• Download

The Lost Sheep and the Lost Brother (Matthew 18:10-20)

First Baptist Church https://fbcbartow.org

“The Lost Sheep and the Lost Brother”

(Matthew 18:10-20)

Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

February 23, 2020

The Passage

Matthew 18:10-20

10 “See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established. 17 If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church. If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.”

Introductory Comments:

In parenting, there is a method called “redirecting.” Redirecting is a process by which the parent will draw a child away from something that may lead them down a path of disobedience or danger, and redirect them to something else. Sometimes redirecting works. When my son Samuel tries to stick his finger in an electrical socket, I try to redirect him. However, sometimes redirecting does not work and the only thing that proves effective is discipline. 

Today, we’re going to see Jesus speak to us about how to handle situations involving our brothers and sisters in Christ. We’re going to see that God pursues those who are wandering, He calls the church to redirect those in sin, and sometimes He calls the church to discipline those in sin for the sake of the holiness of the church. 

We’re going to learn three actions we must take as we pursue God’s plan for life in the church. Before we do, let’s go to God in prayer. 

(prayer)

In this passage today we will hear a famous parable concerning a sheep, as well as hear from Jesus about a popular aspect of church life, one that has been spoken of much throughout church history, and that is church discipline. 

Before we get to that, we actually have two noteworthy verses: Verse 10 and 11. 

Verse 10 is noteworthy because it speaks of angels. Anytime angels are mentioned people get interested. 

Well, remember from the previous passage that Jesus is speaking of “little ones” as He transitions from little children to speaking of “little ones” as His followers. Little ones are those children of God who follow after Jesus. 

Verse 10 says, “See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven.”

So, Jesus is continuing His discussion about those little ones who follow Him and are children of God. Jesus says not to despise them because there are angels in heaven that are somehow tied to them and these angels are in the presence of God. 

Well, there’s a lot to unpack in this one verse, and this will not be where we spend the bulk of our time this morning. For now, let’s acknowledge these truths:

First, there seem to be angels that are assigned in some way to look over or protect the children of God. This does not necessarily mean that we have personal guardian angels but that there are SOME angels who look over the children of God. One angel or one group of angels may look over a large number of people, rather than a one-on-one correlation. 

Second, the fact that God has angels devoted to looking over His children underscores God’s regard for His children. He loves us and wants what’s best for us, so much so that angels are devoted to our care and protection. 

Third, because God’s children are so important to Him, we should also be important to one another and to the life of the church. That brings us to our sermon today as Jesus gives us instructions for how to care for one another in the church. 

The second verse which is noteworthy is verse 11. The most noteworthy aspect of this verse is that it’s not in most English translations of the Bible. 

The reason it’s not in most English translations is because modern scholarship and archaeology have revealed that this verse is not in the earliest manuscripts of the book of Matthew.

 Well, what does the verse say? In the King James Version of the Bible, verse 11 says, “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” 

Well, that doesn’t really change the meaning of the passage at all, but we shouldn’t want it in there if Matthew didn’t put it in there under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which is why most modern English translations don’t include it. The truth of verse 11 is taught elsewhere, so it’s not a major doctrinal problem at all. I just wanted to explain it to you. 

Well, are you ready for the main sermon?

Let’s begin by looking at this parable about the sheep. 

First, . . .

I. We should seek a wandering sheep. (vv. 10-14) [on screen]

Look again at the passage. Look at verses 10-14. 

10 “See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

Remember, the context here is that the little ones are followers of God. Also, the little ones in this parable are sheep. 

One of the little ones, one of the followers of God, one of the sheep wanders away. The shepherd goes after the wandering sheep because he cares for the sheep. He doesn’t want the sheep to be lost, he wants it to be rescued. So also, in the same way, “ . . . it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.”

God doesn’t want to lose any of His children. God doesn’t want to lose any of His followers. Because God has this heart towards His children, we should as well. Our hearts should reflect the heart of God, amen?

Part of our vision of developing disciples who love the church is that we will go after those members of our church who are lost and wandering. We must go after them with the love and compassion of God the Father, seeking to bring them back where they belong. 

We should not look with judgment on those who are wandering, but with love and compassion. We all need the grace of God and it is God’s grace that brings us back and puts us back on the right path. As First Baptist Church Bartow, may we have the heart of God and display the grace of God towards those in our flock who are lost and wandering. 

One lost sheep is worth seeking out and one found sheep is worth celebrating!

As we seek those who are lost, we must do so with grace and love. However, that does not mean that we are to neglect pursuing holiness. In fact, Jesus tells what to do if someone is committing sin. That’s our next section. 

Our second action we learn here is that . . .

II. We should rebuke a wayward brother. (vv. 15-17) [on screen]

Boy, I wish we and other churches could do this correctly. 

Remember, church, this is the Word of God. This is the way for us as individuals and as a church. Let us take these words to heart and apply them to our lives. 

Look now at verses 15-17. 

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16 But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established. 17 If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church. If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you.

First of all, there are some offenses that are committed against us which really are not that serious of an offense. Sometimes, these may even be a sinful event, but it’s just a one-time offense on somebody’s part. Let me just say, many times we can just let these go. I’m talking about if someone sinned against you.

For example, if someone was rude to you when you said hello to them, or someone didn’t follow through on a promise they made to you, or someone was offensive to you because you sat in their seat at church. Many times, we can just overlook these offenses. 

We need to stop being so easily offended and upset by things. If I spent my time following up with every potential offense committed against me I would never have any time to write a sermon or do any other pastoral duties. 

However, at times there are genuine offenses committed against us, or other genuine acts of sin that must be dealt with in the church. Thankfully, Jesus tells us how to do so. 

He lays out four steps that we are to take and that we will discuss here. 

First, . . .

Step #1 – Personal call to holiness. [on screen]

Verse 15 says, “If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.”

The first step is to talk to a person one-on-one who has sinned against you or sinned in some other way. If you know about it, if you have experienced it, talk directly to the person yourself. 

Even though this is the first step that Jesus gives us, many of us do this as the last step or we don’t do it all. We talk to everyone else in the world except the person whom Jesus tells us to speak to. 

I believe that if we did this first and correctly, most of the issues of sin in the church would be alleviated. 

When it comes to correcting sin, the fewer people involved the better. So, take it to your brother or sister if you see sin. Call them to holiness. Do so humbly, transparently, and vulnerably, because perhaps you are in sin as well. 

Here’s how it might work: You say to someone, “Brother, I need the grace of Jesus as much as anyone and I need to be holy more than anyone. In that spirit, I want to share with you a situation where I think you were in sin and I want to call you to God’s grace and holiness as well. I want us to help each other. I believe you were in sin when you . . .”

Many times, this simple act of love and care will bring someone to repentance. Other times, it may not, which leads to step #2. 

Step #2 – Small group call to holiness. [on screen]

Look at verse 16: “But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony of two or three witnesses every fact may be established.”

Ideally, this is dealt with one-on-one, but if that doesn’t work, you widen the circle a little bit. 

As with the first step, this second step should take place with love, care, and humility. The idea is not to interrogate or intimate someone but to lovingly call them to holiness and repentance. 

Sometimes, people will realize that they are in sin and it wasn’t just the opinion of one person. This will wake them up and drive them to repentance. 

However, sometimes it will not, which leads us to step #3. 

Step #3 – Church-wide call to holiness. [on screen]

If the person who is in sin is still unwilling to repent, and the small group believes that he or she is in sin, they must then bring the person’s offense before the church. 

The first part of verse 17 says, “If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church.”

The point of this action is so that the person will know that sin is serious. Holiness is the lifeblood of the church and is necessary for the church to flourish. If this person refuses holiness and clings to sin, they must be brought before the church. 

Hopefully, by God’s grace, the person will then turn to repentance. That is the goal and what a beautiful picture of the Gospel that would be! This is not a bad thing, this is a good thing, holiness multiplying among the people of God. 

In our context, if you’ve spoken to someone one-on-one, and taken one or two others with you, the next step would be to present the case to one of our ministerial staff so we can proceed carefully and prayerfully. 

Alas, sometimes people will still refuse to repent, which takes us to the fourth step. 

Step #4 – Church-wide step towards holiness. [on screen]

Listen to the second part of verse 17: “If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you.”

Jesus tells us that if the person is still unwilling to repent, even when confronted by the church at large, we must treat him or her as a Gentile or a tax collector. That is, we are to treat them as a godless person; we are to treat them as someone who does not follow after God.

We are to continually redirect people to holiness, but if they refuse to go, we must practice discipline. 

If someone lives in such a way that shows they have not been changed by Jesus, we must regard them as someone who has not been changed by Jesus. 

The church must be serious about holiness and must not permit someone to be a part of the church who is in continual unrepentant sin. 

Not one of us is perfect; that’s not the point. We’re not talking about perfection, we’re talking about living a life demonstrated by repentance, holiness, and a pursuit of God and His ways.

If someone says, I don’t care about holiness and I don’t care about God’s ways, that person must not be a part of the church. 

This leads perfectly into our final point:

III. We should maintain a holy church. (vv. 17-20) [on screen]

This is the reason Jesus calls us to this process. Listen to the words of verses 17-20. 

17 If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church. If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that you pray for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.”

Jesus believes so strongly in this process that He says when we carry it out the way He tells us to it has heavenly effects. Jesus works heavenly works through His church. This is His model and His method. 

He also adds His stamp of approval on this process by telling us in verse 20 that when we carry this out properly He is there with us in our midst.

So often we quote verse 20 in small prayer meetings or Bible studies. That’s certainly true: Jesus is with us in small groups. However, the context of verse 20 has to do with calling each other to holiness and repentance. In the midst of this, Jesus is with us. 

Now, to be sure, there are some churches that don’t do this correctly, but the truth of that matter is most churches don’t do this at all, and we can do a much better job of it as a church. 

Some of you may be thinking, “I don’t very much like this. I don’t want people getting in my business.” Well, this is the Word of God. These are the teachings of Jesus. There are plenty of churches out there that try to do things man’s way rather than God’s. 

Here at First Baptist Church Bartow, we’re not perfect by any stretch, but we serve a perfect God and He has given us His perfect Word. We must pursue God and His ways for us, and this is God’s way for us as revealed in the Bible. 

Concluding Thoughts:

Just as we are to seek out the wandering sheep, we are also to seek the holiness of the wayward brother, and holiness for ourselves.

Throughout this process we do so with grace knowing that God wants to and can bring us back, we do so with humility knowing that we are also in danger of sinning and we need God’s grace, and we do so with holiness wanting more than anything else the purity of the church. 

That takes us to our bottom line:

Bottom Line: Jesus calls the church to grace, humility, and holiness. [on screen]

(repeat)

Remember that our bottom line last week was: Greatness in the kingdom is found through humility, compassion, and holiness.

Remember, Jesus said that greatness was found in child-like humility and in pursuing holiness with a serious commitment. 

Well, if one of us does wander we are to pursue that person as a lost sheep and we are to celebrate that person’s return to the flock. If one of us is in sin, we are to confront that person in love and call them to holiness. This is God’s way for us. 

Challenge yourself this week to live out this passage in the following ways:

Weekly Challenge: [on screen]

  1. Consider the nature of God’s church. [on screen]

Some of us may feel like all of this unnecessary. Why can’t we just try and get along smoothly and not worry about people’s sin?

Well, consider for a moment what it means for us to be the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider what it means that we are the body of Christ and the bride of Christ

Take some time this week and search the Scriptures to consider the nature of God’s church. 

You may want to go to our website and look up the sermon series I did last fall called, “The Church.”

  1. Seek a lost sheep this week. [on screen]

Even as we read the Word of God earlier someone may have come to mind who is a lost sheep; someone who has wandered away from the faith may have to come to mind for you. Seek that person this week with the love and grace of God. 

Perhaps no one came to mind. Pray this week and ask God to show you how you can help bring back a lost sheep. Practice the compassion and love of God the Father. 

  1. Seek to restore holiness this week. [on screen]

Perhaps you know of a brother or sister at our church who is living in sin. I’m not talking about a non-Christian, I’m talking about a professing Christian. Take some time this week to restore holiness. 

Lovingly call someone to repentance and greater faithfulness to God’s Word. Let’s be the church. Part of loving the church is calling each other to holiness. 

Perhaps you are the person who needs to repent. Do so this week. If you’ve offended another person along the way, repent to that person as well. 

Restore holiness this week. 

Closing:

Let us live as those who have been changed by Jesus. 

If you’ve not been changed by Jesus, He changes everything, even the way we operate as a church. He can change you dramatically this week. 

(Gospel presentation)

(closing prayer)

Invitation Song – I Have Decided to Follow Jesus 

Benediction:

If you have any sort of spiritual decision that you would like to make, you can contact me or any of our staff and we would be glad to talk to you anytime.

Don’t forget about our First Connection Lunch on March 22. Be sure to sign up for that if you’re interested. 

Tonight, we will back in our study of church history. I’ll see you at 5:30 as we “Discover Church History” together. 

Let’s dismiss by singing the Doxology. 

(Sing Doxology)

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.