Sermon Tone Analysis

Several weeks ago, we started Matthew 18, and we noted that the whole passage was really centered around the themes of humility and forgiveness.

We saw Jesus’ call, first, for us to humble ourselves like little children before Him.

And then, he taught us what humility looks like as little children before Him.

Humility before the face of the Lord.

Humility in the face of temptation

Humility in the face of Mercy

The call was never to be boastful or prideful in the face of sin - whether we are dealing with our own sin, or tempting another person to sin, or thinking of the weight of our forgiveness of sin.

We saw that God is intimately aware and concerned about every single one of His children, and that we should not despise one of them.

Not even one of them.

Then, if you remember, we talked about what it means to despise God’s children, or your brothers and sisters in Christ.

By overlooking them in favor of a more important person

By neglecting to care for them

By ridiculing them

By taking advantage of their weakness

By rejecting someone when they lovingly correct us

It is that one which ties us into the passage before us today.

We could really sum up the passage, starting in Matthew 18:15 with the opening words - “If your brother sins against you.”

In the first half of the chapter, the big idea was “don’t tempt someone to sin, don’t tempt yourself to sin” - the word was “Skandalon” - to cause to stumble.

But here, Jesus has moved beyond whatever the temptation was, to after the fact - the sin has taken place.

Your brother (or sister) has sinned against you.

These verses are referred to most often to talk about what is called church discipline.

That can be a scary term.

It can be a misused term.

And it can be an ignored term.

We don’t have time to talk about every kind of case where these principles are misused or misapplied, we will take our definition from Jesus as we work through the passage.

But in big picture language, There are really two ditches around that term.

There are instances where it is totally ignored.

Where there is no attempt to do anything at all like what Jesus meant or taught here.

There are instances where it is overused, or misused, to make a mountain out of every little sin and failure that comes up.

Or worse, it is used to promote legalistic principles and preferences in a church, rather than allowing the scripture to define what sin actually is.

It is also often called - “Ex-Communication,” which is also a term that sounds scary, but its really just describing the last step in Jesus’ words here.

However we call the principles, though, we must not ignore them.

But, we also must see that the heart behind them is not a desire to put people out of the church, but rather to seek repentance, forgiveness, and restoration.

Just as sin can be felt by the whole body, so Christ calls the whole body to seek for restoration and forgiveness.

If Your Brother Sins Against You - Vs. 15

This is the definitional verse for the whole passage.

“If your brother sins against you.”

First, Jesus is looking at this as a hypothetical that is very probable.

It is very likely that at some point, this will happen.

You will have to follow this teaching.

It is very practical teaching with a very practical aim.

“Your brother...” - this defines the scope of this.

This is talking about brothers and sisters in the Lord.

You may be able to apply some of the principles in this passage if an unbeliever sins against you, but the weight of it leans on the fact that the two parties are both believers, and both have the Lord’s teaching and the scriptural principles in mind.

You can only lovingly correct an unbeliever with scriptural principles to a certain point before they say, “I don’t believe that...” And then you have nothing to base your interaction on.

Your’re on different terms.

And interestingly, that is where we end up after the third step.

But more on that later.

“If your brother sins...” - The word here is the basic word for sin - Now, sin in big terms is a state of sinfulness against God.

It is, as Paul defines it, falling short of God’s glory.

We are all born into sin, the world is a sinful place, after the fall of Adam, all are in sin.

But here, the word is used more specific - there is an instance of sin.

Someone has disobeyed God’s ways.

There has been a specific instance of rebellion or clearly ignoring God’s law and principles on a matter.

It is important that we define it this way, though, because these principles are not given to use if a brother or sister just “bothers you” or just “rubs you the wrong way.”

These principles aren’t intended if you’re just offended because your sister has a different opinion on some secondary, preferential issue.

No, it is an instance where there is a specific sin.

Something that can be identified, and more importantly, something that can be repented of and forgiven.

“Against you...” - That is important also.

This is an instance where the specific sin is public enough, or specific enough, that it directly affects someone else.

In a marriage, adultery directly affects the other person.

It is a sin against the sopouse.

Lying to someone is a sin against someone.

It is not being truthful with them.

Stealing from someone is a sin against that person.

Harming someone physically, or berating someone verbally, is a sin against them.

Now, what if my brother or sister sins, and its not against me?

Here, there are two principles.

If someone is overtaken in a fault, we are to restore that person.

Which we will see is the goal here.

It is still imperative that brothers and sisters come alongside someone and seek their repentance and restoration when it is a clear fault.

We will see that exemplified in 1 and 2 Corinthians.

Sometimes, we should lovingly overlook a fault.

Love covers a multitude of sins.

Sometimes there are things that aren’t worth meddling in.

Aren’t worth bringing up.

Sometimes in grace we can say, That person is in a rough spot.

That person had a rough day.

I know them, that’t not their character.

With all that defined, here is the principles.

Matthew 18:15 (ESV)

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.

If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

It really is that simple.

If your brother or sister has sinned against you in a serious enough way that it requires some mending, then go and tell him alone, just between you and him.

Now, I cannot stress how much this principles, if actually applied well, would eradicate all manner of unrighteousness.

For one, it would eradicate gossip.

If someone sins against you, and you start spreading that offense around trying to gain sympathy as the victim, you are not acting righteously in that occasion.

If someone comes to you, and says “so and so has really offended me.”

In love, your first question should be, “have you talked to them about it?”

You may have heard me say that to you!

This is one of the beautiful principles concerning Jesus’ teaching.

Sin does not always have to be broad public knowledge.

If it is dealt with, and there is repentance and forgiveness, then that is as far as the topic needs to spread.

But also, this would eradicate a major temptation - bitterness.

Sometimes, whether we are embarrassed or nervous or scared or just too prideful, we won’t go to our brother when he sins against us.

And we tell ourselves that we are just going to “get over it.”

But rather than getting over it, we become bitter.

Every time we see the person, we remember the offense.

We wonder if they remember.