BLESSED IS THE MAN

Lesson 8

Blessed is the Man Whom Thou Chastenest

TEXT:  Psalm 94:1-13 and Hebrews 12:5-11  

I. INTRODUCTION  

A. Lots of questions asked in the world

1. What is the meaning of life?

2. Why are we here?

3. How did we get here?

4. Why do good people suffer and bad people prosper?

5. Why am I going through this?  What did I do to deserve this?  

B. Each of these can be answered by scripture

1. Questions 4 and 5 are found in Psalm 94 and Heb 12

2. The psalmist starts off complaining about these questions but then goes about explaining them

a. He understood what was happening

b. We too need to understand

3. Our God is a chastening God

II. THE MEANING OF CHASTEN – Vs. 10, 12  

A. Chasten means: to teach, to correct, to instruct, to rebuke

1. Those words are all throughout our Bible

2. You cannot have the Bible without the doctrine of chastening

a. 2 Tim 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

b. 2 Tim 4:1-2 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3. God uses His words to chasten us

a. Ever walked away from a church service feeling like you were just beaten?

b. Preachers don’t chasten, God chastens

III. CHASTENING IN HEBREWS – Heb 12:5-11  

A. Three responses to chastening – vs. 5, 7

1. Fainting

a. The Christian cannot take the chastening and falls away

2. Despising

a. The Christian gets mad at God because of the conditions of the chastening

3. Enduring

a. The Christian accepts the chastening and realizes that it will only serve to make him into a better Christian  

B. Who gets chastened?

1. Verse 6

a. whom the Lord loveth

b. every son whom he receiveth

2. Verses 7-8

a. all of His sons

b. those who are not chastised are bastards:  not God’s sons

3. Chastening is not simply for when Christians mess up (John 15:1-8)

a. The Bible instructs parents to spank their children when necessary

b. God will do the same to His children

c. He will also use chastening to cause growth in His children when they are doing right

d. Paul was chastened of God and who was a better Christian than him?

e. It’s like when Job was tried; he had done nothing wrong and was not being punished, but he certainly did grow from the experience  

C. Is this really a new idea?  Vs. 9

1. Our earthly fathers have chastened us

a. This is not as common now as it once was but it still happens

2. If God instructed earthly fathers to chasten their children why wouldn’t He do the same?

a. However, there can be a difference

b. Vs. 10 indicates that the motives of earthly fathers can be selfish

(1) The wrong motive can have devastating effects on a child

(2) Parents can spank or punish in anger and cause unwanted damage

(3) But this is not so with God; His punishment and chastening always fits exactly with what He is trying to do  

D. Who wants to be chastened?  Vs. 11

1. When we look at the present we do not like chastening

2. When we look back we realize what God did in bringing us through it

a. Pastor DeMichele’s cancer experience

b. Sandy ’s kidney transplant

3. Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

IV. CONCLUSION  

A. Christians should expect chastening throughout their lives

1. It will not be pleasant during the trial but afterward the results that God will bring into our lives will make us stronger and will be worth it