01-29-2023 The Lord Trains His Children
Text: Hebrews 12:5-13
This morning I’d like to talk to you about how God trains His children. Have you heard the word ‘chasten’ or chastise’? It means to inflect suffering upon someone for the purposes of moral improvement; to discipline or correct behavior by punishment. This is how God trains us and it happens to all Christians. Typically, when someone hears the word, they immediately prepare for the sword to drop. If it gets to that point, the target of the chastening is probably expecting it. But the truth is, it’s not always a bad thing. Parents, how often do you chastise your children in order to teach them a lesson and to correct their behavior? As part of God’s family, we Christians will also be chastised by God for things we have done wrong. But it doesn’t mean we’re going to be tossed out of Heaven or have our salvation taken away. Our loving Father God is not an executioner, nor does He break the promises He has made to us. He loves us just as all earthly parents love their children, and when He finds the need to chastise us, it’s always for our own good.
Our text comes from Paul’s letter to the Hebrews 12:5-13 which says: “(5) And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children, My son, despise not you the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are rebuked of Him. (6) For whom the lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. (7) If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not? (8) But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons. (9) Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father in spirits, and live? (10) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. (11) Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (12) Wherefore lift up the hands which hand down, and the feeble knees; (13) and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”
If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we don’t like being corrected and disciplined, especially when it comes from God, but God’s discipline shows His deep love for us. Chastisement from God may not be pretty or fun, but we must understand that when it happens, it means God loves us. It tells us we are His children and shows us that He loves us. Here’s something to think about: God doesn’t waste His time guiding and teaching those who are already lost. They are the ones who will one day face His wrath and judgment and end up in hell. Being chastised by God puts us in pretty good company. King David was chastised for his sin with Bathsheba, Jonah was chastised for his disobedience to God. And the nation of Israel was chastised for their unbelief. There are many more examples of God’s children be chastised throughout the Bible.
Christians cannot sin and win. That said, there will be times that all Christians will slip and fall. And when that happens, God may step in and chastise us. Earthly parents who don’t chastise their children are negligent and their children will grow up unruly and undisciplined. Because God loves each and every one of us, He wants us to succeed and live a life centered on our Savior Jesus. That’s why He disciplines us just as earthly parents discipline their children. When you think about it in these terms it proves to us that we indeed are His children. If God isn’t disciplining you, perhaps you aren’t really saved because as I said earlier, God isn’t going to waste His time on those that are lost to Him.
As children of God, we receive many benefits because we are now a part of God’s family. Paul tells us in Romans 8:17 as part of God’s family, we are also joint heirs with Jesus Christ. This means everything that belongs to Jesus belongs to us through the cross. But it also means there will be times when we will suffer. Historically many believers suffered economic hardship and social persecution for their beliefs. Some were martyred for their faith. We also must pay a price for choosing to follow Jesus. In many places today, Christians face pressures and persecution just as severe as those faced by the early Christians and even in this country Christians increasingly are being attached and mocked for their faith. But Christians everywhere must not become complacent. To live as Jesus did – serving others and resisting pressure to confirm to the world – will always exact a price. Nothing we suffer, however, can compare to the price that Jesus paid to save us. Philippians 3:20 tells us that we are citizens of heaven. As such, Christians are to promote heaven’s interests on earth and lead lives worthy of our heavenly citizenship. Too many Christians have failed to take the mantle of heavenly citizenship because they still seek earthly pleasures and treasures instead of heavenly ones. Paul was telling the Philippians then -- and us today -- to remember that we are citizens of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. Failure to promote heaven’s interests could result in chastisement from God. Jesus tells us in John 5:24, as children of God we now have eternal life. This means the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior our new life begins. Then the rest of our lives on earth will be better in so many ways even though there will be hardships, because we are living in fellowship with the almighty Creator who loves us. And while we may face physical death one day, that will merely be a transition from our earthly life to our heavenly life with God forever.
Verses 9-13 of our text show us our reactions to and the results of being chastised by God. We won’t like it and we may find it temporarily painful. But remember that chastening is done for our good. Many parents have said disciplining their children hurts them more than the child. I have no doubts that God feels the same way. When we are chastised by God, we become partakers of God’s holiness. So, it’s incumbent on each of us to accept the punishment, ask for forgiveness of our sins and to learn the lesson He is teaching. God does this because He is training us for fruitful service to Him.
I encourage you to examine your life and see if you can identify instances where you have been chastened by God for things you did or perhaps didn’t do. If there was a time you hit a major bump in the road, perhaps that was God disciplining you. Ask yourself if you learned from it, if you benefited from it, and did you remember to thank God for it. If things aren’t quite right in your life right now, perhaps God is chastening you. If that’s the case, don’t let Him do it in vain. Then, as verse 13 of our text tells us, make the needed changes in your life now so you can return to serving Him as His word teaches you so that you can have a right relationship with Him.
Living a Christian life is never going to be easy. There are always going to be competing forces from Satan trying to pull us away from God. Our challenge is to remain committed to our faith, trust God, and lean on Jesus to help us get through each day and every circumstance that we encounter in order to remain true to God.
May God watch over you and may you look to Jesus to keep you on the right path as a citizen of heaven toward eternal life.