December 2, 2001
1I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you, something so evil that even the pagans don¡¦t do it. I am told that you have a man in your church who is living in sin with his father¡¦s wife. 2And you are so proud of yourselves! Why aren¡¦t you mourning in sorrow and shame? And why haven¡¦t you removed this man from your fellowship?
3Even though I am not there with you in person, I am with you in the Spirit. Concerning the one who has done this, I have already passed judgment 4in the name of the Lord Jesus. You are to call a meeting of the church, and I will be there in spirit, and the power of the Lord Jesus will be with you as you meet. 5Then you must cast this man out of the church and into Satan¡¦s hands, so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved when the Lord returns.
6How terrible that you should boast about your spirituality, and yet you let this sort of thing go on. Don¡¦t you realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all will be affected? 7Remove this wicked person from among you so that you can stay pure.„T Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. 8So let us celebrate the festival, not by eating the old bread of wickedness and evil, but by eating the new bread of purity and truth.
9When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. 10But I wasn¡¦t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or who are greedy or are swindlers or idol worshipers. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. 11What I meant was that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a Christian yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Don¡¦t even eat with such people.
12It isn¡¦t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your job to judge those inside the church who are sinning in these ways. 13God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, ¡§You must remove the evil person from among you.¡¨ (New Living Translation)
Admittedly, this is a difficult passage of scripture. It is tempting to say: This is too hard to deal with ¡V besides, it¡¦s Christmas ¡V so let¡¦s just skip to chapter 6.
That would be easier for today, and it would also be death to the soul of any church or Christian in the long run. So, let¡¦s deal with the hard issue.
PAUL¡¦S REACTION TO REPORTS OF SEXUAL IMMORALITY
In the first two verses we find that Paul has received some reports that sexual immorality is being tolerated like it is today. Paul is horrified, even disgusted, that it is so blatant, even the pagans outside the church don¡¦t act that badly.
We need to remember that sexual immorality among Christians or pagans isn¡¦t cute or good gossip ¡V it is sin.
PAUL¡¦S INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO PROCEED 5.3-5
The chart below may give some help in seeing the flow of God¡¦s wonderful plan for restoring brothers and sisters in Christ, when they have ¡§blown it¡¨:
GOD¡¦S PLAN OF CHURCH DISCIPLINE
15Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But 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. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Mt 18.15-18
FIRST RESPONSE TO RUMOR OR PUBLIC DISPLAY OF SIN:
Private meeting.
POSSIBLE RESULTS:
1. Individual is innocent -- Quench gossip by public meeting & restoration of fellowship. Side benefit is gossipers/rumor-passers are put to open shame & must ask forgiveness.
2. Individual is guilty, but repentant -- Help with public confession, restoration of fellowship.
3. Individual is guilty & not repentant -- Take additional spiritual brothers back with you for a second meeting.
POSSIBLE RESULTS OF SECOND MEETING
1. Individual is now convinced & repentant -- (See #2 above -- Help with public confession, restoration of fellowship).
2. Individula is still unrepentant -- Requires church leaders to have public meeting & excommunication of member. (This is only course left to the church by the unrepentant member -- which will hopefully precipitate reconciliation in the future.)
Now, before you begin squirming, I do not know of a single situation in this church where the sin is gross and blatantly public, so that we should be in the process of disciplining. We have come to this in the course of studying a whole book. We turned from chapter 4 to 5, and here it is.
On the other hand, it is better to know how to deal with sin when it arrives, than to deal with the consequences in a clean-up operation. That is why we study, and will benefit from looking at this together.
One of the most important aspects of true church discipline is that every box (step) represented above flows in the direction of restoration of relationships. Contrary to the ¡§witch-hunt¡¨ stories about kicking people out of church ¡V this is designed to facilitate the growth of the church.
PAUL¡¦S WARNING ABOUT TOLERATING SUCH SIN 5.6-13
Using imagery from the Old Testament instructions for Passover, Paul reminds us that all leaven was to be removed from a house. It only takes a little yeast to make the bread rise. In Scripture, leaven, or yeast, represents sin.
In the 1950¡¦s comedy classic ¡§I Love Lucy,¡¨ one episode dealt with Lucy¡¦s lack of cooking skills. She had no clue how much yeast to use. She kept dumping it in¡Kone box, two, three. She left the bread in the refrigerator for a while as she talked on the phone. When she returned the kitchen was filled with bread!
That is Paul¡¦s picture of sin ¡V if you don¡¦t deal with it, watch it closely, purge it from the church it will evict you!
This morning I want to share four scenarios¡Kthree from reliable sources, and one from my personal experience as a pastor.
The first scene is from Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family:
¡§Dear Dr. Dobson, the letter began. Things have always been rocky in my marriage, but a more serious problem arose a few years ago. My husband, Paul, began to get interested in a beautiful divorcee who works as his bookkeeper. At first it seemed innocent, as he helped her in various ways. But I began to notice our relationship was deteriorating. As he spent more and more time at her house, I began to nag and complain. That just made him more determined to be with her. Gradually, they fell in love with each other and I didn¡¦t know what to do about it.
I bought a book about this time in which the author promised that God wouldn¡¦t allow any wrong to happen so long as I was submissive to my husband. In my panic, I thought I would lose him forever, and I agreed to let the other woman come into our bedroom with us. I thought it would make Paul love me more, but it just made him fall deeper in love with her.
Now he is confused and doesn¡¦t know which one of us he wants. He says he still loves me and our three kids, but he can¡¦t give her up, either. I love Paul so dearly and I have begged him to turn our problem over to the Lord. But what do I do now? Please help me. I¡¦m on the bottom looking up. Linda¡¨ (1)
Dan Erickson, a Baptist pastor, shares the second scenario:
Fifteen years ago, next week, I was called to become the pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church, Wentworth, Wisconsin. As I began my first full-time ministry position, my rookie season, I found myself facing a couple of situations which were probably as difficult as any that I have dealt with the last fifteen years. The second Sunday I was there, a fellow named Bob was sitting in the front row. The next Sunday a woman named Linda was sitting beside him. After a few weeks, I learned that Bob and Linda had recently been expelled from a nearby Covenant Church, where they both had been members. Bob had abandoned his wife and moved in with Linda. He rejected the admonition of the Covenant Church leaders to return to his spouse.
We had a number of discussions at our deacon board meetings as to how our church should respond to the situation, but we never came up with an answer. A few months later, Bob and Linda got married and they attended Lakeside Church for a few years, but never became members.
The second situation involved a man who, until one year before my arrival, had been the chairman of the church at Lakeside. It came out that he had been having sexual affairs with two women in the congregation. He was asked to resign his position in the church which he grudgingly did, but he expressed no remorse for his actions. He quit attending worship services, but the church never rescinded his membership. Some folks in the congregation continued to be his close friends, while others said they would stop associating with him until there was some evidence that he had repented from his sin. (2)
The third scenario is from an Assembly of God pastor, Rick Roberts:
Now, I believe the key to a sermon is the application. The application to this one is harsh, but necessary. There are at least two couple in this body living in a sinful state - unmarried but living together. There may be others living in other sins, but these are very obvious. I will not call their names. Most of you know who they are. They may get angry with me. That¡¦s okay. They may be embarrassed. They should be.
They have been turned down for membership and other benefits because of their sin. They are as welcome to come to this church as much as any other sinner needed Jesus. But here is the thing - these people are not one of us. They are sinners who need to be saved. They may profess Jesus. They may sincerely believe. They may claim him as Savior. But they are bringing open shame to Christ by their lifestyles. They need to repent and change their living conditions in order to get right with God. I do not believe we will see these people in heaven because they proclaim Jesus with their mouths but deny him with their deeds. (3)
I wrote to pastor Roberts asking him to share with me the outcome of that sermon. His email came Thursday as I was preparing this message:
That was one of the hardest sermons I have ever had to preach. The couple sat right there and glared at me the whole time - and yes, they did get angry. She was married to someone else and pregnant with his baby. They were living together and his mother, who was also there, was consenting.
This was 2 1/2 years ago. Shortly after, he stopped coming to church. He told me he didn¡¦t appreciate me embarrassing him. I told him I didn¡¦t appreciate him desecrating the church. A few months later, she tried to leave him and get her life straight, but he threatened her. After almost a year, she did finally break with him and got straight. (3)
The fourth, and final scenario is from my own journey as a pastor. It was 16 years ago. The search committee was good. The interviews went well. The church seemed friendly and loving. And they cooked well!
The trial sermon was not Billy Graham, but God seemed to be all over the whole process. So, I said ¡§yes¡¨ to a strong congregational vote margin; in three weeks we would move to the new church field.
Two weeks and five days later, just before my first Sunday at this new charge, I got a phone call.
¡§Brother Russell?¡¨ asked the voice, timidly.
¡§Yes¡¨
¡§This is Lester, from your new church family. We¡¦ve got a little problem.¡¨
There were three other deacons assembled in Lester¡¦s living room when I got there. It was not a little problem. Dennis and Darlene had not attended in over two years, but word had gotten around that they were ¡§coming back¡¨ this Sunday.
¡§What¡¦s the problem?¡¨ I wanted to know.
Lester began, ¡§Dennis and Darlene are still members. They used to be married to other people who are members also, but they divorced a year ago, and married each other. Their baby is a little over a year old.¡¨
I settled in for the rest of it with a deep sigh. My mind wandered briefly, and I wondered if the folks at McIntosh Baptist might consider rescinding my resignation.
Dennis and Darlene had been the church¡¦s volunteer youth co-directors. They took the young people to camp, but spent their own free time hiking together. The baby came along nine months later.
¡§What action was taken,¡¨ I asked.
¡§Nothing,¡¨ said Dale, ¡§they just didn¡¦t come once the word got out. Now they¡¦re coming back after the dust has settled.¡¨
As a young pastor, I often did things that seemed right, but ignored the wiser counsel of Scripture.
Instead of first having a private meeting, I requested that two of the deacons meet me at Dennis and Darlene¡¦s house the next night (Saturday). (In short, I skipped step one of Mt 18, and went right to #2).
We were received cautiously. The couple told us they did intend to come to worship the next day. They wanted to get right with the Lord. I briefly shared with them that I thought that was really good, and then shared with them what that would require.
I laid out the principle for them that a private sin is usually best handled in private, between the sinner and his Savior. However, a public sin, especially one that upended two families, and the entire church family, and brought shame on the name of Christ and the Christian community demanded a public reconciliation. They ¡V if they were sincerely interested in being right with the Lord ¡V had to make it right with the Lord¡¦s church. There should be a public apology and request for forgiveness.
I promised them, on the authority of God¡¦s word, that if they asked, we would forgive, and work through the feelings, relationships, etc.
Dennis and Darlene never showed up ¡V at least in the 6 years I pastored there. Months later we rescinded their membership. We did hear, however, from some of our deacons who visited them, that the reason they never came back was that the preacher said we weren¡¦t welcome there.
LESSONS WE LEARN FROM HISTORY
Note the four scenarios and their outcomes, and the lessons they teach us about church discipline:
1. Dr. Dobson ¡V Linda¡¦s letter:
If you try to accommodate sin you send the
wrong message to everyone. That cheapens the church
Linda¡¦s mistake, so evident to anyone outside the situation, was to assume that if she just allowed her husband this indulgence, she would be able to ¡§keep¡¨ him. Linda failed to see that Paul, in his perversion, wouldn¡¦t be worth keeping!
It is so in the church. Jesus knows we aren¡¦t perfect. He has, however, told us to move to maturity (Mt 5.48). That means being willing to give up our sin, not accommodate it.
2. Wisconsin Baptist Pastor ¡V If you fail to act
you will be left empty, with more questions than answers. That paralyzes the church¡¦s ministry
Those charter members of Procrastinators Anonymous among us know this feeling well. We can always give some kind of excuse for inaction, but it will always be an excuse, never a reason.
17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4.17 (KJV)
The quotation is oft used, and fits well here: What is required that good men do in order for evil to triumph? Nothing!
Sin in the house of God is an affront to God. Paul was horrified that the church leadership was doing nothing. Indeed, they were rather proud of all the other things they had going. God is not interested in the things you¡¦re doing as a church, if the people of the church aren¡¦t living as the church.
3. ¡§Cleaning House¡¨ pastor: If you act self-
righteously, bullying people from the pulpit you destroy people. That is Satanic, not life-giving.
A pastor has a calling to proclaim God¡¦s word, no matter where the chips may fall; he never has the right to attack people personally in a sermon. It is not only bad manners and poor ethics; it shows a lack of respect for God¡¦s pulpit and people when you destroy people.
On the other hand, the people of God have every right to expect that God¡¦s word ¡V including the painful parts ¡V will be proclaimed faithfully¡Kno matter where the chips may fall.
4. Dennis and Darlene: If you act in a hurry, you lose the power of God¡¦s Word and Spirit to bring about reconciliation.
I knew going in the likelihood of the final outcome ¡V that I would be blamed, or the deacons with me. I reasoned that it would be better for me to have witnesses. The problem was that, in skipping the first private meeting (which would have made me quite vulnerable) I went around Scripture as badly as Dennis and Darlene. I was not trusting the Spirit¡¦s power; I was trusting Russell¡¦s reasoning.
Had I had the private meeting first, rather than bringing an entourage, perhaps the couple would not have been so defensive. They might have broken and asked for forgiveness, and experienced healing. My rush past the first step may have cost the kingdom dearly.
5. Paul and the Corinthian church: When you do things God¡¦s way, He can heal the broken fellowship.
Later in Paul¡¦s letters (2 Corinthians 2) we read that the church did respond to Paul¡¦s instructions. They were not happy to get his letter, but they received it, heeded the instructions, and the man in question repented ¡V the fellowship was restored.
WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE LESSONS?
Not every situation in life ties up as neatly as did the Corinthian church problem. In fact most don¡¦t. The reasons are probably legion, but mostly it¡¦s because we, the body of Christ, miss God. We are afraid, lazy or too steeped in our own sin to do what God said we must do.
Having the lessons down pat is good. Using the wisdom we gain from our mistakes, and the rebuke of the Word is even better.
I said earlier we are not about to embark on any specific discipline problem, and I mean just that. However, I want you to ponder this passage, this aspect of church life, and come to grips with it for this reason:
I believe that the health of our church is more important to God than the size of our church. We cannot ignore gross, blatant, open sin on the part of members of this congregation. It is a stench in the nostrils of God, and a stain on the name of Christ in any community when it is tolerated.
Because of that, I want to offer this as God¡¦s plan for our church to avoid the pitfalls we saw in the scenarios:
#1. Pray daily for each other, and for our spiritual health as a congregation. Corinth seems a long way from Thomasville, but it¡¦s not! It is Satan¡¦s job to disrupt our unity and ministry. He is good at it. Pray hard!
#2. Be committed to church discipline, knowing that it is the only loving response a community of believers can make. When it becomes necessary to enter the process of church discipline, re-read the passages, pray over the process, and support the God-given way of caring for the brother or sister.
#3. Pray especially for the leaders of our congregation. Every Christian is susceptible to sin, and even gross sin. However, church leaders are vulnerable and visible. The Scripture tells us leaders are held to a stricter accountability. When a church pastor, deacon, Sunday School teacher, or other leader falls, it makes news in a hurry.
I have lived through some church discipline circumstances. The church was always healthier in the long run, even when the process wasn¡¦t perfect.
I have lived through my parent¡¦s discipline as a disobedient child. I was always better for it, even though they are not perfect.
I have lived through my doctor¡¦s discipline. I had my life saved by it, even though he wasn¡¦t perfect.
I have never liked any of the discipline events ¡V doctor¡¦s medicine, parent¡¦s meddling or the church meetings. But, beloved, it is God¡¦s way of making certain his church gets healthy, and stays that way.
-- Amen
FOOTNOTES
(1) In a sermon on SermonCentral.com) James Dobson, Love Must Be Tough, pg 5.
(2) In a SermonCentral.com sermon, Dan Erickson, Dare To Discipline
(3) In a SermonCentral.com sermon, Rick Roberts, Cleaning House
