(Text Only, Audio did not properly record.)
Title: Judgment (Part One)
About five years ago I preached a sermon on John 3:16 and I titled that sermon, “The Most Misunderstood Verse in the Bible.” I did that because I was so sick and tired of people, both believers and non, misquoting and misrepresenting what that verse actually says. I feel like I could have easily also titled today’s message the same way.
All of us have heard people, when they feel like they are being judged unfairly, make a quick reply with “Judge lest not ye be judged.” Today I want to talk about where that kind of mentality will leave us, and how Satan loves it if we both use that phrase to shut others down from looking at our lives, or if we should find ourselves shut down from looking at other’s lives, especially brothers and sisters in Christ.
So let’s dive in, shall we?
(read/pray)
- “Judgement” is not “Discernment”
Part of our issue with this verse is a confusing of terms. Today, we use these two words interchangeably, but scripturally speaking, they have two very different meanings.
I plead with you this morning to not leave this building until you understand the difference between these two things. I’m dead serious about this: I am going to do my best to explain the difference between “Judge” and “discern” over the next several minutes, but if I miss the mark, if I don’t get this through to you, please stay after today and find me before I leave so that I can do my best to clarify what I mean here.
Far too many Christians are confusing judgment and discernment and it produces one of two results:
- A Christian who is too afraid to make any discernment about other’s conduct and therefore becomes an enabler of sin, failing in their responsibility toward their brothers and sisters by not holding them accountable.
- A Christian welcomes the judgement of others upon themselves (because they find little fault with their own lives) and therefore things they now have license to openly pass judgment upon others.
So let’s begin with some definition of terms:
Greek: krino to judge
-to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong
-to be judged, i.e. summoned to trial that one’s case may be examined and judgment passed upon it
-to pronounce judgment, to subject to censure
-of those who act the part of judges or arbiters in matters of common life, or pass judgment on the deeds and words of others
POINT: This is a judgement unto finality. This passing of judgment not of the actions of an individual, but a judgment of their worth as a whole.
Discernment, on the other hand, is making a judgment about the action itself, not passing judgment upon the person. Discernment is not only permitted by believers, but is commanded all over scripture. In just a moment, I will show you three powerful places where we are commanded to discern.
For example: If Eric and I are playing basketball and I see Eric begin to lose his temper and start throwing elbows as he’s grabbing a rebound, it is my biblical responsibility to pull Eric aside and say, “Hey bro, everything all right? You seem to be really frustrated out here. It’s my observation that your anger has gotten the better of you, and what you are doing is wrong.”
I would not say, “Eric, you are evil, and it is my right and role to tell you that you have no chance at redemption.”
In one case I’m discerning the action against scripture, in the other case, I’m passing judgment for all eternity.
Where do we see discernment and accountability in scripture?
I’d actually like to show you three examples, and to make my point as powerful as possible, I’m going to use verses from the next two sermons of where we must be discerners, then I’m going to use a verse that has proven itself powerfully to my life personally as my final example.
“…and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brothers eye.” (Matthew 7:5)
Now, I have to be careful to not give away the punch of the next two sermons, but in order to understand fully what verse 1 and say, we need to see clearly (no pun intended) what judgement is NOT. Here, the point is that we do (eventually) remove the speck from our brother’s eye. But we must be qualified to do so. (More on this next week.) In other words, you have to be discerning to even see the speck in your brother’s eye in the first place.
“Do not give what is holy to dogs…(Matthew 7:6)
In order to follow this commandment of Jesus, we MUST discern two things: What is holy? And, Who are dogs? If we make the error of thinking that 7:1 says that we are not permitted to discern anything, than we can never figure out what is good or bad, we can never determine what is holy and who are dogs. (More on this in two weeks.)
“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19,20)
This verse is especially close to my heart because it is exactly how I see Nate Ediger. Many of you remember Nate from the time he and his family served here at HBC. Nate is not just down the road as the youth minister at Trinity. In my Christian infancy I was messing around with sin in college, spinning my wheels and not growing in Christ. I was saved, but not growing at all.
Nate was the person that God used in my life to slap me across the face and say, “What about you suggests that you are a believer? Believing, truly believing, Ben, means change, repentance, results.”
In order for Nate to turn this sinner from the error of his way, it was necessary that he look at my life and actions and discern that they were not scriptural, they were not holy, that I was being a dog. And I am so glad that he had the wisdom and courage to rebuke me. He truly changed my life.
Close:
It is totally appropriate that we are about to baptize Eric and Emily this morning, coming off of this message. One of the main tenants of this church’s understanding of what baptism is, is this very concept.
In a moment Eric and Emily will stand before our congregation publicly and profess their desire to join our membership. In so doing, they are saying discern my actions and thoughts as I discern yours. And if you find, at any time that we are living, acting, thinking un-biblically, turn us from the error of our way, as we pledge to do the same for you.
Let’s pray