Church Discipline (part 5)

Father we come before you this morning just your children Desiring to do your will

Father thankful for all that you have done for us Anticipating eagerly what you will do for us

Lord just all the promises that we have in you and father even as we come to Talk about your church the institution that you have said you will build

Lord I pray that you would bless our time as we look at what you've said and even as we continue to look at these

Really the the building blocks of the local church father. I just pray that you bless our time in Christ's name.

Amen Well, I'm not really gonna go over that chart I because we have been going over it

But I just said it's a it's a good reference and what it really does is just stress again What the goal is the goal is not to punish?

It's not to rebuke the goal is to When your brother the goal is to please the

Lord the goal is to express love, you know we think often of love as being

Just a total ignorance of sin. It's not it is Addressing it properly.

In fact As luck would have it. Thank you for laughing.

I Received this in the mail. This is the free grace broadcaster and the the topic for this quarter if you could believe it church discipline

And I thought oh, that's fairly timely who knew And this is this is free.

It comes from Pensacola, Florida. Get it once a quarter. I just want to read Part of this to you.

This is from dr. Moeller He says 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

Listen as a voluntary Association of autonomous members with minimal moral accountability to God much less each other

There's so much packed just in that one statement there Contemporary church sees itself as a voluntary association of autonomous meaning we're not responsible to anybody else

We're on our own little cloud We're all you know, we're only responsible to ourselves and for ourselves

And listen with minimal moral accountability to God Much less to each other.

What I do is my own business He goes on the absence of church discipline is no longer remarkable.

It is generally not even noticed regulative and restorative

Church discipline is to many church members. No longer a meaningful category or even a memory

They can't even remember such a thing the present generation of both ministers and church members is virtually without experience of biblical church

Discipline he goes on he describes how it seems antiquarian. It's old -fashioned Something that you know is just gone by the board

And then he talks about how and these are these are the things we generally been talking about how it's become

The church has accommodated itself to the culture. We don't want to be known as Odd different peculiar and yet what does the

Bible call us to be? odd different peculiar There's another word for it and that word is set apart

Holy sanctified. Yeah all those things Listen what Spurgeon said? I mean, this is great.

I mean this whole thing is just full of I'm not gonna read the whole thing, but I could Listen what

Spurgeon says The very least degree of sin is obnoxious to God We cannot express how much

God hates in With the entire intensity of his of his infinite nature.

He loathes it. He cannot look upon Iniquity it is detestable to him the fire of his wrath will burn forever against it because sin is

Infinitely loathsome to his pure and holy nature He calls it leaven then because of its sourness

Leaven is moreover the offspring of a sort of corruption and tends toward further corruption

Sin is a corruption. It dissolves the very fabric of society It dissolves the

Constitution of man whenever it gets into our nature it puts us it puts it out of order

Disjoints it destroys its excellence and poisons its purity Leaven is also very spreading

No matter how great the measure of flour the leaven will work its way. There is no saying

Hither to shalt thou come and no further Job 38 11, what does that refer to hither to shallow come?

the ocean right, God said that that I'm setting the boundaries for the ocean a

Little leaven leaven at the whole lump even thus it is with sin When that leaven had place among angels it brought a multitude of them down to hell

One woman sinned Eve and the whole human race was leavened by her faults

One sin drops into the nature and it becomes entirely depraved corrupt through and through by the leavening influence

And I thought well that's appropriate on a number of levels one is it Reminds us of what has happened there in Newtown because that is an example of depravity

But it's also why the church must deal with sin must take it seriously because God does So we've been talking about church discipline.

I'm sure that we'll finish that and move on to the next point here this morning We began talking about divisiveness

Divisiveness and the problem that that Brings about in the church. Let's look at Titus chapter 3 verses 10 and 11.

We've been blessed not This can sound wrong And so I won't change what

I was gonna say But we've been blessed since I've been here that there hasn't been this kind of thing and it's not because of me

The Lord's been very gracious to us and giving us unity Titus chapter 3 verses 10 and 11

Reject a factious man after a first and second warning knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning

Being self -condemned now. Let's just talk about that verse 11 for a moment knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning

Well, how would we know that? What would make that evident to us?

His action by virtue of the fact that he's doing what being factious if Jesus Christ says

I will build my church if Paul and Peter and the Apostles stress the unity of the church Someone comes along and seeks to divide the church

It doesn't take we don't we don't have to kind of do a 20 question personality examination.

We know that that person is in sin Someone who seeks to divide the body now

Huh, which is easier to deal with somebody who is in unrepentant adultery?

Someone who has absconded with the church's money or someone who is factious

In other words, which would be the harder thing to confront Stephen and and so, you know, it can come down to a matter of opinion.

Well, it's your opinion that I'm being factious I don't think I'm being factious. I'm just what what what might a factious person say?

I'm not being factious. I'm just I Call it like I see it. I'm just Stating the truth.

I'm just giving my opinion I'm not trying to divide anybody. Is that enough?

I'm not trying to divide anybody I'm not trying you know, I'm just giving my opinion.

Is that a defense? You are dividing people

Well in here, let's let's think back. I think we talked about this last week If not, then it's just my memory somewhere

But if we looked at Ephesians chapter 4, what would the Apostle Paul say about how we should speak?

Does he say feel free to give your own opinion? Feel free to speak the truth as you see it go ahead and You know talk trash about the pastors or the elders, you know, if that's the truth

What does Paul write in Ephesians chapter 4? anyone

Stephen Speak in love, what should our words do edify build up?

I Think we have talked about this but that the goal is if we think about how we used to speak

I Mean, I know I've mentioned this before if I think about the way that the way I used to talk

The way I used to think and now my goal is not to tear down it is to build up Now I have had

Some some brothers, I I'll tell you I have to tell you the best Well, I won't say the best part of this year, but the best part of the year here at BBC for me

Because I've had some highlights away from sorry highlights away from I mean at my age to be a groomsman that was pretty that was pretty sweet and Really the highlight of the year for me as hard as it was was to do my dad's funeral but One of the highlights

I've had this year is having somebody come up to me and say you know what when we first came to this church

You said thus and such to me I mean this was a couple and the guy was kind of struggling in some ways and and I said

I don't remember what I said probably very nicely man up, you know Something something jovial like that And he said

I didn't like you and You know, I held that against you and he goes and this is months later he says but I I want to tell you that you were right and I want to ask your forgiveness and Believe me.

I didn't say, you know Come on, dude, you're you're a wimp or something like that But I was pointing out

I'm just going through the Bible and saying what it says This is what husbands are to do. This is what wives are to do sometimes you know that Husbands it's funny to me these days.

We used to be the wives would get upset now It's the husbands who get upset because they're like they don't want to be the leaders

They don't want to be responsible. So he says, you know what I was wrong. And you know, would you forgive me?

Our goal is to build up to edify we you know, do I always do things the best? No, I'll confess that But our objective should be to build individuals up our objective should be to build the body up Now again,

I start out by saying what's easier to deal with repent Unrepentant adultery or factiousness.

Well, it's factiousness because they're skulking around there on the edges talking individual conversations and It's a lot more difficult to articulate

The sin convincingly to convince people that yeah that guy is or that woman is being factious

But again, what does he say Paul says that those people are perverted. It means they turn aside from what is proper

They're not thinking rightly. They're not acting rightly. They're not speaking rightly They're not acting for the unity of the body

And if you're not acting for the unity of the body you are by nature being divisive They're also called self -condemned

They know by their own actions that they're wrong or guilty, I mean, let's put it this way If they didn't think it was wrong to say the things that they were saying

Would they be doing it, you know kind of on the edges on the periphery of the church? No We talked about it before if there is an issue with leadership then the right thing to do is to go to leadership

Yeah, I have an illustration here, but I have to tell you something, you know true confession for the first time in 30 some odd years.

I got a traffic ticket This has nothing to do with anything. I got a traffic ticket. Well, here's the amazing thing though I didn't even know

I got the traffic ticket. I'm like, how does that work? I get a notice in the mail from my rental car company then

I got a ticket while I was visiting my mom in Denver and I'm like I'm looking at the time and I'm going is this even possible because I knew what

I did when I left the airport and everything And I'm going how do they even do this? And you know, you look it up online everything like that Well get this you don't get stopped by a police officer

Nobody tells you you did anything wrong And you just receive a notice in the mail by the way, which they tell you won't go on your record

You won't receive any points I'm going that's

I don't want to tell you how I feel about that constitutionally, but it just kind of struck me that this is

It it's kind of that sort of Outside the boundaries kind of thing and I guess that's my only point here

But I I mean I used to like to go to court my favorite court story. I've told this one before as Guy comes in now.

I'm I was always pretty surprised when people wanted to fight the tickets. I wrote them You know because I I never wrote bogus tickets

So a guy comes in and he's got this diagram I mean, it's this he's brought in his own easel.

He's got this big diagram and He gets up and he gives his testimony. He says well your honor.

I was behind My friend here and I was following him and I wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing and all of a sudden

You know deputy Cooley here is pulling us over and giving us tickets And and so his diagram showed that I mean, this is a huge Street, you know bigger than anything

I think in the entire state of Massachusetts. I think it was like Sorry It was three or four lanes on each side

I mean it was really a wide Street and these guys I just drive up on them and they're just driving around in circles in the middle of Street, you know just He goes well your honor

I was just following my friend, you know Driving around and the judge just looks at him.

He looks at me and he goes well sir based on your testimony I have no choice but to find you guilty boom and I'm going up.

Well, that was easy I don't even have to testify. I Love that one But it was self -evident that he was guilty and that's the idea here

It's self -evident that these people are guilty because there's a biblical way to handle their dissent and They don't want to do that That would be hard You know, here's here's another easy

Question which is easier To go and confront someone or to gossip about them

It's way easier to gossip now.

We all we all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God, but those who are divisive

Those who divide the body those who are taking? Shots at unity really are a special category and Paul instructs us to deal with them more harshly

Get a first and second warning and then you're done There's no, you know kind of sending the troops to go get him and sort of rescue him.

That's the idea behind church discipline Let's just you know We'll start with one or two.

I'm gonna use the Old West analogy, you know, let's start with one or two deputies first It's you and then it's one or two deputies and then let's get the posse.

Let's go get him. He needs help And in this case with the factious person Talk to him once talk to him a second time and then they're out

Now let's kind of take a sidelight of that and that's those who continue in doctrinal error

That is they have unsound doctrine and you know, it's one thing. Let's put it this way It's one thing if you don't agree with the doctrine of this church and you can sit in the pew every week and you just listen

To it And you go. Well, I don't know if I totally agree with that. But for the most part

I get it It's another thing when you sit there and you think okay, these guys are wrong and I'm gonna talk about it

And I've mentioned this before but listen, this is a one of the former elders at Grace Community Church Wrote this and I thought this is really good

He says believers are to separate themselves from other believers who knowingly and rebelliously continue in doctrinal error

Let's turn to Galatians 1 8 And actually I was thinking, you know, I have I have a little podcast

I do now on for Saturdays and I thought I'm gonna do a series on Galatians 1 8 violations, you know, it'll be like traffic tickets.

I'll just kind of Because I did a couple shows on Mormonism the other day and it really is astonishing and Let me just give you this while we're turning there and when somebody has that they can read it, but just a second

You know the Mormon Church teaches that there was an apostasy of falling away from the truth and Basically from the time the

Apostles died until Joseph Smith restored the church in the early 1800s The truth was gone from the planet and I have a couple problems with that number one

I mean, that's obviously not what the Bible says, but number one Jesus said Upon this rock

I will build my church and the gates of Hades the gates of hell will not prevail against it so it seemed like Seems to me that that makes

Jesus out to be a liar if you say well he stopped building his church for 1 ,700 years but secondly

Galatians 1 8 because when you see what they say is the gospel and you see what the Bible says of the gospel are two

Different things but lists Galatians 1 8 who has that and would read it Go ahead mark Interestingly enough both

Mormonism and Islam started by what an angel appearing to a man and giving them a different gospel

Very odd indeed, but notice what it says there Don't it's not

Hey, if somebody's giving you a wrong gospel go and talk to him and reason it out hash it out.

What does he say? Let him be a curse. Let him be anathema

Deal with him as someone who is condemned because that's what he is Listen to some other verses

Titus 1 9 Paul writing to Titus holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching that he may be able to both exhort and sound doctrine and Refute those who contradict talking about an elder who what he must be able to do

He had to refute those who contradict sound doctrine Sound doctrine matters.

In fact, I I used to have this written down in my MacArthur study

Bible in the old NAS version, but I think it's like maybe 14 times the concept in the three pastoral epistles that the concept of sound

Doctrine comes up Paul's writing to these young men who are gonna be pastors and he says, you know what?

Here's when I'm gonna stress sound doctrine it matters so when people have unsound doctrine when they present false gospel when they have ideas that are

Contrary to Scripture they need to be dealt with quickly swiftly and thoroughly

Zimmer this former elder grace community church. He says Believers are also separate themselves from other believers not whose doctrine is an error

But whose behavior is knowingly and rebelliously wrong Let's go.

Let's go to 1st Corinthians 5 Familiar to us as pastor

Mike has taught through it But then that was what eight nine years ago, so thank you

Now now just listen to the tone of Paul as he writes this starting in verse 1

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans

That's outrage he's shocked he's outraged he's saying how can you let this go on?

Listen for a man has his father's wife his stepmother and you are arrogant

Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you in other words

This is leaven. This is cancer. Get it out of the body. You can't wink at it

You can't nudge, you know nudge him and say, you know, maybe you had to stop that maybe that's not right and Ultimately, what does he say?

He says I've decided to deliver such a one this person to Satan for the destruction of his flesh

Have to move him out of the body Also talking about things that way believers ought to conduct themselves.

How do they need to think about them themselves? Believers are to separate themselves from unbelievers as far as joining in common enterprises 2nd

Corinthians 6 14 Familiar verse do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Now, how do we typically apply that?

Marriage how else do you think you might apply it? Business I think is good.

What else what's that?

Dating I think is an excellent one, you know, just as a little bit of an aside. What is the purpose of dating?

Marriage I mean allegedly I don't know why you would want to date what's the worldly system is dating and I think the more biblical system is

Courting but however you phrase it or whatever if the goal is marriage Then why would you date somebody you can't marry kind of a bizarre idea?

And that's clear, I mean we certainly would never marry a believer in an unbeliever that kind of thing

Talked about false doctrine. Well, let's just one more passage on false doctrine.

Let's look at 2nd Timothy Chapter 2 and again,

I think this will let you know just how Seriously God takes false doctrine how seriously we should take false doctrine 2nd

Timothy chapter 2 verses 16 18 And when somebody read that, please Bruce that's what false doctrine does

It is it Must be squashed. I mean imagine we had somebody at the church who was teaching a for example a

Bible study now A little aside here I actually when

I first got saved I actually went to a Bible study that I now refer to as the anti MacArthur Bible study of MacArthur's Church Because while they taught it seemed like it was okay.

It was always eschatology 24 -7 And eventually that's what led me to pastor

Mike's Bible study because I wanted to hear something other than Daniel Revelation and the

Los Angeles Times. Thank you Afterwards after the teaching and after the praying and all that the discussions that would go on we're always

Knocking the pastor Knocking, you know elders and so like now I'm just a new believer and I've sit there listening and I'm going

This doesn't seem right to me. I didn't know anything, but it didn't seem right to me and That kind of thing is like gangrene imagine having

Leaders within a church who disagree and are teaching different things why would you want to have a

Bible study teacher teaches that or a Sunday school teacher teaches something different or What what have you

Somebody who's just kind of going and visiting people and teaching other than what the church teaches

You just cannot have that Yes, Tom You know,

I don't know what they ultimately did but it went on honestly in here it went out for years and it's gonna sound really bad

But Grace Community Church is huge. I mean just massive

The way I used to describe it is it really is kind of like an aircraft carrier When it gets turned in the right direction, it's deadly

But you know, there are things going on. There might be something in the 42nd engine room that nobody knows about you know

And it just takes a while, you know, why don't we have full speed? Oh because the 42nd engine room isn't you know acting properly so it takes a while for those things to get sorted out

But eventually I mean he wasn't he was a deacon He taught fundamentals of the faith and you know

There he was he didn't he didn't it was terrible, but So eventually they stopped him from teaching but I don't it took quite a while and I really wasn't in a position to say hey, although you know, it's funny

Pastor Mike interviewed Clay Miller It's it's story time

Clay Miller the other day Clay and I went to seminary together and Clay was smart unlike me and therefore he wound up being on staff at Grace Community Church and He came to me after he graduated and he was on staff and he said hey

Steve he goes Anything at the church you'd like me to change You know because now that I'm in those elder meetings, maybe

I could bring something up and I said well I have a couple things one is the evangelism program and I described why and you know what?

By the grace of God they changed that and I said the second thing is that Bible study I think it needs to be shut down and eventually it did get shut down and I don't know if I had anything to do

With it or not, but it it needed to get shut down so but it it's just Grace Community Church is just a really big place and sometimes things take a long time to change.

So especially if somebody is Well, I mean, it's a well it's like I talked about how do you sort out?

Somebody who's divisive. It's not easy The guy loves his wife. The guy has great kids.

The guy does this he does that he does the other thing What do you mean? He's you know divisive and eventually somebody has to go and Sort it out, but it was a long it was a long haul

Let's see what church discipline is not It's not a witch hunt In other words, we're not gonna we're not gonna hold the

Salem witch trials and you know Throw you into the water and see if you float or anything like that, you know

It's not Can we cut that snort out of the tape? It's not a way It's not a way to get even

I don't like so -and -so so let's get church discipline going on them It's not an investigation of rumors

But what is is again? It's that process. It's on that paper there. We go step by step by step

Someone sins Then you know, you want to come to me and say, you know, so -and -so sinned

I go. Okay. Did you talk to so -and -so? Because if you didn't then what are you telling me for right?

So what what should you do if somebody comes up to you and says So -and -so sinned what's that ask me if they talk to him and if they didn't then you just go well

Then what are you bringing it to me for and that's it, right? I Like the way pastor

Mike likes to talk about it. You know, you want to complain about Me I'll use me as an example come to Mike and say, you know what

Steve is really a dope he'll go well that may be true, but and he probably will say that but Have you told

Steve what your issue is with him? And if not, then I'm not gonna accept I'm not gonna receive that charge against him

I mean that's elder talk, but it's the right thing to do in any event You know if you come up to me and say

I don't like the way Charlie plays guitar Well, that's not a sin issue. First of all Secondly, you don't know what you're talking about.

But thirdly, let's say let's say there was a sin issue then I say well, have you talked to Charlie?

No. Well, then you need to do that. And thanks for bringing it to my attention Now I'm gonna hold you accountable

So you need to tell Charlie you need to talk to Charlie within the next couple weeks And if you don't then we've got a dish issue to deal with with you

Because you're running around gossiping You need to stop doing that You know if there's any sin that will destroy a church more quickly than gossip,

I don't know what it is King James new

King James will say, you know if a brother is sinned against you But the point is I mean just imagine let's just let's just take that as an example, you know

And I think I said this before, you know, so you you know that somebody's in sin, but it's not against you So you just don't deal with it.

That's not right the New American Standard Zimmer writes based on I think more reliable text says if a brother sins, and I think that's right

And Talked about the purpose practice. Let's just talk about the practice We talked to the

Matthew 7 idea of taking the beam out of your own eye Galatians 6 those who are spiritual 2nd

Timothy 2 25. I mean, what do we want to do? We want to bear one another's burdens. We want to help one another 2nd

Timothy chapter 2 we understand that That person may be caught up in a snare

We need to be willing to pray with them We need to pray that God would open their eyes to the sin that they're in but listen to this

Here's how you ought to think about that person. That's in sin You ought to think about loving them like God loved you when he forgave you your sins

You ought to forgive as you have been forgiven. You ought to want that you want to want to help that person

Oh Yeah here here. I think this is good. Are there any unnecessary elements that are sometimes done in church discipline?

And I have to agree with this Yes, he says public confession is not always necessary.

I remember hearing the story of a young woman who Was with child

Young teenage mom and they had her this isn't any church I was ever at but they had her get up in front of the entire congregation to confess her sin and I'm like Not a big fan of that.

I mean the fact that she wasn't married and she was pregnant her sin is evident enough and She's repentant

Then why embarrass her? Why shame her all the more? why so that other people go well,

I don't want to get pregnant because then I'm gonna have to go stand up and That's not the right thing to do Now if it was some kind of public

Thing that maybe then maybe it does need to to be done publicly, but typically

I don't think so Also, he writes about Details being made public.

Listen, there's no reason to get into the graphic details of the sin No need to sully anyone's mind or make them, you know, our goal should be

Restoration and not to put things in people's minds in the church that they can hold on to grudges against that person our goal is to get the person to repent and For there to be complete restoration within the body so that we love them just as if nothing had ever happened so church discipline any questions before we move on to the next mark of Local church and again, these are things that you ought to be looking for we talked about that But I would say, you know

I I really wish when people call the church instead of saying what version of the Bible you use how many people come?

What kind of youth programs do you have? Is your parking lot really nice? I wish they'd say do you practice church discipline?

That would be a good question That'd be a great question So one of the things that you should definitely be looking for Okay Next mark eighth mark of a biblical church is a biblical concern for promoting

Discipleship and growth and we're just gonna start on this. Let's look at Titus chapter 2 Titus chapter 2

Verses 2 to 6 and when someone gets there would they read that place? You don't have to walk the aisle.

Just raise your hand Yeah, pretty Okay, what should?

discipleship look like Stephen Okay, so it's life on life right pouring yourself into somebody else.

What's the goal of discipleship? maturity, it's to teach that other person as much as you know about life and living and Then kind of hand them off to the next person or maybe you know, there's nobody in the church that can

Disciple them any further, but the goal is It will let's look at it another way If I'm cycling somebody

I want that person to become the best husband they can be The best father they can be the best worker at work that they can be in other words.

I want them to be thinking all the time How can I honor Christ and what I'm doing right now?

Yeah, you want to have them be able to hand the things off that they've learned from you and and teach them or somebody else

That's exactly right. I think it's interesting You know what it says about women because I I've just been noticing

I read this yesterday May the day before Talking about the last election and talking about the growing number of single women in the culture

Why do you think that is What do you think there are a growing number of single women?

I mean the the marriage age has gone from I think like 20 in 1960 to now the average age for a woman to get married is 27

Charlie. Yeah, I think women increasingly

Don't want the whole idea of needing a man. That just sounds bad.

You know, I don't need anyone I can support myself I'm self -sustaining and I mean,

I think we're gonna continue to see some things I mean our future in many ways I think is Europe fewer children being born

Older people not even getting married anymore. They just live together or whatever and all because as The state replaces the church in terms of its importance people just they have unbelievers have no desire to Imitate what the

Bible says. In fact, they just go their own way Charlie. Those were the days.

Oh, sorry Yeah, that's kind of an interesting idea too because we we don't live we'll wrap this up here in just a second but we don't live in a

Democracy like people think we live in a democratic Republic A pure democracy would be one person one vote where everybody gets to vote, but that's not the reality, right if you're under 18 you don't get to vote

And we don't vote directly for a president Otherwise, everybody's vote would count we vote for electors who vote for the president you know on a state -by -state business or Basis and so, you know in that same way, it kind of sounds like what you're talking about You know if the the head of the family voted as a representative for the entire family, but that's not the way

Things work anymore, but you know if we understand I'll just end it this way if we understand the

The culture that we live in today and we see what the Bible says I mean just listen to this older women like lies are to be reverent in their behavior not malicious gossips

Nor insulated much wine teaching what is good. Well on TV older women are what they're always malicious gossips

Right, you want to know what's going on? You go to next door to mrs. Kravitz. She'll tell you you know What the scoop is? For those of you old enough to know who mrs.

Kravitz is that That they may encourage the young women to love their husbands to love their children.

This is not normal according to the world today To be sensible pure workers at home primary work at home that is just not

Accepted You've diminished yourself if that's if that's what you're doing. That's what they say

So in all things we want to be against the culture counter cultural Well, we'll talk more about discipleship next week

And then we'll be talking about biblical leadership as we continue to look at the church. Let's pray Father just pray that you would

Still work in the life of Bethlehem Bible Church that we would be unified that we would be

Looking to edify one another in the things that we say in how we behave to one another that we would really be a place where people would come to Be built up not only in the faith

But in their love for you and their love for one another Father we pray these things and just pray that you continue to bless us all in Christ's name.