The following are sermon notes from Proverbs: The Child. This is an eight week topical study of the book of Proverbs. To read more about this series, including the introduction, resources and listen to audio content click here.
I love kids. I’ve got two of them and one on the way. Something I’ve noticed since becoming a father is that you don’t have to teach kids how to disobey. It seems instinctual, an intrinsic part of who they are. I instead, spend the majority of my time with them teaching them how to obey correctly. Parenting young children is all about training them to listen and obey. Therefore, discipline is something I carry out with the same regularity as night and day.
As I read the Scriptures I notice consistent and frequent references to discipline, many of which have nothing to do with small children.
IF YOU LOVE JESUS YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD
“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:9-13).
This passage of Scripture is full of rich deep theology on which many books can and have been written. For our purposes we will pull out one small statement in the context of what is being said about Jesus. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…” If you worship Jesus as Lord and believe, through faith, in His shed blood for your sins you are a child of God. You reside in the family of God. If you don’t love and worship Jesus you are not a child of God. At Paradox it is is our hope that you would receive Jesus and be called a child of God.
The Bible is full of familial language: God our Father (Psalm 68:5; Matthew 6:9; John 1:1; Galatians 1:3), Christian men and women are brothers and sisters (Romans 14:15; 1 Corinthians 8:13), we are adopted when saved (Romans 8:15) and so forth. From this we can learn many things about how God relates to those of us who are children of His, in particular, how we are disciplined, much like I discipline my own children.
PUNISHMENT VS. DISCIPLINE
Before we work on the discipline that God uses with us to make us more like Jesus we must delineate between discipline and punishment. Theologically, there is a difference between punishment and discipline.
Punishment
Punishment is God’s wrathful action against sin poured out on those who are not His children as a consequence for their sin.
Discipline
Discipline is God’s loving and formative action for His Children who have rebelled against His commands.
For those of you who have been saved by Jesus, your punishment has been paid. The wrath that was justly due you has been diverted to Jesus Christ. And you say, “Glory, hallelujah!” This is the good news! What you could not accomplish: righteousness before God, was accomplished for you when Christ took the punishment you fully deserved! This is the message we take with us, this is the Gospel.
DISCIPLINE FOR THE BELIEVER:
Throughout Proverbs we are given picture of what discipline is in our lives and how God uses it to draw us to Him and His loving commands. There are three main ways discipline is used in the book of Proverbs:
A Course Correction:
- Proverbs 5:23, “He dies for a lack of discipline, and because of his great folly, he is led astray.”
- Proverbs 6:23, “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life.”
A Consequence for Sin and Folly:
- Proverbs 15:10, “There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way, whoever hates reproof will die.”
- Proverbs 22:15, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”
- Proverbs 31:1, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof.”
A Method of Teaching:
- Proverbs 23:13, “Do not withhold discipline from a child, if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.”
- Proverbs 29:17, “Discipline your son, and he will give you rest, he will give delight to your heart.”
- Proverbs 29:15, “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.”
CONCLUSION:
- If you don’t know Jesus, run from the punishment that is coming towards you. If you have not seen any consequences for your sin and you use this truth as an argument for your purity, you are most to be pitied. Run from the punishment and run to the only one who can absorb what you deserve.
- If you are saved by Jesus, remember that your salvation is ill-deserved. Remember there are people who need to hear the good news that their punishment has been paid in Christ.
- For everyone. We need to not run or cower from discipline. It is helpful! It allows us to become the people we are called to be in Christ. It may not be easy to hear and uncomfortable, but it will help you!
