Sermon Series: “Questioning the Faith”
Sermon #7 “Question about Christ’s Presence”
Text: Matthew 18:20
OPENING JOKE: “Small Church Sleeper” A pastor in a small church was greatly annoyed by one of his elderly members who fell asleep during his sermons every Sunday. After the service one day, the pastor said to the old man’s grandson who always sat with his grandfather, “If you can keep the old man awake, I’ll pay you a dollar a week.” This worked for two weeks; the aged man was very alert and listened to the sermons attentively. On the third Sunday, however, there he was, up to his old tricks again, sound asleep in the pew. After the service the pastor called the boy over and said, “I am disappointed in you. Didn’t I promise you a dollar a week to keep your grandfather awake?” “Yes,” replied the boy, “but Grandpa gives me five dollars not to disturb him.”
INTRODUCTION: Today we are going to discuss a verse that is often used, but mostly used out of the context in which it was spoken.
QUESTION: Does this verse mean that Jesus is not with one person? Why does He specifically state, “Two or three?”
Basic Answer:
Christ is with the believer, in the person of the Holy Spirit, whether he is alone or in a group
Jesus even commanded His believers to take special time to be alone in their devotions
Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Examples:
Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, even though she was alone
He spoke to Peter on the rooftop in Acts, even when he was alone
Christ is obviously not saying that He will not be with the lone believer – in fact He encourages us to spend time alone with Him
** So what does the verse that says ‘two or three’ really mean?
If we read in context we see that Christ is actually giving a dissertation concerning the church body
So to understand this verse let’s go back and begin with Jesus’ initial thought…
READ: Matthew 18:15-20
In these verses we see Jesus is not talking about His presence in the life of the believer
He is actually discussing how to deal with a person who has fallen into unrepentant sin
So how does the verse we are studying relate in context?
I. It takes two or more to constitute a church body
a. A local church body within the larger Body of Christ is like a local government within the larger government of the United States
i. In the time of Christ it took at least ten men (a minyan) to constitute a synagogue or even to hold public prayer
ii. Christ is making the point known that all believers make up His body, and no matter the size of the local congregation, they were still in His Body
iii. And a local church had no minimum size requirement
b. The specific number of ‘two or three’ comes into effect because Jesus had been giving the proper prescription for church discipline
i. Now I realize that church discipline is a touchy subject for some and even an appalling subject for some
ii. The idea that the wrongs of fellow Christians should ever be brought up falls into most people’s minds as judgment
iii. Even though Jesus and the Apostles all gave clear indications that it would be necessary
iv. And because this is the set of verses we are studying, I am going to speak about it
c. It is very important to note that all church discipline should be interpreted in light of the “parable of the lost sheep” that Jesus spoke earlier in this chapter
i. All discipline is supposed to be to ‘restore a brother’, not ‘destroy a brother’
ii. That is why v.15 says “if he listens to you, you have won your brother.”
iii. Jesus gives us steps to restoration when dealing with a person who has fallen into sin
1. And right after this passage his gives the ‘parable of the unmerciful servant’
2. Which tells us that a person should always be forgiven if He seeks forgiveness
3. IMPORTANT POINT: This passage concerning discipline is sandwiched between two stories about restoration – We should keep that in mind while studying
d. Step #1 ‘Acknowledge his fault privately’
i. This is the most unused way, but still the best way to solve a problem
ii. Most times (not all) if you have a problem with someone and you go to them privately, and they know you haven’t spread their business around, the issue is solved before it becomes an issue
iii. But because this is not always the case Jesus went further
e. Step #2 ‘Take two or three witnesses”
i. It is obvious Jesus is now referring to a sin that effects more than just your relationship with this person
ii. This is not a simple disagreement between two individual, but a trespass worthy of repentance
iii. He uses the OT protocol of calling witnesses
1. Deuteronomy 19:15 “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.”
2. We see here the beginning of the ‘two or three’ thought that comes later in verse 20
f. Step #3 ‘Report the matter to the church’
i. This is never to be done in the arena of gossip
ii. And this is never intended to be embarrassing to the individual
iii. The ultimate desire of the congregation SHOULD always be ‘restoration’
iv. This places the matter into the hands of those who will try to encourage this person by the use of the Scriptures (our only Authority)
1. Some still will rebel, even if the Scriptures are clear concerning their transgression
2. If this continues, step #4 must then take effect
g. Step #4 ‘Excommunication’
i. Now, I see some of your knuckles got white and you breathed heavy
1. Just remember I am only relaying a message
2. And it is a message continually repeated throughout the NT by Jesus and the apostles
3. NOTE: It is also obvious that his excommunication comes as a result of a heard-hearted refusal to repent (a sign that he is unregenerate), not the initial sin
ii. Jesus used the examples of the ‘Gentile and a tax collector’ because neither were allowed fellowship within the synagogue
1. He was not encouraging this to punish the offender, but to protect the flock
2. To remove the potential cancer that could destroy the congregation
3. And the congregation could still continue to encourage that brother to repent and return – but it would have to be in that order
a. Remember Jesus called ‘gentiles’ and ‘tax collectors’ to repentance
b. The ultimate goal for this individual would be repentance and restoration
iii. Whether you believe it or not all churches excommunicate people (even this one)
1. We don’t call it that
2. But if someone falls into sin, a gossip train gets started
3. Once at full speed, it goes through the entire congregation making its last stop at the ears of the person in question
4. And that person then stops attending because he/she feels unwelcome
h. Christ put church discipline into place for us to build each other up
i. Where is the building up in gossip?
ii. Where is the restoration for a person who leaves because of backbiting
i. Christ gave us the proper prescription for discipline
i. Then He promised that He would be in the midst
ii. He is in the midst of a church government that gathers in His name
iii. His Spirit is here to guide and lead through the study of His Word and the convicting of our conscience
As you can see, when you read an entire thought rather than just a phrase, it gives a whole new life to the passage
Jesus is not just talking about His presence (which is always with the believer) but to the governing of His body by the local congregations, not matter how small or large
And with this in mind, think about a few others things for a moment: Not only does it take two or more to constitute a church government, but…
II. It takes two or more to have fellowship
a. We don’t gather as a congregation just to discipline each other
b. We gather to love one another
c. God promises to bless even the smallest congregation –even if they don’t meet man’s goal for size, two or more meets His (which is good for our Sunday evening service!)
III. It takes two or more to minister
a. If I am not with someone else, who will I minister to, and who will minister to me?
b. King Solomon gives us the perfect thought on this subject in Ecclesiastes
c. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”
CONCLUSION: Basically it is clear that when read in context Jesus is not saying that His presence is only with a group of believers, but that even a small group could be confident in their role as a local congregation.
When most of us use this verse (and we do often) we are saying “no matter how few we have, Christ is still here”
But maybe what we could say, because we know Christ is here even if only one of us were here, is…
‘No matter how few we are, we are still a congregation’
We don’t need 10 to have a prayer meeting, or 25 to have a worship service
Because we know that even a group of 2 is a congregation, if they have congregated in the Name of Christ!
