Introduction

• Big Idea: God's Loving Discipline trains us for Righteous Living.  
• Discipline in O.T. – 34 times with 16 occurrences in Proverbs.
• Deu 8:5; Job 5:17; Pro 3:11-12; 5:12; 10:17; 12:1; 15;10; 29:17
• Discipline in N.T. – 15 times with eight occurrences in Hebrews.
• Tit 1:8; 2Tim 1:7; Rev 3:19; Heb 12:4-13
• What is Discipline?
• παιδεία, ἡ, rearing of a child^[1]- 1) Educate, Train, Instruct, Teach, Exhort, Warn
• Verbal 2) Punish, Hardship, Physical, Beaten up by life's hardships, Hard practice. Chastisement- being shackled – restrained with boundaries.
• God disciplines us like a coach to live righteously.

^[1] Henry George Liddell et al., A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), 1286.

1. God's Loving Discipline Isn’t As Bad As It Could Be | v4-6

• Heb 12:4-13

2. God's Loving Discipline Is Evidence Of His Divine Love For Us v5-8

How do God’s discipline and judgement happen in our lives?[1]

• Verbal correction from God’s Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit - 2Tim 3:16; Joh 16:8
• God may refuse to answer our prayers - Isa 59:2
• God may hide or withdraw his presence from us - Psa 13:1; 51:11
• God may withhold speaking to his people - Amo 8:11-12
• God may remove the wall of protection from us and those we love - Isa 5:5-6
• God may allow us to face the full consequences of our sinful behaviour - Rom 1:24-31
• God may choose, ultimately, to destroy or bring down those who refuse to repent - Luk19:41-44

[1] List comes from p. 78-81 Fresh Encounter Workbook.  

3. God's Loving Discipline Is For Our Good To Share In His Holiness | v9-10

• “God perfectly measures His discipline to our heart’s condition.”
• God can use Natural disasters, disease, human conflict, economic downturns, broken relationships, business failures, and natural consequences of our sins.
• God’s Discipline
• We must act like we belong to God’s family. Amo 3:2; Rom 8:16-17; 2Cor 5:17
• God’s judgement
• Is used to warn people of the grave consequences of unrepented sin. God uses judgement for punishment rather than reform. “God’s judgment of Christians is temporal in that it is confined to their lives on earth and does not follow them into eternity.”
• God’s Final Judgement
• Is reserved for unbelievers at the close of history. Final indicates there are no more appeals and no further opportunities to repent or correct one’s life before God.  

4. God's Loving Discipline Is Painful But Produces Righteousness, Peace, and Healing | v11-13

• Prov 29:17
• How do we respond to God’s discipline and judgement? 
• Remember the Point of Departure. When did you depart from the ways of the Lord?   Psalm 139:23-24
• Repent of our sin—Psalm 51:3-4 – Return to the Lord. 
• Renew a Right Spirit. Psalm 51:10 – Create a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
• Restore to me the joy of my salvation. Psalm 51:12; John 21:15-19 – Peter
• Restitution – Make Things Right with God and others. Luke 19:1-10 – Zacchaeus 
• God’s discipline always makes you more like Jesus Christ. 
• God’s discipline is always redemptive and restorative.   Best for us. 
• Spiritual Warfare is demoralizing and destructive. 
• Respond to God in prayer.