What Is Church Discipline? | November 12, 2025

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The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist

Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us

or contact us at mylibertybaptist.org or just

look us up on Facebook. And now we hope that this

message from God's Word will be a blessing to you.

And if you would turn your Bibles to 1st Corinthians

chapter #5 this evening? You'll remember that it was on

Sunday night a couple weeks ago before our missions conference,

we looked at a very difficult text in the Word of God that was

in Second Samuel chapter #13 dealing with Amnon and.

His issue with Tamar, and I don't mean to bring that up

tonight because I'm going to re preach that this evening, but

what I'm saying is we are going to another very difficult

passage of scripture. Now I understand that we have a

lot of young people in here this evening and so I would be very

careful in what I say. And very likely next week we'll

have them out of the room for the message because I do want to

go into the issue in more detail.

So we are going to look at First Corinthians chapter #5 Lord

willing, for the next three weeks as we look at several

different around it. But what we are looking is a

very sobering chapter of the Word of God.

And tonight the angle in which we are going to look at this

chapter deals with the issue of church discipline.

Church discipline, You might wonder what is that?

What is it not? What does it entail?

Perhaps when you think of the words church discipline,

immediately your mind goes back to those old Catholic days and

you think of the word excommunication.

That could be something that you were thinking.

It could be that your mind goes to a place like Lancaster, PA,

or somewhere around there where the Amish are.

And what do you find there? That they have something that's

similar in some ways that they call.

The shunning where some. One that has gone against the

group has to be shunned from the group.

But yet we ask ourselves this question tonight.

What is church discipline? What does it entail?

It's a very serious matter. It should be something that is

very rare within the body of believers, but it is something

that the Word of God talks about for us to understand this

evening. What is church discipline?

Well, if I was to give it a definition here tonight, very

quickly, it would be this. It is the last resort to turn

rebellion into repentance. It is the very last resort to

turn rebellion into repentance. It is not excommunication, it is

not shunning, and it may not be what you have seen in other

ministries in the past. You say, what do you mean,

pastor? Well, what I'm saying is tonight

we want to look at the biblical nature of what it is, why it was

used in the first place here as Paul talks about it in First

Corinthians chapter #5 and what it relates to us here tonight.

So why don't you read along with me?

We'll read all 13 verses. We'll do this the next several

weeks to give you the full context of what's going on, the

full gravity and seriousness of what's taking place here.

In First Corinthians chapter #5 it says this.

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you,

and such fornication as it is not so much named among the

Gentiles that one should have his father's wife.

You're puffed up and have not rather mourned that he had done

this deed might be taken away from among you.

For I verily is absent in body, but present in spirit.

Have judged already as though I were present concerning him that

hath so done this deep in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

When you are gathered together, and my Spirit, with the power of

our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an 1 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.

Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Purge out there for the old leaven, that ye may be a new

lump as ye are unleavened. For even Christ.

Our Passover is sacrificed for us.

Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither

with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the

unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

I wrote unto you an epistle not to company with fornicators, yet

not all together with the fornicators of this world, or

with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters.

For then you mice needs go out of the world.

But now I have 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 an one know not to eat.

For what have I to do to judge them also that are without?

Do not you judge them that are within, but them that are

without? God judges therefore put away

from among yourselves that wicked person.

And although you may not see the phrase church discipline here in

First Corinthians chapter #5 there's no doubt in my mind that

the principle of it is found all throughout this chapter as deals

with this very, very difficult, very, very sinful situation that

has been allowed to take place in the Church of Corinth.

And has not just been allowed to take place in the Church of

Corinth, but they're actually proud of the fact that has taken

place within their own ranks. There was a Puritan preacher of

yesteryear named Daniel Cadre and Daniel Cadre said this.

If there were never so fair a garden planted and left without

a fence, its herbs and plants would soon be rooted up.

So it is in a. Church where?

Discipline. Is lacking.

What do we see? Well the church is a very

special place, isn't it? The church, not just Liberty

Baptist Church and I believe Liberty Baptist Church is a very

special place, but any church that names the name of Jesus

Christ, any church that preaches the truth of the word of God is

a very, very special place. Why?

Because Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for that church to be

able to be there. You say, well I thought it was

that Jesus died on the cross for our sins.

Well, that is true, but we also seen Ephesians chapter #5 that

Christ gave himself for the church, that it wasn't just that

He gave himself for us. Yes, that is very much true.

And if that alone is the truth, then that would be a blessed

truth. But even more beyond that is

that Jesus died not just so that you could be saved, but also

that you could be saved and be part of His institution, which

is called the church. Listen, church discipline isn't

palatable to many, and it's understandable.

Some of you might even be getting nervous here tonight.

You're clenching your bodies there wondering is, is this your

way of saying we're going to have church discipline at the

end of the service here tonight? And the answer is no, it is not.

It just happens to be the very next thing that we see here in

the Word of God. We've gone from chapter to

chapter, verse to verse. We're in First Corinthians

chapter #5 we're not going to skip over it because it's

something that is unpalatable to our senses because this is God's

church. We've said this before because

this is God's church. It's God's.

Rules that make up God's church. We don't get to decide what the

church is. We don't get to decide what the

rule book is, so to speak, of the church.

Listen, this is the rule book. This is what decides what takes

place and what does not take place within his church.

It's God's Word, it's God's church.

We are God's people. We must do what He says that we

are to do. We must not do the things He

says we are not to do. This is his church and not ours.

He is the one who tells us how to act.

He's the one who tells us how we are supposed to act.

Speaking of Ephesians. Chapter 5, right before that

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

verse I just mentioned. Verses 8 through 11 says this.

For ye were that word were is a verb.

What kind of verb? A verb in the past.

Ye. Were what sometimes darkness,

but now are ye light in the Lord walk as children of light for

the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness

and truth, proving what is acceptable into the Lord and

have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,

but rather reprove them. Meaning this don't approve

unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them.

Rebuke them, say I don't want them to be part of my life.

And listen, we don't want them to be part of the church either,

Pastor. So what you're?

Saying is this church has got to be made-up of perfect people.

Listen, if this church is made-up of perfect people, this

building will be empty tonight. Do you understand that from the

pastor to everyone who's sitting here, we are not perfect.

You won't be perfect until you get to glory.

He's still working on us. But listen, that doesn't mean we

get to say, Oh well, I'm not perfect, I'll live however I

want. No, no, we are to reprove those

works of darkness. Listen that he saved us from

we're not to go back to the through of which we fed from

before like the prodigal who is eating of the slop.

No, no, we have a new father, we have a new master.

We have a new way of living. And he says don't live that way,

don't act that way. You're a child of the king.

But listen, it's not just. That God tells us how we're to

act. Listen, He tells pastors how

they're supposed to act, too. I don't get to be a free agent

as a pastor in the sense that I get to lead Liberty Baptist

Church in the way that I see fit.

Now, do I have some autonomy in places where the Word of God

does not? Speak yes, as long as I do not

violate the word of God. However, I got to do what the

word of God says. I'm going to preach the Word.

I've got to make sure I oversee the flock properly.

It says in Acts 2028. Take heed therefore unto

yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has

made you overseers. Paul's talking to a group of the

elders in Acts chapter 20. He's in Ephesus.

Acts 20 · chapter mention

He's never going to come back again.

He knows in his heart he's about to go bound in the Spirit to

Jerusalem. He's never going to see these

men again. And he says this.

Understand that you are overseers of the Church of God,

the Holy Spirit here. It has made you the overseer.

And he says to feed the Church of God, which he had purchased

with his own blood. His blood was shed for you, His

blood was shed for the church. So I must, as an overseer, do

what I must do to be the overseer that God wants me to

be. So as we look at this issue of

church discipline, there's several things I want us to look

at. You can write these down in your

prayer bulletin. The first is this.

I want us to see the reasons for church discipline.

The reasons for church discipline.

Verse #1 says this. It is reported commonly.

What does that word commonly mean?

This is a very public matter what is being discussed.

And again, I'm going to be very careful in how I discussed this

this evening. If you're not sure exactly

what's going on here, we'll explain it more specificity next

week when I don't necessarily have to talk in the way I am

tonight with the young people here.

But I think as an adult here this evening, you can read this

and say this isn't good. This is not activity which

should be taking place inside of a church.

And not only is an activity that is taking place inside of the

church with a man and a woman, it is the issue of the fact that

it is commonly reported. Everybody knows about it.

They are talking about it. It is a subject of conversation

within the church that there is this impurity among you.

And then it says this, and it's not so much as named among the

Gentiles. Now understand this, the

Gentiles were very sinful people.

The Gentiles were very much involved with the sins of the

flesh. I have quotes here tonight.

I will save them for next week. But I will tell you this, that

the Greeks, the Gentiles, the Romans, of course, Greeks and

Romans fall under the umbrella of Gentiles, but specifically

those of the Greek and Roman cultures of which Corinth was a

mixture of both of those being in Greece.

But yet under the Roman occupation that there was no

problem in Corinth to be able to do whatever you wanted to

physically. There was no thought about it.

In fact, there was really no stigma whatsoever.

Remember that there was that great temple to Diana and that

there was that great temple that was there.

And in that temple, I'm sorry, not to Diana, to Aphrodite,

there was that great temple that was there.

Diana was in Ephesus and there and in that were all of these

temple prostitutes and people from all over the world, men,

sailors from all over the world, where they would come to Corinth

to be able to indulge themselves.

And this was commonplace. But here's what Paul's saying.

Even the Gentiles would say what you're doing is wrong.

What you are tolerating within the church.

Even the Gentiles who have no problem with this such thing

would say this is a bridge too far.

Paul says, don't you understand what's going on among you?

And here's the problem. It's not just the fact that this

gentleman is engaged in this activity.

By the way, he was no gentleman, but he was engaged in this

activity with a woman that seems to be not part of the church

from how this is phrased here in this chapter.

But it was the fact that they were puffed up about it.

Look at verse #2 ye are puffed up and not have rather mourned.

Look at what it says in verse 6. Your glorying is not good.

They were puffed up about it. They were glorying in it.

What were they doing? Well, they had to have been of

this nature that they were saying something along these

lines. Aren't we a really open minded

people? Isn't it great that we are so

tolerant? Does that sound familiar to

anybody's culture today? Isn't it just great to be

tolerant? Isn't it just great to just,

hey, whoever you want to love, however you want to love him?

Listen, it's completely and totally up to you.

Now again, I want to be very careful how I say this tonight

so it doesn't come across as being insensitive, but I have to

be clear about what the Word of God says tonight.

God is the one who decides what love is, not man.

God has decided in His Word what is love and what is lust.

We looked at 2nd Samuel 13 a few weeks ago.

There's this man Amnon who was vexed.

This man Amnon who had this burning desire within him.

He called it love. The Bible called it lust, He

called it love. The Bible called it absolute and

utter grotesqueness that there was nothing loving about it.

No, mankind does not get to decide for itself, for himself

what love is, just as much as this is His church and He

decides what activity is here and not.

We don't get to decide what love is.

Listen, He decides, has decided, He has shown it to us.

Greater love hath no man than this man lay down his life for

his friends. Romans chapter 5.

Romans 5 · chapter mention

He is the living example of love.

We cannot sully love by trying to put our own definition or our

own spin on it. And we expect the world to do

that. But here's the problem.

It's happening right here in the church, and they're proud of it.

They're proud of it. This is a problem.

What are we going to do? Well, it's just about being

tolerant. Pastor, let me ask you this.

Should you be tolerant of an infection?

Would you ever be tolerant of cancer?

Well, I know the cancer cells are within me, but I'm just

really a tolerant person. That's foolishness.

That's falling. Sin is the infection.

Sin is cancerous, You say? Well, why would you make that

assumption? Well, because the Word of God

says it. Your glory is not good.

Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

Now, I don't know if you've ever made bread before.

I I love Kaylee making bread. I love Diane making bread.

I really love eating bread. If I ever had to go gluten free,

like if I end up having a gluten intolerance, I'll be just like,

Lord, take me now. I don't know what I would do.

I really don't know what I would do.

But it's amazing to me how you can have just that little ball

of dough and put just a little leaven inside of it and what

happens? Put in a dark place, a little

bit warm, and over a period of just a few minutes, what it do?

It'll rise up, won't it? You punch it down, you cover it

up, and it does it again, over and over again.

Do you know why we can't be tolerant of sin in a church

setting? Why?

Why can't we just be tolerant? Just let everybody do what they

want to do as long as they believe in Jesus?

Do you know why a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump when

it's allowed to remain unchecked?

Nobody is unscathed. By the way, that may be true to

church. That's true to life as well.

Well, I mean, pastor, it's not really a big deal.

It's a it's a small sin. Listen, we don't register sins

by how small or how big they are.

Sin is a transgression against God.

And little sins don't just turn into big sins.

Little sins unconfessed can turn into any sin.

Did you get that? Little sins unconfessed can turn

into any sin. People don't typically go to do

some of the things that an Amnon and a Tamar or an Amnon did with

Tamar rather or this man did here in First Corinthians

1 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5. They don't do that without.

Their going through a lot of speed bumps and going through a

lot of barriers that God tries to put in their place.

And instead of slowing down and repenting, what do they do?

They hit the gas. So when you have an unrepentant

heart, what happens? There's really no barrier.

Well, I wouldn't go that far. Well, if you're unrepentant,

don't say how far you wouldn't go, because you don't know the

total depravity of your flesh and what you will be do and what

you will be willing to do if you refuse to repent.

So there's some reasons for church discipline.

What is it that there is a sin? That has been allowed to fester

within the church. It's publicly known.

Now you say this little pastor, that means if everyone sins in

the church, everyone has to be brought before the church and

church discipline. And the answer to that is

absolutely not for several reasons.

One, this is not a private. Sin.

Typically, private sins are handled privately.

Public sins are handled publicly because if they are not

acknowledged, again, not in a way that is just trying to get a

pound of flesh from someone, not trying to make a spectacle of

someone, but just so the church knows that sin cannot be

tolerated in a very public way. And by the way, may I remind you

again, this is not the first thing that's done.

It is the last resort to turn rebellion into repentance.

It is the very last thing to be done.

Not the very first thing. We'll see that in just a moment.

By the way, when it comes to pastors, the standard's a little

bit different. When it comes to pastors, the

standard's a little bit higher. What does that mean?

Well, they're going to be private things within my own

life that if I was a violation of first Timothy chapter #3

Titus chapter one, that it would be likely that I would have to

go before the church. And to be able to tell someone

that I was disqualified from being a pastor, say, well, if

it's private, it needs rare. But I wouldn't be able to stand

behind this desk and preach the word of God.

I'm not saying that would be something that would take place

forever, but it would have to be something that would be dealt

with. And so pastorally, there is a

little bit of a different issue because of the very specific

requirements of First Timothy chapter 3 and Titus chapter one

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

in the life of a pastor. But typically private sins are

dealt with privately and public sins, things that were done in

front of all that would be done, dealt with publicly if it could

not be dealt with any other way. So what's the road map for

church discipline? Well, that's number two this

evening, the road map for church discipline.

It's a very serious thing. What is it not?

Well, as I mentioned a few moments ago, it's not almost

shunning. There was a woman from the

Western Michigan University named Jessica Sullivan who said

this about Amish shunning. Shunning in Amish society is a

type of solitary confinement from friends and family in an

attempt to purify and preserve the Amish faith.

Shunning is often applied then to members of the community who

refused to join the church through baptism, which is

interpreted as a rejection of the community.

It may also be applied to those who have been baptized into the

church but lost their way. Also at risk are those that do

not respect the decision to shun others which are most often

immediate family members of a shunned individuals.

So understand this that if someone is shunned in the Amisha

community, no one can do business with them, no one can

talk to them, no one can have them in their home.

And if that is your family member who has been shunned by

the community and you have. Harbored them in any way, shape

or form, then you will also be shunned as well.

Can I tell you that while the Amish would look at that and say

that that is biblical and that is the way that things should be

done, there is nothing biblical about Amish shunning.

While certainly it is important that there is some place, some

things that are in place, and we'll look at these in just a

moment, but Amish shunning is not what we're talking about.

When the Bible talks about church discipline.

It's not excommunication. I mentioned this a few moments

ago as well. Well, why is it not

excommunication? Excommunication is when someone

has been withheld of the sacraments.

If you're excommunicated, that doesn't just mean you cannot

come to church anymore. It literally means this.

You can no longer receive the sacraments.

You can no longer have the Lord's Supper.

You can no longer go to confession.

Well, what does that mean? Literally, the Catholic Church

is withholding salvation from you.

You'll understand that's what's being done because if you can't

have the sacraments, remember we don't call baptism in the Lord's

Supper sacraments as Baptist. We call them ordinances because

they are not salvation giving ordinances.

What are they? They're just simply an

ordinance. There's something that we do in

the church that we've been commanded to do, but they don't

give salvation. If you are being withheld from

those things, what is it saying? You cannot be saved until you

bow the knee, not to God, but to the Catholic Church.

That was never so vivid as it was in 1077, when, during the

Investiture Controversy, Pope Gregory the 7th excommunicated

King Henry the 4th for defying papal authority over appointing

bishops to have the excommunication lifted.

King Henry the 4th famously traveled in winter to Canosa

Castle in northern Italy, where the Pope was staying.

The Pope had him stand outside, barefoot in the snow.

For three days, dressed in penitential clothing, seeking

forgiveness. It was only at that time that

Gregory eventually lifted the excommunication.

Say, why would someone stand in the snow for three days?

Well, if you thought you were going to lose your chance at

eternal life, you do it too. Church discipline is not.

Text communication. Remember, church discipline is

the true last resort to turn rebellion into repentance.

It's not worth holding eternal life.

It's not meant to be punitive or hurting someone for the

satisfaction of hurting someone just to get your pound of flesh.

As I mentioned a few minutes ago, it's not to hold someone up

in front of the church and point at them and laugh at them and

mock at them. Listen, it's something that is

done with a heavy heart. Can it be done the wrong way?

Absolutely. Can disciplining a child be done

the wrong way? You better believe.

It. But does that mean a child

shouldn't be disciplined? Can church discipline be done

wrong? It can, It has, and some of you

may even have witnessed it in the past.

But that doesn't. Mean it's wrong if it's done

with the right heart. Warren Weirsby said this about

church discipline. Church discipline is not a group

of pious policemen out to catch a criminal.

Rather, it's a group of broken hearted brothers and sisters

seeking to restore an erring member of the family.

See, the issue is not this. It's not about how quick can we

get them out the door. The issue is this.

How quick can we see that we can try to do everything we can to

get them right with God? Not how quick can we get them

out the door and hope we never see him again, but how quick can

we try to help them to get them right with God?

Now, what does it look like? Well, Matthew 18 gives us the

procedure to follow. We turn to Matthew chapter 18

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

very quickly. Matthew chapter 18, we'll look

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

at verse 15. It's heavy stuff tonight.

I understand that I don't have a Tennessee accent.

You know, I don't have any of that.

All right, that's I'll throw one of those in there tonight.

You know, I can't do any of that stuff.

Actually, AJ is not in here right now.

So we're good. All right, one time I was

sitting in the back with him. I don't get to sit with my

family during church very often, but it was nice to be able to

sit with my family during missions conferences last week.

And there was one time Brother Abel said something along the

lines of, you know, Bream Baptist Church has painted 36

churches over the years, the 60 years they've been there.

And AJ, unrelated, just made a lot of noise.

I don't know what he was doing, but unrelated, he said 36 years,

you know, 36 churches and and he's sitting in the back goes

like that, like big deal. You know, it's like, I mean,

that is a big deal. All right, we missing something.

There's a battery going. All right, Matthew chapter 18 is

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

where we are. Let's just get right back to it.

Matthew 18, look at verse #15 here's what we see.

Moreover. If thy brother shall trespass

against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him

alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast

came to brother. If someone is found to be within

a fault, what do you do? You go to them personally and

you go to them privately and you say this is something that I've

seen in your life. This is something that that I've

noticed and as a brother in Christ, as a sister in Christ.

Who? Loves you who just wants to

bring this to your attention, not as being a pious policeman

as Weirsby said, but just as someone who loves you.

James Chapter 5 trying to restore a brother.

James 5 · chapter mention

This is what I see in you and you pray that that will be it.

And by the way, 90% of times I have found in church life that

step #1 handles everything if you're willing to go to someone

with humility. And by the way, you kind of had

to step out of your comfort zone a little bit to do that, don't

you? But to be able to do that takes

care of it. But if that doesn't work, going

to them separately #2 you got to go to them with some support.

Look at what it says. But if he will not hear thee,

then take with thee one or two more then the mouth of two or

three witnesses. Every word may be established

and that were every word being established is important goes

all the way back to the Old Testament.

It's why they tried to find 2 witnesses to be able to talk

against Jesus Christ and say that he was blaspheming because

of this idea of the Jewish law of having two or three

witnesses. But the idea here is this.

Jesus says if you go to him and that doesn't work, bring some

guys along with you, bring someone else and talk to you,

say pastor. If you've ever had to do this

before, unfortunately I have. There have been times in the

past where having a conversation with someone is a pastor was

ineffective. And I brought the trustees or I

brought some trusted men to be able to talk to that man, to be

able to talk to that family. And in those situations, you

pray that whatever it is is able to be resolved.

But first you go to them separate, then you go to them

with support. But if that doesn't work, the

number three, look at this. And if we shall neglect, if he

shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church.

But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as

a heathen man and a public and meaning this there may be a

point for his own sake. You have to bring this before

the body and if he doesn't listen to the body.

If a church again, not saying we're accusing you this.

This is we're pressing charges against you.

We want to find you guilty so we can get you out saying we want

to tell you we're begging you. We want you to get right.

We're begging you. We want you to make this right.

And if they still rebel against the love of the church, then the

Bible says that they are to be removed from the body.

Now what happens? It says, verse #18 verily I say

unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in

heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed

in heaven. Listen what that saying is.

God has given His church authority to make these

decisions. As long as they follow His

precepts and principles, they cannot go rogue.

They cannot go their own way. As long as they follow what God

says in His Word, then yes, the church has the authority to be

able to do this. Listen, you say I don't think

this is right, Pastor. Well, understand this is

something that doesn't take place often.

By God's grace, we pray it never takes place at Liberty Baptist

Church. In 12 years, it has never taken

place at Liberty Baptist Church. We've gone to people with step

number one. We've gone to people with step

#2 but often times really this, these kind of issues can only be

handled 3 different ways. One, we pray for repentance.

We pray for repentance. We want that person to get

right. This is not an opportunity for

the pastor to say, you know, I never wanted that person around

here anyway. This is not a vehicle for the

pastor to be able to kick people out of the church.

We pray for repentance. Second, it could lead to

resignation. Several times I've talked with

people in step #2 and they refuse to be able to get right.

And they say this, I don't want to go before the church.

I'm not going to listen to the church, so I don't want to be

part of your church anymore. And they willingly and

voluntarily resign their membership.

Or third, they have to be brought before the church and to

be removed. Can I be honest with you?

I hope I never have to go to step three.

I pray that in my ministry I never have to be able to see.

But I will say this have to be willing to follow what God says

if the situation arises and not to do what man does, which is

just to run. We don't want to deal with it,

but. You say well.

I don't feel like this is right, Pastor.

I don't feel like this is something.

That we should be a part of. But understand if you are a

member of something, there are always rules and rights and

responsibilities. There always are.

If you're a member of a church, there are rules, there are

rights and their responsibilities.

Listen, we know this in life. If you're a member of a gym.

There are rules. You can't just go in and do

whatever you want. I'm, I'm a member of Planet

Fitness. I went there once, I think like

6 or 8 months ago. I'm a member of Planet Fitness.

You know what you can't do? You can't yell and scream when

you are trying to lift the weights.

There's an alarm that will go off inside if you yell too much

inside the gym. Now, that's no, the only time

I'd be yelling is if I hurt myself.

All right? But listen, there's rules,

there's rights. I can use any equipment I want.

There's responsibilities I need to clean up after myself.

We understand that when it comes to the gym, there are rules and

rights and responsibilities. If you're a member of a club, we

know this. If you're a member of a board,

there's rules, there's rights and responsibilities.

Listen, if you if you go to the library, there's rules and

rights and responsibilities. You know how I know that?

Because it seems like every few months we have fines at the

library because we either lose. Books.

Or bring them late or whatever it is.

There's responsibilities. Why is it that there are people

who think that every facet of this world has rules and rights

and responsibilities, but you can do or say or act however you

want within God's church? For that's crazy.

That is absolutely insane that someone would think that they

could run roughshod over God's church.

Well, I'll act how I want. The Bible says judge not.

Well, listen, the Bible says judge not if you want to take a

big red marker and just do this all over the Bible because it

also says this judge, righteous judgment.

Paul says this. I'm not even with you right now,

but what do you say? I'm judging.

Where I'm at, I got to judge this.

Where I'm at, you have not used your judgment.

You're puffed up. I've got to judge and you got to

take care of it when you get there.

Listen, if you don't judge between what's sin and what's

righteousness, you're a fool. I'm not trying to talk tough.

I'm really just trying to be serious.

Well, I'm not going to judge between what's righteous and

unrighteous. I'm just going to live my life.

That's foolish talk, and we've got to be the.

Same way in the church. Now listen, you better whatever

effort you put in looking what other people are doing.

What does the Bible say? You better be putting equal,

greater effort into your own life.

For every finger that's pointing out, three fingers are pointing

back. Remember, unless you're doing

this and then you can point to people however you want.

But but what I'm saying is that typically, what do we know?

Listen, whatever you do, you better judge righteous judgment,

which means your. Heart's got to be right that

it's not about I'm going to take this guy out, we're going to

take this woman out. It's and my heart breaks.

I want them to get right with God.

We're going to do everything we can to make sure that they do.

What's the church's reaction to discipline?

Let's look at this. Even if it seems unpalatable,

it's important as a church that we're willing to participate.

What's the reaction? Well, first of all, what's the

reaction of the church? There's three things that the

church needs to do. You can write these down.

They're not in your outline, but you write these down.

First of all, there needs to be participation in church

discipline being this. Who's involved with that?

The church. Well, pastor, you take care of

it. You can you see by.

The third part, the separate supported and then shared the

pastor's already been through the 1st 2.

It's the church that needs to gather together.

It's the church that the one that says we're not going to be

puffed up. In fact, what did say you were

puffed up and you're not mourning what?

What's our heart position? We're mourning over this.

Our hearts hurt. Our hearts are so heavy over

what this is. What should the church do?

They need to participate in church discipline.

Secondly, pray for the one who is disciplined.

That person ought to move right up to near the top of your

prayer list. Pray for them daily.

Pray for them whenever they come to mind.

Pray for them that they would listen to what the Lord is doing

in their life. You say, well, why do we have to

remove them? Because they need to have every

safety net removed for them. In fact, it says, if you go back

to First Corinthians chapter #5 it says that you do so because

they are being delivered their flesh to Satan.

Basically the idea is this. You are on your own.

So they realize I don't want. To be on my own, I need the

Lord, I need his church so that that person can be saved.

Not that they were going to fall away and lose their salvation,

but the idea is, is as they can get back into a right

relationship with God, we're to participate, we're to pray, but

also we're to persuade the one who's disciplined.

Listen, I've seen churches, when someone's in a church

discipline, the pastor says this, don't talk to him.

Don't have them over to your house.

Don't fellowship with him. And then if someone does, the

pastor will put the same curse, if you will, on the people who

decided to fellowship with them. First Corinthians chapter 5 says

1 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

this near the end of the chapter.

It says it says not to eat with them.

But I will say this. I believe that's really talking

about in First Corinthians chapter #11 the Lord's Supper.

It says don't keep company with them.

It says that twice for that company means this, to be mixed

together mean this, that if they're going to persuade you,

you need to cut off ties. But if you see them at the

grocery store, don't pretend you didn't see them.

Don't. If they're your family member,

have them over for supper. Don't cut them out of your life.

Listen. They need somebody who's willing

to be strong in their life to be able to do so.

Now listen. If they're your best friend,

there's going to be a string. There's going to be, but that

doesn't mean you never talked to him again.

The Bible does make clear that we need to cut ties in certain

ways, but that doesn't mean that we just pretend like they don't

exist. Listen, if they want to get

right with the Lord, they need to know they can find you.

They need to know that you were the one that would be able to

help them to that which is good and right for the gym sitting in

the back here tonight. And he knows this because he is

the one who does all the cards, the birthday cards.

You all thought that was me, right?

But but the handwriting forensic analysis says Jim Weatherby is

the one who does it. He's asked me here and there

about people who've left the church, sometimes angry.

And he'll say not during church discipline, but just the idea

they've got left and it's not great.

He says, should we still send them a card?

And I said, send them till they say return to sender.

Let them know we're still here. They still have birthdays, they

still have anniversaries. It's OK if they throw it away.

Then we just wasted 4950. I don't remember how much the

stamp is anymore. What time is it?

OK. It keeps changing.

But I do know this. It's OK if you see someone just

out and about. It's OK.

Believe it or not, your pastor sees people who have left the

church at Walmart, at Shaw's. And you know what I do?

You say you yell at him. Yeah, yeah.

Curse him out in Jesus name. Of course, right?

You know, you just go down another aisle because you don't

want to see him. And what I like to do is do the

exact opposite what they expect me to do, which is walk up to

them, smile, shake their hand. And as I'm walking up to them,

praying to the Lord that I'm not being fake or trying to prove a

point, just that, hey, it's good to see, you know why?

Because someday that person might have someone in their

family that dies. Someday that person might be in

the hospital. And if they call me, do you know

what I'm going to do? I'm going to go check on them.

They say, but but they didn't, they didn't treat you right.

They didn't treat the church right.

Well, this might be the way that they are able to come back to

the Lord. If they're not right with the

Lord, there's a responsibility laid on us all.

Get don't make them your best friend when they're gone, but

don't cut them out of your life. If there's a way that you can be

a persuasive element for that which is right, do so, but be

careful. But what's the job of the

offender? Well, the job of the offender is

to be removed and to get right, and it's the prayer of the

church that they are to be repentant.

Their isolation should help them realize their need to get right

with God. Their support system of people

affirming their behavior disappears.

They should come to realize their need to return to Christ.

It is an act of love if it's done properly.

It's an act of love if it's done properly, just as much as

discipline to a child as an act of love is done properly.

Then we just read Hebrews chapter 12 a few weeks ago on a

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

Sunday morning. What is that?

That's God chastising us when we need it.

In the end, we're to mourn the sin, judge the sin, and purge

the sin. This is church discipline.

Now. I'm going to give you just a

couple more moments and then we're done.

Pastor, have you ever seen church discipline?

Once I was saved and I was baptized and I was in Westgate

Baptist Church for two weeks. I've never been, I don't know

that I've ever been to a Sunday night service.

I've been to very few Sunday night services.

If I had in the Sunday night, Pastor Turn says it's gonna be a

little bit of a different service tonight.

And boy, was he right. There was a gentleman, and I'm

going to withhold the name because this gentleman is still

alive, but there's a gentleman who over a long period of time

had been stealing from the church offerings.

The ushers had been all taking the offerings to one man who

then deposited in the safe. One problem with that, that one

man had total access to the funds before it went in the

safe. There's a reason we always have

two people with the offerings here at Liberty Baptist Church

that any organization would do well to do so.

What this gentleman did not realize was that after a period

of time where there's some some suspicion, a small camera was

placed near the safe. He was called in the pastor's

office. Pastor Turner says, calls him by

name. I know you've been stealing the

offerings. I need you to admit it now, He

says. It's not true.

I can't even imagine why you would say that.

And he slid over Avhs cassette. That's the time frame we're

talking about. He slid over VHS cassette.

And he says this tape says you have been.

And he said, well, looks like you caught me.

Totally rebellious, brought before the deacons, rebellious.

The next and final step was to bring him before the church.

There had to be an accounting. And for some reason he decided

he was willing to go before the church.

He went before the church that night.

I think the reason I think he did so was to try to save face.

He was brought before the church in a very loving manner, but was

brought forth for discipline. He said he repented, he got

right, the church came around him and gathered around him and

prayed. Now it was clear that he had to

make restitution down to the penny, but the church prayed for

him and it was a beautiful scene for an 18 year old to see.

The problem was that he wasn't truly repentant, never paid a

penny back, and a few weeks later it skipped town and was

gone. I saw church discipline, you

say? Well, it didn't work, pastor.

It did in the sense that it protected the church from

further damage. It worked.

Not the way we wanted it to, but it worked.

Don't you kind of wish you knew what happened to this guy?

I mean, what he did was bad. You can read it was bad.

Don't you wish you knew what happened to him?

We've got good news, the Bible tells us.

Second Corinthians chapter #2 and then we're done.

I can't, I can't skip over this part. 2nd Corinthians, chapter

number two, obviously, Second Corinthians chapter.

Second Corinthians, second letter.

Paul writes back to them after First Corinthians.

Who it says, But I determined this with myself, that I would

not come again to you in heaviness.

For if I made you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad, but

the same which is made sorry by me.

And I wrote the same unto you, lest when I came, I should have

sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in

you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto

you with many tears. So what was Paul saying before?

I was saddened, I had tears, I had anguish over what was taking

place, But that you might know the love which I have more

abundantly unto you. But if any have caused grief, he

has not grieved me, but in part that I might not overcharge you.

All sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was

inflicted of many. Hold on a second, what is he

saying? There's an issue that took place

before it sorrowed my heart, but it was done in love.

And it was an issue of someone who an affliction, A punishment

was inflicted upon this person by many people.

Well, who was it? The only answer to that is the

man from First Corinthians chapter 5 who the church had

1 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

removed. Well, what happened?

So that contrary wise you might, you ought rather to forgive him

and comfort him, lest perhaps such an one should be swallowed

up with over much sorrow. Wherefore, I beseech you, that

you would confirm your love toward us.

What is Paul saying here? He says this man's in a place

that now he needs to know we're going to rally around him.

I believe it makes clear here this man got right with the

Lord. This man was restored to

fellowship within the church. And he said this, make sure he

knows that you love him. And until I get back, make sure

he knows that I love him too. 2nd Thessalonians for chapter 3,

verse 14 and 15. If any man obey not our word by

this epistle, note that man have no company with him.

There's that word company again, that mixing, that he may be

ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy,

but admonish him as a brother. Say, pastor, what does all this

have to do with me tonight? I'm not even under church

discipline. You said no one's here under

church discipline tonight. So what does it have to do with

me? And I remind you what I said at

the very beginning. Small sins don't just lead to

big sins. Small sins unconfessed can lead

to any sin. We're looking at the last

resort. What should be our first option

to get our knees every time we sin and get right with the Lord.

We have a rule at our house that Diane instituted a while ago for

the kids. If it takes less than 60 seconds

to pick it up, then pick it up. If it takes longer than that, we

can do it later. So there's a pile of clothes, 60

seconds, more than 60 seconds, we'll do that later.

If there's a toy that's in the wrong place under 60 seconds,

you got time to put it away, you know?

I think it. Ought to be something similar

for us in our Christian life. Not that we need to wait until

later, but boy doesn't it get harder the longer we wait to get

right with the Lord? How much easier would it be to

say, well, instead of just confessing my sins once a day or

once a week, how about now when it's small in the sense that

it's just this one, Let me get it right with the Lord right

now. Lord, I shouldn't have cussed.

Will you forgive me? Lord, I knew I popped off of

that guy, will you forgive me? Lord, I knew I told tell a

little white lie, but it's still a lie.

Will you forgive me? Lord, I knew I shouldn't have

got angry at the kids like I did.

Will you forgive me, Church discipline?

Listen, for most of us, that's a faraway thing.

But where are we today? Well, we need to make sure we

confess our sins on a daily basis because He's faithful and

just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all

unrighteousness. And that's what church

discipline is all about. Let's take care of it far before

any of us ever have to see that within our own lives or anywhere

here within Liberty Baptist Church.

Thank you for listening to the sermon from the pulpit of

Liberty Baptist Church. If this message was a blessing

to you, or if there's any way we can serve you, please let us

know by contacting us at [email protected].

Or you can visit us this Sunday at 800 Washington St. in Easton,

MA. May the Lord bless you as you

grow in His Word.