Living as Christ's Body

Josh Clink

Clarify, Unify, Glorify in Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 9 months ago • Presented 9 months ago

Matthew 18

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ME (A hook):

This morning,

We are in Matthew 18,

Where Jesus teaches His 4th lengthy discourse.

This one is on Living as Christ’s Body.

But this chapter has several parts that have been misinterpreted over the years.

David Platt introduces it this way:

“These instructions from Jesus span an entire chapter and they are very important, but they’ve also been severely misunderstood. Because many of these verses have been abused in a number of ways, we need to recover the riches that are contained here, particularly as they apply to the local church.”

We know these verses are applicable to the church,

Because for only the second time in Matthew,

Jesus explicitly refers to the church.

So, let’s jump right in this morning,

Slide

Our outline for this key teaching is:

Saved Into Christ’s Body (vs. 1-9)

Cared for in Christ’s Body (vs. 10-14)

Seeking Restoration in Christ’s Body (vs. 15-20)

Forgiveness for Christ’s Body (vs. 21-35)

God’s love through Christ compels love among His members.

WE (Why does this matter to us?):

Slide

Looking at how ch. 18 starts,

It really sets the stage for Christ’s teaching.

Because Jesus first uses an analogy to illustrate what it means to be one of His members,

Before unpacking how we relate to one another as fellow members of His body.

In His teaching,

Jesus shows a clear concern that His members are marked by humility, love, and forgiveness.

So, if you look,

You will notice ch. 18 begins by saying, “at that time.”

This reminds us where in the narrative of Matthew this is taking place.

Back in ch. 16,

Peter just confessed for the first time that Jesus is the Christ.

Then, just days later,

Jesus transfigured before Peter, James, and John.

In light of these two awe-inspiring, incredible, breathtaking events,

So, ch. 18 begins with the disciples asking Jesus who the greatest in heaven is.

In other words,

Which of us disciples is the greatest?

Perhaps, Peter was thinking it could be him.

I mean, Jesus did seem to single him out when instituting the church.

He was one of only 3 disciples who got to see the transfiguration.

But Peter was also rebuked by Jesus for getting in the way of the cross,

And James and John also got to see the transfiguration.

So, who is it?

Who is the greatest?

While the disciples are looking at themselves,

Jesus calls a small child,

And has him stand in the middle of the disciples.

Slide

Then, Jesus tells them that they must turn and become like children.

This is the essence of what it means to be a member of Christ’s body.

This is the necessity of conversion.

He says we must first turn and become like a child.

He is calling us to a fundamental change.

And He is not talking about this idea of child-like innocence.

No, He is saying turn from yourself,

And trust in your heavenly Father.

Just like a child is dependent upon His parent,

Thrust yourself into dependence on God,

Confess your need for Him,

And willingly accept what you cannot provide for yourself.

If your a parent,

You know what this is like.

You have experienced your children needing to be held and fed and read to and loved,

All the ways they need to be provided for.

So, picture your child when they were young,

If your not a parent,

Picture yourself when you were a young child,

Running up to mom or dad with reckless abandonment,

Arms wide open,

A smile from ear to ear,

Being received in this loving embrace.

That is the picture of conversion Jesus is painting here.

This is the posture we must have as we rush into the arms of God.

He is urging us to have this childlike humility,

Instead of a desire to be the greatest.

Because this desire comes from a heart of pride,

And it is inconsistent with genuine discipleship.

The path to true greatness is humility.

That is what Jesus is emphasizing here,

A humble heart.

He is not saying to remain immature in all ways.

Rather, no matter how smart, successful, or gifted a person might be,

We all must come to Jesus with a humble heart,

Turning from ourselves,

And instead trusting completely in God.

Have you done this?

Because the rest of what Jesus teaches here won’t make a difference,

If we are not first a child of God.

So, have you come to the place where you know that God is perfect,

You are sinful,

And you need a Savior?

Have you, like a child,

Turned from everything you were holding onto,

And run to God the Father through Jesus Christ?

Because this is what it means to be a member of Christ’s body.

And it is this love from God that compels our love for one another.

So, in vs. 5-6,

Jesus shifts from talking about literal children,

To talking about His spiritual children.

He is equating His members with children.

So, when Jesus talks about children from this point forward,

He is talking about sons and daughters of God.

When He says,

Whoever welcomes a child in My name,

He is saying you are welcoming His members.

So, it is as if you are receiving Christ, Himself.

In other words,

The way we respond to His members,

Is essentially a response to Jesus Himself.

Therefore, if we cause a fellow member to sin,

It is a great offense!

In fact,

Jesus says,

We would be better off having a large heavy millstone around our neck,

And jumping in the water.

Realizing Jesus’ imagery here makes His comparison to children very powerful.

Parents here,

You will understand this,

From a parental perspective,

It is inexplicably hard to deal with someone hurting your child.

There is a zealous affection a loving parent has for their child.

So, that is the affection that drives Jesus’ concern for His members expressed in this chapter.

Slide

Jesus begins this expression of concern,

With a solemn judgment saying about the temptation to sin in vs. 7.

After saying not to cause another member to sin,

He warns about there being temptations to sin in this world.

He goes so far to say it is necessary for the temptations to come.

Essentially, He is saying, it is inevitable that we will sin.

Because humankind is totally and completely depraved.

So, every single one of us will sin.

And we are responsible for our sin.

So, on one hand,

Jesus says,

Don’t add to these temptations by leading others to sin.

For example,

Don’t ask someone who struggles with gossip,

“Have you heard about so and so?”

It is so easy to lead others astray,

Sometimes without even realizing it.

So, we must be vigilant to not lead others to sin.

Yet, at the same time,

We must be committed to avoid sin ourselves.

Slide

In vs. 8-9, Jesus teaches about the extent we must take to avoid these temptations to sin.

He says,

If your hand or foot causes you to sin,

Chop it off and throw it away.

Because it is better to enter eternal life without an arm or a leg,

Than it is to keep them and be thrown into eternal punishment.

And He says,

Same thing is true with your eyes.

The severity of what He is suggesting illustrates our radical need to fight against sin.

But don’t get it twisted,

Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation here.

Because at the end of the day,

Jesus taught earlier in Matthew,

How it is not our eyes or our hands that is the root of our sin.

It is our heart.

So, it is not just about avoiding the act of sinning,

We must avoid the things that tempt our sinful hearts.

And it takes drastic action to overcome temptation.

The serious and violent language Jesus uses characterizes the battle with sin.

Instead of flirting with sin,

Seeing how close you can get,

Destroy it.

Instead of continuing to let something lead you into sin,

Get rid of it.

Jesus is imploring us to have a zeal to protect ourselves and one another from sin.

GOD: Cared for In Christ’s Body (vs. 10-14) (Teach the text):

Slide

Jesus does this because He cares for the Members of His Body.

He teaches this in vs. 10-14.

He says,

Do not despise, look down on, or treat other members with contempt.

Because God loves and cares for His members.

One way He shows this is through His angels.

In a general sense,

The Bible teaches that angels guard and minister to God’s people.

For example Psalm 91:11,

Psalm 91:11 (ESV)

For [God] will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

And Hebrews 1:14 asks about angels,

Hebrews 1:14 ESV

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Also, Daniel’s description of the archangel, Michael,

Seems to indicate that angels may have specific areas of responsibility.

So, the Bible teaches that angels carry out God’s work in a variety of ways.

In fact, it is likely,

God is still using His angels to do the same sort of things in the lives of His people today.

But what Jesus says here does not teach that each person has their own guardian angel assigned to them.

This has become a popular cultural belief,

But it goes far beyond the evidence that can be found in the Bible.

As a sports fan,

I think of it this way,

God does not have His angels play a man to man coverage,

Rather, they are playing more of a zone.

And it is helpful to see it this way,

Because although angels are ministering attendants caring for God’s people,

God is the source of that care.

And this is such a needed encouragement for us.

Slide

Jesus goes on to drive this point home in the parable of the lost sheep in vs. 12-14.

God is concerned for and committed to saving every one of His members.

That is the message we are meant to understand.

God is not willing to let one of His little ones perish.

So, just pause for a moment.

Let that truth soak in.

God cares for you.

You are His child.

He is committed to pursuing and rescuing you.

Slide

As Jesus said in John 10:27-30,

John 10:27–30 ESV

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

This is a rock-solid promise if you are a member of Christ’s body.

But it is important we understand,

When Jesus talks about a sheep wandering,

It is not just going for a peaceful stroll.

No, Jesus is talking about His members straying toward sin,

Toward danger.

And when this happens,

God has a special concern for that member.

And when that sheep is restored,

God rejoices!

And we rejoice with Him!

For He is the Great Rescuer of stray sheep!

Slide

This goes all the way back to Ezekiel 34:11-16.

Ezekiel 34:11–16 ESV

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

YOU (Response):

Since God is the One who does this,

And Jesus instituted the church,

In vs. 15-20,

Jesus institutes a process for restoring His members who are straying into sin.

This passage is the primary text where we get the idea of church discipline,

Which seeks to restore members.

Restoration is essential to the health of a body.

But if we are being honest,

Church discipline has historically not been done well.

It has either been too legalistic,

Or done without any love for the person,

Or without ever trying to seek restoration.

Church discipline is hard to do well.

So, the temptation has become to avoid it altogether.

But in his book about church discipline,

Slide

J. Carl Laney warns,

“The church today is suffering from an infection which has been allowed to fester…As an infection weakens the body by destroying its defense mechanisms, so the church has been weakened by this ugly sore. The church has lost its power and effectiveness in serving as a vehicle for social, moral, and spiritual change. This illness is due, at least in part, to a neglect of church discipline.”

The NT teaches that Christ’s body is holy,

Set apart,

From the world.

So, church discipline done rightly can define the boundaries between the world and the church.

But the desire is not to feed a sense of pride,

The desire is to foster healthy churches comprised of healthy members.

So, we must do our best to set aside our past missteps,

And our temptation to avoid church discipline altogether,

And instead,

See what Jesus tells us to do.

Slide

First, in vs. 15, Jesus says,

“If your brother sins against you.”

Now, this is always the way I have understood this passage.

Because almost every modern English Bible says it this way.

But as I was reading commentaries this week,

I had never realized,

Commentary after commentary after commentary said the same thing.

The words, “against you,”

Do not appear in the earliest,

And what many consider,

The most reliable manuscripts.

As a result,

Most scholars are uncertain if Jesus actually said “against you.”

So, this would mean,

Jesus is talking about going to a fellow member who is sinning in general,

Rather than only trying to confront those who you feel offended by.

And this makes sense.

Because the NT as a whole seems to reflect this more general restoration.

Slide

For example,

Gal. 6:1 says,

Galatians 6:1 ESV

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.

You see,

Galatians does not limit this to just transgressions against you.

It says, any transgression,

Whether you are directly affected by it or not.

Slide

So, Jesus is teaching a restorative process that naturally flows out of the parable He just taught,

Demonstrating the Good Shepherd’s concern for His straying sheep.

This gets at the heart of genuine church discipline.

So, in what seems like an effort to keep the circle as small as possible,

Step one is interpersonal restoration.

If you are talking about a fellow member in a way that does not build them up in Christ,

Then you are in sin.

You see,

If we know a person is in sin,

And we are talking about it with other people instead of talking to them about it,

Then we are cultivating resentment rather than restoration.

So, when a fellow member is continuing in sin,

Meaning they are refusing to turn from a certain sin,

Then, Jesus says,

Go to them personally to restore them.

That is the key part of this,

An unrepentant heart.

Jesus is not saying bring the hammer down each and every time a person sins.

He is talking about members who are straying like sheep.

Who are caught in sin and refusing to turn from it.

When that happens,

We must love them enough to go to them personally to restore them.

Love them enough to not talk about it with someone else.

Love them enough to not say nothing and watch them wander deeper into their sin.

And if they respond rightly,

You will have won back your fellow member.

Your communion in Christ is restored,

Perhaps even deeper than it was before.

This does not require any formal or official organization.

It is part of your relationship with your fellow member.

This is the context in which most church restoration should happen.

Hopefully, if we are doing this,

Then there is no need to escalate to any other step of discipline.

Because the purpose of church discipline is not to punish,

Nor is it even to really address personal offenses,

It is to restore a fellow member who is straying from Christ.

Church discipline is a process to recover a straying sheep.

So, if we are doing step one well,

Majority of the work of church discipline and restoration is taken care of.

Slide

But, if your fellow member doesn’t listen,

And the next step of restoration is needed,

Jesus says to take one or two more with you.

This alludes to the OT requirement for two or three witnesses to establish something as a fact.

But even though you are bringing in a couple more members,

We see Jesus trying to keep the number of those involved low.

It is also extremely vital that whoever you bring in is gentle, humble, and loving.

Because step two is not,

Gang up on that person.

The people brought in must strive to help cultivate restoration.

Most often,

It would likely be best to involve those who know, and care for, the member you are striving to restore.

This will increase the likelihood that they will be humble and gracious.

Slide

But if the person still does not listen,

The third step,

Jesus says,

Is to bring the church into the circle.

This means, the whole church is made aware of the unrepentant member’s sin.

But even still,

This is not to be unloving,

This is not done to embarrass or condemn the person.

The expectation of the body,

Is to express together to the person,

“We love you,

We want you to come back to Christ.”

God loves every member so much,

That when we are straying from Him,

He recruits His entire local body to demonstrate His love and mercy.

Tragically, if that is still not enough,

The unrepentant person gets excluded from the church.

If a person refuses to be restored,

Instead, giving their heart completely over to their sin,

Then they are detached from the body,

Treated as an unbeliever.

That is what Jesus means when He says to treat them as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Jesus says to stop having fellowship with them,

And instead,

Evangelize them.

Because, Jesus is saying,

He does not have a saving relationship with this person.

This sounds extreme.

It is extremely difficult.

Because in one sense,

The church is meant to be a welcoming place.

But this is what Jesus calls us to do.

And it was the early church did.

In 1 Cor. 5,

Paul has a man removed from the church.

It is tragic when this happens,

Because the goal is to restore the person,

For their own good,

The good of the whole body,

And ultimately, for the glory of God.

Because when people are being restored,

When repentance is taking place,

We are actively applying the gospel of grace!

Slide

We must trust Jesus with the process of church discipline.

In vs. 18,

He echoes what He said about His authority back in 16:19.

This is not some sort of special different authority.

It is His authority from His Word.

The foundation of the church is laid in God’s Word,

It is the key of Christ’s authority in His body.

So, Jesus says,

What we do as His body in His name with His authority,

Reflects what He does in heaven.

But what does this have to do with discipline?

If someone were to say,

“I am living in this sin and I am not going to stop.”

We can respond with Christ’s authority,

“Then you are a slave to that sin and you are not forgiven.”

Not because we say so,

But because Christ says so in His Word.

On the flip side,

If someone says they are willing to turn from their sin,

We can tell them with full confidence that their sin is forgiven,

Because in Christ, they are set free.

Slide

But that is not all.

In vs. 19,

Jesus says if we agree about anything we pray for,

It will be done for us in heaven.

This means we have Jesus’ support.

But as David Platt warns in his commentary,

Jesus is not just giving us a blank check to find someone who agrees with us,

And God will automatically give us what we want.

This is still in the context of restoration.

So, Jesus is connecting restorative action amongst His members on earth,

To the restorative actions of the Father in heaven.

It seems as if Jesus empathizes with how difficult church discipline is,

Understanding the temptation we face to avoid it.

So, He encourages us with resources from heaven,

Encourages us by guaranteeing His presence.

Now, you have likely heard vs. 20 used to say that if a couple believers are gathered together,

Then Jesus is there!

But what about when you prayed by yourself at home or in the car this morning?

Was Jesus stuck waiting till you got here with other believers to show up?

Absolutely not!

When Jesus mentions the two or three,

He is once again alluding to the OT witness system.

In other words,

He is saying when multiple members of His body are doing the difficult work of gently restoring a straying member,

He is with us,

Supporting and leading us through this process.

Jesus promises to always be with us!

His Spirit lives in us!

So, whether we are all by ourselves,

Or gathered together with a trillion other people,

Jesus is present!

The point here,

Is that His presence is especially strong and felt in the middle of restoration.

Which should give us great confidence.

WE (Paint a picture of the future):

Slide

But Jesus is still not done.

He ends ch. 18 with one final exhortation,

The parable of the unforgiving servant.

This is the capstone to Jesus’ lesson in this chapter.

But first, Peter responds to Jesus by asking how many times He must forgive a fellow member who sins against him.

Seven times was considered generous by their cultural standards.

Because it was double the number of times rabbis taught their students to forgive,

Which was only three times.

But Jesus responds with seventy times seven,

Not to be taken literally,

His point is that forgiveness must be endless,

Whenever true repentance is present.

Slide

Jesus teaches this with an extreme illustration.

This is an important and intentional parable in the context of restoration.

But sadly, I fear,

This parable is often left out when considering restoration.

This parable is all about God’s mercy,

Both our need for it,

And our need to reflect it.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount,

Blessed are the merciful,

For they shall receive mercy.

He later said,

“With the judgment you pronounce you will be judged.

With the measure you use it will be measured to you.”

His point is,

If you know God’s mercy,

If you have tasted and seen and experienced God’s mercy,

Then you are to offer that same mercy!

So, Jesus says,

If you cannot show mercy,

But instead insist on justice,

Then you won’t receive His mercy,

Instead, you will receive God’s justice.

You see,

If you have an unforgiving heart,

Then you are subject to eternal torment.

But in Christ,

God says you are forgiven.

Therefore, forgive others.

If you don’t,

Jesus says,

You cannot claim to have received His forgiveness.

A truly forgiving heart is the result of being spiritually reborn.

That is the lesson from the parable of the unforgiving servant.

The king in the parable is clearly meant to symbolize God.

And the idea of Him settling accounts symbolizes God’s judgment.

Then we see two different debts.

The first debt is ten thousand talents.

A talent was the highest monetary unit of the time.

One talent was the equivalent of six thousand denarii.

So, ten thousand talents was an unthinkably large number.

It is basically a billion days worth of wages.

That is 2.7 million years worth of wages.

If we were to compare this debt to the average American salary today,

It would be an almost 150 billion dollar debt.

So, imagine you owed someone nearly 150 billion dollars.

You would never be able to pay that back in your life.

And that is Jesus’ point!

This ridiculously massive sum of money that you can’t even picture,

Illustrates the enormous debt of sin we have incurred before God.

It is a hopelessly massive debt.

In the parable,

Even if the man sold himself, his family, and all his possessions,

It still doesn’t even put a dent in the amount of debt he owes.

Yet, when the man fell facedown before the king,

And asked Him to have patience,

To withhold His just wrath,

By His mercy and compassion,

The king forgives all of it.

Forgiving such a loan is an astounding act of grace.

In Christ,

We receive extravagant grace from God,

He forgives all of our sin debt.

So, whenever we start to think,

“Well, I haven’t sinned as much as this person or that person,”

We are blind to the extent of our own sin.

We owe a deep deep debt.

But Christ has paid it all.

Out of His compassionate love,

The Father sent Jesus to endure the wrath that we deserve.

Now, if we trust in Christ,

We are free from the penalty of our sin,

And we are adopted as God’s children.

So, as recipients of God’s extravagant grace,

Jesus expects us to extend the same extravagant grace.

Slide

In contrast,

when someone owes you a hundred denarii,

That is about 1/6,000,000th of what you had just been forgiven,

Their debt to you pales in comparison.

In fact, it is practically nothing compared to your debt of almost 150 billion.

But in the parable,

The servant who had just been forgiven a fortune,

Is so harsh with his fellow servant,

Putting him in prison for failing to pay his significantly smaller debt.

It is outrageous!

And Jesus’ point,

Is that when someone sins against us,

It is just as trivial compared to the enormity of our sins against God.

So, when we refuse to show mercy,

Refuse to forgive,

And instead oppress that person in some way,

We are doing the exact same thing as this servant.

And in the end,

We will all have to stand before God,

The king,

And face His judgment.

God shows us unthinkable mercy by forgiving our sins,

So, we must, in turn, forgive the sins of others in our own heart.

This is what Jesus expects of us.

The Bible does not say this will be easy.

It does not say it will feel natural.

But it does show that it is Christ-like for us to forgive.

And in reality,

We have no other option.

Christ-like love and compassion compels us to forgive.

Only Jesus can empower us to have the kind of forgiving and merciful heart this parable calls for.

He demonstrates extravagant compassion to us undeserving sinners.

And by His grace,

He empowers us to do the same.

This kind of forgiveness should characterize His body.

This chapter is significant at clarifying biblical church membership.

Being a member is a commitment to the body as a whole,

It is a commitment to one another.

Hopping from church to church makes this much more difficult.

Expecting church to be something for you,

Instead of something you are a part of,

Also makes this difficult.

Because ever member matters,

Every member must be committed to one another.

This is what living as Christ’s body is all about.

Slide

To close this morning,

I want to share a list of reflection questions to think about this week.

Are you causing, leading, or enabling or fellow member to sin?

Are you guarding, nurturing, and protecting your own personal holiness?

How can you more clearly express the love of God to the body of FBC?

Is there anyone you need to humbly and gently confront concerning sin for their good and for God’s glory?

Are you harboring any bitterness or unforgiveness toward someone else?

These are not easy questions.

Trust me,

I had a hard time thinking about them as I was preparing for this morning.

But we must deal with them.

Because these are matters of Christ’s body.

It is easier and tempting to just sit back and ignore these questions.

Slide

But as Christ’s members,

We cannot ignore these issues.

Because God loves us, protects us, pursues us, restores us, and forgives us.

So, we must show the same to one another.

God’s love through Christ compels love among His members.

This is what it means to live as Christ’s body.

Pray.

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