Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Sometimes, each of us will have to deal with some sort of mechanical problems on our vehicles from time to time. Maybe you have had to pull over to the side of the road, jack up the vehicle and change a flat tire. Maybe you have had to replace the battery, or loosen up the belt and replace the alternator. There have been a few times during my life, when I attempted to start my truck, but nothing happened. I knew that I had power because the headlights shined brightly when I turned them on. On those rare occasions, I will find somebody to hold the ignition key in the start position, and I will climb underneath the truck, and hit the starter with a hammer. Sometimes it will take some heavy blows until it finally submits to my wishes, and begins to turn over the truck engine.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Just like a stubborn starter, many people can be the same way. Sometimes it takes a Spiritual hammer on the heart of the impenitent, to get them to turn over a new leaf.
“The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.” Psalms 118:18
Chasten means to inflict disciplinary or corrective punishment on someone, which is done for the purpose of moral improvement. It is to correct through the use of steep punishment when required, or to rebuke, reprimand, reprove, or berate. When you berate someone, you speak to them angrily and about something that they have done wrong. Willful disobedience stirs up the wrath of Jesus. He was so angry at certain Jews that He whipped them, and threw over their tables in the temple.
John 2 ¹⁴ And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: ¹⁵ And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; ¹⁶ And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. ¹⁷ And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.
In the church, the Apostles were commanded to correct and discipline the members as needed. Timothy was commanded to rebuke with all authority.
“This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;” Titus 1:13
“These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” Titus 2:15
Rebuking others is the same responsibility that a dad has in his own home, as he must rebuke his wife and children when necessary. If he cannot do this, then he ought not to be leading the church. We are supposed to love one another, but love speaks the truth. If you really care about your child and they are engaged in the wrong type of behavior, you will rebuke them because you love them.
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Revelation 3:19
We are in a very dismal time in history, when a lot of people who profess to be followers of Christ, refuse to hear any type of correction at all. This is because they have no fear of God. They have been loved a little too much, which is evidenced by their unfaithfulness to the teachings of scripture. Like a child who has never been disciplined, they have become spoiled children and turned their ears away from the truth, just as the Apostle said was going to happen.
2 Timothy 4 ² Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
Many people might claim to believe in Jesus, but if they turn away their ears from scripture they are not of God. God’s Word is given for our chastening and correction.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” 2 Timothy 3:16
God can chasten people, any way that He sees fit. He can cause them to suffer greatly, and inflict them in their flesh, just as He did to Miriam.
Hebrews 12 ⁵ And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: ⁶ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ⁷ If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ⁸ But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Deuteronomy 8 ⁵ Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.
⁶ Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
“My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:” Proverbs 3:11
A servant of Christ will preach scripture for the purpose of leading people into perfect obedience to God. But when people become filled up with pride, and refuse to hear and obey correction, they will be suddenly destroyed by God.
“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1
“Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.” Proverbs 15:10
If you really want to enter eternal life, you will have to endure chastening. If people are going to get through basic training in the military, they must learn to humbly submit to correction. When someone is not walking according to the will of God, God is going to punish them in some manner for their disobedience.
Chastening might not feel good at the moment, but it’s meant to motivate someone to turn around, just like taking a couple good swings at the…..
……The Truck Starter
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️
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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 