WEBVTT 00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:03.040 Well, good morning. 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:12.000 This morning we will be in James chapter 4, and we will be looking at verses at verses 11 and 12. 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:17.120 That's James chapter 4, verses 11 and 12. 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:21.199 And today's message is all about the sin of slander. 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:31.120 So this shouldn't be surprising to us because James has been dealing with a variety of topics that deal with the Christian life. 00:00:31.359 --> 00:00:37.119 In chapter one, he talked about trials and temptations and true religion. 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:42.000 In chapter two, he dealt with discrimination and a living faith. 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:46.880 In chapter three, he talked about the tongue and true wisdom. 00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:52.399 Then here in chapter four, as we saw last time, he addressed fighting in the church. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:56.640 And now we come to the topic of slander. 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:05.519 So at first glance, you would think that this is a letter, it's just a mere list of ethical instructions. 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:09.439 This is a checklist of do's and don'ts for the Christian. 00:01:09.760 --> 00:01:13.120 But that is not the purpose of the letter of James. 00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:18.640 This isn't just a record of moral duties for a better life. 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:30.239 This is a letter written to persecuted Jewish Christians to show them what a living faith in Jesus Christ looks like in the midst of adversity. 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:36.879 And so if you want to know what your Christian faith should look like, read James. 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:40.400 It must be spelled out for us as Christians. 00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:45.120 Otherwise, we're left wondering: is our faith supposed to be private? 00:01:45.359 --> 00:01:48.000 Is it just some kind of mental ascent? 00:01:48.239 --> 00:01:49.599 Is it academic? 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:53.519 What should faith in Jesus Christ look like for us? 00:01:54.560 --> 00:02:03.840 And what we see so clearly in James is that our faith should affect every area of our life, every department. 00:02:04.159 --> 00:02:09.680 Because faith is active, it is alive, and it is practical. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:12.479 So faith does something. 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:14.639 True faith works. 00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:21.919 If you read Hebrews 11, it says, by faith Abraham did this, by faith Noah did this. 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:35.199 And so if your faith is not working for you, if it has not changed to any degree the way that you walk and the way that you talk and the way that you act, then your faith may not be legit. 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:37.840 And James talks about this in chapter 2. 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:42.719 He says, you may have a false faith, a dead and a demonic faith. 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.360 And so this is the overarching theme of James. 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:50.000 Do you have a living faith? 00:02:50.479 --> 00:03:03.280 God did not kill his son on our behalf and give us his Holy Spirit and give us his word so that we would continue to be slaves to sin and live like the devil. 00:03:03.599 --> 00:03:12.879 He didn't do all this so that we would kick back, open a beer, and just kind of idly wait for him to return as the world burns. 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:20.719 Okay, he did all this so that we would enjoy him, that we would be transformed, and that we would then live for him. 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:33.599 So he did all this so that we would not only be called children of God, but that we would live like one and act like one right here, right now on earth for his glory. 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:37.199 And so he wants us to be alive in Christ. 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:49.280 Not just a church, attend church on Sundays or a small group during the week, but to have faith and to be alive in Christ in everything that we do. 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:58.319 And so today, James redirects our attention once again to the subject of vocal holiness. 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:01.840 Our words matter to God. 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:10.560 Our faith should influence the way that we talk, specifically in the realm of how we talk about other Christians. 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:16.319 And so James starts his whole argument with a command in verse 11. 00:04:16.879 --> 00:04:23.279 He says, Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. 00:04:24.319 --> 00:04:26.240 So the command here is pretty simple. 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:27.920 It's not hard to understand. 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:29.839 Do not slander. 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:34.240 However, we must define what slander means. 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:39.279 Because we all tend to read a command like this and say, slander? 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:41.120 I don't do that. 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:43.279 That's like a middle school problem. 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:47.439 You know, this is something that politicians need to hear, not me. 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:51.519 So allow me for a moment just to elaborate on this a bit. 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:57.120 The Greek word here for slander literally means to speak against or evil of. 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:07.759 So slander is when we report information about someone that is designed to intentionally hurt their character or reputation. 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:15.519 To put this simply, it is talking about someone with actual malice and evil intent. 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:20.959 So by definition, slander can manifest itself in various forms. 00:05:21.199 --> 00:05:23.839 Let me give you guys a few examples. 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:27.680 The first one is what I call evil speculation. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:35.680 This is when we spread rumors or we make accusations about someone when we do not have all the information. 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:45.600 Just a few years ago, I stopped at a red light here in town, and I saw a childhood friend of mine walking out of a bar. 00:05:45.759 --> 00:05:52.720 It was late at night, and she was hanging on this older gentleman, and she was stumbling around. 00:05:52.959 --> 00:05:54.560 And I just couldn't believe it. 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:55.920 I was shocked. 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:58.079 I went and told all my mutual friends. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:02.079 I was like, man, I can't believe she's she must be a drunk now. 00:06:02.319 --> 00:06:05.279 She must be sleeping around with old older men. 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:08.240 Like, wow, she's really gone downhill. 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:14.959 Well, it turns out, later I find this out that she got a phone call from the bartender. 00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:21.199 Her dad had relapsed, and he was drunk, and he insisted on driving home. 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:24.079 And she comes to the bar to rescue him. 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:40.319 And here I am creating this false narrative based on speculation, portraying a negative portrait of this poor woman when in truth she was trying to care for the well-being of her father. 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:47.439 And so this type of slander assumes the worst of people without having all the facts. 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:51.600 The next is what I call exaggeration. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:56.959 So maybe a fellow church member confides in you about a sin that they're struggling with. 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:03.120 So let's say Ron comes up to me and he says, Jimmy, look, I just gotta confess something. 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:04.720 It's heavy on my heart. 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:09.279 I got a little too angry with one of my kids the other night, and I just gotta confess that to you. 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:19.759 And I take that information and I twist it and I inflate it and I share it with another person, and I say, Did you hear about Ron? 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:22.480 He's got anger issues. 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:25.199 He beat one of his kids the other day. 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.879 I'm not sure that he's fit for leadership. 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:31.040 Do you see what I did there? 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:36.560 I adapted the information to paint Ron in a bad picture. 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:38.399 The next is gossip. 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:40.000 This is very common. 00:07:40.399 --> 00:07:46.800 This is when we share information, legit failures of other people to other people. 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:53.040 So someone makes a mistake, we love to jump on that and shout it from the rooftops. 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:56.399 People literally thrive off of gossip. 00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:59.600 There's like an energy to it that people love. 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:06.560 And Christians are the worst about this because we can hide it in spiritual fluff. 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:11.120 Okay, we go around saying, man, did you hear about John's divorce? 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:12.959 Yeah, he's such an idiot. 00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:14.399 He could have done better. 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:16.639 And have you heard about Leroy's kids? 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:18.560 Man, they're very misbehaved. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:20.160 Horrible kids. 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:23.839 But I share all this, you know, so we can pray for them. 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:30.319 We gossip and we throw a little bit of hashtag, you know, for prayer purposes out there. 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:32.399 Just to justify it. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:36.240 The next is what I call outright falsehood. 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:40.399 Okay, this is the worst degree of slander in my opinion. 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:49.679 Maybe you're mad, maybe you're jealous or envious of someone, so you literally just make something up about them to damage their character. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:55.440 So let's say I'm jealous of Rick because uh he preaches better sermons than me. 00:08:55.679 --> 00:09:00.639 Then I hear a group of people uh talking about how great his sermons are. 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:06.399 Uh so I chime into the conversation and I say, yeah, he's Rick's okay, you know. 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:10.000 But he actually plagiarizes his sermons, you know. 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:12.320 You know, nothing in them is original. 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:14.960 That's just an outright lie. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:22.480 No shred of truth, just created falsehood to hurt Rick to make myself look better. 00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:31.200 And so speculation and exaggeration and gossip and falsehood, these are all forms of slander. 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:39.679 But we need to ask the question: is there ever a right time to share immoral or unethical behavior? 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:41.200 Absolutely. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:48.639 Um, accurately reporting uh immoral behavior of others may indeed be important in some settings. 00:09:48.799 --> 00:10:01.600 Um, as pastors, for example, it's vital that we report to one another the health of the believers that we're shepherding, uh, who's struggling, who needs help, who's backsliding, and so on. 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:06.320 So some settings are appropriate to share information. 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:24.240 But if we aren't careful to contain our judgment and to maintain a compassionate stance toward the person about whom we speak, we could seriously hurt someone bad and place ourselves under judgment at the same time. 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:39.519 And so your criticism of someone may be valid, but to report that criticism in a manner that is unloving or exaggerated or promotes damage of character is extremely sinful and detrimental. 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:46.320 And so, no matter how slander manifests itself in our lives, this is why it's so bad. 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:53.120 Number one, it tears down other believers who were made in the beautiful image of Jesus Christ. 00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:54.720 That's the first reason. 00:10:54.879 --> 00:10:59.440 The second one is it creates division in the church. 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:03.759 Thirdly, it ruins our Christian witness. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:07.200 We're supposed to be loving each other, not tearing each other down. 00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:12.879 Fourth, it hinders our prayer life towards other believers. 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:17.360 If you're speaking against someone, I assure you, you are not praying for them. 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:25.759 And worst of all, number five, when we slander, we are participating in the ministry of Satan. 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:35.360 He is called the accuser, he is the slanderer, and he accuses the church day and night before the throne of God. 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:38.159 This is what he does. 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:44.879 This is why God hates slander and why he considers it evil. 00:11:45.679 --> 00:11:52.559 And if you're still not convinced that this is a big deal, consider what the rest of Scripture says about this. 00:11:52.799 --> 00:12:01.279 Slander is so high on God's list of wrongs that he included it in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, 16. 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:03.519 Do not bear false witness. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:09.279 It is listed among the seven abominations that God hates in Proverbs 6. 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:13.440 He says that God hates haughty eyes and a lying tongue. 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:22.240 In Psalm 101.5, God sternly says, Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy. 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:24.159 That's a serious statement. 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:33.360 In Romans 1, Paul lists many traits of the depraved mind, and slander is included in this list in verse 30. 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:38.799 So it was slander that put Joseph in prison in Genesis 39. 00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:44.960 It was slander ordered by Jezebel that got Naboth killed in 1 Kings 21. 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:49.840 Consider the slander against our Lord and Savior in the Gospels. 00:12:50.240 --> 00:13:08.320 Slander alone is responsible for so many broken relationships, ruined reputations, so much turmoil in churches, causing great conflict and decades of unforgiveness among families, churches, communities, and nations. 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:11.679 Church, do you see it yet? 00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:15.200 Slanderous lips is not okay. 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:21.600 The children saying, sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:22.960 That's not true. 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:28.320 Words can really, really, really hurt someone. 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:30.080 Bad. 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:35.519 How we talk about the eternal family of God matters. 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:37.039 It matters. 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:39.600 We might treat it as trivial. 00:13:39.840 --> 00:13:45.039 Some of us are so desensitized to this, we do it naturally without conviction. 00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:47.840 But may we heed God's word this morning. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:52.320 Brothers, sisters, do not slander one another. 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:53.840 Don't do it. 00:13:54.480 --> 00:14:03.679 And just in case we need another incentive to not slander, James gives us a weighty reason in the middle of verse 11. 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:14.159 He says, The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:16.240 Now this is interesting. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:21.039 When you slander, you're not just hurting someone's reputation. 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:23.679 You're not just spreading a little hearsay. 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:32.320 You are actually, in such moments, standing up, looking at God's law, and saying, You're not good enough. 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:34.399 I have a better law to enact. 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:36.960 Let that sink in for a moment. 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:44.320 Now a question remains: what law is James referring to here? 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:48.159 The Mosaic law or God's law in general? 00:14:48.480 --> 00:15:01.200 Well, I believe it is the law that James brought up earlier in chapter 1, the royal law of Christ, aka the law of Christian love in the New Covenant. 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:08.480 So in place of the Old Testament law, Christians are to obey the law of Christ. 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:22.720 Rather than trying to remember over 600 individual commandments in the Old Testament law, which Christ has fulfilled, Christians are simply to focus on loving God and loving other people. 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:32.960 If Christians would truly and wholeheartedly obey these two commandments, we would be fulfilling everything that God requires of us. 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:41.120 So speaking against other Christians is obviously in direct opposition of that law. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:46.879 Slandering others equates to slandering Christ's law of love. 00:15:57.679 --> 00:16:02.480 Saying, God, I have a better law than you, I've got this. 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:14.559 And instead of obeying Christ's law, which says love people, we say, nah, this person needs to be criticized, they need to be condemned, and they need to be shamed, not loved. 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:25.120 So could you imagine for a moment if I was sitting in the audience of a human courtroom observing a court case? 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:29.840 So here I am, no law degree or anything, just a bystander. 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:34.240 I'm not the jury, so I have no insight regarding evidence. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:39.120 I'm not the prosecutor, so I have no ability to sentence anyone. 00:16:39.360 --> 00:16:45.120 And I'm not the judge, so I have no authority to determine guilty or not guilty. 00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:54.720 And let's just say, hypothetically, during the trial, I stand up and I say, hey everyone, I've got this all figured out. 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:56.480 My name's Jimmy Alexander. 00:16:56.639 --> 00:17:00.639 No, I don't have any law degree or anything, but I know what's best here. 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:04.240 This man is clearly guilty, and I just know it. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:08.160 And I think that he should serve 10 years in prison. 00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:13.839 First of all, if this actually happened, I would be asked to sit down and shut up. 00:17:14.559 --> 00:17:20.720 Secondly, I'm basically in contempt of court for disrupting the legal process. 00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:27.519 Thirdly, I have no authority whatsoever to determine anything of such matters. 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:31.519 And lastly, I'm totally disrespecting the law. 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:37.680 I'm basically saying, hey, judge and jury, you guys are dumb and you don't know what you're doing, but I do. 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:44.640 Well, this is basically what we are doing when we speak against other believers. 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:49.440 We are acting as if we are the judge and the lawgiver. 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:58.720 So know this: when you slander another brother or sister in Christ, you are in reality judging the law of Christ. 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:00.640 And that's a serious crime. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:06.079 And not only that, but you are also breaking the law when you do this. 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.079 Look at the end of verse 11. 00:18:08.319 --> 00:18:14.559 He says, But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. 00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:28.160 So, in other words, if you are criticizing other people and thus criticizing the law of Christ, you are in no way, shape, or form keeping the law in such moments. 00:18:28.319 --> 00:18:30.079 And this is very ironic. 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:36.319 This was the deception that the Pharisees and the religious leaders fell into in Jesus' day. 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:42.880 In their zeal to keep the law and enforce it, they actually broke it in their pride. 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:49.440 So in their zeal for the letter of the law, they forget the purpose or the heart of the law. 00:18:49.680 --> 00:18:51.680 So let me give you an example. 00:18:51.920 --> 00:19:00.640 Let's say that I saw Ryan back behind a bush at the church here, and he was playing with a Ouija board. 00:19:01.440 --> 00:19:07.920 So I go around the church telling everyone that Ryan is into witchcraft and he's basically a demon now. 00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:13.119 And let's say I do this with just a very evil heart, I do it maliciously. 00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:14.799 Here's the irony. 00:19:15.359 --> 00:19:23.759 By me spreading information about Ryan's lawlessness, I myself, in that moment, am breaking God's law. 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:25.519 Did Ryan sin? 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:26.400 Yes. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:28.400 Was I right about Ryan? 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:29.599 Yes. 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:40.240 But did I have any right to neglect Christ's command to love and then condemn him and then exaggerate his mistake? 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:41.599 Absolutely not. 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:43.839 I had no right to do that. 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:50.720 And so, as a Christian, it is your job to keep the law of Christ. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:55.359 It is your job to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. 00:19:55.519 --> 00:20:01.039 It is your job to be like Christ while we are living in the age of grace. 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:10.240 But it is not your job, I repeat, it is not your job to play jury, judge, and prosecutor of it. 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:17.519 If you try to take on those roles, which by the way is a form of treason, you are in sin. 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:28.799 As you go around playing the sin police, pridefully pointing out everyone else's flaws, you yourself, by doing that, are breaking the law. 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:46.480 You might think you're keeping it, and like the Pharisees, you can talk all day long about how much you love God's law and adore it, but if you slander or gossip about or condemn another brother and sister in Christ, your beloved family, you are breaking the law. 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:49.119 You yourself are being lawless. 00:20:50.160 --> 00:21:03.119 Now, to solidify this argument further, James then points to God in verse 12, saying, There is only one lawgiver in judge. 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:07.680 He who is able to save and to destroy. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:10.640 There is only one, says James. 00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:12.240 There is no other. 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:15.440 This is what makes God God. 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:24.559 There are certain attributes, roles, and actions that only the divine creator has and can do. 00:21:24.960 --> 00:21:26.799 That's what makes him God. 00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:37.119 It's utter folly for finite human beings to attempt to assume God's distinctiveness as lawgiver and judge. 00:21:37.920 --> 00:21:40.079 So let me ask you a few questions. 00:21:40.400 --> 00:21:43.440 Did you create the foundations of the world? 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:46.640 Did you create the law of Christ? 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:47.759 Was that you? 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:53.680 Do you know the motives and the innermost thoughts of everyone's heart on earth? 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:56.640 Are you all knowing and all powerful? 00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:00.880 Do you have the authority to send someone to Heaven or hell? 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:03.119 And if so, can you show me how you do that? 00:22:04.079 --> 00:22:05.359 Must I go on? 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:10.720 Judgment and lawgiving belong to the Lord and Him alone. 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:15.359 God gives the law and God enforces the law. 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:22.000 God is the sovereign king, and he will determine who gets saved and who gets destroyed. 00:22:22.319 --> 00:22:24.079 He is the Lord of all. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:26.160 No secrets are kept from him. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:28.799 There's no information that he's missing. 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:31.599 There's no wisdom that he needs to obtain. 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:36.559 He is self-sufficient, perfectly just, and he is infinitely holy. 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:39.599 Therefore, he is the judge, not me. 00:22:40.400 --> 00:22:44.079 Now, this is both comforting and convicting. 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:48.799 It's comforting because this means that I don't need to figure everything out. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:51.920 I can let go of all eternal judgments. 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:55.279 Paul even says in Corinthians, I don't even judge myself. 00:22:55.759 --> 00:22:58.880 I don't need to worry if my Uncle Joe is in heaven or hell. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:00.160 That's not on me. 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:01.279 It's on God. 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:08.319 And it's comforting to know that one day God will judge everything and everyone perfectly. 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:10.960 Everything will lay bare before him. 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:13.680 He will judge with perfection. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:16.160 He will right every wrong. 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:23.680 The wicked will be punished, and those who are his, he will securely bring into everlasting glory. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:30.000 But this is convicting because this means that I can't judge anyone until the time. 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:33.440 It means that I must stop playing God. 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:36.559 I have to stop assuming his role. 00:23:36.799 --> 00:23:40.240 And what I need to do is leave the judging to God. 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:41.759 We read it in Romans 12. 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:43.440 Vengeance is his. 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:48.640 And instead, I need to love people like he commanded me. 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:52.000 Church, we are living in the age of grace. 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:54.960 Judgment is coming, that's for sure. 00:23:55.279 --> 00:24:02.079 But God is being slow in his return because he wishes that all would repent and be saved. 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:07.279 Peter tells us this: God's slowness in judgment means salvation. 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:09.279 He wants a big family. 00:24:09.519 --> 00:24:14.079 And so in the meantime, while we're waiting, what should we be doing? 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:21.839 Criticizing, slandering, acting like witch hunters, acting like the reprobate police? 00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:22.799 No. 00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:39.039 We should be praying for our enemies, uplifting those who have fallen, showing mercy to the ignorant, grace to those who are in sin, and loving broken people with full affection, the same way in which Christ has loved us. 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:42.400 This is our lane as Christians. 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:46.319 We can leave the judging and the condemning in the hands of God. 00:24:47.039 --> 00:24:49.839 We can leave the gavel in his hands. 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:55.440 We can focus on what he has commanded us, which is what? 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:58.079 John 13, 34. 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:00.319 A new commandment I give you. 00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:03.519 Love one another as I have loved you. 00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:06.640 So you must love one another. 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:18.240 And James ends his whole argument with a very convicting and yet fitting, open-ended question at the end of verse 12. 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:23.759 He says, But you, who are you to judge your neighbor? 00:25:24.799 --> 00:25:30.000 Quite literally, James is saying, Who do you think you are? 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:32.160 Seriously. 00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:44.480 God is asking us, what authority do you have, O mere man, to be determining the fate, the character, and motives of your neighbor? 00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:53.119 Who are you, O created creature, to stand up and act as if you were the final authority? 00:25:53.440 --> 00:26:01.680 Who are you, a sinner saved by undeserved grace, to condemn someone else and put them in a bad light? 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:04.400 Who do you think you are? 00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:06.799 Who do you think you are? 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:15.519 A child of God who is called to love or a contributor to Satan's ministry of accusing Christians? 00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:17.119 Who do you think you are? 00:26:17.359 --> 00:26:21.599 A lover of Christ's law or a critic of it? 00:26:22.160 --> 00:26:23.440 Who do you think you are? 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:28.240 A sinner saved by grace or a supreme judge of people? 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:30.799 Because you are so wise and smart. 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:38.799 Do you realize that the primary objective as a Christian is to love? 00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:42.319 Yes, we're called to expose sin. 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:44.480 Yes, we're called to discern. 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:51.759 Yes, we're called to speak the truth boldly, but we are told to do these things in love. 00:26:54.319 --> 00:27:11.039 So don't ever slander someone, don't slander anyone in this room until you have first spent an hour praying for them and weeping over their sin and have spent some time gently calling them to repentance and promoting restoration. 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:26.640 Don't you dare put anyone in a negative light until you have first considered how much of your own gross, nasty, and perverted sin was placed on Christ and totally wiped out and paid in full. 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:31.759 Do these things first, then come to me and speak against someone. 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:35.440 And you will discover that you can't. 00:27:38.079 --> 00:27:50.720 Because in light of our own sin, and in light of the cross of Christ, and in light of God's role as judge, it's impossible to tear down and gossip or condemn another believer. 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:56.000 Because it is impossible to condemn someone that we genuinely love. 00:27:56.720 --> 00:28:03.359 It's impossible to speak against someone that you are praying for and laying your life down for. 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:07.279 So at the end of the day, slander really? 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:10.799 It's just a red flag that you're in the flesh. 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:14.640 You're not spending time with Christ or praying for the brethren. 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:21.519 James is not ruling out civil courts and judges and human government. 00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:29.680 He is not discouraging healthy criticism or loving rebuke or productive evaluation of others. 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:39.119 Instead, he is rooting out harsh, unkind, critical spirits that continually find fault with others. 00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:40.960 That is the teaching here. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:43.279 And we need to hear it this morning. 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:48.640 So, Proclamation Church, what do we do about all this? 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:50.160 How do we respond? 00:28:50.880 --> 00:28:53.680 I think the first thing we need to do is repent. 00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:57.759 We need to agree with God about this. 00:28:58.160 --> 00:29:04.000 And if we are spirit-led, we need to go and make things right with people we've been slandering. 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:07.200 The world has made this normal. 00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:13.039 Unbelievers speak evil like it's their job, but not the children of God. 00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:16.160 It's not okay for us to be doing this. 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:18.240 And we need to repent and make things right. 00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:20.720 This is what God is calling us to do. 00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:24.799 Secondly, we need to ask God to change our hearts. 00:29:25.039 --> 00:29:33.519 This isn't a matter of just speaking less or trying to be more positive, or, you know, if you if you have nothing good to say, don't say it at all. 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:37.200 Ultimately, this is a heart problem. 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:40.480 A few tips aren't going to cut it here. 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:42.960 Jesus tells us this in Matthew 15. 00:29:43.119 --> 00:29:54.400 He says, For out of the heart come evil thoughts: murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and then he says, slander. 00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:56.880 Slander makes the list. 00:29:57.519 --> 00:30:05.839 So we need to honestly, genuinely put our hearts in the hands of God and say, God, please fix this. 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:08.559 And trust me, he will. 00:30:09.599 --> 00:30:20.240 If there is anything that God loves to do, anything that God delights in doing, it is conforming his children more into the image of Christ. 00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:25.359 If you have a problem with slander, God wants to deal with it. 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:31.279 And lastly, we need to be mindful in the days ahead. 00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:39.440 It's easy to hear a teaching like this and apply it for a week and then forget about it in a month or two. 00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:45.680 Whenever you speak about someone, especially another brother or sister in Christ, be mindful. 00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:47.759 Be very careful. 00:30:48.160 --> 00:30:52.960 Realize that you are a son or a daughter of God. 00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:56.480 You are an ambassador of Christ. 00:30:57.680 --> 00:30:59.839 You are a citizen of heaven. 00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:01.920 You are a royal priesthood. 00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:04.960 This is how the New Testament defines us. 00:31:06.079 --> 00:31:18.240 So while everyone has or should have a fundamental right to speak freely their minds, especially in America, your freedom of expression is not absolute. 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:24.960 As Christians, you are not free to speak a certain way about your friends in Christ. 00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:34.640 We are obligated by the blood of Christ being purchased by Christ, compelled by the love of Christ to edify the church. 00:31:34.880 --> 00:31:39.200 If indeed you are redeemed, your life is not your own. 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:43.440 You are no longer free to sin and speak however you want. 00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:44.799 You are under love. 00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:50.640 You have been bought with the precious blood of Christ. 00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:53.599 You are his prized possession. 00:31:54.160 --> 00:31:59.920 And he purchased you so that you would be a useful tool in his hands. 00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:07.680 He bought you so that he could use you as an instrument here on earth to advance his kingdom. 00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:09.440 He is your master. 00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:12.160 You no longer serve sin, you serve him. 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:33.440 And so for Christ's sake, let us move past such worldly things and let us start using the most powerful muscle in our body, according to the Bible, the tongue, as a holy mouthpiece to build up the body and to proclaim the wonders and the glories of God. 00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:34.720 Let's pray.