Catalog No. 1286–16 Central Peninsula Church Luke 6:37–49 Mark Mitchell The Spirit of a Disciple April 3, 2005 SERIES: A Savior for All People All of us have people we admire; those we a magnanimous spirit. Negatively, it doesn’t judge; it consider models for our lives, or some aspect of our lives. doesn’t condemn. If you put that in positive terms you As I’ve I coached Little League baseball I’ve watched might say it’s accepting. “Judge not lest you be judged.” I many a boy step into the batter’s box, hike up his belt, tap doubt there is a person in this room who is not familiar his cleats, spit through his teeth, and hitch his bat just the with those words. This might be the most oft quoted line way Barry Bonds does. I’ve even seen young preachers do in the entire Bible. What's really funny is that these words the same. When I was in school at PBC back in the late are probably quoted more by unbelievers than by 1970’s, it was common for many of us aspiring preachers believers. I doubt there is any line in the Bible more to drape our Bible over our left hand, punctuate the air misunderstood than this one. with our open right hand, pace the platform with casual A local radio talk show host criticizes Christians confidence, and speak with a mellow cadence...just like because they make judgments about what other people Ray Stedman! believe. He says, “You can’t truly be a Christian and It’s human to do that. But it doesn’t really work judge whether or not the members of a cult are right or for long. The perception of the copyist is blind. We wrong. Jesus said, ‘Judge not, lest you be judged,’ so how misunderstand the real source of the power we so admire. can you call yourself a Christian and make judgments We imitate visible characteristics and repeat them over about what others believe?” Is that what Jesus means by and over again to somehow capture the greatness of our judging? Are we to never say what a person believes or hero. In reality, we can never become a great hitter by does is wrong? copying the stance of Barry Bonds or a great preacher by This can’t be what Jesus meant. Take the very copying the gestures of Ray Stedman. Phillips Brooks context of this statement and you can see that. In v.43 wrote, “If you really reverence a great person, if you look Jesus talks about good trees producing good fruit and bad up to and rejoice in his great work, if you truly honor him, trees producing bad fruit. Right there he makes a moral you will get at his spirit, and doing that you will cease to judgment! Jesus is not talking about fruit trees, he’s imitate his outside ways.” talking about people. Some people are good trees and This morning as we continue in the Gospel of others are bad trees. That’s a moral judgment. Luke, this is what Jesus is talking about. We’re looking at Scripture teaches us that there are several arenas the last half of Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Luke 6. In in which judgment is to be exercised. Scripture endorses vv. 37-49 Jesus pieces together a number of ideas to judgment in connection to the the law of the land. We capture the spirit of someone who wants to follow him. He have courts and judges and juries for that very purpose. goes beyond externals to the very heart of discipleship. Scripture also says judgment is to be exercised in the church. In Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus says, “If your brother I. A true follower of Jesus has a magnanimous spirit sins, go and reprove him in private...” Jesus didn’t say (vv. 37-38). to be just hang loose and tolerant of everyone and “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and everything. “To each his own. As long as he doesn’t hurt do not condemn, and you will not be anybody.” Jesus wasn’t that way, nor should we be. condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Remember that this statement is part of a larger Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour sermon in which Jesus teaches us to be poor in spirit, to into your lap a good measure--pressed down, be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness. He talks shaken together, and running over. For by your about a righteousness that went beyond an external standard of measure it will be measured to you observance of the law and penetrated to the heart. The in return." Pharisees were the antithesis of this. They were Have you ever heard the word “magnanimous?” It’s kind of an old word, but it’s a good one. It comes from impressed with their own ability to keep the law. They were self-righteous, and out of that they judged others. the latin word magnus (“great”) and animus (“spirit”)–great They were like a religious policeman who ran around spirited, great souled. It describes a generous and forgiving spirit. writing moral traffic tickets. This is what Jesus is talking about when he says, “Judge not.” He’s talking about a A. He is accepting: He says several things about spirit of condemnation that arises out of self- righteousness. It’s the opposite of being poor in spirit. towards them with a giving spirit. It’s being proud. It’s secretly taking pleasure when we A magnanimous spirit is accepting, forgiving and see another person fall. It’s being eager to find fault. giving. Notice that in each one of these commands there is It’s like the censors who rate the movies. Imagine a payoff. If you don’t judge, you won’t be judged. If you what that’s like. You sit there and watch a movie with forgive, you’ll be forgiven. If you give, you’ll receive an the purpose of rating it. Your whole focus is to judge overflowing measure. The image is from measuring out the level of junk–swearing, sex and violence. grain in the marketplace. You measure it out in such a way Judgmental people are like that. They look for the as to ensure that full volume is given–pressed down, junk. They watch the lives of others like a movie and shaken. Your “lap” refers to a fold in the outer garment as it they rate them. The love finding fault. hung over your belt. It was used like a pocket. He says, if John Wooden, former coach at UCLA, was the you give, your pockets will be full and overflowing. most successful coach in the history of college Jesus wants us to examine our standard of basketball. Unlike many of his colleagues, he seldom measurement. In the same way we treat others, we will be left his seat on the Bruins bench during a game. He treated. What’s our standard? Is it justice or mercy? If our says, “I tried to teach players that if they lose their goal is to condemn, God will condemn us. If our goal is to temper or get out of control they will get beat. forgive, God will forgive us. It’s not that you earn God’s Modeling was better than words. I liked the rule we grace by accepting and forgiving others. But rather the used to have that a coach couldn’t leave the bench. person who manifests an unforgiving, condemning spirit I’m sorry they did away with that.” In one interview he shows he doesn’t know God’s grace to begin with. He hasn’t was pressed to be critical of Indiana University coach experienced it. And so he still stands under God’s Bobby Knight, whose methods are the antithesis of judgment. A forgiven person is a forgiving person. Wooden’s. This is all he said, “I think Bob Knight is an Someone once said to the great hymnwriter, Charles outstanding teacher of the game of basketball, but I Wesley, "I never forgive, and I never forget." To which don’t approve of his methods. But I’m not a judge, Wesley replied, "Then sir, I hope you never sin." and I’m not judging Bobby Knight. There is so much That's what Jesus says. If our spirit is stingy, that’s bad in the best of us and so much good in the worst what we can expect from God. If our standard is generous; of us, it hardly behooves me to talk about the rest of if we’re magnanimous in spirit with others, we show that us.” That’s the spirit Jesus is talking about when he we’ve been touched by a magnanimous God, we will get says, “Judge not.” the same from him. B. He is forgiving: But Jesus takes it one step further and says not only should you stop judging but you should pardon, you should forgive. While the II. A true follower of Jesus has a genuine spirit (vv. 39- world loves the first command to judge not, it’s not 45). quite so eager to quote this one. We can go through One of the problems with a judgmental spirit is that life and never say anything judgmental at all, but we don’t always see things as clearly as we think.