June 25, 2025 • 46 mins
The idea of confronting people in their sin seems like the last thing a church would want to do, particularly if its goal is to attract more people. However, when Jesus gave instructions regarding the church, the topic we know of as church discipline as a top priority. In this message from Matthew 18:15–20, David Platt exhorts the church to carry out its God-given responsibility to deal with sin and to seek to restore one another. We can trust Jesus to build his church, for he desires our holiness and he knows that sin is destructive.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to David Platt Messages a weekly
podcast with sermons andmessages from pastor, author and
teacher David Platt.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
So let's be honest, let's just put it out on the
table Church discipline is apretty negative topic in many of
our minds.
As soon as we mention churchdiscipline, there's all kinds of
ideas, images, pictures of theholy police that come to our
mind Ideas, images, pictures ofthe holy police that come to our
mind.
Some of our guys have beenworking on trying to depict some
(00:29):
of those images that might comein our minds, so I want you to
watch this video with you.
Maybe this is how you picturechurch discipline Watch this
with me.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Ma'am, thank you for meeting with us here today.
We are attempting to addressthe matter of church discipline.
Who are you?
That is not important, and weare starting with you.
In the case of you cutting offanother person in traffic I
believe we have photographicevidence- Wait a minute.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
I don't remember cutting anyone off in traffic
and, to be honest, thispicture's kind of blurry.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
You're going to need to calm down.
It is a little blurry.
If you'll take a good, hardlook at this photograph, you'll
realize that this is aphotograph of you.
All we're asking you to do isto confess what you did, so this
situation doesn't escalate.
What exactly do you want me toconfess?
We want you to confess that youcut this lady off.
I want you to wait outside.
Wait outside and calm down,ma'am, I apologize for my
(01:30):
partner.
I can't control him.
I'm going to need you to signthis full confession.
Full confession what does?
that have to do with anything.
It has to do with your heinoussin, and this is probably just
the tip of the iceberg myheinous sin and the tip of the
iceberg, my heinous sin, andthen we're gonna open up a whole
dossier on it.
Don't pretend that cuttingsomeone off in traffic isn't a
sin.
It's a horrible sin.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Wait a minute, this does not look like me.
Oh, it's you.
Is that a mustache A?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
mustache.
That does look, I thought itwas lipstick, but now that she
says it, where did we get this?
Photograph.
Who is this?
It looks a little like you,looks like me.
You brought the picture in here.
Where'd it come from?
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Where did you get this?
Picture lady Off yourrefrigerator.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I can't believe that my own partner.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Don't you turn this on me.
Get up against the wall.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Don't you turn the.
I'm not the one with themustache and the blurry coat.
I think you guys have this, I'mgonna leave.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
You don't deserve.
I'm thinking this is not whatJesus had in mind when he talked
about church discipline.
So I want us to dive in and Iwant us to hear from Jesus how
he approached this issue andthis topic and the church.
Matthew, chapter 18, verse 15.
I'm convinced that this wholepicture church discipline.
This is one of those wordsdiscipline.
Even that just needs to beredeemed.
In our day we think negativelywhen we think of discipline, and
(02:52):
that's not how Scriptureapproaches discipline.
We need to redefine, understandagain what Scripture means when
it uses that kind of pictureterminology.
So Matthew 18, verse 15.
Jesus says when it uses thatkind of picture terminology.
So Matthew, chapter 18, verse15.
Jesus says If your brother sinsagainst you, go and show him his
fault, just between the two ofyou.
(03:13):
If he listens to you, you havewon your brother over.
But if he will not listen, takeone or two others along so that
every matter may be establishedby the testimony of two or
three witnesses.
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 taxcollector.
(03:35):
I tell you the truth whateveryou bind on earth will be bound
in heaven, and whatever youloose on earth will be loosed in
heaven.
Again, I tell you that if twoof you on earth agree about
anything you ask for, it will bedone for you by my Father in
heaven.
For where two or three cometogether in my name, there I am
with them, father.
This whole passage ends with apromise of your presence and
(04:01):
your response in prayer, and sowe come to you this morning and
we pray that you would help usto understand your word, help us
to understand this wholepicture that we often neglect or
ignore.
We don't know how to put thisinto practice, and so we pray
that by your spirit, you wouldteach us and train us and mold
(04:24):
us into a people who areobedient to your Word, even when
it seems difficult to do.
We pray that your Spirit wouldguide and lead our time, not
just in your Word this morning,but as we consider what this
looks like in the context of ourfaith family.
In Jesus' name, we pray amen.
It's really interesting whenyou think about it.
(04:49):
This is Jesus' first initialinstruction to his disciples
about the church.
We've seen the word churchmentioned one other time in the
Gospels, matthew, chapter 16,with Peter's confession of
Christ as Lord and Jesus sayingthat the church is gonna be,
with Peter's confession ofChrist as Lord and Jesus saying
that the church is going to bebuilt on that confession of
Christ as Lord.
But then you get to Matthew,chapter 18, and this is his
(05:12):
initial instruction to thechurch, which in and of itself
that should just leap out of thepages of Scripture before us
for us to realize.
This whole issue of churchdiscipline was not number 99 on
a list of hundred things thatJesus said were important in the
church.
This is at the top, right afterconfession of Christ as Lord.
We see Jesus talking aboutchurch discipline, confronting a
(05:34):
brother or sister in sin in thechurch.
This is extremely important.
It should signal to us this isnot an optional in the church.
This is not extra credit.
This is essential.
This is not an optional in thechurch.
This is not extra credit, thisis essential.
This is fundamental.
And yet it is so oftenneglected that I'm guessing many
of us have not heard a sermonor seen church discipline
(05:54):
practice.
Some of us have, but many of us, I'm guessing, haven't.
That obviously shows us we needto see what Jesus is talking
about here and consider how toimplement it.
Now, there's a lot of reasonswhy we don't do church
discipline, maybe excuses orobjections to church discipline.
You've got them listed there inyour notes.
Why not church discipline?
Some say well, churchdiscipline is legalistic.
(06:14):
You can't be a church of graceand a church of discipline.
Church discipline contradictsthe grace of God and the love of
God.
Mark it down.
Without doubt, a church thatstarts to talk about church
discipline and a pastor thatstarts to talk about church
discipline will immediately beopen to the charge of being
(06:34):
legalistic.
It's inevitable.
People say church discipline islegalistic.
Now we're going to come back toeach of these and think about
how Scripture addresses thesethoughts that we might say.
But let's just run down them.
Second one what about Matthew?
What about Matthew 7.1?
Do not judge or you too will bejudged.
Matthew 7.1.
This is the verse that it'salmost a catchphrase that comes
(06:57):
out whenever you start talkingabout churchism.
Well, you don't judge.
Don't judge, or you too will bejudged.
We live in a day where theintolerable sin is to say that
something is wrong.
You don't say that something iswrong in someone else's life or
something is wrong in theculture around you.
Who are you to say that?
Don't judge lest you be judged?
Or maybe we quote John 8, 7.
Let he who is without sin, lethim, cast the first stone.
(07:20):
Anybody in here not have sin?
Okay, well then, none of us canreally point out sin in each
other's lives.
We'll use phrases like that.
What about Matthew 7 and 1?
Do not judge lest you be judged.
Third, people will leave.
Let me tell you what's not atthe top of the charts on church
growth magazines the trend ofchurch discipline.
(07:43):
We're a church that disciplinessinners.
It just doesn't work well.
On the billboards today You'vegot all kinds of catchphrases
for churches.
We're a church that loves.
We're the church that cares.
We're the church of joy.
We're the church that meetsneeds Brook Hills.
We're the church thatdisciplines.
You put that on your billboard,your website.
You're not going to achievehigh attendance Sunday the next
(08:05):
week.
It's not going to happen.
It doesn't work.
People not only won't come toleave, even the topic of this is
probably causing people aroundthis room to think I don't know
if I'm in for this and if peopledon't leave.
Sometimes church disciplinecauses a pastor to leave.
I was having a meal with afellow pastor this last week and
(08:27):
he was asking what we werestudying.
I was telling him what we werediving into over the next few
weeks and these were his exactwords.
His exact words were well, whydon't you give me a call in a
few weeks, if you're still there, and let me know how it goes?
That'll bless your heart.
So either you'll leave oryou'll make me leave if we dive
(08:48):
into church discipline, I don'tknow.
Next, we don't know how topractice church discipline,
particularly in a church thissize.
How do you practice churchdiscipline?
I've had people tell me youcan't do it.
It's not possible in a churchthis size.
Don't even try.
Now you look at those fourphrases and it may surprise you,
but I think those four phrasesactually have some validity in
(09:11):
the sense that we don'tunderstand what church
discipline is and we're reactingvery clearly in some of these
things to abuses of churchdiscipline.
But we've got to be carefulwhenever we think of an abuse of
church discipline, not to throwchurch discipline out the
window in light of its abuse.
For example, church disciplineis legalistic.
(09:32):
There's no question thatthroughout the history of the
church there have been timeswhere things have been done in
the name of church discipline,oftentimes things added to the
word rules, regulations put onpeople you need to do this, this
, this and this and this thatare not in Scripture.
Oftentimes things done in awrong spirit, in a wrong
attitude, which we're going totalk about in a moment.
(09:56):
But when you think about thatphrase, church discipline is
legalistic.
That does not add up withbiblical church discipline.
Biblical church disciplineactually says the exact opposite
.
Scripture doesn't say churchdiscipline is legalistic.
Scripture says church disciplineis loving, loving.
That's the picture thatScripture gives of discipline.
We think it's noble orcompassionate to sit back and to
(10:16):
say, well, that's someoneelse's sin, someone else's
decision, someone else'sresponsibility and they're going
to live with what they do andso I'm going to let them do
whatever they think is best.
That sounds noble,compassionate, even spiritual to
us.
But let's be thankful that theGod of the universe doesn't love
(10:38):
us like that, doesn't leave usalone in our sin.
Well, it's your decision.
He comes after us, he pursuesus.
That's the whole picture.
In church discipline it's love.
Hebrews 12, 6,.
God disciplines those whom hewhat Loves.
A parent disciplines those whomhe loves.
Discipline is a very lovingthing.
To be indifferent toward abrother or sister in sin is the
(11:00):
exact opposite of love.
It's cowardice.
It hides behind a cloak offalse love and false humility.
Church discipline is loving.
It's caring to reach out tosomeone.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote anincredible book on Christian
community.
He was a follower of Christ inthe middle of Nazi Germany.
(11:20):
This little book called LifeTogether.
I want you to listen to what hesaid.
It's a great quote.
It deals with this picture ofchurch discipline being loving.
Bonhoeffer said follow alongclose.
Nothing is so cruel as thetenderness that consigns another
to his sin.
Nothing can be morecompassionate than the severe
(11:41):
rebuke that calls a brother backfrom the path of sin.
Did you catch that?
Bonhoeffer said it's cruel tobe tender and let a brother walk
away in sin.
It's compassionate to offersevere rebuke that calls a
brother back from sin.
Church discipline is loving.
What about Matthew chapter seven, verse one?
(12:02):
Don't judge, lest you be judged.
Well, keep going to Matthewchapter 7, verse 1?
.
Don't judge, lest you be judged.
Well, keep going to Matthewchapter 7, verse 5.
This is the whole picture whenJesus says if you have a plank
in your own eye, don't be tryingto remove the speck from your
brother's eye.
Then he gets to verse 5 and hesays take the plank out of your
own eye and then you will beable to see clearly and do what?
Remove the speck from yourbrother's eye.
(12:23):
The implication is that as yougrow in holiness, you will help
others grow in holiness.
This is the whole picture, andso what Jesus is saying in
Matthew chapter 7 and verse 1 isin no way contradictory to what
he's saying in Matthew chapter18, verse 15 through 20.
They go together.
Obviously there is a sense inwhich God has authority to judge
that we don't have, and there'sa sense in which humility must
(12:50):
be a part of this whole picturewhich we're going to talk about.
But Jesus is not saying don'tpoint out sin, don't help other
brothers or sisters turn fromsin.
He's saying the exact opposite.
He's saying grow in holiness soyou can help others grow in
holiness as well.
That's what Matthew chapter 7,verse 1 through 5 is about.
It's what Matthew 18, 15through 20 is about.
This next picture if we talkabout church discipline, if we
implement church discipline,people will leave this right
(13:10):
here may be the most importanttruth that we see today, and
it's really much larger thanjust church discipline, but it
applies to church discipline andhas huge ramifications for
everything we do as a church.
So don't miss that.
People will leave.
Brothers and sisters, this isGod's church to grow, not ours.
(13:39):
This is God's church to grow,not ours.
As I was studying this week, Iwas just struck with a reminder.
There are easier ways to pastorand there are easier ways to
grow a church a lot easier ways.
I can come up with a list ofthings that we could do to try
(14:06):
to increase the crowds.
I get lists of things across mydesk every single day in the
mail.
Soften the message, playsecular music, give people money
(14:30):
, do a series on sex.
That's the new thing.
You can draw a crowd today.
There's all over the place.
It's a popular thing to do.
Get new trends every day, newcatchy things to do.
Draw the crowd with this, dothis or this or this or this.
Can I be honest with you?
(14:58):
I want to avoid every singleone of those.
I want to avoid themdeliberately and intentionally,
to go out of the way in avoidingthem.
You know why?
Because I want to be a part ofsomething that can only be
attributed to God and not thecreativity of the pastor or the
trend of the day, which we arebombarded with.
Week after week, month aftermonth, year after year.
(15:20):
There are more trends putbefore us, but that's not the
way God grows His church.
Let me show you how God growsHis church.
Go with me to Acts chapter 5.
You've got to see this.
We've looked at this textbefore Acts chapter 5, only
explained by God.
Look at this.
Acts chapter 5 shows you apicture of church discipline
that God directly handles, thatGod takes into his own hands.
(15:46):
Acts chapter five, verse one.
Imagine the scene Now.
A man named Ananias Actschapter five, verse one together
with his wife Sapphira, alsosold a piece of property With
his wife's full knowledge.
He kept back part of the moneyfor himself.
So we've got deception, we'vegot lying going on here but
brought the rest, kept back partof the money for himself.
So we've got deception.
We've got lying going on here,but brought the rest and put it
(16:07):
at the apostles' feet.
Peter said Ananias, how is itthat Satan has so filled your
heart that you have lied to theHoly Spirit and have kept for
yourself some of the money youreceived for the land?
Didn't it belong to you beforeit was sold?
And after it was sold, wasn'tthe money at your disposal.
What made you think of doingsuch a thing?
You have not lied to men, butto God.
(16:28):
Listen to verse 5.
When Ananias heard this, he felldown and died.
How about this?
For understatement.
Great fear seized all who heardwhat had happened.
Can you imagine that Somebodygets killed in the offering by
God?
Great fear all over the room.
(16:52):
The young man came forward,wrapped up his body and carried
him out and buried him.
Verse 7,.
About three hours later, hiswife came in, not knowing what
had happened.
Peter asked her tell me, isthis the price you and Ananias
got for the land?
Yes, she said.
That is the price.
Peter said to her how could youagree to test the spirit of the
Lord?
Look, the feet of the men whoburied your husband are at the
(17:15):
door and they will carry you outalso.
At that moment, she fell downat his feet and died.
And the young man came in.
Young man came in finding herdead, carried her out and buried
her beside her husband.
Second time it says it.
Great fear seized the wholechurch and all who heard about
these things.
Now you read that.
(17:36):
Let's be honest.
Put this together with Matthew,chapter 18.
You're thinking.
I'm thinking what are you doinghere at God?
Why is your first instructionto the church not word about how
to create a cozy environmentfor people to feel warm and
welcome?
Why is your first instructionto the church not worried about
how to create a cozy environmentfor people to feel warm and
welcome?
Why is your first instructionto the church about confronting
brother or sister in sin?
And why is the first picture wehave of the church in Jerusalem
(17:56):
God striking people down dead?
The offering how do you grow achurch?
A couple people die in theoffering.
That'll do it.
That's weird.
This doesn't add up with us.
But look at this, don't miss it.
Verse 13 and 14.
No one else dared join them,even though they were highly
(18:21):
regarded by the people.
Nevertheless, more and more menand women believed in the Lord
and were added to their number.
How does that happen?
You notice?
Verse 14, were added passive.
Who was adding them?
Takes us right back to thelanguage in Acts 2, 47.
(18:44):
The Lord added to their numberdaily those who were being saved
.
So don't miss the picture we'regetting here because this is so
different.
God is apparently about growingthe church in very, very
different ways than we are.
How is God growing the church?
I want you to see therelationship between the
holiness of God among his peopleand the growth of the church.
(19:06):
Don't miss this.
God is growing the church bycreating a people who are so
radically committed to holinessand obedience and righteousness
that everyone around them in theworld is afraid to join.
And yet they're joining becauseGod is adding to their number.
Let me repeat that how is Godgoing to grow the church?
(19:30):
By creating a people who are socommitted to holiness and
righteousness and obedience toHim that there's no other
explanation.
The people around see theholiness of God, revere the
holiness of God, and God drawsthem to Himself in a way that
defies explanation.
God do it.
God do it.
(19:51):
God do it.
In our day, god trump all theludicrous phrases and catchy
trends that we come up with whenwe take church growth into our
own hands to try to appeal topeople and, in the process, say
things like well, when peopleare on the front door, we don't
make sure not to talk aboutserious commitment to holiness
and serious commitment torighteousness and radical
obedience.
Don't talk about those things,why not?
(20:13):
People on the front door weredying in Acts, chapter 5.
Let's put radical commitment toholiness, obedience and
righteousness at the forefrontof the church, and let's trust
that God knows what he is doingin growing his church and he is
able, more than able, betterthan all of our trends put
together, to draw people tohimself.
This has been his planthroughout Scripture Old
(20:33):
Testament, ezekiel, chapter 36,verse 22 and 23.
It is not for your sake, o houseof Israel, that I'm going to do
these things, but for the sakeof my holy name, which you have
profaned among the nations.
That nations will know that Iam the Lord, declares the
sovereign Lord, when I show themhow holy I am through you.
I'm going to show my holinessthrough my people.
(20:54):
Ezekiel, chapter 36, verse 22and 23.
Same picture 1, peter, chapter2.
You are a chosen people, aroyal priesthood, a holy nation,
declaring the greatness of theone who has brought you out of
darkness into his marvelouslight.
We don't.
We don't show the world howholy God is by becoming like the
(21:14):
world and by showing themdarkness that they're familiar
with.
We show the world light,holiness, radical commitment to
holiness, and God entrustspeople to his church.
God grows the church and nowdon't miss it.
Who's getting the credit forchurch growth, not the creative
pastor, not the trendy church.
(21:35):
God alone can get the creditfor that kind of growth.
This is God's church to grow,not ours.
Do we believe that the elders?
Literally since right after Icame, we have been praying
(21:57):
together about this picture ofchurch discipline and really
anticipating even what we aredoing this morning?
For years now, praying andstudying, seeing the importance
of this Praying that would giveus grace, the faith family to
obey his word.
And I know, I know that thereis a chance that some people
(22:18):
will say I'm not in as shepherdin this faith family.
I pray, I pray that you willsee this picture's a good thing,
but we're going to go with theWord because we're going to
trust that it's good and Godknows what he is doing.
It's God's church to grow, notours.
Well, we don't know how to doit.
(22:40):
Then let's learn how topractice church discipline.
Let's learn how to do it.
Richard Baxter wrote one of theclassics on pastoral ministry, a
book for pastors.
This was, hundreds of years ago, called the Reformed Pastor.
I want you to listen to what hesaid.
He said my request to theministers is that they would at
last, without any more delay,unanimously set themselves to
(23:01):
the practice of those parts ofchurch discipline which are
unquestionably necessary andpart of their work.
It's a sad case that good menshould settle themselves so long
in the constant neglect of sogreat a duty.
The common cry is our people arenot ready for it.
They will not bear it.
But is not the fact, rather,that you will not bear the
(23:21):
trouble and hatred it willoccasion you?
So let's be a people who say wewant to obey the Word, we're
ready to obey the word.
So what is church discipline?
What is church discipline?
Well, it's not a witch hunt,it's not looking to get even
with somebody.
It's not an investigation ofrumors, it's not an
(23:42):
interrogation.
There's no badges involved inthis thing.
What is church discipline?
And this is where I want us tosee two facets of church
discipline, one that's reflectedcome back to Matthew, chapter
18.
One that's reflected here andone that's not.
But I think we need to see bothfacets in order to understand
this picture in Matthew, chapter18.
Two facets of church discipline, both extremely important.
(24:04):
First, formative churchdiscipline.
Formative church discipline,kindative church discipline.
I'm going to put a definitionthere Continual training.
We see this in the WordContinual training that
believers receive from the Wordin the body of Christ as their
lives are transformed intoChrist's likeness.
(24:25):
Let's all get this on the table.
We need discipline right.
Everyone needs discipline inthis room.
We all need discipline.
Anybody not need discipline.
If you speak up like you'dprove the point, okay, we all
need discipline and we're allunder discipline.
We're all under discipline atthis moment.
(24:45):
We are disciples of Christ.
We're all under discipline atthis moment.
We are disciples of Christ.
We are learning from him.
Matthew 11, 29.
Come to me all you who areweary and burdened.
I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learnfrom me.
Whole picture of the GreatCommission Matthew 28, 18
through 20.
Make disciples, teaching themto obey.
We're all learning to obey.
(25:06):
None of us is the finishedproduct, so to speak.
None of us has arrived.
We're all growing.
We all have areas where we needto grow more and the whole
process of discipleship is aprocess of discipline, and
that's a good thing.
Formative church discipline weare everything we do in the
church, preaching, teachingsmall groups, everything that
happens in our lives.
Do we realize every singledetail that happens in our lives
(25:30):
?
God intends for oursanctification, for our growth
in Christ.
You think about that, the greatthings that have happened to
you this week God has intendedto mold you more in the likeness
of Christ and the difficultthings that have happened to you
this week, this month, in yourlife, in your family, even those
things.
This is how you rejoice intrials, because you know the
(25:51):
testing of your faith developswhat Perseverance.
First finish this work andyou'll be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.
That's the picture.
Even the worst things we face,god is conforming us more and
more into the image of Christ.
That makes everything around usgood.
That's why Romans 8, 28 saysAll things, god works together
for the good of those who lovehim, who have been called
(26:11):
according to his purpose.
What's his purpose?
That we would be, two verseslater, conformed in the likeness
of his son.
Everything, everything in ourlives is God disciplining us by
his love, teaching us, trainingus in Christ's likeness.
That's the picture.
It's the picture of being welldisciplineddisciplined.
You think about a battalion ofsoldiers.
If you were to say, man, thatgroup of soldiers is
(26:34):
well-disciplined, you would notbe saying that they're
constantly in conflict andconstantly disobeying their
commanding officer.
No, you would say that's agroup of people that has learned
, that has been trained tofollow their commanding officer.
Same thing in the home.
You saw children.
You say, well, those childrenare well-disciplined.
You would not say that if theywere always disobeying their
(26:56):
parents and they were alwaysbeing punished for that.
You would say they'rewell-disciplined because they
have learned to obey.
The same picture in the churchGod, make us a well-disciplined
people.
And that doesn't mean we'realways going around on each
other talking about hey, do this, do this, do this, this area of
disobedience.
No, well-disciplined people arepeople who are obeying our
(27:16):
commander, following afterChrist.
God, create that kind ofdiscipline in us.
To use Richard Foster's wordsfrom his classic on the subject
celebration of discipline.
That's what the Christian lifeis a celebration of discipline.
So that's formative churchdiscipline.
Second facet of churchdiscipline is restorative church
(27:37):
discipline and this is whereMatthew chapter 18 comes in,
specifically addressingcorrective care taken by the
body of Christ in matters ofunrepentant sin in a brother or
sister's life.
Don't miss this.
This is not about Matthew.
18 is not about the dailystruggle we all have with sin.
We all struggle with sin in ourlives and we are constantly
(27:59):
growing in the image of Christ.
And so don't think as we'retalking this morning.
Well, man, I struggle with thissin, I'm about to get kicked
out of this place.
That's not what Matthew chapter18 is teaching.
Matthew 18 is specificallyaddressing when a brother is
caught in sin, to use thelanguage from Galatians, chapter
6, verse 1, caught in sin, andwhen that sin is addressed by
(28:19):
the word in his or her life,then they continue in it.
They don't listen to the word,they don't listen to correction
from the word, and so theycontinue on, unrepentant in sin.
That's the picture that's beingexpressed here in restorative
church discipline.
Now, regardless whether it'sformative, restorative, whatever
it looks like, I want to pointout there is one foundation for
(28:42):
this entire picture of churchdiscipline, and this is key.
This cuts right at the heart,this goes right to the teeth, so
to speak, of that idea thatchurch discipline is legalistic.
So don't miss that.
The one foundation for churchdiscipline is the grace of God,
grace.
Grace is the one and onlyfoundation for biblical church
(29:06):
discipline.
I want to show you this incontext here In Matthew chapter
18, this is a part of the studyfor me this week that just came
alive in a way.
I'd read through, studied insome ways, matthew 18, 15, 20
before, but I'd never seen it inthe richness of the context
that surrounded it.
It is just sandwiched in themiddle of startling pictures of
(29:28):
grace in Matthew, chapter 18.
And we think we hear grace anddiscipline.
We almost think they'reoxymorons, like they contradict
one another, they don't gotogether.
But what scripture is showingus is that discipline and grace,
beautifully, are intertwinedtogether, beautifully
intertwined.
I want to show it to you.
Look at Matthew, chapter 18,verse one through four.
Listen to the context.
(29:50):
This is what leads up.
We're just going to kind of gostep by step to what leads up to
verse 15.
Listen to verse 1.
At that time the disciples cameto Jesus and asked who is the
greatest in the kingdom ofheaven?
So that's how this wholepicture starts.
Listen to what Jesus does.
He called a little child andhad him stand among them and he
(30:21):
said I tell is how we approachchurch discipline.
I want you to see how Jesusapproaches it.
First got this in your notes weneed childlike humility,
childlike humility.
Jesus sets the stage for aconversation about church
discipline with a picture of thehumility of children.
(30:41):
I want you to think about howthat kind of humility is
required, is necessary in thiswhole picture in Matthew 18, 15
through 20.
To go to a brother or sister andto address sin in their lives
requires deep humility,childlike humility.
(31:06):
To go to a brother or sister inpride or in arrogance, in a
picture of superiority andinferiority, misses the whole
point.
It's an abuse of churchdiscipline.
We go in humility knowing weare all in need of grace.
There is level ground here atthe foot of the cross.
And you struggle with this, Istruggle with this Struggle with
(31:28):
different things, and we needwe all need the gospel.
We need the grace of God everymoment of every day.
And so we approach a brother orsister in humility.
Now, not a false humility,there's a false humility that
sits back and says, well, who amI to say something about their
lives.
It's false humility, it'sindifference toward your brother
(31:48):
or sister.
True humility goes to them Inhumility, humbly, gently
addresses sin.
Now, it also takes humility toreceive that kind of correction,
doesn't it?
I mean, who likes that?
I can speak from personalexperience on this one.
(32:08):
I'm not going to go intospecifics, but I can think of a
variety of times when a brotheror sister has come to me and has
said David, there's somethinghere in your life I want to ask
you about man.
As soon as they start talking,defense mechanisms just rise up
to the surface.
You know that.
You know that feeling.
I start, I start reacting.
(32:31):
No, you don't understand.
I'm a pastor.
Like I preach, I teach.
I can even turn one of thoseinto a teaching moment for the
person who's confronting me.
I appreciate your concern, butwhat you need to learn from this
is that, like it's horrible,these mechanisms rise up.
We don't want.
That's why we receivecorrection from one another.
(32:55):
But this is the picture.
This is the picture of what itmeans to be the body of Christ,
isn't it?
Don't we want people around us?
Don't we all have blind spots?
Don't we all have things we dosay?
Don't we all have patterns,struggles, that we want a
brother or sister around us wholoves us enough to humbly come
to us in the middle of the host,even when they know it might
(33:16):
kind of sting a bit and crushour pride?
Our pride needs to be crushed.
Brothers and sisters, pridecannot live beneath the cross.
Spurgeon says let's rise withhumility.
This is the picture to say to acommunity of faith I need you
(33:43):
to help me avoid sin.
Are you willing to say that?
We need to be willing to saythat this is humility, and then
a humility that comes to you inthat child, childlike humility
we need.
I sin, I sin and I hate thatfact.
I want to sin less and less andless and less, and I want
(34:09):
brothers and sisters around mewho want me to sin less and less
and less and less.
I want brothers and sistersaround me who hate sin as much
as I do and will keep me fromtaking this step that leads to
this step and leads to this step, this step.
(34:30):
I want somebody stopping me atthe first step, somebody who I'm
in community with, that humblyapproaches me and God, give me
humility to respond to that.
We need childlike humility.
Leads into the second.
We need a deep concern forholiness.
A deep concern for holiness.
Listen to where the shift comeshere in verse 5.
(34:52):
Whoever welcomes a little childlike this in my name welcomes
me.
But if anyone causes one ofthese little ones who believe in
me to sin, it would be betterfor him to have a large
millstone hung around his neckand to be drowned in the depths
of the sea.
Woe to the world.
Listen to verse 7 and 8.
Woe to the world because of thethings that cause people to sin
.
Such things must come, but woeto the man through whom they
(35:15):
come.
If your hand or your foot causesyou to sin, cut it off and
throw it away.
It is better for you to enterlife maimed or crippled than to
have two hands or two feet andbe thrown into the eternal fire.
And if your eye causes you tosin, gouge it out and throw it
away.
It is better for you to enterlife with one eye than to have
two eyes and be thrown into thefire of hell.
Sin is serious Jesus saysExtremely serious and if it's
(35:43):
that serious, then we want toguard each other's holiness.
We need a deep concern forholiness, and this is really
where we've got to ask ourselvesthe question as a faith family,
do we want to be a holy people?
I mean really Really.
1 Peter 1, 15, 16, be holy asI'm holy.
(36:07):
Do we want that?
1 Peter 1, 15, 16, be holy asI'm holy.
Do we want that?
Do we want to make it hard forone another to be complacent?
Do we want to make it hard forone another to enjoy sin?
Yes, yes, yes.
(36:33):
Now we we often times reactagainst that.
A pastor, a friend of mine up inWashington DC, wrote this and I
read it.
It just pierced my heartbecause I saw my own tendency in
it.
Imagine this church, he said.
It is huge and it's stillgrowing numerically.
(36:54):
People like it, the music isgood, the people are welcoming,
there are many exciting programsand people are quickly enlisted
into their support.
And yet the church, in tryingto look like the world in order
to win the world, has done abetter job than it may have
intended.
It does not display thedistinctively holy
characteristics taught in theNew Testament.
Imagine such an apparentlyvigorous church being truly
(37:17):
spiritually sick, with noremaining immune system to check
and guard against wrongteaching or wrong living.
Imagine Christians knee-deep inrecovery groups and sermons on
brokenness and grace, beingcomforted in their sin but never
confronted.
Imagine those people, made inthe image of God, being lost to
sin because no one corrects them.
Can you imagine such a church?
(37:37):
Apart from the size, have I notdescribed many of our American
churches?
Isn't this our tendency?
From the size, have I notdescribed to many of our
American churches?
Isn't this our tendency?
I'm not saying sermons onbrokenness and grace are bad,
but our tendency is to gravitatetoward people who don't think
sin is that big a deal and togravitate toward churches that
don't think sin is that big adeal.
(37:59):
Look at the landscape, this iswhere we gravitate toward.
And so to be around the peopleand to be a community of faith,
do we realize the strategy, theadversary here, to even get us
to look at church as a placewhere we can be comforted in sin
and never confronted in our sin?
(38:20):
God, make the church at BrookHills a place where it's not
easy to lapse into sin and torun off into sin, where we love
each other enough and we lovethe glory of God enough to say
we want to be holy, we want tobe pure, and none of us is
perfect and different of usstruggle with different things,
and we need to understand thosestruggles in each other's lives
(38:42):
and come alongside each other.
So we're not going to beindifferent toward each other.
We're going to serve oneanother in humility.
We're going to help one anotherpursue the holiness of God.
God, may that be so A deepconcern for holiness.
To realize how serious sin is.
And listen to the follow-up here, verse 10 through 14.
See that you do not look downon one of those little ones, for
I tell you that their angels inheaven always see the face of
(39:02):
my Father in heaven.
Then listen to verse 12.
What do you think If a man ownsa hundred sheep and one of them
wanders away?
Will he not leave the 99 on thehills and go to look for the
one that wandered off?
And if he finds it, I tell youthe truth, he is happier about
that one sheep than about the 99that did not wander off.
In the same way, your Father inheaven is not willing that any
(39:25):
of these little ones should belost.
We need childlike humility, adeep concern for holiness and a
passion for the hurting.
You recognize this image?
This is Luke 15.
This is parable of the prodigalson, but don't miss it.
It's applied here.
It's applied here to Jesus'pursuit through the church of
(39:47):
those who are caught in sin.
That's the context here.
Do we realize, do we realize inthis room, that when we are
caught sinning, that that isevidence of mercy and grace?
Do we realize that how many ofus probably all of us can think
(40:13):
of points where we wish we'dbeen caught here instead of way
down the road here?
Somebody look out for me here,show mercy and grace, praise God
, he comes pursuing after us.
Listen to this now.
Now we've got an understandingof Matthew, chapter 18, 15 to 20
(40:34):
.
This is God saying I love youso much that if worse comes to
worse, I will take an entirepeople that will come pursuing
after you in love.
That's the end.
The goal of church discipline isnot to kick people out.
The goal of church disciplineis to restore brothers and
sisters, by the mercy and graceof God, to intimacy with Him.
(40:57):
And that leads to this lastpart.
We need a passion for thehurting and we need forgiving
hearts, because right after this, right after this verses 21
through 35, is the parable ofthe unmerciful servant, when
Peter asked Jesus how many timesshall I forgive my brother when
he sins against me?
And Jesus answered I tell you,not seven times, but 77 times.
In other words, keep forgiving.
As he repents, you forgive.
(41:17):
And that's that's the picture,and the whole picture of church
discipline that when a brotheror sister repents and turns from
sin, that forgiveness iswaiting with open arms.
Not well, you know he did thisin the past.
We follow the one who remembersour sins no more, and so we
don't hold that in that wayAgain.
(41:38):
So we forgive, forgiving hearts, ready to forgive you look at
all of these together Childlikehumility, deep concern for
holiness, passion for thehurting, forgiving hearts.
Who is our model in all ofthese things?
It's Christ himself.
Christ himself who, in humility, came, the deep concern for
(41:59):
holiness, passion for thehurting, the seeking shepherd
who stands ready to forgive.
Christ does these things in ourlives and it's good, and we're
not going to have time to divetoo much deeper in.
But what we're going to see isthat Christ is doing this in the
church.
That's why he's given thesewords to the church to show his
(42:22):
grace and show his love and showhis mercy.
God, help us to see this.
I got an email from one churchmember.
I won't mention their name,you'll see why.
This was a while ago.
Dear Pastor, two weeks ago, ona Sunday morning, my wife came
to you after church with a direrequest for prayer.
It was indeed dire, for I wason the verge of making a huge
(42:45):
mistake that would have hauntedme for the rest of my life.
I was in the process of leavingmy family in search of who
knows what, something better,something straight out of
Satan's playbook.
I was on the edge of a cliffwith one foot over my wife and
everyone she knew were prayingthat I would come back, and
because of their prayers andtheir words to me, the Lord did
(43:07):
not leave me to do what Ithought I wanted to do, but
rather he poured out grace on meand my family and we are once
again whole, thank you.
Those prayers shielded me fromjustice until I was shaken to my
senses and could ask for mercy.
This is the picture.
This is a picture of people whocare, who care enough about a
(43:32):
brother or sister next to themthat, whether it's a small step
or a large step, we're beginningto wander in any way from
Christ and the abundance thatcomes in Christ.
A brother or sister that willput an arm around your shoulder
and say no, let me help you, letme come alongside you, let me
do the hard work of evensearching after you and walking
(43:56):
with you through this.
We're not going to have time todive into that last part, but
let me say this I'm convinced,confident, that there are likely
(44:16):
brothers and sisters aroundthis room this morning that have
your foot hanging over a cliffand before you put your stuff
away.
Just listen real closely.
I'm convinced there are somebrothers and sisters in here who
are likely about to take a bigstep, who have been flirting
(44:37):
with this or that and, by thesovereign grace of God in
bringing you to this room atthis moment, I want to urge you
to repent and to not take thatstep and to turn back Brothers
and sisters around this room whohave taken that step and who
(44:57):
have gone down a road.
I want to urge you, by the graceand mercy of God, to turn back.
His mercy comes running afteryou.
His power is available for youover sin and he alone is
sufficient for that task.
Turn to Him, be forgiven, turnand be forgiven and experience
(45:19):
His power.
Forgiven, turn and be forgivenand experience His power.
Don't continue down that road.
Maybe some of you, for the firsttime you've never trusted in
Christ to cover over your sins.
I invite you to trust in Christtoday.
Turn from your sin, trust inHim.
He died on the cross to coverover your sins, to give you His
(45:40):
righteousness.
Trust in Him today and, brotheror sister, do not continue down
that road, no matter how smallyou think it may be.
Well, I'm sure there's some bigthings in here he's talking.
No, there's small things allacross this room, small things
where we're giving the adversarya foothold.
Take it back, by the grace ofChrist and the power of Christ.
(46:04):
Take it back.
Walk and discipline beforeChrist.
Experience the grace and mercyof the word of God saying to you
this morning you need to stopin your tracks.
Speaker 1 (46:20):
We hope you've enjoyed this week's episode of
David Platt Messages For moreresources from David Platt
You're just stopping your tracks.
You are listening to David Platt Messages a weekly
podcast with sermons andmessages from pastor, author and
teacher David Platt.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
So let's be honest, let's just put it out on the
table Church discipline is apretty negative topic in many of
our minds.
As soon as we mention churchdiscipline, there's all kinds of
ideas, images, pictures of theholy police that come to our
mind Ideas, images, pictures ofthe holy police that come to our
mind.
Some of our guys have beenworking on trying to depict some
(00:29):
of those images that might comein our minds, so I want you to
watch this video with you.
Maybe this is how you picturechurch discipline Watch this
with me.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Ma'am, thank you for meeting with us here today.
We are attempting to addressthe matter of church discipline.
Who are you?
That is not important, and weare starting with you.
In the case of you cutting offanother person in traffic I
believe we have photographicevidence- Wait a minute.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
I don't remember cutting anyone off in traffic
and, to be honest, thispicture's kind of blurry.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
You're going to need to calm down.
It is a little blurry.
If you'll take a good, hardlook at this photograph, you'll
realize that this is aphotograph of you.
All we're asking you to do isto confess what you did, so this
situation doesn't escalate.
What exactly do you want me toconfess?
We want you to confess that youcut this lady off.
I want you to wait outside.
Wait outside and calm down,ma'am, I apologize for my
(01:30):
partner.
I can't control him.
I'm going to need you to signthis full confession.
Full confession what does?
that have to do with anything.
It has to do with your heinoussin, and this is probably just
the tip of the iceberg myheinous sin and the tip of the
iceberg, my heinous sin, andthen we're gonna open up a whole
dossier on it.
Don't pretend that cuttingsomeone off in traffic isn't a
sin.
It's a horrible sin.
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Wait a minute, this does not look like me.
Oh, it's you.
Is that a mustache A?
Speaker 3 (01:55):
mustache.
That does look, I thought itwas lipstick, but now that she
says it, where did we get this?
Photograph.
Who is this?
It looks a little like you,looks like me.
You brought the picture in here.
Where'd it come from?
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Where did you get this?
Picture lady Off yourrefrigerator.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I can't believe that my own partner.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Don't you turn this on me.
Get up against the wall.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Don't you turn the.
I'm not the one with themustache and the blurry coat.
I think you guys have this, I'mgonna leave.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
You don't deserve.
I'm thinking this is not whatJesus had in mind when he talked
about church discipline.
So I want us to dive in and Iwant us to hear from Jesus how
he approached this issue andthis topic and the church.
Matthew, chapter 18, verse 15.
I'm convinced that this wholepicture church discipline.
This is one of those wordsdiscipline.
Even that just needs to beredeemed.
In our day we think negativelywhen we think of discipline, and
(02:52):
that's not how Scriptureapproaches discipline.
We need to redefine, understandagain what Scripture means when
it uses that kind of pictureterminology.
So Matthew 18, verse 15.
Jesus says when it uses thatkind of picture terminology.
So Matthew, chapter 18, verse15.
Jesus says If your brother sinsagainst you, go and show him his
fault, just between the two ofyou.
(03:13):
If he listens to you, you havewon your brother over.
But if he will not listen, takeone or two others along so that
every matter may be establishedby the testimony of two or
three witnesses.
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 taxcollector.
(03:35):
I tell you the truth whateveryou bind on earth will be bound
in heaven, and whatever youloose on earth will be loosed in
heaven.
Again, I tell you that if twoof you on earth agree about
anything you ask for, it will bedone for you by my Father in
heaven.
For where two or three cometogether in my name, there I am
with them, father.
This whole passage ends with apromise of your presence and
(04:01):
your response in prayer, and sowe come to you this morning and
we pray that you would help usto understand your word, help us
to understand this wholepicture that we often neglect or
ignore.
We don't know how to put thisinto practice, and so we pray
that by your spirit, you wouldteach us and train us and mold
(04:24):
us into a people who areobedient to your Word, even when
it seems difficult to do.
We pray that your Spirit wouldguide and lead our time, not
just in your Word this morning,but as we consider what this
looks like in the context of ourfaith family.
In Jesus' name, we pray amen.
It's really interesting whenyou think about it.
(04:49):
This is Jesus' first initialinstruction to his disciples
about the church.
We've seen the word churchmentioned one other time in the
Gospels, matthew, chapter 16,with Peter's confession of
Christ as Lord and Jesus sayingthat the church is gonna be,
with Peter's confession ofChrist as Lord and Jesus saying
that the church is going to bebuilt on that confession of
Christ as Lord.
But then you get to Matthew,chapter 18, and this is his
(05:12):
initial instruction to thechurch, which in and of itself
that should just leap out of thepages of Scripture before us
for us to realize.
This whole issue of churchdiscipline was not number 99 on
a list of hundred things thatJesus said were important in the
church.
This is at the top, right afterconfession of Christ as Lord.
We see Jesus talking aboutchurch discipline, confronting a
(05:34):
brother or sister in sin in thechurch.
This is extremely important.
It should signal to us this isnot an optional in the church.
This is not extra credit.
This is essential.
This is not an optional in thechurch.
This is not extra credit, thisis essential.
This is fundamental.
And yet it is so oftenneglected that I'm guessing many
of us have not heard a sermonor seen church discipline
(05:54):
practice.
Some of us have, but many of us, I'm guessing, haven't.
That obviously shows us we needto see what Jesus is talking
about here and consider how toimplement it.
Now, there's a lot of reasonswhy we don't do church
discipline, maybe excuses orobjections to church discipline.
You've got them listed there inyour notes.
Why not church discipline?
Some say well, churchdiscipline is legalistic.
(06:14):
You can't be a church of graceand a church of discipline.
Church discipline contradictsthe grace of God and the love of
God.
Mark it down.
Without doubt, a church thatstarts to talk about church
discipline and a pastor thatstarts to talk about church
discipline will immediately beopen to the charge of being
(06:34):
legalistic.
It's inevitable.
People say church discipline islegalistic.
Now we're going to come back toeach of these and think about
how Scripture addresses thesethoughts that we might say.
But let's just run down them.
Second one what about Matthew?
What about Matthew 7.1?
Do not judge or you too will bejudged.
Matthew 7.1.
This is the verse that it'salmost a catchphrase that comes
(06:57):
out whenever you start talkingabout churchism.
Well, you don't judge.
Don't judge, or you too will bejudged.
We live in a day where theintolerable sin is to say that
something is wrong.
You don't say that something iswrong in someone else's life or
something is wrong in theculture around you.
Who are you to say that?
Don't judge lest you be judged?
Or maybe we quote John 8, 7.
Let he who is without sin, lethim, cast the first stone.
(07:20):
Anybody in here not have sin?
Okay, well then, none of us canreally point out sin in each
other's lives.
We'll use phrases like that.
What about Matthew 7 and 1?
Do not judge lest you be judged.
Third, people will leave.
Let me tell you what's not atthe top of the charts on church
growth magazines the trend ofchurch discipline.
(07:43):
We're a church that disciplinessinners.
It just doesn't work well.
On the billboards today You'vegot all kinds of catchphrases
for churches.
We're a church that loves.
We're the church that cares.
We're the church of joy.
We're the church that meetsneeds Brook Hills.
We're the church thatdisciplines.
You put that on your billboard,your website.
You're not going to achievehigh attendance Sunday the next
(08:05):
week.
It's not going to happen.
It doesn't work.
People not only won't come toleave, even the topic of this is
probably causing people aroundthis room to think I don't know
if I'm in for this and if peopledon't leave.
Sometimes church disciplinecauses a pastor to leave.
I was having a meal with afellow pastor this last week and
(08:27):
he was asking what we werestudying.
I was telling him what we werediving into over the next few
weeks and these were his exactwords.
His exact words were well, whydon't you give me a call in a
few weeks, if you're still there, and let me know how it goes?
That'll bless your heart.
So either you'll leave oryou'll make me leave if we dive
(08:48):
into church discipline, I don'tknow.
Next, we don't know how topractice church discipline,
particularly in a church thissize.
How do you practice churchdiscipline?
I've had people tell me youcan't do it.
It's not possible in a churchthis size.
Don't even try.
Now you look at those fourphrases and it may surprise you,
but I think those four phrasesactually have some validity in
(09:11):
the sense that we don'tunderstand what church
discipline is and we're reactingvery clearly in some of these
things to abuses of churchdiscipline.
But we've got to be carefulwhenever we think of an abuse of
church discipline, not to throwchurch discipline out the
window in light of its abuse.
For example, church disciplineis legalistic.
(09:32):
There's no question thatthroughout the history of the
church there have been timeswhere things have been done in
the name of church discipline,oftentimes things added to the
word rules, regulations put onpeople you need to do this, this
, this and this and this thatare not in Scripture.
Oftentimes things done in awrong spirit, in a wrong
attitude, which we're going totalk about in a moment.
(09:56):
But when you think about thatphrase, church discipline is
legalistic.
That does not add up withbiblical church discipline.
Biblical church disciplineactually says the exact opposite
.
Scripture doesn't say churchdiscipline is legalistic.
Scripture says church disciplineis loving, loving.
That's the picture thatScripture gives of discipline.
We think it's noble orcompassionate to sit back and to
(10:16):
say, well, that's someoneelse's sin, someone else's
decision, someone else'sresponsibility and they're going
to live with what they do andso I'm going to let them do
whatever they think is best.
That sounds noble,compassionate, even spiritual to
us.
But let's be thankful that theGod of the universe doesn't love
(10:38):
us like that, doesn't leave usalone in our sin.
Well, it's your decision.
He comes after us, he pursuesus.
That's the whole picture.
In church discipline it's love.
Hebrews 12, 6,.
God disciplines those whom hewhat Loves.
A parent disciplines those whomhe loves.
Discipline is a very lovingthing.
To be indifferent toward abrother or sister in sin is the
(11:00):
exact opposite of love.
It's cowardice.
It hides behind a cloak offalse love and false humility.
Church discipline is loving.
It's caring to reach out tosomeone.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote anincredible book on Christian
community.
He was a follower of Christ inthe middle of Nazi Germany.
(11:20):
This little book called LifeTogether.
I want you to listen to what hesaid.
It's a great quote.
It deals with this picture ofchurch discipline being loving.
Bonhoeffer said follow alongclose.
Nothing is so cruel as thetenderness that consigns another
to his sin.
Nothing can be morecompassionate than the severe
(11:41):
rebuke that calls a brother backfrom the path of sin.
Did you catch that?
Bonhoeffer said it's cruel tobe tender and let a brother walk
away in sin.
It's compassionate to offersevere rebuke that calls a
brother back from sin.
Church discipline is loving.
What about Matthew chapter seven, verse one?
(12:02):
Don't judge, lest you be judged.
Well, keep going to Matthewchapter 7, verse 1?
.
Don't judge, lest you be judged.
Well, keep going to Matthewchapter 7, verse 5.
This is the whole picture whenJesus says if you have a plank
in your own eye, don't be tryingto remove the speck from your
brother's eye.
Then he gets to verse 5 and hesays take the plank out of your
own eye and then you will beable to see clearly and do what?
Remove the speck from yourbrother's eye.
(12:23):
The implication is that as yougrow in holiness, you will help
others grow in holiness.
This is the whole picture, andso what Jesus is saying in
Matthew chapter 7 and verse 1 isin no way contradictory to what
he's saying in Matthew chapter18, verse 15 through 20.
They go together.
Obviously there is a sense inwhich God has authority to judge
that we don't have, and there'sa sense in which humility must
(12:50):
be a part of this whole picturewhich we're going to talk about.
But Jesus is not saying don'tpoint out sin, don't help other
brothers or sisters turn fromsin.
He's saying the exact opposite.
He's saying grow in holiness soyou can help others grow in
holiness as well.
That's what Matthew chapter 7,verse 1 through 5 is about.
It's what Matthew 18, 15through 20 is about.
This next picture if we talkabout church discipline, if we
implement church discipline,people will leave this right
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here may be the most importanttruth that we see today, and
it's really much larger thanjust church discipline, but it
applies to church discipline andhas huge ramifications for
everything we do as a church.
So don't miss that.
People will leave.
Brothers and sisters, this isGod's church to grow, not ours.
(13:39):
This is God's church to grow,not ours.
As I was studying this week, Iwas just struck with a reminder.
There are easier ways to pastorand there are easier ways to
grow a church a lot easier ways.
I can come up with a list ofthings that we could do to try
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to increase the crowds.
I get lists of things across mydesk every single day in the
mail.
Soften the message, playsecular music, give people money
(14:30):
, do a series on sex.
That's the new thing.
You can draw a crowd today.
There's all over the place.
It's a popular thing to do.
Get new trends every day, newcatchy things to do.
Draw the crowd with this, dothis or this or this or this.
Can I be honest with you?
(14:58):
I want to avoid every singleone of those.
I want to avoid themdeliberately and intentionally,
to go out of the way in avoidingthem.
You know why?
Because I want to be a part ofsomething that can only be
attributed to God and not thecreativity of the pastor or the
trend of the day, which we arebombarded with.
Week after week, month aftermonth, year after year.
(15:20):
There are more trends putbefore us, but that's not the
way God grows His church.
Let me show you how God growsHis church.
Go with me to Acts chapter 5.
You've got to see this.
We've looked at this textbefore Acts chapter 5, only
explained by God.
Look at this.
Acts chapter 5 shows you apicture of church discipline
that God directly handles, thatGod takes into his own hands.
(15:46):
Acts chapter five, verse one.
Imagine the scene Now.
A man named Ananias Actschapter five, verse one together
with his wife Sapphira, alsosold a piece of property With
his wife's full knowledge.
He kept back part of the moneyfor himself.
So we've got deception, we'vegot lying going on here but
brought the rest, kept back partof the money for himself.
So we've got deception.
We've got lying going on here,but brought the rest and put it
(16:07):
at the apostles' feet.
Peter said Ananias, how is itthat Satan has so filled your
heart that you have lied to theHoly Spirit and have kept for
yourself some of the money youreceived for the land?
Didn't it belong to you beforeit was sold?
And after it was sold, wasn'tthe money at your disposal.
What made you think of doingsuch a thing?
You have not lied to men, butto God.
(16:28):
Listen to verse 5.
When Ananias heard this, he felldown and died.
How about this?
For understatement.
Great fear seized all who heardwhat had happened.
Can you imagine that Somebodygets killed in the offering by
God?
Great fear all over the room.
(16:52):
The young man came forward,wrapped up his body and carried
him out and buried him.
Verse 7,.
About three hours later, hiswife came in, not knowing what
had happened.
Peter asked her tell me, isthis the price you and Ananias
got for the land?
Yes, she said.
That is the price.
Peter said to her how could youagree to test the spirit of the
Lord?
Look, the feet of the men whoburied your husband are at the
(17:15):
door and they will carry you outalso.
At that moment, she fell downat his feet and died.
And the young man came in.
Young man came in finding herdead, carried her out and buried
her beside her husband.
Second time it says it.
Great fear seized the wholechurch and all who heard about
these things.
Now you read that.
(17:36):
Let's be honest.
Put this together with Matthew,chapter 18.
You're thinking.
I'm thinking what are you doinghere at God?
Why is your first instructionto the church not word about how
to create a cozy environmentfor people to feel warm and
welcome?
Why is your first instructionto the church not worried about
how to create a cozy environmentfor people to feel warm and
welcome?
Why is your first instructionto the church about confronting
brother or sister in sin?
And why is the first picture wehave of the church in Jerusalem
(17:56):
God striking people down dead?
The offering how do you grow achurch?
A couple people die in theoffering.
That'll do it.
That's weird.
This doesn't add up with us.
But look at this, don't miss it.
Verse 13 and 14.
No one else dared join them,even though they were highly
(18:21):
regarded by the people.
Nevertheless, more and more menand women believed in the Lord
and were added to their number.
How does that happen?
You notice?
Verse 14, were added passive.
Who was adding them?
Takes us right back to thelanguage in Acts 2, 47.
(18:44):
The Lord added to their numberdaily those who were being saved
.
So don't miss the picture we'regetting here because this is so
different.
God is apparently about growingthe church in very, very
different ways than we are.
How is God growing the church?
I want you to see therelationship between the
holiness of God among his peopleand the growth of the church.
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Don't miss this.
God is growing the church bycreating a people who are so
radically committed to holinessand obedience and righteousness
that everyone around them in theworld is afraid to join.
And yet they're joining becauseGod is adding to their number.
Let me repeat that how is Godgoing to grow the church?
(19:30):
By creating a people who are socommitted to holiness and
righteousness and obedience toHim that there's no other
explanation.
The people around see theholiness of God, revere the
holiness of God, and God drawsthem to Himself in a way that
defies explanation.
God do it.
God do it.
(19:51):
God do it.
In our day, god trump all theludicrous phrases and catchy
trends that we come up with whenwe take church growth into our
own hands to try to appeal topeople and, in the process, say
things like well, when peopleare on the front door, we don't
make sure not to talk aboutserious commitment to holiness
and serious commitment torighteousness and radical
obedience.
Don't talk about those things,why not?
(20:13):
People on the front door weredying in Acts, chapter 5.
Let's put radical commitment toholiness, obedience and
righteousness at the forefrontof the church, and let's trust
that God knows what he is doingin growing his church and he is
able, more than able, betterthan all of our trends put
together, to draw people tohimself.
This has been his planthroughout Scripture Old
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Testament, ezekiel, chapter 36,verse 22 and 23.
It is not for your sake, o houseof Israel, that I'm going to do
these things, but for the sakeof my holy name, which you have
profaned among the nations.
That nations will know that Iam the Lord, declares the
sovereign Lord, when I show themhow holy I am through you.
I'm going to show my holinessthrough my people.
(20:54):
Ezekiel, chapter 36, verse 22and 23.
Same picture 1, peter, chapter2.
You are a chosen people, aroyal priesthood, a holy nation,
declaring the greatness of theone who has brought you out of
darkness into his marvelouslight.
We don't.
We don't show the world howholy God is by becoming like the
(21:14):
world and by showing themdarkness that they're familiar
with.
We show the world light,holiness, radical commitment to
holiness, and God entrustspeople to his church.
God grows the church and nowdon't miss it.
Who's getting the credit forchurch growth, not the creative
pastor, not the trendy church.
(21:35):
God alone can get the creditfor that kind of growth.
This is God's church to grow,not ours.
Do we believe that the elders?
Literally since right after Icame, we have been praying
(21:57):
together about this picture ofchurch discipline and really
anticipating even what we aredoing this morning?
For years now, praying andstudying, seeing the importance
of this Praying that would giveus grace, the faith family to
obey his word.
And I know, I know that thereis a chance that some people
(22:18):
will say I'm not in as shepherdin this faith family.
I pray, I pray that you willsee this picture's a good thing,
but we're going to go with theWord because we're going to
trust that it's good and Godknows what he is doing.
It's God's church to grow, notours.
Well, we don't know how to doit.
(22:40):
Then let's learn how topractice church discipline.
Let's learn how to do it.
Richard Baxter wrote one of theclassics on pastoral ministry, a
book for pastors.
This was, hundreds of years ago, called the Reformed Pastor.
I want you to listen to what hesaid.
He said my request to theministers is that they would at
last, without any more delay,unanimously set themselves to
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the practice of those parts ofchurch discipline which are
unquestionably necessary andpart of their work.
It's a sad case that good menshould settle themselves so long
in the constant neglect of sogreat a duty.
The common cry is our people arenot ready for it.
They will not bear it.
But is not the fact, rather,that you will not bear the
(23:21):
trouble and hatred it willoccasion you?
So let's be a people who say wewant to obey the Word, we're
ready to obey the word.
So what is church discipline?
What is church discipline?
Well, it's not a witch hunt,it's not looking to get even
with somebody.
It's not an investigation ofrumors, it's not an
(23:42):
interrogation.
There's no badges involved inthis thing.
What is church discipline?
And this is where I want us tosee two facets of church
discipline, one that's reflectedcome back to Matthew, chapter
18.
One that's reflected here andone that's not.
But I think we need to see bothfacets in order to understand
this picture in Matthew, chapter18.
Two facets of church discipline, both extremely important.
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First, formative churchdiscipline.
Formative church discipline,kindative church discipline.
I'm going to put a definitionthere Continual training.
We see this in the WordContinual training that
believers receive from the Wordin the body of Christ as their
lives are transformed intoChrist's likeness.
(24:25):
Let's all get this on the table.
We need discipline right.
Everyone needs discipline inthis room.
We all need discipline.
Anybody not need discipline.
If you speak up like you'dprove the point, okay, we all
need discipline and we're allunder discipline.
We're all under discipline atthis moment.
(24:45):
We are disciples of Christ.
We're all under discipline atthis moment.
We are disciples of Christ.
We are learning from him.
Matthew 11, 29.
Come to me all you who areweary and burdened.
I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learnfrom me.
Whole picture of the GreatCommission Matthew 28, 18
through 20.
Make disciples, teaching themto obey.
We're all learning to obey.
(25:06):
None of us is the finishedproduct, so to speak.
None of us has arrived.
We're all growing.
We all have areas where we needto grow more and the whole
process of discipleship is aprocess of discipline, and
that's a good thing.
Formative church discipline weare everything we do in the
church, preaching, teachingsmall groups, everything that
happens in our lives.
Do we realize every singledetail that happens in our lives
(25:30):
?
God intends for oursanctification, for our growth
in Christ.
You think about that, the greatthings that have happened to
you this week God has intendedto mold you more in the likeness
of Christ and the difficultthings that have happened to you
this week, this month, in yourlife, in your family, even those
things.
This is how you rejoice intrials, because you know the
(25:51):
testing of your faith developswhat Perseverance.
First finish this work andyou'll be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.
That's the picture.
Even the worst things we face,god is conforming us more and
more into the image of Christ.
That makes everything around usgood.
That's why Romans 8, 28 saysAll things, god works together
for the good of those who lovehim, who have been called
(26:11):
according to his purpose.
What's his purpose?
That we would be, two verseslater, conformed in the likeness
of his son.
Everything, everything in ourlives is God disciplining us by
his love, teaching us, trainingus in Christ's likeness.
That's the picture.
It's the picture of being welldisciplineddisciplined.
You think about a battalion ofsoldiers.
If you were to say, man, thatgroup of soldiers is
(26:34):
well-disciplined, you would notbe saying that they're
constantly in conflict andconstantly disobeying their
commanding officer.
No, you would say that's agroup of people that has learned
, that has been trained tofollow their commanding officer.
Same thing in the home.
You saw children.
You say, well, those childrenare well-disciplined.
You would not say that if theywere always disobeying their
(26:56):
parents and they were alwaysbeing punished for that.
You would say they'rewell-disciplined because they
have learned to obey.
The same picture in the churchGod, make us a well-disciplined
people.
And that doesn't mean we'realways going around on each
other talking about hey, do this, do this, do this, this area of
disobedience.
No, well-disciplined people arepeople who are obeying our
(27:16):
commander, following afterChrist.
God, create that kind ofdiscipline in us.
To use Richard Foster's wordsfrom his classic on the subject
celebration of discipline.
That's what the Christian lifeis a celebration of discipline.
So that's formative churchdiscipline.
Second facet of churchdiscipline is restorative church
(27:37):
discipline and this is whereMatthew chapter 18 comes in,
specifically addressingcorrective care taken by the
body of Christ in matters ofunrepentant sin in a brother or
sister's life.
Don't miss this.
This is not about Matthew.
18 is not about the dailystruggle we all have with sin.
We all struggle with sin in ourlives and we are constantly
(27:59):
growing in the image of Christ.
And so don't think as we'retalking this morning.
Well, man, I struggle with thissin, I'm about to get kicked
out of this place.
That's not what Matthew chapter18 is teaching.
Matthew 18 is specificallyaddressing when a brother is
caught in sin, to use thelanguage from Galatians, chapter
6, verse 1, caught in sin, andwhen that sin is addressed by
(28:19):
the word in his or her life,then they continue in it.
They don't listen to the word,they don't listen to correction
from the word, and so theycontinue on, unrepentant in sin.
That's the picture that's beingexpressed here in restorative
church discipline.
Now, regardless whether it'sformative, restorative, whatever
it looks like, I want to pointout there is one foundation for
(28:42):
this entire picture of churchdiscipline, and this is key.
This cuts right at the heart,this goes right to the teeth, so
to speak, of that idea thatchurch discipline is legalistic.
So don't miss that.
The one foundation for churchdiscipline is the grace of God,
grace.
Grace is the one and onlyfoundation for biblical church
(29:06):
discipline.
I want to show you this incontext here In Matthew chapter
18, this is a part of the studyfor me this week that just came
alive in a way.
I'd read through, studied insome ways, matthew 18, 15, 20
before, but I'd never seen it inthe richness of the context
that surrounded it.
It is just sandwiched in themiddle of startling pictures of
(29:28):
grace in Matthew, chapter 18.
And we think we hear grace anddiscipline.
We almost think they'reoxymorons, like they contradict
one another, they don't gotogether.
But what scripture is showingus is that discipline and grace,
beautifully, are intertwinedtogether, beautifully
intertwined.
I want to show it to you.
Look at Matthew, chapter 18,verse one through four.
Listen to the context.
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This is what leads up.
We're just going to kind of gostep by step to what leads up to
verse 15.
Listen to verse 1.
At that time the disciples cameto Jesus and asked who is the
greatest in the kingdom ofheaven?
So that's how this wholepicture starts.
Listen to what Jesus does.
He called a little child andhad him stand among them and he
(30:21):
said I tell is how we approachchurch discipline.
I want you to see how Jesusapproaches it.
First got this in your notes weneed childlike humility,
childlike humility.
Jesus sets the stage for aconversation about church
discipline with a picture of thehumility of children.
(30:41):
I want you to think about howthat kind of humility is
required, is necessary in thiswhole picture in Matthew 18, 15
through 20.
To go to a brother or sister andto address sin in their lives
requires deep humility,childlike humility.
(31:06):
To go to a brother or sister inpride or in arrogance, in a
picture of superiority andinferiority, misses the whole
point.
It's an abuse of churchdiscipline.
We go in humility knowing weare all in need of grace.
There is level ground here atthe foot of the cross.
And you struggle with this, Istruggle with this Struggle with
(31:28):
different things, and we needwe all need the gospel.
We need the grace of God everymoment of every day.
And so we approach a brother orsister in humility.
Now, not a false humility,there's a false humility that
sits back and says, well, who amI to say something about their
lives.
It's false humility, it'sindifference toward your brother
(31:48):
or sister.
True humility goes to them Inhumility, humbly, gently
addresses sin.
Now, it also takes humility toreceive that kind of correction,
doesn't it?
I mean, who likes that?
I can speak from personalexperience on this one.
(32:08):
I'm not going to go intospecifics, but I can think of a
variety of times when a brotheror sister has come to me and has
said David, there's somethinghere in your life I want to ask
you about man.
As soon as they start talking,defense mechanisms just rise up
to the surface.
You know that.
You know that feeling.
I start, I start reacting.
(32:31):
No, you don't understand.
I'm a pastor.
Like I preach, I teach.
I can even turn one of thoseinto a teaching moment for the
person who's confronting me.
I appreciate your concern, butwhat you need to learn from this
is that, like it's horrible,these mechanisms rise up.
We don't want.
That's why we receivecorrection from one another.
(32:55):
But this is the picture.
This is the picture of what itmeans to be the body of Christ,
isn't it?
Don't we want people around us?
Don't we all have blind spots?
Don't we all have things we dosay?
Don't we all have patterns,struggles, that we want a
brother or sister around us wholoves us enough to humbly come
to us in the middle of the host,even when they know it might
(33:16):
kind of sting a bit and crushour pride?
Our pride needs to be crushed.
Brothers and sisters, pridecannot live beneath the cross.
Spurgeon says let's rise withhumility.
This is the picture to say to acommunity of faith I need you
(33:43):
to help me avoid sin.
Are you willing to say that?
We need to be willing to saythat this is humility, and then
a humility that comes to you inthat child, childlike humility
we need.
I sin, I sin and I hate thatfact.
I want to sin less and less andless and less, and I want
(34:09):
brothers and sisters around mewho want me to sin less and less
and less and less.
I want brothers and sistersaround me who hate sin as much
as I do and will keep me fromtaking this step that leads to
this step and leads to this step, this step.
(34:30):
I want somebody stopping me atthe first step, somebody who I'm
in community with, that humblyapproaches me and God, give me
humility to respond to that.
We need childlike humility.
Leads into the second.
We need a deep concern forholiness.
A deep concern for holiness.
Listen to where the shift comeshere in verse 5.
(34:52):
Whoever welcomes a little childlike this in my name welcomes
me.
But if anyone causes one ofthese little ones who believe in
me to sin, it would be betterfor him to have a large
millstone hung around his neckand to be drowned in the depths
of the sea.
Woe to the world.
Listen to verse 7 and 8.
Woe to the world because of thethings that cause people to sin
.
Such things must come, but woeto the man through whom they
(35:15):
come.
If your hand or your foot causesyou to sin, cut it off and
throw it away.
It is better for you to enterlife maimed or crippled than to
have two hands or two feet andbe thrown into the eternal fire.
And if your eye causes you tosin, gouge it out and throw it
away.
It is better for you to enterlife with one eye than to have
two eyes and be thrown into thefire of hell.
Sin is serious Jesus saysExtremely serious and if it's
(35:43):
that serious, then we want toguard each other's holiness.
We need a deep concern forholiness, and this is really
where we've got to ask ourselvesthe question as a faith family,
do we want to be a holy people?
I mean really Really.
1 Peter 1, 15, 16, be holy asI'm holy.
(36:07):
Do we want that?
1 Peter 1, 15, 16, be holy asI'm holy.
Do we want that?
Do we want to make it hard forone another to be complacent?
Do we want to make it hard forone another to enjoy sin?
Yes, yes, yes.
(36:33):
Now we we often times reactagainst that.
A pastor, a friend of mine up inWashington DC, wrote this and I
read it.
It just pierced my heartbecause I saw my own tendency in
it.
Imagine this church, he said.
It is huge and it's stillgrowing numerically.
(36:54):
People like it, the music isgood, the people are welcoming,
there are many exciting programsand people are quickly enlisted
into their support.
And yet the church, in tryingto look like the world in order
to win the world, has done abetter job than it may have
intended.
It does not display thedistinctively holy
characteristics taught in theNew Testament.
Imagine such an apparentlyvigorous church being truly
(37:17):
spiritually sick, with noremaining immune system to check
and guard against wrongteaching or wrong living.
Imagine Christians knee-deep inrecovery groups and sermons on
brokenness and grace, beingcomforted in their sin but never
confronted.
Imagine those people, made inthe image of God, being lost to
sin because no one corrects them.
Can you imagine such a church?
(37:37):
Apart from the size, have I notdescribed many of our American
churches?
Isn't this our tendency?
From the size, have I notdescribed to many of our
American churches?
Isn't this our tendency?
I'm not saying sermons onbrokenness and grace are bad,
but our tendency is to gravitatetoward people who don't think
sin is that big a deal and togravitate toward churches that
don't think sin is that big adeal.
(37:59):
Look at the landscape, this iswhere we gravitate toward.
And so to be around the peopleand to be a community of faith,
do we realize the strategy, theadversary here, to even get us
to look at church as a placewhere we can be comforted in sin
and never confronted in our sin?
(38:20):
God, make the church at BrookHills a place where it's not
easy to lapse into sin and torun off into sin, where we love
each other enough and we lovethe glory of God enough to say
we want to be holy, we want tobe pure, and none of us is
perfect and different of usstruggle with different things,
and we need to understand thosestruggles in each other's lives
(38:42):
and come alongside each other.
So we're not going to beindifferent toward each other.
We're going to serve oneanother in humility.
We're going to help one anotherpursue the holiness of God.
God, may that be so A deepconcern for holiness.
To realize how serious sin is.
And listen to the follow-up here, verse 10 through 14.
See that you do not look downon one of those little ones, for
I tell you that their angels inheaven always see the face of
(39:02):
my Father in heaven.
Then listen to verse 12.
What do you think If a man ownsa hundred sheep and one of them
wanders away?
Will he not leave the 99 on thehills and go to look for the
one that wandered off?
And if he finds it, I tell youthe truth, he is happier about
that one sheep than about the 99that did not wander off.
In the same way, your Father inheaven is not willing that any
(39:25):
of these little ones should belost.
We need childlike humility, adeep concern for holiness and a
passion for the hurting.
You recognize this image?
This is Luke 15.
This is parable of the prodigalson, but don't miss it.
It's applied here.
It's applied here to Jesus'pursuit through the church of
(39:47):
those who are caught in sin.
That's the context here.
Do we realize, do we realize inthis room, that when we are
caught sinning, that that isevidence of mercy and grace?
Do we realize that how many ofus probably all of us can think
(40:13):
of points where we wish we'dbeen caught here instead of way
down the road here?
Somebody look out for me here,show mercy and grace, praise God
, he comes pursuing after us.
Listen to this now.
Now we've got an understandingof Matthew, chapter 18, 15 to 20
(40:34):
.
This is God saying I love youso much that if worse comes to
worse, I will take an entirepeople that will come pursuing
after you in love.
That's the end.
The goal of church discipline isnot to kick people out.
The goal of church disciplineis to restore brothers and
sisters, by the mercy and graceof God, to intimacy with Him.
(40:57):
And that leads to this lastpart.
We need a passion for thehurting and we need forgiving
hearts, because right after this, right after this verses 21
through 35, is the parable ofthe unmerciful servant, when
Peter asked Jesus how many timesshall I forgive my brother when
he sins against me?
And Jesus answered I tell you,not seven times, but 77 times.
In other words, keep forgiving.
As he repents, you forgive.
(41:17):
And that's that's the picture,and the whole picture of church
discipline that when a brotheror sister repents and turns from
sin, that forgiveness iswaiting with open arms.
Not well, you know he did thisin the past.
We follow the one who remembersour sins no more, and so we
don't hold that in that wayAgain.
(41:38):
So we forgive, forgiving hearts, ready to forgive you look at
all of these together Childlikehumility, deep concern for
holiness, passion for thehurting, forgiving hearts.
Who is our model in all ofthese things?
It's Christ himself.
Christ himself who, in humility, came, the deep concern for
(41:59):
holiness, passion for thehurting, the seeking shepherd
who stands ready to forgive.
Christ does these things in ourlives and it's good, and we're
not going to have time to divetoo much deeper in.
But what we're going to see isthat Christ is doing this in the
church.
That's why he's given thesewords to the church to show his
(42:22):
grace and show his love and showhis mercy.
God, help us to see this.
I got an email from one churchmember.
I won't mention their name,you'll see why.
This was a while ago.
Dear Pastor, two weeks ago, ona Sunday morning, my wife came
to you after church with a direrequest for prayer.
It was indeed dire, for I wason the verge of making a huge
(42:45):
mistake that would have hauntedme for the rest of my life.
I was in the process of leavingmy family in search of who
knows what, something better,something straight out of
Satan's playbook.
I was on the edge of a cliffwith one foot over my wife and
everyone she knew were prayingthat I would come back, and
because of their prayers andtheir words to me, the Lord did
(43:07):
not leave me to do what Ithought I wanted to do, but
rather he poured out grace on meand my family and we are once
again whole, thank you.
Those prayers shielded me fromjustice until I was shaken to my
senses and could ask for mercy.
This is the picture.
This is a picture of people whocare, who care enough about a
(43:32):
brother or sister next to themthat, whether it's a small step
or a large step, we're beginningto wander in any way from
Christ and the abundance thatcomes in Christ.
A brother or sister that willput an arm around your shoulder
and say no, let me help you, letme come alongside you, let me
do the hard work of evensearching after you and walking
(43:56):
with you through this.
We're not going to have time todive into that last part, but
let me say this I'm convinced,confident, that there are likely
(44:16):
brothers and sisters aroundthis room this morning that have
your foot hanging over a cliffand before you put your stuff
away.
Just listen real closely.
I'm convinced there are somebrothers and sisters in here who
are likely about to take a bigstep, who have been flirting
(44:37):
with this or that and, by thesovereign grace of God in
bringing you to this room atthis moment, I want to urge you
to repent and to not take thatstep and to turn back Brothers
and sisters around this room whohave taken that step and who
(44:57):
have gone down a road.
I want to urge you, by the graceand mercy of God, to turn back.
His mercy comes running afteryou.
His power is available for youover sin and he alone is
sufficient for that task.
Turn to Him, be forgiven, turnand be forgiven and experience
(45:19):
His power.
Forgiven, turn and be forgivenand experience His power.
Don't continue down that road.
Maybe some of you, for the firsttime you've never trusted in
Christ to cover over your sins.
I invite you to trust in Christtoday.
Turn from your sin, trust inHim.
He died on the cross to coverover your sins, to give you His
(45:40):
righteousness.
Trust in Him today and, brotheror sister, do not continue down
that road, no matter how smallyou think it may be.
Well, I'm sure there's some bigthings in here he's talking.
No, there's small things allacross this room, small things
where we're giving the adversarya foothold.
Take it back, by the grace ofChrist and the power of Christ.
(46:04):
Take it back.
Walk and discipline beforeChrist.
Experience the grace and mercyof the word of God saying to you
this morning you need to stopin your tracks.
Speaker 1 (46:20):
We hope you've enjoyed this week's episode of
David Platt Messages For moreresources from David Platt
You're just stopping your tracks.
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