The Chastisement of God

Heb 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Does God actually let us go through troubles to teach us? There are two camps on this topic. One says that God is not the punisher, ever.
The other says that God is always behind everything that happens.

Both are extremes. The truth is in the middle. Sometimes God is the punisher, sometimes he isn't. The idea that God might punish or discipline us is an insult to the modern mind which has great difficulty with the educational value of suffering. But the scriptures clearly present this as a method of God’s work in the lives of his children.

God presently judges sin. Sometimes, even unto death! This was true in the Old Testament and in the New. This should give us a profound emotion called the Fear of the Lord. One of the greatest problems in the church is that in fact we do despise the Lord’s chastening because we think that because of our accepting Christ that somehow we have become immune to the consequences and possible judgment of sin in our lives!!


I. GOD CURRENTLY JUDGES SIN

Let’s look at some New Covenant examples:
A. Herod
Acts 12:23 Immediately because Herod did not give praise to God an angel of the Lord struck him down and he was eaten by worms and died .
God killed Herod because of his sin.

B. The Corinthians
1Cor 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick and a number of you have fallen asleep.

Some of the Corinthians not only were made sick, some were actually disciplined unto death for sinning against the Lord’s Table!

C. Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 5:4,5,9 Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened .... Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events).

The Spirit of the Lord was tested by Ananias and Sapphira and were judged with death

D. Warnings to the Church!
1 Cor. 10:9-12 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

Jude 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe

Rev 3:19 [Jesus] "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent."

Romans 11:17-23 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

These are all New Covenant examples. These warnings are absolutely meaningless, if there was not a distinct possibility that those being addressed could fall into some of these consequences! God uses discipline which is sometimes painful. He will use deep conviction, the rebuke of friends, sermons, the quickening of Scripture, and every other means in disciplining us. If we resist God's Spirit of light and mercy, we are promised the rod of correction. When God disciplines, the punishment fits the crime. Time and again, we realize that we cannot get away with unrepentant sin. God is sculpting us into holy vessels, and the process can be painful.

Ps 38:1,2,4 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me... My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body.

Here is David, the beloved of God crying out because of the heavy hand of the Lord upon His life! Are you better than David, that you are exempt from these disciplines if you trespass against God? Dare you believe this?

More tomorrow