The Letter to the Hebrews
Don’t Let Trials Make You Weary
Hebrews 12:3-13
Think about a massive storm. A massive storm with howling winds and sheets of rain and thunder and lightning. And then think of how that howling storm with gale-force winds would affect cattails, on the one hand, and oak trees, on the other.
Cattails are very different from oak trees. Cattails grow by the sides of streams or lakes, and have very shallow roots, and very slender stalks. So a gale-force storm would topple them, crush them, flatten them.
But not oak trees. Oak trees are made of rock-hard wood, with deep roots. So when gale-force winds come, oak trees continue to stand. The winds might cause their branches to sway, cause them to lose a few leaves, but the oak tree will continue to stand.
Part of our vision here at Mercy Hill is to raise up men and women and children who are so rooted in God’s Word, so strong in God’s Word, that when trials come we will be oak trees. That we will have thought so deeply about what God’s Word says about trials, that when they come we may grieve, we may sorrow, but under it all there will be deep peace and comfort in knowing exactly what God is doing and why.
The reason I mention that is because Hebrews 12 is one of those passages which – if we think deeply about it and believe it – will make us oak trees. So let’s turn there together. If you need a Bible go ahead and raise your hand and we will bring a Bible to you. Hebrews 12 is on page 1008 in the Bibles we are passing out.
Last week in Hebrews 12:1-2 we saw that the Christian life is like running a race. Heaven is the finish line, and our goal is to press on to the end, and bring as many people with us. And last week we saw that running this race means laying aside sin.
But in this week’s passage the author wants us to understand that to run this race we also need to endure trials. And so the author starts by asking -- what should we expect to face on this race?
Here’s why this question is so important. Many people think the Christian life is supposed to be comfortable, easy, free from trials and pain. But if that’s what they think -- what will they do when trials come? If the Christian life is supposed to be comfortable, easy, free from trials and pain – and your life is suddenly filled with trials and pain – you will have a crisis of faith. You could think God has failed you, or that Christianity is not true.
So in vv.3-4, I think the author wants to help us understand what kinds of trials Christians might face. Start with v.3 --
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
So what should we expect on this race? “Consider Jesus who endured such hostility against himself.” Jesus ran this race before us, and he suffered great trials to the point of dying on the Cross. So on this race Jesus faced severe trials.
So if on this race Jesus suffered severe trials, we should not be shocked when we face severe trials. Now we won’t face trials anywhere near as severe as Jesus’ trials. But the point is that this race involves trials. This race is not comfortable, easy, free from trials and pain.
And then there’s verse 4. This was not easy to understand. But I think his point is that we have not come close to suffering like Jesus did, so we should not be discouraged --
4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
So the overall point is -- don’t give up. Look to Jesus. Understand that this race involves trials. So keep running.
But trials are painful. Trials are difficult. So how can we keep enduring trials when they are so painful? The author answers that in vv.5-11, by telling us that every trial involves the discipline of the Lord. Now be careful. There’s lots of misunderstandings about what that means. I would guess that many of you immediately have a wrong picture in your mind.
So what I want to show you from this passage is that the discipline of the Lord means loving training. I see loving from v.6 – “for the Lord disciplines the one he loves.” And I see training from the end of v.11 – “those who have been trained by it.” OK. So when you hear the phrase “the discipline of the Lord,” I want you to think “loving training.”
So with that in mind let’s dig in, starting with v.5 --
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
So the way we can endure the pain of trials is by understanding that they are the discipline of the Lord. But what does that mean?
First – every trial involves the discipline of the Lord. One reason I say that is because after talking in vv.3-4 about the trials we will face, he moves immediately into talking about the discipline of the Lord.
Look again at v.5 --
5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.
So he’s making an immediate connection between the trials that we face and the discipline of the Lord. He doesn’t say – some trials are the discipline of the Lord and some are not. He says – when you face trials – remember that they involve the discipline of the Lord. That makes it sounds like every trial involves the discipline of the Lord.
Another reason I say that is because of v.7 -- “it is for discipline that you have to endure.” So every time we endure a trial – we endure “for discipline” – for the purpose of the discipline of the Lord. He does not say – sometimes it is for discipline that you have to endure. He implies that it is always for discipline that you endure. So that makes it sound like every trial involves the discipline of the Lord.
So to keep enduring trials, we need to understand that they are the discipline of the Lord. But then there’s a crucial second truth –
Second, the discipline of the Lord is not punishment. I would guess that when trials hit, many of us think we are being punished by God. When we hear that word “discipline” we picture God frowning at us. We think God is angry at us and punishing us. But that’s not what’s going on.
Here’s why. We all deserve punishment, because we have all sinned against God. But because you are trusting Jesus, He was punished in your place for your all your sin. All the punishment deserved for all your sin, past, present, and future, was put upon Jesus. Jesus suffered the punishment we deserve for our sin.
So we are never punished by God. Which means God’s discipline never involves punishment. It’s not angry punishment. It’s loving training. We can see that in vv.10-11 –
10 For they [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good [to bring us great good], that we may share his holiness.
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
So the discipline of the Lord is not angry punishment. It’s loving training. So the next time a trial comes, don’t think – I’m being punished by God. NO! Understand. All your punishment was put upon Jesus. All your sins have already been punished. There’s nothing of punishment in this trial. That’s the second truth. But if it’s not punishment, what is it?
Third, the discipline of the Lord is God’s love. You can see that in v.6 –
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."
Oh, we need to see this. And feel this. The Lord disciplines the one he loves. So when God disciplines us – he’s not feeling displeasure. He’s not feeling anger. He’s feeling love.
So when God brings trials our way, we should not say – Here’s this trial; God is bringing this because He does NOT love me. No. If we are thinking biblically we will say – Here’s this trial; God is bringing this because He DOES love me.
You can see this also in vv.7-8 --
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
So when God brings trials our way, we should not say – Look at that trial; I thought God was a loving Father; I thought I was His loved son (or loved daughter). No. If we are thinking biblically we will say – Look at that trial; God is my loving Father; I am His loved son (or loved daughter).
So trials are the discipline of the Lord. The discipline of the Lord is not punishment. Rather, the discipline of the Lord is God’s love.
But how can it be God’s love? That’s the fourth truth – the discipline of the Lord is for our training. You can see that in v.11 –
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Notice those last words – “to those who have been trained by it.” God lovingly brings you trials so you can be trained.
Many of us think the discipline of the Lord is always a consequence for some particular sin. Not a punishment, because Jesus paid all the punishment, but a consequence -- for some particular sin. Like with David, who committed adultery, and had his infant son die as a consequence.
That does happen. But many of this think this is always the case. And so when any trial comes, we think – what did I do wrong?
But notice that the author of Hebrews 12 says nothing about this discipline being the consequence for any particular sin. There’s no sense that there are particular sins they need to repent of. What they should focus on is that this is loving training.
So that’s what we should always focus on. This trail is loving training.
And it’s not that there’s just a few Christians who need this loving training – so they get the trials. We all need this loving training. And so God brings all of us trials. You can see that in v.8 –
8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
We all need this training, and so in love God gives us all this training.
So let this transform your view of trials. A flat tire? This is loving training. A delay at the airport? This is loving training. Cancer? This is loving training. A distant, unresponsive spouse? This is loving training. A wayward child? This is loving training. Persecution in advancing the Gospel? This is loving training.
That will make you an oak when trials come.
And what does this training produce? That’s the fifth point --
Fifth -- the discipline of the Lord brings us great good. Look at all the good that’s listed in vv.9-11 –
9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
The discipline of the Lord will bring you life, it will enable you to share God’s holiness, and it will bring you the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
So what does this mean for us? The author tells us in v.12 –
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees.
Don’t let trials make your hands droop or knees buckle. Trials are not punishment. They are the loving discipline of Father God to train us so we receive great good.
Here’s an example. Jonathan Edwards was a pastor and write in the 1700’s. At that time smallpox was a problem, and people were using smallpox vaccinations to avoid it. And Jonathan Edwards doctor urged him to be vaccinated. So he was.
But sadly, they gave him too much, he developed smallpox, and died. So think of his wife. Would she be a cattail – and be flattened? Or would she be an oak – and stand. She understood God’s purposes. She understood the discipline of the Lord. She was an oak.
The reason we know that is because of this letter she wrote to her daughter –
My Dear Child,
What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. Oh that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands on our mouths.
The Lord has done it. He has made me adore His goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and He had my heart.
O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be.
Your ever affectionate mother,
Sarah Edwards.
So lift your drooping hands. Strengthen your weak knees. Trust God’s loving training. And keep running the race.