A copy of God's Word. Turn with me to Galatians. Galatians 6. Galatians 6, verses 1 and 2. Galatians 6, verses 1 and 2. Hear now the Word of the living God. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Let's pray. Almighty God, now we ask that in this brief time you would encourage your people in your word and that you would guide us and by the Spirit give us divine aid in both the preaching of the word and in the hearing of it. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Each week we've been looking at a various doctrine throughout this year as we walk through the Heidelberg Catechism. And Lord's Day Chapter 31 is this week's set of teachings that we find from the Scriptures. And this one might be slightly different to some of us. It begins this way. And if you're new to catechisms, you know there are question and answer ways of teaching doctrines of the faith. There are various ones. This year we're walking through this one. But question 83 says this, what is the office of the keys? Answer, the preaching of the holy gospel and church discipline by which two things, the kingdom of heaven is open to believers and shut against unbelievers. Keep that in mind, the preaching of the gospel and church discipline. Question 84, how is the kingdom of heaven open and shut by the preaching of the holy gospel? Answer, in this way. that according to the command of Christ it is proclaimed and openly witnessed to believers, one and all, that as often as they accept with true faith the promise of the gospel, all their sins are really forgiven them of God for the sake of Christ's merits. And on the contrary to all unbelievers and hypocrites, that the wrath of God and eternal condemnation abide on them, so long as they are not converted. according to which witness of the gospel will be the judgment of God both in this life and in that which is to come." Now that may sound like strange theological language, but it's really John 3.16 and following. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. But have you ever read John 3.17? John 3.17, much less famous. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment. The light is coming to the world and people love the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. So how is it that the kingdom of heaven is opened and shut by the preaching of the gospel? Well, namely, it's open to all who come in faith. The gospel is a message of judgment against those who reject it. But then lastly, question 85, how is the kingdom of heaven shut and opened by church discipline? In this way. that according to the command of Christ, if any under the Christian name show themselves unsound either in doctrine or life, and after repeated brotherly admonition refuse to turn from their error of evil ways, they are complained of to the church or its proper officers, and, if they neglect to hear them also, are by them excluded from the holy sacraments and the Christian communion, and by God Himself from the kingdom of Christ. And if they promise and show real amendment, they are again received as members of Christ and His church. What are the keys of the kingdom according to the catechism, preaching of the gospel, and church discipline? We often talk about the preaching of the gospel and those who accept it and those who reject it. So this evening I want to focus on church discipline, specifically question number 85. And for that, let's look again at our text in Galatians 6. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, any sin, any iniquity, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians, as you know, is a book about grace over law. Our standing before God is based in what Jesus Christ has done, not in our ability to keep the rules. And this passage in Galatians chapter 6 follows Paul's discussion from chapter 5 on the fruit of the Spirit and how the fruit differ from the desires of the flesh. So you can read at some point in your leisure at this week ahead perhaps, for freedom Christ has set you free, Galatians 5.1. And then there's a comparison, if you will, in this book between living according to the flesh, verse 16 and 17, and being led by the Spirit, living according to the fruit of the Spirit. Verse 22 and 23. But Paul then moves into chapter 6, and as he does so, he moves into an implication of being the church and living in the fruit of the Spirit. So let's look at these two verses. Brothers could also be translated brothers and sisters by implication. So family. Those who are in Christ, those who are united to Christ, those who are Christ's family. The focus of what Paul is about to say is based on the brotherhood that is shared in Christ. In fact, the Scriptures go so far in Hebrews chapter 2 to say something which might sound irreverent if you didn't know that it was there. And that is that Christ is our elder brother. The Scriptures themselves call Christ, Hebrews 2.11 and 17 and 18, our elder brother. So Paul is talking about the family of Christ when he says, If anyone is caught in sin, you who are spiritual should restore him or her in a spirit of gentleness, bearing one another's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ. But how is it that we become brothers of Christ? How is it that we become related to Christ? Well, it's by being united to Him by faith. That Jesus' perfect life is the life that is put forward in our stead. And His death is our death. Dying for sins and rising for our justification. This evening, if you're here and the question of whether you're caught in sin is something that's on your mind, you should first go to the gospel. What is this message of the gospel of freedom in Christ? For that's what this book of Galatians is about. And it's about the message of Christ, bearing the burden of your sin and deserved condemnation. So, Paul presents this teaching with a view that the church is a family in Christ. That's important. The church is a family in Christ. And so what is this family to do? Well, verse 1, "...if anyone is caught in any transgression." The implication, friend, is that even though Galatians 5 says we are to walk in the fruit of the Spirit, and we're not to walk according to the desires of the flesh, that there will be sin in the life of the Christian. Christians are not sinless yet. They are not perfect. But Paul goes further when he says, if anyone is caught in any transgression, the word here for caught implies that they are either currently dealing with sin, they have been overtaken by sin, or they are in it and have not taken it to Christ yet. We're not speaking of someone who sinned last year, repented of it, and has forsaken it. We're talking about a present case. If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. However, even though we still battle with sin, the Christian is not to overlook it in their own life or in the lives of others. Our redemption from sin costs the Son of God His life. Sin, therefore, is not a simple matter. Paul instructs the church that we are to do something with sin. What are we to do with sin? Well, he tells us, you who are spiritual should restore that one in a spirit of gentleness. Let's look at this, because this according to the catechism is One of the keys. Preaching of the gospel, by which folks enter the kingdom, but by which they also join the church. And yet there's church discipline. So how do we think about this idea of restoring the sinner? Let's pick this apart. It says, you who are spiritual. You don't see this in the English text because of the way that we use English today, but you is plural. Could be singular, but it's plural. This instruction is not for one person, but for the church. And then it says, you who are spiritual. Now, if we were to read Galatians chapter six, verse one and two, and they were to stand alone, we might be thinking, well, how do we know who is spiritual? But context is always key. Paul has just finished giving us a definition of living according to the Spirit, called the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. And so, we're not meant to simply guess. What does Paul mean when he says, you who are spiritual? Is that me? Is that you? Those who are living in the way that Paul just described. It is those of you who should go and seek to restore this brother or this sister. And notice in verse 22 that the fruit of the Spirit is singular. It's not like spiritual gifts where one is gifted in one way and one is gifted in another. The fruit of the Spirit is, and then you get this list. The Holy Spirit is working these things in the life of the true believer. Spiritual people should be growing, even if slowly growing, in these things. So you who are spiritual should restore Him. That word or phrase there, restore Him, is interesting. Notice two things. Number one, it's a command. When you think about belonging to a local church, when you think about being a part of the body of Christ, do you consider the fact that part of your own role as a member of the household of God is going to be the restoration of sinners? It's a command. It's not a suggestion. It's not an ideal. It's a command that we as the body of Christ should be restoring those caught in transgressions in a spirit of gentleness. But secondly, this word in the original language was often used as a term, a medical term, to refer to the setting of bones that were fractured. You see, friends, God takes sin seriously. He sent His Son to die so that we might be redeemed. However, sometimes in the Christian life, some will continue to stumble with sin, the same sin. We all wrestle with sin, but some will stumble with it. And the church's responsibility is to seek to restore them, to set the brokenness, if you will, so that it will heal. Ever been near someone who had a fractured bone or a broken bone while it was being set? It's painful. It's not fun. But for that arm, that finger, that leg to be fully functional again, it must be done. And so Paul is speaking here to the restoration of the erring brother or sister. But lest we think that when Paul says, those of you that are spiritual, he means to imply that we are the ones who have it all together. He gives some other instruction in the text, doesn't he? Look what he says. He says, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. There's two qualifiers here. Firstly, a spirit of gentleness. And gentleness is actually one of the fruit of the spirit that was mentioned just verses before. When Paul envisions the restoration of a believer who is in unrepentant sin, or who is struggling in sin, the first thing that he argues for is that we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Gentleness. That should be our approach, not haughty pride. Keep in mind what Paul would say in 2 Timothy. 2 Timothy chapter 2. Verses 24-26, And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will. So there is an overflowing discussion of gentleness, not only as a fruit of the Spirit, which should mark every believer in growing fashion, but when we seek to restore the erring sinner, the erring Christian, gentleness should mark our approach. But secondly, notice, we're called to keep watch on ourselves. Now many of you know that the New Testament was originally written in another language other than English. Paul did not write or speak English. And so when we translate scriptures, we have to wrestle with the best way to put this together. Some of you have translations where it says, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness, period, new sentence, keep watch on yourself. It's a good translation. ESV renders it that way. Others of you might have a translation like the New American Standard Bible or the New King James Bible, which doesn't put a period there, but treats it as a twofold clause, meaning you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness, keeping watch on yourselves. So it kind of describes this gentleness. Either one is wrong. It's just, how do we say in a new language what Paul has written? We should be gentle and we should be keeping watch. And he tells us why. Lest you too be tempted. None of us is beyond any sin. You see, there is in a sense the reality that when we seek to restore a brother or sister, While we don't want to dwell on their sin, it might not be a bad idea to keep in mind that any of us, given the right circumstances and our own sinfulness, could fall prey to the same sin. Lest you too be tempted. Part of the instruction is being aware that you are temptable in the same ways. You are not spiritual in the sense that you would never fall in that way. You are not spiritual in the sense that you are much higher above that brother or that sister, and it would never happen to you, you see. Gentleness, keeping watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. And here, the you is singular. All of you participate in the restoring of brothers and sisters. Each one of you keep watch on yourself, lest you, singular, be tempted. But then it says, verse 2, bear one another's burdens. This could be restoration from sin or any burden really. That Greek word literally means to take up and hold in the hands. So Paul is concerned that we consider it part of our journey within the body of Christ to bear the burdens of others, and part of that burden is the restoration of those who have been caught in a transgression. We need to be involved in the burden of restoring sinful people. In James chapter 5, Verse 19, James writes, My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. OK, so how long then do you work with a person in restoration? The scriptures seem to say in gentleness, you're pursuing this burden of restoring the Christian. The catechism even writes it in a very pastoral way, doesn't it? After repeated brotherly admonition, this person refuses to return from their errors. But if they promise and show real amendment or change, they are again received. How long do you do this? Well, restoration is a long process. And if done with gentleness, with the gospel of grace in view, and yet the reality of truth, the gentleness is not shaving off the truth. It's truth, but it's given in a gentle way. It can bring glory to the kingdom of God. But part of this process, as we see in other parts of the Scripture, which is the most difficult for us, is that sometimes restoration means separating a person from the body in the hopes that God will use that to restore the individual. 1 Timothy 1, 19 and 20, or 1 Corinthians 5, you remember these situations. Turn with me just to one example. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. 1 Corinthians chapter 5. Paul says some very startling and bold things regarding this sinner. In Corinth, we looked at this text months back. But he says the whole thing is about one particular goal. Look at 1 Corinthians 5.5. You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. If you do not attempt to restore a person who is in unrepentant sin, then the person remains in open rebellion against God, which is not good for them. It's not good for the church. And for the church to have unrepentant sinners. That's a church that really ultimately will deny or at least chip away at the seriousness of the gospel. Many will say, well, that sounds like you're judging. Doesn't the Scripture say don't judge or judge not lest you be judged? Friend, we do not judge others as individuals for failure in sin. But God is clear that the church body, the ecclesia, the assembly of Christ is to work for restoration. And part of that includes the potential putting of a person out of the fellowship so that they may return. and restoration. And these aren't my words. Paul boldly declares these things in a variety of places. So what does that look like? The Catechism gives a helpful summary. But we're talking about an unrepentant sinner. We don't discipline all sinners because we would all be disciplined. We're talking about the unrepentant sinner. The person who will not repent from their sin. We've already seen what Paul's goal is. It's the goal of restoration. And how do we do it? Well, a loving, gentle demeanor, but yet a demeanor which is unwilling to let a person continue in sin. Biblical restoration and discipline is a characteristic of a true church. In fact, many of the reformers would say that for a church to be biblical, it had to have biblical church discipline. So maybe you're just passing through. I don't see any faces that I don't really recognize, but if you're looking for a church and you're interviewing the elders about the church, the pastor, the leadership, one of the questions you should ask, or at least be aware of, is do you guys practice church discipline? One, because it's biblical, and two, because you need to be in a place that will shepherd your soul in the gospel, even if it means having hard conversations. The gospel means God's love is serious, but sin is serious. And part of the beauty of the gospel is that it is a gospel message which declares that Christ does not let His people go. He does not abandon them to sin, and one of the means that He uses to keep them in His grace is a church which pursues them when they are erring or living in open sin. So if a person is living in constant sin, there's a sense in which they are denying or diminishing the gospel. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're not a true believer. But in that moment, they're not in a healthy place, and the gospel identity which marks them is being eclipsed by a lack of repentance. And so for the sake of the name of Jesus Christ and the good of that person, it must be brought to restoration. And this is what the catechism is getting at. Unbelievers hear the gospel and they enter into Christ's kingdom. And that message is a message of life, or it's a message of judgment. And church discipline is also one of those means. It is a means whereby Christ either removes people from his fellowship that are not really in the faith, or he restores them. Now, we could stop right here and ask for testimonies or stories of all the churches that have done church discipline incorrectly. I'm sure we would all hear at least one story that we could relate to. We could also stop right here and ask the question, how many of you have heard of churches that don't even do church discipline? And we could find a whole litany of examples. But what we're doing tonight is asking the question, what does Paul mean? What is the doctrine of church discipline teaching? It is, in essence, even marred by sinful believers who don't always get it right, that Christ does not abandon His sheep even to their sin. But He provides them with a family who, if acting in accordance with His Word, gently seeks to restore them for their good and His glory. You see, Christ did not spread His arms wide to save you from sin and then allow you to perish by ongoing sin. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. I like the Catechism's wording at the very end. And if they, that is that person who is caught in sin, show real amendment, they are again received as members of Christ and His church. Yes, there is the necessity to see that the Spirit has worked in their heart through change. But I think the Catechism, and more importantly the Word of God, gets it right. The restoration of the sinner is not a process whereby once we restore someone, they're now on their own. Rather, we're seeking to bring them back to the same gospel identity which saved them in the first place. Restoration is just that, isn't it? It's reminding them that your identity is in Christ. You're living in a way that is inconsistent with your identity in Christ. Christ has died in your stead. Christ has lived in your stead. Come back to who you really are. So, even a difficult topic like this, let us take it in and see the beauty of what Christ has done. Even in hard conversations, He doesn't leave us without the family of Christ who will not let us stray. Let's pray. Almighty God, You bring people into Your kingdom through the gospel of Your Son. and in healthy biblical churches, even ones struggling to get this doctrine right. You seek to help the sheep who are straying by giving them brothers and sisters, elders and pastors, who seek to lovingly and gently bring them back, restore them. You give us the church who when acting in accordance with Your Word and as an instrument of Your Spirit is used in our life to keep us constantly focused on Christ. Lord, help us to see the importance of this reality. That the church that we are a part of is a family which sometimes must have difficult conversations and say things to us that we don't like to hear in the moment. Because the goodness of the Gospel and the call to holiness based upon the Gospel is too great for us to forget. So Lord, fashion among this church, fashion among this people an increasing desire to see professing believers who are straying restored. May we rejoice over one sinner who repents and turns again to the Father, who waits and receives with open arms. May we not be the elder brother, and may we also not be lazy about this call, but make of us a spiritual people who seek for the good of our brothers and sisters, to bring about the work of restoration. We thank you, Lord Christ, for your great gospel and the fact that you are the true friend of sinners. In Jesus' name, Amen.