"Are We Not to Judge?" (Luke 6:27-38)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Jesus said: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:36-37).

 

These words of Christ are often quoted. They are rarely ever misquoted. But what we may think of these words are often the opposite of what Jesus is saying here. I’m sure you have heard those words,“Judge not, and you will not be judged” even in Christian conversation. And often unbelieving pagans will use these words of Jesus to us Christians as a way to say, “You are in no position to judge!” So, what is Jesus meaning by those words: “Judge not, and you will not be judged”?

 

Well, first thing to note here is that these words of Christ have been misunderstood for centuries, but for different reasons.

 

In the Middle Ages, the people had a much different wrong understanding of these words of Christ than the popular wrong understanding of today. But both wrong understandings have a common misunderstanding. They are both taking Scripture out of context by cutting and pasting these words of Christ to fit what these false teachers want these words to mean.

 

First, let’s look at the old misunderstanding. In the Middle Ages, these words of Christ, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” was taken by many in the church to mean that we must do something to earn salvation. In other words, Christ’s atoning death wasn’t enough for you and me to inherit salvation, so we have to do something. 

 

These words of Christ were stern law that the Christian had to do so God would love them and then in turn receive His forgiveness. These words were used to scare Christians into submission so that they would get right with God to receive His divine mercy. Luther fought against this wrong interpretation, since there is nothing we can do to ever merit God’s love. We could never get right with God. It is only God who is able to get right with us, through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

For most Christians today, we rarely think about that interpretation. But if you know any Roman Catholics, they still hold on to that way of thinking.

 

But most likely, you have heard those words of Christ “Judge not, and you will not be judged”meaning something entirely different. In this post-modern era, those words have become to mean that we are forbidden to recognize the sins of others and even our own sins. Those words have become to mean that we are to not judge at all, that we are not to discriminate between right and wrong.

 

So, is Jesus forbidding us from engaging in any kind of judgment? Well, if that is the case, then Jesus words here make no sense whatsoever. If we are not to judge, then what do we make of these Scriptural texts?

 

§  Jesus says in Matthew 18: “If your brother sins against you …” (Matthew 18:15a). How would we know what sin is without judgment?

§  Jesus says in John 7: “Do not judge by appearances…” (John 7:24a). Ok, this fits with the idea of never judging. But wait, Jesus isn’t finished, “But judge with right judgment” (John 7:24b). So, how would we know right judgment?

§  Jesus says in Luke 12: “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” (Luke 12:57). So, what is right?

§  Jesus says in Matthew 7: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16a). How do we know false teachers from true teachers without judgment? How are we to recognize fruits of faith without first judging the fruit?

§  St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes in Romans 13: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1). But don’t governing authorities judge?

§  And what are we to make of the Bereans in Acts 17? “They received the Word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11b). How are we to know the validity of what the pastor says without studying the Scriptures?

 

So, clearly, the idea of never judging is not the case, since we are to judge. You see, the Bible is full of judgments between good and bad. Just think of Cain, Babel, David’s sexual sin, John the Baptist’s preaching, and Jesus judging the seven churches of Revelation.

 

What are the Ten Commandments? They are but God’s Law of judgment, which shows us our sin and serves as our guide in the way we ought to live and want to live. 

 

Another way to think of judging is this: How can you be a judge of a court and not judge the law? How can you be a referee and not judge if play is fair? How can you be a teacher and not judge their student’s homework? How can you pick out which fruit to buy at the grocery store without placing judgment upon that fruit? How can a pastor not judge between false doctrine and true doctrine? How can you be a parent and not also discipline your child?

 

Clearly, we know the difference between right and wrong. We know that truth is different than fiction. So, what is Jesus saying here? Well, Jesus is not forbidding judgment, but when we judge we must think the way God thinks. Jesus is teaching us to become merciful just as God our Father is merciful.

 

You see, God is the ultimate judge, so we are not to judge according to our flawed way of thinking, according to our flawed understanding of things, but we are to think and judge like God. We are to think like God the Father. But how can we do that?

 

Well, when we make judgments, we must do so in the view of the mercy and grace of God. So, when we make any judgment, it should never be toward harsh condemnation or the rejection of the sinner – we never condemn anyone to hell, but we always lead the sinner toward forgiveness and reconciliation. God doesn’t show us our sin because He hates us. He shows us our sin, because He loves us. He shows us our sin, so that we would turn from it and receive His forgiveness.

 

So, we interpret “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” in light of what is said before them, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

 

So, we speak what’s right for the sake of your neighbor. True love is always to speak the truth. So, if your child did something wrong, it is your duty to judge his wrongdoing in order to save him.

 

God’s inerrant Word speaks of judgment all the time. But whenever God speaks, He speaks judgment in order to save. He speaks of judgment as a warning. He speaks of judgment out of His love.

 

For Jesus says, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:19-20a). Likewise, St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit writes, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

 

God is the judge. And He warns us against those evil things that come from the sinful flesh and the sinful heart.

 

Now, none of us here today are as pure as the wind driven snow. We are all filthy as we are stained with sin. And yet, God calls on all of us to judge ourselves and to judge one another. But, again, we don’t judge using our flawed reason and thinking. We judge only as God judges as He has revealed in His Word.

 

So, what does being merciful like God look like in practice? Well, it looks like this: When you judge, first recognize your sin, fully acknowledge your sin, since your first judgment must be upon yourself, but out of your love for the other, it is your responsibility to help the other by speaking of their sin so to lead them to repentance and forgiveness. Now, speaking of judgment is never easy, since no one ever takes delight in speaking words of judgment. So, we speak as sinners to fellow sinners with always in mind the gospel that “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).

 

At one time, we were all God’s enemies, and we all deserved what was coming to us – eternal death and hell, but He gave us Christ instead, who took upon Himself our judgment as He suffered and died our punishment as He hung on the cross. Because of that judgment, we are now forgiven and reconciled to God. By faith in His Son, God the Father has given us forgiveness out of His divine mercy! So, when we judge, we judge like God our Father, who is merciful, as we confess our sin, speak God’s Word of judgment, and proclaim the forgiveness won for everyone in Christ! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 13: "Hard Teachings" (John 6:51-69)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Jesus said: “I am the Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh” (John 6:51).

 

Imagine yourself among this crowd in Capernaum. You have been a disciple of Jesus for some time and then, suddenly, the Man you have been following calls Himself bread and He calls on you to eat Him. What would be going through your mind? Would you be thinking: What a fool! This guy must have lost His mind! This Man is preposterous!

 

How could Jesus say such a thing? Now, for sure, this crowd had recently had their fill of the loaves. They had just eaten physical bread. But now Jesus is calling Himself bread! On top of that, Jesus is now saying: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in Him” (John 6:53-56). If the crowd was thinking Jesus was possibly crazy before, now most see Him as a nut! To most in the crowd, this teaching was too hard to accept. Jesus’ words make no sense to human reason. So, Jesus says, “Do you take offense at this?” (John 6:61) – “Do My Words offend you?”

 

By Jesus saying that His followers must feed on His flesh and drink His blood, He was teaching the importance of continuing to nurture faith in Him. He says this later in John 8: “If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”(John 8:31-32).

 

So, when faith is nourished by Jesus in His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments, the believer remains in Jesus and Jesus in the believer. So, in our faith, we are united with Christ. Now, this is something that we cannot explain. We just know it because Jesus said so. So, when a person eats of, that is, clings to Jesus, that person lives because of Jesus. 

Jesus is bread. He is the bread, come down from heaven, sent from the Father. Whoever eats the bread, that is, trusts in Jesus, has eternal life. And He will raise that person up at the Last Day. This is what Jesus is saying. But what is the crowd hearing?

 

For most in the crowd, they took offense at Jesus’ words. They grumbled at Jesus’ words. “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” (John 6:60).

 

For the worldly minded, they could not understand Jesus’ teaching. And this is not surprising, since they were depending on their flesh, trusting their own reasoning for understanding. They were looking for a “bread king” to give them more food to eat. They were not expecting Jesus to call Himself bread and that they must eat of Him to have eternal life. This teaching was just too hard for many of them to swallow, so many decided to just spit Jesus out and walk away and no longer walk with Him.

 

Jesus referring to Himself as the Bread of Life, the Living Bread come down from heaven, is just one of His many difficult teachings to swallow. Jesus never avoided hard teachings as to avoid upsetting His hearers. There are so many more Biblical teachings that upset people: from homosexuality, to abortion, to cohabitation, to divorce, to close (or closed) communion, to forgiveness, to suffering, and on and on.

 

As your pastor, it would be much easier if I avoided those difficult Biblical teachings, but if I avoid those hard teachings, I would not be doing my pastoral duty. Jesus calls upon all of His undershepherds to “preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience in teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2). As Christians, as disciples of Christ, we should not be ashamed of Christ and His teachings. 

 

For many new Christians, they have gotten the wrong idea that the Christian life is an easy life. This false teaching is quite popular with televangelists who say things like: “Suddenly things will change. Suddenly, God will bring your hopes and dreams.” But Jesus never said that. In fact, Jesus warns us that we fill face trials and tribulations throughout our life, especially since we are in Christ. He says, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

 

Forgiveness, too, is a hard teaching. St. Peter came up to Jesus and asked Him, “‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times’” (Matthew 18:21-22). Forgiveness can be a hard pill to swallow, but forgiveness is a continuous and essential part of being a follower of Christ.

Something as simple as worshiping together can be considered a hard teaching. I have heard it many times, “I can worship God in my own way. I don’t have to come to church.” Yes, it is possible to worship God in nature, but what is missing? Fellowshipping around the Means of Grace and community. We cannot face life’s challenges alone. We are meant to lean on each other, to build up each other, and encourage each other in the faith.

 

Another hard teaching is suffering. No one likes to suffer. It’s uncomfortable and painful. But God uses your sufferings to make you stronger in the faith. St. Paul writes, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

 

Now, quite possibly, one of the hardest teachings of all is close or closed communion. So, let’s dive into the deep end! You know it’s a hard teaching when it’s right there for all to see and read inside our service folders. Over the years, I have heard some say: “The LCMS acts like the Lord’s Table is an exclusive club!” “Holy Communion should only be between yourself and God.”

 

Today’s culture is all about individualism and autonomy, and the Lord’s Supper is no different. For many, the Sacrament of the Altar has become a matter of personal entitlement. But the issue of admission to the Lord’s Supper is not a matter of personal entitlement or of being a welcoming and affirming church. The issue is the nature of the Sacrament and the character of the church. The issue is if we take Christ seriously or not. 

 

As unloving as close, or closed, communion may sound to our sinful hearts, this is a loving practice. And practically every Christian church abided in this practice until the last century. God’s Word teaches that those who receive the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner eat and drink to their harm and not their blessing. Unworthy participation is not discerning our need for forgiveness in the Sacrament and the shared confession and faith of the Sacrament (Acts 2:44). 

 

So, we would be unloving to commune those who would receive the Lord’s Supper to their harm. Afterall, Jesus gives His Supper as a blessing, not a curse. So, abiding in Christ can cause pain among family and friends, but where we have differences, we pray for the day when those differences cease.

 

There are so many hard teachings. God’s Word says that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. So, for those who remain in their sins, by not seeking forgiveness and reconciliation with God and with one another, they will reap what they sewed as Jesus says, “They will be thrown into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50).

 

For many people, these teachings are just too hard, too difficult, and to their sinful hearts, they sound so wrong, so they choose to just walk away from Jesus. 

 

On that day Jesus said He was the Living Bread come down from heaven, most walked away. But then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked them, “Do you want to go away as well?” Now, Jesus expected them to abide with Him, but He allowed them to answer for themselves whether they too would now leave. You see, Jesus does not coerce people to follow Him.

 

Simon Peter answered Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Christ’s apostles could not imagine leaving Jesus. And the reason was simple: Jesus had the words that gave eternal life. The words of Jesus about the Bread of Life, His descending from heaven, His flesh and blood, conveyed the blessing He promised for them. The disciples believed and had eternal life from God. 

 

Yes, following Jesus is tough; abiding in His teachings is tough. But as Christians, we are to be like Peter and say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Yes, many of Christ’s teachings are not what our sinful nature would like to hear, but it’s what we need to hear, since He is the Living Bread come down from heaven who alone gives eternal life. So, where else can we go to receive eternal life? Where else can we go? Jesus alone is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life!

 

In many ways, this is the hardest teaching. For it is only Jesus who would suffer the wrath of God for us sinners. He suffered and died the punishment that we all deserve. He substituted Himself for you so that you may live forever! You are forgiven and may we always seek more forgiveness by abiding in Him as you grow closer to Him in His Means of Grace! For He who said it is trustworthy and true, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 16: "Forgiving Generously" (Matthew 18:21-35)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

It is highly likely that you have financial debt. I know, I do. Back in early August, U.S. credit card debt broke the trillion-dollar mark. The U.S. Student loan debt is nearing $2 trillion. Not to mention mortgage payments and car payments. So, it is highly likely that you have financial debt to pay. If you think you are financially sound, well, someday, our national debt will need to be paid. So, if you want to be depressed really fast, check out the website: USDebtClock.org. There, you will see your share of the debt rise every millisecond. It’s disheartening. So, financial debt certainly surrounds us all. Now, don’t you wish that your financial debt could be forgiven?

 

Well, today’s Gospel reading is about forgiving the debt of sin. When someone sins aganst you, he is indebted to you until you release him from that debt by forgiving him. For instance, let’s say someone is always saying bad things about you. The Jewish Talmud taught that forgiveness was only on condition, such as not forgiving someone until he or she apologized. And often with forgiveness came a price: the sinner had to make it up to you somehow. 

 

Also, the Jewish Talmud taught that a person was only obliged to forgive someone the same sin three times. Yes, you heard that right: three times. So, Peter seems to be showing some generosity. Peter is gracious as he is offering to forgive the same sin seven times! But what Jesus says is even more shocking: forgive the same “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22). What’s more is that God is not counting. That’s the point of that large number. We could never keep track of it! So, Christ means freely forgiving all the time and with no condition. Just think about it. Jesus is saying to endlessly forgive those who sin aginst you every single time he hurts you. 

 

And much more than that! Jesus is saying to treat him as if each time was the first time. So, when our fellow brother or sister in Christ sins against you, with humility, you privately speak to him or her, since you owe that person forgiveness. That is so opposite of what our sinful self wants to do! We want to hold a grudge. 

 

Today, Jesus explains this heavy teaching with the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Here, we have a servant who owes a huge debt. When I say huge, I mean massive. Actually, when I say massive, I mean impossible. This man owed 10,000 talents. Now, it’s hard to comprehend this. How about if I said he owed about $25 million dollars? That is roughly what 10,000 talents equates to in today’s dollars: $25 million! 

 

Now, this man’s king, whom this servant owed the money was not a tyrant. He is a caring king, so he wished to settle the accounts with his servants. Up comes this man who owed him $25 million. This was an impossible amount of money to ever pay back! His only future was debtors’ prison. And since he could not pay, he, and his family were ordered to prison and his possessions would be garnished. With the Law staring right at him in the face, this servant fell on his knees and begs the king, “Have patience with me, I will pay you everything” (Matthew 18:26). 

 

Out of pity, the king who was a generous king forgave this man’s entire debt. The king just generously forgives.

 

Shockingly, this man, who had his massive debt forgiven is unwilling to do the same to a man who owes him a much smaller debt: 100 denarii, which is about $2,000 today. This servant who was freely forgiven would not forgive his fellow servant’s minor debt. Instead, he seizes him and begins to choke him saying, “Pay what you owe!” (Matthew 18:28) He didn’t forgive him and worse yet, he threw him into a debtors’ prison. When the other servants reported this to the King, he immediately called the wicked servant back and angrily had that man thrown into debtors’ prison. He received the punishment that he deserved.

 

Have you ever thought that some churches look similar to courtrooms? This is no accident. Here, we approach the King with our debt of sin begging Him to have mercy on us and forgive us, saying: “Lord, have mercy” (Kyrie). Now, God isn’t like the wicked servant, so He doesn’t grab us by the throat and choke us. No, because of Jesus, God forgives us as He announces personally, “I forgive you all your sins.”

 

Now, there is still a price. All debt must be paid. Either at a loss by the one who is owed debt, or by paying the debt off. Jesus pays the debt. He pays our debt with His life. He takes our place under the judgment of God. He takes our place as the criminal. He dies a criminal’s death on the cross. We, who are guilty are declared innocent. Jesus who is really innocent is declared guilty. This is known as the Great Exchange.

 

Because of Christ’s great act of sacrificial love, we approach the King – our Judge – each week, every day, continually freely forgiven. Today, this courtroom is no longer a place of terror, but a place of celebration, as we rejoice in our forgiveness. So, as repentant sinners, we no longer fear condemnation and the hell of fire as we approach His holy throne.

 

Just think about it. If you owed someone several millions of dollars, that debt should haunt you every day. But to have it forgiven fills you with an indescribable relief and joy! Here, in the Divine Service, Jesus forgives our debt of sin. In response, we bend our knees and praise the Lord as we tell others of His wonderful deeds. Oddly enough, in God’s court, it is the Judge Himself who takes our place in the judgment. He generously justifies you. He declares you who are guilty, innocent. And now, He wants you to do the same. You have been shown mercy, so show mercy.

 

Now, when someone does not forgive another – like the wicked servant, it shows that he never really received God’s forgiveness in the first place, because those who are forgiven naturally forgive others – and not just superficially. Such Christians don’t seek revenge or keep grudges, or remind others of past forgiven sins, or slander another’s reputation as payback.

 

How often do you avoid talking with a fellow brother or sister in Christ because of something they did to you? If God treated us like we tend to treat others, what would become of us? Our debt of sin is so heavy that we would sink into the depths of hell, just like the wicked servant.

 

Revenge, or putting conditions on forgiveness is the sinful world’s response to sin, but this is not God’s response to sin. God holds no conditions on forgiveness. He freely forgives you! So, we ought to generously forgive others!

 

And this includes the many times when the sinner doesn’t even ask for forgiveness! Afterall, we don’t always remember each of our sins against God, but He forgives us anyway. “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3). So, let us not keep a record of sins committed by our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

Now, Jesus isn’t saying that when we forgive that we will forget every sin that has been done to you. We aren’t God. So, you will likely be careful trusting a fellow brother or sister in the future, but Jesus always says to forgive. 

As Christians, we should not be holding back forgiveness from others, but forgiving “those who trespass against us” as our Lord taught us to pray.

 

Just think of Joseph from our Old Testament reading. Could our situation be worse than Joseph’s? He was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, because they didn’t like his message. Joseph suffers temptation and abuse. But he would later become a Prince of Egypt. Later, his brothers come asking for his help, but they did not recognize him. In an emotional scene, as his brothers are at his mercy and finally confess their sin, Joseph says, “I am Joseph!” (Genesis 45:3). The brothers shake in fear, expecting judgment. Instead, Joseph forgives them and blesses them. Could your situation be worse than this?

 

Or could it be worse than Jesus? Jesus, like Joseph, was a faithful Son. Like Joseph, His own people tried to kill Him because they didn’t like His message. Jesus suffers the abuse of mankind. Yet, after suffering and dying, Jesus rises from the dead, He stands among His unfaithful disciples, who also shake in fear, and speaks to them words of forgiveness and blessing: “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19). As our exalted God and Lord, Christ comes to us today with those same words of forgiveness.

 

You may also notice that before Joseph forgave his brothers, he also wanted them to see the wrong that they had done, so they would know their need for forgiveness. It’s the same with the Triune God. In the parable, the debtor wasn’t concerned at all about his debt, and so he kept on incurring more debt. It’s only when the King approaches him that he begins to feel the debt. So, it is with us. Our Old Adam doesn’t concern itself with sin and doesn’t fear the wrath of God. But when the Law holds your sin before you, then you feel it. Only then do we say, “I am a poor, miserable sinner.” And then the Gospel of Christ forgives that debt of sin.

 

You may not know how high your financial debt may be until you get that bill in the mail. The Law of God is similar. So, when you see our great debt, repent, and ask for mercy, the Gospel shows that God forgives you. In Holy Baptism, Jesus stamps forgiven on your debt of sin. Because of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection, we receive forgiveness through Him and thus, we forgive generously just as Christ has generously forgiven you. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Pentecost 15: "Confronting Sin and Gaining a Brother" (Matthew 18:1-20)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

When you hear the phrase “Matthew 18,” what comes to your mind? Could it be the Parable of the Lost Sheep? What about the woes to the world for temptations to sin? For most of you, I bet you were thinking about Church Discipline.

 

Christ’s words, “If your brother sins against you…” are one of His most unpopular commands that Jesus ever gave. It’s so unpopular that Matthew 18 is so often ignored or even denied. Afterall, there is something inside each and every one of us that would prefer complaining to someone else instead of actually talking with the person who sinned against you, or you think sinned against you. 

§  Our sinful nature would prefer to complain to every other person, except to the one who offended you. 

§  Our sinful nature would rather spread rumors and gossip. 

§  Our sinful nature would rather pout and say, “I’m right and you’re wrong.”

It is certainly hard to talk to your brother or sister in Christ when he or she has done something against you. We all know that it is. We would rather commit to false peace than actual peace.

 

Now, Jesus here is talking about sins that your sibling in Christ has committed against you, which should be distinguished from things that you may just not like about your fellow brother or sister, such as opinions and quirks of behavior that tend to annoy you. What Christ is talking about here are violations of the Ten Commandments, things like: dishonoring your parents, not supporting your neighbor’s every physical need, adultery, stealing, telling lies, not speaking up in defense of your neighbor when he is falsely accused, having a lustful eye to another’s property or spouse.

 

But as we see in Christ’s words, the bulk of what Christ is saying here is that we shall not give false testimony against our neighbor, so that we do not hurt our neighbor’s reputation.

 

But what does our sinful nature prefer to do? Ignore the sin or attempt to cover up the sin. Afterall, who really wants to confront an unrepentant sinner? It’s awkward. It’s uncomfortable. But guess what? That is what we are called to do as Christians, so that we can gain back a brother or a sister from the hell of fire.

This is so opposite of what we want to do. Our sinful nature and the world would much rather ignore sin and move on. Act like it never happened. The world would like nothing less than to memory hole every bad thing and just move on. But do we ever really move on when sin is not addressed? No! The lies that go under the carpet will soon be revealed. The world would like us to believe that covering up sin is a good thing, but God says that covering up sin is never healthy.

 

In fact, covering up sin and avoiding confrontation is not Biblical. One of those lies that is so often perpetrated upon us – and that we often buy into – is that it’s just not nice to not make nice. The world’s lies say that we must be affirming of everything from every possible angle. And really, this seems so pleasant to us. This is what our sinful nature wants because we would always prefer a path of least resistance. It’s more cooperative. It avoids confrontation.

 

But God’s way is different than our way. God’s way is to confront sin. God’s way is to call sin a sin, which is so different than what we want to do. 

 

We would much rather use passive aggressive behavioral techniques, such as complaining to others, or sending anonymous letters to the person who offended you, or even if there were communication, our sinful self would much more prefer to hide behind texts or emails, instead of actually talking face to face. God’s way is so different than our way. This is why Matthew 18 is so unpopular. God’s way is to confront sin directly, so that He may bless us by Christ covering our sin.

 

God’s way is about reconciliation and protecting reputations. Jesus didn’t preach His words from Matthew 18 out of the blue, but they are in accord with the 8^th Commandment which is given to protect ours and our neighbor’s reputation. So, when someone tugs at your ear with a complaint, do not entertain it. Gently ask, “Have you spoken to the person who has offended you?” If they say no, then tell them that’s the first thing they should do. But if they keep complaining without telling the other party, let that complaint go in one ear and out the other.

 

Now, Matthew 18 is not out of the ordinary when it comes to God’s Word. In fact, God chose Ezekiel as His watchman to confront sin. God said to Ezekiel, “When you hear a word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezekiel 33:7b-8).

 

Now, what about the wicked? Would they be the people who are obviously wicked that even the public would decry against them? No! The wicked is everyone who is rebelling against God. Well, that’s us! That’s us, all the time! This is God confronting sin, so that the one being warned would turn away from their sin and receive God’s forgiveness. This is what it means to warn.

 

But I have often heard: “Who are you to judge?” Well, who is doing the judging? Is it you? No! It’s God. To Ezekiel, God said: “When you hear a word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me” (Ezekiel 33:7b). So, when we as God’s people are called to speak, we are speaking what God has said and nothing more. If we don’t say anything, what will happen to the unrepentant sinner? As God says, the wicked one will die in his sins, but you will share in the blame. “But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul” (Ezekiel 33:9). 

 

God’s point in warning is not to destroy but to get sinners to turn from their sin. God could have just given up on humanity when Adam and Eve fell into sin. Instead, He continued to speak to us so to bring us back to Him. He continued to converse with humanity through His prophets, evangelists, and apostles. God doesn’t want all of us to be lost eternally. In fact, He keeps speaking to us as He sends us pastors and fellow Christians to warn us of our sin so that the sinner would be forgiven. This is the clear evidence that God wishes to save us by giving us the forgiveness that Jesus earned for us on the cross. But this only happens when the sinner repents of their sin, rather than cling to their sin.

 

This is such a challenge for us. Our society perpetually tells us to just get along, coexist, and tolerate. Today, we live in an era where certain things that were once considered sin are considered acceptable. Even the laws of this country outlawed such sins. But now the law makes so many sins legal, so that we fear even saying a word against such sins.

 

Instead of confronting sin, we would rather shy away from even mentioning the sin. We would rather not cause offense. We would rather not rock the boat. So often, we choose to tolerate sin, which shows intolerance to God and His Ten Commandments.

 

Again, God’s way is to confront sin, since He always desires to bring the sinner to repentance, so that forgiveness can be applied.

 

God is ultra-serious about sin. Sin separates us from Him and from each other. God desires reconciliation. He desires togetherness with Him and our neighbors. So, when Jesus says, “If your limbs cause you to sin, cut them off” (Matthew 18:8-9), He isn’t saying to actually cut off your limbs to avoid sin, but He is looking sin right in the eye. Sin is serious, the fire of hell is not temporary, it isn’t something that will last for only a certain length of time; it lasts forever. So, what Christ is saying is that if you would cut off your hand in order to avoid sinning, it would be well worth it in avoiding hell. Sin is that serious.

 

Confronting sin is about saving. Yes, confronting sin is uncomfortable, but there is always a good reason: it’s about salvation for the sinner. In Matthew 18, Jesus says His words carefully, “If your brother sins against you…” (Matthew 18:15a). Jesus says “brother.” A brother is not a natural enemy. A brother is family. So, there is a loving purpose to Jesus’ words.

 

Every once in a while, a fellow Christian – a brother or sister in Christ – is guilty of a deliberate sin and shows no desire to forsake that sin and make amends for it. When that happens, we must follow Christ’s example of confronting that sin by making a special effort to bring that fellow Christian to repentance.

 

And even if that person’s sin does not harm you directly, it should still concern you. It is still a sin against you in the sense that it disrupts your relationship with that fellow Christian, for you cannot simply ignore another’s deliberate sin. So, if you know about it, your Lord wants you to go to your fellow Christian in private and discuss that sin. If he listens to you and repents of his sin, you have gained a brother, and no one else needs to know anything about it. The matter is settled. There is forgiveness and reconciliation. The straying sheep has returned back to the fold.

 

But if you are unsuccessful, as Christ says, then “take two or three others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:16). Now, these witnesses should be mature Christians who have respect of your erring brother. If reconciliation is unsuccessful, then the matter goes to the Church. Now, the Church is Christ’s family in a particular place. Our particular place is Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Christ’s family, the Church, are all those who have been joined to Him by faith in Him through Holy Baptism. The purpose of calling attention to the Church is to impress upon the brother the seriousness of his sin and to bring him to repentance. If that fails, as Christ says, “let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17b).

 

So, if the sinner refuses to repent, then Christ says to treat him as no longer your brother or sister, but we never give up on the erring brother as we now see him as one in need of restoration to Christ’s family. Sadly, this does mean we can no longer view him or her as a fellow Christian. But, if the sinner eventually repents, our Lord says that we must welcome him back into the church with open arms.

 

Now, Christ’s commands in Matthew 18 are not three mechanical steps, but guidelines. So, we may repeat our efforts a number of times. But all the while, we need to keep in mind that this is an exercise in Christian love so that we gain a brother.

 

So, would you confront a sinner by saying: “What’s the matter with you! I can’t believe you did this to me!” Well, if you did, you most likely lost a brother. That is not speaking well of your neighbor or explaining everything in the kindest way with gentleness and humility.

 

But what about this way: “I know that I am a sinful man, and I know that I have sinned against you, I hope you always come and tell me my sin when that happens so that I can repent and seek your forgiveness, but now I’d like to do the same with you, because I believe that you have sinned against me. Can I talk to you about that?” Do you hear the difference?

 

Matthew 18 is all about reconciliation. It’s about confronting sin and gaining a brother. Christ’s concern here is that none “one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14). If God never gave up on humanity falling the Fall into sin, we shouldn’t give up on our erring brothers and sisters in Christ. So, we must not be afraid of confronting sin, since we are all called by the Gospel to be concerned about an erring brother and his spiritual welfare, so the erring brother is brought back into Christ’s fold.

 

Through the Church, God continuously confronts sin, so that sinners would be given His precious gift of forgiveness. This precious gift was won for all sinners upon the cross. Jesus suffered and died for all your sins so that the door of heaven would be opened to each repentant sinner. Jesus died and rose to grant you forgiveness so that He would gain you as His brother or sister in the kingdom of heaven. May we follow Christ’s command as we confront sin in humility so as to gain a brother. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +