Every Reason to Judge

Why do you see this your brothers are and do not notice the law that is in your own. That doesn't mean you're not going to struggle with forgiveness or even sale that you're not in a battle of resentment that you desire to be vindicated wrong, but as a Christian. This is your two it reflects the attitude Jesus Christ himself and through this and demonstrating world that is secular society and even, in some Christian denominations. Tolerance is promoted as a virtue being labeled as intolerance, is an insult. After all, didn't Jesus tell his followers not to judge will work and explore what God's word really says today. Stephen Davey is returning to Luke six Jesus makes clear to his disciples that godly judgment when done correctly, is an essential quality of any successful church body, your Stephen with a message called every reason to judge. Luke chapter 6 verse 37 judge not, and you will not be judged, condemned not in you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. I don't misunderstand the Lord is defining someone's salvation is will see he's defining someone's spirit. The verb here to judge means to sit in judgment and that handset at what is going to cover to sit in judgment. He's talking about someone is quick to condemn someone unwilling to forgive and this spirit as Jesus is teaching his disciples is really contrary to Christianity.

It's contrary to those have been forgiven those who will not fear the condemnation of the Lord. Now we got a Matthews parallel account of this sermon and Matthew took a little bit more detailed sermon notes.

Evidently the blue he had some context gives us a little more insight. He writes in chapter 7 in verse one. Judge not that you be not judged.

For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use, that is the standard, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye and do not notice the law that is in your own but that's later on this gospel will get to their eventually. But what he saying here is that sagely pure Christian disciple of Christ. That doesn't mean you're not going to struggle with forgiveness or even sale that you're not in a battle of resentment that your desire to be vindicated when wrong, but as a Christian. This is your two this is your disposition.

It reflects the attitude Jesus Christ himself and we through this attitude demonstrate to a world way that is vicious they they they will each other alive. Step out of line in that PC World and watch what happened.

He says here's how we can show that were different than the question remains as Jesus telling the believer here overlook everything to ignore everything to overlook immorality to cover our lives in her years and rebounds you know that here nothing, see nothing, say nothing judge nothing. Well, the answer is found really by examining other scripture when we as Bible students compare Scripture with Scripture. And that's the key.

If you're new in the faith, and you find it difficult passage studying it out the concordance track the words through.

Compare the word of God with the word of God, and that's what I want to do with you today. So what is the question this way is never right to judge and when is it wrong to judge only as of the first part of the question.

First, what is right to judge will first its right to judge someone's behavior as immoral. In first grade. In chapter 5 verses one through three.

The apostle Paul writes this to the church is.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you for a man has his father's wife. In other words, he is having sexual relations with his stepmother and then he goes on thought out pagan that is really says and you are arrogant is writing to the church and you are arrogant on you not rather to mourn.

Like yeah but this guy who's done this doing this be removed from among you. In other words, evidently this man is refusing to repent of this immorality. So there a discipline I'm there to remove them from the church focus on her anniversary I get this have already pronounced judgment on the one it is such a thing alright.

I have already charged this man. You as a church need to do the same. This is quite a message for the church today large event is ironic in respect to mainline denominationalism around us today that Paul here considered the church in Corinth that refused to condemn immorality. He doesn't say you're such a tolerant church. You're such a loving church, he says no you're arrogant you're an arrogant church.

Your disobedient sets the record straight instead of covering his eyes regarding sexual immorality. He actually judge the church in Corinth. First he calls them arrogant. In other words, they become superior to God's word and they have become smarter than God. Evidently, so Paul renders this judgment on the church calls that what they are and then he tells them to render judgment on this immoral man and remove them. Somebody will say well you are you saying we just cannot kick all the sinners out of the church. No, we kicked all the sinners out of the church who would be here today, right. So this is this is you isn't really about sin.

The deeper issue is unrepentant sin. It is that immoral activity becomes a scandal. It dilutes the integrity of the church and it destroys the moral testimony of the believer. It literally defaces the reputation of Christ, especially when the church covered the size so still in light of this in a misquoted misinterpreted judge was to be judged first.

Evidently the church is to render judgment on that which is immoral church body is actually called a hold one another accountable to this biblical standard and later on in chapter 5 the apostle Paul makes the statement that I think the average church would find appalling today. He writes in verse 11. I'm writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother.

That's key. They claim to be a Christian if he is guilty of sexual immorality in these chemicals. All of his list or greed words and idolater profiler drunkard swindler, not even to eat such a one another as we treat sending unbelievers with open arms so that they can hear the gospel, but sitting unrepentant believers differently so I Jesus eats meals with sinners, but to those religious leaders who claim to know God.

All man watch out as we've already seen, so Paul is implying that believers are to exercise this ability to actually determine guilt make a moral judgment, and then withdraw any kind of fellowship is a demonstration of what that individual has lost with God fellowship. But keep in mind you know what's her attitudinal we delight in someone sin we gossip about some moral failure.

Do we get a club and go over your letter and have it no Paul writes this to the Galatian believers if anyone is caught literally ensnared is the word in any transgression, you who are spiritual. Those of you who are spiritually minded. Here's what you do restore him in a spirit of gentleness word restorer is a medical term for for mending a broken bone on the kind of attitude later. So first, its right to judge someone's behavior as immoral. Listen, it's right to look at somebody and say you're wrong that sinful. Be warned secondly is right, the judge someone's beliefs as on biblical here's Paul writing to the Roman church.

I appeal to you brothers to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught started a false teachers avoid them for such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve or smooth their appealing there telling the church what they want to hear. But Paul pulls the mask off them and reveals all they really want his popularity and prestige and book sales. Following don't be naïve church today is more naïve than ever.

And the reason why is because a resisting more than ever, the idea of theology. The idea of doctrinal absolutes… Put doctrine on the shelf and let's unite in love and feckless. Not even worry anymore about speaking the truth in love. Let's just speak in love and forget about the truth.

The Bible of course delivers a far different warning to the Galatian church. Paul warn them if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one he received, let him be accursed, strong word, let him be eternally damned is what he said. So imagine the implications of that text, the minister who preaches that Jesus Christ did literally rise from the dead is to be eternally damned. The religious leaders who deny the sufficiency of Christ's atonement are accursed church leaders who preach a doctrine of salvation by grace plus works are to be accursed even is going to say if an angel showed up and delivered.

So in that context, it's interesting, even if an angel comes along and delivers this new message to you, but where I mean, here's an angel you get your phone you take a self even approve it was an angel and he delivered this message to me.

So what supposedly an angel came to Joseph Smith gave a gospel that required belief in his teaching as a prophet of God in order to arrive at the highest heaven and a workspace gospel and angel supposedly appeared to Mohammed and delivered a different gospel that Jesus didn't die on the cross did rise from the dead, that I personally don't doubt these men had an angelic encounter. I don't doubt that.

I don't think Paul is exaggerating. Even if an angel came to you and delivered this message don't believe that simply because it came from an angel, what was the message was the message that's the question she Paul understood this and he wrote to the Corinthians. Integrity is 1/14. Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Look at him brilliant glorious. I did give Satan came into this auditorium and that physical manifestation ability is we would more than likely be tempted the bow down and worship an angel of light seaweed on measure based on what he looks like we we measure based on what the message is what is that message. How does it compare to the message of the Bible were to make judgments on whether what is being taught is is biblical but by the way, there there are lesser errors out there that lead believers astray that are distracting the church from its mission, not heresies but just those things that destroy our testimony and unity of the reputation of the Lord.

It might not be wrong doctrine as we think of core doctrines, but it might be foolishness, it might be sinfulness. That's, you know, the kind where the news hits and the world kinda rolls its eyes and say you know those Christians are just as immoral as us.

Those Christians are just as greedy as us.

Thereafter the same stuff or after. Look, you just got exposed in the church.

Just this week I saw a news report of a new church in another state is being planted in copastor by husband and wife.

The reason that's typical these days with the reason the news item, intention was the fact that the wife the copastor is an adult actress in the porn industry. So I just kinda okay you read this announcement I was looking for the part where she came to Christ and left that world behind know she defended her profession and then proudly claims along with her husband that they are planting a church. Here's their byline by sinners for sinners and then she went on to complain the Christians and the church are probably going to judge her. Go judge not will tell you Paul wrote to Titus about these kinds of false teachers.

He said they profess to know God, but they deny him by their works, their lives and hears his judgment on they are detestable, disobedient and unfit for any good work, which would include church planting are. Thirdly, believers are encouraged to this right to judge her own sin is unacceptable. Whenever the believer approaches the Lord's table. The apostle Paul exhorts us all to examine ourselves first goodies. 1128 we are to test ourselves were to make sure were in fellowship with our Savior were to make sure were confessing our sin that were not managing it or hiding it or justifying it or excusing it or redefining it goes on to write a verse 32 of chapter 11 of the believer doesn't judge himself and that way is heading toward discipline of the Lord. So let's not be too quick to judge others.

If we are refusing to judge ourselves. Doesn't matter how old you are in the Lord, you have that propensity as I do they justify anything to redefine anything to excuse anything. So let's judge ourselves before it's right to judge our culture in the light of biblical principle. You know, in case Paul needs anything out here. He writes of the Corinthians he just sort of shoved everything else in here when he says the spiritual person judges everything so compare that with judge not with the spiritual person judges everything is a context to understand the right of the Thessalonian believers examine everything carefully. Do we spend more time making judgment calls, which by the way we do all the time were always making judgment calls going to be related to you know we spend more time on on what we can eat we put our mouths what we drink, we where we drive where our kids go to school with making judgment calls all the time that was better than that with that's better for you than that good and better, maybe worse. So examine everything in the spiritual world or the philosophical world, or the ideological world to the Bible makes it clear it's it's right to judge everything is right to judge someone's actions as immoral is right to judge someone's beliefs as an biblical it's right to judge her own sin is unacceptable and is right to judge our culture in the light of biblical principle when is judging wrong.

What's Jesus talking about here in this most well beloved verse of our world today was a mean what is wrong to judge well. There are three occasions in the Bible it specifically tell us what is wrong to judge someone it's wrong to judge before knowing all the facts. This, by the way, is the foundation of righteous judgment.

So it's wrong to judge before knowing all the facts. Secondly is wrong to judge someone based on subjective impressions.

Well, you know, I think they did. Because of that really judge her motive.

Motives can't be seen, and we can be wrong. Paul warns against this kind of judgment for screenings for verse five he writes this the Lord will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the motive of men's hearts.

Only the Lord knows about us would be very careful especially, be warned, if you're jumping to conclusions based on impressions were far too quick to judge based on our precious Tina how someone looked how they responded what they said where they sat. Jesus said this in John 724 do not charge by appearances, but judge with righteous judgment. I found it interesting to discover my study that in the ancient days.

The Greek courts at the height of their civilization whenever they were deliberating an important or very difficult trial. They would often hold court in the dark. No lights, no torches in the middle of the night, the judge and jury would not be able to see the person on trial.

They couldn't judge their appearance or their expression.

Only the facts of the case would be heard. I thought that was fascinating and illustrative here. To this principle when more.

Thirdly, it's wrong to judge himself righteous hypocrisy and that beloved is the context of Luke chapter 6 judge not, don't judge like the fact don't condemn, don't be unforgiving like that don't have the attitude of the Pharisees that Matthew allows us, as he quotes the Lord's message judging was their favorite indoor sport properly understood Jesus inherent in his sermon on the plat. Luke six is wanting his disciples to develop an attitude of gracious discernment wake up, stay alert. Examine everything. Be gracious. The firm true and right. So how do you grow this kind of gracious discernment only disclosed by giving you for spiritual exercises that will develop the skill of gracious discernment of these very quickly number one hunger for godly wisdom is something robbing our craving our appetite for wisdom. Perhaps it's it's our gaming or sports, or television news.

Where were feeding on that and wondering why we don't have a hunger for wisdom for the believer. Here's the challenging and convicting thing to me. The problem is never the supply.

The problem is my lack of craving to commit to godly decisions. In other words, your negative develop godly discernment when you already know that your lack of follow-through the why would God give you the wisdom to do the right thing and know that you're not to do it anyway. So commit to making these godly decisions because as God gives you his number three saturate your mind with God's word is along with hunger when we saturate our minds with number four finally put into practice what you learn when my old professors used to say right studying the Bible to get smarter to grow spiritually spiritual development leads to spiritual discernment. The writer of Hebrews refer to the word and got a salad for any really nails this principle, get this, but solid food is for the mature believer for those who have their words discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil does have their words. Discernment is interesting, but he had that practicing training practice distinguish between that which is good people in the constant practice the meat of the word powers of discernment grow ever discernment today.

Today here on wisdom. Today's lesson is called every reason to judge.

It comes from Stephen series from Luke called the sermon on the plateau.

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