Matthew chapter sixteen. And we'll begin our reading at verse thirteen. Matthew sixteen, verse thirteen. When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist. Some Elijah. Now there's Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon, Barjona, for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, that upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell or Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And then in the eighteenth chapter of this same gospel, and we will read beginning at verse fifteen. Matthew eighteen and verse fifteen. Moreover, if thy brother shall trustless against thee, go and tell his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church. But if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a public verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loose in heaven again I say unto you that two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my father which is in heaven for where two or three are gathered together in my name There am I in the midst of them. Then came Peter to him and said, Lord, how long shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times? Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee until seventy times, until seven times, but until seventy times. Seven. Way back in the Old Testament, you remember we read... of the plan to build a temple for God. And Israel was very slow about getting started with the work. And you remember God said, Why hast thou despise the day of small things? Build a house, and I will be glorified in it. They were of the judgment that because they could not build a temple as it once was in the glory that was known in Solomon's temple that it was not worthwhile doing. But God said, Why hast thou despise the day of small things, build a house, and I will be glorified in it? We have read this evening the only dimension specifically of the church and the gospel. Well, I know there are references to church truth particularly. in John's Gospel, which really is the Christian Gospel, addressed particularly, I'm sure, with the church in view, and the Lord's teaching in John thirteen through seventeen certainly have a tremendous bearing upon our lives as far as the church is concerned. But the only two mentions of the church specifically are found in these two passages that we have read together this evening. And in these instances in which our Lord Jesus addresses the church, he gives them an authority, and he gives them an authority in connection with two things, and he suggests that in connection with building the church, and this is the work to which we have been called, it is true, the Word of God says, the Lord Jesus said, I will build my church. But it is equally true that this is the work to which every child of God has been called. We've called to be builders. To build up ourselves, as it says in Ephesians of Jude on our most holy faith. We're called to be builders. Except the Lord, it says in Psalm number twenty-seven verse one, except the Lord build out. Yes, he's the builder. It says they labor in favor that build it. So we are builders and we build in fellowship with him. We are workers together. with God. We're told, you remember in First Corinthians in verse fifty eight, my beloved brethren, Paul says, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. What is the work of the Lord? Here it is. I will build my church. And it says, we're always abounding in the work of the Lord because we know that our labor is not in vain in the Lord. Essentially, what our Lord is telling us in these two passages is this. that there are only two things that you need to know to build a church for God. You have to know how to add, and you have to know how to subtract. Because in the first instance that we have referred to in Matthew chapter sixteen, he says, I will build my church. Ye also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ. And so one stone after another is being added to the great foundation. We're in the building business. And in connection with the building business, the Lord says this, to his disciples, whatsoever ye shall bind. He gives authority to the church in connection with the building. He says, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. He gives a tremendous responsibility to the church. And then he takes up this subject of subtraction. We're going to think about these a little bit tonight. He takes a case of, here is, you have some fall between you and another brother. And he says, you go to him and you tell him his fall between thee and him alone. And it says, if he doesn't hear thee, you take two or three more. So that's the principle in Scripture that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, shall every word be established. That's why it says we're two or three. You're gathered together. That's the number of witnesses. We're two or three. Or a testimony. We're two or three are gathered together in my name. There's a Savior here in Matthew eight. There are mine in the midst. Let's take two or three more. If they won't listen to them, then tell us to the church. And if they refuse the authority of the church, let them be unto thee as a heathen man in the public. Now, I'm not suggesting that once you've been added to the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you can be lost from that church because the church is his body. We're members of his body that flesh and bone. But as far as a public testimony is concerned, there is such a thing when the thing is of such a serious nature that the Word of God indicates it. There is such a thing as actually communication from the public body of the church. And in connection with both the adding and the subtracting, the Lord Jesus uses a similar phrase. He says, whatsoever ye shall bond in earth, shall be bound in heaven. Whatever ye shall loose on earth shall be loose in heaven. Now the Lord Jesus tells us, first of all, in connection with the adding, in Matthew chapter sixteen, he says he's the one that does the adding. We can't add anybody here. He says that I will build. I will build my church. yesterday at that meeting that we had down the retreat in Des Moines, someone had inadvertently said, my assembly, and then he corrected himself. He says, I mean our assembly. Well, they're both wrong, in a certain sense, because it is his assembly. He hasn't transferred a title to it to anyone. It says in Acts chapter twenty and verse twenty eight, the church which he purchased for his own work. The church is one foundation in Jesus Christ, the Lord. She is a new creation by water. The word. So in heaven he came and sought her to be his holy birth. But his own blood he bought. For her life is high. He says, I will build my church. And he's built it. One stone upon another. He also has living stones that are being built up. a spiritual house. At the conclusion of John chapter six, you read something like this. Many of the disciples were forsaking the Lord, many of his followers. And then he turns to the twelve. And he says, Would ye also go away? And then Peter answered, and Peter was always ready with an answer. See, he says, Lord, To whom shall we? He says, Thou hast the word of eternal life. We believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. You know, in Matthew chapter sixteen, the Lord says, Thou art Peter, and the word there in the Greek is Petros, which means a pebble, a small stone. And upon this rock, the word there is Petro, which means a foundation stone, a massive rock. And if you go today... to Israel where the Lord Jesus spoke these words, Caesarea Philippi, it's called Banyos today. And you can see just standing there by the that little stream that goes down to form the part of one of the things that forms the Jordan River, there are three tributaries that form it. Right there standing at Caesarea Philippi, you can see this massive bed of rock. And I can imagine in my mind the Lord Jesus standing there and he sees the rock and he illustrates. He says, upon this rock, I will build my church. What is the rock? Well, some say Peter's the rock. But you know, Peter, I'm sure, when he penned his epistle, he had that incident in John chapter six in mind. Lord, to whom shall we go? Then he answers his own question in his epistle. He says, to whom coming as unto a stone disallowed indeed a man, but chosen of God and precious. ye also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house acceptable to God. My Jesus Christ. We sing often that lovely hymn on Christ, salvation rests secure. The rock of ages must endure, nor can that faith be overthrown which rests upon God's living stone. In him, It is ordained to raise a temple to Jehovah's praise composed of all those saints who all know Savior but the living stone. View the vast building, see it rise. The work out there, the plan out wide. The whole wondrous power of fabric, power unknown that rests upon God's living self. Upon this rock I will build my church. In First Corinthians three and verse eleven the Lord, the Apostle says, other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. The old Irishman said when somebody, he'd been preaching about Christ the rock and salvation and somebody said, well what about the sham rock? He said, well Christ is the rock and all other rocks are sham rocks. How true that is. There's only one foundation for faith and that's the Lord Jesus Christ himself. When you turn to the Old Testament, the Book of Isaiah, chapter twenty-eight, in verse sixteen, you read these words. Thus set the Lord. Thus set the Lord. The old I lay in Christ for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, and he that believeth shall not make haste. God's foundation is, first of all, it says, a tried stone, a tested stone. The scripture says, he, the foundation stone of faith was tested in all points as we are, sin apart. He did no sin. That's Peter's testimony. He did no sin. Neither was God found in his mouth. Who bore our sins, he says, in his own body and the tree? God says, He was manifested to take away our sin, and in Him there is no sin. He did no sin. In Him there was no sin. Paul said at the conclusion of Second Corinthians chapter five, He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God. The very man before whom he stood three times over. Shortly before he was crucified, said, I find no fault in this man, and yet he sentenced him to be crucified. The one who betrayed him and sold him for thirty pieces of silver. If he could have just found one flimsy bit of evidence to cling to to justify his action, he would have taken advantage of it. For all that he could say as he threw that dirty bit of money, thirty pieces of silver down in the temple, I had sick. Not he had sick, but I had sick, and that I had betrayed the innocent blood. Yes, God makes even the wrath of man. So praise him. His enemies and his apostles alike attest to the sinless character of the Son of God. Harmless, holy, undefiled, separate from sinners, and now made higher than in heaven. And as he looked at those of his day who knew him, who saw him, he could say, which of you convinced me of sin? The one who never had to confess a sin. never had to apologize for anything that he had done wrong because he did know wrong this is the one who was to try at all points as we are set apart so first of all he was a tested stone and then it says he was a precious cornerstone he was tested in his life it says he was without spot the lamb without spot and without blemish there was nothing in him and there was nothing on him. But then it says he was a precious cornstone, and that speaks of him in connection with his death. The foundation rests in the accomplished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. And when Peter refers to the one who has wrought our salvation, made it possible, he says in First Peter chapter one that we are not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, who are the precious one of Christ. Paul says We have been reconciled to God, not by the life he lived. All that the life that he lived could do was to condemn us. All that sin had come short of the glory of God. What's the glory of God? The glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. If your life is just as good as the Lord Jesus Christ's life was, then you don't need him as a Savior. But God measures everything by his Son. He says all that sin had come short of the glory of God. The glory of God is excellent, is displayed in Jesus Christ because He said, He that has seen me have seen the Father. Do you want to know what God is like? Look at His Son. And anything short of that is short of the glory of God. It's not a question whether you've kept the law, did the best you can, or anything. Is your life as good as Christ? And if it isn't, then all that the life of Christ can do is be condemned. But if that's not something else, it doesn't make any difference. How guilty. A sinner, you may be. Blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, friends of us, from all sin. It's not the life he lived that saved me, saved me. The death he died. Precious, precious blood of Jesus. That's the precious cornerstone of faith. Shed in Calvary. Shed for rebels. Shed for sinners. And shed for me. And then it says, he's not only a precious cornerstone, it says he's a sure foundation. What is it that secured our salvation? Well, he died to make our salvation possible. That's the basis. But he lives to make it actual. The Apostle says in Romans chapter five, we've been reconciled to God by the death of his son. Much more, he says. Being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Not the life he lived here on earth. the life that he now lives in heaven. Who is he that condemns Paul after the conclusion of Romans eight? Who is he that condemns it? It is Christ that dined, yea, rather than his grist again, will also make it intercession for us. What's the sure foundation? Second Timothy two nineteen says the foundation of God stand is sure. What is it? The Lord knows that there is. Do you love me, Peter? Yes, Lord. You know I love you. He didn't say, well, Lord, you could tell, by the way, I've been behaving. Everybody could tell. After all, I denied you with oath and curses, and that's a certain proof that I'm yours. He didn't say any of that enough. He says, Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. What made Peter's salvation secure? Ah, said the Savior, Satan has desired to have thee. He might sift thee as we. But I have prayed. He didn't say I will pray. He didn't say I do pray. He says I have prayed for thee that thy faith bellowed now. Scripture says that he, the Lord Jesus, is able to save to the very end all that come unto God by him. Seeing the other living. To make intercession for us. The security of our salvation is not dependent on the perseverance of the saints. But it's dependent on the perseverance of the saints. He'll not let my soul be lost. If you trust him as your Savior, your salvation is secure because he says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them. The foundation of God stands for having this healed the Lord, knoweth them that it is. I know them. I give unto them, eternal life. and they shall never perish. You know, there have been many people someday are going to stand in the presence of the Lord. They've stood behind pulpits like this. They've had their big healing campaigns and all the rest of it. And they're going to say something like this. The Lord tells us, it concludes the discernment of the mouth. Many, he said, not just a few, but many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, in thy name we have prophesied. We have cast out demons. We have done many wonderful works. And then, so I profess unto them, I never. He didn't say I knew you at one time, and now no longer know you. He says, I never knew you. Oh, how terrible to hear those words from the lips of the Savior. Now he can't say that of any to his own. He says, I know that. And I give them to them, eternal life, and they shall never perish. You know, the reason that the Lord Jesus builds this church is because it says he loved the church. That's what makes him a builder. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. He loved the church. I marvel whenever I read that statement. When I think what a conglomerate mess he started out with and what he's going to end up with, what a marvelous thing that is. I remember years ago hearing Amos and Andy on one of their programs and they told a little one of those kingfish was telling something like this, he said, you know, I went down to buy a dress for Sapphire. And I went into this store and they said to me, well, Sapphire, I said, what kind of, your quirk was, he was trying to make known of the quirk, the size, dress, and so forth, if you want, says, you know, some of them women that start out here like this and go in like that, and out like that, regime like that. She just start out there and stay there. You know, it says in Ephesians chapter five that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might present it unto himself a glorious church, not having spots or a wrinkle or any such thing. Remember the day you stood before the preacher, handsome, young, still had the same teeth, no hearing aids, no glasses, no gray hair, no tupes, and all the rest of it. And not too many past meals in front of you. You were in great shape. Now look what happens. You know, the bride to begin with, and the one we end with, as far as physical beauty is Him, why the difference? And the Lord began with all the spots and marks of sin, and we're going to get through with us. We're going to be just like Him. If that is going to present us, all of us, think of that. You know, it's not going to take place. Now it's not going to take place. Well, it says in First Corinthians, we shall all be changed. We require quite a change. Even from what we know now, he says he's going to present us all the before the present that is good, with exceeding joy. Christ loved the church, and therefore he adds, he builds. God is not only love, God is light, God is holy. And so he subtracts. You know, the scripture says, Holy name, be cometh thine house, O Lord, forever. Remember that verse in First Peter says, The time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first began at us, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? And if the righteous scares the or with difficulty be saved, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? You know, God let the sinner get away with a lot of things today, but he chases his church. The Bible says, We are his children whom the Lord loves. He chastens and scourges every sin and we receive it. Why? It's just like you. You look at the neighbors next door and you don't discipline their children. You discipline your own. You know, somebody said the best way to raise children is to swap with your neighbors because everybody knows how to raise a neighbor's kid. It's raising your own. It's a problem. But anyway, ordinarily, you discipline your own kid. And that's what God does. One of the proofs that we're a child of God is that he does. discipline us and I want you to notice the order of procedure in the discipline that is given here first of all and this is where we get in difficulty in our work for the Lord in our local assemblies we generally skip number one first of all it says if thy brother shall trust us against thee go and tell him it's fall between thee and him alone sometimes he's the last of years fault that you have with your brother, you told everybody under the sun except the man. And God says, do you want a healthy church? First of all, go and tell him it's fall between me and him alone. And I believe there would be many people in our assemblies today that we've just taken number, said number one. Many people who have alienated from the people of God in the local races because they failed to take that first step. It's not easy. The Bible says it's not easy to gain your brother. But this is what the Lord asked us to do. And we should follow the procedure that he set forth. First of all, he says, go and tell him to fall between thee and him alone. You're not going to put out a fire by throwing gasoline on it. So that's generally the way we do it. We set the flame going. And we were the devil. It's the tongue that gets the thing going. The Bible says it's the flame. And behold, our greater matter. I'll bring a forest fire. It's just a little match. We're all careful. So we need to get back to this basic thing that the Lord speaks of here. First of all, he says, go and tell him it falls between thee and him alone. Well, you might need some help. So the second thing, he says, take with thee one or two more. And then thirdly, and none of these steps should be taken hastily, but prayerfully it says, take, bring them out of the church. And if he refuses to hear the church, then And I'm thinking in terms of it being of something of such a serious nature that it demands that the church is involved. And if he refuses the church, every opportunity for repentance and forgiveness has been given, then it's as you would treat him as a heathen man or a public. And even in a case where it is not as serious a matter that calls for excommunication, the correct thing in the light of other scripture is to avoid the person. Avoid the person that's causing the trench. The first responsibility that all of us have for a healthy assembly is this. The scripture says, if we would judge ourselves, that's where to start with, number one. And there are always things in our own lives that are stumbling blocks to others. We should covet above everything else. That we shouldn't be a hindrance to the people of God. Somebody was telling me some time ago about one brother. He would get up in him all his face. I mean, I, being in the way, the Lord led me. Somebody spoke up and said, that's a trouble, brother. You've been in the way for forty years. And sometimes, you know, we can be a hindrance rather than a help. We can be a stumbling block rather than a stepping stone. And we should seek by God's grace not to be a hindrance, not to be a help. We're told to consider one another to provoke unto love and good works. You know, sometimes we have Christians that are provoking everything but love and good work. We're to provoke unto love and good work. By our example, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as a manner of some is. And know if there are things in our own lives that are wrong, we need to keep short accounts with God. We need to be assured that if we confess our sins. Isn't that a wonderful word? He is faithful and just. They're forgiven. I said, one brother told me years ago, his favorite text in the Bible was this one. He restored my soul. You know we can wonder. And though we forget him and wander away, still he loves wherever we stray. In fact, we're still loving ours. We can believe when we remember that Jesus loves me. And so we need to be concerned not only about the adding, but the subtracting. And in connection with that, you know, this subject that the Lord introduces here is the subject of forgiveness. After going through all of this, Peter asks, he pops up with another question. And he thought he was being extremely generous. He says, Lord, How oft shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him. He said, after all, Lord, there ought to be some limit to this. You know, some one brother down in Key West used to say, you have to be a Christian to get along with some of them. You know, he said, there ought to be some limit. And the Lord answers him, I say none of the things until seven times, but until seventy times. Now that meant something in the Jewish years. Immediately Peter would have thought back to Daniel chapter nine, where the prophet is told of God's dealings with Israel. And you know he tells them that there's going to be a period of sixty-nine weeks. And then of course in between that sixty-nine week and seventy-a-week, God is going to deal with the church, the church, as we know from the New Testament. But then the last seven years, that seventy-a week, God is going to deal with Israel during the Great Tribulation. And at the end of that time, he's going to come, and he's going to set everything straight in this old world. And he's going to reign. He's going to put out of his kingdom all things that do offend and that bear iniquity. Not seven times. He didn't say seventy times seven. He said, until! Seventy times seven. While he was telling Peter it was this, vengeance is mine. I will repay. He says, the day is coming. He says, I'm going to straighten everything out. Don't take matters into your own hands. Your business is to forgive. There's to be no limit. This is what he's saying. There's to be no absolutely no limit, whatever, to your forgiveness. How often will the Lord forgive us? Our sin. We're told in Ephesians chapter four that we are to be kind. Tetherhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ they have, not will, but he have forgiven us. Think of it. All of my sins feel great for me. He's already been forgiven. God forbid that I should be like the man of whom the Lord Jesus told the ten thousand talent debtor who was forgiven by his Lord that mighty debt. Something like fifteen million dollars. And he goes out and he grabs by his throat a man that owed him one hundred cents, about fifteen dollars. And he says, Pay me what you owe me. Now he'll, it behooves the child of God has been forgiven all of his sins for time and eternity. take another brother by the throat and demand the last ounce of flesh you know sometimes people say that we should be like God and of course we should and when we forgive we should forget there's only one thing wrong with that and that's this that God doesn't forget God can't forget He's known unto God always works from the beginning of the world. It never says anywhere that God forgets our sin. It says he forgives them. It doesn't say he forgets them. But what it does say is this. Thy sins and thy iniquities will I remember no more. There's nothing wrong with God's memory. He has a wonderful memory. But you know what God determines to do is that he will never bring up your sin against you anymore. He's cast them behind his own. You know how I'll told me one time, a story about a man that said that every time he and his wife had an argument, she would get historical. He says, you mean historical. He says, no, I mean historical. She brings up everything that ever happened in the past. Well, that's exactly what God doesn't do. He never brings up the past anymore. And that's exactly the way we should forgive one another. Is there a problem in the home? You take the matter up to your wife or your husband, and you get it done, and you say, I forgive you, honey. You should never bring that matter up again. It's been forgiven. And you're not going to be historical about it. You're never going to bring it up again. The next sin that comes up, that's another ballgame. But we should never, by the grace of God, we say, I'll never bring it up again. How quickly, I've seen Christians in my own experience, they've told me, for things that I've done, and I've gone to them, I forgive you. Five years later, something else comes up and they say, well, what happened? Five years ago, right up in your face in the middle. You ever done that? You get a historical. Saul said his wife had a terrible memory. He said, what's the matter? She forgets everything from those she remembers everything. Well, that's the problem. Right there. Where to forget? Now we're to bring it up again. We can't forget. God can't forget. How can you forget? We're not asked to forget. So not to remember anymore. I think it's interesting to notice this. that here in the first two mentions in the gospel, the connection with the church, the Lord first of all speaks about adding, building, stone, I will build my church, and the second reference has to do with subtracting. And it's very interesting to me that's exactly the same thing in the Acts of the Apostles. In the first two mentions of the church in the Acts, the first one has to do with adding, and the second one has to do with subtracting. This is what you read in Acts chapter two. This is the first time the church was mentioned in Acts. And the Lord added daily to the church, such as should be said. That's the first mention of the word church in Acts. The second mention is in Acts chapter five. And there God had done some subtracting. You read there at the conclusion of Acts chapter four, Allah, Barnabas and others, that Barnabas had taken his land that was in Cyprus and he sold it and he took the money and laid it down at the Apostle's feet. And they shared as every man, you know, it says there were one heart and one mind, they shared what they had as every man had need. And the next chapter opens with the story of Ammoniah's Antipat. And they had a piece of land and they sold it. And there was nothing wrong with them keeping all of it as far as God was concerned. But what was wrong with their hypocrisy, they pretended that they'd brought the whole amount. We sold it for ten thousand dollars. Here's all the money, Lord. But actually, it's only for twenty. Something like that. And Peter stands, calls them and asks, and he speaks to him. He says, I'll ask, not lie to men. But thou has lied to the Holy Ghost. He falls down dead. Subtraction number one. Then a short time later, in comes his wife so far, and she's asked the same thing. And subtraction number two. And then this is the second reference. In connection with that incident, it says, in great fear, he gave up on all the church. First of all, the essence, because God loves it. Then the subtracting, because God is light and God is holy. Now, he hasn't changed. And just because we do not see these things so visibly, of course, it does not mean that God hasn't changed in his attitude to sin. God doesn't condone sin. and condemn it. As somebody was telling me today, there's somebody saying, God doesn't condemn sin in the sinner and condone it in the saints. In fact, if anything, he was more condemned than the saints, those that bear his name. And so we have these two references. Now, an interesting thing to me in connection with this is this. It says in verse thirteen of Acts chapter five, great fear came upon all the churches as a result of this, and then you read this. And of the rest, durst, no man joined himself on him. Oh, boy. Uh-oh. Look out. We've lost all opportunity for blessing. Nobody else even dares to be in the church. After all, it's just like committing suicide. You get in that bunch, a lot will lose your life. That's what that man and I, Zavara. But that wasn't all it was said. This is what it said. And believers were the more added to the Lord. In other words, By subtraction, there came out addition to the church. And I believe that principle is still true. That we were faithful in our assemblies with dealing with sin that called for it. I'm not just saying any sin, but that called for dealing with it. As God showed us the light, I believe God would bless us in our faithfulness to him. And rather than people being shunted away, they would be attracted because they said there are people that are willing to take a stand. No matter how cost it is. for the Lord. Sin aloud, vague problem. It all was done. Remember, Paul writes both to the Galatians and to the Corinthians, and he uses a similar expression in each one. This is what he said. A little leaven, leaven up the whole lot. Suppose you go to the doctor tomorrow and he looks at you and he says, well, I'll tell you what. He says, you've got a malignant cancer in your intestinal tract. But it's only a little thing. It's about the size of the end of that pen there. It's just a little thing. And you say, well, Doc, that's okay. Fine. I'm glad to know it. But, you know, when you go home, you don't do it anymore. Sorry. You say, now, Doc, let me ask you something. Well, that thing grows. Yeah. You mean my body's going to be in worse shape if I leave that little thing? Yes. Well, I think, Doc, the best thing to do is for you to get that knife and get that out of there. Now we are members of the body of Christ and a little cancer. We're going to do a tremendous damage to the body. Now in Corinth, the great subject was immorality. There was a man who was actively, not simply that he had committed the sin. You know, all purpose, by the way, of discipline, the purpose of all discipline is restoration. Eventually, that's the purpose. But anyway, here was this man, and he had this in court. He was guilty of living actively with his father's wife, not his mother, I take it, but his stepmother. Living in adultery. Paul writing to the Corinthians, put away from among yourselves that wicked person. When you turn to the second epistle, he says to them, they have to restore this man, lest he be sloathe up with over much sorrow. the purpose of discipline is eventual restoration. And I like what V.H. Burgess said once when they asked him, when can restoration take place? He said, when the repentance is as evidence of the sin. When there is some measure or evidence of repentance on the part of the one that is sin. Sin allowed, as I said, brings problems. You know, one of the things I think that we all nobody wants waves, create waves. And we tend to forget what it says in James chapter three. The wisdom from above is first pure, not first peaceable, then pure. It's not peace at any price. As much as life in you live peaceably with all men. We're not going around looking for a fight, but it says the wisdom that is from above is first pure. Our first responsibility is to be true to God. verse to earth and peace it. In fact, I believe this. We are not being loyal to the one who sins if we are not loyal to God. If we refuse our highest loyalty to God, our responsibility to Him to recognize that holiness becomes its house, then we fail the sinning or erring brother or sister. He changed mainly. I believe those are principles that God would have to guide us. Someone once said, the excellence of the circle is not lying at base, but at its rounds. It's not obsequious. Just two or three can be a wonderful testimony for the Lord. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst. And you could have a church composed of five thousand, and they could honor the Lord too. It could be a big one, but they could also be very dishonoring to the Lord. how much we should be concerned of being faithful to God. In Corinth, the problem was immorality. And there we're told, if any man be a fornicator, and I take that, that's not just an individual who has committed this sin, simply, but that's what he's doing. Those are the continuing thing in his life. Coverture, idolatry, railing, drunkard, extortion, says with such a one. Nope, not to eat. Then in Galatia, the problem... was false doctrine, legality, and fall even in despair as well as the believers are saved or not. They're adding something to the work of Christ. If you add anything to the work of Christ, you're taking away from it. It says, knowing that if a man is not justified by the worship of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,