Why Church? Church Discipline

Introduction

Good Morning! Its so good to be here with you all this morning.

Today I am going to preach on a topic that is not popular, not fun, and not something that I am particularly looking forward to preaching on

I approach this topic with GREAT heaviness and completely understand the weight and emotion that this carries

This morning we are going to take a deep dive into the topic of church discipline

Now, you may be asking, “Greg, why on earth are you preaching on this TODAY!”

I mean we are in the middle of an amazing tent revival, people are surrendering their lives to Jesus, people in this church are finding freedom in Christ in MANY different areas of their life!

We are seeing a move of God, not only in this church but in the churches in this area!

Why preach about such a “negative” topic like church discipline now? Can’t this wait? Shouldn’t you preach a message that’s uplifting and goes with the spirit of the revival that we are seeing?

These are ALL questions that I asked myself for the last 2 weeks, knowing that this is what the Lord had laid on my heart.

These questions were questions that I asked myself all the way up to Friday afternoon.

I was planning on scratching this message and preaching something different

Until I read something in scripture, a passage that only God could have lead me too. A passage that totally transformed my thoughts and questions.

In the beginning of the book of Acts. The beginning of the church. The Holy Spirit comes and transforms lives. Acts 2 Peters sermon and 3,000 people come to Jesus! Acts 3, Peter and John heal the lame man and then Peter preaches another sermon to the Jews that were there and eventually to the Jewish leaders after He and John are thrown into jail. Following this we read of how the believers there prayed for that same kind of boldness and ability to share the love of Jesus with POWER! Look what happens here in Acts 4:31

Acts 4:31 (ESV)

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

I don’t know about you but this sounds like God is moving! It sounds like a revival!

After this revival we see something happen that typically follows a move of God. Acts 4:32-37

Acts 4:32–37 (ESV)

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

The church here is brought into a DEEPER level of intimacy with each other and God.

The Bible says that they were of one heart and soul! The church was in REVIVAL! They were experiencing an amazing move of God!

The comparison is very much like where we are at right now as we are experiencing this revival in our lives and in the church!

BUT! THEN GOD DIRECTED ME TO KEEP READING!

WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS REVIVAL? Acts 5:1-16

Acts 5:1–16 (ESV)

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

WHAT HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER REVIVAL? WHAT HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER THE CHURCH EXPERIENCED AMAZING GROWTH AND INTIMACY?

OUR FIRST RECORD OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE!

Peter confronted Ananias and Sapphira about the sin they had in their lives and God dealt with them! There was church discipline and what happened because of it? 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

THE CHURCH GREW!!

WOW! God spoke to me and said “Greg, who’s church is Naumburg?”

WHOS CHURCH IS THIS? GODS!!

And if its Gods church then doesn’t HE get to dictate what His church looks and acts like?

The church is HIS bride and he is coming back for a PURE, SPOTLESS bride!

One of the methods that he has given to the church to help keep ourselves pure is Church Discipline!

So, I cannot think of a more fitting message to preach as our church goes through revival and spiritual intimacy, then a message about church discipline

You may be visiting here today and thinking, WHOOPS, I picked the wrong Sunday! Let me just say this, I trust and pray that we look at BIBLICAL church discipline, that you can be encouraged and desire what the word of God clearly tells us.

Now, some of you may also be thinking, Greg, what if unbelievers hear this message, isn’t that gonna turn them off to christianity?

I think you would be surprised!

I BELIEVE THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE CHURCH TO PREACH THIS MESSAGE! THEY ARE WAITING FOR THE CHURCH TO START JUDGING THE SIN INSIDE OF THE CHURCH AND QUIT JUDGING THEM!

Because, when the church deals with the sin inside of it, then we actually have a light to share with the world around us and they will be attracted to it because we will look and act different then the world!

People are turned off by hypocrisy in the Church. If we aren’t different than the world why on earth would they want to join?

By the church being willing to call out the sin inside of it we are going to be salt and light to those around us.

Now, all of that was just the introduction! We are going to be looking a few different passages this morning, and I want each of us to make it a PRIORITY to turn to EACH of these passages.

My biggest prayer EVERYTIME I preach, and this Sunday especially is that its the WORD of GOD that does the speaking and convicting NOT ME!

So turn in your bibles this morning to Matthew 18.

In this text there is a pattern for church discipline that shows us EXACTLY how God wants us to practice this

The first pattern that we need to follow in Church discipline is it

1. Starts With Me

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.

I think that one of the biggest misconceptions of church discipline Is that its the pastors or elders responsibility to care of

But the enacting of church discipline starts on a PERSONAL level first!

Notice the words of Jesus, all the personal pronouns in the verse!

Read bold, emphasize BOLD

Brothers and sisters, the first step in church discipline is YOU going to the one who has sinned against you or is living in sin and confronting them about their sin

Now, you may be in here today and thinking to yourself, “Greg this sounds alot like judging to me, and doesnt Jesus say not to judge, lest you be judged?”

Yes Jesus does say this, Jesus’s statement to “judge not lest you be judged” zeroed in on the problems of spiritual hypocrisy and pride.

He compared these offenses to giant logs that blind us to our own faults while we laser in on shortcomings in others.

In fact, in the same inspired Word of God we read in 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

1 Corinthians 5:12–13 (ESV)

12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

We are commanded in the church to judge those INSIDE the church, that means we have the God given authority to approach someone who has sinned against us or is living in sin, and speak to them, IN HUMILITY, always making sure there is not a LOG in our own eye first.

I want to make a note of a couple things before we move on, First, the prerequisite for approaching someone in church discipline is not that we are perfect first.

If that was the case we would NEVER do this. The prerequisite is that we are doing it out of a heart of LOVE AND REPENTANCE!

The second note I want to make is that church discipline is NOT A NEGATIVE THING! we will look at this more in a little bit, but if you are approached or are doing the approaching, the goal is REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION! Last I checked those BOTH are good things that bring us closer together as a body and to Jesus!

In fact the end of vs 15 in Matthew 18 says this! If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

Gained (Greek Kerdino) Means WIN or WON! INTERESTING- THIS VERB IS IN THE SECOND PERSON!

First person- points to the speaker or performer of the action. (I am walking) The action is me!

Second person, which is what this is in, points to the person BEING ADDRESSED!

When we approach a brother or sister that has sinned against us, and they repent, THEY WIN!! They are the ones that win! NOT US!

Let us keep that in forefront of our minds as we walk through this topic

So Church discipline Starts with ME. IF after that if the one that is being addressed doesn’t repent, then the

2. Next Is We

Jesus moves on in Matthew 18:16

Matthew 18:16 (ESV)

But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.

What Jesus is telling us here is that sometimes we need to take a couple brothers or sisters to love on and encourage the one who is in sin to see that they are loved and that it is a serious matter.

Now, I want to encourage you, if you get to this point, which Lord willing you do not

But if you do this process is again needed to be done with a loving and gentle spirit and not a “Gang up on” approach.

You are not there to intimidate this person or to use force. Jesus says that the others that are brought along into this are there to establish evidence.

This teaching is rooted in Deuteronomy 19:15

Deuteronomy 19:15 (ESV)

“A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.

The “two or three” brothers join the first brother for two or possibly three reasons:

(1) to protect against a false accusation—brother B is exaggerating or lying about brother A’s offense,

(2) to help brother A, if he has been rightly accused, to see his sin as sin, or in other words, to add their voice of reproof so he might repent, and

(3) to be public witnesses, if needed, if the matter comes to the attention of the whole church

Notice here with step two that the accused brother is not treated like a criminal. He is given time. He is walked through a careful and caring process. He is innocent until proven guilty. And he is treated as an equal.

Again we are looking for Repentance and Restoration, not shame and guilt.

So lets say you have a brother or sister in the church who you know is living in sin. Consiously making the choice to continue in sin and not repent.

You have approached them personally and they rejected what you had to say and have no problem with their life of sin.

You then have brought 2 or 3 others with you and they still have rejected that what they are doing is wrong and do not want to change.

Jesus lays out for us the final step in Matthew 18:17 and that is

3. Finally To The Church

Matthew 18:17 (ESV)

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.

Here is where the church steps in! Not until the final thing.

You have exhausted ALL you can PERSONALLY and PRIVATELY! Now its time for the Church to enact its God given authority to address this person

There is a situation that needed the church to step in that we read in 1 Corinthians 5 that I want to look at and address this morning

Turn to 1 Corinthians 5:1-11

1 Corinthians 5:1–11 (ESV)

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.

Here we have a man in the church at Corinth who is having an immoral relationship with his step mother. And if that’s not bad enough, The church has boasted in it!

HOW SAD! You see, if that was today, the church in Corinth would be self labeled “inclusive and tolerant”

Brothers and sisters there are churches today that are BOASTING in that label and Paul says DONT DO THAT! WHY ARE YOU GLORIFYING SIN!!

THIS IS GODS CHURCH! It is to be spotless!

Paul says very clearly that in the case of Church discipline, when a person who claims the name of Jesus and is not willing to repent privately, Paul tells us to remove this person from the fellowship and NOT EVEN EAT WITH THEM!

Friends this is serious, its hard, its sad, but its scripture!

Now, There are going to be people who say, “that’s not loving”

To that I say you are wrong. In fact I believe that it is more UNLOVING TO LET SOMEONE STAY IN SIN! WHY? the result of letting them stay in that place is HELL!

It is more loving to confront, remove, and separate from the one who is living in sin so that they know that what they are doing is serious, then to sweep it under the rug and let them be tormented for all eternity!

Now, the concept again in all of this is clear. REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION! Even in the removing of a person from the church.

In fact, back in Matthew 18:17 Jesus tells us that we are to treat the one removed from fellowship like a Gentile and Tax collector.

Question, how did Jesus treat the gentiles and tax collectors? With compassion and love.

You see, when someone is removed from the fellowship, our relationship transitions from brother in Christ, to lost and needing the transforming work of the gospel.

We treat this individual as we do our lost friends and family. We pray for them, we witness to them, we talk to them, and we love them

Galatians 6:1-2 says it perfectly

Galatians 6:1–2 (ESV)

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

We want to restore the person in gentleness. REPENTANCE AND RESTORATION

Jesus teaching on church discipline in Matthew 18:15-17 is sandwiched between the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the unforgiving servant.

Church, we have a responsibility to each other. We are to be willing to go after the lost and be willing to forgive when a brother and sister comes back to the church

And in the matter of church discipline, its EVERYONE of us in this rooms responsibilty.

Its not Titus’s job, its not Myron’s job, its not Greg’s job, its not your neighbors job. It’s ALL of our responsibilty

Why do we practice it? Because its GODS CHURCH, because WE LOVE EACH OTHER, and we want JESUS to be lifted high and HIS name to be unstained.

Now, I realize that this message may have opened up some wounds. Church discipline that was not done biblically or pain associated from it. I am sorry!

But, if we want this revival and renewal to continue and to stick, we MUST be willing to step in and LOVE our brothers and sisters in the church.

Read if time! In his classic book on Christian community, Life Together, Dietrich Bonheoffer summarizes this so well. He writes,

Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light.… [But] In confession, the light of the gospel breaks into the darkness and seclusion of the heart. The sin must be brought to the light.… Since the confession of sin is made in the presence of a Christian brother, the last stronghold of self-justification is abandoned. The sinner surrenders; he gives up all his evil. He gives his heart to God, and he finds the forgiveness of all his sin in the fellowship of Jesus Christ and his brother. The expressed, acknowledged sin has lost all its power. It has been revealed for he has cast off his sin from him. Now he stands in the fellowship of sinners who live by the grace of God and the cross of Christ.

Pray.