“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. Matthew 18:15-18(NLT)
I can hardly believe the
report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even
pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in
your church is living in sin with his stepmother. You are so proud of yourselves, but you should be mourning in
sorrow and shame. And you should remove
this man from your fellowship. Even
though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. And as though I were there, I have already
passed judgment on this man in the name of the Lord Jesus.
You must call a meeting of the church. I will be present with you in spirit, and
so will the power of our Lord Jesus. Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so
that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord
returns. 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. 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. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be
a believer yet indulges
in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a
drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people. It isn’t my responsibility to judge
outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the
church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say,
“You must remove the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:1-13(NLT)
It may seem a little strange
to start off a series on The Jesus Church with a passage like
this – all about the church at Corinth, steeped in rampant sexual sins, naming
even the detestable couple – a stepson and stepmother living together as a
married couple; it’s not quite incest, but too close to ignore!
Now, before you begin squirming, I do not know of a
single situation in this church where the sin is that kind of gross and
blatantly public.
On the other hand, it is better to know how to deal
with sin when it arrives (not “if” it arrives), than to deal with the
consequences in a clean-up operation. Knowing
God’s Word helps us prepare for what the world throws our way; it helps us
function as the church, and not a social club.
Admittedly, this is a difficult passage of
scripture. It is tempting to say: This is too hard to deal with – besides,
it’s hot outside – so let’s just do a passage like ‘God is love’ or something
not quite so, uh…icky.
That would be easier for today, and it would also be
death to the soul of any church or Christian in the long run. So, let’s deal with the hard issue.
Paul’s Reaction to Reports of Sexual Immorality
In the first two verses we find that Paul has received
some reports that sexual immorality is being tolerated like it is today. Paul is horrified, even disgusted, that it is
so blatant, even the pagans outside the church don’t act that badly.
We need to remember that sexual immorality among
Christians isn’t cute or good gossip – it is sin.
Paul’s Instruction on how to Proceed
Note
the flow of God’s wonderful plan for restoring brothers and sisters in Christ,
when they have “blown it”:
One of the most important aspects of true church
discipline is that every box (step) represented above flows in the direction of
restoration of relationships.
Contrary to the “witch-hunt” stories about kicking people out of church
– this is designed to facilitate the growth of the church.
Which brings me down to the title of this message
– Note:
In the
church for which Jesus died, there is not a war between having a healthy church
OR a growing church; healthy churches will grow.
If a church isn’t growing, it is either
dormant, awaiting a ‘growing season’ – or it is unhealthy, sick, undernourished
and in danger of dying. In such cases,
the gardener has no choice; survival is at stake. The gardener must then be the doctor!
And doctors do not put Band-Aids on
cancer spots – they go to the root of the disease and do surgery.
That was Paul’s approach:
Paul’s Warning about tolerating such sin
Paul pulled from his extensive knowledge of the Old
Testament instructions for the Jewish Passover; Paul reminds us that all leaven
(yeast) was to be removed from a house. Leaven,
or yeast, is what makes the bread rise. It
only takes a little yeast to make the bread rise. Without yeast our bread would be quite
different.
However, in Scripture, leaven, or yeast, represents
sin.
In the 1950’s comedy classic “I Love Lucy,”
one episode dealt with Lucy’s lack of cooking skills. She had no clue how much yeast to use. She kept dumping it in…one box, two, three. She left the bread in the refrigerator for a
while as she talked on the phone. When
she returned the kitchen was filled with bread!
That is Paul’s picture of sin – if you don’t deal with
it, watch it closely, purge it from the church it will evict you!
This morning I want to share four scenarios…three from
reliable sources, and one from my personal experience as a pastor.
The first scene is
from Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family:
“Dear Dr. Dobson,
the letter began. Things have always been rocky in my marriage, but a more
serious problem arose a few years ago.
My husband, Paul, began to get interested in a beautiful divorcee who
works as his bookkeeper. At first it
seemed innocent, as he helped her in various ways. But I began to notice our relationship was
deteriorating. As he spent more and more
time at her house, I began to nag and complain.
That just made him more determined to be with her. Gradually, they fell in love with each other
and I didn't know what to do about it.
I bought a book about this time in which the author
promised that God wouldn't allow any wrong to happen so long as I was
submissive to my husband. In my panic, I thought I would lose him forever, and
I agreed to let the other woman come into our bedroom with us. I thought it would make Paul love me more,
but it just made him fall deeper in love with her.
Now he is confused and doesn't know which one of us he
wants. He says he still loves me and our
three kids, but he can't give her up, either.
I love Paul so dearly and I have begged him to turn our problem over to
the Lord. But what do I do now? Please help me. I'm on the bottom looking up. Linda”
Dan
Erickson, a Baptist pastor, shares the second scenario:
Fifteen
years ago, next week, I was called to become the pastor of Lakeside Baptist
Church, Wentworth, Wisconsin. As I began
my first full-time ministry position, my rookie season, I found myself facing a
couple of situations which were probably as difficult as any that I have dealt
with the last fifteen years. The second
Sunday I was there, a fellow named Bob was sitting in the front row. The next Sunday a woman named Linda was
sitting beside him. After a few weeks, I
learned that Bob and Linda had recently been expelled from a nearby Covenant
Church, where they both had been members.
Bob had abandoned his wife and moved in with Linda. He rejected the admonition of the Covenant
Church leaders to return to his spouse.
We had a number of discussions at our deacon board
meetings as to how our church should respond to the situation, but we never
came up with an answer. A few months
later, Bob and Linda got married and they attended Lakeside Church for a few
years, but never became members.
The second situation involved a man who, until one
year before my arrival, had been the chairman of the church at Lakeside. It
came out that he had been having sexual affairs with two women in the
congregation. He was asked to resign his position in the church which he
grudgingly did, but he expressed no remorse for his actions. He quit attending worship services, but the
church never rescinded his membership.
Some folks in the congregation continued to be his close friends, while
others said they would stop associating with him until there was some evidence
that he had repented from his sin.
The third scenario is from an Assembly of God pastor,
Rick Roberts:
Now,
I believe the key to a sermon is the application. The application to this one
is harsh, but necessary. There are at
least two couple[s] in this body living in a sinful state - unmarried but
living together. There may be others
living in other sins, but these are very obvious. I will not call their names. Most of you know
who they are. They may get angry with me. That's okay. They may be embarrassed.
They should be.
They
have been turned down for membership and other benefits because of their sin.
They are as welcome to come to this church as much as any other sinner needed
Jesus. But here is the thing - these
people are not one of us. They are
sinners who need to be saved. They may
profess Jesus. They may sincerely believe.
They may claim him as Savior. But
they are bringing open shame to Christ by their lifestyles. They need to repent and change their living
conditions in order to get right with God.
I do not believe we will see these people in heaven because they
proclaim Jesus with their mouths but deny him with their deeds.
I wrote to pastor Roberts asking him to share with me
the outcome of that sermon. His email
came as I was preparing this message:
That
was one of the hardest sermons I have ever had to preach. The couple sat right there and glared at me
the whole time - and yes, they did get angry.
She was married to someone else and pregnant with his baby. They were living together and his mother, who
was also there, was consenting.
This was 2 1/2 years ago. Shortly after, he stopped coming to
church. He told me he didn't appreciate
me embarrassing him. I told him I didn't
appreciate him desecrating the church. A
few months later, she tried to leave him and get her life straight, but he
threatened her. After almost a year, she
did finally break with him and got straight.
The fourth and final scenario is from my own journey
as a pastor. It was more than 30 years
ago. The search committee was good. The interviews went well. The church seemed friendly and loving. And they cooked well!
The trial sermon was not Billy Graham, but God seemed
to be all over the whole process. So, I
said “yes” to a strong congregational vote margin; in three weeks we would move
to the new church field.
Two weeks and five days later, just before my first
Sunday at this new charge, I got a phone call.
“Brother Russell?” asked the voice, timidly.
“Yes”
“This is Lester,
from your new church family. We’ve got a
little problem.”
There were three other deacons assembled in Lester’s
living room when I got there. It was not
a little problem. Dennis and Darlene had
not attended in over two years, but word had gotten around that they were “coming
back” this Sunday.
“What’s the problem?” I wanted to know.
Lester began, “Dennis and Darlene are still
members. They used to be married to
other people who are members also, but they divorced a year ago, and married
each other. Their baby is a little over
a year old.”
I settled in for the rest of it with a deep sigh. My
mind wandered briefly, and I wondered if the folks at McIntosh Baptist might
consider rescinding my resignation.
Dennis and Darlene had been the church’s volunteer
youth co-directors. They took the young
people to camp, but spent their own free time hiking together. The baby came along nine months later.
“What action was taken,” I asked.
“Nothing,” said Dale, “they just didn’t come once the
word got out. Now they’re coming back after
the dust has settled.”
As a young pastor, I often did things that seemed
right, but ignored the wiser counsel of Scripture. Instead of first having a private meeting, I
requested that two of the deacons meet me at Dennis and Darlene’s house the
next night (Saturday). (In short, I
skipped step one of Mt 18, and went right to #2).
We were received cautiously. The couple told us they did intend to come to
worship the next day. They wanted to get
right with the Lord. I briefly shared
with them that I thought that was really good, and then shared with them what
that would require.
I laid out the principle for them that a private sin
is usually best handled in private, between the sinner and his Savior. However, a public sin, especially one that
upended two families, and the entire church family, and brought shame on the
name of Christ and the Christian community demanded a public
reconciliation. They – if they were
sincerely interested in being right with the Lord – had to make it
right with the Lord’s church. There
should be a public apology and request for forgiveness.
I promised them, on the authority of God’s word, that
if they asked, we would forgive, and work through the feelings, relationships,
etc.
Dennis and Darlene never showed up – at least in the 6
years I pastored there. Months later we
rescinded their membership. We did hear,
however, from some of our deacons who visited them, that the reason they never
came back was that the preacher said we weren’t welcome there.
Lessons we learn from history
Note the four scenarios and their outcomes, and the
lessons they teach us about church discipline:
Dr. Dobson – Linda’s letter:
If you try to accommodate sin you send
the wrong message to everyone; that cheapens the church
Linda’s mistake, so evident to anyone outside the
situation, was to assume that if she just allowed her husband this indulgence,
she would be able to “keep” him. Linda
failed to see that Paul, in his perversion, wouldn’t be worth keeping!
It is so in the church. Jesus knows we aren’t perfect. He has, however, told us to move to maturity
(Mt 5.48). That means being willing to
give up our sin, not accommodate it.
Wisconsin Baptist Pastor:
If you fail to act you will be left empty, with more questions than
answers. That paralyzes the church’s
ministry
Those charter members of Procrastinators Anonymous among
us know this feeling well. We can always
give some kind of excuse for inaction, but it will always be an excuse, never a
reason.
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not
do it. James 4:17 (NLT)
Sin in the house of God is an affront to God. Paul was horrified that the church leadership
was doing nothing. Indeed, they were
rather proud of all the other things they had going. God is not interested in the things you’re
doing as a church, if the people of the church aren’t living as the church.
“Cleaning House” pastor:
If you act self-righteously, bullying
people from the pulpit you destroy people.
That is Satanic, not life-giving.
A pastor has a calling to proclaim God’s word, no
matter where the chips may fall; he never has the right to attack people
personally in a sermon. It is not only
bad manners and poor ethics; it shows a lack of respect for God’s pulpit and
people when you destroy people.
On the other hand, the people of God have every right
to expect that God’s word – including the painful parts – will be proclaimed
faithfully…no matter where the chips may fall.
Dennis and Darlene:
If you act in a hurry, you lose the
power of God’s Word and Spirit to bring about reconciliation.
I knew going in the likelihood of the final outcome –
that I would be blamed, or the deacons with me.
I reasoned that it would be better for me to have witnesses. The problem was that, in skipping the first private
meeting (which would have made me quite vulnerable) I went around Scripture as
badly as Dennis and Darlene. I did not
trust the Spirit’s power; I was trusting Russell’s reasoning.
Had I had the private meeting first, rather than
bringing an entourage, perhaps the couple would not have been so
defensive. They might have broken and
asked for forgiveness, and experienced healing.
My rush past the first step may have cost the kingdom dearly.
Paul and the Corinthian church:
When you do things God’s way, He can
heal the broken fellowship.
Later in Paul’s letters (2 Corinthians 2) we read that
the church did respond to Paul’s instructions.
They were not happy to get his letter, but they received it, heeded the
instructions, and the man in question repented – the fellowship was restored.
What do we do with the lessons?
Not every situation in life ties up as neatly as did
the Corinthian church problem. In fact
most don’t. The reasons are probably
legion, but mostly it’s because we, the body of Christ, miss God. We are afraid, lazy or too steeped in our own
sin to do what God said we must do.
Having the lessons down pat is good. Using the wisdom we gain from our mistakes
and the rebuke of the Word is even better.
I said earlier we are not about to embark on any
specific discipline problem, and I mean just that. However, I want you to ponder this passage,
this aspect of church life, and come to grips with it for this reason:
I
believe that the health of our church is more important to God than the size of
our church. We cannot ignore gross,
blatant, open sin on the part of members of this congregation. It is a stench in the nostrils of God, and a
stain on the name of Christ in any community when it is tolerated.
Because of that, I want to offer this as God’s plan
for our church to avoid the pitfalls we saw in the scenarios:
#1.
Pray daily for each other, and for our spiritual health as a
congregation.
Corinth seems a long
way from where we are; but it’s not! It
is Satan’s job to disrupt our unity and ministry. He is good at it, so pray hard!
#2.
Be committed to church discipline, knowing that it is the only loving
response a community of believers can make.
When it becomes
necessary to enter the process of church discipline, re-read the passages, pray
over the process, and support the God-given way of caring for the brother or
sister.
#3.
Pray especially for the leaders of our congregation.
Every Christian is
susceptible to sin, and even gross sin.
However, church leaders are vulnerable and visible. The Scripture tells us leaders are held to a
stricter accountability. When a church
pastor, deacon, Sunday School teacher, or other leader falls, it makes news in
a hurry.
A few closing thoughts about the Value of Church discipline:
·
I have lived through
some church discipline circumstances.
The church was always healthier in the long run, even when the process
wasn’t perfect.
·
I have lived
through my parent’s discipline as a disobedient child. I was always better for it, even though they
are not perfect.
·
I have lived
through my doctor’s discipline. I had my
life saved by it, even though he wasn’t perfect.
·
I have never
liked any of the discipline events – doctor’s medicine, parent’s meddling or
the church meetings. But, beloved, it is
God’s way of making certain his church gets healthy, and stays that way.
In the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit!
