Series: Underserved Grace
Scripture: Titus 3:9-15; Matt 18:15-17; Luke 6:42
Title: Church Discipline is Essential for doing Good together

Intro story:

Story of me being disciplined. Families discipline because they love.j (see Hebrews on this too)

Years ago we had a member strongly disagree with us on how we handled another church discipline issue. (Ironically) They didn’t have all of the information but were drawing conclusions about it and spreading around their version to others in the church. The result was other members wanting to meet with the elders with growing concerns that we were sweeping things under the rug, so to speak. This was driving a wedge between members and leadership over an issue we couldn’t fully discuss with them. It undermined trust and may have resulted in some leaving the church. We ultimately removed this person from membership and even attendance due to their volatile reactions over a long period of time.

Bottom line:
- Church Discipline is Essential for doing Good together. (Around the corner and around the world)
- Church discipline calls us to avoid the foolish, reject the divisive, confront sin, and follow the leaders devoting ourselves to doing good.

What is it?

It is the effort to lead a wayward church member towards repentance and faith that results in reconciliation.

Who’s it for?

1. For unity in the church family.
2. For the individual out of fellowship with God.

Church discipline calls us to avoid the foolish, disc the divisive, confront sin, and follow the leaders devoting ourselves to doing good.

Why? Because
1. “At one time we were foolish...” (3:3)
2. “But when...” (3:4)

Therefore, we flesh out our good God’s word, way and works.

How?

I. Avoid the foolish - it’s unwise and unprofitable. (3:9)

II. Reject the divisive - because they’re dangerous and destructive. (3:10-11) They must be disciplined (3:10-11)

III. Confront sin - How does this work? (Matt 18:15-17)
1. one to one
2. bring another
3. church family
4. Do so paying attention first to the log in your own eye and then the speck in theirs (Luke 6:42)

IV. Follow the leaders (12-15)
1. Follow Jesus above all.
2. Follow your leaders as they follow Jesus.
3. Follow them learning together how to devote yourselves to doing good. (14)
4.

Conclusion/Applications

Church discipline calls us to avoid the foolish, reject the divisive, confront sin, and follow the leaders devoting ourselves to doing good where we live, work, learn, and play.

Are you avoiding foolish conversations?
Are you being divisive?
Are you working towards unity in Christ at home? At church?
Are you confronting sin as Jesus leads us to?

Story 1 - unfaithful spouse

Years ago we had a married couple where one of them was in an adulterous affair and didn’t want to stop. They submitted to counseling for a while but in the end left their spouse for the other. As a result, we asked them not to come back as we ministered to the remaining spouse, praying for repentance and reconciliation.

Story 2 - unruly member (Above)

Membership matters. Why?

Story 3 - fiction

Imagine that you lived next door to us, but you didn’t know us very well. But we both have kids the same age that play together. Now let’s say that your kids come over to my house and they do something we think they shouldn’t do. Now if it’s something like throwing trash on the ground, you might not have a problem with me asking them to pick it up and put it in the trash can. Most people wouldn’t. But what if they didn’t listen when I said that? What if I followed that with putting them into timeout? How would you feel about that?

You would probably not like that. Why? Because I’m now discipling your kids as if they were mine. You would probably say to me to send them home and let you know about it and handle it. Why? Because they are your kids. They belong to your family—NOT MINE.

Membership matters. And that’s the point of church membership. If you are part of a church that practices church discipline, then who can you discipline? Only those who’ve placed themselves under your authority? Who is that? Those who have chosen to be members.

Just like it would be weird for me to discipline your kids, it’s not weird for me to discipline mine.

We do this temporarily too. When kids have stayed overnight at our house before, I’ve heard their parents say, “Now whatever they tell you to do, you obey, ok?” That is them giving us authority to tell them what to do and that there will be consequences if they don’t. But they really aren’t saying for us to discipline them. Because they belong to your family.

Summarize/conclude Titus main ideas as applications:

- Grace has a face
- Saved to be and do good

Vision: We want to do good around the corner and around the world. It’s what we’re left here to do: Broadcast the seed of the gospel until we run out of seed or out of time.