“REVISITING THE WALL”

(Hebrews 12:7-13)

A major concern for humans is the sense of “fairness”. This past week I watched a documentary that reviewed an event that occurred 10 years ago. It was the retelling of the tragic airplane crash of John Kennedy, his wife and her sister. As the various friends and family members  recorded their feelings a decade later more than one said out loud, “It’s just not fair for one family to go through so much grief and sorrow”. At one time or another, every single person will come to at least one event in life that is extremely difficult: perhaps even unbearable. This one facing crisis or horrendous adversity will reach the conclusion that (to put it in today’s language) “life sucks”. This not only happens   to people in the world, BUT Bible-believing Christians go through the same excruciating times of turmoil. Since such folk believe in a God who knows all things, controls all things and has the power to handle all things; when such occurrences arise, these Christians face disillusionment   and confusion. Sometimes they even quit attempting to live by faith.

We have discovered in our exploration of the “Spiritual Journey” that this experience is something God often does in the lives of His children to bring discipline or structure into their lives. Welcome to Hebrews 12:7-10. Here, we see the role God can play in allowing or personally  bringing such turmoil into a Christian’s life. Because this is such an unpopular perception of God (though found throughout Scripture) we are taking the time to revisit the teaching. I am asking us to realize THREE TRUTHS ABOUT OUR WALL EXPERIENCES.

            1.     GOD BRINGS BOTH GOOD AND DIFFICULT TIMES INTO HIS CHILDREN’S LIVES, ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS!

I have found through my years of pastoral ministry that many Christians are totally opposed to this concept. We love the Good part but react poorly to the bad part. There is a popular notion within Christian circles that God’s will for His people is to be “healthy, wealthy and wise”. It’s called, in church circles, “the health and wealth gospel”. At the same time Christians are not open to considering that God would do anything to bring discomfort, difficulty or turmoil into their lives. If they have to be open to God bringing discipline to their life, “Why believe in  a God like that?” Yet, Scripture presents the idea that God determines what He gives or allows each of His children to receive. Whether receiving just one small portion of blessing from God, or receiving a bazillion blessings from God, each child of God is to manage things for his Lord faithfully. Our Lord told two different parables about His people receiving different amounts of blessings. In each parable God evaluated each person’s stewardship of the blessings, individually. In fact, we are told, by the Lord, Himself in Luke 12:48, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

God reveals, in Scripture, that He is actively involved in Christians’ lives individually. Part of that involvement is “chastening”. Verse 6 of Hebrews 12 tells us that “Those [God] loves, He chastens.” Some of His children go through a great amount of “wall experiences” while others might only go through one or two. Specifically, we are told in verse 7 that we are to “endure hardship as discipline; God is    treating you as sons.” If you’ve been involved in parenting, you know that each child is different. What a parent must do in raising one child    is quite a bit different for other children. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. They each have different areas that need work. Thus, the “discipline” which is needed for each child will vary based on that child’s need. A loving parent will learn the differences of each child and apply different structure with each individual.

The key to living a life of faith is to get our eyes away from the “comparison game”. You remember that Peter played that game with the Lord when Jesus told him the kind of death by which he would glorify his Lord. Peter then asked Jesus about John, in John 21:21-22, “Lord,    what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me!”  My conclusion is: so much for comparisons, when it comes to discovering what “the spiritual journey” looks like, huh? And I wonder how such inequality of circumstances (portrayed in Scripture) lines up with the great American belief that “All men are created equal”? WE ARE   INDEED EQUAL IN PERSONAL WORTH BUT NEVER IN CIRCUMSTANCES. Americans don’t get it! They expect that if everyone has the same circumstances, all will be fine. So much for the ACLU! We must move on!

            2.     GOD CAN BRING DISCIPLINE INTO OUR LIVES FOR TWO PURPOSES: BOTH TO INSTILL STRUCTURE  WHEN NEEDED AND INSTITUTE SPANKING WHEN NEEDED!

Verse 8 tells us “Everyone undergoes discipline.” The verse continues to explain that if discipline is not brought to bear in a child’s life it shows them to be illegitimate. No real parent would forgo bringing discipline to their child. For just as education is essential for life, so    discipline is essential for life. Just like human parents, God, the Holy Spirit is continuously attempting to bring structure into our lives in order   that we might become mature and have stability. Without structure, stability is gone and there is a penalty that must be endured. This is how we learn; God brings both education and chastisement into the lives of His children, enabling us to mature. In verse 8, therefore, the possibility of being without structure is looked upon as a disaster.

How interesting that though the author writes in verse 9 that undergoing discipline brings “respect” toward a parent, we rarely see that  anymore. Children, in our permissive culture today, are actually being taught by society to have no respect for authority. No wonder there is so much confusion in American life today. Discipline comes from one in authority. If authority is rejected and considered wrong, chaos and unrestrained living will be the end result. God loves us to much to allow that to happen.

The verses preceding this section of the chapter talk about running the race of life, “looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”. (Verse 2).     

To mature or perfect our faith, God places walls in our Christian walk to influence us to come to Him so He can use His power, His strength  and His wisdom to bring us through the wall. But, quickly, we must add one more insight and this one hits closest to home.

            3.     GOD DESIRES US TO GROW IN THE FAITH SO WE HUMBLY COME TO HIM RATHER THAN (1) QUIT    LIVING LIFE BY FAITH OR (2) RESENT THE INEQUALITY WE SEE BETWEEN US AND OTHERS!

Notice what verse 3 says. It tells us, “Don’t grow weary or lose heart.” Verse 7 tells us to, “Endure hardship.” Verse 5 quotes the Old Testament and says, “Do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you!” Verse 11 tells us, “Such discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained in it!” Notice we have to be    trained in the wall experience! But way too many Christians have thrown in the towel! They are angry at God bringing such discomfort into    their lives. Even more Christians have quit trying to live the life of faith, dependent on God for everything. They literally think God has it in for them. They sound like one of my two daughters (while they were growing up) when being required to do a certain action her sister was not required to do, “It’s not fair! She doesn’t have to do that!”

Frankly, what this passage is telling us is that God is too much in love with EACH of us to let ANY of us (who belong to Him) get “by with murder”; or to put it into plain language, to live life in our own strength, in our own way, in our own independence! And I remind you that the  one who has been delivering this message to you has had many “wall experiences” in his life. YES, I HAVE!!!! I am so stubborn, so independent, and so self-sufficient God has sent a whole avalanche of wall experiences into my life to keep me humble before my Lord and Redeemer. Simply put, God is extremely “hands-on” when it comes to our lives. He has placed the Holy Spirit within each of His children to make sure we live life His way. He will place walls in our lives to make sure we structure our life to meet His expectations. AND He is ticked   or disappointed with us when we quit (lose heart”)! He wouldn’t bother to place a wall in your life if He didn’t truly love you!