Sermon(Ps 39): Discipline of love

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025286552

 

 

Scripture reading: Ps 39

 

>> 1 I said, "I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will bridle my mouth, so long as the wicked are in my presence." 2 I was dumb and silent, I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse, ... 4 "Lord, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is! 5 Behold, thou hast made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in thy sight. Surely every man stands as a mere breath! 6 Surely man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nought are they in turmoil; man heaps up, and knows not who will gather! 7 "And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in thee. ... 9 I am dumb, I do not open my out; for it is thou who hast done it. ... 11 When thou dost chasten man with rebukes for sin, thou dost consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely every man is a mere breath! ... 13 Look away from me, that I may know gladness, before I depart and be no more!" <<

 

What if you sin against God? God will punish you through the wicked who are more powerful than you. What if you resent the punishment when you are being chastised by God? He will get the wicked using violence against you to strike you once more. The stupidest attitude of a man is to complain of the just punishment. Then, what is the best attitude toward the punishment? To keep silent without saying either good words or bad words. Someone, being tormented by a wicked man, may think, 'It is contrary to justice for a wicked man like you to bully me,' but God says to him, "Be quiet. Just repent!"

 

Today's biblical text is a poem that David composed when God punished him through evildoers. The contents are similar to The Lamentations of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, the prophet of tears, wrote lamentations after seeing how Judah was destroyed by Babylon. It is The Lamentations of Jeremiah. “Cry aloud to the Lord! O daughter of Zion! Let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! (Lam 2:18) ... And on the day of the anger of the Lord none escaped or survived; those whom I dandled and reared my enemy destroyed. (Lam 2:22) .... Remember my affliction and my bitterness, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him. (Lam 3:19-24) .... It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when he has laid it on him. (Lam 3:26-28)” The Bible teaches us that, when a person is punished by God, it is better for him to pray in repentance than to complain, and to keep silent than to excuse.

 

David also remained silent in the pain of punishment, without making feeble excuses. David bridled his mouth and didn't say even good words (excuses) (v. 1-2). Because it was the Lord who had done it (v. 9). Brethren, do not say about what God has done, that you were falsely treated or that it was unfair. The last thought you can have is that you are righteously suffering now. The Bible says clearly that it is a shame to commit a sin and be punished. It is our glory to suffer from the wicked while doing the work of God. In the time of righteous suffering, the consolation of God is overflowing. You and God are closest when you're in the righteous suffering. However, such spiritual intercourse is temporarily interrupted at the time of punishment. While punished, David felt that God was too far away from him, so he cried, "Take not thy holy Spirit from me! (Ps 51:11)" Whether I am in the righteous suffering or in the punishment I can know by that fellowship with God. How can you shorten the time of punishment and restore the association with God? Just keep quiet before God and stop shabby excuses. When Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he could have been pitied and forgiven had he kept silent with his head deep lowered when God chided him. But he failed to curb his temper and excused and got severely punished. Making excuses or complaining is nothing but the evidence that you don't have a repentant heart yet. That can't solve the problem.

 

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. (Heb 12:5)” The attitude of not disregarding the discipline of God is to silence yourself in repentance when you are disciplined. The Bible tells us that the Father disciplines him whom he loves. “God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. (Heb 12:7-8)” The nominal members of the Church, who are not God's children but Devil's, will not be treated as true sons by God. Hebrews also makes clear the purpose of discipline. “The moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Heb 12:11)” If the debt of sins is paid, then your sins legally disappear, thus you become righteous. You are completely forgiven through the punishment, therefore you are a righteous man. The righteous law is written on your heart through the discipline, so you become a righteous man who knows how to live upright. Now that the discipline is over, peace comes upon you since the fear of the punishment for the sins has vanished and the fellowship with God has been restored. The book of Lamentations, too, clearly shows the purpose of God's punishment. “He (God) does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men (Lam 3:33). (It's not God's true mind (purpose) that he makes people (sinners) suffer and worry. Korean version of the text.)” The aim of God's discipline is not the punishment itself but a better believer of devout faith. Those who do not know this deep love of God grumble and are discouraged when disciplined.

 

Not to lose one's hope when disciplined is not to be discouraged, while not to belittle God's punishment when disciplined is to remain silent. My beloved brethren, if you are dejected while punished by God, you lack the faith as his true son. David also does not dispair when punished and says, "And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in thee. (v. 7)" In particular, the attitude of seeking forgiveness of God means that you have the faith in God's goodness. “Deliver me from all my transgressions. Make me not the scorn of the fool! (v. 8)” “Look away from me, that I may know gladness, before I depart and be no more! (v. 13)” We humans deserve to die for sins, but God does not vent his full anger upon us, but has mercy on us even in his wrath. “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end. (Lam 3:21-22)” Brethren, do not think that you are being punished for your sins so that you will be utterly ruined. Now God is keeping you alive to give you the hope of the future. Your future hope is in the God who loves you deeply. God's love for you is far greater than your sins or the punishment thereof, whether the punishment is a business failure, a disease, a destruction of human relations, or whatever. 'Because Lord's mercy and compassion are boundless', your sins will be forgiven, and your future will be like a clear autumn sky, with all the black clouds having disappeared. How clear is the sky after the typhoon? Please endure the discipline a little more. Your recovery is not far off.

 

Once the time of discipline is over, we realize that God is righteous, dislikes sin, is faithful, and above all, loves us truly. Brethren, know the joy of forgiveness of the holy God. This joy is really big! I am glad when I was forgiven without discipline, but the real joy comes to us when we are forgiven after being disciplined. Why? Because you can discover through the discipline that God always observes your life and has great interest in you. ‘Oh! I am truly a son of God!’ Considering this, we can conclude that the relationship of God and him who has done evil things in the church for a long time without being punished at all was completely broken up long ago. How poor the relationship is!

 

Whether it is righteous suffering or punishment, once a man has been subjected to great trials and tribulations, his viewpoint will be renewed (his eyes will be opened for the new dimension of life). You will find something very important that you didn't realize before. The truth to be found at this time is never to be abandoned. If you don't discover this truth after the trial and the tribulation, your suffering was for nothing. The truth is, 'I myself am fragile and the world is futile.' David speaks of the truth after suffering acute pain from enemies and sickness. “Lord, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is! (v. 4)” “Behold, thou hast made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in thy sight. Surely every man stands as a mere breath! (v. 5)” “Surely man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nought are they in turmoil; man heaps up, and knows not who will gather! (v. 6)” This truth comes to mind when a person suffers persecution or accidents or diseases as a life-threatening peril. No matter how healthy, high, and rich you were yesterday, your all is nothing for you if you, today, are killed by a robber or by an incurable disease or by a traffic accident. This truth is learned also indirectly through the accidents of others. Brethren, let not the worldly things or your possession be your eternal hope. If your hope is directed to them, the day will surely come when you will despair. What is never to be done is to undermine your faith for those things. Furthermore, never use God or betray him to get more of those things! That's really stupid. If we have found such truths, we must be thoroughly humble. If we have found such truths, we must set our hope in God. “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in thee. (v. 7)”

 

Furthermore, David finds the following fact: “I am thy passing, guest, a sojourner, like all my fathers. (v. 12)” People usually say 'my home and my land'. But all this earth is the Lord's. In this world, mine is virtually nothing. Heaven belongs to God, and the earth also is God's and I am but a transient traveler. The stranger has to leave the house without complaint if the owner of the house wants him to leave. The stranger is one who lives by the grace of the owner. only feelings of indebtedness and gratitude can be expected from the stranger. When God upholds, a nation stands and people stand. If God destroys, the nation is ruined and people are ruined. Brethren, thank God in any circumstances. Be always a seeker of God's grace. “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry. (v. 12)” God grants his land to the meek. God, the Master of this earth, grants great grace to him who accepts God's discipline thankfully and gives up his will in order to fulfill God's will. God opens many good ways to him who lives for the glory of God. Be a vessel for the grace of God. If your heart is clean and meek, you can take that blessing.

 

I pray that God forgive your sins, restore you, and open wide the doors of your life and way in the best direction.

 

 

Chong Tack Kim

 

                                  - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -