Who Made You the Judge?

Slander is one of the ways that speaking evil of someone can manifest itself.

What I want to make sure you understand that you can speak evil not only by lying on them. You can speak evil by telling the truth.

Just because what you said about somebody is true doesn't mean you didn't say when you talked about the truth may be our best defense when it comes to gossip. The truth is no defense at all hello and welcome to this Thursday edition of Destin for victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California, always glad to have you with us. We've all said things we regret things we wish we could take back that may surprise you to learn that gossip is still gossip. Even if what were saying is true whether it's fact or fiction story or false rumor spread information about the behavior and personal lives of other people is harmful.

It's in today's broadcast. Another practical message for the book of James about the power of our words including reminder of how we can put them to the best possible use say what is now or stop by Pastor Paul.net anytime you're today's message or any recent test message on demand. That's Pastor Paul.you can also subscribe to the podcast a Google podcast sort must join Pastor Paul now secures today's message who made you judge go with me to James chapter 4, they were looking at verses 11 and 12 brothers do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges. It when you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.

There was only one lawgiver and judge the one who is able to save and destroy, but you who are you to judge your brother. My title is who made you judge in the first 10 verses of this chapter. James writes about the need to face what I referred to in the previous message as our three worst enemies. All of us who are walking with the Lord have the same three worst enemies. Your worst enemy is not the person you're thinking about right now your worst enemies are the world the flesh and the devil, and we talked about that in the previous message because we have to learn how to be over comers. We have to learn how to walk in victory over the flesh you walk in victory over the flesh by putting its deeds to death. You walk in victory over the world by making sure you are in the world but not of the world systems and you walk in victory over the devil as you walk in spiritual authority put on the whole armor of God, and you make sure the devil knows that he is not. We were kids we talked about somebody not be in the boss of us all remember that sibling a semi trying to but you not the boss of me and you walk in victory over the devil by reminding him as often as he needs to be reminded you're not the boss of me. I belong to the Lord and I walk in his way and in his authority. And so we learned about that in the previous message. Now James takes a turn as he continues writing and he wants to make sure we understand that not only do we have the spiritual obligations in walking in victory over the flesh, the world and the devil what he wants to make sure we have obligations to treat each other right as well. I love this book. As I've said so many times because it's very practical James of the Montauk only about spiritual matters in spiritual terms. He often gets back to the issue of how to live a practical Christian life. And so he'd never been just too far from making sure we understand what being a follower of Christ, looks like in very practical terms, and so he stays right in the same vein, and after having discussed those three worst enemies that all of us has. He says now brothers do not slander one another. That's the translation here in the new international version Bible that I am reading from do not slander one another, but I want to let you know the original language doesn't really yield the best translation as slander when you look at this passage from its Greek origins. The New Testament writers wrote in Greek the better translation is to speak evil of one another to speak evil of one another. So the problem with the translation slander is not that it's an accurate it doesn't go far enough because I want you to know that you can speak evil of someone not only by slandering them, but in some other ways as well. This take a moment to make sure you understand what I mean. There to slander means to lie on someone in order to do damage to their reputation or their influence when you slander a person you are lying on them.

So what makes it slanderous is that it's not true. You can call somebody slandering you what they say it is the truth is some else but is not slander.

Slander is when July you say something that is not true but you assigned it to that person with the hope that others will believe it and you're hoping to do damage to their reputation or their influence over other people so what James said here to speak evil of includes slander definitely includes that, don't tell lies on people don't mislead other people about someone because you don't like him and you want others do not like him. That is sin. I said that is sin why Christians think it's okay to send with their mouths as long as they don't get bad with the wrong person. I'll never know. It is sin. Just like adultery, fornication, or any other sin that we all know is not God's will. So slander is one of the ways that speaking evil of someone can manifest itself, but I want to make sure you understand that you can speak evil not only by lying on them. You can speak evil by telling the truth. Let's unpack this now just because what you said about somebody is true doesn't mean you didn't sin when you talked about, explain it to everybody gets it, you can speak the truth for the wrong reasons. What I said about him is true. But what's the motive in my heart for talking about them in the first place. So if I tell you the truth about some I listen let me take you what I learned sometime they say are you sitting down that's on the phone sin of the KC are you sitting down you get to sit down for this and then you proceed to tell something that is true doesn't mean you're not in sin because what you said is true. The question is, what is your motive for saying what you're saying that is included in speaking evil evil doesn't just mean it's a lot evil can mean the same lies in what you're talking about it in the first place. So when James says don't speak evil of one another. Humane slander he means truth telling.

For the wrong reason he means gossip you don't know that is true, what you think is true or you hope it's true. So you speak like it's true there are any number of ways you can send with your mouth and James use of the term here that includes all of them because the evil lies not just in what you say evil can lie and why you're talking in the first place and James wrote, when there was no Internet and so I thought it important to say.

You can sandwich your fingers on your computer.

It's called Texan.

It's called blogging come on, you can send number of ways which are fingers.

If it goes under the same category of speaking evil.

I submit that Chris Jim send much more with their fingers and their mouths than they do with any other body parts. We always focus on the top 10 David Letterman's top 10 of sin. That's what Christians always think about the still old something you slept with somebody had no business being with July goals of the top 10 but those are the only ways you can speak evil of someone. And so James is saying here as you deal with the world the flesh and the devil don't forget that you also have the responsibility under God, not to speak evil of other people. Whether it's true or not.

If you have no business talking about it. No good motive know God glorifying motive for talking about it. You need to be in a place where if somebody is insane or doing wrong, or whatever your heart's desire is to pray that God will bring them into the right place. Your job is not to talk. Stay with us the second half of Pastor Paul Shepard's message is coming right up. We want to thank all of you who support destined for victory with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help Pastor Paul share the joy the gospel with a growing audience destined for victory is supported entirely by friends like you. So please prayerfully consider making a generous gift to destined for victory today. Give online safely and securely from our website. Pastor Paul.net or give us a call at 855-339-5500 again that numbers 855-339-5500.

Well, you may already know better than to gossip about other people but how should you handle it if other people bring gossip to you some great practical advice comes your way.

Next, and the rest of today's message who made you the judge once again here's Pastor Paul told you many time before but let me tell you now if somebody calls you gossip or other forms of sin or there on the computer and they send it to you by way of a blog or an email or a text saying response to come from you. If you see that it is something you don't need to know if you see of something they don't need to be talking about then you need to put him or her in their place so that they'll know that you are not a garbage receptacle or go they treat you like a garbage can when they bring junk to you what you take trash to take it to a receptor and if somebody calls you a blog your emails you or taxes you with foolishness or pool suicide at church and what they say is from a wrong motive or its ally or their goal is to make somebody else look bad or to expose someone sin or whatever the case might be, make sure they know that they are to never again bring that to you. The best way to do it is the stable first of all, I don't know that to be true. Do you know that to be true.

Yeah, I would tell you, unless I had it checked out. Even if that's the case, as the person who is not slandering because they think what they're saying is the truth you say well either way. That's a horrible thing and we need to pray for them. So I tell you what, let's pray for him right now, since you bring it up right now night. Since you have more information.

You pray and I'll agree in prayer which you make a gossip or an evil speaker. Pray with you about what did talking about and I promise you or your mom that you will never have to worry about them bring in mass to you again because they don't want to pray you don't call with some good juicy stuff to pray.

You want to talk you want to go to somebody else's failures or or you just want to be messy and you need a mess partner to learn to get offended when somebody treats you like you are good mess partner. You gotta tell them in the words of Beyoncé. You must not know about me. I don't roll like that. I got better things to do in my life God has plans for my life.

I've got things I really need to get done. I don't have time to roll around in the junk in the trash and so he says do not be says do not slander, but the better translation is do not speak evil. Whether it's a lie or the truth don't speak evil will all be at a place in our lives where I'm so busy get myself together will really have time to fool which will stuff we got places we need to go. We got things we need to do to do the will of God. We got our own issues to address.

True time to talk about somebody put the searchlight on me and that should not be taken out some wrong with you when you enjoy messing around and around other people's affairs. You have a life, get a life that Braxton Garza gets your life cement a mark to market your life only knows you mean, but you need to get it. I mean how immature is that Christians thing to get away with a call to call it prayer requests give you permission to mess around in people's stuff gets your life and say if this all wrong or my brother, sister. I'll put them on my private prayer request list and when I'm in my secret closet. I'll pray for you ever seen anybody pray that in public. I've seen it all my life I've seen it in Lord we want to pray for sister applesauce because we just heard, Don Yarborough done they will use Eric to talk about you. You will be so busy getting your life in God's order.

You really don't have time to fool around and that kind of stuff, but by all means make sure that people don't use you as a garbage can.

They bring mass send the mass back return to sender and make him pray and you won't have to worry about it anymore sent just know they might be time that you mix. I'll know but oh well because if God be for you. If God be for you will get big games to learn. Don't even try to chase your reputation around trying to get a straight when people are lying on you or exaggerating about whatever spend your life running your reputation, you leave them in their mouse and their fingers to God because God says if you mess with one of mine, get your myself all come all somebody if you read your Bible, you know that your Bible says Jensen is my God's kids and get away with it. We have the children of God, I'm saved by grace. Everything about me, my strengths, my weaknesses all love. It is God's business and he takes it personally because he's the one who made me and he also made you a promise which is I'm going to finish the work I started and you so since God is at work in your life. You don't have to worry about people commenting on where you are in this particular area of your life. Anyway, learn to not try to run.

God is at work in you.

If God needs them.

Discipline his children.

He knows how to do it sadly ever been disciplined by God to God old fashion parent. Now that's like a goal but so far into this newfangled stuff you'll do. God does more than timeout. I'm just saying I'm just saying God does more than timeout grew up in the more than timeout days back I grew up in the days when only time you heard timeout was at the ballgame. That's how old I am when I was come along. I never heard a parent saying that about timeout when I will come along. It was time to go, where you out. That's what it wants, just traumatizing.

Sorry sign me to dramatize.

I'm so sorry we all grew up with old fashion parents or grandparents admitted believed if they let you get away with stuff without teaching you and sometimes they reinforce the teaching with some corporal punishment or some stern rebuke, or taking away privileges on the negative stuff that matter. You cinnamon the room without a jump to bottom in the room they good fine. I just play my little PlayStation.

I'm not been punished. I'm not thinking about what idea all but All Saints had away and then after they got today said that not much of the noise abatement. You tell me to make. I'm sorry go to be mess with the growing of the spanking. Spanking if you refer to it at all. Refer to it as spanking. I read all the stuff gets on my nerves gets on my last nerve. Hitting them teaches them to hit not in the 60s and the sixth event taught you to set down about it. No leave me out here by myself. The spanking member member taught me to his some of the key when the parent anyway back back re-wine if you need to strike that from the record to hear the rest of the message going and strike that I was preaching like this one time, years and years ago little girl would little brand-new baby infant came up to me afterwards. Tears just flow preaching. But when you say that about spanking children, so I just looked too much. I can't.

I couldn't imagine any time they would never do anything sweetheart.

I know what your brand-new parent given a couple years. I will know and you know obviously the goal is not to spank if the Lord are blessed with some children who will listen to you and you you can speak the truth in love, and in all of that, by all means. The goal is to not spank. I spanked my daughter one time in her life. Once her mother got a few more times but for me I only do it one time she smart she got it.

Never had to worry about it again. Her brother two years younger about that as you come along when he was good. Do not get it and were about me you good that never spank them mom-and-pop both publishing you tell me it doesn't work when done appropriately and on the right circumstances known to me on the boat graduated with high honors from college and in hit anybody on the way to the book of James is often called the Proverbs of the New Testament.

A practical guide on living the Christian life.

This brief five chapter letter, James tells us how to handle adversity, how to treat other people how to use our words to build up a set of tear down words that produce life instead of legalism joy instead of judgment so that you'll be better able to conquer your calling in Christ Jesus. While our highest calling as Disciples of Christ is to go out into the world and make more disciples. A great way to do that is by partnering with pastor Paul Sheppard at the Destin for Victor ministry in light of some severe challenges these past two years or so people are coming to faith in Christ all over the world. Many of them through the destined for victory broadcast is our way of saying thanks for your partnership of $20 or more a month will send you a few thank you gifts including one of Pastor Paul's most popular CDs. The best of let my people smile, just call 855-339-5500 and find out more about how to become a Destin for victory, partner, or mail your gift letting us know you wish to become a partner.

The address is destine for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. You can also become a partner for my website. Pastor Paul.net but if you can't become a partner, but would like to send a generous gift to the ministry today would love to share with you a gift of our own pastor Paul Sheppard's DVD message get your hopes up. That's get your hopes up a gift this month by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory. Don't ask anybody love you by not speaking to you about areas you really need to take a look at. Don't ask anybody to love you by getting the ball for you when somebody needs to be on you. That's tomorrow and pastor Paul Sheppard's message who made you the judge. Until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory