The Glory of Discipline
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This morning I would like to call your attention to the 12th chapter of the book of Hebrews. Before we look at the text I wanted to speak on the feeling of our text today.
Coming to church is a challenge in and of itself. But when a message is harder to hear than another, it can be harder yet to bear. With the already present pressures of like we are looking for encouragement but are quick to only see the negative.
We live in a day and age where our sensitive flesh hasn’t changed, for it was the same in the 19th century and the 20th century. However, we are ever more surrounded by ways to mask the harder feelings to deal with and are pressured to just cover them up rather than deal with them. We last left off in our “better than” series with Chapter 12 verse one and two. Listen to what the great preacher Charles Spurgeon had to say to his congregation August of 1888.
“Imitate your Lord. He endured the Cross, “despising the shame.” Shame is a cruel thing to many hearts. Our Lord shows us how to treat it. See, He puts His shoulder under the Cross but He sets His foot upon the shame. He endures the one but He despises the other. What? Shall His disciples make much of that which He despised? Are you such gentlemen, that none may come between the wind and your nobility? I wonder when I hear some people say, “I cannot stand being laughed at.” Does laughter break bones? “But ridicule is very sharp!” Is it? Do the wounds bleed? “Well,” cries one, “a keen sarcasm from a wit stings you!” Does it? Have you no cure for such bites? Some of us have in our minds been like Marcus Arethusa who was stung to death by wasps. And yet we are none the worse but rather are we all the better—for there remains no place whereon a new sting can operate.
“Oh, that some of you, who are so tender, could have thicker skins in this respect! I heard of a prayer the other day which I did not quite like at first but there is something in it after all. The good man said, “Lord, if our hearts are hard, make them soft. But if our hearts are too soft, make them hard.” I know what he meant and I think I can pray that last prayer for some of my friends who are so delicate that a sneer would kill them. May the Lord harden them till they can despise the shame! Answer shame by making it see that you are ashamed of the scorner. Laugh at the laughter of fools—despise their despising. With glorious greatness of spirit Jesus remained unprovoked amid the cruel taunts of godless men. Run through the ribald throng. Shut your ears and run, despising the shame.”
So how do we imitate our Lord? We must be disciplined to learn from our mistakes!. They are many! All of us are sinners fallen short of the Glory of God. For it must be the Glory of God that we seek to display!
As a Christian we must suffer, and discipline ourselves to imitate our Lord.
Let us read the text together this morning. Pray
I) OUR LORD IS OUR EXAMPLE OF HOW TO BE DISCIPLINED (v3-4)
A) Consider him – Let us pause and think about this endurance problem logically
1) They were bearing reproach from family and friends and even loss of possessions
2) The lack of endurance is increased by turning away from Christ. The inverse is also true.
B) So that you will not grow weary –
1) V3 - Again, we see the call for them to not shrink back in their faith.
(i) Consider why Jesus went through with the cross?
2) It is not as bad as it could be, you have not been martyred like Jesus or like others.
II) DISCIPLINE OF THE FATHER IMPLIES SONSHIP (DAUGHTERSHIP) (V5-10A)
A) , My Son…disciplines the one He loves – v 5-6
1) God is the one that is doing the disciplining.
2) This is not a general benevolent love that he shows to the whole world by not ending their life and casting them into the lake of fire. This is a love that specific to those that are heirs of the Kingdom.
(i) – The desert had a purpose
3) This is the kind of love that comes under blatant disrespect, administers a spanking, but does not walk away angry. Rather, wraps his son up in a hug.
(i) Some say spankings are harmful. Damaging to the freedom and promoting of aggressive behavior. Consider . This is not a spanking is the right thing to do seminar; the point is that a wise parent provides STRONG discipline.
B) All Wise Fathers Discipline Their Children v7-8
1) Discipline seeks to rid of wrong thinking and behavior. But discipline is more than behavior focused, It is heart focused….
(i) You have been given the authority as a parent to teach Children the right way. They are your first disciples!
(ii) But you walk into a room and shout off a command, turn around and slam the door, and walk away… you have not disciplined your child, you have just sinned against your child.
(iii) READ - , the word is given to show us why doing something is wrong. Not just to NOT do it because someone said so. But, why?
2) The rod must not be spared (a ref back to ) strong discipline is necessary in our lives to show us that holy living is serious business, however Thankfulness must be a theme .
(i) Everything that happens in our lives should point us back to the total dependence we have on God and cause us to be sorry that we sin against him.
(ii) Having a heart that says “all things that are from God”, provides that we are legitimate children of God.
C) Parental Discipline Teaches Lordship v9
1) Jesus as the example …You must be subject to the one you serve
2) Cameron Cole - “Living under the authority of his Word and depending on him for direction is the most significant ingredient that children need to flourish.”
(i) Again, parents, God gives a great deal of authority to you to train your children.
(ii) He has entrusted you with their minds. The mind will affect the heart. The heart will turn away or to God. Where do you let your children’s minds invest now?
3) This is true of Adults as God’s children and children in the home!
(i) Parents, is Christ your Lord? Or is that black box in the corner of your living room telling you how to live and what to be concerned about? Do you submit to God and his desire for you to be passionately pursuing holiness? Or is life just a little to hard, so today I deserve a break….
D) The Discipline of the Father is not earthly, but perfect and gracious v10a
1) Earthly Fathers discipline as they seem best. I am sorry if you have had a crummy father. It’s hard for you to hear this. But I tell you the truth, take heart that your Heavenly father is never rash, or harsh.
(i) His discipline is not what WE think is good, but what HE thinks is good. May we join with Christ in prayer, Your will be done!
III) DISCIPLINE OF THE FATHER CREATES THE KINGDOM IN YOU (v10b-11)
**We forget that the Gospel is a message gheralded from a King who’s Kingdom is at hand!
A) Share in His holiness v10b
1) - Discipline has an end goal of being set apart in light, rather than dark.
2) All discipline, from God and from parents should point out how hard we have to work just to rid one measly sinful habit from our routine, but how perfect God is. Yet he gives you grace, upon grace, upon grace, and allows you time to change.
B) Painful at first…Later yields fruit v11
1) The discipline of the Lord is never fun, it is never pleasant, and is a real pain that we all feel. However, wallowing in sorrow cannot be the end. It must be JOY!
IV) CONCLUSION –
A) The person who accepts discipline at the hand of God as something designed by his heavenly Father for his good will cease to feel resentful and rebellious; he has “calmed and quieted” his soul, which thus provides fertile soil for the cultivation of a righteous life, responsive to the will of God.[1]
[1] F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Rev. ed., The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 346.