A group of 40 Hell's Angles roared into the parking lot of a church in Concord, California, just before the worship service was to begin. One of the bikers got off his bike, walked into church, and sat down in the back. The whole congregation watched fearfully, wondering what would happen next. But the rest of the bikers just stood by their bikes in the parking lot and smoked their cigarettes, waiting for the service to end. When the service was over, a few brave members talked to the bikers and invited them to stay for coffee. The bikers accepted the offer. Then the members learned why the one biker had sat through worship. He had broken their 'code' in some way and as punishment had to go to church.
Sitting in church for that hell’s angel was meant as punishment, as retribution for some wrong done against the code of that group. He was forced to go to church in order to pay for his wrongdoing. By going to church he was enduring punishment (not, of course, like any of you!).
But his going to church was intended as punishment, as payment for his sin. It wasn’t simply to teach him a lesson, though hopefully the sermon gave him the gospel! Discipline and punishment are related, but they’re not the same thing. That comes out in today’s epistle lesson from Hebrews. Actually it comes out of Proverbs chapter 3 originally. The writer of Hebrews is quoting God from the book of Proverbs in verses 5 and 6 today. Look at those verses with me please and read them out loud together.
"My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son".
Now don’t miss that in verse 4 the writer of Hebrews says that this discipline is a word of encouragement. And it’s encouragement direct from God. God is addressing His family, His children with these words and actions we’re told. That’s great news because that means we are being told that God’s discipline is meant to benefit us. Can there be such a thing as nice discipline as our sermon title refers to?
I’m not sure there is. Discipline is meant to teach, to correct wrong behavior. It’s about learning to act in pleasing way. It’s meant to teach proper actions. And I can think of no discipline that is easy to endure or pleasant to get through. But that’s not the same as punishment. Punishment is meant to exact payment, like for the biker. Punishment is done to meet the demands of justice.
That’s important for us as Christians to be sure we’ve got a good handle on. We never want to think that God is punishing us for our sins. God doesn’t do that. He never demands that we pay for our sins in any way. I heard someone recently say that when we sin God might punish us by having something bad happen in our lives. That is not right. If it were, then Jesus died on the cross for nothing.
Think about this: Leland Wang, a Chinese evangelist, told of an incident of his childhood which vividly illustrates the work of Christ. On one occasion he had been very naughty and his mother, with a stick in her hand, called him to her to be punished. But he ran off, taunting his mother because she could not catch him. She had little chance of catching her small, lively son.
So she stood still and said, "I feel ashamed of myself that I have brought up a boy who is not willing to be disciplined by his mother when he does wrong, so I must punish myself," and she began to whip her bare arm. This so touched Leland’s heart that he ran back to his mother, threw himself into her arms, and pleaded with her not to hurt herself, but to punish him. But no further punishment was necessary.
Mr. Wang says that, as he grew older, the memory of this incident helped him to understand the great love of the Lord Jesus Christ who willingly took our place on the cross. It was His work, and His blood that paid the price for our sin. His work on the cross met the demands of God’s justice totally and completely. It’s better that, than shedding your own blood for your own sins. Blood needs to be shed for forgiveness its true and blood has been shed, just not yours.
Jesus blood was shed so ours wouldn’t be. We’re given the task of being obedient to the word of God that teaches us of the work of Christ. Our obedience is not open to debate. We are God’s followers, and we are to live in obedience to Him and His word. To help us in that God gives us His discipline. And in truth His discipline is nice. Oh I don’t mean that what correction we endure is pleasant, but it’s nice in that God is treating us as His true children when He disciplines us.
It’s nice also because it’s what helps to keep us on the path to obedience. Again punishment for our sins is not what’s implied in verse 6. To say that is to pull that word, punish, out of its context. One sentence is used to expand and explain the other. Verses 5 and 6 as I said come out of the book of Proverbs. And it’s typical of Hebrew writing and speaking to use this sort of thing. It puts two ideas together in parallel in order to help understand the central idea.
So when it says in verse 6 that we are punished, that is said in the context of discipline and not in the context of our being made to pay or atone for our own sins. If that were true then Jesus death on the cross would need our help in order to satisfy God’s demand that we be righteous. No, that demand was met in full when Jesus was punished for our sins in our place on the cross.
When verse 6 uses the word punish, it is in the context of discipline and it’s there to help us understand the Lord’s discipline in verse 5. His discipline is something none of us ever outgrow the need for. Rats! It’s one of those things I always hoped I could get past and get it over with. But in order to grow as an obedient Christian I need to be corrected by God in how I live. Correction is what comes through discipline, correction – not punishment. ®
A father sits in his lawn chair, watching his seven-year-old daughter play in the yard. Her friends are across the street. She steps to the curb and runs, never looking either way, never seeing the on-coming car. Father is out of the chair like a shot. He grabs her and scolds her, then puts her in her room for an hour despite her many tears and excuses. He explains that he doesn’t want to see her get hurt. Several days later the father again sees his little girl start across the street. This time, though, she stops, looks both ways and crosses. He smiles. The discipline has worked. It was hard on her, but so much better for her welfare.
Her actions were changed by the discipline of her father. Her father didn’t punish her in order for her to make up for some offense to the dad. This was correction, for her, for that hour in her room apart from her friends, she perceived her own suffering.
Our correction by God is never meant to replace the suffering of Christ for our sin. We do not make up for our sin or pay any of the price for our sin by God’s correction – harsh though it may be. It may be hard to endure God’s correction, but it’s important to bear in mind that this correction is because we are God’s own children and not illegitimate offspring. We are God’s family and as such we get the benefit of Dad’s wisdom. It is out of His heart of love that His correction is sometimes visited on our backsides. This isn’t done because God is mad at us, He cannot be. His anger and wrath and vengeance and malice toward our sin has been paid for on the cross of Christ.
But we still have much to learn in what it means to be His obedient children. And God’s discipline is meant for that reason and for no other. We together here are God's children and with one heart we care for one another and help one another when we each endure God's loving affliction that is for our benefit and growth. We do not get to heaven any quicker or any easier by what we suffer. And we do not suffer because of God’s anger.
Think about what you’re going through in your life right now. What training and discipline is the Lord taking you through that perhaps not too many other people even know about? What street are you trying to cross that Jesus is holding you back from so you won’t get smacked by the car that you can’t even see coming? Maybe asking God why, why am I suffering is not the only question to ask Him. Perhaps in addition you can ask Him; what? What are you teaching me? What training are You giving me in what I’m going through right now?
Compare what you’re going through with the little girl and with the biker. The biker was being punished; he was being made to pay for his wrong doing. But the little girl was being disciplined. She was being trained to act correctly so she would live. What you’re going through is what she endured, discipline, not the punishment of the biker.
Remember you can never sin and make God angry so that He wants to punish you. But never doubt that His correction and discipline will be given to you for your benefit and training in righteousness. Discipline never comes from God in anger, but in love. His discipline is nice because it reminds us that we are His true child. And according to verse 11 only His discipline, for the sake of Christ, produces in us a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. In Jesus, Name, Amen.