Okay, well, back to Hebrews and
chapter 12, continuing through this. And I want particularly
this morning to look at the Lord's chastening of his people, the
chastisement of his people in this world. It's often a very
misunderstood subject, but with God's help and wisdom from above,
as we saw right at the very start, with that wisdom from above,
we pray that he will teach us. We must always, when we think
about these things, remember, the start of chapter 12, we've
got this great cloud of witnesses, but we're going on, we're going
on. Run the race set before us. Run with patience the race, the
course, the course of life. It's a course of life that is
set before us. God is the one who sets that
course of life. And we're exhorted to follow
it, looking unto Jesus, looking unto Jehovah Jesus, our God,
the author and the finisher of our faith, the one who is God,
our saviour, who has saved us from our sins and has this joy
that is set before him. The joy that is set before him
is God's eternal purpose of grace. Always keep these things in mind. So much of so-called Christianity
focuses so much on interactions in this world. I'm not saying
that they're unimportant. but the emphasis of the truth
of God is his eternal purposes of grace. The kingdom of God
is what Jesus came preaching. The kingdom of God, not this
fallen world, that kingdom of bliss and of righteousness and
holiness, the kingdom populated with the elect multitude, that
that people without number, impossible to count them, eternally loved,
loved with an everlasting love, brought into this world but cursed
by the Fall, cursed by the Fall in Eden. Though cursed by the
Fall, redeemed, bought back, purchased. How? What was it that
purchased the Church of God? the blood of God. How can God
who is spirit shed his blood? His son was sent into the world
as a man to come and to die as a substitute in the place of
his people. And then in time, each and every
one of this elect multitude is under the sovereign purposes
and will of God called out of the darkness of sin and ignorance
concerning the things of God and regenerated brought to life,
to spiritual life. We're dead in trespasses and
sins by nature, but he regenerates, he brings to life, spiritual
life. And he grants that gift, that
gift of faith, the sight of the soul to see the things of God. that the natural man cannot see,
for they are spiritually discerned. And without the discernment that
is the gift of God, faith, we cannot see them. But bless God,
he gives his people this gift of faith. And he shows us that
path of life, that race that is set before us, that path to
the celestial city, as John Bunyan described it in his Pilgrims'
Progress. It's a race, a course set before
us, but it's God that sets that course before us. And we're called
to live in this flesh, knowing these things, knowing these things
of eternity and of spiritual reality. We're called to live
in this sinful flesh for a time determined for each one individually
by the good hand of God. where Jesus, the night that he
was betrayed, when he prayed that prayer in John 17, he prayed
not that his people be taken out of the world, but that we
be left in the world for a while. But while we're left there, that
we be kept from the evil, the evil of Satan and his kingdom.
We have to live in sinful flesh. for a time determined for each
one, all in the good purposes of God, all with a certain goal. The goal is the bliss of paradise,
the paradise of God. It does not yet appear what we
shall be, but we know this. When he shall appear, we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is, without sin to
cloud the view, in intimate, close contact, communion between
God and his people, his people and their God. It's a race. It's a course, it's a path of
life to be lived by faith, by soul sight, looking unto Jesus. He, Jesus, He is our God made
known, manifested. He is our goal. What is heaven? It's to be with Him. It's to
be with Him in the bliss of eternity. So in life's difficulties, and
there are plenty because of sin in this world, Look always to
Jesus. Consider him, as it says there
in verse 3 of chapter 12. Consider him. Consider him. Meditate upon him and what he
endured. He endured in the flesh unto
blood. He died on the cross shedding
his blood. Follow his example as we can. Seek God's guidance
to follow his example. Aim to emulate him. Look to him
and realize why you are going through trials. Why do we go
through trials to varying degrees? All the children of God go through
varying trials. Why is it? It's his path that
he set before us and it's his path and the trials he places
there To wean us, that word was in one of the hymns, the last
hymn that we just sang. You know how a baby is weaned
from its mother's milk onto the food of an adult. We're to be
weaned from this world, from our affection for this world.
Yes, we live in it, but not of it. To wean us from the world
and to set our focus on the things of heaven, knowing that all things
work together for good to those who love God, who are the called
according to his purpose. in these verses from Hebrews
12, verses four or five, down to verse 13, they tell us, Paul
tells us here, how we should view our current experience of
trials and difficulties. And what I want to do, the way
I want to approach this is think for a moment about an unbeliever's
perspective on the troubles of life, of suffering in this life,
and then compare that with the believer's perspective on trouble
and suffering. To an unbeliever, as to all people
who are being realistic, trouble and suffering is a fact of life. It's something that we all, irrespective
of whether we're believer or not, we all come across it to
varying degrees. You're always reading about celebrities
who've had some dreadful accident or something terrible has befallen
them. These things are the common lot of man. Everything painful,
that happens can be traced back to sin, but not necessarily to
personal sin, but to the fall, the sin of Adam, the sin of humanity
in him, bringing down God's curse on creation. It can all be traced
back to the fall, but people refuse to believe it. The natural
man, the unbeliever, will not believe that that is the case.
What do they think? They think that these things
that happen are just grossly unfair, or they're the outworking
of luck. Oh, you've been so unlucky that
this has happened to you. They ignore God, except when
they want to blame him for their misfortune. You know, they absolutely
refuse to acknowledge anything to do with God, except when something
bad happens and they want somebody to blame, and so they blame God
for it happening. So disasters, how could God have
allowed that to happen? Accidents, how could God have
allowed that accident to happen? Malicious activity by criminals,
why didn't God restrain them? Well, you don't believe in a
God, do you? So why are you now blaming God for these things?
The selfish carelessness that's in this world, the pursuit of
riches out of personal greed, the effects, we see it all around
us. Jesus said there will always
be wars and rumors of wars, and it's so in our day, isn't it?
Wars and conflict, and it would seem indiscriminate harm that
is brought on People who have nothing to do with the conflict,
they say that they're innocent people. Well, nobody's innocent
in the sense that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God. But nevertheless, we know what is meant. Economic hardship
hits all sorts of people. It strikes all, to some degree,
indiscriminately, all of these things. A child is born with
a genetic fault, some deformity or something that goes wrong. I saw a little news item about
a child not far from where we live, born happy, healthy, and
this genetic thing went wrong and now that child is effectively
paralyzed and losing all ability. These things strike. An illness
strikes one in the prime of life. An accident In a moment, an acquaintance
of mine from many years ago, I remember when we met up with
them after many years of not having seen them, and they had
some tragic news that they'd moved to an area because of their
daughter and her husband and their family wanted to be near
them. And it wasn't long after that that the husband was killed
one night, cycling home from work on his bike, just in a moment. Everything's fine. The day's
fine. And then there's a knock at the door and it's the police
saying, we've got some dreadful news for you. An accident in
a moment. Some bear these things. Some
unbelievers bear these things with remarkable fortitude and
others with bitterness to God who should have prevented it.
but God with whom they want nothing to do. Constantly, you hear it
all the time, don't you, in the news, society tries to make sorrow,
suffering, death, accidents, it tries to make them things
that can never happen again. But as soon as one risk is eliminated,
another new and unknown one arises. And society is always trying
to build its own Tower of Babel. You know Genesis chapter 11,
the Tower of Babel? Society is always trying to build
its own Tower of Babel to reach its idea of heaven without God. but this is God's universe, and
he is the holy and just one, and he must reward sin with its
just retribution in this world and in the one to come. The believer's
perspective, that's the believer's perspective. Sorry, the unbeliever's
perspective. What's the believer's perspective
on troubling and sorrow? What is the believer's perspective?
How does the believer view it? Well, fundamentally, absolutely,
at the basic level, The views of a believer are formulated
by Scripture, by what the Word of God says, by what the Holy
Spirit teaches. How do we view the troubles and
the trials of life that come along? How can you view it in
such and such a way? We're guided, we're informed,
we're spoken to by God through His Word, by His Spirit taking
the Word and applying it. In Deuteronomy chapter 8 and
verse 5, We read this, I'm going to read a few scriptures now.
Thou shalt also consider in thine heart that as a man chasteneth
his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. As a man chastens
his son, as a loving parent chastens his son, so God, if you're the
child of God, he will chasten you. He will correct you. He will
put things in your way to teach you things. Job chapter five,
verse 17. Behold, happy is the man whom
God correcteth. Happy is the man whom God correcteth. Therefore despise not thou the
chastening of the Almighty. Psalm 94 verse 12. Blessed is
the man, blessed! Not, oh, how sorry we ought to
be for this one. No, blessed of God, favored by
God is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out
of thy law. Blessed is that. Proverbs 3 verses
11 and 12, we don't need to turn to it because it's here in Hebrews
12 and verse 5 and 6. Have you forgotten the exhortation
or the comfort which speaketh unto you as children? My son,
despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou
art rebuked of him. Why? For whom the Lord loveth. He chasteneth. God loves those
that he chastens and scourges. He scourges every son whom he
receiveth. This is what God's word teaches
the believer. James chapter one. James chapter
one, verses one and two. Sorry, verses two and three.
My brethren, count it all joy. Count it all joy. when ye fall
into divers temptations, or into difficulties, into trials, into
tests, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience. Down in verse 12, blessed is
the man that endureth temptation, for when tried, He shall receive
the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that
love him. The Lord hath promised to them
that love him. In Revelation even, one of the
letters to the churches, Revelation 3 verse 19, God says this, Jesus
says this, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Yes, believers
suffer in this life. The children of God, brought
out of darkness into his marvelous light, they suffer in this life. They suffer sickness. They suffer
the pain of bereavement. They suffer the effects of natural
disasters. There are many of our brethren
in the states of the USA that were affected by the hurricane
that have suffered great loss due to the floods. It happens. It would seem indiscriminately.
But it's all by the hand of God, for the good of his people. The
effects of wars. Believers in the last world wars
were affected just like others by these things. Persecution
comes along. Loss, emotional pain, etc. All of these things. And when
it happens, it's natural for the flesh to ask why. If we believe
that Christ has justified us, we think, why would he still
subject us to such pain? The believer cries out with the
psalmist, Psalm 10 verse 1, talking to God, why standest thou afar
off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times
of trouble? It's as if God is hiding himself. The answer is, He chastises his
children because of love for his children, not because of
wrath for sin. If he didn't love you, he would
leave you to your own plans and their consequences. We have to
always remember when going through anything what the eternal goal
is of salvation. The salvation of God is that
kingdom of God and his people there justified and fitted for
that place to be with him and to enjoy him forever. Always
remember that goal, and that the race that is set before us
is the course that God has set towards that goal. In verse four,
just look at these verses with me as we go through this. Verse four, you have not resisted
unto blood, striving against sin. It speaks of resisting unto
blood, real effort, striving against sin. What sin? The sin
that so easily besets us. The sin of unbelief, or the sin
of cursing God for what has happened. Look at Job and chapter 2. Job chapter 2. You know, Job
was a man whom God said there's no
one like him in the world, in terms of his dedication to God.
And he said to Satan, he, God, said to Satan, have you considered
Job my servant? And Job went through terrible
suffering. God permitted Satan to take all
of his possessions away. But he said, don't touch his
body. And then he said, ah, yes, but
what will he give for his life? He said, okay, you can't take
away his life, but you can you can hurt his flesh. And Job was
hurt in his flesh very greatly. And in chapter 2 and verse 9,
Job's wife said this to him. Then said his wife to him, does
thou still retain thine integrity? Have you not gone mad doing this,
you know, putting up with this? Curse God and die. Curse God
and die. He answers in verse 10. Look
what Job says back to her. She tells him to curse God and
die, but he said unto her, thou speakest as one of the foolish
women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at
the hand of God? And shall we not receive evil?
In all this did not Job sin with his lips. He later in chapter
13 said this, though he slay me, yet will I praise him. Though
God do all of these things that the world regards as absolutely
dreadful, yet will I praise him. The Lord giveth, and the Lord
taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. How could he say that? How could
he say those things? The world, the unbelieving world,
doesn't understand. How can you say those things?
Job knew. that his Redeemer lives. I know,
Job 19.25, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand
at the latter day on the earth. He could see the kingdom of God
ahead of him by faith. I know that my Redeemer liveth,
and he shall stand at the latter day on the earth. And though
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. That's how Job could say, the
Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of
the Lord. What must he have done? Have
you forgotten, verse 5, the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children? Exhortation, the same word is translated consolation. Have you forgotten the consolation,
the comfort that speaks to you as unto children? Don't despise
the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you're rebuked of
him. Job must have remembered the consolation that speaks to
children, to his children. God is our Father. His people
are his adopted children. We're adopted into the family
of God by grace. He loves his people to the extent
that Christ died to justify them alone. God commends his love
to us, Romans 5 verse 8, that while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us, all things. the seemingly good and the bad
all things what does it say we quote it so often romans 8 28
all things work together for good to the people of god to
them who love god who are the called according to his purpose
for his purpose cannot fail and what is his purpose that we should
all be landed safe in that eternal bliss of his kingdom the child
when having to take some bitter medicine. It's not quite like
that these days, is it? Pharmaceuticals have made it
so much less than it was, but we remember when we were kids
that the medicine used to really be foul, and hence you had that
song, A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down. But a child
may think the medicine bitter, but the loving parent administers
it for the child's good. Which loving parent, Jesus said
this, which loving parent gives their child a stone in place
of bread that is asked for? Or a serpent, a snake, a poisonous
snake in place of an egg for food? Don't resent what God sends. The Lord is good. The Lord is
good to his people. The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh
away, but all for the sake of his people, and so blessed be
the name of the Lord. Don't faint under his rebuke. Don't give up or stop trusting
him. Don't succumb to the besetting
sin of unbelief. That's the sin which so easily
besets us in verse one, the sin of unbelief. Verse six, for whom
the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom
he receiveth. God sends his just judgment and
retribution on sin and on sinners, but his children's sin, he's
already punished it in Christ, our substitute, our redeemer.
But he chastises, he scourges his true children with trials
and with sufferings for their eternal good. And why? Why does
he do it? What's the motive? What's the
motive of a good and wise parent in chastising their children,
correcting their children? What's the motive? It's love.
They love them. They love them. Other children,
the misbehaving children of others, that's their business. That's
for them. I'm the parent of my children.
God is the parent of his children. He's the father of his children.
Verse seven. If ye endure chastening, God
dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father
chasteneth not? You know you are children of
loving parents when they take the trouble to restrain and correct
you, even though you find it annoying and painful and unhelpful
at the time. Yet it's for your good driven
by love. Verse eight. If you be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards
and not sons. Without chastisement from God,
whatever its nature, whatever its severity, it's an indication
that there is no legitimate adoption into the family of God, into
the church of God, into the people of God. Verses 9 and 10. Furthermore,
we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave
them reverence. Shall we not much rather be in
subjection to the father of spirits and live? For they verily for
a few days chastened us, corrected us, after their own pleasure.
Often you see the earthly parent and the child's being annoying,
and they'll exercise some discipline, and it's for their own pleasure.
It's to stop the child annoying them. But God does it for the
profit, for the good of his children, that we might be partakers of
his holiness. You see, we respect earthly parents
when they exercise loving discipline in some measure, even if it's
for their own pleasure. But how much more our Heavenly
Father's correction, which is wholly focused on our eternal
profit, when we partake of his holiness. Verse 11, no chastening
for the present seemeth to be joyous. It isn't pleasant to
endure it. It doesn't seem to be joyous,
but it's grievous. It causes grief, it causes pain.
Nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness
unto them which are exercised thereby. It isn't pleasant to
endure the chastening of God. It is painful. It is sorrowful. but it's fruitful in the end,
the peaceable fruit of righteousness. It's a blessing to the child
of God from God, a patience that is resting in God's salvation
and increasingly looking for God's kingdom. Verse 12, wherefore
lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees, don't
be discouraged. Come on, be encouraged. That's
quoting Isaiah 35 in verse three. Lift up the hands which hang
down in the flesh. The spirit might be willing,
but so often the flesh is weak. Lift up the hands which hang
down. Look to God for help. Without me, you can do nothing,
but with him, we can do all things. We can do all things. So don't
be discouraged. Be consoled. Have you forgotten
the comfort, the consolation which speaks to you as children?
and don't fall aside. Look, make straight paths, verse
13, make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame
be turned out of the way. Straight paths for your feet
is an echo of Jeremiah chapter 6 and verse 16. Thus saith the Lord, stand ye
in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, straight paths. Where is the good way? And walk
therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. That's the ways
of the truth and doctrine of God. Straight paths for your
feet. lest that which is lame, I think
there's a hint there of Galatians chapter one and verse six, which
is talking about fellowship with your brethren. Brethren, if a
man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore
such an one in a spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou
also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens. I
think it's, if you see a brother that's going out of the way,
out of the right path, you know, lest that which is lame be turned
out of the way. Make straight paths, stick to
the truth, stick to the right doctrine, encourage one another. So run the race, run the course,
the course of life that God has set before us, looking to our
eternal goal and welcoming. This sounds so hard to do. especially to an unbeliever observing,
welcoming divine chastening, which is for our ultimate good.
I'm going to finish early, I've not preached as long as I normally
do, but I just want to read in finishing two things that Sam
shared with us this morning, because I thought that they were
so good. One is by Thomas Watson, it says
this, To know that nothing hurts the godly is a matter of comfort. To be assured that all things
which fall out shall cooperate for their good, that their crosses
shall be turned into blessings, that showers of affliction water
the withering root of their grace and make it flourish more. This
may fill their hearts with joy till they run over, God takes
away the world that the heart may cleave more to him in sincerity. God sweetens outward pain with
inward peace. And then another one, this is
by William Mason. And he says this, the unbeliever
must find this very, very hard, but it's the experience of the
true child of God. Oh then, oh then, welcome pains,
sickness, temptations, losses, crosses, afflictions of every
kind, yea, death itself, whenever and by whatever way it comes.
For ye are all, but as so many love-tokens from my Lord, crying,
Arise, my fair one, come away. No mortal joys are worth the
stay. Arise, my fair one, come away.
That's the song of Solomon. Arise, my love, and come away.
So then, think on those things, the chastisement of God, the
correction of God for the eternal good and comfort and strengthening
of his people.