before going to bed every night. That would be a good song to sing every night.

Hebrews chapter 12, Hebrews 12. I'm going to pick up in verse 5. The title of the message, The Forgotten Truth about chastening the forgotten truth about chastening now the apostle i'm gonna say the apostle paul i don't know who wrote this but i'm gonna say the apostle paul he now addresses probably their chief problem The chief problem.

Here's why they are perplexed. Here's why they are cast down. He said their hands were cast down. Your knees are weak.

Can't you just see that person in your I have a vivid imagination when I read. I mean, anything I read, I actually watch the story happen. It's just not words on a page. I get into the story and watch it happen, like I did one time with Cole when he was about three years old, probably. I was reading a book to him. We'd read to them all the time, Vicki more than me, but I was reading a book to him. And he was sitting beside of me real tight. And I said to him, I said, let's just get into the book. And I act like I was diving into the book. And he acted like he dove into the book. So we both act like we were in the book walking around, you know, because it had pictures with it. And it just made it come alive for him.

But that's the way my mind works. whatever I'm reading I walk in the book and it helps me to understand what I'm reading because I visualize it a lot and so here he's going to deal with a problem he's going to address a problem that they've had they've been cashed down and you know their hands are down and their feeble knees and I can just see this person I can just see them they're just like this that whole church that he's writing to it just it's just like somebody walks in the room with their shoulders slumped over and their hands hanging down and what would be the first thing you'd say to them what's wrong with it you'd say what's wrong you can tell by their posture that there's something wrong

Well, He tells them what's wrong. He diagnoses their problem. And here it is, here's the problem. And this is our problem when we get cast down, when we go through trials and troubles, here's the reason. You have forgotten the exhortation. That word exhortation means the encouragement. You have forgotten the exhortation, the encouragement from the Word of God.

They were well-versed in the Scriptures. He's not writing to a bunch of Gentiles that have not read the Scriptures like that eunuch said, How can I understand except some man show me? They were well-versed in the Word of God. and he could talk to them about all these over in Hebrews chapter 11, all these people that were spoken of in the Hall of Faith, they KNEW them, they read about them, they were very aware of these people in chapter 12. They were very aware of the priesthood and all the ceremonies, they were very aware of that, he KNEW that. He s writing to a scripturally-educated audience. So he knew the Scriptures very well, and what he says, he says, YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN THE EXHORTATION! And this is STRONG LANGUAGE! He is not saying, YOU HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD THE EXHORTATION! No, YOU COMPLETELY FORGOT IT, as if you never read it!

They forgot what the Scriptures teach about SUFFERING Persecution, chastening, affliction, they forgot about it. And here's what they forgot. You know, it says in Proverbs 3, this is where he's coming from, Proverbs 3, the exhortation you forgot. In Proverbs 3 verses 11 and 12, My son, my son, despise not the chastening of the LORD, neither be weary of his correction, for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth." This is not a New Testament teaching, this is Old Testament. This goes back years and years and years, this is nothing new.

You've forgotten the Word of God, you forgot the Scriptures, that's what you forgot. You know, when we forget the Word of God, we fall into spiritual confusion, WE FALL INTO DISCOURAGEMENT, WE FALL INTO DESPAIR, SPIRITUAL DESPAIR, WHEN WE FORGET THE SCRIPTURES.

BUT LET ME SAY THIS, YOU GOTTA KNOW THE SCRIPTURE BEFORE YOU CAN FORGET THEM. THAT'S WHY YOU GOTTA STUDY THE WORD OF GOD. YOU CAN'T FORGET WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW. AND HE SAYS YOU KNEW THIS, YOU JUST FORGOT IT. YOU ARE SO WRAPPED UP IN YOUR TROUBLES, You're so wrapped up and perplexed over the problem that's going on, you forget what the Word of God says. You forget it! You forget the promises of God. You're so wrapped up in your problems, you forget what God has said and He's worried about them.

See, the Word of God is our source of learning and comfort. We see that over in 2nd Timothy chapter 3, verse 16, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, That word DOCTRINE is TEACHING, it's for TEACHING, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for INSTRUCTION in RIGHTEOUSNESS. The Scriptures is where we LEARN and God TEACHES us by the Scriptures, by His Spirit, and through the things He puts us through, the things we experience. We read of God's sovereignty. THE DOCTRINE OF GOD?S SOVEREIGNTY and then He makes us learn it by experience, puts us through a hardship and doesn?t ask us what we think about it. He took Job?s ten children and then asked Job if he could. God?s not going to ask if he can do anything. We read and we learn from the Scriptures of the sovereignty of God and then He makes us live it. And then we finally bow to the Lord's will. Lord, Thy will be done. Thy will be done.

But listen to Job chapter 5 verse 17. Behold, this is kind of like saying get up on the edge of your seat and listen. Pay attention. Give me your, rest your mind and listen. Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Blessed is the man whom God corrects. Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty, for he maketh sore and bindeth up. If God hurts you, He'll heal you. If He takes away, He'll give. There's always, where there's a hardship, there's a blessing. This is how God deals with His children. But it'll be a spiritual blessing, and we'll know how to handle it. For He maketh sore, and He bindeth up. He woundeth. Has God ever wounded you? Has He ever made you sore? Has God ever hit you so hard that it's made you sore?

You know, my dad, my mother too, but they whipped me. I mean, they gave me a whipping with a switch. They didn't beat me. I never got beaten, but they whipped me with a switch. And I tell you what, I was sore afterwards. I had a I had a principal paddle me in high school, and I couldn't sit down. He bruised me up so much. I was sore. God took Job's ten children, stripped him of all of his riches, stripped him of his health, and he didn't apologize. He did not apologize.

Now listen, this is written to God's Son because He says in Proverbs 13, 11, My Son. This is not written to rebels. It's not written to rebels. It's not written to unbelievers. He says, My Son. This is for God's children and it's to let them know that God's chastening is not rejection. It's parental care. It's parental care. CORRECTIONS ARE DEMONSTRATIONS, CHASTENINGS ARE DEMONSTRATIONS OF GOD'S LOVE TO US. It really is, it's a demonstration of His love to us.

You see, human love is, and I've thought about this before I wrote it down, so much of human love, natural human love, is self-love. You take a child, you know, they want to just throw all kinds of toys and stuff at it, They don't even, I can remember giving, we gave the boys, when they were just babies, you know, just real little, we'd give them something we just really thought they'd be happy with, and they wanted to play with the box. They was more happy getting in the box, playing with it. And it's like, they don't have a clue what you just gave them. You gave it to them for yourself. It's self-love.

As they get bigger, we buy bigger toys. And they say, Oh, thank you. Oh, I love you. And that just makes us feel so good. We get such a shot of dopamine, we become dopamine addicts. That's why we keep giving them bigger and bigger stuff. That's why you keep buying them so much. Love, now we do give them things because of love, but not like we do today, not the way so much it is today.

Love also comes out in real discipline. We'll see this as we go along. See, this matter of chastening is not just a whipping for doing something wrong, it includes the entire training and education of a child. That's what God's doing. It's the entire training of you spiritually until He takes you home. The training, we never graduate. I told my granddaughter this the other day. She said, I have to take it Well, she had two or three tests Tuesday. And I said, I take a test every week, two times a week. I said, I have to study for a test every week. I said, you're going to graduate here in what, four or five years? You could graduate in about four years. I said, I'm not going to graduate until I die. She understood what I meant.

But this here chastening is not just being whipped for something we're doing wrong, it includes the entire training and education of a child. But the word scourgeth, you see that here, and scourgeth every son, that word means to cause great affliction. That's what that word means. And he says, every son, and that means daughters too, he just speaking in the masculine form, he scourges every son. He gives great affliction to every one of his children when they need it, as they need it, and it's measured out by him. And he controls the outcome.

Job said, he knows the way I will take when he has tried me, and I will come forth as gold. When He is chasing me, I'm gonna come forth as gold, He's burning off the dross. That's what happens when you put gold through the fire, isn't it? Every time you put gold through the fire, you're burning off dross, and it's more pure as it comes out. Now, we're not more pure by affliction because we are holy in Christ, we're perfect in Christ, but I do believe it does, and I'm trying to figure out how to say this, it perfects our walk. Can I say it that way? It makes us walk in a more godly manner. We are more careful how we walk and where we go and what we do and what we say.

I tell you, what affects the mind spiritually affects the heart. It affects the heart and what affects the heart comes out in your life. It comes out in your life. So it involves, listen, it involves correction. Not one person in this room, not one of God's children in this world can go without correction. You can't do it. There's no child that can be without correction. We have too much sin in us still. It involves instruction, teaching us, And it involves conforming us to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered more than any of us will ever suffer, any of us who believe. It's the training and education of God's children. That's what He's doing. It corrects bad attitude. I wish we didn't have that. I wish I never got into a bad attitude, but I do. So I mean for no reason you ever just wake up and use in a bad mood for no reason Just no reason

He corrects our attitude the passions of this flesh that war against that we war against You know Paul God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh and messenger he said of satan to buffet him you know why lest he be lifted up with pride because of the abundance of revelation that god gave him he's still in the flesh he would be lifted up with god made sure that all this revelation that he was giving the apostle paul that it was not going to lift him up and be so proud he'd be just he'd just be a pharisee in another suit

But God knows how to keep us in our place. God knows how to correct his children. We cannot discipline, well, most of our children are grown, but we can never discipline them and control the outcome, could we? Couldn't do it. Could not do it. I didn't know this about my, my uncle was telling me this not long ago. I didn't know this about my grandfather. He told me, he said whenever Grandpa gave him a whipping, and Grandpa gave him a whipping, he said he made him stay with him until he cooled down and got over it. And then he'd let him go. I said, they have so much wisdom in that. He didn't just let it go off mad, he made him stay with him until he cooled down. There's some wisdom in that, in controlling, having some control of what he's going to do afterwards, you know, not going to go out and throw a fit.

God controls the outcome when He chastens us. He knows how far to take it, and He knows exactly, and He's going to get exactly the results He's doing it for, exactly. It corrects the bad attitude, it corrects the passions of the flesh, It corrects indifference. You ever grow indifferent? Keeps us from running with the world. Do you know that? He sends these chastenings to keep us from running with the world.

1 Corinthians 11 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. He's not gonna let his children run with the world and be condemned with the world. No, you're not. No, you can't go there. My parents did that all the time. No, you can't go to that dance. I mean, they did. He wouldn't let me. God's kept me out of a lot of trouble. Trouble I wanted to get into. He kept me out of it. God keeps us out of a lot of trouble, you know that? whole lot of trouble you're not get into if the Lord didn't keep us out of it.

God's purpose of chastening is to correct us, to correct our attitudes, our passions, and to conform us to the image of His Son. And He uses suffering. He uses this suffering. The Hebrews have to understand. Paul's making them understand. Your suffering is on purpose. YOUR SUFFERINGS HAVE GOD SENT IT TO YOU. YOU ARE UNDER THE CHASTENING HAND OF GOD. NOW SUBMIT, SHUT UP COMPLAINING AND SUBMIT BECAUSE YOU ARE UNDER THE CHASTENING HAND OF GOD. GOD IS PROVING YOUR FAITH. GOD IS GOING TO PROVE FAITH. You say you believe? You say you believe and you come to the pastor and you say you want to be baptized and that's exactly what you ought to do if you believe. But now time's going to go by. Time's going to go by, life's going to go by, and God's going to send some hardships. He's going to PROVE THAT FAITH. And if it's of God, it'll last. It'll stand the test. If it's of God, it'll stand the test. And it'll separate IT WILL SEPARATE TRUE FAITH FROM FALSE FAITH. IT WILL SEPARATE THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS.

You go back to the parable of the sower, they were offended and they left. It disciplines our passions and it makes us aware more and more of our need of the Lord Jesus Christ. I need Jesus Christ today more than I did 50 years ago, almost 50 years ago. I need Him more. I need Him more. Faith that has never been tested is faith that has never been proven. Unproven faith is no faith at all.

Then the motive here, the moving cause behind God's chastening His children. If you're His, He's saying here, the Lord's going to chasten you. He's going to scourge every son, every daughter He receives. It's coming, and it's coming more than once. Job said when he was speaking about his trials, he said, Many such things are with Him, therefore I am afraid of Him. He was a fear of respect in all. But here's the cause behind God's chastening His children, chastening us. It's this, for whom the Lord loves, He chastens. The rod is used in love, not anger. Not anger.

Over in Psalm 119, turn over to Psalm 119. In verse 65, let me find that first and then see where I want to read. It is, verse 71, it is good for me that I have been afflicted. You know, I did not tell my parents when they chastened me, I did not turn around and say, it was good for me, you did that. I never said that one time. I never even thought like that. But now, all these years later, I can, well, they're gone now, but I can say to mom and dad, it was good for me that you chastened me. You whipped me. It was good for me that you did that. Thank you. Thank you. You really didn't, I mean, I was gonna say you didn't spoil me. I was born spoiled. But you didn't add to it. You chastened me and my brothers and sisters. IT IS GOOD FOR ME THAT I HAVE BEEN AFFLICTED THAT I MIGHT LEARN THY STATUTES."

What drives you to the Word of God? There is nothing that will drive you to the Word of God like affliction. You start seeking the Lord in prayer, you'll seek Him in His Word, and you'll seek Him in the preaching of His Word like tonight. GOOD FOR ME, GOOD FOR ME THAT I HAVE BEEN AFFLICTED. It's been good for me.

Proverbs 6 verse 23, For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light, and the reproofs of instruction are the way of life. The reproofs, plural, of instruction are the way of life, and here s what it will do. To keep thee from the evil woman, and the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. And you can write false religion about that woman, that s false religion. To keep me from the evil of false religion, and the flattery of the tongue of strange religion. What is false religion? What is it really built upon? Flattery, lies and flattery.

God corrects His children, and we need to understand this. He corrects them to instruct them for spiritual growth If you really want a fruit tree to produce, if you really want it to do that, learn how to prune it, like grapes. Learn how to prune them back. In fact, if you prune them right, it will look like you killed them. He corrects His children for spiritual growth and for their eternal good. All things working together for your good. It doesn't matter if it's outside of you or inside. It doesn't matter if it's arthritis. It's for your good. I tell you, the older I get, my right hip has been giving me a lot of trouble. That's for my good. I realize, I'm realizing more and more how frail I am. how frail I am. We say, Lord, in the scriptures, David said, Lord, teach me how frail I am. Well, when he does it, don't complain about it. Don't start complaining when he actually answered your prayer.

Would you rather God leave you alone or treat you as a child? And then God chastens us out of love, and He chastens us because we are sons and not strangers. You're mine. You're mine. You see, chastening CONFIRMS SONSHIP. It confirms sonship. He says here in verse 7, God deals with you as sons. A FATHER WHO NEVER DISCIPLINES IS NOT A LOVING FATHER, HE'S A NEGLIGENT FATHER. When you see kids running around like a bunch of brats and the parents won't make them mine, that's NEGLIGENT PARENTS. They won't discipline. They won't discipline. Now if you told that parent, the reason you won't discipline them is because you don't love them. You would really make them mad. But you be telling the truth. Your proof of love is not how much you buy them and throw up on them. It's how you discipline them in love. It's how you guide them and direct them. And that's exactly what God does with His children. He doesn't leave that up to anyone else. No more than we leave discipline up to Not if you re a good parent, you don t leave it up to the school system, you don t leave it up to the law, you don t leave it up to it s your job, it s OUR JOB when God gives us children to DISCIPLINE THEM. I could really get going on this one because it just fires me up parents today, and I know I m right according to the Scriptures, but I m not going there tonight.

GOD CHASES US BECAUSE WE ARE SONS AND NOT STRANGERS. Listen here in verse 8. But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, there are no special sons and daughters. This is not my special son. Jesus Christ is His special son. And He spared him not. He spared him not. I don't remember, it might have been Spurgeon that said, God, have one son without sin, no sons without suffering. No son without suffering. Here's what it means. But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards illegitimate, and not sons. No chastening equals no relationship, no sonship. That's what it equals. To be without chastening is to be illegitimate. You know, under the law, suffering often meant loss of favor. God was a covenant of works. When they did wrong, God punished them. God never punishes His children. He chastens His children. He punished Jesus Christ in our stead. He punished Him. He chastens us. You see, under the Law, they would lose God s favor, they d be punished if they broke the Law. Under the Covenant of Grace, we are DISCIPLINED out of an EXPRESSION OF LOVE. It s an expression of love. Human nature can t understand that, we understand that. We understand it.

And then He gives an example here of the Earthly Father and the Heavenly Father. Earthly, in verse 9, Earthly Fathers DISCIPLINED US, it says, after their pleasure, that is, as they saw fit. It was imperfect. Because a lot of times, and this is sad, but it's so, a lot of times Earthly Fathers discipline out of anger and out of frustration. God NEVER disciplines it like that. never never and we gave them respect he said we gave them respect how much more our heavenly father who disciplines us and we give him respect how much more should we owe him and give him respect and live live before him live spiritually

Now it says in verse 11 that the chastening when it's happening is not pleasant. It's not pleasant. If it is, you're not being chastened. You're not being chastened. No, it's not time out. God doesn't give us time out. He takes care of the problem, chastens us, and it's over with. It's over with. It's not joyful for the moment when it's happening, but when it's over, when it's over, look here in verse 11, Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous, painful. Nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised.

The Greek word for that means trained, those who've been trained by discipline. Train a child up, what? In the way you'd have it to go and it won't depart from it. GOD IS TRAINING YOU UP IN ME, TRAINING US UP IN THE WAY HE WOULD HAVE US TO GO, AND HE WON'T LET US DEPART FROM IT. HE WON'T LET US DEPART FROM THE PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. HE WON'T DO IT.

Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4, 17, for our light affliction. Paul, you don't know what I'm going through. Well, whatever it is, at the end of the day, it's a light affliction. Compared to the affliction of Christ, it's a light affliction. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, we're all here but for a moment, and what we experience is but for a moment. You know, I can stand here and look at that clock, and that second hand is like a moment, a moment, a moment, second, second, second, second. And what I'm experiencing right now is over with. Well, I just said it's gone, it's in the past. We live moment by moment. Don't we sing a song, moment by moment? That's how we live. And every moment is gone, is gone, is gone, it's gone that fast. And that's exactly how our lives will be. In a moment, it's gone. And we'll be gone from this earth. We'll be gone from this earth. BUT IT WORKS FOR US A FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY, OR WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE, AND THE PROMISED OUTCOME IS THIS, PEACE, THE FRUIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS IS PEACE, PEACE. IT'S A GREATER ENJOYMENT OF PEACE WITH GOD. That's something that can't really be explained, it has to be experienced. When the Lord can give you such peace in the midst of storm, in the midst of a very difficult trial, you can lay down and go to sleep. Now brethren, that's real. I'm telling you the truth. It's real.

PEACE OF CONSCIENCE! Oh my soul, what's that worth? Peace of conscience. It's over with. You know, I used to, and I remember this, We're not going to be here Sunday, so let's take advantage of this. But I remember when I did things at home as a kid growing up, things that I knew was wrong, I did it wrong. I thought, boy, I should have done that. But when I got caught, when they finally gave me a whipping, I can't tell you how much better I felt that that was over with. That wasn't going to be dealt with again. I was carrying that guilt around for what I did, and then they gave me a weapon for it when they got me, and then it?s over with! It?s over with! I don?t have to hide it no more, I don?t have to feel the guilt of it no more, it?s been dealt with! PEACE OF CONSCIENCE and QUIETNESS AND ASSURANCE. Oh, the quietness inside of THE QUIETNESS INSIDE AND THE ASSURANCE.

NOW LISTEN, THE ASSURANCE, I AM HIS CHILD, GOD IS MY FATHER. HAVE YOU EVER SAT AROUND AND THOUGHT ABOUT THAT? THAT YOU REALLY ARE A CHILD OF GOD? HOW AMAZING IS THAT? THAT YOU REALLY ARE A CHILD OF GOD. YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE KING! AND HE IS NOT GOING TO LET HIS CHILDREN ACT UP IN THE KINGDOM. HE IS NOT GOING TO LET THEM.

Isaiah said, Isaiah 32, verse 17, THE WORK OF RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL BE PEACE. And seeing this as so, seeing this as so, in verse 12, LIFT UP THE HANDS WHICH HANG DOWN. You see, this is what he saw back in verse 5 when he started dealing with this. This is like a bunch of moping cast down children and it's what he's like lift up your head you forgot what the scripture says God's dealing with you as sons he's dealing with you out of love he's your trouble is sin of God it's not just because they can't stand you God brought you into this he made you sore and he's going to make you he's going to heal you he's going to wound you but he's also going to cure the wound with the balm of Gilead, Christ.

Lift up their hands and was hanged down. Listen, fear had paralyzed them. They were under such persecution, fear paralyzed them. Droopy hands are a sign that someone has given up. It's a sign someone's in despair and they've given up. And make straight paths for your feet. Avoid spiritual limping and compromise and wavering. Make straight paths for you. Don't you turn and listen to them. There's all kinds of voices. All kinds of voices. Block those voices out.

You know, Henry is my pastor and I consider him like a mentor. And I learned, as I got older, I learned to cut out a lot of other voices. And I learned, if you got something on your mind or something, you just say, don't go ask 10 people. Good night. Don't do that. My youngest son, Jeremy, has a business. And I told him, I said, find you a good business mentor and listen to him. And don't listen to so many voices. You'll have an idea, the next thing you know, this will say this about it. Don't do that. Find somebody that's seasoned and listen to them. Make straight paths with your feet. When they're talking about this over here, don't go over there and listen to it. You know it. If you know they're wrong, don't go listen to them. Don't be part of that, just straight path where your feet. Make a straight path here and a straight path home. Do that.

And follow PEACE with URGENCY. RUN AFTER IT, PURSUE IT LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. PURSUE IT, PURSUE IT THAT MUCH. We should pursue We should run after, you know, we should run after things that promote spiritual growth, shouldn't we? We should run after it, put great effort in it. How much effort do we really put in spiritual growth? It's not automatic. There's real effort. There's real effort in studying and praying and growing spiritually. It's not just automatic. I'll tell you what is automatic, sin. and being pulled in different directions. That's automatic. It takes effort to walk this straight path and learn of Him.

They were becoming divided, especially the weaker believers, and they didn't know what to do. And He said, Keep your eye on Christ, follow Him, and remember the Scriptures. Study them, remember them. And I'm going to close here. Here's what Chastening teaches us. IT TEACHES US NOT TO RUN WITH THE WORLD. IT TEACHES US THAT GOD LOVES US. IT TEACHES US THAT GOD LOVES US. AND IT MAKES US, NOW LISTEN, IT MAKES US SENSITIVE TO THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD THAT DWELLS IN US. IT MAKES US SENSITIVE TO HIM. YOU KNOW HE IS IN YOU.

pay attention and he works with this word he doesn't work apart from it and holiness he says here with that which no man shall see the Lord this holiness is Christ it's Christ is following Christ who is our holiness and as we follow the Lord Jesus Christ we live and walk a godly life You can't follow Christ and live an ungodly life. Those two don't work. They don't work.

And then last of all, Chastening is of God. It is God chasing us with purpose. He's making us like His Son. It's correction, exercise in love. God's never mad at us. You see, He don't have those feelings up and down like you and I do. He's not frustrated. It's in love. He brings us along. Do not faint when you're chastened. God is dealing with you as a son or daughter. The forgotten truth about chastening.