Brother David made those first
comments before he read that precious scripture. It just reminded
me, July the 20th, 2003, that was
my first message here. It's hard to imagine that I've
been here 15 years. But what a precious 15 years
it's been. I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Proverbs chapter
20. Lord willing, I'd like to deal
with the last verse of Proverbs chapter 20. Proverbs 20 verse
30. As we've often said, the beauty
of the Proverbs is that there is good, perfect, sound advice
for our daily walk. No doubt about that. But for those that Almighty God
has everlastingly loved in Christ, there is a message of eternal
significance. And unto those that the Lord
has everlastingly loved, He has a message. And that's the way
it is today. I want to deal today with the
subject of punishment. Punishment. For those of you
that have children, you are vitally aware of the need of instruction. Kids don't come with a handbook,
per se, written by man, but they do, written by God. And as our kids are growing up,
and you're faced with the struggle of how to handle situations,
it is so needful to know what does God have to say concerning
the raising of children. And for those of you that don't
have children, you as a kid, and you had to go through that
time of learning, discipline. Never was fun, was it? But oh,
how needful. So discipline is not a foreign
subject to any of us. So what does God's word have
to say about discipline? Verse 30, Proverbs 20, the blueness
of a wound cleanseth away evil, so do stripes the inward parts
of the belly. Now, temporarily, for today,
in this life, humanly speaking, Here's the one side of it that
sets forth that good, perfect, sound advice. Children need correction. According to God's Word, discipline
for disobedience is ordained of God. Now listen to what Proverbs
23.13 says. withhold not correction from
the child. For if thou beatest him, that
word beatest means punish, with the rod, if thou beatest him
with the rod, he shall not die. Now, contrary to modern false,
foolish, disobedient opinion, corporal punishment, getting
a spanking, is not going to lead to death. No parent that lovingly
corrects and spanks their child for disobedience. You're not
going to mar their mental state. You're not going to teach them
that violence is the answer to everything. I hear what they
say. I know what's going on. In fact,
discipline administered for the good of our children is actually
the exhibition of our love for them. Proverbs 13, 24. He that spareth his rod, hateth
his son. But he that loveth him, chasteneth
him betimes. So that is diligently. So I'm
telling you that it is absolutely the best and the right thing
to chasten, to spank, to discipline children for disobedience. I've told you before. I tell
my kids. I said, I'm not going to spank
you for a mistake. But I will spank you for disobedience. And I'll be the one that determines
whether or not it was a mistake. You know, Dad, I didn't mean
to. Don't tell me. I remember what you said. I know
what's going on. Chasten, Proverbs 19, 18, thy
son while there's hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. Man, I've heard all the excuses
that you can possibly give. I was good at it myself, and
it didn't really work for me. But I can tell you this, I know
that a child is going to try to talk you out of it. I'll never
do it again. The basis for all discipline
is the word of God and as parents we are instructed to discipline
our children with loving but firm corporal punishment. The blueness of a wound cleanseth
evil. Now that word blueness Let me
tell you what it means it means leave a mark leave a mark time
out I'm going to take your computer away from you. You're not going
to be on the phone for three hours or something Nothing works
like a good old-fashioned spanking and believe me I Children desperately
need a spanking when they are disobedient. We administer discipline
because we love our children and we desire their best. Kids
don't know where the lines are. And the older they get, and the
more they come into society, they need to be taught the lines. Where's the boundaries? And discipline,
God-ordained discipline, firm, loving discipline, will produce
the opposite effect of what free thinkers set forth. Instead of
teaching a child to be aggressive, as the modern sociologist says,
with loving, biblical discipline, the child is taught respect,
love, and obedience. Listen to me, parents. If you do not discipline your
children, they will not respect you. They will not respect you. But I promise you this, lovingly
disciplining them breeds the greatest of respect. It's because
they're taught you do love them. and you would not leave them
to themselves. So, give them a spanking. Whenever they're disobedient,
if you tell them something and they don't do it, spank them. Don't let them talk you out of
it. Spank them. You did the best thing that you
could possibly do. Now, without a doubt, what I've
just told you is absolutely. So, it's scriptural. It's needed, it must be heeded,
but it doesn't set forth the glory of God in the redemption
and salvation of His people. Here's the question that I always
tell you to remember to ask. Where's the lamb? Where's the
gospel in it? I mean, what I told you is good
advice, because it's biblical advice. So now I want us to look
at this passage of Scripture and may the Spirit of God give
us eyes to see and ears to hear the truth that this Scripture
is setting forth. That first part was true, but
it's not going to do us any eternal good. There's two afflictions
that every vessel of God's mercy absolutely needs. Now you know that the scripture
sets forth that God has a people. You know that. I won't go into
election and teach on election, though I'm going to mention it.
God has chosen a people before the foundation of the world,
and He's given them to the Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1-4. They were chosen unto salvation. 2 Thessalonians 2.13 Almighty
God has eternally loved them. He's going to save them. He's
going to call them out of darkness. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. We know that. Now I'm telling
you that there's two whippings. Two afflictions that every vessel
of God's mercy absolutely must have and shall have. I can tell
you that. The first affliction that I want
to speak of is the affliction that was administered by Almighty
God toward the Lord Jesus Christ on the behalf of God's people
in the putting away of my sin. Now you listen to this. The blueness
of a wound cleanseth away evil. In my Bible, I've got a marginal
reading for the word cleanseth and it is a purging medicine
against evil. There is an affliction that I
absolutely have to have. but I cannot bear. I must have
it. Here's the truth of the matter.
I am a sinner. I am a sinner by birth. I'm a sinner by choice. I'm a
sinner by practice. I am a sinner against God and
I deserve eternal separation from God. Almighty God is just. He is a just God, and here's
what the scripture says. He will by no means clear the
guilty. What does that mean? I'm not
going to get away with it. That's what it means. The soul
that sinneth, it shall die. Now that's justice. That's the
reality. And the scripture sets forth
that God Almighty is going to administer the just due for rebellion
against Him. And I'm a rebel and you are too. Now here's the way it is. We're
sinners against God. That's not going to change. We
were born sinners in sin that our mother conceived us. We came
forth from our mother's womb, speaking lies. And in the day
of judgment, I can tell you that all accounts are going to be
settled. They're going to be settled. They're going to be
made known. They're going to be revealed. John said, Revelation
20, 12, I saw the dead, small and great, small in worth and
great in rebellion. Stand before God. And the books
were opened. And another book was opened,
which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out
of those things which were written in the books according to their
works. Verse 15, And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life, that book that was written
from before the foundation of the world, was cast into the
lake of fire. Here's what I can tell you. Absolute
justice is going to be served. But for all of those who were
found written in the book of Christ himself, the book of life,
those names who have been eternally written in heaven, those who
have been eternally chosen in Christ, they've already suffered
that which is due their rebellion. They've already gotten that first
weapon. They were punished with the indescribable
hand of God's justice and judgment at Calvary in Christ. They were
chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world. And
they've never been apart from being in Him. When they fell
in Adam, they were still in Him. When they walked in rebellion
before they were regenerated by the grace of God, they've
always been in Christ. Now, I can't explain all of this,
but I can tell you this. Brother Scott was right. When
he said where God puts a man, that's where God keeps a man.
And until Almighty God reveals to us that we're in Christ, those
that have everlastingly been loved, we don't know it. But
when He reveals it, then we know it. It doesn't change the fact
that we've always been there. But we were always there. So
whenever the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross, and for whom
did He die? John 10.15 says, I lay down my
life for the sheep. Verse 24 of John, well let me
make sure, it's John 10. John 10, I'll make sure, everybody
say, isn't everybody a sheep? No. He came to the Jews, round
about, said unto them, they said, how long dost thou make us to
doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Verse 25, John
10, 25, Jesus answered them, I told you, you believe not the
works that I do in my Father's name. They bear witness of me.
Verse 26, but ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.
as I said unto you, My sheep hear My voice. I know them and
they follow Me. So here's what I know. God's
got a sheep. They've always been His sheep.
They've never been anything but His sheep. They've never been
a goat. They never will be a goat. They've
always been sheep. He said, I lay down My life for
the sheep. Told those Pharisees when they
rebuked Him Told him, said, won't you be plain? He said, I told
you. But he said, you don't believe
me. And the reason you don't believe me is because you're
not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. So I can tell you this. For all that were chosen in Christ,
they have suffered the blueness of a wound that cleanseth away
evil. That was a whipping that they
absolutely had to have but could not bear. Had I borne my own guilt for
my own sin under the judgment of God, I'd be in hell because
I'll never pay the debt. That debt had to be paid by one
who was without sin. He must pay the debt for those
that God everlastingly loved, put the debt away, and then when
the debt was put away, all that was left concerning that debt
was Him. And it was cast as far as the
east is from the west. And death's penalty was paid. The blueness of a wound cleanseth
away evil. They suffered that first whipping
in Him. It was not that He just died
just for a blanket death, a blanket execution that merely makes salvation
possible. Now I know that's what's being
preached. That's what I once believed. That He just, He went
to the cross and He died, He just died. He just died. And they said, well, yeah, but
everybody's sins were put on Him. Well, as I've said before,
if everybody's sins were put on Him, then no one owes any
debt to sin, because they've all been paid. They said, oh,
well, no, no, no. No, no, no. No, He paid for everybody's
sins, but you have to accept it. I said, so now salvation
is by my works. Well, no. I said, yeah, that's
what you're saying. The gospel is the only message
that makes sense according to these scriptures. When he died,
he took and suffered the blueness of God's womb and put away the
evil, paid the debt. If all four of my kids conspired
and committed a crime that was worthy of execution, worthy of
death. If all four of my kids did that,
and I said, well, I love my kids. I'll go ahead and die. Well,
the only problem with that is that I'm not the ones guilty.
They are. That's what men are preaching.
They're saying Christ just died. He just died. But you remember
this. If he died for everybody, that
no one's guilty. If he died for everybody's sins,
those sins have been paid for. If you have to leave it up to
them to accept it, now you're saying that salvation is by their
works. As I said, I ain't gonna fly. Here's what the scripture
says. Look at Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53. Almighty God did something
for His people that they could not do for themselves. Isaiah
53 verses 4 to 6. Surely he hath borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows. Now again, remember this. You
have to find out who is the hour here. Who is the we? Who is the
us? I'm gonna use a couple of those
words in here too. Who is the hour? The Lord revealed
who the hour is. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. I lay down my life for my people.
I'm gonna save my people from their sins. That's who I'm gonna
save. He's borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, yet we did
esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. He was
wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The
chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes."
You see that word stripes right there? Look it up. Same word, blueness. The blueness. The wound that leaves a mark
is what it means. With his stripes, we're healed.
All we like sheep gone astray. We've turned everyone to his
own way. The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. Seven times, us, we, our is mentioned
concerning his substitutionary death. He was made us. We were in him. and He was made
sin, He was made us, and God dealt with us in Him. That's the only way that I could
absolutely suffer the blueness of a wound and have my evil cleansed. I must have it in a substitute. Those stripes. those wounds, those marks whenever
Thomas came to him. And the Lord said, Thomas, behold
my hands. Reach hither thy hand, thrust
it into my side. There were the marks of his suffering. That bruising that cleanses away
evil, washes away that debt that a sinner owes him. But there's
one other affliction. There's two afflictions that
every believer must suffer. One, the one we just looked at,
the one I must suffer for my debt to be paid before God. God's
going to have to be just with me. Sin's going to have to be
paid for. It's not going to be, well, I just forgive you. God's
just. He's just. But that wound right
there, the blueness of that wound, I can't bear that alone and live,
but I must bear it. He bore it in my stead. But there's one other affliction
that must be born, and it's an affliction that I cannot and
dare not escape. If I escape this one, then I
have no part in this first one. For this affliction that I'm
about to finish this message with is the token of the evidence
of God's love for me, and it's set forth in this latter part.
So do stripes the inward parts of the belly. The blueness of
a wound cleanses the way evil. That's the substitutionary death
of Christ. And this second one, so do stripes
the inward parts of the heart. I need daily correction. I need a washing continually
of my walk before God. Turn with me. Hold your place
there. I'm going to wrap this up. John 13. You know where I'm
going. I'm going to where the Lord washed
the feet of His disciples. John 13, verse 3. John 13, 3. Jesus, knowing that the Father
had given all things into His hands, that He was come from
God, He went to God, He rises from supper, laid aside His garments,
took a towel, girded Himself, after He pours water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the
towel wherewith He was girded. Now this was done by the lowliest
of servants. I mean the lowlifes. That's who washed feet. They
were just the dregs of society. That's who did this. And here's
the Lord of glory washing the disciples' feet. Then cometh he to Simon Peter,
and Peter saith, knowing what I just said concerning that who
did this, he said, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered
and said unto him, what I do thou knowest not now, but thou
shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, thou shalt
never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, if I wash
thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him,
Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands, my head, Jesus saith
unto him, he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but
is clean every whit. Ye are clean, but not all, for
he knew who should betray him. Therefore said he, ye are not
all clean. What he was doing was this. He
told Peter. He said, Peter, you're clean
every whit. God's people, by the blood of
Christ, have been cleansed from the debt of their sin before
God. There's no doubt about that.
But what the Lord was setting forth was that we are daily in
contact with sin. If we say we have no sin, we
make Him a liar. He is teaching us this, the defilement
of just being in this world, being with ourselves. We need
a continual washing by the Word of God, a cleansing, a cleansing. There's an initial cleansing
by the blood of Christ that puts away the dead of our sin. But
I need to be cleansed every day. I need to have that filth washed,
washed continually. And that's what he told Peter.
Peter said, you'll never wash my feet. Peter, he said, if I
don't wash your feet, you don't have any part with me. Almighty
God, who has eternally loved His own, sets forth his blessed
care and love for the vessels of his mercy. He went to the
cross and put away their guilt, but there is a continual chastisement. That's what he's saying here.
The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil, so do stripes. That
continual spanking that we get, chastisement, for whom the Lord
loveth He chasteneth, scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. Did the Lord not put away their
guilt at Calvary? Yes. But there is a scourging,
a chastisement that I need every day, a chastisement of my heart. He said if you endure chastisement,
God dealeth with you as sons. But what son is he whom the Father
chasteneth not? If you be without chastisement,
If there's not a conviction, if there's not a turning, if
there's not a heart to change, to be cleansed, to get away from
that spirit of rebellion, if there's no chastisement, if there's
a continuance in a walk of rebellion against God, you don't know Him. That's what he said. What son
is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if you be without correction,
if you be without correction, whereof all are partakers, then
you're bastards. You're not sons. If there is
that continual walk of resentment, rebellion, there's no heart to
change. There's no heart to deviate from
that walk of animosity, He said, you don't know Him. That's that
second affliction that surely must be borne by God's people. One affliction He alone could
bear. He did bear. God administered
the blueness of the wound toward Christ for us, His people. And what he did was he cleansed
away evil. So do the stripes, that one affliction
that we surely bear daily, administered with love and affection. And
if we be without it, we're illegitimate. Lord, thanks be unto you for
the two afflictions that every believer must bear. must bear. One born by Christ put away our
guilt and one born by His people daily in correcting us, straightening
us up, changing our attitude for God's glory and our good.
Amen.