Restoring Stray Sheep Through Loving Church Discipline

Devotional

Day 1: When One Sheep Strays: The Courage of Private Confrontation

When conflict arises, Jesus calls believers to initiate restoration through personal, private conversations. This requires courage to address sin directly yet compassionately, keeping the circle small to protect dignity. The goal isn’t to shame but to win back a wandering sibling. Like a shepherd searching for one lost sheep, this first step honors both truth and grace. It rejects gossip’s shortcuts, choosing instead the harder path of face-to-face love. [40:08]

"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother."
(Matthew 18:15, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a relationship in your life where avoidance has replaced courageous love? What practical step could you take this week to pursue reconciliation without involving unnecessary third parties?

Day 2: Gentle Hands Setting Broken Bones

Restoration requires spiritual surgeons, not spiritual soldiers. Galatians 6:1’s call to restore “in a spirit of gentleness” mirrors setting a fractured bone – skill and tenderness prevent further damage. This work demands self-awareness of our own fragility, rejecting superiority. Like a doctor sterilizing tools before surgery, we must purify our motives before approaching others. [45:45]

"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."
(Galatians 6:1, ESV)

Reflection: When you’ve needed correction, what attitudes in others made repentance easier or harder? How might this shape your approach to restoring others?

Day 3: When Two or Three Gather: The Weight of Witnesses

Jesus’ second step escalates care, not conflict. Bringing mature believers transforms private concern into communal accountability, preventing isolated opinions from becoming personal crusades. These witnesses act as spiritual mirrors, confirming facts and reflecting Christ’s heart. Their presence shouts, “This matters too much to handle alone,” while still guarding the straying one’s reputation. [56:34]

"A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established."
(Deuteronomy 19:15, ESV)

Reflection: Who are the spiritually mature people in your life you could call to help navigate difficult conversations? What qualities make them trustworthy for this sacred task?

Day 4: The Church as a Pure Bride: Confrontation as Love’s Discipline

Church discipline isn’t punishment but protection – for the individual and Christ’s bride. Just as a spouse expects fidelity, Jesus desires a church untainted by unrepentant sin. This final step, though painful, treats persistent rebellion as spiritual adultery, temporarily removing the unrepentant to awaken their hunger for home. [01:01:14]

"Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."
(Ephesians 5:25-27, ESV)

Reflection: Have you ever viewed church discipline as an act of love? How might embracing this perspective change your response to difficult decisions in your faith community?

Day 5: Discipline’s Bitter Root and Sweet Fruit

Godly correction initially wounds but ultimately heals. Hebrews 12 reframes discipline as proof of divine sonship – the Father’s pruning shears cultivating holiness. What feels like rejection proves to be the severing of chains. The church’s toughest love preserves both the purity of Christ’s body and the straying soul’s eternal hope. [01:08:49]

"For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
(Hebrews 12:11, ESV)

Reflection: When has a season of correction later produced growth in your life? How might this memory help you receive – or administer – truth with greater grace today?

Sermon Summary

Matthew 18 places church discipline under the heart of the Shepherd who goes after the one lost sheep. Jesus does not desire wandering children to perish, but to repent and come home. Christ uses the Word, the Holy Spirit, and the ministry of the church to call back brothers and sisters who have gotten caught up in sin. Church discipline is not a ministry anybody likes to talk about, but it is a ministry Christ gave His bride because He desires a church that is pure, holy, and blameless.

The reality of sin means that even believers can stumble badly. James calls believers not merely to pray from a distance, but to turn back the one who has strayed from the truth. Galatians 6 sets the posture for doing that: spiritual mindedness, gentleness, and humble awareness. Restoration is like setting a broken bone back where it belongs. Spiritual people cannot go looking for revenge, vindication, or a chance to prove somebody wrong. Gentleness cannot mean passivity, but it must refuse sarcasm, brutality, and the biblical stick across the forehead. Humility remembers that, apart from the grace of God, anybody can end up in the middle of a terrible mess.

Matthew 18 gives a clear path. Jesus begins with a personal and private conversation: “If your brother sins, go.” Sin must be called what God calls it, not softened into a “fib,” a mistake, or a preference issue. Private correction guards the person’s dignity and refuses the sin of dressing up gossip as a prayer request. The goal is simple: repentance, forgiveness, and gaining a brother.

Jesus then calls for one or two spiritually minded witnesses if private correction is refused. Those witnesses are not Christian Seal Team Six or a spiritual hit squad. Their presence confirms the facts, shows concern, keeps the circle small, and presses home the seriousness of sin while still seeking restoration.

Matthew 18 finally calls the church to act when persistent, public unrepentance remains. Church membership includes real accountability within the body. Removal from membership is not cruelty, legalism, or an excuse for judgmentalism; it is a sober act of love that recognizes the destructive power of sin, protects the purity of Christ’s bride, and places the unrepentant person under the weight of the Lord’s discipline. Hebrews 12 reminds believers that discipline is sorrowful for the moment, yet it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Christ’s call remains the same for every wandering sheep: come home.

##

Key Takeaways

1. Restoration seeks the wandering sheep [37:12] Jesus places correction beneath the Shepherd’s desire that no little one perish. Church discipline is not about cleaning up appearances or protecting reputations. The aim is to find the sheep that has wandered, call that sheep back from danger, and rejoice when repentance brings restoration. [37:12]
2. Gentleness requires spiritual self-awareness [45:27] Galatians 6 requires those who restore others to look carefully at themselves first. Gentleness grows where believers remember their own weakness and the mercy that has kept them. A person seeking revenge or superiority is not ready to help set a broken bone. [45:27]
3. Private correction protects both truth and dignity [52:40] Matthew 18 begins with one person going directly to another in private. That obedience refuses gossip, prayer-request rumors, and group conversations designed to build a case. Truth must be spoken plainly, but love keeps the circle as small as possible in hope that repentance comes quickly. [52:40]
4. Discipline is not a spiritual hit squad [57:56] Jesus calls for witnesses only after private correction has been refused. Those witnesses must be spiritually minded, gentle, and humble, not friends recruited to pile on. Their role is to confirm the truth, show concern, and help bring a brother or sister back to the Lord. [57:56]
5. God disciplines His children for holiness [01:07:48] Hebrews 12 refuses the idea that loving discipline is pleasant in the moment. God uses discipline for the good of His children, so that they may share His holiness and bear righteousness. The church must therefore treat unrepentant sin seriously while keeping restoration in view.

## [67:48]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:30] - Matthew 18 and the Wandering Sheep
[37:12] - Christ Calls the Wayward to Repent
[39:31] - The Church’s Ministry of Restoration
[41:38] - Christ Desires a Pure Bride
[43:45] - Turning Back Those Who Stray
[44:53] - Galatians 6 and Gentle Restoration
[49:15] - The Personal and Private Step
[56:05] - Bringing One or Two Witnesses
[59:38] - When the Matter Comes Before the Church
[64:45] - Treating Persistent Unrepentance Seriously
[66:35] - Christ’s Authority in Church Discipline
[67:48] - Discipline and the Fruit of Righteousness
[69:42] - A Call for Wandering Sheep to Come Home

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 18:15-20
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence 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, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” [34:21]

Galatians 6:1
“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.” [45:22]

Hebrews 12:7-11
“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” [01:07:48]

Observation questions

In Matthew 18:15–20, what steps does Jesus give when a brother or sister refuses to listen to private correction?
What three qualities does Galatians 6:1 require of those who seek to restore someone caught in sin? [46:28]
According to Matthew 18, what is the hoped-for outcome when a person listens to a private conversation about sin? [50:14]
In Hebrews 12:7–11, what good results can come after discipline, even though it is sorrowful at the time? [01:08:20]

Interpretation questions

Why does Jesus place the instructions of Matthew 18 after His teaching about a shepherd seeking a wandering sheep? How does that context shape the goal of correction? [37:12]
Galatians 6:1 compares restoration to setting a broken bone. What does that picture show about both the seriousness of sin and the care needed in helping a believer repent? [45:39]
Why is it important to distinguish between clear sin and personal preferences before approaching another believer? What harm can come when preferences are treated as sins? [50:32]
Why does Jesus require that the matter remain private at first and expand to others only when repentance is refused? What does this reveal about truth, dignity, and restoration? [52:40]

Application questions

Is there any sin currently affecting your walk with the Lord that you have been minimizing, renaming, or hiding? What would honest repentance and turning back to Christ look like this week? [54:36]
When you see a fellow believer caught in sin, what is your first instinct: prayer only, avoidance, gossip, anger, or loving action? What might need to change in your heart to seek restoration rather than distance? [44:27]
Think about a difficult conversation you may need to have. Have you examined your own heart for revenge, pride, or a desire to prove yourself right before approaching the other person? [46:32]
How can you speak plainly about sin without becoming sarcastic, harsh, or passive? What words or tone would communicate both truth and genuine care? [47:30]
Have you ever shared someone’s struggle as a “prayer request” before speaking directly to that person? What would it look like to protect a brother’s or sister’s dignity and keep the circle small? [52:43]
Church discipline is meant to pursue holiness and restoration, not punishment for its own sake. How does remembering God’s loving discipline help you receive correction humbly when you need it? [01:08:40]

Sermon Clips

46s

#NoGossip

“In either case, whether they've sinned or they've sinned against you, you go to the person in private, just the two of you. You don't bring it to a group of friends and ask for a prayer request. We have another word for that. It's called gossip. It's what it is. You don't do that. I'll tell you what else you don't do. You don't gather a group of people who don't like this person, start having conversations about how to get rid of that person. That's not good either. I would love to tell you I haven't seen that happen, but I have. That's not this process. That's not how Jesus said it's supposed to go, and that is sin, and it's not okay.”

52s

#LovingCorrection

“Parents, if your three year old fits in a walk in the middle of the street in front of a truck, you don't go, well, they won't do that again. So why, if we know that sin is destructive, it hurts our relationship with the Lord, why do we remain silent when we see brothers and sisters sinning? Don't address it. Well, they might get their feelings hurt. What's more important? That they get their feelings hurt or that that they have to deal with the judgment of the Lord? Come on, guys. Let's not miss this. This is actually loving. I know. No. It's very judge... It's not judgmental. If it's... If it was done in a judgmental fashion, then we didn't do the first step right. That's the whole point of going to Galatians six. And they might view it that way. The question is, how does God view it? Right?”

60s

#RepentanceAndRestoration

“We soft pedal what God calls sin, and we're not supposed to do that. We're not supposed to do that. And when we go to that person, we go to them and say, look, brother. I've heard this is going on in your life. I can't imagine what all you're going through, but I know this is hurting your walk with the Lord. Please, please repent. Please turn back to the Lord. And the prayer here is that the other person goes, oh, like David did, oh my goodness, you're right. What do I need to do? Well, you need to repent and turn to the Lord. Turn to the Lord, seek forgiveness there. God's faithful and just to forgive when we repent. That's what we're supposed to do. That's the call, and that's our hope.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Riverbend Baptist This sermon · AI assistant

How should believers restore someone caught in sin?

Why must confrontation begin privately and gently?

What happens when a church refuses repentance?