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In other words, exercising faith 
in the living Christ as He has gone before us and as He has 
made the way for us. And then tonight we'll consider 
the purpose of the Father in verses 3 to 11, but I'll read 
the section verses 1 to 11. Therefore, we also, since we 
are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside 
every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let 
us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking 
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy 
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, 
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For 
consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against 
himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 
You have not yet resisted the bloodshed striving against sin, 
and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons. 
My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged 
when you are rebuked by him. For whom the Lord loves, he chastens 
and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, 
God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a 
father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, 
of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and 
not sons. Furthermore, we have had human 
fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we 
not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and 
live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us, as seemed 
best to them. But He, for our profit, that 
we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be 
joyful for the present, but painful. Nevertheless, afterward, it yields 
the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained 
by it." Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
again, we thank you for the written word. We know it's God-breathed. 
We know it's profitable for all things. We ask now that you would 
guide us by the Holy Spirit, cause us to reflect upon this 
most essential component in our Christian lives, even fatherly 
discipline from a God who loves us, a God who cares for us, a 
God who is in the business of conforming us ever unto the image 
of His only begotten Son. Forgive us again for all sin 
and unrighteousness and those things which darken our understanding. 
We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, as we come to this 
particular section in verses 3 to 11, we see that the apostle 
invokes or appeals to the book of Proverbs. And I think that 
underscores for us the divine inspiration of the book of Proverbs, 
but also the utility of the book of Proverbs for the children 
of God in this new covenant setting. Bridges says, we must not overlook 
the apostle's testimony to the divine inspiration of the book 
of Proverbs. showing the instruction throughout 
to be the teaching of our Heavenly Father to His beloved children. 
So in other words, we have both the New Covenant and the Old 
Covenant that instructs us and informs us concerning the nature 
of God and the relationship that we sustain to Him by grace through 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. So now as we come to this third 
incentive, remember the exhortation or the duty or the responsibility 
is to run with endurance the race that is set before us. We're 
to lay aside weight, we're to lay aside the sin which so easily 
entangles us, we're to have that consciousness of that amphitheater 
populated by the heroes of old where their consistent testimony 
is that God is faithful. Along the way, while we run, 
we're looking unto Jesus. He is the author and the finisher 
of our faith. our faith in the sense of subjective. In other words, it's a gift of 
God that we believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. But 
he's the author and finisher of the faith with reference to 
the objective content of Christianity. It's his life, his death, his 
resurrection that is the sum and substance of our confession. 
And then we have this admonition to look to the purposes of our 
Father in terms of parental discipline. So there are three things that 
I want to consider this evening in verses 3 to 11. First, the 
necessary consideration in verses 3 and 4. Secondly, the practice 
of divine discipline in verses 5 to 10a. And then finally, the 
purpose of divine discipline in verses 10b and 11. Again, 
this jives with what we saw in John chapter 15 at verse 2. The vine dresser tends to the 
branches. It says that every branch that 
bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Sometimes 
that pruning is somewhat sublime. It's gentle. It's the lady with 
the bonnet, with the snippers in the rose garden, snipping 
away some of the dead branches. Or it could be with a chainsaw. 
God at times comes to us in a way that does indicate His determination 
to sanctify us and conform us unto the image of His beloved 
Son. So note first the necessary consideration. You see that in 
verses 3 and 4. For consider him who endured." Notice that 
same word. Run with endurance. Christ endured 
the cross. Consider him who endured. Verse 
7, if you endure. As I said this morning, the Christian 
life, or the Christian race, is not a hundred-yard dash. It 
is rather a marathon. It's the long haul. We need to 
be engaged. We need to be steadfast. It's 
all too common for persons to make a profession of faith, and 
then once things start getting a little bit difficult, say, 
well, you know, that's just not for me. Now that's obviously 
a false profession of faith, but the children of God at times 
are tempted by the various challenges in their lives to say, what's 
it all worth? I don't get anything out of this 
religion. I don't get anything quantifiably 
different than my pagan neighbor next door. Again, I think that 
verses 3 to 11 are crucial in helping to sort of crush that 
mindset in the lives of God's people. So notice again, verse 
three, for consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against 
himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 
You have not yet resisted the bloodshed striving against sin. So the believer must consider 
our Lord Jesus Christ. This is consistent with what 
we see in verse two. We are looking on to Jesus Christ, 
the author and finisher of our faith. So this idea of looking 
or considering simply means we are trusting, we are believing, 
we are looking unto him by God's grace through faith in him. So 
we need to consider the one who endured. We must look to him 
and ask the question the Bible answers for us, how did he endure? And as well, we have particular 
reasons given for this duty. So, consider him who endured 
such hostility from sinners against himself. And then he gives reasons 
why we're supposed to consider. In other words, we're to look 
unto Jesus for this reason. We're to consider him for these 
particular reasons. In the first place, to promote 
spiritual stamina. to promote spiritual stamina. 
Note the end of verse 3, lest you become weary and discouraged 
in your souls. Turn back to chapter 2 and verse 
1. I know that we rehearsed these 
last Sunday night, but it bears constant repetition. Notice in 
chapter 2, specifically at verse 1. Therefore, we must give the 
more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift 
away. And the same language, or similar 
language, is here. Lest you become weary and discouraged 
in your souls. It's almost as if the apostle 
envisages apostasy as not something that happens overnight. In other 
words, most professing Christians don't wake up on a Thursday morning 
and say, that's it, I'm done. It's all over, there's been no 
benefit, there's been no sort of asset involved in my life 
as a Christian in the here and now, so I'm done. Never again 
will I pick up a Bible, never again will I listen to sermon 
audio, never again will I go to church. It seems to be that 
the Apostle envisages this discouragement, this drifting away, these steps, 
as it were, to apostasy. Now, I guess it is the case that 
some do apostatize overnight, but I would suggest that the 
overarching trajectory is one of, I'm not going to read my 
Bible anymore because I don't get anything out of it. I'm not 
going to attend both services on Sunday because I don't get 
anything out of it. We look at God as if it's somehow a formulaic 
relationship. I will fulfill my obligation 
insofar as you give me 15 units of blessing. If you don't give 
me 15 units of blessing, well then I'm not going to come. And 
so we need to be on guard against that reality. It's unbelief. It is a drifting away. It is 
a discouragement and a weariness that is oftentimes the precursor 
to full-blown apostasy. Notice as well in chapter 4, 
specifically at verse 1. Therefore, since a promise remains 
of entering his rest, let us fear, lest any of you seem to 
have come short of it." And then again in 5, 12 to 14, notice 
in chapter 5, verse 12, for though by this time you ought to be 
teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles 
of the oracles of God. And you have come to need milk 
and not solid food. For everyone who partakes Only 
of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a 
babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, 
that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised 
to discern both good and evil." Again, it's not full-blown apostasy 
at this particular point. It's leaving off Scripture. It's 
not attending the corporate means. It's not putting yourself subject 
to the living word of God. It is this idea that, well, I've 
had enough and I don't really need much more because there 
hasn't been a lot of benefit with what I already possess. 
He says you should be teachers by this time. You should be holding 
Sunday school classes. You should be proclaiming the 
truth. You should be well-skilled in the word of the living and 
the true God, but you're not. Notice in chapter 6, specifically 
at verses 11 and 12. chapter six, verses 11 and 12. 
And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to 
the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become 
sluggish. Again, I suggest that the greatest 
sort of advancement towards apostasy is usually not an overnight decision 
to utterly defect from the Christian faith. It is sluggishness. It is weariness of soul. It is 
discouragement. It is a drifting away. Those 
are the precursors to full-on apostasy, that you do not become 
sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit 
the promises. So back to our verse, notice 
the reason why we are to consider him who endured such hostility 
from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged 
in your souls. But as well, notice it promotes 
sober assessment. You have not yet resisted to 
bloodshed striving against sin. I think this particular section 
calls them to reflect on the past. They've already known some 
hardship. They've already known some travail. 
They've already known some difficulty for their profession of faith. 
Turn back to chapter 10, specifically at verses 32 to 34. 10 But recall the former days, in 
which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle 
with sufferings, partly while you were made a spectacle, both 
by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions 
of those who were so treated. For you had compassion on me 
and my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, 
knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for 
yourselves in heaven." So they had tasted, they had known, they 
had seen some deprivation as a result of faith in Jesus. They 
had seen goods plundered. They had seen the effects of 
a godless world antagonistic to the Lord of Glory. But it's 
not only a reflection on the past, but our verse tells us 
there is to be a reflection on the future. He says in verse 
4, you have not yet resisted the bloodshed. So I think what 
he's saying is that it can get worse There can be more hardship, 
there can be more difficulty, there can be bloodshed for your 
association with our Lord Jesus Christ. Your confession of Christ 
as Lord and Savior can bring with it prison, can bring with 
it disenfranchisement, can bring with it job loss, can bring with 
it family separation, and can bring with it martyrdom. And 
so the Apostle says, you have not yet resisted the bloodshed. 
And then note, he says, striving against sin. So this calls them 
to reflection on the primary enemy. It's not the unbelieving 
Jews that we're trying to crush, these believing Jews. It's not 
the Roman civil state that increasingly gets antagonistic to the Jewish 
believers. It is rather their own sin that 
is always the present enemy. So when you drift away, when 
you are sluggish, when you are weary and become discouraged 
in your souls, what typically replaces that? Sin. And when 
that happens, you're in a bad place. As John Owen rightly points 
out, it was not their persecutors directly, but sin in them that 
they had to conflict with all. So in other words, the Apostle 
says, consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against 
himself. Consider the earthly ministry 
of our Lord Jesus. Consider that he came to his 
own, his own received him not. Consider that he had to debate 
constantly with the religious leaders of his time. Consider 
the fact that he was arrested there in Gethsemane, that he 
was brought before the Sanhedrin, that he's slapped and spat upon 
by the religious leaders in Israel, that he's then shipped over to 
Pilate because the religious leaders of Israel didn't have 
the right, didn't have the power, didn't have the prerogative to 
execute him, so they ship him off to Pilate. He stands before 
this godless heathen, this godless pagan, who ultimately condemns 
him. He asks the question, you want Barabbas or do you want 
Jesus? And of course the crowd says, give us Barabbas, away 
with Jesus, let him be crucified. So the author wants us to consider 
that. He wants us to understand that 
whatever hostility we face, Whatever difficulties we go through, whatever 
challenges that we see, these are not unique to us. We are 
not snowflakes when it comes to the hostility of sinners against 
the people of God. Not only our Lord Jesus Christ, 
but the history of martyrdom. Read Foxe's Book of Martyrs. 
Read what the early church endured. Some have postulated there were 
more martyrs in the 20th century than there had been in all the 
previous centuries combined. Now, I realize there's a lot 
more people, but I think it is staggering when you consider 
that. In our Sunday morning prayer meeting and in our Wednesday 
evening prayer meeting, what do we do? We read Voice of the 
Martyrs. And as we read Voice of the Martyrs, 
you know what we meet up with? We meet up with opposition from 
false religionists. We meet up with opposition from 
government. We see the people of God persecuted. We see hostility targeted against 
the people of God. We have that promise to us by 
our Lord Jesus that if the world hated me, they're going to hate 
you. So the apostle says, while you're 
running with endurance the race that is set before us, as you've 
got this amphitheater of faithful witnesses declaring that God 
is faithful, as you've got looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ, one 
of the particular aspects you should focus on is to understand 
the one who endured such hostility from sinners against himself. 
This functions in a twofold way. Lest you become weary and discouraged 
in your souls, and then by way of reminder, you have not yet 
resisted to bloodshed striving against sin. So think consciously 
of that, look unto Him, and consider the suffering Savior and what 
He went through on our behalf. And never forget that on the 
other side of that suffering was the joy that was set before 
Him, vis-à-vis the glory of God and the salvation of all those 
whom the Father had given Him. That brings us then to the practice 
of divine discipline in verses 5 to 10a. Notice verse 5, and 
you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons. 
There is a problem. Forgetfulness, amnesia, leads 
to apostasy. This is why so many times in 
the Bible we're told to remember. This is why they put up those 
stones when they cross the river in the book of Joshua. Why? So 
that they could remember. Why are we called to the supper 
and observance of the supper so that we may remember? What 
do you think God is saying? If we're not remembering, we're 
forgetting. And if we're forgetting, we're 
not running. And if we're not running, we 
were never in the race to begin with. Or if we are running, we're 
running not with full speed, not with a great stride, but 
we're just sort of hobbling along. So the apostle addresses a particular 
problem. You have forgotten the exhortation 
which speaks to you as to sons. There's an assumption there that 
they knew that word of exhortation. And that's a great assumption 
when you're dealing with Jewish believers because they had the 
Old Testament. They had the law and the prophets 
and the writings. They had the book of Proverbs. 
They had Solomon. They had David in the Psalter. 
They had Moses in the Pentateuch. They had all that. So the problem 
isn't you need to learn brand new information. I've often thought 
that if we just acted on the knowledge that we currently possess, 
we'd probably be a whole lot better off. But we do tend to 
forget. We do tend to let amnesia set 
in. And so the apostle addresses a particular problem. You have 
forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons. When 
I or other preachers say, you should read your Bible, it's 
not because we want to be your third grade teacher. It's not 
because we want to be your mommies. It's not because we want to harangue 
you into duty. It's because we know that the 
scriptures are there for your encouragement. They're there 
for your admonishment. They're there for your instruction. 
They're there to urge you on in running with endurance the 
race that is set before you. Philip Hughes says the discouragement 
of the recipients of this letter is attributable, at least in 
part, to a false reading of the situation in which they find 
themselves. Typically, when bad things happen, 
where does the mind go? Boy, God's using this for His 
glory and my good. If that's your reflex, good for 
you. I want to commend you and encourage 
you to keep it up. But for a lot of us, when bad 
things happen, when difficulties ensue, when there's obstacles 
on the race course, we think, oh no, everything's falling apart. God is against me. God is doing 
this because he's angry with me. That's typically the way 
it goes. He goes on to say, "...such hardship 
and affliction as they have had to endure in consequence of their 
Christian profession does not mean, as some seem to have assumed, 
that God is unconcerned for their welfare and has left them without 
His aid and support." So we're running with endurance the race 
that is set before us. There are obstacles now in the 
path, and we conclude that God doesn't care. There's no divine 
aid. There's no divine resources. 
There's no help coming from heaven to us to help us along this way. But that's the wrong conclusion, 
and that's what the apostle is going to address. Now, the word 
of exhortation here, I believe, is the book of Proverbs, specifically, 
but the entirety of the Old Testament. One commentator says the writer 
regards Proverbs 3, 11 and 12 as God's personal word to those 
who enjoy sonship through the mediation of Jesus who inaugurated 
the new covenant. So Proverbs 3, 11 and 12, in 
the hand of the Apostle Paul, is another incentive as to why 
we run with endurance the race that is set before us. God has 
his purposes. And I think that will help us 
as we run that race and we see those obstacles. There are still 
obstacles. They're still hard to navigate, 
but they're not there to destroy us. They're there to further 
conform us to the image of His only begotten Son. Look back 
to chapter 5, specifically at verse 8, relative to the Savior 
in His earthly ministry. Hebrews chapter 5, specifically 
at verse 8. Though he was a son, yet he learned 
obedience by the things which he suffered. So when Jesus is 
in his earthly ministry and Jesus is going to the cross, there's 
a lot of obstacles in his way. And he doesn't say, oh, these 
are things destined to destroy me. He understands it's the will 
and purpose of the Father. He understands that this is the 
nature of his ministry. He understands that this hypostatic 
union, where he assumes to himself a human nature, is going to be 
riddled with sorrows, grief, difficulty, and hardship. So 
back to Hebrews chapter 12. Notice he appeals specifically 
to Proverbs 3. So verse 5, you have forgotten 
the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons. My son, do 
not despise the chasing of the Lord. Have you ever wondered 
why so many times in the New Testament there's admonitions 
to give each one a holy kiss? probably because it was not as 
desirable an activity then as it would be now. And I'm not 
suggesting that the men give holy kisses to the ladies. I 
remember Ashiel Blaze, before he died, he was a Reformed Baptist 
pastor in London, and he warned the men in the church, there'll 
be no holy kisses for the ladies in our church. But there's things 
that are repeated in scripture, and that repetition is necessary. Notice the specific emphasis. My son, do not despise the chastening 
of the Lord. Remember where Paul is talking 
about wives and husbands and their relationships to one another? 
Husbands, love your wives, Colossians 3, and do not be bitter against 
them. Huh, he doesn't say don't backhand 
them, which I'm sure he would agree, don't backhand them. He 
doesn't say pack up all their goods and throw them out onto 
the front yard, which I would think he wouldn't want you to 
pack up all their goods and throw them onto the front yard. He 
speaks to the issue that most often tempts us, bitterness. It's the same thing with parental 
discipline. My son, do not what? Despise 
the chastening of the Lord. So the author appeals, Paul appeals 
to Solomon in the book of Proverbs. My son, do not despise the chastening 
of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him. 
For whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he 
receives. Notice the apostle's assumption. We bear a father-son 
relationship with God, son and daughter. I'm not going to keep 
saying son and daughter. There used to be a day son included 
daughter. So let's go back to that day. But the bottom line 
is by God's grace, through faith in Jesus, we are adopted into 
the family of God. Christ is the only begotten son 
by nature, not by creation, not by adoption. We are sons of God 
by adoption. And so the apostle assumes the 
reality of that. The Lord loves whom the Lord 
loves. He chastens and scourges every 
son whom he receives. Notice the reminder. In case 
you forgot, this is part of what you signed on for. This is what 
you ought to expect. You shouldn't be surprised. You 
shouldn't lose your mind. You shouldn't say, oh, I can't 
believe I'm actually being disciplined by my heavenly Father. The apostle 
wants you to forsake that mindset wherein you despise it or wherein 
you are discouraged. Again, take the parental analogy. 
Paul goes there later in this particular section, and we'll 
see that in a few minutes, but with reference to parenting. 
Do you discipline your children because you hate them? Do you 
discipline your children so that they may despise it? Do you discipline 
your children so that they may be discouraged? Of course not. 
You discipline them because they need it. You discipline them 
because that shapes them. You discipline them because that's 
beneficial for them. I mean, just look at the world 
today. There's a lot of people who should 
have got disciplined when they were under their father's and 
mother's care. And we are reaping the rotten fruits of that kind 
of a mindset. O'Brien says, Hebrew citation 
of Proverbs 3 shows that divine discipline and sonship go hand 
in hand. And then note the specific exhortation 
here, do not despise the chastening of the Lord. Go back to the book 
of Deuteronomy chapter 8, Deuteronomy chapter 8, a couple other passages 
that illustrate this, not just Proverbs, but Deuteronomy and 
then 1 Peter. Deuteronomy chapter eight, specifically 
at verse five. You should know in your heart 
that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens 
you. You should know this in your 
heart. This isn't up for grabs. It's not up for debate. It's 
not a negotiable item. Well, you know, God, I want all 
the salvation benefits, but I don't want all that nasty discipline. 
I just want to soar through this race with my best stride ever. I want no obstacles and I want 
no discipline along the way. You don't get to dictate the 
terms of sanctification. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 4. specifically at verse 12. Beloved, 
do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to 
try you as though some strange thing happened to you. I can't believe this is happening. 
Really? You can't believe this is happening? What Bible are you reading? What 
scriptures have you thought through? What experience in the parental-child 
relationship has gone right past you? You can't believe that at 
times we grow through adversity? You know, there's books today 
written, do hard things. Go out and live in the forest 
in the snow with, you know, a pocket knife and a piece of wood. And 
if you can do that, then you can do anything. You can face 
those executives in the boardroom. Brethren, it is a given reality 
in our lives, the immune system. I bet people that ate a lot of 
dirt when they were kids probably don't get as sick as much as 
the non-dirt eaters. Why? Because you've got to strengthen 
the immune system. You've got to give it something 
to do. You've got to make it work. muscle building. You don't just build big muscles 
because you want them. You have to actually tear the 
fibers down and replace or rest in protein for repair. So back 
to verse 12. Beloved, do not think it strange 
concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some 
strange thing happened to you. But rejoice to the extent that 
you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, 
you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for 
the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the spirit of glory 
and of God rests upon you. On their party is blaspheme, 
but on your party is glorified. None of you suffer as a murderer, 
a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet 
if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let 
him glorify God in this matter. For the time has come for judgment 
to begin at the house of God. And if it begins with us first, 
what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of 
God? Now, if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will 
the ungodly and the sinner appear? Now note verse 19. All the other 
stuff, don't not note that. You basically have to expect 
persecution, exult or rejoice in it, evaluate its cause. If 
you're suffering because you're a thief or you're a murderer, 
don't say, oh, I'm glorifying Jesus. No, you're getting your 
just desserts because you broke civil law. As well, you're to 
entrust yourself to God. Notice in verse 19, therefore 
let those who suffer according to the will of God. We don't 
live in a haphazard universe. We're not governed by chance 
and fate. We're not dependent upon horseshoes 
or dice or any such things, horoscopes or whatever. God is the sovereign 
over the suffering that we endure. Therefore, let those who suffer 
according to the will of God, commit their souls to him in 
doing good as to a faithful creator. So you're supposed to survey 
the suffering that you're going through. You're supposed to recognize 
it's from the sovereign God. And in the midst of that, you're 
to entrust him because he's doing good for you. So back to our 
particular text, don't despise the chastening of the Lord. Don't 
be discouraged when you are rebuked by him. And then specifically 
the rationale for whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges 
every son whom he receives. Hughes makes the observation, 
he says, five young students, imprisoned in Lyon in 1552 and 
shortly to suffer martyrdom, wrote to the church in Geneva, We testify that this is the true 
school of the children of God, in which they learn more than 
the disciples of the philosophers ever did in universities. They 
say, and they praise God for giving them His grace, quote, 
not only the theory of His word, but also the practice of it. 
Benjamin Palmer was a Southern Presbyterian and watched his 
daughters die. And he was a very skilled, very 
competent theologian, and he mused that I learned more theology 
watching my daughters die than I did in the university. Now that's not saying don't go 
to seminary, don't study at university, but the point is the practical 
emphasis in the Christian life is oftentimes a wonderful, wonderful 
teacher. And then note the demonstration 
of God's fatherhood in verses seven and eight. He says, if 
you endure, there's that word again, seems to be a theme with 
the Apostle in this particular section, God deals with you as 
with sons. For what son is there whom a 
father does not chase it? The presence of divine chastisement 
is a demonstration of God's fatherhood. The Proverbs are filled with 
the necessity of a faithful father to discipline his son. The one 
who spares his rod hates his son. And if you don't get that, 
you need to get that. Parents don't discipline their 
children because they hate them. Now, I'm not talking about abuse. 
I'm not talking about the ghouls and the monsters out there that 
are horrible people that should be in prison because of their 
viciousness toward their children. But with reference to parental 
discipline, it's born out of love. And it's an evidence that 
we have this particular bond. It is evidence that we have this 
father-son relationship. So if you endure chastening, 
God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a 
father does not chase it? But then he goes on. The presence 
of discipline is a given. If a person lacks discipline, 
he must not be God's son. Look at verse eight. But if you 
are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, because 
that's essential, you enter into this filial relationship with 
the Father, and the Father disciplines you, He chastens you, He does 
what He does to conform you evermore to the image of His only begotten 
Son. But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, 
then you are illegitimate and not sons. You see how this functions 
in the context. We're prone to judge or to survey 
or to see the various hardships in our lives and conclude this 
is an evidence that God is not with us. Or to conclude that 
the presence of these difficulties is the proof positive of God's 
abandonment of us. And the apostle's argument is 
exactly opposite. The fact that you're going through 
this, the fact that you may strive to bloodshed, the fact that you 
have seen your goods plundered, the fact that you have all of 
this opposition is proof positive that the Father is for you, and 
that He is the one who is sovereign over these things, and that suffering, 
even suffering, is under the providence of God, wherein He 
governs all His creatures and all their actions. So don't think 
opposite to that, rather embrace it. And again, paradoxical, we've 
got to embrace the difficulty. Yes, we've got to embrace the 
difficulty. Chrysostom says, see, it is those 
very things in which they suppose they have been deserted by God 
that should make them confident that they have not been deserted. 
Oh, these difficulties are happening. God must have abandoned me. Did 
you ever stop and think that the sovereign God of heaven and 
earth gave you these difficulties so that you'll draw closer to 
Him? So that He can further conform you unto the image of His only 
begotten Son? Has that ever entered into your 
mind? The opposite, the contrary, the reality? Well, that's what 
the apostle is saying. While you're running with endurance 
the race that is set before you, you've got ecclesiastical tyrants, 
civil tyrants, you've got busybodies, you've got criminals, you've 
got lawlessness, you've got wickedness, you've got all kinds of evil 
in this present age, and yet you need to run and be faithful 
and understand that everything that befalls you is under the 
control of a sovereign God. So entrust yourself to him, knowing 
that he is working it out for your good. And then from there, 
he makes a comparison to earthly fathers in verses 9 and 10a. Furthermore, Just to further 
solidify the analogy, to further bring home the point, you bear 
a filial relationship with your father by the grace of adoption. And then he looks to the earthly 
analogy. He looks around and he says, 
furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us and 
we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily 
be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they 
indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but 
He for our profit, our human fathers, corrected us, and we 
respect them for it. Right? Right? If you kids aren't thankful 
that your parents take the Bible seriously, perhaps tonight's 
a good time to thank them. Praise God Almighty, mom and 
dad, that you actually take the scripture seriously, because 
I don't want to end up like one of these people that should have 
been disciplined and was not. And now they're going to go to 
prison, or they're going to go to the death penalty, whatever. Not in Canada, of course, but 
you get the point. thanking the parents that looked 
out for us, not only in terms of provision of food and shelter 
and clothing, which by the way, not a bad thing to thank parents 
for that as well, but for the discipline and the love and the 
correction and the travail and the toil involved with that. 
You know, kids, I'm gonna tell you a little secret, especially 
as you hit your teenage years. You probably will observe how 
to be a wonderful parent. And you'll probably say, well, 
I'm going to do things so much differently than they did. Maybe 
not. If not, great. You're on the 
right path. But I have found that single people and young 
people are great parental advisors. They know it all. Well, you should 
this. You should that. Yeah, maybe 
we should. But parenting ain't no joke. It is one of the most 
serious responsibilities on the face of the earth. That's why 
our culture and its anti-family mentality is an attack at the 
very sum and substance of nature. God created the world. The basic 
fundamental unit in that world is family. It ought not to surprise 
us that Satan and his earthly minions are about trying to destroy 
that institution. But with reference to parenthood, 
it's not easy. I'm not saying cut them slack 
and let them sin, but understand that perhaps you're not an expert 
yet when you don't have a brood that you have to watch over. 
So the apostle says, furthermore, we have had human fathers who 
corrected us and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more 
readily be in subjection to the father of spirits and live? Hughes 
explains, to be subject to the Father who is the source of all 
life is indeed to live. To turn away from Him is to turn 
away from life. So our human fathers corrected 
us and we respected them for it. Notice our human fathers 
chastened us for a few days, from childhood to maturity. I guarantee you when you're 20, 
25, you're living at home, you're raising your own kids, your parents 
aren't going to come over. Okay, it's time for some parental 
discipline. There is a cap. There is an end 
game. So if you're despairing, don't 
despair. Just live a few more years and soldier on. But they 
do this for a few days. God chastens us now and for eternity. And then notice, the apostle 
understands that the analogy does break down. See, whenever 
we look at God, the infinite, and then we make analogy in terms 
of the finite, there's always a breakdown because the finite 
is not infinite. The infinite is not finite. So 
analogies are good, but at some point they typically break down. 
So notice in verse 10, for they indeed for a few days chastened 
us as seemed best to them. What does that mean? They did 
it imperfectly and they did it inconsistently, as seemed best 
to them. I guarantee if you ask parents 
who actually take the Bible seriously and try to correct and instruct 
and discipline their children, they will confess, I don't do 
it perfectly. They will confess, I don't do 
it consistently. They will confess, there's a 
lot of shortcomings in my parental reign over my children. But in 
the final analysis, I did do the best that I could. I should 
have and could have and would have done better with the information 
I now have imposed back. All that notwithstanding, they 
did it as seemed best to them. So having shown that the analogy 
breaks down, he then moves into the purpose, finally, of divine 
discipline in verses 10, B, and 11. So they indeed, verse 10, 
for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but he for 
our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. Now, chastening 
seems to be joyful for the present, but painful. Nevertheless, afterward, 
it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who 
have been trained by it. So, of course, the purpose of 
discipline is that we profit, and that profit there isn't money, 
it isn't cars, it isn't wealth, it is rather holiness, to participate 
in His holiness. Notice, we recognize that divine 
discipline is painful. The argument has never been, 
it's going to be joyful as you're getting discipline. No. Again, 
the human analogy, you don't tell your child that, oh, this 
is going to be great. You're going to love it. No, 
you know that that's not going to be great. They're not going 
to love it, at least initially. But there's a purpose in view. 
It's for your profit. It's got a remedial end. It's 
got a purpose behind it. So therefore, and so the apostle 
tells us that. And then we understand that divine 
discipline ultimately produces good fruit. We're back to John 
15, 2. He prunes the branches. so that we bear more fruit. That pruning of the branches 
can take on a whole host of contours and dimensions. It can be a small 
obstacle, a big obstacle, but we're to run with endurance the 
race that is set before us, understanding the purpose of the Father behind 
us. Finally, conclusion, application, 
the incentives to run the race, cloud of witnesses, looking unto 
Jesus, the discipline of the Father in terms of our conformity 
unto the Lord Jesus Christ. I would say that the chastening 
of God that is necessary in running the race. Notice the words necessary. Correction is necessary in light 
of our remaining corruption. If you doubt remaining corruption, 
you don't understand remaining corruption. If you're not loving 
God right now with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and 
you're not loving your neighbor as yourself, you've got remaining 
corruption. Paul deals with the remaining corruption in Romans 
7, verses 13 to 25. He deals with it in Galatians 
5, verse 17. The spirit lusts against the 
flesh, the flesh against the spirit. These are contrary to 
one another so that you do not do the things that you want. 
There is a proneness to wander and a proneness to leave the 
God that we love. That's a reality. The hymn writer didn't make that 
up. He is reflecting upon biblical revelation. So correction is 
necessary in light of our remaining corruption. Bridges asks a valuable 
question. He says, comparing our affliction 
with our sin is not the marvel that it's so light. That's a 
perceptive observation. Comparing our affliction with 
our sin, the surprising thing isn't that there's discipline. 
The surprising thing is that it's not more overwhelming. And again, I don't think that 
Bridges is pulling this out of the hat. In the book of Ezra, 
in chapter 9, specifically at verse 13, And after all that 
has come upon us for our evil deeds and our great guilt, since 
you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserve. Psalm 103.10, He has not dealt 
with us according to our sins nor punished us according to 
our iniquities. Lamentations 339, why should 
a living man complain a man for the punishment of his sins? The 
NASB renders it, why should any living mortal or any man offer 
complaint in view of his sins? So if we truly understand the 
nature of our sin, we might be inclined to ask with bridges, 
comparing our affliction to our sin, the big issue is, why isn't 
the affliction far greater than it is? I would suggest, secondly, 
that correction confirms that we are indeed the children of 
God. Look at the argument, but if you are without chastening, 
of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate, not 
sons. Third, correction is a necessary part of being the children of 
God. Therefore, we must not despise it, and we must not be discouraged 
by it. Now, these are tough must-nots. 
I get that. I'm not saying this is easy, 
brethren. Preaching to myself. Correction is painful now, but 
it yields good fruit. And correction's pain now is 
significantly less than glory's joy later. Turn to 2 Corinthians. You see that emphasized in chapter 
four at verses 16 to 18. 2 Corinthians chapter four, verse 
16. Therefore we do not lose heart, 
even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man 
is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which 
is but for a moment and is working for us a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory. While we do not look at the things 
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. for the things 
which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not 
seen are eternal. And then one final thought, turn 
to the book of Revelation chapter three, just to confirm what we 
see in this passage with a pretty unlikely group. While you're 
turning there, think about which was the worst church in the seven 
churches in Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3. It was Laodicea. I'll 
go ahead and give you the answer. Laodicea had been threatened 
to be vomited out of the mouth of Christ. You're neither hot, 
you're not cold. You've got big problems. You're 
lukewarm. You think that everything's great. You think that you're 
on the right path. You think that you are just doing 
everything. But you're not. You're lukewarm. It's gross to have you in the 
mouth. Jesus, I think, is using that 
analogy from the Old Covenant. What happened when Israel went 
into the land and they were unfaithful? The land would vomit out its 
inhabitants. So in the New Covenant, our Lord 
Jesus says, because you're lukewarm, I'm going to vomit you out of 
my mouth. But then notice, specifically 
at chapter 3 and verse 19, As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Brethren, be careful against 
the assumption that the discipline or the hardships or the afflictions 
or the trials or the sorrows of life come from a God who is 
angry with you and trying to destroy you. As well, be careful 
against the assumption that the presence of discipline means 
the absence of the Father. It's just the opposite. The presence 
of those things argues, demonstrates, validates, and confirms that 
God is with you, God is in the business of conforming you under 
the image of His beloved Son. And if the Son learned obedience 
through suffering, then certainly the adopted sons are going to 
learn obedience through suffering. Well, let us pray.