WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: The Discipline of God Publishing Date: 2014-11-23T05:00:44-08:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/the-discipline-of-god/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000 We've been talking about the fear of God, the favor of God, friend of God. 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.920 So today we talk about the discipline of God. 00:00:06.920 --> 00:00:09.200 The discipline of God. 00:00:09.200 --> 00:00:11.520 So that's what we'll talk about today. 00:00:11.520 --> 00:00:15.880 And I mean it's a topic you avoid, eh? 00:00:15.880 --> 00:00:18.800 Because that's the God we grew up with. 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:20.820 This disciplining God. 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:21.880 So you want to avoid that. 00:00:21.880 --> 00:00:24.600 You want to let him be friend and favor and all this stuff. 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:26.940 But let's not talk about the discipline of God. 00:00:26.940 --> 00:00:28.940 So today we decided to talk about it. 00:00:28.940 --> 00:00:35.660 So guys, discipling or the formation of disciples is impossible without discipline. 00:00:35.660 --> 00:00:42.380 Meaning you can't form disciples unless there is discipline involved. 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:47.100 And so what discipline really does, and we'll talk about it and you'll find out that, oh 00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:49.380 shucks, this isn't as bad as I thought. 00:00:49.380 --> 00:00:58.340 So discipline, see God's intent guys is that you partake in his divine nature. 00:00:58.360 --> 00:01:01.760 God's intent is that you partake in his divine nature. 00:01:01.760 --> 00:01:08.280 Let me simplify that going back to what we learned maybe 10 months ago. 00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:11.880 We said that our primary call is a call to being. 00:01:11.880 --> 00:01:13.800 I don't know if you remember that. 00:01:13.800 --> 00:01:19.240 Our primary call is a call to being, which then made us ask another question. 00:01:19.240 --> 00:01:20.840 Call to being what? 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:25.280 And the answer was call to being like God. 00:01:25.280 --> 00:01:26.840 That was the answer. 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:31.060 And then we came up with this theme for the year which was world meet God. 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:37.500 As in when you meet me, you should begin to see aspects of the father in my life. 00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:44.300 So God's intent always is I've got to make Jacob look like me. 00:01:44.300 --> 00:01:48.460 I've got to help him partake in my nature so that others in the world can see what I 00:01:48.460 --> 00:01:49.460 look like. 00:01:49.460 --> 00:01:51.900 Because that's what Jesus came to do, right? 00:01:51.900 --> 00:01:56.020 He came and said if you have seen me, you have seen the father. 00:01:56.020 --> 00:01:57.020 So that's God's intent. 00:01:57.020 --> 00:02:00.240 So he wants me to partake in his divine nature. 00:02:00.240 --> 00:02:01.840 But here's what happens. 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:08.200 Discipline educates me. 00:02:08.200 --> 00:02:12.100 Discipline educates me and keeps me fit. 00:02:12.100 --> 00:02:30.100 Discipline keeps me fit to participate in or partake in his nature. 00:02:30.100 --> 00:02:34.660 That's what the end of discipline is. 00:02:34.660 --> 00:02:39.380 Discipline educates me or keeps me fit to partake in his nature. 00:02:39.380 --> 00:02:50.380 While at the same time escaping the corruption of the world. 00:02:50.380 --> 00:02:51.380 Where do we get this from? 00:02:51.380 --> 00:02:54.180 Go to 2nd Peter 1.4 and you'll see it there. 00:02:54.180 --> 00:02:55.980 Escaping the corruption of the world. 00:02:55.980 --> 00:03:01.480 I mean, I'm just taking a verse from there and adding discipline to it. 00:03:01.480 --> 00:03:08.740 So discipline educates me and keeps me fit to partake in God's nature and escape the 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:09.740 corruption of the world. 00:03:09.740 --> 00:03:14.540 That's what discipline basically is geared towards. 00:03:14.540 --> 00:03:15.540 Just remember that. 00:03:15.540 --> 00:03:17.680 It's important that you remember this. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:19.140 Discipline is not punishment. 00:03:19.140 --> 00:03:21.840 It's never punishment when it comes to God. 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:22.840 Got to remove that idea. 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:26.900 You got to separate punishment and penalty from discipline. 00:03:26.900 --> 00:03:27.900 Because that's what we think. 00:03:27.900 --> 00:03:32.360 When our parents disciplined us, it was this thing of, ah shucks, he's going to punish 00:03:32.360 --> 00:03:35.140 me now or she's going to punish me now. 00:03:35.140 --> 00:03:37.520 Or there was a penalty attached to discipline. 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:42.960 So when it comes to God, God's intent is, I've got to use discipline in Jacob's life 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:47.920 to educate him and keep him fit to partake in my nature and to keep him from the corruption 00:03:47.920 --> 00:03:48.920 of the world. 00:03:48.920 --> 00:03:51.200 And there's never any punishment with it. 00:03:51.200 --> 00:03:52.480 Never any penalty. 00:03:52.480 --> 00:03:55.600 Because whenever there's punishment and penalty, there is fear. 00:03:55.600 --> 00:03:57.600 And whenever there's fear, there is torment. 00:03:57.600 --> 00:04:00.360 And whenever there is torment, there is no perfect love. 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:02.800 But God loves perfectly. 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:04.520 So got to separate those guys. 00:04:04.520 --> 00:04:06.280 And it's very hard to separate. 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:09.840 Some of us are 40, 50 years old. 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:11.840 Some of us are younger. 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:18.200 And the thing is, at the end of the day, we've grown up with this attitude of discipline 00:04:18.200 --> 00:04:21.320 and punishment go hand in hand and it's got nothing to do with each other. 00:04:21.320 --> 00:04:24.120 Really, nothing to do with each other. 00:04:24.120 --> 00:04:26.160 Just remember that in the back of your mind. 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:29.000 So here's how we can break up discipline. 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:31.520 It operates on three main levels, guys. 00:04:31.520 --> 00:04:32.840 Three levels. 00:04:32.840 --> 00:04:35.000 So here's what it looks like. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:47.960 Discipline is training and instruction. 00:04:47.960 --> 00:04:51.640 Training and instruction. 00:04:51.640 --> 00:04:55.160 That's one aspect of discipline. 00:04:55.160 --> 00:04:56.600 Training and instruction. 00:04:56.600 --> 00:05:03.800 Two, there's something called the discipline of obedience. 00:05:03.800 --> 00:05:06.520 We'll touch on that. 00:05:06.520 --> 00:05:21.000 And three, there's discipline as chastisement. 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:23.960 These are the three levels that discipline operates on. 00:05:23.960 --> 00:05:26.720 One, discipline is training and instruction. 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:29.240 Two, discipline is the discipline of obedience. 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:32.640 And three, discipline is the discipline of chastisement. 00:05:32.640 --> 00:05:34.280 As in when you are chastised. 00:05:34.280 --> 00:05:37.840 What's another word for chastise? 00:05:37.840 --> 00:05:38.840 We hardly use that word. 00:05:38.840 --> 00:05:42.480 We go, hardly tell our children, Tavis, I'm now going to chastise you. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:43.480 No. 00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:44.480 What's another word for chastise? 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:45.480 Pardon? 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:46.480 What did she say? 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:47.480 Scald. 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:48.480 Scald, yeah. 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:52.400 It's a little stronger than scald. 00:05:52.400 --> 00:05:53.400 But try using it on your kids. 00:05:53.400 --> 00:05:55.400 I'm going to chastise you. 00:05:55.400 --> 00:06:01.080 And they'll think you're going to do some surgical procedure on them. 00:06:01.080 --> 00:06:04.440 So these are the three levels it operates on. 00:06:04.440 --> 00:06:08.980 Strange thing is guys, even as parents, part of you, those of you who are parents should 00:06:08.980 --> 00:06:15.740 begin to take this teaching not just in terms of God in you, but also in how you can deal 00:06:15.740 --> 00:06:18.320 with your children. 00:06:18.320 --> 00:06:19.880 Because it operates on these three levels. 00:06:19.880 --> 00:06:25.680 Where did you guys come out of? 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:27.680 Yeah. 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:28.680 Sorry I asked. 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:36.040 It's like rabbits out of a hat, man. 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:40.360 Yeah, thank God for them. 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:41.360 Look at all the dirt on the ground. 00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:44.360 I mean, praise God for kids. 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:50.080 Okay, so guys, even as parents, this applies. 00:06:50.080 --> 00:06:53.040 Where you need to use discipline for training and instruction. 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:57.600 You need to use the discipline of obedience and you need occasionally to use discipline 00:06:57.600 --> 00:06:59.240 as chastisement. 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:04.320 And this is the last resort, strangely. 00:07:04.320 --> 00:07:10.600 So when you study discipline, you have to study it in this progression. 00:07:10.600 --> 00:07:15.760 If you study it any other way, if you change this progression, you might get a twisted 00:07:15.760 --> 00:07:20.320 understanding of God and a twisted understanding of discipline. 00:07:20.320 --> 00:07:24.960 Because most of us see discipline as just this and we immediately superimpose that on 00:07:24.960 --> 00:07:29.840 the father and he comes out looking really ugly. 00:07:29.840 --> 00:07:35.240 But this is where he goes when other steps have not worked. 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:41.520 And so you have to understand discipline in this progression if you want to have an accurate 00:07:41.520 --> 00:07:49.760 picture of the father and of this whole concept of discipline. 00:07:49.840 --> 00:07:54.240 Any questions before we go on? 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:58.960 Yeah, I'm going to explain all three. 00:08:04.960 --> 00:08:09.960 Yeah, who brought me that water? 00:08:09.960 --> 00:08:12.880 Derek. 00:08:12.880 --> 00:08:15.520 Your membership fee just went up, man. 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:19.200 Okay, so let's talk about the discipline of obedience first. 00:08:19.200 --> 00:08:20.640 The discipline of obedience. 00:08:20.640 --> 00:08:28.800 Guys, the discipline of obedience is when you experience, how do I put it? 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:38.880 Sometimes guys, what God does is he takes you through an experience where you have to 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:45.840 yield to God through times of intense pressure and suffering and he lets the word test you 00:08:46.640 --> 00:08:48.080 so that you become perfect. 00:08:48.080 --> 00:08:50.160 Now having said that, let's take an example. 00:08:50.160 --> 00:08:53.680 Joseph, Psalm 105, verses 17 to 21. 00:08:53.680 --> 00:08:56.640 And it says, the word of the Lord tested Joseph. 00:08:56.640 --> 00:09:04.000 His hands were put in fetters, his neck or hands or legs or two parts of the body were 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:09.920 put in fetters and he was subjected to a whole lot of pressure till the word of the Lord came to 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:11.360 pass. 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:20.240 The point being, discipline as obedience is when there's a cost exacted or a demand placed on you 00:09:20.800 --> 00:09:25.920 to see whether your untested obedience can now move to a place of proven obedience. 00:09:25.920 --> 00:09:27.200 Let me say that again. 00:09:27.200 --> 00:09:36.800 Discipline in terms of obedience is when God demands of your life a yieldedness to him as 00:09:36.800 --> 00:09:42.400 you go through what seems like intense pressure and suffering and yet his intent is, I'm going 00:09:42.400 --> 00:09:47.520 to bring you Jacob from this place of untested obedience to proven obedience. 00:09:49.760 --> 00:09:51.520 So, go ahead Maurice. 00:09:53.760 --> 00:09:56.480 Psalm 105, verse 17 to 21. 00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:03.680 Where it's experiencing the depths of yieldedness to God through times of intense pressure 00:10:03.680 --> 00:10:04.400 and suffering. 00:10:04.400 --> 00:10:08.080 Jesus went through it, Hebrews chapter 5, verses 14 and 15. 00:10:09.040 --> 00:10:16.000 The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 5, verses 14 and 15 that Jesus learned obedience through suffering. 00:10:17.040 --> 00:10:21.760 And the only way you can learn the discipline of obedience is when you've been given a promise 00:10:21.760 --> 00:10:26.560 that you're holding on to, knowing that it doesn't matter what I go through, I'm going 00:10:26.560 --> 00:10:30.800 through this, even if I have to suffer I will come out on the other side because a promise 00:10:30.800 --> 00:10:32.320 has been given and it'll happen. 00:10:33.280 --> 00:10:37.920 Another way you go through this discipline of obedience is for the joy that is set before you. 00:10:37.920 --> 00:10:41.200 Where Jesus endured the cross and the shame, why? 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:43.840 Because of the joy that was set before him. 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:46.480 Everybody who is a Christian goes through this. 00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:52.960 I mean your testimonies, your stories here are an example of this. 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:59.280 What he spoke about last week, when he talked about God exacting a cost from him and Mariana 00:11:00.800 --> 00:11:04.800 in terms of having moved here to do what they're doing here, there was a cost that was exacted. 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:13.120 There's nobody who can come into maturity without going through the discipline of obedience. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:13.600 Nobody. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:21.200 Well what very often happens is we don't like the intense pressure and the demand that's placed on 00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:23.680 our lives and so we opt out of it. 00:11:24.800 --> 00:11:25.920 We don't see it through. 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:30.400 And so what happens is you still go to heaven, you still are the father's beloved but you never 00:11:30.400 --> 00:11:32.480 come into maturity. 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:39.440 This is why I keep saying if God is putting to death something in your life, die quietly. 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:40.480 Don't die screaming. 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:45.600 A seed doesn't say, oh I'm falling on the ground, oh the mud is around me squeezing the life. 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:47.280 The seed dies. 00:11:47.280 --> 00:11:49.680 Can you imagine if every seed started screaming? 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:53.840 It'd be very noisy man. 00:11:54.480 --> 00:12:01.600 But John 12 24 says, unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it shall not bear fruit 00:12:01.600 --> 00:12:02.800 and it will die. 00:12:02.800 --> 00:12:04.240 It will stay alone. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:05.840 That's what John 12 24 says. 00:12:05.920 --> 00:12:10.960 So know this that this will happen in your life and be grateful for it. 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:15.760 Dance with joy when this happens because it is the only way you're going to come into any 00:12:15.760 --> 00:12:16.960 form of maturity. 00:12:17.760 --> 00:12:18.960 No other way around it. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:28.240 So have Mariana and Jason come to Vancouver and are they going through different trials? 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:28.800 Great. 00:12:28.800 --> 00:12:30.000 They're in the right place. 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:31.200 They're in the right place. 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:32.400 They're in the right place. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:37.520 Are Mark and Rhonda who moved from Quadra Island having a difficult time adjusting? 00:12:37.520 --> 00:12:38.320 Great. 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:39.600 Otherwise you should have stayed there. 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:40.560 You shouldn't have come. 00:12:41.520 --> 00:12:43.280 No one put a gun to anybody's head. 00:12:43.280 --> 00:12:47.600 But if you're here, then well, learn it because there is something called a discipline of 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:50.320 obedience which brings you into maturity. 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:52.480 It just changes you, man. 00:12:54.640 --> 00:12:55.760 Changes you. 00:12:55.760 --> 00:12:59.360 This is why in John 15 verse 2, I love what Jesus says. 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:03.920 Jesus doesn't say that every branch that does not bear fruit I will prune. 00:13:03.920 --> 00:13:08.960 He says every branch that bears fruit I will prune. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:14.560 Jesus says, if you can bear fruit, my life shall be your life's life. 00:13:14.560 --> 00:13:21.880 prune. He says every branch that bears fruit I will prune. That's what he says. 00:13:21.880 --> 00:13:26.880 That Jacob it's so good to see you bearing fruit. Now let me come and prune 00:13:26.880 --> 00:13:32.880 your branches so that you bear more fruit. And what is the usual way of 00:13:32.880 --> 00:13:36.760 pruning? With the word because later on he says immediately after that that you 00:13:36.760 --> 00:13:40.840 are already pruned back by the message or the word I have spoken. So what 00:13:40.840 --> 00:13:43.840 happens is God will then give you a promise or God will give you a thing in 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:46.560 the distance through his word and say okay start walking towards this Jacob 00:13:46.560 --> 00:13:52.440 and in the process demands and pressure increase man. Enjoy it because it's the 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:59.920 only way you're going to come into who you are. It's the only way. Jesus went through it. 00:13:59.920 --> 00:14:06.960 Jesus went through it. He learned obedience through suffering. This is the 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:15.160 discipline of obedience. It's submission to the will of God in the arena of men 00:14:15.160 --> 00:14:20.400 so that God's plan unfolds. Let me say that again. It is submission to the will 00:14:20.400 --> 00:14:25.760 of God while you live amongst people. This is not just between God and you. 00:14:25.760 --> 00:14:29.600 It happens in the context of people. Joseph went through it. David went 00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:34.200 through it. I mean what happens the day he's crowned king? He runs as a refugee. 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:38.600 What happens to Joseph? He's a prisoner. What happens to Moses? Driven into the 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:42.920 backside of the Sinai. There's not a single person in the Bible from the 00:14:42.920 --> 00:14:47.280 Hebrews chapter 11 who didn't go through the discipline of obedience. Wonderful 00:14:47.280 --> 00:14:58.640 thing. Wonderful thing. It moves you from untested obedience to proven obedience. 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:05.920 It moves you from untested obedience to proven obedience and the process 00:15:05.920 --> 00:15:14.200 involves intense pressure and suffering. The process involves intense pressure 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:20.440 and suffering. It moves you from untested obedience to proven obedience. 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:26.120 Abraham had to go through it and the Bible actually says and then God tested 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:32.360 Abraham. Moving him from Abraham, father of faith, let me now take you from 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:38.280 unproven obedience to untested obedience to proven obedience and then he became 00:15:38.280 --> 00:15:47.920 the friend of God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Any questions on 00:15:47.920 --> 00:15:53.880 that one before we move on? Anything you want to add or disagree with? 00:15:56.280 --> 00:16:06.920 No, I'm not saying sickness is part of that. I'm not saying sickness is part of that. 00:16:10.920 --> 00:16:15.080 Is it possible for God to put on us pressure more than we can bear? No. 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:19.360 Because in everything we go back to the scriptures, right? Because the scriptures 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:25.400 are the final authority when it comes to experiences and the scriptures say he 00:16:25.400 --> 00:16:29.360 will not test us beyond our ability to bear but with it will give us ways of 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:37.000 escape. So that can't happen. Yeah, thank God for scriptures. Otherwise it'd be 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:47.120 guess-working, man. Any other questions? Okay, let's talk about chastisement then 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:53.080 before we go on to the first one. Chastisement. Chastisement is when 00:16:53.280 --> 00:16:58.860 basically Hebrews 12 6 puts it this way, Hebrews 12 6 puts it this way, for the 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:06.280 Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives. For 00:17:06.280 --> 00:17:13.440 the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:19.400 one more time for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every 00:17:19.400 --> 00:17:26.200 son whom he receives which means Jacob because he's a son of God not the son of 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:33.440 God because Jacob is a son of God it is natural that God will discipline Jacob 00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:38.160 and will chastise him if Jacob goes beyond a point. This is not automatic you 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:46.040 can be hey tell me something was Jesus chastised by the father? No. Sure our 00:17:46.040 --> 00:17:50.360 chastisement was put on him that's a different thing was Jesus chastised by 00:17:50.360 --> 00:17:59.320 the father? No. Why? He was obedient. This is a place you go to unfortunately all 00:17:59.320 --> 00:18:04.800 of us go there but this is not who this is not what God starts with this is 00:18:04.800 --> 00:18:11.880 where God goes to why because it's course correction chastisement is always 00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:17.680 course correction. Course correction from what? Course correction from stubbornness 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:26.120 course correction from unrelenting sin yeah unrelenting course correction from 00:18:26.120 --> 00:18:33.360 unrelenting sin course correction from the loss of the fear of God I'll read it 00:18:33.360 --> 00:18:38.160 again after I'm done and course correction from destiny destroying 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:44.440 choices that we make so let me say that again God uses chastisement only when 00:18:44.440 --> 00:18:51.680 other forms of warning have failed and now you're at a place of such stubbornness 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:56.960 that your neck has gone so brittle that if anyone touches it your head will fall 00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:02.840 off that's when course correction comes in or course correction happens when 00:19:02.840 --> 00:19:18.480 there is unrelenting sin. C-O-U-R-S-E Angela yeah course correction yeah and so 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:25.120 stubbornness unrelenting sin thank you Jacob I think that's what you said loss 00:19:25.120 --> 00:19:28.640 of the fear of God that's another thing that happens a loss of the fear of God 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:32.400 and that happens quite often in New Testament Christianity because we see 00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:36.560 God as a God of mercy and he keeps we know that he's merciful we know that 00:19:36.560 --> 00:19:41.400 he's merciful and what happens in the process is we lose the fear of God it's 00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:48.040 not supposed to be that way but sometimes mercy does not provoke repentance it 00:19:48.040 --> 00:19:53.760 provokes I can get away with this and then God has to step in with chastisement 00:19:53.760 --> 00:19:58.120 and the last one is when you I mean you can add to it but another reason why 00:19:58.120 --> 00:20:04.480 chastisement is used is when I am making destiny-destroying choices in my 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:10.240 life and God cares so much to see Jacob become all that he needs to become that 00:20:10.240 --> 00:20:14.440 he steps in with chastisement but remember what we talked about when we 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:19.320 talked about the nature of the father we said one of the character 00:20:19.320 --> 00:20:26.000 attributes of the father is that he engages in anger-free discipline anger 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:32.360 free discipline his discipline or chastisement is never loaded with anger 00:20:32.360 --> 00:20:40.280 it's anger free and like Wayne shouted out from behind it actually has the 00:20:40.280 --> 00:20:46.640 love that a father has for his son in it so it's it's just full of a father's 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:51.600 love for his son what makes it so different from our human fathers is that 00:20:51.600 --> 00:21:00.800 there's no anger in it man there's no anger in it you know I've been strong 00:21:00.800 --> 00:21:07.840 with Jason at times but I've never been angry with him never been angry with him 00:21:07.840 --> 00:21:13.720 I don't even have a biological father-son relationship with him but the point 00:21:13.720 --> 00:21:18.760 being guys if Jacob who's super flawed can do that with another person who's 00:21:18.760 --> 00:21:21.640 made tons of mistakes which we won't talk about right now that's another 00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:27.440 sermon that he'll teach next month the mistakes that my wife and I have made 00:21:27.440 --> 00:21:35.760 that's the title of the next sermon but that aside guys God's discipline is 00:21:35.760 --> 00:21:39.640 anger-free you've got to remember that it'll make you more comfortable with 00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:47.520 the father at the end of the day how we view the father is how we view life and 00:21:47.520 --> 00:21:55.280 ourselves so when you suddenly begin to see the father as our shucks he treats 00:21:55.280 --> 00:22:00.960 me like a dad treats a son and his discipline even though I don't like it 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:05.880 because he himself said it isn't pleasant will never have anger in it it 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:12.960 kind of makes it easier to handle it guys makes it easier to handle it 00:22:13.840 --> 00:22:21.200 Chastisement may take different forms it may take the form of rebuke like 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:24.880 strong rebuke you read the book of Revelation then you'll see it in 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:31.960 Revelation 2 21 where he says hey you've been tolerating Jezebel he says to the 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:36.400 church in Tyatira and he says you've been tolerating her and I have given her 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:39.640 time to repent and she hasn't repented so here's what I'm gonna do I'm gonna 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:43.080 put her on a sickbed and any of her followers I'm gonna deal with them 00:22:43.080 --> 00:22:48.520 harshly too and suddenly you begin to think oh shucks there are different 00:22:48.520 --> 00:22:53.560 ways that God uses chastisement it may take the form of rebuke here's the thing 00:22:53.560 --> 00:22:58.800 that sometimes boggles my mind it may also take the form of affliction 00:22:59.080 --> 00:23:07.840 affliction even leading to death which we see in 1st Corinthians 11 where God 00:23:07.840 --> 00:23:12.680 says some of you have been so not into keeping the church together you've been 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:17.200 trying to disunite the church and so don't be surprised that some of you are 00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:24.920 sick and some of you are dead 1st Corinthians 11 verse 30 so sometimes 00:23:24.920 --> 00:23:30.080 discipline takes a form of affliction and another form of discipline is when 00:23:30.080 --> 00:23:35.520 human adversaries rise up against you the Bible talks about that when 00:23:35.520 --> 00:23:42.320 Solomon began to go askew God disciplined him by raising up human 00:23:42.320 --> 00:23:51.120 adversaries to block him so those are three ways that chastisement can work 00:23:51.120 --> 00:23:57.200 itself out and it always ceases when correction manifests it always ceases 00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:07.440 when correction manifests guys here's the thing though why not live here why 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:19.360 even go down here why not live here why come down here it's possible but 00:24:19.360 --> 00:24:25.400 unfortunately we don't seem to get the hang of it but today we'll only be 00:24:25.400 --> 00:24:31.360 talking about the discipline of training and instruction mainly just so 00:24:31.360 --> 00:24:37.240 we understand that and then we'll talk about the other ones in detail later so 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:41.360 today we talk about discipline in the context of instruction and training by 00:24:41.360 --> 00:24:45.400 the Holy Spirit isn't it awesome that the Holy Spirit calls himself the 00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:50.440 counselor the guide the comforter the helper I mean put all that together and 00:24:50.440 --> 00:24:56.400 you have an awesome instructor man and now you see why Psalm 32 verse 8 makes 00:24:56.400 --> 00:25:01.400 so much sense where God says Jacob I'll instruct you and teach you in the way 00:25:01.400 --> 00:25:05.400 you should go and I will counsel you with my eye upon you and then he goes 00:25:05.400 --> 00:25:10.560 on to quickly add since I'm doing that do not be like a stubborn horse or mule 00:25:10.560 --> 00:25:16.200 which needs bitten bridle to bring it back on course as in see oh you are I see 00:25:16.200 --> 00:25:23.720 again the point being guys track the attract will be easier so you see how it 00:25:23.720 --> 00:25:27.680 works then I will instruct you with my eye upon you training and instruction is 00:25:27.680 --> 00:25:35.640 one of God's favorite ways of disciplining man and why does he do it as 00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:41.480 we said earlier the intent is to conform me to the image of the Sun to 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:50.360 image of the Sun I Hebrews 12 10 puts it this way God disciplines me for good in 00:25:50.360 --> 00:25:58.400 order that I may share in his holiness God disciplines me for good in order 00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:04.840 that I may share his holiness God disciplines me so that the fruit of 00:26:04.840 --> 00:26:12.960 righteousness may be made obvious in me and again guys nobody is free of the 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:17.920 same first Corinthians 925 here's what Paul says Paul says everyone who 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:23.160 competes in the game and if you're in God you are in the game a God's playing 00:26:23.160 --> 00:26:28.420 this amazing game in the universe it is the only game in the universe that began 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:33.820 ages ago and will be concluded and like it or not anyone who competes in the 00:26:33.820 --> 00:26:39.740 game goes into strict training in the earth they do it to get a crown that's 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:43.980 perishable but we do it to get a crown that will last forever first Corinthians 00:26:43.980 --> 00:26:49.100 925 so enjoy being trained I know I've said this story before but just for the 00:26:49.100 --> 00:26:56.240 sake of the tape guys I read this even recently that when they pick horses to 00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:02.020 pull the Queen's chariot through this not chariot what do you call those 00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:07.640 things now carriage through the streets of London they go and go to some of the 00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:13.120 finest tables in the country and then they pick these 16 or 20 of the finest 00:27:13.120 --> 00:27:17.840 horses and then they bring them to this place where they are sorted out and they 00:27:17.840 --> 00:27:24.520 pick about 10 or 12 and after that these horses are that used to run free now 00:27:24.520 --> 00:27:29.980 have to learn how to walk properly they take them through rooms where there's 00:27:29.980 --> 00:27:34.480 fire and they have them walk through fire that suddenly bursts out of 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:40.080 different corners and then they have cannon shots going off on the side they 00:27:40.080 --> 00:27:44.840 got guns going off on the side they've got car eggs car backfires going on off 00:27:44.840 --> 00:27:48.720 on the side they were loud crowd noises that suddenly erupted in the room and 00:27:48.720 --> 00:27:54.640 through it all these horses have to learn how to stay still and then after 00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:59.360 that they are trained through all this noise to listen to the whisper of the 00:27:59.360 --> 00:28:04.940 trainer not a loud shout but a whisper and to distinguish one whisper from 00:28:04.940 --> 00:28:10.620 another whisper and then after that they select six or eight horses that finally 00:28:10.620 --> 00:28:15.300 have the privilege of pulling the Queen's carriage through the streets of 00:28:15.300 --> 00:28:24.500 London that is how it is guys this thing called training and instruction is so 00:28:24.500 --> 00:28:31.980 vital to end up pulling the King's chariot it's the only way I happen 00:28:31.980 --> 00:28:37.860 through discipline training and instruction the other thing it does say 00:28:37.860 --> 00:28:44.620 in Psalm 94 12 I love the way some versions put it it says in Psalm 94 12 00:28:44.620 --> 00:28:49.860 how blessed the man you train God this is how the message puts it how blessed 00:28:49.860 --> 00:28:54.140 the man you train God the woman you instruct in your word providing a 00:28:54.140 --> 00:29:00.820 circle of quiet within the clamor of evil providing a circle of quiet within 00:29:00.820 --> 00:29:05.580 the clamor of evil as in as you begin to train and are instructed you'll find 00:29:05.580 --> 00:29:14.580 that you have the ability to rest in the midst of a storm remember that pilot 00:29:14.580 --> 00:29:20.660 Scully who landed a plane in New York on the river and one of the things that was 00:29:20.660 --> 00:29:26.420 said about him over and over again was how calm he was because he had thousands 00:29:26.420 --> 00:29:31.700 of hours of flying and through all that was happening and you should be inside a 00:29:31.700 --> 00:29:36.220 cockpit a when it when a plane begins to crash you have all kinds of sounds going 00:29:36.220 --> 00:29:39.420 off it is so scary you want to shut the sounds but the sounds are meant to do 00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:44.180 exactly the opposite and through it all he stays calm and lands the plane on the 00:29:44.780 --> 00:29:52.740 river and not a single life is lost so one of the things that training and instruction of 00:29:52.740 --> 00:29:59.340 discipline does is it allows you to live in a circle of quiet in the middle of 00:29:59.340 --> 00:30:07.740 clamor actively begin to ask God father I'm your child I'm your son discipline me 00:30:07.740 --> 00:30:11.260 what an odd prayer to pray it's the most frightening prayer all these years of my 00:30:11.260 --> 00:30:15.340 life the last thing you want to go tell God is discipline me and now you're saying but 00:30:15.340 --> 00:30:19.420 father I'd love it I'd love to be trained and instructed because I want to ultimately 00:30:19.420 --> 00:30:28.820 pull the chariot through the streets the chariot of the king so let's see what we 00:30:28.820 --> 00:30:34.820 can do to make this happen in our lives first thing guys training and instruction 00:30:34.860 --> 00:30:41.380 training and instruction comes through doctrine training and instruction comes 00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:47.820 through doctrine as in let me let me define doctrine for us at least in terms 00:30:47.820 --> 00:31:01.460 of how I mean it doctrine is the truth the present truth regarding any set of 00:31:01.620 --> 00:31:12.180 Christian beliefs that's how I'm defining it as in let's take healing okay so what is the 00:31:12.180 --> 00:31:20.060 present truth not yesterday's truth or truth from a hundred years ago what has God presently said 00:31:20.060 --> 00:31:25.180 you take the hundred years ago and you take what God is saying today and you find out okay what 00:31:25.180 --> 00:31:36.060 is the present truth regarding this or you take salvation remember we knew what it was to be born 00:31:36.060 --> 00:31:41.260 again but we didn't know what born again meant so Christ life we did this course called Christ 00:31:41.260 --> 00:31:48.220 life and Christ life showed us what the truth was with regard to salvation so doctrine is the 00:31:48.220 --> 00:31:53.460 present truth with regard to any set of beliefs that Christians hold and so one needs to understand 00:31:53.500 --> 00:31:59.540 that when it comes to training and instruction it has to come from the word all scripture is 00:31:59.540 --> 00:32:04.460 breathed out by God and it's profitable for teaching for reproof for correction for training 00:32:04.460 --> 00:32:10.620 in righteousness the thing is guys most of us I don't necessarily read the word every day and 00:32:10.620 --> 00:32:19.860 if we do we don't study it we just read it most of us don't study it so here's a suggestion that 00:32:19.860 --> 00:32:27.660 I want to employ and I hope you employ try and see if you can work it out this week where 00:32:27.660 --> 00:32:33.060 instead of just reading why don't you pick a book or why don't you pick a character or why 00:32:33.060 --> 00:32:37.580 don't you pick a theme or why don't you pick a set of beliefs that you need to understand more 00:32:37.580 --> 00:32:45.820 or why don't you pick a role that someone is playing in the Bible and then why don't you 00:32:45.900 --> 00:32:51.900 study it when I was in England I met a guy and I gave him four people to study Mordecai, 00:32:51.900 --> 00:33:02.860 Jethro, Luke and Barnabas why because this guy that I was speaking to is a guy who's just brilliant 00:33:02.860 --> 00:33:09.140 at coming alongside and helping people build and make things happen so I said go study Luke, Jethro, 00:33:09.140 --> 00:33:17.860 Mordecai and Barnabas and he didn't even know where Mordecai was and so he had to go and find 00:33:17.860 --> 00:33:21.900 out where Mordecai was and then he began to learn and now he's growing in it because he has his 00:33:21.900 --> 00:33:29.540 desire to increase when was the last time you and I actually studied the word to draw doctrine that 00:33:29.540 --> 00:33:37.260 will help solidify beliefs that we have because we just read through right time to move into 00:33:37.460 --> 00:33:47.780 things and just reading through we started that when we were seven. Begin to study. Any questions 00:33:47.780 --> 00:33:56.140 on that before we go on? As much as possible attend tellyos don't worry about the money if 00:33:56.140 --> 00:34:03.780 there's if you don't at present have the money to pay forget it attend it some of the stuff we are 00:34:03.780 --> 00:34:09.420 teaching at tellyos is so brilliant that it'll change the way you function attend. Acts 29 should 00:34:09.420 --> 00:34:14.900 have the rich privilege of attending regardless of whether we have the ability to pay for it or not 00:34:14.900 --> 00:34:23.060 because hey this is a bread for the children surely we can eat it I'd so welcome you even if 00:34:23.060 --> 00:34:28.700 you want to come this Wednesday turn up man because each each part of the course can stand 00:34:28.700 --> 00:34:41.780 on its own that's a suggestion we got 15 minutes more guys the next thing is training and instruction 00:34:41.780 --> 00:34:48.060 so the first point is training and instruction comes through the word second training and 00:34:48.060 --> 00:34:57.140 instruction comes through restraint training and instruction comes through restraint rebuke and 00:34:57.180 --> 00:35:03.780 correction training and instruction come through restraint rebuke and correction 00:35:03.780 --> 00:35:16.820 first Thessalonians 512 says this first Thessalonians 512 it says we ask you brothers to respect those 00:35:16.820 --> 00:35:23.460 who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and esteem them very highly in 00:35:23.460 --> 00:35:30.420 love because of their work one of my responsibilities is to make sure that I admonish you as in correct you 00:35:30.420 --> 00:35:41.660 rebuke you and if you shy away from it or begin to build a defense then there's nothing I can do 00:35:41.660 --> 00:35:49.660 man nothing I can do so that's one of the things we have to learn that rebuke restraint and 00:35:49.660 --> 00:35:53.740 correction happens in the context of the body and some of the elders and the equipers that are 00:35:53.740 --> 00:36:00.340 appointed are meant to do that that's one scripture the next scripture says in Colossians 316 let the 00:36:00.340 --> 00:36:06.460 word of Christ dwell in you richly teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom singing 00:36:06.460 --> 00:36:10.460 psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God this is where 00:36:10.460 --> 00:36:19.580 the body now begins to function in a way where sin is no longer mind your own business where sin 00:36:19.580 --> 00:36:26.180 now becomes an issue that even the body begins to confront not to find out faults but now the 00:36:26.180 --> 00:36:33.740 body begins to function in a way that begins to correct and if necessary rebuke but follows an 00:36:33.740 --> 00:36:45.140 order or a process can you imagine why we get away with what we get away in church because sin is our 00:36:45.140 --> 00:36:49.580 own private business and there's no rebuke correction or admonishing within the context of 00:36:49.580 --> 00:36:56.060 the body but how can you function without that man what if your children never had restrained 00:36:56.060 --> 00:37:02.500 rebuke or correction in the body this question may be running through your mind and I hope it's 00:37:02.500 --> 00:37:08.580 not so Jacob who does that to you oh man you have no idea I get enough of it anything I am today is 00:37:08.580 --> 00:37:13.900 because of people who had the guts to speak into my life and my greatest advantage is I open my 00:37:13.900 --> 00:37:21.580 life to people to correct it was not an advantage till about 15 or 16 years ago but my greatest 00:37:21.580 --> 00:37:35.980 advantage is I've opened my life to people to correct and they correct me Proverbs 18 one I've 00:37:35.980 --> 00:37:42.340 quoted it here before but I want to quote it again whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire he 00:37:42.340 --> 00:37:49.620 breaks out against all sound judgment whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire this is 00:37:49.620 --> 00:37:56.540 from the ESV the NIV says it differently whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire and he 00:37:56.540 --> 00:38:02.660 breaks out against all sound judgment let me put it this way guys a closed life is a recipe for 00:38:02.660 --> 00:38:12.940 stagnation dulled vision and error a closed life is a recipe for stagnation dull vision and error 00:38:12.940 --> 00:38:24.300 let me say that again a closed life is a recipe for stagnation dulled vision and error doesn't matter 00:38:24.300 --> 00:38:31.220 who you are a tomorrow if I close my life off to you and to others who have the audacity to speak 00:38:31.220 --> 00:38:36.740 into my life here's what will happen to me one I'll begin to stagnate to my vision will dull and 00:38:36.740 --> 00:38:43.740 three I will go into error I'm seeing a day I sit with some people who are much better than me but 00:38:43.740 --> 00:38:50.380 who think just by themselves and do not go to others to bounce things off and they are already 00:38:50.380 --> 00:38:58.260 beginning to go into error I'm talking about people who are really mighty in God that's the 00:38:58.300 --> 00:39:06.820 scariest thing the mightier you get in God the more you isolate yourself or you get yes men around 00:39:06.820 --> 00:39:14.620 you who will agree with everything you see this is why we should never lose this aspect of giving 00:39:14.620 --> 00:39:21.140 time to question what is being preached even while we're preaching it and you should challenge 00:39:21.140 --> 00:39:27.140 concepts if you think they are in error one of the nicest things that happened in Acts 29 without 00:39:27.220 --> 00:39:33.380 planning it is we during all these questions times in the last seven years you've never raised a 00:39:33.380 --> 00:39:40.940 question to diminish me or find fault with me or to reduce me to something less all your questions 00:39:40.940 --> 00:39:47.020 have been from a place of I need to find out more and it just happened naturally the reason you can't 00:39:47.020 --> 00:39:51.980 try this in some churches is because the intent will be let me show how foolish the pastor is but 00:39:51.980 --> 00:39:59.580 you've never done that here I salute you for that but maybe never lose out on these things eh so 00:39:59.580 --> 00:40:06.300 restraint rebuke and correction has to happen within the context of the body and you must if 00:40:06.300 --> 00:40:13.140 you want to be trained and instructed into maturity allow me to correct you admonish you rebuke you 00:40:13.140 --> 00:40:19.420 and open your life to that I think I've said this before I remember meeting with him in the food 00:40:19.460 --> 00:40:28.300 court in Lansdowne and he would come and sit with me now we've spent about four months together and 00:40:28.300 --> 00:40:33.900 he and I would talk and one day I went to him and I said to him listen Jason you are not really 00:40:33.900 --> 00:40:40.580 opening your life up you say the right things and we talk about some godly things and then that's 00:40:40.580 --> 00:40:45.180 it but you aren't opening your life and so I said to him here's what I want you to do I want you to 00:40:45.180 --> 00:40:51.180 go home right now let's not talk today but if you don't want to open your life and learn then 00:40:51.180 --> 00:40:57.980 don't waste my time so come back next week and tell me if you want to take this further I was 00:40:57.980 --> 00:41:06.620 hoping he'd come back and praise God that he did a but my question to you is if I came and said 00:41:06.620 --> 00:41:13.320 that to you would you be offended or would you have the ability to respond like him regardless 00:41:13.320 --> 00:41:17.640 of how old you are or what your gender is if I came and said that you're not say differently 00:41:17.640 --> 00:41:23.480 do I would never they say there say that to hurry because different folks need different strokes so 00:41:23.480 --> 00:41:30.480 you don't use the same measure with everybody but if I came and said the same thing to you in a 00:41:30.480 --> 00:41:37.040 different way how would you respond would you be offended or would you continue to be open yeah just 00:41:37.040 --> 00:41:46.100 a thought just a thought moving on training and instruction comes through checks or warning 00:41:46.100 --> 00:41:53.320 training or instruction comes through checks or warnings as in God says Jacob don't be like a 00:41:53.320 --> 00:42:04.640 horse or a mule that stubborn who needs bitten bridle to bring them back on track you know when 00:42:04.680 --> 00:42:10.880 God wants to warn you the warning is very clear you don't have to be an expert in hearing to hear 00:42:10.880 --> 00:42:18.040 warning it's very clear heeding the voice of God through repeated warning sometimes through a message 00:42:18.040 --> 00:42:22.720 sometimes through a dream sometimes through a Holy Spirit check sometimes through God blocking 00:42:22.720 --> 00:42:30.240 your path let me give you an incident I know it's wrong to text while I'm driving I've known that 00:42:30.240 --> 00:42:45.040 for a year and a half but I would silence in the gallery and so so I would just pick up the phone 00:42:45.040 --> 00:42:50.720 and a quick yep or nope because I wanted to stay within reason of disobedience you don't want to 00:42:50.720 --> 00:42:55.600 be outright disobedient so you can send four-letter words and stuff like that so it would be K or 00:42:55.600 --> 00:43:02.160 yep nope so I would be doing that and the Lord kept saying don't Jacob don't people would tell 00:43:02.160 --> 00:43:09.000 me hey that's not a good idea but I would just afford the luxury of breaking this law and then 00:43:09.000 --> 00:43:16.280 I remember one day there were two occasions when while I was texting I missed the car in front by 00:43:16.280 --> 00:43:21.040 two or three inches I mean it was the grace of God and I knew what the Lord was saying and I would 00:43:21.080 --> 00:43:25.840 actually respond saying father I get the message I get the message I won't do it again I kept doing 00:43:25.840 --> 00:43:34.880 that and then didn't change and look at the irony of it I get my new iPhone 6 I go to pick it up 00:43:34.880 --> 00:43:43.280 and I've got a backup camera and the works it's a really nice car and yet as I picked my iPhone 6 00:43:43.280 --> 00:43:50.960 and I'm reversing I go hit a pole that breaks my lamp I'm thinking to myself father I'm so sorry 00:43:51.120 --> 00:43:56.760 I wasn't getting this you kept telling me multiple times and here I'm so thrilled about my iPhone 00:43:56.760 --> 00:44:00.920 phone now I've got the phone in my hand and it's just putting I remember telling the Lord father 00:44:00.920 --> 00:44:06.520 I'm so sorry that I had to pay to learn this lesson because it was a blooming light it just 00:44:06.520 --> 00:44:11.960 broke but you know how blooming lights are expensive so I remember going and fixing it 00:44:11.960 --> 00:44:19.200 I remember telling the Lord oh by the way my name is Jason just for the tape yeah so I remember 00:44:19.280 --> 00:44:26.000 telling the Lord father I don't know why sometimes I take so long to learn and since then the habit 00:44:26.000 --> 00:44:34.640 stopped but the point is why did I have to be as stubborn as a mule I mean my name is not part of 00:44:34.640 --> 00:44:42.480 mule kill but that's a inside joke don't worry about that so the point being guys sometimes God 00:44:43.360 --> 00:44:50.160 sends warnings checks blocks and we just don't hear I love how Paul negotiated with the Holy 00:44:50.160 --> 00:44:57.160 Spirit now negotiated this pathway in Acts chapter 16 6 so it says and so Paul went through the 00:44:57.160 --> 00:45:01.720 region of Phrygia and Galatia having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in 00:45:01.720 --> 00:45:06.400 Asia and then when they had come up to Mycea they attempted to go into Bithynia but the Spirit of 00:45:06.400 --> 00:45:12.160 Jesus did not allow them the Holy Spirit is so active in checking us from going a certain route 00:45:12.160 --> 00:45:18.960 and it is easy to hear him you don't have to be quiet or go into a zone or pray when he wants it's 00:45:18.960 --> 00:45:25.000 super easy to hear man everybody here can hear even little kids can because God knows how to 00:45:25.000 --> 00:45:30.600 do that so training and instruction comes with check or warning and the final one is training 00:45:30.600 --> 00:45:39.200 and instruction come through diligent practice of the word diligent practice of the word as in the 00:45:39.200 --> 00:45:45.520 first thing we talked about was training and instruction come through doctrine as in learning 00:45:45.520 --> 00:45:53.040 truths learning truths from the word learning truths from the word now we are talking about 00:45:53.040 --> 00:46:01.240 diligently practicing them let me put it this way guys whatever God shows you in scripture you must 00:46:01.240 --> 00:46:07.820 experience in life whatever God shows you in scripture you must experience in life whatever 00:46:07.980 --> 00:46:13.780 God shows you in scripture you must experience in life that is a connect if I only am shown 00:46:13.780 --> 00:46:18.220 things in scripture and they don't spill over eventually into my life then I'm like the guy 00:46:18.220 --> 00:46:22.100 who looked in the mirror walked away with an impression that I was really handsome but perhaps 00:46:22.100 --> 00:46:34.380 I'm not so just make sure that there's a diligent practice of the word in first Corinthians 927 00:46:34.380 --> 00:46:41.460 Paul puts it this way I discipline my body and keep it under control pummeling it to make it my 00:46:41.460 --> 00:46:47.860 slave gosh man hard words I discipline my body by keeping it under control by beating it or 00:46:47.860 --> 00:46:56.860 pummeling it to make it my slave so take things into custody as you go into 2015 take things 00:46:56.860 --> 00:47:05.020 into custody make a decision make a decision hey on one hand there's God's sovereign power 00:47:05.020 --> 00:47:10.660 to help you and on the other hand there's your responsibility God gave me lungs and a respiratory 00:47:10.660 --> 00:47:17.220 system that's working well but I can I mean have you ever had kids who threatened to stop 00:47:17.220 --> 00:47:22.980 breathing you never had a child like daddy I've seen children do that if I don't get that I'm 00:47:22.980 --> 00:47:28.260 going to stop breathing and they try to hold their breath and it never works so your parents 00:47:28.260 --> 00:47:32.820 don't have to worry about that one it never works so don't get scared by that one but the point I'm 00:47:32.820 --> 00:47:39.700 trying to make which has nothing to do with what I just said is that God has given me lungs and a 00:47:39.700 --> 00:47:45.820 respiratory system but it's up to me to breathe inhale and exhale it that is my responsibility 00:47:45.820 --> 00:47:51.300 and so it's like that when it comes to the word and practicing it and taking into custody the 00:47:51.620 --> 00:47:57.620 things that I have to God is saying Jacob I've got all my power and grace ready for you I will do it 00:47:57.620 --> 00:48:03.100 but you have to submit your will and agree one of the things I was hoping I could challenge you to 00:48:03.100 --> 00:48:10.380 do on your sheets of paper is write down one area just one area that is making a resurgence in your 00:48:10.380 --> 00:48:19.020 life and you don't want it to if you're sitting next to your spouse shield the paper away so is 00:48:19.060 --> 00:48:23.820 there anything that's making a resurgence in your life is there anything that's hindering you is 00:48:23.820 --> 00:48:28.220 there anything that's shortening your usefulness is there anything that's shortening your life 00:48:28.220 --> 00:48:34.940 perhaps because you're going back into an area that you shouldn't go back into write it down put 00:48:34.940 --> 00:48:41.660 into practice the word saying this thing shall not rise in me again I'm putting an end to this 00:48:41.660 --> 00:48:48.500 thing six seven eight nine years I've been like this 2015 I will not continue with this habit I 00:48:48.540 --> 00:48:54.220 do not know how to break it you alone or God have the power to do it but I'm coming and saying please 00:48:54.220 --> 00:49:00.500 do it your sovereign power now mixing with my responsible will saying oh God please do 00:49:00.500 --> 00:49:10.580 discipline me your God as in train and instruct me so that I change sure I've carried it as part 00:49:10.580 --> 00:49:16.060 of my personality saying this is just me but this is not necessarily the best part of my 00:49:16.100 --> 00:49:22.460 personality so change my personality that's an excuse we often hide behind it this is just my 00:49:22.460 --> 00:49:29.300 personality well I've got news for you not all parts of your personality are good half your 00:49:29.300 --> 00:49:40.060 personality is defective and so is mine we can't hide behind this is just me this is the way I've 00:49:40.060 --> 00:49:48.020 grown up well time to change isn't it and who will notice it first your spouse and your children 00:49:48.020 --> 00:49:56.100 and your dog and your cat they'll notice it first and then the rest of us will begin to notice it 00:49:56.100 --> 00:50:06.100 at the end of the year guys if you really undergo discipline or training at the hand of the Holy 00:50:06.140 --> 00:50:15.820 Spirit there will be visible evidence at the end of the year if you really undergo discipline and 00:50:15.820 --> 00:50:24.700 training under the gracious wonderful counselor helper comforter guide hand of the Holy Spirit 00:50:24.700 --> 00:50:31.340 there will be visible evidence that's the measure of your faithfulness through the process say so 00:50:31.340 --> 00:50:38.540 I'm when I was doing these notes I wrote down a certain habit in me that I want to change that's 00:50:38.540 --> 00:50:47.580 just been with me for so long that's done harm to me to people I want that to change and so I've 00:50:47.580 --> 00:50:53.860 written it down the other thing I want to change is the way I study the Bible I don't want to study 00:50:53.860 --> 00:50:58.500 the Bible the way I'm doing I'm reading through it I'm preparing notes I teach well but I want to 00:50:58.820 --> 00:51:06.980 the Bible in a whole different way want to start afresh want to want to grasp truths about things 00:51:06.980 --> 00:51:12.780 that God wants us to step into what I have a future perspective otherwise you guys will not 00:51:12.780 --> 00:51:19.740 go further because Jacob won't go further got to change all this guys I'm looking forward to 2015 00:51:19.740 --> 00:51:30.620 and I want to start tomorrow why not today okay today any questions comments disagreements 00:51:30.620 --> 00:51:39.860 challenges anything you want to add or subtract anything you don't agree with anything you want 00:51:39.860 --> 00:52:00.460 to add don't want to add anything no insights that you want to add this is true I didn't 00:52:00.460 --> 00:52:24.180 understand can you rephrase it yeah you can get a get out you can turn the tape off you can get a 00:52:24.180 --> 00:52:27.300 get out of jail free card but all that gets you is out of