its purpose is positive. It is always designed to lead us towards godly living. God sometimes permits painful experiences into our lives so that we can grow towards wholeness. Hebrews 12:10 “Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.” But as we look at godly discipline we need to understand God’s heart. Ø Let’s understand God’s heart! Some people see discipline as the actions of a vindictive God, a God bent on punishing just so that he can see people suffer. Others feel that God is not in control of the events of life and random events which have no lasting purpose will happen. Each of these approaches however distorts the truth of what godly discipline is about for they each stem from a wrong view of God. What we need to grasp as God’s children is that God disciplines us because he loves us, in order that we might grow to share his holiness and thus live in closer obedience to his son. It is vitally important that we grasp this perspective. Otherwise we will fail to understand the purpose and reason for the discipline. God loves us too much to not discipline us. The writer of Hebrews draws on a passage from the book of Proverbs to drive this point home. Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” Godly discipline flows from the loving heart of God. As a child I knew that when I did stupid things I would be punished by my parents. What I failed to understand until I became an adult was that my parents disciplined me out of hearts of love, not because they enjoyed doing it. They didn’t find it easy to correct me but were constrained to do so out of love. The director of a Christian camp gave some special directions to camp leaders, concerning how they should treat the campers: He told them to discipline the campers with love, and remember that they were not as old as they were and will make mistakes, sometimes not understanding what they have done… ‘When you correct them be reasonable, gentle and firm’, said the director. God disciplines us in that way, with love, for He is love. When we view godly discipline in that light then it puts it in a totally different picture. In the light of the buffetings that come to us in life, what should our response be? Ø Let’s submit to God’s discipline! When we are aware that God loves us and as a loving father seeks to discipline us for our good, then we will want to respond in obedience to him. We will submit to the trials that come upon us, open to learn what God wants to teach us. Hebrews 12:7 “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” Let us learn to accept the difficult times that God permits into our lives, much as a child accepts that a loving parent knows best for them. Let us be self-disciplined and keep watch over our lives. God has given us his road book for life, the Bible. He longs for us to read it and take heed. He has further given us the Holy Spirit to gently prod us, so that we might respond to his leadings. If we ignore his instruction then it may be that God permits more direct disciplinary actions. Perhaps it will be a friend who will come and speak to you. God does not give up on us easily. The further we allow the disciplinary process to develop, the higher the pain may become! We can see this illustrated with our attitude to our road rules. These rules have been put in place for our safety and for well being of the whole community. Imagine you are driving and see the sign that says 60km, but glance at the speedo and drive past at 70. No change in behaviour there, no self-discipline, no growing in wisdom. Next the multinova camera flashes and You mutter under your breath, ‘There goes another $100’. There is still no change in how you are driving, and no self-discipline as you continue down the road. Up ahead however, a man in blue steps out from the curb with a speed gun raised. He is indicating that you must draw to the side of the road and stop. At this point you may exclaim ‘Was I speeding? I can’t believe it! Of all the bad luck I seem to have. It is all so unfair. You sure that speed gun is working right? What about all those other guys speeding? Why are the police so secretive, giving us no warning or a chance to slow down.’ The longer we ignore God’s gentle prodding in our lives the sharper the pain may become. At times in life however, it is hard to know when we are being disciplined and when it is just a difficult patch we are going through. What should our attitude be at such times? Reinbold Niebuhr has a helpful saying which has become very familiar: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” There is great wisdom in that statement. As we submit to godly discipline in our lives, then we will see the fruit that the Holy Spirit will produce. Ø Let’s celebrate the fruit of God’s discipline! Let us endure in the process of godly discipline for it will yield its fruit in due time. Hebrews 12:11 “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.” Discipline is the tool God will use to refine us to become more like Christ. In the furnace of discipline, God will permit the rubbish in our lives to be burnt off, thus exposing the true person. Job spoke of such an experience. Job 23:10 “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job was aware that in the pain of his own life that something better lay ahead. These testings would lead to godly fruit. The goldsmith of long ago would continue the smelting process until he could look into the crucible and see his face reflected back. So too does God continue disciplining us until he sees something of himself being reflected back. The Apostle Paul knew at first hand of such discipline. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 “To keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” God allowed difficult times into Paul’s life to refine him. Are you willing for God to continue the refining process in your life? Is your heart submissive to Him? An ancient Chinese proverb says: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Perhaps God has been waiting patiently for us to be ready for him to teach us more. We will focus in coming days on seeking to change our community and our world. That change will begin as God changes us, to become more like he wants us to be. What we are hearing today can easily stay as head knowledge and not impact our hearts. We can walk away this morning thinking that this was very interesting and theologically stimulating and thought provoking. But has it reached our hearts? Gary Zukav noted “The longest journey you will make is from your head to your heart.” How far on the journey south to your heart has this message reached? We have been challenged in previous weeks to go on a journey with God, to step out in faith. Today we have been challenged to respond to godly discipline in our lives and so be changed to grow more like Christ. You will know when these things reach your heart for the Holy Spirit will nudge you into action. Let’s talk about God’s discipline in our lives. Let’s examine what discipline is. Let’s understand the heart of God. Let’s submit to God’s discipline. Let’s celebrate the fruit of God’s discipline.
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