God’s Fatherly Discipline – Hebrews 12

Joy:  You’re listening to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Episode #216.  Today we’ll read Hebrews chapter 12 together: The author calls us to endurance; speaks of God’s fatherly discipline; and warns us not to reject God’s grace.

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me as we simply read God’s word together.  Some things require discipline and sometimes that’s just not easy to muster by yourself, no matter how badly you want to do it or how much you know you should.  It’s just easier to do it with a friend.  So refill your coffee or tea, get comfortable in your favorite chair and follow along as I read aloud.  I’m so glad you’re here!

Welcome

My day started with a memorial at our little church.  My sister in Christ said farewell to her husband of 36 years, taken too soon by Alzheimer’s.  These gatherings certainly look different than they used to.  Chairs are spaced according to social distancing standards, there is no hugging, and we Baptists are denied what we do best…fellowship over a great potluck buffet.

But that doesn’t keep me from being energized.  I mean I don’t want to sound macabre, but my pastor does a great funeral.  They are always fused with hope and not finality.  He challenges all in attendance to use the gathering as an opportunity to reflect so that each person has the assurance of being right with God.  

That crowd was barely cleared from the parking lot when the Youth started setting up for their camp fund silent auction.  So many beautiful things, all hand made.  Dennis, one of our deacons, has an entire shop full of woodworking equipment.  He makes stunning polished bowls.  They are usually the coveted items of any auction at our church.  However, Chuck came close to rivaling him with these beautiful hand-carved crosses.  Cassie’s beautiful art in which I saw the universe.  Lily is gifted with watercolors and her brother, Wyatt, made one of the most creative benches I’ve ever seen.  

Mitch made me cross my heart and hope to die before I left that I would not bring anything home that wasn’t consumable.  So, I spent my money over at Veronica’s table.  One of them is a surprise for Mitch’s birthday on Wednesday.

Rimma

But my favorite moments were spent with Rimma, my friend and sister in Christ from Russia.  We were curious about the newly donated bench at our stone remembrance, so we walked over to what we discovered was not just a bench but a glider too.  We sat by ourselves at a distance, watching the scurrying of the youth at the auction, talking quietly.  It was cathartic.  I love Rimma and I should tell her more often.  If I had to describe my friend, I would say that she is a deep ocean.  I suspect she’s had experiences that would surprise me.  She looks at the world seriously and wisely and she is endlessly devoted to her kids.  I feel blessed that she is my friend.  I should tell her that more often too.

Have you ever sat back and watched your church body do what they do and been amazed?  It’s like looking in the back of one of those expensive watches where you can see all the intricate inner workings.  Every piece has a job, and every piece crosses the path and intersects with all the others.  Tell me what you see at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Hebrews Chapter 12

The Call to Endurance

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Fatherly Discipline

For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, so that you won’t grow weary and give up. In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons:

My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly

or lose heart when you are reproved by him,

for the Lord disciplines the one he loves

and punishes every son he receives.

Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline — which all receive — then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had human fathers discipline us, and we respected them. Shouldn’t we submit even more to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time based on what seemed good to them, but he does it for our benefit, so that we can share his holiness. No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed instead.

Warning against Rejecting God’s Grace

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness — without it no one will see the Lord. Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many. And make sure that there isn’t any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for a single meal. For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, even though he sought it with tears, because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance.

For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words.

Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear. Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.

Our God is a Consuming Fire

See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven. His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken — that is, created things — so that what is not shaken might remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Closing Thoughts

Endurance.  The author tells us to run with endurance.  It’s a hard thing; a tall order, isn’t it?  I can’t say I want to quit, but sometimes I just want to hop off and let the merry-go-round take a couple of turns without me.  I get tired.  I get selfish.  I get a case of the don’t want to’s.  

Of course, none of this surprises our heavenly Father.  Why else would He have given us this great cloud of witnesses?  Not only do they show us what faith-filled lives look like, but His Word also reveals their foibles, making them relatable to those of us who fall so short of perfect.  We can be pleasing to God without being perfect.  I cling to that.

And what about this notion of being chastened by God?  What about His being our heavenly Father who takes us to the woodshed when we need it.? Not because He’s mean, but because He loves us and wants us to reach maturity.   And then He dovetails right into the main issue:  That we are to endure suffering in the same way we do discipline.  Now, we have something to think about.  

Endure Suffering as Discipline

None of us has been burned at the stake or suffered some of the terrible persecutions that Nero doled out to Christians in the first century.  But as believers in 2020, we’ve probably experienced some persecutions of our own.  No doubt some of us have had those moments of temptation to stay quiet.  Fear of rejection.  Accused of leaving our brains at the door because we believe.  Here the author admonishes us to endure suffering as discipline.  Is that knowing we will be better off for it?  Is that standing firm so that God can use us in someone else’s life?  Is that being a witness to a future generation as those pillars were in Chapter 11?

I don’t know.  I suppose it’s all of those things and more.  I know that discipline is good.  I know that I wish I had more of it.  And He promises here that His discipline gives us life, holiness, the peaceful fruit of righteousness.  That is grace I will not reject.  Let’s pray.

Prayer

Father, we trust You.  Jeremiah tells us that You have plans to prosper us and not plans for harm.  Thank You, Lord, that even when You need to correct us, we can trust that it is for our good, Your glory, and the good of others.  Help us to pursue peace with everyone and not allow any root of bitterness to spring up.  Keep us from immorality and irreverence.  Give us the wisdom to tremble before You, to be thankful, and to serve You with reverence and awe. Amen.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray God will grow in you what has been planted and watered here.  In this time of unprecedented struggle worldwide, we can look to God for guidance and comfort.  Be sensitive to those in your circle of influence who need a word of encouragement and invite them to join us.  If you like this show, it would be great if you give it a five-star review.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you right here tomorrow.  Be well!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.