Untitled Sermon (2)

Construction Complete Thank you for your Patience

We are all of us works in progress.

Judgement that Condemns

Confusing Judgement with Judgemental

The kind of judgement Jesus forbids is the write off of anyone outside the church

Why? It denies that power of God. It places us in position that we cannot hold - because we are not just.

The New International Version Chapter 5

39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also

The New International Version Chapter 7

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Judgement that Rescues

The New International Version Chapter 5

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?

Brian McLaren - Judgement is good news for the one being wronged because it means the harm will stop. It is good news for the wrong doer because the self harm will be stopped.

Brian McLaren - Judgement is good news for the one being wronged because it means the harm will stop. It is good news for the wrong doer because the self harm will be stopped.

In Jesus talks about appropriate judgement within the church. This is a judgement fuelled by loved, desiring reconciliation between believers who have somehow broken their relationship.

Step 1: Go to the Source

Why is it that we like to play the victim? Why is it so easy for us to get sucked into gossip about another? Could it be that at the root -we want to feel connected? But seeking support for our position when we feel we have been wronged is a direct disobedience to the command of Jesus. It is a counterfeit to seeking reconciliation with the person who wronged us.

We are to go to the source first! To do otherwise wastes a ton of energy. How often to tensions with others stem from a miscommunication. When we go to someone who has offended us and say, “The other day when you said, ‘X’ what did you mean by that?” Then tell them how you interpreted it.

When we go to the Source

We determine if it was miscommunication

If it was a unintentional offence - In which case the person in the wrong’s eyes are opened

We determine if it was an intentional insult.

But the conflict stays with us. The drama is not spread around.

Jesus says - if there is reconciliation we win back our relationship with a fellow Christian

We cannot do this if our intent is to be the one in the right. We can only do this when our chief desire is to be restored in our relationship.

Step 2: Take 1 or 2 Witnesses

Not getting the help I needed because people refused to confront me.

This comes from the need for 2-3 witnesses of a crime to convict someone. From Deuteronomy.

Here the witnesses are to provide accountability for the person confronting the one accused of wrong doing. They are to provide a more persuasive case to be reconciled.

Again the fuel here is love, it is a desire for unity in Christ - which can only happen in love.

Step 3: Present the Issue to the Church

When 2-3 three people agree that there is refusal for reconciliation, its time for the church to step in. Now there is a disagreement on how church is to be understood by commentators. Some say its the elders of the church, others say its the whole assembly.

It is harmful to live disingenuous lives. See p. 66 in the prayer book.

Tension between our treatment of tax collectors and gentiles (outsiders) and how Jesus welcomes everyone.

Expulsion and Quarantine.

Healthy boundaries - not in your inner circle, not offering leadership, but still in a position to receive expressions of love. Not written off, but correctly assessed for the moment.

Reflections of Heaven

The Greek in this passage is hard to interpret. But it basically says that the decisions of discipline in the church are reflections of the reality that is set by Heaven. Its not the church dictating the response heaven should take, but a recognition of the truth.

Agreement in the Name

United in a common desire to be in the centre of God’s will in the same spirit of Christ.