'Judge Not' and Christian Discernment #2

What did Jesus mean when he said do not judge, and lest you be judged.

What did he mean by that that question has great importance you need to know the answer to that question were glad to have you with us all the truth pulpit with the green founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio hi Bill, right we are continuing our series. The art of discernment with part two of John's message titled judge not, and Christian discernment last time Don began explaining why the Lord did not mean we are never to discern good from evil in a person's behavior on today's program. Our teacher will show us three kinds of judgment that God definitely intends us to respect and support. Let's find out more about what those are, as we join Don green now in the truth.

Pulpit judgment by men. Men exercising judgment is an intrinsic part of the way that God has ordered the world and has ordered his church. It is it is part of the part of the very order of God revealed in Scripture that there will be men exercising judgment about other men and about situations in teaching in front of them.

This is part of the order of God and so to say judge not means. Note that I can do what ever I want without any kind of accountability from anyone. You'll see is absolutely contrary to the whole order of God in society and in the church and I want you to see this because if you see this in the broader context then it will strengthen you not to be intimidated by those who would try to put you to silence when you're simply trying to say. But the Bible says this and so I want to help you with this and quickly give you three kinds of judgment that God intends us to respect and support in our lives and point number one this may surprise you.

Point number one is to just see the concept of judgment in government judgment in government.

The Bible makes clear that God has appointed our governmental leaders so that they can exercise authority and deliver judgment on evildoers, turn to the book of Romans chapter 13 Romans chapter 13 if you would will go through all these points rather quickly. Romans chapter 13 beginning in verse one, where the apostle Paul writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that is delivering us exactly God's word says in verse one, every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God, and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. Verse three for rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority do what is good and you will have praise from the same format as a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword for nothing for it is a minister of God and adventurer who brings wrath. On the one who practices evil.

Now, simple points here. There is good and there is evil there. There is lawful obedience and there is criminal activity to frame it in those terms. God says Scripture says those two things are coextensive in equal Scripture says that God has appointed government in order to bring judgment on evildoers in order to protect the peace so that law-abiding citizens can live in peace and have a sense of stability and order in the society in which they live, and he is given government the power to exercise judgment on evildoers and to isolate them so that they do not create an panic and disrupt the order and harm law-abiding citizens God restrains evil through the actions of government. What does that mean except that someone someplace in authority is going to say that action was evil.

It is my judgment as a judge or to be the judgment of a jury. For all I cared that matter that the law has been violated here and you sir are a violator of the law and therefore we will send you to incarceration. You will be in prison because your actions are wicked.

Your actions have violated the law and therefore you must be separated from society.

It is no answer for the convicted person to say. But Jesus said judge not lest you be judged. You can't send me to prison because no one can exercise judgment. The foolishness of that is obvious, isn't it is and it obvious the government makes judgments were just talking about it in the realm of criminal activity. Here, the criminal justice system exercises judgment every work day of the week saying that was wicked behavior that must be punished.

What are they doing, except by some standard saying you are a lawbreaker that you are guilty under human law and therefore you must be punished. There is judgment woven into the very fabric of social order that God has established its impossible. It is utterly impossible to take Jesus words in Matthew chapter 7 in the literal way and say this forbids all judgment.

They are obviously when when someone responds in that way when when ill-informed newspaper column writers who somehow managed to intersect with Christianity from time to time, use that to try to silence a Christian voice in the world know we reject that you should not try to steal from a book that you don't even believe in and apply it in a way that would silence those who do. That is not a legitimate use of the word of God and if you do not love the word of God. You should not appeal to it in order to justify your effort to silence a voice of truth and righteousness when it comes to judgment in government illustrates that point let's bring you closer to home with our second point and talk about judgment in the church judgment in the church judgment in the sense by which we we discern right and wrong, and we make conclusions and take action accordingly judgment in the church.

What what do we see when we examine and think through the word of God in that room. When the church Jesus tells us plainly that believers are intended to confront open sin in the lives of other professing believers look at Matthew chapter 18 Matthew chapter 18 in verse 15, Matthew 18 verse 15 there's about three passages that I want to go to here. Matthew 18 verse 15 if your brother sins. If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private if he listens to you, you have won your brother, but if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact May be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them tell it to the church and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tactical collector. Jesus says that in the church there is to be a confrontation of sin that when people are living in open flagrant sin and that becomes known within a body that is to be confronted first privately, then by 21 or two more then then perhaps bring the whole church to bear on the situation and this isn't the time or place for a full exposition of the doctrine of church discipline. All I want you to see here is that's in this passage Jesus is assuming that a righteous believer is making judgments about what he sees in the life of another beloved, you are living with a woman who is not your wife that is sinful. I call you to repentance is no answer for the so-called brother the professing brother. But Jesus said Jesus said judge not lest you be judged. You can't judge may well Jesus look.

Jesus had the mind of God. Jesus is the way the truth and the life.

Truth is internally consistent. Jesus didn't say one thing in Matthew seven only to contradicted in Matthew 18 and so we see the point of that is is it that false view where a professing believer in a local assembly would say don't judge you can't judge may want to keep my Conti pine to keep my mistress. I will leave my wife and you can't say anything about it because Jesus said judge not know know that's not what Jesus meant. Jesus said do not judge, but you are twisting his words to say something that he obviously never intended because Scripture tells believers to protect the purity and the unity of the church look over the book of Titus couple places here in Titus that will hopefully be helpful to you.

Titus chapter 1 Titus chapter 1 speaking about the qualifications of elders in a section that we looked at in years gone by. Paul told Titus in verse five to go and appoint elders in every city, as he directed them and then he gives a list of qualifications the man is to be above reproach in verse six, verse seven is to be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just about self-controlled even in that. Don't you see an element of judgment being made by congregation as it affirms its elders does does this man manifests the characteristics that are laid out here are not.

There's a collective judgment that's made and says yes he does, or no, he doesn't know he needs more time.

There's a judgment being made about the quality and tenor of a man's life to see whether it somehow resembles what Scripture says, an elder should be like that requires judgment that requires discernment that requires making decisions in your mind. Then, for the elder himself in verse nine says, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. I ask you, beloved, what is that verse saying, except that he is making a judgment on the content of another man's teaching or another system of teaching saying this is consistent with Scripture or that contradicts Scripture and therefore it must be refuted, and it's not simply refuting the teaching that refuting those who teach it. This requires judgment requires discrimination requires decisions to be made if we took the critics view judge not, we would never be able to do what Jesus says to do here in Titus one. Moving on. Titus chapter 3 verse 10 says reject a factious Man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sending being self condemned in order to practice this view of protecting church unity as Scripture lays out so clearly to be the responsibility of a local church and its leaders. You have to look at you. You have to look at a situation say this person is divisive. We warned them we warned them again and when they don't respond. Scripture says reject them. That requires you to make judgments about what you see going on around you did to make assessments of situations you can only do that by exercising some form of discernment and discrimination. The says this is unifying.

This is divisive. We need to deal with this now in light of the these things we see that Christ requires churches and their leaders as watch this as Christ is the head of the church, not the Pope. Christ is the head of the church beloved the church belongs to Christ. It is his is not mine.

It is not the elders is not jurors church belongs to Christ. He is the Lord he is the king. He is the sovereign over the church and he says this is the way that I want things done in my church, we don't have the prerogative to say the Lord. The Bible says do not judge, and so Christ requires churches and their leaders to be diligent so that sin or error does not bring division or spiritual disease into the body. How can that happen unless somebody somewhere is making decisions making assessments making judgments about what is true about what is pure about what is unifying or about what is divisive.

How can that happen in St. Paul hit it can't. And that's precisely the point which means that the way that people use this verse cannot possibly be what Jesus meant truly meant for it to be a finally in a related third point we see Scripture calling us to exercise judgment in doctrine judgment in doctrine. The Bible tells us not to naïvely accept everything that anyone says about truth.

Look at first John chapter 4 verse one first John chapter 4 verse one after Hebrews after James after Peter you'll find the letters of John in your Bible. First John chapter 4 verse one says beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world, he says test the spirits when you hear what someone is saying apply standard to it and come to a conclusion about whether it's right or wrong test the spirits and any E tells you why you must do that. Why must you do that because there are many false prophets in the world. There are many false teachers who are misrepresenting the character of God who are teaching a false way of salvation, offering false peace to those who are in sin, promising them forgiveness when their way of salvation is not true and therefore leading people and confirming them in a path that would lead them to eternal judgment passed the spirits so that you don't come under the sway of something like that or someone like that how can you do that unless you're making judgments turn over a page, probably in your Bible to second John second John in verse nine says, anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God the one who abides in the teaching he has both the father and the son.

If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house and do not give him a greeting.

I've made the same .50 times.

I bet this passage requires you to say what are you teaching I got it. Let me think about what the Bible says about what you just told me that's not consistent with the Bible. It is my determination that that's not consistent with Scripture.

Therefore I cannot receive you a judgment has been made that a man is teaching falsehood, and therefore is not to be welcomed now, let me say this was always a scriptural balance to things you are to be teachable. We are all to be teachable. You should have a teachable spirit that is part of the Christian spirit of Christian mindset is to be teachable and to receive instruction to not appoint yourself as you know your own version of the Pope, except you just got your own a different kingdom of your own, over which you stand. No, it's not like that would be like the Parisians who heard the apostle Paul in acts 1711.

Listen what they did. Here's the balance for you. They received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so teachable but not gullible, teachable, and receiving God's appointed teachers in the church. I need to listen to them. I need to be responsive to them.

I need to receive instruction. I need to receive rebuke, I need to receive correction. I need to receive encouragement. The pattern Scripture is not for each individual to be spiritual free agent mindlessly determining whatever he wants, but at the same time as your teachable, you examine the Scriptures you need to read the Bible for yourself, my friend, you need to read it for yourself so that you have an acquaintance with the teaching of Scripture so that you are able to make distinctions between whether a man is telling you the truth or telling you falsehood so that you know who to follow, so we find in the area of government. God order society for judgments to be made. We see in the area of the church that there are judgments about sin in the life of the body that are to be made. We see in the realm of doctrine that we are to know the truth enough to be able to distinguish what is true from what is false, and make decisions accordingly. That has a critical implication for our topic today in light of all of that when at the first sign of scrutiny, a teacher or someone in sin says judge not, you know immediately that they are twisting that verse in order to protect themselves. It is not there, you must understand this beloved friends, brothers and sisters in Christ.

You must understand this and think clearly about what is happening in that scenario, they are not concerned to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness when they respond that way that's not there point they're not trying to honor the word of Christ. When that is their first and hostile response. That's what they're trying to do their twisting that verse in order to protect them selves to insulate themselves from legitimate accountability and legitimate scrutiny. They're not concerned uphold biblical righteousness, which you can be certain was the point Jesus was trying to uphold when he was teaching us and so beloved I'll say it again your to be teachable but not gullible. And when we see the pattern that God is established for discernment and discretion, to be exercised as we walk through life we understand that that response.

That retort could not possibly be the way that God would truly have us operate in this world that gives us the freedom, the courage, the liberty not to be intimidated but into silence by what that says. But to continue walking in the truth and making judgments as the case may be, so whatever else we do with this passage here in Matthew 711 walk away with this. Do not let anyone that you're reading a paper reading online dealing with personally. Don't let anyone use that verse as a club to beat you into submission and into silence because that's not what that passage is there, but what did Jesus mean that when he said do not judge unless you be judge. What did he mean by that that question has great importance you need to know the answer to that question and that's why I hope that you'll be back as we consider today on the truth. Pulpit pastor Don Greene has pointed out three areas where judgment is to be exercised and respected in government, church and doctrine. Next time will continue our series in Matthew seven. To better understand the arts of discernment. Be sure to join us then, but right now Don's back here in studio with some closing thoughts we know, my friend. One of the things that is a special blessing to me in pastoral ministry is the opportunity to talk with people.

It may be at a hospital bedside or when they're discourage going through really difficult life trials. Let me speak to you somewhat as a pastor I know it's through radio and not in a personal relationship like we normally think about that. But let me just encourage you that that even though you're going through a dark valley now. Perhaps the Jesus Christ is with you in the valley and even though you may be afraid of what the next doctor's report has for you or or where the next mortgage payment is going to come from and you don't know and there's a lot of pressure on your life. Let me just remind those of you who are Christians of a wonderful passage from Psalm 23. David could say I fear no evil for you are with me. Do you know Christ, then my friend, there's no cause for fear he will keep you and you'll find in the end that goodness and lovingkindness of followed you all the days of your life.

Look to your gracious Savior for help for comfort in my friend. I know that he will prove himself faithful to you in the thanks God had friend.

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