Chapter 13.1
Chastisement
Why the chastisement? - The results of
chastisement
What does it look like? – Who is disciplined? - Prayer
First Word
Sometimes we find ourselves in
deep water when we as Christians do not obey the instructions of
God. Sometimes God has to get our
attention through chastisement and discipline, but He still provides a way
through it all; Jonah
and the fish that was big as a whale is
a perfect example of deep water.
It is God that chastens us;[1] chastisement
comes that we will not be condemned with the rest of the world,[2]
but that we will become partakers of His Holiness.[3]
Jonah 2:1-10 –
With Discipline God provides a way through it
1 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD
his God from the
belly of the fish,
2 saying, “I called out
to the LORD,
out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol
I cried,
and you heard my voice.
3 For you cast me into the deep, into
the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your
billows passed over me.
4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away
from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’
5 THE WATERS CLOSED IN OVER ME TO TAKE MY LIFE;
THE DEEP SURROUNDED ME;
WEEDS WERE WRAPPED ABOUT MY HEAD
6 AT THE ROOTS OF THE MOUNTAINS. I WENT DOWN TO THE LAND WHOSE BARS CLOSED UPON
ME FOREVER;
yet you brought up my life from the
pit, O LORD my God.
7 When my life was fainting away,
I remembered
the LORD, and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.
8 Those who pay regard to vain
idols forsake their hope of
steadfast love.
9 But I with the voice of
thanksgiving will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!”
10 AND THE LORD
SPOKE TO THE FISH,
AND IT VOMITED JONAH OUT UPON THE DRY LAND.
(ESV)
What Chastisement looks like
Through Chastisement and Discipline God has used
and sent insects and rodents,[4]
and even has stopped the rain.[5] At
times He has added grief to man’s sorrows[6]
and sometimes He has shorten his life span.[7] Chastisement can be the loss of your mind;
you could go crazy.[8]
He has caused skin diseases to come upon
people.[9]
It can come in
the form of sickness that puts you in the bed and strong pain clear down to
your bones.[10]
I have
often wondered if arthritis is a form of chastisement;
if so I need to
get right with God NOW.
God will allow Satan to buffet us so that we
might be ever conscious of God’s power working through us and not some power of
our own.[11] This, however, is only an annoyance or a pain
in the neck and will not stop or hinder His work.
Some Reasons for Chastening
Chastening or pruning
can come so that as Christians we produce more fruit.[12] Chastening can come because of Sin in our
life.[13] If we
are glad of someone else’s calamity, God will chasten us for that too.[14]
When the chastisement is over and you still walk contrary to God’s
statues, prepare yourself to be punished again seven times over for those sins.[15] It is possible for years of trouble to be
inflicted on us if we do not listen to God’s Voice.[16] We are called to repent
and turn from our sin and pray to God, then He
will hear our prayer and heal our wounds.
2
Chronicles 7:14 – Humble, Seek, Turn - God will hear; forgive
14 If my people who are
called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face
and turn
from their wicked ways, then
I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR
SIN AND HEAL THEIR LAND. (ESV)
Only Sons are disciplined
God even removed Himself
from His only begotten Son that His greater plan might be perfected.[17]
If you have not been on the receiving end
of chastisement, then you are not a child of God. Do not hate the chastening and corrections of
God for He loves you as a Father loves His own child.[18] Be happy when God corrects you because a man that God chastens is blessed.[19]
Even though we love the Lord and are bearing good fruit, God may still
prune our branches so that we bring forth even better fruit.[20]
Hebrews 12:8 – If you are not disciplined
then you’re not a Son
8 If you are left WITHOUT DISCIPLINE, in which all
have participated, then you are illegitimate children and NOT SONS. (ESV)
Pray
Pray that you fall into the
hands of God rather than into the hands of man, because God is
merciful.[21] We are to pray that God will not chasten us
when He is in hot displeasure or wrath.[22]
Pray a prayer of repentance; pray that you don’t get what you
deserve.[23]
Results of Chastisement
Even though God wounds us,
He will make us whole again.[24] When chastening comes we learn righteousness;
it is our endurance that brings praise, honor and glory to the name of Jesus
Christ.
The trial or testing of our faith is more precious than gold. When the chastening is over we will come
forth as gold come from the furnace.[25] Chastisement brings forth ENDURANCE, endurance brings forth CHARACTER, and character brings forth HOPE.
Job 23:10 – Chastisement brings forth a
character of Gold
10 But He knows the way that I
take; When He has tested me,
I
shall come forth as gold.
(NKJV)
Isaiah 26:9 – Chastisement brings forth
righteousness
9 With my soul I have desired You
in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your
judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
(NKJV)
Romans 5:2-4 – Chastisement - Endurance –
Character - Hope
2 Through him we have also obtained
access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of
the glory of God.
3 Not only that, but we rejoice in
our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and
4 endurance produces character, and character
produces hope,
(ESV)
1 Peter 1:7 – Chastisement brings Praise,
Honor & Glory to Jesus
7 that the genuineness of
your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it
is tested by fire, may be found to
praise,
honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
(NKJV)
[2] 1 Corinthians 11:32 – We are disciplined
so we may not be condemned with the rest of the world
[3] Hebrews 12:10 – We are disciplined so that
we may share in His Holiness
[4] 2 Chronicles 7:13 – He may send locust and
pestilence to devour the land
[5] 1 Kings 8:35 – He may use nature and
hold back the rain
[6] Jeremiah 45:3 – He may add grief to
your Sorrows
[7] Psalm 102:23 – He may make you weak and
shorten your life
[8] Daniel 4:25 – He may take away your sanity –
Drive you Crazy
[9] 2 Kings 15:4-5 – He may strike you with a disease
[10] Job 33:19 – He may afflict you with pain in your
bones
[11] 2 Corinthians 12:7 – Satan allowed to buffet men to keep their heart on
God
[12] John 15:2 - Every
branch that does bear fruit He prunes
[13] Lamentations 1:5 – God Disciplined Jerusalem for her many sins
[14] Proverbs 17:5 – Don’t gloat over someone else’s
misfortune
[15] Leviticus 26:23-24 - I will punish you seven times for your sins
[16] Psalm 78:33 – Discipline can continue for years – Repent now
[17] Mark 15:34 – God stepped away from His own
Son
[18] Proverbs 3:11 - Do not despise or resent the
LORD’s discipline -- Revelation 3:19 - Those whom I love, I
reprove and discipline -- Hebrews 12:6 - The Lord
disciplines the ones He loves
[19] Job 5:17 - Blessed is the one
whom God reproves -- Psalm 94:12 - Blessed is
the man whom God disciplines
[20] John 15:1-2 – You are pruned that you may bear more fruit
[22] Psalm 38:1 – Pray that God will not rebuke
you in His Hot Anger
[23] 1 Kings 8:48-51 – Repent, Pray; God will
hear and forgive
[24] Job 5:18 – Although God bruises; He binds up
and Heals the wounds
[25] 1 Peter 1:6 – Your various trials are just for a little while
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