WHOM THE LORD LOVETH

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:

For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth

I have never lived in any other period of time than this so, other than what I read, I don’t know much about sorts of personal problems people endured in years past.

I do know that many people today live under a great weight of guilt.

This seems to me to be normal for the unsaved person - he or she is under a great weight of guilt.

•They bear the full responsibility for the consequences of their sins.

•They have no advocate to stand with them in support and

•They will know the full wrath of God in the last day

They ought to feel guilty because they are.

However, too many Christians live under a similar weight of guilt.

This can only be explained as a misunderstanding of their relationship with Christ.

We are working our way through the book of Proverbs looking at the different characters or personalities

The character I want to speak on tonight is “Whom the Lord Loveth.”

We all know John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believer in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God loves the world and everyone who lives on it.

But there is a very real sense in which God specially loves the believers.

Romans 5:8-10 (KJV)

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

There is a special relationship of love that God has with those who belong to Him through salvation.

Concerning those “whom the Lord loveth” notice,

I. HE IS A SON

Proverbs 3:12

For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth

Let’s talk a minute about the sons of God…

A. Those who receive Christ become the sons of God.

John 1:10-13 (KJV)

He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

It was not inherent in us in our birth – it was made in us at our new birth.

There is a specific thing that happened that makes us the sons of God – receiving Christ as Saviour.

The word received means “to get hold of” or “to seize.”

The point is it is not casual.

Jesus isn’t someone you can take or leave.

The Christian gets hold of Christ and Christ gets hold of him – never to be let loose again.

John 10:27-29 (KJV)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

·   A child can run away from his or her parents and

·   A parent can disown a child

But it does not change the fact that the son is their son.

Even so, a Christian might backslide for a time and fail the Lord in some respect but that does not altar their new creation.

The son of God is a son of God for eternal life.

B. What about if the father disowns the son?

John 10:29 assures us that won’t happen,

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

But beside that there is,

Romans 8:14-15 (KJV)

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

We, who are the sons of God are His children through the new birth and also through the Spirit of adoption.

The significance is that in the Roman culture in which this passage was written, everyone knew that the law was that an adopted child could never be disowned.

Since this was a child by choice, the law forbade the parent of ever changing their mind.

It had some practical reasons in the legal system – it served to prevent a child from being adopted for the purpose of defrauding the government for instance.

But the spiritual significance is that, once God has made us His son, that relationship can never be severed.

If you are a Christian, then you are a Christian regardless.

There are, of course, people who claim to be Christians and aren’t – they can’t claim to be Christians regardless of their personal choices.

But a Christian can never choose not to be a Christian again.

C. This supplies us with an unimaginable future

1 John 3:1-2 (KJV)

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

I don’t have a clue what heave will be like for you and for me.

·   I have some guesses and

·   I have a few hints I see in the Bible

But I don’t know because the Bible says, “…it doth not yet appear.”

·   We know we will see Jesus

·   We know that we will be like Him

And

·   We know that it will be glorious

Because we know that heaven is glorious.

Those whom the Lord loveth are His sons.

Notice secondly, concerning, Whom the Lord loveth,

II. HE IS CORRECTED

Proverbs 3:12

For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth

Someone will say this is the down side to being a son of God.

He corrects us.

But that is wrong-headed thinking.

Correction is seldom pleasant, but always helpful.

What if no one were ever told they have to stop at a traffic signal?

There would be terrible wrecks much more frequently than we see them today.

·   No one likes to get pulled over by the policeman

·   No one likes the humiliation of maybe being seen by a friend while they are pulled over

·   No one likes the stern countenance of the officer

·   No one likes getting a traffic ticket

But it’s a while lot better than the alternative!

Years ago my family made a trip to Mexico to visit with a missionary.

The 150 mile drive from Eagle Pass, TX to Monclova, Coahuila, was nerve-racking, but once it was done, I didn’t have to drive for the rest of our stay.

All except once.

The second Sunday we drove another 100 miles south to Saltillo.

The missionary didn’t want us to get lost on the trip so he had his 12 year old daughter ride along with us.

We got separated from the missionary at one particularly busy intersection.

·   There were no traffic signals.

·   There was no four way stop sign

There was just an unbelievable number of cars on the road we had to cross.

I waited and waited for an opening in the traffic.

Suddenly this little girl yelled in frustration, “Will you just go!”

I don’t know what came over me but I did what she said and we survived.

The missionary later told me that the drivers in Mexico are very careful not to hit other vehicles because in Mexico, everyone involved goes to jail until someone figures out how to pay for the accident!

What a cruel thing it would be if God did like the deists believed and just created us and set us loose to work things out on our own!

What if a parent did that with their baby?

What if they took the baby out of the hospital, set it on the street corner and let them see if they could survive on their own?

Would you be able to say they loved their baby?

What if those parents never gave their child an education?

What if they never spoke to the kid?

·   Never encouraged him to roll over or crawl or walk?

What if

·   They never taught him how to count or to read or to work with his hands?

Would you say they loved their child?

What if those same parents never looked after their child?

What if they let them play in the streets?

·   Run through busy parking lots?

·   Stay out way after dark?

·   Play near water or other dangerous objects?

Could anyone really argue they loved their child?

It is a kind and loving thing to give correction.

If God chastens you in some manner.

If you have disobeyed the will of the Lord and you know you are paying the price for your disobedience, then you know God loves you.

If you have sinned and you know that you are suffering the consequences of that sin, then you know that God loves you.

Hebrews 12:5-11 (KJV)

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

It is not a pleasant thing to be corrected, but neither is it a bad thing.

Notice thirdly, concerning, Whom the Lord loveth,

III. HE IS A DELIGHT

Proverbs 3:12

For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth

I love my sons.

God gave them to Anita and me.

We enjoyed raising them and training them

They never gave us much trouble and

I expect that they will have to take care of us when we are old and in need. J

But it’s more than that for me.

I delight in them.

When either one of my sons – or their families walk into the room,

·   My heart is lifted up a little bit

·   My eyes brighten up a little bit

·   They cheer me up a little bit

Every time!

I delight in those two and in everything connected with them.

·   I delight in seeing pictures of them

·   I delight in a txt from them

·   I delight in visits with them

I delight in just thinking about them.

Does that mean that everything that happens in their life is good?

No.

Does it mean that I would do everything exactly the same way they do?

No.

But I delight in them anyway.

What I am trying to say is that God delights in “Whom the Lord Loveth” far more than I could possibly delight in my sons.

·   You are disappointed in your walk with Christ but He delights in you

·   You have sinned and you know it but He delights in you.

·   You have failed Him and others see it, but He delights in you

He delights in you because you have trusted Him

·   He delights in you because He has redeemed you

·   He delights in you because He knows His thoughts towards you

·   He delights in you because He knows who you will one day be

and most of all

·   He delights in you because He sees Jesus and not you