The Sin of Slander and Judging Others: Part 1

These two verses here say a great deal to us, and it's like he revisits the tongue.

And what he's talking about is slander.

So for the next several weeks, there'll be a part one today and a part two, Lord willing, next week.

And then we'll have an intersection of a thanksgiving message, and then we'll return back.

I don't know how many parts this could be.

It can go maybe four, I'm not sure.

Or however long it takes us to get through it.

We're not going to be in no rush.

But we need to draw out everything we possibly can from the Word of God and what James is saying through the Holy Spirit.

But what's he talking about in verse 11 and verse 12 is actually

not to judge a brother or falsely judge him.

But he talks about the sin of slander, defaming others, and especially

the brothers.

Now he's returning back to speaking to the church and the brethren, and he

brings some very strong medicine to the church, very, very strong.

So I'd like to speak to you about the sin of slander and judging of others.

So, James chapter 4, two verses of scripture.

And you wouldn't think this much is in two verses, but there's a heap, a lot of truth in

these two verses.

So hear the word of the living God this morning.

Do not speak evil against one another, brethren.

He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother

speaks against the law and judges the law.

But if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge of it.

That's convicting.

Verse 12, then he says this, there is only one

lawgiver and judge, the one who's able to save and to

destroy.

But who are you who judge your neighbor?

Wow.

May God bless the reading of His word to our hearts this morning.

Let's pray.

Father, this is such, such strong words

from your heart.

Help us to remember that this is word.

Lord, as this holy man of God, James, was speaking this,

these words are inspired.

These words are God breathed from you.

Thank you, Father, for your great and precious promises.

Lord, thank you for your awesome word.

But at the same time, Lord, we're going to thank you this morning for these loving warnings that

you give us as well.

Help us, Lord, to receive correction as well as

we do encouragement from your word.

For it is the warnings and the correction that makes us grow and sanctifies us to be more like

Jesus.

Yes, Lord, every promise from you is true and a yes and amen.

Because your word says, therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from

all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Lord, with your everlasting love and help us to see that every word

that you give us, even the warnings, is from your heart of love.

It is love that warns us.

It is love that says, take heed.

And help us to remember, Father, that our first calling unto you is holiness.

Help us to be holy in you, Father.

And only in you.

Only in Jesus.

Because within our own works, we cannot be holy.

It's only in Christ.

So Father, we need grace to live holy.

Sanctify us through and through by your blessed Holy Spirit that we would be more

like Jesus, your Son.

And we would ask this in his name for his honor and glory, for your honor and glory.

And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen and amen.

Powerful words we have this morning from James.

Someone has suggested that there are three important questions we should always answer before

indulging in criticism of others.

And this is very good.

If you can write this down.

This is something to remember.

Number one, what good does it do your brother?

What good does it do your brother?

Number two, what good does it do yourself?

And third, which I believe is the most important, what glory for God is in it?

That is very good.

We should always keep those questions before us before we indulge in criticizing

another.

The royal law of liberty, the law that comes from our King, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Lord Jesus

Christ says that we should and commands us that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus said that, a new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I've.

Loved you.

That's a high standard, beloved.

And to the context in which James is speaking, he says

to speak evil against a brother therefore or to judge his motives

is the same as speaking against the law and condemning it as worthless.

That's basically what he's saying.

In other words, to break a law deliberately is to treat it with disrespect and contempt.

It is the same as saying that the law is not good and not worthy of obedience.

That's paraphrased.

Now as I'm saying that, that is stepping all over my toes because each and every one of us

in this room has failed in this area one way or another and we're going to go into

detail about this, what it means to misjudge or to judge.

We're going to look at this.

The scripture has a lot to say about slander, a lot to say about judgment

and what kind of judgment.

It is a lot of scriptures that's really taken out of context and we're going to have to look to the

context of what James is really saying here.

So what he's saying here, he who refuses obedience virtually says it ought not to be.

The law.

Beloved, within these two verses, I'm telling you, there is an area of theology that is

so vast, it is so basic, it is so essential.

And I heard John MacArthur saying this as well.

He said that he believes that it is the very heart and core and the very floor, ground

floor and the very foundation, and this is MacArthur saying, of how we

perceive sin.

It is critical and very important.

And this is so, this is so needed in the churches today.

We don't hear enough of this.

So how do we perceive sin has a lot to do with how we perceive righteousness and how we

perceive obedience.

It's our conception of God.

It's the way we view God.

It's the way we view sin that gives us our perception of how we view ourselves as

well.

So how we perceive ourselves and God and his law.

And so as we look into these two verses of scripture, fasten your seatbelts.

Get ready to go a little deeper into a region of theology

because you're getting ready to go into a vast ocean.

And it's almost like I picture myself when you go to the ocean, you see the vastness of the ocean, you step

into it, it's ankle deep, the next thing you know you're knee deep, next thing you're waist deep, neck deep, then

it's over your head, and then next thing you know you're a hundred feet into the water,

and then it keeps getting deeper and deeper and deeper, and I'm telling you this is the way the word of God is.

It is infinite, it is vast, and that's the way God is.

He is infinite and vast, and there is no limitation to it,

and how can we grow in the grace of God unless we dig ourselves into the word of God?

And here James does some serious digging.

It would hold for us so many wonderful, wonderful insights.

And we may take several Lord's Day, like I said, to explore this text, but the truth within these two verses,

but we need to catch the truth of what James is saying by the Holy Spirit and His

meaning in the text.

So by God's help and by His Holy Spirit, we will dig out these nuggets of gold and learn

by His grace and apply this to our everyday living, and that's what we need, isn't it?

We need it to our everyday living, our everyday thinking, our everyday walking, our conduct, the

way we behave, the way we act, the way we react, the way we think, the way we

live, the way we get up every morning, the way we talk, the way we walk,

everything about us.

And God's word is that thorough, it addresses all of it.

So we are going to scratch the surface today, today is going to be an introductory.

Let's look at the sin of slander.

Let's look at the sin of slander, and we are going to briefly touch on judging our brother.

But James 4 .11, look at 4 .11, do not speak evil against one another, brethren.

He that speaks evil of his brother and judges his brother speaks evil of the law and judges the law, but if you

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

And then he drives the truth home, there is one lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy.

Who are you that judges another?

You can almost see James asking that question, who are you?

Paul said that too, who are you, old man?

That is humbling, and that is the way we should be.

We should be humbled, because we are nothing.

Now after reading these two verses, beloved, let me say this, of the Holy Scriptures, we are at once reminded

of the Sermon on the Mount.

That's the first thing I think of when I hear these verses, it's almost as I hear an echo from

James from the Sermon on the Mount.

One of the most misinterpreted verses in Scripture, by the way, and from chapter

7, and Jesus says, and why behold the moat that is in your brother's

eye, not consider the beam, the log, that's in your own eye.

That sounds like a radical statement, but I remember years ago in Bible college, this young

man got up to present, they would allow students to preach a 15 minute sermon, he had to really

pack a lot in 15 minutes, it was like a devotion.

And he came up there, and I thought one day, what in the world was he bringing up there to the podium?

Kid you not, this kid brought in, and I say kid, I was a kid myself at the time,

he brought this huge log, it was heavy, he brought it up there

and put it before people.

He actually wanted people to see his sermon, I said, that's brilliant, and then he

said you can't see my speck, but he had a little speck and he had a little log, and then he gave the

illustration of what Jesus was talking about, this big log, and he held it up on his shoulder and he put it right in front of his

face, and he said that's what Jesus is actually meaning.

It's radical, but I tell you, you never forget it, do you?

You get the message, and that's the way Jesus delivered his messages.

They just didn't remember it per se, they caught it, it was part of them, they never

forgotten it, and that's what Jesus was talking about.

And then he says, you know, the Apostle Paul says the same thing, and he gets it from the

teachings of Jesus, and he says, but you, why do you judge your brother?

Paul said it.

And then he goes on to say, for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God, personally.

R .C.

Sproul said no one else will be there for you.

When we stand before God in judgment to answer for our works in Jesus Christ,

not the condemnation because Jesus took care of that, but our works in Jesus, he said no

one else will be there with you.

That makes me tremble.

Think of it, not only do they, what these teachings reflect, these teachings reflect on

Jesus and what he taught and the Apostle Paul and what he taught, they are so virtually related to what

has been said by James.

He drives it home, and he's previously covered before coming to this point, to this text, in the

epistle, and think of what he's already covered.

He's covered, he's already rebuked the abuse of the tongue in chapter 3, which is employed

in criticizing our brethren.

He's already exposed the prize of false wisdom, which leads us to

form unjust judgments as he has rebuked the selfish desires which results in wars

and contentions, which make us untrue to God.

And now he warns against defaming as usurping the place of

God, wow, as lawgiver and judge.

This is a very convicting book, and you know, you really don't hear a lot of preachers preach from this book.

You ever wonder why?

Because it cuts, preachers are probably thinking nowadays, well I'm going to lose my congregation

if I preach this.

Well, bring on the truth.

It's for the believer, how can a believer grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ unless he's given

the true word of God?

I want the word of God.

I mean, I want the goods.

Well this servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, James, has given us many warnings with much.

Love.

That's much love behind this.

I almost picture Paul as he was giving his exhortations and warnings,

especially to the Galatians, the believers at Galatia,

and he said, well many tears, many tears.

And I'm sure James had that as well.

Now here comes James, he speaks about the very heart of the royal law of the king.

Speak not one against another, speak not evil.

We cannot avoid forming opinions, can we?

Each one of us has opinions.

You see it everywhere.

We all have opinions, whether they're good or bad opinions, they

need not always be expressed.

We need to learn how to guard our tongue.

And it is the love of finding fault which James here

rebukes.

Now I don't know about you, our natural flesh does that.

I'm being honest.

We are fault finders.

If you can't say amen, say oh me.

Because I'm telling you, I'm walking on my toes.

Before it comes to you, it's already been here.

I've been, my toes are so crunched they're flat right now.

So it is the love of finding fault that James is rebuking.

It is the same sin in which is censured by our Lord Jesus and the Apostle.

Behind the sin of slander and wrongly judging our brothers is an awful sin of

pride.

It's the pride is the root of all these sins.

It is trying to lift myself up, to demean others, to defame others.

And that's what slander is.

James gets very direct, doesn't he?

He gets very specific.

You know when you read his words, he's not generalizing.

He is, he hits point direct, he slams hard, he's specific with

the sin of defaming the sin or the sin of slander, what he talks about.

MacArthur says in his commentary, and I thank God for men like this, pastors.

He's been like a pastor's pastor to me.

He does a lot of work for pastors and he already did the definition of slander.

But listen to what he says here in his commentary.

When medieval monks completed a list of seven deadly sins, they included pride,

covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and laziness,

conspicuously absent from that list was the sin of slandering

others.

Nor in all likelihood, he says, would slander rank very high on any contemporary

list of serious sins.

He says this, is so widespread, we scarcely seem to notice it.

Despite our seemingly casual attitude toward it, slander is not a

particular destructive sin because it's so common among us.

And he goes on, he gives Noah Webster's defined slander as this, and this is good.

A false tale or report maliciously uttered,

intending to injure the reputation of another by lessening him

in the esteem of his fellow citizen, by exposing him to

impeachment and punishment, or by impairing his means of living,

end quote.

Wow.

That is a strong definition.

That's Noah Webster.

Slander strikes at the people's dignity, it defames the character, it

destroys their reputation, and the most priceless worldly asset to

that person, which Proverbs speaks of, of a good name.

While other sins require particular sets of circumstances before they can be committed, keep this in

mind, slander needs only a malicious tongue driven by hatred.

That's all it needs.

Now, you know I got chapter and verse for this because I'm not going to say something that is God's

word, and I was thinking about it as I was studying.

I said, you know, as an ambassador of Jesus Christ, I am not going to stand before redeeming grace

church and saying, give my opinion about this.

I will give you chapter and verse, I promise you.

Psalm 41, 7 and 8.

Listen to what David said, all who hate me whisper together against me.

Against me, they devise my hurt.

And what do they say?

Saying a wicked thing poured out upon him.

When he lies down, he will not rise again.

That's the wicked toward David.

Psalm 109 verse 2.

For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me.

They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

They have also surrounded me with words of hatred and fought against

me without cause.

That's Bible, folks.

You know the Bible has so much to say about this, and there's no way.

I'm going to just scratch the surface today.

There are so many examples.

Read your Bible.

It's all in there.

It's all in the Old Testament.

I'm not going to be able to touch on all of them because there's so many of them.

And as I was looking into them, they kept going deeper and deeper and deeper.

And I said, there's no way I can get all this out.

But aren't you glad that the Holy Word of God exposes our sins and deals with this?

Because if God did not deal with it, we wouldn't.

You see, the Holy Spirit shines the light.

The closer you get to God, He is light.

He is holiness.

And here we are, even as children of the living God, we come drawn closer to God.

And that light of His holiness just shines more and more upon our sin.

That's Isaiah.

After Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, and this whole train filled the temple, and the place was filled with smoke,

and he saw the holiness of God and gazed upon the God who is absolutely holy, he pronounces

a curse upon himself.

How much more are we?

You know, the Old Testament denounces the sin.

Let's start with the Old Testament.

I want to just hit just a little, a few verses here and there.

The sin of slandering God or men more often than it does any other sin.

Leviticus 19 .16, listen to what God commands His people.

You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people.

That's to the point, isn't it?

Psalm 15 .3, speaking of a mark of a godly man.

He does not slander with his tongue.

That's a mark of a godly man.

The opposite of godly, the godly is a mark of an ungodly person.

That's the way the Scripture is, black and white.

You have the godly, you have the ungodly.

You have the wise, you have the fool.

That's the way it is.

Jesus said, are you for me or are you against me?

Well, wicked persons are ones who slander others.

That's what Scripture says.

Psalm 50 verses 19 through 20.

You let your mouth loose in evil and your tongue frames deceit.

You sit and speak against your brother and you slander your own mother's son.

Jeremiah 6 .28, all of them are stubbornly rebellious.

This is God speaking.

Going about as a tail bearer, they are bronze and iron.

And they, all of them are corrupt.

Ouch.

Jeremiah 9 .4, let everyone be on guard against his neighbor.

And do not trust any brother because every brother deals craftedly.

That word craftedly literally means like Jacob.

He has a play on words.

He's a deceiver.

And then it goes on to say, amen, sir planner, thank you.

And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.

Boy, the word of God just cuts, doesn't it?

No wonder the writer of Hebrews calls the word of God like a two -edged sharp sword.

It's razor sharp.

And thank God it's razor sharp because it does its work.

There's nothing else that can really sanctify us through and through like the word of God.

And of course you're familiar with Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 .29 and 30 says, and Paul the apostle speaks, speaking of those that are under the wrath of

God.

Being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed.

Listen to the list.

Evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit,

malice.

They are gossips.

And then he goes right to the next.

Verse 30, slanderers.

What follows slanderers?

Haters of God.

Insolent, arrogant, boastful.

Then he goes even deeper.

Inventors of evil.

Then he says disobedient to parents.

You see how it's a chain link.

How depravity keeps going deeper and deeper and deeper.

You know the seriousness of slander calls David to vow this.

In Psalm 101 verse 5.

Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him will I destroy.

Well listen to the word of God.

And to pray, David prayed in Psalm 140 verse 11.

May a slanderer not be established in the earth.

They will not be established.

They are going to be cut off.

Now, in Proverbs 20 .19.

The wisdom of Solomon.

He counseled against associating with a slanderer.

He said don't associate with them.

Wow.

He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets.

Therefore do not associate with a gossip.

A slanderer.

In other words, one who whispers opens his lips.

One who opens his lips.

New Testament has a little bit to say with it.

Like I said, I just chose just a handful of scriptures.

There's so many more.

Just piles upon piles of it.

New Testament also condemns the sin of slander.

The Lord Jesus himself identified its source as an evil from the heart.

It comes from the heart.

Which precedes all these evil thoughts, fornications, adulteries.

Jesus said it all comes from the heart.

Slandering.

Matthew 15 .20.

Paul also feared that he would find slander among the Corinthians.

When he visited them in 2 Corinthians 12 .20.

He also commanded in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4 .31.

And Colossians 3 .8.

To avoid it all together.

And the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2 .1.

Also exhorted his readers not to slander others.

Notice the prophets speak against it.

The holy apostles speak against it.

And Jesus himself speaks against it.

How much more can be said?

The scripture chronicle of devastating effects of slander.

Listen to the devastating effects of slander.

Like I said, I'm only hitting high points here.

Proverbs 16 .28 and Proverbs 17 .9 notes that it destroys friendships.

It destroys friendships.

Proverbs 18 .8 and Proverbs 26 .22 speak of deep wounds

inflicted on the one slandered.

Have you ever been slandered?

Doesn't it inflict deep wounds?

It does.

And to those who inflict such wounds upon us.

We pray for them.

Lord forgive them.

We need to pray for them.

That's the reaction of a child of God.

And I tell you, do not allow the root of bitterness to take hold.

Because the root of bitterness is poison.

That word bitterness in the Greek is poison.

Let the poison loose.

And the poison will destroy you.

So we must forgive.

Look at Jesus on the cross.

All the slander that was placed upon the Lord Jesus.

And all the sin.

And all the filth.

And everything placed against Jesus.

While He hung there in shame.

He said, Father forgive them.

For they do not know what they're doing.

That's powerful.

That's a love.

And that's the kind of love that is within us, beloved.

To forgive.

And we do not need to hold these things.

Even though people are out to get us.

Hey, look.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood.

These are satanic powers.

And people, and even if it's a brother.

And we're going to deal with that in a minute.

We're going to deal with that.

How to deal with the brother that sinned against us.

Or sins against someone else.

Jesus deals with that.

Well, there's also other scriptures.

In Proverbs 11 .9 and Isaiah 32 .7.

Warned that slander can ultimately destroy people.

It's a destroyer.

After all, look at who's the destroyer.

We're getting down to the nitty gritty here, right?

We're going to get to the origin of this slanderer.

Where slanderers come from the father of all lies.

The slanderer himself.

Slanderers stir up contention.

According to Proverbs 26 .20.

Slanderers spread strife.

In Proverbs 6 .19.

And also, it becomes a fool's Proverbs 10 .18.

Throughout the entire Bible.

There are so many examples that are loaded.

Of illustrations of slander.

But did you ever think.

That where slander actually originated from.

It came from the heart of an archangel.

By the name of Lucifer.

Yes sir, and that's where it came.

It turned a prideful angel into a devil.

And why this sin is so serious and diabolical.

Leads me to the next point.

The word diabolical.

Diabolos means slanderer.

It means devil.

That's where it comes from.

Now listen to this.

Revelation 12 .10.

Let the word of God speak.

Amen.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven.

This is John.

When he saw the vision.

In heaven.

What God was about to turn loose.

His wrath.

And all of his wrath.

Come.

That's what it was saved from.

But here he says.

And now the salvation.

And the power.

And the kingdom of our God.

And the authority of his Christ has come.

This is the day we all long for.

This is the glorious day of the coming of the Lord.

And I'm telling you.

This is the day of the Lord.

For the accuser of the brethren.

Has been thrown down.

And he who accuses him before our God.

Day and night.

Now think of that.

God allows him to have access into heaven.

To accuse us.

And I'm thinking.

Now if I was God.

I'm not God.

Of course. I'd say.

No you're out of here.

But God uses. That slew footed creature.

Which he is.

As a fallen creature for his glory.

Doesn't that blow your mind?

God.

The holy God.

Allows him to come.

Before heaven.

Now he's already been thrown out of heaven.

But yet he has access to heaven.

I said.

Lord.

Why?

But God knows what he's doing.

It's all to an ultimate end.

And what is his ultimate end?

His glory.

That's the end of all things.

His glory.

Aren't you glad you know that?

Praise God.

Satan.

At this time.

Right here.

And I said all that to say this.

Satan.

Will no longer.

Accuse the believers.

Before the throne of God.

When this time comes.

Because he will no longer have access to heaven.

Then he will be cast into the lake of fire.

Now.

We will witness that.

We will witness that.

Praise God.

We will witness that.

Now if we read.

That's going to be a glorious day.

That will be enough to praise God for.

No more devil.

No more temptation.

No more sin.

But no more Lucifer.

No more fallen angel.

If we read back in Genesis.

Now listen.

I took you to Revelation.

Let's go back to Genesis.

Let's go to the beginning.

Rather than the end.

Genesis 3. Verses 1 through 6.

Turn with me there.

I tell you.

These verses here.

We can't know this enough.

Because you want to know the Bible.

Go to the foundation of the Bible.

If you want to know about the ending.

Read the beginning.

Read the book ends.

I tell you.

You got to know the book ends.

Amen.

Amen.

Praise God.

Isn't the word of God good?

Okay.

I'm at 34 minutes.

I got to truck along here.

We need to read Genesis 3.

Look at 1 through 6.

This is so enlightening.

Now the serpent was more crafty.

Notice.

Crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

And he said to the woman. Indeed has God said. You shall not eat

from any tree of the garden.

The first thing he says.

Has God said.

He slanders God's integrity.

He slanders his word.

Verse 2.

The woman said to the serpent.

From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat.

But from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden.

God has said.

You shall not eat from it or touch it or you will die.

Verse 4.

The serpent said to the woman.

Again he comes back.

You surely will not die.

Listen to the father of lies there.

Verse 5.

For God knows that in the day you eat from it.

Your eyes will be opened and you will be like God.

Knowing good and evil.

And right then.

When the woman saw.

She saw.

That the tree was good for food.

Appealed to her senses there.

Notice that.

The flesh.

And that was a delight to her eyes.

And that the tree was desirable to make one wise.

She took from its fruit and ate.

And she gave also to her husband with her.

And he ate.

Now.

Notice.

Just.

Two important very. Important truths.

That's before us.

In verse 1.

First of all.

Satan.

Slandered.

God's integrity.

He slandered his integrity.

Indeed he said.

As God said.

By that.

And questioning God's goodness.

His character.

His integrity.

And then in verse 5.

He slandered God's motives.

Now this is diabolos here.

This is the father of all lies.

He's.

And by the way.

His strategy has never changed.

He still uses this strategy.

Because he's successful with it.

He throws doubt.

On the character of God.

God's withholding something good from you.

Isn't he the same lie?

He's the same father of lies.

And he still whispers that to us today.

Even to children of God.

He's the accuser of the brethren.

God's holding back something.

Oh.

Suffering comes.

And a lot of people start questioning God.

But oh.

If they look into the verses of scripture.

Suffering is a gift.

Miss Lillian knows what I'm talking about here.

It's that gift.

That's that perfect gift she talks about.

What does it do?

Those afflictions pulls you away from the world.

Pulls you away from the comforts of this world.

And it pulls you into God himself.

Amen.

Those afflictions work.

They're guaranteed to work.

Because it humbles us.

And it weans us from the world.

And I get these words from J .C. Rowell.

By the way.

It weans us from the world.

Yeah.

Aren't you glad of that?

Yeah.

Bring on the suffering.

Come on.

You see what I'm saying?

Because it becomes.

And I like what Elizabeth Elliot said.

She said Christian.

You will come to realize.

That it's normal to suffer.

As a true believer in Jesus.

But you also embrace the suffering.

And that's why Paul embraced it.

Because he said.

If I'm going to know the power of his resurrection.

Come on.

I'm going to know the fellowship of his sufferings.

Amen. Praise God. That's how we get close to God.

You see.

And it's those who God has chosen to suffer.

Are the closest to him.

You know.

Isn't it wonderful?

That God can do this.

God can take suffering.

He can take these things.

And pull us closer to himself.

And God does it.

That's glorious.

You see.

Basically implying God.

The devil was saying.

Basically implying that God. Was selfishly withholding something good.

From Adam and Eve.

He's a liar.

Oh my.

He's a liar.

And Jesus said.

He's the father of it.

If there's lies going on.

There's a lot of lies in this world.

Know that the father of lies is behind it.

Well the first act of slander in human history.

Led directly to the first sin.

Right there.

Slander.

Beloved.

Is that kind of serious sin.

Which God. Both hates.

And will judge.

That's all through scripture.

And God will judge it.

Now as we break ground on these.

Two verses.

Of scripture.

Before approaching the text.

I want to bring out something.

Very very important to you.

And let me kind of change gears here.

Okay.

Talked about slander.

Let's talk about the misconception.

That needs to be dealt with.

And that is according to the word of God.

Biblical injunctions against slander.

Do not.

As many in the church today.

Erroneously believe.

Prohibit.

Rebuking.

Those who persist.

In unrepentant sin.

Now I want to make that clear.

Because that's not slander.

Actually what I just mentioned.

On the contrary.

Such public exposure of sin.

Is commanded from scripture.

So we need discernment.

To recognize.

What does it mean.

And what does.

How does the bible define slander.

And how does.

Separate in the sense of those who.

Sin.

In a way of.

How can I put this.

In the right words.

Against the Lord.

And how is this to be dealt with.

And Jesus gives this to us.

Now as you well know.

Matthew 18 is the key chapter.

Right.

Our Lord Jesus himself set forth the perimeters.

For dealing with sinning Christians.

The brothers.

The sisters.

Why does he do it.

He does it.

Because he's the head of the church number one.

And he has the authority to do it.

Because he's the Lord of the church.

He's the head of the church.

And he does it.

The cause to keeping his body clean.

Jesus wants a clean body.

He wants a pure body.

His body will be holy.

Actually Paul said it's going to be a glorious church.

Without spot or without wrinkle.

I like what Ravenhill said.

He said I've been to a lot of weddings.

He said I've been to the poorest of the poor.

And to the richest of the rich.

And I tell you.

This is what he said.

I quote Ravenhill.

He said I've never seen a dirty bride.

Now that a preach.

Never seen a dirty bride.

And I'm telling you.

Jesus's bride is going to be pure.

Jesus's bride is going to be pure.

And holy.

And without spot.

And uncontaminated from this world.

That's the kind of glorious church.

That Jesus is going to have.

Jesus said it.

Now listen to within this perimeter.

He says this.

I don't have time to preach on this.

If your brother sins.

Step one.

Go and show him his fault.

In private.

Number one.

First.

Number two.

If he listens to you.

You have won your brother.

But Jesus says.

And why does Jesus say but.

Because he knows more likely.

They're not going to listen to you.

But if he does not listen to you.

Take one or two more with you.

Strike two.

So that by the mouth.

Of two or three witnesses.

Every fact may be confirmed.

He gets that from Deuteronomy.

Now listen to this.

If he refuses to listen to them.

Them.

Now the witnesses.

Tell it to the church.

And if he refuses to listen to even the church.

Let it be to you.

As a person be a Gentile.

And a tax collector.

In other words it's communicated.

Strike three.

You're out.

Now Jesus.

Notice the order there.

And that's restorative church discipline.

A lot of people say hold on.

Now pastor.

That seems to be pretty cruel mean.

There's a lot of love behind that.

And by the way.

That's why Paul said a little leaven.

Leavens the whole lump.

And I've mentioned this example before.

You put a rotten potato.

In a whole bag of good potatoes.

And let it sit there for a while.

I guarantee that whole bag will be rotten.

That's the way it happens.

That's the way depravity is.

A little leaven will constantly just leaven everything else.

And everything else will be corrupt.

Jesus knows.

You got to pull it out.

You got to cut it off.

You got to take it out.

You got to deal with it.

But he does it in love.

He doesn't do it to be cruel.

Even though there's sin that's involved.

And it can be terrible sins.

But we need to handle this in love.

We're going to look at scripture on that in just a minute.

Three steps of restorative church discipline.

I don't have time to preach on that.

But that's a whole sermon, beloved.

Commanded by the head of the church.

And those who refuse to repent after private warnings.

Are to be rebuked publicly before the church.

Paul repeated this.

Lord's command.

In Titus 3 .10.

Telling Titus to reject.

A factious.

A divisive man.

After his first and second admonition.

Or warning.

He himself publicly rebuked.

Such a person.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 5.

Paul practiced this.

So James' word says.

Do not speak evil against one another.

Do not forbid exposing sin.

With the intent.

But rather lying.

With malicious intent.

You see what I'm saying.

There are two important critical points here.

I'd like to give you.

In my application.

And this is.

I think this will take home the truth.

Of what he's talking about.

In conclusion.

Very important here.

And here are the two points of application.

Number one.

What judging others does not mean.

And number two.

What judging others wrongly does mean.

Notice what I said.

What judging others does not mean.

And what judging others wrongly does mean.

Now I'm not going to be able to.

Finish this.

I'm going to pick it up next week.

So listen to what he says closely.

Right here.

Very important to understand this text.

What judging others does not mean.

Does not mean.

Number one.

It does not.

Judging someone to be discerning.

With regard to his character.

Or teaching.

You see what I'm saying.

To his character or teaching.

Many people as you well know.

We've all experienced this in this room.

From our own.

Siblings.

Daughters.

Sons and so forth.

They quote this.

Judge not least you be judged.

I'm here to tell you.

That's one of the most misquoted.

Misinterpreted scriptures in the word of God.

And I'm going to bring this out.

It's about judging others.

But they never bother to read down.

Down to verse six.

Where Jesus says.

Do not give what is holy to the dogs.

And do not throw your pearls.

Before a swine.

Now notice what he talked about.

Jesus talked about two animals right there.

And their nature.

Dogs and swine.

That's right.

Both unclean.

Absolutely.

Now he's talking about people there.

He's talking about people's nature.

Yes sir.

Jesus made a judgment there.

People say okay he's Jesus.

Well Jesus did say also the judge righteous judgment.

In verse six.

You must make some.

Judgmental decisions.

About a person's character.

That guy's a dog.

He's a pig.

He made a decision.

That's mean pastor.

You shouldn't say things like that.

Jesus said it.

Amen.

He said don't give that.

What is holy to the dogs.

Well if you keep reading.

In Matthew 7 .15. He goes further listen to this.

He knows where to go.

Jesus knew.

He was talking about swine and dogs and unclean.

Where does he go?

He goes to the false teachers.

Beware of false prophets.

False teachers.

Who come to you in sheep's clothing.

Now who's mean all of a sudden.

I think that wolf.

That's dressed up like a sheep out there.

Ready to eat up a sheep.

Is pretty mean.

Now don't you think about this.

The shepherd's the one that cares.

The shepherd's the one that loves the sheep.

Why is that in reverse today?

Well people.

Don't have discernment.

Because they don't know the word of God.

They have their own opinions.

Now let God be true.

And every man a liar.

We stand on the word of God.

And Jesus goes on to say.

But inwardly these wolves.

They come.

Inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

It takes a discerning sheep.

Beloved.

To see and recognize.

That that's not a true sheep over there.

And Jesus said that.

You know them by the fruits.

What kind of fruit do they bear?

You say that's a wolf.

He's all dressed up like a sheep.

He's pretending to be a sheep.

But he's a wolf.

That's judgmental.

Forget it.

That's the word of God.

People can have their own opinions.

But I stand with God's word.

It requires judging.

The man's teaching is false.

Now let's look a little bit at this.

We live in times when tolerance is accepted.

Unity.

Oh we've got to have unity.

You've been divisive.

You know where I'm going here.

So called love.

Pragmatism.

Amen brother Keith.

Pragmatism.

If it works it's got to be of God.

I'm loving.

And you're not.

Because I'm peaceful.

Which usually means being nice.

Is it being nice?

This is dominant themes.

In evangelical church.

In evangelical church beloved.

We need the word of the Lord.

I'm telling you.

We need a thus says the Lord.

And if you dare to confront or expose sin nowadays

you're labeled as someone teaching as unbiblical.

Or legalistic or pharisaical or the person's a false teacher or you get accused of being

judgmental or unloving.

Beloved we're seeing more and more of this.

Yes sir.

Because there's a decline from the holiness of God.

In our society.

But the Bible is crystal clear.

The word of God is crystal clear that a pastor is being extremely

unloving.

Listen to this.

Unloving to allow wolves to prey on the flock.

And to allow sinning believers to infect the flock without confronting or exposing them.

You know Calvin the reformer said this.

The preacher, the pastor the shepherd of God's people should have two voices.

To call the sheep and to warn them of the wolf.

Come on buddy.

I am here to tell you.

That sums it up.

Well what about chapter and verse.

Don't give me Calvin.

Well Calvin's good but I'll give you something better.

Listen to Acts chapter 20.

I love this.

Paul's giving an exhortation to elders.

Now I'm going to read this.

Listen to the apostle Paul.

Listen to the word of God.

He's at Ephesus and he's about to depart.

And he's not going to see them no more.

So he's got a charge to give them.

He charges them like he does Timothy in chapter 4 second Timothy.

From Meletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.

I'm sorry verse 17.

In verse 18 of chapter 20 and when they had come to him he said to them this is Paul's charge.

Now listen very closely.

This is one of my favorite verses in chapters in the word of God and I love this.

He says this.

You yourselves know from the first day I set foot in Asia how I was with you the whole

time.

This man gave of himself beloved.

Verse 19.

Serving the Lord with all humility and he was not kidding when he said this.

And with tears with the trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews.

How I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and

teaching you publicly from house to house.

He believed in house to house.

Praise God.

Verse 21.

Solemnly.

Testifying to both Jews and Greeks listen what he preached.

A repentance toward God in faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

That was his message.

That's the gospel right there.

And then he said this in verse 22.

And now behold bound by the spirit.

Oh I love that.

He's bound by the spirit.

In other words he's the slave of Jesus Christ.

And now he says behold I'm bound by the spirit.

I am on my way to Jerusalem.

Not knowing, he didn't know either what was going to happen to me there except that the

Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city saying that bonds and afflictions await.

Me.

But.

I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself.

You know why he said that?

Because he was already dead in Christ.

He's living in Christ.

He said to die is gain.

He said there's no loss.

He said I'm already dead.

But he said I don't count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my course and the ministry

which I receive from the Lord Jesus Christ to testify solemnly of the gospel of

the grace of God.

Now he goes on to say this.

And now behold I know that all of you among whom I went

about preaching the kingdom.

That's what he preached.

I will no longer you will no longer see my face.

This really hit them hard.

And he said therefore now he's getting to what Jesus is talking.

About making judgments.

Listen very closely.

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent.

What a testimony beloved of the blood of all men.

This man had a clear conscience.

Nothing more precious than that.

I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.

The whole counsel of God.

He preached.

It all.

Now he goes on to say this.

But be on guard.

Now this is an exhortation to the elders.

Be on guard for yourselves for all the flock among which

the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.

In other words you've got a duty.

You've got a responsibility to shepherd the church of God.

Which he purchased with his own.

Blood.

That's valuable.

In other words you've got something valuable.

What he's saying.

He said you've got something so priceless and valuable.

He said you better shepherd it right.

And he tells them what to do.

And he says I know.

That's what he says.

He said oh I guess that they may come in.

No.

I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you

not sparing the flock.

Now he's serious.

A wolf does not spare the flock.

He wants the sheep for one reason.

He wants to eat them.

He wants to eat the sheep.

Well the shepherd he protects them.

He's a protector.

And listen to what he does.

From among your own selves men will arise speaking perverse things to

draw.

Away the disciples after them.

That's a cult.

It's all about.

Amen.

Deatrophies.

You've already read my notes.

You knew where I was going to go next.

Well anyway that's exactly.

Right.

Deatrophies.

Therefore be on alert.

Notice the warnings.

Notice the warnings.

And he said be on alert.

Remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one.

With tears.

You talking about a man of God?

This man he put his heart, his soul and you know he

did it gladly too.

He didn't do it out of a.

Bad motive.

You know why he looked at it?

I really believe.

Paul looked at number one.

That he saw that he caused.

Hurt to the Lord Jesus Christ when he persecuted the church.

And he said all that pain that's coming on me.

That's gladly welcomed.

Down.

Because even though he didn't look at it like earning salvation but he saw it as a call.

See beloved that was his vocation.

And it came to the point that he knew he was.

Called to suffer.

It was a calling to suffer.

But he.

Knew his reward in heaven would be great.

Amen.

Jesus is worth it.

Now does that not motivate you to live for Jesus even more?

And he goes on in verse 31.

Therefore be on alert.

Remember that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

And now.

Notice what he says.

He's telling these elders now I command you to God to the word of his grace

which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

And listen to what he says.

Listen to his testimony.

I have coveted no man's silver or gold or clothes.

In other words he wasn't in for the goods.

He's in it for Jesus.

He's got the goods.

Verse 34 you yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs

to the men who were with me.

I tell you a lot of pastors really need to study that right there.

They better know why they're called and they better know that they're not in

it to get something out of it but only to the Lord Jesus and for his glory.

In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner oh he believed in hard work.

The apostle Paul.

Yes the apostle Paul.

He worked hard.

He was a tent maker.

In this manner.

And then he said this you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said it is

more blessed to give than to receive.

He understood this.

And I love what happened after he said this.

Listen to the way the reaction was.

When he had said these things he knelt down.

How beautiful is this.

He knelt down and he prayed with them all.

And they began to weep aloud and embraced him.

Embraced Paul.

Repeatedly kissed him.

Grieving especially over the word which he had spoken that they would not see his face again.

And they were accompanying him to the ship and they said goodbye Paul.

And I guarantee a lot of them godly people said we'll meet you in heaven.

We'll see you then.

We'll see you at the throne.

Praise God.

That's glorious.

Well I tell you what I have so much to be said here I'm going to have to give this a closure because my time is about gone.

Well very quickly he exhorts these elders.

Think of that.

The apostle Paul exhorting elders, leaders of the church.

And that's what he told them.

Warning them.

Warning them against false teachers.

Notice the warnings.

One by one he gives them.

I mean just bullet points.

Bam.

Bam.

Just incredible.

There's so many verses here.

So many verses.

Brother.

Michael said a minute ago if you read in your devotional 3 John 9 and 10 the apostle

of love by the way warns the flock about a man by the name of Deotrephes.

Why?

Because he loves to have the preeminence.

He loves to draw people to himself and away from Jesus.

I'm telling you that man was in trouble.

And if you read the latter verses it actually Paul, I'm sorry not Paul but John says you overcome.

Evil by good.

And he basically gives them application.

This is how you take care of man like Deotrephes.

Now we don't know exactly how John the apostle addressed Deotrephes.

But I'm sure heaven, I don't know unless Deotrephes repented you won't see Deotrephes in heaven.

Because he was not a humble man.

Amen.

God will not share his glory with another.

Well very quickly let me bring this to a close and we'll pick up next week.

Paul called people by names.

He called them out by names.

People said that's wrong pastor.

No.

That's not what the scripture says.

See people don't know.

God's word.

People are operating in the flesh because they want money and they got false motives

and they serve.

God what they can get out of God.

We don't serve God what we get out of God.

We don't serve God for his benefits.

We serve God.

Because God's God.

And Jesus.

This glorious person laid down his life for our salvation.

God in the.

Flesh.

Humbled himself.

So the apostles were not in any way in these instances wrongly judging others.

So we must conclude it is only it is not

judging someone to exercise discernment about ungodly behavior in the church.

My goodness I didn't even hit my second point on that.

Wow.

If you study 1 Corinthians 13.

Oh my goodness.

You got the motive.

You got the right motive.

Amen.

And we always must examine ourselves.

Our hearts motives in the light of 1 Corinthians 13.

Paul talks about you can have all this faith.

You can move mountains.

He said you can have all this knowledge.

You can understand all mysteries.

You can even be.

A martyr and be burned alive for the wrong motive.

If we.

Don't have love, if you don't have charity.

He says what?

You're nothing.

Doesn't he get to the point?

Now that makes me look here.

Search me O God and see if there be any wicked way in me.

Lord have mercy on us.

Do not speak evil against one another.

Do not speak slanderous, malign, damaging words to

damage another person's reputation by sharing false, deliberately misleading information about someone.

That's in sin.

Yes we are to.

Be deserting,.

But we're not to slanderously.

Destroy someone's.

Reputation.

And you notice when a person does that?

A person that's acting that out is lifting himself up and

he's pulling the other person down or pushing them down I should say.

You see?

And he's trying to play, he's playing the hypocrite.

And God's got his number.

God will.

Judge.

And we're to pray for these people.

But I'm here to tell you if a person's in sin in this, we are to call that out.

Lovingly.

Now, I don't have time to go there.

There's.

Restorative church discipline.

It's all about to repair.

To.

Get the broken bone repaired.

That's what it means.

Restorative means, Michael knows what I'm talking about here, a dislocated limb.

You got a dislocated, a broken limb.

God wants to heal it, mend it.

It means to mend.

And that's what Matthew 18's talking about in its context.

Let me give you one verse and then I'll close and I promise it.

Galatians 6, 1.

Brethren, he speaks to the brethren.

Brethren, I love this verse.

Even if anyone is caught in any trespass,

you who are spiritual.

Restore.

Notice what you do.

You restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.

And then he gives a warning to the person that's in the ministry of restoring.

Each one looking to yourself, in other words, be careful to yourself, so that you

too will not be tempted.

In other words, even a stronger spiritual believer could be tempted to come down

when that, when you're coming down into that gutter.

Into that trench.

To help that person.

You've got to be careful.

Because Satan is right there ready to take you down.

And I'm telling you, that's why we always must humble ourselves.

And I was going to go to Philippians chapter 2.

To humble ourselves as Jesus humbled himself.

And we'll pick that up next week.

Praise God.

Let's pray.

And I got a prayer to pray from Valley of Vision.

And you know it's going to be good from.

This.

Amen.

Praise the name of the Lord.

God always meets with us and he's faithful.

Listen to this prayer as we pray.

And let this be your prayer this morning.

Sovereign Lord, when clouds of darkness, atheism,

and unbelief come to me, I see thy purpose of love and withdrawing the spirit that I might

prize him more.

And chastening me for my confidence in the past successes.

That my wound of secret godlessness might be cured.

Help me to humble myself before thee by seeing the vanity of honor

as a conceit of men's minds.

As standing between me and thee by seeing that thy will must alone be done

as much in denying as in giving spiritual.

Enjoyments.

By seeing that my heart is nothing but evil.

Mind, mouth, life void of thee.

By seeing that sin and Satan are a loud power in me that I might know.

My sin.

Be humbled and gain strength thereby.

By seeing that unbelief shuts thee from me so that I sense not thy majesty, power,

mercy, or love.

Then possess me for thou art good and worthy.

Thou does not play in convincing me of sin.

Satan did not play in tempting me to it.

I do not play when I sink in deep mire.

For sin is no game, no toy, no bible.

Let me not forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the

nature of the sin committed as in the greatness of the person sinned against.

But when I am afraid of evils to come, comfort me.

By showing me.

That in myself I am a dying condemned rich.

But that in Christ I am reconciled.

Made alive.

And satisfied.

And that I am feeble and unable to do any good but that in him I can do all things.

That.

What I now have in Christ is mine in part.

But shortly I shall.

Have it perfectly in heaven.

And we pray this in Jesus name.

Amen and amen.