Hebrews 12:4-11

Please take your copy of God's Word and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Hebrews chapter 12. Our text for study this morning is Hebrews chapter 12 verses 4 through 11.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention Hebrews 12:4–11

! Before I read it, let me remind you, beloved, that this is God's Word to us, written for His glory and our good.

And as such, we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.

Hebrews 12 verse 4 and following.

Hebrews 12:4

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?

If you are left without discipline in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

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?

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.

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.

The very first sermon that I preached on the book of Hebrews some months ago

was opened with the following quotation from William Lane,

who is a contemporary and very respected New Testament authority.

He wrote,

Hebrews is a delight for the person who loves puzzles.

Its form is unusual, its setting in life is uncertain, and its argument is unfamiliar.

It invites engagement in the task of defining the undefined.

Undefined are the identity of the writer, his conceptual background,

the character and location of the community addressed,

the circumstances and date of composition,

the nature of the crisis to which the document is a response,

the literary genre and the purpose and plan of the work.

Although these undefined issues continue to be addressed and debated vigorously,

no real consensus has been reached.

Lane then goes on to do a very careful work

to give us the probabilities and the likelies of the letter before us.

But one matter is without contention.

The theme of Hebrews is the supremacy and finality of Jesus Christ.

That is that Christ is greater than,

and he lays out this argument in the opening chapters,

than angels, greater than priests,

greater than the old covenant redemptive economy.

And that Christ is the final word.

We need no new revelation.

And we need not go back to any system of the world.

Jesus Christ is supreme,

and Jesus Christ is final for the salvation of our souls.

We know from clues throughout the text

that this letter was originally written to Hellenistic Jewish Christians,

that is Greek-speaking Jews,

that had not seen Jesus,

but had heard the gospel and believed.

This is Hebrews chapter 2, the very beginning.

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

And that they had an Italian locus.

They were located within Italy,

likely on the outskirts of Rome.

They were suffering and would suffer further.

And so we have been exploring at link the letter's secondary theme,

the necessity of faithful endurance.

He is working out that those who are in fact in Christ

will endure in Christ to the end.

Last week we saw the author use the metaphor of a race

to encourage these believers and us

after a sweeping Old Testament summary of faithful endurance

in the following way.

And this is the first three verses of Hebrews chapter 12.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

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,

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.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself

so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted.

So he tells us that it's going to be a race

that has to be run with endurance.

And to do so, we're going to have to lay aside anything

that hinders that race.

And the way that we're going to complete that race

is by fixing our eyes on Christ

as the supreme example of faithfulness.

He continues this section with further encouragement

to faithful endurance amidst these undefined issues

that Lane suggests to us,

which we will study in the following outline.

Number one, this is our outline for the text this morning.

Number one, correction for faltering endurance.

Correction for faltering endurance.

Number two, challenge to sustained endurance.

And number three, reasons for sustained endurance.

So number one, correction for faltering endurance.

And we'll find this in verses four through six.

At the very outset of today's text,

he begins with two corrections.

First, he corrects them with the fact that

while they had suffered,

no one had yet been martyred.

He works to give them a bit of perspective.

Verse four,

in your struggle against sin,

you have not yet resisted.

To the point of shedding your blood.

There appears to be a shift in metaphor here

from the Christian life being described as

the race that is set before us in verse two

to that of a wrestling match with sin,

possibly also in the Olympic games,

a boxing match, right?

This imagery may have popped into his original hearers' minds.

Truly, the Christian life is one

that must be run with endurance,

and it certainly is a struggle against sin.

Now, in verse three of chapter 12,

he has just exhorted them to consider him

who endured from sinners such hostility against himself.

Jesus had shed his blood.

They had not.

It is as if he is saying,

quit being so dramatic.

None of you has died yet.

It is as if he is saying,

stop your whining.

John Piper would say,

murmur, murmur, murmur.

I find this a particularly striking correction

for the church today.

We have suffered so little.

Suffered so little.

And we complain so much.

But we have suffered so little compared

to the death of our Lord.

Not a single one of us will ever bear

what Christ endured.

While it's possible that we may

die a death for the name of Christ,

we will not bear the wrath of God

for the church in our dying.

None of us.

So as we look to Christ,

as this perfect example for us,

we have not struggled against sin in this way.

If we are considering him who endured from sinners

such hostility against himself,

then we also should not grow weary or faint hearted.

This is the first correction that he brings to them.

Gives them some perspective.

Second, the author corrects them

because they had failed to remember

and apply the scripture

to their current situation.

He writes, verse 5,

and have you forgotten the exhortation

that addresses you as sons?

They had forgotten.

And so he is gently reminding them.

Ladies, do not forget that the Bible was written

at a time when all of the inheritance of a father

was granted to his sons.

So you want to be a son,

as the Bible expresses it,

and you are.

Paul wrote in Galatians chapter 3, verse 26,

Galatians 3:26

in Christ Jesus,

you are all sons of God through faith.

With this in mind,

here the scripture that the author of Hebrews now cites,

which is Proverbs chapter 3, verse 11 and 12.

Proverbs 3:11

My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves

and chastises every son whom he receives.

You see here what the author is doing

is he's saying,

listen, church,

everything you're experiencing,

all of the hardships that happen in your life

come from the Lord's good hand

because you are his children.

This is an astounding perspective shift.

If you don't think in these terms,

oh, I pray that you would begin

to be able to see this morning

that the difficulties that are happening

in your life are coming from

the one who loves you.

In verses 5 and 6,

there are two negative implications.

Don't disdain and don't dismay.

The author says,

do not regard lightly.

Do not cast it off.

Do not consider it as it should be considered,

the discipline of the Lord.

And do not dismay when you are being disciplined.

He says,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

The opposite, therefore,

are two positive exhortations for us.

That would be,

do regard,

pay close attention,

appreciate the discipline of the Lord,

and do refresh,

which I recognize is bad English,

so you could say,

or be refreshed,

be encouraged,

be uplifted by the fact

that God disciplines you.

The author wants us to see

that the challenges that we face in this world

are for our good.

They are given to us

by his kind hand.

Why?

Love.

The text tells us,

for love,

the Lord disciplines

the one he loves.

Being disciplined is a sign

that you belong to God

and that he is seeking your good.

Do you believe this?

Do you believe

that you belong to God

and that his discipline

is an act of loving kindness

to you?

Or,

do you think that you

know better?

That you could arrange your life

in a more suitable fashion?

That the challenges of your life,

the things that seem to keep you

from enduring faithfully,

are unfair and misplaced.

That they couldn't possibly

be kindnesses

from God.

Beloved,

if your faith is faltering,

you need correction.

You need perspective

and you need

the promises

of God.

The Lord disciplines

the one

he loves.

To make the point

a bit further,

let me give you

one more text.

This is Psalm 84,

the second half

of verse 11,

which says,

no good thing

does he,

God,

withhold

from those

who walk

uprightly.

uprightly.

No good thing

does he withhold

from those

who walk

uprightly.

If you are in Jesus Christ

this morning,

if you have repented

and believed

in the person

and work

of Christ,

knowing that he

kept the law

for you,

that he died the death

that you deserve,

right?

You don't come to God

on your own merit,

but because of the merit

of Jesus,

right?

If you have turned

from your sin

and you have said,

I need a savior,

Christ is this

great savior

to you,

then you are

clothed

in his righteousness.

Therefore,

you walk

uprightly

before God.

When God

sees you,

he sees the

uprightness

of Christ.

Psalm 84,

11 says,

no good thing

does he withhold

from those

who walk

uprightly.

If you're in Christ,

you walk

uprightly.

As such,

God withholds

no good

thing

from you.

That is,

your life

is full

of

good.

Maybe not

by your definition,

but it is full

of good,

of God's

defining,

and it is

aimed at,

it is for

your

sustained

endurance.

God loves

you far

too much

to be terribly

concerned about

the benefits

you're receiving

now.

He's far

more concerned

about the benefits

that you'll

receive forever.

He has

the mindset

of eternity,

and we

very quickly

are forgetting

that we are

a people

passing through

a vapor

in the wind,

and God

is preparing

us for

a future

glory.

The Lord

disciplines

the one

he loves.

have you

forgotten

the text

that addresses

you

as sons?

Secondly,

we see in the text,

in the first half

of verse 7,

a challenge

to sustained

endurance.

The author

has told us

that Jesus

endured,

endured,

and it is

imperative

that we

endure.

It is

for discipline

that you

have to

endure.

Culturally,

we tend

to have a

very negative

view of

discipline.

You may

have either

never been

disciplined

in your

home,

or you

were possibly

disciplined

with severity.

The word

discipline

means to

teach

or instruct.

This is

what this

word means,

which means

that discipline

ought to be

viewed as

a positive

thing,

especially

that discipline

which comes

from the

Lord.

Additionally,

the discipline

of God

for his

children

never

involves

his

wrath.

Theodore,

I'm going to

guess Latch

is the way

you pronounce

this very

oddly spelled

last name,

who is an

Old Testament

scholar,

put the point

this way,

God's plans

concerning his

people are

always thoughts

of good,

of blessing.

Even if he

is obliged

to use

the rod,

it is the

rod not

of wrath,

but the

Father's rod

of chastisement

for their

temporal and

eternal welfare.

There is not

a single item

of evil in his

plans for his

people,

neither in their

motive,

nor in their

conception,

nor in their

revelation,

nor in their

consummation.

So we can

read Psalm

23 this

morning,

and we

can unite

with the

psalmist in

saying that

God's rod

and his

staff are

a comfort

to us.

We can

declare that

he is in

fact the

good shepherd.

So we

should endure

our hardships

as kindnesses

from God,

as helpful

discipline.

And this

discipline takes

three forms.

So we'll

step outside

of the text

just a bit.

I want to

give these

to you

quickly.

Discipline

takes three

forms.

I'll give

you a couple

of Bible

examples for

them.

Number one,

corrective

discipline.

Sometimes we

need to be

shown the

error of

our ways.

We need to

be shown it.

There needs

to be consequence

for our

action.

And we need

to experience

the temporal

consequence of

our sin to

keep us mindful

of its eternal

consequence,

especially if we

are not found

in Christ.

An example

of this is

found in

Paul's letters

to the

Corinthians.

Some of

them were

sick.

Some had

died because

of their

abuse of

the Lord's

Supper.

And Paul

writes in

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11

and verse

32,

So God

brings along

corrective

discipline,

helps us to

see that there

is error in

our way.

And there's a

consequence here

and possibly

forever.

Second form

of discipline

is preventive

discipline.

Sometimes we

need to be

kept from

sin by

discipline.

An example

of this is

the humility

God worked

in Paul,

which he

speaks of

in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12

and verse 7,

where he

wrote,

So to

keep me

from becoming

conceited,

there's the

preventive measure

there,

Paul was

kept humble,

right?

He wasn't

allowed to

become conceited,

he goes on,

because of the

surpassing

greatness of

the revelations,

a thorn was

given me

in the flesh,

a messenger

of Satan

to harass

me,

to keep

me from

becoming

conceited.

You see

that Paul

takes this

as a

kindness

from God

on his

behalf.

The third

form that

discipline

takes is

instructive

discipline.

Sometimes

we are

taught lessons

proactively

through

discipline.

This was

the case

for

Job,

who after

enduring

much

suffering

that

was

neither

corrective

or preventative,

he declares

in Job

Job 42:4

chapter 42

verse 4

and following,

Here I will

speak,

I will

question you,

and you

make it

known to

me.

I had

heard of

you by

the hearing

of the

ear,

but now

my eye

sees you.

Therefore

I despise

myself and

repent in

dust and

ashes.

Through

Job's

suffering

and his

following

dialogue

with God,

he reached

a new

and more

complete

understanding

of his

Lord.

Because

Job was

doing

well,

God

allowed

suffering

so that

Job

would do

all the

more

well.

Much

like an

elite athlete

gets pushed

by a

coach,

those at

the top

of their

game

don't stop

getting

coached.

They get

pushed

further

on.

We are

often

instructed

through

our

hardships.

We must

remember

that the

challenges

of our

lives

are

discipline

that

comes

in one

of these

three

forms

and we

must be

discerning

and sorting

that out

and we

must remember

that it is

loving

and it is

for our

good.

James

Moffat,

who's a

contemporary

commentator,

stated in

his commentary

on this

text,

to endure

rightly,

one must

endure

intelligently

and by

which I

think he

means

mindfully.

If we're

going to

endure the

hardship of

this world,

we must

understand

why it

comes our

way and

the purpose

for it.

Third,

reasons for

sustained

endurance.

We'll see

this in the

last half of

verse 7 and

through the

end of the

text in

verse 11.

The author

gives four

reasons for

sustained

endurance,

beginning

second half

of verse 7

and on.

Number one,

he gives

us a

paternal

reason.

A paternal

reason.

He writes,

God is

treating you

as sons.

For what

son is there

whom his

father does

not discipline?

If you are

left without

discipline in

which we

all have

participated,

then you

are

illegitimate

children and

not sons.

The logic

goes, if

you are

sons, then

you will

receive

discipline.

If you

are not

sons, then

you will

not receive

discipline.

Because this

is true,

we should

not regard

lightly the

discipline of

the Lord,

nor be

weary when

reproved by

him, but

should rather

be encouraged

to press

on by

it.

God loves

us as

our

father.

Second

reason for

sustained

endurance.

It is a

lesser to

greater

reason.

There is a

Latin phrase

I wrote down

and I am not

even going to

try to

pronounce it

for you.

A logical

tool, a

lesser to

greater

argumentation.

The logic

here goes,

if this is

so, then

this must

be even

more so.

He says

in verse

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?

Now I

recognize that

not all of

you have

fathers who

disciplined

you or

disciplined

you well.

You may

not have

had the

type of

respect for

your fathers

that the

author is

here implying.

If that is

the case for

you, I want

you to

know that

he is

speaking in

generalities

and that

the lesson

he is

teaching does

not have

to be

lost on

you because

your frame

of reference

is different

from the

one he

is implying.

So here,

if you

have a

father who

disciplined

you and

you respected

him, or

if you

have ever

noticed a

father who

disciplined

well and

you respected

him, then

how much

more should

you respect

God?

Fathers who

discipline their

children are a

shadow, a

reflection of

our great

God who

disciplines us

for our

good.

So we

should much,

much more

respect God

and therefore

respect his

loving correction.

His loving

correction is

always perfect.

It's always

perfect.

He does not

fail the way

that earthly

fathers fail.

And as

such, therefore,

it is always

respectable.

The third

reason for

sustained

endurance is

a sanctifying

reason.

Verse 10,

For they,

these fathers,

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.

It's a

sanctifying

reason.

We've said

this already

before,

but God

is about

working in

our lives,

aiming us

to look

more like

him.

Good earthly

fathers do

this, right?

The discipline

of our

children is

aimed at

making them

look more

like our

children.

You are

my son,

therefore,

you should

look like

this.

You should

live like

this.

But we

do this

so imperfectly

because we're

fallen and

we fail in

many,

many respects.

But our

heavenly father

does not

and never

does.

Everything that

he is working

is working us

in the direction

of looking

more like

him so that

we would

share his

holiness.

And if your

holiness is not

the highest aim

of your living

in this life,

then you're

shooting too

low.

If you're

aiming at

other things,

it's not a

worthy enough

thing to aim

at.

God aims

as the

aiming should

happen.

He's aiming

at your

holiness.

Romans 8,

28 gives

us some

direction in

this.

I think all

of you,

when I say

Romans 8,

28,

go,

I know

this one.

I got it.

We know

that for those

who love

God,

all things

work together

for the good

for those

who are called

according to

his purpose.

You probably

dropped the

last half

of that

off of there

because we

don't want

to think

about what

God's purpose

is in the

good that

he's working.

Because really

we want to

think about

our purposes

in the good

that God

is working.

And so we

make it into

this strange

mystic verse.

I know it's

true.

Everything works

out.

Everything for a

reason.

And we're

looking for the

reason.

We're trying to

understand.

We're giving

ourselves this

hope.

Like, yeah,

I don't like

what's happening

right now.

But somehow,

some way,

yeah,

it's going to

be good.

good.

The text

tells us

the good.

We don't

have to

guess at

the good.

The clue

of that is

the last part

of verse 28.

For those

who are

called according

to his

purpose.

What is the

purpose?

Verse 29

tells us.

For those

whom he

foreknew,

he also

predestined to

be conformed

to the image

of his

son.

That's the

good that

he's working

in your

life and

in my

life if

we belong

to him.

God is

working all

things together

for that

great and

highest good.

Read there.

Share in his

holiness that

we will be

conformed to

the image

of his

son.

His son,

who was

himself God,

but was

fully man and

submitted himself

in every way

to the

father.

Our high

example of

faithful

endurance.

This is

what he is

making us

into.

And we

won't arrive

at it on

this side

of glory,

but we

are moving

in that

direction

steadily for

the praise

of him

who is

doing it.

This is a

wonderful reason

to press on.

A sanctifying

reason to

appreciate the

kind

corrections

of God.

And then

the fourth

reason for

faithful endurance.

is a

joy-filled

reason.

A joy-filled

reason.

Verse 11

says,

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.

The author

recognizes that

there is a

disconnect

between the

experience of

discipline and

the reality

of discipline.

He notes

that for the

moment,

all discipline

seems painful

rather than

pleasant.

He knows

that it

hurts.

He has

experienced

that hurt,

and he

sympathizes with

us in that.

But,

by implication,

it yields

pleasantness.

In the

moment,

he says,

it's painful,

but it

will

yield

pleasantness,

which he

calls the

peaceful

fruit

of

righteousness.

Doesn't

that sound

wonderful?

In the

midst of

trial,

you're

sailing the

sea of this

life,

and it is

getting rocked

by the

storms of

this world.

In the

midst of

temptation,

doesn't

that,

the

peaceful

fruit

of

righteousness

steady you?

We can

be

steadied.

We are

steadied by

our loving

God as

he trains

us to

yield this

in our

lives.

Isaiah

Isaiah 32:16

chapter 32

verse 16

and 17

says,

justice

will dwell

in the

wilderness

and righteousness

abide in

the fruitful

field,

and the

effect of

righteousness

be peace,

and the

result of

righteousness

quietness

and trust

forever.

I love

that.

I love

that.

The effect

of righteousness

will be

peace,

and the

result of

righteousness

quietness

and trust

forever.

So hold

up and

hold on.

love.

We have

a loving

God who

disciplines

us for

the sake

of faithful

endurance.

Beloved,

it is because

he loves

you.

Trials of

this life

are not

outside of

his control.

They're being

brought your

way,

whatever it

is,

for your

good.

May we be

those who

declare,

Hebrews

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10

and verse

39.

We are

not of

those who

shrink back

and are

destroyed,

but of

those who

have faith

and preserve

their souls.

Let's pray

together.