This evening we're continuing looking at the book of Hebrews and we're in chapter 12.
Graham took us through the first couple of verses last week and we're going to be looking at the next section now.
So we're going to read from Hebrews chapter 12 from verse 3 to verse 11.
So if you have a Bible you might like to turn to it, it will be on the screen in the church here.
So Hebrews chapter 12 and starting reading at verse 3.
And the writer says,
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
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.
Because the Lord disciplines those he loves and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.
Endure hardship as discipline.
God is treating you as sons, but what son is not disciplined by his father?
If you are not disciplined and everyone undergoes discipline, then you are illegitimate children and not true ones.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for us.
How much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live?
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.
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.
God will bless his word as we consider it together this evening.
Suffering is good for you.
You should expect it and you should welcome it.
I don't think anyone who is trying to market Christian faith would feel that that was a very effective strapline.
It's much easier to say, smile, Jesus loves you.
Or to say, trust in Jesus and everything will be all right.
And both of these have truth in them.
And yet, the fact that suffering is a good thing for us is something which is very much present throughout the New Testament.
So in James, right at the beginning of his book, James says,
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds.
Paul says in Romans chapter 5,
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings.
And in this passage here, the writer tells us that our sufferings are good for us
and that they are thing which our Heavenly Father in his love allows to come upon us.
Suffering is good for us.
And we might as well say, well, why is that?
In many ways, it's counterintuitive.
In our society, we aim for a life that is easy, that is straightforward,
and we don't welcome suffering.
I think the answer is that suffering that has a purpose is good.
If there is a purpose and an end goal in it,
then suffering is worthwhile.
In this passage and in many others, Paul has in mind,
some of the time, an athlete, someone who is running in a race.
And throughout the New Testament,
when this thought of an athlete is in mind,
very much what is usually in the writer's forefront of their thinking,
is that it requires a great effort.
We need to be disciplined.
We need to work hard if we're going to win the prize.
And so there is a purpose in the suffering
that people go through in that kind of situation.
And the writer here says there is a purpose too in our suffering.
There was a purpose in the Lord's suffering.
That was in verses 1 and 2 that Graham brought to us last week.
He endured the cross for the joy that was set before him.
His purpose was, first of all, to please and be obedient to his Father,
and secondly, to bring us into a living relationship with God
where our sins can be forgiven and we can have eternal life.
And because of the purpose that the Lord Jesus saw in his suffering,
he endured it patiently.
And so the writer says,
in our suffering there is a purpose.
And therefore it is worthwhile,
and it is something which we should, in some sense, welcome.
And that purpose is that we should become more like Jesus.
The writer here describes it in terms of a harvest of righteousness and peace.
And that very much is becoming more like Jesus, isn't it?
Having his righteousness and the peace that he alone can bring.
I quote it from James and from Romans.
So in James, if I finish the quotation,
James says,
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work,
so that you may become mature and complete,
not lacking anything.
Again, it is really so you may become like Jesus.
Or the passage in Romans chapter 5,
Paul writes,
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings.
Why?
Because we know that suffering produces perseverance,
perseverance character,
and character hope,
and hope does not put us to shame,
because God's love has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit,
who has been given to us.
So the purpose of our suffering
is that we may develop endurance,
that we may develop character,
that we may develop maturity,
that our hope may be holy in Christ,
and that we may know the daily presence
of his Spirit in us.
We could see, I think,
that Christ's suffering was for our justification.
Much more than that, of course,
but Christ's suffering was for our justification.
Our suffering that God allows to come on us
is for our sanctification,
that we may become more holy,
that we may become more like Jesus.
If you don't get anything else away from what I say this evening,
just take that God has a purpose in our suffering,
that through it,
we should become more like Jesus.
We're going to go through the verses very quickly
in a few minutes,
but before we do that,
I want to address two difficulties
that I see in this passage.
There's one difficulty that's cultural,
and there's one difficulty that's doctrinal.
So the cultural difficulty.
The writer here is clearly envisaging
fathers disciplining their sons.
Again, there's a cultural thing.
It could be fathers or mothers now.
It could be sons or daughters.
But there is a cultural thing there.
But the big cultural thing is
the author is envisaging
that they will discipline them
through physical punishment,
through what we used to call corporal punishment.
The verses currently at the end of verse 6,
where it says in this verse,
he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.
Actually, the literal translation would be
he flogs everyone he accepts as a son.
And the cultural issue with that
is that in our society today,
many people would feel that
physical punishment of children
is unacceptable.
Indeed, it's about to become illegal
in Scotland in the next couple of months.
Let me just say two things.
I'm sure there will be views on both sides in this
among those who are listening.
So let me just say two things about it.
The first thing I would say
is I think we need to accept
that up until at least one generation ago,
if not closer than that,
physical punishment of children
was accepted as being normal
and right.
And whatever we think of the ethics
and the effectiveness of it,
I think we need to accept
that when it was properly applied,
it was done in a loving way
by those who cared for their children
and who believed it was the best way
to train them.
So we shouldn't look back
in a passage like this and say,
this is something which is terrible.
It's a practice we wouldn't do today.
Therefore, we should ignore it.
Second thing I want to say, though,
is that in our society,
the fact that we don't strike our children
when they're disobedient
and discipline them in that way
doesn't mean that children
aren't and shouldn't be disciplined.
A good parent will still
discipline their children.
Now, they might do it by withdrawing privileges.
They might have a naughty step,
all sorts of ways in which it can happen.
But disciplining of children
should still very much be part
of our culture today.
Where there is no disciplining,
children will grow up as spoiled
and not understanding
the need to be a good citizen,
to be unselfish,
and ultimately they will not mature
into responsible adults.
So in a sense,
the physical punishment
is a bit of a side issue in this
if we're bothered about it.
The fact is that disciplining
is still necessary
and it's still unpleasant.
If you withdraw a privilege from a child,
they're going to be very unhappy about it
and it might hurt you as a parent
to have to do that,
but it is a necessary thing
to teach and train them.
And so the context here
is that parents discipline their children
and God disciplines us.
We don't have the theological,
doctrinal difficulty.
And this is that we know
that Jesus took the punishment
for our sins on the cross.
That he took everything
that was owed by us
or all the sin
or all the dirt in our lives,
he took on himself
so that we could be forgiven for it.
And we might say,
well then if that's the case,
why does it talk here
about God punishing us?
Does that mean that our sins
are being punished twice,
once for Christ on the cross
and once in our lives?
Well, no, it doesn't.
And I think we're much better
at looking at this passage
and thinking of it
in terms of corrective discipline
or of rebuke from God,
of God trying to help us
to see the wrong in our lives
and to put it right.
We could never take
the full punishment
for our sins in this life
and we don't need to.
Christ has taken
all that was due by us.
But God still needs,
as a father,
as a loving heavenly father,
he needs to correct us,
he needs to rebuke us,
he needs to put us
on the right path
and he does that in love.
And that is one of the key things
we'll see as we go along
this evening.
So let's look at the passage now
and I've got four headings
which hopefully will be helpful.
So verses three and four,
I've headed,
remember God's son.
Remember God's son.
So verse three,
the writer says,
consider him who endured
such opposition from sinful men
so that you will not grow weary
and lose heart.
And the bridge here
is that the writer
is taking Christ's sufferings.
He's then going to talk about
our sufferings.
And he says really two things about it.
The first is that when we suffer,
Christ should be our inspiration.
The one who encourages us
to go on and to persevere
as he did.
Consider him
who endured such opposition
from sinful men.
And if we face suffering in our lives
and we all do to a greater or lesser extent
and some obviously much more than others,
what we should do is we should consider
the sufferings of Christ
and recognise the way in which
he came through them.
The way in which he submitted himself
perfectly to God's will.
And that should be the inspiration
for us too
to go through
and to endure.
And that is not just our inspiration,
but Christ is our example.
And that's what the writer is talking about
in verse four, I think.
In your struggle against sin,
you have not yet resisted
to the point of shedding your blood.
What is the point of that?
It is that Christ did suffer.
He did shed his blood for us.
Now maybe some of those
that the writer here is addressing
will at a later stage
face the ultimate sacrifice.
They may well be martyred
for their faith.
But he says,
Christ has suffered much more
than you ever will.
Follow his example.
As in everything in life,
if we can strive to be like Christ,
then we will be doing God's will
and we will grow to be mature
Christian people.
Christ is our inspiration
and Christ is our example
when we face suffering.
We need to remember God's son.
Verses five and six,
I've headed,
remember God's word.
Now these verses are principally
a quotation from the book
of Proverbs.
And the writer here is taking
an Old Testament passage
and as New Testament writers do,
he's expanding on it
and he's applying it
to the situation.
And he says,
have you forgotten
that word of encouragement
that addresses you
as sons?
Quite interesting
that the word
that's translated
encouragement here
is the same word
that's used
as the Holy Spirit
in John's Gospel,
translated comfort
or a counselor generally
in our versions
of the Bible.
It is the same word
the writer is using here,
the same root word
when he says
that it is a word
of encouragement
that is given
in Proverbs.
You might not think
it sounds very much
like a word of encouragement,
but certainly a word
of good advice.
It is good counsel.
And so the writer says,
first of all,
do not make light
of the Lord's discipline.
There are two dangers
that the author
is addressing here.
And the first is
that we don't recognize
or don't take seriously
the suffering
that we face
in our lives.
The thought here
when he talks
about making light
is very much
the same thought
as early in the chapter
when he talks
about the Lord Jesus
despising the shame,
not thinking nothing
of the shame
that came upon him.
And that was because
he was suffering for us.
What the writer says
in this case
is not a good thing
to make light
of what's happening here.
If we suffer,
let's think about
why are we suffering?
Now scripture makes it
very clear
there's not a one-to-one
connection between sin
and suffering.
It's not always the case
that we do something wrong
and then we suffer
for it.
And yet it is true
that the scripture
here is teaching
that when we suffer
we should examine ourselves
and should say
well what is it
that God is teaching me
through my suffering?
When something goes wrong
in my life
is this God
speaking to me
and bringing to my attention
something
that needs
corrected?
And it's very dangerous
just to look at suffering
and to thole it
to suffer it
and not to think
well what is it
that God is saying
to me
through it?
There's a slight
irony I think here
that the situation
that Paul is thinking about
is people who are
particularly suffering
through persecution.
So it's actually
those who are making
a stand for Jesus
who are suffering.
And that is why
he goes on to talk about
suffering as sons.
So it's not because
they're particularly
bad people
that God
is disciplining them.
Rather it's because
they are people
who are close to him
who are living for him
but who still
need to grow
in their faith
who still need
to repent
of sins
in their lives.
And so when we suffer
in whatever way
we do
in our lives
let's make sure
that we ask
that question
is there something
that God is saying
to me through this
is there something
I need to address
that God is drawing
to my attention.
But then alongside that
the writer says
do not make light
of the Lord's suffering
and do not lose heart
when he rebukes you.
So on the one side
there's the danger
that we suffer
and we don't really
think about it
and it doesn't make
any difference
to us.
On the other side
there's the danger
that we suffer
and we think
oh God must have
rejected me
that I'm going
through this terrible
time in my life
I'm losing heart
I don't know
if I can keep going
in my Christian faith.
And the writer says
we mustn't have
that attitude either.
If we suffer
God will give us
the grace
to endure our suffering
if we trust in him
and depend on him
for it.
he will not let us
be tested
beyond what we can
bear
as 1 Corinthians
chapter 10.
So God
when he allows us
to suffer
he does it
in a way
that there is a way
for us to come
through it
and to come through it
not with our faith
weakened
not with a
feeling of resentment
towards God
but rather
with our faith
strengthened
as we recognise
that God
is working
in our lives.
And so the
writer here
introduces
through the quote
from Proverbs
what he's going
to be covering
particularly
in the next few verses.
God
the Lord
disciplines those
he loves
and he punishes
everyone
he accepts
as a son.
And that is the theme
of verses 7
to 9.
I've called it
remember
God's love.
Remember God's son
remember God's word
remember God's love.
And the writer says
God only disciplines us
because
he loves us.
He doesn't discipline us
despite
his love for us.
He disciplines us
because of
his love
for us.
And he draws
the analogy
that we touched on
briefly earlier
of human
parents.
Now let's recognise
at this point
that not all parents
fit in the model
that is described
here.
There are parents
who are very
bad parents.
There are parents
who are cruel
who are abusive
towards their children.
There are parents
who neglect
their children.
Now some of us
have been very blessed
that we have had
godly parents
who have brought us
up well
have disciplined us
well
have shown us
real love.
But I recognise
there may be some
for whom that's
not the case.
Whether it is
or not
I think we can
understand
how
what God
does for us
through disciplining us
relates to what
a good
human parent
would do.
That it is
a demonstration
of his love
for us.
And the writer
talks about
legitimate and
illegitimate children.
He talks about
those who
are truly loved
by their father
and those who
aren't really
part of
the family.
And it is
those who
are really
part of the family
who are God's
children
who experience
his disciplining
because
he loves us.
And our
disciplining by God
should bring us
into a deeper
experience
of him.
Disciplining
isn't a sign
that God
doesn't care.
it's a sign
that he
does
care.
And when we
recognize that
as the writer
says
it will lead
not to
resentment
but to
respect.
We respected
our human
fathers
the good
human fathers
it says
because of
their loving
discipline.
How much
more
great New Testament
phrase
how much
more
should we
submit to the
father of our
spirits
and live.
How much
more
should we
recognize
what God
is doing
in us
and should
recognize that
is for our
good
and unlike
human fathers
and human
mothers
God
never gets
it wrong.
He always
does what
is for our
good.
He never
does it
from selfish
motives as
any parent
probably at
times does.
He does it
always for
our good.
And then
finally in
verses 10
and 11
I've
headed this
remember
God's
purpose.
Remember
God's
purpose.
Remember
God's
son.
Remember
God's
word.
Remember
God's
love.
Remember
God's
purpose.
As we
said at
the beginning
suffering
with a
purpose
is beneficial
to us
and therefore
can be
welcome.
We can
find joy
even in
the most
adverse
circumstances.
And the
reason for
that is
that ultimately
through our
suffering we
develop
Christian
character.
Now there's
a short
term and a
longer term
thing I
think here.
So verse
10 it says
God disciplines
for us as
for our
good that
we may
share in
his holiness.
Now that
has a long
term implication
but perhaps
it's a short
term one
as well.
As we
understand that
God is
disciplining us
of the
suffering in
our life
is a kind
of wake
up call
from God
to do
away with
some sin
in our
lives.
So we
put away
that sin
we become
more holy
more set
apart for
God
and we
try to
live lives
that are
pleasing to
the Lord
Jesus
that are
not resisting
his
will.
So there's
a short
term benefit
that it
makes us
more holy
it makes
us more
devoted
to God.
But then
there's a
long term
benefit
the writer
says no
discipline
seems present
at the time
but painful
later on
however
it produces
a harvest
of
righteousness
and
peace.
So those
who have
suffered
and have
recognised
the Lord's
hand in
their suffering
they
mature
as
Christians
and there
is a
harvest.
Now the
whole thought
of a
harvest
is it
is something
that happens
after a
period.
You sow
your seed
in the
spring
and in
the autumn
while being
well you
have your
harvest.
And so it
is here
that we
sow or God
sows
throughout our
lives
in disciplining
us and
teaching us
and training
us and
over time
we mature
and then
there is
a true
harvest
in us.
A harvest
of
righteousness
and peace.
Righteousness
of being
more conformed
to God's
will,
of living
lives that
are better
for him,
of doing
away with
the sin
that so
easily besets
us,
which we
talked about
earlier in
the chapter.
Peace
that we
have in
us,
that inner
peace that
comes from
our knowledge
of the
Lord Jesus
and from
having true
confidence
in him.
And when
people have
suffered,
it does
make a
difference to
their lives
if they
have recognized
God's hand
and been
willing to
be obedient
to him.
John Stott
said,
there is
always an
indefinable
something about
people who
have suffered.
They have a
fragrance which
others lack.
They exhibit
the meekness
and gentleness
of Christ.
I'm sure
all of us
can look at
Christians we've
known who've
suffered greatly
in their lives,
perhaps are still
suffering greatly,
and we look at
them and say,
what a lovely
character they
have.
How Christ-like
they are in
their sufferings.
And that comes
about because
they recognized
God's hand when
they were suffering,
suffering, and
they made every
effort to live
like Jesus, to
become like Jesus,
and to recognize
that God is
molding them
into the image
of his
son.
And as we
mature, as
with children,
as they grow
older, if they
have been brought
up well, if they
have been disciplined
well when they
are young, then
they become mature
adults, responsible
citizens in our
society.
And they don't
need then the
same discipline
because they are
self-disciplined.
They have learned
discipline and
they don't need a
parent constantly
to be reminding
them of it.
And so it is
in the Christian
faith.
As we accept
God's discipline,
perhaps when we're
young, but could
be at any stage
in our lives,
then we get more
and more self-disciplined
and able to live
for Jesus and
not to need
God's correction.
Yesterday afternoon
I was watching
the UK Athletic
Championships on
television, obviously
very, like every
sports event, rather
strange at the
moment, no
spectators round
about, just the
athletes competing.
And I was quite
struck by one of
the winners when
they got interviewed
after the event.
One of the
winners said
something along
these lines.
I was really
worried going
into lockdown
because I didn't
know how I
would get on
without my
coach to
encourage me
and to urge
me on.
I didn't know
whether I could
keep going.
But because I
had been
trained and
built up the
disciplines that
I needed in
my training,
because I knew
what the goal
was and what
I needed to
do to get
there, I
was able to
achieve it.
In other words,
having been
disciplined,
having been
taught by
their coach,
having been
urged on
through pain
and through
difficulty as
they sought
to get better
and better.
When they
didn't have the
coach there,
they were able
to keep going
because they
had developed,
they had
matured,
they were
themselves
disciplined.
And that is
what we are
aiming for.
We are aiming
that we get
to a position
where we are
obedient to
God, where
we have
grown in
him and
we don't
need to the
same extent
his disciplining
of us.
It will still
come.
We all still
fail, but
as we become
more like
Jesus, it
becomes less
and less
necessary.
So four points
there then.
Four things
to take away.
Remember God's
son.
Remember Jesus
who is our
inspiration
and our
example.
Remember God's
word.
Remember the
writer to the
Proverbs and
how he encourages
us not to be
downhearted or
to ignore God's
discipline but
rather to learn
from it.
Remember God's
love that when
he disciplines us
it's not a sign
he doesn't care,
it's a sign of
how much he
does care.
And remember
God's purpose
that in all our
suffering God
has the purpose
that we may
grow to Christian
maturity, that
we may become
more like
Jesus.
Let me finish
by quoting
from I think
one of the
greatest Christians
of the last
hundred years,
Dr. Helen
Rosevear.
Now many of
you will probably
know Helen
Rosevear's story.
When she was a
student she felt
the call to
missionary work
and she went
to the Congo.
She worked as
a doctor,
she trained
other medical
people,
she set up
medical facilities
there,
she did a
tremendous work
for the Lord.
And then there
was a civil war
in the Congo
and Helen Rosevear
along with other
colleagues was
captured by the
rebel forces
and she was
brutally beaten
up and raped
and left in a
dreadful physical
condition.
And she was at
the point where
she was thinking
I'm not sure I
can go on.
I'm not sure I
can bear this.
And while she
was thinking that
she became very
aware of the
presence of the
Lord Jesus
with her.
And she
recognized that
her suffering
was not something
that should break
her, not something
she should shy
away from and
think this is
dreadful, but
that it was
something that
she should almost
welcome.
and she describes
it as a
privilege.
Let me read
what she says.
One word became
unbelievably clear
and that word
was privileged.
He didn't take
away pain or
cruelty or
humiliation.
No, it was all
there, but now
it was altogether
different.
it was with
him, for
him, in
him.
He was
actually offering
me the
inestimable
privilege of
sharing in some
little way the
edge of the
fellowship of
his suffering.
God never
uses a person
greatly until
he has wounded
them deeply.
The privilege
he offers you
is greater than
the price you
have to pay.
The privilege
is greater
than the
price.
So when we
face suffering
in our lives,
and I say we
all do, and
some of you
I know suffer
far, far more
than I ever
have, let's
recognize that
it is part of
God's plan
for us.
In a real
sense, it is a
privilege that
he allows us
to suffer.
We are in
some way
reflecting the
suffering that
the Lord Jesus
had.
And as we
suffer, let us
recognize God's
hand in it.
Let us
recognize the
sinfulness in
our lives and
put it aside.
And let us
grow to
maturity and
to be more
like our
Lord.
Let's pray
together.
Our
Father, we
thank you
for your
word.
We thank
you for
this passage
which at
first seems
very difficult
but yet can
be very
precious as
we understand
it.
That as a
loving Father,
you discipline
your children,
but you do
it only for
our good.
That we may
have more
joy and
peace in
the Lord
Jesus.
That we may
mature in
faith and
become truly
holy and
righteous.
That we may
become truly
like Jesus,
may share
something of
his character
and represent
that to
others.
And we pray
that when we
face times of
suffering in
our lives,
that you will
help us to
see that under
your hand we
can endure the
suffering.
More than that,
we can be
drawn to the
Lord Jesus
through it and
come to
understand more
the love that
he had for
us as he
suffered.
Help us to
be those who
endure suffering
with courage
and with
faith and
with a real
confidence in
you.
We thank you
for the time
we've had
studying your
word as now
we come to
remember the
Lord Jesus
in the way
that he's
appointed.
Help us to
understand a
bit more of
his suffering
and to be
drawn closer
to him.
We ask in
the name of
the Lord
Jesus.
Amen.