Communal Fellowship 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

     

           If you are a parent or grandparent of a child under the age of 10, you have most likely memorized the lyrics to every song on the new Disney picture Frozen.  The movie has taken the country by storm.  The title track of the movie, “Let It Go”, which recently won an Oscar for Best Original Song, captures the freedom of  individualism.  In the middle of the song, Elsa, the Ice Queen, sings,

It’s time to see what I can do / To test the limits and break through / No right, no wrong, no rules for me, / I’m free!

Let it go, let it go / I am one with the wind and sky / Let it go, let it go / You’ll never see my cry / Here I stand / And here I’ll stay / Let the storm rage on

The song is sung in defiance to the world’s judgment and condemnation of her individuality.  She is going to let go of the world’s opinions and live for herself.  As she says, “No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I’m free!” Although the song is musically excellent and deserving of an Oscar, its emphasis in highlighting individual freedom is debunked with the plot of the rest of the movie. True freedom is never living for self, in a kingdom of isolation, but living for the benefit of others.  The movie goes on to highlight that true love is where one sacrifices one’s self for the sake of others.  Elsa is not the heroine of the story, but her sister Anna, who was willing to lay down her life for her sister. One sister runs free and ends up “a prisoner of isolation” while the other sister dies to self and demonstrates true love. 

      The promise that individualism brings freedom is a lie.  Jesus Christ did not come to die so that we could be free to serve our own individual desires, but he came to die so that we could be free to serve Him.  2 Corinthians 5:14-15,

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

 Jesus came to destroy our desire to live for ourselves so that we could live for Him who for our sake died and was raised.  Jesus modeled for us the life he is calling us to live in laying down his life so we also should lay down our our lives for the sake of our brothers and sisters. As Jesus died for others, we are called to die to ourselves and live for others.  This is why the Lord’s Supper is so important.  The Lord’s Supper gives us a regular opportunity for us to reaffirm our love for one another and our willingness to put the community before self. 

      Today, we finish our series on the Church with an opportunity to recommit our lives to one another by remembering, reflecting and rejoicing in the sweet gift of communal fellowship.  We are going to look at three aspects of communion that, when rightly understand, should help to purify our community and strengthen our bond with one another.  First,

The Importance of Regular Communal Fellowship

            Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper in his celebrating the last Passover with his disciples.  He said in Luke 22:19,

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

Before he was crucified, Jesus helped his disciples understand his crucifixion with symbols of bread and wine.  The bread was a symbol of his body being broken as he would bear the sins of the world in his body on a tree.  His body was broken for the sins of the world, but Jesus says it was an act of love for he said, “This is my body, given for you.” That Jesus gave himself for us in love and regular communion should be a reminder to us to give ourselves for each other.

            Communion is important because it gives us a visible aid to help us remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Paul writes in verse 23,

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.

The mental activity that we should be embracing during Lord’s Supper is to remember Jesus Christ.  We remember what Jesus Christ has done for us in his life, death and resurrection. We remember that we were dead in our transgressions and sins.  We remember that we had no hope. We remember that were alienated from God.  And we remember that we are now reconciled by Christ’s physical body through death. We remember that we have been declared holy and without blemish and free from accusation.  We remember that we have been qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of life. We remember that we are new creations in Christ Jesus. We remember that one day God is going to transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body. Oh Beloved, we remember. How much different would our community be if we were regularly remembering how Christ gave himself for us, washing us with his blood?

            And Paul says that we should be regularly taking communion together. Listen to how often Paul references coming together: verse 17,” in your meetings”, verse 18,” I hear that when you come together as a church”, verse 20, “when you come together”, verse 33, “when you come together to eat”, verse 34, “when you meet together”.  Do you hear it? The Lord’s Supper is for when we gather as a church. It is not when we come to church, but when we gather as a church. We are the church.  The Lord’s Supper is given to us to unite us together in Christ.  This is the place where we put our differences and our selfishness aside to come together to participate in the body and blood of Christ, together as a church.  Listen to 1 Corinthians 10:14,

Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?  Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

 Hear the unity.  We, who are many, are one body.

            Beloved, is there any division among us?  Are you harboring bitterness towards another member in our fellowship? Are you refusing forgiveness?  The table of our Lord is one of fellowship and unity.  Be reconciled to your brothers and sisters in Christ.  If you are going to be the kind of church that reflects our Triune God, then we must be a church that is united.  Regular communion should turn us from our individual pursuits and remind us that we, who are many, are one body.

The Influence of Real Communal Fellowship

            The regular practice of communion is important because reminds us to live differently.  Communion also practically influences our hearts to love our brothers and sisters in a real way. Deadlines serve me.  It is easy for me to put things off indefinitely unless I have a deadline.  For example, sometimes it can be difficult to complete the article for the Forerunner, but I know I must complete the article by the middle of the week so it can be folded and mailed.  I have a deadline and that deadline serves me in completing my work.  When we have deadlines, we know that we have to get things done by a specific time.  Deadlines serve us, but we usually do not set up rational deadlines.  I always attempt to give several weeks of notice before we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  I do this very intentionally because I want to give you a deadline to prepare yourself before you come to the table.  I want you to get right with God and to get right with your brothers and sisters.  Communion is opportunity for you to repent of personal and private sins as well as corporate and relational sins.  Communion helps you get out of the world of “good intentions” and actually forces you to be intentional in your repentance.  Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24,

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Jesus wants us to make sure we are restored to our brother and sister. Lord willing, the regular practice of communion will influence us to be a real community and protect us from harboring bitterness in our hearts against our brothers and sisters in the fellowship.

            Communion also influences our hearts to look ahead to our ultimate victory. Verse 26, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” The Lord’s Supper is God’s Word made visible.  The Lord’s Supper is a proclamation.  Remember Paul is writing to the complacent church at Corinth.  They were a very spiritually gifted church, but they were complacent. They did not fully understand how important their life was as Christ’s gathered church. They were not using communion to influence their hearts towards serving one another, but serving themselves. Paul even said that when they come together it was not the Lord’s Supper they eating, because of the rampant individualism that expressed in their actions.  Paul reminds the church that, “whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we are proclaiming the Lord’s death”.  We literally are preaching the Lord’s death. The Lord’s death is referring not only to his death, but his sinless life, atoning death, his resurrection, ascension and return. 

            The Lord’s Supper was an ordinance that was given to the church to realign their focus on the second coming of Christ and to proclaim Jesus Christ to an unbelieving world.  When we come together to eat and drink this cup, we are announcing that we believe in Jesus as our Lord and recommit ourselves to live in light of that truth.  The Lord’s Supper is the gospel message made visible.  The Lord’s Supper also is a proclamation of the Lord’s death until he comes.  “Until he comes” tells the unbelieving world and our own hearts that there is a day coming when our Lord will judge this world.  If you are a not a follower of Jesus, see God’s love for you this day in that He gave his body for you. He died for you. He was raised for you.   In taking the Lord’s Supper, Christians are looking forward to the day when Jesus will come in glory. Jesus is going to judge the living and the dead. Jesus has promised a crown of righteousness, his righteousness, for everyone who loves his appearing on that day.  Come to Christ and receive his sacrifice and resurrection on your behalf, and you will not fear him on that day as a judge, but welcome him as your Lord. 

Believer, in taking the Lord’s Supper, let us take our eyes off of this world, think about the life to come. This world can often overwhelm us and consume our thoughts with its worries and trials, but today we look forward to the day when the Lord will make everything new.  We look forward to hearing that loud voice from the throne saying,

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Rev 21:3-5

In the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim Christ’s death, until he comes so turn from your sin, turn from your worldly earthly pursuits and set your hope fully on that grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Imperative of Responsible Communal Fellowship

The Lord’s Supper is very important.  This table helps us focus our hearts on loving God and loving our neighbor. As we have seen, it is vital for the healthy life of a church.  It is also imperative that we practice responsible communal fellowship.  As we have seen the importance of the Lord’s Supper, let us look at the

imperative of responsible fellowship in the following verses 27-34:

    27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty  of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the  Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment (emphasis added).

We need to approach the Lord’s Supper carefully and introspectively.  The Lord’s Supper is for sinners, but it is for a particular kind of sinner: Repentant Sinners.  We must examine ourselves in light of God’s Word.  Are you struggling with unrepentant sin? Are you willfully harboring anger or bitterness against another member in this church? Are you in willful disobedience to the Lord? Examine yourselves.  For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.  If you are in willful disobedience to the Lord and/or engaging in unrepentant sin, please refrain from taking communion for the sake of your own soul. If you are struggling sin, in a few moments you will have an opportunity to repent and be reconciled to God in the private confession of your sins.  Be reminded of Christ’s love in giving his body to you, broken for your sake, be humble and repent.

In light of our conversation last week, see how the Lord uses the regular participation in communion to discipline his people so that they will not experience further discipline. Again, listen to God’s grace, 29-32 again,

For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world (emphasis added).

So let us examine ourselves. Then we confess our sin to the Lord and we remember that in Christ we are forgiven.  He is faithful and just will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We are all in need of grace this morning and we can find it here in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus’s body was given for you.  His blood was spilled for you.  In faith, let us proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Let us proclaim that we are not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for all who believe. 

 If you are a baptized believer and a member in good standing with a church of like faith and order, you are welcome to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the immersion of the believer upon the profession of his faith.  If you are visiting today and have never been baptized or are not a member in good standing of a church, we would ask for you to refrain from participating in the Lord’s Supper today.   We are glad that you are here and you are always welcome to fellowship with us. 

Sin Corrupts, Grace Heals

“As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Romans 3:10-12

Beloved,

I used to own a manual transmission car that was forever stuck in second gear. I was young and chose not to fix the transmission, but keep driving the car in second gear. The car still functioned, but it no longer functioned as it was intended. The top speed was 30 mph so it was limited to city travel. If I wanted to go in

reverse, I was forced to turn the car off to change gears. A faulty transmission changed the entire functionality of the car. Likewise, the pervasiveness of our sin affects every aspect of our lives. We are still able to function, but are no longer able to function as God has intended.

Sin has affected the entire human race. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside.” Sin affects all of us. The sin of our forefather Adam has been credited to us and corrupted us from God’s original design. Like my dysfunctional car, we still may be able to show glimpses of our created purpose, but it is clear that there is something very wrong. The first step in fixing the problem is to realize that there is a problem. Therefore God graciously gave us the law to show us our sinfulness. Sin affects all of us and every part of us. We are all sick and need to be healed. We all have sinned, but we all have the opportunity to be justified. Romans 3:23-24, “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by this grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

The Bible does not teach us to deny our sin, but to confess it and to turn to Jesus Christ for redemption. God wants to restore us to our original purpose and design. He wants us to put to death the sin in our lives so that we may live more and more as true human beings in the likeness of the prototypical human, the new Adam, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 “For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” Let us reign in life as we receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

How Can Church Discipline Be Loving? 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

Dr. John Smith served as a Family Doctor for over 40 years in his home town. His town was small and he was one of only two doctors. He loved his patients. He was raised with many of them and had the privilege to serve multiple generations through his family practice. His motivation to serve well was always his love for his patients. There were many days he left the office exhausted, but full of joy as he saw the impact he made in the lives of those he loved. And there were other days that caused his heart to sink and be full of grief as

he gave his patients bad news. It was the worst part of his job. He hated to have to tell his patients, his friends, that they had serious medical problems that if not corrected would lead to death. He cried with many of his patients over his 40 year career, but never enjoyed speaking hard words to the people he loved. Although he never enjoyed it, he still did it because of his love for his patients. He did not want them to die so he was willing to speak hard words and do hard things so that he could help destroy that which was trying to destroy the people he loved.

Dr. Smith is not real, but there are many doctors like him who in love have had to be willing to give bad news to their patients whom they love. No one ever questions a doctor’s motivation in sharing the hard news of disease or cancer with their patients, because they know it is extremely unloving and illegal to intentionally give a false diagnosis. Have you ever heard of the doctor that refused to tell his patients they were sick? It is almost uniformly accepted that a doctor must tell the patient the truth about their illness, but that was not always the case. Peter Dixon, a former oncologist and current primary-care doctor, says,

I remember being in medical school years ago and being distinctly told that when a person has lung cancer, never tell them they have lung cancer. We were told to give them a dose of morphine and wash our hands of it. Things have certainly changed.[i]

Would you go to a doctor that you knew would intentionally lie to you? What about one that would intentionally mislead you on the severity of your diagnosis to protect your feelings? How could you go to a doctor that was not willing to be straight with you about something that could lead to your death? Would it not be extremely unloving for a doctor to say that you are in perfect health while in reality you had terminal cancer with 3 months to live? How much more unloving would it be for a pastor to say that you are in perfect spiritual health while in reality you are living far from God, under his judgment and in danger of the fires of Hell? One lies to you about a temporary earthly death while the other lies to you about an eternal death in a place of unquenching fire with the weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Sadly, many churches are lying to their people in giving them confidence of eternal bliss while their faithless lives are denying that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. As I mentioned last week, the Protestant Reformers said of the church, “Where the word of God is truly preached and taught, the sacraments rightly administered, and church discipline faithfully exercised, there the one true holy and apostolic church is present.”[ii] Most Baptists have no problem with a church where the Word of God is truly preached and taught or where the sacraments are rightly administered, but church discipline, on the other hand, seems to be avoided at all possible costs. Historically there are two forms of Church Discipline: Formative and Corrective Church Discipline.

Last week, I mentioned Regular Formative Church Discipline and Regular Corrective Church Discipline (if you missed last week’s sermon I recommend going online and reading it). Formative Church Discipline is how the church gets into shape spiritually. The regular preaching of the Word during Sunday morning gatherings, Sunday School, one on one relationships all work to mold and shape Christians to be conformed to Christ. Our goal as a church should Paul’s goal in Colossians 1:28-29, “Him (Jesus) we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me” (emphasis added). All that we do as a church should be to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ so that we would become like Jesus Christ. This happens through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God in various settings both corporately and in our relationships.

Regular Corrective Church Discipline is when we lovingly warn and correct our brothers and sisters when they are walking in the darkness instead of the light. We should regularly invite others to speak words of correction into our life so that we can be made aware of our blind spots. We have to believe that corrective discipline is a good thing. Revelation 3:19, Jesus says, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” And Hebrews 12:5-7,

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom he father does not discipline?

Being disciplined by the Lord proves to us that we are his children whom he loves. The Lord regularly and correctively disciplines his children. We should not disregard it, but embrace it.

Today we are going to look at Irregular Corrective Church Discipline. I pray that you will see the importance of this practice for the church today and how not practicing is one of the most unloving acts we could ever do. We are going to look at one specific corrective church discipline situation in 1 Corinthians 5. First point,

The Problem

Paul writes in verse 5:1, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.” People from the church in Corinth reported to Paul of the situation involving sexual immorality. A man had entered into an adulterous relationship with his stepmother. It was a grievous sin, but one that was tolerated in the church. One problem is the sexual immorality of this man, but another huge problem is the church tolerating this sin. Paul goes on in verse 2, “And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in the body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.”

The church did not understand the importance of holiness for the church. We are to be holy as he who called us is holy. Peter calls the church a holy priesthood and a holy nation. Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us from all sin and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). Jesus died to bring us to God, but also that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). And because the church forgot about God’s holiness and likewise their holiness, Paul calls the church to act. He calls them to remove this man from among them. He calls them to take this man of your church roll. Paul uses slightly harsher language that we may be accustomed to, verse 4-5, “When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (emphasis added).

“Deliver this man to Satan.” Those seem like very hard words, but as we will see in a moment, they actually are very loving words. First, let us just pause for a moment and realize how seriously God takes sin. God hates sin with a holy love. Leviticus 10:1 says, “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire on it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded.” Two of God’s people were doing something in worship that he had not commanded offering unauthorized fire and what does the Lord do? Does he tolerate their sin? Does he ignore it? On the contrary, verse 2, “And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said to Aaron, “this is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.” God takes sin seriously. God wants to be honored and treated as holy. In verses 10:10-11, we see that God created the Levitical priesthood, “to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statues that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.” God’s newly formed people must be taught what is holy and what is unclean. They were called to live holy lives.

Similarly we see God purifying his people in the New Testament, in Acts 5, with Ananias and Sapphira. Ananias and Sapphira sold a field, but keep a portion for themselves. Ananias lied to Peter about the proceeds from the land and Peter said to him, “Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” And after hearing these words, Ananias dropped dead. Three hours later the same thing happened to his wife. God takes sin very seriously and so should we!! Secondly, to understand how this corrective church discipline is loving, we must know its purpose.

The Purpose

There are three things we can see in this passage that show us that this act of excommunication is an act of love. In verse 5, Paul tells the church, “you are to deliver this man to Satan.” This phrase is most likely referring to the removal of the visible kingdom of God, the church, to the kingdom of Satan, the world. In God’s economy, there are only two kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Jesus makes this point in John 8:42-44,

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Paul, like Jesus, is establishing the two kingdom truth.

But why does Paul want to deliver this man to Satan? We see two purpose clauses in verse 5, “you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (emphasis added). Paul wants this man’s flesh destroyed. This does not mean that he wants him dead, but he wants his fleshly nature that is opposed to God destroyed. Romans 8:8, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Paul wants this man to please God so he sends him into the dominion of Satan to destroy what is standing in the way of God’s pleasure; his flesh. The second purpose clause (and final purpose of church discipline) is, “so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” Sin is serious. So serious that it has to be punished, but Paul does not want this man to be punished eternally. He wants him to be saved in the end. Paul willing enacts discipline in order to save this man in the final day. Is that not love? It is one of the most difficult kinds of love, it is a love that may be spurned and rejected.

It is never good for a child not to hear the word “no.” A child must be told no. Whether it is to candy, to staying up too late, to strangers, or to expensive toys, a child must be told no. If a child never hears “no”, they become the center of the universe. And when a child, who doesn’t normally hear the word, is finally told no, what is the response? “You don’t love me.” If you do not give me what I want, then you do not love me, but rather you hate me. We know that is ridiculous statement from a child, because we really do love them therefore we are willing to upset them in the short run so that they will have a happier life and benefit society in the long run.

Although this is a simple concept to understand in parenting, it is harder to see in our culture. Our society has redefined the word love from the perspective of an ornery child. People do not want to hear the word no to their ideas and opinions and desires. If you tell a person no to their ideas and desires, and say that you disagree with them, what is their response? “You don’t love me.” “You don’t value me.” If you do not accept what I want to do, then you do not love me, but rather you hate me. Our culture has redefined the word love, but that is not real love. Real love is willingly to graciously say hard things that may cause someone to reject you because you love them and do not want them to be harmed. Church discipline is one of the greatest acts of love because it helps someone see how God treats sinners in judgment and implores them to turn from their sin to God. As a doctor looks into his patient eyes and tells them the harsh reality so they can provide a treatment to save them from death, likewise the church tells the wayward member the harsh reality of one who denies Jesus Christ as Lord either with their words or with their lives so they can provide the healing words of the gospel of Christ to save them from eternal damnation.

Friend, if you are visiting today and are not a believer in Jesus Christ, can I encourage you to consider what the Bible says about sin? Think about how serious the Bible takes sin. Sin separates people from God and commends them to Hell. God is holy and in his holiness, He hates sin. How do you deal with your sin against a holy God? The Bible says there are only two ways you can deal with your sin. First, you can pay for them yourself forever in a literal Hell being rightly and justly condemned for your sin against God. Or secondly, you can turn to Christ and have your sin forgiven on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” All who turn to Christ have their sins credited to Jesus which he paid for in his death. And all who turn to Christ have His righteousness credited to them because of his resurrection of the dead. Friend, turn Christ. Let Jesus take your sin and receive His Righteousness.

Believer, if you come today in sin, turn to Christ. Destroy your flesh. Embrace his grace. See His love spilled out for you on Calvary. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin.” God loves you so much that he sent Jesus to be punished in your place. Do not love sin more than you love God. He deserves so much more. Avoid the greater judgment of possible removal from God’s people by hearing the word of God now.

Third act of love in church discipline is that it protects the congregation from more sin and protects the sinner for greater judgment in causing God’s children to sin (Matthew18:5). Paul continues in verse 6,

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Sin spreads. If a little sin is allowed to take root, it is easier for that sin to grow stronger and stronger as the conscience is dulled to those smaller sins. The Corinthian church was boasting in many ways. They were boasting in their spiritual gifts, their power, their willingness to tolerate sin and accept the sinner as he is without repentance, etc. Paul lets them know that they are endangering the whole church as well as the sinner. To not confront sin exposes the entire body to potential destruction. Third point,

The Process

Paul mentions his letter in verse 9. 1 Corinthians is actually his second letter. Paul is addressing a similar topic in this letter, but he offers clarification. Verse 9-12,

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?

Paul makes a distinction between believers and non-believers. Previously Paul told them not to associate with sexually immoral people and here he clarifies that he does not mean those types of people that are in the world. We should be around those people so that we can call them to turn from their sin and trust in Jesus Christ. He is not judging the people outside the church for their behavior for he expects that type of behavior because they are living in the dominion of darkness. He is writing not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother and commits consistent, habitual unrepentant sin against God. They are tearing down the name of Jesus Christ and therefore, Paul recommends you do not even eat with them. People who profess Jesus confuse the world about what it means to be a following of God. They wrongly teach that you can have Jesus and their sin too.

How does church discipline start? It usually starts with a conversation. The first conversation should happen privately, one on one with the one in sin. If repentance does not occur, one of the elder/pastors should get involved. No one likes these conversations. They are awkward and uncomfortable and they run the risk of damaging relationships. They never get easy, but they must be had. We have to be reminded that when we confront a brother, we could help save their soul from death. James 5:19-20, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” We know this is important, but how do we do this? Practically, how do we do church discipline? I have been discussing this with Bill and the deacons on how to develop a process of church discipline. We are working on the process, but we must develop a process because we cannot lie to people who are on our church rolls that have no outward evidence of saving faith. We cannot tell them that they are safe and secure in Christ if their lives proves they are not. Church discipline is not the final authority for Jesus Christ will judge the living and dead. Jesus has given the church the authority to address sin. We cannot be tolerant of sin. Sin desires to destroy people. We must lovingly restore the practice of church discipline to save people from deception and destruction.

I do not think this list Paul mentions here is exhaustive for sins that require church discipline, but typifies a person living according to the flesh rather than living by the Spirit. There is a longer list in Galatians 5 where Paul adds at the end, “and things like these.” He then says, “I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal 5:21).” We cannot tolerate sin because sin deceives those who are living in the flesh. And those who live in the flesh cannot please God. Lastly in hopes of warning people of their eternal state, we must purge them from membership.

The Purge

Verse 13, “God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you.’” This chapter ends with Paul quoting Deuteronomy. The phrase “Purge the evil,” appears 9 times in the book of Deuteronomy in reference to the community removing a person because of grievous sin. Paul is reminding his readers that God has not changed. He is holy and expects his people to be holy. Jesus Christ died to redeem us from our sin and to purify us.

Would you trust a church that would not listen to God’s Word about sin? Would you trust a church that would not be honest with people who were in eternal danger? Would you call a church unloving because they didn’t want people to go to hell? Would you call God unloving because he doesn’t want his people to go to hell? God called sin, sin and for our sake made Jesus to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God. Let’s agree with God. Let us call sin, sin and understand that our Lord died to make us righteous. Let us walk in a manner worthy of that calling. And let us be honest with those who walk in an unworthy manner, for their sake and for ours.

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[i] https://www.roswellpark.org/partners-practice/white-papers/it-ever-ok-lie-patients accessed 3.22.14

[ii] http://www.opc.org/qa.html?question_id=74 accessed on 3.13.14

Be Content with God's Provisions

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.” James 2:8

Beloved,

We see here in James another repetition of one of the great commandments to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Repetition is the mother of learning. God says again and again that we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves in order that we do not miss one of the most basic commands of the Christian life; to love our neighbor. There are times that we miss the most obvious commands because we are looking for something deeper. The depth is not in finding a new commandment, but in applying the most basic commandment in loving our neighbors as ourselves to all areas of life.

The last of the Ten Commandments applies this principle of love to our desire to have what does not belong to us. Our hearts want to reach out and grasp the possessions, the talents, and the gifts that God has given to others. Our world trains our hearts to compare ourselves with others while God trains our hearts to rejoice in how he blesses others. Our world trains us to be discontent in how we do not have what others have while God trains us to be content with what He has given us. Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When we covet and desire our neighbor’s possessions, spouse, family, gifts, etc., we are essentially raising our fist at God and challenging how He has decided to distribute his gifts. We also are challenging God’s love for us. We say in our heart, “God you don’t really love me because you have not given me that…” And God replies, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God has given us Himself. Jesus Christ lovingly gave himself to death to bring us to God.

Beloved, do not be conformed to worldly discontentment. Do not compare your life to others, but rejoice in that God will never leave you nor forsake you. You are not accepted by the abundance of your possessions, but through blood of Jesus Christ. Do not covet, but rejoice in what God has graciously given you. He has given you Himself. Trust Him. Be content with what you have.

What is Church Discipline? 2 Timothy 3:10 - 4:8

I grew up as an athlete. I loved sports. I enjoyed anything with a ball, but I was not very good in sports as a young child. I remember struggling in coach’s pitch Little League. My first year of basketball, I scored only 4 points in the entire season. Regardless of my struggles, I loved sports. I started to practice and practice and practice to improve my athletic craft. I spent hours at the gym playing basketball. I spent hours practicing my pitching motion by throwing a tennis ball against a brick wall at my elementary school behind my house. I wanted to grow as an athlete so I disciplined myself to become better. I disciplined myself to improve my athletic skill. As I grew, I became pretty good at sports. As a senior in high school, I was the captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams. People saw my work ethic, and they applauded me for my discipline in improving my skills. Discipline is necessary for an athlete to improve in their sport. Their discipline is applauded by the world.

Discipline is also necessary to improve the health of the church. The Protestant Reformers of the 16th century said that any true church is, “Where the word of God is truly preached and taught, the sacraments rightly administered, and church discipline faithfully exercised, there the one true holy and apostolic church is present.”[i]Discipline has always been part of the church. In our culture, the discipline to improve one’s athletic skill is applauded, but the discipline to improve the church of the living God is derided. We desperately need to recover a healthy, robust understanding of church discipline. We must desire a pure

church, a holy church, a church without wrinkle or blemish. I will attempt to clarify and explain what church discipline is and why it is needed in our age. Historically, there are two forms of church discipline, but I want to break church discipline down in four specific ways. First, we must recover…

Regular Precautionary Church Discipline

The church must protect their church membership. The church is for the believers in Jesus Christ. The call of the gospel goes wide and far. We invite all to come. We want all to gather with us. We love having visitors come, but membership must be kept for those who are believers of Jesus Christ. The church is the community of the faithful, those who have been brought into fellowship of the Son. Listen to 2 Timothy 3:10-12,

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Paul makes a distinction of Timothy. He says, “You, however.” Timothy, you are different from others. How is Timothy different? He followed Paul’s teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He believed that Jesus died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day. Timothy was a Christian. He also demonstrated that he was a Christian by following Paul’s conduct and patience, and steadfastness, even being willing to suffer persecution for his faith.

How was Timothy so different? From whom did he differ? Chapter 3:1-9,

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

Timothy was different than the people in the world. In particular, he was different than those who opposed the truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” To oppose the truth is to oppose Jesus Christ. Timothy was different, because he believed the truth. The first form of church discipline is to cautiously guard the church from people who do not follow the truth.

Before people join the church, it is our responsibility to make sure they are Christians. Do they believe the Bible? Do they believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do they believe in the Trinity? Do they believe that people are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone? Because if they don’t believe this, they are opposed to the truth and eventually they will either walk away from the church, bring division to the church, or bring shame upon the church. We must open our arms wide to invite people to our church, but we must show them the narrow road of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the door. He is the gate. All are welcome, but they must come through Him.

If you are a guest with us today, we are glad you are here. There no other place that we would desire you to be than here. We do not think of ourselves as particularly great people or special because of our good works, but we view ourselves as special because of the special grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life. Everyone deserves death, but everyone has the opportunity to receive eternal life. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God offers eternal life for whoever believes. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe he died in your place on the cross bearing your judgment. Believe in his resurrection from the dead as your hope for your resurrection from the dead. The church is an exclusive group, but it is the most inclusive exclusive group there is. All are welcome, but all must come through Jesus Christ, for no man comes to God except through him. This is why the church must practice precautionary church discipline, to protect people and the church from those who oppose the truth.

Regular Formative Church Discipline

Every church already practices church discipline. They may not realize that they are doing it, but they are practicing a form of church discipline. Formative church discipline is what the church does to “form” or mold or shape people into the likeness of Christ. The goal of the Christian life is to grow up to be mature like Christ; to be transformed by God’s grace into the image of the Beloved Son. This primarily happens with the hearing and receiving of God’s Word. Paul gives Timothy a plan for his own growth as well as for the church as Timothy is a pastor of the local church in Ephesus. 2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:2,

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Paul tells Timothy to continue in learning and believing the Word of God. This incredible gift of God’s Word is given to make one wise for salvation and to make the believer competent and equipped for every good work. Formative Discipline is when we allow our lives to be formed and shaped around the Word of God. All Scripture is breathed out by God. God speaks to his people. The Creator of the Universe wants to mold and shape you through His wise counsel. As we read the word of God we see how it is profitable or useful for teaching us the right way to live. The word exposes us and reveals the things in our lives that need to be changed. The Word corrects our thinking and our living so that we can be trained in righteous.

The greatest good we can do as a church is to align our corporate practices and our individual lives to the Word of God. Mark Dever writes,

   If we were to compare discipline in the body of Christ to discipline in the physical body, then formative   discipline would be like eating right and exercising…Formative discipline is how the church gets in shape, stays in shape, and grows. So preaching, teaching, discipling, leading small group Bible studies, and gathering for corporate worship are all examples of formative discipline. These activities shape the way we grow, and they strengthen us for work, both as individuals and as a church. They can help prevent serious risk of false teaching, public scandal, contentiousness, or a host of other spiritual maladies; and they can even make the local church look more attractive to those on the outside.[ii]

Formative Church Discipline is essential for the spiritual health of the church. And fundamentally, how does this formative discipline occur? It happens through the regular hearing and preaching of the Word of God.

Listen to how important the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Almighty God, thinks the preaching of the Word is in the life of the local church. Paul says to a local pastor,

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

These are the marching orders for every pastor in the church. We preach so you can be reproved, rebuked, exhorted, with complete patience and teaching so that you will be wise for salvation on that day when you stand before Jesus Christ, who is to judge the living and the dead. Do you see how important this is?

Beloved, I do not believe that church attendance saves you, but I believe what God says in His Word and God loves His Word. He wants you to hear it. He wants you to gather with God’s people to hear His Word so you can be formed and shaped into the likeness of God. The regular discipline of hearing the Word of God will grow your spiritual health and the health of this church. This is why as a church we will continue to preach the Word of God.

Regular Corrective Church Discipline

I do a lot of writing in my ministry. I write articles for the forerunner, sermons, emails etc. And I am grateful for my wife because she helps to correct my writing. She reads what I have written and she corrects my verb usage, she adds words, she takes out words, she changes words, she gives suggestions, etc. My writing is drastically better because I have another set of eyes to look at my work to see what needs correction. The same is true for our lives. We need to have another set of eyes on our lives in order to correct us when we get off track. As we are formed by the Word and as we grow in our knowledge of the Word, we are better equipped to help correct our brothers and sisters who are in error.

Ephesians 4:15 says that we are called to be, “speaking the truth in love,” to one another. This helps see our sin and to be corrected. The problem is that we do not like to be corrected. I knew when I got married, I had to grow a lot as a husband. I periodically asked my wife “Is there anything I can do better as a husband?” The problem is that my wife told me how I could do better, and I really did not want to hear it. We must develop hearts that invite correction so we can grow to be like Christ. We have to see the value of corrective discipline. Listen to these verses that speak of this corrective discipline,

Proverbs 17:10, “A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool.”

Proverbs 5: 22, 23 “The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.”

Proverbs 12:1 “Whoever loves discipline, loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”

Proverbs 27:15, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.”

Revelation 3:19, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”

Hebrews 12:5-11 “And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Corrective Discipline is not a bad thing, but rather is a blessing. God disciplines us for our good so we may share in his holiness and bear the fruit of righteousness. Do you want that? Do you want to share in his holiness and to bear the fruit of righteousness? Then invite people to correct you.

In order for this corrective discipline to happen, you must work to develop godly relationships. Do you know anyone in the church well enough where if you were to ask them, “Do you see any area of my life that could use improvement?”, they would be able to answer you? It is not enough to ask the question, people have to know you well enough in order to answer the question honestly. We all have blind spots. We all need correction. No one is immune to the need of the body. We all need each other. Beloved, we must protect ourselves from being ineffective and impure. We do this by willingly listening to and inviting our brothers and sisters to speak the truth in love to us.

This is the picture Jesus gives in Matthew 18:15, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” When you are wronged, Jesus says that you should go and practice regular corrective discipline. If your brother sins against you, go and correct him, privately. We can never be the sin police. We want to be gracious and charitable to our brothers and sisters, but if there is an obvious offense go speak the truth in love. And when the person is corrected, if they listen, they gain a brother.” Many people think that Church Discipline is legalistic and produces self-righteous snobs. And wrongly understand, it can certainly do that, but corrective church discipline is a gift to protect us from ourselves. Jesus says before you help correct your brother in their sin, you must examine your own heart. Luke 6:41-42,

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

Beloved, let us grow in our desire and our willing to be corrected and in lovingly speaking the truth to our neighbor so that we may share in God’s holiness and bear the fruit of righteousness.

Irregular Protective Church Discipline

We are in the last days. We are living in dangerous times for souls. After Paul exhorts Timothy to preach the Word, he then provides his reason in verse 3-5,

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

A time has come when people will not endure sound teaching. They do not listen to the Word of God, but listen to teachers that speak lies and they wander off into myths.

When people start to oppose the truth either with their life or with their belief, it is necessary for the church to protect their soul by removing them from the community. We are going to look at this in depth next week, but as we close, look at God’s Word. Paul is at the end of his life and he says,

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4:6-7).

Paul fought the good fight. He finished the race. He kept the faith. And because he did not wander into false belief and false living, but trusted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, he says,

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Paul received the crown of righteousness from Jesus Christ, the righteous judge. That crown that he was guaranteed is also guaranteed to all those who have loved his appearing, those who have loved the truth. How did Paul finish the race well? Listen to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27,

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

We must restore the practice of church discipline to protect people from wandering into myths and from opposing the truth because we want them to receive the crown of righteousness on that Day. We want to practice discipline so that we should not be disqualified from the prize. So let us press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

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[i] http://www.opc.org/qa.html?question_id=74 accessed on 3.13.14

[ii] Dever, Mark & Alexander, Paul. Deliberate Church: Building your Ministry on the Gospel p. 67 C. 2005

Love Does No Wrong

For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:9-10

Beloved,

When I first became a public school teacher, I was trained that all of my classroom rules should be stated positively. Since children responded better to positive directs, I was told to change the negative rules, like “No talking during the teacher’s instruction,” to “Listen when the teacher is talking.” In the Romans 13, Paul takes the negatively statements of the Ten Commandments and sums them up in a positive command. All of the Ten Commandments are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” He goes on to say, “love does no wrong to a neighbor” for love fulfills the law. Paul summarizes the principle taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus takes the Ten Commandments and teaches their true meaning. Matthew 5:21-22, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not murder….’ But I say to you that do not be angry (paraphrased).” The Pharisees were looking at the letter of the Law, but did not understand the Spirit of the Law.

The only way we can truly honor the Ten Commandments is to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are commanded to love our neighbors in such a way that our conduct and our inner thoughts do them no wrong. No fallen human being has ever perfectly kept the law. We all have done wrong to our neighbor, but the “New Adam”, Jesus Christ, perfectly fulfilled the law in his love in doing no wrong to his neighbor. His love fulfilled the law. He came to show how his people love and to enable his people to love. The law condemned us, but Christ has set us free. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).” You have died to the law through Christ so that, “you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God (Rom. 7:4).”

Beloved, we have been set free to love. You shall not do wrong to your neighbor in adultery, murder, stealing, or coveting, but you are to love them as Christ has loved you.

Who is in Charge of the Church?

“Who is in charge here?” This is a question that people do not like to hear, but love to ask. It usually means that someone is unhappy and they want to complain to the person that they feel is responsible for their unhappiness. Supervisors and managers do not like to hear this question because, usually, it is the start to a very difficult conversation. But to people who have been mistreated or do not like how something is run or are unhappy with a decision, the question “Who is in charge?” is indeed a valid one. If a toy sold at Walmart is unsafe for children, a parent will want to know, “Who is in charge?” “Who is responsible for this?” If a company makes a decision to stop paying overtime, the employees need to know, “Who is in charge?” If a newspaper prints an article that falsely accuses a politician, they need to know “who is in charge?” It is important to know who is in charge so one can know who to hold responsible if things go wrong and who to give credit when things go right. It is important to know who makes the decisions of a company or an organization. So, who is in charge of the church? The pastor? Deacons? Trustees? The one’s with the longest membership? The finance committee? The congregation? The biggest givers? The local association? The leaders in the denomination? God? “Who is in charge of the church?” Or another way to ask the question, “How is the church set up” or “What is the church’s government or polity?”

We have to ground this discussion in the Bible. We believe that the Bible is God’s Word. It is infallible, inerrant, and without any mixture of error. We can learn from our experiences and our traditions in how systems and practices should be arranged in the local church, but our experiences and our traditions must submit to God’s Word. We always want to be firm where the Bible is firm and charitable where there Bible allows room for disagreements. There are many disagreements in how the church should be arranged from godly, scholarly, conservative Christians. Church polity, or church government, is a place where we should make room for a charitable discussion, but we still must ground that discussion in the Bible. God cares about the organization and behavior in the church. God writes through Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 1 Tim 3:14-15,

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth.

Paul wrote to Timothy so that he would know how one ought to behave in the household of God. There is a specific way that the church should function. And God cares about how the church is organized because it is the church of the living God. The church is a reflection of the one true and living God. The church is a pillar and buttress of truth. This means that the church holds up and supports truth. The church is entrusted with the mystery of godliness (1 Cor. 4:1). Listen as Paul explains it in 1 Tim 3:16,

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh. He was God incarnate. He lived the perfect human life, free from sin and corruption. He was innocent, but made to be guilty for the sake of sinners. After his death, he was vindicated by the Spirit, in his resurrection from the dead conquering the grave for all who trust in Him. And this is what the church proclaims among the nations. We proclaim the mystery of godliness, a mystery once hidden, but now disclosed, that Christ has come, the righteous for the unrighteous to bring us to God. We proclaim this great news to the world, and people believe. And when people believe in Jesus Christ, they are saved. Romans 10:9-10,

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

This is the glorious news that the church has been entrusted to protect and proclaim. The church is the steward of this mystery to help people cross over from death to life, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the Beloved Son. We are the church of the living God, therefore it is important that we know how we ought to behave as God’s representatives on Earth.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Jesus Christ established the church. Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (emphasis added).” As Jesus has established the church, he is the head of the church. Ephesians 5:23 says, “Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.” Colossians 1:18, “He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” All authority given in the church stems from Jesus Christ. The church must hold fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God (Col 2:19). Jesus is ultimately the one who is in charge of the church, and he has given his authority to others to govern, to lead and to serve His Bride, the church.

I was not raised a Baptist, but became a Baptist by conviction. I studied the Bible and I came to believe from the Bible in the Baptist’s historic view of the church. I say historic, because not every Baptist church looks like a historic Baptist Church. Who is in charge of the church? Let us look at the Scriptures together and see how the Bible answers this question.

The Church is Governed by the Congregation

The final earthly authority in the church is the church itself. As we have established earlier, it is important to know who is in charge of the church in order to know who will be ultimately held responsible when things go wrong. Jesus addresses sin in the church and a plan on how to deal with it, Matthew 18:15-20,

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

Jesus shows the proper progression to deal with sin. The first step is to address the individual. If they don’t listen, the next step is to bring two or three with you. If they do not listen to two or three believers, Jesus says tell it to the church. And if they do not listen to the church, they are to be treated as a non-believer. Jesus gives the final authority to the congregation, not a board of elders or a board of deacons, or trustees, but to the church.

In Acts 6 there arose a complaint that certain widows were being overlooked in the distribution of food. Acts 6:2-3, “And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers (referring to the full number of disciples), pick out from among you seven men.” And verse 5, “And what they said pleased the whole gathering, they chose…” The final authority in choosing their leaders was the congregation.

Paul assumes the congregation is in charge when he holds them accountable for allowing sin in the church. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2,

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you (emphasis added)

Who is the you here? Who is the letter written to? To the church of God that is in Corinth. Paul ultimately does not blame the pastor, but holds the congregation responsible for the sin within the church.

Again Paul writes to the church about a matter of church discipline, in 2 Corinthians 2:6-8,

For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him (emphasis added).

Paul says that the punishment of the majority of the church was sufficient and now the church should bring the expelled member back into the fellowship. Paul did not address the pastor or the leaders, but rather the church. In addition, one pastor notes, “In Galatians, Paul called on the congregations to judge the teaching they had been hearing. In 2 Timothy 4, Paul reproved not just the false teachers, but also those who paid them to teach what their itching ears wanted to hear.[1]” Are you seeing a pattern? When there is sin in the household of faith, God holds the church responsible. Why? Because they are the final authority!!

The fact that God holds the church responsible for sin should show us how important God values involvement of his people as members in the local church. He vests His authority in the body of Christ and holds them accountable to steward the gospel. Although God ultimately holds the church responsible, He calls some men to lead the church, not to rule, but rather to lead.

The Church is Led by the Elders

The last week I mentioned that a healthy church member should submit faithfully to their church’s leadership. [2] There are three things I want you to notice about the office of elder. First, an elder/pastor must be a man of godly character. Paul lays out the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1-7,

I am sure that this sounded self-aggrandizing, but let me explain in more depth why God has set up a system for particular men to lead his church rather than one man. There are two offices in the church laid out in Scripture: pastors and deacons. God gives very specific qualifications for both these offices. The Bible uses many words to describe the pastoral office: pastor/shepherd, elder, bishop, or overseer. They are used interchangeably in the New Testament (as seen in second half of Acts 20).

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

The qualifications are cleared marked out. Notice that these elders do not have the potential of these traits, but actually have proven themselves to already have these traits. Paul says “an overseer must be,” not “an overseer must be striving to be.” Elders are not perfect, but they should exemplify a godly character. God is asking the church to submit to men with a godly character.

Secondly, God is asking men to lead who have the ability to teach God’s Word. Paul says here in 1 Timothy that elders must be able to teach. They must know the Word of God. He says something similarly when describing elders in Titus 1:9 that, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” Elders are responsible to guard the doctrinal purity of the church through their teaching. They are called to both give instruction in sound doctrine and rebuke those that contradict it.

These first two general characteristics of godly character and godly wisdom are nothing new, but there is a third thing I want you to notice about elders in the New Testament and that is their number. The Bible teaches that the church should have a plurality of elders. It teaches that multiple men, not one man, should lead the church in character and wisdom. Listen to these verses,

Acts 14:23, “And when they had appointed elders (plural) for them in every church (singular), with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

Acts 20:17, “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders (plural) of the church (singular) to come to him.”

Philippians 1:1, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers (plural) and the deacons: (One church, a plurality of pastors)”

Titus 1:5, “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders (plural) in every town (singular) as I directed you.”

James 5:14, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders (plural) of the church (singular),”

The plurality of elders or pastors is clearly taught in the Bible. This does not mean the Bible teaches that there is no distinctive role for one lead teaching elder/pastor.

Paul told Timothy to, “Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and to teaching.” He also told them in I Timothy 5:17 “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” Among a group of leaders there would be one (possibly more) that were devoted to the study and preaching of God’s Word. Their responsibility to teach does not mean they are the only elders.

Is it healthy to have a plurality of pastors? Yes. Let me provide several reasons briefly why it beneficial for a church to have a plurality of elders, both staff and lay elders.

Improves the Congregational Care – Multiple qualified men, with godly character and godly wisdom, will be better able to care for the spiritual needs of the congregation. There are limits to the spiritual care that can be done by one man. 1 Peter 5:2 says to elders to, “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you.” It is both wise and biblical to have multiple men give themselves to this shepherding task. One of the dangers that I have seen develop with the one pastor model is that men who are qualified to serve as elders, but do not feel called to the full-time vocational preaching ministry, feel that they are not called to be a pastor. The “preacher” is only one of the shepherds. A plurality of elders gives a platform to godly men to use their shepherding gifts to care for the spiritual needs of the body.

Protects the Church from the Pastor – Although pastors should be godly men, they are not infallible men. Pastors need to be held accountable in their teaching and their character. I Tim 4:16 “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” A plurality of pastors helps guard the church from sin in a pastor’s life by surrounding him with men to help watch his life and his teaching. It also helps to provide wisdom in decision making. Mark Dever says, “Sharing leadership with a group of godly, able non-staff elders will almost invariably keep pastors (especially young ones) from saying or doing dumb things, or from saying or doing the right things in unhelpful ways.”[3] Unfortunately, pastors can be domineering and totalitarian in their leadership and this often hurts the church. A plurality of elders protects the church from the misuse of authority because it shares authority. It also protects the church from taking on the personality of the senior pastor. The church should be shaped around the Word of God and not the personality and vision of one man.

Protects the Pastor from the Church – All leaders are criticized and pastors are no exception. The dropout rate of pastors is very high. One of the reasons is that most pastors are called to share the weight of the criticism on their own. Multiple elders protect the church from developing an “Us vs. Him” mentality that can be very common when disagreements arise.[4] The plurality of pastors shares the emotional load of the criticism within a church and the spiritual load of shepherding the people. Pastors also are part of a team of men who have demonstrated a lifetime of godliness and faithfulness to the church. A plurality of elders surround the pastor with men from the community which can help the pastor learn how to care for the specific group of people the Holy Spirit has put in his care. Lay elders help the pastor learn how to love the people, because they are one of the people.

The plurality of elders is both wise and biblical. They do not rule, but provide godly direction and leadership for the congregation. The final authority is always invested in the church. Therefore, if the elder falls to false teaching or false living, then it is the congregation’s responsibility to remove him.

The Church is Served by the Deacons
The second office the Bible gives for the church is the office of deacon. 1 Timothy 3:8-13,

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.10 And let them also be

tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

Deacons, like elders, should also be men who possess a godly character and knowledge of the Scripture. The only significant difference in the qualifications of a deacon and elder/pastor is the ability to teach. Then what are deacons called to do?

The best place to see the main purpose of deacons is to go to the start of the deacon ministry in Acts 6. There was disunity in the church as certain widows were being overlooked. Acts 6:2-4,

And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve (to diakonien) tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry (diakonian) of the word.

The seven men where set apart to serve (or to deacon) the tables while the pastors were to devote themselves to minister (or to deacon) the word. The pastors and elders serve in tandem. Again Mark Dever is helpful here when he says,

Deacons, then, serve to care for the physical and financial needs of the church, and they do so in a way that heals divisions, brings unity under the Word, and supports the leadership of the elders. Without this practical service of the deacons, the elders will not be freed to devote themselves to praying and serving the Word to the people. Elders need deacons to serve practically, and deacons need elders to lead spiritually.[5]

Conclusion

God has provided a recipe for the structure of the church. He has given his Word so that we should know how we ought to behave in the household of faith, the church of the living God. We could change the recipe, but if we do, the church may lose its heavenly flavor. Beloved, God has given us his recipe for the church, will we follow it?

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[1] Dever, Mark. 9 Marks of a Healthy (booklet). 9Marks. Washington, D.C. 2005 p.56-57.

[2] Dever, Mark. 9 Marks of a Healthy (booklet). 9Marks. Washington, D.C. 2005 p.55

[3] Dever, Mark. The Deliberate Church. Wheaton. Crossway Book. 133-134. 2005

[4] Dever, Mark. The Deliberate Church. Wheaton. Crossway Book. 133-134. 2005

[5] Dever, Mark. The Deliberate Church. Wheaton. Crossway Book. 132. 2005