Don't Judge One Another

Intro

What does it mean to judge? Decide, Condemn, Determine. Decision Maker. the idea of speak against.

I grew up with four brothers, and we were all constantly doing things to get ourselves into trouble. We would beat the daylights out of each other, beg each other not to tell, and then always tell. We all wanted to see each other punished, and when I was on the receiving end of a beating I wanted to see divine justice enacted. One time, when my brother knocked two teeth out of my mouth by throwing me to the ground in our basement, I ran to my mom and told her what happened, ready for sweet justice to be served. As I watched my mom walk over and whisper something to my brother, I began to get disappointed that she wasn’t screaming already. My disappointment grew to anger as my mother calmly sent my brother away without the grand display of punishments I was hoping for, and I began to complain to my mom that it wasn’t fair. I wanted to be the judge of my house, but I wasn’t, and my brothers should be very happy that I wasn’t because some of them are going on 30 now and they would still be grounded to the dog kennel if I was allowed to sentence them for their wrongs. I wasn’t the judge, and it is good that I wasn’t the judge for many different reasons. I didn’t love my brothers the way I was supposed to, and I was more focused on revenge than on repentance. My mom was the judge, which was a good thing because she loved my brothers a whole lot better than I did, and she was not focused on revenge but on reconciliation.

I am sure that most of you with siblings can relate to some level with my childhood, and even if you don’t have siblings then I am sure you have still experienced a similar feeling with someone else. It seems like it is almost in our blood to want justice served, which can sometimes be good and other times be very dangerous.

Accusing the Children of God is an evil work (verse 11)

It gets dangerous when we find ourselves judging other people, and especially other Christians, based on the wrongs they have done. We find ourselves doing this from time to time when we hear about something that has happened. In fact, this type of gossip is probably the most common and accepted sin in the church. However, we must fight against that, because It is not our business to speak against the brothers, but to build them up and encourage them. We should never find ourselves opposing the children of God, or we would find ourselves opposing God himself. Peter found himself in exactly this situation when God had to give him a vision to help him understand that he was not to oppose gentile believers

Acts 10:9–16 ESV

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Peter then goes to Cornelius

But we see that Peter being opposed to the gentile believers was actually defying the word of God Himself.

Leviticus 19:16 ESV

You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

We decide that we ought to be in the position of judge when God has decided that we ought to be in the position of his beloved servants. We elevate ourselves to the status of God when we decide that someone needs to experience judgement because of their sins. We think that we know better, or that we ought to be in a position to decide someone’s fate

In fact, accusing the brothers is such an evil work that Satan himself is described as the accuser of the brothers. Opposing those redeemed by God is the work of Satan, not the work of a Christian.

Revelation 12:10 ESV

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

And do you know why Satan accuses the brothers? Because Satan himself is accused by God for evil, and because Satan harbors evil in his heart. Satan Accuses the children of God because Satan hasn’t tasted the forgiveness of Christ, and he hates the love that God given to us.

Extending Grace to the children of God is a holy work (verse 12)

But we have tasted forgiveness! We have experienced being found guilty in the eyes of the law yet being treated as one who is entirely righteous

At one time we shared the heart of Satan, we were miserable in our sinful condition and we wanted others to suffer with us. Sometimes we might still find ourselves in this miserable mindset, feeling guilty ourselves and demanding that others pay for their guilt too. Sometimes we just get carried away about speculating if someone is going to heaven or not, like Peter did in John 21

John 21:20–22 ESV

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

Can you imagine trying to gossip about a believer with Jesus? But Peter wasn’t exactly in the position to be worrying about another person’s fate. Remember about Peter’s denial, and Jesus had just forgiven Peter for that and told Peter to follow him. Peter had experienced the free grace of Christ, and he was instantly jumping to speculations about other people. Dont we do the same thing when we oppose other Christians who have done something wrong? We are fine with accepting the free gift of grace for oursevles, but we don’t like it when someone else messes up and receives grace.

But why, having enjoyed the benefits of an unearned righteousness, are we so insistent that our brothers cannot be righteous unless they earn it?

Have you experienced the forgiveness of Christ, and the freedom that it breathes into your soul? Would you prevent another from experiencing that by rubbing their sin in their face?

We must make a distinction here as well, because we aren’t supposed to ignore one another when we are caught in sin. However, our goal should not be to accuse, but to restore. We should not seek a brother’s downfall, but a brother’s repentance, forgiveness and redemption.

Why are you concerned with your brother? Do you want them to pay for what they’ve done, or do you want to see them free from their sin? What is your motivation? One is like Satan, and the other is like Christ.

Satan tempts us to earn our own righteousness by compiling a laundry list of our wrongs, while Christ begs us not to be anxious and to only be concerned about one thing: a relationship with Him. Which will you be to your brothers and sisters? Will you compile a list of their wrongs, demanding that they make atonement? Or will you beg them not to dwell on their past, but to look to Christ, who offers forgiveness of sins?

Luke 10:38–42 ESV

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

God Alone Has Authority To Judge

You see, true judgement belongs only to God. He is the one who can rightly condemn us for our wrongs, but he is also the one who has freely forgiven us and made us right with him again. Although we deserved punishment, we received amazing grace.

We ought to long for that salvation not only for ourselves, but also for everyone else.

Because God alone can judge us, we ought to live a life of gratitude for our forgiveness. Rather than condemn and accuse our brothers and sisters, we should desire to see more of them experience and rely upon the wonderful and free grace found only in Jesus.