Church Discipline
Notes
Transcript
This morning we are going to be introducing New Covenant Members to The Parish of the Redeemer.
This is by far not a typical Sunday Service but as a church plant we have to take the only time we have to do these things, as we are together, and until we get our building we are able to meet here for a few hours all together on Sunday morning.
So, I wanted to talk to you this morning about the Church and its 3 marks.
Most people are familiar with 2 of the marks of the church but not too familiar with the Third Mark of the Church.
First of all…what exactly IS The Church…what is it?
You have the visible church
made up of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ and are members of a local church body.
The visible church is made up of sheep and goats
True Christians and Nominal Christians (meaning: in name only).
Jesus tells us that it will be this way
You have the Invisible Church
the invisible church are true Christians, elected by God and known by God.
The Church is a group of people that worship God.
We come together to worship God
Worship: an expression of adoration and reverence and devotion
Because of who He is and what He has done for us.
Once you come to Christ and are a part of His Body, the Church, you left your culture, your race, your gender, your everything and you are now a member of the body of Christ:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
And Christ is the Head of His Church....not me, not pastor “so and so”…Jesus Christ is the Head.
But we are the members of His body.
Look at this:
But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
And just like your own body…you take care of it right?
And so does the church:
that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
And the church, as a whole, proclaims the gospel of Christ and establishes His Kingdom on the Earth
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
This is who we are as the Church!
And the Church Has 3 Marks
The First One is The Proclamation of the Word of God.
Here we preach God’s Word verse by verse.
Expository preaching
We want our people to know God’s Word NOT a verse here and a verse there.
We want our members to be Creatures of the Word
To Crave His Word...
We want you to know Doctrine and Theology…We want you to know The Word
Because This WORD became flesh and dwelt among us...
This is the Words of Christ…BELIEVE THE WORD!
The Second Mark of a Church is the administration of the Sacraments
the Lord’s Supper
Baptism
And the Third Mark of the Church…is something not too many people know about and not many churches today do it...
And it is Church Discipline.
Albert Mohler warns, “The decline of church discipline is perhaps the most visible failure of the contemporary church. No longer concerned with maintaining purity of confession or lifestyle, the contemporary church sees itself as a voluntary association of autonomous members, with minimal moral accountability to God, much less to each other.”
Yuille, S. (2010). John Owen and the Third Mark of the Church. Puritan Reformed Journal Volume 2, 2(1), 215.
If a church is going to be a Biblical Church then it must have Church Discipline to fulfill what God has called the Church to BE and DO so the lost world will see God’s Holiness in the world.
A church that does not take serious church discipline is a church that does not take holiness serious.
John MacArthur: “A CHURCH WITH NO
DISCIPLINE IS A NO CHURCH AT ALL”
There is a lot to see in Scripture when it comes to Church Discipline but Matthew 18 is a very clear passage regarding this.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence 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, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
There are 3 main causes for Church Discipline
Moral
Doctrinal
Behavioral
Moral:
The “moral sin” that needs church discipline is the unrepentance
of something that is unquestionably CLEAR in Scripture.
Doctrinal Reasons:
There are some things we hold “closed fisted”
The Trinity
Faith Alone in Christ Alone
Scripture Alone to the Glory of God Alone
the Divinity of Christ
the virgin birth and the resurrection of Christ Jesus
The Second Coming of Christ
And there some open handed things that we will not divide over…things that pertain to Christian Liberty…that deals with your own conscience.
If having a glass of wine, or something else, is a sin to you then it would be sinful for you to have a glass.
But if you want to have a glass of wine or something else…have a glass.
take your wife out to a nice restaurant and thank God for the good gifts He’s given you
If you feel you it is best for you to homeschool your kids, then homeschool your kids to the Glory of God
If you feel that it is best for you to send your kids to a public school or private school…then send them to the Glory of God!
If you feel that you need to wear a suit to church and it would be a sin for you not to…then wear a nice one to the Glory of God.
We have Christian Liberties…live as free people…live as if your Father REALLY does sit on a THRONE and He rules Heaven and Earth....BECAUSE HE DOES.
But when it comes to Doctrinal Issues…and Church Discipline…we are talking about bottom shelf doctrinal things.
When basic doctrinal truths are rejected or being taught it must be stopped or it will threaten the BODY OF CHRIST to which we are all responsible for.
And as a Pastor/Elder and our other Elders, we must do what we have been called to do and protect the Sheep of Christ as His under-shepherds.
And the LAST one is Behavioral:
Someone who is making secondary issues (the things that are open handed)…making those things closed fisted issues.
Making secondary issues primary issues.
This will destroy the stability of a church
an overbearing, boastful spirit.
when one takes a secondary issue and just becomes intolerant of anyone who has a different belief or opinion on something that is not explicit in God’s Word.
this comes from a haughty spirt (which is an abomination to God)
There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers.
So what does Christ tell us to do when we see a member of the Church who is in sin…or who has sinned against us?
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence 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, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Studying this out…and from my own experience...
If the person is a true believer it should never come to the END OF VERSE 17.
Hopefully, if you went to this person, they would acknowledge their sin and repent.
surely, if you and another brother or sister went to them…in love and with gentleness …surely they would repent then.
And for the true believer…surely…if those didn’t work to bring him or her to repentance…surely when it is brought before the church they will repent...
We pray nothing like this ever has to get to that point...
In the local church, we do not know who truly is a Christians and who is the nominal Christian…but we know
Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
and even then…sometimes we may judge someone too quickly...
We may “think” they aren’t truly a believer because I’m not seeing “enough” fruit....or “I’m not seeing the fruit I want to see”.
So, we can’t be those who judge so quickly…instead we look to God’s Word and read:
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.
This Scripture tells us a lot:
there are some who are idle in the church
disorderly; undisciplined
there are some who are “fainthearted” in the church
no motivation; negative people; discouraged
there are some in the church who are weak
this isn’t talking about me or Josh…as in strength
morally weak...
And it tells us we are to ADMONISH these people in the Church
and be patient with them.
Admonish means: warn or counsel someone in terms of their behavior…to council them on why they should avoid some action or conduct…to warn and instruct.
And we are told to “be patient with them all”
So we don’t make rash judgements on those in the visible church too quickly...
We must be patient…loving…gentle…and care for those in the church.
This is what Paul says in 1 Thess…be patient with them who are idle…those who have no respect for established customs or who refuse to receive instruction…who are “in defiance of good order’
But then…after some time had passed and nothing changed he says...
Paul in 2 Thess 3 6
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.
Church discipline is a grace given to the Church...
It is for the church itself to preserve the purity of the Church...
It is for the individual in the hopes that he or she will repent and be reconciled to God
and by being reconciled to God he will be reconciled back to the body of believers
And it is also for the lost world.
for them to see the discipline of God’s people…the loving discipline that they desire in their own lives.
I’ll leave you with this:
It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;