Highlands Fellowship The Book of James: Quit Playing God Transcript

Well, hey everybody and welcome to Highlands Fellowship. It's so good to be with you today. If you happen to be joining us at our Marion campus in Bristol, here in Abingdon, online, on TV, in one of our cafes, in the country tent, out in the chapel, I just want you to know that you are part of Highlands Fellowship. And I love you. I care for you. I pray for you regularly. The church is not about a building or the place that you happen to be, but we as followers of Jesus Christ, we are the church and we are called to go into the world and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And it is so wonderful to be able to worship our Lord and Savior together and also hear from his word, learn and grow and develop as followers of Jesus Christ. So I'm so thankful that you're here. And if you happen to be with us for the very first time, I want to say a big welcome to you and to make yourself feel right at home. Because as we like to say around here, Highlands is home. And each of us are going after the same mission and vision to help people experience life with Jesus as we make disciples, love our communities, and change the world.

Last week, Pastor James gave a wonderful message on biblical manhood and fatherhood. And I hope it was challenging to you but also encouraging. I'm so thankful for Pastor James and his leadership at our Marion campus and look forward to seeing what God continues to do there as he seeks after the Lord and continues to care for people in Marion. So you're doing a great job. Today we are jumping right back into our series on the book of James, where we've been growing, we've been maturing in our faith. We've been developing this authentic faith that is lived out daily.

So let's jump right into the passage that we're going to be reading today. It's in James 4:11-12. And as you're getting there in your Bible or Bible app, let me just go ahead and say this. Today we have a bunch of notes. So if you're a notetaker, just get ready because it's coming. And also, if you maybe don't take notes and you don't write them out by hand, we have an app. It's the Highlands app. You can go on there and the notes are there for you. And you don't have to write all those things out, but if you want to, that's perfectly fine.

But this is what James 4:11 and 12 say. It says this, "Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There's only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy, but you, who are you to judge your neighbor?" So, James is basically saying that we're playing God when we're judging other people.

And here's something that I want you to understand today: when we judge others, we take a role that belongs to God. Anytime I judge you, anytime you judge me, we take a role that actually belongs to God. It's only God's responsibility to judge other people. So today, I want us to look at why we're so quick to judge other people, why we shouldn't judge, when it's wrong to judge, and then how do we break the habit of judging others? And I believe we'll have a lot more joy in our lives if we actually learn to deal with this issue in our lives.

So let's start with the first question. Why are we so quick to judge other people? Romans chapter 2:3 says, "So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?" Paul says that one of the reasons that we tend to judge other people is because it helps us look past our own struggles, our own shortcomings, our own sin even. You think by pointing the finger at somebody else that God is going to forget what you've done, or when you point out how somebody else has fallen that it makes you not look so bad.

We use it to excuse ourselves and to blame others. We love to accuse others and excuse ourselves. We really do. And sometimes we do that by relabeling our sin, if you will. We say, "Well, I'm not gossiping. I'm just sharing a concern." We excuse a sin by just relabeling it. I'm not being critical. I'm being discerning. And we all do that. And it's easier to point out someone else's failures than it is to face our own.

There's another reason that he says that we tend to judge other people and that's because it feeds our pride. We talked a lot about pride a couple weeks ago. Proverbs chapter 26 verse 22 says, "The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels. They go down into the inner parts of the body." It's like we eat this stuff up and we really, really enjoy it. Why is that? When somebody is gossiping, it's like we are all ears and we just can't wait to hear what's being said.

Well, there is a natural innate ability of gossip or slander to capture our curiosity. And almost every time we gossip, we're judging others. And this is the sin of judging other people that so many of us struggle with as much as any other sin. It's this self-righteous attitude of putting people down, being critical, and being judgmental. And Jesus condemned it. The Bible talks about it and you can find it really anywhere in the world. You can see it everywhere. Everybody has this problem. Every single person. It comes naturally.

Usually when we gossip or when slander is being told, we perk up. We're all ears and we listen intently. It's kind of crazy, but there are different kinds and different degrees of gossip. I want you to think about this. Sometimes we just don't care if we gossip or not. We just say it. Do you know what they did? Or did you hear about so-and-so? And you share it boldly and with a statement of judgment on them like you don't even care at all. It's very plain and it just comes out to the point.

But in church, we like for it to be a little bit more discreet, don't we? We'll say, "Well, I'm sharing this with you so that you can come along beside me and we can pray about this together." And if you're not careful, a prayer chain can turn into gossip very, very quickly. So when we hear about how other people have fallen, there's like something inside of us. It's like a little bit of pride wells up within us. The Bible teaches that we tend to judge other people because we think it's going to put us in a better position, but that's not true. The Bible says we sow what we reap. Judging others can make us feel superior, important, or more righteous than we really are. And that's not a good thing.

Think about it this way. Suppose one person is $500,000 in debt and you're only $100,000 in debt. Just because somebody else is more in debt than you are, does that lessen your debt? No. But for some reason, we think it does. The Bible says that we tend to judge others first to help us look past our own struggles, our own problems, our own faults, and then we have the natural ability to just eat it up because it feeds our pride. It makes us feel good and it gives us this ego boost that we desire.

So, let me ask you the next question. Why should I not judge? It's easy to focus on what's wrong with someone else. In fact, one of the reasons that we criticize others is because it distracts us from dealing with our own struggles and our own weaknesses. Criticism becomes a way of feeling superior. It feeds our pride and it gives us the illusion that we're doing better than we really are. But James challenges that mindset and he gives us several reasons to stop passing judgment on other people.

The first one is this: because it doesn't reflect Christ. Passing judgment on others does not reflect Jesus Christ. James 4, the first part of verse 11 says, "Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it." Notice how James addresses believers as brothers and sisters. He's reminding us that we belong to the same family. And when we speak harshly to another Christian, we're not just attacking a stranger, which is not okay either, by the way, but we are attacking a family member.

Think about how Jesus treated people. He spoke truth, but he did so with grace. He corrected people, but his goal was always restoration, not condemnation. He never used people's failures as an opportunity to elevate himself. Unfortunately, judging others often does the exact opposite. Instead of helping people grow, it tears them down. Instead of reflecting the heart of Jesus Christ, it reflects a spirit of pride within.

When we constantly point out the faults of other people, we're forgetting how much grace God has shown us. Every one of us, we stand in need of mercy. Every one of us has blind spots, weaknesses, and struggles that only God can fully see. And the closer we grow to Christ, the more compassionate we ought to become. We begin to see people the way that Jesus sees them, not as projects to criticize, but as people to love. Rather than asking what's wrong with them, we begin asking, "How can I help them take their next step in their relationship toward God?" Judgment pushes people away, but grace draws people closer. And if our goal is to represent Jesus well, then our words and our attitudes should reflect the same grace that he has extended to us.

Another reason we shouldn't judge is because it violates the law of love. So we shouldn't judge because it's inconsistent with God's command to love people. James chapter 4:11 says anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law. And James isn't talking about breaking the law of a government. He's talking about God's law. The law that governs how we should treat one another. Earlier in his letter, James calls it the royal law. James chapter 2:8 says, "If you really keep the royal law found in scripture, love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right."

Think about that standard for a moment. We all want patience when we fail. We want understanding when we make mistakes. We want people to give us the benefit of the doubt rather than assuming the worst. Yet, when it comes to others, we often do the very opposite. We are slow to understand. We're quick to criticize. We're eager to point out faults. Judgment focuses on what's wrong with people, whereas love looks for ways to help people.

You know, throughout this series, James has repeatedly addressed the power of our words. What we say matters because our words have the ability to build people up or to tear them down. And sometimes we excuse hurtful comments by saying, "Well, they're just words." But words are never just words. Words can leave wounds that last for years. Like many of us, we still remember hurtful things that were said to us decades and decades ago. When we use our words to criticize and to gossip and to condemn, we are not loving our neighbor as ourselves. Instead of extending grace, we become agents of hurt and pain. That's why judging others is such a serious issue. It doesn't reflect the heart of Christ at all. And it violates the law of love that God gives us and has called every believer to live by.

The third reason we shouldn't judge is because it's not our position. It's not for us to do. James continues in James 4:12, "There's only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy, but you. Who are you to judge your neighbor?" James reminds us that there is only one person qualified to sit in the judge's seat, and it's not us. God alone sees the whole picture. He knows every motive and every thought and every circumstance, every struggle. We only see just a very small portion of a person's story.

One of the mistakes that we often make is defining people by one single failure. Someone makes a bad decision and suddenly that mistake becomes their identity. We reduce an entire person to just one moment in time, one weakness or one chapter of their life. But that's not how God treats us. If God judged us only by our worst moment, none of us would have any hope whatsoever. Instead, he sees the whole story. He sees our failures. But he also sees our potential. He sees where we've been, where we are, and where he still wants us to go and what he wants us to do with our lives.

The truth is we are often hardest on others in the areas where we struggle ourselves. The flaws that we notice most quickly in other people are frequently the same weaknesses that we battle with internally. That's why Jesus warned us to examine our own hearts before focusing on someone else's shortcomings. Our responsibility is not to sit in the seat of judgment over other people. Our responsibility is to love them, to encourage them, to speak truth to them when necessary, and leave the final judgment to God. When we judge others, we're taking a role that God never assigned to us. But when we love other people, we step into the role that he has created us to fulfill.

All right, let's look at the next question that we have for today. When is it wrong to judge others? You know, the Bible does not say that all judgment is wrong. In fact, scripture calls us to exercise discernment, confront sin when necessary, and evaluate what is true and what is false. So, the issue is not whether we make judgments. The issue is how and why we do it. There are times when judgment crosses a line and becomes sinful. And God's word gives us several warnings here.

The first one is this: when I'm guilty of the same sin. Romans chapter 2 in the second part of verse one, it says, "At whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same thing." One of the clearest examples of wrong judgment is hypocrisy. It's easy to point out someone else's failures while ignoring our own. And Jesus demonstrated this when the religious leaders brought him this woman who was caught in the act of adultery. They were ready to condemn her. But Jesus responded, "Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone." And one by one they walked away. So before I criticize somebody else and what they struggle with, I need to honestly ask, am I dealing with the same issue in my own life? Correction without integrity will lose its credibility every single time. And God calls us to examine ourselves before we evaluate others.

The second thing is this: when it keeps me from seeing my own faults. Jesus addresses this in Matthew 7:3-5. He asked this in verse three. 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? And the image of this, if we think about it, is almost humorous. Jesus's picture is just like this idea of obsessing with a tiny speck in somebody else's eye while we're carrying around a plank in our own. And that's what judgment often does. It magnifies other people's faults while minimizing our own. And the longer we focus on everybody else's shortcomings, the less aware we become of our own spiritual condition. Jesus isn't saying that we should ignore sin. In fact, after removing the plank, he says that we can help remove the speck. The point is that self-examination must come before the correction of somebody else. Mature followers of Jesus, they spend more time asking God to change them than they do spending time wishing that God would change someone else.

Here's the third thing. When I judge by appearances, it becomes wrong. Jesus said in John 7:24, "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly." The truth is, we make these snap judgments all the time. We see how someone dresses, where they come from, how they talk, or what their life looks like on the surface, and we draw our conclusions. But appearances rarely tell the whole story. When Samuel was sent out to pick and choose and anoint Israel's next king, everyone assumed that the strongest and most impressive brother would be chosen. Instead, God chose David, the overlooked shepherd boy. Why? Because God sees what people cannot see. People look at the outside, but God, he looks at the heart. And what we see is often only a small part of what somebody's story is. That's why we've got to be careful not to make judgments based solely on outward appearance.

The next one is this. When I reach conclusions before knowing the facts, Nicodemus asked a simple question in John 7:51. He says, "Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?" The answer is obvious. Of course not. Yet many conflicts begin because people form opinions before they know the facts. We hear one side of a story. We make assumptions. We decide that somebody's guilty before we've even taken time to listen. Proverbs teaches that the first person to present a case seems right until another person tells their side of the story. Wise people listen before they decide. Most situations are more complicated than they first appear. There are facts that we don't know. There are circumstances that we don't understand and perspectives that we haven't even considered yet. A judgment made without all the facts is rarely a fair judgment.

Number five is this. When I judge others over personal preference or secondary issues. Colossians 2:16 says, "Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink or with regards to a religious festival, a new moon celebration or a Sabbath day." Paul was addressing believers who were criticizing one another over matters that were not central to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Same thing happens today. Christians sometimes divide over personal convictions, maybe traditions, style, a preference. One person prefers one form of worship and another prefers something different. One believer feels freedom in an area where another believer exercises caution. Listen. There are essential truths that we have to hold on to very firmly. But there are also secondary issues where faithful Christians may come to different conclusions. Romans chapter 14 reminds us not to pass judgment on disputable matters. But when we elevate our preferences to the level of God's commands, we create unnecessary division. Listen, the goal is not uniformity in every opinion. The goal is unity in Christ Jesus. That's the goal.

The sixth thing is this. When my words tear down fellow believers, James chapter 4 in the first part of verse 11 says, "Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another." Judgment becomes sinful when it moves from concern to condemnation, from helping people to harming people. And there's a difference between speaking truth and then tearing someone down. Sometimes people disguise gossip as concern. Sometimes they disguise criticism as discernment. But James reminds us that our words have power and they can either build people up or they can tear them down. Paul echoes this in Ephesians 4:29 when he says that we should speak only what is helpful to building others up according to their needs. As followers of Jesus, we should be known more for encouragement than criticism. That doesn't mean that we ignore problems. It means we address them in ways that restore rather than destroy. So whenever our words damage the reputation of a fellow believer, whenever it spreads unnecessary criticism or creates division within the body of Christ, guys, we have crossed a line when we've done that.

Another thing is this. It's when I assume I know someone's motives. Perhaps the most dangerous form of judgment is assuming we know what somebody was thinking when they did something. Paul addresses this in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, the first part of verse 5. It says, "Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart." We can often observe a person's actions, but we cannot fully know their motives. We just can't. Only God sees the heart. Yet we are constantly making assumptions. We assume why somebody said what they said. We assume why someone made a bad decision. We assume why somebody didn't do something that we expected them to do. The problem is that assumptions are often wrong. We don't even always fully understand our own motives. What makes us think that we're able to understand someone else's? God only knows. He's the only one who knows every thought, every intention, every struggle, and every motive. That's why scripture tells us to leave final judgment in his hands.

James is not calling us to abandon discernment here at all. He's calling us to abandon a judgmental spirit. Judgment becomes wrong when it is hypocritical, self-righteous, based on appearances, uninformed, focused on preferences, harmful in speech, or rooted in assumption about someone's heart. The question is not, how can I become better at evaluating other people? The better question is, how can I become more like Jesus Christ? Because the more we become like Christ, the less interested we are in condemning people and the more interested we are in helping them experience the grace that has changed our lives as well.

All right. So the next question that we're talking about today is this. How do I break the habit of judging others? This is so important. Most of us know that we shouldn't be judgmental. But knowing that and then changing the habit are two very different things. So how do we overcome this critical spirit, if you will? Well, scripture gives us four practical reminders.

The first is this. Remember that the same standard I use will be used on me. Jesus said in Matthew 7:1 and then the first part of verse two, do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged. And that right there is a very sobering thought. Every time I'm tempted to be harsh, critical, or unforgiving towards someone else, I need to remember that God expects me to live by the same standard that I'm demanding of other people. We all want grace when we fail. We want understanding when we make mistakes. We hope that people will give us the benefit of the doubt. Yet, we're often quick to withhold those same things from other people. Jesus reminds us that if we want mercy, then we should be merciful. If we want patience, then we should be patient. If we want grace, then we should extend grace. One of the quickest ways to overcome a judgmental spirit is to ask yourself, how would I want to be treated if I were in that situation? That question really changes the conversation.

The second thing is this. Remember that everyone answers to God. Romans 14:12 and the first part of verse 13 says, "So then each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another." One reason we spend so much time evaluating others is because we forgot whose job it is to judge. It's not mine. It's not yours. It is only God's. And one day, every person will stand before the Lord and give an account of their life. And God will judge perfectly because he's the only one who sees perfectly. He knows every fact. He knows every circumstance. He knows every motive and every detail that we cannot see. That's why God never calls us to carry the burden of managing everyone else's life. He calls us to be faithful with our own life. I've got enough work to do allowing God to shape my character and guard my heart and grow my faith. And the moment I become consumed with everyone else's shortcomings, I lose sight of my own walk with the Lord. So when we remember that every person ultimately answers to God, it frees us. It really does. It frees us from the need to sit in the judge's seat because we don't belong there.

The third thing on how to break the habit of judging is remember how much mercy God has shown me. James chapter 2 in the second part of verse 13 says, "Mercy triumphs over judgment." What a powerful verse. The gospel is built on grace and mercy. And every one of us has sinned. Every single one of us has fallen short. Every one of us stands in need of forgiveness that we could never earn. But God didn't give us what we deserve, did he? Instead, he gives us grace. And the more aware I am of God's mercy and grace toward me, the more merciful I am toward other people. The problem is that over time we can actually forget how much we've been forgiven. We become familiar with God's grace. We end up taking it for granted. We begin to focus on the failures of others rather than remembering our own need for God's mercy. But when I remember where God found me, how patient he's been with me, how many times he has forgiven me, it actually becomes much harder for me to be harsh towards someone else. People who never get over the wonder of God's grace are usually the most gracious people in the room. They really are. Mercy doesn't excuse sin. It simply recognizes that every person needs the same grace that we need ourselves.

And then the fourth thing is this. Remember the parable of the unforgiving servant. Jesus illustrated this truth in Matthew chapter 18 with a story of the servant who owed this enormous amount of debt to his master. The servant had no ability to repay what he owed. But the master chose to forgive the debt completely. And instead of being grateful, the servant immediately found another man who owed him a much smaller debt and he grabbed him and he demanded payment and he refused to show the same mercy that he had just received. When the master heard what had happened, he was outraged. The lesson is very clear here. Those who have been forgiven of much should forgive much. And as followers of Jesus, we never approach others from a position of superiority. We approach them as fellow recipients of grace.

We've said this before and it remains true. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. None of us are here because we've earned God's favor. None of us are here because we got everything right. We're here because Jesus was merciful to us. And when that truth settles into our hearts, it changes absolutely everything. It changes the way that we see people. Instead of looking for reasons to criticize, we look for opportunities to encourage. Instead of keeping score, we extend grace. Instead of tearing people down, we help to build them up.

Someone once said that tearing down is easy, but building up takes skill. Anyone can criticize. Anyone can find fault in somebody else. Anyone can point out what's wrong. But it takes maturity. It takes wisdom. It takes Christlike love to really help people grow. The question we should ask ourselves is simple. Am I becoming known as a person who tears people down or someone who builds people up? A judgmental spirit destroys relationships. It weakens churches and it damages our witness. But a gracious spirit reflects the heart of Jesus Christ.

So the next time that you're tempted to criticize, tempted to condemn or assume the worst, remember the grace that God has shown you. Remember that every person answers to him. Remember that the standard that you used on them is going to be used on you. And guys, choose mercy. Choose mercy because mercy always looks more like Jesus than judgment does. So as we finish, here's what I want you to remember. I want you to remember that God has not called us to sit in his seat of judgment, but he has called us to walk in humility, to extend mercy, and trust him as the only perfect judge.

Would you pray with me today? God, we thank you that you are the only judge and it's not our role because we wouldn't be good at it. We care too much about ourselves. We've got too much pride and we ourselves stand in that seat where we need to be judged as well. But God, you are a gracious God. You're a forgiving God. And when I was thinking about this message, I could not help but think about the wonderful grace that you've given to us. I'm blown away every time I think about how you have given me something, a gift that I do not deserve. That's the gift of grace, salvation. I couldn't earn it. There's nothing I could do for myself. You had to swoop in and send your son, Jesus, to be the sacrifice and pay the punishment for my sins. And every time I'm tempted to judge, I come back to that very thing just like your scripture teaches us. Who am I to judge? Because I myself am in need of mercy and grace just like another person is. So God, help us to recognize that. Help us to understand that.

Maybe you're here today and you recognize that you are in need of a savior. I want to give you an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today, to understand that yes, we all will give an account and stand before God in judgment one day. But those who have Jesus Christ in their hearts and lives will be considered righteous, not based on what we have done, but based on what Jesus Christ has done on the cross to pay for the punishment of our sins. And if you're at a place right now where you want to give your heart and life over to Jesus, you can pray this prayer. You can say, "God, first of all, I admit to you that I am a sinner and I fall short of your glorious standard. But today I believe that you are the one true God and that you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, to be buried and to be raised again on the third day defeating sin and death so that we can live in freedom because you paid the punishment for my sins. And today I want to commit my heart and life over to you and follow you with everything in me."

If you made that decision, welcome to the family of God. Understand that your life is no longer your own, but you've given it over to the Lord, and you're going to trust him and follow him. And he has indwelled you with his Holy Spirit that will help guide you each and every day. God, we are so thankful for your grace. We're so thankful for your mercy. Help us to not be a judgmental people, but help us to be a people of grace and mercy. God, we love you. We praise you. It's in the name of Jesus we pray. And everybody said, "Amen."