Church Discipline (Part 09) - Sins that Merit Church Discipline - Rom 1:30-32; 1Ti 6:3-5

Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Church Discipline (Part 9). For a master copy of the outline and the other sermons in the series, click here: Church Discipline. To listen to or watch the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 8. To listen to or watch the next sermon in the series, click here: Part 10. xviii. Inventors of evil things - (Rom 1:30) a. Inventor n. - One who invents. 1. One who finds out, a discoverer (whether by chance, or by investigation and effort). Obs. 2. One who devises or contrives; a contriver, designer; now, usually, One who devises something fictitious or false, a fabricator. Formerly, also, a founder, institutor (obs.). 3. One who devises or produces something new (as an instrument, an art, etc.) by original contrivance; the originator of a previously unknown method or means of doing something; ‘the first finder-out’. (The prevailing sense.) b. Idolatry and false religion are evil inventions for which God judges His people (Psa 99:8; Psa 106:29,39; Ecc 7:29). c. Other examples of evil inventions include: (i) Devices that are made with the intent to harm someone such as devices used to torture or murder. (ii) Pornography. (iii) Books with evil content. (iv) Laws that punish righteousness or pardon wickedness. (v) Websites that are made for the purpose of enabling sin such as adultery. d. Those who are commonly known to have invented evil things will be put out of the church. xix. Disobedient to parents - (Rom 1:30) a. Disobedient adj. - A. adj. Withholding obedience; refusing or failing to obey; neglectful or not observant of authoritative command; guilty of breach of prescribed duty; refractory, rebellious. b. Children are to obey their parents (Eph 6:1-3; Col 3:20). c. Rebellious children were put to death under the law of Moses (Deu 21:18-21). d. Children that are church members living with their parents who are commonly known to be disobedient and rebellious toward their parents will be put out of the church. xx. Without understanding - (Rom 1:31) a. Understanding n. - 1. a. (Without article.) Power or ability to understand; intellect, intelligence. b. of understanding, intelligent, capable of judging with knowledge. Similarly of some, of no, understanding. c. With the: The faculty of comprehending and reasoning; the intellect. b. Understand v. - 1. To comprehend; to apprehend the meaning or import of; to grasp the idea of. c. Unregenerate men are without understanding (Rom 3:11). d. Foolish men are without understanding (Jer 5:21). e. Some things in the scriptures are hard to be understood (2Pe 3:16). (i) Sometimes disciples of Christ don't understand everything (Mat 15:15-16). (ii) Being without understanding of a difficult portion of scripture is therefore not an excludable offence. f. If it is commonly known that a man has no understanding of spiritual things, he will be put out of the church. xxi. Covenantbreaker - (Rom 1:31) a. Covenant n. - 1. A mutual agreement between two or more persons to do or refrain from doing certain acts; a compact, contract, bargain; sometimes, the undertaking, pledge, or promise of one of the parties. b. Adultery is covenant-breaking (Job 31:1; Mal 2:14). c. Divorce is not covenant-breaking as long as the man who files for divorce remains sexually faithful to his wife whom he has separated from. d. If a man breaks a covenant, contract, or a promise made to another person, he is guilty of covenant-breaking; and if it is commonly known, he will be put out of the church. xxii. Without Natural Affection - (Rom 1:31) a. Affection n. - II. Of the mind. 2. a. An affecting or moving of the mind in any way; a mental state brought about by any influence; an emotion or feeling. b. Natural adj. - II. 8. a. Implanted, existing, or present, by nature; inherent in the very constitution of a person or thing; innate; not acquired or assumed. c. Natural affection is a state of mind that all men have by nature, whether they are regenerate or not. Examples would be: (i) Caring for one's children (Mat 7:9-11 c/w Lam 4:10). (ii) Having compassion on others (Mat 12:1-7; Mat 15:32; Luk 10:33-34). (iii) Attraction to the opposite sex (Rom 1:26-27). d. Our affection should be for (i) the house of God (1Ch 29:3). (ii) the people of God (2Co 7:15). (iii) heavenly things (Col 3:2). e. Those that have not feelings of compassion toward their children and their fellowman or who have an attraction to the opposite sex are without natural affection. f. Those who are commonly known to be without natural affection will be put out of the church. xxiii. Implacable adj. (Rom 1:31) - 1. That cannot be appeased; irreconcileable; inexorable: of persons, feelings, etc. a. Inexorable adj. - Incapable of being persuaded or moved by entreaty; that cannot be prevailed upon to yield to request, esp. in the way of mercy or indulgence; not to be moved from one's purpose or determination; relentless, rigidly severe. a. Of persons, their actions or attributes. b. Men who obstinately remain disagreeable after being reasoned with by sound and persuasive arguments are implacable. c. Those who can never be appeased, no matter how many concessions are granted to them are implacable. d. Those who are commonly known to be implacable will be put out of the church. xxiv. Unmerciful adj. (Rom 1:31) - Merciless. 1. Of persons: Having or exhibiting no mercy. a. Mercy n. - 1. a. Forbearance and compassion shown by one person to another who is in his power and who has no claim to receive kindness; kind and compassionate treatment in a case where severity is merited or expected. b. Christians must be merciful if they want God to be merciful to them (Mat 5:7; Jam 2:13; 2Sa 22:26-27). c. We must forgive others when they have offended us, else God will not forgive us temporally (Col 3:13; Mat 18:32-35). d. Those who are commonly known to be unmerciful will be put out of the church. xxv. Those that have pleasure in sinners (Rom 1:32) a. Pleasure n. - 1. a. The condition of consciousness or sensation induced by the enjoyment or anticipation of what is felt or viewed as good or desirable; enjoyment, delight, gratification. The opposite of pain. b. Not only are those that commit the above sins worthy of death to church fellowship, but so are those that have pleasure in such sinners. c. Therefore those who are commonly known to support or get enjoyment out of sodomites, fornicators, haters of God, etc. will be put out of the church. F. 1Ti 6:3-5 i. The sinners in 1Ti 6:3-5 are to be withdrawn from (1Ti 6:5). ii. Proud adj. (1Ti 6:4) - (see Rom 1:29-32 - Section VII,1,E) iii. Envy n. (1Ti 6:4) - (see Gal 5:19-21 - Section VII,1,C) iv. Strife n. (1Ti 6:4) - (see Gal 5:19-21 - Section VII,1,C) v. Railing n. (1Ti 6:4) - (see 1Co 5:11 - Section VII,1,A) vi. Evil surmising (1Ti 6:4) a. Surmising n. - The action of the verb surmise; the framing of conjectures; suspicion, esp. of evil. b. Surmise v. - 3. To suppose, imagine (that a thing is so); to expect. 4. To suspect. 5. To form a notion that the thing in question may be so, on slight grounds or without proof; to infer conjecturally. c. Conjecture n. - 4. The formation or offering of an opinion on grounds insufficient to furnish proof; the action or habit of guessing or surmising; conclusion as to what is likely or probable. In textual criticism, the proposal of a reading not actually found in the traditional text. † Formerly sometimes in a bad sense: Suspicion, evil surmise. d. Evil surmising is assuming or suspecting something evil about someone without proof. e. Charity "thinketh no evil" (1Co 13:5). f. God hates imagining evil against one's neighbor (Zec 8:17). g. A negative opinion should not be shared about someone else without concrete proof. h. Even with concrete proof, a negative opinion or statement about another person should not be shared with others. (i) To do so is backbiting and whispering (see Rom 1:29-32 - Section VII,1,E). (ii) The person should be addressed personally and privately with the intention of correcting him (Pro 25:9; Jam 5:19-20). (iii) If the person will not receive the correction, then it can be brought before other witnesses and finally before the church, if necessary (Mat 18:15-17). i. Church members must not tolerate a brother sharing his suspicions about another brother with them. j. The brother who is evil surmising should be met with an angry look and a rebuke (Pro 25:23). k. Those who are commonly known to be evil surmising will be put out of the church. vii. Perverse disputings (1Ti 6:5) a. Dispute v. - 1. To contend with opposing arguments or assertions; to debate or discourse argumentatively; to discuss, argue, hold disputation; often, to debate in a vehement manner or with altercation about something. b. See variance and strife (Gal 5:19-21 - Section VII,1,C) and debate (Rom 1:29-32 - Section VII,1,C). viii. Supposing that gain is godliness - (1Ti 6:5) a. Gain doesn't equate to godliness, for many rich men are ungodly (Jam 5:1-5). b. The poor can be godly (Jam 2:5). c. Those that are commonly known to promote the idea that gain is godliness will be put out of the church.