Sermon Tone Analysis

Title: Celebrate Chastisement II

Title: Celebrate Chastisement II

Subtitle: God's Sure Means to Chastise [Train] His Children

Text:

Introduction:

Christians today are wondering if the suffering they are enduring is because of sin in their lives or if it is just general suffering.

“Is God punishing me because I did not tithe?”

This kind of thinking and misunderstanding leads to Christians who live in fear of being disciplined by God.

It leads to Christians not living securely in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Illustration: In January of this year, a man at 5:00 in the morning fell asleep, crossed into my lane…without fail, each time I am on a two lane road, I am more aware of the on coming driver, almost in fear...

In our lives, circumstances, unfortunately, cause us to walk in anxiousness and fear, even though we claim God as our Savior.

What must change is how we understand “chastisement”.

Billy Graham comments on the subject:

‘The Bible says, ‘Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.’

If life were all easy, wouldn’t we become flabby?

When a ship’s carpenter needed timber to make a mast for a sailing vessel, he did not cut it in the valley, but up on the mountainside where the trees had been buffeted by the winds.

These trees, he knew, were the strongest of all.

Hardship is not our choice; but if we face it bravely, it can toughen the fiber of our souls.

“God does not discipline us to subdue us, but to condition us for a life of usefulness and blessedness.

In His wisdom, He knows that an uncontrolled life is an unhappy life, so He puts reins on our wayward souls that they may be directed into the paths of righteousness.”

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Let’s consider briefly the context leading up to again:

Passages leading up to this passage:

- Call to remember the former days when they were enlightened and endured a great fight of afflictions (suffering)

- They joyfully endured the confiscation of their goods/property because they new they had something better in heaven (this ties back to passage right before this one - earlier part of chapter 10) - also uses the word "enduring" for the substance they have in heaven.

- Because of this, don't throw away your confidence.

You will be rewarded.

The Lord is not pleased by them who draw back (v.

38) Of note: consider that without faith, it is impossible to please him

We are not those who draw back but those who have true saving faith.

What is faith?

().

Summary: Thus, the writer is urging the Christians to persevere.

He closes the loop as to how Christ is the fulfiller of the better covenant.

The persecuted Christians are not to throw away their confidence but to be patient in the face of suffering.

Those who are righteous will live by faith.

It is a faith as described in .

Truth: (i) You can safely assume that you have sin that is still being worked out of your life.

(ii) You can safely assume that all suffering, regardless of what it is, is the work of the Father (), and (iii) you can safely assume that this work is God making you more like himself ().

More often than not patience is what is being developed in our lives (, )

TRANSITION:

A Christian who understands and believes these things about chastisement then is not trying to avoid chastisement but rather is asking where do I go to get this kind of chastisement?

Is there a place where I can go and know for sure that I will receive this training from my Father?

Illustration: Triathlon (.93 miles; 25 miles bike; 6.2 miles run) - for preparation you go to get swimming lessons at the YMCA.

You go to a particular destination where you know you are entering into training and it will not be easy or comfortable.

Proposition:

[if there is a sure means through which God chastens us], we should all gladly welcome this training!

(1) Persecution is assured for those who are living godly IN CHRIST JESUS.

(v.

12)

This is again an important part of the Theology of the New Testament that the kind of persecution that matters is the persecution that comes as a result of living with an identity that is settled in Jesus Christ.

This eliminates two false positions:

(1) If I suffer for my standards, then I am suffering for Jesus Christ.

This is not necessarily true.

If your identity is placed in your living of those standards rather than in the finished work of Christ, you are not living godly in Christ Jesus.

(2) If I suffer contempt for my lack of standards, from conservative people, then I am suffering for Jesus Christ.

This again is not necessarily true either.

If your identity is placed in exploiting your freedom or flaunting it, then you are not living godly in Christ Jesus.

Living godly in Christ Jesus means that because of who you are in Christ, you choose to live a live that reflects Christ as the supreme desire of your life as opposed to worldly lusts:

(2) Persistence in the scriptures exhorted for those in persecution (v.

14)

In the midst of growing deception () and in the midst of increasing persecution, there is to be persistence in the scriptures.

Not remaining in the scriptures is a chief mistake of Christians.

The scriptures bring stability in the midst of unstable settings.

Here, scriptures is the word writings.

Transition:

Why?

And what does this have to do with chastisement?

(3) Profit comes through the discipline of the scriptures (v.

16)

“Profitable” - useful, beneficial.

Because “All scripture is given by inspiration of God...”

This is the phrase “Theo-pneustos” which means “God-breathed” or “God-Spirited”.

God, as we know Him does not have breath.

This is an anthropomorphism.

The writer is giving God man-like qualities to help the reader see the origin and significance of the scriptures.

[if there is a sure means through which God chastens us], we should all gladly welcome this training!

“Instruction in Righteousness” - this is the word “chastisement” It is training, it is discipline, and here we note that it is “instruction”

The word of God is the place that is the means of God’s chastisement, discipline, instruction in our lives.

Transition:

To what end is this training?

It is for the perfection of the man of God.

(4) Perfection [completion] for good works results from welcoming this training of the scriptures

The particular word used here for “perfect” means “capable”.

Conclusion:

Thus, you cannot merely look at your life circumstances as the primary means of training.

You must consider that God has provided you an unchanging means of training.

It is the holy scriptures.

(1) In the scriptures, you are chastised

(2) It is the scriptures where you are sanctified

(3) It is the scriptures that produce godly sorrow -

.

True Repentance

Two kinds of repentance are possible in human experience.

One is ‘the sorrow of the world,” a feeling induced by the fear of getting caught.

Many people recognize the unpleasant consequences of their sin and are persuaded that they are guilty.

This results in a superficial sorrow that may lead to a temporary reformation but not to a genuine turning to Christ for forgiveness.

Godly sorrow, on the other hand, is accompanied by conviction of sin, the work of the Holy Spirit (see ).

This stems from the realization of offending a holy God.

It leads to genuine repentance.

An unknown author wrote, “There is a radical distinction between natural regret and God-given repentance.

The flesh can feel remorse, acknowledge its evil deeds, and be ashamed of itself.

However, this sort of disgust with past actions can be quickly shrugged off, and the individual can soon go back to his old wicked ways.