The Steps of Church Discipline

Matthew 18:15-20

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And, if he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as an unbeliever or a tax collector. 18 Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be[c] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 20 In fact where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them.”

I once heard of a woman in a difficult marriage. After time passed, she began having an affair with a married man. Forsaking her own husband, she moved in with him. 

Eventually, her church and pastor learned about this sin. They talked to her many times. She didn't listen. She persisted in her sinful behavior. And it got to the point, after many months, that she was excommunicated from the church. To excommunicate is to remove someone from membership for disciplinary purposes. 

The excommunication left her feeling devastated. She knew that she was in the wrong. Her conscience felt horrible. She knew that she had been cast out of the church.

Today, our sermon text is about the steps of church discipline. These steps, which were carried out with this woman, are done because Christians are to lovingly address sin. And we are assured that we are not alone when we do this, because Jesus is with us as we carry out this work. 

Context is important. And so, the first thing that needs to be clear when we're talking about church discipline is the context. Right before these verses, Jesus gives the parable of the lost sheep. In this parable, a shepherd leaves the ninety-nine sheep in order to go find the one that wandered away. This parable is about the extent Jesus is willing to go to save a lost believer in Christ. 

And after these verses on church discipline, Jesus explains the importance of forgiveness with the parable of the unmerciful servant. 

Therefore the steps of church discipline are about winning a lost brother or sister back to the faith. These verses are ultimately about the hope that someday, forgiveness can be extended to the erring brother or sister.

There are many ways that these verses of Matthew eighteen can be misused. We are not to use these verses to "put someone in their place," or with the intention of "kicking one out of the church." And these verses are also not about how to handle every situation within the church. Not every matter within the church requires the steps of discipline recorded in Matthew chapter eighteen. The context determines what Matthew eighteen is about. The context of Matthew eighteen is unrepentant sin. And the purpose is to hopefully win the erring brother or sister back to the faith. 

Now here are the steps. Jesus explains the first step: "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his sin just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother." When the unrepentant sin of someone in the congregation becomes apparent to you, the first thing you should do is talk to that person one-on-one. Don't gossip about the person behind their back. Don't immediately go and talk to your pastor. The first thing Jesus requires that you do, is to lovingly address that sin, for the purpose of regaining your brother or sister. And if he or she repents, then that is great! That is what we are hoping for, and the matter ends. There is no need to get anyone else involved. No one else needs to know about it.

In the unfortunate circumstance that the brother or sister does not repent, then, after lovingly addressing that sin over a period of time, it's necessary to get more people involved. Jesus explains the second step: "But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'" The people who come with you should be carefully selected. It doesn't have to be your pastor, or the elders of the church. Careful consideration should be done regarding whose presence would be the most effective. Again, the purpose of addressing the sin with one or two others is to bring the person living in sin to repentance. 

But if he or she still doesn't listen over a period of time, then it is necessary to bring the matter to the church. Jesus explains this third step "If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church." The unrepentant sin becomes public knowledge of the members at church. And then after time and still no repentance, the matter is brought to the Voter's assembly. If it is clear to all that the person is living in unrepentant sin, then the church votes to have the person excommunicated. 

This excommunication is not done out of anger, but out of love. It is a last ditch effort to show the severity of sin and the need of forgiveness. 

The concept of church discipline can make us uncomfortable. It can make us feel like we are "mean" people to point out sin. But Jesus reveals that it is the loving thing to do. It is done to regain a brother or sister in Christ. In the Bible, Jesus explains that sin is dangerous, and that it leads away from Him. It leads to hell. 

Addressing unrepentant sin is our duty as Christians. We are guilty of sinning if we fail to point out sin. It is as we hear in our Old Testament lesson this morning "if you do not speak to warn the wicked man against his way, that wicked man will die because of his guilt, but I will also hold you responsible for his blood." It can be very unpleasant to point out someone's sin. There's a chance that the person would become very angry with you. Maybe he or she will not want to talk with you again. And yet, it is the most loving thing to do. It's always better to address sinful behavior, than to sit by and allow someone to receive the punishment of hell. 

Jesus is the one who rebuked sin perfectly. Think about the time that He cleansed the temple. He pushed over tables, and made a whip to drive the people with sinful hearts out. That may seem overly harsh, but Jesus did it because He is loving. He is also just and holy. He knew what their sinful hearts needed. For every time you have failed to do your Christian duty in pointing out sin, Jesus perfectly addressed sin. Regardless of the consequences or how people would view Him. Jesus didn't "shrink" away from this task.

And then Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Not only the little "tiny" ones that no one notices. Not only the times when we fail to address sin. But also the big scandalous sins that everyone hears about. Those sins, all of them, were placed upon Jesus. We hear in 2 Corinthians "God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." All who repent of their sins and turn to Him receive His forgiveness. This forgiveness is for all people. Even those who commit horrible, public sins such as adultery, and cheating on your spouse.

The woman who was mentioned at the beginning of the sermon realized that she had sinned. The law of God convicted her heart. She ended up apologizing for her sinful behavior. She wrote a letter of apology to her church, and was gladly welcomed back. She is very thankful that her Savior died upon the cross for her sins. She now attends church again, where she is assured that all of her sins are forgiven. 

And she is very thankful that her church was willing to address her sin. This is what she said in her own words: "In Matthew, it says if your brother sins, you should go to him. If he doesn't listen, go with others, and finally tell it to the church. That is meant to be like a lifeline, a way to bring the people back. That's what it did for me, and I'm glad for it... it saved my life." 

You see, the steps of church discipline are about winning an erring brother or sister back to the faith. It's about doing what's best for those living in sin. Of course it isn't easy. Of course we don't want to do it. But sometimes, perhaps even often, the most loving thing to do isn't easy. Think about what Jesus did for you and me! The most loving thing He did was to die on the cross. But that wasn't easy. It definitely didn't feel good. But it was the loving thing to do. And so we imitate Jesus. We lovingly address unrepentant sin. Even though it's difficult, and even though it can hurt.

The law needs to be applied to those who are comfortable in their sin. Those who willingly embrace their sin and don't feel sorry need to hear that they're sinners. In the law God says: "that's wrong. Don't do that." And what the law does, is it produces repentance. It makes people feel sorry. When a conscience feels guilt over sin, then, and only then, is it ready to hear the gospel. A conscience hammered by the law needs to hear that all of those sins have been paid for. That Jesus loves you so much that He died for all of your sins. A troubled conscience needs to hear that you are welcome at church and that you can partake of the blessed sacrament, adn that you have an eternal and blessed home in heaven. That's the gospel. It's pure comfort. It's pure forgiveness. It's the best thing for a troubled conscience to hear and receive.

As we apply both the law and the gospel as a church, Jesus assures us that we do so with His power and authority. He says "Amen I tell you: Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." This is called the office of the keys. The church has the authority to forgive the sins of the penitent, and also to retain the sins of the impenitent as long as they do not repent. This is Christ's authority carried out within the church. And so when we retain someone's sins in excommunication, it is really Jesus retaining their sins. And when we forgive someone their sins, it is really Jesus forgiving them.  

When the church works with the office of the keys, we are assured that we are not alone. Jesus is with us the whole time guiding the process, as He promises in the great commission: "And surely I am with you always until the end of the age."

Jesus also instructs us to rely upon each other during times of church discipline. He states: "Amen I tell you again: If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven." The united prayer of Christians is so important. It can be very difficult to lovingly address someone's sin. And so Jesus encourages that we pray together. That we pray for guidance as we work through matters of church discipline. Prayer is powerful, and unites us together with God.

Jesus further explains that "where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am among them." Jesus is with His church as we forgive, as well as when we retain sins. Even though we can't see Him, He is with us every time we meet with His gracious presence. He always works out all things for good. He is with us as we go through difficult experiences as a church. As we come together as a church and pray, Jesus is guiding our actions and plans. And so we rely upon Him for our protection and strength. 

The steps of discipline work. We see this with the woman who was not only convicted of her sins, but also repented, and turned back to Christ for forgiveness. It's so important to address unrepentant sin, because it has to do with our faith in Jesus. Faith turns away from sin and clings to Christ for forgiveness. That's what faith does. To continue in sin is to continue in impenitence. We know that impenitent sinners are sent to hell. And so the church faithfully uses the Office of the Keys. When necessary, the church lovingly addresses unrepentant sin. Not because we want to "kick people out," but instead because we want to win our brothers and sisters in Christ back into a loving embrace. May God grant that we continue to properly use both the law and the gospel here at Abiding Word. In Christ, we love others enough to address unrepentant sin. And in Christ, we desire to assure every penitent sinner that they are forgiven and that we’ll see them in heaven. In His saving name, Amen.

Pastor Samuel Johnson

9/17/23