You're in Training, Part 3

You when I went to see his God has you as a son learning directly from him how to live your life because he's got bigger better plans things he wants to turn over to you a domain that he wants you to operate a man, and the rest of your life hello and welcome to this Monday edition of Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont California with your listing on radio online or on our free destined for victory mobile app is pretty part of your day with us.

Well, last week, Pastor Paul compared our training as Christians to the training we received his high school or college students have lessons to learn books to study test to pass until we demonstrate proficiency in those academic areas we can move on to the next level. If you missed any of those messages you'll find them online on-demand@pastorpaul.net today. Pastor Paul shares another picture of what looks like to be in training which we traded in our notebooks and pencils for a pair of good old-fashioned workboots was join him now for today's message you're in training are grabbed Bible Hebrews chapter 12 verses seven through 11. The writer to the Hebrews says that some say it's Paul. I happen to believe otherwise. But that matter.

We know that this writer was inspired of God and says this indoor hardness as discipline God is treating you as sons.

What son is not disciplined by his father. If you are not disciplined and everyone undergoes discipline then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for how much more should we submit to the father of our spirits and live our father's disciplined us for a little while as they thought best. But God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it on the last message we began to understand that discipline has to do with much more than punishment.

Sometimes it involves punishment where there is been misbehavior but I gave you a definition that I want to review now because it's important that we understand what the writer to the Hebrews is saying here that when you are going through tough times. God says I want to use it in your training program and he says you have to endure red because God is bringing into your life. Discipline chastening as a son. So let's review the definition I gave you last time of discipline it means to train it means to instruct it means to equip it means tomorrow, and it means the clause to learn. That's what God is up to in your life and mind when you are going through tough times. God says I want to use it as part of your training regimen because I'm making you a full grown son who is able to enter into the kingdom enterprise and to do so with authority and power in your life and so you gotta learn to endure war, the hardness that is coming your way because God is treating you as a son. Now I said that there are three paradigms that provide insight into what is meant here in verses seven through 11 of Hebrews 12. The first insight I covered in the last message which is school.

The school paradigm I talked about old-fashioned school versus this modern stuff. We got going on now an old fashion schooling. You didn't just go to school to learn academic things you went to school where they were going to reinforce what hopefully you were getting at home, which is how to grow up and be a decent human being. Thomas remember the days where school expected you back like you have six schools were places that look like a zoo but just one goal tolerated they were going to have it. You got kicked out before you could limit acting up so we all know is true. I remember the days when you get expected if you come in here and crazy Google just suspended a couple of times and then you may get expelled. Which means you can ever come back and that was a day when they understood that everything in society was supposed to help reinforce what you were learning at home which was, it is our job as adults to teach you how to grow up and be somebody please send we got to get back to school. The shot that done, but we still gotta find ways of doing our churches are communities, we still gotta find ways to reinforce and help families raise decent human being. So you do it you modern parents. You gotta do it get you some help get you some support. Find yourself a village will help you raise your find some people who can support and reinforce who can tell you to tell you put your pants up. Below you, but have a seat into the reasonable seatbelt into trying to help you now turn the president goes the president of being. So he comes to know these things reinforce don't you let someone walk up in there and take your daughter looking crazy to come by me.

John the door by me of any manager in what you got to go teach us to be gentlemen.

So when I got somebody else's door.

You don't have to be the same in school used to reinforce – now known schools look like those in parents a lot of modern-day parent support educators. I will never forget when I was the associate pastor my home church in Philadelphia.

We had a Christian Academy at the church and Lord are blessed with a beautiful building.

We had a full-blown Christian Academy as part of our church and we had a early morning program. So when parents had to go to work early was in time for the school we just had early morning program and you could drop the kids off our two before school started. I will never forget one morning when I got to the office. They were talking about this parent who had just shown his entire behind early and I said what would happen and the teacher said well pastor. We locked the door for the morning program.

Also, nobody could just walk up in the building because I wasn't there yet staff wasn't there yet was just a couple of teachers who were assigned due to early program so the door was locked and the kids had to come and ring the doorbell. It had a rather loud buzzer that went all the way down the hall so you could hear it and so does one kid got dropped off his father was sitting a set at the curb in the car and just sit there witnessing the child go in and the child he said got to the doorbell so the teacher came to the door, opened it, blocked it and scolded the child like that said, you hear it from outside. You know that's allowed, you know, no matter where I am on the first floor. All you have to do is just one time.

About one second.

I know that somebody that you hold in the job before she let the child in the car on the car. They said he will talk to my child and the teacher said. I explained him that I'm scolding your child for ringing the bell excessively. Did you notice what they want to shop and when I got into the office and heard that I say give me his number and we called him and said if you want your child in this school tomorrow you will apologize to that teacher because what you went reinforce was everything we don't stand for and this is a private school. Jack no taxpayer don't pay your tuition paid. This is not my fundable. We read him the riot act to Joe. We got to get back to realizing that discipline is a part of creating decent human being is natural and the school paradigm. So what is in your spiritual training.

God trying to grow you up, he won't let you act spoiled and crazy you can't do any old thing you want and get God's approval on it.

He will not pass through to the next grade you learned everything you're supposed to learn at this grade in life, somebody all on you will be in left back, you should be the cycle of learning by now spiritually speaking and you will stay on your ABCs and your one, two, three, and God is saying, you better get with the program because changing discipline your life you're listening to destined for victory would pastor Paul Sheppard second half of today's message comes your way. Next, so stay with us.

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You can also subscribe to the destined for victory, podcast or Apple podcast it's modifying or whatever you enjoy your the body of Christ. Leadership comes through succession handed down from one generation to the next pastor Paul explains this idea of apprenticeship and the rest of today's destined for victory message in your in training was listening. Now the second paradigm is the one I want to cover in this message and if the paradigm of an apprentice apprentice. If you want to look at what God is doing in our lives according to Hebrews 12. I want you to think with me about the whole matter of apprenticeship. This was a very important paradigm in Bible times because if you are going to learn a trade or the family business in Bible times. You couldn't do that in a vocational school. The only way you learned your trade, especially your family business was you learned it as an apprentice under your father or a father figure. Vocational school commercials you see going to Dave Everett home during the day and use it a habit they have all these commercial bodies, vocational school, trying to get folks to go somewhere and get in and that waiting for you right now called his number right now go get education for yourself and then they just trying to sell people on the idea come to this vocational school we can teach you some marketable scales in the middle of the gym TV and the trying to help people why Bible times, there were no vocational schools you learned your trade you learned your livelihood from your father or a father figure and you did it as an apprentice. In fact, when Jesus was 12 330 the only thing the Bible says about those 18 years is the increased in wisdom and stature in favor with God and man.

Where did he increase in what context he was working with his daddy. His father, earthly father Joseph was a carpenter, so it was a given.

Jesus was a carpenter until age 30. He spent time training, learning, growing, gaining insight, growing up physically getting stronger.

Getting wiser. Learning how to deal with people continuing to worship God his father for 18 years.

That's the only thing the Bible has to say about those 18 years is he was on the girl as an apprentice, he worked with his daddy. He was a carpenter and he learned the family business you got understand that you and I are apprentices. God has you as a son learning directly from him how to live your life because he's got bigger better plans things he wants to turn over to you is a domain that he wants you to operate in and the rest of your life for our lives. You are the types tell people you are to influence you're supposed to be a difference maker supposed to just stay here. I have in which a bad spot by the door of your life. Wait one day to make a difference to something for God and the only way you're going to learn how to live for him is you gotta be his apprentice. So this says God is treating you like a son and training you every day of your life as an apprentice. The ancient apprentice had three characteristics number one commitment apprenticeship in Bible times was characterized by commitment, which means you learned your trade directly under the influence of your father or your father figure with the father you want father in all things you were subject to all of your father, your mother was an extension in Bible times that support but mama's job was to have you nurse you wish you and bam for all practical purposes she turned you over to your daddy. We don't see that in modern days in most cultures today, but if you want to understand your spiritual journey you got understand this journey of apprenticeship in Bible times you learn how to live under your daddy combat you want to be an astronaut daddy back in those days nobody had visions of technology anyway but your income always some completely off-the-wall family was known for. That's what you entered into you learned the family trade and you learned it under your father.

And so it was a given that you were going to spend your life training under him and I want you to see that paradigm. It happened in Jesus life and happened in Elisha's life. Remember in first Kings chapter 19 when Elijah is moving into a new phase of his ministry was gotta influence of some of the people, now you know in the first Kings 17 we meet him and God uses him to bring judgment on Israel because of their idolatry and he brings all the word that does not go be rain or do for a few years. Remember that and how God had to take care of him and other faithful people during that family and then your good over and you find the great showdown on Mount, when the next chapter over and God is using him in a mighty way and he's declaring the word of the Lord any showing up these false prophets and all of that and then has them slave then you get over into 19 and you find that he's running for his life's cat to death of Jezebel.

But God gets them through all of that and toward the end of that experience. God says he's asking the guy doesn't know I can take yet, but I have more work for you to do. You gotta anoint some kings and you've got to anoint your success sore and so when you get over into this part of first Kings 19 beginning in verse 19 he goes to anoint his success sore his apprentice, he goals, finds Elisha plowing 12 yoke of oxen were told in first Kings 1919 and he himself was driving the 12 pair Elisha look at this.

At this point he's working in his family business. Now God has a new assignment for him.

Verse 20. Elisha left his oxen ran after Elisha because Elijah has thrown his cloak around him now Bible times when a prophet came and through his cloak around you. That was a calling that was the sake God has given you a calling and the calling didn't come from inside of you. The call and come in from outside. You know, we gotta get back to that, we who are apprentices in the kingdom we got a quick call and ourselves. You can call your self to a ministry God calls you ministry and he does it through others in the body of Christ we can been trying you" and mentor you and the things of God.

We got all these independent… You because you have somebody else to put their hands on you. You can have all the witnesses you want, until some one is trying God use you and says God is on you and I will anoint you for this.

You have no business going out in minute. We gotta get back today. We got to get back to understanding that there is a succession in the body of Christ. Leadership comes to succession God doesn't from one generation to another through the process of succession somebody else's gotta see it other than you save told me I was cold, for I knew I was cold to do what I've been doing throughout my adult life, leading people ministering to people in this way. People said it to me they saw God's hand years before I saw it I ran from it ran ran ran. Now we got full run into it.

It's okay to aspire for ministry. But you gotta do it lawfully.

When you do that, your faithful over a few things to get under a leader know just hop around to. You find somebody will promote you spaghetti sometime before they come to your church. As long as you would put them on the stage quickly and give them some conspicuous to do done work like that in the kingdom God won't give you the next big thing until your faithful to the next small thing as Jesus said in Luke 1610. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much thanks for being here for this Monday edition of Destin for victory in Pastor Paul Shepard's message or in training listen to any of Pastor Paul's recent messages on demand@pastorpaul.net that's Pastor Paul.net were almost out of time.

But before we go I want to thank you for all you're doing to help Pastor Paul share the love of Jesus to the Destin for victory broadcast your prayers and gifts that help turn this into a worldwide ministry with a growing audience and in appreciation of your generous gift today. Pastor Paul will send you his booklet creating a relational legacy earlier this month. He and his wife Meredith spent a few days talking about the ways we can improve and strengthen our personal relationships with this book that highlights the major themes in that message. It's called creating a relational legacy. It's our gift to you this month by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory call us@8553395500orvisitpastorpaul.net make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. Once again our address is Destin for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 is not about what we think is about what the father wants and the father starts with commitment apprenticeship with commitment. You gotta be sold out.

You gotta be all in, you will follow Jesus. You gotta follow him all the way. That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message. You're in training until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory