Text: 2 Samuel 7:12-17 - See also Hebrews 12:5-11
INTRODUCTION: God promises David that He will not deal with Solomon like he dealt with Saul, whom He rejected by removing His Spirit from Saul (See 1 Sam. 16:14). God will not remove His mercy from Solomon, but will treat Solomon like a son. That is, if Solomon sins, God will chasten him.
Now the Bible makes clear that we are the sons and daughters of God, and that God also deals with us as sons and daughters, like He dealt with Solomon.
I. The Reality of Chastisement
1. Whom the Lord loves He chastens
Key Verses : 1 Peter 4:17,18 See also… Deuteronomy 8:5; Lamentations 3:33; Psalm 119:67, 71, 75; Proverbs 3:11, 12; Hebrews 12:5-11*; Revelation 3:19
II. The Purpose of Chastisement
1. To bring us back into a right relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Key Concepts:
a. Whom God loves He chastens – Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-11
b. All who are in Christ are chastened – Hebrews 12:8
c. All who are chastened are considered sons/daughters – Hebrews 12:7
III. The Means of Chastisement
1. Various Trials – 1 Peter 1:
2. Sickness & Disease – Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 28:58-63, 1 Corinthians 11:30
3. Death – 1 Corinthians 11:30
Warren Wiersbe writes: Any of God's children who rebel against His authority are in danger of death! “Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” (Heb. 12:9) The suggestion is that, if we do not submit, we might not live. “There is a sin unto death” (1 John 5:16).
Wiersbe continues: As a Christian drifts from the Word and backslides, the Father chastens him to bring him back to the place of submission and obedience. (If God does not chasten, that person is not truly born again.) If a believer persists in resisting God's will, God may permit his life to be taken. Rather than allow His child to ruin his life further, and disgrace the Father's name, God might permit him to die.
But Wiersbe also says, "we can be sure that His chastening hand is controlled by His loving heart."
IV. The Outcome of Chastisement
1. Obedience
2. Submission
3. Righteousness
4. Peace