“Who died and made you Judge?” James 4:11-17
We are back in James again as we move toward the close of the book. And once again we find James discussing with the church an issue that has erupted in the Jerusalem Church. There had risen this issue of people within the church seeking to perpetuate their own standing in the church.
Some had gone so far as intentionally destroying someone else in order to gain what they thought would be control of the church. Little factions had developed and started talking behind each others backs, they had taken to half-truths and criticism to further their (NOT GOD’s) agenda.
Yet through James God was calling His church to rise above this sort of petty yet dangerous problem, to put Him back into the planning process and do what they knew was right.
This was for a very important reason… to avoid giving the church an ugly reputation among the community at large. Because very seldom will an internal disruption stay internal. Sadly for today’s church we are no less immune from this sort of thing than was the church that James was writing to so long ago.
In fact you don’t have to look very far to find where this sort of activity has seriously damaged a church. All of us have heard or seen of churches that have split over secret meetings and dangerous accusations. Where a faction of a church has gotten power hungry. Someone gave me a newspaper clipping of a church that actually split because of the church van. Rather than stopping and discussing it like Christians they chose to throw verbal stones at one another, in order to control.
When James begins in verse 11 this speaking against one another is a very serious offense. He is talking about slander, backbiting, backstabbing and evil criticism in the attempt to place undue, undeserved, unfounded, unfair judgement on a fellow Christian. He was not talking about going to that person one on one to discuss a problem… He was talking about behind the back, secretive power plays that judges peoples motives, this was about condemning judgement.
SO God’s instruction through James certainly does apply to the church today…
James condemns this sort of activity for a very serious reason…
And - James answers this problem with these facts… that –we need to remember
There is only ONE LAW - GIVER (verses 11 &12)
The second great commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” SO when you go around speaking evil or falsely accusing and judging a brother or a sister you are trying to judge what the law (the bible) says. When in fact you were only ever told to obey it yourself.
Now this is not to say that you have to hold your tongue when there is something that needs to be corrected provided that you do it lovingly, humbly and honestly at the lowest possible level.
In this you find that you are actually infringing on God’s prerogative. No human being has the right to judge another human being.
One because James says there is only one Judge and it isn’t you! And two it falls under the heading of – “there but by the grace of God go you…”
It was F. B. Meyer, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances.
The bible doesn’t tell us this is a serious sin – it tells us that this one of the worst of all…
There is only ONE LIFE-SUSTAINER (verses 13 & 14)
In this type of instance people plan and leave God out of it. This is not to say we cannot plan but that we are to plan and yet leave the results to God. When the church makes plans absent of God you will find that the backbiting and judging one another will begin.
James uses an illustration of the Jewish merchants, of how they would make concrete plans with a concrete outcome the problem was they would leave God out of it and this alone leaves room for danger.
The thing planned isn’t necessarily wrong, but the spirit of the planning that we plan with a self-seeking, self-perpetuating agenda. But when you plan with the understanding that God is the sustainer and judge you will find real and positive results.
James goes on to say that we are not to judge because
There is only ONE LORD (verse 15)
The key phrase “if the Lord wills…” is of underlying importance. There is a difference from saying the “Jesus is my Saviour…” and “Jesus is my Lord.” He cannot be your Lord unless He is your Saviour first, but He can be your Saviour and yet you not allow Him to be Lord of your life.
Why is this important? Because if He is not the Lord of your life you will find yourself making plans without Him and you will find that you begin judging others plans and motives. You will boast like a rooster over what YOU did rather than what God has done.
And You have heard about what happened to the rooster who crowed about himself all the time… he became lunch…
What James goes on to prescribe is a call away from petty personal power. He is calling the church body to a HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING…
Avoid the High Brow – take the Higher Life
First you’re told…
Don’t JUDGE others – be concerned with what YOU ARE doing. (verse 12)
Honestly you should be so busy simply trying to do what you’re supposed to be doing that you don’t have time to judge. If you have time to bad mouth and judge others then there is probably something that you’re not obeying yourself. Basically that if you are going to point a finger at someone else you had better make sure that there isn’t something in your own life that needs cleaning…
Yes I will tell you that as a church, as Christians we are to call sin – sin. But sin is an action not a person. And in doing so we are to do it one on one, lovingly and honestly. Unfortunately though we all try to be umpires at hear, calling balls and strikes on everyone else.
Judging one another is Satan’s trick to get Christ’s soldiers to destroy themselves. During a war, an officer of artillery had just fired a gun with perfect precision against a unit of men off to his left. When the Commanding Officer rode up, after turning his binoculars for a moment in the direction of the shot, he said, in his cool way: "Well done, Captain, but no more. They are our own!”
This blunder has been repeated sadly too often in the Lord’s army. With what fatal frequency have great guns of the church, which might have battered down the citadel of Satan been misdirected against the Christian brethren!
So you should be more concerned with what you ‘re doing than about what someone else isn’t.
Plan AHEAD but make the most of TODAY by putting CHRIST in it. (verses 14 & 15)
To not plan ahead is to not be a good steward. Planning ahead however should never be done at the expense of today. If you commit your plans to God and leave the results to HIM – then you can focus on doing what you’re supposed to be doing and making the most of today.
When you put Christ at the center of you day and your plans and take self out of it – two things will happen.
1. It is guaranteed to find success
2. A greater good comes from it.
Let me touch on a particular point that ties this not judging and planning together… notice James says, “you are just a vapor anyway?” Think about of certain vapors…
The pungent smell of ammonia, the rotting stench of garbage or the sour smell of spoiled milk.
Now think of the intoxicating scent of a favorite perfume, the luring smell of a roasting fire or the sweet smell of a flower.
So if your life is a vapor, which would you chose it to be like? The bible says it should be a sweet incense to God… if you are more concerned with what your life is doing rather than judging someone else’s and your planning your life around Christ… the vapor will fill the day with good.
And one final important note that God gives us is…
Do what you KNOW is RIGHT. Don’t WITHHOLD it. (verse 17) (see Proverbs 3:27-28)
Most of the time when we make bad choices we know before hand that it is bad, that is the “sins of commission.” But this is knowing what you should do, the right thing to do and just not doing it. This is what we call the “sin of omission.” And MANY are guilty of this!
When you know someone needs a word of encouragement and you withhold it…
When you know your wrong about something yet you wont apologize for it…
When you know a situation is wrong yet you withhold the information that will correct it…
When you withhold truth that would help someone
When you know someone needs forgiveness yet you wont give it…
James says when you know the right thing to do but you withhold the right thing… IT IS A SIN!
But doing what you know is the right thing will always, always have right results. Why? Because you never have to apologize for doing the right thing.
This too ties in with the judging others… because if you know the right thing and do the right thing… you won’t sit around judging other people.
Let me tie this all together…
Can you imagine for a moment – a church existing where people didn’t judge one another (make false accusations or slander for the power play) where all the plans were made with Christ at the center and everyone who knew the good did the good?
What a glorious church that would be!!!
Its possible you know?
It is simply up to you…
