Church Discipline, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12
In this sermon, Pastor Ben Smith expositionally preaches from 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, addressing the critical issues of the sin of idleness and the often-abandoned practice of church discipline. He emphasizes that sin is a serious threat to individual Christians and the church, rightly understood as rebellion against God's lordship. The sermon highlights that faithful labor is submission to God, contrasting it with sinful idleness. The sermon also outlines three basic principles of church discipline: it is an action of the church, a direct confrontation of sin, and is fundamentally gospel-driven. Listeners will understand why the church must obey Christ's commands, even when they are countercultural, to affirm the gospel, combat sin, and rescue wayward members.
Key Highlights
The Church's Abandonment of Discipline: Pastor Ben explains how, historically, church discipline was a regular part of church life, but in recent years, it has been largely abandoned, indicating a lack of seriousness about the danger sin poses to individuals and the body of Christ. This abandonment is often rooted in a desire to "be nice" or concerns about inflated membership numbers, rather than faithful biblical witness.
Idleness as Rebellion, Not Rest: The passage in 2 Thessalonians addresses the sin of "idleness," which is defined as a moral disorder and rebellion, not simply rest. Paul, as an example, worked night and day to avoid being a burden, emphasizing that faithful labor is submission to God. Idleness can lead to other sins, such as being a "busybody" who disrupts the church.
Gospel-Driven Church Discipline: Church discipline is presented as an action commanded by Christ to be carried out by the church on its members, specifically those living in unrepentant sin. Following the principles of Matthew 18, it involves direct confrontation of sin, potentially leading to the disfellowshipping of unrepentant members. Ultimately, church discipline is driven by love and the gospel, aiming to bear a true witness, rescue wayward members, and affirm that unrepentant rebellion is not acceptable to God.
Find Out More:
Ben Smith is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA.
This sermon was originally preached on 7/6/2025 at Central Baptist Church of Waycross, GA.
Additional podcasts, books, and downloadable PDFs of Pastor Ben’s sermon outlines and manuscripts are available at www.BenSmithSr.org.
For more information on Central Baptist Church, Waycross, GA, visit www.cbcwaycross.org.
