Hebrews Chapter 12: Making Corrections

Sprague River Friends Church Sermon 08/28/07

1 Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go.

And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us.

Have you ever had that sin that just won't let go? We must let it go, anything that slows us down and keeps us from running the race ahead of us. How do we let it go? We must freely and willingly and completely give it over to God.  

2 We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side
This is the simplicity I spoke of earlier. Uncluttering our lives, our bodies, our hearts, of things that keep us from keeping our eyes on Jesus,

3 So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won't get discouraged and give up.

Uncluttering our minds of things that keep us from thinking about Jesus and what God did for us by sending him to us....

4 None of you have yet been hurt [b] in your battle against sin.

5 But you have forgotten that the Scriptures say to God's children, "When the Lord punishes you,

don't make light of it,

and when he corrects you,

don't be discouraged.

6 The Lord corrects the people

he loves

and disciplines those

he calls his own."

This is one of those things that has always been a mystery to me. I call it teenage "rolling your eyes, it's lecture time" syndrome.

Have you ever noticed that when it comes time to talk to a teenager about some concern you have that suddenly all the words become.....

Blah ba blah ba balah bah bah........

Mom or Dad are lecturing me again....blah blah blah......

Whatever whatever......

It usually never seems to come across that the talk or the discipline or even the punishment has anything to do with love. Just parents doing that "getting down on me thing".

I think God corrects us, and leads us in a way he wants us to Go. I think we get a lecture from time to time when we are off track. But I am fully convinced that it happens because he loves us and wants the best for us.

7 Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats his children. Don't all parents correct their children? 8 God corrects all of his children, and if he doesn't correct you, then you don't really belong to him. 9 Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn't it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us?

For one, it's it a huge honor that God considers us his children. It's clear that he would expect us to see his as all powerful GOD.....but he loves us as children.

The same children that Jesus assured us that would more easily enter the kingdom of God.

If only we had the faith of children.

10 Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is. 11 It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace.

Correction is often seen in a negative light, and not just in the previously mentions "parent-teenager" chat scenario.

Consider a jet airplane. The tower call in and lets the pilot know that he is flying at 13,000 feet and he should he a 12,000 feet. Do you know what the traffic controller ask the pilot to do?

Make a correction?

If they get off course......he needs to make a course correction.

God knows we get off course sometimes. Maybe flying a bit too high for our own good.

He asks us for a correction. Sometimes he makes it for us. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect.

After all, we are his airplanes. He created us, he is the traffic controller of all things, and he will make a correction from time to time.

It doesn't mean we are bad or evil necessarily. We just are not doing what we are supposed to do.

12 Now stand up straight! Stop your knees from shaking 13 and walk a straight path. Then lame people will be healed, instead of getting worse.

14 Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don't, you will never see the Lord.

A story here from my own life. A few weeks ago, after overloading my truck with trash to take to the dump, I headed down the road and some of it flew off the truck and onto the road. I thought about and though about it, and decided to go dump what I had and come back to what fell off the truck. I immediately knew it was a mistake. I looked down and saw several people has stopped and were picking up the trash before I could get back.

A few minutes later, a man in a truck raced up next to us at the dump and started yelling and screaming and jumping about.

"How can you just leave the trash like that! Do you know what example you are giving your kids...and on and on and on......"

He was furious.

And you know what.

He had every right to be. His being upset was completely reasonable. I had made an error I judgment.

I told him I was sorry and was going back for the other trash.

I don't think he believed me.

He continued to rant and rave.

I said again "The only thing I can do is apologize, and go get the remaining garbage, I am really sorry"

He relented a little, and said he didn't mean to get so upset and left.

I don't blame him for being so upset.

Likewise I don't blame God for being upset when I screw up.

The difference being, I don't know how this man feels or whether he forgave me, but I know that God loves me, and he did forgive me, just for the asking.

And not just when I dump a little trash in the road, but when I make a huge trash dump of my life from time to time.

He forgives the little piles, and a the big ones.

So I try my best to leave the clean life that he is proud of, but still I fall. He knows I will fall. But he also knows my heart.

15 Make sure that no one misses out on God's wonderful kindness. Don't let anyone become bitter and cause trouble for the rest of you. 16 Watch out for immoral and ungodly people like Esau, who sold his future blessing [c] for only one meal. 17 You know how he later wanted it back. But there was nothing he could do to change things, even though he begged his father and cried.

That's an interesting spot theologically.. I'm not so sure that Esau was being immoral and ungodly by selling his birthright for a meal. It could be argued to a deeper meaning I guess.

But one thing was clear. He did regret it...alot, and he could not take it back not matter how much he begged and weeped and tore his clothes......

He blew it ... and there was earthy consequences......ones he could not change.....

I'm certain that God forgave him, I'm not sure that Esau ever forgave himself.

There are earthly consequences for our actions. Ones that sometimes we cannot change no matter how much we beg and plead and attempt to make amends.

Sometimes we just blow it, and have to take our lumps.

But from the beginning of verse 15. Let no one miss out on God's wonderful kindness.

God does and will forgive us, even if people do not.

Sometimes we simply deserve our consequence, and need to take it as a expression of God's patience and love for us.

God doesn't make corrections in our lives because he hates us, as a matter of fact it's quite the opposite. He gives us guidance to make our own corrections....because he loves us.

And it we are too stubborn to listen or busy or cluttered, he makes those corrections for us.

The same way we do with our own children.

We're not perfect. We get it wrong sometimes with our own children. But God had a perfect plan for us, and if he needs to make corrections in our lives we can be assured he knows what he is doing, and he is doing it all out of Love.