After the Storm
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
The Offender
The Offender
For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you.
For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?
And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.
For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you.
For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough,
Paul had written a now lost letter to the church at Corinth
From this letter, we find some details
Paul had no desire to have another painful confrontation.
However, he must continue to speak truth
He loved them and knew the damage that ignored sin would cause.
From context clues throughout his writings, it appears that Paul had dealt with someone who had confronted him with accusations from false teachers.
In dealing with him, Paul had apparently stood alone. Even his motives and ministry had been attacked.
From that solitary position, Paul had defending himself.
Paul had appealed for repentance
This isn’t the only time Paul has dealt with sin running rampant in the church.
In 1 Cor 5, we find Paul had instructed the church at Corinth to deal with the sinning brother.
Sexual immorality had been present in the church.
In fact, it was more than just relations outside of marriage, it was a man with stepmother.
Paul had given these instructions for handling the non penitent one:
And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
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.
When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
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.
Church discipline is not trying to say we are without sin.
All are sinners
It is about one who flaunts their sin and refuses to even acknowledge it AS sin
That one must be lovingly confronted and called to repentance
Jesus gave the order in Mt 18:
1 on 1
2 or 3
whole church
IF they listen, then Jesus says we have regained our brother.
Corinth had followed his instructions, and they had withdrawn fellowship from the sinner.
AS: We too must hold each other accountable.
This aspect of church life has been often ignored.
Sin is often swept under the rug
Oh, we preach the Word and read passages, even directly name sins
But applying it to each other is often ignored
We turn a blind eye when a brother or sister is continuing in sin.
The world and misguided believers think ignoring it is more loving than confronting it.
In fact, when truth is spoken, if it is contrary to our choices, it is considered hate.
Such a thing is far from loving.
Ignoring sin can be just as deadly as seeing someone grasping their throat and unable to breathe and callously ignoring their distress.
It damages their spiritual life.
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.
Remember, the point is the regaining of a brother or sister.
As we see in the following verses,
IT WORKED! The sinner repented
But that opens a whole new set of problems.
The Offended
The Offended
so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.
For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything.
Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,
so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
It is upon the church to restore the sinner who repents
Forgive Him
Forgive Him
Apply the same forgiveness we have received from the Lord
After repentance, God has forgiven
Who are we to bear a grudge?
Wipe the slate clean as a church
That means each of us must wipe our personal slate
As a church, we must not hold someone’s past against them
Remember, we all have a past
We all can be guilty as well in the future
Sin is always with us
Comfort Him
Comfort Him
Being in sin a wrecks a life
It causes pain
The sin, guilt, and consequences take their toll
The process of being confronted as well
When they return, comfort them!
The need the balm of comfort
“to give strength and hope to”
We need to tend to them as medical staff tend to the recuperating.
Reaffirm Love for Him
Reaffirm Love for Him
We must bring it full circle
Love them
Love from God is unconditional
Thus, we must love as God loves
They are part of us
We are members of each other
We are connected and depend on each other
ALL of us must reaffirm love
Paul so recognized the authority of the church, that he said if they are satisfied and forgive, he forgives.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Confront those who need confronting
Love them enough to hold them accountable
When they repent:
Forgive them
Comfort them
Love them