Marks of a Healthy Church #8: "Church Discipline"

Sermon Scripture: Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5

Sermon Notes are available to follow along below or for download here.

Sermon Notes:

What is Church Discipline?
Two main types of discipline:

• ______________ Church Discipline- Continual encouragement to turn from sin and walk with God.
• ______________ Church Discipline- Corrective care when we are caught in sin away from God.
  • The myth - “Church discipline is ___________.”
  • The truth - Church discipline is ___________.

Where is it in the Bible?

• The New Testament speaks about formative discipline (our efforts to grow in holiness together) in countless passages about pursuing holiness and building one another up in the faith, such as Ephesians 4:11-32 and Philippians 2:1-18.
• The New Testament commands corrective discipline (excluding unrepentant sinners from the fellowship of the church) in passages like Matthew 18:15-17, 1 Cor. 5:1-13, 2 Cor. 2:6, and 2 Thess. 3:6-15.

Why is it Important?
Think of discipline as the stake that helps the tree grow upright, the extra set of wheels on the bicycle, or the musician’s endless hours of practice. Without discipline, we won’t grow as God wants us to. With discipline, we will, by God’s grace, bear peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:5-11).
When Should a Church Use Corrective Discipline?

• A sin must be ____________ — it can be seen or heard (unlike, say, pride).
• It must be __________ serious enough to discredit the person’s verbal profession to be following Jesus.
• And it must be ___________ — the person has typically been confronted but refuses to let go of the sin.

The Process of Discipline - Matthew 18
Approaching church discipline:

• We need childlike ____________. (18:4)
• We need a deep concern for _____________. (18:6)
• We need compassion for the _____________. (18:14)
• We need forgiving ___________. (18:21-22)

Applying church discipline:

• Step 1: ___________ correction. (18:15)
• Step 2: ___________ group clarification. (18:16)
• Step 3: Church ________________. (18:17)
• Step 4: Church __________________. (18:17)

The Promise of Discipline
Jesus has given us His _____________. (18:18)
Jesus has granted us His ____________. (18:19)
Jesus has guaranteed His ____________. (18:20)
The Purpose of Discipline- 1 Corinthians 5

• We discipline for the ______________ of the individual being disciplined. (1 Cor. 5:5)
• We discipline for the good of other Christians. (1 Tim. 5:20)
• We discipline for the ______________ of the Church as a whole. (1 Cor. 5:6-8)
• We discipline for the corporate witness of the church. (1 Cor. 5:1)
• We discipline for the ______________ of God.

Never is the church more in harmony with heaven and operating in perfect accord with her Lord than when dealing with sin to maintain purity. -- John MacArthur