Matthew 18:17……Working

Matthew 18:17……Working

18:17  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; (This is not having them stand in front of the whole congregation, putting them on the jumbotron, or in the Church bulletin-board for all to see But in private.-(New) and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matthew must have found this hard to put down, since he himself was a tax collector.-(New) (For Complete Expository See Book)

Extended Sermons

Additional Notes & Applications

Warns against fellowshipping with obstinate sinners until they’re willing to repent. (Break off fellowship, but not hope or love!).

Displays those who turn a deaf ear to the church and to that level of loving accountability and persuasion, you must assume they don’t know the Lord at all.

Unlike the Jewish culture in Jesus’ time, where people belonged to close knit communities. It’s hard to apply these applications here today, because church members who are discipline often simply leave one congregation for another that accepts them with no questions asked.

Excommunicating  and putting someone out of the church is not the same as it was back then. 2000 years ago there were only one church in every city.  Not like it is today with church’s on every conner. So when you were put out of a church, back then, you would not be received into another. Not only that, but being excommunicated from a church was a social reproach you had to bare. Not so any more. Now anyone who has been excommunicated from one church can simply go down the street to another church.