Man let's turn our Bibles to 1st Corinthians chapter 5 we're gonna come back to Matthew 18
Title of my sermon tonight is church discipline
Church discipline now. What does Church discipline mean Church discipline is a term that refers to
Throwing people out of the church or casting people out of the church for various biblical reasons
And I'm going to prove this from Scripture tonight
But first let me just explain the concept to you you see if you have rules
But there's no consequence for breaking that rule you basically don't even have a rule at all I
Mean think about it if the government were to make a bunch of laws and rules
But there were no punishments associated with those crimes
Then you could just commit those crimes all day long and there'd be no repercussions
Or what if I had rules for my children, and I never gave them any discipline well
Then they can just break the rules break the rules break the rules and the rules would just be meaningless at that point, right?
Well the Bible does teach that the church has some rules and that church is not a free-for-all
Church is not a place where anything goes and church is not a place where any doctrine goes, but rather
There is
Structure involved there is rule involved and therefore there must be a punishment
Involved logic would dictate that there must be some consequence to violating the rule of the church now that consequence
Biblically is just to be put out of fellowship to be disfellowshipped to be removed from the congregation
That's it obviously the church is not in the business of beating people or finding people or
Charging the money or locking them up or do anything like that
You know the only biblical church discipline is that of expelling people from fellowship?
Okay, and this is some that the Bible teaches over and over again
that is the consequence for rebelling against the authority of the church or
for
Breaking certain rules that God has placed in Scripture now a lot of people will
Bock at this and they'll say well, we're all sinners
That's true, but we're not all fornicators. We're not all drunkards. We're not all railers
We don't all do things that would cause us to be thrown out of the church see there are only certain
Sins and certain things that get you thrown out of the church. It's not just you do something wrong
You're out because we all do things wrong every single week of our lives yay
Probably every day of our lives we do something wrong
So that's not what we're talking about, but you can sit there and make all the arguments you want
About how the church is not a museum
It's a hospital
And we're all sinners and everybody's welcome and make the front door wide and the back door small and all this stuff
But at the end of the day
What does the Bible say that's all that really matters so you can come up with all your logic and all your arguments
You can call me a legalist and a Pharisee and whatever other names you want to call me
But I'm gonna prove this from the Bible tonight
I'm standing my ground on this because it's a biblical doctrine and it needs to be taught and in many cases
Amongst independent Baptist it needs to be resurrected
Because a lot of people have completely forgotten this doctrine in fact
when I was at Howells Anderson College when I was in Bible College, they
Taught us that no one has ever thrown out of the church for any reason and
I remember one time I was there for summer school and a guest lecturer came in and was teaching us and
He was teaching on church discipline
And he was talking about the concept and there was a young staff member there
That just looked horrified and shocked as he listened to this teacher talk about church discipline
So the class adjourned for a break and I walked up to this guy because I could just see the pain in his face
His face was just contorting and he was just he didn't know should he put a stop to this class because this
Strange teaching is being taught of church discipline. So I walked up to him
I could perceive that something was bothering him and I said to him I said, you know, what what's what's the matter?
you know, you seem a little upset and
He said well, you know, I don't know what's he talking about church discipline, what is this
never even heard of this he said I
Said well, you know, let me show you in the Bible because the teacher wasn't really using the Bible at that point
He was just talking about just assuming that everybody already knew what it was and they already knew what the Bible said about it
so I took this staff member and I took him to Matthew 18 and I took him to 1st Corinthians 5 and he's just
Frowning and looking at the Bible and I'm showing him the verses and he's just like no, I've never heard of that before
I've been going to this church for 20 years. I've never heard of that
I'm like, well, but do you see it though in the Bible here?
I'm showing you so what I'm saying is there are certain crowds out there
There are certain groups out there even among independent Baptist where this this is a foreign concept to them
but it's quite biblical and
We need to understand it tonight
Because
There are times when this has to be enacted now our church has always practiced church discipline
Since its inception in fact the first time that we threw somebody out of the church was within the first six months of our church even
Existing because there were people that were living together in fornication and they they'd heard the preaching
They'd been warned about it and they had to be given an ultimatum that said look
You either need to get married or get out of fornication or you can't come to the church anymore
And they quit coming to the church
But that's life because of the fact that we have to make sure that we don't let a little leaven
Leaven the whole lump look at first Corinthians chapter 5 verse 1. It says it's reported commonly that there is fornication among you
now is that the reputation that you want faithful word Baptist Church to have a
Common report of fornication and
such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his father's wife and you're puffed up and
Have not rather mourned that he did have done this deed might be taken away
From among you fry barely as absent in body
But present in spirit have judged already as though I were present
Concerning him that hath so done this deed in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ when you're gathered together
And my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh
That the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus your glorying is not good
No, you not that a little leaven leaven it the whole lump now
There's so much great truth packed into these few verses that we just read
I'm gonna try to just blow through these points because this is all so important
But first of all notice the people who don't want to throw the guy out of the church
they are the ones that God describes as puffed up at the beginning of verse 2 and they are the ones that are described as
glorying in
Verse number 6 when he says your glorying is not good
so the ones who are glorying or boasting and
Puffed up and prideful are the ones who don't want to throw the guy out of the church now
This is the opposite of what people will accuse you of if you actually come down on somebody
For committing one of these sins and throw them out of the church
They'll say that you're being prideful and that you're judging and do that
But in reality the prideful and arrogant one is the one who doesn't believe in church discipline who says hey
We can keep this guy around and everything's gonna be fine
That glorying is not good a little leaven leavens the whole lump
What kind of a message does it send to my daughter and your daughter and my son and your son when we have people?
Living in fornication in the church and we act like it's fine and we extend them the right hand of fellowship
That is sending the wrong message to our children and eventually this whole lump is gonna get leavened
The whole church is going to become a den of iniquity if you allow that kind of serious sin
To continue and that's why the Bible says it here that it has to be removed from the body
now the Apostle Paul said I
Verily as absent in body but present in spirit have judged already as though I were present
Concerning him that it's so done this deed that tells us right there
This is not something to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis
Paul did not even have to know the people involved. He didn't have to know the exact situation
He didn't have to personally go and talk to those people and try to talk to himself. He's saying look. It's a common report
I've already heard it. It's in the mouth of plenty of witnesses, and I've already judged. I don't even need to come down there
I'm just gonna delegate this
Deliver this guy over to Satan
Now people will say that church discipline is unloving and that it is too harsh and that it is not exhibiting
Mercy and grace and other New Testament virtues
But I'll tell you that the exact opposite is true because the Apostle Paul here says to deliver such in one unto Satan
For the destruction of the flesh that the Spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus
So Paul doesn't hate this guy
Paul doesn't want this guy to go to hell Paul doesn't want this guy's life to be ruined
What Paul would like is for the guy to be restored. That's why in 2nd Corinthians
retrospectively he looks back on this situation and
rejoices that the guy was restored and
Extends forgiveness to this guy and he wants to forgive and forget and move on and let the guy live it down
So it's not unloving
It's a necessary measure that's not only good for the church by purging out the leaven
But it's even good for the person who's being thrown out
It's just as when we discipline our children that can work righteousness in them and that can help them to grow up and do
What's right?
well guess what throwing somebody out of the church can sometimes help that person to get right with God and
That's a discipline that needs to happen for the church's benefit and their benefit
Both if they can be helped if they can be restored now
not everyone can be restored some people being often reproved will yet harden their neck and
Those people are going to be destroyed but many people can be restored
But you're not doing people any favors by just letting them get away with murder and not
Putting your foot down and you're not doing your children any favors either when you when you just let them get away with everything
Because discipline is sometimes necessary
He says in verse number nine. I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators
yet not all together with the fornicators of this world or with covetous or
Extortioners or with idolaters for then must you needs go out of the world
But now I've written unto you not to keep company if any man that is called a brother
be a fornicator or covetous or an idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an
Extortioner with such in one know not to eat for what have I to do to judge them also that are without
Do not ye judge them that are within but them that are without
God judges therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person
People that are in the church are subject to the judgment of the church people that are outside of the church are not our problem
Let God be the judge of them
But we must judge those that are within the church and in fact the Corinthians are being rebuked for not
Judging them that are within the church, so don't just come at me with don't judge
no, we have to have judgment begin at the house of God and
We're worthy of a rebuke if we will not
Judge those that are within now the Bible is clear that
Fornicators who are called a brother are worse than fornicators who are not called a brother
So therefore if I go out to lunch with my buddy at work
Who's a fornicator, but he's not a Christian that is okay. That is acceptable
There's nothing wrong with me taking my unsaved
fornicating co-worker out to eat
Obviously, I'm not talking about taking the opposite gender out to eat. Okay. I'm talking about your man. You know I'm at work
I'm an electrician and the electrician that I work with hey, let's go get lunch
let's talk and I can have fellowship with him just as a
Person who's lost and my goal should be to win him to Christ
right
But the guy who is called a brother the guy who is known as a Christian calls himself a Christian
Lives as a Christian, but he's living in fornication. I shouldn't have anything to do with that guy
You should stay away from that guy and not have any fellowship with him, so there's there's a different standard here
You know if I have friends relatives that are
Christians that are involved in these serious sins. I need to I need to cut these people out of my life
With such a one not to eat
That's what the Bible says the Bible is clear
And it's the church's job to put those people out of fellowship if they're gonna now if somebody just got saved yesterday
I don't think that really qualifies as being called a brother. You know because they just got saved their brand-new convert
I think that person should be brought into the church
Baptized and you know I would give that person a few weeks to listen to some preaching
Teach them the Bible obviously you got to teach people and give them a chance to get it right
But if that person comes to church week after week
They're still living in sin, and I mean living with someone that they're not married to
Then if they're gonna continue in that there comes a point where we can't just have this person being called a brother
Living in fornication amongst us now the sin that is highlighted in this chapter is fornication
Which is any kind of sex outside of marriage, but there are other sins listed here as well
Fornication is in the spotlight, but there's a list here that includes fornication
covetousness
idolatry
Trailing drunkenness and extortion
Now I don't want to spend a lot of time on this
Because it's not the main thrust of the sermon
I'm just gonna briefly touch on each of these things and explain what they are
Obviously we know what fornication is we just mentioned that number two that the person who is covetous now
This isn't just saying somebody who ever
Covets because if somebody coveted in their heart we wouldn't even know about that
So how could we throw someone out because they had a thought that that's not what this is talking about
What this is talking about is
people who just all they want to talk about and all they live for is money and
making more money and
Coveting after possessions and so forth and look there are people that are like that and we need to stay away from people like that
It's an infection I
Could list for you person after person who has quit the church
This church other churches because they got bit by that bug of covetousness
And they started reading all the Donald Trump books and the Robert
Kiyosaki books and you know what I'm talking about or they joined Amway and
They got into the multi-level marketing and they got into this stuff and all they want to talk about is the mansions and the cars
And the fancy clothes everything you know when a person comes to church and starts
Infecting people with that and they just all they want to talk about is how we're gonna make all this money
And we're gonna be rich, and they start promoting that stuff. You know that person needs to be taken aside and corrected
Because that is not and if that person wants to continue in that lifestyle that person needs to be put out of fellowship
The covetous person because why the love of money is the root of all evil. That's why
The next major sin that's mentioned here that's and and these are sins that are infectious is that of
Idolatry okay idolatry here is referring to
Actual graven images we're talking statues
We're talking bowing down to this statue bound down to that statue now
This isn't something that would be a huge deal in the United States because we have a fairly Christianized culture
But if we were living in a place in Asia
Or if we were living possibly somewhere in Africa where this is a big deal
This could be an issue where you have people joining the church, but they still want to hang on to Buddha join the church
But they still want to have shrines to their Hindu gods joining the church
They still have a merry shrine that they're that they're lighting a candle to and everything that stuff cannot be allowed to continue
We're talking graven images we're talking bowing down to them and serving them that's what we're talking about with that
You say I don't agree with this. I don't like where this sermons going. It doesn't matter whether you like it or not
We're reading the Bible thing is everybody in 1st Corinthians 5 who's got your Bible open to 1st Corinthians 5 see
This is what the Bible says we're not to judge it
We're to let it judge us and the Bible is telling us that we can't have a church filled with brethren
who are drunks and
Fornicators and they're worshipping statues and they are lusting after money
And that's all they want to talk about and that's all they live for
He said a railer a railer is one who goes around telling lies about people and just making wild
Accusations that have no basis and believe me. It's out there people who just go around
spreading lies about people a railer has to do with a railing accusation and
Then obviously the drunkard what my standard that and you say well who cares about your stand?
Well, you know, I happen to be the pastor of the church. Let me introduce myself to you. Hi, I'm Steven Anderson
I'm the pastor of the church and the Bible says that the elders that rule well should be counted worthy of double honor
Especially they labor in the word and doctrine the Bible says in Hebrews 13 obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves
The Bible says in Hebrews 30 remember them that have the rule over you
They watch for your souls as they that must give an account to God and then he says at the end of Hebrews 13
Salute every saint in Christ Jesus
He said salute all them that have the rule over you and all the Saints look there is
Someone who is in charge of this church humanly speaking in an earthly manner. It's the pastor
Now obviously, I'm just the under Shepherd
I'm in subjection to Jesus Christ, but this church is not a democracy
Let me say that again. This church is not a democracy if
51% of people want to use the NIV. We're not using the NIV
51% of people want to cancel soul winning. We're not canceling soul winning
51% of people want to bring in the rock and roll and the purple lights
We're not bringing in the rock and roll and purple lights. We're not voting on the music
We're not voting on the doctrine
We're not voting on the the standards that we live by come with me and see my zeal for the Lord
That's what we believe in around here
And
So I'll tell you the standard that I have laid down for this church on what drunkenness is and by the way the church
Agrees with my standard because when I preached it the church agreed with what I preached
Here's my standard for what drunkenness is
Because I don't think that if a person has a beer that that necessarily makes them a drunk
Now I'm against beer. I'm against all of it. I'm a teetotaler and I don't think that you should even look at it
But just because someone drinks a beer that doesn't make them a drunkard
But I'll give you the standard that that that I've laid down as being a standard for drunkenness
And you know, it's really not that different than the world standard
It's really not that different from what alcoholics anonymous would tell you is a drunk because you know
It's not really that hard to identify somebody who's a drunk
Here are some things that I laid down from the pulpit is that when you're mixing drugs and alcohol I consider you a drunk
When you're taking a Vicodin before you drink so that you can enhance the effect of those beers
You're a drunk at that point. That's not social drinking
That's drunkenness and all God's people said I mean they might disagree with that that when you're mixing
Narcotics with your alcohol in order to enhance their effect. You're a drunk
Okay
Also, if you're drinking and driving I say you're a drunk at that point because that just shows that you're drinking is out of control
Where you you're doing something that even the world says is illegal and it shows that you have problems where you're out of control
With alcohol if you have to drink and drive if you drink and drive I consider you a drunk
Okay, number three if you drink hard liquor
You're a drunk. Yeah, I'm telling you know vodka whiskey gin if you're drinking a hard liquor
You're drinking shots of tequila. You're a drunk
I don't you say well, I didn't drink enough to get drunk if you're drinking hard liquor. I say you're a drunk
Okay, that's the standard and I'm seeing a lot of heads nodding up and down
If you drink every day
You're a drunk
Because there there are two kinds of drunks
There's the binge drunk the one who doesn't drink every day
but then when he drinks he goes on a binge and then there's the
Every day drunk the daily drug who just lives his life
in a state of non sobriety
Just all the time if you are drinking every day. That's an addiction
That's drunkenness and you know what?
I'm sure that there are many other definitions of being a drunk that I would probably agree with
But you know what?
Anybody who's a drunk is probably gonna fit into one of those categories that I just mentioned. Maybe I missed something
You know if you're lying about you're drinking and hiding it you're probably a drunk right if you drink alone
Alright, you're probably a drunk or whatever. So I'm not gonna go on and on about that
I just wanted to get that out there and then extortion
Extortion is when you are threatening someone
That they must give you money or else or else I'm gonna hurt you or else I'm gonna do whatever to you
Extortion is someone who's you know, it's it's basically the kid on the playground who's saying hey, give me your lunch money
Or I'm gonna beat you up. It's the adult version of that. Okay, so
Extortion er one who is an extortion er with such and one know not to eat now
Let's go to Matthew 18. I got a lot to cover tonight and a short amount of time to do it
Matthew 18, what have we learned so far? Well, first of all, we've learned that Christ and
his spirit
the Bible said
Have given the authority to the church to cast out people who are guilty of these particular sins
Because Paul said that it's with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ that they need to throw that guy out and deliver him
unto Satan
So we've seen a list of six particular things that if people are involved in these things
That these people need to be disfellowshipped. These people need to be put out of the church pretty simple, right?
Everybody understand? Okay. Well in Matthew 18, we see something else
The Bible says in Matthew 18 15 moreover if thy brothers shall trespass against thee
Go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee thou has gained thy brother
But if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more
Then in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established and if he shall neglect to hear them
Tell it unto the church
But if he shall neglect to hear the church
Let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican now this scripture is one of the most misused and
abused and taken out of context scriptures in the whole
Bible now, let me explain to you. First of all what this verse does not say this does not say that if someone is a drunk
That we need to go to them and then bring two witnesses and then bring them before the church
No, no, the drunk is just cast out period just summarily
excommunicated
Does everybody understand that does this say if a guy's living in fornication?
No, no, does this say if a guy's a railer if a guy's an extortioner? No, those people are automatically
cast out of fellowship
This is a totally different
situation this says that if your brother shall trespass against thee
So
This isn't somebody who's a heretic teaching false doctrine
This isn't somebody who's seen drunk in the gutter down on Mill Avenue in Tempe
This is somebody who trespasses against you
So this has nothing to do with the six things that we saw over in 1st Corinthians 5. This is another situation
Let me give you some examples of how this could play out because this is one person trespassing against another okay
Let's say I
Go and do some electrical work over at Dominique's house, right? I'm not the pastor
I'm just an electrician in the church and
He hires me to do some electrical work at his house
And I do electrical work at his house and I get it all done. Everything's great. Everything's working and he just doesn't pay for it
He just doesn't pay the bill
Now wouldn't you say that's him trespassing against me?
He ripped me off. He hired me to do something and then he did not pay for it, right?
So the what I'm supposed to do in a situation like this where he trespasses against me first thing
I'm supposed to go to him alone. Why because it's better not to involve a bunch of other people
Let's just keep it between us because the goal is to just fix it and not cause a bunch of drama
And listen to me friend our church and every Bible believing church is doing great works for the Lord
winning people to Christ
evangelizing the world we don't have time to get involved in soap operas and drama and
Sit there and referee a bunch of toddlers
You think that's what I should be spending my life on
You think that that's what brother Garrett curse way or brother say Gora or any of us should be just spending our lives on?
Like just refereeing all these dumb bickering. No, we want to be out there getting people saved
Evangelizing and preaching and and
Doing great works for God. And so if you can resolve your own problems
That's better than causing problems in the church
And sometimes if it's not a big deal
The Bible says the best thing is just to suffer yourself to be defrauded if it's not that much money. Just let it go
Don't cause a big stink why because if our church is going to continue to do great works
We're gonna have to stay unified, right?
We've got to stay on point and focused on
Jesus and on the work of Christ not on a bunch of bickering and disputes
We need to try to get along and sometimes that means just letting things go
Suffer yourself to be defrauded if it's a hundred bucks, whatever let it go
Okay
But if it's a big deal and it needs to be dealt with try to deal with it between you and them alone first, right?
And if he hears you you've gained your brother you fixed it you can get along you can shake hands
You can move on and everybody lives happily ever after okay. He's not listening though
Right. I'm trying to tell him you got a baby
He's not listening. Okay, so then I take with me a couple of other brothers
I don't I still don't want to make a big deal out of it get the whole church involved get it right
I come to just a couple of other guys and I say listen guys, you know
I hate to bring this up
He's not paying this bill. I did this work, you know, I put a bunch of money into materials
You know, he's done me dirty. Can you guys come with me just as witnesses? I'm gonna talk to him again
You know before I make this a big deal in front of the whole church, you know
We want to try to resolve this right so then I take them with me
so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word can be established just just so that there's a
Evidence that you know, I tried to resolve this with him and he's not listening, right?
So I bring these two guys and we go over here. We talk to him
We try to resolve it and he says, you know nuts to you
Well, then at that point
Then you take it to the church and say, you know, you go to the pastor and say hey look, you know
Dominique needs to be brought before the church. He didn't pay this bill
Okay, then he's publicly called out in front of the whole church
Everybody understand he's called out in front of the whole church and said look this guy hired
brother Anderson services
didn't pay him it isn't right, you know, and and and and and you you need to pay and
the church says amen this guy needs to pay and
He says I'm not paying
Then you know what get out you can't come to church here. Is he a drunk? No, the extortioner. No
Is he covetous is he a railer is he no
He's thrown out because he has trespassed against his brother and is
Refusing to repent when he's called out for it before the entire church and he's not willing to hear the church's judgment
So he's put out of us and the Bible says if he neglect to hear them tell it unto the church
But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican
So does that mean that we're still gonna hang out with this guy
Where he's our friend, we're gonna have him over to our house. We're gonna go over to his is that what the Bible says?
No, this guy is
Considered a wicked person. It's considered a heathen and a publican. He's put out of the church
Okay. Now here's the verse that a lot of people fail to apply
the next verse
What's the next verse say?
Verily I say unto you whatsoever
Ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever. Ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven
now that's a pretty scary verse for him if
he's getting thrown out of the church and
the Bible says that
Christ is giving that authority to the church to put people out of fellowship if they will not hear the church and
Then to sit there and say that whatever they bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever they loose on earth is loosed in
Heaven because you know what that means that means that he's in trouble with the Lord
that means when he's thrown out of the church now God's gonna judge him God's gonna punish him and
he's in a bad bad place spiritually and let me tell you something when you are thrown out of
Your
local Bible believing
God-fearing biblical church
You are in trouble with the Lord and you could sit there, but I think I'm right. I was right
No, no, you know what the church has spoken and you're doomed
Now you're still saved obviously you can't lose your salvation if you're saved you're saved
But let me tell you something you are going to be punished
because God
Respects the decision of the church God doesn't just give the church the ability to throw people out and then just sit there up in
Heaven just second-guessing every decision that the church makes you know what God delivers that
judgment power to the church
whether you like it or not, that's what it says and
So the church has real authority see the church isn't just this paper tiger
You know with just a fake authority like the Queen of England or something
right
No, the church actually has rules and the church actually enforces those rules and there's some teeth behind it
Biblically and you know what God's saying God's saying I'll back you up
What you bind on earth I'll bind in heaven what you loose on earth always that I'll back you up from heaven
That's what he's saying
So if God's willing to back up the church on these type of decisions
Let me ask you this. Do you think that we should back up the church?
Or should we back up the church down the street when they throw someone out or should we second-guess them and say well
They're welcome here
Think about that
now this is a serious issue and it's a biblical issue and
And if you would flip over to 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 2nd Corinthians chapter number 2 and
Look when you're being thrown out of the church, you've done something seriously wrong
We don't just because look we don't just throw people out at the drop of a hat
I don't think any church throws people out at the drop of a hat
We want people to come to church
We want people to grow and to learn and to be under the preaching, you know, if we're throwing somebody out
It's because there's a very serious problem. It's not something that we would ever do lightly
It's a major major problem. It's only for very serious things
So don't sit there and think oh man, I'm gonna get thrown out I better mind my P's and Q's, you know
If you're not a wicked person, you're not gonna get thrown out if you get thrown out
It's because you're a wicked person and let me just go on the record saying every person who's ever been thrown out of this church
Is a wicked person?
according to the Bible
And it was not done lightly and it will never be done lightly but the Bible says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2
It talks about forgiving and restoring people who do get it right and by the way
Matthew 18 had a whole huge section on forgiveness
Right after the part about throwing people out of the church
Did you notice that when we were reading the scripture before the sermon started?
There's a huge story on forgiveness. Look we're all for forgiving people and restoring them to fellowship
That would be the best-case scenario
Anytime we throw somebody out of church
The best-case scenario is that that person would get right with God and be restored to fellowship
Amen, and then if they are restored to fellowship
We should forgive and forget and let them live it down and not hang it over their head
Forgiveness is important
But look what the Bible says here in 2nd Corinthians to remember 1st Corinthians is telling them to throw the guy out
2nd Corinthians is after the guy's been thrown out and he's been restored that woke him up that got his attention
Look what it says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 verse 5
But if any have caused grief he hath not grieved me, but in part that I may not overcharge you all
Sufficient to such a man is this punishment?
Which was inflicted of many so that contrary wise you ought rather to forgive him and comfort him
Lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow
Wherefore I beseech you that you would confirm your love
Toward him for to this end also did I write that I might know the proof of you whether you be obedient in all things
To whom ye forgive anything I forgive also for if I forgave anything to whom I forgave it
For your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ
Look, he's saying when I judge that guy and said throw them out of the church because he's living in fornication
I did that in the person of Christ. I did as a representative of Christ
Because Christ isn't going to come down here and throw all the fornicators out of our church
That's our job
And he said when we forgive people and restore them to fellowship and bring them back in we do that in the person of Christ
As well and what we bound on earth is going to be bound in heaven and so forth
This is what the Bible says. It's pretty clear. You can read it as many times as you want
It's going to keep saying the same thing in 1st Corinthians 5 2nd Corinthians 2 Matthew 18 and elsewhere
But one thing I want to point out in particular in this passage is that it says in verse 6
sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of
Many does it say it was just inflicted by me alone
No, it says it was inflicted by many and you know what that's why it worked
That's why it worked because it was inflicted by many and you know what it's wicked when the church throws out some
Evil-doer and then you're going and having a barbecue with them and you're hanging out with them and your buddy buddy with them
You know what?
Why don't you just go with them and get out of the church then?
Because if that person has been put out of fellowship and church discipline and you want to be their buddy
You're not respecting the church's judgment
You're not respecting God's judgment and you know what you're doing is you're interfering with that punishment. That's supposed to be happening
You see if the punishment what if I told
My son you've done wrong. And so you're gonna go to bed with no dinner
Right. Have you ever heard of that punishment before?
Go to bed with no dinner
Okay, what if his brother then says oh here let me bring you dinner in bed
Do you think that my son is gonna get the discipline that he needed from that act
What I stop and think about this, I mean if I say son you've done wrong I'm showing you a boundary here
dinner with no bed or bed with no dinner then
You're sitting there and bringing him food
You know what you're basically doing there is
Nullifying the punishment at that point and you know what you're doing. You're emboldening his sin
So that he'll think I can sin and there's no consequence and you know, you're making an idiot out of mom
You're making an idiot out of dad you're making a joke of the rules
you're making a joke of the punishment because I got to eat anyway and
You know what?
That's exactly what you're doing
If you're one of these people who pals around with people who've been thrown out of the church and you think I'm just more loving
I'm just a little nicer than pastor. I know you're not you're wicked
You're puffed up and you're glorying is not good and a little leaven leavens the whole up because you know what this church is
Never gonna be a doctrinal free-for-all. It's never gonna be a den of iniquity and drunkenness and fornication
It's just not gonna happen. And if it does happen, it'll be over my dead body
And I'm not gonna sit here and just let anything go so that you can think I'm nice
No, and let me tell you something certain doctrines are not on the table
You come in here and spread Calvinism you're gone turn to Romans chapter 16
You say well
Teaching false doctrine wasn't on the list. Well, we haven't seen all the scripture yet
Because we've seen that people will be thrown out
There's actually three reasons why people would be thrown out number one
They're thrown out because of one of the six major sins in 1st Corinthians 5 that will affect the congregation
Number two, they'll be thrown out if they trespass against a brother
which is a personal sin against that brother and it tries to be resolved and we bring it before the church and they don't hear the
judgment of the church on that matter and
Number three, they will be thrown out if they are heretics
Why because the Bible says a man that is in heretic after the first and second admonition reject
The Bible says that heretics are to be rejected the Bible says in Romans chapter 16 famous scripture
verse number
17 now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offenses
Contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them for they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ
But their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple
This is why you cannot have heretics
Running wild in the church because with good words and fair speeches
They will deceive the hearts of the simple and we don't want our church to be filled with heretics who are just picking off the flock
Wolves here that are just gonna pick off the flock and teach them heresy and false doctrine
Somebody comes in and starts spreading Calvinism. They're gonna be thrown out of the church church discipline
Somebody comes in here and denies the Trinity church discipline deny the deity of Christ church discipline teach salvation
By works church discipline if you're and I'm not talking about little minor
Disagreements on end times prophecy or I'm talking people were teaching damnable heresy. I'm talking heresy will send you to hell
False doctrine that tampers with the gospel that tampers with the very fabric of what we believe in
Somebody starts coming in saying hey, we need to get on the ESV
Church discipline them. Yeah
I'm serious as a heart attack right now
This is no joke
This church is King James only and that's not optional the Bible said you say why is that a big deal?
Well, just because the Bible says that if you add to or remove from God's Word, you're damned eternally
So why we want to bring in that curse and that damnation into our congregation?
That's a big curse. That's the biggest curse in the whole Bible. It's the it's almost the last verse in the Bible
Revelation chapter 22 verses 18 and 19. It's a closing thought when you finish your Bible
Heretics must be cast out
drunks fornicators and other major wicked sinners must be cast out those who refuse to hear the church's judgment on
Justice between two church members must be cast out. This is what the Bible teaches go to 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3
This is not one isolated scripture, this is Matthew 18. This is 1st Corinthians 5. This is 2nd Corinthians 2
This is Romans 16. This is Titus 3 9 and this is also 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3
When the Bible says in verse 6 now we suggest unto you
That what it says?
Now we recommend
No, it says now we command you brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you would draw yourselves
From every brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition, which he received of us
jump down to verse number
14 and if any man obey not our word by this epistle
Note that man and have no company with him that he may be ashamed now
Look at this note that man and have no company with him
That he may be ashamed now. Why do you want him to be ashamed because that's the punishment
to be
Ostracized and then it says in the next verse
Yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother. So what's the goal?
Restore the guy but you're never gonna restore people when you're sneaking them food under the covers
When mom sent him to bed with no dinner
You're never gonna restore him like that you're emboldening their wickedness is what you're doing in that situation
Now the thing that even made me preach about this was that you know pastor Roger Jimenez in Sacramento
He just had to throw a guy out of the church a few weeks ago
And I mean this guy this was such an open and shut clear-cut case that this guy needed to be thrown out
I mean there was no doubt about I mean
I I personally talked to this guy when I was at Verity a few times and I always knew that the guy was a bozo
But I was nice to him because it wasn't my place
I was friendly to him and tried to talk sense into him a few times
But anyway, it wasn't my place but pastor Jimenez brought the hammer down and threw this guy out of the church and
Then to just see that people think it's okay to just pal around with this guy
After he's been thrown out
Unbelievable after the guy just attacks pastor Jimenez
calls him all kinds of names lies about him and does all this stuff and
I mean the guy was literally I mean, I don't want to go into a big thing on why the guy was thrown out
Because frankly
If the guy was thrown out by pastor Roger Jimenez
out of his biblical church, you know, that's their business and
You know what I'm gonna do I'm gonna whatever they bind over there I'll bind it here
You know what? I mean, I don't you know and I look pastor Jimenez told me what happened
But honestly, even when I watched this guy's own video
Where he gave his side
I'm like, I don't even need to hear pastor Jimenez because this guy is just making such a fool of himself
I can see already that this guy's is wicked and a fool
But people think it's okay to pal around with this guy and be friends with this guy
You know what? It's not okay
He needs to be ashamed
He needs to be ostracized. He needs to be put out of fellowship not just by one person but by many
he needs to be completely rejected from fellowship and let me say this if
one of our friends
Throws somebody out of their church. They're not welcome here
But I'll take it a step further even if they're not our friends
Even if some other independent fundamental Baptist Church that that has no fellowship with us that we have nothing to do with
just whatever the Baptist Church if
They throw someone out for a biblical reason
They are not allowed to come here period if I find out that they were thrown out of their church because of drunkenness
fornication or because the
They disrespected the church's authority and refused to to submit to that authority or Matthew 18 style or whatever
Then you know what? They're not welcome here
Because it's not my place to get involved in other people's business
And if someone else is throwing them out of their church for a biblical reason then we ought to respect that
It will give them a second chance
No, the second chance is when they repent and go back to their church and get it right. That's the second chance
Because if we don't you know, what's gonna happen is just we throw somebody out
They cause all kinds of trouble. They cause all kinds of damage. They do all kinds of wickedness
They teach all kind of lies and then we throw them out of the church. And then what do they do?
They just go to the next one and then just go to the next one and then there's no punishment
One of these fools that's banned from our church
Contacted brother humanities. Can I if I come to your church? He said no
And this this idiot Evan that Roger Jimenez threw out, you know, I don't think he wants to come to our church
But if he does the answer is no
If I see the guy I'm gonna I'm gonna tell him you're not welcome here, buddy
you were thrown out of your
Bible believing local church and look I'm not talking about if the church throws people out for a wicked reason because sometimes there are churches
That'll just throw people out because they believe right or something, you know, cuz it's an apostate church
Let's say it's an apostate church that believes in work salvation and you get thrown out for teaching salvation by faith
Well, then come on in
right
You know or I got thrown out for listening to pastor humanity or pastor Anderson on my on my phone or whatever
Well, okay, you're welcome here. But the point is though that if somebody's thrown out for a biblical reason
We ought to respect that and you ought to respect that and we can't just have a free-for-all
And you know what if you say well, I don't agree with this, but then what do you how do you think it should go?
Oh, yeah, you're not the pastor. Oh
Yeah, that's right. You've never even run a hot dog stand let alone a church
and
Everybody is the armchair quarterback that wants to sit back and tell everybody how to handle it
But you don't understand that being a pastor involves putting a stop to wickedness that goes on
And it's about bringing the hammer down. It's not about just preaching
Preaching is the easiest part of the job
you've got to keep this body healthy and
It's the shepherds job to guard against the wolves and we got to keep the infection at bay
And we got to fight this stuff and you know what?
I'm telling you if we let it be a free-for-all this church would not even be here today what it is today
Because people back in 2008 and 2009 and 2010
we're trying to bring in all kinds of stupid doctrine and
Change the church and change the soul-winning and change the program and we put a stop to it and we brought the hammer down
And we didn't let it happen and that's why we're still here. That's why we're still thriving
That's why we're still serving God. You cannot have a free-for-all
Why because then the worst element takes over that's why
Not on my watch
Not no and you say well, you know
I don't like this this thing of I can't be friends with people that have from been thrives
You know, you can be friends with whoever you want
But you know what if you're gonna come to our church then why would you go be buddies with enemies of our church?
And
Why would you interfere with God's discipline in their lives and the church's discipline in their lives?
You're not helping them and you're not helping our church and you're not helping yourself
Say well, you know, I it's just cult like
You like a cold no cults force people to stay in they don't throw people out
When was the last time you heard people complaining about Scientology throwing too many people out
No
Scientology locks you up in the top floor of that big blue building in Hollywood and they make you clean the floor on your hands
and knees with your tongue
That's what Scientology does
Okay
Cults won't let you out
I mean just try to talk to people who tried to get their name taken off the rolls of the Mormon Church
It's like an act of Congress
Tell me and you know what you could just you you can just throw all these little eyes a cop
It's a cult
You know what it and if you if you preach against homos
You're a closet homo and if you preach hard on sin, you're a legalist and if you exercise church discipline
You're a cult, you know, everybody's always got their reason to attack people for doing what's right
But the bottom line is that it's in the Bible you saw it. I saw it
We're gonna practice it and if you think it's like a cult then you better get out because I'd hate to see you live in
a cult
I'd hate to see you be in a cult now, wouldn't we?
Why don't you just hit the road Jack and don't you come back no more?
So aren't you afraid you're gonna lose people? You know what? I hope I do lose people
that want to consort with heretics and
They want to consort with drunks and fornicators and wicked people that are to be ex-communicated
From the church and I'm not here taking an opinion poll tonight. We're not here voting on this
I'm here to tell you that this is what the Bible says
And it's what we're gonna do and it's what we've always done and it's what we're gonna continue to do and it'll be over
My dead body that this church becomes a free-for-all where anything goes doctrinally
Where we debate?
Calvinism where we debate eternal security where we debate the Trinity that there will never be debated here
It's already settled
Get in or get out
The church is not trying to run your life
Church is just telling you you can't drink
Church isn't trying to run your life
They're just telling you that you can't have sex outside of marriage
The church isn't trying to run your life
But they're telling you that if you believe in a different salvation you belong somewhere else and if you believe in other damnable heresies
Go spread them somewhere else
He that is able to receive it let him receive it he that hath an ear let him hear now
I'm almost done tonight, but I want to just touch on a few other things a lot of people will
Abuse and misuse Matthew 18, and I kind of mentioned this a little earlier
But I want to elaborate on it
Where the Bible says if thy brother trespass against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone
If he shall hear thee thou'st gain thy brother. Here's what they'll do. You'll get up and preach against a false prophet
You get up and preach against Billy Graham or something and here's what they'll say well. Did you go to Billy Graham?
But here's the thing Billy Graham didn't trespass against me
Right what did Billy Graham ever do to me?
He doesn't even know me
But I can preach against and call out any false heretic
I want without ever having to go to that person personally because Matthew 18 is not even mentioning heresy
There's no heresy mentioned here. Is there am I missing something?
Where is the drunkenness in Matthew 18? Where is the fornication in Matthew 18? Where is the railing?
Where is the covetousness?
Where is the extortion? It's not there so to sit there and say well
You didn't follow Matthew 18 and most idiots that are thrown out of the church. That's what they come at. You didn't follow Matthew 18
Yeah, I didn't follow Matthew 18 because it wasn't applicable
Or this is what will frequently happen
Someone else in the church will follow Matthew 18, but they say but Pastor Anderson didn't follow Matthew 18 with me
But someone else did
Yeah, but pastor I want Pastor Anderson to do it
Where does this verse say
The pastor goes and talks to them
The pastor brings two witnesses, where does it say that is there anything like that?
No
So I don't have to personally sit down and patty-cake with every false prophet or phony or drunk
Or fornicator, you know, I can send somebody to go tell them if I want
Because I frankly don't always have time to sit around and talk
Shop with heretics and phonies and whatever, you know
I could just say hey so-and-so and especially because it's usually a person coming to me telling me
Hey this person go tell them I said no and that if they want to and that I'll bring it before the whole church
Because the whole church is gonna be in agreement on this, you know, cuz I mean it's clear. I
Don't have to go do it myself now. Usually I do it myself and
It's a labor of love, but I'm saying that you know, I don't have to go do it myself
And I don't have to do it at all if they're a heretic or a drunk or a fornicator
Look the Apostle Paul wasn't even in the same city and he took care of it by letter
So I can just pick up the phone if I need to write
It's it's foolish now, you know the people that we recently threw out a few months ago however long ago was Tyler Baker
I confronted him to his face
I
Had two witnesses with me when I confronted him to his face and you know what I didn't have to but that's what I did
And when I confronted him to his face, he had no repentance
He lied about everything then when we pinned him down then he told the truth
after being confronted with evidence then he told the truth and
Then he was ex communicated and thrown out then all of his buddies called up and said hey
I believe the same thing. I'm with Tyler. Should I even come back?
I said well you can come back if you want to be thrown out in front of the whole church
That's what I said, I
Said yeah, come on down Wednesday night and I'll call you out in front of the whole church and throw you out
Unless you're ready to get right with God and you know what?
That's the way it went down and here's the thing any of those people can come back whenever they want
To renounce heresy and embrace the traditional view of the Trinity
Because you know people wondered about that is it what was there any hope for these people hey
Anybody who's been thrown out of the church can come back whenever they want
to get right with God
Renounce heresy and embrace the biblical doctrine of the Trinity
They can come back whenever they want and they can come back no sooner than that
And if you fellowship with them, you're not right with God
And I'm not saying I don't think you're right with God. I'm saying you are not right with God. It's a fact
And and you know you can huff and puff and blow the house down and you know what?
Honestly, if you have a problem with that, you might just be happier somewhere else
Because
This church will go on without you
Because this church must be kept doctrinally pure and it must be kept
Sexually pure and it must be kept pure of drunkenness. I think you know it's more important than just numbers
it's more important than just packing the place out is having integrity and
Also, we need to have a pastor that people actually respect
because if the pastor is a lame duck if
The pastor is the Queen of England up here if the pastor is up here as a figurehead
You know what?
This church will not thrive and do the works that we need to do
There needs to be real authority coming from behind this pulpit period that's the way it's always been and that's the way it's always gonna
Be and we're not gonna have it any other way and it's not up for debate
And you can call it a dictatorship if you want. I'm fine with that term
And you know what my house is a dictatorship too, I
Don't ask my toddler to vote on what's for dinner
And you know what some of you are mature
believers and
mature in the faith
But some of you are spiritual toddlers because you've only been saved for one two three four five years and look
There's nothing wrong with being a toddler. There's nothing wrong with being a babe in Christ
There's nothing wrong with being young in the Lord. Amen. I
Loved pastoring a church that's filled with young believers and new believers and and babes in Christ
But you know what? We're not gonna put a babe in Christ in charge
We're not gonna look who here has been saved for less than five years put up your hand
Okay, that's like half the church. So if we vote on things that's who we're giving the authority to
You
Know whether that offends you or not. I've been saved for 30 years
I've read the Bible scores of times and people come in here that have read the Bible once if you're lucky
Right
But they're gonna tell us how we need to change this change that do it
No, you need to get on our program and you need to come with us and see our zeal for the Lord
Period and if you're not comfortable with that type of leadership, then you're in the wrong place
Because we are not into this this lame-duck leadership
Okay, it's a pastor led Church
It's not a deacon led Church and it's not a democracy
Our country is not even supposed to be a democracy because a democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what's for dinner
Democracy is the worst form of government that was ever invented because broad is the way that leads to destruction
You can't just go with the majority what the majority wants
And
So we need to bring back this practice of church discipline and you know
I I don't have anybody in mind to discipline tonight or anything like that. There's nobody being thrown out tonight
You know and and our church is not having a problem in this area. I don't know of any issue
You say why are you preaching this? I'm frankly I'm preaching this because I was mad about pastor Jimenez and his situation
You know, that's what got me fired up
You know because I see
People reacting wrongly on that front, you know, it's it's not about our church. I'd rather preach about this when we're not having a problem
And
Preventively, you know because we're not having any kind of a problem just so you know just in case you're visiting or something
There's no problem. Everything's great
But let's lay down this doctrine and let's figure this out while the while the seas calm
That way when Hurricane heretic comes in we're ready to withstand the storm
Let's power heads and have a word of prayer father. We thank you so much Lord for the this wonderful institution
you've given us the church Lord and
Lord the church is a blessing to our lives and it's it's a great honor and privilege to be a part of such a great
Institution Lord and to to come together and fellowship Lord and it truly would be a horrible punishment Lord
to be banned or disfellowshipped from
Such a wonderful Church Lord and and God I just pray that every single person who's here tonight would decide that they're gonna live
their life in accordance with your word and that they want to be a blessing to the church and
An asset to the church and that they want to edify the church
That they don't want to be a thorn in the church aside that would become so
Wicked that they would actually have to be disfellowshipped Lord
Just pray that our church would continue to be strong and to grow and to stand on your word Lord and help us never
to be shy about
Things that are taught in the Bible just because they're not popular Lord help us to stand on these these
Unpopular doctrines even in the last days in Jesus name we pray. Amen