A View From The Sycamore Tree: Our Duty to the Repentant

Friday, March 12, 2010

Our Duty to the Repentant - 2 Corinthians 2

"Sufficient for such a one is this punishment

which was inflicted by the majority,

so that on the contrary you should rather

forgive and comfort him, lest somehow

such a one be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

Wherefore I urge you to

reaffirm your love for him."

(2 Corinthians 2:6-8)

Here in 2 Corinthians 2, Paul is making reference to a church discipline situation that happened within this ancient congregation. It was a vile situation. A man had carried on an affiar with his step-mother. It was public. It was bad. It was a mess!

The church did the right thing. They didn't overlook the sin. They didn't ignore it. They dealt with it. They followed the commands of our Lord in Matthew 18 and the ecclesiastical rod bore the fruit of repentance! That's good news!!

The whole purpose of church discipline is to see a brother or sister restored. It is to bring the wayward sheep home. It is not for shunning but for shepherding. It is for our good and for God's glory. Paul is making sure that the flock of Corinth understand this.

He reminds them that the punishment that has already been inflicted upon this one was sufficient. He's taken his spanking and he's learned from it! So, now what do they do? Come on, this guy was behaving in a "disgusting" fashion. Surely Paul wouldn't want them to get to close. What if.....? (fill in the blank from your own thoughts).

So, now what do they do? They need to "forgive him and comfort him, lest somehow such a one be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow." This brother has blown it and this brother has been restored and our enemy, the devil (who is the father of lies and the accuser of the brethren) would like nothing more than to drive this repentant one to deep and dark despair. Satan HATES repentance and he is a sneaky and coniving enemy who will seize any opportunity to steal, kill, and destroy. What better way for him to have success in his dastardly deeds than to involve the church in them!! Paul recognizes this and even exhorts them regarding the fact in verse 11. He tells them to forgive this wounded lamb "in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes." Let us not be ignorant of his schemes either!

Do you know one like this penitent? Do you know one who has behaved abominably and has been brought to a place of sack cloth and ashes? How are you treating them?

Oh I pray that we are treating them as Christ has treated us - with forgiveness and comfort. Let not the restored one be overwhelmed by despairing condemnation. Instead, "reaffirm your love for him." Christ is full of compassion for those who truly repent, may we be likewise.

In His glorious grace,

Lori

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Here We Go!

This is a blog about the goodness and grace of God, even amidst the angst of autism.

So ... how did this whole thing start?

Well, I said I'd never do this but obviously here I am. After being challenged, encouraged, goaded and double dog dared, several years ago I began to blog.

Near the end of 2008, I found myself with renewed passion for God's Word, Kingdom, and people and I was stirred, through nothing other than the simple means of grace, to a hunger and thirsting for righteousness unlike any other time in my 20+ years as a Christian.

During that period, I began typing out the things that were striking me the most in my quiet time each morning. Honestly, I started because I wanted to have a written record that I could pass along to my children one day - lettered Ebenezers reminding them of how much their Mom loves God and His Word.

While doing that I found myself so excited on certain days that I began to email my musings to some of my girl friends, hoping to encourage them even as Christ was encouraging me. Many of those gals challenged me to put these things online in a blog form so others could have access to them. That's how this site started.

Now, to shoot really straight with you, that personal "revival" of mine has pendumatically ebbed and flowed over the course of the days, months and years since 2008. For a prolonged period after that initial renewing surge I actually found myself in an utterly antithetical place. God, in His wisdom, was pleased to grant me a substantial season in the dark dungeon of "doubting castle" - those days were some of the hardest of my life post-Jesus but were providentially ordained days ultimately used for my good and for my God's glory.

"Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come" by nothing but the amazing grace of an amazing God.

I've learned that even in the midst of the darkest of days there's just something about the light of God's Word that is powerful. The Scripture has been an anchor for me in the storm surge of life. Even when my eyes have seemed to be rather veiled and my vision somewhat dimmed, there has still been a re-focusing force that has risen when I have gazed long and hard upon the Word of God. Thus, even as a saint who struggles, I continue to write of my God, my Redeemer, His promises, and His truth.

I'm not always very regular at posting here because there are many more important duties in my life right now than blog uploads - ie. being wife, mom, housekeeper, cook, taxi service, chief bottle washer, and laundry lady - along with that music thing I do as a side gig! But, as time allows I'll be cutting and pasting from Joshua and Elizabeth's future journal gift and sharing some of it with you as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Who's Doing This?

Lori Sealy is daily amazed at the grace of God in her life. Adopted as an infant and raised in an evangelical church, she rebelled against the things of Christ during high school and considered herself an atheist. Upon entering college, the God who ordains our steps ordained that her path would cross with several students who loved Christ and loved His Word. During that first year of college, she set out to destroy the faith of these young Christians. They set out to pray for her salvation.

Knowing that "faith comes through hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ," six college students daily confronted her sin and challenged her with the truths of God's glorious Word. Their obedience in proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Christ bore fruit in August of 1988 when by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, she was adopted for the second time in her life - this time into the family of God.

Lori is now the wife of Phillip Sealy. They live in Sylva, North Carolina where Phillip has been called to plant a new church for the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) - Redeemer Church Sylva. The Sealys have two children Joshua (14) and Elizabeth (12). Lori and Joshua both live with autism.

In her spare time (what little there is) Lori masquerades as a part-time songwriter/singer and performs on a limited monthly basis. Lori's newest CD, "The Strife is Over," has recently released. Hard copies of it, along with her last release "Begone Unbelief", are available through CD Baby and Lori's own website. Digital downloads are available through iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon mp3!

Be sure to visit http://www.lorisealy.com/ to learn more!

Why the Sycamore Tree?

Zaccheus, the wee little man, wanted to see Jesus and so he climbed into the sycamore tree in order to get a good look. Lori, the wee little wife and mom, longs to see Jesus as well. I realize that the place where I will catch a true glimpse of Him is in the pages of His Word.

The Bible is my sycamore tree and I find myself longing more and more to climb up into its branches that I might see Christ more clearly. This blog is simply a record of what God is teaching me as I spend time in "the tree" of His glorious Word. If anyone reads it I'll be amazed; if anyone profits from it I'll be humbled; and if anything good is found in it Soli Deo Gloria!