TOPIC: God’s Chastening (RCCG Sunday School Manual For Young Adults And Youths (YAYA)

MEMORY VERSE: “Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.” – Deuteronomy 8:5 (KJV)

BIBLE PASSAGE: Hebrews 12:5-12 (KJV) (Scroll down for RCCG Sunday School 2 June 2024 HYMN)

5 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:

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

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

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

9 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?

10 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.

11 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.

12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

INTRODUCTION:

To chasten is to correct or discipline someone, often with the use of some pretty sharp punishment for the purpose of moral improvement (Proverbs 19:18; 23:13). We need to consider God’s chastening and what He (God) as our Father expects from us in response to the chastisement we receive from Him. Note that chastisement is not meant for destruction. A parent chastises the child he or she loves (Proverbs 3:12; 13:24).

LESSON OUTLINES:

1. PURPOSE OF DIVINE CHASTENING
2. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES

1. PURPOSE OF DIVINE CHASTENING

God’s chastening is an expression of His love which He uses to check us and to ensure that as His children, we live right (Deuteronomy 8:5). Though painful, it eventually yields the fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11). It is a test of true love: a corrective measure (2 Samuel 7:14-15; Psalm 118:18). It is also to help us grow and bring about revival in the church (Hebrews 12:10). Divine chastening brings about restoration for us to continually have fellowship with God and ultimately reign with Him (Deuteronomy 8:5-6). It is to prepare us as vessels unto honour for God’s use (2 Timothy 2:21). We must not despise God’s chastening so that we will not be condemned with the world (Proverbs 3:11; 1 Corinthians 11:32).

CLASS ACTIVITY 1: Students should discuss other benefits of divine chastening.

2. BIBLICAL EXAMPLES

We need to consider some characters in the Bible who endured God’s chastening and became better for it. They include:

1. David – God chastised him for committing adultery with Bathsheba and killing Uriah, her husband (2 Samuel 11:4, 16-17; 12:9-10, 18-20).
2. Nebuchadnezzar – God dealt with him for ascribing the glory due to God to himself. He was later restored after he acknowledged God as the almighty (Daniel 4:29-36).
3. Moses – Moses was chastised for not fully believing God with regard to his calling and failing to observe the token of God’s covenant with Abraham (Exodus 4:14, 24-27; Genesis 17:11).
4. Paul – God chastised Saul for persecuting the church, but he was restored as a chosen vessel (Acts 9:1-16).
5. Jonah – For attempting to run from his responsibility towards the salvation of the city of Nineveh, God made a fish to swallow him for three days until he repented (Jonah 1:1-4, 17; 2:10; 3:1-2).

CLASS ACTIVITY 2: Student should share their own experience or of anybody around them who received divine chastisement.

CONCLUSION: If we fail to yield to God’s chastening, the consequence can be grievous. Let us learn from the examples of Eli (1 Samuel 2:30; 3:12-13; 4:17) and King Saul (1 Samuel 15:26; 16:1).

QUESTIONS:

1. Why did God chastise His children?
2. Mention five biblical examples of people chastised by God.

FURTHER READING:

Sunday: Hebrews 12:7 (KJV)
7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

Monday: 1 John 2:15-17 (KJV)
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Tuesday: Matthew 5:48 (KJV)
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Wednesday: John 16:33 (KJV)
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Thursday: 1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Friday: 1 Samuel 15:22 (KJV)
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Saturday: 2 Corinthians 13:5 (KJV)
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

ASSIGNMENT: Write five (5) things God has been warning you against and make up your mind to desist from them (No marks).

SUNDAY SCHOOL HYMN

1. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   O how I love Thee well,
   I am happy, it makes me glad
   To rejoice at Thy birth.
2. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Thy friend friendship suits me well,
   Both young and will sing Thy song,
   We long for Sunday School.
3. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Christ was Thy first teacher,
   The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
   Does manifest in thee.
4. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   This testimony is sure,
   That God, the Father Almighty,
   Poured His blessing on Thee
5. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
   Though the sun be so bright,
   Or if the clouds be black with rain,
   I’ll be in Sunday School.
6. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day
   I rejoice to see Thee,
   Will thou pass over me today?
   Without my being blest?