Monthly Archive for January, 2009

Matthew 19:23f

Published on January 30, 2009 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
 
Jesus spoke another parable about entering the kingdom of God that explains why the rich young man in the previous section put priority on his wealth over eternal life.
19:23
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly [Jesus is about to say something important], I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven [Jesus’ future rule on earth].
It is impossible to live for spiritual ends and material ends simultaneously.
19:24
24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Jesus spoke here in hyperbole for impossibility. The “eye of a needle” is something impossible for a camel to pass through. A camel was the largest animal in Israel. Jesus did not convey the idea that rich men cannot possess the kingdom. This hyperbole indicates that it is impossible for man to earn his salvation.
19:25
25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
The disciples had the idea that God prospers the rich so that the wealthy had special prerogative before God. This is why they were shocked that a rich man cannot enter the kingdom on his own merits. Wealth is no indication of God’s approval.
19:26
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
It is impossible for men to save their souls by riches. It is very difficult for rich men not to trust their riches. They would rather trust concrete money in the bank than the intangible promises of God.
PRINCIPLE: It is hard to possess riches without trusting them.
APPLICATION: We tend to make riches an idol. Idols make us independent, especially independent of God. Riches also make us self-centered and selfish if we do not put wealth in perspective.
If salvation were dependent on personal resource, then no one, including the rich, would have salvation. Salvation comes only from God, the Ultimate Resource. Wealth hinders the issue. We cannot come to God on our own terms. It takes God’s supernatural intervention to save a wealthy person.
Re 3: 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
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Matthew 19:16f

Published on January 29, 2009 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
 
Matthew tells about a rich young man who had morality without Christ. This incident stands in contrast to the little children who came to Jesus with simple dependence. All three synoptic gospels record the encounter of Jesus and this young man.
19:16
16 Now behold [someone unusual coming], one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
The young man asked Jesus about doing something to attain eternal life. That was the wrong question.
19:17
17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good [intrinsically] but One, that is, God.
Jesus did not deny His deity here. This was a challenge for the young man to come to grips with who Jesus was. Jesus knew the man was not ready for the right answer. Either Jesus is God or He is not. If Jesus is “good,” then He is God Himself.
But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
This is an impossible challenge. No one keeps all the commandments. Jesus challenged the young man’s idea of “what good thing shall I do” to obtain eternal life (v. 1). Jesus did not introduce the commandments to show how to receive eternal life but to demonstrate the need for salvation.
19:18
18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’
Jesus laid out five of the Ten Commandments (verses 18 and 19) that make up the second table of the Law. The six commandments of the second table deal with human relationships. Jesus deliberately picked commandments the young man felt he kept.
19:19
19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Note the climax of the five commandments: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus would challenge the young man on this one.
19:20
20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
This self-righteous man was under the delusion that he kept “all” these commandments. He was not short of gall.
19:21
21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect [note this word; this is the standard for entering eternal life], go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
The Lord exposed the young man’s lack of awareness of his failure to observe the fifth of the five commandments by telling him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. Jesus forced this man to examine his heart. He definitely was not “perfect.”
19:22
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
There is a façade in self-righteousness. This man realized that he was not as perfect as he thought he was. His wealth was his worship. His possessions possessed him. Jesus exposed two things about him:
1.     He was not blameless before the law; he was sinful.
2.     He did not possess true faith (16:24)
PRINCIPLE: Perfection is the standard for entering eternal life.  
APPLICATION: Since God is absolute, we cannot break the smallest aspect of His perfection. If we do, God cannot live with us in eternity. God cannot tolerate sin of any kind, no matter how finite.
Ja 2: 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
In order to go to heaven we have to be as good as God is good. Since there is “none righteous” (Ro 3:10) and “all have sinned” (Ro 3:23), none of us can possess eternal life by being good. That is why Jesus had to pay for our sin. He wiped away every sin we ever committed or will commit so that we can enter the presence of God. He did this by paying for our sin on the cross. When we place our faith in the finished work of Christ for our sin, God grants us eternal life.
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Matthew 19:13f

Published on January 28, 2009 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.
 
Jesus drew attention to little children as a sequel to His presentation on divorce. Children suffer most from divorce.
19:13
13 Then [right after the presentation on divorce] little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.
Parents brought children to Jesus so that He might “put His hands on them and pray.” It was common for Jews to bring children to a rabbi for a blessing. Luke indicates that these children were “infants” (Lu 18:15). Jesus was using children here as an illustration of believers who make up the kingdom (cf. 18:1-4).
The disciples evidently thought that it was a trivial thing for parents to bring children to Jesus, so they prohibited the parents from doing this.
19:14
14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus made sure that His disciplines knew that children have a place in the kingdom (not necessarily heaven). The “kingdom of heaven” is the orb of God’s rule through Christ. Note that Jesus said “of such,” not “of these.” Jesus did not refer only to the children before Him but to children of any age.
The Lord did not look on children as a burden but as a blessing. Mark indicates that Jesus was indignant that the disciples forbade children from coming to Him (10:14).
19:15
15 And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.
Jesus blessed the children as He blesses all who have a sense of dependence upon God.
PRINCIPLE: The attitude of dependence on God is fundamental to the kingdom.
APPLICATION: It is always a difficult issue to present the gospel to small children. They want to please their parents and do not think independently. All of us know adults who made valid decisions as a child. The famous preacher W. A. Criswell made a decision to go into ministry as a child. With that said, we need to take great care in presenting the gospel to children to make sure they make the decision for themselves.
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Matthew 19:10f

Published on January 27, 2009 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” 11 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: 12 For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”
 
19:10
10 His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.”
The disciples assumed that, since Jesus’ view of divorce was so strict (except for immorality), it would be better not to marry in the first place. They thought that Jesus viewed marriage as a burden rather than a blessing, and that it should be avoided altogether.
Divorce was widespread in Jewish culture of their day.
19:11
11 But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying [it is not good to marry], but only those to whom it has been given:
Remaining unmarried is not the general rule. Singleness has its own problems and is given only those committed to celibacy. Jesus Himself never married.
The word “accept” means to make room for, to make space for. Not many people can make space for singleness in their lives. A single life can be very lonely.
19:12
12 For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.”
Jesus did not place celibacy over marriage by this statement but simply explained the reasons why some are celibate:
1.     Some are born eunuchs because they have no capacity for reproduction.
2.     Others are castrated.
3.     Some make themselves eunuchs for the kingdom.
Those with the capacity for singleness can remain single.
PRINCIPLE: Marriage takes self-sacrifice and self-giving to be satisfying.
APPLICATION: Solid marriage rests on permanent and unconditional commitment to one’s spouse. Romance may fade but commitment should not. Romantic relationships can be superficial, so people who live by running from one romance to another end in a vacuum. With each fling, the romance becomes less satisfying. This ultimately ends in disillusion and emptiness.
Only the committed marriage is an enduring entity. There is no sound reason for avoiding a committed marriage.
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Matthew 19:7f

Published on January 26, 2009 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” 8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”
 
This section of Matthew deals with Deuteronomy 24:1-4, which establishes the principle of divorce. The point of this passage is that God does not command divorce but permits it. It is a concession on God’s part. This passage allows for divorce for a number of reasons and—for those who remarry—the right to remarriage.
19:7
7 They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?”
The Pharisees thought they caught Jesus in a contradiction by indicating that God made provision for divorce (Dt 24:1). This passage does not “command” divorce but only allows for divorce.
19:8
8 He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
Jesus agreed that Moses permitted divorce but that it was only by concession to breaking the ideal of permanence in marriage. God’s original intention was that marriage be permanent. “Hardness of your hearts” refers to obstinate resistance to God’s design for marriage.
19:9
9 And I say to you,
Jesus gave the principle of marriage for the kingdom.
whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,
Jesus indicated that a valid cause for divorce was some form of sexual sin. It is important to understand that this exception clause opened the right to remarry if the spouse had committed some form of sexual act outside of marriage. This could include bestiality, homosexuality, adultery, or any other form of sex.
The Greek word for “sexual immorality” refers to sexual sin of any kind. This is not the word for adultery, although it includes adultery.
and marries another, commits adultery;
Someone who divorces and remarries for the wrong reason (other than a sexual sin or, as noted below, desertion) commits adultery.
and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”
Anyone who marries a person not biblically divorced commits adultery as well. That is, both the one who divorces for the wrong reason and the one who marries this improperly divorced person are guilty of adultery. The binding nature of marriage depends on the institution of marriage and not on the will or acts of individuals.
PRINCIPLE: The believer must first and foremost look to the Word of God when considering the issue of divorce.
APPLICATION: When it comes to matters of the heart, some of us want to argue theology, but God expects us to argue the Word of God. We are long on theology and short on Scripture.
Sexual sin is one reason for divorce and remarriage. Desertion is another reason (1 Co 7:15).
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Matthew 19:1f

Published on January 25, 2009 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. 3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” 4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ ? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
 
Jesus now turned to teaching on divorce (19:1-12).
19:1
1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.
Jesus turned southward towards Jerusalem on the east side of the Jordan. He concluded His Galilean ministry. He was now on His final journey to Jerusalem.
19:2
2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.
The great following and healing ministry of Jesus brought out opposition to Him (v. 3).
19:3
3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him [they wanted to discredit Jesus doctrinally], and saying to Him, “Is it lawful [Mosaic Law] for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus on a theological issue in order to undermine His authority. There were two camps in Israel on divorce. The Hillel group believed that a male could divorce his wife for any reason. The Shammai group asserted that a person could divorce only because of sexual fault. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to take sides in the debate. Jesus’ position was closer to Shammai than to Hillel.
19:4
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’
Jesus answered the Pharisees by appealing to the book of Genesis (1:27; 5:2). Marriage in Jesus’ eyes was bound up with creation. It did not come from some issue after creation. God’s original intention was to make the sexes different. Marriage is a divine institution and God intended it to be permanent. Since God created marriage, He has the right to determine its boundaries.
19:5
5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ [Genesis 2:24]?
Having made the sexes different, God instituted the concept of marriage between one male and one female. “Joined” is a term of strong bond; marriage is to be glue or cement in relationships.
19:6
6 So then [conclusion from the quote], they are no longer two but one flesh.
Marriage is a union of persons—both a sexual and a relational union. Husband and wife are indivisible except through death or legitimate divorce. “One flesh” does not refer to the sex act as constituting marriage. If that were true, then every person with whom an individual had sex would be his or her mate. Adultery or some other sexual sin does not in itself disband the marriage.
Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
The word “separate” means divorce. It is not God’s will that man break the marriage bond.
PRINCIPLE: God’s design for marriage is permanence.
APPLICATION: God’s design for marriage is “till death do us part.” It is a divine institution. God designed husband and wife to complement each other. To destroy a marriage is to break God’s design. To claim that “God let me out of my marriage” is a distortion of this truth.
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Matthew 18:28f

Published on January 24, 2009 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
 
 
Matthew continues (vv 21-27) by contrasting God’s forgiveness with the duplicity of the unforgiving servant (vv 28-35).
 
18:28
 
28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants [fellow believers] who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
 
The story here takes a right-about-face turn. The servant had a fellow servant who owed him a minimal amount of money but would not forgive that debt. One denarius was about 16 cents.
 
18:29
 
29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’
 
As the first servant pled for time to pay the enormous 10,000 talents, the servant’s servant also pled for forgiveness for a few hundred dollars. He asked for the same thing as the first servant—“patience.”
 
18:30
 
30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
 
The first servant would not give his servant time to pay the debt. He did not give what he got.
 
18:31
 
31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.
 
A larger group became outraged at the first servant’s duplicity and conveyed the situation to the king.
 
18:32
 
32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
 
The king called the servant “wicked” because he would not give the forgiveness that he received.
 
18:33
 
33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’
 
If a person has received mercy, he should give mercy.
 
18:34
 
34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
 
The king withdrew his forgiveness and sent the servant to prison. The analogy here is to divine discipline of a believer.
 
18:35
 
35 “So [likewise] My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”
 
In this analogy, the Father is the king. God disciplines duplicity among believers.
 
PRINCIPLE: God disciplines those who do not forgive.
 
APPLICATION:  If we refuse to forgive the wrong others perpetrate against us, then God puts us under divine discipline. There are consequences to not forgiving a fellow believer. God deals with presumption and hardness of heart.
 
There is duplicity in all of us. We want forgiveness for ourselves but we are not willing to forgive others. We should carefully watch for duplicity in ourselves. For Christians to be belligerent and non-forgiving while they accept God’s forgiveness is bizarre just as in the actions of the person forgiven an insurmountable debt. God always deals with callousness of heart among believers.
 
Eph 4: 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Christian forgiveness does not necessarily imply forgetting the wrong. That is almost impossible in some situations. Forgiveness is the willingness not to punish the other person for the wrong or dwell on the wrong.
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Matthew 18:23f

Published on January 23, 2009 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
 
 
This parable, running from 18:23-35, is about forgiveness (vv21-22). The king represents the Father to whom we owe debt because of our sin. The servants represent individual sinners.
 
18:23
 
23 Therefore [on this account, referring to verses 21-22] the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
 
Jesus now turned to illustrate the consequences of unforgiveness by parable (18:23-35).
18:24
 
24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
 
When the king began to settle accounts and clear bad debt off his books, he found that one owned him 10,000 talents (several million dollars). This debt was overwhelming.
 
18:25
 
25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
 
This person could not pay the debt, so the king ordered him and his family into slavery.
 
18:26
 
26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’
 
The servant asked for time to pay the debt.
 
18:27
 
27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
 
The king showed mercy on this man and not only gave him time but forgave or canceled his debt.
 
PRINCIPLE: Jesus paid a debt that we cannot possibly pay.
 
APPLICATION: We value the extent of forgiveness by acknowledging the extent of our sin. We owe God a debt we cannot possibly pay.
 
Ezra 9: 6 And I said: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens.
Ps 51: 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
Christians experience two kinds of forgiveness from God. First, God gives a permanent forgiveness (positional forgiveness). This occurred at the point of salvation:
 
Eph 1: 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace . . .
Second, God forgives a believer for his sin after becoming a Christian if he confesses his sin. This has to do with fellowship with the Lord day-by-day:
 
1 Jn 1: 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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Matthew 18:21f

Published on January 22, 2009 in Matthew. 0 Comments
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21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
 
The remaining chapter deals with the issue of the standard for forgiveness (18:21-35) in the kingdom.
18:21
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother [fellow believer] sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Peter presumed that to forgive seven times was liberal with forgiveness. He thought he was super spiritual for doing this. How wrong he was!
18:22
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Jesus said to forgive 490 times. We do not take this literally but figuratively—forgive indefinitely.
PRINCIPLE: Forgiveness knows no boundaries in reconciling grace.
APPLICATION: Christians cannot carry an unforgiving attitude without doing harm to our spiritual life. Believers should know no limit to their forgiveness. A grudge is not part of the Christian way of life. Keeping record of wrongs done to us distorts our orientation.
1 Co 13:5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no [does not keep a record of] evil;
Forgiveness is the willingness not to punish those who wrong us. They deserve punishment but we chose not to execute punishment. Jesus took our punishment on the cross, thus we know something about being forgiven. We still need forgiveness for sins we commit as Christians.
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Matthew 18:15f

Published on January 21, 2009 in Matthew. 4 Comments
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15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. 18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
 
Jesus continued to deal with His coterminous kingdom in this section. He anticipated the coming church in 16:18. The church did not begin until Acts 2 (Eph 3:1-10) but the coterminous kingdom had parallels to the church.
The remainder of chapter 18 deals with the subject of discipline in the family of God (18:15-35). Verses 15-20 deal with the proper procedure in dealing with those who wrong us.
18:15
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault [bring to light] between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
The first principle is to deal with the issue privately if possible. If the offender responds to reproof, then there is success in reconciliation.
18:16
16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’
If, however, the offender will not deal with the problem, then take one or two others to confront him with the issue (Dt 19:15). The principle is to keep the group as small as possible in the sequence of discipline.
18:17
17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.
If the reprobate persists in his belligerence, then take the issue before the entire assembly.
But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you [singular, each member of the assembly] like a heathen and a tax collector.
If he stubbornly refuses to deal with the issue before the assembly, then the assembly should treat him as a lost individual. Excommunication is the last step. 
18:18
18 “Assuredly[emphatic], I say to you [plural—disciples], whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven [Greek—will have been bound], and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven [will have been loosed].
The context of binding and loosing has to do with church discipline. Binding and loosing have to do with judicial authority in dealing with discipline. Paul bound the believer living in sin with his stepmother (1 Co 5). Paul’s counsel was to treat him as an unbeliever. When he repented (2 Co 2) Paul loosed him from that status (loosing).
The Greek structure indicates not that God is compelled to accept the assembly’s decision but that when the assembly follows God’s sequence of discipline, He ratifies the decision. John used this same Greek structure (future perfect passive periphrastic plus perfect indicative) in John 20:23 regarding forgiving or retaining sin.
18:19
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree [act in symphony or accord] on earth concerning anything [in God’s will that the two agree upon] that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.
Prayer in this context has to do with discipline in the believing community. This is not a general prayer promise. To treat this verse in such a way is to rip it out of its context.
18:20
20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name [praying under Jesus’ authority as a group to resolve a broken relationship], I am there in the midst of them.”
Jesus promised His presence with those who seek reconciliation by prayer.
PRINCIPLE: The purpose of church discipline is restoration.
APPLICATION: The purpose for church discipline is restoration, not punishment. The idea is to “gain” (v.15) the brother. If a church excommunicates a believer, he should be restored to fellowship as soon as he repents.
Ga 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
The purpose of first starting one-on-one with the offender alone and then proceeding to larger groups is to protect the reputation of the offender. The more people involved in a crisis, the greater is the possibility of distortion. There is a possibility for gossip as well.
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