I heard a preacher once say something that stopped me dead
in my tracks. In a message on a passage similar to the one we will be looking
at today, he made the following comment, “I wonder how often when we pray we
are asking for God to remove something that He, in fact, intended for our
lives.” What made this idea even more shocking was when he continued by saying,
“Sometimes, when we believe we are praying against Satan/evil, we may in fact
be praying against what God has allowed for our own growth.” His point for us
in that message was instead of praying for escape from a hardship, we might do
well to pray for growth in the midst of a hardship. A similar sentiment will be
reached as we look at Hebrews 12:4-13 and learn about God’s program of
discipline in the lives of believers. So often, especially in our “feel-good
culture” in which nearly everything exists to make us more comfortable and
alleviate any and all pain imaginable, at the first sign of difficulty,
adversity, or tribulation, we ring up God and say, “Get me out of here!” or “Remove
this from me!” And yet, many times we fail to recognize that God has allowed
that very situation in the first place for our benefit. If we are not careful,
we can squander an opportunity for God to teach us something or make us more
into His image by forfeiting from a situation rather than learning to endure it.
In Hebrews 12:4-13, we learn how not to waste the discipline that God
administers in the life of believers. To this end we will be looking at four
groups of statements made in this very important passage.
The Recollections-12:4-5
Drawing from the truth represented in the last three verses,
the preacher continues his encouragement to the congregation by calling the
people to recollect what Jesus has done on its behalf. In 12:1-3, Jesus’ suffering
was considered as a motivation to persevere for those who were enduring
hardship in the world as believers. However, though parallels can be drawn
between the suffering of Christ and the suffering of His followers, it is not at
all congruent. As the preacher begins in verse 4, “You have not yet resisted to
the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin.” In other words,
though this church was persecuted and was made to face all kinds of trials,
nothing they faced up to this point was close to what Jesus faced as He
sacrificed Himself for the world. Therefore, though they could gain strength
from knowing that Jesus suffered like them and yet was able to endure, they
could also be encouraged by reminding themselves that Jesus suffered far worse
than they had.
With this perspective in mind, the preacher continues by
referencing an ancient encouragement from Proverbs 3:11ff., “and you have
forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not
regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by
Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son
whom He receives’” (12:5-6). These words remind the mature believer that when
hardship strikes, they should accept it as God’s method of training. Not only
that, but these should look on such trials as a token of God’s parental love
for them.
Because of my love for my children, I hold them to a high
standard. This necessarily leads to discipline, sometimes of a painful sort. My
intention in this discipline is for my children to know what to say and what
not to say, where to go and not go, and what to do and not do. The special love
that I have for my children is witnessed, though it may not feel like it at the
time, In sharp remarks made and the slaps on the hand administered. I do not
discipline other people’s kids in part because they do not belong to me and are
therefore not objects of my special parental love.
If last we looked ahead
for motivation to run the race of life, today we look around for motivation to live the life God has called us to live. There, we find that our pain, suffering,
trials, and tribulations are not without purpose. Even in our struggles, God in
His discipline is working to make us more into His image, ready to inherit what
is coming our way. From this we learn that God provides both future hope and
present sanctification as motivation to persevere.
The Realizations-12:7-8
This realization is exactly what the preacher reveals next
in verses 7-8. In verse 7 the preacher continues by saying, “it is for discipline
that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom
his father does not discipline?...”. In the ancient world a father would spend
much care and patience on the upbringing of a trueborn son whom he hoped to
make a worthy heir. The family name and the continuance of tradition played a
much larger role in that day. Therefore, such a son might have to undergo much more
irksome discipline than an illegitimate child for whom no future of honor and
responsibility was envisaged.
“but if you are without discipline, of which all have become
partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (12:8). Undergoing
discipline in the Christian life is one of the proofs of salvation. Without the
presence of discipline, one might need to question one’s legitimacy in the
family of God. Why? Because as this verse teaches, discipline is to the child
of God as endurance is to the long-distance runner. The two go hand in hand.
When this is kept in mind, one is able to maintain a more hopeful
and redemptive perspective on whatever life throws his or her way. If adversity
is understood in the Christian life as God’s discipline, then when tragedy
strikes or bad news comes, so too does an opportunity to learn something and
grow more like Christ as a result. Such an opportunity in the midst of hardship
is not awarded to those outside the family of God. Though the world as a whole
is loved by God, only His children receive His special tough love that makes
them more like Him.
The Reminders-12:9-11
Next, the preacher reminds his congregation of how
trustworthy the discipline of the God is toward His children by setting up a
simple argument from the lesser to the greater in verse 9, “furthermore, we had
earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much
rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?...”. In the ancient
world, before a young man or woman came of age, he are she generally subjected
themselves to the discipline of his or her father. These accepted such
discipline knowing that it was the parent’s province to impose standards and
their subsequent duty to respect it, follow it, learn from it, and adapt to it.
If this is how the discipline of earthly parents was generally respected within
the family unit of the first century, how much more, the preacher argues,
should believers willingly subject themselves to the discipline of their
heavenly father?
Continuing with this argument, the preacher goes on to say, “for
they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines
us for our good, so that we may share His holiness,…” (12:10). In other words,
the discipline of one’s heavenly Father should be respected, even more than one’s
earthly father was in the early years of life, for the following reasons. First,
the heavenly Father’s discipline is eternally fruitful, not temporarily useful.
While an earthly father disciplines for a short time before a child reaches adulthood,
the heavenly Father’s discipline is life-long and eternally significant.
Second, while the discipline of earthly fathers was conducted in ways that
seemed “best to them,” the discipline of the heavenly Father is perfect. Third,
while the discipline of earthly fathers may yield respectful members of society
and proud members of a family line, the discipline of the heavenly Father
yields holiness! For all of these reasons, the discipline of God should be
respected, followed, and even embraced.
However, this is no easy charge, especially considering that
“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful;…” (12:11).
When I slap my son’s hand after he tests me by touching something
I’ve repeatedly told him not to touch, he does not smile and tell me “thank
you.” When I scold my daughter for disobeying me, she does not embrace me in
that moment exclaiming, “What a wonderful dad I have who loves me enough to
yell at me when I’m not behaving! I’m so blessed!” NO! Instead, they whimper,
cry, hide themselves, or, in many cases, run to mommy. Why? Because discipline
hurts and it is human nature to react to pain with sorrow.
The same is true of spiritual discipline. No one gleefully
anticipates hardship and smiles through grief and loss. However, “to those who
have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of
righteousness” (12:11). In other words, the spiritually mature are able to
appreciate the lessons learned and spiritual maturation accomplished within the
struggles that God allows in their lives. Such a mindset requires a more
sophisticated kind of living that is only accomplished by those with the Holy
Spirit. Those controlled by the Spirit (children of God) are those who can be
trained by adversity, not overwhelmed by it.
As a result of such training, children of God witness the
fruit of righteousness. The discipline of God is not wasted on His people; it
generates Christ-likeness.
The Revelations-12:12-13
So then, what is the believer’s responsibility in lieu of
God’s perfect discipline in his or her life? The preacher says, “therefore,
strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make
straight the paths for your feet” (12:12-13a). If discipline and the Christian
life go hand and hand, one should prepare adequately for it so that it can have
its desired affect—training in righteousness. To this end, the believer ought
to do his or her part to strengthen his/herself and straighten up his or her
act. In so doing, the believer partners with God in His program of
sanctification and grows instead of caves under the pressure.
It does my heart good to see my children strengthen their
resolve to obey me or straighten up their act following an episode of
discipline that either I or their mother administer. When I no longer have to
remind my kids to do or not do something or worry so much that they are going
to get into this or that, I know that discipline is having its desired effect.
The same is true in our relationship with God. Positive and corrective changes
in our lives—i.e. when we strengthen our hands that are weak, knees that are
feeble, and make straight the paths for our feet—is pleasing to the Lord.
However, there is another option that one could take. It is the
option that the preacher is preaching against in this verse—“so that the limb
which is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed” (12:13b). One
can either respond to the discipline of God with strength and straightening or
with painful sprains. The words used here are quite graphic, in fact. Those who
do not prepare for the discipline of God run the risk of spraining a leg (spiritually
speaking). This, to be sure, might be necessary at times for the victim to
learn his or her own limitations and subsequently his or her dependency on God.
However, it can be prevented if in the face of discipline, one strengthens his/her
hands and knees and straightens the path of his/her feet.
The result of God’s discipline in the life of a believer can
lead either to pain or to healing—that is spiritual healing toward
righteousness. The former is the result of an undisciplined and unprepared
life. The latter is the result of a mature life that welcomes and embraces the
lessons God wants to teach.
So What?
One of the most encouraging verses in all of the Scriptures
that reiterates many of the points made in this short passage is found in Romans
8:28. It says, “And we know that God causes all things to work
together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according
to His purpose.” This timeless principle extends to the discipline
that God allows in the life of a believer. If, as Hebrews 12:4-13 teaches, God
disciplines those He loves, then even the painful trials one faces that prove
sorrowful for the moment, can be redeemed of God for good. Specifically, as it
pertains to the Christian life, God’s discipline can bring about sanctification
and the fruit of righteousness.
Therefore, believers would do well to take a
mature and spiritual approach to the difficulties they face—understanding that
God is at work even in the midst of heartache. With this mindset, believers
ought to welcome even the tough love of God and, as a result, prepare
accordingly by strengthening their weak hands and feeble knees and
straightening the path of their feet. Then, and only then, will the discipline
of God bring healing and not a painful sprain. We must not fail to appreciate
and even welcome God’s program of discipline in our lives. When we do this, we
waste the opportunity to be made more like Him in this life in preparation for
the next.
No comments:
Post a Comment