Who's To Judge?

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 15th of November, 2020, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  This was an abbreviated service, also streamed live, due to constraints put in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our YouTube streaming channel is:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

It’s only been a couple of weeks now since we witnessed an interesting aspect of our republic’s government processes in action.  I’m talking about the vetting and approval procedures for the replacement of a Supreme Court justice who had recently passed.  Of course, it was very political in nature, with one side saying it shouldn’t be done until after the elections and the other pushing it through to make sure their chosen judge was approved.

So now we have a new justice, a new judge sitting on the highest court in our land.  But any judge or justice that man appoints or elects can only pass judgment on the things of man.  That includes the laws that we enact, or apple pies and livestock at the county fair.

So really… who’s to judge?  Who among us is truly fit and worthy to judge other people?  And of the greatest importance, who is capable of judging the things of God?  I believe the beloved Apostle John has the best answer to these questions.  Please listen and follow along as I read from chapter 8 of John’s Gospel account, verses 2 through 11, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 

7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 

11 She said, “No one, Lord.” 

And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

--John 8:2-11 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for another opportunity to come together to worship You and to meditate upon Your word.  Thank You, Father, for making sure that what Your Son Jesus told us is preserved for our study in our Bible.  Please help us spend more time reading Your word.  And help us to better understand and learn from what we read.  And Father, please protect us from all the madness we see throughout the world lately.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and purpose in our love and worship, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit and better understand the message You have for us for this day.  Give us a better understanding in just how we should live our daily lives so that when our time of judgment comes, You will view us as more righteous in Your eyes.  This we pray under the blood and in the name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

Just before the death of actor W. C. Fields, a friend visited Fields' hospital room and was surprised to find him thumbing through a Bible.  Asked what he was doing with a Bible, Fields replied, "I'm looking for loopholes."

Some of us may be too young to remember W. C. Fields, but he was a bit of a scallywag back in the day.  An acknowledged atheist, Fields usually portrayed a heavy drinker and womanizer in movies back then, and later became a heavy drinker in real life.

Even though he didn’t believe in God, it isn’t too surprising that he would be looking for an escape clause as his end neared and his mortality set in.  After all, someone as rooted in the world as was Fields would be well aware that the laws of man have plenty of wiggle room in them, where one might avoid the harshest punishments.

But Family, when it comes to the laws and things of God, there are no loopholes, no easy outs, no get out of jail free cards.  God will judge everyone, with righteousness and with justice, staying true to everything He has said.  All will be judged, but not all will be condemned.  The escape clause for condemnation is to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and accept Him as Lord and Master, knowing that only through Him can we be redeemed.  This is what Fields and so many others refused to do.

The Pharisees and their scribes were always trying to catch Jesus in some theological mistake, constantly laying traps for Him based on the laws God handed down through Moses.  This time they brought a woman into the temple and set her down in the middle of the crowd that Jesus had been teaching.  They claimed that she was caught in the very act of adultery.

And you know, I can’t help but wonder how they caught her in the act, unless her husband happened to walk in at a most inopportune time.  I also wonder why they didn’t bring along the other guilty party.

At any rate, they noted that Moses had instructed in the law that this crime must be punished by stoning her, and that meant to her death.  Jesus pretty much ignored them, letting them stew for a bit, giving time for the full weight of their words and intended action to sink in to all present.  You’ve got to love that bit about writing in the sand, as if that doodling was more important than their concern over the woman.

But after continued prodding from the Pharisees, Jesus finally stood up and put the challenge to them.  We all know the words; we may have said them ourselves at some time, in one version or another.  “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”  Whoever has never sinned is worthy to sit in judgment over this woman for her sin and can punish her.  One by one the people turned away and left, for none were without sin.  Jesus asked, “Who’s to judge?”, and no one could answer.

Who’s to judge?  If we study our Bible a little, we can see that there is actually a grave danger for us in judging.  Even if we ignore, for a moment, Jesus’ admonishment that we should be sinless before we condemn someone else’s sin, we can find other warnings in our Bible.  Perhaps the most well-known again came from Jesus Himself.  Listen to what the Apostle Matthew recorded in chapter 7 of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 5…

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

--Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV)

And there’s the danger, plain and simple.  If we judge someone else, we will also be judged using the same yardstick.  If we condemn someone for being a liar or a thief or a hypocrite, our own actions and words and deeds will be laid out before us.  Jesus also warns us that before we even think about judging someone else, we should judge our own actions, examine our own motives, clean out our own eyes, as Jesus said.  We can’t clearly see the splinter of sin in another person’s life if we have a plank blocking our vision.

Too many times we accuse someone of doing the same things we’re guilty of ourselves.  It’s not so much what they are doing, as it is our hatreds and biases and prejudices at work.  We need to get rid of our own sin before looking for sin in others.  Like Jesus told the woman, we must go and sin no more.

Who’s to judge?  Well, really, none of us.  We’re not worthy, and we’re certainly not sinless.  Jesus, when He walked this earth, was and still is the only person who knew no sin, who was truly without sin, yet even He said He would not condemn the woman for her sin.  So who’s to judge?

Listen to what John was shown when Jesus revealed the things to come, as recorded by John in the Book of Revelation, chapter 20, verses 11 through 15…

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

--Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV)

God will judge us all.  Everyone who has ever drawn breath will stand before the great white throne and face our God, the Creator of the universe and all therein.  No one will escape judgment for each of us has a book wherein our every word and deed and action is recorded, even those words only thought and not uttered, and those deeds and actions undone.  There will be no loopholes.

All will be judged but not all will be condemned, for those whose name is written in the Book of Life will be spared and saved.  To be included in that great book requires only that we believe in Jesus and obey His commands.  Those who refused Jesus in this life will suffer the second death: eternal separation from God and everlasting punishment and suffering.

It’s just human nature to sit in judgement.  And sometimes we’re called upon to do just that, to judge a contest or a game or even other people.  Our newest Supreme Court Justice joined the other eight to judge how our laws and actions hold up against our country’s Constitution.  Judges throughout our land hold sway in courtrooms deciding the validity of criminal and civil cases, apportioning out punishments when deemed appropriate, as based on the laws of man.

But ultimately, we will all stand in the grandest courtroom of all and face the truly Supreme Judge, who is God, the Author of creation.  If our name is found written within the Book of Life, then Jesus will stand at our side and say, “Father, this one is mine.”  If not, then we will have been condemned by our own refusal to accept Jesus as Lord.

Let’s make sure we’re listed in that book.  Believe in Jesus and obey Him.  Love one another and teach them about Him.  Treat everyone with the same love, respect, and honor that we want for ourselves.  And while we will still be judged, we will be spared eternal damnation.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, our Savior, the one true Son of God.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for the promise of judging everyone with righteousness rather than capriciously.  We know we will face You some day, Father, and You will open the book of our life and remind us of everything we have ever done and said, and everything we have left undone and went without saying when we should have.  This will not be pleasant, Father, but because we believe in Your Son Jesus as our Lord, we also know our name is written in His Book of Life so we will be spared the second death of eternal torment and separation from You.  Help us, please Father, to remain true to You and faithful no matter what we face.  Show us how to better serve You.  And Father, help us be more loving, more trusting, more merciful, and more kindhearted toward all that we encounter in our daily walk.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You straight from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You caution us not to sit in judgment of others, knowing that we will someday be judged in the same manner.  Even You refused to condemn the woman of her sins, but You did tell her to not continue sinning.  Please help us to turn from our sin also, and to never go back to it.  Forgive us, Jesus, for being weak and unable to resist temptation.  And forgive us when we fail to follow Your command to love others.  Help us be more like You; to be more loving, more caring, more responsive to the needs of others.  Strengthen us, Jesus, through these dark times.  And Lord, please heal those divisions between us, that separate us, even within Your church family.  Help us remain faithful and obedient no matter what we go through.  May our focus be more on the needs of others rather than our own wants and desires.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.