Word of Salvation – Vol. 45 No.43 – November 2000

 

Christian Discipline that Seeks to Restore the Sinner to God

 

Sermon by Rev. John Westendorp on 2Thessalonians 3:14-15

Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day 31

Scripture Readings: 1Corinthians 5 & 2Thesalonians 3:1-15

Suggested Hymns: BoW 72; 354; 237; 159

 

Theme:  The third mark of the Church – Christian discipline that seeks to restore the sinner to God.

 

Introduction:

 

Church shopping has become an important issue among Christians.

Christians moving to a new area look for a new doctor, a new mechanic and a new church too.

The big question is: how do church shoppers decide which church to join?

Denominational loyalties don’t count for much these days.
So some standard is needed to evaluate the churches we visit.
Often the same standard is used as with the doctor and the mechanic.

            Does a particular church meet my needs?
            Do I feel comfortable and at home among the people there?
            Does it treat me with the respect that I feel I deserve?

Back at the time of the Reformation finding the right church was a problem too.

The traditional church of the day was corrupt… but it still claimed to be the real church.

Meanwhile Lutheran, Reformed and Anabaptist churches sprang up all over Europe.

So how do we decide?  With our hormones… whether we feel good about a church or not?
Do we do it in a selfish way and ask whether a church is meeting our felt needs?
The Reformation taught that there are three marks by which to weigh up a church.

            First:  Is the gospel of Jesus Christ preached there in all its fullness?
            Second:  Are the sacraments administered according to Scripture?
            And third:  Is it a church in which Christian discipline is exercised?

Can you imagine what would happen if every Christian used that standard for church involvement?

I suspect that it would radically transform the church scene in this country.

Today we want to have a look at the third of these ‘marks of the church’… Christian discipline!

 

A]        THE NEED FOR CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE.

1.         Christian discipline is part of what we call – the administration of the ‘keys of the kingdom’.

That idea goes back to Matthew 16 where Jesus commended Peter for his profession of faith.

And then Jesus said to Peter… and thru him to the whole church leadership:
I will give you the keys of the kingdom.  And whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.
And whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

One way the church uses the keys is in the preaching of the gospel.
The binding and loosing happens whenever the saving work of Jesus is proclaimed.
The Kingdom is opened as we invite believers to accept the gospel promise of forgiveness.
It is closed whenever we warn unbelievers that if they reject Jesus they will die eternally.

That Gospel proclamation had happened at Thessalonica…. and at Corinth too.
Paul had come there with the good news about Jesus Christ.
And people had responded in faith.
The Kingdom of heaven had opened to many as Paul preached Jesus.
The result was flourishing churches at Thessalonica and Corinth and elsewhere.

But it is obvious from both our NT readings that more was needed than preaching.

Thriving churches… but thriving churches with some immense problems.

Christian discipline was needed… because serious sins needed to be confronted and dealt with.

2.         In Thessalonica there were a number of problems that Paul dealt with.

Some were saying that Jesus was due to return any day.
His coming again was just around the corner… as it were.
Some in Thessalonica even decided therefore that work was pointless.
Hey!  Why work 9 to 5 in the office if Jesus is coming back tomorrow or next week?

That attitude suited some people right down to the ground.
Some of the less motivated members quit work and bludged off others.
Lazy people… who found the second coming a good excuse to put their feet up.

Let me just demonstrate that this was a serious problem in this congregation at Thessalonica.
Our text is actually the third time that Paul addresses the issue.
Turn back with me to 1Thessalonians 4.
There we see Paul addressing the same problem in vss.11 &12
            Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business
            and to work with your hands, just like we told you,
            so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders
            and so that you will not be dependent on anyone.

Notice that – Paul had specifically talked about it when he had been present among them.
Apparently already then it had been a problem and he had told them so.
Then he had written them his first letter and sounded the warning once more.

Now in this letter in vss.11-13 he again speaks to them in no uncertain terms.
He calls these people “idle busybodies”.
People who don’t want to work but interfere in what everyone else is doing.
He strongly lays it on the line and says: If they don’t want to work let them not eat either.

And now here in our text he says that this is ultimately a matter of disobedience.
And if they are not going to be obedient then it’s time to administer some discipline.
Ongoing sin in the church needs to be dealt with in the way of Christian discipline.

3.         But there is something very telling at this point.

We have a tendency to limit Christian discipline as a matter for the elders to deal with.

We think of those times when the elders have told someone not to come to the Lord’s Supper.

Or some of our older members may recall an instance in which someone was excommunicated.

Here it is not first of all a matter for the elders but for whole congregation.
Not for the Session… but for the membership of the church.
Paul here involves all of us… ordinary pew-sitters as well as office bearers.

Okay, it’s true that there is special place for the leadership to apply Christian discipline.
In Mat.18 Jesus says that if your brother sins against you and won’t listen, tell the church.
IOW – after first taking appropriate steps yourself… involve the leadership.
The ultimate responsibility for handling the Keys of the Kingdom rests with the elders.

That’s also obvious in that other scenario in 1Corinthians 5.
The leadership of the church needed to deal with that man who lived with his father’s wife.

But the point is that discipline is also to involve the whole congregation.
Both these letters we’ve read from… are addressed to congregations… not just the leaders.
And often Christian discipline in the church has been ineffective for this very reason.
We’ve tended to leave it totally up to the elders.
            And we have not made sure that there was discipline happening at the grass roots.
            What Paul says in our text he says to the whole church.

 

B]         THE METHOD OF CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE.

1.         Okay – if there is a point at which all of us are to be involved in Christian discipline how do we do that?

In our text Paul says that three things ought to happen in Biblical discipline.

First: Paul says that we are “to take special note” of such a person.
It literally has the idea of marking someone… or singling someone out.
Those idle busybodies who are not being obedient are to be identified.
These people who don’t want to work and who depend on everyone else… note them!

Paul doesn’t hesitate to do that himself in the situation in 1Corinthians 5.
He spells it out.  Okay… the name of the man isn’t mentioned.
But everyone would immediately have known who Paul is talking about.
That man who was openly living with his own father’s wife.
Paul identifies him… and he calls on the Thessalonian Christians to identify the disobedient.

That doesn’t go down well in our politically correct society.
Shock, horror!  To actually identify people in the church who are blatantly disobedient.
Tolerance is the catch cry today.
            Listen to some people and it seems that tolerance is the only virtue worth having.
            Anything and everything goes… except intolerance.

Christians can even come up with a text to support their tolerant attitude.
Do not judge and you will not be judged!  There it is in Luke 6:37.
And now Paul says that we are to take special note of people who are disobedient.
We are to identify them…!  How do we reconcile that with Luke 6…?
The answer is in the last verses of 1Corinthians 5.
            We do not judge those outside the church… that’s God’s business.
            But we do judge those inside the church… that’s part of Christian discipline.

2.         Secondly, Paul says that Christian discipline ought to include a form of avoidance.

We are to make special note of such a person, for this reason… not to associate with him.

Now we need to be clear that this does not mean that you cannot talk to such a person.
That becomes obvious from what Paul says in the next verse.
What Paul means is that there is to be no close fellowship with such a person.
The idea is to keep your distance… almost the idea of shunning someone.
You find the same thing in vs.6.
            In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers,
            to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to this teaching…!

Please note though that it is Christians who are to be treated this way… not unbelievers.
Paul makes that quite clear in 1Cor.5¹⁰.
Paul says there that he doesn’t at all mean that we are to avoid the people of the world.
It’s ‘brothers’… people who name the name of Christ but whose behaviour is a problem.
And the purpose, says Paul, is to make them feel ashamed.

It’s wonderful to see those times when this has worked in the church.
I’ve known people who have complained to me that no one wants much to do with them.
Church people are avoiding them… the congregation has effectively put them under discipline.
            And when it comes to the crunch they darn well know why.
            It’s a challenge to them to deal with their sinful behaviour.

Of course I’ve also met others who are puzzled why the church will have little to do with them.
They complain that the church ignores them… not realising they are under discipline.
Because they don’t see themselves as being sinful… there is no sense of shame as yet.

3.         That’s why there has to be a third element to Christian discipline.

There also needs to be admonition.  So Paul adds: “…warn him as a brother!”

Some Bibles translate this as ‘admonish him as a brother’.
And I guess that this is where some of us really struggle with Christian discipline.
At this point we’re ready to hand the whole business over to the elders.
            Admonishing someone is not our ‘cup of tea’.
            Come on!  Isn’t that what we have elders for…?

But Paul isn’t talking to the elders here… he’s talking to people like you.
So how do we admonish someone?

In the original language we have here a compound word made up of two other words.
The Greek word for “put” and the Greek word for “mind”.
The English word ‘remind’ come close.
So perhaps we should remind these people that their behaviour is wrong.

There is another word that is perhaps more appropriate.  The word ‘counsel’.
When we counsel someone we bring ideas into their mind.
We advise and instruct… to help people deal with their behaviour.
            And that is exactly what Paul has been doing in these two letters.
            Reminding these people how God would have them work and not be idle.

Again that flies in the face of our tolerant society.
Our society basically says: live and let live.
God’s word says admonish / warn / counsel those who are disobedient.
If you merely avoid them to make them ashamed they may not realise why you’re doing that.
            Warn them so that they will know why you are keeping away from them.
            In this way they may become ashamed of their ungodly behaviour and deal with it.

 

C]         THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE.

1.         I want to spend a little time looking at the reason why Paul is so strong on this matter.

Why can’t we just go with the flow… live and let live?

Why can’t we just be tolerant and let people sort their own lives out?

Do we all really need to get into all this discipline stuff?

Well, yes, we do… and the first reason for that is clearly: the glory of God.
God was not honoured by the laziness of these people in Thessalonica.
Their interference… and their busybody lifestyle brought discredit to God’s holy name.

Or that outrageous behaviour in Corinth…!  What an affront to God’s holiness!
It was sin… and then of the worst kind.
A scandal even to the neighbouring pagans who’s own lifestyle left a lot to be desired.

We should add that the witness of the gospel was tarnished in both cases.
Its credibility was undermined by Thessalonian laziness.
But also by the immorality that allowed this man to have his father’s wife.
What’s the point of the gospel when it makes no difference to someone’s behaviour?

Repeatedly God’s honour is at stake in the church today when sinful behaviour is permitted.
Christians break their marriage vows to go off with someone else.
            And they tell us that their own marriage was finished anyway.
            Or that they prayed about it and God gave them a sense of peace about it.
            How can God do that… when His written Word calls it disobedience?
            For the honour of God… take special note of such a man… avoid him… warn him.

2.         Secondly, this kind of discipline is also needed for the purity of the church.

That becomes very obvious in the scenario in 1 Corinthians 5.

How can a church tolerate that sort of behaviour in her midst?

Paul spells it out clearly when he calls them to get rid of the old yeast of sin.
Sin is like yeast that works its way through a whole batch of dough.
You don’t need much of it… but it slowly and surely infects every part of the dough.

For example, some congregations have been tolerant of alcohol abuse.
It wasn’t seen as a major problem… people learnt to live with it.
But more and more it was like that yeast… permeating the whole batch of flour.
Until it began to hinder the effectiveness of that congregation.

Paul says to the Corinthian church: Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch.
And then he links it to what Jesus did: For Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed.
He took our sins upon Himself… to wash His church and make it pure and holy.
So let’s be done with wilful sin in our midst.
            Let’s be disciplined to try to get it out of our churches.
            Get rid of the old yeast of sin before it leavens the whole dough.

In Thessalonica the church was being pulled apart by these idle busybodies.
These people were not being good examples to younger members.
And in the community they were bringing the church into disrepute.
            Sin breaks down the church… whether it’s sexual immorality or gossip.
            Whether it is laziness or slander… the health of the church is at risk.
            For the sake of the church… take special note of such a man… avoid him… warn him.

3.         But there is a third reason for Christian discipline.

It is also for the purpose of restoring the sinner… that they might repent and find forgiveness.

Here Paul, in our text is quite specific.
Paul warns that despite discipline this person is not to be treated as an enemy.
You identify the disobedient person… you do not give him close fellowship.
But isn’t it easy then to go the whole way and wash your hands of that person?

So we need that little reminder:  Do not regard him as an enemy.
You do still need to get alongside him… not for Christian fellowship… but to warn him.
And the reason for that is his eternal well-being.

In 1Corinthians 5 Paul strongly urged that the immoral man be cast out of the church.
The congregation was called to avoid him.
And elders and the Session were called to excommunicate him.
But the whole purpose was so that his soul might be saved on the day of Jesus’ return.

Some people have immense problems with Christian discipline in the church.
They claim that discipline is not loving.
            Fancy having to judge someone and identify him or her as disobedient…!
            And then to have to avoid them…!  How unloving can you get?

I always wonder whether people who say that have lost perspective on life.
Okay, there have been times when our discipline of one another has been harsh.
But which is more unloving?  To let people live on in their sin and perish for eternity?
Or to be firm in our avoidance and our rebuke in order to bring them back into the Kingdom?
For the sake of that person… take special note of such a man… avoid him… warn him.
So that by the grace of God we may receive them back into the fellowship of the church.
It’s beautiful when we use the power of the keys in this way to restore sinners.

Amen.