12.03.02 church discipline and excommunication

Confession
Office of the Keys
The Giving and Receiving of Forgiveness…

Memorization Verses:
The Christian congregation must carry out along, so that 'every matter may be established
church discipline in love and patience. "If your by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 'If
brother sins against you, go and show him his he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church;
fault, just between the two of you. If he listens and if he refuses to listen even to the
to you, you have won your brother over. But if church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax
he will not listen take one or two others collector " (Mt. 18:15-17).

 LSB 606 lutheran- He all my sorrows shares.
hymnal.com/online/tlh-652.mid  3 I rest my soul on Jesus,
 1 I lay my sins on Jesus, This weary soul of mine;
The spotless Lamb of God; His right hand me embraces,
He bears them all and frees us I on His breast recline.
From the accursed load. I love the name of Jesus,
I bring my guilt to Jesus Immanuel, Christ, the Lord;
To wash my crimson stains Like fragrance on the breezes
White in His blood most precious His name abroad is poured.
Till not a spot remains.
 2 I lay my wants on Jesus,
All fulness dwells in Him;
He heals all my diseases,
My soul He does redeem.
I lay my griefs on Jesus,
My burdens and my cares;
He from them all releases,

Excommunicado
Discipline:
training, regimen, punishment, rigor, beha
vior.
Did it work for you???

Pray:
PRAYER Psalm 1:
1 Blessed is the one

• Discipline who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
• Action or sit in the company of mockers,
• Authority 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,

• Purpose and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of
• Duty water,
P raise which yields its fruit in season
R epentance and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked!
A ppreciation They are like chaff
Y ou that the wind blows away.
E veryone 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the

R esolve judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the

righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Excommunication: The Trickle Down Effect
Church discipline also affects the
condemned's household in a myriad of ways.
At a time when my identity was forming, I
witnessed the excommunication of my father.
In this intimate black and white painting I
wanted the congregation to sustain a
voyeuristic ambiance. The church is a
carnival, with father and me as the spectacle--
a sideshow for an otherwise dry and
uneventful assemblage. The red hues
collaborate with the boy's nudity to further
emphasize humiliation. The tears varnish the
pew grain, staining the church's tradition of
charity with judgment, as personified by a
mythical monster, with its toxic social and
spiritual fangs. At the front of the church is
the ruling patriarchal power, unidentified and
in the shadow. This situation is precarious
because there is no real antagonist, only
turmoil. The Bishop is a disturbing
figure, even though he means no menace, and
his holy kiss beckons any with a repentant
spirit. [Read about the Waterlander
Mennonites and their issues with church
discipline.]

 Oh, how horrible our sins
look when they are
committed by someone else!
 Chuck Smith
 We have fallen short in
honoring all people of God and
being an instrument for that
grace. . . .We have
disciplined, censured and
expelled when we should have
listened, learned and included.
 ELCA “Rite of Reception”
ordaining three lesbian ministers

 •What great care must be taken in dealing with an openly
unrepentant sinner?
 • What must the congregation finally do with openly
unrepentant sinners?
 • By what authority does the congregation excommunicate openly
unrepentant sinners?
 • What is the duty of the called minister of Christ when the congregation has
excommunicated a sinner?
 • What is the purpose of excommunication?
 • What is the duty of a congregation toward an excommunicated sinner who repents?
 •______________________________ Say Mean Matter
 SS Discipline
Key phrases Own words Answer the
 M Action questions/
 T Authority Personal
 W Purpose application
 Th Duty

 The New Testament indicates that the
ministry of the keys is given to all
Christians. All Christians have the
commission to share the gospel with
other people (1 Pe 2:9).
 It is also clear in God’s Word that God
wants a “public ministry” as well. God
wants there to be leaders who use the
keys on behalf of other Christians. When
Christ picked the apostles, he showed his
desire for a “public ministry”.
 Ephesians 4 says that Christ gave
apostles and other leaders to the church.
 When the New Testament gives
qualifications for elders and deacons, it
shows that God wants a public ministry.

 Elder (Presbyteros)
 Overseer (episcopos)
 Functions as teaching group in
the church
 Ac 20:17,28; Tit 1:6,7
 Php 1:1; 1 (two-fold division)
 Deacon (Diaconos)
 Functions more as charity
service and finances
 However, the roles and names do
overlap/switch
 Conclusion?
 Church governance is a matter of
individual churches or synods in
keeping with general boundaries
of scripture
 No specific pattern, name or
hierarchy of people is required.

 Beyond a preacher
 Shepherding means to be amongst the flock (1
peter 5:2)
 Paul is not a pastor, but an apostle/evangelist who
maintains contact of churches who support him
 Timothy 3 and Titus 1

1. One must seek the office 10. Not violent but gentle
2. Must be without reproach 11. Not quarrelsome
3. A husband of one wife 12. Not a lover of money
4. Self-controlled 13. Must manage his own household
5. Sober-minded well, with all dignity keeping his
6. Orderly children submissive
7. Hospitable 14. Must not be a recent convert
8. Able to teach 15. Moreover, must be well thought
9. Not a drunkard of by outsiders

 The verb poimaino (to shepherd) and the nouns
poimne/poimnion (flock) are also used in connection
with public ministers.
 John 21:16 -- Feed my sheep.
 Acts 20:28 -- Keep watch over yourselves and all the
flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
Be shepherds of the church of God.
 1 Peter 5:1-3 - To the elders among you, I appeal ...Be
shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving
as overseers ...not lording it over those entrusted to
you, but being examples to the flock.I
 Of course, shepherding as an image for those who lead
God’s people, has its roots in the Old Testament.
 The Lord said to David, “You will shepherd my people
Israel” (2 Samuel 5:2).
 The Lord promised through Jeremiah, “I will give you
shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with
knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15).
 Ezekiel 34 speaks of Israel’s wicked leaders as
“shepherds who only take care of themselves.”

 What does it mean to “Shepherd”?
 Protect against enemies
 Defend against error and deceit
 Discipline against sin and sloth
 The leadership of the Pastor
extends to areas of one’s personal
life when:
 It affects the faith of others in the
congregation
 Directly harms others
 Is an openly defiant sin

 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach  a)na/qema: A vow
any other gospel unto you than that which we to God without hope of
redemption
have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
 Kriðnw: To pronounce
 Galatians 1:8 and separate between
 For I, on my part, though absent in body but actions
present in spirit, have already judged him who  onomati tou kurio
u Ihsou: Christ’s
has so committed this, as though I were character and persona.
present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you Spoken in his stead
are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the using His insignia
appropriately
power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver
such a one to Satan for the destruction of his  dunamei tou kurio
uhmwn Ihsou:
flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of Christ’s axiomatic
the Lord Jesus. authority and power.
 1 Cor. 5: 1-5  toiouton tw Satan
a eiv oleqron:
Allow the accuser and
adversary destroy the
man physically

 A bishop has the power of the
order, namely, the ministry of the
Word and sacraments. He also has
the power of jurisdiction, namely, the
authority to excommunicate those
who are guilty of public offenses or
to absolve them if they are converted
and ask for absolution.But he has a
definite command, a definite Word of
God, which he ought to teach and
according to which he ought to
exercise his jurisdiction.”
 Ap XXVIII. 13-14
 Distinction between Luther and
Rome on civil penalties.

 Each church has the freedom in
Christ to setup their own focus
 In keeping with the gospel and
admin. of sacraments.
 Question: Should church be a
gymnasium (working out and
training up) or a hospital (comforting
and recovering)?
 While many churches choose one or
the other, spiritually thriving
churches will focus on both.
 The practice of excommunication is
meant to:
 TRAIN UP both the sinner and the
congregant.
 RECOVER the sinner through
repentance and reconciliation

 no one should under any
circumstances be coerced or
compelled, lest we institute a
new slaughter of souls.
Nevertheless, let it be
understood that people who
abstain and absent themselves
from the sacrament over a long
period of time are not to be
considered Christians. Christ
did not institute it to be treated
merely as a spectacle, but
commanded his Christians to
eat and drink and thereby
remember him." (LC V, 42)

 The Christian congregation must carry out  •
church discipline in love and patience. "If  Pray: Send forth into the highways, and
your brother sins against you, go and show gather together good and bad. Bring the
him his fault, just between the two of you. weak, the blind, and the lame into Your
If he listens to you, you have won your church. Command that Your house be
brother over. But if he will not listen take filled. Bring in all for Your supper, for You
one or two others along, so that 'every will make each person worthy whom You
matter may be established by the shall call, if he follows You. A person is
testimony of two or three witnesses. 'If he indeed rejected who does not have the
refuses to listen to them, tell it to the wedding garment, that is, the vestment of
church; and if he refuses to listen even to love, the veil of grace. What fellowship
the church, treat him as you would a can people have with You, who will not
pagan or a tax collector " (Mt. 18:15-17). receive the keys of the kingdom of
 Gal. 6:1-2 Brothers, if someone is caught in a heaven, saying that they ought not to
sin, you who are spiritual should restore him forgive sins? Amen. (Ambrose of Milan, c.
gently. But watch yourself, or you also may 339-97).
be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and
in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
 Eph. 4:2-3 Be completely humble and gentle;
be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace.

 The Christian congregation must exclude decide matters. Above all grant that we
openly unrepentant sinners all may cheerfully agree to be dealt with
(excommunication). according to Your Word whenever we
 1 Cor. 5:13 God will judge those outside. have sinned, yea, that we judge ourselves
"Expel the wicked man from among you." in order that we may not be judged on
Judgment Day, but hear the blessed
 •
verdict: “Come, ye blessed of My
 Pray: Lord Jesus Christ, You have Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
appointed each Christian congregation to you from the foundation of the world.”
sit in judgment upon its members. But in Hear us for the sake of Your mercy.
such judgment the congregation is not to Amen. (C.F. W. Walther, 1811-1887).
respect persons nor to follow its own
mind; no, it is to be guided by Your
sacred written Word alone. And if it is
guided by that divine rule and
standard, You have promised to ratify in
heaven what it does on earth, to loose
those whom it looses and to bind those
whom it binds; and on that terrible day
You will carry out in mercy and justice
the verdict it returned here on earth.
Grant that we, Your little flock, may be
just judges and allow Your Word alone to

 Excommunication is authorized by beloved Christendom unto eternal life.
Christ and is just as valid and Grant me Your grace, I pray, that in
certain, even in heaven, as if Christ this office I may always seek
our dear Lord dealt with us Himself. forgiveness of sins and the
 Matt. 18:18 1 tell you the strengthening of my faith. And guard
truth, whatever you bind on earth will me, lest I belong to those whose sins
be bound in heaven. must be retained through fault of their
own. Amen. (C.M. Zorn, 1846-1928).
 The called minister of Christ must
carry out the resolution of the
congregation, that is, he must exclude
the excommunicated person from the
rights and privileges of a Christian.
 •
Pray: I thank You, Lord Jesus, Most
High, that within Your Church on
earth You have instituted the ministry
of the Word and the
Sacraments, through which You
increase, strengthen, and preserve Your

 Excommunication is not intended to  •Pray: Lord Jesus, from Your Word I
punish the sinner, but to know that You have made
 A. lead him or her to repentance and me, too, Your disciple and a member
faith; of Your Church, to whom You have
committed the powers and duties
 Matt. 12:20 A bruised reed He will not
comprised in the Office of the Keys. I
break, and a smoldering wick He will not
beg You to grant me Your Holy Spirit
snuff out.
that I may prove myself worthy of
 Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to such honor, and faithfully fulfill such
God, so that your sins may be wiped out. obligation on my humble part, that
 B. prevent him or her from leading Your holy name may be praised on
others into sin. earth unto the salvation of many.
 Matt. 18:6 If anyone causes one of these Amen. (Zorn).
little ones who believe in Me to sin, it
would be better for him to have a large
millstone hung around his neck and to be
drowned in the depths of the sea.
 1 Cor. 5:6 Your boasting is not good.
Don't you know that a little yeast works
through the whole batch of dough?

 The congregation must forgive any that You say to me, “His sins which are
excommunicated person who repents and many are forgiven, because he loved
receive him or her back into full much”? I confess that I owe more, and
fellowship. that more has been forgiven me. Grant
 2 Cor. 2:7-8 Now instead, you ought to that You would come to this grave of
forgive and comfort him so that he will not be mine, O Lord, that You would wash me
overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge with Your tears, since in my hardened eyes
you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. I do not possess tears that are able to wash
 • away my offenses. If You will weep for
 Pray: Show your wound to the Physician me, I shall be saved. Call forth Your
that He may heal it. Even though you servant. Amen. (Ambrose of Milan, c.
don’t show it, He knows about it, but waits 339-97).
to hear your voice. Do away with your
scars by tears of repentance. Be like that
woman in the Gospel; she wiped out the
stench of her sin. In this way she washed
away her fault—washing the feet of Jesus
with her tears. O Lord Jesus, where can I
obtain living water, with which I man wash
Your feet? If I have no water, I have tears.
And while I wash Your feet with them, I
trust that I cleanse myself also. Why is it

 Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

The Christian congregation must carry out person from the rights and privileges of a
church discipline in love and patience. "If Christian.
your brother sins against you, go and show Excommunication is not intended to punish
him his fault, just between the two of you. the sinner, but to
If he listens to you, you have won your A. lead him or her to repentance and
brother over. But if he will not listen take faith;
one or two others along, so that 'every B. prevent him or her from leading others
matter may be established by the testimony into sin.
of two or three witnesses. C. The congregation must forgive any
The Christian congregation must exclude excommunicated person who repents
openly unrepentant sinners and receive him or her back into full
(excommunication). fellowship.
Excommunication is authorized by Christ
and is just as valid and certain, even in
heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt
with us Himself.
The called minister of Christ must carry out
the resolution of the congregation, that
is, he must exclude the excommunicated

12.03.02 church discipline and excommunication

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