The Children of God Will Be Disciplined and Punished. Are You?

Brothers and sisters, I pray the following words and the scriptures will be a comfort to you. Many have had a father who was evil or had no father in their life. If that is your case, you must understand God the Father is nothing compared to earthly fathers. All natural fathers fail miserably and totally when compared to God the Father. Our heavenly Father constantly seeks the best for his children, who have come to him through faith in the shed blood of his Son, Jesus the Messiah.

Having said these things, if you are truly a believer, you are likely being disciplined (or punished if you are continuing in sin). All correction from the Father is designed to keep us from falling away and  keep us from sin or continuing in sin. The discipline of the Father is to move us to seek holiness. We are not robots and God will not force us to obey him. This is quite sobering and critical for our understanding.

When I as a prodigal came home to the Lord, I had been severely punished. I was in agony and mental anguish. The Lord was my only hope. He took me in and washed me clean. As a result, many years later, I covet the discipline of the Lord. The results of His discipline are truly wonderful. The result of serving Satan and his temporary pleasures, is heartache and pain, then destruction in hell.

As you read the following scriptures, I pray you will see the love of God, who desires that all people repent. (Acts 17:30 and 2 Peter 3:9). Take special note of our responsibilities. Warnings are foreign to most of today's preachers and Christians.

Hebrews 12 ISV

1Therefore, having so vast a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and throwing off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entanglesa us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us,2fixing our attention on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of the faith, who, in view ofb the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3Think about the one who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you may not become tired and give up.4In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding yourc blood. 5You have forgotten the encouragement that is addressed to you as sons:

“My son, do not think lightly of the Lord’sd discipline

or give up when you are corrected by him.

6For the Lorde disciplines the one he loves,

and he punishesf every son he accepts.”g

7What you endure disciplines you: God is treating you as sons. Is there a son whom his father does not discipline? 8Now if you are without any discipline, in which all sons share, then you are illegitimate and not God’sh sons. 9Furthermore, we had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them for it. We should submit even more to the Father of our spirits and live, shouldn’t we? 10For a short time they disciplined us as they thought best, but Godi does it for our good, so that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, for those who have been trained by it, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.

12Therefore, strengthen your tired arms and your weak knees, 

13and straighten the paths of your life,j 

so that your lameness may not become worse, 

but instead may be healed.

14Pursue peace with everyone, 

as well as holiness, 

without which no one will see the Lord. 

15See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God 

and that no bitter root grows up and causes you trouble, 

or many of you will become defiled. 

16No one should be immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.17For you know that afterwards, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he could not find any opportunity to repent, even though he begged to repentk with tears.

It appears clearly that the churches in the West, as a whole, have become like the church in Laodicea. The very word "Laodicea" means "mans opinions". Opinions fill the pulpits while the Word of God goes ignored. Jesus gives a very serious warning to to all believers who are as that church in Revelation 3 ISV.

14“To the messengerh of the church in Laodicea, write:

‘The Amen, the witness who is faithful and true, the originator of God’s creation, says this:

15‘I know your actions, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 16Since you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, “I am rich. I have become wealthy. I don’t need anything.” Yet you don’t realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18Therefore, I advise you to buy from me gold purified in fire so you may be rich, white clothes to wear so your shameful nakedness won’t show, and ointment to put on your eyes so you may see. 19I correct and discipline those whom I love, so be serious and repent! 20Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eati with me. 21To the one who conquers I will give a place to sit with me on my throne, just as I have conquered and have sat down with my Father on his throne.

22‘Let everyonej listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.’”