« The Widows and the Economic Meltdown | Home | Hello and can you help »
Church Discipline - Matthew 18.15-20
By Dan Ott | January 12, 2009
Proper 18A, September 7, 2008
Ezekiel 33.(1-6) 7-11, Romans 12.9-21, Matthew 18.15-20
Discipline in Love, and Repentance.
Let me begin by reading this quote I stumbled upon by R.C. Sproul, its long so bear with me: ”The church is called not only to a ministry of reconciliation, but a ministry of nurture to those within her gates. Part of that nurture includes church discipline … The idea of church discipline is totally consistent with the basic purposes of the church in evangelism and edification. Evangelism ministers to those without the church who are in bondage to sin to bring them to faith in Christ where the transformation process begins. The edification process is designed to build up believers so they can be conformed to the image and character of Christ. Church discipline as a part of the edification process ministers to those within the body of Christ who are dominated by some area of sin so they can experience liberation from its power through fellowship with Christ.”
Discipline is not exactly one of the more popular topics to speak about from up here, but is an important and often forgotten practice within the church today.
Often people run from discipline, the word itself isn’t too inviting, it doesn’t typically conjure up good memories especially if in your youth you were the test subject of many disciplinary practices. Luckily I grew up an angel, so I don’t mind it, and most you guys would believe that but since my parents are here to testify to it, I must be honest. Discipline has been the subject of much debate in my generation… why? because all know that it is an important aspect of growing up. But the bigger answer to why is because of how often discipline becomes abuse.
To get at this idea of discipline I want to begin with what it is not: and these primarily have to do with motivations behind discipline both in the house, but especially in the church: It is not something that is done out of anger. It should never be something done to humiliate. It is not something that is done flippantly. It is not something that is done inconsistently. It is not something done to manipulate. And It is not something that is done to mindlessly control the one being disciplined, as in the training of a dog or pet, which some of you might argue that even this kind of training is wrong even for a pet.
Discipline often gets a bad rap because of these abuses, both in the family and in the church.
I know many who have experienced such abuses. Where the goal was not edification, love, and correction but manipulation and control. Because of these abuses, many of these people have discarded the idea of discipline altogether, and unbeknownst to them are much worse off because of it. Discipline done wrong can be a horrible thing, damaging, destructive, and humiliating, but discipline done right can be a beautiful thing where it becomes edifying, restorative, and encouraging.
The Proverbs have much to say about the topic of discipline: They call it the way to life, the way to knowledge, 13.24 says that he who does not discipline hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him. He who loves him is careful to discipline him.
How many of you have said this, or heard this said to you “this is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you.” This is a common phrase usually said before a time of discipline, or at least it was in my house, often in my life complemented by a hand, pain, tears, and followed by a hug and lesson… This is gonna hurt me more than it hurts you, My thought was always the same - then why do it, really dad who wants to hurt themselves just let me go on this one and we can pretend it never happen that way neither of us are hurting. But because he loved me he was consistent to correct me where I was wrong.
Discipline always includes love. Discipline without love is nothing more than according to Webster a control gained by enforcing obedience or order, but with Love discipline moves from this idea of control and dominance to the idea of correcting, enabling, reconciling, and restoring for the benefit and betterment of that person … so discipline in love becomes selfless and painful at times explaining the ‘Its gonna hurt me more than it hurts you,’ right discipline in love hurts both the one disciplining and the one being disciplined. But it is in this discipline that the proverbs call the way to life and knowledge.
Love. Paul says in Romans 12.9 that Love must be sincere, Hate what is evil; cling to what is good, be devoted to one another in brotherly love…do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This love that Paul calls us to comes through the transformation spoken of at the beginning of the chapter. Paul encourages those in Rome to “in view of God’s mercy, offer their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.” Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Paul encourages those in Rome, and us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This notion of transformation becomes a check for discipline. Authentic transformation. Transformation that changes our hearts and minds. Transformation wherein Holy Spirit continually molds us and shapes us into right Sons and Daughters of Christ.
We are to be disciplined in order to conform us into the likeness of Christ. And so we as a church must be about the business of transformation. Where we as Sons and Daughters learn how to be the right image of God. Key word being learn how. This is not something that is done automatically, but is something that takes a whole lifetime. In an ideal world we would not have to talk about the church having to learn how to act, love, live, and care for one another, Christ would not have to deal with how to approach a sinning brother, and Paul would not have to invest so much of his time talking about reconciliation, love, and unity as the ONE body of Christ. We do not live in this ideal — we are, even as believers, still sinners, we fail in this reality that we live in quite often. Paul talked about how he was in anguish as he knew what he wanted to do, but yet still didn’t do it. We walk as sinners in the body of Christ in need of transformation, love, and repentance. We pursue this transformation to become right image bearers on this earth to be able to overcome evil with good… And so for our Love to be sincere, for our love to be authentic, our transformation must be real. And one way real transformation comes is through discipline and repentance.
Repentance is a crucial aspect of discipline and transformation. In our Old Testament reading for today, Ezekiel speaks rather directly about repentance. In chapter 33 and following Ezekiel concentrates on the future blessings of restoration that Judah would enjoy after exile. You see Israel was under Babylonian control at this point, and they were living under oppression in slavery and bondage. So Ezekiel begins in typical Old Testament fashion calling Israel to repentance, calling them to turn from their evil ways to accept the blessings given by the Holy God to his people. Why repentance, well simply put Israel was consistently called a stubborn and rebellious people running to idolatry, adultery, and sin. This is the story of the bible, God in his graciousness offers blessings to his children yet they run in the other direction, eating the forbidden fruit, lying, stealing, cheating, committing adultery even as kings, worshiping gods other than the one true God and running to curses rather than blessing, does this sound familiar. So Ezekiel as a good watchman looks to discipline Israel, calling Israel to repentance. This repentance was so that they would enter into the restored presence of their promises of being sons and daughters of Abraham, chosen by God to be blessed among all nations in the land of promise and abundance. Ezekiel was calling them unto repentance because they were living a life of slavery and bondage to both sin and Babylon, so repentance was their call to be the right people of God in right relation with God and his promises.
Repentance has always been a necessary part of the lives of the people of God. I once had a professor at seminary who said as often as he had class that we all needed to preach the gospel to ourselves everyday and run to repentance. Why because we are sinful creatures in the process of being transformed, and we are NOT yet there.
Which leads us back to church discipline. We have talked about what it is not, its not humiliating and demeaning, notice how in v. 15 Jesus is very explicit as to how it was first to go down, man to man, woman to woman, person to person so as not to humiliate, but moreover so that this is done in love. Further Christ expounds the next steps of the process if step 1 didn’t work, so as to bring the sinner into repentance by step 2 in bringing a witness of two or three, and then further onto the church for step 3. And finally if repentance is still not found then to treat them as a pagan. i.e. You cannot serve two masters, both Sin and God. You will be either a slave to one or the other. If they are unwilling to renounce sin, then Jesus instructs the church to treat them as one outside the church. That is not to say that we are to treat the sinner as the devil, but that the sinner is to be disciplined as a sinner with the capacity still for repentance, reconciliation, and restoration.
Church discipline is part of the transformation process, Church discipline ministers to those within the body of Christ who are dominated by some area of sin. It becomes a call to repentance so that whoever is dominated by sin can experience liberation from its power. Church discipline is thus done in love within the community of believers in order to nurture reconciliation, restoration, and freedom.
Discipline is not something that we should hide from or be scared of, but when done rightly becomes a means to bring glory to the bride of Christ.
So there are a couple of things that I want to say in closing about Church discipline if you will allow me. One that it is necessary, if you are visiting with us today and you are scared off by the topic, I pray you wouldn’t be, whether it is with this church or with another, a church without church discipline becomes a church without purpose and purity, and moreover doesn’t honor and revere the bride of Christ as Holy and Righteous….A church without discipline according to all of church history was no church at all. Many in my generation have been disenchanted by the abuses of power and discipline and run from such things, but I encourage you that when such things are done right, especially in the church it can be beautiful, so do not leave here and think that you can do this on your own, we all need community, we all form the One body of Christ, we need each other.
To shamelessly plug Anglican Mission, One of the things that has drawn me to this church is its structure. The Anglican Mission is organized in such a way as to uphold discipline within its structures through global accountability, along with regional, and local accountability as well. We all answer to those above us and Christ, so that the glory of God might be able to be seen when sinners are found restored and reconciled to God when transformation is encouraged and enabled so as to honor Christ and his bride.
And Secondly, No matter our age we always need to be reminded of the mission of God.
That God has chosen humanity to be his image bearers in the world, to bring the glory of God to all the nations. The Creator God sent Israel and then Jesus into the world. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit. And the Trinity sends the Church… And we are to represent Jesus to the culture around us, to the world around us… So we are to learn what it means to represent Jesus to the world, we are to learn what it means to incarnationally be Jesus to our neighbors. How do we become Jesus? through repentance, love, and discipline.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Topics: Ezekiel, Liturgical Seasons, Matthew, Romans |