June 1, 2025
John Harris
Divine Discipline
Hebrews 12:3-13
Two Gentle Reproaches:
1. Your
2. You’ve
Endure
Three Ways to
- With
- With
- With
Why?
Because It’s
Divine Discipline
Take a moment and share with the group about your family growing up. Include parents, siblings, extended family and even pets.
When we read in Hebrews 12:4 that “you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood,” how does this challenge us to gain proper perspective on our current struggles? Share about a time when remembering others’ greater sacrifices helped you persevere through your own difficulties.
The passage asks, “Have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?” (v. 5). How has knowing God’s Word sustained you during challenging seasons? What practices help you remember and apply Scripture when you’re in the midst of trials?
The sermon identifies three ways we respond to divine discipline: with disdain (dismissing it), dismay (being overwhelmed), or delight (recognizing God’s love). Which response pattern do you most naturally lean toward, and what draws you in that direction?
Hebrews 12:6 tells us “the Lord disciplines the one he loves.” How does viewing your current or past difficulties as expressions of God’s fatherly love rather than His abandonment change your perspective? What makes this reframing challenging or comforting for you?
James 1:2-4 and 1 Peter 1:6-7 speak of trials producing steadfastness and revealing genuine faith “more precious than gold.” Can you share about a difficult season that, looking back, produced spiritual growth or character development you wouldn’t trade? What “peaceful fruit of righteousness” have you witnessed in your life or others’?
The sermon opens with Michael and Sharon’s story of walking away from faith after devastating loss. How can we create space in our communities for honest wrestling with God during seasons of profound disappointment? What would it look like to sit with someone in their pain without offering easy answers?
Isaiah 35:3-4 and Hebrews 12:12-13 both speak of strengthening those who are weak and making “straight paths.” How can we practically “lift drooping hands and strengthen weak knees” for fellow believers who are struggling? What has someone done for you that helped restore your spiritual strength?
Romans 5:3-5 calls us to “rejoice in our sufferings.” This seems counterintuitive to our natural responses. How do we hold space for both honest grief over our pain and confident hope in God’s redemptive purposes? What helps you maintain this tension between acknowledging difficulty and trusting God’s goodness?