What Church Discipline Really Looks Like.

Introduction:

Pledge

“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.

16 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.

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.

18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Title: What Church Discipline Really Looks Like.

Re-read 18:10-14 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

Segway:

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Re-read 18:10-14 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

Segway:

Re-read 18:10-14 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”

12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?

13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

What is demonstrated in Vs 12-13 is the Love of the Father.

14 So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

Describe the illustration of this shepherd who goes to seek the 1 Lost sheep and leaves the 99 behind.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Segway:

(Vs 15-20) have to be viewed through the lens of (Vs 12-13).

I believe there must be an acknowledgement of sin in a person’s life!

But 15-20 is not necessarily about “HOW” we deal with sin ...... but WHY!

It’s not about the mechanics of discipline but the HEART of it.

I have heard so many preachers and church leaders express the mechanics of this passage .....

First you go to your brother .......

Next you take a couple people from the church .......

Finally, you bring the person in front of the church .......

If this person doesn’t acknowledge their wrong doings then you be done with them .....

You walk away from them because they are no better than Gentiles and/or tax-collectors.

There is nothing wrong with the mechanics of that!

What we fail to see, what we fail to work out of, is the heart of it!

Let’s look at the HOW and The WHY

Body:

HOW!

Go and Tell .......

Go and tell his faults ..... (Convince) To express a strong disapproval of, but with the intention of convincing!

As a matter of fact, the phrase “you have gained” means YOU WIN!

So You GO and You CONVINCE, so that you WIN your brother back.

And if they don’t listen ....

Gather One or Two brothers .......

Come with the idea, that the more in numbers you have the better chance the person will listen.

Its not that your ganging up on them, but coming with a group who longs to convince and win them back.

And if they don’t listen ....

Gather the Church ......

With the thought that its needed for the sake of WINNING.

This is HOW we are suppose to address SIN.

The “HOW” plays a part when it comes to the discipline of sin but the WHY is what drives the HOW!

WHY!

The reason “why” is found in Vs 12-13 “Because of the Love for God’s people.”

Go to your Brother as Fast as you can!

When you look at Vs 15 you have to look at it through the lens of (12-13)

You are to go to your brother with as much love as you can muster.

Your to do this in private.

2. Go, gather one or two brothers with the same amount of Christ-like love!

When you look at Vs 16, you have to look at it through the lens of (12-13)

Have you ever watched the show “Intervention” where family and friends confront the person who is destroying their lives in order to try and convince them to get help.

3. Go, gather the church!

When you look at Vs 17, you have to look at it through the lens of (12-13)

Climax:

Church discipline should always be redemptive not condemning.

You might be asking, “But what if they STILL refuse to listen?”

Jesus says, “Let them be treated as a Gentile/tax collector.”

Jesus is saying, “BE DONE WITH THEM!” ??????? NO!

Jesus is saying, view them the same way I view them.

HE Died for them as well!

The depth of love that he displayed for them is the same depth of love we should show for others.

I don’t want to do anything that would cause my brother to sin. WHY?

Because I love them like Jesus does.

If something that I am doing; my attitude, my lifestyle, or my conduct

Anything in my life that I am displaying could cause one of my brothers to go ASTRAY, let it be crucified in Christ.

Why?

PAUSE:

Now you might be thinking (What in the world is verse 18-20 trying to say? How does this connect to verses 15-17?

Vs 18 should sound familiar to us ...... 16:19 same statement is found.

It reads, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

If this be the case then I don’t want to go to heaven ...... its just like what we have here on Earth.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

There is a problem with this verse ...... The verb is translated wrong. “Future, perfect, passive”

It should read like this, “whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven ...”

Whatever is being done down here, when called on, better be done, because it has already been done in heaven.

Get in step with whats going on in the heavenlies

Picture it like this, you are gathered with a couple of friends or gathered with the church ......

You come together with the Love of Christ at the center ..... you call on the heavenly realm (That which is found in heaven) and you allow it to be the thing that flows through you ALL and reaches out to the person/people you have gone to.

EXAMPLE: MANLEY

Coming to this understanding in Vs 18 helps us then to understand Vs 19, “if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.”

The word “agree” (Greek root word) is actually where we get our English word “Symphony.”

If two of you “agree” (Come together in harmony) (Symphonic prayer)

Jesus concludes this by stating, “where two or three are gathered in my name, he is there.”

You might be asking, Where does this take place in scripture? Great question!

120 disciples () “Die to ourselves”

70 years they won a million people to Christ

Jesus concludes this by stating, “where two or three are gathered in my name, he is there.”

used where” not too many” people are gathered at a prayer meeting.

This is not a promise where two of you gather he has to show up.

He is giving the description of the church.

2 or 3 who have died to their self-centered battles.

This produces the image of Jesus in their world.

EXAMPLE: Shad-rack, me-shak and Abendigo

Conclusion:

Here is the take away from this pericope ......

If a brother has done you wrong, don’t you dare let them drift off into the pits of hell.

You muster up, from deep down in your soul, the love of God and do whatever it takes to get them to listen.

Get them back in the fold!

If they still won’t listen, don’t you dare let them drift off into the pits of hell.

You muster up a couple of brothers in the faith and merging together the Love of God, you do whatever it takes to get them to listen.

If they still won’t listen, don’t you dare let them drift off into the pits of Hell.

You gather up the church and do whatever it takes to get them to listen.

If they still won’t listen, don’t you dare write them off and allow them to spend eternity in hell.

You continue to speak truth, reveal truth, live truth in front of them, until they listen.

Share the story about the 15 old year girl who came to youth group one night after missing the last 3 months.