A Christianity That Works

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos
Pulpit Series Volume 18, Issue 14, May 18, 2008

Part 11 “How To Quit Playing God”

In James 4:11-12, James says that anytime I judge you, anytime you judge me, we're playing God. It's only God's responsibility to judge other people. James says we’ll be a lot happier if you learn how to deal with this issue.

Romans 2:3 “So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them, and yet do the same thing, do you think you will escape God's judgment?”

Paul says one reason we tend to judge other people is to excuse our own faults. We think by pointing the finger at somebody else, we don't look so bad.

Proverbs 26:22 “Gossip is so tasty. How we love to swallow it.” When somebody is gossiping, usually we are all ears!

The sin of judging other people is really a self righteous attitude of putting others down, being critical and judgmental. Jesus condemned it more than almost any other sin.

Church goers call it by other names but it is slander none the less. “I'm sharing this with you so you can pray about it with me.” A prayer request can turn into gossip very quickly.

James gives 3 reasons why we shouldn't judge other people.
1. It is unchristian verse 11
“Brothers, do not slander one another... anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law.”

Actually when it says “judges him”, it mentions the word brother again. “Brother” is used three times in this passage. Why? In the first place, we shouldn't judge one another because we're all part of the same family.

Notice it says, “Brothers, do not slander”. The word ‘slander’ and the word ‘devil’ are the same word. The word ‘devil’ means slander. The Bible calls satan the accuser of Christians. He's the slanderer of Christians. What does this mean?

The devil's number one activity is going around and putting people down, to slander them and malign them. We are most like the devil when we slander. When we speak against somebody else (including all kinds of criticism, maligning, judging) we're doing the devil's work for him. That's what the devil's job description is. Revelation says he's the “accuser of brothers”. It's unchristian to judge other people.

I heard about a guy who came to a pastor one time and said, “I don't have but one talent.” The pastor asked, “What's your talent?” The man said, “I have the gift of criticism.” The pastor was wise and thought about the parable in the Bible and said, “The guy who had only one talent went out and buried it. Maybe that's what you ought to do with yours.”

2. It is unloving
We shouldn't judge others because it is unlov- ing. “...who judges speaks against the Law.”

What law is it I'm breaking? James 2:8 “If you really keep the Royal Law found in Scripture love your neighbor as yourself.”

James says if you do this, you're doing right. When I judge you, I'm breaking the Royal Law. The law of love - “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

3. It is unjustified
“There's only one lawgiver and one judge.”

The word “lawgiver” is used six times in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament each referring to God.

Only God has the right to judge. One of the greatest weaknesses in people is we tend to generalize people by just one mistake. If they make one mistake we write off their whole personality. We tend to judge in other people, things we dislike in ourselves. What we see is usually just a mirror of self.

WHEN IT’S WRONG TO JUDGE OTHERS
The Word does say that we are to judge certain things. We're to judge ourselves and we're to judge certain matters. But there's seven times it says, don't do this.

Romans 2:1-3 “You therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else. For at whatever point you judge others you're condemning yourself for you who pass judgment do the same thing.”

1. It's wrong to judge other people when I'm practicing the same sin.
“He who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Matthew 7:3-5 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye and then you can see clearly to remove the speck in your brother's eye.”

2. It's wrong to judge when it blinds me to my own faults.

If judging you causes me to not look at myself realistically, then it's wrong. We are great speck analyzers, nitpicking specks when we have a logjam in our own eye.

3. It's wrong to judge others when you draw conclusions based on outward appearance. Ouch!

We tend to make our impression of people in the first 15 seconds and most of that is the way they look. By their face, clothing, hairdo.

In I Samuel 16:7 we read that God doesn't look at the appearance, God looks at the heart.

John 7:51 “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?”

4. It's wrong to judge when you condemn somebody before you hear the facts.

Colossians 2:16 “Don’t let anyone judge you by what you eat, drink, or in regard to religious festivals, new moon celebrations or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the thing to come. Reality, however, is found in Christ.”

Paul is saying it is wrong to judge people, their spirituality, on the basis of externals, religious observances. You can't tell a person's walk with God based on their outward external observances - “by what you eat or drink or if you worship on Saturday or Sunday. These are just a shadow of the things to come. Reality is found in Christ.”

Verse 13 says “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.”

There are principles here: Whatever you do, have a clear conscience about it. Don't offend other people. Don't judge each other.

Verse 22 says “So whatever you believe about these things, keep them between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.” Happy is the guy who's got a clear conscience.

If your faith doesn’t allow you to watch TV, you better not watch it. Whatever is not of faith is sin. Keep it between you and the Lord, don't flaunt it. Enjoy the liberty you have but you don't flaunt it. You don't judge each other and don't use it to be a stumbling block.

Verse 20 says “Don't destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean but it's wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It's better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else to cause your brother to fall.”

5. It's wrong to judge when it causes you to speak evil about another Christian.

Anything that causes me to speak evil about another Christian, maybe to ruin their reputation, is wrong. We are to hate wrong but we're to love people even when they are doing wrong.

Ephesians 4:29 says we're always to speak positively, speak only those things that build up and encourage. Christians ought to be known for their encouragement.

We’ve no right to judge other people's motives. Nobody really knows what's in somebody else's heart. You can guess but you don't know.

I Samuel 17

I have a hard enough time just trying to figure out my own motives, much less making a good guess at yours.

BREAKING THE HABIT OF JUDGING OTHERS
1. Realize that I'll be judged by the same standards I use to judge other people. What you dish out will be dished back to you. What you sow you're going to reap.

2. Realize that each of us is accountable to God. Every one of us will have to give an account of himself to God. So then, let us stop judging one another.
One day we’ll stand before God, and then, God knowing our motives will judge us honestly, fairly and truthfully. It won't be based on rumors or third hand passed down stuff.

3. Realize how much God has been merciful to me.

James 2:13 “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

Matthew 18 is the story of the unforgiving servant.