WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.040 We strategically planned for the heat to break this morning so you would stay awake through 00:00:08.040 --> 00:00:09.279 my extra long sermon. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:19.339 Looking at 1 Corinthians 5 this morning. 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:29.980 In the Pew Bible, that's page 954. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:39.280 And friends, as you're turning there, I wonder if you've ever considered the question, let 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:43.519 me ask, what is the measure of your love? 00:00:44.780 --> 00:00:50.820 How do you know when someone really loves you or when you really love someone else? 00:00:52.280 --> 00:00:59.219 I think one common way we might answer that today is that when you love someone, you allow 00:00:59.219 --> 00:01:02.359 or you affirm them in whatever path they choose. 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:08.480 You do, in other words, nothing to stand in the way of what they feel is best for their 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:08.939 happiness. 00:01:11.180 --> 00:01:15.780 I recently re-watched the original three Star Wars movies. 00:01:15.780 --> 00:01:21.040 Not the prequels because everyone knows they're not worth watching again. 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:26.700 Sorry, you can disagree with me after the service. 00:01:27.260 --> 00:01:33.420 But it struck me that the climax of episode four, as it is now, is when Luke is sort of 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:37.599 the last ship left in the attack on the Death Star, right? 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:44.439 And in that critical moment when he's got one bomb left and one chance to stop the evil empire, 00:01:44.780 --> 00:01:45.859 what happens? 00:01:46.919 --> 00:01:51.119 Obi-Wan speaks to him through the force and says, 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:54.479 Luke, trust your feelings. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:02:04.980 And so Luke pushes away the radar, trusts his feelings, drops the bomb right where it counts, 00:02:05.100 --> 00:02:06.900 the Death Star explodes, and the people rejoice. 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:12.939 And then he and Han Solo and Chewbacca get cool medals down on the planet in a neat little 00:02:12.939 --> 00:02:13.340 ceremony. 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:21.379 Now, not to be overly analytical, but what's the message in that critical moment when freedom 00:02:21.379 --> 00:02:24.180 and happiness for the galaxy hang in the balance? 00:02:26.299 --> 00:02:28.519 Trust your feelings. 00:02:30.219 --> 00:02:32.060 Do what you feel is right. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:38.800 And isn't it true that what we so often see is the real measure of love today is letting 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:43.479 people free to do just that, not to stand in the way of the pursuit of what they feel 00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:45.000 they need to do for their happiness. 00:02:45.740 --> 00:02:50.199 I think Sting, that great songwriter and theologian, summed it up pretty nicely. 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:52.599 In that old police song, right? 00:02:52.679 --> 00:02:57.179 When you love somebody, he said, you set them free. 00:03:00.659 --> 00:03:02.819 But friends, is that really the best measure of love? 00:03:03.399 --> 00:03:07.259 Is that the way to know if someone really loves you and that you love them? 00:03:08.679 --> 00:03:12.500 That you set them free, that you let them alone, that you leave them be? 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:19.099 Our text this morning is going to show us that the real measure of our love for one another 00:03:19.099 --> 00:03:21.840 actually couldn't be more different. 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:30.340 And in a deeply countercultural way, love is really measured not by our willingness to 00:03:30.340 --> 00:03:36.979 let someone free to follow their own feelings, but actually by our willingness to tell them 00:03:36.979 --> 00:03:39.119 when they've wandered down the wrong paths. 00:03:41.780 --> 00:03:45.959 In other words, the measure of love is not in how readily we permit one another's freely 00:03:45.959 --> 00:03:52.239 chosen path or desires, but in how readily we pursue and desire one another's holiness. 00:03:52.240 --> 00:04:01.180 As I've said, our text this morning is 1 Corinthians chapter 5, page 954. 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:02.640 And let me read this for us. 00:04:04.900 --> 00:04:05.480 Paul says, 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:10.159 It's actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you and of a kind that is 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:15.079 not tolerated even among the pagans, for a man has his father's wife. 00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:18.139 And you are arrogant. 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:21.399 Ought you not rather to mourn? 00:04:22.259 --> 00:04:25.560 Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 00:04:27.219 --> 00:04:31.259 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit, and as if present, I have already pronounced 00:04:31.259 --> 00:04:33.039 judgment on the one who did such a thing. 00:04:33.040 --> 00:04:37.379 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus, and my spirit is present with the 00:04:37.379 --> 00:04:41.100 power of the Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the 00:04:41.100 --> 00:04:44.660 flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. 00:04:46.120 --> 00:04:47.980 Your boasting is not good. 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:52.080 Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 00:04:53.140 --> 00:04:59.140 Cleanse out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. 00:04:59.480 --> 00:05:02.000 For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:08.259 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and 00:05:08.259 --> 00:05:12.040 evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 00:05:14.220 --> 00:05:17.819 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. 00:05:18.339 --> 00:05:24.779 Not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers or idolaters. 00:05:24.920 --> 00:05:26.879 Since then, you would need to go out of the world. 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:32.500 But now I'm writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother. 00:05:33.639 --> 00:05:39.779 If he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler, 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:41.699 not even to eat with such a one. 00:05:43.879 --> 00:05:46.180 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? 00:05:46.180 --> 00:05:51.120 Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:54.300 God judges those on the outside. 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:57.920 Purge the evil person from among you. 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:02.079 We should pray. 00:06:02.079 --> 00:06:02.139 Amen. 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:16.719 God, we do thank you for your mercy and for your kindness that you would give us your word 00:06:16.719 --> 00:06:18.539 and preserve it for many, many ages. 00:06:19.459 --> 00:06:24.899 And in it, give us instruction and life-giving good news about Jesus and what it means to follow 00:06:24.899 --> 00:06:25.500 him together. 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:31.560 So, Lord, we pray for your Holy Spirit to work among us this morning as we consider this text. 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:34.279 And we trust that it's for our good, God. 00:06:35.279 --> 00:06:36.420 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:42.879 So, this section of 1 Corinthians that we're now in, chapters 5, 6, and 7, 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:47.100 that we'll be looking at, actually, between now and Easter, is all about holiness. 00:06:47.939 --> 00:06:51.439 And this chapter, chapter 5, is about how the church pursues holiness 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:54.779 through what is often called church discipline. 00:06:55.500 --> 00:07:00.000 And in particular, it deals with one specific expression of church discipline called, 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:02.139 sometimes, excommunication. 00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:08.639 Now, there are probably few things in the life of the church that are more misunderstood 00:07:08.639 --> 00:07:10.379 than church discipline. 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:11.519 I mean, let's be honest. 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:16.620 I say that word, and immediately you're probably already thinking of bearded Amish communities 00:07:16.620 --> 00:07:18.019 shunning their wayward neighbors. 00:07:18.019 --> 00:07:22.259 Or if you're remembering something that you learned in Western Civ as a freshman, 00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:28.639 something about medieval popes forcing barefoot kings to confess on the snowy rocks of Kenosa. 00:07:29.479 --> 00:07:30.959 None of you remember that, do you? 00:07:31.019 --> 00:07:32.199 I'm a history nerd. 00:07:33.459 --> 00:07:34.459 You can talk about it afterwards. 00:07:34.459 --> 00:07:41.060 If you're new to Christianity, I think, too, church discipline probably sounds like something 00:07:41.060 --> 00:07:45.079 that is judgmental at worst and hypocritical at best. 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:52.000 And in reality, most churchgoers today have either never been in a church that practices 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:58.560 church discipline at all, or if they have, it's often been done really, really poorly. 00:07:58.560 --> 00:08:03.800 So our text this morning is actually very helpful. 00:08:04.819 --> 00:08:06.920 It's going to clarify some misconceptions. 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:09.600 It's going to relieve us of some caricatures. 00:08:10.139 --> 00:08:15.279 And it's really going to help us recover an element of our spiritual life together that 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:17.199 is missing in so many churches today. 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:23.180 So we're going to approach this text in a really straightforward way by just asking three 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:24.399 basic questions. 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:27.860 First, what is church discipline? 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:30.080 Second, how is it done? 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:32.340 And third, why should we do it? 00:08:32.659 --> 00:08:33.200 What is it? 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:34.039 How do we do it? 00:08:34.539 --> 00:08:35.300 Why do we do it? 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:39.580 But first, what does this text tell us about what is church discipline? 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:45.899 In verse one, look there again, we learn of a church member in Corinth who is engaged in 00:08:45.899 --> 00:08:50.919 public, ongoing, unrepentant sin. 00:08:53.019 --> 00:08:56.639 Now, it's hard to reconstruct all the details of this particular case. 00:08:56.639 --> 00:09:01.699 It seems to involve some sort of blatant sexual immorality with this man's mother or more 00:09:01.699 --> 00:09:05.120 likely his stepmother, according to the end of verse one. 00:09:06.360 --> 00:09:09.980 But we don't need to reconstruct all the historical details to get the point. 00:09:10.439 --> 00:09:11.340 What's the point? 00:09:11.419 --> 00:09:17.919 Here is a man who is identifying as a Christian, professing to believe in Jesus and have him 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:19.259 as Savior and as Lord. 00:09:19.259 --> 00:09:28.480 He's a visible member of the church, but his life is marked, characterized by open, ongoing, 00:09:28.819 --> 00:09:31.580 unrepentant disobedience to Jesus. 00:09:31.580 --> 00:09:37.580 In other words, his lip and his life, as it were, are completely at odds. 00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:39.240 He claims to be a follower of Jesus. 00:09:39.400 --> 00:09:40.860 His actions say the opposite. 00:09:41.020 --> 00:09:44.639 And so, in verse two, Paul says, remove him from among you. 00:09:45.480 --> 00:09:49.720 That is, remove him from formal membership in your body. 00:09:49.720 --> 00:09:56.279 Now, keep in mind, the act of church membership, in the act of membership, the local church 00:09:56.279 --> 00:09:56.820 is doing what? 00:09:56.860 --> 00:10:05.139 The local church is saying, yes, with charity, and as best as we can determine, this person 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:09.000 has genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ. 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:15.360 By God's grace, through faith, this woman, this man, they are a member of God's kingdom 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:16.500 and God's family. 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:19.600 That's what church membership, in large part, is saying. 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:24.120 It's the church's affirmation of someone's profession of faith for all to see. 00:10:26.100 --> 00:10:31.519 But what Paul is telling the Corinthians to do here, in light of the persistent, public, 00:10:31.759 --> 00:10:37.679 unrepentant sin in this man's life, is in essence to stop saying that. 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:46.299 This man's life gives us no confidence as the church to be able to make that affirmation 00:10:46.299 --> 00:10:47.039 any longer. 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:51.799 We can no longer affirm this person's profession of faith. 00:10:53.319 --> 00:10:56.299 Therefore, Paul says, remove him from membership. 00:10:56.299 --> 00:11:07.099 Now, as a brief aside, I think this means right off the bat that far from church discipline 00:11:07.099 --> 00:11:14.179 being a hypocritical thing to do, church discipline is actually the way that church strives to not 00:11:14.179 --> 00:11:15.159 be hypocritical. 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:16.339 Right? 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:22.160 We want our profession, what we say, and our actions to align. 00:11:23.700 --> 00:11:27.560 And church discipline helps us corporately to be able to do that. 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:35.259 Now, the actual removal of someone from membership is sometimes called excommunication. 00:11:35.820 --> 00:11:37.680 That's one of those scary words, right? 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:39.019 But it's quite simple, actually. 00:11:39.060 --> 00:11:41.900 It just means being removed out of the communion. 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:44.360 Ex out of the communion. 00:11:44.360 --> 00:11:44.759 Communication. 00:11:45.759 --> 00:11:50.480 But, you know, when we talk about church discipline more broadly, we're not talking about just 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:51.360 that particular act. 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:53.360 We're talking about a process. 00:11:55.340 --> 00:12:00.360 A process of meeting with that person, asking, listening, explaining, exhorting, warning, praying. 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:03.259 And it's a process that may or may not lead to communication. 00:12:03.899 --> 00:12:07.480 That is, it may or may not lead to the person being formally removed from membership, depending 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:08.759 on how the person responds. 00:12:09.920 --> 00:12:13.800 And we're going to get to that process in a minute when we discuss the how of all this. 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:19.200 But before we do that, let me make a couple further observations here about the what of 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:19.860 church discipline. 00:12:21.240 --> 00:12:28.200 First, notice in verse 11, if you see down there, that church discipline isn't just for 00:12:28.200 --> 00:12:29.340 sexual immorality. 00:12:29.340 --> 00:12:37.360 In that verse, Paul lists all sorts of things that if they were ongoing and unrepentant in 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:43.600 a professing Christian's life would be grounds for a process of correction in church discipline. 00:12:44.379 --> 00:12:50.280 You know, sometimes we get this strange notion that the Bible has a weird taboo against sex. 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:53.500 And that's clearly not true. 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:59.799 At the end of chapter 6, Paul is going to tell the Corinthians to glorify God with their bodies. 00:13:01.959 --> 00:13:06.439 And in chapter 7, he's going to tell husbands and wives to make sure that they're having sex on a 00:13:06.439 --> 00:13:07.199 regular basis. 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:13.840 So there's nothing prudish or repressive about biblical Christianity, and sexual sins aren't 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:15.780 somehow worse than others. 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:23.180 But second, notice that church discipline is a means of dealing with unrepentant sin in a 00:13:23.180 --> 00:13:24.020 believer's life. 00:13:25.420 --> 00:13:27.700 This is really important to see. 00:13:27.700 --> 00:13:36.280 No one is going to be removed from membership, in a healthy church anyway, merely because they sin. 00:13:38.300 --> 00:13:41.180 Every Christian, friends, is a sinner. 00:13:42.800 --> 00:13:46.259 Every Christian will sin throughout their Christian life. 00:13:47.220 --> 00:13:50.000 There is no doubt and question about that. 00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:58.360 But genuine Christians, you see, are marked by hearts of repentance towards their sin. 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:04.460 That is, they admit that it's wrong and displeasing to God. 00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:09.759 They don't want to do it anymore, and they seek God's help for change. 00:14:12.139 --> 00:14:19.360 This means, for example, that a Christian with a history of addiction can relapse again and again and again. 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:25.799 But if their heart is a heart of repentance, of softness before the Lord, they admit that it's wrong. 00:14:25.860 --> 00:14:26.639 They don't want to do it. 00:14:26.659 --> 00:14:29.279 They're seeking the Lord's help in the battle against temptation. 00:14:29.639 --> 00:14:31.399 Friends, they're not going to undergo church discipline. 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:33.759 They're certainly not going to be removed from membership. 00:14:34.440 --> 00:14:36.039 That's the Christian life. 00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:42.179 Fighting and wrestling against sin with gentle hearts before the Lord and one another. 00:14:42.179 --> 00:14:42.960 Hearts of repentance. 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:49.539 But on the other hand, the Christian, for example, who say, 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:57.539 cheats on their taxes every single year, sees nothing wrong with it, shows no desire to change. 00:14:58.539 --> 00:15:04.259 Well, if for some reason that became public, it very well might be in a process of church discipline. 00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:07.019 What's the difference? 00:15:07.019 --> 00:15:14.439 Well, the difference is, although one sin culturally seems kind of messier and uglier and more wrong, 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:19.939 and the other seems sort of like white collar and okay, the difference is the heart of repentance. 00:15:23.199 --> 00:15:24.579 And this is an important point. 00:15:25.079 --> 00:15:29.319 Jesus said, I've come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 00:15:29.320 --> 00:15:30.280 Yeah? 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:36.480 The church, friends, is meant to be a hospital for sinners who know they need a Savior. 00:15:37.060 --> 00:15:40.940 And, friends, none are turned away, no matter how great their sickness. 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:46.640 The church isn't a place for perfect people, but for broken people. 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:56.259 But if we continue to refuse Jesus' diagnosis of our spiritual condition, if we persist in unrepentant sin, 00:15:56.340 --> 00:16:01.899 it puts us in a very dangerous position, just like a patient who refuses sound medical advice, 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:03.840 even after a second and third opinion. 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:10.639 And it's that dangerous position that church discipline is meant to address. 00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:17.299 And so I hope you're beginning to see that church discipline isn't a hypocritical act, 00:16:17.319 --> 00:16:19.460 and it's actually not a judgmental act. 00:16:20.980 --> 00:16:23.379 Not the way we often think of something being judgmental. 00:16:23.379 --> 00:16:28.759 Rather, it's an act of correction for the person's good. 00:16:31.340 --> 00:16:35.379 And that leads to a quick third observation under this first point here. 00:16:36.139 --> 00:16:40.100 It's good to realize that church discipline isn't sort of coming out of nowhere. 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:45.139 It's not as if Paul just sort of blew a gasket and said, 00:16:45.419 --> 00:16:46.500 kick this guy out of the church. 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:47.679 No. 00:16:49.299 --> 00:16:53.399 Reading the entirety of the Bible, even the passage that James just read for us, 00:16:53.460 --> 00:16:55.539 we see that God is holy. 00:16:57.819 --> 00:17:00.639 And that we in the church belong to Him through Christ. 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:06.019 And so for our good and for God's glory, we're meant to reflect Him. 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:11.119 God was telling the Israelites in Leviticus to be holy as He is holy, 00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:12.660 and He's calling the church to be the same. 00:17:13.240 --> 00:17:17.639 And church discipline is a part of the process whereby we as the church pursue 00:17:17.639 --> 00:17:20.839 that calling and that holiness together out of love for God 00:17:20.839 --> 00:17:22.859 and out of a desire to resemble Him together. 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:28.879 Okay, so that's what church discipline is. 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:33.460 Secondly, let's ask how church discipline is supposed to work. 00:17:34.100 --> 00:17:36.080 We're going to focus on verses 3 and 5 in our text, 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:39.960 but first, I want us actually to turn to Matthew chapter 18. 00:17:40.580 --> 00:17:42.800 It's page 823 in the Pew Bible. 00:17:43.820 --> 00:17:45.980 Flip over to Matthew chapter 18 with me. 00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:52.819 Look down at verse 15 of Matthew chapter 18. 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:57.079 And here we see that Jesus Himself gives us a process, 00:17:57.400 --> 00:18:00.380 a series of wise and loving steps to take when a member of the church, 00:18:00.460 --> 00:18:02.740 a brother or sister, is engaged in unrepentant sin. 00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:06.620 So Matthew chapter 18, verse 15. 00:18:06.740 --> 00:18:08.980 Here's the first step of that process. 00:18:08.980 --> 00:18:11.500 If your brother or sister sins against you, 00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:16.279 go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:19.680 If he listens to you, you've gained your brother. 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:22.640 Notice that this first step is private. 00:18:22.920 --> 00:18:24.059 You do it one-on-one. 00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:26.259 You're not there to shame and blame, 00:18:26.359 --> 00:18:28.099 but you're there to gain a brother or a sister. 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:30.119 And if the person repents, if they see, 00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:31.400 if they accept the correction, 00:18:31.480 --> 00:18:32.740 if they see what you're saying, that's it. 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:33.299 It's done. 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:35.680 Jesus says you've gained your brother and sister 00:18:35.680 --> 00:18:37.339 and the church discipline process is over. 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:40.900 Step two, verse 16. 00:18:41.859 --> 00:18:43.099 But if he does not listen, 00:18:43.859 --> 00:18:45.480 take one or two others along with you 00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:47.660 that every charge may be established 00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:49.220 by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:52.660 Jesus says if the person doesn't repent 00:18:52.660 --> 00:18:53.960 after the one-on-one meeting 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:56.339 or more likely after a few one-on-one meetings, 00:18:57.119 --> 00:19:00.019 then take some trustworthy people with you, Jesus says. 00:19:01.319 --> 00:19:02.880 Most likely this will be an elder 00:19:02.880 --> 00:19:04.700 or some other trusted church leader 00:19:04.700 --> 00:19:06.599 or someone who's spiritually mature 00:19:06.599 --> 00:19:07.940 and maybe knows the person well. 00:19:09.220 --> 00:19:11.079 And notice how the circle's starting to get a little wider, 00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:13.879 but again, even here, it's still very private, right? 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:17.399 And again, if the person repents at this stage, 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:18.659 the process is over. 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:20.159 You've gained your brother or sister. 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:20.659 It's done. 00:19:21.779 --> 00:19:22.220 Restoration. 00:19:24.159 --> 00:19:26.240 Step three, verse 17. 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:30.120 If he refuses to listen to them, 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:32.279 tell it to the church. 00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:37.079 At this point, after repeated meetings with the person, 00:19:38.039 --> 00:19:39.819 the situation is then explained 00:19:39.819 --> 00:19:42.680 to the members of the church family, 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:45.339 those who have committed their life together 00:19:45.339 --> 00:19:46.620 to love and serve one another. 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:50.620 Notice how the circle of prayer and exhortation 00:19:50.620 --> 00:19:52.039 and warning gets a little bigger 00:19:52.039 --> 00:19:54.200 and a little more serious each time. 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:57.240 But again, at this point even, 00:19:57.359 --> 00:19:58.359 if the person repents, 00:19:59.099 --> 00:20:00.779 if they turn from their sin, 00:20:00.879 --> 00:20:01.659 it's over. 00:20:02.379 --> 00:20:03.319 There's no shunning, 00:20:03.500 --> 00:20:04.399 there's no shame, 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:05.299 there's forgiveness, 00:20:05.740 --> 00:20:06.500 and there's restoration. 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:10.359 But if the person continues in unrepentance, 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:13.339 though the whole church has prayed and warned, 00:20:13.779 --> 00:20:15.579 then Jesus says there's one more step. 00:20:16.019 --> 00:20:17.420 Look at the rest of verse 17. 00:20:17.420 --> 00:20:21.240 And if he refuses to listen even to the church, 00:20:21.940 --> 00:20:24.460 let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 00:20:26.180 --> 00:20:28.000 That is, no longer consider him 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:29.980 as a brother or sister in the family of the church. 00:20:31.220 --> 00:20:32.740 Remove him or her from membership. 00:20:36.060 --> 00:20:37.360 In 1 Corinthians 5, 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:38.500 if you want to turn back there, 00:20:38.620 --> 00:20:39.700 verses 3 through 5, 00:20:40.560 --> 00:20:41.820 Paul goes into a little more detail 00:20:41.820 --> 00:20:43.779 about how that final step of removal 00:20:43.779 --> 00:20:45.000 from membership should happen 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:45.980 in the Corinthian church. 00:20:45.980 --> 00:20:49.759 Now, as you scan those verses again, 00:20:49.980 --> 00:20:51.200 you can see that there are some 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:52.579 pretty tricky bits here. 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:56.960 First, I mean, perhaps first, 00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:57.940 it seems like, 00:20:58.120 --> 00:20:59.680 after we've just seen this great process 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:00.640 that Jesus lays out, 00:21:01.079 --> 00:21:03.039 it seems like Paul doesn't follow 00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:04.779 the ordinary process that Jesus outlines 00:21:04.779 --> 00:21:06.480 in chapter 18 of Matthew. 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:09.480 Does that mean that Paul is disregarding 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:10.220 the teaching of Jesus? 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:11.400 Well, no. 00:21:11.460 --> 00:21:12.579 I think it's more likely 00:21:12.579 --> 00:21:14.799 that Paul sees the situation in Corinth 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:15.879 as so extreme, 00:21:16.139 --> 00:21:16.960 so public, 00:21:17.119 --> 00:21:18.259 and so clear. 00:21:19.079 --> 00:21:21.639 The man is so clearly unrepentant 00:21:21.639 --> 00:21:22.419 and recalcitrant. 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:24.700 The church itself is so hardened 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:26.599 and even proud of what's happening 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:30.759 that moving directly to the final stage 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:31.359 of the process, 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:33.519 Paul sees as necessary and warranted. 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:37.059 Now, today, there might be times 00:21:37.059 --> 00:21:38.980 when a case is so clear 00:21:38.980 --> 00:21:40.220 that a church moves quickly 00:21:40.220 --> 00:21:41.799 through the process Jesus outlines. 00:21:43.220 --> 00:21:45.660 But friends, that would be very, very rare 00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:48.759 as it was here in 1 Corinthians 5. 00:21:50.299 --> 00:21:51.379 Next, as we look at this paragraph, 00:21:51.460 --> 00:21:52.799 what does Paul mean that he's present 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:55.039 in spirit or my spirit is present? 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:58.379 I don't think Paul means anything spooky 00:21:58.379 --> 00:22:00.859 or weird by that. 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:02.420 It's not as if, you know, 00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:04.259 he's going to be a specter 00:22:04.259 --> 00:22:06.220 haunting their next congregational meeting 00:22:06.220 --> 00:22:07.839 in the Corinthian fellowship hall 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:10.059 or that he's going to show up 00:22:10.059 --> 00:22:11.559 like Obi-Wan speaking to Luke 00:22:11.559 --> 00:22:12.200 through the force. 00:22:12.859 --> 00:22:14.379 Corinth, trust your feelings. 00:22:16.399 --> 00:22:17.599 I think Paul is saying, 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:18.879 I mean, quite straightforward, 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:19.759 I think he's saying that 00:22:19.759 --> 00:22:21.659 his heart and his mind 00:22:21.659 --> 00:22:24.279 is so engaged in what's going on here 00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:26.859 that he cares so much for this church 00:22:26.859 --> 00:22:28.139 and he cares so much 00:22:28.139 --> 00:22:29.639 for Christ's honor among them. 00:22:29.859 --> 00:22:31.619 It's as if he's there, 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:34.379 even if he can't actually be there. 00:22:35.220 --> 00:22:36.279 He's behind them. 00:22:36.619 --> 00:22:37.779 He's for them. 00:22:37.980 --> 00:22:39.000 He's deeply engaged. 00:22:39.079 --> 00:22:39.819 I mean, we sometimes 00:22:39.819 --> 00:22:41.039 even speak this way, don't we? 00:22:41.539 --> 00:22:42.660 I'll be there in spirit 00:22:42.660 --> 00:22:44.299 when we can't actually make it, right? 00:22:44.299 --> 00:22:45.180 What do we mean by that? 00:22:45.379 --> 00:22:46.259 We mean that our hearts 00:22:46.259 --> 00:22:46.920 and our thoughts 00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:48.379 are going to be deeply engaged with it 00:22:48.379 --> 00:22:49.920 even if we aren't actually there. 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:53.240 Okay, the last tricky bit 00:22:53.240 --> 00:22:54.180 in this paragraph 00:22:54.180 --> 00:22:54.880 is verse five. 00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:55.620 What does it mean 00:22:55.620 --> 00:22:57.680 to deliver this man to Satan? 00:22:58.100 --> 00:22:58.539 Golly. 00:23:00.539 --> 00:23:01.820 Well, friends, in the Bible, 00:23:02.660 --> 00:23:04.120 Satan is sometimes described 00:23:04.120 --> 00:23:06.759 as the ruler of this world 00:23:06.759 --> 00:23:09.500 in the sense that 00:23:09.500 --> 00:23:11.180 in this fallen world, 00:23:11.259 --> 00:23:12.500 that is the sphere 00:23:12.500 --> 00:23:14.580 where the enemy exercises 00:23:14.580 --> 00:23:16.180 his influence and his power. 00:23:17.900 --> 00:23:18.519 So by saying, 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:19.759 deliver this man to Satan, 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:21.500 Paul's using vivid language 00:23:21.500 --> 00:23:23.720 to describe the act 00:23:23.720 --> 00:23:24.480 of removing the man 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:25.039 from membership 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:26.599 out of the visible church, 00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:28.039 out of the realm of Christ, 00:23:28.859 --> 00:23:29.799 and thus handing him over 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:30.440 to the world, 00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:31.420 to the realm of Satan. 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:32.880 Deeply vivid, 00:23:33.059 --> 00:23:34.400 stark language Paul's using 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:36.359 for this serious act. 00:23:38.599 --> 00:23:39.220 Now, we're going to get 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:40.039 to the rest of verse five 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:40.380 in a minute 00:23:40.380 --> 00:23:40.859 when we talk about 00:23:40.859 --> 00:23:41.900 the why of church discipline. 00:23:42.059 --> 00:23:42.640 For now, 00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:44.240 notice that in this paragraph, 00:23:44.440 --> 00:23:44.980 three through five, 00:23:45.140 --> 00:23:46.299 Paul assumes, 00:23:46.660 --> 00:23:47.940 just like Jesus taught 00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:48.500 in Matthew 18, 00:23:48.500 --> 00:23:49.819 that removing someone 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:50.559 from membership 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:51.400 is something 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:53.299 that the whole church 00:23:53.299 --> 00:23:54.039 will do. 00:23:55.660 --> 00:23:57.420 When you are assembled, 00:23:57.640 --> 00:23:58.220 Paul says, 00:23:58.460 --> 00:24:00.160 then you are to do this. 00:24:02.059 --> 00:24:02.980 In other words, 00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:05.099 he's calling the whole church 00:24:05.099 --> 00:24:07.440 to be responsible 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:08.460 for its members. 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:12.940 All of us, friends, 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:14.160 who have committed 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:15.160 to the local body 00:24:15.160 --> 00:24:17.580 are spiritually accountable 00:24:17.580 --> 00:24:18.320 to one another 00:24:18.320 --> 00:24:18.940 in the church. 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:21.340 It's not just 00:24:21.340 --> 00:24:22.320 the pastors and elders 00:24:22.320 --> 00:24:23.080 who are tasked 00:24:23.080 --> 00:24:24.240 with spiritual care 00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:25.200 in the family of Christ, 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:26.500 even though we are called 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:27.140 to take the lead 00:24:27.140 --> 00:24:27.720 in doing that. 00:24:28.300 --> 00:24:29.400 All of us have a part 00:24:29.400 --> 00:24:29.880 to play. 00:24:31.080 --> 00:24:31.500 In other words, 00:24:31.540 --> 00:24:33.060 when we become members 00:24:33.060 --> 00:24:34.380 of a local church, 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.680 we're taking on a calling. 00:24:36.300 --> 00:24:37.080 We're taking on 00:24:37.080 --> 00:24:37.759 a responsibility. 00:24:39.140 --> 00:24:40.040 It's not like 00:24:40.040 --> 00:24:41.120 just being members 00:24:41.120 --> 00:24:41.960 of the Sierra Club 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:42.440 where you sort of 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:43.160 get a nice card 00:24:43.160 --> 00:24:43.640 in the mail 00:24:43.640 --> 00:24:44.279 and you get a magazine 00:24:44.279 --> 00:24:45.100 every once in a while. 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:46.120 No! 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:47.340 Church membership 00:24:47.340 --> 00:24:48.300 is a mission. 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:49.200 It's a calling. 00:24:49.340 --> 00:24:50.180 It's a role 00:24:50.180 --> 00:24:53.180 to do our part 00:24:53.180 --> 00:24:53.900 to help our brothers 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:54.460 and sisters 00:24:54.460 --> 00:24:55.420 grow in the Lord 00:24:55.420 --> 00:24:56.440 using whatever gifts 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:57.460 God has given us. 00:24:59.320 --> 00:25:01.040 To give and receive 00:25:01.040 --> 00:25:02.040 gifts of love 00:25:02.040 --> 00:25:02.779 and service 00:25:02.779 --> 00:25:04.120 as we say here 00:25:04.120 --> 00:25:04.460 at Trinity 00:25:04.460 --> 00:25:05.240 when someone becomes 00:25:05.240 --> 00:25:05.600 a member. 00:25:09.259 --> 00:25:10.060 Notice too, friends, 00:25:10.120 --> 00:25:10.640 that it's something 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:11.380 that the whole church 00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:12.840 does in the name 00:25:12.840 --> 00:25:13.620 of the Lord Jesus 00:25:13.619 --> 00:25:14.619 with the power 00:25:14.619 --> 00:25:15.619 of the Lord Jesus, 00:25:15.939 --> 00:25:16.399 Paul says. 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:18.659 And this is what 00:25:18.659 --> 00:25:19.639 we saw in Matthew 18. 00:25:20.639 --> 00:25:21.139 In other words, 00:25:21.199 --> 00:25:21.699 Paul isn't just 00:25:21.699 --> 00:25:22.359 making this up 00:25:22.359 --> 00:25:23.259 out of his head. 00:25:23.539 --> 00:25:24.659 It was the Lord's idea 00:25:24.659 --> 00:25:25.479 from the start. 00:25:25.639 --> 00:25:26.459 And that means 00:25:26.459 --> 00:25:28.079 that Jesus will be present 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:29.479 to give us 00:25:29.479 --> 00:25:30.119 the strength 00:25:30.119 --> 00:25:30.939 and the courage 00:25:30.939 --> 00:25:31.799 and the wisdom 00:25:31.799 --> 00:25:33.459 for the task 00:25:33.459 --> 00:25:35.199 no matter how difficult 00:25:35.199 --> 00:25:35.959 it becomes. 00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:37.960 God's idea 00:25:37.960 --> 00:25:38.400 is the need 00:25:38.400 --> 00:25:38.960 to be present 00:25:38.960 --> 00:25:39.840 Now let me just say 00:25:39.840 --> 00:25:40.400 the question 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:42.900 of how we interact 00:25:42.900 --> 00:25:43.579 with someone 00:25:43.579 --> 00:25:44.799 who's been removed 00:25:44.799 --> 00:25:45.440 from membership 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:46.740 after a process 00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:47.500 of church discipline 00:25:47.500 --> 00:25:48.940 is a challenging one. 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:53.299 As verse 5 implies 00:25:53.299 --> 00:25:54.259 and as Jesus made it clear 00:25:54.259 --> 00:25:54.819 in Matthew 18, 00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:56.160 the goal of church discipline 00:25:56.160 --> 00:25:57.160 is the restoration 00:25:57.160 --> 00:25:58.340 and repentance 00:25:58.340 --> 00:25:58.860 and restoration 00:25:58.860 --> 00:25:59.819 of the offending brother 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:00.559 or sister, right? 00:26:01.319 --> 00:26:02.480 So on one level, 00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:03.660 we'll want to have 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:04.779 some contact with them 00:26:04.779 --> 00:26:06.539 and we'll want them 00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:07.359 even to show up 00:26:07.359 --> 00:26:08.619 for public worship 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:09.420 on Sundays 00:26:09.420 --> 00:26:10.759 hoping that God's word 00:26:10.759 --> 00:26:12.079 will work a change 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:12.519 in them. 00:26:13.579 --> 00:26:14.160 And obviously 00:26:14.160 --> 00:26:14.680 if they're part 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:15.639 of our natural family, 00:26:15.740 --> 00:26:16.539 if it's a husband 00:26:16.539 --> 00:26:17.059 or wife, 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:17.599 if it's a son 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:18.039 or a daughter, 00:26:18.339 --> 00:26:19.099 we'll obviously 00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:20.279 remain faithful 00:26:20.279 --> 00:26:20.839 to them 00:26:20.839 --> 00:26:22.399 in those roles. 00:26:25.299 --> 00:26:27.200 But our overarching aim 00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:27.660 as members 00:26:27.660 --> 00:26:28.440 of the body of Christ 00:26:28.440 --> 00:26:29.279 is to see them 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:31.059 come back to a place 00:26:31.059 --> 00:26:32.160 where they confess 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:33.299 and forsake their sin 00:26:33.299 --> 00:26:34.240 and seek forgiveness. 00:26:34.779 --> 00:26:37.480 So our relationship 00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:38.720 with a former church member 00:26:38.720 --> 00:26:40.279 will, without a doubt, 00:26:40.420 --> 00:26:41.819 have a different feel. 00:26:44.440 --> 00:26:45.519 Paul says in verse 11 00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:46.480 pretty starkly, 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:48.119 don't even eat 00:26:48.119 --> 00:26:49.220 with such a one. 00:26:51.539 --> 00:26:53.059 Now eating in the first century 00:26:53.059 --> 00:26:54.059 meant a lot more 00:26:54.059 --> 00:26:55.319 than just getting calories 00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:56.579 into your system, right? 00:26:58.200 --> 00:26:59.839 It was a sign of solidarity 00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:01.160 and acceptance. 00:27:02.359 --> 00:27:02.859 It was a sign 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:04.119 of wholehearted embrace. 00:27:06.899 --> 00:27:08.299 If someone professes 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:09.099 to be a Christian 00:27:09.099 --> 00:27:10.379 but utterly disregards 00:27:10.379 --> 00:27:11.019 the teaching 00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:12.479 and the lordship of Jesus, 00:27:13.419 --> 00:27:13.599 friends, 00:27:13.659 --> 00:27:14.719 we can't give them 00:27:14.719 --> 00:27:16.439 that wholehearted embrace. 00:27:18.339 --> 00:27:19.159 Our interactions 00:27:19.159 --> 00:27:19.759 will be loving 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:20.599 and gentle, yes, 00:27:20.659 --> 00:27:21.159 but there will be 00:27:21.159 --> 00:27:21.819 a sobriety 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:22.639 and seriousness 00:27:22.639 --> 00:27:23.500 to those interactions 00:27:23.500 --> 00:27:23.919 as well. 00:27:24.159 --> 00:27:25.319 And undergirding everything 00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:26.240 will be a longing 00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:27.000 that the person 00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:27.979 experience a change 00:27:27.980 --> 00:27:28.360 of heart 00:27:28.360 --> 00:27:29.299 and come to know 00:27:29.299 --> 00:27:30.640 real repentance. 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:34.799 I've actually had 00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:35.880 one experience 00:27:35.880 --> 00:27:37.460 of this personally. 00:27:38.920 --> 00:27:40.079 A number of friends, 00:27:40.579 --> 00:27:41.860 a number of years ago, 00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:43.180 a friend of mine 00:27:43.180 --> 00:27:43.839 who is not a member 00:27:43.839 --> 00:27:44.339 of this church 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:44.720 but a member 00:27:44.720 --> 00:27:45.400 of another church 00:27:45.400 --> 00:27:47.120 actually came under 00:27:47.120 --> 00:27:47.779 church discipline 00:27:47.779 --> 00:27:49.099 and was eventually 00:27:49.099 --> 00:27:50.019 removed from membership. 00:27:52.200 --> 00:27:53.299 There was a secret sin 00:27:53.299 --> 00:27:53.799 in his life 00:27:53.799 --> 00:27:54.579 that he had nursed 00:27:54.579 --> 00:27:55.440 for many years 00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:57.640 that very few people 00:27:57.640 --> 00:27:58.380 even knew about 00:27:58.380 --> 00:28:00.259 and when it eventually 00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:01.019 came to light, 00:28:01.100 --> 00:28:01.620 when it finally 00:28:01.620 --> 00:28:02.220 sort of came out 00:28:02.220 --> 00:28:02.759 in the open, 00:28:03.460 --> 00:28:04.299 he refused to see 00:28:04.299 --> 00:28:05.100 that it was wrong, 00:28:05.700 --> 00:28:06.680 persisted in it 00:28:06.680 --> 00:28:07.640 and there was 00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:08.420 zero repentance. 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:11.600 And of course, 00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:12.519 it was heartbreaking. 00:28:13.380 --> 00:28:14.779 He was a very close friend, 00:28:15.500 --> 00:28:16.259 someone that Beth and I knew 00:28:16.259 --> 00:28:17.140 even before we moved 00:28:17.140 --> 00:28:17.620 to New Haven. 00:28:19.160 --> 00:28:20.080 And I looked up to him 00:28:20.080 --> 00:28:20.820 in many ways actually. 00:28:20.900 --> 00:28:21.380 He was a little older 00:28:21.380 --> 00:28:21.860 than I was. 00:28:23.440 --> 00:28:24.140 And I remember 00:28:24.140 --> 00:28:24.960 interacting with him 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:25.819 a few times 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:26.480 after everything 00:28:26.480 --> 00:28:27.500 had sort of gone down 00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:28.279 and after he had been 00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:29.079 removed from membership 00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:29.660 in his church. 00:28:30.100 --> 00:28:30.340 And friends, 00:28:30.380 --> 00:28:30.860 I confess, 00:28:30.960 --> 00:28:32.120 it was hard. 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:34.840 At first, 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:35.100 you know, 00:28:35.140 --> 00:28:35.600 we sort of had 00:28:35.600 --> 00:28:36.480 the usual friendly, 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:37.539 oh, hey, 00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:38.740 how's it going? 00:28:40.019 --> 00:28:40.640 How's work? 00:28:42.779 --> 00:28:43.519 But given all 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:44.039 that had happened, 00:28:44.100 --> 00:28:44.720 our conversation 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:45.600 couldn't just go on 00:28:45.600 --> 00:28:46.059 as usual. 00:28:48.559 --> 00:28:49.240 I'd like to say 00:28:49.240 --> 00:28:50.120 we had sort of deep, 00:28:50.759 --> 00:28:52.000 meaningful conversation 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:52.779 about where he was 00:28:52.779 --> 00:28:53.360 at spiritually, 00:28:53.539 --> 00:28:53.840 but you know, 00:28:53.880 --> 00:28:54.299 we didn't. 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:57.519 It was clear 00:28:57.519 --> 00:28:58.299 from our conversation 00:28:58.299 --> 00:28:58.779 that his heart 00:28:58.779 --> 00:28:59.640 hadn't changed 00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:01.700 and maybe I just 00:29:01.700 --> 00:29:02.299 chickened out, 00:29:02.860 --> 00:29:03.640 didn't bring it up. 00:29:04.840 --> 00:29:05.920 Or maybe we both 00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:07.180 knew where the others 00:29:07.180 --> 00:29:07.600 stood 00:29:07.600 --> 00:29:09.180 and had already 00:29:09.180 --> 00:29:10.100 laid it out honestly 00:29:10.100 --> 00:29:10.600 on the table 00:29:10.600 --> 00:29:11.680 in previous conversations, 00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:12.559 so maybe there wasn't 00:29:12.559 --> 00:29:13.420 much left to say. 00:29:15.539 --> 00:29:16.259 But either way, 00:29:16.299 --> 00:29:17.039 I told him that I was 00:29:17.039 --> 00:29:17.799 praying for him 00:29:17.799 --> 00:29:19.160 and that I cared 00:29:19.160 --> 00:29:20.200 deeply about him, 00:29:20.819 --> 00:29:22.140 but I knew that things 00:29:22.140 --> 00:29:22.740 couldn't go back 00:29:22.740 --> 00:29:23.420 to being the same. 00:29:23.420 --> 00:29:26.700 because me pretending 00:29:26.700 --> 00:29:28.060 like everything 00:29:28.060 --> 00:29:28.880 was okay, 00:29:30.060 --> 00:29:30.300 friends, 00:29:30.340 --> 00:29:30.759 it would have done 00:29:30.759 --> 00:29:31.600 him no good 00:29:31.600 --> 00:29:34.060 because everything 00:29:34.060 --> 00:29:34.980 wasn't okay. 00:29:36.100 --> 00:29:37.340 He was headed 00:29:37.340 --> 00:29:38.660 headlong 00:29:38.660 --> 00:29:39.960 away from Christ, 00:29:40.560 --> 00:29:41.740 still professing 00:29:41.740 --> 00:29:43.019 to be a believer, 00:29:43.580 --> 00:29:44.940 but rejecting 00:29:44.940 --> 00:29:46.080 everything. 00:29:46.920 --> 00:29:47.920 How about who Jesus 00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:48.759 was and what Jesus 00:29:48.759 --> 00:29:49.180 taught? 00:29:49.180 --> 00:29:51.440 we couldn't just 00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:52.320 go back to normal 00:29:52.320 --> 00:29:54.740 because way too much 00:29:54.740 --> 00:29:55.380 was at stake 00:29:55.380 --> 00:29:56.200 for him. 00:29:59.840 --> 00:30:00.420 And friends, 00:30:00.460 --> 00:30:01.120 the reality is that 00:30:01.120 --> 00:30:02.519 each discipline situation 00:30:02.519 --> 00:30:03.140 is different. 00:30:04.100 --> 00:30:05.140 If we as a congregation 00:30:05.140 --> 00:30:06.220 need to, 00:30:06.299 --> 00:30:07.039 at some point 00:30:07.039 --> 00:30:07.680 in the future, 00:30:08.460 --> 00:30:09.420 remove someone 00:30:09.420 --> 00:30:10.039 from membership 00:30:10.039 --> 00:30:11.519 because of a discipline issue, 00:30:11.820 --> 00:30:13.039 we'll need to 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:13.779 carefully consider 00:30:13.779 --> 00:30:14.600 how to have a fruitful 00:30:14.600 --> 00:30:15.600 ongoing relationship 00:30:15.600 --> 00:30:16.320 with that person. 00:30:16.319 --> 00:30:19.679 And you can look to us 00:30:19.679 --> 00:30:20.240 as the elders 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:21.359 to give prayerful help 00:30:21.359 --> 00:30:22.359 on how to do it well. 00:30:26.279 --> 00:30:27.279 And it's not as if 00:30:27.279 --> 00:30:28.419 the elders are getting ready 00:30:28.419 --> 00:30:29.399 to do church discipline. 00:30:30.679 --> 00:30:31.259 We're preaching 00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:31.980 1 Corinthians 5 00:30:31.980 --> 00:30:32.480 because it was sort of 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:33.179 the next chapter 00:30:33.179 --> 00:30:33.839 in the series. 00:30:35.899 --> 00:30:36.379 But friends, 00:30:36.399 --> 00:30:37.039 it's going to be tricky 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:37.939 if it comes up. 00:30:39.179 --> 00:30:39.879 But prayerfully, 00:30:39.960 --> 00:30:40.579 we'll do it together. 00:30:40.579 --> 00:30:44.519 So what do we see then 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:45.179 about the how 00:30:45.179 --> 00:30:46.299 of church discipline here? 00:30:47.419 --> 00:30:47.779 First, 00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:48.659 we see that it's something 00:30:48.659 --> 00:30:49.460 that we do 00:30:49.460 --> 00:30:51.199 patiently and deliberately. 00:30:51.439 --> 00:30:52.159 It's not brash. 00:30:52.319 --> 00:30:53.179 It's not judgmental. 00:30:53.299 --> 00:30:53.939 There's a process 00:30:53.939 --> 00:30:54.819 that Jesus gives us 00:30:54.819 --> 00:30:56.059 and we can trust that process. 00:30:57.059 --> 00:30:57.460 Second, 00:30:57.679 --> 00:30:58.299 it's something 00:30:58.299 --> 00:30:59.439 that we do corporately. 00:31:00.439 --> 00:31:01.399 It's a process 00:31:01.399 --> 00:31:02.960 we're all responsible for 00:31:02.960 --> 00:31:03.899 in one way, 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:04.679 shape, or form. 00:31:05.599 --> 00:31:06.319 And finally, 00:31:06.379 --> 00:31:06.659 it's something 00:31:06.659 --> 00:31:07.939 that we do dependently. 00:31:07.940 --> 00:31:09.980 It's a process 00:31:09.980 --> 00:31:10.720 that we need Jesus' 00:31:10.940 --> 00:31:12.360 own wisdom and strength for 00:31:12.360 --> 00:31:14.180 and He promises 00:31:14.180 --> 00:31:15.460 that He'll give it to us. 00:31:16.380 --> 00:31:17.180 If you look back 00:31:17.180 --> 00:31:17.980 in Matthew 18, 00:31:18.860 --> 00:31:20.600 there's a really famous verse 00:31:20.600 --> 00:31:21.160 at the end of that 00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:22.240 church discipline paragraph 00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:23.180 where two or three 00:31:23.180 --> 00:31:24.240 are gathered in my name. 00:31:24.539 --> 00:31:25.519 There I am in the midst. 00:31:27.080 --> 00:31:28.160 And Jesus isn't talking 00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:29.220 about an evening service 00:31:29.220 --> 00:31:30.039 when it snows 00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:31.080 and no one shows up. 00:31:33.620 --> 00:31:34.740 What's the context? 00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:37.340 He's talking about 00:31:37.340 --> 00:31:37.820 correction 00:31:37.819 --> 00:31:38.779 in the life of the body. 00:31:41.019 --> 00:31:41.720 And He says, 00:31:41.919 --> 00:31:43.339 in those hard moments, 00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:44.399 beloved, 00:31:44.899 --> 00:31:45.839 I'll be with you. 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:47.139 I'm going to be 00:31:47.139 --> 00:31:48.259 in the midst of you, 00:31:48.879 --> 00:31:49.399 leading you 00:31:49.399 --> 00:31:50.019 and guiding you. 00:31:54.599 --> 00:31:55.399 So the last question 00:31:55.399 --> 00:31:55.919 I want to ask 00:31:55.919 --> 00:31:56.619 about church discipline 00:31:56.619 --> 00:31:57.099 in this text 00:31:57.099 --> 00:31:58.200 is not just what or how, 00:31:58.259 --> 00:31:58.740 but why. 00:31:58.919 --> 00:31:59.700 Why in the world 00:31:59.700 --> 00:32:00.480 should we do this? 00:32:01.079 --> 00:32:01.939 I mean, come on. 00:32:02.379 --> 00:32:03.119 Can't we just let people 00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:03.799 figure this stuff out 00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:04.220 on their own? 00:32:04.559 --> 00:32:05.519 Are we really supposed 00:32:05.519 --> 00:32:06.879 to meddle in each other's lives 00:32:06.879 --> 00:32:07.579 to this degree? 00:32:07.819 --> 00:32:09.000 I mean, maybe for you 00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:09.740 all this still sounds 00:32:09.740 --> 00:32:10.879 a bit harsh. 00:32:11.399 --> 00:32:11.960 You know, maybe you're 00:32:11.960 --> 00:32:12.779 visiting church this morning 00:32:12.779 --> 00:32:13.079 and you think, 00:32:13.159 --> 00:32:13.839 what in the world 00:32:13.839 --> 00:32:14.500 did I get into? 00:32:14.579 --> 00:32:15.419 This is craziness. 00:32:17.779 --> 00:32:18.480 But briefly, 00:32:18.579 --> 00:32:19.559 I want us to see 00:32:19.559 --> 00:32:21.279 that church discipline, 00:32:21.419 --> 00:32:22.939 this process of correction 00:32:22.939 --> 00:32:24.899 and approaching one another 00:32:24.899 --> 00:32:25.679 in this way 00:32:25.680 --> 00:32:28.900 is driven by love. 00:32:30.360 --> 00:32:31.620 This process is driven 00:32:31.620 --> 00:32:33.840 by a three-fold love 00:32:33.840 --> 00:32:35.640 that compels us to do this. 00:32:36.620 --> 00:32:37.539 And we actually see them 00:32:37.539 --> 00:32:38.279 right here in our text. 00:32:38.380 --> 00:32:39.500 The first is this. 00:32:39.940 --> 00:32:41.279 We do church discipline 00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:42.480 out of a love, 00:32:42.860 --> 00:32:43.340 one, 00:32:43.420 --> 00:32:44.120 for the person 00:32:44.120 --> 00:32:45.100 being disciplined. 00:32:46.759 --> 00:32:47.880 This is that tricky bit 00:32:47.880 --> 00:32:48.840 at the end of verse five. 00:32:48.900 --> 00:32:49.660 What's Paul actually 00:32:49.660 --> 00:32:50.240 saying there? 00:32:50.299 --> 00:32:50.860 He's saying there 00:32:50.860 --> 00:32:51.700 that the aim 00:32:51.700 --> 00:32:52.460 in church discipline, 00:32:52.560 --> 00:32:53.140 as we've said, 00:32:53.140 --> 00:32:54.060 is restoration. 00:32:54.380 --> 00:32:55.000 We want this person 00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:55.759 to be rescued 00:32:55.759 --> 00:32:56.860 from their sinful nature, 00:32:57.120 --> 00:32:57.980 from the flesh, 00:32:57.980 --> 00:32:59.060 so that they might stand 00:32:59.060 --> 00:32:59.720 before the Lord 00:32:59.720 --> 00:33:00.720 one day in confidence. 00:33:01.060 --> 00:33:02.380 When it really counts, 00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:03.600 we want them to be there. 00:33:05.240 --> 00:33:06.840 And even the act 00:33:06.840 --> 00:33:07.900 of excommunication, 00:33:08.080 --> 00:33:09.440 formally removing someone 00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:10.080 from membership, 00:33:10.380 --> 00:33:11.460 is meant to function 00:33:11.460 --> 00:33:13.759 like a giant megaphone 00:33:13.759 --> 00:33:15.759 calling them to return. 00:33:17.360 --> 00:33:19.000 It's like a huge warning sign 00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:20.420 saying that the bridge 00:33:20.420 --> 00:33:21.140 is out ahead 00:33:21.140 --> 00:33:22.240 and that road 00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:23.759 only leads to disaster. 00:33:26.359 --> 00:33:27.680 The hope is always 00:33:27.680 --> 00:33:28.180 that the person 00:33:28.180 --> 00:33:28.559 will one day 00:33:28.559 --> 00:33:29.740 come back into membership. 00:33:31.980 --> 00:33:33.079 Why do we want that? 00:33:34.259 --> 00:33:35.099 We want that 00:33:35.099 --> 00:33:36.019 not because we want 00:33:36.019 --> 00:33:36.620 the other person 00:33:36.620 --> 00:33:37.539 to be miserable, 00:33:38.720 --> 00:33:40.579 but actually because 00:33:40.579 --> 00:33:41.559 we long 00:33:41.559 --> 00:33:43.140 for that person's 00:33:43.140 --> 00:33:44.579 lasting joy. 00:33:47.779 --> 00:33:48.480 Think with me 00:33:48.480 --> 00:33:49.019 for a second. 00:33:49.019 --> 00:33:51.079 underneath 00:33:51.079 --> 00:33:53.500 our common idea 00:33:53.500 --> 00:33:55.440 that to really love 00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:55.680 someone, 00:33:55.779 --> 00:33:56.799 you need to set them free 00:33:56.799 --> 00:33:57.619 and not get in the way 00:33:57.619 --> 00:33:58.639 of what they feel is right. 00:33:59.639 --> 00:34:00.220 Underneath that 00:34:00.220 --> 00:34:01.400 is the belief 00:34:01.400 --> 00:34:03.500 that following 00:34:03.500 --> 00:34:04.480 one's feelings 00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:05.119 is the key 00:34:05.119 --> 00:34:06.319 to lasting happiness. 00:34:09.039 --> 00:34:10.079 And so we think 00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:11.079 real love, 00:34:11.460 --> 00:34:12.079 wanting the other 00:34:12.079 --> 00:34:13.199 to be genuinely happy, 00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:14.119 which is not a bad 00:34:14.119 --> 00:34:15.019 definition of love. 00:34:15.619 --> 00:34:16.940 We think that real love 00:34:16.940 --> 00:34:17.739 must be found 00:34:17.739 --> 00:34:18.500 in letting them free 00:34:18.500 --> 00:34:19.399 to pursue their feelings. 00:34:19.479 --> 00:34:20.159 If I love you 00:34:20.159 --> 00:34:21.000 and want you to be happy, 00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:22.059 I can't stand 00:34:22.059 --> 00:34:22.519 in the way 00:34:22.519 --> 00:34:23.339 of what you feel. 00:34:25.259 --> 00:34:25.799 But friends, 00:34:25.859 --> 00:34:26.519 is that belief 00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:27.639 actually justified? 00:34:28.679 --> 00:34:29.559 That the pursuit 00:34:29.559 --> 00:34:30.059 of feeling 00:34:30.059 --> 00:34:31.000 necessarily leads 00:34:31.000 --> 00:34:32.099 to lasting happiness? 00:34:33.259 --> 00:34:33.739 Do we actually 00:34:33.739 --> 00:34:34.719 have good reason 00:34:34.719 --> 00:34:36.659 to believe that? 00:34:36.659 --> 00:34:41.579 And don't we all 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:42.019 have a sense 00:34:42.019 --> 00:34:42.539 that our feelings 00:34:42.539 --> 00:34:43.179 and our desires 00:34:43.179 --> 00:34:44.319 aren't always trustworthy? 00:34:47.259 --> 00:34:47.579 Yesterday, 00:34:47.759 --> 00:34:48.139 I took 00:34:48.139 --> 00:34:50.019 Jack and Claire, 00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:51.059 my four-year-old 00:34:51.059 --> 00:34:51.799 and three-year-old, 00:34:52.299 --> 00:34:53.399 to the Pez factory 00:34:53.399 --> 00:34:54.339 store in Orange. 00:34:55.480 --> 00:34:55.960 Have you been there? 00:34:56.779 --> 00:34:57.579 First time we've been there, 00:34:57.619 --> 00:34:58.359 it was actually quite fun. 00:34:58.759 --> 00:34:59.379 I didn't realize 00:34:59.379 --> 00:35:00.039 they charge you money 00:35:00.039 --> 00:35:00.399 to go. 00:35:00.839 --> 00:35:01.279 So I said, 00:35:01.319 --> 00:35:01.619 is there anything 00:35:01.619 --> 00:35:02.399 we can see here for free? 00:35:02.480 --> 00:35:02.779 She's like, 00:35:02.799 --> 00:35:03.500 you can go to the store. 00:35:03.659 --> 00:35:03.879 I was like, 00:35:03.899 --> 00:35:04.500 okay, fair enough. 00:35:04.500 --> 00:35:07.440 So we went to the store, 00:35:07.539 --> 00:35:08.159 the Pez store, 00:35:08.760 --> 00:35:09.500 and predictably, 00:35:09.659 --> 00:35:10.440 my daughter picked out 00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:12.360 the Elsa Pez head, 00:35:12.679 --> 00:35:13.780 and my son picked out 00:35:13.780 --> 00:35:15.239 the Stormtrooper Pez head, 00:35:15.820 --> 00:35:18.300 and we got Nemo for Owen. 00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:21.000 But you know, 00:35:21.059 --> 00:35:21.619 my daughter, 00:35:22.260 --> 00:35:24.119 left to her own devices, 00:35:25.300 --> 00:35:26.139 would have eaten 00:35:26.139 --> 00:35:27.820 those chalky little pellets 00:35:27.820 --> 00:35:28.739 of Pez candy 00:35:28.739 --> 00:35:29.980 all afternoon, 00:35:30.639 --> 00:35:31.460 all night, 00:35:32.079 --> 00:35:33.019 all morning, 00:35:33.019 --> 00:35:35.460 had I let her follow 00:35:35.460 --> 00:35:36.519 her feelings and desires. 00:35:36.980 --> 00:35:38.400 She was begging me 00:35:38.400 --> 00:35:39.519 to let her eat 00:35:39.519 --> 00:35:40.759 Owen's Pez 00:35:40.759 --> 00:35:41.699 that we got for him. 00:35:41.820 --> 00:35:42.039 Of course, 00:35:42.099 --> 00:35:42.820 he's not going to eat them. 00:35:44.420 --> 00:35:45.380 When we first got home, 00:35:45.460 --> 00:35:45.759 she said, 00:35:45.820 --> 00:35:45.980 Daddy, 00:35:46.059 --> 00:35:46.960 let's save it for Owen. 00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:48.039 By the end of the afternoon, 00:35:48.119 --> 00:35:48.340 it was, 00:35:48.400 --> 00:35:49.159 he's not going to eat it, 00:35:49.219 --> 00:35:49.400 Daddy. 00:35:49.539 --> 00:35:50.059 Give it to me. 00:35:56.559 --> 00:35:57.199 And of course, 00:35:57.259 --> 00:35:57.800 had we let her 00:35:57.800 --> 00:35:59.019 go down that path 00:35:59.019 --> 00:35:59.500 as a result, 00:35:59.579 --> 00:36:00.059 she would have gotten 00:36:00.059 --> 00:36:00.780 terribly sick. 00:36:00.780 --> 00:36:02.400 Our whole family 00:36:02.400 --> 00:36:03.120 would have been miserable. 00:36:04.620 --> 00:36:05.200 And of course, 00:36:05.240 --> 00:36:06.400 that's a very simple example, 00:36:06.540 --> 00:36:06.860 isn't it? 00:36:07.900 --> 00:36:09.160 But can't we extend it 00:36:09.160 --> 00:36:10.160 to nearly all areas 00:36:10.160 --> 00:36:10.720 of our life? 00:36:13.320 --> 00:36:14.880 So if the free expression 00:36:14.880 --> 00:36:17.220 of our feelings and desires 00:36:17.220 --> 00:36:18.300 isn't the key 00:36:18.300 --> 00:36:19.540 to lasting happiness, 00:36:19.680 --> 00:36:19.840 friends, 00:36:19.880 --> 00:36:20.440 what is? 00:36:20.440 --> 00:36:26.500 There's a popular Christian book 00:36:26.500 --> 00:36:27.360 about marriage 00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:29.119 that once said, 00:36:29.940 --> 00:36:30.880 God cares more 00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:31.900 about your holiness 00:36:31.900 --> 00:36:33.800 than your happiness. 00:36:35.860 --> 00:36:36.179 But you know, 00:36:36.220 --> 00:36:36.460 honestly, 00:36:36.559 --> 00:36:36.720 friends, 00:36:36.760 --> 00:36:37.720 if you leave it there, 00:36:38.139 --> 00:36:39.760 that's actually not true. 00:36:41.179 --> 00:36:41.900 Or at least, 00:36:41.980 --> 00:36:42.700 it's not a helpful way 00:36:42.700 --> 00:36:43.280 of putting it. 00:36:44.380 --> 00:36:45.420 The truth is, 00:36:45.500 --> 00:36:46.059 brothers and sisters, 00:36:46.139 --> 00:36:47.599 that God cares deeply 00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:49.139 about our happiness. 00:36:49.139 --> 00:36:51.900 And because of that, 00:36:51.980 --> 00:36:53.339 He is dead set 00:36:53.339 --> 00:36:56.139 on making us holy. 00:36:58.139 --> 00:36:59.339 After all, 00:36:59.579 --> 00:37:00.519 what could bring 00:37:00.519 --> 00:37:02.539 more happiness 00:37:02.539 --> 00:37:05.319 to our finite 00:37:05.319 --> 00:37:06.400 created hearts 00:37:06.400 --> 00:37:08.460 than to share 00:37:08.460 --> 00:37:09.139 the nature 00:37:09.679 --> 00:37:11.420 of God Himself? 00:37:11.420 --> 00:37:16.740 Can we read 00:37:16.740 --> 00:37:18.599 even the first chapter 00:37:18.599 --> 00:37:19.300 of the Bible 00:37:19.300 --> 00:37:22.079 and not be swept up 00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:23.659 with the thrills 00:37:23.659 --> 00:37:24.800 of joy 00:37:24.800 --> 00:37:26.900 ripping across the page 00:37:26.900 --> 00:37:28.480 as God creates 00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:30.159 everything good 00:37:30.159 --> 00:37:31.019 and then in the end 00:37:31.019 --> 00:37:32.579 declares it very good 00:37:32.579 --> 00:37:33.579 and it's teeming 00:37:33.579 --> 00:37:34.220 with life 00:37:34.220 --> 00:37:35.039 and energy 00:37:35.039 --> 00:37:35.659 and joy 00:37:35.659 --> 00:37:36.500 just waiting 00:37:36.500 --> 00:37:37.760 to be unfolded? 00:37:37.760 --> 00:37:40.040 Friends, 00:37:40.160 --> 00:37:40.740 God is a God 00:37:40.740 --> 00:37:42.540 of unbounded, 00:37:42.680 --> 00:37:43.540 overflowing 00:37:43.540 --> 00:37:44.720 felicity, 00:37:45.760 --> 00:37:46.300 happiness. 00:37:48.220 --> 00:37:49.080 As the great 00:37:49.080 --> 00:37:50.020 church father Augustine 00:37:50.020 --> 00:37:51.160 so often put it, 00:37:52.160 --> 00:37:53.420 that's where 00:37:53.420 --> 00:37:54.460 our happiness lies, 00:37:54.920 --> 00:37:55.400 in Him. 00:37:57.720 --> 00:37:58.960 So God cares 00:37:58.960 --> 00:37:59.820 about our holiness 00:37:59.820 --> 00:38:02.040 because He's eternally 00:38:02.040 --> 00:38:02.460 committed 00:38:02.460 --> 00:38:03.740 to our happiness. 00:38:03.739 --> 00:38:05.219 He wants us 00:38:05.219 --> 00:38:05.879 to share 00:38:05.879 --> 00:38:06.659 His nature 00:38:06.659 --> 00:38:07.439 so we can 00:38:07.439 --> 00:38:08.559 share His joy 00:38:08.559 --> 00:38:11.059 and that, 00:38:11.239 --> 00:38:11.359 friends, 00:38:11.419 --> 00:38:12.119 is the heart 00:38:12.119 --> 00:38:13.519 under church discipline. 00:38:15.059 --> 00:38:16.419 We see a professing 00:38:16.419 --> 00:38:17.099 brother or sister 00:38:17.099 --> 00:38:18.059 straying from 00:38:18.059 --> 00:38:18.919 the path of holiness 00:38:18.919 --> 00:38:21.000 and thus straying 00:38:21.000 --> 00:38:21.599 from the path 00:38:21.599 --> 00:38:22.779 of lasting joy 00:38:22.779 --> 00:38:23.939 and we want to do 00:38:23.939 --> 00:38:24.779 anything, 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:26.079 even the hard work 00:38:26.079 --> 00:38:26.859 of church discipline 00:38:26.859 --> 00:38:27.539 if necessary 00:38:27.539 --> 00:38:28.879 to bring them back. 00:38:31.359 --> 00:38:31.799 So you see, 00:38:31.979 --> 00:38:32.799 all of this 00:38:32.799 --> 00:38:33.399 is done 00:38:33.400 --> 00:38:35.420 on the one hand 00:38:35.420 --> 00:38:36.240 for love 00:38:36.240 --> 00:38:37.240 of the person 00:38:37.240 --> 00:38:39.180 himself or herself. 00:38:42.680 --> 00:38:43.539 And let me ask 00:38:43.539 --> 00:38:44.160 before we go 00:38:44.160 --> 00:38:45.079 to the second love. 00:38:47.139 --> 00:38:47.539 Friend, 00:38:47.579 --> 00:38:48.059 do you have someone 00:38:48.059 --> 00:38:48.760 in your life 00:38:48.760 --> 00:38:50.599 who loves you 00:38:50.599 --> 00:38:51.800 enough to do this? 00:38:54.460 --> 00:38:55.180 Are you a part 00:38:55.180 --> 00:38:56.300 of a community 00:38:56.300 --> 00:38:57.960 who loves you 00:38:57.960 --> 00:38:58.340 enough 00:38:58.340 --> 00:38:59.800 to do this? 00:38:59.800 --> 00:39:05.700 friends, 00:39:05.740 --> 00:39:06.320 if you come 00:39:06.320 --> 00:39:07.380 to know 00:39:07.380 --> 00:39:08.539 Jesus Christ, 00:39:09.039 --> 00:39:10.120 if you come 00:39:10.120 --> 00:39:10.460 to become 00:39:10.460 --> 00:39:11.120 a part 00:39:11.120 --> 00:39:12.460 of His family, 00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:15.440 you're not 00:39:15.440 --> 00:39:15.880 going to see it 00:39:15.880 --> 00:39:16.300 perfectly, 00:39:16.700 --> 00:39:17.280 but you're going 00:39:17.280 --> 00:39:18.000 to experience 00:39:18.000 --> 00:39:18.920 a kind of deeper 00:39:18.920 --> 00:39:20.019 and more committed 00:39:20.019 --> 00:39:21.360 love than perhaps 00:39:21.360 --> 00:39:22.480 anything you've 00:39:22.480 --> 00:39:23.140 experienced. 00:39:23.139 --> 00:39:23.239 Christ. 00:39:29.000 --> 00:39:29.759 The second reason 00:39:29.759 --> 00:39:30.239 we do church 00:39:30.239 --> 00:39:30.519 discipline, 00:39:30.619 --> 00:39:31.400 the second why, 00:39:31.579 --> 00:39:32.219 is that it's done 00:39:32.219 --> 00:39:32.779 out of a love 00:39:32.779 --> 00:39:33.460 for the church. 00:39:34.400 --> 00:39:35.179 In verses 6-8, 00:39:35.239 --> 00:39:35.659 Paul begins, 00:39:35.659 --> 00:39:36.339 your boasting's 00:39:36.339 --> 00:39:36.920 not good, 00:39:37.059 --> 00:39:37.279 Corinth. 00:39:37.859 --> 00:39:38.699 Do you not know 00:39:38.699 --> 00:39:39.599 that a little leaven 00:39:39.599 --> 00:39:40.859 leavens the whole lump? 00:39:41.219 --> 00:39:41.759 In other words, 00:39:41.799 --> 00:39:42.960 if you let patterns 00:39:42.960 --> 00:39:44.399 of unrepentant sin 00:39:44.399 --> 00:39:45.739 go unchecked 00:39:45.739 --> 00:39:46.339 in the church, 00:39:46.379 --> 00:39:47.279 it is eventually 00:39:47.279 --> 00:39:48.139 going to affect 00:39:48.139 --> 00:39:49.319 everyone. 00:39:50.719 --> 00:39:52.339 Whether implicitly 00:39:52.339 --> 00:39:53.480 sort of giving 00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:55.099 everyone permission 00:39:55.099 --> 00:39:56.940 to sort of sin 00:39:56.940 --> 00:39:57.920 and stray from Christ 00:39:57.920 --> 00:39:58.500 in whatever ways 00:39:58.500 --> 00:39:59.159 they see fit, 00:39:59.399 --> 00:40:00.980 or causing people 00:40:00.980 --> 00:40:02.099 to be sinned against 00:40:02.099 --> 00:40:02.920 and hurt 00:40:02.920 --> 00:40:05.099 as sinful patterns 00:40:05.099 --> 00:40:05.639 and tendencies 00:40:05.639 --> 00:40:06.819 go unchecked. 00:40:08.119 --> 00:40:09.199 But then Paul goes 00:40:09.199 --> 00:40:09.900 even deeper 00:40:09.900 --> 00:40:10.579 in this paragraph. 00:40:10.900 --> 00:40:11.559 Since Christ 00:40:11.559 --> 00:40:12.739 has been sacrificed, 00:40:12.960 --> 00:40:13.380 he says, 00:40:13.559 --> 00:40:14.860 we ought to cleanse 00:40:14.860 --> 00:40:15.900 out our old way 00:40:15.900 --> 00:40:16.339 of life. 00:40:18.759 --> 00:40:19.960 Note the critical 00:40:19.960 --> 00:40:22.339 order in verse 7 00:40:22.339 --> 00:40:24.179 that Paul lays out 00:40:24.179 --> 00:40:24.440 there. 00:40:25.819 --> 00:40:27.319 Jesus' sacrifice 00:40:27.319 --> 00:40:28.599 for us by grace 00:40:28.599 --> 00:40:30.059 means that we 00:40:30.059 --> 00:40:32.019 really are unleavened. 00:40:32.099 --> 00:40:32.440 He's covered 00:40:32.440 --> 00:40:33.239 all of our sins 00:40:33.239 --> 00:40:34.239 and therefore 00:40:34.239 --> 00:40:36.239 we ought to pursue 00:40:36.239 --> 00:40:37.059 increasing holiness. 00:40:38.559 --> 00:40:39.879 We ought to be 00:40:39.879 --> 00:40:41.059 who we are. 00:40:42.099 --> 00:40:43.000 This grace 00:40:43.000 --> 00:40:43.979 leads us to obedience. 00:40:44.119 --> 00:40:44.839 It's not the other 00:40:44.839 --> 00:40:45.439 way around. 00:40:46.419 --> 00:40:47.019 Paul isn't saying 00:40:47.019 --> 00:40:47.839 you've got to clean 00:40:47.839 --> 00:40:48.679 up your act first 00:40:48.679 --> 00:40:49.479 so that Jesus 00:40:49.479 --> 00:40:50.319 will then decide 00:40:50.319 --> 00:40:51.399 to maybe cover you 00:40:51.399 --> 00:40:51.959 with his death. 00:40:52.019 --> 00:40:53.059 That's not the gospel, 00:40:53.259 --> 00:40:53.539 friends. 00:40:55.619 --> 00:40:56.579 The gospel is 00:40:56.579 --> 00:40:57.399 Jesus has died 00:40:57.399 --> 00:40:58.139 in your place 00:40:58.139 --> 00:41:00.159 like the Passover 00:41:00.159 --> 00:41:00.899 lamb in Exodus 00:41:00.900 --> 00:41:02.599 and now that you 00:41:02.599 --> 00:41:03.460 are free 00:41:03.460 --> 00:41:04.720 from sin's penalty 00:41:04.720 --> 00:41:06.000 and from sin's curse 00:41:06.000 --> 00:41:07.039 and your hearts 00:41:07.039 --> 00:41:07.920 have been changed, 00:41:08.380 --> 00:41:09.460 come follow him 00:41:09.460 --> 00:41:09.980 as Lord. 00:41:14.220 --> 00:41:15.579 Back in Exodus 12 00:41:15.579 --> 00:41:16.380 that Paul's sort of 00:41:16.380 --> 00:41:16.940 referencing here, 00:41:16.980 --> 00:41:17.619 what was the leaven, 00:41:17.680 --> 00:41:18.280 no leaven thing 00:41:18.280 --> 00:41:18.840 all about 00:41:18.840 --> 00:41:19.880 at the Passover? 00:41:21.360 --> 00:41:22.300 Paul reads it here 00:41:22.300 --> 00:41:22.780 on one level 00:41:22.780 --> 00:41:23.460 as a sign 00:41:23.460 --> 00:41:24.160 of the holiness 00:41:24.160 --> 00:41:24.900 of the community 00:41:24.900 --> 00:41:25.460 that they're being 00:41:25.460 --> 00:41:26.240 made new 00:41:26.240 --> 00:41:27.440 in that moment. 00:41:27.440 --> 00:41:29.820 The Exodus account 00:41:29.820 --> 00:41:30.400 in chapter 12 00:41:30.400 --> 00:41:30.840 verse 39 00:41:30.840 --> 00:41:31.400 suggests that 00:41:31.400 --> 00:41:32.760 they ate unleavened bread 00:41:32.760 --> 00:41:33.940 as a sign 00:41:33.940 --> 00:41:34.880 of how quickly 00:41:34.880 --> 00:41:35.940 they were thrust 00:41:35.940 --> 00:41:36.599 out of Egypt. 00:41:36.599 --> 00:41:47.639 Unit 16 00:41:49.839 --> 00:41:51.440 ... 00:41:51.440 --> 00:41:54.860 ... 00:41:54.860 --> 00:41:55.460 ... 00:41:55.779 --> 00:42:00.380 ... 00:42:00.380 --> 00:42:01.079 ... 00:42:01.079 --> 00:42:03.400 ... 00:42:03.519 --> 00:42:06.059 ... 00:42:06.059 --> 00:42:08.059 you 00:42:36.059 --> 00:42:43.059 so 00:43:06.059 --> 00:43:13.059 so 00:43:36.059 --> 00:43:43.059 so 00:43:43.059 --> 00:43:47.059 so 00:43:47.059 --> 00:43:51.059 so 00:43:51.059 --> 00:43:57.059 so 00:43:57.059 --> 00:44:03.059 so 00:44:03.059 --> 00:44:10.059 so 00:44:10.059 --> 00:44:14.059 so 00:44:14.059 --> 00:44:16.059 so 00:44:16.059 --> 00:44:18.059 so 00:44:18.059 --> 00:44:20.059 so 00:44:20.059 --> 00:44:24.059 so 00:44:24.059 --> 00:44:26.059 so 00:44:26.059 --> 00:44:29.059 so 00:44:29.059 --> 00:44:33.059 so 00:44:33.059 --> 00:44:37.059 so 00:44:37.059 --> 00:44:40.059 so 00:44:40.059 --> 00:44:44.059 so 00:44:44.059 --> 00:44:48.059 so 00:44:48.059 --> 00:44:50.059 so 00:44:50.059 --> 00:44:53.059 so 00:44:53.059 --> 00:44:57.059 so 00:44:57.059 --> 00:45:01.059 so 00:45:01.059 --> 00:45:03.059 so 00:45:03.059 --> 00:45:06.059 so 00:45:06.059 --> 00:45:10.059 so 00:45:10.059 --> 00:45:14.059 so 00:45:14.059 --> 00:45:16.059 so 00:45:16.059 --> 00:45:18.059 so 00:45:18.059 --> 00:45:21.059 so 00:45:21.059 --> 00:45:25.059 so 00:45:25.059 --> 00:45:29.059 so 00:45:29.059 --> 00:45:31.059 so 00:45:31.059 --> 00:45:33.059 so 00:45:33.059 --> 00:45:35.059 so 00:45:35.059 --> 00:45:38.059 so 00:45:38.059 --> 00:45:42.059 so 00:45:42.059 --> 00:45:46.059 so 00:45:46.059 --> 00:45:48.059 so 00:45:48.059 --> 00:45:50.059 so 00:45:50.059 --> 00:45:52.059 so 00:45:52.059 --> 00:45:55.059 so 00:45:55.059 --> 00:45:57.059 so 00:45:57.059 --> 00:45:59.059 so 00:45:59.059 --> 00:46:01.059 so 00:46:01.059 --> 00:46:03.059 so 00:46:03.059 --> 00:46:05.059 so 00:46:05.059 --> 00:46:07.059 so 00:46:07.059 --> 00:46:09.059 so 00:46:09.059 --> 00:46:12.059 so 00:46:12.059 --> 00:46:14.059 so 00:46:14.059 --> 00:46:16.059 so 00:46:16.059 --> 00:46:18.059 so 00:46:18.059 --> 00:46:20.059 so 00:46:20.059 --> 00:46:22.059 so 00:46:22.059 --> 00:46:24.059 so 00:46:24.059 --> 00:46:26.059 so 00:46:26.059 --> 00:46:28.059 so 00:46:28.059 --> 00:46:31.059 so 00:46:31.059 --> 00:46:33.059 so 00:46:33.059 --> 00:46:35.059 so 00:46:35.059 --> 00:46:37.059 so 00:46:37.059 --> 00:46:39.059 so 00:46:39.059 --> 00:46:41.059 so 00:46:41.059 --> 00:46:43.059 so 00:46:43.059 --> 00:46:45.059 so 00:46:45.059 --> 00:46:47.059 so 00:46:47.059 --> 00:46:49.059 so 00:46:49.059 --> 00:46:52.059 so 00:46:52.059 --> 00:46:59.059 so 00:46:59.059 --> 00:47:00.059 so 00:47:00.059 --> 00:47:02.059 so 00:47:02.059 --> 00:47:03.059 so 00:47:03.059 --> 00:47:04.059 so 00:47:04.059 --> 00:47:06.059 so 00:47:06.059 --> 00:47:08.059 so 00:47:08.059 --> 00:47:09.059 so 00:47:09.059 --> 00:47:11.059 so 00:47:11.059 --> 00:47:23.079 Thank you.