Alright, let's take our Bibles
now, and if you will, turn with me to the book of Matthew chapter
18. I've got a long text, so we'll read through it, and
then I'll do my best to teach you what it says. Matthew chapter
18, beginning with verse 15. Moreover, now he just finished
telling us to be careful about offending your brother. He said
it would be better for you to cause a divisive separation,
for you to cause a permanent separation, a permanent offense
with your brother, it would be better for you that a millstone
be tied about your neck and cast into the middle of the sea. And
now he's going to add to that some things. Moreover, if thy
brother shall trespass against thee, go tell him his fault between
thee and him alone, just you and him. If he shall hear thee,
thou hast gained thy brother. But if he won't hear thee, if
he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more. that
in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear
them, tell it to the church. But if he neglect to hear the
church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, whatsoever
ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. whatsoever
ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I
say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching
anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of
my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Then
came Peter to Him and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin
against me, and I forgive him? Seven times? Jesus saith unto
him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy
times seven. That is, there is no end of this
thing of forgiveness. That's what he's telling me.
Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king."
Now he's going to give us a parable and illustrate for us these things
he's been teaching us. The kingdom of heaven likened
unto a certain king which would take account of his servants.
And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which
owed him 10,000 talents. Mr. Hawker says that that's over
$3 million in today's money. But for as much as he had not
to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and
his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant, therefore, fell
down and worshipped him. That is, he was in agreement
with him. He justified him in his judgment. And he said, Lord, have patience
with me, and I'll pay thee all. Then the Lord of that servant
was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the
debt. But the same servant went out
and found one of his fellow servants which owed him a hundred pence. Just a little piddly sum. And he laid hands on him and
took him by the throat. Think about that. Took him by
the throat, saying, pay me that thou ow'st. And his fellow servant
fell down at his feet and besought him saying, have patience with
me. I'll pay thee off. And he would not. But went and
cast him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when
his fellow servant saw what was done, they were very sorry. And they came and told unto their
Lord all that was done. Then his Lord, after that he
had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave
thee all that debt, because thou desirest me. Shouldest not thou
also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had
pity on thee? And his Lord was wroth, and delivered
him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto
him. So likewise shall my heavenly
Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not
every one his brother their trespass." That's pretty clear, isn't it?
That's pretty clear. I'll tell you what that tells
us. There's no excuse. There's no excuse. Now, I have this morning two
of the most difficult subjects to deal with, both in this Sunday
school lesson and in the message that I prepared for you this
morning. They're two things that I would not go choose if I had
my choice of subjects. This is not a subject that I
like to teach church discipline. A lot rather talk to you about
justification or atonement or anything but church discipline.
And I say this to my shame and yours, that it's needful to be
taught. If it wasn't needful to be taught,
it wouldn't be in the Word of God. And I know by the Word of God
that He is teaching these things to those who are going to write
the New Testament. This is a favored few. This is His apostles that He
is teaching this time. And it was necessary to teach
them. And if it is necessary to teach them, I guarantee you
it is necessary for us to learn. The Lord gives His instructions
concerning divisions among the brethren, knowing that such divisions
because of our old natures would arise. And another thing that
he does is he gives these instructions with an eye to his local churches
that would be established through these men. He'd already told
Peter, he said, upon this rock will I build my church. He has
local churches that he builds. He builds them. I don't build
them. He builds them. Pastures don't build them. Christ
built them. We're fellow laborers with God.
But God does the effects of work. So he gives these things with
an eye to the local churches, which would presently be established
through their preaching and with their oversight. And before we
get into these instructions, there's something I think we
all need to know. These offenses of which he speaks
here in verse 15 are not petty differences. What do I mean petty
differences? Things that you overlook in your
own children every day. Anybody here got any perfect
children? Don't make me have to call you
down. There's no such thing. But we overlook those things.
And husbands and wives, we're to overlook these petty differences
that we had between one another. These little things sometimes
we get so upset about, you think about it for about two minutes
and you go back and say, well, I didn't really mean to do that.
I didn't really mean to say that. You just need to overlook those
things. This is not what he's talking about here in these verses
at all. All of those things he covered
way back in Matthew chapter 5. It's better to be wronged and
let the Lord settle the matter than to divide with your brother
over petty offenses. We're sinners saved by grace. And to not be patient and kind
to those who owe us is a complete denial of the experience of grace
and how God saved us. Isn't it? It's a total denial.
Here's this servant. was forgiven this huge debt. And he turned right around and
totally denied everything that happened and went out and did
the same thing to that servant. I think that parable just clears
the bell on these things. Now, that being said, there are
some offenses that bring about permanent separations And they're
outlined in four categories in the New Testament Scriptures.
The first of these offenses, there's four of them now, the
first of these offenses has to do with financial business offenses. Two men reach a business agreement,
maybe they're partners or maybe one works for the other one and
one owes a debt to the other but refuses to pay it and it
causes contention and division. How is this thing going to get
settled? How is it going to get settled? Is it going to take
him to law? Is it going to take him down to local court? How
is this thing going to get settled? Well, you can find out the answer
to it over in 1 Corinthians 6. In verse 1, Paul says, Dare any
of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the
unjust? You're going to take this matter
between brethren who are enlightened to spiritual things and spiritual
matters. You're going to not settle it
there, but you're going to take these affairs and seek for a
just resolution to this argument by going over to the courts of
the unjust? He said, dare any of you do that? And not before the saints? Do
you not know that the saints shall judge the world? Are you
ignorant of that, that the saints shall judge the world? And if
the world shall be judged by you, are you not unworthy to
judge the smallest matters? Know you not that we shall judge
angels? How much more things that pertain
unto this life." Verse 7. Now therefore, there is utterly
a fault among you because you go to law one with another. Why
do you not rather just take the wrong and make God settle it?
Why don't you just take it and move on? Move on. The Lord will settle this matter.
He'll take care of it. Why do you not rather suffer
yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, now you do wrong. Now listen, and you defraud. You defraud now, and that your
brethren. All right, here's the second.
There are divisive bickering offenses. By divisive bickering,
I mean self-conceited men trying to belittle others with their
intellect, with their natural talents or gifts, and worldly
wisdom. I Corinthians 3, verse 18. Let no man deceive himself, if
any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world. Let him
become a fool. Who's he talking to here? He's
talking to believers. Let him become a fool that he
may be wise. How can you become a fool and
be made wise? Because when you become a fool,
Christ becomes your wisdom. He becomes your wisdom. You no
longer operate on your wisdom, you operate on His. We no longer
look at what we think is right, but we look at what He declares
to be right. Christ is our wisdom. For the
wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. It's utter foolishness. When we stand before men and
try to to make ourselves appear intellectual
and smart, and we stand up there in pride, pretty much boasting
of ourselves. We're utter fools before God. For the wisdom of this world
is foolishness with God, and it is written, He taketh the
wise in their own craftiness. And again, the Lord knoweth the
thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. It is all vanity. Therefore let no man glory in
men. And I am telling you this, Nothing
is more quick to cause a needless division or hurt feelings than
a smart aleck, and I'm being kind here, a smart aleck showing
off his wisdom. Nothing is more quick than that
to cause a division. Christ is our wisdom. In fact,
he says this toward his own disciples. When those Pharisees came up
there in their self-righteousness and their exalted wisdom and
worldly wisdom and just played down these men and tried to just
come in and take over where these men were trying to preach and
trying to teach these things of God, our Lord had a very stout
rejection of these men. And then He prayed. And He said,
I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent. I'm thankful that you did that.
Why? Because they would have lorded
it over everybody they met. He hides these things. And then
thirdly, here's the third Offense. And these are offenses
in which when they happen, where to go to that one? If you're
the offended party, you're to go to him in love. Not going
to go over there shaking your finger. Go over there in love.
And sit down and try to reason with him. And try to show him
his offense. But if he won't hear you, you
come back and get two more. You come back and get two more.
Now you don't tell everybody in the whole community where
you're going. You go by yourself. Keep it quiet. Talk to him. Maybe you can resolve that thing
right there. Most of the time, I think we
can. But if you can't, then take two more with you. Take two more
with you. And if that don't work, you take
the whole church. And if he won't hear you, he
needs to go out the door. He needs to go out the door. Here's the third offense. Clearly
established and public known moral offenses. In 1 Corinthians
chapter 5, Paul writes to the Corinthians about a church member.
This is a church member. This man who comes in here just
like you did this morning, shakes your hand, comes in the door,
calls you brother, comes in here and opens his hymn book and sings
the hymns. listens to you preach when you
stand up to preach, and every so often says, amen, amen. This
was a church member. And he was having an incestual
relationship with his mother or his stepmother, whichever
it was. It says mother. I'm going to tell you something.
If you want to live by your own code, go somewhere else and do
it. You're not going to do it here.
You're not going to do it here. Not very long. You want to live according to
your own will and desires? Don't profess faith in Christ
and join a local church. Quit trying to pretend like you're
religious. You want to do that? Go somewhere
else. There are lots of places out here that will take you right
in if that's what you want to do. Now, I want you to listen
to this. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 20. What, know you not that your
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which
you have of God, and you are not your own? Don't you know
that? For you are bought with a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's. God has given to you, if you
indeed are His, a great privilege and honor to be called his son. That's the highest privilege
and honor there is. To be called his son. Be careful. Be careful how you behave as
his son. He'll chastise you. He'll chastise you if you're
his. Be careful how you behave in
this world after professing faith because your actions cause shame
and reproach against not only your Heavenly Father, not only
against the Savior whom you've professed to believe, but also
on His other children. You bring shame and reproach.
Well, where do you go to church that you can act like that? I go over to that church over
there in Taylor. That's what I thought. You see
what I'm saying? It brings shame and reproach
upon the name of Christ and upon the people of Christ. Paul goes
on to say, I'm talking about things that are publicly known,
things that are done unashamedly in public. Everybody knows about
it. They just don't talk about it. Fornicators, adulterers, abusers
of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers. You know what a reviler is? I
had to look that word up. I wasn't sure. A reviler is somebody
who's quick to jump down your throat. That's a reviler. Just
to put it in plain old common simple language, this is a man,
you say something to him, boy, right down your throat he goes.
That's reviling. Reviling. Nor extortioners. None of this. If these things
define the tenor of your life, I'm not talking about isolated
incidents. We're all guilty of isolated incidents. I'm talking
about if this is the tenor, if this is the way you act most
of the time, you're not going to inherit the kingdom of God.
That's not what I said. That's what he said. They shall
not inherit the kingdom of God. And I'll be honest with you,
I love my children. But I could not in good conscience
let my children continue to live in my house and continue to do
any of these things that he just mentioned without at least attempting
some kind of disciplinary action. Could you? And if they wouldn't
respond to it, they're going to have to go. If you think I'm not serious,
you need to talk to some of my children. Because I put them
out in the yard. Hit the road. You're not going
to live here and do this. You're not going to do it. Not
going to do it. And the same thing goes for here.
We're not going to do it. We're not going to do it. I'll
do everything in my power to reconcile you to the truth. I'll do everything in my power
to resolve the issue. But if I can't resolve it, there's
the door. There's the door. And that's
what he's teaching in this passage. And then the fourth category
of divisive offenses that demand immediate attention is heretical
doctrinal offenses. Titus chapter 3, verse 10. A man who is a heretic, After
the first and second admonition, you go to him as an individual
and you say, you're wrong. You're wrong. What you're trying
to teach, what you're trying to tell somebody out here, what
you're trying to tell me out here in private, that's just
not so. It's just not so. But he won't hear you. And so
you go back and you get two more and you take them with you or
three and you sit down and you tell him now, This is just not
my personal opinion. I brought two or three more here
to tell you the same thing. This is not right. You need to
listen to us. You need to let us reason what
you hear in the Scriptures. But if he won't, after the first
and second admonition, listen. Reject. Reject him. Reject him as a brother and treat
him as a heathen. knowing that he that is such
is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." And it's
not talking here about little differences, but in things that
directly affect the faith of God's elect, and especially as
those things that are taught by the pastor of that local church.
Brother Don told us a long time ago, He never told me what to
preach on. He never signed me a passage
or told me preach on this or don't preach on that. He never
did that. But one thing he gathered us all and said, you can preach
anything you want, but you preach something contrary to what I
preach, you won't do it but once. You won't do it but once. You're
going to do it a second time. You're going to do it somewhere
else, not here. These four things are major issues. that cause shame and reproach
to the church and to our Lord, and they're a danger to the welfare
of the church. That's the thing. It's like a
cancer. And that's what he tells either
Timothy or Titus, I forget which it was, he said, their words
do eat as a canker, as a cancer. It's a cancer. And there's no
excuses for these divisions or continuing contention in the
church. God has forgiven us of the most
vile and despicable sins there is in every one of us. There's
not a one of you in here this morning, believer or unbeliever,
who has not the potential in his heart to do anything that
any other man has ever done. Great sins. Too evil to even
mention. And there ought to be in us some
life-altering knowledge of this and a spirit of kindness and
love and patience, shouldn't there? There should be and is in every
believer a spirit of union and fellowship in Christ. That's
what communion is. It means common union. We have a common union with one
another. Grace is the great leveler. It
brings down the wise with the ignorant, the rich with the poor. You see what I'm saying? Male
and female. Jew and Gentile. It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter. He brings you all down on one
level. Grace is the great leveler. He puts us all on the same foundation. Paul said in Colossians 3, verse
11, that in him there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor
uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all
and in all. And I as your pastor and you
as individuals and us as a church are responsible with all lowliness,
listen to these words, with all lowliness, and meekness, with
all long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, to endeavor
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That's
our responsibility. I'm commanded to forgive. Well,
what about the next time? Forgive. What about the next
time? Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. And there's no end to
it. And then let me say this, and
I'll quit. What our Lord tells us about binding things here. There's two men here, they agree
on something, and it's bound here, it's bound in heaven. Two of us agreeing on something
here. And what we agree on, it'll be
done in heaven. And then of Him being in the
midst of two or three gathered together in His name. All of
those statements. I want you to hear me, is in
direct connection with this discipline of forgiveness. He's talking
about those two or three that go to settle that argument. He
said, I'm in the midst. And if they're agreed on this
thing, I'm in agreement. Whatever's bound here in this
action, it's bound there. It's bound there. These divisions
directly affect the unity of this body, and so they directly
affect our worship. And I say this, God forbid that
any of these things be so in this congregation, but if they
do, don't let the sun go down. Don't let the sun go down on
your wrath. You get it settled. You get it settled. Because it
don't just affect you. Well, it's just between me and
him. No, it's affecting everybody in here. Well, it's just between
me and him. No, no, no. It affects your Lord. It affects
the gospel. It affects folks who come here
to hear. It affects them. It affects them. I'd like to see personally a
lot more unity in this church. I'd like to see a lot more concern
in us over the needs of others. I won't see that. It ought to be the fruit of the
gospel that I preach. And it certainly is the experience
of grace. It is certainly that. And let's
just get rid of all these petty differences, whatever they are.
We just need to get rid of them and come together as sinners
saved by grace. That's what we are. Sinners! Sinners! Saved by grace. Let me close with reading the
last four verses of Ephesians chapter 4. In verse 29, he said, Let no
corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which
is good to the use of edifying, to teach, to teach. that it may minister, now listen,
grace to the hearer. Grace to the hearer. And grieve not, because when
you don't, it does. Grieve not the Holy Spirit of
God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all
bitterness and wrath and anger And clamor, you know what clamor
is? That's when a man stands up and cries out loud so he can
be heard by everybody against whatever it is you're telling
him. That clamor. He said, just let that go. And
evil speaking. Let all those things be put away
from you with all malice, that is, with your intention to do
harm. And that's what we want to do when we get offended, ain't
it? Bust him in the mouth. That's not the way of grace.
That's not the way God dealt with you. And that's not the
way we're to deal with one another. He said, just let all that mess
be put aside. All that malice, let it be aside. And He said, be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for
Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Be followers of God as dear
children and walk in love as Christ has loved us and given
Himself for us in offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet
smelling savor. Walk like that. Live like that. Live like children because children
is what believers are. And let's not be offensive for
Christ's sake. Amen.