Matthew 18:15-20

Introduction

Before VK was Born, Norah and I had 2 Dogs: Finn & Champ

We Loved Them, Fed Them, Played with Them, and Gave Them a Home…

From the Time They were Puppies

But Within a Few Weeks of VK Being Born, They Started Running Away

They were Tearing Down Lattice and Chicken Wire…

To Escape Our Backyard

We would Go Scouring the Neighborhood, Trying to Find Them

We would Find and Return Them Several Times

I Remember One Day They had Escaped During a Downpour

I Worked Out in an Absolute Flood Putting Up More Chicken Wire

And Almost Immediately, They Tore Right Through it Again

We Eventually Found Champ and Kept Him Locked Up Tight

But We couldn’t Find Finn Anywhere for Several Days

One Day I Drove 1.5 Miles Down the Road and Saw Finn…

Sitting on a Front Porch with a Bunch of Other Dogs

I Knocked on the Door and Told Them that He was Our Dog

They Informed Me that He had Gotten Married in the Days He’d Been Missing

And Now He was Expecting to Be a Father

Me, About to Be a Father Myself, Thought…

I wouldn’t Want Someone to Take Me Away From My Wife and Kids

So We Let that Nice Family Keep Finn

A Few Days Later We Found a New Owner for Champ as Well

A Kind of Hippy-Like Guy Who Travels the Country in a Camper

He Told Me He was Trading in His Girlfriend for a Dog

Still Not Sure Exactly What to Make of that

I Tell You this Story to Say this:

We Provided These 2 Dogs a Wonderful Home/Loving Family

But They Wanted a Different Kind of Life

They Ran Off and We Chased Them Down and Brought Them Back

But They Continued to Run Away From Home

So We had to Make, What can Many Times Be, a Very Difficult Decision

We had to Let Them Go

We had to Let Them have the Life They Desired

This is Not a Great Illustration…

But it’s Similar to Something We’re Going to Learn From Jesus in Our Text

When One of Our Own Goes Missing…

Our Father Wants Us to Go Find Them and Bring Them Home

But if They Desire to Live a Different Kind of Life…

We have to Let Them Go

If They’re Unwilling to Keep Their Commitments to Their Father and Their Siblings…

Then They are No Longer Recognized as Part of the Family

If They’re Unwilling to Abide By the Laws of the Community…

Then They are No Longer Welcome in the Community

Matthew 18:15-20

We’re in the 4th Major Teaching Discourse of Jesus

This Discourse is All About Relationships in the Kingdom Community

So Far, the Discourse is About Loving, Accepting, and Valuing Each Other

But More Specifically, it’s About Loving, Accepting, and Valuing Each Other…

In Order to Help One Another Stay Faithful to God

In the Previous Passage, Jesus Taught His Disciples to Search and Restore Their Own Who Go Astray…

It Makes Sense that He Now Teaches Them How They should Accomplish that

In this Passage, Jesus is Showing Us the Right Way to Practice “Church Discipline”

Matthew 18:15 (NASB95)

15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

Let’s Break Down this Verse

“If Your Brother Sins”

“If One of the 99 Sheep Goes Astray”

“If Your Sibling Begins Making an Active Practice of Sin”

Some Later Manuscripts have “If Your Brother Sins Against You”

This May have Been What was on Jesus’ Mind…

But I Don’t Believe it’s Necessary

Whether My Brother Sins Against Me or is Sinning in General…

His Life is in Danger and Something Needs to Be Done

Notice, Jesus Said, “If Your Brother Sins”

It Doesn’t Say, “If Your Brother Does Something You Don’t Like”

Or “If Your Brother Makes You Upset”

Or “If Your Brother has a Different Opinion/Belief/Tradition than You”

“Go and Show Him His Fault”

“Go and Make Him Aware/Convict Him of His Wrong-Doing”

“Help Him See His Sin for What it is”

“Let Him Know that You Disapprove of His Actions”

Whose Responsibility is it to Go to Their Sinning Brother?

Is it the Elders’ Responsibility?

Is it the Deacons’ Responsibility?

Is it the Preachers’ Responsibility?

It’s Our Responsibility, Isn’t it?

The Responsibility is Laid Upon Every Single One of Us

It’s Possible to have the Attitude of:

“Why Should I have to Go to Them?”

“It’s Not My Fault They Chose to Sin, So it Shouldn’t Be My Responsibility!”

“If They’ve Sinned Against Me…”

“They should have to Be the Ones that Come to Me!”

Well, There’s Truth to that

Matthew 5:23–24 (NASB95)

23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

If I’ve Sinned Against Someone, it’s My Responsibility to Go Be Reconciled to Them

But that’s Not the Point of Jesus’ Present Teaching

What They should/shouldn’t Do…

Doesn’t Change What I should Do

Whether They Do What They should or Not isn’t the Point Here

Sure, it’s Their Responsibility to Come to Me

But it’s Also My Responsibility to Go to Them

And, I Guess, in a Perfect World, the 2 of You would Meet in the Middle

One Coming with a Humble Heart, Wanting Forgiveness

And the Other Coming with a Humble Heart, Wanting to Forgive

But Whether They Keep Their Responsibility or Not…

Doesn’t Change My Responsibility

As a Christian, I’m in the Soul/Life Saving Business

And Helping My Siblings Return to Faithfulness is Soul-Saving

James 5:19–20 (NASB95)

19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

“In Private”

This is Literally “Between You and Him Alone”

This Gives Us Insight into the Motive/Heart…

We should have When Going to Convict Our Brother of His Sin

We should Go to Him with Humility, Patience, and Love

Our Desire isn’t to Air Our Brother’s Dirty Laundry

Our Desire isn’t to Publicly/Privately Shame/Embarrass Him

Our Desire isn’t to Use a Harsh Tone/Words

Our Desire is to Preserve His Dignity While Also Rebuking His Actions

Our Desire is to Approach Him in a Manner that Proves Our Love for Him

Our Desire is to Confront Him with Gentleness and Patience

Our Desire and Primary Goal is Our Brother’s Repentance and Restoration

Galatians 6:1 (NASB95)

1 Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

“If He Listens to You, You Have Won Your Brother”

“If You Successfully Convict Him of His Sin and He Repents”

“If” Suggests that There’s a Possibility that He will Repent

This is More Possible than Many of Us Recognize

When Handled in the Correct Way, a Positive Response is Very Possible

We should Never Doubt God’s Ability to Touch/Change Hearts…

When His People Represent Him Well

Notice that Jesus Didn’t Say:

“When He Listens to You, You have Won the Argument”

“You have Won Your Brother”

Due to Your Humble, Patient, Loving Rebuke…

“You have Reconciled/Restored Your Brother to God’s Family”

Just Like When the Shepherd Found His Lost Sheep…

This is a Cause for Rejoicing/Celebration!

But “If” Also Suggests that There’s a Possibility that Our Brother Won’t Listen

There’s a Possibility that He Won’t Repent and Be Restored

The Rest of the Passage Deals with What Needs to Happen in that Case

Matthew 18:16 (NASB95)

16 “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.

If the Brother Refuses to Repent After We’ve Confronted Him About His Sin…

We’re Not to Give Up on Him

We’re to Keep Trying

The Love and Value We are to have for Our Siblings in Christ…

Should Be Far Too Much to Give Up that Easily

Jesus Tells Us to Take 1 or 2 Others with Us to Confront Him Again

His Instruction Comes Straight From the Law of Moses

Under the Law, No One could Be Convicted of Wrong-Doing…

Based Upon the Evidence/Testimony of a Single Witness

There Needs to Be at Least 2 or 3 Witnesses…

To Make Sure All the Facts are Established/Confirmed

These Extra Witnesses are Brought in to Play a Neutral Part

They’re There to Help the Offended Show the Sinner His Sin…

If the Facts Point in that Direction

But They’re Also There to Help the Accused Sinner…

If the Facts Prove Him to Be Innocent

So, if a Straying Sibling Refuses to Listen to You…

You’re to Continue to Keep the Situation as Private as Possible

Bring in 1 or 2 Other Siblings to Help

They May Disagree with You and Say:

“You’re Brother has Done Nothing Wrong, You Need to Drop this”

They May Agree with You and Seek to Help You Convict the Brother of His Sin…

So that He will Repent and Be Restored

If He Listens/Repents, then it is a Cause for Rejoicing/Celebration

But What if He Still Refuses to Listen to the 2 or 3 of You?

Matthew 18:17 (NASB95)

17 “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

At this Point, the Sinning Brother is Showing Himself to Be Hard-Hearted

In Such Cases, it’s Now Time to Go Public

Now the Entire Church Community Needs to Know of this Brother’s Sinful Lifestyle

But the Motive and Goal Remains the Same

To Humbly, Patiently, and Lovingly Convict this Brother of His Sin

The Idea is, if Your Entire Family/Community Condemns Your Lifestyle Choices…

Surely You’ll Change Your Ways

But if He Continues to Refuse to Listen…

He’s to Be Cut Off From His Family/Community

He’s to be Disfellowshiped/Excommunicated/Treated as an Unbeliever…

Because That’s the Life He’s Chosen for Himself

And Even Then, the Goal Remains the Same:

The Hope is that He will Be So Brokenhearted…

That His Sin has Caused Him to Lose His Family/Community…

That He will Repent of His Sin and Be Restored/Welcomed Back in

Matthew 18:18–20 (NASB95)

18 “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

These 3 Verses Seem to All Be Making the Same Point:

If Jesus’ Directions for Church Discipline are Followed…

Then the Church’s Decision has God’s Approval

That Means Jesus is in Agreement with How the Church Responds to the Sinning Sibling

If He Repents and is Welcomed Back in to the Church Community…

Jesus Gives His Endorsement

If He Refuse to Repent and is Excommunicated From the Church Community…

Jesus Gives His Endorsement

Application

When it Comes to Church Discipline:

It’s Hardly Ever Practiced Anymore

We’re Often Too Afraid to Call Out Sin or Rock the Boat

When it is Practiced, it Often Doesn’t Work

Not Because Jesus Gave Bad Instructions

Because Too Many Churches Practice Bad Christianity

Think About it:

What Typically Happens When Someone’s Sin is Called Out…

Or Someone is Told that They’re Being Excommunicated From the Church?

They Drive 5 Minutes Down the Road to the Next Church

So What Actually Happens?

They Get Their Cake and They Eat it Too

They Keep Living in Sin

And Jesus’ Church is Still Infected with Their Sin

Church Discipline is Less of a Punishment and More of an Inconvenience

When We See the Corinthian Church Disfellowship One of Their Own…

He Repented and was Lovingly Accepted Back into the Community

Church Discipline was Very Effective in the Early Church

We Need to Ask the Question:

Why was it Effective Then, But Not So Much Now?

I’m Convinced One of the Main Reasons is:

Much of the Early Church was Made Up of Small, Tight-Knit House Churches

They Spent Lots of Time with Each Other…

And Shared Lots Meals with Each Other

Due to Sharing Their Lives, Homes, and Food with Each Other on a Regular Basis…

Their Relationships were Genuine, Deep, and Intimate

To have Something So Loving, Warm, and Personal…

Is to have Something Truly Special

To Then Be Told that You’re No Longer Welcome in that Loving Family…

Would Be Absolutely Shattering

When Given the Choice, “It’s Either Us or Your Sin”…

The Choice was Often an Easy One

A Loving Family/Community is Much More Valuable…

Than Any Temporary Pleasure of Sin

But What Do So Many Churches have Today?

Big Church Buildings Where Everyone can Spread Out and Not Talk to Each Other

Rarely Ever Spend Quality Time with Each Other

Rarely Ever Share Meals Together

Because of that, Relationships are Often Extremely Superficial

When You are Excommunicated From that, it Doesn’t Hurt Very Much

You Can’t Really Disfellowship Someone…

With Whom You Barely had Any Fellowship with Already

In Order to Obey Jesus and Practice Church Discipline

We’ve Got to Love and Value Each Other So Much That…

We Build Close/Intimate Relationships with Each Other

We Keep Each Other Accountable

If One of Us were to Stray into Sin, We’d Go Searching for Them

We wouldn’t Give Up on the One Caught Up in Sin

We’d Convict Them with Gentleness, Humility, Patience, and Love