Corinthians: Discipline of the Christian — Stephen Kaung

Corinthians: Discipline of the Christian — Stephen Kaung

This is Sunday evening, October the 7th, 1976.

We do thank the Lord for gathering us together again. Some of you, I hope, may still remember two months ago, we fellowshiped something on the first few chapters of 1 Corinthians. Of all Paul's letters, the letter to the Corinthians, especially the first letter, is the most practical of all his letters.

By that we do not mean that his other letters are not practical. Sometimes, you know, we have a kind of misconception. We think that the more spiritual it is, the less practical it will be. But of course we know it is a misconception, because spirituality and practicality go together.

They are not contradicting to each other. The more spiritual it is, the more practical it should be. But in this first letter to the Corinthians, Paul deals with practical issues of life, both individually and collectively.

That's the reason why we say that 1 Corinthians is the most practical of Paul's letters, because it deals with practical issues, with practical matters. But dear brothers and sisters, in this most practical letter, Paul is dealing with different problems.

He deals with all these problems according to certain very important, vital, behind all these problems, behind all the solutions for these problems, you will find great principles, great spiritual principles are being applied to each problem.

In other words, it is not just dealing with different problems and trying to solve them. It is applying great spiritual principles to solve these various problems. So when we are reading 1 Corinthians, I hope that on the one hand we may see these problems, and yet on the other hand we may find out what principles are being applied in a practical way to solve these problems.

Christian Unity and the Divided Corinthian Church

Two months ago we mentioned the first problem, and that is this matter of unity among God's people. You know, the Corinthian believers do not even bother to ask Paul this question. They have such a problem in their midst.

Some say, I'm of Paul. Some say, I'm of Apollo. Some say, I'm of Jesus. And others say, I am especially, in a very special way, of Christ. They have this problem in their midst, and yet they do not even bother to ask Paul about this problem.

But Paul considers this as the most important problem in the midst of the Corinthian church. So in his letter to the 1 Corinthians, he deals with this matter first, and there is a great principle in that.

And the great principle is, is Christ united? Here you have a problem. God's people are not united. God's people are divided, even though outwardly they are still together. And yet mentally, in their attitude, they are actually already divided into parties.

Some go after Paul. Some go after Apollo. Some go after Jesus, and so on and so forth. And Paul just asks them one question. Is Christ? If we can answer this question rightly, then the problem is solved.

Is Christ divided? If Christ is divided, if Christ is divisible, then there is room for people of God to be divided. There is room for parties in the church. There is room for people to say, I am of Paul, I am of Apollo, I am of Jesus.

But if Christ is not divided, then it is absurd. It is absolutely impossible for the church of God, for God's people to be divided into parties. It is not permitted. It cannot be. It should never be. Because if we do that, we are trying to divide Christ.

Why are the people in the church in Corinth are divided? The reason is their eyes have shifted from Christ to man. When your eyes are set upon man, spiritual man, great servants of God, ministers of Christ, even men of such stature as Paul, Cephas, and Apollo.

But if you set your eyes on man instead of on Christ, man always divides. Only Christ. So brothers and sisters, here you'll find in this matter of unity, actually it comes down to a very basic simple spiritual principle.

Is Christ divided? If our eyes are all towards Christ, cannot be divided. Because Christ is one. But if our eyes are distracted to this man or that man, immediately we are divided. So here you'll find the first principle in dealing with this matter of unity.

The Corinthian Scandal and the Need for Church Discipline

Tonight we'd like to enter into another thing. I do not know why I should go into this. But somehow we'll go into it. Let's read 1 Corinthians chapter 5. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. We'll read the whole chapter.

In a sense, this is the most depressing chapter in the whole Bible. It is universally reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the nations, so that one should have his father's wife.

And ye are puffed up, and ye have not read a moon, in order that he that hath done this deed might be taken away out of the midst of you. For I, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have already judged as present, to deliver in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ye and my spirit being gathered together with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Him that hath so loved this, to deliver him I say being such to Satan for destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your boasting is not good. Do ye not know that the little leaven leavens the whole lump?

Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, according as you are unleavened. For also our Passover Christ has been sacrificed, so that let us celebrate the feast not with old leaven, nor with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I have written to you in the epistle not to mix with fornicators, not all together with the fornicators of this world, or with avaricious, avaricious, and atheist, or idolatrous. Sing then to go out of the world.

For now I have written to you, if anyone called brother, be fornicator, or avaricious, or idolatrous, or abusive, or a drinker, or a taker, not to mix with him, with such a one not even to eat. For what have I to do with judging those outside also?

Ye judge them that are within, but those without God's judgment. Remove the wickedness from among yourself. In the church at Corinth, they have a very serious problem in their midst. Someone has committed such a serious sin that not even the nation, now can you think of that?

Someone in the church at Corinth has committed such an unnatural sin that even it is unheard of among the nation. And when such thing happens in the church there, the one who has so sinned continues in the fellowship of the church.

That's it. And the rest of the church let this thing remain in their midst, do not deal with it never, as if everything is all. Now that is the situation there. Something very serious, something that affects the testimony of Jesus.

He's the church there that touches the very testimony to the core. And yet, though the one who has committed the sin and the rest of God's people in the church just tolerate, allow the whole thing to remain and go on.

Not only that, but probably they have developed, we are no longer under law. We are under grace. And by grace to them, it means that you can do anything you like. It's licentiousness. In other words, it's an abuse of grace.

Probably they try to explain it. It is grace. So, and to the rest of the Corinthian believers, they allow this thing to go on as if there is nothing. They close their eyes and probably they even boast of themselves, and they do.

They boast of themselves as being highly intellectual. They are not touched by emotion. They are very tolerant. They are very liberal. Outwardly it appears as if they are very loving. They give the appearance of they are above.

Oh, they can tolerate anything. They are able to be so liberal, so loving, so dear. And because of that, Paul, who has such sensitivity before God, his spirit is earned. And there you'll find he writes to them and says, Purge us.

Do you not know that a little leaven can leaven the whole lump? Don't you know that Christ is our Passover? We have already had our Passover. We are now in the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. We have to keep the Feast with unleavened bread.

There cannot be any leaven during the seven days of Feast. Now, I believe, brothers and sisters, you know the background. The children of Israel, they were in Egypt. As slaves, with no hope of living.

Doing slavery, heavy work. They cried to the Lord, and the Lord said, Moses, to them. But Pharaoh would not let them go. In spite of praise after praise, Pharaoh refused to let them go. His heart was hardened against God.

So finally God used the Passover land to deliver the children of Israel out of the hand of our Passover land. Who can deliver us out of the hand of Satan? Only it is Christ who is sacrificed for us. And because he is sacrificed for us, we are delivered out of the hand of Satan.

But immediately following the Passover, there will be seven days of unleavened bread. During those seven days, there shall be no leaven throughout the borders of Israel. If there is any leaven left, that man will be cut off from the commonwealth of Israel.

They have to keep the Feast with unleavened bread. With the bread of sincerity, not with malice and bitterness. Now brothers and sisters, we are now, the Church is now keeping the Feast of the unleavened bread.

We have had our Passover Christ. We have believed in the Paschal land. And now we are in the seven days of the unleavened bread. Seven is a complete number. In other words, the Church is to live through her days on earth as keeping the Feast of unleavened bread.

We are to be pure, to be sincere, to be true. And there shouldn't be any malice, any wickedness, any sin remain in the Church undealt with, unrepentant in Corinthians. In the Corinthian Church, there is a leaven.

And if that leaven is not purged out, it will leaven up the whole land. The whole Church will be, and because of that, Paul advises them to purge out the old leaven. To drive out. Paul tries to stir up the conscience that the Church will rise up to deal with this matter.

And thank God, if you read 2 Corinthians, you'll find that the Church listens to Paul. Their conscience is purged. They rise up to deal with this case. And it brings that man to repentance. And in 2 Corinthians, Paul has to do another thing.

They become so strict that even after the man is repented, they will not let him come back. So Paul said, he has suffered enough. Now you can receive him back because he is purified. So brothers and sisters, this is not what is in my heart for tonight.

Discipline as Love, Order, and Spiritual Formation

What is in my heart for tonight is this. There is a great principle. And if this principle is not understood and applied, it destroys the very meaning and testimony and value. You know, when we hear the word, discipline, we don't like it.

We're afraid of this word. People rebel against the very mentioning of this word, discipline. We want freedom. And by freedom, we mean that free from being interfered. We are free to do anything we like and we'll go by without any ill effect.

That is our concept of freedom of liberty. It is popular today with freedom, with that kind of connotation. But dear brothers and sisters, if there is no discipline, there is no trust. This is what our brother, dear brother, Watmanee said to us.

He said, if there is no discipline in the church, you don't have. If there is no discipline in the family, do you have a home? If everyone is free to do whatever he likes to do and he can get by without any discipline, if in a family there is no discipline whatsoever, you don't have a family.

You don't have a home. The whole thing is chaotic. If there is no discipline in a nation, it is oddity. There is no order. It is ruin. It sucks. If there is no discipline in the church, you don't have the church.

In the church in Corinth there, these people are so impolite. They want liberty. They think they have found the liberty in Christ. And they misuse their freedom. They think that they are free from anybody's interference.

They just are free to do anything they like. They don't like discipline. They do not have discipline. And they dare not and that is the weakness. That is a straight old weakness to the church in Corinth.

If this is not corrected, the whole church will be finished. It will be scattered. So brothers and sisters, I feel tonight a burden to you. Here with you brothers and sisters on this matter of isn't it true that today among God's people we do not see discipline.

Almost none. Everyone seems to be on his own. The church does not dare to discipline any brother or sister. So fear that it may offend somebody. It appears very likely because there is no discipline. Everything is.

There is no strength. There is no effort. In the scriptures, in connection with Christian discipline. Of course, we are not talking about personal discipline. That is a personal matter. In other words, a Christian who knows no discipline personally never grows up.

He remains a vagrant. It is discipline that will build up your character. But we are not talking about the personal discipline. We are talking about more in relation to one another in the church. You know, according to the word of God discipline can come from three different directions.

In other words, there are three different areas of discipline. And let us call them for the time being. We will explain it. Fatherly discipline, brotherly discipline, and church discipline. Fatherly discipline.

Fatherly Discipline Under the Heavenly Father

That is to say, discipline that comes from the Father. When you read Hebrews, you will find what we are talking about. Fatherly discipline. Maybe we read a little bit of it just to give us a basis for consideration.

Hebrews, chapter 12, verse 5. And ye have quite forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons. Now here you will find the exhortation is to the sons. In other words, it comes from the Father.

My son, despite not the chastening of the Lord, nor faith when reproved by him, for whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives. Ye endure for chastening, God conducts himself to you as to a son.

For who is the son that the Father chastens? None. But if ye are without chastening, of which all have been made partakers, then are ye backers and not sons. Moreover, we have had the fathers of our flesh as chasteners, and we revel in them.

Shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of spirit and lips? For they indeed chasten for a few days, as he is good to them, but he for profit in order to the partaking of his holiness. But no chastening at the time seems to be matter of joy, but of grief, but afterwards yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those exercised by it.

Here you'll find it is the discipline of the Father. The Father is disciplining the Son, despite is not the chastening of the Lord, nor faith can be proved. You know, these are the two wrong attitudes that we can take.

When the Father is disciplining us, we may either despise it. In other words, we don't care. We don't listen. We don't take it. We reject it. We will not learn the lesson, even if he disciplines us. We despise it, consider it as nothing.

So, the lesson is that you can harden your heart against the discipline of the Father by despising it. Or, you can go to the other street, you'll say to others, oh, that is too much. You are too hard.

God, you are really too cruel. Why do you treat me like this? And you think, is it not true sometimes, you know? When the Father is disciplining us, brothers and sisters, do not despise his discipline.

Learn to submit yourself under his disciplinary hand. Look to his hand. Look to his face. And do not get fainted. Because he will not chasten us more than we can bear. For whom the Lord loves to chasten and scourges every son whom he chastens.

The reason why the Father disciplines the son is because... Now, this is something we need to understand. You know, when we are under discipline, we tend to think that the Father does not love us. When the Father is scourging his son, the son will think, well, the Father hates me.

Therefore, he does all this to me. That's all. The Father chastens because he loves. He scourges because he cares. Because he receives. If he does not love you, if he does not care about your spiritual welfare, he won't discipline you.

What's the use of disciplining you? So, therefore, Paul says, God conducts himself towards you and towards the son. If he does not discipline you, then you are a bastard. You are not a son. It is the privilege of a son to be disciplined.

Because the discipline of the Father comes to us today through the Holy Spirit. That is to say, the Holy Spirit will so arrange our circumstances and bring us under his discipline. He is the Father of all wisdom.

A human Father loves his son, cares about his son. And he will discipline his son because he wants his son to grow up to be a man. But a human being, no matter how much he loves, there is a selfishness.

There is not that full wisdom in that. So sometimes he may discipline wrongly, that is true. But our heavenly Father, who is the God of all wisdom and all love, he would never do that. During the time of discipline, it is not a very pleasant thing.

To be chastened is not pleasant at all. So the Bible says, for they indeed chastened for a few days as he did to them, but he for profit in order to the partaking of his holiness. But no chastening at the time seems to be matter of joy at all.

When a person is under chastening, it is a time of grief, not of joy. So far as our flesh is concerned, it is evil. So far as our soul is concerned, we are going through a period of discipline. But that is only for a short while.

Because the Father's purpose is for our profit that we may be made partakers of his holiness. We receive the life of Christ in us. And this life of Christ in us has its nature, a holy nature. But the holy nature of this life of Christ in us will not be our character until we have gone through discipline.

You are not made partakers of his holiness in the practical sense. You have his holy nature in you, but you are not made a partaker of his divine nature, of his holy nature, of his holiness. In other words, his nature is not your character until you have been disciplined.

It is discipline that builds up. It is discipline that makes children silent, grown-up silent. So brothers and sisters, you'll find here is a whole area of discipline. It is the discipline. Why does he discipline us?

It may not appear to be so, but it is. It is life. And the end result is we are conformed to the image of Christ. And that is to say, we begin to have the character of Christ built. So what will be our attitude when we are under the discipline?

Humility Under God's Disciplinary Hand

Verse 2 to 5. Verse 2 to 5, verses 6 and 7. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in the due time, having cast all your cares upon him, for he cares about you.

When a person is under the discipline hand of the Father, his attitude should be humble yourself under the mighty hand. God is this. He is this. The Father. He gives grace. If you humble yourselves to him in due time, he will exalt you.

And of course, in the Bible you have many, many instances. But brothers and sisters, I would like to apply this principle a little further. Basically, it is the Heavenly Father who is disciplining us as his Son.

Because he is our Father. He is above us. Therefore, he can discipline us who are his children, his sons. In other words, it is the higher that disciplines the lower. Basically, it is the Heavenly Father.

But you know, he advances in the church. Some are little children. Some are young people. Some are fathers. I would like to apply this principle a little further. He, the church, gives the law to raise up people like fathers.

Now, what do you mean by fathers? It simply means that among God's people, the law may raise up some who are more mature. They are mature in relation to the other brothers and sisters, and they are almost like fathers.

Apostolic Fatherhood and Spiritual Maturity

Paul says to the Corinthians, you have a thousand instructors and teachers, but you have only one father. And Paul is a father to them. He begat them with the gospel. So Paul says, even though you may have a thousand instructors, but you don't have a thousand fathers.

You have only one father. And here in 1 Corinthians, you'll find Paul is disciplining the church there as a father. He said, do you want me to come in love or to come with a rod? In other words, here you'll find the apostolic authority.

He is the one to whom the Lord has entrusted these believers. And because they are his children, in effect, he is like a father to them. And you see how Paul, out of his love for them, he gave them very strong words.

And even if they do not repent, he will come with a rod. But how the Corinthian believers misunderstand it. They think that Paul does not love them. How is Paul to love the Corinthian believers? He doesn't do anything wrong.

Everything is okay. But brothers and sisters, that's not right. Paul loves them so much. He just cares for them so much. He cannot see them going down and down and down. He's dead. He that does good is of God.

He that does not do good, does evil, has not done evil. It's not the matrix, it's the diatribes. So here you'll find again the apostle John is exercising authority over diatribes as a father. Over. Brothers and sisters, this fatherly discipline requires spiritual.

The problem today is we do not have many, or we have even no person of such spiritual. That can be father. Brothers and sisters, you know father is very important. Very important. I can never forget. I think it was in 1914, Hong Kong.

The Loss of a Father and the Church's Need for Spiritual Fathers

And my father went to India for a conference. And while he was in India, my grandfather passed away. In Shanghai. My father loved my grandfather very much. Because my grandfather was ill, my father at one time was coming to the States.

And because my grandfather was ill, he cancelled the trip. He didn't want to come. And when my grandfather got better, he felt it was alright for him to go to India for a conference, so he went. But when he was in India, my grandfather passed away.

And of course my family dare not tell my father about the news. So they asked me to tell my father when he came back, his trip was passed by Hong Kong, that I would tell him about the news. So I remember very clearly my wife and I and my brother.

Because my brother happened to pass by Hong Kong. So we went to the pier to meet my father. And he was way up, high up on the ship, Egypt, you know. And we were there, standing there, and we saw him. He suddenly noticed that in China, you know, when a relative dies, we have a black band put on our arms.

Suddenly he noticed that on me. So he called down, he said, what happened? And of course, it was my grandfather's name, of course he was deeply moved. So we took him from the boat, you know, a few hours, so we took him to our home and let him rest for a while.

And I can never remember what he said to me. At that moment, it didn't register. It seemed to be very, very common. He said, son, I no longer have a father. My grandfather died. He no longer had a father.

But what is it? It seemed to be so common, you know. It didn't register. But I remember the words. Until 1950 I was in England. And the news came from Shanghai. My father died. And you know, when I heard that, I remember what my father said.

I no longer have a father. And it broke me down. Having a father to take care of you. A father who loves you. Who disciplines you. Cares so much. Strict with you. He will not flatter you. He will not deceive you.

But he will deal with you frankly and honestly. For your good. And if you have no father, what a loss. Brothers and sisters, what a loss it is to the church today. There are almost no people of such spiritual status.

Oh, that it may have people like Ted, like John. How much better. But not everybody can be a father. You may have a thousand instructors. Many are just instructors. They can instruct us. But they cannot discipline us.

Because they themselves have not learned the lesson. Oh, do not try to go out and discipline others as if you are a father to them. When you reach that spiritual stature. But if you do not have that spiritual stature, don't do it.

Don't do it. It will not work. What I'm thinking is, oh how we need to ask the Lord to raise up in the church people with spirituality. It is not just a matter of discipline. Behind discipline there is love.

There is care. There is all these. And because we have heart behind it, when discipline comes, it is for our profit. And this is the first area. Now if we do not have spiritual have people like fathers to us, then does it mean that there is no discipline whatsoever because we are more or less on the same level?

Brotherly Discipline and Restoration

Therefore you cannot discipline me and I cannot discipline you because we are on the same level. Another kind of discipline. We call it brotherly discipline. Now by brotherly discipline of course it means that you are on the same level.

It is not as a father coming down to the son. But you are more or less on the same level. But it so happens that at that particular moment or in that particular instance you are in a better position. That's all.

It doesn't mean that you are really better, but in that particular case you are in a better position. Now let's read Matthew 18. Matthew 18 verse 15. But if thy brother sin against thee, go reprove him between thee and him alone.

If he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he do not hear thee, take with thee one or two besides, that every matter may stand upon the word of two witnesses or of three. If your brother sin against you, you are equal.

You are brother to brother. But sometimes your brother sin against you instead of you sin against your brother. Often times we sin against our brother. But there are times when our brother sin against us.

Often times. Probably the best we do is, well he is my brother. So what can I do to my brother? Try to forget. I'll try to forget. We consider a great victory. I don't remember the exact word, but I think I read it in the writing of Campbell Morgan.

He said when he comments on this verse, something like this, the church has not practiced. We think that if our brother should sin against us, the first reaction probably will be you are my brother and you sin against me.

I cannot forgive you. If you are an unbeliever, of course you don't know anything better. I am in a more glorious position than you are so I have to forgive you. But if you are my brother why should I forgive you?

You have no right to sin against me. You should know better. Now that probably will be our first reaction. Then our second reaction probably well after all he is my brother so let me forgive him. Let me try to forget.

Probably that's as far as we go. Is there any discipline? No discipline. No discipline. We are exhorted to exercise discipline on one another. If your brother sin against you, go. Reprove him between me and him alone.

You go. You take the initiative. You do not wait and see is my brother who sin against me so he should come. Why should I go? He should come and apologize. But the Bible says you go. Why? Because he will not come.

He is the one who sins. He is the one in darkness. And being in darkness he does not know. And he will remain in darkness if you don't go and reprove him and open his eyes. Will you allow your brother to live in darkness?

That's not right. So here you'll find again discipline comes from love. It is not that your brother sin against you therefore you go to him and reprove him and say brother you sin against me and try to vindicate yourself.

No. Don't do that. It is because you love your brother so much. You see your brother in darkness. You are not considering yourself. You are considering your brother. Because you love your brother so much and he remains in darkness he doesn't know to repent.

His fellowship with the Lord will interrupt it. And therefore out of love you go. You take the initiative. You take the trouble. Discipline is very troublesome. You take the trouble to go and point it out to them.

But remember between you and them when our brother sin against us where will we go? We do go. But we go to other brothers and sisters. We let everybody know except that brother. And you make the matter worse.

But the Bible says you go to that brother. You reprove him. Out of love. Not out of vindication. And try to and if he does not your duty is not finished yet. He may not listen to you because you two are in a thing in trouble.

Go and get one or two. Two or three. One or two. Of course the one or two are the one or two in the church. Not just everybody in the church. Not just those people who stand with you. Because if you go with those people who stand with you, your brother will never listen.

Must be one or two brothers with some spiritual strength. That brother will respect you. If your brother do not respect you, probably he will respect these brothers. So get one or two others and go the second time.

You go the second time. Brothers and sisters, this is brotherly discipline. A brother is disciplining trying to restore what a love relationship there is. But today we are much lacking in love. We say we love our brothers.

But do we go into this problem? We are afraid to be misunderstood. But we are thinking of ourselves. We are not thinking of ourselves. There is a case in the Bible. But it's an open case. Now there is a reason for it.

Paul's Public Rebuke of Peter

In Galatians chapter 2 you remember one instance. Peter came to Antioch and Peter was a man with revelation. God revealed to him that whosoever God has planned called no man common. And for that reason he went to Camellia's home.

So in other words Peter had a revelation that in Christ there is neither Jews nor Gentiles. So when he came to Antioch he mingled himself with the Gentiles. He ate with the Gentiles. According to the truth.

According to the revelation he received. According to the truth of the gospel. Some brothers came from Jerusalem from James. And you know James was very strict in keeping the law. So these brothers came and Peter got frightened.

He got frightened. What were these brothers he thought with James? That I Peter am eating with a Gentile believer. So suddenly he got frightened. And he separated himself from the Gentile believer. And because he did that such a big brother even Barnabas and you know what Paul did?

Paul withstood Peter in public before his face. Paul did not talk about him behind his back. Paul withstood him and said what you do? Now why? Why did Paul do it openly? Because it is a matter of openness.

So it is not just go to him alone. That is the reason. But anyway you'll find here Paul and Peter they are equal. Paul has no jurisdiction as it were. No authority over Peter. Nor Peter over Paul. One is an apostle to the Jews.

The other is an apostle to the Gentiles. In a sense they are on equal level. And yes even Paul who was younger he could discipline out of love. And thank God Peter was delivered. And when Peter wrote his letter you'll find he even said our dear brother Paul there are many things he wrote that is not easy to understand.

But don't try to misunderstand me. It is the word of God. Dear brothers and sisters watch and learn. On the side of the brother who exercises the discipline is to be loved. And on the side of the brother to be disciplined.