Sermon Tone Analysis

The People’s Court?

Get Real!

The Problem with Self-Appointed Judges

James 4:11-4:12

Have you noticed the rising popularity of courtroom TV shows?

First, there was Judge Wapner on The People’s Court.

Then along came Judge Judy.

You can also see the professional boxer and boxing referee turned judge – Judge Mills Lane.

My favorite is actually a Judge in Rhode Island, his verdicts and court room drama has been placed on the internet for all to see.

His name is Judge Frank Caprio.

He Is more than 80 years old still serving on the bench.

A great majority of our nation has been glued to their TV sets, watching the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp trial.

I wonder if the popularity of these shows doesn’t have something to do with the fact that people like to dream about being a judge themselves.

Wouldn’t it be nice to sit on the bench and pass sentence on people?

I know I find myself thinking that way sometimes.

The truth is, there is a part of every one of us that likes to play judge.

No, we are not elected by the citizens or confirmed by the congress.

We are self-appointed judges.

We place ourselves on the bench and pass judgment on our friends and family members.

We observe the lives of our neighbors or fellow Christians, and we make judgments about them.

As someone said, a sport that almost everyone enjoys is jumping to conclusions.

We are like the little boy who was showing his kindergarten picture to a visiting neighbor.

He began pointing out and describing each classmate.

“This is Robert; he hits everyone.

This is Stephen; he never listens to the teacher.

This is Mark; he chases us and is very noisy.”

Pointing to his own picture he said, “And this is me; I’m just sitting here minding my own business.”

James has some words to say about this tendency to appoint ourselves as judges.

In 4:11-12.

11Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.

The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.

But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

12There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.

But who are you to judge your neighbor?

James warns us against assuming a position that we are not qualified to assume.

When we appoint ourselves as judges of others, we are showing contempt for God’s court.

James tells us three reasons why we should not appoint ourselves as judges.

Our judgments tend to be Slanderous .

11Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.

The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.

But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

That word, translated “evil” in the ESV, is translated “Slander” in the NIV and “criticize” in the HCSB.

It is the Greek Word καταλαλέω, (katalaleō) [kat – a – la – low] which means “to importune someone with speeches,” “to prattle something to someone” (Ps.-Luc.

Asin., 12), “to blurt out” (Aristoph.

Ra., 752), esp.

“to speak against, to accuse, someone,” with a suggestion of the false and exaggerated:2“to calumniate,”[1] Calumniate, I had to look that one up… it means 1: a misrepresentation intended to harm another’s reputation 2: the act of uttering false charges or misrepresentations maliciously calculated to harm another’s reputation[2]

James is telling the early church, and us, to be more careful about how we are using our tongues.

Again, a reoccurring theme in this letter.

Be careful with your communication!

Think about what you are saying to and about one another!

He is telling us to:

Stop Slandering one another.

A. Stop Slandering one another.

As Bob Newhart once said in a famous skit, “STOP IT! Just Stop it!”

1. Slander means to speak against.

a.

It refers to speaking evil of someone.

b.

This could be false accusations or lies about

a person’s character or behavior.

c.

This could be malicious gossip about the true

shortcomings of another person intended to

harm them or put them down.

Why would we do this to another person?

Why would you do that to another Christian.

James says DON’T DO IT! Stop It!

Scripture clearly condemns slander.

B. Scripture clearly condemns slander.

1. Eph. 4:29-32 (it grieves the Holy Spirit)

… Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

2. 1 Pet.

2:1

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

Morris Mandel wrote, “Gossip is the most deadly microbe.

It has neither legs nor wings.

It is composed entirely of tales, and most of them have stings.”

ILL/APP: Pastor Alan Redpath spoke about a code of conversation that he and some colleagues adopted for their discussions.

It was based on the word THINK.

T – is it true?

H - is it helpful?

I - is it inspiring?

N – is it necessary?

K – is it kind?

If we followed such a code of conversation, it would no doubt protect us from committing the sin of slander.

James warns us about judging our brother because of our tendency to slander others.

James now gives us a second reason why we should not appoint ourselves as judges of others.

We place ourselves above God’s law.

II.

We place ourselves above God’s law (v.

11).

11Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.

The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.

But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

A. What does it mean to judge a brother?

1.

This is not referring to judging in reference to clear issues of sin.

Scripture tells us that the church has

a responsibility to judge and discipline in such areas.

2. Rather, James is speaking of judging the motives and