The Necessity of Church Discipline, 5/10/26

We come today to the book of First Corinthians

1 Corinthians 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4, picking up in verse 18, where we left

off in verse 17 two weeks ago. Thank you, Brother

Ty, for filling in for me last Sunday when I

was not doing well. Appreciate that so much.

And it was wonderful and edifying. Let's hear

the word of the Lord from verse 18 of chapter

4 through verse 5 of chapter 5 we're talking

today about the necessity of church discipline

and introduction and procedure For this reason

I have sent Timothy to you Who is my beloved

and faithful son in the Lord who will remind

you of my ways in Christ? as I teach everywhere

in every church. Now, some are puffed up as though

I were not coming to you, 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, for the kingdom of God is not in word,

but in power. What do you want? Shall I come

to you with a rod or in love and a spirit of

gentleness? 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. And you are

puffed up and have not rather mourned that he

who has done this deed might be taken away from

among you. For indeed, as absent in body but

present in spirit, I have already judged as though

I were present him who has so done this deed

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 Deliver such

a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh

That his spirit may be saved in the day of our

Lord Jesus Let's pray Father, we come to you

this morning with this weighty passage before

us. Lord, we need the presence and the power

of the Holy Spirit to be able to preach it and

to be able to hear it, Lord. Please open it up

to us. Guide our thoughts, Lord, as we think

and meditate on this. And I pray, Lord, that

you by your Spirit would speak to us today. We

pray in Jesus' name, amen. This passage begins

a new section on ethics in the Christian church

at Corinth. Paul will tie this together to the

previous subject in that he admonishes the church

for being puffed up instead of mourning about

this situation. But from here to the end of chapter

7, the apostle teaches a good bit on the biblical

view and the ethics. of sexuality, of marriage

and of going to law against brethren. I mentioned

sexuality and indeed the subject of Christian

sexual behavior both inside and outside of marriage

will be a major portion of this study. These

chapters speak directly and frankly about the

sinful incestuous relationship of a likely prominent

man in the church. They speak of how to relate

to immoral people in the world. They speak of

the fact that our bodies are members of Christ

and should not be joined to a harlot, and then

to the sexual relationship between a man and

his wife, and of the differences between a wife

and a virgin in their service to Christ. I remind

you that this is part of the Holy Ghost inspired

word of God and it must be taught in the public

assembly of the church. It was a letter written

to the whole church in Corinth and it is for

the whole church of all time. Therefore as I

go through this text I will attempt to do so,

to treat this subject properly, in a way that

is suitable for all ages, and yet, in a way that

is not ashamed of the way God made us, and of

His design, and of how we live. Too often these

matters are discussed in a hush -hush kind of

a way, and that is to our detriment. The Bible

speaks directly, and so must we, but not... in

a crass or a crude way. Now the subject in this

first section is that of church discipline. It

is the sanctions and the actions to be taken

on unrepentant church members who choose to yield

to sin and rebel against Christ and his church.

Jeremy Kimball puts it this way. He says, church

discipline is the correction of persistently

sinning church members for the good of those

caught in sin, for the purity of the church,

and the glory of God. The need to administer

church discipline and sanctions is one of those

subjects on which many have strong opinions both

for and against. And I will confess It is a subject

on which there has, it is a fact of which, not

just a subject, that has been at times abused

or misused and in many cases disused. Abused,

misused or disused. So we need to walk through

this very carefully and look at it in order to

get what the scripture is teaching and conform

ourselves to its understanding. This is one of

the marks of a true church. Our understanding

is that there are at least three essential outward

marks by which any discerning person can determine

whether any given congregation was truly a church.

The Belgian Confession states it well when it

says, the marks by which the true church is known

are these. Number one, if the pure doctrine of

the gospel is preached there. Number two, if

it maintains the pure administration of the sacraments

as instituted by Christ. And number three, if

church discipline is exercised. punishing sin.

Church discipline is needed to hold each other

accountable to the terms of the covenant with

God and with each other by purging out the old

leaven, as Paul calls it, of damnable sins. It

is a means of grace or as some call it a severe

mercy, a severe mercy. It protects the holiness

of the church, but it also seeks the restoration

of a wandering believer. It is not vindictive,

and though it might be called a punishment, its

end goal is not that, but it is a tool of pastoral

love. of keeping the congregation pure by addressing

persistent, unrepentant sin that, as we will

see in the following passage, will act like a

yeast or a leaven that corrupts the whole loaf.

Paul speaks about this in verses 6 to 8, which

I'm not going to be addressing today. But ultimately,

this is all about the glory of Christ and of

His Church. This is about fervent love for Him

and love for the sinner that he or she might

repent, might be restored to fellowship, and

that their spirit might be saved on the day of

judgment. Today, we're going to consider the

first part. That is, the warning given in chapter

4 verse 18 to 21, the problem stated in chapter

5 verse 1 and 2, and then the procedure. chapter

5 verse 3 and 5 and for that we will also consider

the passage in Matthew chapter 18. So let's look

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

first of all today at the warning from in verse

18 to 21. Now some are puffed up as though I

were not coming to you 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.

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in

power. What do you want? Shall I come to you

with a rod or in love and the spirit of gentleness?

Some in the Corinthian church were puffed up.

They had an inflated view of themselves as though

they were better or more spiritual than Paul.

In their arrogance and pretension to possess

wisdom, it seems that some of them openly repudiated

Paul's authority, perhaps thinking that other

leaders were better suited because they were

more polished, more, they used more wisdom, worldly

wisdom in what, in how they spoke. This passage

is very directed on compromising and Paul threatens

to administer harsh discipline if they will not...

deal with the disgraceful behavior that he will

write? to them about in the next two chapters,

chapter five and six. They are acting in a way

that denies Paul's coming to them and thus they

are no longer accountable to him. But he sets

them straight on this. I will come to you shortly

if the Lord wills. He called them to account

in a fatherly, in an apostolic way which shows

us how that sometimes we need to hear strong

words when we act in an unaccountable way. Sometimes

they need to be spoken. He states this though

with humility even as James writes in James chapter

James 4:13

4 verse 13 and 16 that because we do not know

what will happen tomorrow but God does and so

we ought to say if the Lord wills we shall live

and do this or that. Paul says this if the Lord

wills I will come to you. He is living a life

of plans and direction But with the understanding

that it will happen only if the Lord wills it

and so also ought we to live we make plans We

do things we set things out we look forward to

things But it's on the context that God is the

supreme one and we will do this if the Lord so

wills it Now he says I will not know not the

puffed -up words, but the power Do they really

have the ability, the power, and the influence

from God in this, or are they putting on a show?

Do they have the goods? Given the current state

of the church and of God in Corinth, Paul does

not anticipate a laudatory visit in when he comes,

but rather one in which his purpose will not

be to admire the Christians' fine speech, but

to inspect their effectiveness in life, to find

out not only how the arrogant people are talking,

but what power they have. So states the pillar

commentary. This power refers to lasting and

solid effects instead of a passing shadow or

shallow and lacking substance. He tells them

that the kingdom of God is not in word but in

power. Now the word word there is the word logos

which is also used for Christ. In the beginning

was the word John chapter 1 which certainly refers

John 1 · chapter mention

to the word of God and to Christ himself who

is the word but it also can mean in the Greek

just simply words. something that someone has

said. And I take this to be the latter meaning.

Paul simply means here that the kingdom of God

is not in speaking of words. It's not in talking,

but rather in the ability to do good deeds, to

show forth good works in reality. rather than

just being saying puffed up words. The kingdom

of God is not in great and soaring rhetoric,

or in empty platitudes, or in fancy words and

boasts, or in worldly wisdom, but it is in rather

the actual working of the power of God in the

word and deeds that are real and identifiable,

and they're a testimony to the reality of God

and of His glory and His power. What counts now

is not how impressive you sound, but whether

your deeds are actually done. Paul again confounds

their inflated self -esteem and loftiness with

arrogance, and he counters them with plain and

simple words, basically saying, as we would put

it today, put up or shut up. The kingdom of God

is not a word, but is in power. Then in essence

he asked him, what do you want? The choice is

yours. Are you going to take care of these issues?

Are you going to expel the incestuous man, stop

making lawsuits against each other, and stop

visiting prostitutes? If so, I can come in love

in a spirit of gentleness. But if not, I will

come with a rod. The rod of a father who drives

out folly from the heart of his children, like

Proverbs 22 verse 15 says, Remember that Paul

Proverbs 22:15

calls himself their father in chapter 4 verse

15. I have begotten you, he says, through the

gospel. Whether he comes boldly with correction

or with a spirit of gentleness, the face -to

-face visit will involve correction. Either strong

or gentle. There's a time for bold strong words

of correction and there are times for soft and

gentle correction. In fact, most times, correction

comes this way. Paul speaks for example to the

Galatians and to Timothy Galatians 6 1 he says

Brethren if a man is overtaken in any trespass

you who are spiritual Restore such a one in a

spirit of gentleness Considering yourself lest

you also be tempted But then also in 2nd Timothy

2 verse 24 to 26 Speaking of the minister a servant

of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to

all, able to teach, patient, in humility, correcting

those who are in opposition if God perhaps will

grant them repentance so that they may know the

truth and they may come to their senses and escape

the snare of the devil having been taken captive

by him according to his or to do his will. And

so Paul lays it out here and this is the warning

that he has given to them. That he is giving

to them before he actually gets on to the first

problem Which is at the beginning of chapter

5 to which we now turn. This is the problem stated

He writes here very clearly and succinctly 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 And you are puffed up and had

not rather mourned that he who has done this

deed might be taken away from among you. Someone

whether by letter or in person reported to Paul

that there was a problem of blatant immorality.

in the church. And it was one that is so uncommon

and so egregious that even the ancient world

in the Greek and Roman Empire recoiled in horror.

Paul says, it's not even named among the Gentiles.

This is quite a statement. For the Romans and

the Greeks were well known for their illicit

sexual behavior. regularly worshiping at temples

where temple prostitutes were employed, and where

many men throughout the realm employed the principle

articulated by one Demosthenes the Greek who

wrote these words. He said, mistresses we keep

for the sake of pleasure, concubines for the

daily care of our persons, but wives to bear

us legitimate children and to be faithful guardians

of our household. In other words, it was all

game, except for... certain things like this.

So, by no means were they the standard of the

age, but Paul is simply driving the point home

saying, even your culture, even those of the

Gentiles say, this is not to be named among us.

Now, the Greek word describing this sin is the

word pornea. from which we get our word porn

or pornography. It's derived from that. He uses

this twice in verse one. This word refers to

any kind of prohibited sexual relationship. That

is any and all kinds of illicit sexual intercourse,

adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism,

bestiality, or incest. which is a sexual relationship

between people closely related by blood or marriage.

This man's sin is that he had his father's wife.

The use of the word has means that he took her

and he was having a sexual relationship with

her and this was an ongoing current relationship

for so the verb indicates. It is thought that

the man was likely a prominent person in the

church but that the woman was not a believer

because nothing is addressed to her. This was

not the man's mother but rather was the wife

of his father who could have either remarried

or had multiple wives. This is therefore an incestuous

relationship. It might have been that both he

and his father were cohabiting with her or that

she might have left his father and came to him,

or that his father had died and he took her to

himself. In any case, this sexual relationship

was explicitly forbidden in the books of Leviticus

and Deuteronomy. Paul takes it as a matter of

course that the Old Testament law on this was

in effect. Hear these commandments. Leviticus

Leviticus 18:8

18 verse 8. The nakedness of your father's wife

you shall not uncover. It is your father's nakedness.

Deuteronomy 22 verse 30 is even more clear. A

Deuteronomy 22:30

man shall not take his father's wife nor uncover

his father's bed. And then in Deuteronomy 27

there's a curse pronounced on this, verse 20.

Cursed is the one who lies with his father's

wife because he has uncovered his father's bed.

and all the people shall say amen. Now further

compounding this situation was that the fact

is that the church did nothing about it. Whether

they simply tolerated it or actually condoned

it, we do not know. Very likely they simply tolerated

it, but it is not told us. Either way, Paul called

on them telling them that instead of being puffed

up about this, they should have been mourning

about this. And the word mourning is that of

mourning the loss of a loved one at a funeral.

They should have been weeping and mourning about

this situation and then dealing with it. They

should have had a deep sorrow about this sin

that led to a firm resolve by the church to expel

this person from membership in the church and

from the Lord's table and Christian fellowship.

Paul says that he who has done this thing might

be taken away from among you. Paul is shocked

at their complacency about this. Not only had

their pride and their arrogance led to their

divisions and to envy, but it had blinded them

to this sin. Thus, their pride led to a callous

insensitivity to sin. Paul, after addressing

the violation of God's law, he amplifies their

guilt by showing that they were also violating

the understanding the unsaved Gentiles it is

not named among them Now we move to the procedure

point number three and this is from verses three

to five For I indeed is absent in body But present

in spirit have already judged as though I were

present him who has so done this deed 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 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.

Paul speaks here as one who is absent in body

by being but present in spirit. But he has already

judged this matter as though he were present.

This is not a case of fact -finding, of coming

to trial, or of an investigation. The facts were

known. The case was clear. The judgment should

have been rendered and action taken. And since

he had already judged it, he tells them what

they must do. He commands them with apostolic

authority. There is to be no more investigation,

no more approaches to try to persuade this man.

They are now to act decisively. But before we

examine this action closely, I want to take a

few minutes to consider Jesus' words in Matthew

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18 in verse 15 through 20. What Paul

commands them to do is actually step number four

of what Jesus says in Matthew 18 in the process

that is outlined there. Now I will say before

we look at this process there are times when

each one of these steps may not need to be followed

in the case of public unrepentant sin like this

man in the passage. What he had done was well

known and established. And so Paul goes immediately

to the fourth step of expulsion. But here's what

Jesus says. Step number one. He says, 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. So the

first step is go to him and confront him with

his sin. Confrontation. You are sinning in this

matter. It's just between you and this person.

Step number two then. You take two or three witnesses

if you will not hear for 16. But if you will

not hear, take with you one or two more, that

by the mouth of two or three witnesses, every

word may be established. This is a principle

throughout the whole scriptures. It's repeated

multiple times in the Old Testament and the New

Testament. No one was to be judged. No one was

to be arraigned in court and given a final punishment

without two or three witnesses. And Paul repeats

that again in the New Testament. Jesus repeats

it as well in a couple of times. Paul says, for

example, in the case of an accusation against

an elder, there must be two or three witnesses.

So this is a pattern of justice. And so take

two or three witnesses if you will not hear it.

Take these. Step number three then is if he refuses

to hear them, then you tell it to the church.

So you tell it to the church step number three

this may include a public censure or a rebuke

Calling for repentance and for turning away from

this sin now There was this is still in a case

where the person is a brother or a sister in

the church But they're being persistent in this

sin and so the church is to be told about it

so that all can speak to this in in more of a

direct and public way and finally then Jesus

says in verse 17 in the latter part, but if He

refuses even to hear the church. Let him be to

you like a heathen or a tax collector. This is

the step of expelling him from the church which

we call excommunication, excommunication. Now

this is an act that carries great power and authority

for Jesus goes on to say, In this context, in

verse 18, he says, 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. 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. For where two or three are gathered together

in my name, I am there in the midst of them.

Now many times those verses are used in a completely

different context and certainly they do apply

in other contexts But the context in which Jesus

gives it is regarding this It is regarding this

and you compare this with what Paul says in verse

4 of chapter 5 He says in the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ when you are gathered together with

the power of the Lord Jesus Christ You deliver

this one to Satan The power of Jesus is there

when this is done rightly and properly according

to the Word of God. And it's in that context

where he says, where two or three are gathered

together in my name, I am there in the midst

of them. This is weighty. This is very serious.

So we're going to look at the spiritual power

of this act further as we go back now to the

main passage But there are first before we do

that. There are also some other passages of scripture

that give some additional measures I'm trying

to give you kind of a full overview here on this

subject from the scripture Depending on the severity

and the seriousness of the sin for example second

2 Thessalonians 3:6

Thessalonians 3 verses 6 and then 14 and 15 Paul

says, but we command you, brethren, in the name

of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from

every brother who walks disorderly and not according

to the tradition which he received from us. And

if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle,

note that person and do not keep company with

him that he may be ashamed, yet do not count

him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

Very interesting here. So this is like a form

here where the sin does not rise to the level

of excommunication and yet it's something here

that is persistent and so here's an action that

needs to be done. You withdraw from that person.

You note that person so that he might be ashamed

yet he's still to be admonished as a brother.

And then the point that he brings in 1st Timothy

chapter 5 that even elders when they sin are

to be rebuked. before all, if there are multiple

witnesses who can bring an accusation. Do not

receive an accusation against an elder except

from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning

rebuke in the presence of all that the rest also

may fear. Now going back now to the first Corinthians

five passage, we want to look carefully at the

commandment of Paul to the Corinthian church.

In this, he is following the sage council given

in Proverbs 22 verse 10. Cast off the scornor

Proverbs 22:10

and contention will leave, yet strife and reproach

will cease. He says, in the name of our Lord

Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together.

What is about to be done is done under the Lordship

of Christ and in His name, for it is the Lord's

name that is at stake and we must hold the glory

of the name and of His church. And it is to be

done together as a church when you are gathered

together. When the congregation is gathered together,

this is not something that is to be done secretly

or even just in a gathering of the elders. It

is publicly in the assembly so that all may witness,

all may have their minds engaged at the seriousness

of this procedure and that all may fear the Lord

and be more zealous to avoid the entrapment of

sin. Now in this historical case Paul says that

the testimony in the spirit of him would be there

as their father in their faith and with as apostolic

authority as they carry this out according to

his instructions. He says, I indeed as absent

in body but present in spirit have already judged

this and so that when you're gathered together

verse 4 along with my spirit with the power of

our Lord Jesus Christ and I think that's what

he's referring to. The power though of the Lord

Jesus Christ is there who has given authority

and power to his church. to do this. It is his

expressed will and his command as we saw in Matthew

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

chapter 18. This procedure is not to be abused

or misused as has happened far too often and

we'll get into some of that a little bit later.

So I just want to stress that again but it must

be done in the name of the Lord Jesus and in

the power of the Lord Jesus and guided by the

instructions given to us by the Holy Spirit through

the Apostle Paul. I'd like to note some important

points which were followed in this account and

just kind of gather us together. Number one,

the sin must be properly identified. It must

be clearly and properly identified. It cannot

be vague. It must be clear. The word parnea is

used in this case and it referred to all types

of illicit sexual activity and the man was guilty

and he knew whereof they were bringing judgment

on him. It was properly identified. Secondly,

excommunication is the last step of church discipline

and it must only be used for an egregious violation

of God's law and truth. An egregious violation.

It is for the types of sins that are listed later

in this chapter in verse 11 and others like them.

One who is sexually immoral, covetous, an idolater,

a reviler, a drunkard, or an extortioner. It

also includes blasphemy and heresies. That is

blatant disregard of the foundational truths

of the Christian faith. We have an example of

this in 1st Timothy chapter 1 verse 18 where

Paul says, Having faith in a good conscience

which some having rejected Concerning the faith

have suffered shipwreck of whom are high manias

and Alexander What did he say whom I delivered

to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme?

So there's a very clear example of blasphemy

the sins enlisted in Galatians chapter 5 verse

Galatians 5:19–21

19 through 21 are also a guide as these are sins

that if one lives in them they will not inherit

the kingdom of God. Hear these words now the

works of the flesh are evident which are adultery,

fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry,

sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts

of wrath. selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

envy, murders, drunkenness, reveries, and the

like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as

I also told you in time past, that those who

practice these things, such things, will not

inherit the kingdom of God. These things are

very clear. These are sins of the flesh and of

the mind This it is only these kinds of these

kinds of sins that come to the level of excommunication

things like this Excommunication is not for disagreement

with church doctrine. That is not fundamental

to the Christian faith We may have disagreements

on various things. We might understand the Word

of God differently regarding various things.

And later in 1st Corinthians, as we go through

our study, we're going to be looking at the whole

understanding of Christian liberty and liberty

of conscience, where you will simply believe

the Word of God in a different way, but it's

not a fundamental matter. This is the difference,

for example, between error and heresy. Not all

wrong beliefs fall into damnable heresies, which

is a term that's used in the New Testament. There

are some where simply they are in error on something.

And sometimes I might be in something that is

on error and I need to be corrected. And so as

the Lord works in me and or works in you, we're

not talking about those kinds of things, but

rather that of damnable heresies that are fundamental

to the Christian faith. Ultimately, the excommunication

is not only because of the sin, but also for

the failure to hear the church and the rebuke

of that sin. The failure to hear on the matter.

All right. Wanted to get to go through those

before we get now to actually the procedure what

is to be done So what is to be done the church

then when they are gathered together in the name

and the power of the Lord Jesus They are to 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. There is a handing over of

the person to Satan. The person is consigned

to Satan's dominion, which indicates the removal

of him outside of the edifying and caring environment

of the church. He is excluded from the community

of faith. This means that there is a loss of

protection. There's no longer feeding at the

Lord's table. And why is this? So that it becomes

evident to him. So that the... It is so that

his sinful nature might be destroyed. That the

old man would be mortified. That is put to death.

And that he would be brought to repentance. And

that his spirit might be saved on the judgment

day. Thus this act is not vindictive. It's not,

we're gonna get you now. No, no, it's not that

way at all. It is about love for the airing one

with the goal of restoration. Now, by the way,

and I'll get into this later, but... That is

exactly what happened to this man. When we will

read, we read it in 2nd Corinthians. This man

became so sorrowful. He dealt with his sin. He,

he with a great zealous. In fact, Paul said that

you now need to comfort him because he is being

swallowed up with over much sorrow. That's what

happened. This very thing. He would be brought

he was brought to repentance and his spirit saved

on Judgment Day So this is done so that the sinner

might repent and be restored to fellowship. This

is a key point therefore to withhold excommunication

when it is due is to do harm to the individual

now That's completely contrary to so much of

what has been taught or thought or practiced

on this matter. To withhold it is to do harm.

To withhold it. To not do it. Because it allows

him to just continue on going down his way. It

holds back the blessing of God that leads to

repentance and restoration. I think of so many

churches. that do not practice this, where those

who live in these kinds of sins are either tolerated

or accepted or ignored, and they continue to

live in the sins of the flesh, of which God's

Word says so clearly, those who practice such

things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. This

is an incredible dereliction of duty by Christian

churches and their leaders. And I'll deal with

this more when we look at the rest of the chapter

on the necessity of church discipline and how

Paul talks about the yeast and the loaf and all

of the things regarding that. I'm not going to

get into all of that today because I don't have

time. I'd like to conclude with a few applications.

First of all, this passage assumes formal church

membership in that this person is not merely

an onlooker, or a casual attendee, but he is

a member of the covenant. He's one who was receiving

the means of grace. And because he was defiling

the holiness of God's temple and God's house,

the church, he must be expelled from the covenant

body. This is not just somebody who was coming.

We invite others and yes, they're living in their

sin and they come and they hear the gospel. That's

not the case with this man. He was part of the

covenant body. He was tied together and he needed

to be expelled. So this passage assumes a type

of formal church covenanting or membership together.

Secondly, the need to deal with issues like this

is one of the reasons why many home churches

or fellowships fail. Now I'm not speaking here

of a fully constituted church that meets in a

home, for certainly that needs to happen sometimes,

but I'll give you a few examples. So years ago,

during the rise of homeschooling in the Christian

community, Many families felt alienated at the

churches, and they were not supported by the

church in their desire to teach and to raise

godly families. Therefore, many home churches

started during that time period with only a few

families with a common interest, and often it

was homeschooling, which was not really a good

foundation for a church. But it happened a lot.

And it still happens today. Something happens

at a church, and the family leaves, and they

home church, or just have Bible studies together.

Similar to this, and even more common, is just

live streaming. Live streaming from home. Oh,

I'm not going to church. I'm not part of the

Fellowship of the Saints. I just watch the service.

Sometimes it's this one, or sometimes it's this

one, and I sit at home in my couch, in my casual

way, and I simply listen to the sermon. With

all the streaming technology, it's very easy

to do this, to listen or to watch it, to enjoy

the music and hear the preaching and all from

our couch. But in both of these cases, the God

ordained structure of a church with elders and

deacons, with the Lord's Supper and with the

fellowship of the saints is either diminished

or it's missing. And certainly, the accountability

and the possibility of church discipline is gone.

It is not there. This is one of the dangers of

doing things like this. Brothers and sisters,

we need the gathering together of God's people,

covenanted together by faith in the one true

God where we have sound doctrine and we love

one another and we are bound to each other and...

we hold each other accountable. We need the bond

of fellowship, the covenant, the gathering together,

the Lord's Supper and the accountability. Lastly

then, if you are flirting with one of these sins,

if you are being tempted sorely with the sins

of the flesh, or with damnable heresies, or if

you are harboring deep anger, or wrath, or bitterness,

or envy, or if you are giving in to lying, or

stealing, or coveting, or if you are thinking

of yielding to the temptation of a one -night

fling, or of leaving your spouse, or giving yourself

over to pornography, or to sexual lust. I implore

you, repent! Turn away from it! Do not give place

to the devil! Do not go down that path. If you're

harboring secret sins from the Lord, holding

back an area of your life from the Lordship of

Christ and you're resisting the Holy Spirit,

I urge you, repent of this. Turn away from it.

Confess it to the Lord and turn. Repent and turn

to the Lord. Go to the Lord and confess your

sins, your struggles, and your temptations. Ask

for His help to overcome these temptations and

get help. Go to someone who could hold you accountable

and point you to Christ. Come to one of the elders

of the church or to an older man or to a woman

who is faithful. But by all means, do not succumb

to it. Do not yield to it. Do not go down this

path and needing to be turned over to Satan.

This is something that's just very sobering.

I know this is this kind of a heavy message It's

a it's it's a hard one as we go through But it's

part of the Word of God and I must be faithful

in proclaiming it to you so let the seriousness

of it come down over your soul and turn from

sin and embrace the gospel embrace the gospel

For it is the glorious gospel that sets us free

when we come and we run to Christ and we confess

our sins and we are cleansed One of the ways

that this happens and I've mentioned this before

but I'm going to say it again Keep short accounts

when you fail in an area Don't let it fester

and continue to grow and you become entrenched

in it. Keep short accounts. When it happens,

go to the Lord. Deal with it. Fight against it.

Stride with all of your heart against it and

get help from your brothers or your sisters.

For you belong to Christ. Hear these words from

Galatians 5 verse 24 and 25. Those who are Christ,

Galatians 5:24

that's who I'm speaking to you today, right here.

Those who are Christ have crucified the flesh

with its passions and desires. If we live in

the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. May

it be so, and let's pray.