Humility in Judging

Rugged Bibles list go to the book of James. James chapter 4 as we continue through this exceedingly practical book of these exhortations tonight from the Scripture are going to be very, very active, applicable to your personal life. Your relationship, your spouse, your friends, your children, your parents relationships at work wherever you may have relationship. The course the.

The context is God's family, but nevertheless these will carry over to anywhere but obviously God's truth doesn't work with the unregenerate, but we can carry the spirit of Christ with us in all of these ways know we've already seen in a chapter 4 verses one through five. The truth of humility and how we need to walk with a gospel humility talks about the fact that they have wars and quarrels and lots of problems and strife. One among another because they're not walking in that humility that he continues on in that flow as we come to verses 11 and 12 and he says there this is James 411 12 do not speak against one another, brethren who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There's only one lawgiver and judge the one who is able to save and to destroy but who are you who judge your neighbor saw to talk about humility in judging humility in judging our first of all the my first main point will be perverse, judging. There is a judging that's wrong.

There's a judging that is a perversion of the biblical understanding of judging and let's talk about that two main thoughts here under perverse judging number one would be. It exalts itself perverse, judging is that judging of another when behind the judging. Our motive is to make ourselves look elitist or to make ourselves look superior to the one we are judging and that's exactly what he's talking about in verse 11 when he says do not speak against one another again the flow of the context makes it very clear that these were people he's correcting because they're consumed with their sales, their own joys, their own pleasures, Getting Their Own Way, Sony comes over and the judging.

Obviously that's what he's addressing here do not speak against one another again.

This was what was the hallmark of characteristic of the Pharisees that Jesus confronted in the New Testament it would be hard to come up with more scathing cutting public review than our Lord did when he reviewed the Pharisees and he did it publicly. He called them a brood of vipers. He called the whitewashed tombs not to do to be called whitewashed and was about the deepest slam you could get because to them. A dead body was the depth of spiritual defilement cease and you are the depth of ungodliness.

Your whitewashed team and he goes on and on rebuking that. But what was the purpose.

Here's the purposes is because you have a perverse judging when you bring the law to bear. You judge one another. Actually, the Pharisees did judge one another. They judged others. They actually came up with all this over 300 extra biblical laws that they would put these heavy weights of all these laws on the people and they did so they could strut around with their chest swelled up in their head held high as if they were superior and they were judging others.that's what's being rebuked here that kind of self exultation so when were running another brother down. Our sister down and were doing it out of fleshly nests out of jealousy, perhaps out of envy.

Whatever were doing were doing it and if for doing it. That is, if the motive of exalting ourselves. The need is a perverse, judging Christianity knows nothing of that.

I just like we said at the end of the message this morning, brothers and sisters in Christianity, the heart condition is everything. The heart condition is everything you going to have to grow as a Christian, as I have had to, and were all hopefully still on this growth track.

The sanctification progress where we get away from the cold sterile letter of the law and we walk in love and in the spirit of the law and I think that's where James is getting to get out of this cold heart judging now again Jane just writing to Jewish converts and like the rest of us. They had brought over into their Christianity. A lot of this cold, harsh legalism and judgment one or to another, and uses the phrase if you're doing this year. Judging your brother. Now here's what they're doing there actually setting themselves up as the standard of truth and so they set themselves up instead of God as the standard of truth and then they pronounce the verdict on the behavior of others, and that's what he says in verse 11. When you do that you speak against the law and you judge the law of the word you're basically saying God's law is not sufficient. The sufficient what cuts law is not absolute. The absolute one and I will denounce and condemn and correct.

Instead of letting God be the one who actually does that. So here's the point.

If you assume that above position that you yourself are the standard, then you're putting yourself above God's law and you judge that you not God's law is the final standard of truth and by the way, as a side note, that's exactly what the liberal theologian in the liberal pastor does when he comes to the Bible and instead of submitting to the Bible and interpreting it in the flow of the context in its grammatical historical exegetical context that he brings into the text. All of these are clever ideas from psychology and psychiatry and sociology in all this new job social justice movement exactly saying is, as I set myself up as authority in the Bible will serve me and that's the same notion that James is speaking against here so says in verse 11. You're not actually a doer of the law you become a judge of it. You set yourself up as the final authority even over God's truth. God's law, you yourself by judging another are in that act, judged by the law and stand guilty so in other words he said would you set yourself up and you feel like you're the final authority in your condemning others. Actually, the law stands up against you and says, by that very notion you're condemned by the law here. Here's one thing you did understand, when we judge a brother or sister. With that kind of self exultation that purpose of putting them down, that we might feel lifted up, then we are acting as if we don't even know Christ were acting as really in an antichrist spirit we've left the warm brotherhood of the Christian church for the cold arrogant legalism of the Pharisee and that makes us a chief lawbreaker. The person that you're talking about may literally be in Siena need correcting, but if you judge them exalting yourself.

You may be the very biggest center and that there is a relationship at that point, and that's where James is coming from James chapter 1 verse 25 is is a verse that we can look at and get some cross reference here that helps us, but one who looks intently at the perfect law to was the perfect law is not the moral law of God.

It's the law of liberty, and abides by not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man is blessed in what he does.

The law of liberty. In other words, as Christians, we are not under the strict cold letter of the law.

That's not what condemns us. That's not what saves us, it is Christ that cleanses us, it is Christ that makes us righteous in Christ we become law keepers so were not about laws in Christianity, though they are helpful in our Christian conduct. We keep that balance their delegate verse 12 in the text here.

He said there is only one lawgiver and judge the one who is able to save and to destroy but who are you who judge your neighbor, a saying that time. Since the law is from God, the law emanates from God's very being and he's the only one who can rightfully judge. Of these, only one has the power and authority of judge so therefore you are nothing in comparison so saying who are you to come up with something to condemn another and so evidently again this was a common thing that bled over from their old pharisaic teaching from their life in Judaism and that is all these extra biblical rules and laws and convictions that they would dump on one that we don't have to think very far very long. Rather, our baby go very far to think about groups that have made something of a structured religion our artform of going outside of the Scripture and coming up with a list of rules or laws and you have to do the certain things to be pleasing to God.

We have hope. Supposed Christian denominations built on a list of laws they just took the Old Testament law set it aside and came up with the new Testaments of laws but still law.

But the point behind what James is saying it so far is were not set ourselves up as an absolute authority. We are not the divine standard for conduct whereby we can pronounce others either saved and unsaved, a righteous are unrighteous based on our subjective understanding.

Are you judging with a thought to making yourself look superior, so exalting self is a perverse approach our exercise of judging another.

Secondly, to excuse sin. That's something else that had comes up in this whole concept and that is people use this section of James as an excuse to sin and says hey who are you less perverse trip you are you who judges your neighbor and then often we hear Luke 637 do not judge and you will not be judged and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Pardon you'll be part I haven't heard this in quite a while, but man, in the first few years after I was converted.

I bet you I heard once or twice a week somebody say well you know boxes do not judge, lest you be judged.

And basically what that was.

Is there to the site. Leave me alone in my sin, don't hold it out to me.

Don't bring it up just sort about that's good luck. Having the root card in the game room giver in young Claybrook. You thought the bird out there. You win.

And that's the way this was used to me no matter what type I just murdered three peopling and and and did all the but don't just let you be just, I mean that's an absurd good illustration but that's the kind of thing that you run into, and very shallow and carnal settings, and so that that's a very perverse view of judging. When you use the refusal of all judging to be an excuse for sin is got a bit honest before God. Are you prone to that approach. Are you prone to exalting yourself. Are you prone to excusing your sin. So what we find is that the word judge are judging is a word that you sent to very different ways in the Bible and what what you see and it is wrong is rejected is not part of the carpet Christian community it at all.

When you judge with those motives of self exultation or to excuse sin. But then there is a proper judging what we have to do we have to balance the truce were looking at in James and the verse we looked at in Luke do not judge, list you be judged with the truth in first Corinthians 512 and 13. Nothing in my baby on your screen, but turned their if you would first Corinthians 512 and 13 health Paul writing to the church at Corinth says in this was an immature church that would certainly be one to get the biblical concept of judging and reproving one another out of balance, to say the least.

He says what have I to do with judging outsiders. Do you not judge those who are within the church is a Christian by the way, all those who don't know Christ are already under the judgment of God, what were you going to pronounce a judgment on them for their already undergrad.

There condemned already.

The Scripture says, but once were converted and we join the covenant community of the local church.

Then there is a proper judgment of one another. He says verse 13 with those outside the church, God judges remove the wicked men from onion among yourself. So there's a professing Christian in the Corinthian church who was living in gross open scandalous sin is. If you have a responsibility to judge that. But no, what does he mean by that will that's what I'm going to try to explain under the second and that would be proper. Judging talk some about a perverse understanding of judge.

Let's talk now about proper judging and will pull this out of first printing 512 and 13 now two main thoughts and several sub points of the second number 100 proper judging is you must humble yourself to the word of God. Know the words when I come to judge and sometimes I like to use the word evaluate if you're evaluating another brother sister's behavior. Are you lashing yourself to what the Bible says not to what you feel like not to what you think. What does the Bible say and use the Bible to identify sin and use the Bible to correct sin. For example, the Bible talks a lot about we bring reproof to a person and reproof means to bring to light. That's a proper thing to do from time to time bring to light when somebody maybe it's a word they said maybe it's a discussion they had was someone that wasn't kinder when proper whatever it is can I say this is thought in my outline, but I would say the great great majority of times when you find the sin and the brother sister's life. What you need to do is put it on the shelf.

As I got up.

This is a pattern that's really grievous to your honor, and hurtful book to this person and others around them then then bring it up to me several times because I'm just going to forgive and forget it.

Right now that I exhort you to make that your common approach is to put it up and trust that they know God thereunder, the word they read their Bibles. They have the conviction, convicting power the Holy Spirit and 97.3 times out of $100 take care of, but there are times when were to deal with things and that's why the word reproof is in the Bible to reproof courses is a heavy responsibility of the preacher of the church. But it's all of our responsibility also. The Bible uses the word review one another.

Rebuke is a lot stronger than reproof reproof is to shine the light on it, rebuke is latest to charge on the pain of penalty rebuke would come about when you tried reproof and you've tried gentleness and now you come to the point where you had to get permits. It's a lot like a parent to a very disobedient child, you have the threat of penalty and then we have the word exhort that were to do for one another, exhort has litter the idea of calling one alongside to encourage them and urge them on in the proper behavior.

So the words we go to the word of God, to understand what is wrong and understand how to judge our correct, the person who is wrong. Now the Bible is our only authority second Timothy 316 says Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, someone needs reproving when the Bible says they need reproving soma needs rebuking when the Bible says they need rebuke soma needs exhorting when the Bible says they need exhorting and soma needs correcting.

When the Bible says they need correcting so we humble ourselves to the word of God elicit things that are not clear in the Bible. We always have grace on those thing you may not go to a certain movie another brother sister may feel like they can go to that movie, you may not can do a certain thing or certain recreation another brother sister may feel like like it if the Scriptures are not clear. We have grace on one another.

If you know somebody well enough you might challenge them, and love that I brother you might want to pray about that but let's never become a legalistic people about things. The Scriptures are not clear on so a under proper judging, as we always humble ourselves to the word of God and both identify identifying the sin and in the way we correct sin. Secondly, and this is the big issue proper heart motive.

You can do everything biblically, you can.every eye biblically and cross every T biblically but your heart motive be wrong and everything you do in your correction or judging is wrong now. First of all, your motive must be the glory of God. Number one the glory of God. You must say to yourself, and it must abide in your heart. This is dishonoring Jesus Christ. This is hurting the reputation of Christ. So I want to see this corrected not to exalt myself not to say I'm holding spiritual I can correct you. I want this done because I don't want our Lord dishonored the glory of God because the reputation of Christ is always at stake when a Christian is living in sin remember him. Nathan confronting King David, the notorious scandalous sin of David taking another man's wife Bathsheba taking her to his bed. Having her husband Uriah murdered killed Nathan the prophet comes to see David knocks on the door. David, though very sinful, respected the man of God.

Nathan begins to tell David a story about a man who had old fat lamb and it was precious and just the just precious to the whole family and a more wealthy man beside him went and took that man slam and slaughtered it and fed it to gifts that he had coming over David so that man ought to be punished severely forget what the text is exactly on beef feel to be just killed or whatever David said and then when David said that Nathan looked at David and said, thou art the man and then the prophet said something very interesting. He said because of this, David.

You've given an occasion for the enemies of the Lord, to blaspheme, you've given a reason for those who hate our God the talking delegates. The character of our God because your trust debate the great King under Jehovah God.

David was broken. David was repentant, but what's the point Nathan came in there because the reputation of God was damaged Nathan's motive was the glory of God over in our chapter that were looking at in first Corinthians chapter 5, beginning in verse one. He says it's actually reported that there is immorality among you, and in relative such a kind that does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father's wife Paul is writing the trait in churches is don't you understand that even the pagans are saying that's not right. You can't let that go on in your church, the reputation of God is at stake. The glory of God is being harmed by this open sea. First Timothy 37 reminds us, and we must have a good reputation with those outside the church so that he may not fall to the reproach and the snare of the debacle system, but all location of an elder, but that's the principle that all of us should hold dear and that is that we don't have need reproach brought to the name of Christ by our conduct outside the church.

Let me challenge you as I challenge myself.

If you're going to correct someone mom today is absolutely for your children.

You don't correct your children for you.

You don't correct your children that you not have a more civilized insane household. That's a nice byproduct you correct your children for the glory of God. You want to train your children so that they not be brought to the Christ in an repentant and welcome the gospel and be converted, and be young men and women who will honor God in this world and bring him glory. You want God to back up your parenting. Let God know your motive is his glory will to you make a lot of mistakes as a parent.

If your motive is the glory of God and God will help you bless your efforts well. Secondly, under proper heart motive. None of the glory of God must bear motive the good of the church must be our motive. Our desire can be no less than the desire of the heart of God. You know what God cares deeply about. He cares deeply that is sure who Jesus died for. He died for his church know who Jesus is in heaven interceding for to not he's in heaven interceding for his church. The Bible tells us in many ways that were to care for our brothers and sisters in our church, even to any extreme measure. First John 316 we know love by this that he lay down his life for us to submit a local congregation here and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Certainly for Christians in general but more specifically for those that we congregate with the local churches, the church and the good of the church is very important.

First Corinthians 5, six and seven, he says you're boasting is not good you and do not do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole of the dough.

Clean out the old leaven so that you may become a new law just as you are in fact unleavened, Christ our Paso also also has been sacrificed. The talking about dealing with known scandalous sin in the church the same clean that up a little leaven leavens the whole double libido don't you know that this is going to damage God's church. You've got to deal with things you know to be open brace an unrepented of sin, to look folks were all sinners and were already pictures, but if someone walks in open Calais sin without repentance. It must be dealt with because the good of the church is at stake. It's a and I'm telling you this is so rampant in our churches today. There are people all over membership roles in our churches today who are living in all kinds of scandalous known CN and we ought to care if you don't get the importance of the local church would you ask God to help you obtain that's why I live is the importance of the local church for the glory of God that I want to see God's church represent him the way he ought to be represented. So when you think about correcting a brother sister ask yourself is my motive the good of the church are not just about me putting him down. I may put her out, put her in her place. It's not what you do as a child of God, remotest the glory of God in your motive is the good of the church. I won't even read Hebrews 10 2231 that lays out for us.

What a much greater and awesome entities you would say is God's local church over the old dispensation through Moses and the rules and the laws of Judaism's on what the point is, how much more careful.

Should we be about the health of God's church with the glory of God the good of the church.

And thirdly, our motive must be the good of the brother or sister in sin. Are you really concerned about what the sins doing to them. Are you really concerned about their what notice and all this you not thinking about yourself. I think some of us it might be the way were raised, but some of us walk so much in self consuming thinking it's hard to think this way but if your child of God you can think this way the spirits change your heart.

You can think this way. Do you really are you really doing it for their good.

Romans 623 tells us that the wages of sin is death. If you believe that you care deeply, and that's something that some I think maybe just being a pastor.

It is so weighty in my heart when I see somebody begin to walk in a pattern of compromise and on the one hand, most people would look at that and say well that's not that big a deal, except when you understand the truth of God and that is that will compromise will lead to another will lead to another will lead to another and the dominoes fall and great tragedies go come to that person's life, so we should be motivated as as with a deep concern because the wages of sin is death. There's going to be praying and deaths.

Not a silly physical death leads not immediately, but it may kill a relationship they may die emotionally. They may die to a family. The family may break up because of who knows what all the dominoes that may fall so we have to be motivated that we care for them and want them not to face that kind of outcome now in James chapter 5 verse 20 what a powerful verse. This is a new we probably sing this in a lot of ways this is let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of this way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. Here's the point.

If you help a brother or sister overcome sin in their life you stop that multiplication effective sin in their life. You cover a multitude of sins.

You've done a great good for them again M to repeat what I said early on most things don't need to be spoken about most things don't need to be correctly put them on a shelf and saying I got a bit surreal pattern in a real hindrance to your honor, your glory and real hurt to their life and bring it up to me later.

We don't need to commission a whole bunch of Marine review curse tonight. Okay, but we need to check our heart and our motives about how we do these things again in our homes and our marriages at work, but especially in the household of God. Now I won't spend long here, but Roman three. We talked about perverse judging, exalting, self just excusing sin. Using those text that's perverse that's taking that's perverting the doctrines of the Scripture concerning judging there is a proper judging whereby we evaluate things need to be addressed, but we got to be very careful that with early biblical and our motives. The glory of God the good of the church and the good of the individual that thirdly the product of proper judging Vardy alluded to this and that is restoration and blessing when someone a brother or sister is properly corrected. It brings sweet and wonderful restoration and blessing list to me when a brother or sister is an unrepented of sin there already causing this unity in the church because the church is built on a spiritual unity and CN quenches the spirit so there's already pizza all over the Jeff. I've heard this church discipline is to divide the charges but the church.

The church is divided in God's eyes. The church is already split when there's unrepented of sin and the Were dealing with it to bring the kind of restoration God wants to bring second Corinthians chapter 2 verses six through nine.

Is this boy are this young man in the church at Corinth has repented and noticed the restoration here. Notice the blessing policy significance to six sufficient for such a one is this punishment that was inflicted by the majority, so that on the contrary, you should rather forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, such one might be overwhelmed with excessive sorrow. Wherefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love for him for this. It also wrote so that I might put you to the test with your obedient and all things so that this brother in the church. This was a man in an MR relationship with probably the stepmother gross and greediest public scandal, but he was broken and he repented. He said forgive him, comfort him, welcome him back home. That's got to be our motive now course in a case like this, you can't keep things confidential, but remember the biblical admonition of Matthew 18 you go to a person privately always you go to the furtherance links possible to never expose the issue unless they are just refusing to even try to repeat because by the way that's the way you want folks to come to you is this isn't about you or me. It's about us. We gotta remind ourselves in Christianity that it's a blessing to be corrected. Years ago we had retired pastor join our church, of all things. He was Methodist in background but he loved our church to let their doctor know how that work but he did and he actually joined our church. He visited on the one of the not so far on true church conference and almost every Sunday at the end of the sermon. He came up and corrected something in my sermon usually only my family does that I was a digital get anything other than that goofy word I say this not a word but they help me there there there there loving me doing it for the glory of God. I think they really are because I do love me but this brother would come up and he would correctly note on site. Thank you sir, thank you for that.

Sometimes it was the tiniest thing. I sometimes wonder if he did make him feel important, but that didn't matter. He was have been many seven-day and so it's good. Here's what happens. Somebody corrects you and the first thing is, your pride rises… I know what you are. I've seen how you talk I've seen how you acted I seen how you reacted and you miss the blessing of being corrected.

If God can use buddy lumps, donkey hating use some of the donkeys to help you, let him come out just right. Cannot you listen to me. God joys in using vessels you don't deemed qualified. He told Timothy is Timothy's pastor.

The church at Ephesus.

Don't let them look down on your youthfulness, they think you're not qualified because you're young. If you tell them the truth.

They don't matter if you go, but not the truth matters. So don't worry about the vessel, be thankful for the correction. Proverbs 1017 he is on the path of life who heeds instruction that he who forsakes reproof goes astray if you forsake reproof some aces show you what what might be better here and you know sometimes somebody correct you, and honestly they don't know what they're talking about. It may shock you, but I get I get emails from people and lightly literally all over the world and they have been over way numbingly and powerfully encouraging likely but I did get an email from a brother and he's a good brother and I love him and he was correcting me on something. But the unfortunate thing is he knows nothing about what he's talking about because he wasn't there, and you can't know if you're not there but yet I thought I need to respond. It's a brother. Thank you for trying to help me on this because it it you know what does it hurt.

I mean other than your ego, getting bruised by the by the waiver swiftly crucified with Christ crucified. Men don't have egos upon is God often uses vessel that from all objective observation do not seem qualified to correct but God can still use them in. If we love reproof, it keeps us from going astray. Proverbs 10 syndicate and Proverbs 1318 poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, but he who regards reproof will be honored. He regards, reproof, or better, so there is a blessing in this well restoration breast blessing is the product of proper, judging and correcting Romans 1514 says, and concerning you. My brother and I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness fill with knowledge and able also listen this and able also to admonish one another. You know I have been in a lot of churches over these few decades of ministry, and I have been a lot of churches that typically the pastors want to ask my advice and my guidance in my counseling things and they'll tell me what's going on in the church and it's very very common that when they describe what's going on. I realize there's not enough maturity in this church to be able to admonish one another is just not there. But Paul writes and says I think you are able to admonish one another, you're able to go to brother sister humble thoroughly biblical, pure and right heart motives and you're also able to receive it from brother sister knowing that this is a blessing and this is helpful even if the vessel being used may not be the best one word of caution from your pastor.

I'm not asking you to let's have a whole new crusade of correcting each other. I'm just saying as we do this let's do it properly. Let's judge properly for the glory of God the good of the church and the good of the individual