INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• As we have been embarking on our journey through James, we have seen a lot of stuff that the church was dealing with.
• As we have examined the various subjects, it seems clear that over time not a lot has changes.
• People will always have things to struggle with and the basic struggles do not change much over time.
• Last week we dealt with a difficult message concerning not cheating on God.
• A few weeks ago we examined the damage that we can do with our words.
• The subject today feeds off these two subjects.
• In verse 10 of James 4, James encourages us to:
• James 4:10 (ESV) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
• These two short verses can be a sort of test for us to gauge where we are in the area of obedience and humility before God.
• If we are not careful our pride will lead us to destroy others with disparaging remarks.
• As a Christian, I am called to a higher level of conduct. I bet we have all been around people who seem to enjoy or they seem to have a desire to destroy others with their words.
• Imagine how destructive one can be whose desire to destroy others, this is one of the reasons divorces are usually so brutal. People know how to hurt each other.
• Imagine what can happen in a church when folks have a desire to destroy one another.
• The theme I wants us to reflect upon today is this, how we talk about others (especially the family of God) reveals where are heart is.
• Turn with me to James 4:11-12
• SLIDE #2
• James 4:11–12 (ESV) 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
How we speak of others reveals:
I. Our attitude toward others. (11a)
• There must have been some real problems going on here.
• In the first part of verse 11, James says, Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother
• What comes to mind when you think of someone speaking evil against another?
• We picture slanderous speech, rotten things being said, false accusations being made, back biting, defamation, and critical words about those who are absent.
• The phrase we translate “SPEAK EVIL AGAINST” is much broader than that. It not only includes FALSE speech or SLANDER, but it includes even truth speech carried out in an uncharitable manner.
• This can include gossip OR SHARING SO YOU CAN PRAY FOR SO AND SO. It is sharing true information to people who do not need to know what is being shared.
• By the way we see the phrase ONE ANOTHER. This implies that what was going on was a two way street.
• Someone started it and another tried to finish it by retaliating!
• The verb tense indicates this problem was on-going, it was not a theoretical problem. A Clear and present danger.
• When we get into this mode, we are looking for things to say that can hurt people, we act like we do not want to share the tragic story but all the while inside we are having a good old time.
• Jesus tells us that we are to love our neighbors as our self in Matthew 22:37-39
• SLIDE #4
• Matthew 22:37–39 (ESV) 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
• Now when we speak in such manner toward our brothers and sisters (and others) we are violating God’s command to love one another.
• We sit in judgment of our brother. When we sit in judgment of another, we show that we have a lack of regard for them.
• Our attitude toward others is that we feel they do not deserve God’s grace and love, instead we feel they should receive our condemnation and judgment.
• Jesus tells us if our brother has a fault we are to go to them first. Matthew 18:16-18.
• Now I want to take a moment clear up a VERY common misconception concerning judging others.
• Many people take this as saying that Jesus does not allow for us to make judgments.
• In Matthew 7:1 Jesus says…
• SLIDE #5
• Matthew 7:1 (ESV) 7 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
• Now in the context when you read it, Jesus is speaking of making a hypocritical judgment. I am doing it, but I am all over you for doing it. I am trying to cover my sin by exposing yours.
• SLIDE #6
• In the SAME chapter here are two verses from Jesus.
• Matthew 7:6 (ESV) 6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
• Matthew 7:20 (ESV) 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
• See those verses require an evaluation or a judgment to be made on our behalf.
• Next in verse 11 we learn that…
• SLIDE #7
How we speak of others reveals:
II. Our attitude toward God’s law. (11b)
• speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
• James starts to speak about the law? What is he speaking of? The answer is the royal law, or the law of love that God gives to us.
• SLIDE #8
• James 2:8 (ESV) 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
• When we speak evil concerning another brother, we are violating God’s ultimate law. Therefore we are condemning what God’s deems as paramount!
• This then reflects our true attitude toward God’s law; we have measured it and found it wanting, insufficient.
• That is not the worst of it, not only do we put ourselves in the position to judge God’s law, we feel that we have a better one to replace it with.
• My wrath verses God’s love.
• Our own arrogance will be our undoing.
• SLIDE #9
• Matthew 7:2 (ESV) 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
• God more or less says that if you want to replace God’s law or standard of judgment with yours, fine, He will use YOURS against YOU!
• We are further told that when we go down this route we are not a doer of the law, but rather a judge.
• SLIDE #10
• Romans 2:3 (ESV) Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
• James tells us in 2:23-ff that only doers of the law will be justified before God. Not being a doer is a bad spot to be in.
• Next we see that…
• SLIDE #11
How we speak of others reveals:
III. Our attitude toward God. (12a)
• There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.
• James tells us there is only ONE LAWGIVER AND JUDGE.
• The word translated ONE denotes one as in the one and only unique one. There is and can be no other.
• When we casually toss aside what is important to God we decide God is really not that important nor is He worthy of our respect.
• When we go on a search and destroy mission concerning others we show what our attitude is towards God.
• See, God loves the one we are trying to destroy.
• Who is the one who can truly save or destroy?
• Jesus can save those who have given their lives to Him and live for Him even those who I do not think He can. He can also condemn those who think they are above condemnation!
• We more or less tell God that we are better at being God than He is, I am not sure we should travel down that road.
• Let’s conclude with this thought.
• SLIDE #12
How we speak of others reveals:
IV. Our attitude toward ourselves. (12b)
• But who are you to judge your neighbor?
• Given the fact that God is the one who can save, destroy, judge, etc..
• James asks who are “YOU”; the “you” is EMPHATIC!
• Compared to the Great God, who am I? Who am I to think I can judge and find fault with my neighbor?
• Both the one who judges and the one we judge will stand before God not ME!
• When we thoughtlessly go down this path we get a messed up view of self.
• DO you have to fight this; at times I know I do.
• It is so easy to go after another, it is so easy to get upset and or jealous of another and then go on the attack.
• It can be easy for us to build ourselves up by tearing others down.
• When our attitude toward self is messed up we will do a lot of crazy things.
• This is not just about feeling superior, it is about feeling inferior, it shows we also lack self-confidence.
• Our insecurities get the best of us. We cannot let that happen.
CONCLUSION
• This was another one of those difficult lessons from scripture that we really need to make sure we grasp.
• This one was hard to write because I felt like I was looking in the mirror as I wrote it.
• The next time we are ready to speak evil of another; we really need to think about what we are doing to them and to ourselves.
• God loves you and the one you are struggling with!
