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Sunday September 5, 1999 ~ Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sermon Text:  Matthew 18:15-20
Ezekiel 33:7-11   *  Romans 13:8-14 * Psalm 119:33-40

"The Hot Potato of Church Discipline"

A friend and colleague told this absolutely horrifying story.

The police raided the home of a man in the small city where he was a pastor.  The man was charged with possession of child pornography materials and was suspected of producing videotape of child pornography.  Boxes of obscene materials were taken as evidence. All of this was front page headlines.

One of the detectives on the case was a member of the church where my friend was the senior pastor.  He came to the pastor and said, "This letter was in a desk drawer that belonged to the guy we arrested!"   He explained that he was taking a bit of a risk, but did not want anyone else to see the letter.  It was from the assistant pastor to the man who had been arrested.   It read in part:

Dear  _______,

Thank you for visiting with us in worship last Sunday.  We hope that you found a warm and friendly welcome and that you were inspired by our worship time.

We hope to speak with you personally soon and invite you to worship with us again.  Enclosed is a small brochure about our church and a pamphlet on what it means to be a part of our growing congregation.

You know there was a long staff meeting at that church that week!

What if the man had been a member of the church?   Would the governing body terminate his membership in the church?  Would there be any kind of outreach or attempt to speak with the offender about repentance, reconciliation with God or forgiveness?  Would they meet the issue head on or stick their heads in the sand?  Perhaps this would be one issue in which they would be quite willing to say, "Pastor, you're in charge... do whatever you think is best!"

What if a member of the church were to be involved in behavior -- not as outrageous as this man's, but nevertheless behavior that was an offense to the values and teachings of the church?

All of this comes under the heading of Church Discipline.  Most churches have something in their governmental process which relates to church discipline.  In many, or maybe even most, the subject is rarely -- if ever discussed.

Our own church has a statement in our constitution concerning church discipline.  It would not surprise me to discover that most of you were not even aware that these words were in our constitution and by-laws.   Here it is in part:

"Should a member become an offense to the church and continuously disregard his covenant duties, the Diaconate may terminate his membership, but only after due notice and hearing and after faithful efforts have been made to bring such member to repentance and amendment."

Honest now...  how would you like to be a member of this Diaconate and have the responsibility to deal with a person whose behavior had become an offense to the church? The fact is that most of us would rather avoid the issue of church discipline.  It is one of the "hot potato" issues of life together in the Christian church.

***

Defining Church Discipline

If discipline is weak or missing in a child's life, he or she will have difficulty knowing boundaries and limits.  Self becomes more important than society and rules are inconveniences when they block such a person's desires. On the other hand, if discipline is harsh and unloving, a child will have difficulty gaining a sense of self-worth and struggle with anger.  For some the anger will get expressed in outward ways -- "acting out" and for others the anger will turn inward and foster depression.

The result, of course, is an unhealthy family.   Whether chaotic with "wild" children, or gloomy with "repressed" children -- the un-disciplined or over disciplined family is likely to be a toxic environment where authentic joy of life is absent.

// I must share with you my favorite "sociopathic child" story of all time.  It is at once sad and humorous. A parishioner told me of visiting his son's home where he and his wife spent a few days with the son, a daughter-in-law and a pampered, undisciplined grandson.

After a tantrum in a department store, the grandson came home with a toy fire fighter's helmet.  Quickly becoming bored with wearing the hat, the lad began to strike his grandfather with the hat.  Hard.   Not once but continuously.  "Allan, please don't hit me with that," my parishioner said.  But the lad continued while the mother sat silently, reading her magazine.

Whack!  Whack!  The pounding continued.

Finally the mother put down her magazine and yelled, "Allan, stop that... you're going to break your new hat!" //

The church is a family, or as Paul calls it, "The household of God." [Eph. 2:19] There are strong parallels with our individual families.  If a church is without discipline it is likely to be chaotic -- especially when troubled times come along.  When the discipline is harsh, the family of faith is likely to be repressed and lacking in the joy of life.

Before going much further with this discussion, we need a particular understanding of the word discipline.  As a matter of fact it is a word we people in the church or household of God use all the time.  We use the term "disciple" and "discipleship" with some regularity.  People who came to Jesus as followers were called disciples.  He picked twelve of them for a special mission.  In other words, Jesus "disciplined" those who chose to become his followers -- meaning he taught them.  The word for disciple in the New Testament comes from a root word meaning "to learn."  Disciples are "learners."

The heart of discipline is to nourish, teach and lead persons into everything they were designed to be.  It is akin to planting a seed, nourishing it, caring for it and seeing the fruit of its potential come to pass.   Many people see discipline as correcting or scolding for wrong done.  And indeed correction is a part of discipline, but only a part.  We will need to remember that correction without encouragement, or nagging without nourishing distorts the meaning of discipline.  The aim of correction is to lovingly guide someone back to the path -- not push them further away.

Some Biblical Principles for Corrective Discipline

Our Gospel reading for today deals with the issue of corrective discipline and in fact with one particular instance when correction is needed.  Behind the words of the text lie some biblical principles which can help us deal with the hot potato of church discipline.  The specific case in point is that one person who is apart of the church has wronged another person in the fellowship.   What should be done?  Jesus gives some guidance that can have broad application in the church.

1. Be Direct:  When we feel that someone in the fellowship has wronged us, we need to go directly to that person. In other words, "You must talk to the person before you talk about the person!"  This first step in reconciliation could go a long ways toward preventing friction in the family of faith.  Sadly, many people find it easier to talk about people than to people when there is discord or animosity.   Jesus lets us know this should not be so in the church.

2. Be Personal:  "Go and point out..."  Don't write a letter!  Don't even make a phone call!   Go and point out..."  The postal and phone services have enabled the disunity of more churches than you could ever imagine.  And...  if for some reason you have no choice, but to use one of these vehicles, it would be good to impose the 24 hour rule on your communication.  Go ahead and write the letter or think about the phone call but don't mail or dial for 24 hours.  That little piece of advice I gained through painful, personal experience.  All I care to say about it is this:  Do you know what it is like to drop a letter into the mail box only to wish you could reach in and retrieve it?  If you can't do it in person, it probably shouldn't be done. 

3. Be Sensitive: "The time to discuss your grievance," Jesus says, "Is when the two of you are alone."  A wounded relationship can be irreparably damaged when one party "goes public" with a grievance against the other.   When two are alone, misunderstandings can be clarified and miscommunications can be corrected.  Jesus asks us to be sensitive enough to allow a person who has wronged us an opportunity to hear how we have been affected.  This makes it possible for restoration of a relationship.  Or as the song goes, "Give peace a chance."

These first three principles are directed at disruption of the relationship between two persons.  The rest of the passage takes us to the issue of discipline in the wider community of faith.  It underscores the incredible value Jesus puts on maintaining a healthy community.  It is important to understand.  When we have any part in disrupting the peace and unity of the church, we are not simply devaluing a social club... we are doing damage to the Body of Christ!   The seriousness builds as the passage continues.

Something amazing happens here.  If a person is unwilling to hear the voice of the church, they are to be removed from the fellowship!  Such a thought goes against the grain of our Western, individualistic culture.  I recall very clearly the response of a man in one church when I went to talk with him about his family situation.  (His daughter had made a comment to a Sunday School teacher which suggested to us that there was wife abuse going on in the home.)  "What happens in my home is none of your business Pastor,"   he said to me when I asked if we might talk about his family situation.

Why is this such a critical issue with Jesus?   This passage compels us to take a fresh look at a  remarkable truth. The church -- the household of God -- in the deepest spiritual sense is an organism more than it is an organization.  It is the Body of Christ.  Our spiritual union with the Body of Christ is compared by St. Paul to the union between a husband and wife.  [Eph. 5:31-32] Our gospel passage brings home these facts about the nature of the church.

1.  The church lives its life on earth, but it's roots are in heaven.  When we are truly being the church, we are an outpost of the Kingdom of God on earth.  What we do on earth has an impact in heaven.

2.  When the church is living in unity, it's prayer life is the vehicle by which God accomplishes kingdom work on earth.

3.  When the church is gathered as the Body of Christ, the Head of the Church is present in its midst.

***

We can not be faithful to God if we do not apply loving, caring, nourishing discipline to our life together as a church.  Another way to say this is:  There can be no church without disciples and there can be no disciples without discipleship.

People...  Jesus Christ is here today!   Present right here in our midst!  It is an awesome thing to be the church!

Discussion and Reflection on the Texts

Connections in the Texts

Two threads are woven through our texts.   One has to do with sin and its consequences.  The other has to do with behavior in light of the divine reality.  These threads are actually woven together as each text has a slightly different focus.  Matthew deals with one member of the community who sins against another and how the community deals with this sin in light of its divine responsibilities.  In the Hebrew scripture the issue is how sin destroys the relationship with God -- apart from God there is no life.  Or -- "Sin Kills!"   Paul's focus in Romans is directed at the responsibility of Christian folk to live their lives in light of the fact that "...salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed."   The Psalm is an affirmation of the connection between the word of the Lord, our lifestyle and the life God alone can give.

One of the important ideas in these lessons is that our actions have consequences that impact others.  We are not "Lone Ranger" Christians.  The texts might be used to strengthen the issue of community in an individualistic culture.

Matthew 18:15-20

What do you do when you are wronged by someone in the church?  Matthew outlines  the process and this is the focus of our full text sermon.  The passage touches a couple of substantive issues in addition to this.

1. The term "church - ekklesia" ("called out)" is used only twice in the gospels.  Here and at 16:18.  It is significant that Matthew does not use the word "synagogue."   ("to come or gather together")  When is intended here is the beginning of a new community which was the parallel revelation to Peter's revelation in 16:16.

2. Jesus notes that the church will have a special role in the lives of those who make up its number.  An individual who sins is accountable to the community.

This brings about an interesting discussion of the loosing and binding, here and in chapter 16.  In chapter 16, Peter is told that he will receive the keys of the kingdom and that what he binds on earth will be bound in heaven.  Here in chapter 18, it is the community (ekklesia) that does the loosing and binding.  It becomes clear that it is the whole of the community in which Christ dwells that the locus of divine action takes place.

No matter which direction you take with the message for today, Matthew presents a great opportunity to lift up a high view of the church.

Ezekiel 33:7-11

Ezekiel has been a sentinel (watchman) for the House of Israel and has repeatedly warned Israel of the destruction to come if they did not turn from their wicked ways to the Lord.  The warning, unheeded, the people were now Exiles from their homeland and Jerusalem was in ashes.  Ezekiel, however, had accomplished his mission and the people had only themselves to blame for not hearing the warnings of God.

Still -- God will grant life to those who turn from their sinful ways.  God does not "delight" in the death of even the wicked.  For those who do not see the God of love in the Old Testament, this passage along with countless others where God holds out a second chance -- over and over again -- shows that God's love is (as the Psalmist said) "from everlasting to everlasting."

The final question of this passage is haunting...  "For why will you die, O House of Israel?"  

Romans 13:8-14

In his discussion of the Christians lifestyle, Paul encourages the church from two angles.  1.  We are to love one another and this will of necessity mean that we keep the commandments.  2.   We need to stay aware that the consummation of our salvation is closer with each passing day.

Verses 8-10 underscore the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:36-37 about the "Great Commandment."  In 1Peter 4:8 it is, "Love one another deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins." [NIV]  This is "Love never fails".  In the Upper Room discourse (John 13-16) Jesus covers this ground extensively.  There is no genuinely Christian lifestyle without mutual love.  There is no need to look up a list of "do's" and "don'ts" when it comes to what is acceptable behavior in our relationships in the Body of Christ.  That is, "love is the fulfilling of the law." (v.10)

Stay alert!  Paul's injunction to live with an eye on the consummation of the kingdom is not an alarmist, "Jesus is coming in 1999!" type warning -- but rather an encouragement to live in light of our redemption.  Awaken out of sleep can translate to "keep your priorities in order" for us today.  We are to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ"  -- ("The Great Put-On!")   -- that is we are to mature in our relationship with Christ.

Worship Helps

A Call To Worship  

Leader:  O Lord of all, we long to know your presence here today.
People: We desire the understanding only you can give.
Leader:  The guidance that comes from your word.
People: The joy that comes from knowing you.
Leader:  O, shape our hearts as a dwelling place for Christ.
People: And this church as a place of divine joy!
              

A Prayer of Dedication

Bless us today God!  Bless the gifts we bring!  Fill us with new hope
for the building of you kingdom in our hearts.  Make us courageous to
bring the life of Christ to the world around us.  Bless us Lord!  And bless
this church to your honor and glory.  Amen.