Discipline and Restraint

“Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman

    and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?

For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord,

    and he ponders all his paths.

The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,

    and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.

He dies for lack of discipline,

    and because of his great folly he is led astray.” (Proverbs 5:20-23 ESV)

This is Old Testament, but the New Testament has much to say on the subjects of adultery and sexual immorality, too. But what I will be covering here today, although certainly related to those topics, is mainly the importance of discipline with regards to restraint (restriction, self-discipline, self-control). For when our lives are not disciplined, and/or if we are not disciplined of God, and if we suffer little consequences for sin, and so we continue living in sin, we may be lacking in constraint (control).

I think it is this whole thing of you sin, and you get away with it, and nothing bad happens to you because of it, and so you feel the freedom to keep sinning, because there were no real consequences involved, or at least not enough to stop you. And then added on to that, the church (in general) has largely adopted a cheapened gospel message which makes no requirements for self-denial, dying to sin daily, and walking in obedience to our Lord. And so you feel like you can keep sinning, and nothing bad will happen to you.

“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 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.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

    and chastises every son whom he receives.’

“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? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons… he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 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.” (Hebrews 12:4-8,10b-11 ESV)

The Lord, however, does not share that same perspective about sin, i.e. the one mentioned under the Proverbs 5 passage of Scripture. His forgiveness of sins is not carte blanche to continue living in sin without feelings of guilt and without remorse, and without genuine repentance and a change of direction. His grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. And his word says that if sin is our practice, and not obedience to God, we do not have eternal life with God.

So, as those who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, God disciplines us so that we will not be led astray by the deceitfulness of sin. And his disciplines are painful, but they are for our good, that we may share his holiness (in life practice), and that our lives may yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. For through discipline we learn obedience, and we learn humility, and we learn that our trust must be in the Lord and not in our flesh, and we grow in our desire to serve the Lord.

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-32 ESV)

Now this is in regard to the receiving and the taking of communion in remembrance of what Jesus Christ did for us on that cross in taking our sins upon him, and putting them to death with him, so that we might now die with him to sin and walk in obedience to his commands in holy living. So, if we participate in the receiving and the taking of communion, but while we are knowingly, deliberately, and habitually engaged in sinful behaviors, then we have taken communion in an unworthy manner in dishonor to Christ.

And that results in bringing judgment upon oneself, which then may result in sickness, weakness, and possibly death. But we are not to misinterpret these words here and to declare that anyone who is physically weak or ill is sinning against God. And if the person sinning is an illegitimate child of God by profession only, without genuine repentance and obedience to the Lord, they may not face any discipline. But if your faith is genuine, don’t toy with sin, and don’t take God’s grace for granted, but judge your own self.

“Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:19-22 ESV)

These were Jesus’ words to the church in Laodicea, which many people believe represents the apostate or the adulterous church of the last days before the return of Christ. For this is speaking of the “church” which is lukewarm (half-hearted, indifferent, apathetic) with regard to their faith in Jesus Christ and the critical nature of their obedience to the Lord and to the forsaking of their sins in order to have the hope and the promise of salvation from their bondage to sin and eternal life with God in heaven.

And so the Lord counseled them in a metaphorical manner to give up their lives of sin and rebellion and lukewarmness and to take on Christ and his righteousness and holiness, via death to sin and walks of obedience to his commands. For if they did not, he was going to spit them out of his mouth. So hearing his voice and opening the door to him engage us dying with him to sin and now walking in obedience to his commands. For we are not saved by lip service only. We must submit our lives to the will of God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

Jerusalem  

An Original Work / May 2, 2011

…you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God… Hebrews 12:22

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear now your King of kings.

He speaks to you, Jerusalem, in all His majesty.

Oh, listen now, Jerusalem, He’s calling out to you.

Hear Him call you, Jerusalem; He’s waiting now for you.

Won’t you bow down, Jerusalem? Let Christ make you anew!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear God’s call to obey

Your Lord and Savior, Christ the King; trust Him without delay.

Turn from your sin, Jerusalem; let Christ rule in your hearts.

Invite Him now, Jerusalem, to save you; grace impart,

And purify, Jerusalem, your hearts of all your sin!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear your God’s final plea

To come to Him, Jerusalem, right now on bended knee.

Make Him your Lord, Jerusalem; He’s your Messiah, King.

Honor Him as the Holy One, your off’rings to Him bring.

And serve Him now, Jerusalem, for He is Christ your King!

https://vimeo.com/125966150