Gentiles, Tax-Collectors & Lost Sheep
Kingdom Relationships - Part 1
Sunday, September 6, 2020
Matthew 18:15-20
If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Matthew 18:17
The next few weeks we find Jesus talking a lot about one of his favorite subjects… relationships. While we like to beat others over the head about what to think or believe, Jesus consistently says love your neighbor, love your enemy, and pray for those who persecute you. He does not make exceptions for heretics or dare I say, people of opposing political parties.
When it comes to relationships. the answer is LOVE… Period.
What else is there to be said?
Today we come to a text where Jesus shows us how to deal with those “neighbors” or fellow church members who have sinned against us. He’s talking about the people who are often the hardest to love and we are thrilled to discover that Jesus doesn’t expect us to simply sit back and ignore it.
When someone sins against you, he says, go and point out that fault when the two of you are alone.
Now that’s what we want to hear. We’re good at pointing out faults. But there are a few caveat’s we tend to overlook.
When someone sins “against you.” This is not a call to go after everyone we think is a sinner. This is about confronting someone with whom you are already in relationship.
“Go to them alone.” Don’t go to all your friends to talk about them or share your offense on social media. Confronting someone’s sin is not a public matter.
“If they listen, you have regained that one.” Here’s the crux. Our motivation for confronting sin should always be reconciliation, not condemnation or judgement. For Christ did not come to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved and restored to right relationship with the Father (John 3:17).
As the process continues, Jesus tells us that if the one who has sinned does not repent and is unwilling to reconcile, then we should treat them like a Gentile or tax-collector.
Finally. After we go through the whole process, we can get rid of them. Kick them out. Unfriend them. Ignore them. Avoid them. They are dead to us…
Except…
That’s not exactly how Jesus treats Gentiles and tax-collectors.
Remember that whole thing about “loving your neighbor”. Yeah, well, that applies to them too.
Listen to this week’s sermon here:
Video of the complete worship service available at http://asburyumc-huntersville.com/live
