Would you take your Bible, please, and turn with me to Hebrews chapter 12. If you're visiting with us tonight, we are pretty far along in our study of the epistle to the Hebrews, the writer of this epistle, who remains anonymous to this day as writing to those who had left Judaism and placed their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. And as a result, they were suffering all sorts of persecution from the Jews for abandoning their religious traditions. We read in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 32, but recall the former days, when after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. Their suffering was largely in the form of social and economic pressure, but some of them had been imprisoned, and because of this affliction, many of them were at risk of apostasy and returning to Judaism. And to help these young converts persevere and hope, the author of Hebrews exalts the Lord Jesus Christ as superior in every way and worthy of their continued trust, and their hopes and their perseverance. He's superior to the angels. He is superior to Israel's greatest Moses and David. He's superior to the Old Testament prophets and priests, and he is a superior king. And as we've studied in recent weeks, the Old Testament saints by faith saw this from a distance, but it was enough to see them through their own profound suffering as they longed for what the author of Hebrews calls the city whose architect and builder is gone. In chapter 11, the author begins to discuss a life of faith that includes suffering, illustrated through the lives of great Old Testament saints. By the time he gets to the end of chapter 11, he's provided these Hebrew converts of compelling and profound legacy of their suffering for fathers who endured great trials and distress even on occasion unto martyrdom. And this sets the stage beginning in the early verses of chapter 12 as Pastor Ross explained last week for the most compelling example of the one who endured undeserved and unequal hardship and persecution. That one was none other than the Lord Jesus himself, and so the writer urges the suffering Hebrews to keep their eyes on Jesus so that they do not grow weary and lose heart in their Christian experience. This context provides now a segue for the author to address a difficult matter, the reality and necessity of discipline in the lives of the believing Hebrews to help them persevere in their trials as their forefathers had done. He must provide them a proper understanding of the Lord's discipline and what they're experiencing and what he proceeds to do in our text for this evening. But before we read our text, it's important that I explain something to you here. So much of the Christian life, I've said this to you before, is both counterintuitive and counter-cultural. That is particularly true in the Bible's teaching about discipline. Bringing or allowing hardship in the life of one you profess to love seems odd. It seems unloving. Isn't protecting them from disappointment and difficult and distress what we're supposed to do. That's how our culture seems to increasingly see the discussion of discipline. As those who are on the receiving end of the Lord's discipline at times, it's important to say that we are born interpreters of everything that happens to us and around us. That is, we automatically assign meaning and motive to every circumstance and every conversation that comes our way. And our interpretation in hard times is either biblical and accurate or something less. I've had countless counseling sessions in my office in which a person is estranged or distressed because he's interpreted an event that's happened to him and his interpretation is usually wrong for at least two reasons. First, he rarely has all the facts in the matter and so he speculates meaning and motive almost always negatively into the situation or upon the person. I've never seen anyone get it right. And secondly, in the middle of difficulty, he's not inclined to consider a biblical interpretation of what is happening because he's focused on relieving his misery. And as a result, he's often tempted to bitterness and to anger, malice, or contempt for others. And when it comes to the disciplines of life, that the Lord brings our way, it's critical that we interpret them correctly. If we're to benefit from them and to avoid discouragement and depression and despair. And so with that said, turn with me, please, to Hebrews chapter 12. I want to begin reading our text from verse four. Hebrews chapter 12, beginning in verse four. The writer of Hebrews says, in your struggle against sin, you've not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord. Nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives. It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there, and his father does not discipline. If you're left without discipline in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the father's spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time, as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems painful, rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Pray with me, please. Father, we are asking you to open up this important text for us to understand and appropriate in our lives this evening. To that end, we ask for your help. In Jesus' name, amen. You know, it's funny what you remember. I still recall the worst weapon I ever received. I was seven. My dad was working at the outside of the house. I was inside with my mom. It was late in the day and I could hear the Mr. Softy ice cream truck's jingle as it slowly made its way down our street. And the thought of a chocolate ice cream cone or better yet, a chocolate milkshake was just too much for me. And so I asked my mom if I could have some money for ice cream. No, was her swift reply without any explanation. I recall trying to use a few tactics to soften her up. None of it worked. I had two choices. I could either obey my mom and let that truck go by or slip outside without my mom knowing and get a second opinion from my good old dad. I chose the latter. It was a terrible choice. Unbeknownst to me, my mom had followed me out and no sooner had I made that request to do my dad and my mom swooped me up and she took me out back inside and proceeded to give me the whipping of a lifetime. At least it felt that way. It's seven. I lost all the way around. The Mr. Softy truck went by my house without stopping. My mom and dad were unhappy with me for the rest of the evening and my rear end was on fire. But I learned a big lesson that day. Make sure your mom isn't listening when you ask your dad for money to buy ice cream. Actually, I learned a better lesson than that. Don't try to divide and conquer your parents to get what you want. You know, we live in a world today that no longer believes discipline as the Bible prescribes it has a place. For lack of discipline teachers cannot teach criminals roam our streets with a little fear of punishment and professional corruption seems to be rampant. Even discipline one's child must be done very carefully to avoid the scrutiny of the public and our government. Biblical discipline is unpopular and unwelcome where it's needed the most. But in our text, we're given a very different and rather radical perspective on discipline. The Lord's discipline is to be welcomed, not avoided, because it comes from a loving father who makes no mistakes, who has their best interest in mind and who promises that our momentary suffering has a purpose and will be beneficial to us in the end. The word translated discipline dominates our text. It's used nine times and just eight verses, it's either a noun or a verb. It's derived from a Greek word that means tutorage, education, or training. It has particular reference to a child and by implication it infers disciplinary correction, chastening, but also instruction and nurture. In our text it is assumed that reproofs and correction are necessary components of one's education and in this context our growth in the Christian life. Discipline is like a preparatory school. Another way of defining the Lord's discipline as the Bible explains it is God's loving correction through His providences, applied to His children to conform them increasingly into the image of His perfect Son. Discipline is we're using it this evening is not to be confused with the judgment of God that He reserves for His enemies. God does not discipline His enemies, He judges them. I'd like to add that God's discipline takes many forms. William Hendrickson notes that this in his commentary he writes, discipline that is painful comes in many forms, spankings, suspension of privileges, loss of possession, departure of a loved one, serious injury, illness, unemployment, and persecution. I'm sure there are others. Tonight I'd like to suggest you five valuable truths about God's discipline from our text. There could be more, but if you remember these truths I believe you will be better prepared to interpret and to receive the Lord's discipline when it comes your way. And here is the first truth. God is important purposes in His discipline. It is neither random nor arbitrary. Look at verses four through six with me. We read there in your struggle against sin you've not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood and have you forgotten the exhortation and addresses you as sons. My son do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord nor be weary when reproved by Him for the Lord disciplines the one He loves and chastises every son whom He receives. These Hebrew converts in the midst of adversity had forgotten what they had been taught repeatedly in the Old Testament or author is quoting Proverbs chapter three verses 11 and 12. God disciplines His own. It has always been that way. Their experience was not bad luck or fate or punishment without a purpose. Know what they are to understand is that what is happening to them has its origin with the sovereign, loving, heavenly father who has definite purposes in mind for them. John MacArthur in his commentary on this text hopefully suggests that there are three purposes in God's discipline. The first he calls correction. We're all familiar with that. It's the sort of discipline I receive when I fell for the lure that Mr. Softie Jingle when I was seven. A biblical example was the experience of King David. When he sinned so gravely with Betsheba through adultery and the murder of her husband, he'll recall that David was profoundly repentant when confronted by the prophet Nathan. Psalm 51 was David's prayer of repentance that restored a fellowship with God. It is a wonderful model of the correct response to God's discipline when we sin. A broken and contrite heart is the only appropriate response in such times. Yet even though David was restored to fellowship with God and even though he remained you disking the results of his grave sins bore very sad and difficult consequences for him and his kingdom and his family for the rest of his life. But not all discipline is corrective. Let me say that again. Not all discipline is corrective. It is not always a consequence of our sin. The second purpose of God's discipline, John MacArthur calls prevention. That is illustrated quite well in the experience of the Apostle Paul and 2 Corinthians 12. I want to turn over there with me. Look at that briefly. It's 2 Corinthians 12 beginning in verse 7. Apostle Paul is writing about the fact that he'd received these profound visions that tempted him to be puffed up as an apostle. And so he writes here, so to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me and the flesh, a messenger of Satan, or harassed me to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this that it should leave me, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my powers may perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me for the sake of Christ then I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities for when I'm weak and I am strong. We don't know what Paul's thorn in the flesh was. Some have speculated that it was eye ailment or among other possibilities, but Paul's obvious point was that to keep him from becoming proud, the Lord had afflicted him. It must have been painful. Paul asked the Lord three different times to deliver him from that, the Lord declined. And Paul's response to God's refusal to remove the affliction was to instead embrace it as a weakness that he gladly boasted about for Christ's sake. For Christ's power was perfected in Paul's weakness. Verse 10 is especially helpful because Paul goes on to be welcome all categories of trials, weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities because contrary to human thinking, such things become opportunities for Christ to manifest his strength in a discerning believer. John McArthur suggests you had a third purpose for God's discipline that he calls education. That was Job's experience. Job, as you know, was a very righteous man. We read in the very first verse of Job, there was a man in the land of us whose name was Job and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. The Lord repeats himself as he's giving Satan permission to sift Job like wheat. And what makes Job so troubling is that the Lord allowed Satan to ruin Job, though Job had done nothing wrong whatsoever. He lost his children, he lost his fortune, he was afflicted physically with very painful source. The entire book of Job is spent detailing Job's and his three unhelpful friends confused to stress in trying and vain to understand why God had allowed such a calamity to come upon such a righteous man. No one got it right. And in the end, the only explanation Job received in his audience with God was an overwhelming sense of God's supreme greatness and his own smallness and sinfulness as a man. And so impressed was Job that his last words found in chapter 42 were worth our attention. I want to read them to you. Job 42 verses 1 through 6. The Job answered the Lord and said, I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I've uttered what I did not understand. Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Here and I will speak. I will question you and you make it known to me. I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore, I despise myself and repent and dust and ashes. And so it seems through great calamity, Job a very righteous man received an education in the ways of God through the Lord's discipline. I would simply add two more purposes for God's discipline that ought to be mentioned. They actually probably hang together there in your sermon notes and might be stated this way. Discipline is a tool God uses to conform us to the image, perfect image of his dear son so that we will be fit for life with him in heaven. We know that from many places in the scripture, but I want to mention two. Very familiar text Romans 8, 28, and 29. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose. For those of me four new, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the first born among many brethren. And Paul speaks the purpose of affliction and preparing us for heaven in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 17 through 18. Favorite text of mine when times are difficult, where he says for this light calls it light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison as we look not at the things that are seen but at the things that are unseen, the things that are seen are transient but the things that are not seen are eternal. Here's a second important truth about God's discipline from our texts. God's discipline is a necessary part of life because we are great sinners. Gather that from verses 1 and 4. Let me read them for you, verse 1 of chapter 12. Therefore, since we're surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. In verse 4 he writes, in your struggle against sin, you've not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. A central message in the scripture is that all men are sinners in need of a Savior, if they're to have a life with God. Entire Bible is spent revealing how sinful man's dilemma is addressed by our Christ. Two things need to be said. First, the world does not agree that men are born sinners. In fact, they argue that men are basically good and that whatever evil there is in them is not native to them. It has some other source, some other explanation. It took being born again for me to agree with the Apostle Paul, what he said of himself, that I am the chief of sinners. And second, even though we have put our trust in Christ for eternal life, we still sin. We sin often and we sin gravely at times, just as King David did. And to deal with our predisposition as sinners, God advokes His corrective and His preventive discipline. C.S. Lewis has some very helpful words for us about this in his book, The Problem of Pain. I'd like to read an excerpt for you from a portion of that. It's titled The Necessity of Pain. Listen closely. The human spirit will not even begin to try to surrender self-will as long as all seems to be well with it. Now, era and sin both have this property, that the deeper they are, the less their victims suspect their existence. They are masked evil. Pain is unmasked, unmistakable evil. Every man knows that something is wrong when he's being hurt. And pain is not only immediately recognizable, evil but evil impossible to ignore. We can rest continually in our sins and in our stupidities and anyone who's watched glutton shoveling down the most exquisite foods as if they did not know what they were eating will admit that we can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but chelts in our pains, it is his megaphone to rouse a death world. I am progressing along the path of life in my ordinary, contentedly fallen and goddess condition absorbed in a merry meeting with my friends for the morrow or a bit of work that tickles my vanity today, a holiday or new book when suddenly a stab of a domino pain that threatens serious disease or a headline in the newspapers that threatens us all with destruction. Since this whole pack of cards tumbling down, at first I'm overwhelmed and all my little happinesses look like broken toys. Then slowly and reluctantly bit by bit, I try to bring myself into the frame of mind that I should be in at all times. I remind myself that all these toys were never intended to possess my heart, that my true good isn't in another world and my only real treasure is Christ. And perhaps by God's grace I succeed and for a day or two become a creature consciously dependent on God and drawing its strength from the right sources. But the moment the threat is withdrawn, my whole nature leaps back to my toys. I'm even anxious, God forgive me, to banish from my mind the only thing that supported me under the threat because it now is associated with the misery of those few days. Thus the terrible necessity of tribulation is only too clear. God has had me for but 48 hours, and then only by dent of taking everything else away from me, but she that sword for a moment and I behave like a puppy when the hated bath is over. I shake myself as dry as I can and I race off to reacquire my comfortable dirtiness. If not in the nearest manure heap, at least in the nearest flower bed, and that is why tribulations cannot cease until God either sees us remade or sees that our remaking is now hopeless. Good words. I can't speak for you but what Lewis says is true of me. My spiritual mentor was a man named Bob Wilcox I've talked to you about him before. He once told me that if he withdrew himself from the means of grace for 30 days that I wouldn't be able to recognize him from the rankest pagan on the street. And I believe Bob now some 30 years later and so God offers us his means of grace but also his discipline to help us to repent when we do sin as well as to sin less. A third truth from our text is this. There are three hindrances to disciplines lasting effects, forgetfulness, taking his discipline to lightly and fainting from it or becoming weary of it. We see all of them in verse 5. Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? My son do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord nor be weary when reprieved by him. One of the Hebrew Christians' problems was that they had forgotten what the Proverbs had to say about the Lord's discipline. And as a result, some of them were distressed to the point of entertaining apostasy. They needed to be reminded. You know, there is a forgetfulness that's hard to do anything about. At my age, I'm increasingly familiar with that form of forgetfulness and so I have to use lists in my iPhone to help me. But there is a form of forgetfulness that has nothing to do with age. We forget what we deem unimportant. We forget what we are unfamiliar with. And unfortunately, all too often, we deem the care of our souls less important than we should. And as a result, we become very unfamiliar with God's means of grace that are intended to awaken us to the vital importance of the eternal. One way I work against forgiveness of this sort is to memorize scripture. And I review it. I review what I've memorized, so I don't forget it. That perhaps more than anything I've done in my Christian life has helped me to remember, rather than forget, God's eternal truths and to retain the lessons of His discipline in my life. Another hindrance that we see in verse 5 comes from Proverbs 3-11 that is quoted here, Solomon warns and do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord. It is at best foolish to dismiss as meaningless or irrelevant or trivial those difficulties that God allows in our lives. We should be curious when those times come, perhaps like Job or very often the Psalmist and the Psalms of the men, we really won't find out. We won't discover why we're experiencing something difficult. And that's hard. But to be intentional and prayerful and explore the possibilities matters, lest we miss something important that the God is trying to show us. Perhaps we have a blind spot in our life that's creating trouble for us in our relationships or in our work. Perhaps our pride is blinding us from the benefits of a humble life, the wise person, the wise person will seek the counsel of a mature mentor or a friend, along with the scriptures help, to seek to understand and grow from the difficulty. A third hindrance is also found in verse 5, Solomon warns us that we're not to become weary when we experience the Lord's reproof. The new international says we're not to lose heart. Verse 3 also warns us of the prospect of becoming weary or faint-hearted at the Lord's discipline. I've experienced this personally, and I've certainly seen this time and again, among God's people. Wearing this in, faint-heartedness in trials can cause one to give up, to collapse under the weight of God's discipline. The word of choice in our time is despair. And so the writer of Hebrews is warning us of the possibility of that possibility and calling us to an appreciation and an understanding of God's loving discipline so that we don't grow weary and lose heart. That's one reason, that's one reason why fellowship is considered a means of grace. The author of Hebrews understands this, look with me at two places where he calls his readers to live in the center of fellowship and not on the fringes so they don't lose heart and grow weary. One is chapter 3, verse 12. Take heart, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But encourage one another every day as long as it's called today that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, for we have come to share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. It doesn't lose that thought but in a sense repeats himself in chapter 10, verse 23, let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for he who promised his faithful, he writes, and let us consider how to stir one another up or stimulate one another to love and good works. Not neglecting to meet together is the habit of some, but encouraging one another in all the more as you see the day drawing near. You know, I can confidently say that after 30 years as an elder in this church, those who live as prescribed in these verses that I've just read, move through the times of God's discipline whenever, whatever is purpose in them quite well. But those who live on the fringe of fellowship often fall away and interdate despair and sadly that is both predictable and preventable. Here's a fourth truth we see in our text. In the exercise of his discipline, God's magnificent divine attributes and providences are on display for all to see. I want you to think about this with me. My men's small group, we meet on Thursday morning. We've chosen to study the Westminster Confession of Faith this year. The Westminster Confession, if you don't know, along with its catechisms or theological standards of our denomination, that every elder, every pastor and decon take vows to uphold and their teaching and in their practice. And in our study on Thursday mornings, we just finished the first four chapters where we have been reminded of God's attributes that make him who he is and worthy of our worship. He is sovereign, all powerful, all knowing, all present, all loving, all good. He cannot sin. He created the entire universe, things seen and unseen, and he sustains it all by the word of his power. Nothing is too difficult for him, and he is fully committed to glorify himself and to perfect people for his own possession. These are some of the glorious realities about our God. If you're thinking with me, our Confession of Faith this morning from the Scottish Confession, acknowledge this very well. It's glorious, and I think that you can see them all at work in their passage tonight. If God is deficient in a single one of his attributes that I have mentioned, then dismiss everything I'm saying to you. If he's not entirely sovereign in the circumstances of your life, you should fear. If he's deficient in his goodness and his love or his knowledge, you shouldn't trust him, you certainly shouldn't worship him. On the other hand, if all of this is true, and I think that is what the writer-feebrews is assuming, then we can rest in the fact that God's discipline and our lives will ultimately prove to be in our best interest despite the appearances of things in any given moment. I want to say amen. But there's a fifth and final truth I want you to see tonight. It's this. There are real benefits that come to those trained by God's discipline. Look with me at verses 9 through 11. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father's spirits and live? For they disciplineed us for a short time as it seemed best to them. But he disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness. For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. But later, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who've been trained by it. I count at least three benefits for those who allow themselves to be trained by God's discipline. The first is in verse 9. And it's simply this, it's life. We read there, besides this, we've had earthly fathers who discipline us, we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father's spirits and live? The rejection of God's discipline can be deadly. One place we see that is in 1 Corinthians 11 verses 28 to 32, with respect to approaching the Lord's table properly prepared. I want to read that to you. Paul writes there, he's speaking, actually he's dressing down the Corinthians for they were not approaching the table correctly. Beginning in verse 28, let a person examine himself then and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That's why many of you are weak and ill and some had died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. Friends, this is why the pastors will what we call fence the table before we serve communion. It seems from scripture that God takes this matter very seriously. And yet, it's the very table, the sacrament of the Lord's supper in which we find life. John McArthur argues that it's hard to know the joy of good health without sickness. I get that. I have had several life-threatening accidents and illnesses in my life. You know of the latest of these with, was pancreatitis. But with each one, I have treasured my health never before. I remember once being diagnosed with a very grave disease and years back and the Lord delivered me of it. Miraculously, it was one of those rare miracles we've seen in our church. And I remember asking the Lord to never let me be the same again. I did the same thing when I broke my back some years ago. I cracked five vertebrae and thought I'd never really get to cut the grass even again. And I was able to do that. I'm fully recovered from that. I asked the Lord then again to never let me be the same. But it wasn't long before I was the same. It takes the Lord's discipline to help us treasure life. It's the same with God's discipline, times of difficulty, whatever they are ought to help us treasure life. A second benefit that comes to one trained in the Lord's discipline is a participation in his holiness. Verse 10, he disciplines us for a good that we may share his holiness. You know that God is keenly interested in your holiness, don't you? Don't let the fact that your sins are forgiven and that you're saved by grace blind you from what the Apostle Peter says so well in his first epistle. As obedient children do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance but as he who called you as holy you also be holy and all your conduct since it is written you shall be holy for I am holy. Although we are positionally holy by virtue of Christ's death for our sins and his resurrection practically we're still a work in progress. With each event of discipline the Lord brings into our lives we inch forward slowly but surely in our practical holiness if we're properly trained by it. That brings pleasure to him but it's beneficial to us because a holy life is a good life. The last benefit that comes to one trained in the Lord's discipline is found in verse 11. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. The writer of Hebrews is telling us that although discipline is painful in the moment eventually eventually if one allows God to train him through it there are weights in the peace that accompanies righteousness. God's peace is a precious gift to the Christian and a chaotic and troubled world. It's what the Apostle Paul is thinking of in Philippians 4 when he encourages readers this way do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and suffocation with thanksgiving that your request be made known to God and the peace of God with surpasses comprehension show guard your hearts in your minds in Christ Jesus. And Hebrews is telling us that an important benefit of enduring the suffering that accompanies God's discipline is the incomprehensible peace of Almighty God and who wouldn't want that and so there you have it a perspective on the Lord's discipline that can harness the hardships of life and make them allies in our journey to heaven. The author of Hebrews intends that this understanding bring his readers in his own time as well as us in our own much hope and endurance as we await our home going. May it be so. I've included on the back of your note sheets some what I hope are some helpful considerations. The first is from a book a wonderful book by A.W. Toes are titled The Root of the Righteous. These are his suggestions as a plain spoken fellow if you've read him. His suggestions to us when admonishment in any of its forms comes our way it's very good counsel. And I've included several verses for you to contemplate perhaps to memorize. One of them is Psalm 141.5. I memorized it many years ago it goes like this. Let the righteous smite me and kindness and remove me. It is oil upon my head. Let not my head refuse it. Now you must know I'm still working to implement that in my life. Some of you know that better than others. But it is a wonderful application from our study in Hebrews tonight. And if you're apart from Christ tonight perhaps you're experiencing difficulties that God's spirit intends as a means to bring you to himself. Please don't resist his spirit. You can speak with any of our pastors or elders about this. We'd be more than pleased to discuss with you how to have a relationship with Christ. If you belong to Christ and you're in some difficult trial think about what we said tonight. You too should feel free to seek one of the leaders out or mature Christian friend and explore prayerfully what the Lord is up to in your life. Let's pray together. Father we there's so much about life that's mysterious to us. There's enough mysterious about you. And certainly about your world things that we will never understand. We thank you for the for the instruction you've given us about your discipline tonight. You love us enough as a good father not to leave us in our sin. And you O Lord you you correct us when it's necessary. You set up roadblocks so that we don't fall headlong into destruction. You educate us so well about life with you and who you are and who we are and our need to depend and follow you. And so tonight we conclude thanking you and I pray that my brothers and sisters here this evening will consider what we've said and treasure up your good word about godly discipline. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.