Church Discipline II Thessalonians 3:6, 13-15

Church Discipline Most of us have the same reaction when we hear the word discipline It usually doesn’t bring about the happiest of thoughts in our minds However, as adults, we know and understand it’s purpose and necessity in this world

Church Discipline We discipline our children to help them to grow into mature, well behaved adults and Christians We discipline young men and women in things such as the military We discipline those who break the law through punishment

Church Discipline Church discipline is not much different in that it is necessary for those who are wayward It is not something that we enjoy, nor is it an easy thing to do However, it is biblical, and that is one of our main concerns

Old Testament Discipline is nothing new We see it throughout the Old Testament God punished Israel for worshipping the golden calf (Ex. 32) God punished them for complaining against Him (Num. 21)

Old Testament God punished them for not having faith in Him (Num ) There was a purpose behind the discipline It wasn’t just to publicly humiliate them or whomever was being disciplined

Old Testament So what was the purpose of God’s discipline in the Old Testament? Deuteronomy 29 & 30 gives us some insight when the Lord described what would happen when Israel turned their back on Him Certainly there would be discipline

Old Testament God sets forth the purpose of discipline in Deut. 30:1-10 v. 2 tells us it was to get them to “return to the Lord your God and obey His voice” God wanted to bring the children of Israel back to Himself

Old Testament There was also another purpose to discipline laid out in Deuteronomy God wanted sin removed from the camp because of it’s contagiousness (Gal. 6:1) 11 times in Deut. we see “so you shall put away the evil from among you”

Jesus Speaks Jesus addressed this idea of discipline as well in Matthew 18:15-17 Jesus said that there are steps we should take to restore one who has sinned We should first go to him and him alone

Jesus Speaks If he will not hear, we bring 2 or 3 witnesses If he still does not hear, we bring it before the congregation If he still does not hear, Jesus says “let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector”

Jesus Speaks Obviously the idea is to get the individual to repent of their sins and turn back to the Lord James 5:19-20 The part of having no fellowship with that person is to be the end of the process (Titus 3:10)

Sin In Corinth Paul addresses a situation with a brother in sin in I Corinthians 5 Paul tells them 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” (v. 5) The purpose in this was to save him

Sin In Corinth Paul did this same thing to Hymenaeus and Alexander (I Tim. 1:20) He did so “that they may learn not to blaspheme” Paul also said it is done that they “may be ashamed” (II Thess. 3:14)

Sin In Corinth “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump…” (vs. 6-7) Paul knew that a little sin could spread like wildfire (II Tim. 2:16-18) Remember what evil company does (I Cor. 15:33)

Sin In Corinth Paul then tells us how to handle that person (vs. 9-13) “not to keep company”, “not even to eat with such a person”, “put away from yourselves the evil person” Paul speaks of withdrawing and not keeping company in II Thess. 3

Words From Hebrews Hebrews 12:5-11 God disciplines us because He loves us We discipline others because we love and care for their souls God does it “for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness”

Words From Hebrews It is painful, but it is for our own good Remember God is “longsuffering”, “not willing that any should perish” (II Pet. 3:9) That is why He disciplines us, to try and win us back to Himself

What If It Works? Remember that we are not to treat them like an enemy, but to admonish as a brother (II Thess. 3:15) What about the one in Corinth who repented of his sins II Cor. 2:3-11