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Short Clip
Jesus’ top priority is the health of His church (Revelation 1:14-16)
When we are saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence and begins to systematically burn out everything that doesn’t reflect His ownership. The same Jesus who cleaned out the temple is walking through His living temple, and when He finds it misrepresenting God, He takes a scourge of cords and cleans house. And when the Great Physician finds cancer in His body, the Church, He goes after it with the scalpel of His mouth.
When a believer starts acting like an unbeliever, God steps in. This is called the doctrine of chastening, and it’s one of the most neglected doctrines in all of Scripture. “Repent or else,” the simplest definition of chastening there is, doesn’t play well in church. It’s not politically correct. It doesn’t make us feel good about ourselves or comfort us like we think a God of love should, but this is the real Jesus.
This is what’s important to Him. In all the universe, this is where His attention is, where He spends His time. And when He finds believers acting like unbelievers, He spanks us until we stop. Repent or else.
“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons.” This isn’t the wrath of a hateful God. This is the warning of a loving Father. God is not that permissive parent who excuses His child, saying, “well, that’s just the way he is.” God says no. That’s not the way you are. You have been changed, fundamentally altered, and you can’t act the way you used to anymore. He won’t allow it.
We are something new. Whoever says, “you’re just born that way,” whatever habitual sins we used to fall into, whatever parts of our personality are simply not pleasing to God, we have been changed. Our old, stony heart has been taken out, and we have been given a new heart. And the Holy Spirit inside us gives us the power to say no to sin. To act like the child of God we are. And when we don’t, God spanks us until we stop.
“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”