The Benefits of Chastening

No matter who you are, whether you are saved or unsaved, life is difficult. If you are unsaved, your life is difficult because you do not have the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. If you are saved, your life is difficult because you do have the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. If you got saved thinking your life would not be difficult any more, you were wrong. Whether you are saved or unsaved, life is difficult and full of trouble. Now, for the unsaved, there is no hope. At the end of the road is Hell—a lake of fire forever and ever. For the saved, we can look forward to a better land. But, throughout life, we are going to be dealing with pain and struggle and difficulty; and for those of us who are saved, the chastening hand of God. In Hebrews 12:10, we see three purposes that lie behind the chastening we receive. Today, we will discuss the first purpose:

First, chastening is for pleasure. “For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure.” Now at first glance, this seems to be rather strange. In fact, chastening someone for pleasure would seem to be sadistic and sick. But, God is not evil nor sadistic. He does not take pleasure in the fact that we are being chastened; the pleasure is because He knows that chastening has divine blessing and benefit as its end result. If we are going to become what our Father intends for us to be, then He must allow us to experience pain. He takes pleasure, not in our pain, but in what it will produce.

To help you understand this, let’s look at the times God the Father said He was pleased with His Son Jesus. The first was when Jesus was baptized. After John baptized Jesus, a voice from Heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) What was it about Christ’s baptism that pleased the Father? Baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Father was looking ahead to the suffering of His Son. The second time was on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus was talking to Moses and Elijah about His soon coming death. Peter, James, and John heard a voice from Heaven that said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 17:5)

Was the Father pleased when Jesus worked miracles and preached the gospel? Yes, He was. In John 8:29 Jesus said, “I do always those things that please him.” The expression of God’s pleasure focused on Jesus’ obedient suffering. God was not pleased in seeing His Son hurt, but He was pleased in seeing His Son’s obedience and His willingness to suffer unselfishly for the sake of others.

There are some lessons that we are not likely to learn in sermons; we learn them through suffering. We are born naturally selfish. If you have children, you know that our nature is “Me first.” Kids do not have to go to school and take Selfishness 101—it comes naturally. The only way to overcome that trait is to be broken through God’s divine chastening. Selfish people make poor husbands, poor wives, poor workers, and poor Christians. Chastening helps us to learn to please others rather than focusing on what pleases us.

A few years ago, my family and I had the privilege of seeing Rachel Barton, the world-renowned violinist from Chicago at a concert. When she came on to the stage, it was obvious that she walked with a severe limp. With great difficulty, she made her way to her seat and began to play. I have never heard anyone else play with such emotion, beauty, and grace. We sat spellbound as we listened to her. Later, I found out her story. When she was in her early twenties, Rachel was getting off a train to teach violin lessons carrying her 400 year old Amati violin worth more than half a million dollars. The door of the train closed on her shoulder and caught the violin case. She was dragged more than 350 feet by the train. One leg was severed, and the other was badly injured. Rachel Barton could have given up. Instead, she continues to practice and play through the pain for the pleasure of others. Every pain that God brings or allows into our lives has a purpose. If we respond to it properly, that purpose will be accomplished. Remember, when we enduring chastening for the pleasure of others, it pleases God.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Dr. Paul A. Kingsbury