Disciplining with Love

[0:00] Take your Bible, turn over to Hebrews chapter 12 this morning.! Hebrews chapter 12, as we'll take a few moments here as we look into God's Word, as we consider the reality of being disciplined.

[0:12] I want you to understand, God judges nations, but He disciplines His children. And He does that for a reason. He does it because He loves us. And we're going to look here this morning of how that even applies in our lives and in our families.

[0:27] And that measurement there, but you know, the one thing that is definitely a reality is, I don't think anybody here likes being corrected. You know, just against our nature it seems like, to want to be corrected or to have to face correction.

[0:44] And we all know the reality is sooner or later you're going to be corrected. And the question is, how are you going to respond to that? You know, how do we respond when we're corrected?

[0:55] You know, why do we even need to be corrected? You know, what's God's purpose in correcting us? You know, that's an important element as we begin looking here this morning.

[1:07] Because it's never comfortable to be corrected. Matter of fact, usually it's very uncomfortable. It's uncomfortable for the one doing the correcting, and it's uncomfortable for the one receiving correction in that.

[1:21] I mean, that's just a reality of life. But we realize that discipline and being disciplined is part of life, whether it's a parent for a child or God towards his children.

[1:35] You know, Hebrews 12, we're going to look at here this morning for a few minutes, gives us a pattern and a purpose for discipline. Not only in our own lives between us and God as his child, but also for a father and mother in regard to their kids.

[1:55] Because remember, everything, God gives us an example of how we ought to do things. And he presents that to us even through his word. We see here that as we see the word used here in Hebrews, we're going to listen to is chastening.

[2:11] And I want you to understand the word chastening there is this concept of training for a desired outcome. In other words, discipline has a purpose. It's not just punishment.

[2:24] You know, oftentimes when you hear being disciplined, punishment is the first thing that comes to mind. But I want you to understand the purpose of discipline is not punishment, but your betterment.

[2:34] To improve you and to put you where God would have for you to be. And so if you found Hebrews chapter 12 this morning, let's stand together and honor the reading of the word of God.

[2:46] And we'll pick up here in verse 5 and read down through verse 11. And we see this and it says in verse 5, And it says, Now no chastising for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.

[3:53] Nevertheless, afterward it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Let's pray.

[4:03] Heavenly Fathers, we come before you here this morning. Lord, I pray just have your hand upon each heart, each life here today. Lord, as we look at the reality of the privilege of being your child.

[4:14] Lord, what that means. And Lord, we pray we just would understand the importance and the goal and outcome of being trained up properly before you.

[4:27] Lord, that we might live holy and righteous lives before you. Lord, we need to be guided and directed. Lord, we just thank you. Even when it's uncomfortable, Lord, we know that those things take place for our benefit, for our learning.

[4:41] And Lord, help us to learn the lessons. Even as we face chastisement from you in our own lives. Lord, help us to learn and understand. But Lord, even as we train up another generation.

[4:53] Lord, that our objective might be as yours. Lord, to raise ones that have a fear of you. Lord, a healthy respect and understanding of what righteousness and holiness look like.

[5:06] And Lord, we pray just have your hand upon the message and the things here this morning. And each heart and life here today. Lord, we just give you all the praise and glory. In Jesus' name. Amen. May we be seated. You know, as we look here this morning, you know, we are going to examine this idea of discipline or chastisement in shaping an individual.

[5:27] Because it's one of the tools that God uses to shape us, just as a parent uses that tool to shape their children into the right character.

[5:38] But we find here God wants to give us, shape our character all together. So we have kind of a dual dynamic because there's nobody here that's exempt. Because if you're a parent here today, you can get a good example from God how to properly discipline and what the goal is for discipline in the life of your children.

[5:56] But also, even as God chastises you, as God corrects you as an individual, as a child of God, as his child. And we're going to talk about a few of those things.

[6:08] Because you say, well, why, preacher, do you need to be reminded of this? Well, look at verse 5 here for a moment in what we just read. Notice what the writer of Hebrews has to tell us. It says, and ye have what?

[6:19] Forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. You know, he says, you know what? We do what we normally do. We forget. You ever notice it's easy to forget things?

[6:33] Or should I say it's easy to forget the right things? You know, sometimes it's hard to forget the things that we ought to forget. But the Bible also tells us that we forget or overlook the things that we ought to remember.

[6:48] You know, throughout the scripture, you'll find a very familiar word. It's called remember, remember, remember. Why? Because we forget that which is right, and we seem to hold on to that which is wrong. So we need to be lined out.

[7:01] We need to be corrected in that. And this verse 5 points out the chastening of the Lord is not without reason. You know, he speaketh unto us as children.

[7:12] You know, notice here what it tells us. He says, my son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. You know, it's easy to forget God's purpose of why he corrects us.

[7:25] But this is a passage from Proverbs chapter 3 is what he's referring back to here in Hebrews. He's referring back to Proverbs chapter 3 in verse 11 where his word of God says this, my son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, neither be weary of his correction.

[7:41] For whom the Lord loveth, he correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. You know, this reality of the Lord correcting his children, just as a parent ought to correct their children.

[7:55] You know, today we have a misconception because oftentimes parents have been removed from responsibility of their children. But I want you to understand the Bible says every parent is responsible for their children to raise them up.

[8:10] They're the ones that are the oversight for your kids. Parents today, I want you to understand the importance of what you're doing in disciplining and raising up godly children.

[8:22] It's an important dynamic because just as the Lord corrects by disciplining those that are his children, a physical father is to discipline his children.

[8:35] Why? Because you're his child. But I want you to understand something important here because we have a lot of confusion in today's world. The devil loves to take half-truths and twist them.

[8:46] And makes great slogans. I mean, the original meme, you might say, was the devil. He takes the word of God and uses part of it and twists it and has a false representation.

[8:59] And one of the things that's a false representation today, and you'll hear people say this, well, we're all God's children. I want you to understand you're all God's creation, but you're not all God's children. Because the Bible makes it very clear, you become a child of God, not from physical birth, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

[9:18] When Jesus even told Nicodemus, he says, it's not your religion, it's not the fact of the lineage you were born into physically. He tells him, he says, you must be what? Born again.

[9:30] There has to be a new birth into God's family. And when we understand that we're physically born into a family, and you must be born again into God's family.

[9:40] You know, I want you to understand, you're not born into a church, you're born into the family. Another misconception we could spend some time on, that people get confused, and today people blend that and it causes a lot of problems.

[9:56] Because the devil is the author of confusion. He loves to get people confused about what God has said. Think about what the first thing he did in the garden with Eve. He says, hath God said.

[10:08] And he didn't speak a total lie, he spoke partial truth. He added unto God's word. He added unto those things. And that same dynamic happens today.

[10:19] So we need to understand, who are we talking about when God corrects his children? He corrects those who have called upon him as their savior. He called, it's a direct reality that we see here in the word of God.

[10:33] And we're placed, you're born into a family, but you're placed into a local church by the Lord to serve him. And, you know, we find that just as God corrects his children, he chastens them.

[10:45] Parents are to do the same by, with their children, in chastening their children. Why? Because they are their children. Why do they do that? Because of love.

[10:57] Because the first thing we're going to look at here is discipline is an expression of love. You know, today we have a misconception that, you know, if somebody corrects me, they don't like me.

[11:08] Now you think about that. It's like, well, if you don't like what I'm doing, if you think what I'm doing is wrong, you hate me. That's really the devil's twist today.

[11:19] Instead of saying and evaluating, is what I'm doing, is the things that I'm doing, are they right or are they wrong? To evaluate that chastisement, correction, discipline, training is that same factor.

[11:34] And that driving factor behind correction, especially a father correcting his son, is why? Because of love. That dynamic of love is there.

[11:46] Look at verse 6 in our text here. It says, For whom the Lord, what? Loveth, he chasteneth, and scourges every son whom he receiveth.

[11:57] You know, I want you to see here, the driving factor is love. You know, today I want you to understand, if a parent doesn't correct their children, it's not loving. We have a misconception.

[12:11] Well, we need to let them develop themselves. I want you to understand, a child will never develop into a mature adult unless somebody guides them, constrains them, puts them in the right direction, sets them back on the right course.

[12:27] Because we have a misconception that says, follow your heart. That's the most dangerous statement anybody ever said. The Bible tells us what?

[12:38] The heart is desperately wicked, and who can know it? You know, your heart will take you places you ought not to be. Because your heart will lie to you. Your emotions can lie to you.

[12:49] That's the reason we need discipline. And how do you get disciplined? By being disciplined. By correction. Learning how to control those things.

[13:00] To put them under subjection to the things of God. That child does not come to understand their discipline because they are loved and need to mature in their life.

[13:14] We see here the important reality is that we discipline because we want maturity. You know why God disciplines his children? He wants us to grow up. God corrects us.

[13:26] God allows and puts things and even dramatically emphasizes some things in our life to get our attention that we might produce the right fruit.

[13:37] To produce the right thing. To understand this important foundation of love is there though. I want you to see here that discipline today has been brought that it's just punishment.

[13:48] You know, we're going to inflict pain to get attention. I want you to understand discipline sometimes inflicts discomfort and pain in your life. But you know what?

[13:59] As people we respond when discomfort comes. The reality is we mostly respond when things get uncomfortable. When things are comfortable we don't move much.

[14:11] We like to stay in the comfort zone. It doesn't challenge. It doesn't ruffle any feathers. We just kind of can coast along. But I want you to understand that God says that's not the right way.

[14:21] God gives us an example of correction. You know, the problem is we often view discipline through the lens of punishment instead of a tool to guide and prepare a child towards God's best for their life.

[14:38] You know, think about what Proverbs 13 24 says. It says this, he that spareth his rod hateth his son, and he that loveth him chasteth him be times. I want you to understand, oftentimes this is another misquoted verse.

[14:53] It's not about the rod. It's about the tool that's used to correct and the purpose behind it. I want you to understand it's not about just inciting pain, but it's the direction and the desired outcome.

[15:09] Because, you know, correction involves discomfort. If we're not involved, if there's a little discomfort, we'll never change.

[15:19] Let me give you a biblical example. Look over to Jonah chapter 2 for a moment. You know, most of us know, I think, this morning the story of Jonah. Jonah was told by God, he was a prophet of God, to go to the city of Nineveh and tell Nineveh that God was going to judge them if they didn't repent.

[15:38] If you remember, what did Jonah do? Jonah said, sure, God, I'm going this way. If Nineveh's that way, I'm going to go this way.

[15:50] Now, Jonah, we're going to find, was disciplined. He gets on the ship. He gets out in the ocean. And remember that the storm comes and the sailors cast him over the side.

[16:03] And the Bible tells us the big fish came and took Jonah. I imagine it was pretty discomforting in there. Dark and wet and all sorts of vile stuff.

[16:15] You know, you think about being in there. But look here in Jonah chapter 2. Look at verse 7. This is Jonah in the belly of the fish. He says this, And when my soul fainteth within me, I remembered the Lord.

[16:29] You know, think about that. It wasn't in comfort that he remembered the Lord. It was in discomfort that he remembered whom he was to serve. It was in that moment of correction.

[16:43] Notice here. And my prayer came in unto thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. You know, that's a loaded statement right there.

[16:55] You can process. When you ignore God's correction, you also ignore God's mercy. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving.

[17:06] I will pay that I have vowed salvation is of the Lord. You know what? I want you to see here. It was in discomfort that Jonah was reminded he needed to be obedient.

[17:18] We don't like the discomfort. But God allows and puts discomfort into our life. God is even intentionally. You think about that. Jonah should have been dead. He was thrown out in the sea in the midst of a storm.

[17:33] God's mercy shows up and he ends up back on shore. But in the midst of realizing God's mercy, there was a lot of discomfort. Why? Because he forgot. Discipline is to help us remember.

[17:47] To understand the things that we ought. It was God's correction that led him to obedience. You know, I want you to understand today. It's the responsibility of a parent to correct their children.

[17:58] And that correction needs to be with God as a guide. Just as our Father in heaven corrects his children, we need to correct the children of this generation as parents.

[18:11] We need to understand as a father, you're directly responsible for your children and their response towards God.

[18:21] Look down in verse 9 back at our text here in Hebrews chapter 12 for a moment. It says, It says, You know, You know, Today, You know, As you consider, As we look here at the beginning, This idea of love, Have you stopped to remember that God disciplines and allows discipline in your life?

[19:10] He corrects you. He trains you. Not because he doesn't love you, But because he does. It's out of love that God corrects.

[19:20] It's out of love that a parent guides and directs their children. Now, That's important as we're going to continue looking here, Because discipline, We're going to see here, Shapes character and produces righteousness in our life.

[19:36] That's the goal. God corrects us in the concept and the parameters of loving us, But he does it for a reason. Just as when we are correcting our children, We should not do it out of frustration or anger.

[19:52] You know, That's part of the problem is, As human beings, Oftentimes, Our own frustration and anger supersede what we ought to do. We might be doing the right thing in correcting your children if they're wrong, If they need correction, But I want you to understand it needs to be done in the context like God does, Out of love.

[20:10] In other words, The objective is what is in view, Not the frustration of the moment. Because you know what happens as individuals? Sometimes we get caught up in the frustration of the moment Instead of understanding why are we doing this.

[20:25] What's the goal? What's the objective? What's God's goal when he corrects us? You know, Today, Many people think, When God corrects or God sends things, It's because he doesn't love us.

[20:37] Because God just wants to inflict pain upon us. You know what? God says, I chastise you because I want to train you. I want to direct you for a purpose. Look at verse 11 here in our text.

[20:50] We'll go back to verse 10 here in a minute, But let's look at verse 11 for a moment. Notice what it says, Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be what? Joyous, But what?

[21:02] Grievous. You know, I think we can all say a big amen on that, right? I don't know of anybody who says, I want to be disciplined. You know? When you were a kid, I guarantee you nobody lined up and said, When dad gets home, I get a spanking.

[21:16] You know, That's not something that's natural. You know, You think, What's wrong with this kid? Why? Because it's not joyful. It's a grievous thing. It inflicts discomfort and sometimes pain in the moment.

[21:29] But it's not about the discomfort and the pain. It's about what are you trying to direct? What's the objective? What are you trying to accomplish?

[21:41] That's important in discipline is to understand, How am I disciplining to get the objective that we're looking for?

[21:52] You know what? God disciplines us always with the objective in mind. He corrects us for a reason. And look what it tells us here. He tells us, It's not but grievous.

[22:03] Nevertheless, Afterward, It yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby. I want you to understand, Discipline is there to produce the right fruit in your life.

[22:19] For God to correct and to remind and to guide you to say, No, this is what godliness looks like. You know, The Bible makes it clear that we have to be holy because He is holy.

[22:33] Well, how are we transformed in our life if we're not set back on course? Correction is about being set on course. The Lord trains us to produce the right fruit in our life.

[22:47] When the Lord chastens us, It's to produce the correct fruit and not the unrighteous fruit, but the righteousness. The fruit of righteousness is the goal of discipline.

[22:59] It's not going to be easy or enjoyable when it's happening, when it's active, yet it is needed to instill the values, self-control, and accountability needed to live godly lives.

[23:13] I want you to understand, A godly life doesn't happen by accident. A godly life is contrary to our nature.

[23:25] But God says that if you're His child, the goal is to become more Christ-like. If you're going to become more Christ-like, what do you have to do?

[23:37] You have to become more righteous in your living. You need to become more holy in your life. You know, God's correction always wants that dynamic of bringing us to Him to shape character in our life.

[23:55] You know, remember it was Nathan's correction of David that led to David's repentance and restoration with God. Remember, David had committed adultery.

[24:07] He had committed murder. God sends Nathan and points the finger at David. He says, thou art the man. David had a choice right there because Nathan came and revealed sin. He revealed something so atrocious that you say, well, how could a godly person do it?

[24:21] You know, I want you to understand, when we let our hearts guide us, you'll do things that you never even imagined you could do. People commit horrendous things because they get caught up in their heart's desire instead of God's desire.

[24:34] But we find here, Nathan the prophet comes. And I want you to understand, oftentimes we think God's correction and chastisement began and ended with Nathan.

[24:44] I want you to understand, Nathan just comes and says, David, you're going to face a lot of struggles coming up because of your choice. Because I want you to understand, sometimes discipline takes a long time. Sometimes the consequences that we face, how God corrects us is there.

[25:01] You know, you think about that dynamic of even Paul talks about that thorn in the flesh, but that thorn in the flesh kept his mind focused on the right things. You know, sometimes God allows things in our life to keep us focused on the right things so we don't get distracted.

[25:18] David would face a continuation of many things in his life. You know, 2 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 13 says this, and David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.

[25:30] And Nathan said unto David, the Lord also hath put away thy sin. Thou shall not die. If you take time to read the rest of that passage, he says, no, God's not going to hold you accountable for what you ought.

[25:42] That's the death penalty. He murdered somebody. But he said, you're still going to face a lot of correction. There's going to be some devastating results because of your choice.

[25:55] Have you ever wondered why later when David's son rose up against him, David responded the way he did? His son tried to usurp his kingdom. And David said, don't lay a hand on him.

[26:07] You know why? Because Nathan told him that God's going to allow a usurper to come within his own family. David understood he was there because of his choices. And he said, I'm going to respect and honor what the Lord would have.

[26:20] I want to do what God wants. I want to learn God's lesson. I need to trust the Lord no matter what happens. The discipline that David faced would further develop his character and accountability towards both the Lord and others.

[26:35] You know, think about in Psalm 51. Psalm 51 in verse 6, Psalm 51 talks about David's returning to the Lord. David understood correction. Notice what verse 6 says.

[26:49] David says this. He says, Behold, thou desirest what? Truth in what? The inward parts. God's desire of discipline is to get truth within us.

[27:04] And in the hidden parts, thou shalt make me to know thy wisdom. In other words, David understood. He said, Lord, I need to trust you and your correction because it's what I need because you love me.

[27:21] To get me to the direction and point the direction that I need. He understood that the Lord disciplined not out of anger or revenge, but out of love.

[27:33] You know, it makes a difference when we understand that it's out of love. Ephesians 6 tells fathers not to provoke their children under wrath. You know what provokes a child to wrath from the correction of their fathers when it's not done out of love?

[27:47] Not looking at the objective. Not looking at what ought to be. Instead of being caught up in our emotion of the moment, a love that ought to desire for them to live and to grow and to be godly in their life.

[28:02] As a mom or dad, you know, this morning, you know, think about chastising as God chastises you. If you're his child, God will correct you. Now, I want you to understand, if God never corrects you, you need to have a serious moment with God because he makes it very clear if God doesn't correct you, means that you're not his.

[28:18] That's a very serious dynamic. To understand that you're a lost sinner who has rebelled and rejected the Lord. But if you're his child, if you've called upon him as savior, God says, I love you enough to correct you.

[28:32] When God corrects us, it's because he loves us and because you belong to him. It's part of a reality, you know, because just as your earthly father corrects you, and we ought to do the same in the lives of our children and our families, that our discipline ought to be that our children might grow up mature into godly adults.

[28:56] That ought to be the objective. You know, another one of those phrases I don't like and I want, I'm going to raise children. No, you want to raise adults. You know, we have enough children running around. You know, we have 30 and 40 year old children living in basements that don't want to get a job and want everything handed to them.

[29:11] You know what the problem is? You had parents who raised children instead of parents who raised adults because they want to be, have an objective of responsibility. You know, we need to correct for the same purpose that God disciplines his children, that they might mature under righteousness.

[29:28] You'll look over to Psalm 19 for a moment. Psalm 19, look down here at verse seven. It tells us here, the psalmist says this, it says, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

[29:43] The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

[29:53] For the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. You know, I want you to understand the purpose of correction is that truth and righteousness might prevail, might be the prominent dynamic.

[30:11] The focus of correction is not punishment, but to produce righteous fruit that endures in our life. But to understand chastisement, training, discipline, whatever term you want to attach to it often involves being uncomfortable or having things that you don't like happen in your life to get you where God wants you to be.

[30:35] God brings us and allows things to happen for a reason. You know, God has a reason for what he does. The first reason God has is to bring people to repentance to call upon him.

[30:49] God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. I want you to understand God's first objective is everybody to have an opportunity to become his child.

[31:00] Once you're his child, the objective becomes conforming you into his image. Disciplining you, bringing you into the fullness of the image of Christ.

[31:13] Understand he wants to transform us from the inside out. But I want you to see something important here when it comes to discipline. There's an important element.

[31:23] Look back at verse 10 here this morning in our text. Notice what it says. Now verse 10 here brings a contrast.

[31:51] As an earthly father, you can't make your children righteous. You can direct them to the Lord. You can teach them right and wrong. You can build quality character within them.

[32:02] But I want you to understand, it's an individual's choice of what they're going to do with the Savior. You ought to be pointing them toward, you cannot make your children righteous. You only can be righteous when you put on the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ at the moment of salvation.

[32:19] But as an earthly parent, our goal ought to be to point them that direction. To help them to understand who God is, what that is. Notice here, it tells us in the text, it talks about the fathers according to their own pleasure.

[32:34] Now that word there is an older word that simply means this. It means for temporal improvement. In other words, for the present improvement of the person.

[32:47] You know? You're in the store and your young kid walks over to the candy thing and takes a piece of candy and puts it in their pocket. As a parent, you have a choice to make right there.

[32:58] What are you going to do? A good parent's going to do what? They're going to correct them. They're going to teach them that taking what does not belong to you is wrong. God calls it stealing. They need to understand that there's right and wrong.

[33:10] Temporal improvement. You know? The things of this life to improve, to understand that there's right and wrong. You're submitting to instill those things that you need to instill.

[33:21] Because I want you to understand here, but notice what it says here. He says in verse 10, but he for our prophet, that's God for our prophet, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

[33:33] Now I want you to see here, discipline requires consistency and grace. Because God doesn't just one and done correct us. Let me ask you a question and you think back in your life, how many times does it take sometimes for you to be corrected before you learn the lesson?

[33:50] You know, I don't think there's anybody in here today that could raise their hand and say, I learned the lesson the first time perfectly every time. It'd be nice. But you know what the problem is? It talks about a little earlier, we forget. I want you to understand when you forget doesn't mean that you didn't learn a lesson at the moment, you just forgot the lesson and the cycle begins again.

[34:07] That's called consistency. Discipline is not one and done. It involves not only a purpose, but a consistency. And when we train for something important, we don't just spend a few minutes to accomplish the task.

[34:21] You know, anything you do, it's kind of like anything you want to accomplish in life, you don't do it by just one time and now I'm an expert. Now, I don't know, maybe we have people today who think, you know, I can read something on Google and become an expert.

[34:37] You know, I can watch a YouTube video and we're good. But we soon learn you might have received even if it was good instruction doesn't mean we're going to learn all that we need to learn.

[34:48] It doesn't make us an expert. There has to be consistency, a continuation, that expectation of a continual training and to improve that.

[35:03] You know, it's like if you're going to go run a marathon, you don't go run for one day. You know what? If you just run for one day trying to prepare for a marathon, guess what? You're not going to make it. What's it take?

[35:15] It takes consistency, discomfort. It takes training your body physically to accomplish it. Spiritually, if we're going to become Christ-like, it takes a day-by-day constant direction and discipline to get where God wants for you to be.

[35:36] If you want your children to grow up to honor the Lord and to understand what God says, it takes a consistency in your life. It requires consistency in not only expectation but application.

[35:53] God is the perfect one for correction. God understands things we don't as parents. I want you to understand as a parent, you're never going to perfectly correct your children. But our goal ought to be to put that in the context as God does us.

[36:08] To do it out of love with the right context and the right application. To have the right consistency. You know, oftentimes, lack of consistency is the problem.

[36:20] But God is perfectly consistent. He's always there with the right purpose because it takes long-term involvement to produce that which is profitable. To train children and equip them takes a lot of time.

[36:35] You know, think how many years we invest in the life of the children to get them grown up. You know, you bring them home and everything's fun and then you realize you don't get any sleep. And you say, we just get through this and we'll get some sleep.

[36:48] And then they grow up and they leave the house and sometimes you still don't get any sleep. But I want you to know that it involves a consistency. It didn't happen overnight.

[37:00] It took a day after day after day. You know what God does in our life? He corrects us and trains us day by day by day. We need to understand the purpose that He has is a consistent purpose.

[37:15] It's to bring about holiness in the lives of those that are His. Look back at verse 11. It says, And yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby.

[37:31] You know, God wants with His consistency and grace is to produce something in our life. Look over to Ephesians chapter 5 for a moment. Ephesians 5 verse 26 tells us this.

[37:42] It says, That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word that He might present it to Himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish.

[37:57] God's objective when He corrects us is to make us more like Him. More like His character.

[38:12] To be holy and without blemish. You know, how does God accomplish this? It's by a constant application to draw closer to His image.

[38:22] You know, Colossians 1 22 says, in the body of His flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight. You know, in the Old Testament you have a priest that messed up his family because of lack of consistency.

[38:44] You know, 1 Samuel chapter 2 and 3 tells of a man by the name of Eli and his sons rejected the things of God because he was not consistent in correcting them.

[38:56] I want you to understand when you read that, it's not that Eli didn't correct them, it's that Eli wasn't consistent in his correction because consistent correction gets people on the right course.

[39:11] You don't stay on course without constant correction. You know what? Life knocks you off course pretty quick. You have to be intentional to get back on. It takes intention.

[39:23] 1 Samuel chapter 3 notice what it says in verse 13 it says for I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth.

[39:36] In other words, Eli knew what he should have been doing and he didn't do it. And notice what it says because his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not.

[39:48] You know why God disciplines his children? Because he's consistent and he loves you. Eli knew what the problem was and chose not to deal with it. It was Eli's inconsistency and absence of discipline towards his son that ultimately resulted in their destruction.

[40:07] You know really you could put it this way as a father he didn't love him enough to do what needed to be done. Because the other thing I want you to understand if you love somebody sometimes it takes intention on your part. It takes discomfort on your part going against what you do and your schedule to accomplish what needs to be accomplished.

[40:24] You know we need to be consistent like God is in applying discipline with grace and love. It's essential that you balance firmness with kindness in correcting your children.

[40:34] You think about David when God corrected him it was a very difficult situation or with Jonah it was a very difficult situation it was an uncomfortable situation but you know what even though God was correcting God's grace and mercy were present.

[40:48] it was always there his forgiveness the restoration though God always does it perfectly you and I need to rely upon the Lord to accomplish it properly.

[41:04] You know the fact that a loving father will correct his children because he desires the fruit of righteousness in their life. I want you to understand God's correction isn't possible unless you have put on the righteousness by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

[41:21] Jesus is the one that paid for your sin. He became our righteousness and you become a child of God when you call upon him as the one that paid for your sin and offers to you the free gift of salvation when you're born again into his family.

[41:43] It is then you can that he can and will begin a work in you that will bring forth the fruit of righteousness in your life. Ephesians 2.10 says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus under good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

[42:04] As his child God says you are his workmanship. He is the one he's going to correct, guide, he's going to discipline, he's going to train and prepare you for what he wants.

[42:14] The question is how are you going to respond to it? This morning it's important are you his child? Because until you make a decision to call upon the Lord as Savior, you're not his child.

[42:27] But God still loves you and he says I've made a way for you to come to me. If you don't know for sure I encourage you this morning to call upon him. Here in a moment we're going to have an invitation, opportunity to respond.

[42:43] Maybe you need to come and say I need to be sure of where I stand with God that I'm his child. When you have somebody share with you from God's word how you can know not what the preacher says, not what somebody else says, but what God says.

[42:59] Because your faith needs to be in the Lord. But if you're his child, I want to ask you a question. How are you responding to his discipline, to his chastisement, his training and correction in your life?

[43:10] Are you following your emotion and what you want? Are you following what God would desire for you? To say, Lord, I'm going to do what's right because that's what you would have for me.

[43:21] What about you today? As heads are bowed and eyes are closed, what about you today? Maybe you're here today and you don't know for sure that you're a child of God, I encourage you to come. Maybe you need to ask God to say, Lord, I want to learn the lesson the first time.