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Introduction:
Do you want to go to heaven? Do you want me? What about the
brothers and sisters in Christ sitting around you? Of course you
do. But there is someone who does not want us to go to heaven:
Satan. According to I
Peter 5:8, Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may
devour. He wants us to go to hell. He hurls his fiery darts
continuously (Ephesians
6:16). We must take up our shield of faith to quench those
darts and overcome sin. Regrettably, he sometimes succeeds. Our
brother’s guard is down and the dart drives home and he
stumbles. The roaring lion devours his prey. This is what our
enemy wants. He is attacking us. We are in a fight for the souls
of our brethren. When we see his victories, we must not sit idly,
but fight back. How do we wage this fight? Discussion: I.
First and foremost, we pray. A.
Ephesians
6:18
commands us to make supplication for the saints. Philippians
4:6 says we should not get anxious but rather make
supplication to God. No matter what else has been done or who has
done it, prayer is always necessary to restore a brother or
sister. B.
We should pray individually. When we are with other
Christians, pray together. We should pray in our assemblies. It is
always right to pray and to ask for prayers on behalf of those who
are struggling or even rebelling. The devil does not want us to
pray. He would rather we deal with this from human wisdom and
strength. He does not want us to rely on God. But we must. II.
Address the brother. A.
James
5:19
explains we are to turn the wanderer back to the truth. In Galatians
6:1, Paul charged the spiritual to restore those who have
sinned. Satan wants us to leave the brother or sister alone. Satan
wants us to excuse ourselves from responsibility. Satan wants us
to ignore the sin, deny the sin or justify the sin. Satan wants us
to wait to see if the brother or sister will figure out their sin
on their own. Satan wants us to wait and see if someone else will
do something about it. Satan wants us to go talk to other people
about it. Satan wants us to wait on the elders or the preacher to
do something about it. Satan wants any and all of these actions,
because the longer we wait to address a brother in sin, the
greater hold Satan has on his heart. B.
God wants us to go to the brother or sister and turn them
away from their sin. In Luke
17:3, we are told to rebuke our brother or sister if they
sin. In Matthew
18:15, we are told if our brother sins, we are to tell him
his fault alone. We must do so in a spirit of gentleness (Galatians
6:1). We find it difficult to conceive a gentle rebuke. In
our minds it is either a rebuke or it is gentle. A rebuke is not
necessarily a harsh statement, but a direct and straightforward
charge to perform some action, usually to perform some kind of
change. When we go to our brother, we are to rebuke him, being
straightforward, clear, and direct, but not hateful, mean-spirited
nor rebuke out of anger, vengeance or arrogance. Rather, with
self-control, kindness and love we approach our brother in
private. Keep in mind the end of Galatians
6:1. When we go to our brother or sister, we must consider
ourselves that we not be tempted. While this certainly includes
making sure we are not tempted to commit the sin for which we are
rebuking others, the main import is about our attitude. As vs.
3 says, we must not think we are something when we are
not. Rather, we recognize we have needed rebuke and will need it
again in our lifetime. C.
The Bible demonstrates a private meeting as the norm, but
there is an exception in Galatians
2:11-21. Paul’s rebuke was before all. Peter’s sin was
public and had led others to sin. This rebuke was public so all
would know the sin was dealt with and all would repent themselves. III.
If Satan has won the battle, the church must discipline. A.
Regrettably, some do not repent, but refuse to hear the
rebuke. God has not changed His law about sin in the congregation.
Ephesians
5:27 says Christ wants His church to be holy. In Revelation
2:14-15, 20-23, two churches were condemned for
maintaining fellowship with sin. B.
If a brother or sister refuses to be restored, the church
must act. Satan does not want this. He does not want us to do
anything. He wants us to back off and be worried about whether or
not the sinner will get mad. He wants us to worry about whether or
not the sinner will sue the church. He wants us to be so concerned
about our friendship that we just drop the whole matter. He wants
us to complain about why the elders have not done anything. He
wants us to call the preacher and ask him to preach on the topic
hoping the sinner will hear and repent on his own. Satan does not
want the church to do anything. Because if the church does
nothing, Satan wins not only the one soul, but those of all who
allow sin to go unaddressed. C.
But the church may not act based simply on the testimony of
an individual. Notice in Matthew
18:16, if the brother does not repent, we are to take
others with us in order to establish every fact on the testimony
of multiple witnesses. Jesus refers to Deuteronomy
19:15. Read the context of Deuteronomy
19:15-21 and we find that the testimony was to be
carefully examined by the priests and judges before the
congregational action was taken. No doubt, we must do this as
well. The two or three witnesses will bring the sin before the
elders and they will make inquiry to determine the truth of the
testimony. Hopefully, we will not need the testimony. Hopefully,
the brother or sister will hear these brethren. If not, the
congregation must act. D.
Before we discuss the congregation’s collective action,
there is one point of technicality to note in Matthew
18:17, which speaks of the brother refusing to hear. It
almost seems as though some want to protect themselves from
congregational discipline. To do so, they refuse to meet with or
listen to their brethren. They avoid contact. They do not show up
for assemblies. They claim they cannot talk when called and do not
return calls. “Refuses to hear” translates the Greek word “parakouo”.
According to Strong’s Enhanced Lexicon and to Zodhiates’ Word
Study Dictionary, this term covers both neglecting to hear and
paying no regard to what was heard. If a someone refuses even to
listen to brethren, that is also a testimony to their error and
sin. E.
In Matthew
18:17 the text says, “And if he refuses to listen even
to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax
collector.” In other words, based on the testimony of two or
three witnesses the church must now do something that either the
sinner will hear or refuse to hear. What is that action? I
Corinthians 5 explains. In I
Corinthians 5:1-2 we find a situation where a brother’s
sin is known and confirmed by two or three witnesses. In fact, all
the members of the church know it. And the church has done nothing
about it. They have made no announcements. They have sent no
representatives to rebuke the brother. They have only been puffed
up. What was Paul’s command? In I
Corinthians 5:4-5, he commanded the church to deliver such
a one to Satan when they next assembled. Once the sin and lack of
repentance is confirmed, the church is to withdraw from the
unrepentant sinner. F.
If the sinner refuses to hear the rebuke of individuals and
that of the church, then we are not to keep company with him.
Jesus said it this way in Matthew
18:17, “… let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax
collector.” And in I
Corinthians 5:11, Paul explains that we are not even to
eat with him. In II
Thessalonians 3:14, Paul explains that even at this point
though we are still trying to restore him. We do not count him as
an enemy. Rather, we admonish him as a brother. IV.
When he does hear, what do we do? A.
Our hope and prayer is that we win the battle. In many
cases, our brother will hear the rebuke of the individual, the
witnesses or the church. When he does, what are we to do? Luke
17:3 says we are to forgive him. II
Corinthians 2:6-11 says we are to comfort him, reaffirming
our love. Luke
15:1-7 demonstrates we are to rejoice. James
5:16 says we are to pray with him. B.
Satan does not want us doing any of this. Satan wants us to
hold a grudge. Satan would prefer we hold him at arm’s length as
though testing him to see if we really believe his confession to
us. Satan wants us to treat him like a second-class Christian.
Satan wants us to continue to call into question his motives for
every forthcoming action. Why? Because that will give Satan room
to attack again. Paul makes this very point in II
Corinthians 2:6-11. We must respond properly to the lost
sheep who has been found and restored to the fold or Satan will
win the victory. Conclusion: We are in a war. Satan is the enemy and he is attacking. We must win the fight. We must stand up and not allow him to capture a single one of our brethren. We must work to restore any that are fallen. If you have sinned and a brother or sister joins in the fray against Satan, do not count them as your enemy, but as your friends when they gently rebuke you. Heed the admonition and repent, returning to fellowship with Christ. When we maintain faithfulness, a crown of life awaits us (Revelation 2:10).
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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