The key in Matthew 18 is this: if they listen. Now this is a Jewish euphemism, the idea is: to get it. It's not just to hear it; it's to get it. Jesus brings it back later at the end of the sermon. He says: if you hear these words of Mine, and you put them into practice, it's going to solidify your life. Jesus' invitation to us is this: If you will make a commitment to conceal the matter, as well as investigate the matter for the purpose of restoration and redemption, you will find that you will perpetuate far less darkness. Therefore darkness will far less be perpetuated on you, and you will find abundance and wholeness and shalom coming to every part of your life - but it's a narrow road thing.
Jesus says: the best possibility of them hearing you, is that you are talking to them. If your goal is to be heard, the best possibility of being heard, is actually that you're talking to the only people who can fix the problem - not to everybody else. The opposite of this is gossip. Gossip is when you fail to engage darkness with a commitment to fix it. You engage darkness with the purpose, intended or not, to perpetuate it. That's gossip, it's the obvious.
So this life Jesus talks about requires two things; 1) it requires someone willing to engage darkness; and 2) it requires someone being willing to be taught, to be teachable, to be disciplined, to allow correction to come on us. Now let me let you look at some scriptures around this because this is very important.
Proverbs 12:1, whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. Whoever hates correction is stupid. Let's look at another one. The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. I love that scripture. The way of fools seems right to them - of course it does. People say: well you always think you're right! When have you actually done something you thought was wrong, before you did it? We all learn from experience. The way of someone always seems right to you, unless you're a psychopath, like of course it does. The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
If you're smart, you ought to seek out someone who already has what you want, and then listen to every single thing they say. If you're wise. This is a narrow road thing. Most people won't do this. You'll listen to this, and then you'll go home, and won't think nothing else about it - and that's okay, because that's broad road stuff. Most people won't; some people will. The people who seek out people who have what they want, and then listen to everything they say - they tend to win at life. Foolish people think that what they're doing is right, but wise people listen to advice.
How about this one: Where there is strife, there is pride. In other words, if there's tension in your environment, someone is putting them self bigger than they should; ...but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
How about this one, Proverbs 15:10. Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path. The one who hates correction will die. Obviously a euphemism, not talking about physical death. It's obviously talking about entering into the realm of death, disrepair, darkness, decrease. Not everyone who hates correction, drops dead of a heart attack immediately. If you hate correction, you're on a path that's going to lead you down the road to destruction.
How about this one: those who disregard discipline, despise themselves; but the one who heeds correction gains understanding. It's an interesting take that Solomon has there. Those who disregard discipline - who do they despise? Do they despise the person giving the discipline? No. They despise themselves. Essentially Solomon's wisdom is: if someone's trying to speak correction and truth into your life, and you despise it, you think you despise them, but in actuality you despise yourself. In actuality you're just hating yourself.
It's interesting, those who disregard discipline despise... the root word in the original language for despise means to profane. To profane means to treat something that is sacred, as if it's common; like to profane the Bible - if you walked out there tonight, and someone had a Bible and set it on fire, how would you feel? You'd feel sick right? Why, is there something special about a leather-bound book with pages in the middle? No, it's because of what that book represents. That book is sacred, and you're treating it as common - and so when we do that that's called profanity.