Chapter 76
DISCIPLINE WITHIN THE CHURCH
Matthew 18:15-35
Before we begin this study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father God, please open our ears, our eyes and our heart so we can better understand the instructions our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave to His church. Please move upon us to not only hear, see and understand what He is teaching us, but please also move upon us to heed and take to heart this important instruction.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin this by reading the following instruction our Lord and Savior gave to teach us how we, the members of His church, are to deal with sin that might be discovered within the church. This instruction is recorded in,
Matthew 18:15-20
[15] “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. [16] But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. [17] And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. [18] “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. [19] “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. [20] For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
In the following study we will,
1. Explore in a bit more depth Jesus’ instruction on how the members of His church are to deal with the issue of sin.
2. Review an example of how the Apostle Paul dealt with a sin that arose within the church in Corinth.
Since the above topics only apply to dealing with sin committed by the born-again believers in Jesus Christ, the third and final portion of this study will be to,
3. Review what the born-again believer’s focus should be towards those who are still unbelievers.”
With this introduction in mind we now return to the Gospel according to Matthew and explore how the born-again believers are to deal with sin that may surface within the body of Christ. Specifically, we will expand upon the following steps to be taken to bring about,
DISCIPLINE WITHIN THE CHURCH
We begin by rereading,
Matthew 18:15
[15] “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.”
There are at least four key points within the above Scripture.
First of all, our Lord Jesus is teaching us that we are not to ignore or gloss over a sin that another born-again believer may be committing. Specifically, Jesus is teaching us that we are to confront the person and deal with the sin or transgression.
Secondly, Jesus is teaching us that our first course of action is to try and bring about a resolution. Thus, the offended party is to personally go to the sinning person. To expand upon this let us read the instruction the Apostle Paul gave to the church in Galatia. The Scripture of interest is,
Galatians 6:1
[1] Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted, such as anger.
Notice the above Scripture teaches us that when confronting another brother or sister with respect to their trespass we are: (1) to speak, with a spirit of gentleness, to the person who is in or taken over with sin and (2) be careful to not be tempted to also fall into a trespass.
The third point to note in Matthew 18:15 is that during this step of the discipline process the offended party is to keep the sin between the two of them.
The fourth and last point to be made is if the person who is in sin hears us, that is recognizes the sin, repents and asks for forgiveness, then the brother or sister was reconciled and the situation ends right then.
Let us now move on and read the second portion of Jesus’ instruction as recorded in,
Matthew 18:16
[16] But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
In other words, if there has not been any resolution between the two involved parties and if the sin is important enough to be further dealt with, then, an additional one or two more witnesses are to go and confront the person who is in or overtaken with sin. This procedure or method comes directly from the Old Testament. To see this let us read from,
Deuteronomy 19:15
[15] “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established.”
Let us now suppose that the person who is the offender still refuses to repent and ask for forgiveness; “What is the course of action from here?” To find out we go to the third portion of Jesus’ instruction as recorded in,
Matthew 18:17
[17] And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
Let us now notice the following verses,
17a … If the two or three witnesses were unable to bring about repentance then the sin is to be presented to the church membership. There are two reasons for this.
First of all, the hope of revealing the sin to the church is that perhaps the sinning person would heed the pleas from the other members to repent and seek forgiveness.
Secondly, it is also to serve as a warning to the entire congregation as to the seriousness of sin. Thus, the remaining members of the congregation will be more careful to not engage in sinful ways. To see this let us consider the Apostle Paul’s instruction to Timothy as recorded in,
1 Timothy 5:20
[20] Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.
Let us now return to the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 18, and reread,
Matthew 18:17
[17] And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
In other words, if the person who is sinning still refuses to repent then that person is no longer to be included in the believer’s meeting and/or partake of the Lord’s Supper.
In addition to other issues, the major concern is if this sin is allowed to continue within the congregation; then, it and other sinful activities will take hold and spread throughout the congregation.
To see this, let us read an excerpt from Paul’s letter that dealt with the issue of sin that was present within the church in Corinth. In this Scripture, the sin is compared to be like leaven or yeast and the membership to be like a lump of dough. To read what it says we go to,
1 Corinthians 6:6-8
[6] Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? [7] Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover was sacrificed for us. [8] Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Let us now return to the Gospel according to Matthew and read that when these steps are properly taken, the action taken was not only heard but also performed. To read what Jesus said we go to,
Matthew 18:18-20
[18] “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. [19] “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. [20] For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Let us notice the following verse,
18a … This verse specifically relates to the binding up or restoration of a repentant individual to the church.
18b … The loosing refers to the separation of a non-repentant individual from the fellowship of the church.
Before we move on to the next topic it must be emphasized that if at any time the sinning person repents and seeks forgiveness, it must be granted and fellowship be restored. To see this let us read the conversation Jesus and Peter had right after Jesus gave these instructions. To do this we go to,
Matthew 18:21-22
[21] Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” [22] Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
The implication of the above is that we should always be ready to forgive.
To further illustrate and expand upon Jesus’ instruction, with respect to the discipline within the His church, let is now review,
THE EXAMPLE OF THE CHURCH IN CORINTH
For this portion of our study we will,
1. Briefly review the sin that was within the church in Corinth.
2. Review the Apostle Paul’s judgment and command.
3. Read a word of correction and focus.
4. Review the restoration and forgiveness of the sinning party.
5. Refresh our memory about the importance of forgiveness.
To begin let us first read about,
THE SIN
To read what was going on in the church in Corinth we go to,
1 Corinthians 5:1-2
[1] It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! [2] And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.
Let us notice the following verse,
2 … Instead of dealing with this sinful behavior, the members of the church ignored it. In other words, they preferred to brag and boast about their spiritual gifts and activities.
Let us now proceed to read about,
PAUL’S JUDGMENT AND COMMAND
(The loosing – Matthew 18:18)
To read what the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, wrote with respect to this issue, we go to,
1 Corinthians 5:3-5
[3] For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. [4] In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, [5] deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Let us notice the following verses,
3 … Apparently, prior to Paul’s letter there were unsuccessful pleas by two, three or more witnesses to convince the sinning parties to repent and seek forgiveness.
4a … However, it is also apparent that the issue was not dealt with by the church. Thus, Paul told the members of the church that when they assemble together they were to deal with this sin.
4b … In addition, they were to do this with the power of Jesus Christ. To see how this would occur, let us reread what Jesus said as recorded in,
Matthew 18:20
[20] For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.
Returning to 1 Corinthians, chapter 5, let us now notice verse,
5a … The congregation was to hand the unrepentant party to Satan. In other words, he was to be loosed from the fellowship of the church. In writing this command Paul was following Jesus’ instruction as recorded in,
Matthew 18:17
[17] And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
Returning to 1 Corinthians, chapter 5, let us notice the following verse,
5b … The purpose of this banishment was to save this person’s spirit.
After Paul completed the above judgment and command, he explained to the members of the church that they had the wrong focus. Specifically, rather than judging and dealing with the sins within the body of Christ, the born-again believers in Corinth were judging the sins of the unbelievers and avoiding to deal with the sins that were within the congregation. Thus, the following,
WORDS OF CORRECTION
To read what he wrote we go to,
1 Corinthians 5:9-13
[9] I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. [10] Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. [11] But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. [12] For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? [13] But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”
The question now arises as to; “Is this end of it?” The answer to this question is no. There is another side. Let us never forget that the purpose of this discipline was to destroy the evil nature but save the spirit. Thus, there should always be a time for,
FORGIVENESS AND RESTORATION
(The binding up – Matthew 18:18)
To see this let us reread the conversation Jesus and Peter had with respect to forgiveness. To do this we return to,
Matthew 18:21-22
[21] Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” [22] Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
To amplify upon the above command let us now go to,
Luke 17:3-4
[3] Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. [4] And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
To see an example of this aspect of the discipline process, we return to the situation in Corinth. However, this time let us read the Holy Spirit’s instruction for the sinner’s forgiveness and restoration. To do this we go to,
2 Corinthians 2:5-11
[5] But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. [6] This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, [7] so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. [8] Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. [9] For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. [10] Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, [11] lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Let us notice the following verses,
6-7 … The punishment that was given was sufficient for this particular individual. In reading verse 7 we discover that apparently the man was extremely sorry for his sinful behavior.
8 … Consequently, before he would be consumed by sorrow the membership in the Corinthian church was to reaffirm their love for him.
10 … The membership was to forgive the man. Paul also told them that, for their sakes, in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, he had already forgiven him. The question arises as to; “Why for their sake?” The answer is recorded in the following verse.
11 … The purpose of this forgiveness was not only for the repentant party but also for the members within the church at Corinth. They were to do this so as to not allow Satan to take advantage of them.
This does raise the question as to:”How could they be taken advantage of by Satan?” To find out let us read the Parable of the Unmerciful Slave to refresh our memories of,
THE IMPORTANCE OF FORGIVENESS
To read this parable we go to,
[23] Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. [24] And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. [25] But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. [26] The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ [27] Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. [28] “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ [29] So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ [30] And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. [31] So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. [32] Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. [33] Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ [34] And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. [35] “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
Let us pay particular attention the following verses,
32-35 … In other words, we are to be careful to not become so angry, bitter or self righteous that we cannot or will not be ready to extend God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness to a fallen member of the body of Christ. However, if we do allow the evil one to harden our hearts then he has taken advantage of us and we too will become a fallen member of the body of Christ.
All of the above instruction and discussion pertained to those who are born-again believers and belong to the Body of Christ, the church.
The questions arise as to: “What about those outside? Do we just ignore them?” The answer to these questions brings us to the third and last portion of this study. Specifically,
THE UNBELIEVERS
As we read the New Testament we find the following four activities that we, the born-again believers in Jesus Christ, are to do for the salvation of the unbeliever’s soul.
First of all we are to,
PRAY TO THE FATHER TO REVEAL JESUS CHRIST TO THEM
To appreciate the importance of this activity let us read the fact that it is God the Father who draws people to Jesus Christ. This was clearly stated by Jesus and is recorded in,
John 6:44
[44] No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Secondly, we are to,
PRAY TO GOD THE FATHER TO SEND HIS LABORERS TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING IN THEIR SINS
To see this let us go to the time when Jesus saw all the lost souls who were in need of salvation. However, there were not enough people to preach and teach them about the Good News of Jesus Christ. With this background let us read what Jesus said to His disciples about this situation as recorded in,
Matthew 9:37-38
[37] Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. [38] Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
It is noted that these laborers are those who have been anointed by God to preach and teach the people about the good news of Jesus Christ. These are those who have been comminissioned to tell the unbelievers that Jesus Christ came to save them from the penalty and power of their sins.
The third activity the born again believers are to do is
NOT JUDGE UNBELIEVERS BUT SHOW GOD’S LOVE FOR THEM
To see this let us read the following exhortation from,
Romans 2:4
[4] Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Finally,
WE ARE TO ALWAYS BE PREPARED TO SHARE OUR FAITH
To see this let us read the Apostle Peter’ exhortation on this subject as recorded in,
1 Peter 3:15-16
[15] But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; [16] having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
CLOSING
Let us close this study by reading from
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
[23] Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be always with you.
Amen and Amen