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| SERMON #161 Judge not, that ye be not judged, MAT 7:1. The last two messages dealt with the two words, "Judge not...," and this one will also deal with those two words. They are so full, there is so much to learn that we may not pass over them lightly. As stated before, the first sin was the result of passing judgment upon the Lord. Then we considered the areas where Jesus was not saying, "Judge not," because we are responsible to pass judgment and judge in certain areas. In this message we will deal with the areas where Jesus is saying, "Judge not." Today Satan has instilled the philosophy in the carnal mind that it doesn't matter what a person believes. If a person truly believes something and is sincere, one is being judgmental if he questions the other person's beliefs. Many people today would have us believe we should not pass judgment on a sincere, well- meaning person, even if his beliefs fly squarely in the face of the Word of God. That is Satan's philosophy, and it absolutely is not the meaning of this Scripture. Satan taught this same philosophy in the Garden of Eden: "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil," GEN 3:5. Satan was teaching the philosophy that you shall be as God, as a judge on the throne, deciding what is right or wrong--"good and evil." Our Saviour's teaching, "Judge not," must be kept in the context in which it is used. Therefore, we must analyze this context and the chronology in which the Lord Jesus has placed our text in the Sermon on the Mount. We are not to judge others in a self- righteous, hypocritical, judgmental manner. The chronology begins with self-knowledge which teaches us to mourn over our own sin. At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches us what it is to be meek and show mercy. From there He teaches us about having a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. We are not to have a hypocritical, judgmental spirit like the scribes and Pharisees in judging our fellow man. We are not to be judgmental in our outlook with others, passing judgment with a self-righteous spirit. When we look at the six contrasts in MAT 5:19-48, Jesus is teaching us the righteousness that exceeds the self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. There Jesus shows us the difference between a self-righteous judgment and a righteous judgment. In this verse, He teaches us not to be hypocritical in a self-righteous spirit that esteems ourselves above others. We must keep this chronology in mind as we look at the context in which this statement, "Judge not," is made in order to understand the Scriptures as fully as possible. Jesus' admonition, "Judge not," is against being rash in judgment, uncharitable, holding an attitude of condemnation against others. We are not to have a spirit of condemnation against our fellow man even though we must judge the actions and fruits of his walk of life. Watch what we see in ROM 14:1-3, "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him." In other words, one who is weak in faith is a newborn Christian; we are to receive him without a condemning spirit. The Apostle Paul is saying that we must not try to judge a man's heart. If such a person is weak in the faith, we must build him up in the truth. Let the truth float off the error. It is not for us to be the judge of another man's conscience saying, "You can't do this," or "You must do that." We must teach him the Word of God, and as he becomes knowledgeable of the Word, the Lord convicts his heart where he is wrong. Then the wrong will be removed because he is in the faith. We are not to judge without understanding and mercy, love and compassion. Let's read how James so beautifully illustrates this to illustrate this point in JAM 2:11-13, "For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." The Lord is telling us that we may not be unmerciful in judgment against our fellow man. We are not the judge of his heart, and we may not pass unmerciful judgment upon him. Do we take up "stones" to throw at a person taken in a fault, one who has committed adultery or some other sin, or do we look at ourselves and see that we probably committed murder in our heart? See what Scripture teaches in 1JO 3:15, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." Do we see that we need mercy? This is why we may not pass judgment without mercy. The first thing we must do for one taken in a fault is restore them; we don't pass judgment and condemn them. We reach out with a helping hand pointing out, "Thus saith the Lord...." We might also say, "Do you realize that you are walking in an area Satan loves to have you?" We are to reach out our hands to restore the person into the fellowship of the saints rather than condemn him. Jesus is teaching against a hard, Pharisaical, judgmental spirit here, as He did in MAT 5:19-20, "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven [By committing a transgression against the least commandment, we are a transgressor in the eyes of the Lord, so who are we to throw a stone at our fellow man, and pass judgment upon him?]: but whosoever shall do and teach them [the commandments of love], the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Read that again and note the connecting word For. Unless we have something more than a hypocritical righteousness where we sit and pass judgment upon our fellow man, we cannot serve the Lord. When we see a brother taken in a fault, we must strive to restore him, very tenderly, considering our own self lest we fall into the same condemnation which we are passing upon our brother. GAL 6:1-5 says, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden." How shall I pass judgment upon my brother if I have truly learned to understand my own heart? If I have learned to see the wretchedness of my own heart, then I have to see a man taken in a fault needs to be restored tenderly, hoping and praying that if I am taken in a fault, those who are spiritual will be that gracious and merciful to me. I don't sit in the seat of judgment, passing judgment on the person, condemning him, but I reach out with a loving, tender, merciful spirit to restore that person. That is what is necessary. People who have learned well the weaknesses of their own hearts are quick to forgive, and generous in judgment. I see it more and more as I learn to see the wretchedness of my own heart. I must be more generous to other people's weaknesses; I have to be quicker to forgive. LUK 6:35-38 says, "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." Isn't that precious? If we learn to know the mercy of God, how He is kind to the unthankful, and we see that in our own experience, then we will be merciful and generous to others who have been unthankful to us. Then we become much more generous in our judgment to that person. Verse 36 continues, "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:" How many of us can say we have not condemned a person in our judgment? Do you see how guilty we are? We need to come before a merciful Father who is kind to the unthankful, and we need judgment based on mercy. That is undeserved favor. This is what our Saviour is telling us when He says, "Judge not." Jesus is saying He looks at how we treat others when He judges us; "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." We are to be concerned with what is in our heart. This is a personal matter where we must ask ourselves, "What do I do to my fellow man?" The Lord is looking at the measure we have meted to others. Have we given a good measure to others? A good measure is filled, tamped, shaken and settled down; it is filled to overflowing without worthless fillers taking up space. The Lord is judging each person's heart. How do we treat our fellow man? How generous are we when we judge a neighbour's actions and weaknesses? That is how generous the Lord will be when He judges each of us. We may not see our own weaknesses, but the Lord knows what they are. LUK 6:37 says, "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." That becomes a very important command to be observed. There are seven areas in which Scripture forbids judging. With the help of the Lord we will touch on each of these lightly, but enough to make the point. First, unless we are placed into the position of a judge for judicial proceedings, we are not to enter into judgment as though God has placed us in the judgment seat to judge our brother. We are not to enter into matters which do not pertain to us. We are not to try to run other people's business. As we watch the lives and activities of neighbours, it is so easy to give unsolicited advice; in our judgment we could run their affairs so much better than they are doing, even though we do not know the whole story. That is entering into judgment. Even when we see certain things we think could be managed much better, we may not try to run the affairs of others. That includes how to run a family and manage the children; it is meddling and placing ourselves as their judge. It is passing judgment on them because they do not seem to be doing it right. In 1TH 4:11 we read, "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you." The Lord is telling us to mind our own business, and not pass judgment on what our fellow man is doing. If another person asks for advice, that is one thing, but trying to run another person's business or telling the world how we would manage it is passing judgment. It is a violation of the commandment in 1TH 4:11. We don't know the other person's circumstances and the things that contribute to why he is where he is; he may have been using much better judgment than we would. He might have everything paid for and be living in perfect peace of mind, being ten times further ahead than we are in all our frustration, while we are passing judgment on him. Jesus is saying "Judge not" other people's affairs. Those who are busybodies in other men's matters are compared with murderers and thieves in the Word of God. 1PE 4:14-15 says, "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. [Consider the reason for happiness and who had spoken evil of Him. Then watch the next verse.] But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters." The Scriptures tell us that meddling in other people's business puts us in the same category with murderers, thieves, and evildoers. It is stealing a person's reputation and slaughtering that person's character. It is judgmental. It is setting oneself above or ahead of that person; it violates the command that Jesus gave, "Judge not." Secondly, we are not to judge rashly or hastily. We must never believe evil reports based on hearsay, believing we know just how matters stand based on gossip. To attempt to form an opinion before we know all the facts is passing hasty, harsh, rash judgment. How could you form an non-biased opinion until you could know all the facts? Do we really know how things are? There are more people condemned in the courts of gossip than in any other forum. We are not to pass hasty or rash judgment; we could condemn a person we may not even know based on someone else's opinion; that is judgment based upon another's opinion, and on hearsay without any real knowledge of the facts. JOH 7:51 says, "Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?" The Lord Jesus Christ had judgment passed upon Him before He was ever given an opportunity to speak for Himself. The Lord Jesus did not provide for passing judgment on the actions of others based on hearsay in our text. No accusation against our fellow man may be entertained until the accused has had an opportunity to speak. One of the fastest ways to shut up a babbler is to ask him to go with you to confront the person he is babbling about with his accusations. For some reason or another, invariably he will shun such an opportunity, and you will never get him to go! We may not pass judgment on a man's actions until he has had a chance to meet his accuser face to face where he can speak for himself and both sides of the story can be heard. We may not entertain an opinion of wrong-doing against any person until that person has had an opportunity to speak for himself. To illustrate this I want to share an occasion when two men came to me stating as a matter-of-fact that I had done this, this, and this, requesting an apology to another person. When I never said a word, I was asked, "Have you no answer?" I said, "Yes, you have already passed judgment on me, and I have not been asked to speak; therefore, you are disqualified as judges. I am sorry, but I have nothing to say to you, I will not discuss the matter with you; you have already passed judgment; you've said I was wrong and owe the man an apology, but you never even asked me what happened. I'm sorry but you cannot be the judge in this matter." They conceded the point and asked me to talk to the offended party; this is the manner we are to use according to MAT 18:15, "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother." PRO 18:13 tells us, "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." People often violate the command of the Lord Jesus to "Judge not" by passing judgment on a matter when they have never heard the person speak; they pass judgment based on gossip. We know the Lord is all wise; we know that He knows the end from the beginning. The Lord understands every thought and intent of the heart, yet we have a startling example of how God examines the evidence before He passes judgment. Look at GEN 18:20-21, "And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know." That is the God of heaven! Did He rashly pass judgment? He knew the thoughts and intents of every heart involved, and yet see the example He sets before us! We are not to judge or form an opinion without inquiring whether what we heard is true. Certainly there are times when we trust the opinions or stories of others, but they could be opinionated; therefore, regardless who the informant is we still must hear the other side of the story before forming our own opinions. Can we pass judgment on a professed Christian, about something less than the guilt of Sodom and Gomorrah? Can we pass judgment before investigation without running ahead of the Lord in passing judgment? Are we wiser than the Lord? He said He would first investigate. Until we do likewise, we may not even form an opinion. The word judge in our text is taken from the Greek word krino which means to assume the office of judge, to pass judicial sentence. A judicial office is one that no person can take upon themselves; a judge is first elected or appointed and then properly installed by taking an oath to judge righteously and thereby that person is placed in the seat of judge. Therefore, we are not to voluntarily take upon ourselves a judgeship. We are not allowed to pass a judicial sentence or issue a decree on others, even after hearing both sides if we are not a properly installed judge, but it is commonly done without hesitation in the world today. Thirdly, "Judge not" presumptuously, i.e., do not presume to sit in the seat of God knowing the person's motive. This is so very important. It is presumptuous to draw conclusions of another person's motives; then we have accelerated ourselves to the seat of God as though we know the person's motive. That is a gross violation of Christ's commandment. Michael, the archangel, would not pass judgment upon the motives of Satan. How shall we who are fallen creatures compare ourselves with Michael, the archangel? He was spotless, and clear of any sin, and he would not presume to pass judgment on Satan, the king of terror, the author of all sin. How shall we presume to know the heart of our brother who was created in the image of God? Michael said, "The Lord rebuke thee," JUD 1:9. Why? He knew the Lord knew Satan's motive. It is grossly wicked to presume to know the motives of a person based on what is seen or heard. It is a transgression of Christ's commandment to pass judgment upon another person's motive; their motive may have had nothing to do with what had seemed so obvious. In EZE 28:2, 9 we read, "Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God." Christ forbids us to presume that we are able to judge other person's motives; that grievously violates Christ's commandment. In V:9 it says, "Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee [before the Lord], I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee." We cannot sit in the seat of God judging the motive of our brother's heart. At best we can only judge by the outward appearance, but we do not know the underlying motive of our brother. See the examples that so absolutely condemn that behavior. Even Jesus committed his case unto one who judgeth righteously as we see in 1PE 2:23, "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." That is what you and I must do; we must commit all judgment unto the Lord and never become the judge of another man's heart and his motive no matter how wretched the man may seem to us. Judging one's motive is devilish. Satan came against Job's motive for serving the Lord! Satan came to the Lord and said in JOB 1:9, "Doth Job fear God for nought? [See how Satan comes against Job's motive for serving the Lord!] Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face." Do you see what Satan was doing? He was passing judgment upon Job's motives for serving the Lord. It is satanic to try to judge a person's motives, whether he is frowning or smiling at you. Judgment must not be passed on what prompted a person to do something. We can only judge by sight because we don't know the reasons behind the actions of other people or the motives of their hearts. 1SA 16:7 says, "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him [Samuel was a prophet of the Lord, yet see how he was reproved for his presumption and unrighteous judgment.]: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." The Lord passes righteous judgment regardless of what the matter is. In 2CH 16:9 we read, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." His eyes see the whole earth, and He is judge. Satan gained the fall of mankind by questioning God's motive. See how terrible it is to question another's motive or to pass judgment? That runs parallel with what the apostle says in 1CO 13:5, Charity "Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil." Why? The first sin in the Garden of Eden was thinking evil of God's motive. That is how Satan gained the fall of man. Satan inferred that God's motive was evil for the purpose of keeping man ignorant as we see in GEN 3:5; "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Fourth, "Judge not" unwarrantedly. Proper judgment can only be based upon the principles of God's Word, so don't pass unwarranted judgment. We may not judge based upon our own ideas or values. The Apostle Paul cautioned against judging based upon customs. ROM 14:13-19 says, "Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. Let not then your good be evil spoken of [Passing judgment on another person casts a stumbling block in their way]: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. [Passing right judgment is being merciful; it is righteousness or love toward our fellow man.] For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another." We edify others by building them up and lending them credibility, not by passing judgment upon them. Do not be self-righteous over what God calls you to do. ECC 7:16 tells us, "Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?" If the Lord calls you to do something, then don't build yourself up because you have done what the Lord has bidden you to do. You may not build yourself up so you look down upon others. We are not to add to God's Word. "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar," PRO 30:5-6. In passing judgment we must be very careful that we do not add to the Word of God. When we go beyond God's warrant or His Word, we become judges of God and His law saying He didn't go far enough. When we have a tendency to pass judgment on another person that is not based on the Word of God, we are really passing judgment upon God. We are insinuating that God didn't reveal enough of His will, so we will clarify it by going beyond what He said. We can see an example of this in our courts today; judges are interpreting the Constitution and the laws far beyond their jurisdiction, beyond any intent of the law, or the Constitution. JAM 4:11-12 says, "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?" When you quarrel with your brother, and condemn him for anything not forbidden in the Word of God, you reflect on God's Word as if it were not a perfect rule. You must lay your charge on his conscience by saying that according to the Word of God, you should not do that, citing the very Scriptures which so commands. If you bring forth no Scripture to support the charge, you are passing judgment upon the Lord as though He didn't make a perfect rule. You must caution another person about his conduct by citing the Word of God. Jesus' teaching of "Judge not" condemns the Pharisaical teaching of the unwarranted doctrines of men; that is all in the context of what Jesus is saying in this verse. In MAT 15:5-6 Jesus tells the Pharisees how that by the commandments of men "Ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition." They had set themselves in the seat of God as judge, placing themselves above God. The Pharisees passed judgment upon Jesus and wanted Him crucified for revealing their unwarranted use of judgment. Fifth, Jesus teaches "Judge not" unmercifully, or severely. Love must be the motive of our judgment of another person's actions by placing the best light on doubtful actions, motives or intents, and circumstances. Why? Satan always places doubt on the best actions. We must do the opposite. We see an example of this in 2SA 10:2-3, "Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?" David's motive was to comfort the man, but by passing judgment, an incorrect assessment of David's motives incited a war. Think of how war resulted from casting doubt upon David's well-intended actions. The Pharisee in the temple unlovingly judged the harlot, the poor, and the publican; he trusted in himself that he was righteous and thanked God he was not as other men or even as the publican. However, the Lord passed judgment by saying, "I tell you, this man [the publican who saw himself as a sinner in need of mercy] went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted," LUK 18:14. We must be so careful that we do not make ourselves seem righteous, setting ourselves above our fellow man. The end result of such an attitude is a violation of the command that Jesus gives, "Judge not." The Pharisees not only hated Jesus and His teaching, but they hated His charitable judgment toward those whom they despised; they even thanked God they were not like those people. They had set themselves above others; they were hypocritical. They justified themselves in hating Jesus. In JOH 8:7-9 Jesus said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her...And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one." The Pharisees had passed judgment against the woman; they wanted her to be stoned, and they wanted Jesus to pass judgment against her, also. They were trying to trap Him in His judgment. When He threw light into their hearts, they hated Him for His righteous judgment. True conviction teaches a right knowledge of self. 1CO 4:7 says, "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?" If we see a person taken in adultery or other sin, who makes us different? It is by the grace of God that we have been spared. How then can we pass judgment against our fellow man when we know the capabilities of our own heart? Charitable judgment is based upon undeserved love, merciful judgment. Charitable judgment hopes the best instead of thinking the worst. If we see one taken in a sin, we should hope the best for that person. We do not believe the accusation against him until it is positively proven he is guilty. That is how we can hope for the best and not pass judgment by thinking the worst. Sixth, Jesus says, "Judge not" hypocritically, straining at the motive of a brother, yet blind to one's own wrong motive. Judging the motive of another is a most grievous form of violation against the command to "Judge not." Think how we must examine our own motive in the light of MAT 7:2, "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." One's own motive may be far worse than the apparent offender's motive. "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" MAT 7:3. Why is it that people have such a tendency to condemn others when they haven't looked in the mirror? Seventh, Jesus says, "Judge not" vocally, and this issue is so important. Consider the error of judging in the six previous manners, and now think of the sin of sharing your wrong judgment with others as a talebearer. Can you imagine such a horrible, heinous crime as talebearing? It is a damning sin to go forth as a talebearer sharing your wrong judgment, vocally judging. "Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the LORD," LEV 19:16. We may not go out as a talebearer. PRO 11:13 says, "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." Even if we have knowledge of a man's sin and it is true, we may not judge him vocally by revealing it. We may not defame a man even though what we are saying may well be true. TIT 3:2 says we are "To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men." Our wrong judgment spoken vocally sets the whole course of nature on fire of hell. It is a horrible sin to pass judgment, then blare that wrong judgment to the world. "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell," JAM 3:6. Stealing from another is wrong; it is terrible to smite another, but gossip or jealous slander floats around like feathers in the wind and multiplies as it travels. Imagine turning loose a basket of feathers on a windy day. It is like trying to gather up those feathers when you see that you have lied, used wrong judgment, and hurt another, and you want to correct what you have done. Like the feathers tossed about by the wind, you will never know where all the injury has gone. To ruin the reputation of another is the sin of murder. The difference between gossip and slander is that gossip is truth, and slander is telling what is not true. Gossip tells of the failures or sin and shame of others, but one is no better than the other. It is like scattering the feathers in the wind. Gossips do not go around telling the good about people or building others up. They say, "Yes, but did you hear..." and add remarks that are demeaning and degrade others. Whether the rumors are true or false is not the issue; they are equally sinful. Our text says, "Judge not, that ye be not judged," MAT 7:1. Those who judge without mercy shall receive judgment without mercy. If we say, "Raca," i.e., you empty fellow, to our fellow man, the reward from the Lord is that we become known in the community as an empty person, not the ones we called empty fellows. The Lord rewards us according to our doings, not only in the hereafter, but also in this life. If we go out to destroy a man's character or name, the Lord allows our name to be destroyed. Therefore, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Amen. |
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