Sabbath Greetings! I’m going to have a three part sermon today. The first part is the introduction, to get your attention and get you thinking! The second part, a study in judging and the third part to encourage grace and forgiveness. Although my emphasis is focused on church circumstances, it doesn’t have to be a church setting. It could be at your place of employment or your family, your neighbor or a complete stranger. All Bible instruction applies to the way we conduct ourselves.
Most of us have suffered the heartbreak of church splits. The pain and disillusion has weakened some people’s faith and some have even turned back to the world! What a foolish thing to do! It will be very hard for them to explain turning their back on Christ in the Day of Judgement. Jesus warned us, “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
Division and church breakups are a heavy burden for many of us. I know it troubles Pastor David, you might recalla couple of his sermons,How to do Correction and Unity of the Spirit. Those are only two of several sermons teaching peace and cooperation to strengthen the church.
Division and disharmony was burden for the Apostle Paul too, nearly all his letters include some instructions on how to get along with each other, he encouraged the Romans to be like-minded, notice: “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”
The Galatian churches were a combination of Jews and Gentiles. Paul explained we are all one in Christ, he preached, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Oneness was on Paul’s mind when he wrote the Ephesian church, from prison he wrote, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
In my opinion, in most groups the division begins with church government, the ministers are to be highly respected and they will have the last word. The people are to listen and pay their tithes. Some of these groups have a few very talented and personable speakers that convince people salvation is only in that church. In 3rd John, John writes the Elder Gaius about a preacher who wouldn’t even answer his letter, notice: “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.”
I believe idolatry plays a part in the splits, people focusing on men instead of Christ. Jesus taught, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
Although splits and division mostly fall on church leadership, the Apostle Paul puts some of the blame on the people. Please turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 1, verse 10,
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you.
12 Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ."
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name.
Besides presumptuous ministers and idiolatry, contentions between the members are another cause for division. Contention results from lack of real love and respect for one another.
One of the last things Jesus commanded before His crucifixion was, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Real love is manifested in our caring and service to each other. It breaks down with poor judgement and lack of forgiveness. I believe judgement and forgiveness go hand in hand, in part two we’ll deal with judgement.
The words judge and judgment can mean to condemn or punish. Another meaning could be discernment to understand a matter. Judging has always been a touchy subject and righteous judgement is very difficult. The same can be said about forgiveness, especially when you’ve been hurt. Righteous judgment and true forgiveness can only come by the Holy Spirit and sincere prayer. If you have ever corrected someone, even if you did it politely you may have received the common retort, “Who are you to be judging me? Don’t you know the Bible says, ‘Judge not, that you be not judged?’” Let’s turn to Matthew chapter 7 and read verses 1 to 5,
1 "Judge not, that you be not judged.
2 "For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
3 "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?
4 "Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye?
5 "Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye.
Jesus is warning us to be very careful in judging others, for example, can you criticize your neighbors kid for throwing a candy wrapper in your yard when only a few days ago you threw something out your car window? Suppose your son or daughter steals someone’s notebook and pen and pencil set at school. What else would you expect if you from work bring home pens, paper and folders?
In the book of Romans the Apostle Paul was teaching the Jews, but I believe it applies to all of us. Because these people were sinners and hypocrites, notice Paul’s sarcasm. Please turn to Romans chapter 2, verse 17,
17 Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,
18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,
19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
22 You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?
Jesus and Paul are teaching two things here, (1) Before we correct someone, first we must correct ourselves, if we don’t we are hypocrites. (2) If we are committing the same offence that we correct someone else for, our very deeds condemn us and we blaspheme God.
King Solomon has some good advice for us, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil.” A while back Pastor David spoke to us about trying to correct a brother or a sister; we probably shouldn’t do it except in very rare instances.
Now after all these warnings maybe we should just keep our mouth shut! Seems like all it can do is get us in trouble, but suppose it gets personal, notice what Jesus taught. Please turn to Matthew chapter 18, verse 15,
15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. (If everyone would listen to this, I promise you there would be far less misunderstandings. Please, don’t go to all your friends and try to build a case against this person, listen to Jesus and go quietly and speak with him alone, you may easily solve the problem.)
16 "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' (Again, I urge you to do this quietly and politely. Get an Elder and another wise person and allow them to hear both sides of the issue.) Verse 17,
17 "And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. (If we’re dealing with true Christians here, I believe it will never get this far, but if it does, it must come before the Elders of the church and shown to the whole congregation. One of you or maybe both of you will be in the wrong and may be put out of the church until repentance.)
Turn back to Matthew chapter 5, verse 23,
23 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your
adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you are thrown into prison.
26 "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
There is an important scripture back in Leviticus; I think we should read it. Please turn to Leviticus chapter 19, verses 15 to 18,
15 'You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.
16 'You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
17 'You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
18 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.
There is another side to the question of judging one another, I’ve touched on this before, but I’d like to expound a bit deeper. Please turn to Galatians chapter 6, verse 1,
1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.
2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
5 For each one shall bear his own load.
I like the way the New Living Translation reads, verse 1,
1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
2 Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
3 If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.
4 Be sure to do what you should, for then you will enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done your work well, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.
5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
We’ve read the warnings about judging one another and now the Apostle Paul seems to encourage us, but notice the qualification, “you who are spiritual or you who are godly.” That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, but you are qualified if you are living a righteous life and know your Bible very well. It’s also important to realize, you probably don’t know all the facts.
Paul is not speaking of some trivial matter; he is concerned over someone’s salvation. If you are truly troubled over someone, first pray for them. Wait awhile and continue praying, God will probably take care of it. If not, He may want to use you. I would suggest taking an older and wiser Christian with you. Absolutely, do not attempt to do this unless you are truly committed. Be prepared to spend some time with this person. Pray with them, they need your love, maybe some help in Bible study, maybe something else, but do all you can to restore this person.
Now it’s possible this person knows exactly what he’s doing and doesn’t care, if that’s the case there’s nothing you can say or do, pay heed to King Solomon’s wisdom.
Please turn to Proverbs chapter 9, verses 7 to 10,
7 "He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; Hold on!
On the other hand, if the person has fallen in weakness and willing to repent, continuing in verse 8, Solomon instructs, “Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.”
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
The Apostle Paul says one day the saints will judge the world! Please turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 6, verse 2,
2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?
5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?
If you think about it we all make judgments every day, we must be able to discern a thing, whether it is right or wrong. We will judge one another in the church, but keep it to yourself, it would be foolish for any of us to correct one another over trivial things, I agree with Pastor David, don’t do it!
Let’s move on to part three. The Bible teaches that beginning with Adam and Eve and everyone since, with the exception of Jesus Christ, has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Therefore, everyone needs forgiveness because the wages of sin is death. Jesus taught His disciples directly and through parables how mercy and forgiveness is godlike.
It’s important to remember everything Jesus taught came directly from the Father, notice what the Apostle John recorded, you won’t have to turn there, but it’s found in John 14, verses 23 and 24,
23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
24 "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.
Please turn to Luke chapter 6, verse 31,
31 "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.
32 "But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33 "And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34 "And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. (King David wrote, “The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives.”) Continuing, For He (That is, God) is kind to the unthankful and evil. (That surely speaks of some of us before our conversion.)
36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Psalms 86:5, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.”)
38 "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
After a discussion with His disciples on how to handle being offended, the question came up, “How often should we forgive one another?” For Jesus’ answer, turn to Matthew chapter 18, I’ll be reading from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language, Matthew 18, verses 21 and 22,
At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?” Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
Sister verses from Luke read: “Be alert. If you see your friend going wrong, correct him. If he responds, forgive him. Even if it’s personal against you and repeated seven times through the day, and seven times he says, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,’ forgive him.”
Jesus clearly instructs us to be forgiving to one another regardless of how many times we’ve been offended. Forgiving is not optional, Jesus says, “Forgive.” If you think about it, over our lifetimes most of us have sinned thousands of times and we ask our heavenly Father to forgive us and by the sacrifice of Christ, He not only forgives us, but in at least three places in the Bible we’re told God even forgets our sins! One example from Isaiah, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”
If God the Father and Jesus are so merciful toward us, can we be any less toward our neighbor? Continuing in Matthew 18. Jesus emphasizes His teaching with a parable.
Verses 23 and 24, I’m still reading from The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language,“The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. (We might compare this to the many times we sinned against God, by breaking His commandments.)
Verses 25 to 27,
He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market. “The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.” (Jesus paid our debt, the Father forgives.)
Verses 28 and 29,
“The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’
“The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ (If our neighbor has offended us even in a small thing, will we be too hard hearted to forgive?)
Verses 30 to 35,
But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king. “The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”
The Apostle Paul knew that people could sometimes fall back into their un-converted ways, at the church in Colosse, Paul preached, “If you were baptized in Christ, seek those things which are of Christ...” Let’s read it together, please turn to Colossians chapter 3, verse 1,
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,
7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (Let’s read verse 13 again, “bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.)
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Breaking into the middle of what is commonly called the “Lord’s Prayer”, let’s turn to Matthew chapter 6, verse 12,
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Jesus teaches us to ask for forgiveness of our sins in the same manner that we forgive one another. Drop down to verses 14 and 15,
14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Sister verses from Mark, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."
I would hope no one would give up their salvation just to hold a grudge or keep a spirit of un-forgiveness. I surely pray none of us ever have to face a loved one raped or murdered or some other dreadful thing, it would be very hard to forgive, but with prayer and the love of Jesus and time, forgiveness is possible. On the other hand, if it’s over some minor thing it’s just plain stupid not to forgive and forget.
My closing thoughts on judging and forgiveness continue from the wisdom of God’s word. You won’t need to turn to these, just try to remember them and meditate upon them in your quiet time.
Jeremiah 17, verse 9,
9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?
Proverbs 3, verse 7,
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil.
Ecclesiastes 7, verses 21 and 22,
21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you.
22 For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others.
Written by:
Larry St. Clair, Deacon
A Church of God Ministry
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