Dr. Rev. Joseph Son's message (Blessed Fruit in Discipline)

Title: Blessed Fruit in Discipline

Scripture: Hebrews 12: 4-11

Hebrew 12: 4 - 11

4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.

6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?

8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.

9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?

10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.

11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

 

Why do we still live in suffering despite becoming children of God?

Let's find the answer together through today's text.

Today's text is the message the author gave to converted Jewish Christians who suffered hardship and persecution from the Jews and the Roman Empire.

He encourages them not to lose heart when they are disciplined by the Lord while living a life of faith.

And it teaches that there is a reason why the Lord disciplines and that there is a blessing that the Lord gives through discipline.

Then let's look at the reasons for discipline and what blessings are.

  

First. Why is God punishing us?

It is because of sin.

Verse 5a: “And I have forgotten the words which I exhorted you as to your sons.”

The reason why there is discipline is because we forgot the word of God's counsel, as in verse 5b.

Disobedience to God's Word can result in God's discipline.

This is the same situation since the first man, Adam.

1) The reason we have discipline is because of sin.

However, we should not misunderstand this saying, 'We must not judge that all our discipline is the result of sin. For some discipline is for our good and for the glory of God.’

 

Matt 9: 2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.”

Looking at these words, what is the reason why that person was paralyzed?

it's because of sin.

So when he proclaimed forgiveness of sins, he was set free from disease.

Our sins can be solved in only two ways.

① Pay for your sins.

② Receive forgiveness from those who forgive sins........

It is one of the two

 

But the surprising fact is, as the prophet Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53:6, “All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, and each has turned to his own way, but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” I hope you believe that Jesus took on all of your sins and solved them on the cross.

I hope you believe that Jesus took on all of our past, present and future sins by being nailed to the cross and forgave us.

Therefore, we bless you to live a healthy life physically and spiritually by confessing your sins whenever you commit a crime while being thankful that you have been forgiven of your sins through the blood of Jesus.

 

2) Why do we have discipline?

Because they are God's beloved children.

Hebrews 12:7 “You are patient for discipline, and God treats you as sons. How is there a son whom the father does not discipline?”

Have any of us grown up without being beaten by our parents even once?

You may not remember it, but most likely you have been beaten by your parents more than once or twice.

 

A long time ago, when the church's youth group gathered quite a lot, I once said this during worship.

Do you know how many people raised their hands when I said, “Raise your hand if you have never been beaten by your parents?”

do not be surprised.

They are 0 people.

So I told the teenagers that your parents are doing very well.

When I did something wrong while raising my children, I beat them with a rod.

When I was late without contact, when I talked back to my mother, or when I was late for worship, I hit them with a rod.

But I've never beaten the neighborhood kids with a rod for saying that.

why?

Because you are not my child!

 

Do you believe that God disciplines those he loves?

Do you believe that God whips every son he loves?

In case even one of you has any doubts, I will confirm with the words of the Bible.

Hebrews 12:6 “For whom the Lord loves he disciplines, and he chastens every son he accepts.”

Hebrews 12:8 “All punishment is received, but if you do not have it, you are illegitimate children and not your own children.”

Because our God loves us, he is a God of love who punishes us when we do wrong.

So there is a Western proverb like this. “Father with the rod is near.”

Yes.

A father who watches from afar with a rod is not a real father.

 

Beloved Saints!

If you have done something wrong in front of God in your life so far, if you have ever been beaten by God, please be thankful.

Proof that God loves me.

On the other hand, if we make mistakes and everything continues to go well and prosper, then fear.

It is evidence that God has abandoned us.

Our God is a God who disciplines those he loves and chastises all those he receives.

When we sin, when we become lazy, we believe and give thanks that the God who punishes us is the God who truly loves us.

 

3) Why do we have discipline?

because it is good for us

Verse 10b “But God is for our good”

What is the hardest material in the world? It's a diamond.

Diamond has a strength index of 10 Gpa.

The second hardest sardine or ruby is said to have a strength of about 9.

However, there is only one difference between the strength of 9Gpa and 10Gpa, but the actual strength is said to be 20 times stronger than diamond.

Because diamond is such a strong material, it is said that it cannot be cut once the shape is determined.

So until AD 1500, diamonds were considered difficult stones.

It is said that even the same jewel can vary greatly in value depending on how it was cut.

However, the history of this diamond being able to be cut is as follows.

Around AD 1500, a young man entered and worked hard as a disciple of the most famous jeweler of his time.

After five years, this young man has become a skilled worker who surpasses his teacher.

This disciple received all of the teacher's skills and developed the ability to further develop them.

But he had one thing he wanted to own.

It was the 'teacher's beloved daughter'.

So the young man said, ‘Teacher, give me your daughter.’

Then, there was a condition set by the teacher.

If you say, 'If you can cut a diamond, I will give you my daughter.'

However, cutting a diamond at that time was impossible.

No cutting machine could cut diamonds.

Although the machine might be damaged, Diamond was not hurt.

‘Because of this characteristic that, once the shape is decided, it does not change forever, men and women who love it so much prefer diamonds as a token of their unchanging love.’

From then on, the young man devoted all his skill to cutting diamonds.

After many nights of experimentation, Pina finally figured out the secret to cutting diamonds.

The secret to cutting diamonds lies in the diamonds.

After collecting small diamonds to make a string, you can cut them by grinding diamonds with diamonds.

Through this cutting discipline, the most expensive diamond is born.

Bless you to endure and endure well, believing that God will make us pass through a refinement of greater discipline in order to use us as valuable, noble, and beneficial people.

                                       

“If you look at great people, there are very few who have become great people in peace.”

1) Please believe that Joseph was able to rise to the high position of prime minister in Egypt because he endured all sorts of humiliation for 13 years and the rigors of being cut down to prison.

2) Please believe that David was able to become the greatest king among kings because, despite his success at a young age, he endured trials well in the face of numerous life risks as a fugitive.

Therefore, discipline is beneficial, and discipline is a shortcut to achieving wishes.

If your faith has grown because of business failure, please believe that business failure is a blessing.

If your family is saved because of a disease, please believe that the disease is a blessing.

Therefore, when we are disciplined, do not complain, but we are blessed to hear the voice of God contained in the discipline and give thanks.

 

second. Then, what are the blessed fruits contained in discipline?

Hebrews 12:10c “to make us partakers of his holiness.”

 

1) Let them live as holy children.

Leviticus 11:45b “Be holy, for I am holy.” As the word says, through the refinement of discipline, sins are washed away and we come to resemble God's holiness.

Hebrews 13:12 “Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.”

Jesus was punished for our holiness.

Like this, what God and Jesus want from us is holiness.

I hope you believe that God blessed you to break the sins of the world through discipline and live as a holy child of God.

 

2) Let them live as children who bear the fruit of righteousness and peace.

Hebrews 12:11 “All discipline at the time does not seem pleasant, but sorrowful, but afterward those who have been trained by it bear fruit of righteousness and peace.”

12:11b “brings forth the fruit of righteousness and peace.”

There is a Mrs. Macdonald in the McDonald lawyer's house in Atlanta, USA, and she is famous for teaching the Bible well.

She used to teach the Bible to college students from First Presbyterian Church in her home, so she did.

One day, a student asked a question, ‘If God is alive, why is there a terrible war like World War I?’

 

The students drew two conclusions for themselves.

① There is no God. never exist

② God exists. But he is only a spectator.

Mrs. MacDonald listened quietly to the students while smiling.

Then she asked the students. ‘What do you think, teacher?’

 

Mrs MacDonald replied. 'Everyone, you know my only son, Kenneth, right?'

His only son, Kenneth, a friend of his students, died at the age of 12 from diabetes caused by a lack of infantile insulin.

My son asked me this two weeks before he died. 'mom! What is death?'

At that time, just seeing my son exhausted made my heart break, but when he suddenly asked me a question about death, I ran out of words, ran out of the room, put firewood into the fireplace, and prayed like this.

“God give me peace in my heart.” “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. He said, "You will keep me" (Philippians 4:6-7), so I prayed earnestly, "Give me the peace of the Lord," and God gave me a heart of peace as promised.

 

So I went back to my son and asked him. ‘What did you ask?’ ‘What is mother’s death?’

Hey! One day you were tired from playing soccer and fell asleep in your mother's room! But when you open your eyes, where is it?

It was my room on the second floor. And I was wearing pajamas.

‘Who could have done that?’ Don’t you know that? A strong father hugs everyone!

Kenneth! ‘Death is like that. If you close your eyes in this world, it is death that allows Heavenly Father, who has greater power than your father, to open them in the eternal kingdom of heaven.’

Mrs. MacDonald went on to address the college students.

‘Those two weeks in my life were more painful than the time after the death of my child. There has never been anything more sad and hopeless than that. However, if there was one thing I held on to in the miserable environment of leaving my only son first, it was God who covered my misery and came to me with greater comfort and peace.’

It is God who gives peace in sorrow.

 

Beloved Saints!

There are only two kinds of people left in the furnace of discipline.

① A person who becomes pure gold

② A person who is burned to death

What kind of person do you want to be?

Our Jesus was able to be at peace even in the suffering of the cross because he relied only on God.

 

Beloved Saints!

I believe that God will grow into a fruitful, holy, righteous and peace-bearing child through discipline, and I pray that you will become a saint who relies only on God like Jesus.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” As the saying goes, believe that when you confess your sins before God, your prayer will be lifted up to God's throne, and you will be forgiven of your sins and receive God's grace and blessings. A-men