November 16, 2014 Sermon #657 Thinking You Are God INTRODUCTION: ILL: Who said, “Read my lips. No new taxes”? “Read my lips. No new taxes” is the famous phrase spoken by then presidential candidate George H. W. Bush at the 1988 Republican National Convention as he accepted the nomination on August 18. Written by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, the line was the most prominent sound bite from the speech. ILL: What part of “no” do you not understand? Who said those words? We don’t know for sure. This phrase has been repeated or quoted thousands of times, or variations of it. ILL: Popular country music song, “What Part of No Don’t You Understand?” To put it plain and simple I’m not into one night stands I’ll be glad to explain it If it’s too hard to comprehend So tell me what part of no Don’t you understand? Our text could say, “what part of ‘do not’ do you not understand?” James 4:11-12(NKJV) – 11Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? I. Do Not Slander! Do not slander. What is slandering? It can be called many things such as backstabbing, mud-slinging, bad-mouthing, and it could also include condemning someone. Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound good from the pages of scripture. ILL: William Cowper (English poet) said, “He that slanders me paints me blacker than I am, and he that flatters me, whiter. They both daub me, and when I look in the mirror of conscience, I see myself disguised by both.” Interesting. Another way to look at slander is this: ILL: When a newspaper published a false and misleading account about a certain man, the man went to Dr. Edward Everett (American politician and educator from Massachusetts) to ask what action Everett would recommend. After listening patiently to the man’s complaints, Everett said, “My dear sir, do nothing about it. Half the people who buy that paper never saw the article about you. Half the people who did see it failed to read. Half the people who did read it failed to understand it. Half of those who did understand it know you and refused to believe it. Half of those who believed it were people of no consequence anyway.” GOOD ANSWER, I WOULD SAY. Most of the time slander means little except to the person who spreads it! James tells us why we must not slander one another. • slandering makes you a judge of others • slandering makes you above the law • slandering makes you above the lawgiver II. Slandering Makes You A Judge of Others Matthew 7:1-5(NKJV) – 1”Judge not, that you be not judged. 2For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. A. Only those in authority can/have to judge Matthew 5:25-26(NKJV) – 25Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny. 1 Timothy 5:17-20(NKJV) – 17Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. 18For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” 19Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. 20Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. B. Some make statements about others and they may not have any basis for what they say. ILL: “The pastor does not stand and praise; he does not have the joy of the Lord!” ILL: “I saw the pastor out with a woman, drinking beer.” It was my secretary and the drink, root beer! III. Slandering Makes You Above the Law James 4:11-12(NKJV) – 11Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? ILL: I had an uncle who thought he was above the law. He could do whatever he wanted to do and get away with it. ILL: Have I ever thought that way? Yep, about the speed limit! Jesus said, John 8:32(NKJV) – 32And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” It didn’t! IV. Slandering Makes You Above the Law Giver James 4:12(NKJV) – 12There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? ILL: Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841-1935) is one of the great figures in United States legal history and a key intellectual figure in the development of classical contract theory. Following military service in the Civil War, he attended Harvard Law School. After giving a famous series of lectures published as “The Common Law,” he joined the Harvard Law School for a short time and then served for 20 years on the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him to the United States Supreme Court on which he served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court until his retirement in 1932. Here are some of his famous quotes: • A child’s education should begin at least one hundred years before he is born. • A man is usually more careful of his money than of his principles. • A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience. • The greatest act of faith is when a man understands he is not God. • The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are moving. • To be 70 years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be 40 years old. • Young man, the secret of my success is that at an early age I discovered that I was not God. Oliver Wendell Holmes sounds like he was a very bright and insightful man. How would you have liked to challenge him in a courtroom? Not sure I would. And then, of course, there is Judge Judy – the TV court judge who rules her courtroom like she is God! And in her court you don’t speak unless spoken to and even then you’d better be careful what you say! Judge Judy is always right - or so she thinks. No one gets the upper hand with Judge Judy! No matter how intelligent or insightful any human judge is, he/she is still human and subject to error. But there is one Judge who is always right about everything, and of course, He is the Judge of the Universe! We know that the Judge of the Universe is all-wise, all-powerful, eternal, and ever-present! There is none like Him and no one puts anything over on God! Not even the devil, and certainly not humans! And yet, whenever we slander our fellow human beings we are saying that we are bigger and better than God! Conclusion: ILL: Mark Twin is quoted as saying, “It takes your enemy and your friend, working together to hurt you to the heart; the one to slander you and the other to get the news to you.” ILL: Paulo Coelho (Brazilian novelist): “We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain. It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path.” We really know only our own path. And often we think ours is the only way to go or live and this is why we tend to judge others. We may always think we’re always right. And people who think they are always right or always have the right answers will always judge others.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 21:51:13 +0000
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