TITLE:  Sinning Against One Another
TEXT:  Matthew 18:15-17
PROPOSITION:  Jesus gave clear instruction about handling personal offenses.
QUESTION:  How?
KEY WORD:  Aspects
SCRIPTURE READING:  Same

INTRODUCTION:

1. The church is made up of humans who sin and offend each other.
2. We must look at Jesus’ solution to this problem.

 What the text teaches

1. If your brother trespass against you
2. Go and tell him his fault – between you and him alone
3. If he hears, you have gained your brother
4. If he will not hear, take one or two more
5. If he neglect to hear them, tell the church
6. If he neglects to hear the church, let him be as a heathen or sinner

 Mistakes made concerning Matthew 16:15-17

1. Remove passage from context
   1. Text clearly says – brother offends brother
   2. This is a personal offence – sin or slight
2. Applying text to public sin
   1. If I preach false doctrine – must be dealt with publicly
   2. Galatians 2:5 – not for an hour
   3. Sermon, on tape, from a website, on radio or TV, written in a book, taught in class = public domain
3. A major mistake on forgiveness
   1. Some say – We must forgive – if they ask or not
   2. Wrong! They must repent.
4. Going to others first
   1. Preacher / Elders not first to talk to
   2. They may come in at phase 2

 What “trespass” covers

1. Doctrinal error – to be in error – Thayer
2. Moral sin – to violate the law of God, Thayer
3. Slight, offense, error in judgment – to err, be mistaken, thayer

 When “wronged” you have only 2 options

1. Let it go
   1. Not make a fuss, not a big deal
   2. Just decide to drop the matter
2. Go to the brother
   1. If you can’t let it go
   2. Hurt too deeply or loss of trust

 What if the situation gets worse?

1. Did you go in love or on the attack?
2. Did they admit, explain, seek to restore what was broken?