SEPTEMBER 7, 2008  SERMON ARCHIVE

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our heavenly father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Dear friends in Christ:

Have you ever been out to eat with a friend, walked into the restroom,`looked in the mirror, and noticed that you have some food stuck in your`teeth? What was your response? 'Why didn't my friend tell me?' Isn¡¯t it the sign`of a true friend that they care enough for you to confront you with unpleasant or embarrassing news and do it because they are confident that it is for your own good! That reminds me of one of the stories that popped up on the computer screen last week when I was on the internet (How to tell your portly, that is, plump, friend her clothes are too tight). Oh, I don¡¯t think so.

And you all know the phrase: 'Friends don't let friends drive drunk!' We should care enough about our friends to keep them from putting themselves and others in that kind of danger. If your neighbor's house is on fire, you immediately call the fire department and run to the rescue. Why is it then, that you hesitate to intervene when a friend, a brother or sister in Christ, is straying, even though you know that the ultimate outcome is severe.

There is little doubt that the exercise of church discipline has declined within the congregations of our church body, despite living at a time when many reject any moral code, when we see many instances of decay even in the body of believers, and when many show no evidence of being true disciples of Christ, not worshiping or receiving the Lord's Supper for long periods of time.

In light of this, why has the exercise of church discipline declined? There are several reasons. One is that there is not a great understanding of church discipline or the seriousness of the sin involved. There is a common view of church discipline that it is unkind and unloving, and therefore, not appropriate for a congregation that has experienced the love of Christ.

The thought that goes with this is that church discipline means simply to 'throw them out of the church!' And surely, that ISN'T love for the sinner. Didn't Jesus forgive? Didn't He even forgive the woman caught in adultery? Didn't He pronounce absolution to the tax collector? Certainly, He did! But He first confronted their sin in showing them their need for repentance.

Others have opposed the practice of church discipline on the grounds of Jesus' words in Matthew 7: 'Do not judge, or you too will be judged.' (Matthew 7:1) Is church discipline judging in the sense of condemning? Or is it really warning a friend in Christ of the dangers of their behavior?

Another reason for the decline in the use of church discipline is no doubt the attitude of our times. People are bombarded with the philosophy of pleasure seeking which says: 'If it feels good, do it!' This promotes an attitude of casualness in regard to sin. While something may not be right for me, if it feels good to you, go for it.

Furthermore, the attitude seems to say, 'It's none of my business what you do.' As a result, we live in a society with very loose standards. With such a pleasure seeking philosophy, any use of the Law by the church is often seen as legalism. But does that agree with the Old Testament reading for today? It strongly suggests an accountability for warning our neighbors about sin.

And perhaps another reason for the decline in the use of church discipline is a 'fear of criticism' or a 'fear of the loss of members.' After all, 'what will people think of us if we really practice church discipline as Jesus taught it? How can we attract people to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ when we appear to be loveless in our attitude toward those who are even members of our church? Won't people go elsewhere if their morals are questioned by the church? Isn't it better for the sake of the church to forget about discipline?'

He was speaking of the love in which one seeks out those who are lost in their sin. He had just spoken the parable of the Lost Sheep in which He points out that a man would leave the ninety-nine sheep behind in order to go and find the one sheep that was lost. He said, 'And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.' (Matthew 18:13-14)

Christ Jesus came into the world to seek out all who are lost as a result of their sin. He left the glory which was rightly His in heaven in order to become a humble human being to carry out God's plan for the salvation of the world. He came for the very purpose of bringing His love to sinners, who are all in desperate need of being found and healed by Him.

The connection then between the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the giving of the divine command for church discipline is the fact that God does not want a single person to perish and be lost from His kingdom. The purpose of the entire passage on church discipline is to show how a weak and erring brother or sister may be won back to Christ, even if it may be a matter of great difficulty and hard work for us Christians.

Jesus outlines the steps of church discipline by saying, 'If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.' (Matthew 18:15)

There is to be hatred of the sin, but only love for the sinner. The motivation then for church discipline must always be a concern and love for the friend in Christ that is so great that you will go and confront them with the seriousness of their sin. The idea here is not to reform someone's irritating habits or to change the quirks of their personality. Rather, it is to confront a matter of eternal consequences when unrepented sin brings them to the brink of falling from faith.

Thus, it is a spiritual concern ONLY which must lead us Christians to practice church discipline. In fulfillment of the epistle reading to 'love your neighbor as yourself,' (Romans 13:9b) love for sinners encourages us to seek their eternal good.

One of the most prominent cases of church discipline recorded in the Scriptures is that of the prophet Nathan's dealing with King David after he had fallen into the sins of adultery and murder. Nathan told David a parable of the poor man's lamb that was taken by a rich man for a banquet. David, thinking this was an account of a real incident, was incensed and ordered that the offender should be put to death. Nathan's response was devastating to the King: 'You are the man.' (2 Samuel 12:7)

The prophet applied the parable to David's theft of Bathsheba from Uriah and to the senseless killing of an innocent man. He showed David his sin in order to bring him to repentance - to win him over. And upon David's confession, Nathan immediately absolved him: 'The Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die.' (2 Samuel 12:13)

Church discipline then seeks not the damnation, but rather, the salvation of the sinner. It is not a love for the law or morals, it is not the hurting of another that leads to church discipline. Rather, it is the love for the sinner which seeks only their eternal good. For church discipline is designed by God to bring about the forgiveness of sin which Christ obtained for all sinners on the cross of Calvary. It is designed to bring the impenitent sinner to a realization of their sin, to a sorrow for it, and a turning away from it.

As such, it may be necessary for a person to confront their erring friend more than once. And it may even become necessary to bring other people, ultimately even the church, into the process. For Jesus continued: 'But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.' (Matthew 18:16-17)

In ALL instances, it is to be the desire to bring about contrition and repentance for the life of sin. Even excommunication, if done rightly, is an act of love in which the church says to an impenitent sinner: 'Please turn from your life of sin and cling to the forgiveness that is yours in the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ.' It is intended that by this extreme action, the sinner might be led to repent and say, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner,' and then to receive with joy the Savior's word of absolution and divine forgiveness.

Those who confess wrong doing and express repentance are called upon 'to make right the evil' to the best of their ability. For any 'repentance' which expects forgiveness without a corresponding change in life is a false repentance. While God's grace and forgiveness is free, it is certainly not cheap - for it cost Jesus His very life. Out of thankfulness for that forgiveness that Christ has won for you, how can any one of you desire to continue in sin? And moreover, the person that has failed to confront those in danger of falling from the faith shows repentance by going to that Christian friend in the love of Christ to show them the error of their ways.

In love for sinners, God sent His Son to redeem the world from their sin. In love, then, Christ Jesus gave the command for His church to exercise church discipline for the salvation of those who are lost. In love for our friends in Christ, we carry out our Lord's command motivated by love for sinners as emphasized in the conclusion of the book of James:

'My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.' (James 5:19-20)

Church discipline, then, exercised properly, shows God's great love for sinners!

And therefore, friends don't let friends continue in sin!

Because Christ is Risen.

AMEN