The "struggle against sin" referred to in verse 4 probably means the struggle of facing opposition from those who do not believe. The struggle against sin has two aspects. One is the internal struggle that we all have in overcoming the sin in our own lives, and this is the aspect we think of most often. But there is also the struggle against sin in the world, which means that the world system and individuals in the world will oppose us because of our faith. Here the writer is probably referring to the latter, and has just reminded them of the suffering that Christ had to endure.
The writer then goes on to the internal struggle for he now starts to talk about discipline from the Father. We find the internal struggle difficult, not just because of the very fact of the temptation of sin, but of not knowing how to cope when we have done something wrong, have realised and admitted it, and want to be different. We feel guilty and cannot imagine how God can still love us. The writer reminds us that a good father disciplines his children. God disciplines us. He does this not to punish us, but to transform us, to train us the right ways. Most importantly, He does this because He loves us.
So we are to take the Lord's discipline seriously, and to be encouraged by it, not discouraged. For the fact that He disciplines us means that He loves us, and that He believes in us. He believes that we can be better.
So instead of giving up, we should strengthen ourselves and increase our resolve to fight on in the battle.
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