Lesson for May 24, 2020
Suffering and Testing in the Christian Life
Lesson 2
Punitive Suffering
Divine Discipline
Hebrews 12:4-11, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
The second category of suffering that involves punishment is divine discipline. As a good father, God disciplines His children for their own good. God is not going to allow a believer to continue in his disobedience without consequences. As we have already noted, believers produce their own misery when out of fellowship with God. This suffering is self-induced, but divine discipline is from God and designed to keep a believer on track, spiritually. In God’s matchless wisdom, He knows the most effective way to deal with each believer. God begins His discipline with a gentle warning in an attempt to alert us to the fact that we not following the Protocol Plan of God. If His gentle warning is ignored, intensive discipline is required. The most severe and final divine discipline, when intensive discipline is ignored, is dying discipline, which is called the sin unto death. (I Corinthians 5:1-5; I John 5:16-17; Revelation 3:20)
As a good Father, God is patient with His children and desires each believer to fulfill the plan He tailor-made for them in eternity past. However, as with everything in the Christian Way of Life, the decision to fulfill God’s plan is left to the volition of the individual believer. The more bad decisions a believer makes from a position of weakness because he is out of fellowship with God, the more intense the divine discipline must be in order to get a believer back on track spiritually. God takes no pleasure in disciplining His children, but in His infinite wisdom knows that discipline is what it will take to wake up a believer to the reality of his spiritual condition. If a believer refuses to respond to the divine discipline from God, they will eventually enter a dangerous stage called callousness, hardness of heart or scar tissue on the soul. Often this is a point of no return for a believer and intensive divine discipline becomes dying discipline.
Dying discipline from God is when a believer refuses to acknowledge his or her rebellion against God and becomes a negative influence toward oneself and others that effect the cause of Christ. Only God knows when this point is reached by a believer and when it is time for them to be transferred to Heaven. A believer who dies the sin unto death does not lose their salvation but does lose tremendous rewards that were available to them. These rewards remain on deposit in Heaven for the believer to see according to Ephesians 1:3 and I Peter 1:4 for all eternity. Dying in this manner as a believer is not a pleasant experience and often terrifying for a believer void of the inner resources of Bible doctrine to handle death. As advancing believers, we must always be aware of the negative influence of those believers who are undergoing divine discipline from God. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
Since it is God’s sovereignty that decides the usefulness of all believers, some believers who are operating within the world system of Satan are often used to test the advancing believer. This testing may be people testing, system testing, thought testing or disaster testing. (Psalm 37:7) Those reversionistic believers who remain alive often serve God’s purpose while they remain on earth but have become enemies of the Cross. (Philippians 3:18) They are also called enemies of God (James 4:4), haters of God (John 15:23), anti-Christ’s (I John 2:18, 22, 4:3, II John 7), hostile toward God (Romans 8:7), men of flesh (I Corinthians 3:1-3), double-minded (James 4:8), agents of the devil (I Jon 3:8), and disciples of the devil (I John 3:10). These phrases all refer to believers in Jesus Christ who are eternally saved and will spend all eternity with the Lord but have rejected the Christian Way of Life.
Staying alert to the deceptive nature of Satan and his demon army means that not everyone who presents themselves as a spiritual Christian is actually operating with accurate Bible doctrine and may actually be under divine discipline. Sincerity or a sweet personality does not substitute for the truth of the Word of God. We must never forget that Satan and his demons often present themselves as ministers of righteousness and angels of light in an attempt to disguise their evil motives. (II Corinthians 11:14-15; I Peter 5:6-11)
For believers, there are two ways to learn to obey God and His mandates. For example, a believer can learn to practice patience the hard way through periods of tribulation or suffering according to Romans 5:3. Or a believer can learn to practice patience the easy way as the fruit of the Holy Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-23. The ultimate goal of divine discipline is to teach believers. For those believers who fail to avail themselves to the teaching of accurate Bible doctrine on a consistent basis fall into three categories. Jesus spoke of these categories in Matthew 13:5-9, 20-23.
Matthew 13:3-4, 19 are unbelievers. The Gospel was in his mind (sown), he rejected it (hard, crusty road), and in rejecting it he is unable to understand it (negative volition). The Holy Spirit made it understandable, but the unbeliever refused to understand it by not believing it. So, Satan succeeded in this case in keeping an unbeliever from believing the truth of the Gospel.
The first category of believers is those who listen to doctrine but reject the parts they do not want to hear. They have the reception of accurate Bible doctrine, but do not retain it. They must therefore learn the hard way by means of divine discipline and often become distracted by the details of life and many eventually turn their backs of God and His Word. (Matthew 13:20-21)
The second category of believers is those who listen to accurate Bible doctrine, receive it, retain it but do not recall it for proper application. Lack of recall of doctrine that has been learned, believed and retained means that believers are failing in their relationship and partnership with God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, God must step in with divine discipline in order to get them back of track. Keeping short accounts regarding personal sins by naming, admitting, acknowledging these sins immediately when they are realized keeps the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit operating in the life. And, it is the Holy Spirit Who assists the believer in recall of accurate Bible doctrine that has been learned, believed and stored in the stream of consciousness of the soul. (Matthew 13:22)
The third category in Matthew 13:23 is believers who do not incur divine discipline. They hear accurate Bible doctrine taught, believe it (reception), store it (retain), remember it (recall) and apply it (wisdom) properly to their lives by means of the filling of God the Holy Spirit resulting in spiritual growth.
Revelation 3:14-22 were spoken by Christ to a local church in Laodicea and recorded by John. This message is just one of seven addressed to the local churches in Asia Minor. The message to Laodicea is a message of divine discipline and restoration to fellowship with God. It is not a salvation message as some assume, but the context of verses 14-22 make it clear it is addressed to those believers who are out of fellowship and under divine discipline.
Revelation 3:14-22, “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will [b]spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore, 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 will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Laodicea was the wealthiest of all the cities to which Jesus sent a message. This city was the seat of government in the region and had a famous medical school, a banking center, a lumber industry and a wool industry. Laodicea also had a temple to the pagan god, Men Karou. Jesus described Himself by the titles of “the Amen,” “the faithful and true Witness,” and “the beginning of the creation of God.”
The word amen is a transliterated word from Hebrew meaning firm, fixed, true or unchangeable. Amen in Hebrew is meant to convey the idea of truthfulness. This title for Jesus Christ attested to the fact that He is absolute truth, cannot change, His witness regarding God is reliable and trustworthy. (John 14:6)
The true and faithful Witness means that Jesus Christ was the One Who revealed God to mankind. Everything we know about God is present in the Person of Jesus Christ. The witness of Jesus Christ regarding God is trustworthy, can be relied on to be the absolute truth and He cannot lie. Jesus was faithful in His assigned mission to reveal God and His plan of salvation to the human race. (John 1:18, 6:46; I Timothy 6:16)
The next title, the beginning of the creation of God is a poor translation of the Greek word. The Greek word for beginning is “arche,” which was used in a way to indicate that Jesus Christ was “the originator, initiator and source of creation,” not a “creation” of God. Should be translated the beginning of the initiator of creation from God. (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17)
Jesus knew the works of this church. They were lukewarm in their relationship with God. Jesus said they were not hot or cold. The analogy is like beverages that are supposed to be drunk hot or cold. If the beverage is supposed to be hot and is cold when you drink it, it tastes bad. On the other hand, if the beverage is supposed to be cold and is hot when you drink it, it tastes bad. The “taste” of the out-of-fellowship believer who continues into reversionism (a state of continuous carnality) is not pleasant to God. Therefore, God simply wants to “spit” this kind of believer out of His mouth. Obviously, this is an illustration showing how distasteful it is to God for one of His children to continually disobey Him and remain in a state of carnality (being controlled by the sin nature). (Matthew 6:24)
Reversionism is the condition of a believer who is perpetually negative toward Bible doctrine and has stopped growing spiritually. It is failure to follow God’s plan of executing the Christian Way of Life. The reversionist is a believer in perpetual carnality, out of fellowship with God and controlled by his sin nature. (If you are not advancing toward spiritual maturity as a Christian, you are retreating into reversionism). Some believers start their Christian lives very well, under sound, accurate doctrinal teaching from a pastor-teacher but wander off into reversionism. Some wander off immediately after salvation and remain in a state of carnality until they die. (Philippians 3:18-19; II John 8-10)
The church at Laodicea being wealthy could certainly have played a part in the indifference to their spiritual lives. It is not uncommon for a believer to forget the source of his wealth, if he is not properly grounded in Bible doctrine from the Word of God. Learning, believing and applying Bible doctrine should be the number one priority for every believer. This is the only means of spiritual growth, which results in pleasing God, being in His will and glorifying Jesus Christ. (Romans 12:1-2; II Timothy 2:15)
These believers believed they had all they needed because they were materially wealthy. Jesus pointed out that even though they had material wealth, they lacked spiritual wealth. Wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked all refer to their spiritual status. All these words describe believers who are out of fellowship with God and quenching the Holy Spirit. As a reversionist moves further away from God, his conscience becomes more and more seared, his norms and standards revert to human viewpoint and the “scar tissue” of the soul begins to build. Capacity for life is replaced with the temporary happiness of the world system: money, power, social status and material possessions. What a person thought was going to bring them lasting happiness only brings delusion. Delusion leads to frustration, discouragement and even depression. (I Timothy 4:1-2)
The solution to problem of carnality in Laodicea is found in Revelation 3:18: 1) buy gold from God 2) buy white clothes from God and 3) anoint your eyes with salve. The gold they were to buy was not just any gold; it was gold that had been refined by fire in order to remove the impurities. The gold of which Jesus spoke was the spiritual wealth that comes as a result of spiritual growth. God has given all believers a command to grow spiritually and He never gives us a command without giving us the means necessary to obey it. God, therefore, has provided His written instruction book (the Bible) and the filling (control) of the Holy Spirit. Both are grace functions for every believer in this age, regardless of education or I.Q. Any believer with a positive attitude towards Bible doctrine can learn, believe and apply it accurately.
The white clothes that Jesus told these believers in Laodicea to buy was an encouragement to practice righteousness. Jesus addressed believers in this city, who already possessed the righteousness of God. However, they were not practicing righteousness in their daily lives and had become indifferent to the things of God. White is normally associated with purity in the Scriptures and implies that their works were not motivated by their love for God nor were they filled with the Holy Spirit. These believers were “naked,” spiritually speaking. (II Corinthians 5:14)
The third solution to carnality was described as putting salve on the eyes so they could see. The believer in a state of carnality is spiritually blind. The Greek word for blind is “porosis” meaning a covering with a callus. These believers had eternal life and were children of God but being out of fellowship caused spiritual blindness. The recovery from this condition is confession of sin and the resumption of the spiritual life through the study and application of Bible doctrine. (I John 1:7-10; Ephesians 4:17-24)
Deliberate rejection of the study or application of Bible doctrine on a consistent basis leads a believer directly into evil. Evil is not always what people think of as evil. Evil can be succumbing to satanic doctrine, which enters the mind through the vacuum created by negative volition over a prolonged period of time. The vacuum is an emptiness or a void in the mind that is going to filled with something, either Divine Viewpoint Thinking or Human Viewpoint Thinking. Since proper thinking becomes totally distorted in reversionism, the reversionistic believer blames all his problems on God, on others or on circumstances, failing to take responsibility for his own bad decisions, bad choices and bad behavior. (Ephesians 5:11; 6:12)
The carnal believer who stays out of fellowship for a prolonged period of time begins to build scar tissue on the soul, becoming callous to everything that has to do with God and His Word. This was the spiritual status of the believers in Laodicea. The build-up of scar tissue is synonymous with the term “hardening of the heart” (sometimes referring to the unbeliever and sometimes to the believer). Scar tissue prevents Bible doctrine from circulating in the soul, cutting off the ability to recall and use doctrinal information that has previously been stored there. (John 12:40; Romans 2:5; II Corinthians 4:3-4)
Jesus tells this complacent church to change their minds (obviously about their lack of spirituality). If they would not, Jesus reminded them that as believers they would be disciplined. God is a good Father and disciplines the believer when necessary like a good father would. Never make the mistake of thinking that you are getting away with a certain sin just because God loves you. It is because He loves you that He disciplines you, not wanting you to get off track in your spiritual life. Actually, receiving divine discipline proves that you are a child of God and that God loves you. (Hebrews 12:6-11)
Revelation 3:20 is often quoted as a verse referring to salvation. We know this is not the case since Jesus is addressing believers. The idea Jesus was presenting was that He was waiting for these believers to change their minds about their spiritual condition (carnality), confess their sins and return to fellowship with God. Notice that Christ does not enter the door without an invitation from the hearer on the other side. It was customary in biblical times for a person to knock at a door and then identify oneself. This is a picture of the free will of man. The idea of “supping” (dining) pictures communion or fellowship, not salvation. This group of believers did not need to hear a salvation message, they needed to get back in fellowship with God.
Jesus told them that the overcomers (believers) would sit with Jesus on His throne. Positionally, the believer is seated at the right hand of the Father being fully in union with Jesus Christ. The throne speaks of rulership. In the future, believers will rule and reign with Christ during His millennial reign on earth. Rulership over cities by believers is spoken of in Luke 19:17; II Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10. In Revelation 3:22 Jesus gives an imperative command for the churches to hear what was being said by the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit Who teaches and enlightens the believer to the truth of God’s Word. The term “he that has an ear let him hear,” means more than merely hearing something audibly. The Greek word for hear is “aukuo” and has various meanings, including to hear with the ear. It can also mean to heed, to give audience or to understand. The phrase “to all the churches” told them that these messages were meant to be circulated among all the churches in Asia.