70a) Corrective Church Discipline #2

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin introduces the six purposes of corrective church discipline, emphasizing they are not ordered by importance but are equally vital, like slices of a pie.

The six purposes of church discipline are compared to slices in a pie, emphasizing their equal importance rather than a hierarchical, block-like structure.

can be reduced to at least six specific purposes that God envisions by instituting this element in His church. And as we look at the various passages dealing with the subject, several of these purposes come to the surface, and we should look at them as the slices in a pie, just a pie of discipline, and one, two, three, four, five, we've got a sixth one in there, rather than looking at them this way, one built upon another in the block fashion. So think of them in that way. All right?

1:20 - 2:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the maintenance of God's honor grip our hearts, prioritizing it above our feelings and reputation when contemplating spiritual responsibility.

The images of 'light of the world' and 'salt of the earth' are applied to the church's corporate identity, not just individual believers, to show how the church as a whole reflects God's character.

And the first, then, of the purposes of God, in the institution, is the maintaining of the honor of God in His church. As each individual Christian is to reflect the character of God, so the church, in its corporate life and identity, is to do the same. So often we take the two images our Lord uses in the Sermon on the Mount, speaking of His people, you are the light of the world, you are the salt of the earth, and we think of those things in terms of an individual, in almost...

2:00 - 2:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Let the maintenance of God's honor grip our hearts, prioritizing it above our feelings and reputation when contemplating spiritual responsibility.

Jonathan Edwards is quoted to powerfully articulate how tolerating visible wickedness dishonors God, Christ, the gospel, the church, and its members, sending a message that holiness is not required.

Listen to Edwards making this point very powerfully, that if you tolerate visible wickedness in your members, you will greatly dishonor God and our Lord Jesus Christ, the religion which you profess, the church, in general, and yourselves in particular. As those members of the church who practice wickedness bring dishonor upon the whole body, so do those who tolerate them in it. The language of it is this, that God does not require holiness in His servants. Christ does not require it in His disciples.

5:47 - 6:23 Read in full sermon

The point: Ensure that what is preached from the pulpit about sin and judgment is validated by the church's exercise of discipline.

Martin Jeschke, a Mennonite, is quoted extensively to explain that excommunication is not a breakdown of grace but a renewed presentation of the gospel, confronting the impenitent with truth and preventing them from anesthetizing themselves against grace.

Now if that is what we preach from the pulpit but we don't validate it by our discipline we have two different messages. And it is God's purpose that what is preached from the pulpit is validated in the church's exercise of discipline. So the salvation then of the disciplined person is our great concern. And here I quote from this Mennonite Jeschke, Martin Jeschke J-E-S-C-H-K-E He writes There has unfortunately been bad excommunication practice and this has conditioned the thinking of many people to the point where they can see nothing redemptive in the dismissal of a member from the church.

12:16 - 12:58 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow a man to think he can go to heaven while willfully refusing to deal with a clearly identified sin; this is not gracious.

The analogy of a urologist failing to diagnose and treat prostate cancer out of misplaced kindness is used to illustrate how failing to apply corrective discipline is not gracious but ultimately harmful, leading to spiritual death.

Some of the finest statements I've ever read on that subject. For my urologist to suspect that I had a malignancy in my prostate and said but the man looks so healthy and so vigorous and I don't want to disembowel him and see him laid up for several months and run the risk of having him have to wear diapers the rest of his life and be a eunuch I mean he's too nice a guy for that. I'm just going to tell him he's just got a little prostate enlargement put him on some Hytrin 10 milligrams he'll be able to go to the bathroom without restriction and just hope it's not aggressive. Would that be kind...

14:49 - 15:26 Read in full sermon

Driving home: what your immune system is to the body and to the physical physiology corrective church discipline is for the life and health of the church.

Corrective church discipline is compared to the immune system of the body, essential for the life and health of the church by combating defiling influences.

That's telling the man with the malignant prostate you just got innocent BPH benign prostate hyperplasia just got a multiplication of a few cells a little aberration but nothing to be too worried about. We do him no favor there is a salvific element that throbs through this matter of corrective discipline but then thirdly its purpose is the advancement of the purity and health of the church itself the advancement of the purity and health of the church itself what your immune system is to the body and to the physical physiology corrective church discipline is for the life and health of the chur...

16:47 - 17:31 Read in full sermon

Driving home: what your immune system is to the body and to the physical physiology corrective church discipline is for the life and health of the church.

The analogy of a 'little leaven leavening the whole lump' (1 Corinthians 5) is used to explain how one immoral member, if tolerated, can defile and weaken the moral fiber of the entire church.

hearted and broad minded we can just snuggle up to this fellow he says you glory in what even causes unconverted gentiles to be ashamed if it were named among them but he says you are glorying in it you boast of it. You are unashamed and what does he say? He says your glorying is not good don't you know that a little leaven leavens the whole lot when your wife makes bread she puts so many cups of flour so many cups of this and so many cups of that she didn't put in cups of yeast it's one little packet of it's all how much leaven do you need to have it go through an entire congregation? He said

18:03 - 18:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: what your immune system is to the body and to the physical physiology corrective church discipline is for the life and health of the church.

Jonathan Edwards is quoted again, arguing that strict discipline prevents the spread of wickedness, makes members more fruitful in holiness, and increases their joy and peace by making them guarded against sin and careful to do good works.

this man allowed to remain among you will act like leaven his influence will defile weaken the moral fiber of the whole church we could add to that Hebrews 12 14 which speaks of the root of bitterness springing up and defiling many we must always remember that we are not just dealing with individuals but individuals in relationship to the whole and there must be a passionate concern for the whole body lest the spirit being grieved by the sin undealt with in one of the members there is an influence upon the entire assembly again listen to Jonathan Edwards

18:47 - 19:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that fear of public shame and exposure is a legitimate, God-given motivation to keep us in the way of holiness.

The example of being tempted to indulge in sin (e.g., looking at a 'girly magazine') is used to show how the fear of public rebuke can be a legitimate, God-given motivation to resist sin.

Paul unashamedly says Timothy this is what you do there are times when the purpose of your public ministry in a given area is to scare the wits out of people and scare them enough not to do what to sin to say if leaders sin and they don't get away with it and are rebuked what about the rank and file of us maybe the next time I'm tempted to think well I can afford the luxury of indulging a few glances at a girly magazine at a 7-eleven store or I can afford the luxury of this or that hey would I like to be publicly rebuked before all who no way that's a legitimate motive that doesn't sound very ...

21:42 - 22:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that fear of public shame and exposure is a legitimate, God-given motivation to keep us in the way of holiness.

The statement 'when a church loses the power to repel it has nothing worth attracting to itself' is used to explain how the deterrence of discipline, even fear, can paradoxically make the church's message more attractive by demonstrating God's reality.

as should be saved when a church loses the power to repel it has nothing worth attracting to itself when it loses the power to repel by the sense of the deterrence you join that bunch you better walk straight or there God may kill you that's the word that got out that's right God was in the midst of it they may kill you but that God must be real we better go hear their message the Lord added daily such as should be saved but no man dared join himself to them the deterring of others from sin God does not despise our social consciousness and the fears that grow out of it but he sublimates them t...

23:08 - 23:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that fear of public shame and exposure is a legitimate, God-given motivation to keep us in the way of holiness.

Jonathan Edwards is quoted on how the infliction of proper censure restrains others from wickedness, citing Deuteronomy 13:11 as biblical support for this deterrent effect.

of his grace and again listen to Edwards who addresses this issue the purposes of church discipline another he says that others may be deterred from wickedness as the neglect of proper censure with respect to the wicked church members tends to lead and encourage others to commit the same wickedness so the infliction of proper censure tends to restrain others not only from the same wickedness but from sin in general this therefore is repeatedly mentioned as the end of the punishments appointed to be inflicted by the law of Moses Deuteronomy 13 11 and all Israel shall hear and fear and shall do ...

23:52 - 24:35 Read in full sermon

The point: Take Christ's threat to remove the candlestick by faith, earnestly seeking to avoid experiencing such a judicial judgment.

The story of Achan in Joshua 7 is recounted as an example of how one man's sin can bring corporate judgment upon an entire nation, necessitating the leadership to deal with the offending member before God's favor returns.

and sickly among you and not a few sleep what's happened Christ has come in judicial judgment upon members of the congregation because they have not dealt with the issue that needed to be dealt with and then I've listed Joshua 7 the whole incident of Achan one man in the midst of Israel and God comes and charges the whole nation with guilt and in a peculiar way he works to deal with that issue through the leadership they cry to God and there comes a point where God says you've prayed enough get up off your face time to stop praying and it's time now to start seeking out the offending member an...

26:47 - 27:30 Read in full sermon

The point: Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may be blameless and harmless, shining as lights in a crooked and perverse generation.

The contrast between a grousing, complaining employee and one who is fundamentally grateful and content in all circumstances (even overtime or slack contracts) is used to illustrate how a blameless lifestyle validates the Christian witness to the world.

there is no radically different alternate lifestyle where it counts yeah they got their holy place and their holy acts and their holy rituals so do I but when I go into the office on Monday I grouse and grumble when he goes in he grouses and grumbles what's the difference what's the difference when we get an unusual load coming down from the supervisor in the light of some extra contracts and everybody's grousing about the fact they've got to put in overtime this character is saying he's blessing God it's an answer to his prayer because he's wanted to give more to a church building program I c...

29:44 - 30:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Let your lifestyle be the primary validation of your identity as the new humanity in Christ, rather than relying solely on verbal witness or tracts.

The example of a man whose lifestyle contradicts his profession (grousing, dirty jokes, lustful glances) is used to argue that such a person's verbal witness or tracts are ineffective; his lifestyle must be the 'point of the arrow' for evangelism.

the validation of your identity is the new humanity now when someone finally can't stand it in one says man what in the world makes you take and tell them well it's my relationship to God in Christ if you'd like to know some more of that I just happen to have a track here in my thing again yeah you're getting your track but you better let your lifestyle be the point of your mind and not the point of the arrow that goes before the track you put in his hand and not such that when he reads the track and said this guy believes that must not do much for you he grouses like the rest of us he giggles...

31:13 - 31:57 Read in full sermon

The point: Let your lifestyle be the primary validation of your identity as the new humanity in Christ, rather than relying solely on verbal witness or tracts.

Jonathan Edwards is quoted on how strict discipline and morals in the church would be one of the most powerful means of conviction and conversion for those outside, drawing a parallel to 1 Corinthians 14:24-25.

individual and corporate life must if we're to have an effective witness to the world validate those confessions and church discipline is no little element in pursuit of that goal listen again to Edwards the good of those who are without should be another motive to corrective discipline what the Apostle says with reference to another subject first Corinthians 14 24 and 25 is applicable to the case before us the case before us but if all prophesy and there come in one that believes not or is unlearned he's convicted of all judged of all and thus the secrets of his heart are made manifest and so...

32:40 - 33:23 Read in full sermon