"CALLED TO LOVE, WARN, AND RESTORE

Ezekiel 33:7–11; Matthew 18:15–20; Romans 13:8–14   09/06/2026

There is something beautiful about being part of a church family. We worship together, pray together, serve together, and care for one another. But we are also human. Sometimes we disagree. Sometimes we misunderstand one another. Sometimes our words or actions hurt someone. Conflict can happen even in a church. The important question is not whether conflict will come, but how we respond when it comes. Today’s three Scripture passages give us one clear message: God calls us to speak the truth in love, seek reconciliation, and live in love.

Let me begin with a simple story. Imagine two neighbors who had been good friends for many years. One day, they had a disagreement about a fence between their houses. One neighbor thought the fence was in the wrong place. The other neighbor thought it was exactly where it should be. They became angry. They stopped talking to each other. Soon, they were telling other neighbors about the problem. The fence was only a few feet long, but the anger between them became much bigger than the fence itself. One day, an older neighbor came to them and said, “You can keep arguing about the fence, but don’t lose a good friendship because of it.” Those words helped them stop, talk honestly, listen to each other, and finally repair both the fence and their friendship. Love gives us courage to take the first step.

In Ezekiel 33, God gives Ezekiel the responsibility of a watchman: “I have made you a sentinel for the house of Israel.” A watchman stands and watches for danger. If the watchman sees danger coming, the watchman must warn the people. If the watchman sees the danger but says nothing, the watchman has failed in that responsibility. This does not mean that we should always criticize people or point out every mistake. Rather, it reminds us that love sometimes requires us to speak. There are times when silence is not kindness. If someone is going in a harmful direction, love may require a gentle warning. If something is hurting the church community, love may require us to speak with courage.

But the purpose of speaking is not to condemn. The purpose is to restore. God says, “Turn back, turn back from your evil ways.” God’s desire is not destruction but repentance and life. God calls people to turn around, come back, and choose life. This same heart of restoration is found in Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18.

Jesus says, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone.” Notice the first word of Jesus’ instruction: “Go.” Jesus does not tell us to begin by talking about the person to everyone else. Jesus does not tell us to spread the story. Jesus says, “Go.” If someone has hurt us, and the problem is serious enough that we want to tell others, Jesus first tells us to go directly to that person.

This takes courage and humility. When someone hurts us, we often want other people to hear our side of the story. We want someone to tell us, “You are right.” But Jesus gives us a better way. Speak honestly but speak with love. The goal is not to win an argument. The goal is to restore the relationship. Jesus says, “If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.” What a beautiful expression: “You have regained that one.” The goal is not simply to prove someone wrong. The goal is to regain a brother or sister and restore the relationship.

Jesus then gives us another step. If the person does not listen, take one or two others with you. These should be caring and mature people who can listen, pray, and help. If the person still refuses to listen, Jesus says to bring the matter before the church. This gives the church a chance to seek truth, responsibility, and healing. Jesus gives us this careful process because conflict can easily grow through gossip, anger, and division.

Finally, Jesus says that if the person refuses even to listen to the church, “let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” At first, this may sound like rejection. But how did Jesus treat Gentiles and tax collectors? Jesus did not treat them with hatred or contempt. Jesus welcomed them, ate with them, touched them, called them, and loved them. Matthew himself was a tax collector when Jesus called him to become a disciple. Jesus never said that sin was acceptable, but Jesus continued to love sinners and call them back to God. Therefore, even when the church must set boundaries and hold someone responsible, the purpose is not hatred or revenge. Christian discipline should always have restoration as its goal.

This is an important balance for the church. We need both truth and compassion. Christian love tells the truth while seeking healing. Justice and love should go together because God is not a God of disorder but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33).

Then Jesus gives us one of the most comforting promises in the Gospel: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Even when we are facing difficult situations, Christ is present. When we gather in Christ’s name, we should ask, “Will my words bring healing or more division? Am I trying to restore the relationship, or am I only trying to win?” When we remember that Christ is present, it should change the way we speak and the way we deal with conflict.

Romans 13 gives us the foundation for all of this. Paul says, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” We may have many responsibilities in life, but there is one debt we never finish paying: the debt of love. We may disagree. We may even hurt one another. But we are still called to love. Paul says, “Love is the fulfilling of the law.”

It is easy to love someone who agrees with us. It is easy to be kind to someone who is kind to us. But what about someone who hurts us? What about someone who disagrees with us? That is where Jesus calls us to live differently. We do not love only when it is easy. We love because Christ first loved us.

The church is not a community of perfect people. The church is a family of people who are being changed by God’s grace. We are called to speak the truth with love, listen with humility, hold one another accountable with compassion, forgive when forgiveness is possible, and seek restoration whenever we can.

May Christ be present in our conversations, in our disagreements, in our forgiveness, and in our efforts to restore one another. May God give us courage to speak when we need to speak, humility to listen when we need to listen, grace to forgive when we are hurt, and love to seek reconciliation. And may we live each day according to Paul’s words: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another.” May God’s love, grace, mercy, and peace guide us always. Amen.