Summary: Our goal is to live for one another; yet time and circumstances do not allow us that luxury and we fail. Most importantly we let God down, and when we do so, we feel bad; but Jesus knew that, and so, he tells us what to do, if we can only take his advice.
Exodus 12:1-14 Psalm 149 Romans 13:8-14 Matthew 18:15-20
This sermon was delivered to the congregation in St Oswald’s in Maybole, Ayrshire, Scotland on the 4th September 2011: by Gordon McCulloch (A Scottish Episcopal Church in the Dioceses of Glasgow and Dumfries).
“Please join me in my prayer.” Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength, and our redeemer at this time of studying your word, and indeed always. Amen (Ps. 19:14)
Introduction:
Our reading this morning is from Matthew 18:15-20 where Jesus said "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
Those were pretty stern words of guidance by Jesus this morning, about the seriousness of sin in the church. Paul in his epistle to the Romans says: Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
Our goal therefore is to live for one another; but that is not where we are at … at all. We all agree that time and circumstances do not allow us that luxury, and we fail regularly, we let ourselves down, we let others down and most importantly we let God down. And when we do so, we feel bad.
Well I have good news for this morning, Jesus knew we would do this and that is why he gave us today’s reading; not to make us feel worse, but to show us the way on how to overcome some of the problems of sin within the church.
I must mention however that there are two qualifiers in today’s message and the first is the verse that says “When another member of the church” A member of the church means that we are talking about sin from another Christian; and not about a non-Christian.
There is a vast difference to approaching this problem between two.
One difference is that a true Christian will admit their sin and ask for forgives; a non believer for one reason or another will not. In fact one of the first things we did this morning was ask God to forgive our sins and that is a position of strength.
Another qualifier about this problem is that we are talking about sin, and not about conflict.
There can be various causes of conflict in any organization, including the church and conflict can arise when there are two equally valid points of view on a particular matter; for example we might have conflict over whether to use this music or that music, or to use this style or that style; both options being perfectly reasonable.
"Conflict management" can now come into play when there is no underlying fault or no obvious person to blame: but Jesus is not talking about managing conflict, Jesus is talking about sin, and there is a vast difference.
Jesus is talking about a situation where a member of the church has sinned against you; and indeed there may be no conflict whatsoever. Do you see the difference? Conflict is basically non agreement, where as sin is defying somebody and in particular defying God. One is temporary and can be resolved; the other needs repentance, forgiveness and even deliverance by all concerned, including God.
So let us now read the advice from Jesus, Verse 15 of Mathew 18: “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.”
Jesus therefore recognises that there will be sin in the church.
So what do you do when a member of the church sins against you? Why not simply turn the other cheek and suffer in silence like we are meant to?
Well this is one of these soppy answers that non Christians like to quote at us; to sap our strength and give them the upper hand. Turning the other cheek is not an action of weakness; it is an action of strength. If we are doing Gods will, and we know it, and somebody comes against us, we are empowered to carry on; we have the strength and confidence and ability to say, hit me there, and if that fails hit me there, but I will tell you one thing, you or nobody like you will not stop me.
That is turning the other cheek; it is not letting someone walk all over you; even Ghandi, who was a Hindu, new that one.
Anyway, rant over, the very first principle is this: the person too whom has been offended against is called to take the initiative in seeking reconciliation, to make things right.
If you are hurt by someone, and if you think that it is serious, serious enough for you to brood over, serious enough that you find yourself wanting to mention it to others, serious enough that you gossip about the person in some way, then you are called to take action and to try to heal the breach.
We have all been there, and most of us do not like confrontation; preferring to let things slide, and let them go, and forgive the other person; and then fell sorry for yourself for being so weak.
And I am just going to slip in a wee side issue for nothing here; forgiveness is not solely about helping the other person, it is about helping you; the forgiver. As Michael Caine says, “not many people know that” certainly not many non Christians. Can you see the strength in it?
No, we are we to confront such sin in a fellow member of the church; because sin is harmful, and it also harms the one who commits the sin in a hidden way.
The loving thing for you to do would be to confront the person about the sin. I mean, what parent would not confront a child who is about to do something stupid, knowingly that it will result in harm to their child? Love therefore in this instance means confronting sin.
However, Jesus is not interested in public humiliation; he is interested in reconciliation, and so the first step to do so is in private, and not public.
Verse 16: “If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses”.
Now who are the two or three others? We are not about taking about your friends, there to be are neutral and impartial witnesses.
Jesus is firm here, because sometimes we need another step, because there are instances where a person’s sin in not limited to themselves. Most, if not all sin, has an effect; it is like the outward ripple of a wave after a stone has been thrown into still water. Just as the sin moves outward, so the circle attempting reconciliation grows larger.
There may also be further wisdom in going to the 2 or 3 others, in that it could uncover or discover major factors affecting the situation because the one, who has committed the offense, may simply reply in private that "it's just my opinion and I have done nothing wrong." Without witnesses it is there word against yours.
How many times do you here that these days? Sometimes it needs the help of a few others; other who are (we hope) trusted and respected by both parties.
Verse 17: “If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector”.
We are talking excommunication here, and this passages has supported, nay justified many people in the past being thrown out of the church. This is a serious passage here; many lives have been changed because of it.
Some years ago in the Anglican Church of Canada, there were people who abused children in the residential schools; (it is not just Canada by the way, you have heard the stories), but would things have been different in the lives of these people if such sin was dealt with in the manner we have read in the gospel?
Was anything covered up, hushed up and hidden? It is not for me to say, but one thing might be certain: Jesus' guidelines for dealing with sin in these situations do not seem to have been followed.
Anyway, Jesus tells them that if the person will not listen to the two or three, then the whole church must be informed; because if the sin is really bad, then the sinner will probably be good at covering it up.
They may be able to pull the wool of the eyes of the first person, they may be able to deceive two, three or four persons, but it will be more difficult to decide a whole church with its further wisdom.
Verses 18 and 19: “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them”.
We see that things on earth are in fact connected with things in heaven, or perhaps we could re-phrase it, things in heaven are in fact connected with things on earth.
Jesus is telling us about the business of being reconciled, about the serious matter of sin, and the ways in which forgiveness is extended and fellowship restored. When we gather for the purpose of reconciliation, Jesus is there among us.
In our Old Testament reading this morning that is in Ezekiel’s day, most people lived outside the city walls, which meant that a city watchman had a very important job to do.
When danger threatened, he was the one who would sound the alarm so that people could seek safety within the walls of the city.
Those who heard the trumpet but ignored the warning had nobody to blame but themselves if disaster overtook them. But if the watchman failed to do his job, lives would be lost, quite possibly his own.
We, God’s people are the watchmen and watchwomen of today’s society, and we are the ones to uphold the law.
We are not to judge lest we be judged, but God wants us to be our brother’s and sister’s keepers, leading them in the paths of repentance and righteousness for his name’s sake.
When it comes to sin, God doesn’t want us to ignore it or look the other way or try to justify it; God wants us to deal with it and turn people around; whether it’s the couple living together outside marriage, the alcoholics or drug addicts, the gossips, those nursing a grudge or looking to get even; the list is endless.
These are all sins that need to be dealt with and repented off, so that forgiveness and reconciliation can take effect.
We need confrontation for the sake of speaking the truth in love; and I will finish with the words of the apostle James when he said: “whoever turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
God wants desperately all people to be with him, he wants people to repent and believe so that they can be reconciled and restored. A little bit of hurt for us now and again would prevent eternal hurt for someone later, that’s what Christian love is all about.
Amen
Let us pray.
Father we thank you for Jesus; and we thank you that he took all of our sin and convictions all the way to the cross.
We thank you that we have become free from the law of sin and death, from wrath of guilt and of condemnation.
Father we witness regularly sin being committed and it hurts us to see it for it is. It hurts us more when we feel powerless to deal with it and it hurts us even more when we have to excuse ourselves from being ineffective.
Father our prayer this morning is simple …
Grant us the Serenity to accept the things that we cannot change, grant us the Courage to change the things that we can, and grant us the Wisdom to know the difference.
I ask therefore in Jesus name, Amen.
