Church Discipline

You have heard it said. Once you tried the rest come to the best. For Central Baptist Church we say… Once you tried the rest come to those who can pass the test. Hmmm why would we say that?

The protestant reformation was faced with a gigantic problem and a huge question that needed to be answered. If they would follow the principles of the reformation they would be cast out of the Roman Catholic Church. In accordance with Roman Catholic Dogma salvation is only had in the church. If you were cast out of the church the doors to the kingdom of heaven would be closed to you. To leave the Roman church is to leave the kingdom of God. This is why the threat of excommunication was such a huge deal. If you are excommunicated you had no salvation… the doors to the kingdom of heaven would be closed to you for the church hold the key to the kingdom of heaven. But did Rome truly hold the keys? They would if they were a true church. Was the Roman Catholic Church a true church?

If they were gonna leave the church man they better believe that they are not a true church because they would not have salvation. This was no trivial matter… they are staking their eternal life on these reformation principles. Were the 5 solas really worth possibly going to hell? The true church truly does have the power of the keys, did Rome still have it? Man you better believe that they better answer that question and fast. Sooo… what is a true church? After intense study and time we owe a large debt of gratitude to our historic protestant brothers. Who gave us the marks of a true church. The first mark… the faithful preaching and receiving of the Word of God. The faithful administration and reception of the sacraments or ordinances (Lord’s Supper and Baptism). And the third our subject today … the faithful practice of church discipline. If any institution calls itself a church yet are missing one or more of these marks… it is indeed not a true church. It does not take long… just a brief moment of thought we start to see churches falling off of the true church list. One of the most neglected mark of the true church is the practice of church discipline.

Al Molher writes, “The decline of church discipline is perhaps the most visible failure of the contemporary church. No longer concerned with maintaining purity of confession or lifestyle, the contemporary church sees itself as a voluntary association of autonomous members, with minimal moral accountability to God, much less to each other. The absence of church discipline is no longer remarkable—it is generally not even noticed. Regulative and restorative church discipline is, to many church members, no longer a meaningful category, or even a memory. The present generation of both ministers and church members is virtually without experience of biblical church discipline.” The reformers called it the 3rd mark Al Molher calls it the missing mark.

To add to this… many times when church discipline does happen it is not done correctly and abused. Used by insecure leadership to control church members, to get money and resources, to manipulate. Church discipline used to punish members, try to punish members of other churches, church discipline used to get even. And improperly done because of its application in our nonsensical thinking in our current culture.

A church in Florida went through the church discipline process with a female member of the church for her illicit sexual immorality that she would not repent of. So now it went to the final step where she would be brought before the entire church membership to repent, but she protested and declared that it was none of their business and did not want her sin made public. The church decided to carry-on and so she went to get help from fox news. Bizarre thinking… she did not want her sin exposed to the several thousand members of her church but now it is exposed to millions of people who watch fox news. The bizarre thinking of many today cause the application and method of church discipline and sadly truly caused fox news to expose a cloudy and convoluted application on the biblical nature of church discipline in the church.

As our church culture continues to degrade and become more and more assimilated into the culture of the world, the practice of church discipline will be done less and less and if it is done, it will be done improperly more and more. I like how Al Molher states it,

“Put simply, the abandonment of church discipline is linked to American Christianity’s creeping accommodation to American culture. As the twentieth century began, this accommodation became increasingly evident as the church acquiesced to a culture of moral individualism.”

This creates the confusion. How is it that people come to the church to get directives as how a Christian should live, but don’t want directives as to how Christians should not live? One pastor reminded me this week about the pastor seminars put on by the SBC to help with church growth. They say the method must be… open the front doors wide and close the back doors. Essentially saying… make it more assessable and desirable. Make it fun and easy to be a part of. Close the back doors by initiating programs that will make it hard for people to leave the church. Commitments, plug them in, lock them up… done make it easy for them to leave. But in reality as unpopular as this is gonna sound. Biblically we get a different picture.

Churches need to narrow front doors and open wide the back doors. Dr. Mark Dever writes, “If we really want to see our churches grow we need to make it harder to join and we need to be better about excluding people. We need to be able to show that there is a distinction between the church and the world- that it means something to be a Christian.”

Let us make it known today that it really does mean something to be a Christian today. There is a standard, there are expectations, it is not just joining a social club and an organized support group. If someone claims to be a Christian and refuses to live as a Christian should live they must be disciplined. The scriptures are clear. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look… For the gospel we want to get it right and get it out. For our church polity we want to get it right and get it done.

Matthew 18:15–18 NLT

“If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector. “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.

What is Church Discipline

Why Church Discipline

Reconciliation

The first thing we will look at today is a clear and sober identification of what discipline is. Next, believe it our not, the Bible is pretty clear as to why we should and must practice church discipline. Finally, we will see that the gospel continues to give us by the power of the Spirit leading and causing us to live Holy before the Lord.

Thesis: Though our culture desires to have us exist without distinction from the world, it is the truth of scripture and the power of the Spirit of Holiness that will cause us both to will and to do of His good pleasure only by the presentation of precious shed blood of Christ to the Father.

I. What is Church Discipline?

- The Key to open and close the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven.

A. Simply defined as the process of correcting sin in the life of the congregation and its members. Clearly, there is to be a clear distinction between Christians and the world. Paul makes this point in his assumption.

1 Corinthians 5:9–10 NLT

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.

B. There is a clear distinction in his mind between the church and the world. We are supposed to be different from the world. Are the members of our church living Christ honoring lives? When we bring on members to our church do they understand the commitment to live a life that is distinct from the world.

C. And when a person who professes to be a Christian shows themselves to be unsound or non-Christian in either doctrine or life… we go through the Matthew 18 process.

D. 1. We go to that person. We confront them in relation to their erroneous beliefs and or lifestyle trespasses and we support, pray and encourage them to bring them to repentance. If they repent we have won our brother or sister. Because reconciliation is the goal.

E. 2. If they do not listen, then we are to take a couple of people with us so that its confirmed by 3 or three witnesses and we support, we pray, and we encourage to bring them to repentance and if they repent we have won our brother or sister. Because reconciliation is the goal.

F. 3. If they still do not listen then we present the person and their sin before the congregation the church and we support, we pray, and we encourage to bring them to repentance and if they repent then we have won our brother or sister. Because reconciliation is the goal.

G. 4. If they do not listen then we excommunicate. They are cast out of fellowship as a member. Not thrown out of church. But declared and unbeliever and no longer in the kingdom of God. Fully backed sanctioned and supported by Christ in heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. And this is to be so until there is repentance and when there is they are to be immediately brought back to full membership and blessing … because reconciliation is the goal.

H. Church discipline typically starts privately and informally, growing to include the whole church only when necessary. In its final, formal, and public stage, church discipline involves removing someone from membership in the church and participation in the Lord’s Table. Knowing that when it is done Biblically and faithfully the Lord has our back and will fully support, sanction, and close the door to the kingdom. The goal of discipline is always redemption, protecting other sheep, and honoring the name of Christ.

II. Why Church Discipline?

- For the best all around.

A. See for the most part we tend to think of discipline in light of the negative. It is because we see church discipline in light of what we understand as punishment. Church discipline is what we would understand as formative discipline. It is training. It is that which shapes us. It is what makes us better. It is what will make us holy. Those who are disciplined at working out are healthier, better shape, better life.

Hebrews 12:11 NLT

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

B. It is for the good of the person who is being disciplined. The man in Corinth was lost in his sin in thinking that it was ok and even braggadocios in his sexual relations with his fathers wife. The people in Galatia was following the false teaching causing them to trust in their works instead of Christ alone. Alexander and Hymaenues thought it ok to blaspheme God. The reality is that they were not Ok with God and would face serious repercussions. Some of the Christians we know today may think its OK to not love their neighbor. They think its ok to have premarital sex. They think its ok to cheat and lie on their taxes. They think its Ok to steal. They think its Ok not to go to church. They think its OK to do illegal drugs. But in reality they are not Ok with God. This is where church discipline comes in. This why I say, if we need to be disciplined then let it be.

C. Church discipline will bring them to repentance. It is help them to learn not to blaspheme as with Hymeneus and Alexander. They will come to repentance and turn from their sin. Turn from their doctrinal and theological error like Galatia. It is for the good of those being disciplined, they will reap a harvest of righteous and be saved in the end.

D. It is good for the people who see the public rebuke will see the danger and seriousness of sin.

Proverbs 27:5 NLT

An open rebuke is better than hidden love!

1 Timothy 5:20 NLT

Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others.

E. For the health of the whole church.

1 Corinthians 5:6–8 NLT

Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.

F. For the witness of the church. When the world see us they will see something different. This is powerful for evangelism. When it looks like we are in the same situation or even conforming to the world, evangelism is difficult. It is said, we have become so much like unbelievers that they have no questions they want to ask us.

G. And the most important reason why we must do Church Discipline. Christians must reflect the glory of God. We Christians are made to bear the image of God and to reflect His glory. The Lord made it clear that we are to be Holy because He is Holy.

Leviticus 11:44 NLT

For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. So do not defile yourselves with any of these small animals that scurry along the ground.

H. We have got to get this right today. The Scriptures are clear. God desires Christians to be Holy not for our reputation but for His. We are supposed to be the light of the world so that when people see us they will glorify God.

Matthew 5:16 NLT

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

1 Peter 2:12 NLT

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

Colossians 1:21–22 NLT

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

I. Our Holiness is the reason why God set us apart. This is why we cannot allow those who claim to be Christians to believe false doctrines and live ungodly lives, it robs God of HIs glory. Our ungodly lives brings dishonor to God and His gospel. As Christians we do bear the responsibility to live lives that will bring glory to God, not shame. This is why we must, must, must, practice church discipline.

J. It is said that if a church will not practice church discipline can hardly be counted as a church. It is said that when disciple leaves the church Christ goes with it. If we cannot say what something is not, we cant very well say what it is.

III. Reconciliation

- Opening the doors to the kingdom.

A. As a true church of God the Lord has given us the keys to the kingdom of heaven. We have been intrusted to open and close the doors to the kingdom of heave through the preaching of the gospel and church discipline.

B. The Heidelberg Catechism helps us with this… how serious is this? Fail to respond also to the church’s admonitions—such persons the church excludes from the Christian community by withholding the sacraments from them, and God also excludes them from the kingdom of Christ.

C. When we practice church discipline biblically… God has our back. They will not only be excluded from the local church, but from the kingdom of Christ. This is what it means when the scriptures say whatever is bound on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. What happens here will happen there. God has our back. Do it this way and I will defend you and uphold what you bind and loose. So this is serious. The Lord has entrusted the church a powerful yet beautiful thing. He entrusted us with the gospel and the discipline of His people.

D. But when the person repents, we must loose them. We must receive them back into the fellowship right away. There is no 60 day suspension. 30 day suspension. Any limits on any of the benefits of the church community. Restored to the table right away.

1 John 1:9 NLT

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

E. We do not punish people who have repented. We do not bar from the table of fellowship from any child of God who God has forgiven and cleansed. Once there is repentance God has forgiven them and has cleansed them from wickedness. We are not baring them from anything. Because the whole purpose of church discipline is reconciliation. Restore that person who will now bear the image of God to bring Him glory upon glory.

F. Because that is why Christ came. To reconcile His people to Himself. Sin infected us, Sin destroyed us. Sin separated us. And now today we have salvation and reconciliation with God through Christ and Christ alone.

G. Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures… the saying is trust worthy and deserving of full acceptance. He came to seek and save that which was lost. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just...

H. The promises continue. If we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts…All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. By His wounds we are healed.

2 Timothy 1:9 NLT

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

I. To God be the glory. Once you tried the rest come to those who can pass the test. Not many today, sadly can make this claim. Thank God that we can say today in full confidence, that CBC can pass the test. Therefore rejoice… we are a true church.