Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse
5 says this, And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh
unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him."
Let's pray. Our glorious Father, we thank
you this evening. for this precious time to be
able to meet together. And Lord, we ask you, would you
bless your word to our hearts and give us understanding. Lord,
we ask these things for Christ's sake. Amen. And I know it's through ignorance. But many times you'll hear someone
say, I just can't discipline my child because I just love
him too much. Well, that's not the way that
the scriptures set forth. true love for children. We've been considering this walk,
this fight, this battle, this race through this life. And here's the way we are. We
have two natures in a believer. Two natures. There's an old man
that we're born with that does not change. That which is flesh
is flesh. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit
is Spirit. Now, the Lord sets forth in this
scripture, in this verse, that we need a continual reminder. of His loving chastisement toward
His people. And the reason is, sin dwells
in our flesh. And all of the exhibitions, all
of the manifestations of what's in us comes out. And there's a battle that's going
on. There's a war that's a fight. Now chastisement, And here's
what chastisement means. Instruction. Learning. We hear that word chastisement,
and we think that Almighty God is just waiting in case we do
something wrong. Let me tell you this. He doesn't
have to wait. There's not one thing that this
old man ever does right. But in the indescribable mercy
and wisdom and compassion of Almighty God, the Lord deals
with us as sons, His people, children. And the chastisements,
the instruction, the learning that He sends has a definite
purpose, and it's for our correction. to a knowledge of who we are,
who He is, and for our need of repentance. Think differently. Now, I know this, that new man
that we talked about, that which is born of God, Scripture says
in 1 John 3.9, 1 John 5.18, sinneth not. There's a new man that does
not sin. There's an old man that's here
that Almighty God has put away the guilt of in the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ. There's an old man. And the scripture sets forth
that God, because He loves His people, chastens them. You say, now you're telling me
that Almighty God loves His people even while we were dead in trespasses
and sins. Christ died for us. That old man that does nothing
but sin, the manifestations to will, is present with us. How to perform that which I would,
the Apostle Paul says, I find not. So here's what the Scriptures
are setting forth. Paul says, you've forgotten.
You've forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children. Now, let me show you that. Turn
over to Proverbs 3. Proverbs 3, 11 and 12. Proverbs
3, 11 and 12. Proverbs 3, 11 and 12. Despise not the chastening of
the Lord, neither be weary of his correction. For whom the
Lord loveth, he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he
delighteth." Paul is now talking over in the New Testament, writing
to the Hebrews. That proverb was written hundreds
of years before. The scriptures, the Old Testament
scriptures. And Paul is telling them, you've
forgotten. I looked that up. You've forgotten. Utterly oblivious. You are utterly
oblivious. The exhortation which speaketh
unto you. Now I want you to notice something. He didn't say you've forgotten
or you're utterly oblivious or you're ignorant of the exhortation
which spoke unto you. But you did. But what did he
say? You've forgotten the exhortation
which speaketh. Speaketh. Continually speaks
unto you as children. Scriptures are alive. God's Word
is alive. God's Word is now. God's Word
is eternal. And the Scriptures are the voice
of Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking presently to
God's sheep. Listen to this, Proverbs 25,
26. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years
ago, this Scripture was penned by Solomon. My son, give me thine
heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. That's right now. That's what God says to His people. Makes them willing in the day
of His power. So those to whom the Lord speaks,
He speaks to His own as children. Listen to what He says as a father.
My son. My son. My son in adopting grace. Who does the choosing when a
child is adopted? Who chose? My Son. Mine in electing grace. Mine
in redeeming grace. Where were any of us when the
Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life? Where were we when Almighty God
chose His people? Where were we when the Lamb's
Book of Life was written? Salvation is of the Lord. My
son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord." Don't have little
regard. I'm telling you, chastisement
is a mark of sonship. Don't disregard the training,
the instruction, the education, and the purpose that Almighty
God sends that chastisement far. Chastisement is the proof of
His loving presence. Turn with me to Jeremiah 30.
Jeremiah 30.11. We were just singing that song. I was thinking about this scripture
right here. Jeremiah 30.11. The one that
says, Abide with me. Jeremiah 30.11. I am with thee, saith the Lord."
Why? To save thee. Though I make a
full end, though I absolutely cause to perish and cease to
be, I make a full end of all nations, whether I have scattered
thee yet, will I not make a full end of thee? But I will correct
thee in measure. and will not leave thee altogether
unpunished." I'm going to deal moderately with you. I'm going
to deal with you as sons. I'm going to deal with you as
children. I'll be with you to save you,
to keep you. So don't think that the chastening
of the Lord is unuseful, is insignificant, has no purpose to it or profit
to it, eternal. Look at this Scripture. Isaiah
63, 7 to 9. Isaiah 63, 7 to 9. I remember when I would chase
my children, had to chase them. As I've told you before, I would
not chase them, spank them for an accident. I better be convinced
it was an accident, you know. I'll probably know the difference.
If you tell me you accidentally did it and you did it before
just like that, But, if it was an accident, no. But for disobedience. Disobedience. Disobedience. And whenever I had to chasten
my children, I had to. I mean, they tell me today, Dad,
I remember when you used to say, this is going to hurt me more
than it's going to hurt you. And I never could figure that
out, they'd say, when you said that. I was on the giving end,
they were on the receiving end of this thing. He said, I couldn't
figure it out. Listen to this. He who is touched
with the feelings of our infirmities. Isaiah 63, verses 7-9, I will
mention the loving kindness of the Lord. and the praises of
the Lord according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us,
and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which He
hath bestowed on them according to His mercies and according
to the multitude of His lovingkindness. For He said, Surely they are
My people, children that will not lie, children that will not
leave, children that will be true." That's what He's saying.
So He was their Savior. And all their affliction, He
was afflicted. And the angel of His presence
saved them. And in His love and in His pity,
He redeemed them. And He bared them and carried
them all the days of old. Look at Judges 10. Talk about
the tenderness of Almighty God. I was telling Gary a while ago,
again, whenever I had to discipline my children, I know they'd always
kind of think, you know, looking, just waiting, just so he would
have an opportunity to spank us. You know better than that. I
think to myself, why? Why? Why do you do that? Didn't you hear what I said?
Look at Judges 10, verse 15 and 16. And the children of Israel
said unto the Lord, we have sinned. Do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth
good unto thee, deliver us only. We pray thee this day." And they
put away the strange gods from among them and served the Lord,
and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. We think about the chastisement
of the Lord, and somehow we think of the Lord as being just stoic,
unmoved, a stone, One that just has no feelings, and we read
the Scriptures, he's touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
In their affliction, he said, I was afflicted. I can enter into something like
that as a parent, but when I think of Almighty God, being afflicted
in our affliction? In our affliction, he was grieved.
And it's so. I know it's so. So remember,
it's not punishment. It's not wrath. The Lord Jesus
Christ is born. Our punishment, our wrath, the
wrath of God at Calvary, It's not justice being served. He is a just God who spewed out
all the dealings of justice on the Lord Jesus Christ. It's love. It's love. It's the exhibition
of His love. He's dealing with His people,
not as a judge, but as a Father. My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him."
The Scripture says in verse 6, which we will deal with next
time, "...for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every
son whom he receiveth." This chastisement. And whatever it
is, I don't know my need. I don't know what my need is. I don't know what it's going
to take to meet the need that I have in loving chastisement. I don't know what it takes. What's
it going to take? What does it take to correct
me? I would administer, in fact,
it deals, you know, verse 10, the Lord will in a few weeks
from now for Hebrews 12. They talk about fathers. We have
had fathers, verse 9, of our flesh which corrected us. We
gave them reference. Shall we not much rather be in
subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live for they barely,
after a few days, chastened us after their own pleasure?" Which
meant, not because they enjoyed it. That's not the word. It means
the best way they knew how. You moms and dads, don't you
see that? I did what I thought was best. I administered the discipline,
the punishment, the way that I thought best according to God's
Word. And it was meted out in the proportion
that I thought was right. But for him, he knows. He knows
exactly what I need. Whatever a believer goes through,
whatever chastisement, is administered to him. It's perfect. It's exactly what he needs. This
chastisement, it's always for our profit. It's always for our
good, never for our hurt or damage. It's not a necessary evil that
we must be made to go through, but it's a blessing, the Scripture
says, for a blessing of Almighty God's goodness. And to Him we
give thanks. Let me just read this to you,
Romans 7.25. Paul thanked the Lord for two
things. Romans 7.25, I thank God. Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
so then with the mind, that new mind, I serve the law of God.
I bow to the law of God. I thank God for His law. It's
holy. Just thank Him for fulfilling
it and honoring it on my behalf. I thank God with my mind I serve
the law of God. But with the flesh, the law of
sin, I thank God that He's shown me that with my flesh, That that's
what I do. I thank God that I can see. I
see, Paul has said in Romans 7, I see in me, that is in my
flesh, there dwells no good thing, to will is present, like I just
quoted a while ago, but how to perform that. Those Scriptures
tell God's people what they are. And Paul thanked the Lord for
teaching him that. I thank God that He showed me. I thank the Lord. It has shown
me my need of being disciplined. And in fact, the Spirit of God
teach me, whenever I go through what I go through, a rebuke from
His Word, a rebuke from a Word from a friend, a loving rebuke
from a friend, How about Shimei? When he was getting on to David,
rebuking David, throwing rocks, cussing him, stuff like this,
David said, leave him alone. The Lord told him to throw rocks
at David. Cuss David. The Lord saved him. Oh, if I
could remember that. If I could remember these things
that I go through. These things I suffer. Whenever
I read God's Word and I'm convicted of that which I know is in me,
you think, Lord, you sent that because you love me. Because you won't leave me to
myself. His Word, I'll tell you the greatest
chastisement. The greatest chastisement is
the loving word of rebuke. Let me read this, Proverbs 17.10. A reproof, a reproof from God. May be through a man, may be
through a woman or somebody that tells you something, but according
to these Scriptures, these Scriptures that are given for correction,
reproof, rebuke, a reproof entereth more into a wise man than a hundred
stripes into a fool. You catch a man, criminal, unconverted,
knows nothing, catch him, he's mad, it wasn't his fault, He
was a victim of circumstance. Mama treated him like dirt when
he was a child, and so his environment made him do it. He's caught and
he's mad. He's mad at everybody. He's gotten years and years and
years. It's everybody else's fault. A hundred stripes. One reproof from Almighty God
just breaks his people. Nathan came to David and said,
you're the man. David wrote, my sin is ever before
me. Against thee and thee only have
I sinned, done this great affliction of sin. Don't despise the chastening
of the Lord. Don't consider the providential
dealings of God as common happenings. Everything that comes our way,
that goes against the grain of our own desires, that seems to
be a crook in the lot. Everything that comes our way,
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are called according to His purpose. You said, yeah,
but you don't understand what happened here. I understand that
all things work together for good. I understand that he worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will. That's what
I understand. And when Almighty God says, I'm dealing with you
as sons, I'm dealing with you as a father whom the Lord loveth. My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.
Don't sink in despair. thinking, I'm not going to make
it. I'm just not going to make it.
Yes, you are. You're going to make it just
as long as Almighty God's hand is able. You're going to make
it. You're going to make it. Kept
are the power of God. Many are the afflictions of the
righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of all them. The Lord delivereth him out of
them all. He keepeth all his bones, not
one of them is broken." Losing sight of him. Forgetting
him. Paul says, you've forgotten.
And let me ask you this, when will we need to hear this exhortation
again? right now. I need to be reminded
right now. David encouraged himself in closing,
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? David was talking to himself. 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 or give thanks to him for the help of his countenance. Lord willing, next time we will
continue on, For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth. Lord bless these words to our
heart, for Christ's sake.