Responding To Correction
I.
Your response to
correction will determine the magnitude of your growth
A. If we resist what we grow
by we will not grow-Hebrews 12:10-11
B. The response to
correction can completely stunt your spiritual growth
C. God spends significant
time in His Word teaching how to respond to correction
II.
How to respond to
correction (1): Don’t be weary of correction – Proverbs 3:11 –
Don’t get sad, don’t get mad
A. Our attitude toward
correction can’t become like theirs was of the manna-Numbers 21:5
1.
Weary (Hebrew word koots) means to be grieved, loathe, feel a loathing or
abhorrence, vex, distressed
a. Grieved-Distressing, Uneasiness,
Offensive, irritate, make sorrowful, displease
1)
Exodus 1:12-The more they
afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved
because of the children of Israel
b. Abhor-To detest, to set up
bristles, great aversion
1)
1 Kings 11:25-He was an
adversary to Israel…and he abhorred Israel;
c. Distressed-To
make miserable
1)
Numbers 22:3-Moab was distressed
because of the children of Israel
d. Weary is often followed by
“of,” - Weary of marching, weary of reaping, weary of study, weary of
correction – You’re just tired of it, done with it
1)
Gen27:46-“I
am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth.”
(ERV-Very upset; TLB-Sick and tired; VOICE-Miserable)- She’s done with her life
2.
There
are people who feel the same way about correction that they felt about manna
a. Exodus 16:35-They
couldn’t get enough manna; but it was manna for 40 years; Numbers 11:4-6,20-They
were tired of the manna and God said I’m going to give you so much meat it
becomes loathsome to you; Numbers 21-They said their souls loathed this light
bread-Loathe (Same Hebrew Word weary
of correction)-Nauseate, aversion, disliking, unwilling, feel disgust at
food or drink
b. Weary is the picture of
something you’re tired of, you’re disgusted by, you don’t like it, you have an
aversion to it, you’re tired of it, it makes you miserable and upset and
sorrowful, it displeases you, you detest it and reject it and bristle at it
3.
When
you loathe something an encounter with it will ignite emotion – You can
loath correction so much that an encounter with it ignites emotion
a. They got to the place
that the very sight of it ignited an emotional response; If you ate the same
thing for 40 years, at the very sight of it, you’d be tempted to cry, scream,
bristle, be irritated, be sorrowful, be miserable, be offended
B. When correction comes
you’re going to be tempted to respond emotionally – Either to be sad or to
get mad?
1.
SAD-Heb12:5-Nor faint when you are rebuked of Him-(Faint-Despond, fainthearted,
depressed, dejection of spirit/mind, sad, dispirited, melancholy)
a. Hebrews 12:5-ERV-Don’t
stop trying when he corrects you; TLB-Don’t be discouraged when he
has to show you were you are wrong; MSG-Don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but
don’t be crushed by it either; GW-Don’t give up when he corrects
you; CJB-Or become despondent
b. Proverbs 3:11-MSG-Don’t sulk under his loving
correction; NLT-Don’t be upset; GNV-Neither be grieved with is
correction;
2.
MAD-You’ll be tempted to resent it, become
bitter and get mad when God corrects you
a. Prov3:11-TLB-Do not resent
it; CEV-Don’t turn away or become bitter; ICB-Don’t become angry
when he corrects you
b. Acts 5:33 (AMP)-When they
heard this, they were cut to the heart and infuriated and wanted to kill the
disciples
c. Acts 7:54-When they heard these
things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed their teeth
d. Numbers 14:9-Only rebel
not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the Land; for they are
bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us:
fear them not. But all the congregation bade to stone them
3.
2
Corinthians 7:8-12-The correction comes to get you to turn, to change, not to
make you sad or mad
a. Proverbs1:23-Turn you at my reproof-It doesn’t say cry at my
reproof, it doesn’t say get mad at my reproof, it says turn
b. Acts 7:54,5:33-They
gnashed their teeth, but should’ve bowed their neck; Instead of getting mad
they need to repent
C. When correction comes
keep your emotions in check and deal in truth
1.
Here’s
the big question you have to ask when correction comes: Is it true? (Don’t
focus on how it was said or who said it or how it made you feel when they said
it but rather ask the question IS IT TRUE?)
2.
Some
people are such babies they can’t handle any kind of correction; How you handle
correction is one way your level of maturity is measured
a. If you’re are going to
tank it every time correction comes or if you need every piece of correction
couched in soft tones and sandwiched between two compliments it is going to
hinder the growth process in your life
3.
Keith Moore -“Some of the things that would upset you the most, might make you the
angriest, if you had faith and humility to receive it, could be the very thing
that would cause you to get free the quickest and develop the most in the
shortest amount of time – If you would receive it.”
a. Acts 2:37-They were
pricked in their heart and it hurt, but rather than getting made they repented
and got free
III.
How to respond to
correction: (2) Don’t reject God’s correction – Humble yourself and
receive it
A. You’re going to be
tempted to hear correction not receive it –Correction can come and you
can resist it and say no to it and you’ll be tempted to
1.
God’s
telling you to not to reject it and refuse it because you’re going to be
tempted to reject it and refuse it
a. Proverbs 3:11-Despise (refuse, reject) not the chastening of
the Lord; ERV-Don’t
reject the Lord’s discipline
b. Proverbs 8:33-Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not
c. Job 5:17-Happy (blessed, advance, make progress) is the man
the lord corrects: therefore despise (refuse reject) not the chastening
(correction) of the Almighty
d. Proverbs 15:31-32-He that refuses instruction despises
his own soul: but he that hears reproof gets understanding
2.
They
would not receive correction
a. Jeremiah 7:28-This is a nation that obeys not the voice of
the Lord their God, nor recieve correction: truth is
perished, and truth is cut off from their mouth
b. Jeremiah 17:23-But they obeyed not, neither inclined their
ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive
instruction
c. Zephaniah 3:2-She obeyed not the voice; she received not
correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.
B. Why do people refuse it
correction? Pride and deception – How do you receive correction? Humility
and honesty
1.
It
is human nature to resist correction and not receive
it; Think about it: How does your flesh
do with correction? And it’s because your flesh is rebellious and proud and
doesn’t like to be told it’s wrong or that it needs to change to the point that
it’ll even want to reject correction when it’s true
2.
When
you are corrected you can harden yourself and resist it or humble yourself and
receive it
C. Pride
and humility
1.
What
is pride? Pride-To
be lifted up, to be high, exalt oneself; Pride is untrue loftiness, an untrue
overestimation of yourself; An pompous and a swollen estimate of his own powers
or merits-Proverbs 6:17 AMP-The spirit
that makes one overestimate himself; Isaiah 16:6-AMP-We have heard the pride of
Moab, that he is very proud – even of his arrogance, his conceit, his
wrath, his untruthful boasting
a. Pride is a pretender and
only likes reality if it is flattering; If reality makes pride look bad it will
pretend it’s not reality and create a false reality
b. Pride
always deals in fantasy, lies, untruths, non-reality; Pride and deception go
together because pride is believing lies about yourself-Obdiah3
2.
What
is humility? Rather
than high, humility is low; Low, not rising far from the ground, low as opposed
to high and lofty
a. Latin Humus-Ground, earth, soil, land; rather
than living in the clouds in some fantasy world you come to earth, lowering yourself
to reality
b. Humility is not degrading
yourself, it’s simply dealing in reality – Humility goes with honesty-2
Corinthians 12:6
3.
To
grow we have to change and to change we have to acknowledge the truth and to
acknowledge the truth you have to humble yourself-2Tim2:25
a. You have to acknowledge
reality, NOT pretend like it doesn’t exist
D. Lying and pride and
covering and not repenting and not growing all go together-1 Samuel 15 – Confess
or cover
1.
3-We
know he likes parades and parties and being lauded-1 Samuel 18:7-8, but this
time he want get that b/c there will be no spoils
2.
13-He’s
operating in lies and deception
3.
14,15-It’s
time to repent right now and instead he’s pretending like he had nothing to do
with this
4.
15-He’s
lying and pretending and getting angry and saying that it’s a sacrifice for the
Lord
5.
17-He’s
in pride-Apparently he’s not little in his own site anymore
6.
20-21-He’s
lying and covering when he should be humbling himself and repenting – He
won’t receive correction
7.
23-He
was only repenting because he didn’t want to lose his position and title
8.
30-He’s
still concerned about looking good in front of the people
E. It takes humility to deal
in honesty and reality because sometimes reality is flattering and sometimes
the truth doesn’t make you look good
1.
1
Kings 21:25-29-He’s repenting, but God calls it humbling himself; this truth is
making him look bad, but he’s acknowledging it and that takes humility; To
acknowledge the truth that you’re wrong you’re not being lifted up an and
magnifying yourself you’re doing the opposite
2.
If
the truth makes pride look bad, pride doesn’t want to acknowledge it/confess it,
but it will try to cover it and not acknowledge it; Humility confesses sin
(reality), Pride covers it (reality)
F. You have to acknowledge
the truth and repent to grow
1.
James
5:16-Confess your faults one to another
and pray one for another that you may be healed; Healed-Make whole,
to free from errors and sins; Confess-Acknowledge openly, not deny
2.
Proverbs
28:13-He that covers his sins will not
prosper: but who so confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy; Cover-Hide,
conceal; Prosper-Advance, make progress
3.
How
quickly you receive correction and repent determines how quickly you’ll grow
– Peter John 13:9-Pride doesn’t like to admit it’s wrong and being slow
to repent is a sign of pride and immaturity
G. Ephesians4:15-To grow up you have to deal in truth and be honest with
yourself (Speaking the truth-Profess
the truth, truthing it, being true)
1.
Humility
and honesty is a big part of growing up; If you’re going hem-haw around and
pretend in pride and lie about where you are and try to play around with your
faults and immaturity and make excuses and not repent you won’t grow
2.
Pride
and lying and pretending will keep you from growing up
3.
Speaking
truth in love has to do with being honest with yourself without condemning yourself
IV.
How to respond to
correction (3): Don’t take it lightly – Value it and take is seriously
A. Hebrews 12:5-Don’t
despise his correction (Despise-to care little for, regard lightly, make small
account; treat it like it’s not that big of deal)
1.
Hebrews 12:5-MSG-My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s
discipline; ERV-Don’t think the
Lord’s discipline is worth nothing,
B. Correction and the path
of life
1.
Proverbs
6:23-For the commandment is a lamp: and
the law is light; and reproofs of instruction the way of life
a. CEV-Corrective teaching is the path of life; TLB-To give you a good life; NET-Rebukes of discipline are like the
road leading to life
2.
Proverbs
4:13-Take fast hold of instruction; let
her not go: keep her; for she is thy life
a. Hold-To have, take, keep hold, retain, take strong hold of; Instruction-Correction, chastening; Let go-Let drop, abandon, relax,
forsake; Keep-Kept close; Life-Live prosperously
b. Take strong hold of
correction and don’t let it go – Is that most people’s attitude towards
correction?
c. AMP-Take hold of instruction; [actively seek it, grip it firmly
and] do not let it go; ERV-it is the
key to life; TLB-They will lead you
to real living; MSG-Your life is at
stake
3.
Proverbs
5:21-23-He will die without instruction;
and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray
a. Instruction-Correction,
discipline, chastening; Folly-Foolishness;
Astray-Error
b. CEB-Those without instruction will die, misled by their own
stupidity; ERV-Evil people will die
because they refused to be disciplined; TLB-He
shall die because he will not listen to the truth; NIRV-They will die because they refused to be corrected; NLV-He will die for want of teaching
4.
Proverbs
10:17-He is in the way of life that keeps
instruction: but he that refuses reproof errors
a. Refuses-Leave, forsake, depart, let go, neglect; Reproof-Correction, rebuke, chastisement
b. CEV-Accept correction and you will find life; reject correction
and you will miss the road; GNT-People
who listen when they are corrected will live, but those who will not admit that
they are wrong are in danger; ICB-The
person who accepts correction is on the way to life. But the person who ignores
correction will be ruined; MSG-Ignore
correction and you’re lost for good; VOICE-Those
who accept instruction are travelers on the road to a meaningful life, but
those who refuse correction wander off and pave a path to ruin
5.
Proverbs
13:18-Poverty and shame shall be to him
that refuses instruction: but he that regards reproof shall be honored
a. Poverty-Lack; Shame-Disgrace,
dishonor; Refuses-Avoid, ignore; Instruction-Correction; Regards-Give heed, retain, treasure up;
Reproof-Rebuke, correction,
chastisement
b. CEV-All who refuse correction will be poor and disgraced; MSG-Refuse discipline and end up
homeless; embrace correction and live an honored life
6.
Proverbs
15:10-Correction is grievous unto him
that forsake the way: and he that hates reproof shall die
a. Correction-Discipline, chastening, correction; Grievous-Bad, sad, unhappy, hurtful,
displeasing; Reproof-Correction
b. GNV-Instruction is evil to him that forsakes the way; GW-Discipline is a terrible burden to
anyone who leaves the right path; NABRE-Discipline
seems bad to those going astray