The Encouragement of Discipline - Part 2

Well, if you would take your Bible, turn back to Hebrews chapter 12. We did read verses 3 to 11 earlier in our scripture reading. I'll touch on some of those that we covered last week, but we will finish up the verses that we didn't get to last week just because of time and because there is so much here. Now we have moved from chapter 11 into chapter 12 where the author changes in his teaching from explaining the reality of faith as seen in those Old Testament saints into explaining the practice of faith. Here in verses 3 to 11 we are seeing how the author called them to understand and embrace the discipline of God from their heavenly Father.

We know the original audience that received this letter. They were Jews who had left Judaism for Christianity and they were suffering great pressure and persecution as a result. In leaving Judaism they were cut off from family, from friends, really from their entire religious, social, and economic world. They were rejected for abandoning the faith, the customs, and the traditions of their Jewish forefathers that they had followed for generations. They literally left the way of life that had defined them as God's chosen people and they stepped into a completely new life by identifying with Christ as the promised Messiah of God.

Many who only profess faith are simply associated with Christ in the church. They were very vulnerable to falling away and returning to Judaism and commentators, scholars tell us that many did. Those who were truly believers endured enormous pressure to abandon Christ and Christianity. Remaining faithful was extremely difficult and the suffering along with family and social and economic loss they experienced is really hard for us to understand. Now I know I said this last week but no doubt many, most all of them were saying things like why? Why?

Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament and He was the fulfillment of all seen in the Old Covenant. If He was and is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob then why are we being rejected and hated and persecuted? No doubt many of them were thinking things like this. Why don't more of our Jewish family and friends come to believe in Christ like we did? Of course I may be speculating a little but I think it's okay to do that. Now right here I want to point out how we are similar to this original audience.

When we come to saving faith in Christ we come with circumstances and experiences that bring trial and discipline of God into our lives. Some who were born again they bring with them sin and the consequences of their sin into their new Christian life and as a result God brings the trial and the struggle and the discipline that they need. I've seen it, many folks come with all kinds of baggage into that new life in Christ. Some believers experience a different kind of discipline from God. They have what we may say as unusual trials and sufferings that come from the providence of God.

They did nothing to bring these things on to them and into their lives. They just come by the providence of God. A health crisis may come, job or career struggles may come, extended family problems may come. I think about those victims of the tornadoes that came through just a few weeks or months back. They experienced a unique kind of trial. Other born again Christians experience another kind of discipline from God. They have what I see as the normal trials and sufferings that just come into life. A grandparent that they love dies. Their parents become sick in their old age. Children marry and they move off.

Things that are normal but yet those things can bring discipline and trial. But don't make a mistake here that I've seen many make before. Tommy and I were discussing this last week after the message. At times there are folks in the church, even Christians now, and they make dumb decisions. They just make dumb decisions and they mistake those things as from God. I've seen believers do that. They just make dumb decisions and if they look to heaven God would look down and say, "I didn't have anything to do with that. You brought that up on yourself." Don't do that folks. So the point I'm making here is this.

Just like the discipline of God that came about from the trials and sufferings that these Jews faced, we have the same thing but it's much different. I think you understand what I'm getting at. But back to this original audience. Remember the sin and sins they were facing and the great struggle the author was calling them to engage in. We saw this in verse 4. The English Standard Version says, "In your struggle against sin." Notice that.

"In your struggle against sin, you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood." Now for these Jews, this sin and the many different temptations and sins connected to this sin was all about their battle against renouncing Jesus as the promised Messiah of God and going back to their old way of life. They were facing that one sin and many temptations and struggles and sins associated with that one sin. That was all right before them. Now I'm using my imagination again. Just think if they had gone back to Judaism, back to the old covenant and worship at the temple, they certainly would have been accepted back into their families.

Before they would have been rejected by all in the family. They would have even lost inheritance, family support in life. But those things would have been and could have been restored if they had gone back into Judaism. They would have regained social acceptance and even economic relief. Before they would have lost all Jewish friendships and any standing in society. They certainly could have lost their jobs and they certainly could have lost employment opportunities. So it's safe to say that those kind of things could have been recovered if they had gone back. And notice how he called them to face this temptation and sin.

He called them to struggle against the sin. The English standard says, "In your struggle," the New American uses the word "striving." And in the original this word means to struggle, to fight agonizingly against something. This speaks of a strenuous fight. So they were to fight and they were to fight hard with a great effort and a great endurance and a great determination against the temptation and the sin of leaving Christ and going back into Judaism.

And right here we have to ask, are we fighting as we should against the sin and the sins that we are tempted to commit in our trial and our suffering and the discipline that God brings in through our life? Are we fighting as we should? In all trial and suffering that comes in the discipline of God, there is a sin or sins we could commit to escape that discipline. And look, brothers and sisters, if we are living with a trial that is brought with it the discipline of God and all that fills your, our heart and life is frustration, contention, animosity and bitterness, then we are not struggling against that sin successfully.

We are not struggling in the trial and submitting to the discipline. Instead, we are fighting against it. Therefore we are fighting against God, the God who brought it. But remember how the author puts their circumstances, their struggles and sufferings in perspective. This was all about putting their strenuous struggle against the temptation and the sin, this perspective and putting them in the right frame of mind and thinking. We see this in verses 3-4. He reminded them that their struggles and sufferings had not yet brought them to the point of shedding blood like Christ.

Jesus shed his life's blood all the way to death, even death on the cross. Verse 3, "He even took upon himself the eternal punishment for the sin of God's people on the cross. But they, these Jews, they had not come to the place of shedding blood, even physical death." Yeah, verse 4, "And to me it's as if he was saying to them, 'Are you any better than Christ?'" And his struggle and temptation against his own flesh and the sin that was put before him, he prayed and he asked for his Father's help praying, "Nevertheless not my will but your will." It will be done. Luke 22, 42.

See, the author was saying to these Jews, "In your struggle and battle against the sin of forsaking Christ and going back to Judaism, therefore escaping all of the rejection, all the persecution, you've not suffered as Christ Jesus. You've not shed your blood yet." Because some of them may. Some of them certainly may have. Now, I said this last week, but it certainly needs repeating.

Maybe we need to take all of our trials, all of our sufferings, and the discipline of God that we may be in, maybe we need to take all of that to the study, all of that to our prayer closet and study and meditate on the sufferings of our Lord in comparison and stay in that place until the Spirit of God straightens those things out for us and in us. And as a result, we're put into the right frame of mind, the right frame of thinking, the right frame of living in the discipline. And I explained this thoroughly last week, but we need to revisit what this discipline is. Discipline is the main point of these verses in this teaching.

The English Standard, the New American, we see the subject of discipline eight times from verse 5 to 11. Well, first what it's not, the discipline of God is not just correction or punishment. Now, the discipline of God does involve correction, even punishment when it is needed, but it's much more than that. The discipline of God involves instruction, admonition, reproof, and correction. The discipline of God is all about education, but yet education with training for the formation of the person in Christ. And this can include correction when needed, punishment when needed.

And we must understand that the discipline of God is foundationally and primarily for the purpose of educating, yes, but training. It's about bringing change and in the formation of the believer. Again, are we willing to submit to, are we willing to even embrace the suffering and the discipline of God that will bring about our spiritual education and formation? That discipline, that whole work which will develop and change and form our very character and being, will we submit to it, embrace it, or run from it? Now, step back here and take note of what I have shared.

I've revisited their background and their context, the sin and temptation that was before them and the struggle and fight against that sin they were in. I went through how he put them into the right frame of thinking by showing them that they had not suffered like Christ did and what discipline and the discipline of God actually is. But you can ask a question here. You might say, "Pastor, why revisit or review these things?" You may say, "We studied these things thoroughly last week, so why not just move on to the next verses?" Well, I'm glad you asked that question.

You see, church, if we do not fully understand and embrace the discipline of God, we will always react wrongly. And if that's the case, we will not grow and we will digress in our spiritual formation and walk with God. Let me restate that. You see, if we don't fully understand and embrace the discipline of God, we will always, always react wrongly. And if that's the case, we will not grow. As a matter of fact, we'll digress in our spiritual formation and walk with God. Simply this is vital to our spiritual growth and development.

How many true believers are stunted in their spiritual growth and development because they have not learned to embrace the discipline of God? Show me a believer that does not understand and embrace the discipline of God and even all the suffering involved and I will show you a stunted, even a frustrated, contentious and bitter believer and they do exist. I have seen a few. Now at this time, I want us to read verses 5 to 8 and then verses 9 to 11. And I will explain to you how we will continue. Of course, we have not covered verses 9 to 11 yet, but let's read verses 5 to 11 and then I'll explain how we will move on in the message.

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? Of course, he's quoting Proverbs 3 verses 11 to 12. "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 he chastises every son whom he receives. 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 were left without discipline in which all had 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," that's God, "disciplines us for our own 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." Now last week we looked at first the call to understand and embrace discipline verses 5 to 6. And then second we looked at the call to understand and rethink discipline verse 7 to 8.

Now I will quickly revisit a few things here that I believe need revisiting and some things that I just couldn't get to last week. But as we continue, we will examine third the comparison of fathers verses 9 to the beginning of verse 10 and then last the ultimate purpose of discipline. And we see this ultimate purpose at the end of verse 9, the end of verse 10 and especially the end of verse 11. So number one, last week we saw the call to understand and embrace discipline verses 5 to 6. Now I will not revisit all that we studied, but I do want to touch on a few things that I just think we really need to see and revisit and make sure we get.

First notice he called them to remember what they had forgotten. That's plain to see at the beginning of verse 5. Here we saw that the author was telling them that they had actually forgotten. Now they were Jews. They had been converted to Christ, but they were Jews. And being thoroughly Jewish, they certainly would have had and known the Old Testament and they certainly would have had and known the Proverbs. So this is the point. He was reminding them of spiritual truth they knew but they had forgotten. He really seems to be saying that they should have remembered and even known and understood this teaching from Proverbs 3, 11 to 12.

Now there's a lesson and a reason that I come back to what we studied last week. Not only must we understand discipline and embrace discipline, but we must not forget these things. We are prone to forget. The hymn writer is right. We are prone to forget and even leave the God we love. And then second, trials and sufferings will come and the discipline of our Lord comes in the middle of all of those trials and sufferings. And if we forget, we will react out of our own understanding, out of our emotions and even out of our flesh. All this needs to be on repeat for you. This needs to be a part of your yearly study.

Maybe once a year you come back through this teaching. Maybe you set aside a time, a week in the year and you come back, you listen, you study. Why? So as not to forget. Second he gave them two exhortations. We see this in verse five. Now remember that an exhortation is when we strongly urge someone to do something or to avoid something. I'll give you an example we can identify with. If we go to the doctor, our doctor may strongly urge us to eat healthy and to avoid unhealthy foods. Well here the author was strongly urging them not to do two things. First not to make light of God's discipline.

And then second not to grow weary or weak in God's discipline. And think back to their situation now. They were suffering terribly for having left their old life for a new life in Christ. And God was sovereignly and purposely using all of those things to instruct them and admonish them even to correct them and punish them where it was needed. He was using all that they were living through to educate them and train them. In his way so as to form them and to develop them. This was meant to change who they were and what they thought about God and also what they thought about themselves.

And as we will see when we get into verses nine to eleven, this was all for the purpose of greater living, greater personal holiness, peace, righteousness, and even a greater usefulness to God. So these were serious times and a serious God ordained set of circumstances and even serious God ordained sufferings. And he was calling them not to make light of any of it. He was calling them not to grow weary and weak in all that they were enduring. In church the reason we all need this teaching again is because there will be very difficult circumstances.

Serious and disciplined that will come into our lives and if we do not embrace it all with a God inspired seriousness we may miss a golden opportunity to grow as God wants us to grow. If we do not embrace it all with the strength that can only come from the spirit of God filling us we will not grow. We will grow weak and we'll grow weary. I can speak from personal experience. I've had trials and sufferings that were a part of the God ordained discipline in my life and I allowed myself to grow weary and weak therefore I allowed too much of my feelings and my emotions and my flesh to gain control and it hindered the work of God in me.

But before I move on the great motivation we have here look at all this father son language. In verses 5 to 6 all the way through is father son language intimate language. These exhortations and the two encouragements are from God the father to his sons. We can say it like this God the father to his sons to his daughters to his children. He disciplines the sons and the daughters he loves. He chastises every one of his children.

Verse 6 and yes the point here is discipline even harsh discipline when needed which is translated chastisement in some translations but the main point is this love and sonship love and sonship God loves his children so he disciplines them and because he disciplines his children it proves that he loves them. I rarely do this show of hands. People are nervous. Many parents in the room if you're a parent raise your hand. Hi now come on don't be ashamed look around how many parents we have in the room. As Christian parents now I'm not talking to non-Christian parents. Why do we discipline and train and educate our children?

Why do we give them rules and parameters according to their age? Why do we form and mold them? Why do we discipline our children even with physical punishment when needed even with severe punishment when needed? Look it is because we love them. They are our very own flesh and blood. We love them. You see? Well God does the very same thing for us who are born again Christians because he loves us and we have been bought with the blood of Christ in the body of Christ we are his own you see.

Now before I wrap up this point there's one more thing I want to point out and this is the encouragement and motivation if you've experienced trial and suffering and you see those circumstances as the discipline of the Lord as we are learning notice what we have here evidence that you belong to God. Do you see that? You might say pastor I want some evidence that feels a little better. It's not the way God's ordained it folks. If you are experiencing trial and suffering you must see and understand those circumstances as the discipline of God and that is evidence that God loves you and you are his son or daughter.

Then next we saw the call to understanding rethink discipline. Rethink discipline. Verse 7 and 8. Here we saw how the author moved from the Old Testament teaching to some additional teaching about discipline and he continues this language of sonship all throughout the verses. But the main point is what discipline proves. And in review I will condense what we studied last week to make one point of application that I really just couldn't get to last week and I wanted to. Last week I made two observations from the verses. First that the presence of discipline proves sonship. Now the important observation we must make here is in the language.

The structure in the original tells us that the emphasis is on discipline. The discipline is what comes first and what he was saying is simple. Discipline is going to come so you must endure the discipline. It is inevitable so you must live under it. You must live in it all the way to the end but notice what it proves, sonship. And he goes on to use the example of an earthly father to illustrate the fact that God disciplines his sons. It proves sonship. I'm going to read verse 7 in the Amplified. He says you must submit to correction for the purpose of discipline. God is dealing with you as sons.

We could say sons and daughters for what son is there whom his father does not discipline. But then second that the absence of discipline proves illegitimacy. Again verse 8 I'll read it in the Amplified. Now if you are exempt from correction and without discipline in which all of God's children share then you are illegitimate children and not sons, not sons or daughters at all. Now this is why I'm revisiting this teaching church and I had a lot more to say about this last week. I said that verses 7 to 8 are all about understanding and rethinking discipline, rethinking discipline.

And I want us to see that we really need to rethink discipline more than we know. You see the discipline of the Lord is a part of the Christian life. There are no exceptions. This involves instruction, admonition, reproof, and correction. And it is all about education, yes, but training concerning God, the ways of God, the Christian life, and ourselves. It is all about the formation of the person in who they are. And this involves correction and even punishment at times, even harsh punishment and correction in times. And this is all a part of the true Christian life. There are no exceptions.

And this debunks, it obliterates some kind of a life from hell that says that when we come to saving faith in Christ, God immediately fixes our lives, He blesses us, and everything is rosy. Years ago, God graciously used me to influence a man to coming to faith in Christ. Now He had been a quote unquote Christian his entire life, but He was born again in His mid to late twenties.

And after He came to Christ, all of His religious past, all His sin and dysfunction from His past life, even His family and upbringing, and the sin and dysfunction that was in His marriage, all those things collided now with a new life in Christ, with what God's Word said about His life and how God was working and everything in His life. His life and marriage was one big trial and suffering and discipline from the Lord. And He said to me, now I'm putting it in my words, I didn't have any problems before I came to Christ. But the first five years of my true Christian life was nothing but trial after trial after trial.

That was the discipline of the Lord. Now this is my point. The discipline of the Lord is a part of the true Christian life. There are no exceptions. Not that there should be trials and difficulties and discipline all the time, no. Not that there will be trials and difficulties and discipline right away, no. It's different for everyone, but it's the same. And look folks, if you are without discipline, you are illegitimate. You're illegitimate. Now before we move into the new verses, verses nine to eleven, I strongly encourage you, if you didn't get last week's message, you need to. This all goes together. All goes together.

So number three, the comparison of fathers. Number three, the comparison of fathers. Let's read verse nine in the beginning of verse ten. What is 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, that's God, disciplines us for our good. Now here the author moves into a new phase in his teaching and we see this in the language. The English standard says, "By this," the New American, the legacy standard says, "Father Moore," and this is what the author was doing.

He had been explaining all along the struggles and sufferings within the discipline of God is a part of God's providential plan for his much-loved children. And now he highlights and he emphasizes what he has been teaching by making a comparison between their earthly fathers and their heavenly father. Two observations here. First notice he shows their response to the two. Verse nine, "Now we have to remember context. I say at all the time church, we have to get context, context is king. He was writing to Jews and they would have come out of families where the fathers were involved as disciplinarians.

And he makes an argument from the lesser to the greater. Their earthly fathers are or were the lesser in the argument and obviously God was and is the greater. And he was saying, 'You all had fathers. All of you were disciplined and even chastised by your fathers. And what was the result? You respected them for that discipline.'" This word respected tells us a lot, "In the original it carries with it two sides, shame or being put to shame and respect or showing regard." And the meaning here is this, "In their discipline as children, if they were in the wrong, they felt shamed.

But in the discipline, they felt respect for their fathers." But then he shifts by making a statement, moving to the greater. He asks a question saying, "Well, if we respected our earthly fathers for their discipline, then shall we not respect our heavenly father even more?" And again, notice what he was trying to teach them. Perspective, perspective, he was working to bring them into a right frame of mind and a right frame of thinking in the discipline of God. Perspective. And look church, it's the same with us. If we are not in the right frame of mind and thinking on the discipline of God, we miss so much, we may miss it all.

I love what the Bible scholar Leon Morris says here, and I'm quoting, "Our lives will always be impoverished if we do not see suffering in a proper light. It is certain that we will undergo hardship and difficulty if we are always rebelling against it and refusing to learn the lessons the father is teaching us. We are shutting ourselves up to discontent and misunderstanding." Now I'm going to alter Morris here a little. Our lives will always be impoverished if we do not see discipline in a proper light.

It is certain that we will undergo hardship, difficulty in the discipline if we are always rebelling against it and refusing to learn the lessons the father is teaching us. We are shutting ourselves up to discontent and misunderstanding. And look at the lesson here church, let this be a warning for us all. If we do not have the right frame of mind and thinking on the discipline of God, we will be poor Christians. You show me a Christian who does not handle suffering and trial in the discipline of God as we are learning here, and I will show you a poor Christian.

You show me a Christian that does not handle suffering and trial in the discipline of God like we're learning here now, and I will show you a poor Christian, and it goes for a church too. Let that sink in. Second, notice he shows the quality of the two. He shows the quality of the two, the beginning of verse 10. For they, talking about earthly fathers, disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them. But he, that's the heavenly father, disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. Here he continues with the comparison. It's obvious going from the lesser to the greater. It's easy to see.

And this is what he was saying and doing. Their earthly fathers disciplined them, but they were limited in two ways because of their humanity. For one, their earthly fathers were limited because of time. That is what this phrase for a short time means. And they were limited because of their limited ability. That is what this phrase, as it seemed best to them, means. But look at the contrast he was making. Their earthly fathers were limited in that they only had a short time of discipline, but not God. He has the entire life to discipline even into adulthood, even into old age.

And their earthly fathers were limited in their ability, but not God. He was and he is perfect in his ability to discipline his own children. So look at the quality of the discipline at hand. Right here it'll be good for you to write down and go read and go meditate on Romans 828. Listen to Romans 828 in the Amplified. And we know with great confidence that God who is deeply concerned about us causes all things. Well, I guess that all things means discipline. I guess that all things means suffering.

And we know with great confidence that God who is deeply concerned about us causes all things, all things, all things to work together as a plan for good for those who love God to those who are called according to his plan and purpose. And look at what we have here in summary in verses 9 to 10. The comparison of fathers. Earthly fathers to God, our heavenly father. They respected their earthly fathers for their discipline. And how much more should they honor and respect God for his? She was showing them that their earthly fathers disciplined them, but they were limited. But God was and is not limited in any way in his discipline.

His discipline is perfect and it always will be perfect. Now one more thing and application before we move on, church. If we have any misconceptions about who God is and how he relates to his children, this will help. Look church, he certainly is not some big mean policeman in the sky who's going to hit you with a stick when you do something wrong. Oh, but he's not some jolly fat man in a red suit in heaven either. Oh, he's not the God of country music. You know the man upstairs we have an agreement with. Look folks, look folks, make sure our view and our conception of God is from the scriptures.

And oh, from these verses we're getting a very good conception in view of who God is. We're his children and he is our father, is born again Christian. Then last, number four, the ultimate purpose of discipline. The ultimate purpose of discipline. We see this at the end of verse nine, the end of verse 10, and the end of verse 11. Now we see the ultimate purpose of discipline obviously in the second part of verse 11. Now, but to me, we cannot miss what we see at the end of verse nine and verse 10. I'll explain it, I'll come to that here in a moment. But here the author deals in reality.

He meets those receiving this letter with the brutal reality first before he gets into the purpose of it all. So we'll start with the reality and then we'll move to the purpose. First he points out the pain of discipline. That's the brutal reality. He points out the pain of discipline. Look at verse 11. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. Now this is simple. The pain and suffering in the trials of discipline, it's never pleasant. No person, not even the strongest of believer likes it.

And Luke Church, all of the surface, all of the superficial talking and reasoning can not remove the pain of struggling and suffering in discipline. What he is saying is this. Some chicken neck social media posts can't cure the pain and the sorrow you're suffering. Chicken soup for the soul won't cure that pain and that suffering and it does not need to be cured, you see? It doesn't need to go away. And notice what the author is saying here. He's all inclusive. The English Standard says all discipline, all discipline seems painful. The amplified says it the same but in a different way.

For the time being, no discipline brings joy but seems sad and painful. Now what's my point? It's rather simple. All forms of pain and suffering in the discipline, if it sources man or what seems to be circumstantial or if it directly comes from the providential hand of God, it is all sad, it is all painful. But remember what we have learned. No matter the source, all discipline, even when it includes sorrow and great suffering, it is from the providential hand of God. Luke Church, Romans 8, 28 is either true or nothing in the Bible is true.

And Luke saying of God, if you are sad and unhappy and in pain and your struggle in the discipline of God, that's normal. It's normal. Being a little honest here. There have been times when I have been in the deepest pit of sadness and pain in the trial of discipline and I would force myself to pray for joy. Oh, but after I groveled in the pain and the sorrow probably for weeks and even months, I would just force myself to pray for joy, force myself to pray for joy, not for God to remove the trial and the discipline, but that He would give me joy to endure it and endure under it and in it. Notice I didn't pray for happiness.

Happiness is circumstantial, folks. Joy is a work of the Spirit of God in the heart and the life, in the trial. Second, he points out the purpose of the discipline. Now, before we look at the purpose and what it produces, we need to look at some of the language here. This word yields in the English standard, the New American. It means to give back. It means to deliver even to pay off. And this is the point. If one endures and stays under the pain and suffering in the trial of discipline, there's a payoff. Something is given back and something is delivered to them. Now, what's the payoff?

Earlier someone had some tomatoes in the hall giving them away. You know, our garden yields produce. If we exercise, that yields better health. The payoff from hard work in our job is a paycheck. So what's the payoff here? Well, he tells us in the rest of the verse. Look at verse 11. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields, there's the payoff, later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Here we see the payoff, the peaceful fruit of righteousness. And notice how this breaks down. This peacefulness, this speaks of a peace of calmness.

This speaks of a steady and calm submission in the heart and the mind. This is a calm and a peaceful tranquility in the trial and in the discipline. The fruit of righteousness. This simply means the one who endures are made more right in righteousness. Albert Barnes says it means to be more dead, to sin, dead to the world, and more alive to God. So look at what remaining in and under the trial, even the pain and the sorrow produces. There is a payoff, peace within the heart, mind, and life, and a righteousness more alive to God and less alive to sin in the world. But there's more. We see it in verse 9 and we see it in verse 10.

We see it in this word live in verse 9, this word holiness in verse 10. Let's read the verses, see if you can pick up on it. 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? Verse 10, for they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he thus God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. So look at the payoff here folks. The author is saying that in and through the discipline one lives and one may share in holiness.

To live here, this means that when one embraces discipline, they endure the pain and the suffering they live, meaning they enter into a way of living that is worthy of Christ. This is truly a new way of living and to share in holiness. This is similar to the fruit of righteousness. Holiness points to and refers to the character of God. This means that the one who endures in and under the sorrow of discipline, they become more holy. They become more God-like. So combining it all. Look at the payoff of discipline. Look what it yields in the life. Enduring in and under discipline leads to a way of living worthy of Christ, a new way of living.

It leads to a holy life and becoming more like God. It pays off and leads to a peaceful heart, a peaceful mind, a peaceful life and it leads to more and more righteousness and righteous living. Is that happening in you? Be honest? Or are you consumed by frustration, contention, animosity and bitterness? Come on now, let's be honest church. In your difficulty in sorrow and trial, do you have the payoff we have here in the scripture or are you consumed with frustration, contention, animosity and bitterness? But how do we get this payoff of living, of holiness, of peace and righteousness? What we see it in verse 11. Look at verse 11 again.

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than unpleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Now here the author concludes with another athletic metaphor. This comes by training. The King James uses the word exercise. Now this is the point. Those who exercise themselves, those who train themselves, those who work in this manner of living, this is the payoff, this is the payday. So what this tells us is this, to get this payoff of truly living, of holiness, holy living, in and peace in the mind, heart and life and righteousness, it takes hard work. It takes hard work.

Now look at what we have here in summary. The purpose and purposes of enduring in and through the trial of the discipline of God. At the time it is painful, it's not pleasant, but if one endures, there's a payoff, a new way of living, holiness in the life, peace and tranquility in the thinking, heart and life and a righteousness, a righteous living that you didn't have before. Now I want to close quickly by saying church, we must see and know that the discipline of God is a part of the Christian life. There are no exceptions. Trials, sorrow, even suffering, maybe even persecution in the discipline is a part of the Christian life.

A couple of questions to ponder here. What happens if we remove discipline from a child's life, from a teenager's life? What happens? We have a hellion on our hands. That's what happens. Think about it. What happens if we remove discipline from a child's life, a teenager's life? We have a child or a teenager out of control. What happens if we remove discipline from a Christian's life, from a church's life? We have rebellious sin-filled Christians and a rebellious sin-filled church. See? That means we must embrace it. We must love it. When God brings it, we accept it because He knows best.

So the title of the message is all about the encouragement of discipline, part two.