God disciplines His people because of His love.

Thank you for joining me as we continue to prepare our hearts for revival. We pray you will join us at the Just Give Me Jesus Revival, led by Anne Graham Lotz, Sept. 21-22, at the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Georgia. Please find us on Facebook, Just Give Me Jesus Augusta, Georgia, to keep up with the latest news. For more information you may go to Just Give Me Jesus Augusta.

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,

and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Hebrews 12:5b, 11

Last week as we studied Phase 2 in the 7 phases of revival from Henry & Richard Blackaby’s book Fresh Encounter, Experiencing God’s Power for Spiritual Awakening we looked at how God’s people depart from Him.  We closed with a prayer asking God to open our eyes so that we may see what stands between each of us and God. We asked God to reveal areas of our lives that we needed to give back to Him. How have you done this week? Have you asked God to forgive you for sins you have committed and turned away from them?

If you have, I pray that you will continue to seek God and look to Him for the strength you need to live the life He has planned for you.

If you have not, then this week’s message is especially for you.

·      Phase 1: God is on a mission to redeem a lost world.

·      Phase 2: God’s people tend to depart from Him, turning to substitutes for His presence, His purposes, and His ways.

·      Phase 3: God disciplines His people because of His love.

·      Phase 4: God’s people cry out to Him for help.

·      Phase 5: God calls His people to repent and return to Him or perish.

·      Phase 6: God revives His repentant people by restoring them to a right relationship with Him.

·      Phase 7: God exalts His Son, Jesus, among His people and draws unbelievers to saving faith in Him.

When we sin we hurt God. God loves us and wants what’s best for us, which is why He sent His son to die on the cross to save us from our sins. As He proved by sending Jesus to pay the price for our sins He will do whatever is necessary to turn us from our sinful ways.

Just like those of us who are parents discipline our children to help them learn right from wrong, God will also discipline His children.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.” Hebrews 12:7-10

We are each uniquely made and God must deal with each of us individually. Some will respond to God’s discipline quickly but for some, God must increase His reprimand in order to get our attention.

But how will God get our attention? Henry & Richard Blackaby explain:

·      God may refuse to hear our prayers. “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” Isaiah 59:2.

·      God may hide His presence from us. “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? Psalm 13:1.

·      God may withhold His word so His people do not hear a fresh word from Him. “Behold, the days are coming’, says the LORD GOD, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it’” Amos 8:11-12.

·      God may remove the wall of protection from us and those we love. “Let me tell you what I will do to My vineyard [Israel]: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will lay it waste” Isaiah 5:5-6.

·      God may allow us to face the full consequences of our own sinful behavior. “God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves…. God gave them up to vile passions…. God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whispers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil, things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful” Romans 1:24,26,28-31.

God loves us and wants what is best for us. The last thing He wants is for us to suffer the consequences of sin but when we sin we must face the pain that goes along with making the wrong choices.

Is God punishing you for sin in your life? Are you facing the very painful and real consequences of living a life out of God’s protection? Will you ask God to reveal to you the sin in your life and begin to reconcile your life with God?

Dear Lord, thank you for loving me so much that you will not allow me to continue living a life of sin. Thank you that you will discipline me in order to help me see where I am not following you. Lord help me see the pain I am in as a wake up call to turn to you. Give me the strength each day to walk in your light.

 In Your Name I Pray, Amen.