Gracious Discipline
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· 23 viewsThe preacher of Hebrews now speaks into the middle of hardship with the comparison of a father's discipline to the way that God loves his children. Discipline is a word that carries a lot of baggage, here we learn that it is more than consequenses for mistakes--it involves teaching and formation.
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Introduction
Introduction
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 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.
Hebrews 12:4-13
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 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.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Pray.
Where we have been. Patterns of themes: teaching on the superiority of Christ and the fulfilment that He is to the OT and the Jewish faith, then a check in of why this is important. A warning. Last week was a turning point and if you missed last week I encourage you to go and hear Chris or Burt’s sermon on the audio podcast or video from Vine..... from last week is a climax of this sermon from the preacher of Hebrews....It is almost a summation of all that has gone before and the intro of what the rest of the way is about. These last few chapters are like closing thoughts from the preacher. They are loaded with implications but he almost lists them off one after the other.
Remember, community facing hardships and challenges because of their faith. That is context of even this teaching today on discipline.
I was thinking about discipline this week and immediately I realized I had to work through some baggage in the way I think about the word discipline. What comes to mind when you hear God discipline’s his children....Depending on what your background or what your parenting style or what your childhood was like you could quickly think about some sort of approach of behavioral modification via punishment or consequences.
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I thought about my own parenting style and though we do have a rambunctious toddler, per this way of thinking about discipline....there has not been that experience yet for us to consider punishment or consequences for wrong behavior. For one, he does not understand the full english language or clear rational thought....So when we were at the pool last week for lauren’s family reunion and all Luke wanted to do was jump head first into the pool with mom or dad and without floaties....it would be abuse for me to put him in time out....right?! Why?
He does not understand what is wrong
He will not learn anything from it, other than I am a jerk
The punishment would not meet the crime. It is not justice. Luke is not doing it to disobey me
So I sought out some moms this week and asked some questions. We will get to that in a bit.
So I sought out some moms this week and asked some questions. And we will reflect on this a bit, but for now I actually think we are actually approaching discipline all wrong.
Discipline = Instruction, Training, Order
Discipline = Instruction, Training, Order
Definition: From Latin word meaning instruction or training. To discipline a person or a group means to put them in a state of good order so that they function in a way intended. Discipline, in spite of a popular misconception, is not inherently stern or harsh. Bible translation chose “disciple” as an appropriate term for one who learns by following
Other usages of this word:
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
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So then, Luke in the pool....Now, even in him not understanding, I wouldn’t let him do it because I knew he could cause harm. I turned his attention elsewhere. I showed him that we only get in pool with mom and dad and floaties and we repeated the steps.
So then, Luke in the pool....Now, even in him not understanding, I wouldn’t let him do it because I knew he could cause harm. I turned his attention elsewhere. I showed him that we only get in pool with mom and dad and floaties and we repeated the steps.
Let’s go further....discipline now is reading bed time stories and already showing him what it means to pray and how to get dressed and brush his teeth. When he is older it is....
Some of it involves consequences that teach about mistakes but that’s not all it is.
Discipline versus punishment
discipline comes from the word that we get disciple from.
Punishment comes from the greek “poine” which means revenge.
We are asking the wrong question…Why, God? Now what?
We are asking the wrong question…Why, God? Now what?
Before we look at what this passage says about God’s discipline, there is one more piece of background that needs to be nailed down. In the middle of hardship or loss or suffering....the ancients would not be asking, “Is there a God?” “Would a good God allow something like this to happen?” Their doubt was not existential, their doubt was localized what do I do with this life in front of me.
This is important because if you put weight on this text to prove to you that God exists and God is good and it is ok for him to punish you for these reasons....that is not what the text is answering to the hearers. The text is answering this question.... God, I know you are good....why am I walking through this, what do i do with it?
Rather than questioning their faith when they are persecuted, the readers are to embrace the suffering as a gracious opportunity to learn God’s heart better.
Keener, C. S. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament (). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
A Parent’s Discipline
A Parent’s Discipline
It struck me this week that we can learn about our parents if we think about the way they disciplined us. Right? we know what they cared about, we get to know the heart of a parent considering the times they took life lessons very serious.
Check out this quote from Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley:
As self-will is the root of all sin and misery, so whatsoever cherishes this in children ensures their after-wretchedness . . . whatever checks and mortifies it promotes their future happiness and piety.
John and Charles grew up with authoritarian parenting, believe that if they did not enforce values and the ways of faith then what would come after would be a mess. They believed that the flesh was powerful and children needed to be shown the way to live.
Trust me, it is not my intention to tell you how to parent your children, but I do want to talk about the way that God disciplines his children, you and me.
Discipline ensures adoption
If you are being disciplined then you belong to God. You are in the family of God. Being disciplined, trained, formed, ensures that we have been adopted.
And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
C. S. Lewis observed, “We want not so much a father in heaven as a grandfather in heaven whose plan for the universe is such that it might be said at the end of each day, ‘and a good time was had by all.’”
Grandparents help me out here, what happens when your grandkids come and stay with you? You give them everything they want…you pump the full of sugar, you let them stay up to all hours of the night, and then you ship back home.
Look, here is my point....I know there are parts of discipline that are not fun but in the middle of it is the beautiful truth that you belong to God. If you run from discipline, then you run from God forming you into the likeness of Jesus…the image that we were meant to be.
Discipline is about love and holiness
This leads me to the next point, discipline is about love and holiness. God forms, shapes, teaches, corrects, admonishes because he loves us. Why do you keep things from your children? Why do you say no for some things? Why do you set boundaries? Because you love your children.
Some of us have painted God as this authoritarian dictator like he just wants to keep us in line or this hedonistic desire for your praise for no other reason… some are this way because they grew up in a broken home or at the hands of an abusive church or pastor....that’s where the comparison to a father takes a different turn....He is not like human fathers...
They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
He disciplines because he loves you. If you do not receive his discipline, teaching, admonishing, rebuking, then you are denying his love.
If you do not receive the discipline of God then you are denying the love of God.
How does he discipline? Christian community and scripture
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
His discipline is about love, but love to a specific end.... look at verse 10 again:
They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.
So that we may share in His holiness. God’s love is not just to make you feel better about yourself or life....that is permissive parenting. Being your friend and patting you on your back....God’s goal is that you would be holy. Christlike, patient, full of truth and love, so that you might raise families towards holiness, so that you would be a pocket of heaven on earth, so that you might be an ambassador of his grace for the world to see.
Suffering is never wasted
Ok last thing that I think we need to talk about here. It is not in our theology to think that God puts you through catastrophes so that you can learn something. That is sadistic parenting.
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
Hebrews 12:
Endure hardship as discipline. In the middle of the suffering and difficulty God can redeem and teach and build up. Nothing is wasted. No illness, not death, no loss of job, nothing is wasted. Hebrews earlier said even Jesus learned obedience as he walked through the suffering.
This takes us from, Oh God why me? God how could you let this happen?
To:
God, I trust you…what I can I learn here? God where there was death your brought resurrection…where can I find life here? God what are you teaching me in the middle of this?
Closing:
Friends, lean into discipline because it is the assurance of faith that we belong to God.
Receive discipline because it is the love of our heavenly father calling us beyond our current reality.
Embrace discipline in the hardship because though we are promised that suffering will happen, God is in the business of redeeming.