00:00 Introduction and Casual Banter

00:32 Funny Bowling Story

02:12 Transition to Bible Discussion

03:04 Radical Sanctification in Matthew 18

03:56 The Parable of the Lost Sheep

05:01 Church Discipline and Restoration

06:06 Understanding Church Discipline

06:43 Addressing Sin Within the Church

06:48 Handling Pastoral Misconduct

07:24 Consequences of Ignoring Sin

07:49 The Concept of Ekklesia

08:33 Approaching the Unrepentant

09:56 The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

11:00 The Importance of Forgiveness

11:52 Practical Aspects of Forgiveness

13:42 Living Peaceably and Trusting God's Justice

14:12 Concluding Thoughts and Prayer

Hey, welcome back to another

edition of the daily Bible podcast.

2

What's up folks.

3

It's Tuesday and, uh, we're back, Rebecca.

4

Hey, you went bowling on Saturday.

5

I did.

6

I bowled a perfect game.

7

Did you?

8

310.

9

Really?

10

That's not it.

11

There's somewhere near that range.

12

Plus or minus 300.

13

I was, that was definitely there in there.

14

Yeah.

15

If perfect begins at one.

16

Uh, stretches to 300.

17

Yeah.

18

And then you were somewhere in that range.

19

I, you know, I identify

as perfect, so, okay.

20

Whatever it actually was

is in consequential matter.

21

Yeah.

22

So funny story.

23

Um, Yeah.

24

Yeah.

25

He listens to this in a I'm.

26

Sure.

27

I have is, is tacit approval and

permission, but, uh, So my, my, my son,

28

one of my sons back in, uh, California,

went through a narrow bowling event.

29

And they were in.

30

At the bowling lanes there in

lake forest and he comes home.

31

And we're like, Josh.

32

I mean, one of my sons.

33

Okay.

34

Where's your, where's your shoes?

35

And he's like, what do you mean?

36

Like, dude, you still

have the bowling shoes on.

37

Oh, so he went bowling.

38

And like, it's a common,

it's an easy mistake, right?

39

You, you walk out of the alley

cause you're not thinking about it.

40

Yeah.

41

He totally came home with his.

42

That's funny.

43

Now somebody else had grabbed

his shoes while they were there.

44

Uh, Because it wasn't where

you have to turn them in.

45

So they brought those to them.

46

So then he then on his narrow director

said, Hey, your punishment is you got

47

to wear those to church on Sunday.

48

So, okay.

49

He had where his bowling shoes.

50

Nice shoes.

51

Well, except that there's

no traction and they're not.

52

Practical.

53

Yeah.

54

First we call it the lanes and we're

like, Hey, can we bring these back?

55

They're like, no, it happens all the time.

56

Don't worry about it.

57

Just keep them like.

58

Okay.

59

I said, keep them, they said, keep them.

60

Yeah.

61

Okay.

62

Okay.

63

We don't still have them.

64

I don't even know where they ended up.

65

Um, where are you wearing them on Sunday?

66

I certainly was not.

67

No.

68

Yeah, no, that was not

actually what happened.

69

All right after you staged

dived, I was just thinking.

70

That's when I saw your shoes.

71

The stage, David.

72

David dive David David Duke div.

73

Anyway, anyway.

74

I saw you wearing them as what I'm saying.

75

So you went bowling.

76

Hopefully that was a good event.

77

Yeah, it was great.

78

Well, bowling there's laser tag.

79

There's arcade part tool.

80

It's everything.

81

So it's a lot of things.

82

Yeah.

83

There's a lot of cool things there.

84

Good.

85

Get well, let's jump into Matthew 18.

86

This is a, an important chapter.

87

Um, It opens with some familiar

territory, some territory we've covered.

88

In fact, in yesterday's episode, we

finished with this material where he's

89

talking about radical sanctification.

90

Uh, cutting off your hand.

91

Are you, are you okay over there?

92

Yeah.

93

Yes.

94

The air man.

95

It's allergy season.

96

Do I have enough, I got purifier right

here and it says it's a hundred percent

97

in my office right now, a hundred percent.

98

What it says the air is a hundred percent.

99

I don't think so.

100

Are you lying or are you

saying my, my thing is lying.

101

Your air purifier is miscalculating.

102

That's really crushing.

103

If that's true.

104

Throat is dry and it should be.

105

I just need more water.

106

Okay.

107

During this particular, you.

108

You know, in Texas, like the air is

just always thick with the Lord only

109

knows what, I don't think it's a spirit.

110

I know that much.

111

Okay.

112

I'm just telling you.

113

It's the dry air.

114

Uh, stop.

115

Cause I was coming and I was

like, I don't know if he's okay.

116

Anyways.

117

Get some water.

118

No one even notices radical

sanctification in this opening section

119

here, again, cutting off the hand.

120

Uh, this is in verses seven and following.

121

And so I'm cutting off the handcuffs,

gouging out the I that whole concept.

122

Jesus has already talked about this in

Matthew, and we know that he repeated this

123

because he's already said these things.

124

Earlier in the sermon on the Mount,

this is a latter time as well.

125

So what are you chirping out now?

126

You coming in, just, just chirping

on your way back into the office.

127

Just talking to the guys

outside your office.

128

That's.

129

Well, all right, we'll walk you back here.

130

We're recording a podcast.

131

Yeah.

132

Right.

133

And I thought your last

comment was so insightful.

134

I was so benefited by it.

135

The supplemental nature of it.

136

Yes.

137

It was helpful and toxic.

138

Hating.

139

Okay.

140

And aiding and abetting, whatever.

141

Okay.

142

So.

143

So we've read about these, these first two

sections all the way through verse nine.

144

Okay.

145

That's my point in saying this?

146

Let's get to verse 10, verse 10.

147

He introduces a parable again.

148

And this time it's the two.

149

I wonder if you titled the section

the same way, the parable of the lost

150

sheep, did you title it that way?

151

You know what brother, you're

not going to believe it.

152

That's exactly the title.

153

It's amazing.

154

That's phenomenal.

155

Anyways, he talks about

rejoicing over one last.

156

Uh, more than, than in 99

that never want to stray.

157

And that's such a cool picture of the

father rejoicing over anyone who saved.

158

Um, and so he says it's not the will

of my father, who's in heaven that any

159

one of these little ones should perish.

160

So then on the heels of that, he goes into

talking about, and I think there's more.

161

I have a connection there.

162

Then we might first see that he

goes into talking about pursuing

163

somebody who's in, in sin.

164

And the reason being, I think that

that desire of restoring God doesn't

165

want any of the sheep to stray.

166

He doesn't want any the sheep

to wander from the flock.

167

And so here you go into the section

on the heels of, Hey, there's more

168

joy in heaven, over one sinner who

repents than 99 that never want to

169

stray or that never need repentance.

170

And then he's saying, and,

and God's desires to hold onto

171

the ones that come to him.

172

And he will.

173

We know that from John, but.

174

Matthew 18 what's often associated

with it is where we come now.

175

And that is this concept

of church discipline.

176

Um, what we see in the early stages

here is basically what we see from

177

Paul in Galatians chapter six, when

he says brothers, if anyone is caught

178

in a transgression, you who are

spiritual should restore that person.

179

That's what we see here in the opening.

180

If your brother sins against

you go tell him his fault.

181

Between you and him alone.

182

So there's a progression that walks

through here that we should take

183

note of first it's it's one-on-one.

184

After it's one-on-one.

185

It's.

186

Established by the evidence of

two or three witnesses after

187

it's two or three witnesses.

188

If the person is still unrepentant, then.

189

Uh, you're going to eventually take it

to the church, um, and to the elders.

190

And if they won't listen there,

then you're going to bring

191

it publicly to the church.

192

And, and that's the point at

which the person is formally

193

disciplined out of fellowship.

194

So Pat's rod talk us, talk to us

about being disciplined out of

195

fellowship in the body of Christ.

196

Uh, what are we declaring?

197

This goes back to binding and losing.

198

In fact, he talks about this

right afterwards as well.

199

We talked about it briefly in that,

but, but how do we understand what the

200

church is doing when we announce, Hey,

this person is under church discipline.

201

Formally that final stage.

202

This is a serious and sad place

to be if this has to happen.

203

And if, if, if a church is going to be

functioning health in a healthy way,

204

Um, probably it's safe to say that this

will inevitably happen to some degree.

205

And so what the church is saying

is that the person at, in question.

206

Is acting in such a way that their

testimony is effectively under question.

207

Uh, and the best case scenario.

208

They are under the discipline

of the church, which means a

209

churches is considering them like

a tax collector and a center.

210

They're not understood to be a believer.

211

Unless they demonstrate repentance

and restoration, which is going to

212

mean that they should submit to their

elders and say, okay, I'm going to, I'm

213

going to confess, I'm going to repent.

214

I'm going to do, what's being asked.

215

Given the sin nature.

216

So this is going to happen at all

levels of the church has happens

217

even with pastors themselves.

218

If a pastor does this, then it is

appropriate for the elders of the church.

219

Say, here's pastor so-and-so.

220

Not that he would be standing there, but

pastor so-and-so did ABC and D he is,

221

uh, he's persistent in his life of sin.

222

And therefore we are effectively

removing him from our membership.

223

He is no longer welcome

to be here as a member.

224

You can attend if he wants to be a

participant, but again, if there's

225

church discipline, so there's a limited

participation that would be allowed.

226

And in that case, Um, the, the

responsibility of the church is to

227

treat him like an unbeliever and say,

bro, come back, turn from your sin

228

trust or, or gal, whoever she might be.

229

So this is a, this is a bad

situation, but a church must do this.

230

And if she doesn't do it, there's great.

231

Dangerous.

232

Like what.

233

I mean, yeah, the sin can spread

sin can spread like gangrene.

234

We treat it like, you know, nothing.

235

And then it sends not a big deal.

236

Right.

237

And we can go through that.

238

Plus it's an act of

disobedience to the Lord.

239

If we're not obedient to the Lord in

this, then we can't expect that he's

240

going to bless the church either.

241

So the church is going to suffer even.

242

Through that.

243

Uh, two things, number one,

first question and an objection.

244

Uh, he used the word ekklesia here,

but he didn't mean church because

245

the church wasn't formed yet.

246

Right.

247

And so how do we respond to that concept?

248

The term, the term ekklesia is the, is

the term that's used for the church.

249

So even though it's true that the

church wasn't formally established

250

at this point, this is Matthew 18.

251

He hadn't died yet.

252

Had an ascended hadn't come back down.

253

Um, so that's a fair point, except

that I'm pretty sure Jesus and Matthew,

254

especially is consciously aware

that they're using a specific term

255

and the fact that there's unanimous

agreement among all translators.

256

I don't think any translators

strays from calling it the

257

church, the called out ones.

258

Right.

259

And therefore I'm going to say,

I think we're safe or unsafe

260

territory to say this is definitely

applicational for the church.

261

As we know her today.

262

Yeah.

263

Yeah, that's interesting.

264

Second question is when we put somebody

out or when we discipline them.

265

What do we do if the next Sunday they

show up in third they're at, at church.

266

Then I think they should expect that the

church is going to, I mean, the church

267

is going to do what she's called to do.

268

She should approach that person and say,

man, I heard you're doing something wrong.

269

Let's talk about that, man.

270

Are you going to repent?

271

Uh, because, and here's, here's the thing.

272

This gets tricky when you start talking

about, well, who knows about the offense.

273

Now, because it may not be that you you'd

bring the offense to the whole church.

274

Uh, we typically try to follow the

principle of we, we, we will expose the

275

Senate to the degree that is necessary.

276

Um, and the degree that's necessary

is not always the degree of desire.

277

You might have.

278

You know, 500 people in your

church and really only 20 people

279

know this person really well.

280

And so we might include those 20 people

in the circle and say, Hey, we want

281

you to know here's what's happening.

282

John DOE is not repenting.

283

And so this, this and that,

um, but you still may have.

284

You know, 480 people in the church that

are saying, well, what happened to John?

285

You know, I want to know about

John and sometimes it's just

286

not helpful for you to know.

287

And you got to trust your

pastors to deal with that.

288

Typically the more high profile the

person is, the more we expose it.

289

And the lower profile of the

person has the less we expose it.

290

Um, as, as scripture says that,

you know, for a pastor there to

291

be rebuked in the presence of

also that all may stand in fear.

292

So there's usually more

accountability and more publicity

293

when it comes to a pastoral.

294

Church discipline issue.

295

Yeah.

296

So that said it's going to be

incumbent upon the church to call them.

297

To repentance.

298

From here, he goes to another

parable and that is the parable

299

of the unforgiving servant.

300

Um, and in this parable, he tells

a story of two individuals, one who

301

owed the king in insurmountable data.

302

A debt that basically amounts to if

this guy worked every day for the

303

rest of his life and gave every dime

back to this king, he still wouldn't

304

have enough to pay this king back.

305

And the king forgives us debt

completely and let them go

306

free and says, you're good go.

307

And this same servant goes out

and find somebody who owes him a

308

pittance, something that may have

taken a year, maybe two years

309

to repay, but, but certainly not

anything near what he owed the king.

310

And he will not forget

forgive that same debt.

311

So the king catches wind of this and

says to the first servant who he forgave.

312

He says, man, you are a wicked

servant because you won't

313

forgive as you've been forgiven.

314

And he throws him in, in debtor's prison,

along with his family, until he can

315

repay every, every penny that he owes.

316

So it's a, it's a terrifying.

317

Uh, parable and it's, it's a

strong reminder to us that we

318

need to be a forgiving people.

319

We need to be a people willing to

forgive because we understand and

320

realize how much we have been forgiven.

321

That said.

322

Uh, Petra.

323

I've always thought that there's

two components of forgiveness.

324

There's the vertical component

of forgiveness us with with,

325

regarding our relationship with God.

326

Eh, over an offense that somebody

else has committed against us.

327

And then there's the horizontal

relational component of forgiveness

328

that can be offered to people.

329

Um, because sometimes it's an

offense that we're never going to

330

see that person again, who's offended

us and they're not going to come

331

to us and seek our forgiveness.

332

And.

333

Do I still need to forgive

that person in that instance.

334

So the short answer for that is yes.

335

The Christian must always, and

I'm going to use strong language.

336

The Christians must always possess

the posture of forgiveness always.

337

And I don't think there's

an exception to that rule.

338

Um, because no one will ever send

against us more than we have sinned

339

against God and God forgave us.

340

And therefore our posture must

always present forgiveness, even

341

if it's not able to be transacted.

342

Now what that means practically then is

that we're always doing business with God.

343

If there's an issue that needs

to be addressed, we're going

344

to go to God first about that.

345

But secondly, if there's a

person involved, I may pursue

346

transacted forgiveness of somebody.

347

I may say, pastor PG, we need to sit

down and talk about the situation I

348

needed to confront you about this.

349

Or you need to confront me about that.

350

And that's where forgiveness

can be transacted.

351

There can be an establishment

of forgiveness on both sides and

352

reconciliation and consequently, the

relationship can be restored and carry on.

353

But there are times when, oh, the person

that's far away or they're deceased, or

354

if something else happens and that's a

situation where then forgiveness has to be

355

done primarily and solely with the Lord.

356

And you might want to bring her

pastor inside and say, Hey connect.

357

Can I talk this out with you

and discuss with you some of the

358

parameters or the issue that's.

359

Issues at hand.

360

But I think there's no way to escape it.

361

The Christian must always have

the posture of forgiveness.

362

And that might take you time.

363

I'm not saying that forgiveness means.

364

Reconciliation and perfection, you may

have a very different relationship after

365

the fact, but the posture of forgiveness.

366

I must be there.

367

I don't see an exception to that.

368

Yeah.

369

I would agree in, in a, yeah,

it does come back to because of

370

how much we've been forgiven.

371

Exactly.

372

Um, so I would agree, and

that's why I categorize it.

373

There's the vertical component

in the horizontal component.

374

The horizontal component

component may never happen.

375

You may never have the opportunity

to sit down face-to-face with

376

that person and offer forgiveness.

377

Or they may not want your forgiveness

if you're willing to give it to them.

378

Right.

379

They may say, I don't

care what I did to you.

380

Right.

381

I don't feel like I need that.

382

Right.

383

But.

384

D to forgive the offense against

you, between you and the Lord

385

is something that you can do.

386

You can realize, okay, God, this is

an offense first and foremost against

387

you more than it is against me.

388

Um, and I release that to you.

389

I released my desire for justice to, I

release my desire for vengeance to you.

390

It's it's yours.

391

It's about you more than it's about me.

392

And I've offended you

more than this person has.

393

So the Lord in a lot of times it's

going to be wrestling and prayer

394

because it's, it's not as easy

as we're making it out to sound.

395

Right now, there are circumstances

and situations that are very, very,

396

very hard and difficult to get to

the place where you're willing to

397

let that go and forgive someone.

398

Yeah.

399

And I guess scripture does make

concessions for the fact that

400

there will be times you can't

live at peace with somebody.

401

Again, you may not be able to

establish reconciliation, right?

402

Right.

403

That restoration process may not have.

404

Paul says if possible.

405

So far as it depends on you.

406

Live peaceably with all,

but you may not be able to.

407

And then he goes on to say what you just

said, never avenge yourselves, because

408

event vendors belongs to the Lord.

409

He, if they're not going to repo.

410

Response or repent.

411

I respect, respect this.

412

Just put those things together.

413

If they don't do that,

God will deal with them.

414

They're not getting away with it.

415

Yeah.

416

Yep.

417

So there you go, Matthew 18.

418

One chapter today that was easily.

419

We only took 14 minutes.

420

Awesome.

421

Well, let's pray.

422

Got to, we want to be a church

that takes your word seriously.

423

We want to be an obedient

church, a faithful church.

424

And we understand as pastor rod

said to be a healthy church is

425

going to involve church discipline.

426

At some point in time.

427

In fact, one pastor even said, To an

extent church discipline should be

428

a constant practice within the body

of Christ, because we should always

429

be involved in that early stage of

caring for our brothers and sisters

430

enough to restore that brother

who's caught in a transgression or

431

sister's caught in a transgression.

432

So help us to be that, that, that

love each other, do that degree and

433

help us to respond appropriately

when it does need to be escalated.

434

And God, we pray that it would ultimately

be effective towards the end of the

435

restoration of the center, because

that's the purpose of all of this.

436

And so keep us from being voyeurs about

what, what somebody did or what their

437

sin might be and help us to, to maintain

a posture of love towards other people.

438

Towards that end help us to

be a forgiving church as well.

439

Lord, not to Harbor bitterness or

to hold on to things that would

440

impede our relationship with you.

441

But allow us to be those that understand

the gravity of our own sin and the, the

442

magnitude of your grace and forgiveness

that we have in Christ, so that we

443

would be willing to extend those things

to others while we pray in Jesus name.

444

Amen.

445

Amen.

446

Are y'all keeping your Bibles and tune

in again tomorrow for another episode.

447

Of the daily Bible podcast.

448

Keep it real.

449

Yeah.