HELP RESTORE YOUR FALLEN BROTHER
MATTHEW 18:15-20 September 19, 2004 - PENTECOST 16
MATTHEW 18:15-20
15"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that `every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
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Dearest Fellow Redeemed, Saints in the Lord:
When you and I look at Jesus, we note a number of things. First of all we note that Jesus was very focused on his mission in this life. After all he only had a little over thirty years to live on earth and he only had three years of a public ministry to do what his heavenly Father wanted him to do. Now the culmination of the mission of Jesus’ life was his death and resurrection on the cross. But there were many things to do in between those events. Jesus had to remind his disciples from time to time that he came to seek and to save that which was lost. Now sometimes the lost were outside of the church. And sometimes the lost came from inside the church. You think of the Scribes and Pharisees who had been inside the church. And yet because they followed their own teachings they had become lost, lost along that path of salvation. So really as we think about it, anybody who was lost would be certainly outside the church. But sometimes these lost came from different backgrounds.
Jesus tells his disciples in the gospel of John, chapter 10, that he is the Good Shepherd. This is a good, fitting description. The believers are described as sheep. You and I are described as sheep that sometimes wander here and there. The sheep go in their own direction unless they are nudged in the right direction, unless they are called back to the sheep pen. Jesus said to his disciples in John 10: “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd”(JOHN 10:16). Jesus came to seek those lost sheep, whether they were outside the church originally or inside and now were outside. This is what we learn today in the words of our text. We to are to seek the lost. We are to help our fallen brothers, or erring brother when he falls into sin. We will use that as our theme this morning.
HELP RESTORE YOUR FALLEN BROTHER. We do this first of all by I. warning them against their sin, and secondly by II. offering to them God’s forgiveness.
I. WARN THEM AGAINST THEIR SINS
Jesus sets up the formula for helping sinners for the church on earth. But it starts of course with an individual believer, since the sin is private. Our text begins by saying if your brother sins against you go and show him his fault just between the two of you. So we note that this is the key here. This isn’t a public sin this is a private sin. And it is a sin. It is not that someone hurt someone else’s feelings. Or it is not that someone thinks that someone else is not doing what he or she wants him or her to do. It is as the theologians describe: an obvious, evident, actual sin against the word of God. Thus Jesus says if a believer sees someone else in sin, they should go and talk to them. Go and talk to them to remind them they are going down the path of destruction, rather than on the path of salvation.
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. Now this is the optimum result: that that person would recognize their sin and admit they are in the wrong. Then this fallen, erring brother is able to change and come back into God’s fold of sheep. And you’ve won your brother over. And what joy there is over one sinner who repents. But of course that is not always the case. Some do not repent.
Then the Lord says there is another step. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ The Lord says you will take one or two along with you and in that way all the things spoken would be on record. If there really was a sin the person or persons would be able to acknowledge that yes, this person is doing something that is wrong and he does not repent. Or hopefully and prayerfully he does repent and again there is rejoicing in heaven among the angels over one sinner who repents. The Lord wants to make sure that everything is done decently and in order.
Then Jesus continues: well maybe this person isn’t going to listen to one or two or three witnesses. Then there is another step, a final step. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. Now the church is the whole body of believers. In this way the church, God’s body of believers, would know that this person still is in sin, still does not repent. Jesus now speaks of the result of actions the one who does not repent. Jesus says tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or tax collector, namely those outside of the church. They are to be looked at as unbelievers. Now this is not really the judgment of the church, but it is actually the judgment of God. They want to continue to live in sin, they want to continue to deny Gods grace. They want to continue down the path of destruction--then the Lord says: so let them. Jesus says treat them as an outsider, an unbeliever.
Now you and I realize that these are drastic steps. But you and I also realize that if one is going to lose his soul, sometimes-drastic steps need to be taken. The Lord reminds us that first of all we would go and talk to that person and then the witnesses and then the church. If need be the person would be set outside God’s kingdom. Some look at that as being very harsh punishment. Well, the impenitent sinners have brought the punishment upon themselves. This is not done out of revenge or vengeance or to show God’s righteous punishment by itself. But this treatment is to show the love and concern of the church for the fallen brother and that you and I as individuals have for a person’s soul. When a person’s soul is lost, eternity is also lost. Paul writes in Corrinthians as we have studied: “hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord”(1 CORINTHIANS 5:15). When one is set outside the church maybe it is then and only then that they realize the seriousness of sin. It is then and only then that some realize that they are in danger of spending eternity in hell. Then when they repent, he says they can be saved on the day of the Lord all because they recognized how serious losing ones soul really is.
Now of course, you and I might feel we don’t want to do such a thing. We would rather just talk about a person instead of talking to a person. This is what the world does. People love to talk about other people rather than talk to them. That is a shame! Believers will want to talk to people about God’s word. Or maybe we’d rather talk about the fallen brother or tell the church right away and let the church take care of it. That is kind of the easy way out, isn’t it? We might think we want to do that because when we look at ourselves, we realize we aren’t much different than any other sinner. We look at our lives we realize that but for the grace of God we too could walk down that very same path of destruction right into hell itself . Except God in his grace and in his loving mercy has kept us in his kingdom. When we look at ourselves we realize that we also commit every sin under the sun, either in thought , word or deed. But still the Lord gives us the responsibility; yes, even the privilege to lead someone back away from destruction and into eternity. God’s word tells us: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted” (GALATIANS 6:1). Our Lord reminds us: yes, we look at ourselves and realize as we restore someone else not to fall into that same sin, but to help him and do it gently.
In our day and age these steps aren’t probably taken as often as they should. Very simply it is hard for people to acknowledge what sin is. It is hard for people in our society to categorize sin. The world would rather call sin a sickness or a disease or something that everybody else is doing. And yet the Lord reminds us that sin is still sin. God warns us that people are going to fall into the temptation of their own flesh. They are going to fall into the temptations of the world, and the temptations of Satan himself. And yet as we warn people against their sin, we also give them hope that they can change, not on their own. Nor can you or I change on our own, except by the power of God. Listen to this from John: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (I JOHN 3:8). Now we hear that excuse “the devil made me do it”. Yes the devil can lead us into sin. But Christ has overcome the work of the devil. This is God’s powerful, saving encouragement we give in the warning with sin.
We, as believers, can help restore our fallen brother, an erring believer. We do it by warning them against their sin. And then, of course, as Jesus continues by offering to them God’s free forgiveness.
II. OFFER THEM GOD’S FORGIVENESS
Jesus described the fact, that yes the church might not feel they have such great power or authority. They might not feel equipped to go out of their way to warn people against their sin. And yet Jesus says there is great power and authority that he gives to the church--because sin is so dangerous. In verse 18 Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. And whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” The original says: whatever you bind has already been bound in heaven. And whatever you loosed has already been loosed in heaven. Jesus is talking about sin. If someone wants to continue in their sin, then the church will say your sins are bound to you. The gates of heaven are closed to the sinner who does not repent. But when they repent, and if they repent they are given freedom and their sins are loosed from them, and the gates of heaven are open. This describes the keys of the kingdom of God that the Lord gives to his church. So, yes, even though people might not look at the church as having any great authority or power, it does. It is an eternal power and authority, with eternal consequences. Heaven or hell---in the end the choice is up to that person who is in sin. If he does not repent the sins are bound to him forever.
Our text continues. There is encouragement that Jesus gives disciples and his church today when he says, “For where two or three come together in my name there am I with them”. The Lord was looking at his believers, at his disciples. There were just the twelve of them, not very many. Some would say hardly enough to be a church. But the Lord’s numbers are not man’s numbers. The Lord says just where two or three are together, he says: there am I with them. Where two or three are gathered together; there is my word, there is my church.
There is also God’s power that these two or three have. Jesus adds, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven.” Jesus states when there is agreement and it is according to God’s will it will be done. They can ask in prayer, come before God and God hears and God answers. God’s will is accomplished.
Our loving Lord reminds his believers to offer God’s forgiveness to those who are in sin, and to pray for them. When we stop to look at what the Lord has done for us we stand in awe because of his grace and mercy. There is not one of us here, when we honestly examine ourselves, who deserve God’s grace and mercy. There is not one of us here who deserves forgiveness. There certainly is not one of us here who deserves to enjoy heaven forever. But God gives it all to us. God showers his love on us whether we deserve it or not. God gives eternal salvation to us even though we cannot earn it or buy it. Our Lord provides everything by his grace and mercy. Listen to these familiar words of Isaiah: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all”(ISAIAH 53:6). God has taken our sins and put them upon his Son, so that forgiveness is ours. Now we can live a life of joy and thanksgiving in this world that isn’t joyful or thankful because of God’s grace and forgiveness for us.
This is the forgiveness that God has given to us so that we might give to others, as they repent . The fallen believer turns away from their sin, because that is what repentance is, a turning, turning from sin. Now if the penitent is going to turn from sin they have to turn to something else. They are going to turn to God. And there is joy there. There is blessing there. There is joy and blessing because of God’s great love and mercy and grace. The early disciples described it when they went and preached to the people right after Jesus’ ascension. The disciples looked at the people and they said to them –“You know what, you are the ones that put Jesus to death on the cross. You are the ones who are guilty of his blood. You are the ones that could have let him free.” The crowds saw their sin. The people asked: “What should we do?” The disciples responded: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, and that times of refreshing may come from the Lord”(ACTS 3:19). When we point out sin -when someone asks what should I do? We would say the same. Repent and rejoice in the times of refreshing that come from the Lord. Turn to God and off that broad path of destruction onto the narrow way to eternal life.
And who better to take that message of God’s forgiveness to a sinful person who has fallen away and who needs to come back than a believer who has experienced God’s forgiveness? We, too, have fallen away from time to time and the Lord has graciously brought us back into his fold. We came into this world, not as friends of God, not looking for God, but just the opposite--as enemies of God. We were born into this world as those opposed to God’s holy and divine will . But God in his grace gave us faith. I Peter describe us and every believer in 2:9 with different titles: a chosen people, the holy nation, and royal priesthood. And then he tells us why are we that. “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (I PETER 2:10). We know what it means to be forgiven. Once we were God’s enemies but now we are his people. Once we did not know his mercy, but now we see his mercy everyday until the time we understand God’s divine mercy completely in eternity. Now we can help our fallen brother, by offering him God’s forgiveness.
Yes, the believers are described like sheep. From time to time much like wandering sheep believers each go their own way. The Lord graciously calls wandering sheep back. The Lord calls fallen brother back by using our voices, our time, and our talents. As faithful believers we are to go to that one person who needs to hear they are living in sin. As faithful believers we are to go to that one person who needs to hear -- God forgives you. God wants you back . We can help restore our fallen brother. There is great joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. We read from James: “My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (JAMES 5:19,20). Here is our divine encouragement. Jesus gave up everything that he might turn us back from sin and gives us heaven. So, we too, find joy in turning those away from sin, that they might enter heaven along with all the other saints who sins are also forgiven. AMEN.
Pastor Timm O. Meyer
