God’s Discipline Proves His Love
Hebrews 12:1-13
- What did it mean to the original reader or original audience?
- What discipline did you sometimes resent as a child that you appreciate now: practicing piano? Having a place for everything and everything in its place? Submitting work on time? Not overspending your allowance?
- Do you perform better before a crowd or in private? Why is that?
Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
- God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- How should Christians “run the race”? What does it mean to throw off sin and hindrances? To “run with perseverance”? To “fix our eyes on Jesus”?
- What does hardship demonstrate about a person's relationship to God? How should a person respond to God when disciplined? How does Christ's discipline differ from human discipline? What benefits does discipline bring?
- What comfort do you get from knowing that a cloud of witnesses is watching you run the Christian race?
- What are two obstacles that hinder and entangle you in your race? Why?
- What have you discovered that helps you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus?
- How has God disciplined you in the past? How did his discipline lead to peace for you?
- What's the hardest thing you're going through right now? How is God using this in your life?
- I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How can I apply it to my life this week?
- You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.
Other Resources:
Discovery Bible Study
Series: Connected “Abiding in Christ”
In a time of growing isolation and individualism, we are reminded of how important it is to stay connected to God and to each other. Jesus’ metaphor of the vine and branches calls us into a life of connection over production as we abide in Him.
Title: “Purpose in Pruning” (Hebrews 12:4-13)
Bookmark: Click Here
Opening Thoughts: God prunes us for growth. Pruning is not punishment, but it can be painful. What does God want to cut away in your life so you will be more productive?
v Discipline with “untrue” words.
o Nobody really enjoys discipline.
§ Hebrews 12:11 NIV - 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
o We don’t like self-discipline.
v Review: John 15 I am the true vine, and you are the branches. – Jesus
o John 15:1–2 NIV - 1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
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Text: Hebrews 12:4-13
God Disciplines His Children
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13 “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
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Summarize the main story: Describe the events of the story in your own words.
v Review and retell the story.
Reflections for applications:
v God cuts off…
o dead & diseased branches.
§ Colossians 3:5 NIV - Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
o “sucker” branches
o healthy branches
· Why would God prune the good things from my life?
· Everything that happens to you is not directly caused by God
o “cuts off” = “lifts up”
§ Paul Cowdrey’s story.
· Proverbs 3:11–12 NIV - 11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
· I realized early on (when I was diagnosed) that there was a good possibility that this could be the Father warning me to refocus on my life and repent of some things before it was too late, which I did. Consequently, the Lord was faithful to His promises. I am so thankful that He loved me this way—by discipline! A hard lesson to recognize in our own lives – Paul Cowdrey
§ The pruning process can be painful.
o Hebrews 12:4-6
§ God’s discipline signifies God’s LOVE
o Hebrews 12:7-11
§ Discipline is painful but PRODUCTIVE
· What does God want to prune in your life?
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Digging Questions:
· How will you respond to making “Connection to Jesus”? What transformative move needs to be made?
· What do these biblical texts tell you about God and His nature?
· What is God calling us (me and you individually) to do?
Take Away Challenges
· What has the Holy Spirit revealed to you in this passage? How will you apply it to your life this week?
· Whom do you know who needs to hear this?
· What is God bringing to your attention in this discussion? What beliefs, thoughts or actions need to be addressed or changed?
Hashtags #Connected #Prune #discipline
Sunday sermon link https://youtu.be/ib2nVb2Wqhg
Kevin’s Blog Link to more resources: Click here for Kevin’s Blog Notes
Comments and resources with some more resources:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A4-13&version=NIV
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Let’s Take A Look at Extreme Suffering
It will have to be a short look because I can only contemplate this topic for so long, but I think I need to give it a shot
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of[the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2
Within the last few days, I've heard people share pain stories. There's no doubt that these people suffer real pain. In some cases it's physical. In some cases it is emotional. In all cases it involves a spiritual struggle. I almost feel like a voyeur. The pain I've known in life seems insignificant compared to the pain that others have felt.
One day this week, I opened up Philip Yancey's book, Where is God When It Hurts. I had started going over it a second time several weeks ago. My bookmark was placed at the chapter on "Extreme Cases." I think I know why I had stopped reading. Yancey opens the chapter with a discussion of the experiences of people who have been in concentration camps. I had to force myself to read that section, but I'm glad I did. Extreme suffering is spoken of in our Bibles. If there were no chapter divisions between Hebrews 11 and 12, we'd realize that the writer was talking about people who were stoned to death, sawn in two, and killed by the sword, among other things. Here's some of the things I took away from Yancey's discussion of extreme cases.
1. Even in extreme pain, we have the ability to choose our own attitude. That was the conclusion of Victor Frankl, the Jewish psychiatrist who was a holocaust survivor. He said, "…everything can be taken from a man but one thing, the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances." That's huge. It says that suffering is not omnipotent.
2. God is not absent when pain is present. Yancey wrote, "God does not, in the comfortable surroundings of heaven, turn a deaf ear to the sounds of suffering from the planet" (160). In Romans 8, Paul acknowledged, "… the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God…." He then went on to say, "….the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:19; 21). An old traditional gospel song lyric assures us, "Jesus knows all about our struggles." I believe that.
3. We don't have to be able to explain the reason for our pain to endure it with dignity. Job never did learn the reason for his suffering. Gethsemane causes us to ask the question, "At that moment, did Jesus fully understood the logic behind the cross? And how are we to understand the silence of the Father when Jesus was on the cross? We may not be able to answer that question, but we do understand that our hope is anchored in Calvary. Yancey observed, "God took the Great Pain of his own Son's death and used it to absorb into himself all the minor pains of earth. Suffering was the cost to God of forgiveness" (160).
4. The concept of the New Heaven and the New Earth promises complete removal of pain. "…he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Yancey saw it this way. "We never know how suffering can be transformed into cause for celebration. But this is what we are to believe. Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse" (161).
While I can't come up with a flawless rationale in defense of God's decision to allow martyrdom, I do believe what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. - Matthew 5:11-12.
That's it for this time. The piece on suffering ran longer than I intended. Have a great week.
Grace and Peace,
Norman
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Woodrow Kroll Quote – 3 Reasons To Never Give Up On God
“Never give up on God because He never gives up on you.” – Woodrow Kroll
Devotional: 3 Reasons To Never Give Up On God
Never Give Up on the Giver
Jesus Christ gives us eternal life, but it comes at the most supreme of cost: His own life (John 3:16). So why would we want to give up on He Who gave up all for us? What if Jesus felt like giving up in the garden and decided to give up on the plan of Calvary? Who has paid the greatest price of all? It surely wasn’t us. And even if we should lose our life due to persecution, we could never pay back the Giver of Life, Jesus Christ, for all that He’s done for you and for me. Why would we want to give up on Him when He never gives up on us, even though, humanly speaking, He should!
We Forsake He Who Doesn’t
God promises to never leave us or forsake us (Deut 31:8; Heb 13:5), even though we forsake Him. He is so faithful that even at the times we do forsake Him by giving up, we seem to be drawn back to Him because He never gives up on us. The prodigal father never gave up on the prodigal son because he knew that the son would be back (Luke 15:11-32). Why else would he be standing, waiting, and watching for him in the far distance (Luke 15:20)? The son may have thought that the father had given up on him (Luke 15:18-19), but the fact is the father never gave up on his son, and in similar fashion, God never gives up on us. So if you’re a prodigal, come back. He isn’t going to give up on you!
He Never Gave Up on the Disciples
Jesus was frequently telling the disciples, “Oh, you of little faith” (Matt 8:26) and that they didn’t even seem to have the faith of a mustard seed (Luke 17:6). When he was trying to teach them about the dangers of sin by using the leavening of the Pharisees and Sadducees as an example, they only thought, “Hey, didn’t we bring any bread with us on the boat” (Matt 16:7-8)? If we were in Jesus sandals, I wonder how many of us would have become so frustrated with them that we said, “That’s it, I’m going to find another 12 disciples.” I can speak only for myself, but I believe I couldn’t help but give up on the disciples. Fortunately, God was longsuffering and patient with them, as He has to be with me, too. So please never give up on God because He is faithful and true to us and will never give up on us, even during the times that we do.
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7 Signs God Is Pushing You Into Something Awesome
Here are seven signs that God is pushing you into something much better.
Correction
When things start falling apart, possibly because you and I are doing something contrary to God’s will, He will gently nudge us with a bit of correction. The correction might come in the form of a job loss, a pay cut, or some unforeseen circumstances that nearly breaks your bank, however God isn’t going to leave you or forsake you (Heb 13:5), but He does discipline every son or daughter He loves (Heb 12:6). This correction could bring you into a different direction…and a much better one at that. If we are left to ourselves and without discipline, then we are not a child of God, so see God’s correction and being His affection.
Direction
When God rebukes or corrects us to direct us, He doesn’t leave us directionless. If we are walking with God, we are more likely to see the path that He has for us, and besides, He lights the path by His Word because the Bible acts like a light in the darkness and this can keep us from stumbling (Psalm 119:105). If you have hid God’s Word in your heart, or memorized Scripture (Psalm 119:11), it’s like you’ve got a flash light for every curve in the road and every hazard in the way. Without the guidance of God’s Word, we are depending on ourselves. It’s like taking a long journey without a map, GPS, or smart phone to a place you’ve never been, however, if you abide in Christ and in His Word, you can ask for anything within God’s will (John 15:4-5, 7), including directions on the path of life. When God corrects you, He also directs you, and directs you into something better. We know that God works all things together for our very best and it doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad (Rom 8:28)
Inspection
The Bible teaches us to examine ourselves to see if we’re really in the faith (2nd Cor 13:5). A little self-examination never hurt anybody. The interesting thing is, when you examine the Word of God, the Word of God examines you, and if you’re like me, you are found wanting. If God is giving you a greater hunger for the Word of God, and it’s like you can’t get enough of it, He may be pushing you into some sort of teaching ministry. That hunger and thirst for God’s Word is not from a human source, because none of us seek God on our own (Rom 3:11); it is God Who seeks us (John 6:44), so if you want to inspect yourself, inspect the Word of God because it will inspect you. Perhaps it will reveal something better that God desires for your life.
Protection
If God sees that you’re about to hurt yourself, then He might move things around in your life to get you out of that situation, whether it’s a job or in a relationship. God may be pushing you, or prompting you, by His Sprit, to change things. The Spirit of God knows what is best for us, better than we do ourselves, so try to listen to the Spirit’s prompting of His telling you to do something or to stop doing something. God may be pushing you out of or into a situation for your own benefit. That’s certainly something better and certainly something to think about.
Bonus Content
Reflection
After a cousin of mine passed away, everyone could see how hard her grandchildren took, and so I spoke with them about their grief. Of course I can’t take it away…only God can comfort them in His way and time will help some, but really, you never get over the death of someone you loved. What might help is the fact that we will see them again. We have a hope in a future where all our lost loved ones who trusted in Christ will be waiting for us. That’s something you can reflect on. God is a God of hope, so for these grandchildren, it’s not goodbye, but see you later.
Perfection
When a friend of mine said he was praying for patience, I thought, “Uh oh…wonder what’s next?” Sure enough, the man had a rough couple of weeks, but after the brief chaos was over in his life, I asked him, “Do you have more patience now?” He laughed…and said, “Yes.” When we see trials as a means that God uses to refine us like gold passing through the fire, our perspective will change, and we can learn to be content, which is what Paul had to do. And since Paul had great suffering, he had lots of opportunities to practice patience and contentment.
Affection
God’s desire is for us to know Christ better, and that should be our desire too, but how can we know Him better? The Apostle Paul gives us some help. He wrote, “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2nd Cor 1:5). The more you know of Christ and His sufferings (Isaiah 53), the more you’ll know about Him, and the more you get to know Him, the more you’ll love Him, so God wants something better for us, and that is a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, which also gives you that same relationship with the Father, for whoever loves the Son, loves the Father.
Conclusion
God can use correction, direction, inspection, for our protection, and for our reflection, as He’s working us toward perfection, and that “push” sometimes hurts, but God’s corrections are done from affection. The trials of life work together and move us forward in sanctification, and becoming more Christ-like. Can we learn to praise Him in the storm, in the uncertain future, and when we’re being pushed outside of our comfort zone? I say, “Yes!” He is a God whom we can trust because only He can see around the blind corners of time. What He does in our lives may not always feel “better,” but we know that God doesn’t make mistakes. All we can do is obey His Word, trust in God, and then leave everything else up to Him..
May God richly bless you,
Pastor Jack Wellman
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