Let us bow our heads and look to the Lord together.
Father, we do thank You for this opportunity that we can be here this afternoon. Lord, we again confess that we are small people, and You are such a great God. We pray that You will come through for us in spite of our smallness, in spite of our limitations.
So we look to You to be our help, to be our strength, to be our wisdom, and to be Your expression. Lord, we commit this time to You. Be present with us in a mighty way. We look to You to be our help. In the Lord Jesus’ name, amen.
Yesterday afternoon, we defined discipline as instruction, training, improvement, molding, strengthening, and perfecting character.
There are two aspects to this. To be instructed, we need an instructor; to be trained, we need a trainer. Our Teacher, Instructor, and Trainer is the Holy Spirit. The instruction is our transformation and conformity to the Lord Jesus.
Instruction will be evaluated. After instruction, there will be evaluation, so that we will be exposed as to whether we have learned any lesson from the Holy Spirit or not. Correction will have to follow, but there may also be affirmation or approval.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit, in His gentle way, gives us an inward joy of knowing that we have learned something from Him. There is an inward witness that we experience. At other times, when we fail to respond or learn, there is an inward uneasiness that we all feel.
Throughout our personal walk, we are instructed continuously, and our lives before the Lord are evaluated continuously.
We also mentioned that discipline perfects us so that we may be fitted together into a corporate expression—a testimony of the Lord Jesus—to express His life on this earth in fullness. Secondly, it prepares a people for the life to come: as His sons, or as the wife of the Lamb, joined to the Head and to our King, assisting Him in the administration of His kingly affairs in the ages to come.
We are called with a vocation. Because we have such a tremendous vocation, such a high calling, training and discipline are vital. God’s standard is absolute. If there is any adjustment or change, it has to be on our part. Therefore, we need the discipline of the Holy Spirit.
We mentioned three areas in which we are disciplined:
Yesterday we touched on the matter of obedience in faith. I would like to touch a little on true obedience this afternoon.
True obedience does not ask for reasons. True obedience does not ask for evidence. God speaks, and we obey. After we obey, sometimes He may explain why He wanted us to obey. But obedience comes first.
For human beings, it is difficult to obey without asking for a reason. We want to know why. When you ask children to do certain things, they say, “Why? Why do I have to do this?” Students do the same. But in spiritual discipline, if we acknowledge that He is our Lord and our King, then we recognize that He alone possesses wisdom. He knows what He is doing.
If we have absolute faith in Him, then all our reasons disappear. This is the lesson we have to learn for the rest of our lives: never question His wisdom. We may question our obedience, but we must never question God’s wisdom when He demands something of our lives.
In Hebrews 12, we saw that discipline is for a short time, but the outcome of the discipline is eternal: that we may become sharers of His holiness. It is for our good, and not only for our good, but for God’s glory.
Therefore, we have to submit. Sonship is something that will be unveiled in the future, so discipline is for a short time. We must learn to submit to the discipline of the Lord and not despise it or think lightly of it.
We shared yesterday that this obedient life is not in ourselves. It comes when the Lord Jesus comes in and takes up His residence in us. Only through His life are we able to obey, submit, endure, and hope for the certain outcome of the future.
As long as we submit, sonship is not merely an expectation; it is a certainty, because sonship is what God is after.
This afternoon, we will continue with the matter of sacrifice in love. Let us turn to Hebrews 13.
This love is not human love, because human love is selfish love. Only God’s love is sacrificial love. It expects no return; it simply gives and gives and gives.
Humanly speaking, it is impossible for us to express that kind of love, that quality of love. Only the Holy Spirit in us can impart that kind of love.
Hebrews 13:1 says:
Let love of the brethren continue.
To begin in love is quite easy. We can all love one another for a short while—for a few days, perhaps a few weeks. But after a few months or a few years, we find that it is impossible in ourselves.
Even with immediate family, in-laws, or our own brothers and sisters, we may invite them to visit for a few days and have a wonderful time. But let the visit linger for a couple of weeks, and the strain begins. You may wish that you could shorten the invitation, because it becomes heavier and heavier.
That is human love. But God’s love endures and endures and endures to the end, until we are completely formed, until Christ is formed in us. Therefore, love is travailing love, suffering love, and sacrificial love.
Hebrews 13:2 says:
Forget not to show love unto strangers:
For thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
First, we have to love those who are in the family. Then we are able to love those who are outside the family. If we cannot love those who are in the family, it will be impossible for us to love those outside the family.
The house of God is a wonderful place for us to learn to love. It is not a place where we already know how to love; it is a place where we learn to love. Sometimes we think that in the church we should be able to love, and then we discover that we cannot love each other. We become discouraged.
But church fellowship is a place where we learn to love one another. That requires humility, because we have to confess that we have no love in ourselves. If there is any love that we can have for one another, it must be of the Lord. It is supernatural.
Hebrews 13:3 says:
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them;
Them that are ill-treated, as being yourselves also in the body.
This extends love beyond the family, friends, and strangers to those who are in prison. From time to time, we hear of brothers and sisters who have such love for those confined behind bars.
Many of you remember a brother whom we loved very much, who is now with the Lord—Brother Ernest. The Lord began to use this brother by allowing him to visit those in prison. He was very faithful in visiting those confined there, and many came to know the Lord through that ministry.
Perhaps this is one area of church life that we have neglected: ministering to those who are in jail. It takes sacrificial love, because being in that kind of environment is not easy. I remember going to a jail once. It is a frightening place. Unless it is the love of the Lord, no one would do that kind of work.
For the Lord’s sake and for the gospel’s sake, it takes courage to visit those in prison.
Let us come to something more personal: Hebrews 13:5.
Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have:
For Himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee.
We can apply this verse personally, especially in this affluent society in which we live. Everybody is out to get something more—more and more. We seem to have the mentality that if we do not get more this year than last year, then something is wrong.
But the writer of Hebrews says, “Be free from the love of money.” This does not mean that you should not have money. The issue is love. Once you love money, instead of using money, money possesses you. We need discipline in order to be set free from the domination of money.
Then there is contentment: being content with what you have. I think that is the key. Because we are not content, we are always out there trying to grasp for more.
We can be content because the Lord assures us, “I will never desert thee, nor will I ever forsake thee.” Honestly, do we believe God’s Word to be true or not? If God says that He will not forsake us and that He will care for us, then we can be content with what we have.
This requires real self-discipline, because the world is full of materialistic temptation.
I remember a brother in Singapore telling us about an Indian brother who came to visit this country. A brother took him to a shopping mall on Long Island and said, “I’ll drop you here. Go in and look at all the beautiful shops and all the things on display. In half an hour, I will come back and pick you up.”
When he returned, he asked, “What do you think? What is your impression?” The brother replied, “I discovered that there are so many things here that I do not need.”
Brothers and sisters, we should cultivate that kind of attitude. There are so many things around us that, strictly speaking, we do not need. Our satisfaction and joy are not in things, but in the Lord Himself.
When I travel by myself, I do not mind. But when I travel with someone else, I sometimes feel uneasy. I remember going to São Paulo with Brother Kong. He carried a very small suitcase, but I carried one twice the size of his.
When I came back, I was really convicted. I discovered that in São Paulo I used only half of the clothing that I had brought. Did I really need all those things?
I think this is one thing we have to learn as the Lord’s people: to live a simple life, simply trusting and relying on the Lord.
If we are visiting the family of the Lord and need an extra sweater or something, I am sure we can humbly ask for one temporarily. I do not think they would mind. It is humility to ask, but it also gives others an opportunity to serve us in the Lord.
To receive requires humility. We need to cultivate not only the grace to give, but also the grace to receive. That takes self-discipline.
Let us move to Hebrews 13:7.
Remember them that had the rule over you,
Men that spake unto you the word of God;
And considering the issue of their life, imitate their faith.
Two words stand out: considering and imitate.
Hebrews 12 speaks of a great cloud of witnesses—the historical heroes of faith recorded in Scripture. But I believe Hebrews 13:7 refers not merely to those in history, but to those who are among us: those who lead us, guide us unto the Lord, and speak to us the Word of God.
How we admire such servants of the Lord. We consider how the Lord uses them, the revelation they have received from the Lord, and how they are able to convey the Word of God.
But the verse says not merely to admire them. It says to consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. We may admire their gifts, their ability to stand on a platform, and their beautiful speaking, but when it comes to their lifestyle—their life of faith—we may hesitate to follow them.
Think of some of the great spiritual men and women whose biographies have been written. We admire what they went through in this life, but do we dare to imitate their life or their faith? We may think that their lifestyle was only for them, not for us. But for those who follow the Lord, there is no other choice. The way of the cross is the only way.
The writer challenges us: do not just consider and admire them; imitate them. The Apostle Paul said, “Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.” What we see in such servants is Christ.
Thank God that today we have many good examples among the Lord’s servants—those who love the Lord. They challenge us. Are we willing to follow their way, the way they love the Lord, serve Him, and live a life of faith? That takes discipline.
Hebrews 13:9 says:
Be not carried away by divers and strange teachings:
For it is good that the heart be established by grace;
Not by meats, wherein they that occupied themselves were not profited.
I believe verse 9 is connected with verse 7. If we fail to consider and imitate those who speak the Word of God, then we may easily be carried away by strange and varied teachings.
We must examine those who minister to us and what they minister. If they minister the Word of God, we should consider it and imitate their faith. Then we will be planted in the Word and will not be tossed to and fro by varied teachings.
This takes discipline, because we all have curiosity. We are always looking for something new. Like automobiles in this country, every year there is a new model. We are easily attracted by something new.
But Hebrews 13:8 says:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, yea and for ever.
Why look for something new? If there is anything new, it is in the Lord Jesus. He is always the same. Of course, He is ever fresh to us, but He Himself never changes.
Let us turn to Hebrews 13:13–14.
Let us therefore go forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.
For we have not here an abiding city, but we seek after the city which is to come.
There is nothing permanent down here. We have no roots down here. We are pilgrims and strangers here, and our citizenship is in heaven. That takes a revolutionary change of thinking. We have to realize that we do not belong here; our roots are above.
But verse 13 draws us particularly: “Let us go forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.”
The Lord’s love to us is sacrificial love, and He desires us to love Him with the same kind of love. We heard this morning that He is looking for that first love, that pure love. Only love can satisfy Him.
If we love the Lord as the Lord Jesus loved the Father, then we must recognize that the last stretch of His life led outside the camp—from Jerusalem to Golgotha, where He hung on the cross. On the cross, He displayed God’s supreme love, but He was rejected by men and crucified.
If we want to be true followers of the Lord, that is the mark: are we willing to go outside the camp and suffer His reproach?
I would like to read a hymn. There is an added verse translated from the Chinese, and I think this hymn speaks better than I can.
Many crowd the Savior’s kingdom,
Few receive His cross;
Many seek His praise and honor,
Few will suffer loss.For the dear sake of the Master,
Counting all things dross;
For the dear sake of the Master,
Counting all as loss.
Many long to share His glory,
Few will bear His shame;
Many long to share His power,
Few will suffer loss.Almost none, but for His kingdom,
Count their all as dross.
Many sit at Jesus’ table,
Few will fast with Him;
When the sorrow cup of anguish
Trembles to the brim,
Few watch with Him in the garden,
Who have sung His hymn.
Many will confess His wisdom,
Still despise His shame;
Many, should He smile upon them,
Will His Christ proclaim;
Then if for a little while He lead them,
They desert His name.
But the soul who loves Him truly,
Let woe come or bliss,
This will count their dearest heart’s blood
Not their own, but His.Savior, Thou who dost love me,
Give me love like this.
That is the challenge of this verse. Are we willing to go outside the camp and bear His reproach? This is the ultimate proof of discipleship and the ultimate mark of devotion to Him. It is not merely whether we are willing to be in the camp, but whether we are willing to go outside the camp and suffer the reproach of Christ.
Very few are willing to pay the cost. But God’s standard will not change. Whether we pay now or later, somehow we have to pay. It is worthwhile, in this life, to encourage one another to love the Lord and follow Him fully.
Hebrews 13:16 says:
But to do good and to communicate forget not:
For with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
To share what you have is not easy, because we are selfish people. We all want to keep things for ourselves. If we have surplus or extra things, we may not mind sharing. But if we have only one thing, and we share that one thing with someone we love, it is not so easy.
You know the story of the feeding of the five thousand. I think that is the principle: when we give it up, God multiplies. It takes discipline to give up your very livelihood, but when you give it up, the Lord adds and supplies.
Hebrews 13:17 says:
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them:
For they watch in behalf of your souls, as they that shall give account;
That they may do this with joy, and not with grief:
For this were unprofitable for you.
I think this is a universal problem. Leadership in every locality is often criticized because it is impossible to please everybody.
Those who diligently desire to serve the Lord and serve His people will be misunderstood. That is the price that they have to pay. Even if you do the right thing, you may still be misunderstood.
For those who have spiritual responsibility, that is a cost you have to count. Even when you are criticized and people complain about you, you must learn, in a loving way, to control yourself. One fruit of the Spirit is self-control.
Do not react to criticism. Do not react to murmuring. Do not react to accusations, even if they are true. You have to take them in and give them to the Lord. That is a mark and proof of leadership, and it is a real mark of self-discipline: how you react to one another.
Natural love will not suffice for the things we have considered in Hebrews 13. Only God’s love can do it. How necessary it is for us to cast ourselves upon the mercy of the Holy Spirit. Only His love can come through.
The mark of a self-disciplined life is a giving life, a life of sacrifice, a life that asks no return, a laid-down life. That is self-discipline.
We have some questions this afternoon. If I get stuck, there are many helpers here. I have already asked one or two, and they said, “Oh, no, no, no, no.” But I will do my best. If my answer is not satisfactory, let me know, and then I will refer to others.
The first question is: “In the Christian walk, is there a place for good habits—for example, prayer time, systematic Bible study, and witnessing?”
Brothers and sisters, we have to cultivate good habits. God put Adam in the garden of Eden and asked him to cultivate it, to work it, and to keep it. It was to be a disciplined life.
If the garden was to be properly cared for, Adam had to exercise discipline. There was a proper time for caring for things. We are very poor at caring for household plants. Someone gives us a plant, and within a few months it dies because we do not know how to care for it.
But I know that there is a timing. You can water your plants only so many times a week—not too much, not too little, but just enough at the proper time. Because we do not have that habit of cultivation, we ruin things. That takes discipline.
We are to cultivate life, and we ought to cultivate good habits. Prayer time? Yes, we need to set aside time for prayer. If you do not set aside time, you will never have time for prayer. You have to set aside time for reading your Bible, or you will never have time to read the Bible.
As one brother said, “You do not find time; you buy time.” You do not find it; you buy it at a cost. There is always something to do around the house. From the moment you wake up, there are many things demanding your attention. You have to buy time to spend with the Lord, and when you buy that time, it becomes precious.
We need to cultivate good habits: to learn to pray and to study the Bible. As far as witnessing is concerned, I think we have neglected that area. We need to cultivate it.
I shared with young people in Singapore that one of the vital things in fighting a good fight is to determine in your heart that, once a week or at some regular interval, you will witness to one person. Sometimes that is necessary. Those who are lazy need to discipline themselves to do such things by the grace of God.
Systematic Bible reading should be daily, if possible. In my recent experience, when I read some of the smaller books of the Bible, I do not stop at one chapter; I read through the whole book. You get a better picture that way.
When I was teaching school, I read only small portions. Now I have more time, so I read many chapters, and I have a different perspective altogether. We need to cultivate reading our Bible systematically.
The important thing is not merely a method—whether one chapter a day or one book at a time. We should read in such a way that we can digest what we read, draw life from the Lord, and receive life from Him.
A helpful book is Searching the Scriptures by G. H. Pember. It presents a number of ways in which we can approach and read the Bible.
The final part of the question asks whether our walk with the Lord is totally spontaneous, as in a charismatic experience. The answer is no. If we simply let things go, there is no discipline. Spiritual life is a disciplined life.
To be filled with the Spirit is basically to be Spirit-controlled. God’s Spirit is a Spirit of order, not confusion. Therefore, our lives cannot be governed by mere impulse or disorder.
Another question is: “How can we be sure when it is the Holy Spirit speaking and when it is our flesh?”
Experience will tell us. This is not something you can simply find out from a book. As you walk with the Lord, you learn to walk in the Spirit, and the Spirit will show you whether you are in the Spirit or in the flesh.
We also have the Word of God. The Word of God is Spirit. If something does not agree with Scripture, then we know it is not of the Spirit of God.
We also have the church to confirm whether we are in the Spirit or not. If what we share cannot edify the brothers and sisters, the church can help us discern. The church has wisdom because the church is linked up with the Head. When something is wrong with a member, the Head knows, and the body knows as well.
This is not merely a matter of teaching but of experience. As you live in the Spirit and live in the Body of Christ, intuitively you will know by the Spirit. You learn it through your walk with the Lord in submission.
Another question asks how to distinguish the prompting of the Spirit from personal compulsion or self-imposed discipline.
The prompting of the Holy Spirit is always very gentle, because the Holy Spirit is like a dove. He will never force His way into us. He always seeks our cooperation.
That is one mark of the Holy Spirit: He never forces His way in. He prompts in a gentle and persistent way, but not compulsively and not impulsively. He does not force His way in, but He is very persistent.
On the other hand, anything out of self is usually very strong. Self comes in boldly. It pushes its way through. The Spirit, however, is always gentle and inward, seeking our spirit’s cooperation.
For example, during worship, many times the Holy Spirit may prompt us to pray or worship in a particular way. Sometimes we ignore that prompting. Later, as we walk out, we may ask the Lord for forgiveness, and we still have peace. He does not force us or make us uncomfortable.
He goes only so far. If we are not willing, He may say, in effect, “All right, perhaps next time.” The Lord is patient. If He does not succeed this time, He will try again. He keeps trying until we give in to Him. That is the way of the Holy Spirit.
The final question is from Hebrews 12:10: “The writer indicates that the objective of discipline is that we may share His holiness. Could you please elaborate on what it means to share His holiness?”
Hebrews 12:10 says:
For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed good to them;
But He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.
Yesterday we shared that the purpose of God’s discipline is to bring many sons to glory. All the sons, like His beloved Son, share His nature. That means that they share His holiness and share His glory.
In Romans we are told that we are called, justified, sanctified, and that the end is glorification. God alone is glory, yet He grants that we may share in His glory. We were created in His image and likeness; therefore, we have the potential to share His holiness.
Discipline is necessary so that Christ Himself may be formed in us. Why the discipline? So that Christ may be formed in us.
When we are disciplined, we know that we are loved. When we are disciplined, we know that we are in the family. In the family, we bear the image of the Father. When you see the son, you see the father. Because the Father wants us to be like Him, He disciplines us so that we can reflect Him and become like Him.
Therefore, discipline is for sanctification, and sonship is to be like Him—the Lord Jesus.
God is a family God. He loves His only begotten Son, but He also desires to have many sons to fill the whole creation. It is a wonderful thing to know that whatever we are going through in this life, the end is glory—the glory of sonship.
To share means to have fellowship, to have something in common. What He has is ours. All that is of Him is ours. But to enter into all that He is, we need to be disciplined, taught, instructed, strengthened, changed, and adjusted so that we can fit into His purpose.
The life we have on this earth is a life of discipline. From the day we are born again until the day we see the Lord’s face, it is a continuous life of discipline. God has a purpose, and He will not lower His standard.
Thank God that we have the Holy Spirit, who is working all these things out for His purpose and for His glory.
Let us pray.
Father, we do thank You that we are so inadequate and so small, but You are so great. We ask that You increase our capacity, Lord, to know You.
Lord, to increase our capacity, You must make all the adjustments. Make us a people willing to be adjusted again and again, Lord, so that we can fit into what You desire us to fit into—Your image and Your purpose.
Lord, we thank You for this time that we can share together. We commit ourselves to You. We praise You and thank You for the Holy Spirit, who is doing what we humanly cannot do.
Holy Spirit, take charge. Take what has been shared and work in our hearts. Lord, teach us how to love You, how to obey You, how to submit to You, and how to live a life as a living sacrifice, that Your heart may be satisfied.
We give You praise and give You thanks in the precious name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.