Rsbc Date of Sermon:
Series: The Book of Hebrews
Subject: “Why God Chastens His People”
Text: Hebrews 12:6-17
Intro: The chastening of the Lord could be said that it is divine dealings with his people. God was known through out the Old Testament to inflict chastening upon the Israelites. King David set on his throne and called for Nathan the Prophet to come to him, he said unto him I have a house to well in but no where for the Ark of the Lord.
That night God spoke to Nathan and told him what to say to David, and he went and delivered the message to him. In that message these were some of the words that God said to David: 2 Samuel 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
We should no that some times God will rebuke us in anger and some times gently he will do it, David knew this quite well...2 Samuel 7:14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
In our text tonight I want to simply show Why God chastens us. In showing I will also be showing the fruit of it and the blessing of it.
I... “ IT IS A VERIFICATION OF HIS LOVE AND RECEPTION FOR HIS PEOPLE”..VS 6
Two things in this verse.
1st. He loves..
We know that God loves us because his love is in our hearts: Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
John said it like this: 1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
The love of God is greater than anything you can experience on earth. It has been proven over and over again to us. Men may question it, saints may doubt it, but the fact remains there is plenty of evidence that God loves us.
Let me list a few of them.
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a. The evidence that nothing can separate us from it: Romans 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
b. The evidence of what Christ did for us: 1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.
c. The evidence of sending Christ: 1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
2nd. He receives us: vs 6
If God didn’t receives us first we would not receive him. Our reception by him is based upon what Christ did. The very fact of reconciliation is the heart of this. Christ hath reconciled us to the Father and the Father hath received us.
2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
What a blessing if you have been received tonight, if he loves you and I and if he has received us, then you can expect to be chastened by him.
II... “IT ALSO VERIFIES OUR SONSHIP ”..VS 7-8
Paul said to the Galatians these words which declare likewise we are his children.. Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
In the covenant of Grace God chose us and made us his children, and in the carrying out of the covenant in Christ we are confirmed as his children, in regeneration we are assured that we are his children.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
The great work of the Spirit of God in our lives is a testimony to these facts about us: Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. What a great privilege it is to have the Spirit of God leading us.
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That we are to shine as the sons of God: Philippians 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
This wonderful sonship is a present reality: 1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
One more thing about this sonship: Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
III.. IT IS FOR OUR PROFIT ”... VS 9-10
As we were in subjection to our earthly fathers and their chastening us, and in light of the fact that we gave them reverence for it we should likewise do the Lord the same way. Never forget that God demands holiness out of us, and he will work in out of us.
1 Peter 1:15‑16 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Thomas Brooks said: That we lost five things in the fall: (1.) We lost that holy image of the Lord, and we became vile. (2.) We lost that our sonship and became slaves. (3.) We lost our friendship and became enemies. (4.) We lost communion and became strangers. (5.) We lost our glory and became miserable. End of quote.
These are the reasons that we needed the Father to send the son to save us and reclaim that image and remove that vileness, to reconcile us and loose our slavery, remove our state of being an enemy and restore our friendship, give us the glory back and remove the misery.
And as a result we can become more like Christ in practice and in nature. Keep in mind that there is no abiding with the LORD without holiness: Look at verse 14 This holiness must start in the heart, and if it starts in the heart it will work its way out.
Sometimes it takes God’s chastening of us to bring it out of us. When David sinned against the LORD by taking a woman that was not his, God sent his preacher to rebuke and reveal GOD’S plan of chastisement. 2 Samuel 12:7‑14
God yielded in this man’s heart the reality of his sin, the severity of his punishment. David said his Psalm 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this] evil in thy sight: that thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest.
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Men can fake holiness in the eyes of others, but not before God. So if one sins against the Lord and there is no remorse, no repentance, and no change it is because there is no holiness in them.
Psa 51:5-14
IV... “IT WILL RENDER TO GOD IT’S INTENDING PURPOSE”..VS 11
The writer of this verse is clear as to what these chastisements do and do not do.
1st. They do not yield joy...
At the moment of a whipping from the Lord it is very distasteful to the flesh. It will eat at you, it will cause grief to the heart. The burden under them may seem to be unbearable, and at the time that may be so.
2nd. It will yield God’s intended purpose...
The fruit of righteousness... right acts. The definition of the word righteous has a broad meaning to it, but in this case it means the following: integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting.
There is no question that God wants us to act like him in this world.. Our Lord Jesus Christ said in the sermon on the mount these familiar words. Matthew 5:13‑16 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Once again it the practical aspect of Christianity that will be worked in us and out of us by the chastening hand of the Lord. The Apostle Peter in writing to the dispersed Christians that had been converted to Christ from Judaism said these words concerning how we are to live in this world.
2 Peter 1:5-11
We are told to add here, and if we are told to add that means we can do it. In order to add you must have something to add to. We have been saved by the grace of God and therefore we can add these things. If we don’t act then God will act with his chastening.
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IV... “ THE CONCLUDING REMARKS OF ENCOURAGEMENT” VS 12-17
These concluding remarks were designed to help these drooping Christians. They had been under the hand of discipline from the LORD and it had sunken their spirits. Nothing unusual about that happening, it happens to the best of the people of God.
David ask: Psalm 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and [why] art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him [for] the help of his countenance.
So let us look at these encouragements... What they were to do
1st. Lift up”...vs 12
The lifting up of the hands is a symbol of a weary person who’s knee’s gave out, who’s hands had dropped. Now was the time to take courage. Often the Bible instructs us in this way. Listen S I read some verse....
1 Chronicles 19:13 Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do [that which is] good in his sight.
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
2nd. Make straight paths: vs 13
Once again choose the right way, never choose the wrong. Even if it seems all hope is lost, all hope is gone, make straight paths... Proverbs 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established..
3rd. Follow peace: vs 14
Here we have three Christian duties, it is not difficult to follow peace, it is a matter of the heart... In the Old Testament Abraham and Lot dwelt together in their land with their flocks and herdsman. They became to big and strife set in, Abraham became the peacemaker, and said to his nephew choose what you want and I will take the other...for peace sake.
Just remember Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God. Conclude: what happens if we don’t do this....vs 15-17