The Peaceable Fruit of Righteousness – Part Two
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Hebrews 12:11 AMP says, "For the time being no discipline brings joy,
but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable
fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
Discipline - instruction, training, correction – is not pleasant at the
time it is being administered, but it produces righteousness in the
person being disciplined and ultimately it produces peace. If you will
submit to God's discipline – through His Word and His Spirit, you will
bring forth the fruit of righteousness and peace.
And have
you [completely] forgotten the divine word of appeal and encouragement
in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? My son, do not
think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of
the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved
or corrected by Him; 6 For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone
whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He
accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. 7 You must submit to
and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with
sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and
correct and discipline? 8 Now if you are exempt from correction and
left without discipline in which all [of God's children] share, then
you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all]. 9 Moreover,
we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them]
and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully
submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live? 10 For [our
earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and
chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us
for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.
Hebrews 12:5-10 AMP
The biggest problem in the Church today,
is that you have too many people calling themselves Christians –
children of Father God – who do not, and will not, submit themselves to
God's discipline through His Word and Spirit. Paul tells us not to take
God's discipline lightly and not to get all bent out of shape or give
up when He corrects you. We have seen so many people going round and
round the mountain one more time, because they have areas of their life
that are off limits to God. They will not allow the Lord to bring
correction to them in particular areas of their lives, therefore they
never grow in those areas and are always in bondage to the mistaken
attitudes and ways of thinking that come with pride and sin. Of course,
discipline is not pleasant at the time! None of us likes to be
disciplined – its hard on our flesh and our pride and our ego – but if
we will humble ourselves and allow the fire of God to do its work in
us, we will come through the other side with a burden lifted; freer and
more joy-filled than we have ever been before; with a new appreciation
for our Father God and how much He loves and cares for us!
Paul asks the question: "For what son is there whom his father does not
thus train and correct and discipline?" Discipline is for the good of
the child. In those days fathers would instruct and discipline their
children and God expects fathers to continue to do that today.
Instructing, disciplining, correcting, and training his children is one
of the main responsibilities of a father – not just putting a roof over
your kid's heads, clothes on their back, food on their plate, and
sending them to a good school. None of these things will produce
obedient kids and good, productive citizens without your personal,
daily input. You have to realize that if you do not give your children
guidance – someone else will; if you do not mold them and shape them –
someone else will.
Politicians are always trying to remove
or hinder parental authority – in the guise of what is good for the
child - and have succeeded in many instances, but God put the
responsibility for teaching, training, and discipline squarely on the
parents, especially the fathers! You have to understand that we are in
a war for the hearts of men. Ungodly law-makers and educators would
love to have the opportunity to shape your child's mind and attitude.
Why do you think it was so important to the atheists for prayer to be
taken out of school? This one decision has changed several generations
– and not for the good. America is losing its moral compass as society
encourages rebellion against authority and disdain for all that is
good. If you do not take responsibility for appropriately disciplining
your children, you leave them open for a life of rebelliousness against
authority, resulting in rebellion against God, Himself!
Raising and disciplining a child is not the easy way or the lazy way –
it requires effort and time and consistency. You have to discipline
yourself to take the time and make the effort to input into your
children. It takes lots and lots of love and patience. You have to put
your own flesh under; you cannot afford to be selfish; you cannot
abdicate your responsibilities and leave it up to the mother of your
children to do it all on her own. A father's influence on his kids is
huge – whether he takes responsibility or not. He is directly
responsible for how they turn out. A father who refuses to be involved
with his children's upbringing – whether he lives in the house or not –
is sending a message to his children: you are illegitimate! That may
sound strong, but illegitimate children are usually not acknowledged
nor treated as sons. If you ignore them – that is the message you are
sending – you are saying, "You are not loved or wanted."
We
are not illegitimate offspring – we are children of our Father God.
Discipline produces respect. If we respect our earthly fathers and obey
them, should we not even much more submit to our Heavenly Father and
live! Earthly fathers discipline us for only a short period of time and
chastise us as seems proper and good to them; but God disciplines us
for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.
Recent:
Righteous Now
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP
“Therefore if any man be in Christ…” What does it mean to be “in Christ”? Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” You are baptized into Christ when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” And Romans 10:13 says, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The moment
Defeating Strife
These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19 AMP
Faith Facts
Faith is persistent
Luke 11:9-10 AMP
So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.
John 16:24 AMP
Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete.
Faith is single-minded
James 1:5-8 AMP
If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. 6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the