Hebrews 12:5-11
And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
While looking for the origin of this morning’s title phase, I stumbled on an old television commercial from the early 1970s. It was advertising an aftershave called Skin Bracer by Mennen. I remember watching the actor pour some product in his hands and then slap himself really hard. The shocking thing would be his next line, where he would say, “Thanks, I needed that.” The point of the ad was to take advantage of the natural stinging sensation you would get from the alcohol in the product. Although uncomfortable for a short period, the menthol would sooth and calm you. So in balance, the pain was worth the reward.
This concept went viral. The phrase showed up in television and movies and in everyday life. Though momentarily painful, it seems all of us, to a degree, understand the complex nature of chastening. While most of us abhor gratuitous violence and unnecessary persecution, we all acknowledge that a bit of discipline from time to time is a good thing. And that’s encouraging because if we have only one positive takeaway from the year 2020, it would be how it must be considered a year of chastening: A virtual slap in the face.
In Hebrews 12 the writer admonishes us to pay close attention to the not so subtle act of correction God administers to those he loves. There’s no missing his point. There’s no escaping his presence. God is serious about us. He is not willing to stand idly by and allow us to miss our blessings; even when we are determined to do so. In those seasons of waywardness, the writer contends that our Heavenly Father extends his love by exercising his parental duty of chastening. And chastening hurts.
But a slap in the face is extreme. There’s certainly nothing subtle or polite about slapping someone in the face. But as we saw in the commercial, sometimes it’s warranted. A slap serves to wake you up when you’ve fallen asleep. There are situations where sleeping at the wrong time can be tragic. A slap would be greatly appreciated in times of peril. There are times when your emotions get the best of you. A good slap helps bring you back out of the rage and emotional upheaval you may be facing. And finally, there are situations where you allow pride, arrogance and conceit to get you to say and do things ‘out of character’. A hard slap can certainly bring back perspective and clarity in a minute.
Well, I can see where chastening is warranted in all three cases for us children of God. If we would be honest, in many respects the church was asleep, emotionally out of control and disrespectful all at the same time. We got comfortable with our big churches and complacent with the crowds we had amassed. Sharing the Gospel became a sideline activity, at best. And we were evolving into emotional wrecks. No matter how much the Bible told us not to fear, not to be afraid, be brave, etc., our testimonies, worship style and manner of life almost demanded we openly complain, doubt and fear. Don’t think so? Listen to some of our most popular prayers, testimonies and preaching. They speak to our comfort with material gain, unconditional wellness and absolution from sin without a commitment to lifestyle changes. But the most egregious and punishable action that I’ve noticed is our haughty and conceited attitude toward the things of God. Our lack of reverence to the word of God is unprecedented. Our continued insistence that wrong is right and right is wrong is troubling. But above everything previously mentioned, is our lack of conviction, belief and anticipation that Jesus is coming back again. Everything else, we may slide with. But not that.
Dear Children of God, 2020 woke us up didn’t it? It straighten us up and it has us praying, studying the Bible and calling on God more than we ever have before. 2020 hurts. 2020 stung...stings. But after looking back and seeing where God has brought us from, I have only one thing to say. “Thanks; we needed that.
God bless
