Matthew 18:15-35
Six Lessons on
Our Responsibility as Christians
to Care for One Another
through the Pursuit of…
Loving Interaction, Biblical Confrontation,
Repentance, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation
By Matthew Judd
Study #1
Matthew 18.15-20
“Caring for One Another when Self-Discipline Breaks
Down”
Introduction: “When
we think of discipline, we tend to think of small children. Isn’t it
interesting that this is exactly how Jesus describes those who are saved – as
little children (Mt. 18:1-ff.)? It is no wonder then that the little children
of the kingdom of heaven must be the objects of loving discipline.”
Theme: We must rightly care for each member of
Christ’s body when self-discipline breaks down.
I.
Through loving confrontation
II.
With a clear purpose
I.
Through loving confrontation
A. Seen here in this passage – vv. 15-17. We have both a
personal responsibility and a collective responsibility to lovingly confront
those who sin in the church. This is the caring and loving thing to do (cf.
18.11-13). But this is not just seen here…
B. Seen throughout the Bible
1. Gen. 4.9 & Lev. 19.17-18
show that we are our brother’s keeper and that if we are going to love our
brother, we must rebuke him for his sin.
2. Note the specific OT examples
of discipline – all requiring loving confrontation (love for the offender &
love for the congregation). The context of Leviticus 19:17-18 shows that loving
confrontation was to take place when any infractions of the moral or ceremonial
law took place by a brother. In addition, serious-capital-sins were to be
confronted out of love for, and protection of, the congregation – hence all
these were to be especially confronted in God’s people: false worshippers,
false prophets, Sabbath breakers, false witnesses, rebellious children, and
contumacy towards authority. These are not left nameless and faceless for us –
think of the golden calf incident; the rebellion of Korah; the insubordination
of Miriam & Aaron; Achan; Eli’s sons Hophni & Phineas; Queen Athaliah.
But this is not just an OT concept…
3. Consider the
“one-anothering” passages of the NT – all of these require loving care and
loving confrontation in order to carry out our duty. John 13.34-Love one
another; Rom. 12.10-be kindly affectionate to one another; Rom. 12.10-in honor
give preference to one another; Rom. 12.16-be of the same mind toward one
another; Rom. 14.19-edify one another; Rom. 15.5-be likeminded toward one
another; Rom. 15.7-receive one another; Rom. 15.14-admonish one another; 1 Cor.
12.25-care for one another; Gal. 5.13-serve one another; Gal. 6.2-bear the
burdens of one another; Eph. 4.2-forbear with one another; Eph. 4.32-be kind to
one another, tenderhearted toward, forgiving one another; Eph. 5.21-submit to
one another; Col. 3.16-admonish one another; 1 Thes. 4.18-comfort one another;
Heb. 3.13-exhort one another daily; Heb. 10.24-consider one another to provoke
unto good works; Heb. 10.25-exhort one another; James 5.16-confess to one
another/pray for one another; 1 Pet. 3.8-have compassion for one another; 1
Pet. 4.9-show hospitality to one another.
4. Consider also the specific
NT passages dealing with discipline (Matt. 18:15-20 – didactic; 1 Cor. 5.1-13 –
case study; Rom. 16.17 – note & avoid; 2 Cor. 2.3-11 – restoration; Gal.
6.1-5 – loving confrontation; 2 Thess. 3.6,14-15 – withdraw from for contumacy;
1 Tim. 1.20 – delivered to Satan; 1 Tim. 5.20 – rebuke in the presence of all;
2 Tim. 3.5 – turn away from such; Titus 3.10-11 – reject a divisive man; 2 John
9-11 – don’t receive or greet him).
C. This is every believer’s
right and privilege. We must not deprive any member of Christ’s church these benefits and
privileges. We must not be indifferent in the name of “love”—“I love him too
much to confront him.” This is to define love by the world rather than by the
Scriptures.
II.
With a clear purpose (vide WCF 30) – having a desire…
A. To reclaim/restore the
offender
(Mt. 18.15; 1 Cor. 5.5; Gal. 6.1). Discipline is not vindictive or judgmental,
but corrective. There must be no desire to kick people out of the church.
Rather, discipline is used to keep them in by calling them to live as is
appropriate for redeemed people. Indifference displays our lack of care for
their eternal welfare.
B. To maintain the purity of
Christ’s church (Titus 2.14; 1 Cor. 5.7-8; Eph. 5.26). Christ has come not only to
save us, but to purify us. Discipline prevents hypocrisy and maintains the
witness of the church to the world. One bad apple spoils the whole bushel. To
tolerate sinful behavior is to condone it. “Peace” may be maintained, but it
will be a “peace” that is purchased at the cost of purity. Indifference says
that we do not believe Christ’s priority of purity to be important.
C. To deter and warn others
from committing the same sin (Deut. 13.11; 17.12-13; 21.21; 1 Tim. 5.20). Here
is a warning to the rest of the church that unrepentant sin will not be
tolerated. After all, when sin is unchecked, what is the normal response of the
flesh? To grow lazy, to wax bold, and to be unconcerned about sin. Indifference
reveals an attitude of presuming upon God’s grace while underestimating the
deceitfulness of our sinful hearts.
D. To uphold Christ’s honor as
the King and Judge of His church. Christ is the KING of the church. He rules us by
His word & Spirit. He calls us to obey Him. If we are to honor him as King,
we must remember His words, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do the
things I say?” Our disobedience dishonors Christ both in the church and in the
world (Rom. 2.23-24). We must remember that He is the JUDGE of the church. We
are accountable to Him. He must be honored as such, for judgment begins at the
house of God (1 Peter 4.17). Indifference exposes a low view of Christ.
E. To prevent God’s wrath from
coming upon the entire church. Sin in the camp brings judgment on the entire
camp. This is clearly seen in the OT (e.g. Achan). But this is not just an OT
concept. The old leaven truly infects the whole lump (1 Cor. 5.7-8). One bad
apple spoils the whole bushel. Christ warns the entire church against
tolerating both false teaching and false living in her midst (Rev. 2.5;
2.14-16; 2.20; 3.3; 3.19). Indifference may result in serious consequences.
Study #2
Matthew
18.15-16
“Our
Responsibility to Care for One Another via Church Discipline”
Introduction: “We are all familiar with
blame-shifting. It is easy to believe that it is always somebody else’s fault
or responsibility. But what is our responsibility when it comes to caring for
one another and pursuing Biblical discipline, reconciliation, and restoration? We
cannot simply say that it is somebody else’s responsibility.”
Theme: Christ calls His
entire church to be involved in church discipline. This is seen in:
I. The objects
of church discipline
II. The pursuit
of church discipline
III. The
escalation of church discipline
I. The
objects of church discipline – v. 15a
A. Your brother. This is speaking of the
Christian community; it has no reference to the world (1 Cor. 5.12-13). It is
the privilege of every member to be cared for – none excepted. All are under
the watchful eye, the protective eye, and the concerned eye of the church.
There are no special categories here: King vs. beggar; adult vs. child; pastor
vs. layperson; rich vs. poor; prominent family vs. newcomer.
B. Your brother, if he sins. That is, if he misses the
mark of God’s law. Now we all sin daily, therefore we are all objects of church
discipline. Three clarifications…
1. This is NOT saying, if he violates your personal preference, tradition,
family idiosyncrasies, or opinion. Ford’s vs. Chevy’s and Yankees vs. Red Sox
do not constitute sins. The sin must be definable by God’s word, chapter and
verse. If it is not, then you have the problem, not him.
2. This IS saying, these are sins that break fellowship, not every little
sin. After all, we are called to be forbearing towards one another. We are
called to practice the scripture, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” We are not
to be busybodies and peeping toms! No. These are sins that break fellowship –
they cause coolness to ensue in a relationship. They cause one to become
embittered or hold a grudge. They cause you to look differently at your brother
now that he has done this.
3. These are sins that are
either directly against you, or indirectly against you.
a. Directly against you – they lie to you, they steal from you, they slander you,
they express unrighteous anger towards you, they are mean or rude to you, etc.
b. Indirectly against you – they hold to a major false doctrine; they sin against
the church in breaking their membership or ordination vows; you witness them
sinning against another.
c. Categories of sin? Perhaps it is helpful to see that of the Scriptural passages that
specifically refer to admonition, rebuke, correction, separation, and
reconciliation, there seem to be four broad categories of sin addressed (Ted
Kitchens, “Perimeters of Corrective Church Discipline”, p. 212):
(1.) Private & personal
offenses that violate Christian love and break fellowship
(2.) Divisiveness & factions
that destroy Christian unity
(3.) Moral & ethical
deviations that break Christian standards (these are sins that call into
question the “credibility” of one’s profession of faith if not repented of).
(4.) Teaching false doctrine
II. The pursuit of church
discipline – v. 15b
A. Who pursues? YOU, not the pastor or elders or presbytery or general assembly. This is
not the job of the professional clergy, it is the job of the committed
Christian. There are no conscientious objectors in Christ’s church. The rule
boils down to, “the one who knows is the one who goes” (cf. 1 Thess. 5.14-15).
B. How soon? AS SOON AS YOU ARE AWARE.
This prevents misunderstandings, bitterness, stewing, & festering on your
part. This prevents hardness of heart, and rationalizing of sin on the
offender’s part.
C. Who else? NO ONE. To involve others
at this point is to engage in gossip, tale-bearing, and potential slander.
(Just an aside – what if you are told about a matter that has nothing to do
with you? You must refuse to hear it and admonish the one who is doing it to
address the matter Biblically.)
D. Do what? REPROVE HIM. The 3-C’s:
lovingly Confront, Convince, and Correct with chapter and verse
from God’s Word. You are to show him his sin, to point it out, to reason it out
calmly and humbly. You must never assume he knows. But note, there is no room
for either cowardice or self-righteousness here.
E. With what goal? TO GAIN HIM. This can be
accomplished by one of the following:
1. Clearing up what was really
only a misunderstanding.
2. The offender confessing his
sin, declaring his repentance, and asking for forgiveness – AND – the granting
of forgiveness by the offended party.
III. The escalation of church discipline – v. 16a
A. When hardness sets in – enlist others to help.
Impenitence is the only thing that causes discipline to involve others (vide Galatians 6:1 where the brother is
“trapped” in his sin).
B. Taking one or two others – a step meant to give us
proper pause and consideration (Am I being petty? Am I making a mountain out of
a molehill? Is the problem mine, or is it truly serious enough to warrant the
involvement of others?)
C. Who are these one or two
others?
These are “brethren,” not the pastor or elders (though these men may be
enlisted as “brethren” at this point). The only qualification is that they are
“spiritual” – something that every professing Christian should meet.
Study #3
Matthew
18.16-17
“Care for
One Another via the Escalation of Church Discipline”
Theme: Christ calls His entire church to be
involved in church discipline, even
when church
discipline
escalates.
I. The
escalation of church discipline – step #1
II. The escalation
of church discipline – step #2
I.
Escalation of church
discipline – step #1 (v. 16 - “One or two others”)
A. When is it necessary? When there is a hardened
refusal to hear the call to confession & repentance by the one-on-one
engagement. Impenitence is the only sin
that escalates the discipline process and widens the circle of involvement by
others. But note, Christ does not tell us how many times we should go
individually or how long we should wait for fruit before going to the next
step. Wisdom & discernment are necessary to discern if there is any visible
progress or responsiveness. Perhaps the best rule amounts to exercising the
same amount of patience you would desire for yourself (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – but note, there
is an assumption and qualification here, namely, that you have a righteous desire for your
own purity and want the church to keep you
accountable).
B. What is to be done? Enlist one or two others to
help.
C. Who is to be enlisted? Those who are spiritual and
can act impartially in the matter (Gal. 6:1).
D. What is their responsibility
in the matter?
They are to act as impartial witnesses – not of the original sin, but of the
attempt to reconcile the brother. They are to listen and observe and evaluate
the claims of all parties. Therefore, how these ones are enlisted is important.
Don’t skew them or unduly prejudice them. Rather enlist them in humility making
it clear that you recognize you could be the one in the wrong.
E. What is the purpose? To gain the brother. This is
accomplished by one of the following:
1. An exposing of the
“offended” one’s unjust claim – calling him to set aside his grievance and
repent of his inappropriate accusations & expectations. I.e. “You just need
to drop it, and move on in humility and forbearance.”
2. A confirming of the offender’s
sin and impenitence – the accusations are in fact just and the offender is in
the wrong and needs to repent. Now if he listens to the 2 or 3 he will confess
his sin, declare his repentance, and ask for forgiveness. The one who was
offended is then obliged to grant forgiveness to him. The upshot of this step
is, “If he won’t listen to one, maybe he will listen to two or three.” But if
not…
II.
Escalation of church
discipline – step #2 (v. 17 - “Tell it to the church”)
A. When is it necessary? Again, when there is a
hardened refusal to hear the call to confession & repentance by the two or
three. Impenitence is the only sin
that escalates the discipline process and widens the circle of involvement by
others. But note, Christ does not tell us how many times we should go in this
capacity or how long we should wait for fruit before going to the next step.
Wisdom & discernment are necessary to discern if there is any visible
progress or responsiveness. Perhaps the best rule amounts to exercising the
same amount of patience you would desire for yourself (Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – but note, there
is one assumption and qualification here, namely, that you have a righteous desire for your
own purity and want the church to keep you
accountable).
B. What is to be done? You are to tell it to the
church. We now move from the informal to the formal aspect of church
discipline. The two or three now act formally as witnesses – not to the
original sin committed, but to the refusal of the individual to confess &
repent (Deut. 19.15).
C. How is it to be done?
1. “Tell it to the church” –
what does this mean? It means tell it to those who are appointed to hear and
evaluate such a matter, that is, tell it to those who are in authority in the
church and responsible to oversee the lives of God’s people in an official
capacity. I.e. tell it to the Session.
2. What should the Session do
with this information? Deuteronomy 13.14; 16.18 with 17.4; & 19.18 would
seem to indicate that they are to investigate, inquire, search out, and ask
diligently about the matter. They are to take seriously the report of the two or three witnesses, but substantiate
the matter before informing the whole church. If there appears to be no ground
for the charges, the Session should rebuke those who have come. If there
appears to be just ground for the charges, the Session is to inform the entire
church.
3. How should the congregation
be informed? It should be done formally and clearly. An appropriate process is
here envisioned, but not spelled out. But by good and necessary consequence it
is evident that the testimony of the two
or three witnesses becomes key in this matter, and surely the offender
would be given opportunity to defend himself. The OPC’s Book of Discipline says that a “trial” shall be conducted (BOD IV). This “trial” is envisioned as
“ordinarily sit[ting] with open doors” except by a super-majority vote of
three-fourths of the “trial judicatory” (BOD
IV.A.1.b). The trial would then be the vehicle by which the congregation is
officially informed of the matter on the basis of the two or three witnesses,
and where the offender is given ample opportunity to clear his name.
4. What outcomes from this
process can be envisioned?
a. Possibility #1: The man’s
innocence is declared – note the importance of the church vindicating one in
this situation. The collective voice of the church speaks through the appointed
eldership to enforce this. Hence, the church “looses the man”. (If this is the
outcome, there still remains the question of what should be done with the
witnesses – now presumably false (?) witnesses.)
b. Possibility #2: The man’s
impenitence is confirmed with 2 possible results.
(1.) He hears the collective voice of the church calling him to repentance
through the eldership; his hard heart is softened; he confesses his sin,
declares his repentance – AND – the offended party and the church grant
forgiveness to him. Just think, if he won’t listen to one; if he won’t listen
to two or three; maybe he will listen to the “99”. (The BOD IV:C.3.b together with VII:3 requires 10 days to pass after the
“trial” is completed before any censure can be carried out. This requirement is
explicitly given to allow for one to appeal the verdict. I would add that this
10-day window should be used pastorally, as an earnest call to repentance before censure is carried out.
Practically, these ten days should be a call to the entire congregation, the
“99”, to do everything in its power to gain the brother – prayer, fasting, phone
calls, letters, emails etc.)
(2.) He refuses to hear EVEN the church – being further hardened in his
impenitence. The church must then speak through the eldership the sentence of
excommunication to “bind the man”. Excommunication means the man is to be treated
as a heathen and a tax collector; to be taken away from their midst; to be
delivered over to Satan; to be purged out as old leaven; to be put away as an
evil person; to be rejected (Matt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 5; 1 Tim. 1:20; Titus
3:10-11). [Just an aside – what should we think of an individual who refuses to
meet with the church and her elders? What kind of heart attitude is put on
display when someone will not even step forward to clear his own name? Does not
Deuteronomy 17:12 (with obvious NT application to excommunication) pertain to
such “contumacy”?]
(a.) Note – the elders pronounce
the sentence, but the entire congregation must carry out the censure. There
seems to be a parallel here to Deut. 17.8-13, 19.16-19, & 21.5. (Note well BOD VI:A.1, “Censures shall be
pronounced in the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, as an act of the whole church, by the
moderator on behalf of the trial judicatory.” Emphasis mine.)
(b.) How to carry out? He is to
be to you as a heathen (without God & without hope in the world) and a tax
collector (a traitor/turncoat). He is cut out of the vine. He is removed from
the protection and care of Christ’s kingdom and thrust out into the word, the
domain of Satan. He loses all rights and privileges of being a member of Christ’s
kingdom and church (1 Cor. 5:9-13). There is to be no fellowship with him, no
social intercourse with him. We are not even to eat with such a one (1 Cor.
5.11). Yet there are two exceptions:
Þ
Interaction may/should be had for the purpose of calling to repentance.
Illustration – a proposed golf outing.
Þ
The elimination of “previous duties” to this person is NOT permitted –
such as husband and wife, parents and children, governors and subjects,
employers and employees (vide John
Owen, p. 180).
D. What objections might be
raised against this?
1. “You’re just making an
example of him – this is mean.” But this is the point. The impenitent sinner is
to be made an example of so that others would not fall in the same way. Christ
uses church discipline not only for the offender, but also for the good of the
entire congregation.
2. “What have we gained? It
seems as though we have gained nothing through all of this trouble. All we have
achieved is pain in the church.” This is a question rooted in unbelief. We have
gained Christ’s blessing by being obedient to Him. We have maintained Christ’s
honor in the church. We have protected the church from God’s just wrath. We
have deterred others from sinning in this way. We have gained the purity of the
church. And if this one is eternally elect we have every reason to believe and
trust that Christ will use this ordinance of excommunication to restore him at
His appointed time.
Study #4
Matthew 18.18-20
“The Encouragement to Care for One Another via Church
Discipline”
Introduction: “What do we need when it comes to difficult and
overwhelming tasks? We need encouragement.”
Theme: The Lord Jesus encourages us in our
difficult duty of church discipline.
I. With
a promise regarding earth and heaven
II. With
a promise regarding related prayer
III. With
a promise regarding His very presence
I. With a promise regarding
earth and heaven – v. 18
A. A clarification of what this
verse is NOT saying – certain Charismatics use this verse to speak of “binding” and
“loosing” demons, diseases, and the devil himself. This is to take this verse
completely out of context.
B. The context clears this up – look at verses 15-17
where it is speaking about the process of church discipline. These verses move
to a climax – from one-on-one, to one-or-two others, to the church (via the
elders –unto the congregation). The climax of verse 17 is that the church
through her office bearers has just had to make a determination – an intensely
serious, difficult, and painful decision. They have had to determine if the
impenitent brother has heard the church
(resulting in confession & repentance & forgiveness which sets the man
free). OR if the impenitent brother has refused
to hear the church (resulting in him being judged impenitent and having to
bear the consequence of excommunication – being treated as a heathen and a tax
collector). The church has had to make a determination to either “loose” the
man or “bind” the man. Who is sufficient for these things?! That is why Jesus
adds verse 18 for us – to encourage us with the actions of heaven. But before
unraveling verse 18, we need to remember that this is not the first time that
Jesus speaks of binding and loosing in Matthew…
C. Matthew 16:19 helps us
understand this “binding” & “loosing” – here binding and loosing is further
defined by the concept/word picture of “keys”.
1. And what do “keys” do? They
lock & unlock; they close & open. These keys given to Peter don’t just
unlock or lock car doors, though. They are the “keys of the kingdom of heaven.”
2. How do these “keys”
function? The kingdom of heaven is open and shut through the preaching of the
gospel. We even see this as Peter wields these in Acts 2, 3, & 10. But the
gospel of Christ not only opens/unlocks it also shuts/locks as it declares
there is only one way to heaven – Christ alone. Indeed the gospel preached is a
savor of life and death (2 Cor. 2.15-16). This is the general function of, and
wielding of, the keys. But there is a particular application in 18:18…
D. Matthew 18.18 is then a
particular application of the use of the “keys of the kingdom” – not just the ordinary
preaching ministry, but now the ministry of church discipline. The keys are
given to the church (note the plural here) and are exercised by the officers on
behalf of the church (Note again BOD
VI:A.1, “Censures shall be pronounced in the name and by the authority of the
Lord Jesus Christ, as an act of the whole
church, by the moderator on behalf of the trial judicatory”). Christ then
says that in so far as church discipline is carried out according to His
command, as far as His instructions are carefully applied, as far as His word
is humbly declared, there is a certain parallel between the church’s actions on
earth and God’s action in heaven. If a sinner remains impenitent, he is “bound”
by both the church on earth and God in heaven. If a sinner repents, he is
“loosed” by both the church on earth and God in heaven. (Vide WCF 30.2. “To these
officers the keys of the kingdom of heaven are committed; by virtue whereof,
they have power, respectively, to retain, and remit sins; to shut that kingdom
against the impenitent, both by the Word, and censures; and to open it unto
penitent sinners, by the ministry of the gospel; and by absolution from
censures, as occasion shall require.”) But note the following…
1. This is not papal authority
– inhering in the pope and being arbitrarily carried out.
2. This is a derived authority that is declarative in nature. It is Christ
speaking through His church because His church is acting in strict adherence
and accord with His Word. Everything must be in strict conformity with Christ’s
Word – this is KEY. Matthew Poole reminds us, “The church is not made
infallible by this text, nor is the holy God engaged by this text to defend the
church’s errors” (p. 86).
3. What an intense
encouragement this should be to the church to faithfully carry out our
difficult duty of church discipline!
II. With a promise regarding
related prayer – v. 19
A. A clarification of what this
verse is NOT saying – certain “Christians” use this verse to argue that if I can get
somebody else to agree to ask God for the same thing as I do, then God is
somehow bound to answer – whether it be for the new house, the new car, the new
wife, etc. Again this is a ripping of this verse out of its context…
B. Once again, the context
clears this up
– when it says “concerning anything that they ask”, this is speaking about
“anything” related to the discipline process Jesus is speaking about.
C. But who are the “two” that
Jesus speaks of?
1. It could be referring to the
office bearers – ministers and elders. That is, the number of officers will be
small in relation to the total number in the church. Since these are the ones
who hold the keys on behalf of the church, these are the ones who will be earnestly
praying about a specific discipline case, and as they agree before the throne
of grace, there is the promise that the Father will do for them what they
ask. I am not entirely convinced of this
interpretation, and therefore lean toward the following explanation…
2. It is probably referring to
the “two or three witnesses” mentioned in v. 16 – that is, as these two
witnesses proceed in the escalation of church discipline, it is assumed they
are doing so before the throne of grace. They are only “pressing the issue”
after very careful prayer and self-examination. As then there is agreement
between the two in their praying on earth, God promises to answer from heaven.
What encouragement this should be once again.
III. With a promise regarding His
very presence – v. 20
A. A clarification of what this
verse is NOT saying – it is not referring to the small group Bible study, or the small
prayer meeting, or the shrinking church. While there may be some extended
application to these things, this is most certainly not the primary intent of
this verse.
B. Once again, the context
clears this up – see above.
C. But why does Jesus speak of
“two or three gathered together in my name”?
1. It could be the office
bearers again (I find this doubtful).
2. It could be an encouragement
that “no matter how small the church is…” (I find this doubtful).
3. It is probably referring to
the “two or three witnesses” again – as they gather officially to testify in the midst of the church – the
place where Christ has chosen to set His name. They gather there under the
banner of His name, under the protection of His name, in the authority of His
name, and for the glory of His name.
D. What does it mean that Jesus
is “in the midst of them”?
1. Christ is in the camp
demanding PURITY – see Numbers 5.2-3. It is not then the two or three witness
who are testifying in the final analysis, it is Christ testifying in and
through them! He is the one that demands purity in His abode. He is the one who
brings charges against unrepentant sin in His church (see Revelation 2-3).
2. Christ is in the camp
wielding His AUTHORITY – the Father has answered the prayer (v. 19) and now the
Son executes the decree in His church. This is seen clearly and forcefully in 1
Corinthians 5.4,5. To reject the carrying out of Biblical church discipline is
not then to reject the ministers and elders; it is not to reject the collective
voice of the congregation; it is to reject Christ. How this should spur us on
in our difficult duty and encourage us that Christ will both enable and bless
the carrying out of discipline in His church.
3. In light of this, we must
always remember two very real DANGERS…
a. The danger to abuse church
power and authority – Walter Chantry writes, “Authority is placed in the hands
of the church officers, not as a weapon of self defense, but as an instrument
to be used lovingly for the well-being of the flock…. While God will not stand
idly by when sheep abuse their leaders, neither will he overlook the abuse of
the sheep by their leaders…. Tyranny must never be used as a corrective to a
libertine spirit. Excesses in the use of authority will simply drive the people
[away from Christ].”
b. The danger to neglect and
countenance sin in the church – this seems to be the greater temptation for the
church in America today. But here we must be careful to hear what Jesus says by
implication in verse 20. Not only does he positively say, “Where church
discipline is faithfully carried out I am present in the midst of that church.”
He also says by implication, “Where church discipline is NOT faithfully carried
out, I am NOT PRESENT in the midst of that church.”
Study #5
Matthew 18.21-22
“Forgiveness Asked For, Forgiveness Given –
A Commitment to Pursue Forgiveness Even When I’m the
One Hurt”
Introduction: “What characterizes you as a Christian? Faith? Love?
Hope? Holiness? Humility? All of these things should. But in this text…”
Theme: Jesus calls us to be characterized by a
commitment to forgive.
I. The
occasion of this teaching
II. The
practical outworking of this teaching
III. The powerful
motive behind this teaching
I.
The occasion of
this teaching – Peter’s question in v. 21
A. Understanding Peter’s
question in light of the context – specifically 18.15
1. Note how Peter has picked up
on the language of 18.15, “If your brother sins against you” compared with,
“How often shall my brother sin against me.” It is clear that Peter is seeking
to clarify Jesus’ instruction that He has just given in 18.15.
2. But what is Peter asking? Is
he asking a very narrow question about the act
of forgiveness, or is he asking something broader? The context demands that he
is asking something broader. Peter is basically asking, “How many times do I
have to go through the process of forgiveness? How many times do I need to initiate and follow through the process
you have just outlined in verses 15-17? And what I really want to know is
how many times do I need to do this if I have already done it, and my brother
comes and commits the same sin against me again? After all, he is the one who
has sinned. Why should I have to go through all this hard work of lovingly
confronting him? Just how many times do I have to do this? When can I be done
with my responsibility and leave it up to him to make the first move?”
B. Understanding Peter’s
generous proposal in light of the Rabbis – While the rabbis of Peter’s day said that you
would forgive up to three times, Peter offers doing this up to seven times. A
seemingly generous proposal!
C. Understanding HOW Peter’s
emphasis misses the mark – Jesus answers Peter in verse 22, “Not up to seven times, but up to
seventy times seven.” The question is not about how many times. The question is
about consistency. The question is about one’s heart’s desire, one’s commitment
to pursue forgiveness no matter what the
cost to self. To count to seven indicates that you are keeping track of
wrongs done to you. But nobody is going to count to seventy-seven or four
hundred and ninety. Indeed, the number of
times is irrelevant.
The issue is, Do you have a heart to pursue
forgiveness? If you do, you will never be content to just grow distant from
your brother or sister in the Lord. That would be unacceptable because you
would want forgiveness & reconciliation at
any cost to you. After all, you see the guilt your brother bears because of
his sin; you know the danger his soul is in, and you want to grant forgiveness,
to lift his burden, to pronounce
absolution; and you want him to receive it.
II.
The practical outworking of this teaching
A. A proper Biblical
distinction
must be understood, maintained, and practiced
1. We must always have a FORGIVING SPIRIT
a. This is unconditional – it
is not contingent upon anything in the offender. It matters not if he will
listen to you. It matters not if he slams the door in your face. You must
maintain a commitment to a forgiving spirit…
b. This is the mandatory
responsibility of the Christian – that we are committed to put away malice,
bitterness, unrighteous anger, revenge, seething, self pity, gossip, outbursts
of wrath, and grudges. We must commit our cause to Him who judges righteously
and be rid of all of these.
c. This is not inconsistent
with pursuing church discipline – in fact it is entirely consistent with it (if
the sin committed breaks fellowship with you). The forgiving spirit mourns over
the predicament that the offender has
placed himself in. The forgiving
spirit is more concerned for the welfare of the offended than for self.
Therefore the forgiving spirit will pursue the brother out of love and lovingly
confront him in his sin – for HIS GOOD, NOT to be right or gloat or say I told
you so.
2. We must GRANT FORGIVENESS when certain conditions are met
a. This granting of forgiveness
is conditional – See Luke 17:3-4, “…if he
repents, forgive him.” This is exactly what Matthew 18.15 taught, “If he hears you, you have gained your
brother.” The granting of forgiveness assumes that there has been a coming
together, a confession of sin, and a declared repentance from sin. Now remember the context – we are talking
about sins that break fellowship with one another. We are not talking about every peccadillo that is committed against us –
God instructs us to have a love that covers a multitude of sins when it comes
to these small infractions. But when there is a breakdown and an undermining of
our relationship with another brother, then we must pursue it according to this
pattern – that is – we must be committed to pursue the process unto forgiveness outlined in 18.15-17. We don’t wait
for the offender to initiate, we must initiate.
b. Now what if Biblical
conditions are met when the process is pursued?
(1.) Forgiveness must be properly
understood – after all just what is forgiveness? Is it a feeling? No,
forgiveness at its root is a PROMISE. Think of God’s forgiveness – He promises
to not hold our debt of guilt against us. (Literally – the word most often
translated “forgive” in our English Bibles means “to release.” To forgive then
is to release someone from the debt and obligation to pay.) He takes it away,
covers it, blots it out, casts it into the deep and promises to remember it
against us no more. For God to say, “I forgive you,” is for Him to promise that
He will not hold our sin against us and will not bring it up anymore. Well,
when someone confesses their sin and declares their intention to repent, we
must forgive in the same way that God does…
(2.) Forgiveness must be granted
– We must declare, “I forgive you.” In doing so we make a promise to the one
who has sinned against us. We say, “I will not bring this matter up to you
again. I will not bring this matter up to anyone else. I will not bring this
matter up to myself.” We promise not to hold the debt of guilt against them.
The granting of forgiveness is then the powerful word of absolution to one who
is guilty. They can count on their debt/guilt being buried and never having the
bones exhumed to hit them over the head with.
B. An intended outcome must be sought
1. The granting of forgiveness
is unto reconciliation & restoration
– again this is what is envisioned in Matthew 18.15. Jesus is instructing Peter
on the commitment to the entire process
of forgiveness.
2.
At times this involves proper restitution – that is, if someone stole
your lawnmower, you confront them, they confess & declare that they repent,
then they have to give your lawnmower back. This is not punishment. This is
part of reconciliation. After all, we are not allowed to enjoy the fruit of our
sin. Giving the lawnmower back removes all future stumbling blocks to the
relationship. Genuine repentance itself leads to restitution apart from others requiring it (assuming that the Christian is
mature enough to realize this).
III. The
powerful motive behind this teaching
A. Seen in 18:3 & 4 – we have been made members
of the kingdom and been brought into relation with our fellow Christians. This
has been through nothing that we have done – this utterly humbles us and
enables us to pursue the process of
forgiveness with our brothers.
B. Seen in 18:11 & 14 – Christ has initiated the
pursuit of our forgiveness and the Father maintains the ongoing commitment to
maintain reconciliation. If God does to us, how can we not to each other – even
up to 490 times!
Lesson #6
Matthew 18.23-35
“An Inseparable Connection as You Consider Your Debt”
Introduction:
“Here we have the privilege of listening to a good story – a parable – an
earthly story that teaches us a vital heavenly truth.”
Theme: There
is an inseparable connection between Christ’s kingdom and a commitment to
forgiveness.
We see this in the parable as…
I. Christ
gives us an initial picture – Scene 1
II. Christ prompts us to a reasonable expectation – Backstage
III. Christ shocks us with an unexpected twist – Scene 2
IV. Christ declares to us a breath-taking warning – Scene 3
I.
Christ gives us an initial
picture – Scene 1 (18.23-27)
A. A certain debtor is called to account – vv. 23-25
1. The king initiates this
action
2. The king lays out the
charges – 10,000 talents owed
a. 1 talent = 6,000 denarii (1
denarius = the daily wage of an ordinary day laborer or foot soldier)
b. If one worked 300 days/year
it would take 20 years to earn ONE talent.
c. How long to earn 10,000
talents? 200,000 YEARS!!! Even if this servant made ten times as much as the
ordinary day laborer, it would take him 20,000 years to just earn 10,000
talents.
d. Note, we are not told how
this debt was incurred. We can speculate all we want, but Jesus doesn’t tell
us. This is because this is not His point. His point is to show the enormity of
the debt and get us to see that the servant has NOTHING to pay – an utterly
bleak scenario!
3. The king pronounces the
sentence – sell him and all that he has into abject slavery, destitution, and
misery.
B.
The servant
responds – v. 26
1. He acknowledges his debt and
does not try to evade it, or make excuses for it, or explain it away.
2. He exhibits a certain sorrow
and outward reverence – falling down, he “worshipped” him (v. 26)
3. He declares a certain
repentance – be longsuffering upon me and I will repay you all.
C. The king responds
1. He is moved with pity and
sympathy
2. He releases the servant from
being sold
3. He forgives the servant his
debt (releasing him from the obligation to pay) – lifting this enormous weight
off of his servant
D.
Parallels to
the Kingdom of Heaven
1. Our debt – in terms of
weight => 1 lb./sin x 10sins/day x 10 years of life = 36,500 lbs. (11 heavy
duty pickup trucks)
2. God’s initiative – He comes to
us with the Law & Gospel, calling us to account
3. Our response – God be
merciful to me, a sinner
4.
God’s forgiveness
– “Be of good cheer, your sins be forgiven you.” (I release you from the debt
and obligation to pay what you owe.)
II.
Christ prompts us to a
reasonable expectation – Backstage (the context of chapter 18)
A. Remember what Jesus is
illustrating
– His answer to Peter’s question (18.21,22)
B. Think back over the entire
chapter –
what would we expect this kind of pity, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness
would produce?
1. 18.1-4 – utter humility,
seeing myself for who I am in relation to the Lord
2. 18.5-9 – sensitivity toward
and compassion upon my fellow “little ones”
3. 18.10-14 – a making sure not
to despise any brother, lest I end up despising the Lord
4. 18.15-20 + Peter’s question
– a deep seated, heart commitment to pursue forgiveness and the opportunity to
grant it to all those who have sinned against me.
III.
Christ shocks us with an
unexpected twist – Scene 2 (18.28-30)
A. 18.28a – if we stopped
here all sounds good…he is doing exactly what Christ commanded in v. 15.
B. But verse 28 goes on…
1. He doesn’t just go and find
2. He seizes, he continually chokes, he continually demands
3. Even when confronted with
language that should have cut him to the quick – language that is reminiscent
of his very own words to the king…
4. All it produces is a
repeated unwillingness to forgive and show mercy, an unwillingness to release
his fellows servant from the obligation to pay.
C. This is exactly the opposite
of what we would expect – after all, I thought Jesus was illustrating what the kingdom of
heaven is like.
1. Instead of humility – there
is pride, arrogance, and a demanding of rights.
2. Instead of a sensitivity in
how he treats his brother – there is a lording it over him.
3. Instead of a carefulness
that goes out of its way to not despise his brother – there is a despising of
the brother and of Christ Himself.
4. Instead of a commitment to
pursue forgiveness – there is the cruel exacting of payment and a hardening of
the heart against showing mercy.
IV.
Christ declares to us a
breath-taking warning – Scene 3 (18.31-35)
A. The report to the king – v. 31
B. The requirement – vv. 32, 33: It was absolutely necessary for you to show
mercy since you were shown mercy.
C. The payment – v. 34: The unforgiving
servant is sent to the torturers who will extract everything possible from him.
He will not be released until he has paid everything – that is, he will never
be released. (Here is a graphic picture of the torments of hell.)
D. The teaching – v. 35: The kingdom of heaven excludes all who are
not committed to pursue forgiveness out of a changed and transformed heart.
This exclusion will take place…
1. Regardless of one’s professed position – it matters not if we say that we have been forgiven if we do
not forgive our brother.
2. Because of one’s inconsistent action – failing to forgive invalidates the reality
of having received God’s forgiveness.
3. Unto one’s eternal damnation – this brings the chapter full circle. Verses 1-4
began with a question about entrance into the kingdom, and verse 35 ends with a
declaration about exclusion from the kingdom of heaven.
4. Yet for you who have truly been impacted – humbled to see yourself
for who you are; prostrated to see who God is; sensitized to see who your
brethren are; energized to pursue forgiveness with those who sin against you –
you have both God’s word of absolution, “You’re sins are forgiven you,” and
God’s word of promise to you, that He will empower you to pursue forgiveness no matter what the cost may be to you.
It is you alone who can pray without choking, “Forgive us our debts as we
forgive our debtors.”
Self-discipline Mutual Discipline To the Church
The World
Satan’s
dominion
One-on-One One-or-Two Others via Elders to Whole Body Excommunication