Correcting by informing the
Matthew 18:15-20
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Matthew 18:15-20, 15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. 18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” God’s desire for His children here on earth is purity of life.
1 Peter 1:16, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (quoting from the old Testament to the New covenant church
Leviticus 11:44).
I hope you get this clear in your mind as what the Lord Jesus is teaching the church. ➢ Step 1: Go and meet with him one to one and try to win him/her for Christ. ➢ Step 2: Take two or three witnesses so that he can be convicted and convinced to amend his/her ways so that person can won over.
➢ Step 3: Tell the church and if he listens then accept him/her ➢ Step 4: If the person does not accept the correction and does not change then throw the person out of the church. Today let us look at in details how to deal with step 4.
First church in Jerusalem had to deal with the correction. Acts 5: 1-11, But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’
feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 Then
Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 6 And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. 7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
V1, the property belongs to Ananias and Saphira. God did not tell them to sell it. V2, they made a vow to give the entire money to the Lord but God did Not command them to give the entire revenue out of the sale. V3, Satan filled their heart to lie to God the Holy Spirit.
V4, Apostle Peter questions Ananias why did he Lie?
V5, Ananias drop dead! V7 three hours later his wife comes, this shows the service was going on for a long time in the church in early days!! V8, Peter questions Sapphira V9, Sapphira choses to tell the lie with her husband without knowing what had happened to her husband.
V11, Great fear came upon all the church and those who heard about it as well. V13, Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.
What was the Lord doing? Is our God trying to kill people so that people won’t join and stop the church growing? Matthew 16 Jesus spoke about the foundation in which He is going to build His church and the first instruction to the church is about discipline!
The main objective of the church is to be ➢ committed to holiness, ➢ committed to purity,
➢ committed to virtue, ➢ committed to righteousness If you are not committed or not serious enough to this then the people who are not interested in this virtue won't join them. This is opposite to the present-day Christianity portrayed by many churches. Today we are so much bothered about whether we are most loving, accepting, open and embracing all people.
If we do that way will the church grow? V14, And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, Yes, the church grew! This is the church growing strategy! Let us look at another example of correction in the church. Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 5. First 4 chapters he deals with the division in the church and now he goes to the correction on sinning brother.
This chapter with physical sin, namely adultery or fornication.
1 Corinthians 5:9, I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.
The church knew about the person. Paul had warned them. Corinth church had teachers like Apollos and some teachers from Apostle Peter from Jerusalem. Paul advises them in 1 Corinthians 6:18, Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
1 Corinthians 5:1-8, It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles— that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are
unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Any sexual relationship outside marriage is sin. The sin which is against God alone.
Genesis 39:9, here is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Davis spoke of this in his Psalms 51.
Psalms 51:4, Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Any kind of sex activity or any kind of relationship between a man and a woman before marriage absolutely forbidden by God.
Deuteronomy 22:13- 30 clearly explains this. ➢ If a man accuses a woman of not being a virgin when he married her, her father and mother must provide proof of her virginity. If proof is provided,
then the man will be punished, pay a fine to the girl's father, and never be allowed to divorce her. If there is no proof, the woman shall be stoned for prostituting herself. ➢ A man and a woman caught in adultery are to be killed.
➢ If man meets an engaged woman and sleeps with her, he must be stoned. Whether or not the woman is stoned depends on where the act occurred. If she was in the city, she will be stoned with him because she didn't cry for help. If she was in the country, she will live because she may have cried out, but no one may have heard her.
➢ A man who meets a woman who is not engaged and sleeps with her must give her father 50 shekels. They must marry, and he can never divorce her. ➢ A man should not marry his father's wife. You can't marry your stepmother after your father has died.
So let us draw our focus to the church in Corinth. Paul is telling them that he is going to visit them shortly.
1 Corinthians 4:19 &21, 19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power.
21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness? The church in Corinth is not concerned about it. So, Paul is saying that he will be coming soon. Not only they are not correcting it but rather they are proud of it.
The church should not tolerate any kind of sin. Jesus wrote to the church in Thyatira.
Revelation 2:18-21, 18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, ‘These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass: 19 “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first.20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Jesus warned them to repent! Paul was asking them to remove such person. Paul goes further to give his flesh to Satan not the spirit. Why?
Remember the story of Job
Also look at what Jesus told the church in Thyatira.
Revelation 2:22, Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.
The sinner may be afflicted in their flesh so that they will be able to repent and turn to God. God uses the enemy to correct or discipline His children. God uses Satan to discipline us in the physical. The verse says that if you have a sickness, confess your sins. Why?
Because a lot of your sickness is a result of your sin. Physical illness can be God's rod of chastisement. Because God discipline the person whom He loves!
Hebrews 12:6, For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” V6-7, if we don’t remove such a leaven out then the whole lump will be leavened.
Exodus 12:39,
The Israelites were fully integrated into Egypt throughout their life. God is separating their life in Egypt by act of Passover. They have been commanded to put blood on the doorposts and the and they did it. The angel of death passed by, and the angel of death slaughtered the
firstborn throughout Egypt. God had made a separation of the Israelites and Egypt. ➢ The sacrifice of the lamb symbolized the separation of Israel from Egypt. ➢ The sacrifice of Christ is the separation of the believer from the world.
➢ The Passover lamb was the symbol of separation, Israel was leaving the old life. ➢ Passover night was the night in which Israel's freedom was secured, and they left. ➢ We received our Passover lamb, died on the cross, severed our connection with the world, and freed us to the Promised Land.
V11, it’s very clear that word of God clearly explains to us that God is concerned about the brother in the church not someone who was sinning outside the church. V12, we have been commanded by God to judge those who are inside the church, those who are outside the church God will judge them.
So, what we can learn from this whole episode at the church in Corinth? The brother who was sinning with his stepmother has been asked to excommunicated from the church community.
Paul also did the similar thing in the church in Ephesus
1 Timothy 1:20, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
What is the end of this brother in the church in Corinth? As we read in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, we see the brother has repented and turn towards God. So, Apostle Paul asking them to show their godly love towards him.
2 Corinthians 2:5-11, 5 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. 6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. 10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.