Unity through Communication

Introduction:

Matthew 18 is a passage that instructs us that love and mercy is active. Love and mercy must show up in everyday behavior. We are called to behavior that acts in mercy and grace and preserves the unity of the church. Unity. How unified are we? How concerned are we about unity? We need to be concerned about preserving the unity of the church. Not unity at all costs, but…unity through communication with each other – and communion with Jesus.

I. 18:1-14 – Jesus’ teaching about church community.

A.    18:1 – disciples ask: Who’s the boss? Who gets God’s favor?

B.    18:2-5 – the kingdom of God is different from our world.

1.     Those preoccupied with worldly greatness will never come under the rule of Almighty God.

2.     18:2-4 – How is kingdom greatness different from worldly greatness?

3.     Christians are to welcome each other into an atmosphere of love and care – loving one another w/o prejudice or partiality.

C.   18:6-10 – Jesus is deadly serious about not causing his little ones to sin or fall away.

1.     18:8-10 - When we cause another Christian to sin we are playing with hell fire!

D.   18:11-14 – love demands we seek out the lost.

1.     These verses show us the kind of concern for community that God has.

a)     18:12 – love is not passive – but active.

II. 18:15-17 – Jesus’ teaching on church communication.

A.   These verses are about communication in love. Note the family language in 18:15.

B.    18:15 – we are to do the going and it is to be just between the 2 of us. (NIV)

1.     Aim? To win the person over.  There to help – not condemn.

C.    18:16 – not listen?  Then take 1 or 2 others along. 

1.     Goal?  Reconciliation.

D.   18:17a – step 3. This is communication….not excommunication.

E.    18:17b – ultimate step.  Offender had every opportunity to reconcile – but refused.

F.    Communication is a key to unity!

1. Is there someone you need to communicate with for the sake of reconciliation?

G.   18:18-19 – refer to the statement made at the end of 18:17.

1.     Congregational discipline is how God maintains the purity of His church.

H.   18:20 – Context is not referring to # of believers necessary to make-up a church.

1.     2 or 3 refer to the ones in 18:16.

III. 18:21-35 – Jesus teaches about forgiveness.

A.    The teaching of 18:15-17 leads naturally to the question raised by Peter in 18:21.

1.     There is to be no limit to our forgiveness.

B.    We cannot break our society down into simple classes of guilty/innocent.

1.     Can’t break it down into offended and offenders.  Why?

2.     We’re all in debt. We’ve all been bound and need to be loosed.

Conclusion:

A.   You see, when we put these things into practice, unity will be the result! 

B.    Let us all work toward the same goal of heaven & the process of being transformed into God’s kind of person.

C.    Do you need the forgiveness of God?