Church Discipline

4 SERVICES REMINDER

Good morning! My name is David Sorn, and I’m the Lead Pastor here at Renovation Church.

Just a quick reminder that 2 weeks from today, on March 16th, we will be expanding to 4 services.

Service times will be at 8:00, 9:10, 10:20, & 11:30.

This will last for 10 weeks, and on Memorial Day weekend, we will go back to 3 services for the summer.

We are in great need of people moving to the 8:00am service where there will be FREE coffee before the 8am service, EVERY week!

Or, there is also room still in our 11:30 service as well!

But our services in the 9:00 & 10:00 hours are starting to get very full.

That starts in 2 weeks!

1 TIMOTHY INTRO

All right, as a church we are teaching verse-by-verse through the letter of 1 Timothy in the Bible.

And over the next several weeks, these messages from 1 Timothy might sound funny (or maybe even wrong!) to your ears.

But I assure you, it’s not because they’re unbiblical (we’re literally just reading the actual Bible passage and talking about it)…

…it’s because most Christians nowadays have grown up on topical preaching where pastors can skip the hard stuff, and trust me, 1 Timothy almost always gets skipped!

So on that note, let’s open up to 1 Timothy!

1 Timothy 1:18-20

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And today we’ve to a passage that references the topic of church discipline.

I’m going to guess you’ve probably never heard a message on church discipline before.

But the sad thing is, it’s not even an obscure topic in the New Testament.

The process of church discipline is mentioned not once, but SEVERAL times in the Bible.

All right, let’s jump in

(1 Timothy 1:18-20) – NIV

18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

(Church Discipline)

We’re going to spend most of our time on that tricky verse 20, but let me spend a minute on how verses 18 & 19 are connected to it

So Paul reminds Timothy to remember the encouraging promises God has made about his life and ministry.

And Paul says that will help Timothy to not give up in serving God.

And if we’re all going to fight that battle well, verse 19 tells us that we must hold on to our faith and a good conscience.

That’s important because if you continually walk in sin, and don’t confess and repent (that is “turn from your sin)…you can numb your conscience

And when you numb your conscience, it gets easier and easier to go the wrong way

Because your spiritual enemy, the devil, is still doing battle against you, but if you’ve numbed your warning system (your conscience) the enemy is going to be landing strikes on you unimpeded.

And that’s incredibly dangerous.

So much so that Paul says (at the end of verse 19) that it can lead to the “shipwreck of your faith”

And that’s what happened to Hymenaeus that Paul calls out in our passage

In fact we learn more about Hymenaeus in 2nd Timothy

(2 Timothy 2:14-16) – NIV

6 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.

So Hymenaeus was lying and saying that Jesus had already come back, and thus he was severely damaging Timothy’s young church plant in Ephesus.

And so Paul removes Hymenaeus (and someone named Alexander) from the church.

We’ll talk more about this “handed over to Satan” language a bit later.

WHAT IS CHURCH DISCIPLINE?

But for now, let’s talk more about this phrase (this process) of what is often called “Church Discipline”…because that’s what has happened to Hymenaeus

And study it in more of the Scriptures.

Matthew 18:15-17

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The process of church discipline, which can ultimately result in removing someone from Christian fellowship, was instituted by Jesus Himself.

I want you to look closely at His words, and then we’ll talk through His process.

(Matthew 18:15-17) – NIV

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Okay, what Jesus gives us here is a four-step process for what is typically called Church Discipline.

JESUS’ FOUR-STEP PROCESS FOR CHURCH DISCIPLINE

#1: Talk to them privately

If we see someone trapped in sin, we should talk to them about it, 1-on-1.

Look what Paul says in Galatians 6

(Galatians 6:1a) – NIV

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.

Don’t miss that word GENTLY. Take the plank out of your own eye too as you talk to them!

#1: Talk to them privately

But both Jesus & Paul insist that our heart posture should be to go and talk to them…to restore our Christians brothers & sisters who are caught in sin.

But in our culture, especially in the Midwest, a lot of us want to say, “That’s none of my business”

But if they’re in your church (particularly your House Church), your family, it IS your business

If I’m drifting from God, I hope my best friends would obey the Word of God, and privately pull me aside like Jesus tells them to.

Okay, then Jesus says that if you talk to your friend, but they just wave you off…we are to move to step #2:

#2: Include other believers

This could be other family members, or other Christian friends, people from your small group.

I realize this is probably the least compelling pitch for House Church ever, but today’s topic is part of the reason of why we all should submit ourselves to being in a body of believers that actually knows us.

If you just come here to Sunday Church and no one knows you, that’s not really the full scope of church.

You need to put yourself in a House Church, where people will run after you if you start to wander.

But then Jesus says if you and your friends talk to them, and they STILL wave you off, then you move to step #3:

#3: Take it to church leadership.

In the way our church is structured, that would be our elders, which would be the leader of your House Church.

And the elder would try and speak to the person.

And if they didn’t listen to their elder, it would go to someone on our the pastoral staff, and if still they didn’t listen, then to myself and our church board.

But how do you know when to take it to step #3…this is not just friends talking anymore, this is getting serious:

Here’s the best Biblical advice I can give you:

Only move to step #3 if the sin is:

Unrepentant, outward, and significant

If churches (or Christians) try and do church discipline, but they don’t follow Jesus’ sequential steps in Mt 18…

…or they don’t follow these principles, they’ll create a Pharisaical culture that will create a lot of pain, and drive a lot of people away.

So let’s talk through these 3, starting with unrepentance.

Firstly, if the person is repentant…they’re saying, “Yes, I have a serious problem, but I am so sorry, and I want to do the right thing and please my God.”

Then, you pray with them, help them, support them…that’s not something that needs to go further down the steps of church disciple”

Secondly, we don’t see Biblical examples of church discipline being done on inward sins.

It’s hard to judge the heart: “That person seems like they’re really bitter!”

Maybe they just have an angry face

And thirdly, the Biblical examples where something is elevated to this 3rd step of bringing in church leadership are always significant sins.

Some Bible scholars have suggested using the list of major sins listed in 1 Corinthians 6, or Galatians 5 as examples.

So if we put it all 3 together, that means we only move to step #3 (church leadership) when it’s a person who is professing to be a Christian…

…they are unrepentantly & outwardly engaging in significant sins like drunkenness, adultery, abuse, heading toward an unbiblical divorce, and others.

The Bible also lists the sins of false teaching & division as examples worthy of church discipline

(Titus 3:10) – NIV

10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.

But if a person is sinning unrepentantly, outwardly, and significantly …and they refuse to listen even to church leadership…then we are to, with tears, move to step #4:

#4: Remove them from the church

Jesus said in Matthew 18:17:“treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”

…that is those outside the fellowship of believers.

Let’s keep looking at what other Scriptures say about this topic:

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

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We’re going to see a sin in the Corinthian Church, by a professed Christian that, again, is unrepentant, outward (it’s public knowledge), and very significant/serious.

(1 Corinthians 5:1-5) – NIV

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

#4: Remove them from the church

Leave this open. We’re going to stay in this chapter a bit.

Okay, at the end there, that’s the same language Paul used in 1 Timothy 1.

Hand them over to Satan.

That is to put them outside the realm of the church…outside of the protection of God’s church…and out in the world where Satan is the prince of the air (Ephesians 2:2)

Now, in America, we rarely get to this 4th step in our churches…where one is removed.

For one, because too many churches don’t even practice these Biblical steps.

And secondly, if you do go through the steps, it rarely gets to the end of step 4.

In part, because many people as you work the steps, will repent, and come back to following Christ.

And that’s the goal!

But also in America, often, if people are confronted and don’t want to repent, what do they do?

They say, “Well, I’m done with you. I’ll just go to a different church. Or stop going to church…and so THEY remove themselves from the process”

But step #4 of church discipline is meant for the one who won’t repent, but is determined to stay a full-fledged member of the church, and that happens sometimes.

You can probably imagine that this was a much bigger deal throughout history.

If you were in Timothy’s church in Ephesus, and it’s the only church within 100 miles…

Or if you were in a rural church in America 100 years ago, and it’s the only church…

…being removed from the fellowship of the church, is incredibly difficult.

And it was meant to be, because it was meant to show you what you were missing, so you would come back!

3 REASONS WHY WE SHOULD DO THIS

And speaking of that, let me give you 3 reasons why church discipline is still important

3 Reasons Why Church Discipline is Important

#1: We need to protect the honor of God’s Name

I’ll put that back on the screen in a moment, but Paul talks further about this in that same 1 Corinthians 5 passage if you still have it open.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

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(1 Corinthians 5:9-13) – NIV

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

3 Reasons Why Church Discipline is Important

#1: We need to protect the honor of God’s Name

We are not used to language like this! In part because churches keep skipping these passages!

But listen, if someone is openly & significantly sinning and they won’t repent, they should be removed from the church.

If our American churches do not obey all of these verses we keep reading, then we’re disobeying God.

So why is this so important to God?

Well, firstly because it dishonors the name of Christ when those who outwardly & significantly sin…yet claim the name of Christian

Think about this example Paul is citing.

A man is engaging in incest, boasting about it, AND telling everyone he is a follower and imitator of Jesus Christ.

If Christians go around telling people that they should be faithful, and pure, and holy…but then we openly engage in that same sin, and aren’t even sad about it… (which is the key, we’re not just talking about people who mess up)

…that is such a confusing witness to the watching world.

And so Paul is saying, “Don’t let these people tarnish the honor and name of Christ like that!

If they won’t repent, hand them over to the world so that people won’t think that’s what it is to be a Christian!”

Let me give you a 2nd Biblical reason why it’s important we rediscover this Biblical practice

3 Reasons Why Church Discipline is Important

#1: We need to protect the honor of God’s Name

#2: We need to protect God’s sheep from sin

Look at what Paul says in 2 Thessalonians

(2 Thessalonians 3:6) – NIV

6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

3 Reasons Why Church Discipline is Important

#1: We need to protect the honor of God’s Name

#2: We need to protect God’s sheep from sin

And so in 1 Timothy 1, the church leaders in Ephesus removed Hymenaeus because Hymenaeus was teaching lies about Jesus to the Christians, but calling himself a Christian!

And the only way Paul can protect those Christian sheep is to use the authority of the church and remove Hymenaeus

But it’s not just false teaching that is dangerous, but, unrepentant, outward, significant sin…is also dangerous to the rest of the sheep

Paul mentions that in that 1 Corinthians 5 passage in front of you

1 Corinthians 5:6

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(1 Corinthians 5:6) – NIV

6 Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?

3 Reasons Why Church Discipline is Important

#1: We need to protect the honor of God’s Name

#2: We need to protect God’s sheep from sin

Paul is saying: “If we as church leaders don’t confront this man committing incest (and even boasting about it)…if we don’t get him out of the church…then sexual sin is going to spread to the other sheep”

Likewise, if we don’t take it seriously when church members commit sexual sin, or abuse their spouse, start using drugs, or sleep around with other church members, then other Christians are going to feel like those things are not a big deal.

I’ve seen this play out before

In the very few times I’ve dealt with a church member who was in unrepentant, outward, significant sin…and yet still wanted to stay at our church

…I’ve felt along with our other leaders, “If this person openly calls themselves a Jesus follower, cheats on their spouse, go on drugs (or whatever the situation is), and then boasts about it, that they’ve never felt better…”

“…if as leaders, we do nothing …”

…then what are we communicating to the other sheep in the church?

That they too can have Jesus and adultery? That sin really won’t hurt them, but will make them happier?

And so Church Discipline protects the other sheep in the church from sin by showing them that no, that’s not what it means to be a Christian, and there are real consequences to living that way.

Okay, let me give you the 3rd, and perhaps most important reason.

3 Reasons Why Church Discipline is Important

#1: We need to protect the honor of God’s Name

#2: We need to protect God’s sheep from sin

#3: We need to restore the sinner back to spiritual health

This is the main point.

In 1 Timothy 1 today, Paul says that he has handed Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

He wants them to learn not to speak heresy against God.

He wants them to be restored to the church.

And Paul knows that if we do nothing with people in unrepentant, outward, & significant sin…we are not helping them.

In fact, as their brothers & sisters in Christ, we are complicit in watching them destroy their life

And pastorally, I’ll tell you that we’re also complicit in the destruction it brings to their family around them as well.

When we’re talking about adultery, addiction, abuse…

That doesn’t just affect one person.

I think we forget that church discipline is also meant as a protection for the innocent.

And so doing nothing won’t work.

And so often, the only way we can restore them to health is to walk them through this process that our Lord Jesus gave us.

And hopefully along those 4 steps, they repent.

They see our heart, and the wisdom in our words, in His Word.

But if not, we must “hand them over” to the pains of the world.

In hopes that the pain of separation makes them want to come back.

In hopes that the pain & evil of sin…jolts them away.

In hopes, that like the Prodigal Son who left his Father’s home in Luke 15, that they would one day wake up and say, “What am I doing here eating with the pigs, I will go back to my Father”

Look again what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5 verse 5:

(1 Corinthians 5:5) – NIV

5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

What Paul wants…is for the man to ultimately be restored to Jesus.

And so even if he has to be beaten up by the world of sin, and hit rock bottom…better that happens and the person is restored, than person be eternally lost.

Because as you can see in Paul’s language in this verse, if someone is still unwilling to repent after you met with them, and your small group friends met with them, and your elder met with them, our pastors met with them, and they saw the Word of God…

…if they’re still unwilling to change, listen, we don’t like to say this, but it’s fairly possible that they’re just not saved.

If they were, they would have the Holy Spirit in them, and they would feel the prick of conviction about their sin.

And so Paul says, better that they feel the pain of separation..

…and therefore (cuz they’ve been removed from the church), they are actually forced to ask themselves, “Am I even a Christian in the first place??”

Better that, than they continue on in the church…unoffended by us, but on a path to an eternity without Christ.

What we want for people, more than anything, is not their comfort, but their eternal salvation.

And that’s why we have to be willing to trust this Biblical process, even if it’s quite painful, which it is.

But its ultimate goal is not punishment, but redemption.

Amen.