September 4, 2005 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. 16 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.’ 17 If 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. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
You are a Part of the Brotherhood
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I. What is a “brother”?
When I refer to you as “brothers” and “sisters,” how does that sound? Calling fellow believers “brothers” and “sisters” was a common way of talking back in the New Testament. “Brothers” is found 223 times in the NIV New Testament - mostly referring to fellow believers.
Luke 8:19-21 “Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ He replied, ‘My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.’”
1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Jesus and the apostles referred to fellow believers as brothers and sisters in order to denote a closeness - a special bond - unlike any other in the world.
The only way I can describe it is from my own experience with my siblings. They were four, six, and seven years older than me. I wasn’t real close in age to any of them. Yet in growing up with them for at least ten years, I got to know them rather well. We ate together, slept in the same house, sometimes the same bedroom, got in trouble together, and fought together. We had no choice because we had to live together as blood. When that happens, you learn what each others weaknesses and strengths are. You have to put up with a lot of garbage from one another, like it or not, because you know what their quirks and deficiencies are from living with them. Even though we weren’t the tightest of families, I still feel a necessity to talk to or write my siblings at least two times a year, some more than others. When I call we’ll talk religion, sports, family, anything to try and keep in touch. Why do I feel the need to do this? Because even though we fought with each other and annoyed one another, we
are still family.
As I describe this relationship with my siblings, I’m sure many of you are drawn to think about your own situation and your own relationship with your family. It might be better, it might be worse. You might hardly talk at all with your brothers and sisters, or you might not have any at all. No matter what your home life was or is like, God wants you to have a close and a connected bond with one another in the faith. That’s why in today’s text he once again mentions “your brother.” They say that the two topics you shouldn’t talk about among friends are religion and politics, because they can cause enemies real quick. But if we can talk religion together without disagreeing, this should make our relationship tighter than almost any other, like a brother or sister in the family.
II. What is a “brother” called on to do?
As you look around this church, do you consider these members to be your brothers and sisters? Whenever a new member joins our church, I ask you the question - Do you agree to minister to this fellow member with your concern, support, prayers and friendship? If so, answer: YES, IN THE BOND OF CHRISTIAN LOVE. This fellowship that God wants for us to have as Christians is supposed to be a stronger bond than Elmer’s or super glue. It is supposed to mean that we can talk “Jesus” together. It is supposed to mean that we look out after one another. It is also supposed to mean that we can be lovingly honest with one another without parting company.
Proverbs 24:26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
Proverbs 27:6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
It is in the context of the spiritual “family” that Jesus introduces the concept watching one another’s back. "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. The word for “sin” is amartia - which means to “miss the mark.” It can include a broad scope of things. In some way, it would have to be something that is clearly against God’s Word and that has definitely caused you - a fellow Christian - grief - by witnessing your friend doing it. When this happens, God tells fellow Christians to “show him his fault.” The Greek word for “show” is elegxw. It means,
1) to convict, refute, confute
1a) generally with a suggestion of shame of the person convicted
1b) by conviction to bring to the light, to expose
This whole concept is almost completely foreign to what people think of when it comes to “church” today. Church, according to most Americans, is kind of like an individual membership at a health club. You go there to get fit, you may have your own personal trainer, or you may just exercise on your own. You may have a few friends there, maybe not. Nonetheless, you don’t feel the need to really be that connected with anyone else who goes there. Most would just as soon put on headphones and mind their own business. That’s how many view “church” as today - a bunch of individuals who come to individually be fed and then leave. No more, no less. It’s a part of America’s rugged individualism that likes to rely on no one - hates telemarketers, door to door salesmen, and anyone else that invades their personal privacy. Don’t judge me. Don’t worry about me. Don’t think about me. Just leave me alone, and I’ll leave you alone.
This is NOT God’s concept of a church. It’s what I’ve been trying to stress in the every member visitations. Ephesians 4 couldn’t make it more clear.
Ephesians 4:11-16 It was he who gave some to be . . . pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith . . . . . . speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Notice the terms, “unity, joined and held together, every supporting ligament, body.” These are conjoining and cooperating terms. Individual parts working together to form one cohesive and strong body - a unit. We are not joined together under just a name. We are joined together in a common faith. We confess that we are sinners from birth, who have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, given to us in the Word and sacrament. We confess that there are sins, that God does judge them, that the entire life of a Christian is to be one of repentance. We are saved by grace alone, faith alone, and Scripture alone. This is the inner conviction that is to unite us and bind us in a common fight against the devil and the world and our own sinful flesh.
Very simply, you can visualize this as a war, and we are to fight together in it - with no one left behind without a fight. Onward Christian Soldiers, we sing. This can’t be done if we don’t even know each other’s names. If a member of your battalion is being courted by the enemy and starting to head toward the enemy lines - it is your duty to try keep connected so you can rescue him. Sin enslaves. When sin goes on in someone’s active lifestyle and is not repented of, it leads to unbelief and hell. Satan doesn’t quit. He uses whatever he can to ensnare us. That’s why we need to keep connected.
You might remember when John Walker - an American - was caught behind enemy lines fighting with the Taliban. His title as “American” did him no good in that situation. His actions showed him to be an enemy combatant. Member of a church or not - if you find yourself fighting in Satan’s camp and doing his will willingly, it won’t matter if you’re a “member of a “Lutheran,” “Baptist,” or “Catholic” church, you’ll be in hell. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. How could any of us just allow a fellow Christian to fall into regular drunkenness, slander, or any of these things without a fight or so much as a rebuke?
God’s kind of love calls us to even get more involved than just a personal rebuke, though. Often times it happens that the brother or sister in Christ doesn’t see the sin that is being committed, or selfishly wants to continue in it. So he or she gets angry and starts making counter accusations - of being unloving, uncaring, hypocritical, you name it. Then Jesus proceeds, 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.’ In AA they might call this a “confrontation.” The establishment of witnesses on the matter establishes the fact that one Christian isn’t simply holding a grudge against another. It can also help to establish the fact that an actual sin is being committed and this isn’t just a matter of false judgment. When one or two other respected Christians tell their brother or sister the same thing in regards to their sin, then perhaps the erring Christian will see that he or she is headed on the highway to hell.
Unfortunately, many times the two or three witnesses are not listened to. That’s when it has to go a step further. Jesus said, “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church;” This sounds like slander to some. Jesus tells us to air out the dirty laundry of a fellow member for everyone to see. Tell it to the church! Why? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing? Yes. If the whole church agrees that the behavior is sinful, however, it gives opportunity for an overwhelming testimony against the one lone member that his or her behavior is wrong.
When this is not listened to, then the final step is to be taken. “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.” This is what is commonly called excommunication. It is not “kicking someone out of the church.” It is telling someone that he or she has succumbed to Satan’s temptation, and is no longer a child of God. It is telling someone that he or she is on the highway to hell. Wow. What a statement that is. It’s a scary thing to tell someone. Yet it is nothing more than acknowledging what God already knows in heaven. The verb tense for “will be bound” is a future perfect periphrastic in the Greek. It means that whatever sins you publicly call out or forgive are already looked at that way in heaven. The excommunication or forgiveness is just a public declaration of how God looks at the person. When you tell someone that their sins are bound in heaven, it means that God will not forget their sins on Judgment Day. There’s no stronger statement you can make. It is supposed to jar the person - wake him or her up - realize the pathway they are headed on, so that they can be saved.
III. Why do we have “brothers”?
Back in the 1970’s I believe it was - Barbara Walters did an interview with Betty Ford around Christmas time. As the interview waned on, it didn’t take long to realize that Mrs. Ford was seriously intoxicated. If I remember correctly, nobody did anything about it at the time. Instead, they just had to scrap the interview and do something else. It was like everyone knew she had a drinking problem, but everybody just tried to ignore it and shove it under the rug. I can bet almost every one of us knows someone who is caught up in a sin that nobody has done anything about, but everybody knows. Instead of covering up the truth, church discipline is meant to expose the truth and act on it. That’s what the Corinthians ended up having to do with a man who decided to have sexual relations with his father’s wife. They had to publicly let this man know that he was acting like a heathen and that he was in fact a heathen, as his actions betrayed. What happened in the end? The man repented! He stopped what he was doing! They welcomed him back and forgave him. From that point on, he was no longer a member by name only. He was a member in heart and actions. Is that so wrong? Is that really unloving? No.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! This is a part of why we belong to a body of believers - why we call each other “brothers” - to help each other up when we fall. What is the purpose of having a church if we aren’t going to do this for one another - if we are going to let each other fall and even help each other to fall with a cover up?
This idea of brotherhood is the principle on which the Christian Church is founded. We have all fallen in our responsibilities as brothers and sisters in the faith. We’ve selfishly sat on the side and allowed fellow believers to continue in sin and go on to unbelief when we could have made an effort to do more. We’ve fallen flat on our faces. Yet Jesus didn’t leave us to wallow in the mud. He didn’t consider us as not worth the time or effort. He became our Brother, by taking on our flesh. He confronted us with our sin, telling us that we can’t even lust, hate, or be angry with our neighbor. We have to be perfect. But then He even went a step further. Not only did He become our brother, but He even went so far as to become our SIN - the Chief of sinners - on the cross. He didn’t leave us behind in the battle against Satan. He took on God’s wrath as our Brother and won the battle. He left our sins in the grave. With a gift of baptism He applied his forgiveness to us and gave us the Holy Spirit to give us faith. With a gift of His Supper He gave us a way to stay strong in the faith. He picked us up - out of Satan’s clutches - and lifted us into heaven itself. This is what our Brother has done for us. Why? Because He wanted to save us. He didn’t leave us alone. He said, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." He gave us each other to be brothers and sisters to one another. This is the core of Christianity - Jesus is our Brother and made us brothers and sisters in Him.
There once was a young man named Shane, who grew up to be a great athlete and a real strong businessman in the community. The amazing thing about Shane was that he was a one of a kind among his family. His mom and dad were divorced. His dad was an alcoholic, and his mom always seemed to be sick. His brother had been to jail several times and his sister had three kids from two different guys out of wedlock. Time and again, Shane found himself helping out his family and getting them out of trouble. One day his friend asked Shane, “don’t you wish you had a different family?” Shane answered, “sometimes, yeah. I wish they were more “normal.” I wish they weren’t always getting into so much trouble. Yet it makes me glad that God has given me the gifts I have been given. I just need to remind myself that this is the family that God gave me. They need my help. I’m glad He gave me the gifts to try and lead them in the right direction, without condoning and encouraging them to remain in their problems. It’s the best I can do.”
Sometimes family can cause you lots of trouble. They’ll press the limits. They’ll test your love. When it comes to spiritual family, the same rings true. All of us have different problems. Some are stronger than other. As long as we are family, we owe it to one another to look after each other as best we can - so that we’re not fighting in this battle alone. We owe it to each other to try and help one another keep from falling into unrepentant sin. That’s what being a part of this “brotherhood” is all about. As Jesus is your Brother, consider the fact that you have many brothers and sisters in this congregation today - and be ready to fight for them. Amen.
