ConfessionOffice of the Keys

The Giving and Receiving of Forgiveness…

Chain the Catechism: A topical study through the Lutheran confessions

Memorization Verses: The Christian congregation must carry out church discipline in love and patience. "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the

testimony of two or three witnesses. 'If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector " (Mt. 18:15-17).

LSB 606 lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh-652.mid

1 I lay my sins on Jesus,The spotless Lamb of God;He bears them all and frees usFrom the accursed load.I bring my guilt to JesusTo wash my crimson stainsWhite in His blood most preciousTill 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,He all my sorrows shares.

3 I rest my soul on Jesus,This weary soul of mine;His right hand me embraces,I on His breast recline.I love the name of Jesus,Immanuel, Christ, the Lord;Like fragrance on the breezesHis name abroad is poured.

Sing it!

ExcommunicadoDiscipline: training, regimen, punishment, rigor, behavior. Did it work for you???

PRAYER

• Discipline• Action• Authority • Purpose• DutyP raiseR epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

Pray: Psalm 1: 1 Blessed is the one    who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take    or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,    and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,    which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—    whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked!    They are like chaff    that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the 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.

DiscussionExcommunication: 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.]

DiscussionOh, 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

Confession

Say Mean Matter

Key phrases Own words Answer the questions/Personal application

•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?

•______________________________

SS Discipline M Action T Authority W Purpose Th Duty

A Public MinistryThe 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.

Who’s in Charge? 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.

Qualifications?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 office2. Must be without reproach3. A husband of one wife4. Self-controlled5. Sober-minded6. Orderly7. Hospitable8. Able to teach9. Not a drunkard10. Not violent but gentle

11. Not quarrelsome12. Not a lover of money13. Must manage his own household

well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive

14. Must not be a recent convert15. Moreover, must be well thought

of by outsiders

Pastor as Distinct Vocation 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.”

Ugly Business:

ExcommunicationWhat does it mean to “Shepherd”?

Protect against enemiesDefend against error and deceitDiscipline 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

congregationDirectly harms othersIs an openly defiant sin

Ugly Business:

Excommunication But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach

any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8

For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 1 Cor. 5: 1-5

a)na/qema: A vow to God without hope of redemption

Kriðnw: To pronounce and separate between actions

onomati tou kuriou Ihsou: Christ’s character and persona. Spoken in his stead using His insignia appropriately

dunamei tou kuriouhmwn Ihsou: Christ’s axiomatic authority and power.

toiouton tw Satana eiv oleqron: Allow the accuser and adversary destroy the man physically

Confessions 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.

Gymnasium

or Hospital?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

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

Gal. 6:1-2 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may 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. • Pray: Send forth into the highways, and

gather together good and bad. Bring the weak, the blind, and the lame into Your church. Command that Your house be filled. Bring in all for Your supper, for You will make each person worthy whom You shall call, if he follows You. A person is indeed rejected who does not have the wedding garment, that is, the vestment of love, the veil of grace. What fellowship can people have with You, who will not receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven, saying that they ought not to forgive sins? Amen. (Ambrose of Milan, c. 339-97).

SS: Discipline

The Christian congregation must exclude openly unrepentant sinners (excommunication).

1 Cor. 5:13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."

• Pray: Lord Jesus Christ, You have

appointed each Christian congregation to sit in judgment upon its members. But in such judgment the congregation is not to 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 decide matters.

Above all grant that we all may cheerfully agree to be dealt with according to Your Word whenever we have sinned, yea, that we judge ourselves in order that we may not be judged on Judgment Day, but hear the blessed verdict: “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Hear us for the sake of Your mercy. Amen. (C.F. W. Walther, 1811-1887).

M: Action

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.

Matt. 18:18 1 tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven.

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 beloved

Christendom unto eternal life. Grant me Your grace, I pray, that in this office I may always seek forgiveness of sins and the strengthening of my faith. And guard me, lest I belong to those whose sins must be retained through fault of their own. Amen. (C.M. Zorn, 1846-1928).

T: Authority

Excommunication is not intended to punish the sinner, but to

A. lead him or her to repentance and faith;

Matt. 12:20 A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.

Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.

B. prevent him or her from leading others into sin.

Matt. 18:6 If anyone causes one of these 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?

•Pray: Lord Jesus, from Your Word I know that You have made me, too, Your disciple and a member of Your Church, to whom You have committed the powers and duties comprised in the Office of the Keys. I beg You to grant me Your Holy Spirit that I may prove myself worthy of such honor, and faithfully fulfill such obligation on my humble part, that Your holy name may be praised on earth unto the salvation of many. Amen. (Zorn).

W: Purpose

The congregation must forgive any excommunicated person who repents and receive him or her back into full fellowship.

2 Cor. 2:7-8 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

• Pray: Show your wound to the Physician

that He may heal it. Even though you don’t show it, He knows about it, but waits 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

that You say to me, “His sins which are many are forgiven, because he loved much”? I confess that I owe more, and that more has been forgiven me. Grant that You would come to this grave of mine, O Lord, that You would wash me with Your tears, since in my hardened eyes I do not possess tears that are able to wash away my offenses. If You will weep for me, I shall be saved. Call forth Your servant. Amen. (Ambrose of Milan, c. 339-97).

Th Duty

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.

ConclusionThe Christian congregation must carry out church discipline in love and patience. "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. The Christian congregation must exclude openly unrepentant sinners (excommunication).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 person from the rights and privileges of a

Christian.Excommunication is not intended to punish the sinner, but to A. lead him or her to repentance and faith;B. prevent him or her from leading others

into sin.C. The congregation must forgive any

excommunicated person who repents and receive him or her back into full fellowship.

Nature of Communion

Next Time…(3/9)