 Sometimes God is just not fair when it comes to consequences of sin. Have you ever noticed that sometimes one person can do the same thing that another person does and it seems, matter of fact, not the same, but oftentimes the consequences that we get as a result of sin, they're just different. In many cases they would even seem that they're unfair. One person does this, another person does the exact same thing, and the consequences are vastly different. Why is that? Why does it seem like God is unfair? Or can we even say that God is unfair? Well, the answer is yes. He is unfair sometimes when it comes to how consequences are meted out. But that's not necessarily a bad thing because God knows who he's dealing with. Consequences serve two purposes. The good thing is that you can actually help to mediate what the consequences end up becoming. Here's what I mean. Sometimes the consequence is death. The purpose of punishment is twofold. Either one to kill for punishment or the punishment is to grow you. Think about how God dealt with the children of Israel. There would be times where their punishment would just simply be death. And then there are also times where their punishment would be brought about to bring them to a course of correction. Is it always fair? Sometimes the person might get this. Sometimes the person might get a little bit more. Sometimes the punishment is extremely more than the next person. There are people with the exact same charges in prison and the judge might give them one year. Person with the same charge, similar background circumstances might get five years or 10 years or 20 years. It varies. Who determines and why should a person get mercy? Well, it depends on that person's set up circumstance. And ultimately, God knows. Let's go to Hebrews. I want to pull out something for a second. And Hebrews 12, 6 tells us this, for those whom the Lord loves, he disciplines. Well, why is that important? Well, because we all get disciplined and no one likes discipline. As a matter of fact, he's going to say so in a second. He says he scourges every son whom he receives. Well, the good news is you're a son. And so every son is going to be disciplined, though that son, that child of God, doesn't like it at the moment. He says it is for discipline that you endure. God deals with you as sons, as with sons, I'm sorry, for what son is there whom his father does not discipline. But if you are without discipline of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. There are people, though, that you will think that might be getting away with whatever the sin is. But understand, God has not given up on punishing them. They are, as the Bible is telling us, that God is storing up wrath for them. So when they get punished, they are going to get punished. But there might be some sort of benefit for them to be around. The benefit could be to grow you to help you and your patients and your endurance. Or as an example, but when it comes to us, whatever the correction is, it's to grow us. For my own personal testimony, had I gotten a lighter punishment, maybe I would not have changed. Maybe I'm so hardheaded, so stubborn, that after a short amount of punishment, then I would have figured out a way to kind of go back to doing what I want to do. And so maybe the greater the punishment is because of the greater the stubbornness in me. And it takes a course correction, because maybe maybe the same is with you. If you are stubborn, but I can put a stubborn person, a convicted person. And when I say convicted, I mean convict, they have convictions and they're going to carry out their convictions. But if God can turn those convictions for him, in other words, make a stubborn person for themselves into being someone stubborn or zealous for God, well then amen. And it might take a little bit longer for this person than it does the next person. And oftentimes, the people that have the greatest amount of punishment or the more severe load is because it might be a heavier burden on them, a heavier load to carry for the kingdom of God, which is a good thing if God entrusts you to do so. But it's going to take an awful lot of discipline, an awful lot of training. And so this is what God is doing. Every son of his, he's going to chastise when they get in trouble, but also he wants to grow that son. And so that's the issue. Yes, you cannot control the consequences, but what you can control, this is the good news, you can control how the consequences end. In other words, will this consequence lead to my death? But if I change, the consequence will lead to my growth. And that's the whole point. One thing for certain, if you're his, the Bible says that God is going to cause all the things to work for the good to those who he loves, and it will be for his glory. That's a good thing. Amen.