Now let’s continue on right here in 1 Corinthians the sixth chapter, and let’s learn something very important which we have already touched on. Let’s read verse 1 again, “Does anyone among you who has a matter against another dare to go to a court of law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?” Now in either case, you can get a bad judgment if the saints have not prepared themselves and equipped themselves to make righteous judgment, because we are going to see what it takes to make righteous judgment.

Verse 2, here is the reason. “Don’t you know that the saints shall judge the world?” Now isn’t that what we saw back in Revelation 20 – that thrones were put down, those who were in the first resurrection and judgment was given to them. Now notice this question. This is a profound question. “…And if the world is to be judged by you, are you unworthy of the most trivial of judgments? Don’t you know that we shall judge angels?” Now doesn’t that really tell us the responsibility that God is going to give us, you see, and why it’s so important that we do judge righteous judgment? And that we understand what it is, that we understand how to develop it, that we understand the very basis for it you see. Then he says, “…How much more the things of this life? So then, if you have judgments concerning the things of this life, why do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?” You put someone up there so that you know it isn’t going to work. It sounds like the judges we have today in America. They put judges up there in most cases so they know that it isn’t going to work.

Now Paul says, verse 5, “Now I say this to your shame. Is it because there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who is able to decide between his brothers? Instead, brother goes to a court of law with brother, and this before unbelievers.” And I cannot help thinking of that when I have seen the church have a full-time legal staff and we are ending up suing people. Amazing. Verse 7: “…Therefore, there is altogether an utter fault among you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? Instead, you are doing wrong and defrauding, and you are doing these things to your brethren.”

Then he gives a warning. Verse 9: “Don’t you know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” Because they can’t make righteous judgment. “Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor abusers of themselves as women, nor homosexuals, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” So we are all a collection of people needing forgiveness, needing mercy and kindness from God, and then to get our heads screwed on right so we can make righteous judgment. So he says (we’ll finish this section here in verse 11) “And such were some of you; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:1-11). So we need to realize how important this righteous judgment is.

Now since judging righteous judgment is so important, let’s see how we are to do this. Let’s learn some things from the Bible, because remember Jesus said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Now we are going to see how to develop righteous judgment.

Now judgment then is…we need to understand the term. As exercised according to the principles of God’s Word, we can define it this way: A judgment is a decision or conclusion based upon the spiritual intent of God’s laws, statutes, and judgments where the will of God may or may not be specifically stated. When official judgments are required, the one who is making such judgment must be qualified according to the standards that God has set forth to clarify, to decide, and to resolve a controversy. Now let’s understand this, judgments can have far-reaching and lasting consequences. That’s why Jesus said, “Judge righteous judgment”.

The first basis of righteous Godly judgment is the love of God. The Bible says God is love. It also says, as we have seen, God is judge, and we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Righteous judgment can only be based on love for God, and love for neighbor. Now it’s impossible, let’s understand this, to have love without judgment, or to have judgment without love. Now you can have judgment without love, but that’s not righteous judgment. So this is the basic fundamental foundation for judging righteous judgment.

Now first of all, let’s see the system of judges under the Old Covenant. And as we go through and study this, let’s look at whatever country you are in, and let’s compare the judicial system of that country with the judicial system that God set forth for Israel with judges. Because you see, all the judgments that the judges make in the land, especially if it comes to the top court of the land or as it’s called in the United States, the Supreme Court, their judgments have lasting effects. Let’s just take one: the judgment that abortion is legal had a lasting effect of killing, just in America, 47 million innocent children – worse than the holocaust against the Jews, and yet it is inconceivable that many of those people who scream about the holocaust, advocate abortion. Many of those who “boohoo” about the holocaust never consider all of the incendiary white phosphorus bombing that was done by the Allies against the Germans which killed German people. They do not consider, they scream bloody murder over six million who were supposedly killed in the incinerator camps, but they forget all of the numbers of American troops that were sacrificed, all the wounded with them, they forget all of the Russians that were killed. So you see war is a terrible judgment of God, and when God meets out His judgment with war, it impacts everybody. So when you have a system of judges – back to the thing concerning abortion – it affects everybody with long-lasting ramifications. And then if you saw the statistics we sent out earlier this year, nearly one billion innocent babies have been killed in the womb because of the judgment that abortion is legal.

So let’s see the system of judges under the Old Covenant. Now let’s come to Deuteronomy 7. Let’s see God’s instructions here, how it should be done, the way it should be done and so forth. Let’s first of all understand that once God gives the judgment, we need to understand where we came from and what we need to do, and not take a high, exalted, self-righteous opinion because God has called us. Let’s pick it up here in Deuteronomy 7:6 “For you are a holy people unto the LORD your God…” now as we read these things, I want you to put a New Testament emphasis upon it, because Deuteronomy has a lot of New Testament principles and laws in it because Deuteronomy means, the second giving of the law. “…You are a holy people unto the LORD your God: the LORD your God has chosen you to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” Now today – to train us to love God, to serve God, to learn righteous judgment, to walk in His paths, to walk in His laws, see?

Verse 7: “The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for you were the fewest of all people:” and look at the church today, scattered everywhere and yet God is training us for these tremendous positions. Think about that! Now verse 8: “But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers…” that’s Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob “…has the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand the Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God, he is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations” (Deut. 7:6-9).

Loving God is the first principle of judgment – let’s see. God also does the repaying too, let’s see it here, verse 10: “And repays them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hates him, he will repay him to his face. You therefore, shall keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command you this day, to do them.” Now let’s see how we are to go ahead with this – we’re to do them. Now He also, verse 12, goes on and tells us this: “Wherefore it shall come to pass, if…” there’s that word again, see, the condition is always given to us because God needs no condition because He is righteous, and true, and holy, is eternal and cannot lie. So if He says it, it is so. If He proclaims it, He will do it. So this is why it is with us, now notice: “…if you will hearken to these judgments,” these judgments of God “…and keep, and do them, that the LORD your God shall keep unto you the covenant and the mercy which he swore unto your fathers. And he will love you…” now notice because God loves righteous judgments, “He will love you, and bless you, and multiply you: he will also bless the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your land, your corn, and your wine, and your oil, the increase of your kine, and the flocks of your sheep, in the land which he swore unto your fathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle” (Deuteronomy 7:10-14). So God gave all of these things if they would love Him, keep His commandments, and keep His judgments.

All right, now let’s go back to Exodus 18. Now Exodus 18 is really quite a misunderstood thing because a lot of people go back here – ministers who believe in a hierarchical government – they go back here and say that this gives the structure that God wants with the church. No, this has nothing to do with church government or hierarchical government. This sets the standard for judges. Now here is the problem that is the basis for this. Let’s pick it up in Exodus 18:13: “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.” Now guess what would happen if you were at the end of the line, and guess if you have two contending parties, you know, just kind of bring some of these TV things, the judging shows that they have on TV and here are two people back in the line talking, and they’ve got a long way to go, and saying, “Now who is this Moses? I am standing in line and I want to get a judgment out of this!” Now sometimes you need to take the advice of other people. So this is what Moses did.

Now, Moses’ father-in-law, who also by the way was a descendant of Midian, and Midian was one of the sons of Abraham through Keturah. So they understood the law of God at that time. This is before the Midianites went off, all of them, into their paganism. At least Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law was at least righteous. So he saw all that he did to the people and said, “Now what is this thing that you are doing?” he says, “I don’t understand this. You sit by yourself alone and all the people stand by you from morning until evening” [paraphrased].

Verse 15: “And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter,” now that is a dispute “…they come to me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.” Well now that’s fine, but for a million, eight hundred thousand people? “Moses’ father-in-law said to him,” verse 17, “The thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you: for this thing is too heavy for you; you are not able to perform it yourself alone. Now listen to my voice, and I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: you be for the people to God that they may bring the causes to God: And you shall teach them ordinances and laws,” (Exodus 18:13-20). Now this is exactly what we have said that we are trying to do with the church, right? We don’t want to run your lives for you. We want to teach you how to run your own lives. We want to teach you the Word of God, the laws of God, the commandments of God, the statues of God, Old Testament, New Testament, so you can run your lives, and that you can as we have said so many times – walk in faith, believe in hope, and live in love, and you will be able to make right decisions in your own life.

Now sometimes you’ll make decisions which are not right. So what does that do when you find out their wrong? It gives you a chance to repent. It gives you chance to change. It gives you a chance to make it right. So even in that sense that’s good isn’t it?

So here Jethro is telling Moses, “You teach them ordinances and laws, and show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.” Number one principle in judging – you can’t live anyone else’s lives for them. That’s why when we started out, God set before us, life and death, blessing and cursing, and we are to choose. So here we have this based upon that principle don’t we? Yes, indeed.

Then he says, verse 21: “Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men” for what, judging, not as hierarchical authority. Now this is very similar to what we have in any system of judging in any country. You have local judges [and local courts] don’t you, yes, generally called Superior Court in America. Then you have county judges, county courts. Then you have various state judges, and state courts. And then you have the state Supreme Court. Now likewise with the United States government, you have different courts under the jurisdiction of the twelve regions – I think it’s eleven – of the United States and then it goes up from there. And then you have the district courts, and then you have the Supreme Court. So we have the same principle here. This is for judging. This is not for ruling, there is a difference. The system of judging is not the system of administering the law, that’s for the ones who are elected to run whatever part of the government they are to run. Now notice we will see this. “…Able men, such as fear God, men of truth” they want truth, seek truth, nothing but the truth and so forth. “…Hating covetousness…” so they won’t be able to be bribed “…and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands,” this is rulers as judges “…hundreds, and fifties, and tens: And let them judge the people at all times” [paraphrased] (Exodus 18:21-22). So the system of judges as rulers was not a hierarchical church government, their rule came because of judgments.

Now look at it in America, we are ruled by judges aren’t we? Yes, indeed. Who has to submit to the rule of the judges – everybody, correct? Yes. So that’s important for us to understand. So this in Exodus 18 is an important thing for us to realize. Now verse 22: “And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that the very great matters they shall bring to you, but the very small matters they shall judge: so shall it be easier for yourself, and they shall bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God commands you so,” which God did “then you shall be able to endure,” you’re not going to kill yourself “and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.” And chose the people and verse 26, “they judged in all seasons” (Exodus 18:22-26) and so forth. So there we have it, an important principle – break it all down to the smallest matters. Now that’s the same thing we have in the church, you judge your life, if there is something between you and someone that you need to resolve, you resolve yourself, right? So we have the same principle involved here don’t we? Yes, indeed.

Now let’s continue on and come to Deuteronomy the first chapter and let’s see some commands concerning instructions given to those who are judges. Deuteronomy the first chapter, and let’s get to the verse that we need to get to here. Let’s begin in verse 9. And he explains why he set up the system of judges. “And I spoke unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone: The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.” So then he says what he did, he says in order to make the judgment he says what he did was this passing on to them what they need to do, verse 13: “Take to yourself wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you.” So that’s how they selected them out. It was an arbitrary decision to appoint them. “And you answered me, and said, The thing which you have spoken is good for us to do. So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, hundreds, fifties, tens, and officers among your tribes. And I charged your judges” so this was rulership by judging, not rulership by hierarchy. “And I said, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. You shall not respect persons in judgment; but you shall hear the small as well as the great; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God’s…” so when they came before the judge, they were literally coming before God because the judge was to make the judgment, render the decision based on what, the laws and commandments of God, and the statutes of God and so forth. “…And the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it. And I commanded you at that time that you should do these things” [paraphrased] (Deuteronomy 1:9-10, 13-17). And so they did.

Now let’s come to Deuteronomy 17. Let’s see that even Israel had a supreme court, and with exactly the same, how shall we say, rule of law with teeth of enforcement that was put into it. Now let’s see what it was that they were to do. Let’s pick it up here in verse 8, Deuteronomy 17: “If there arise a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood…” I want to tell you the absolute worst conflicts come up when you get all the relatives involved and there are umpteen dozen different positions, and everyone is hostile and angry and carnal and greedy and wanting it, especially when someone dies and leaves a big estate. They just fight over it, and I’ve seen too many family estates, withered away to nothing because of the cost of lawyers and judges. So when it is finally settled, there is virtually nothing to give to anyone. So a hard matter, “between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates: then you shall arise and get you up to the place which the LORD your God shall choose; And you shall come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days,” now [if] you want to know how this worked, you read through the book of Judges, then also read about Samuel, because Samuel was a prophet, a priest, and a judge. “So you get up and go to the judge in those days and enquire; and he shall show you the sentence of judgment” [paraphrased] and they were to do it according to the laws and commandments, judgments and statues of God, “And you shall do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall show you; and you shall observe to do according to all that they inform you.” Verse 11: “According to the sentence of the law…” not opinion, judgment based on law “…which they shall teach you, and according to the judgment which they shall tell you, you shall do: you shall not decline from the sentence which they shall show you, to the right hand, nor to the left” (Deuteronomy 17:8-11).

Now notice, ultimate enforcement here – now the New Testament we saw the ultimate enforcement didn’t we, which was what? Disfellowshipment. Under the Old Covenant here they had the ultimate enforcement which was the death sentence. Verse 12: “And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not harken to the priest that stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or to the judge…” so it was a dual thing wasn’t it – the high priest and the judge. If you won’t do it, “…even that man shall die: and so you shall put away the evil from Israel.” Verse 13: “And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously” (Deuteronomy 17:12-13). So this gives us some good guidelines on the commands and the instructions for judges and what was to be done.

Now, what you need to do is study these things that we have done here and look at Matthew 18 and see how that the basic steps were followed right along. Start with the least, one to one; then go to the next, two or three; then go to the next, to the local congregation, and if that doesn’t solve it, then you bring it up if there is someone else, if there is another minister who is able to handle it, then bring it to him for an impartial judgment. And so we see the same thing here, so you see, God’s way is the same – Old Testament and New Testament – how to carry out the penalty of it, though, since it’s important to understand that the church does not exercise the death penalty – the reason is this: the church is in many sovereign nations and God has made all the nations sovereign and those civil and judicial authorities within the land, they judge the land, and they exercise the sword of death. It’s up to them to make that decision. The church can only exercise the authority of disfellowshipment. And the reason being is because God will only deal with one sovereignty within a nation. You cannot have two sovereignties within a nation, because you split it and you divide it. So God never gave it to the church. And besides, think what would happen in a nation where there was a church that executed the death penalty. They would be going contrary to the laws of the land. And God is the one Who set them up as the ministers to carry out the civil judgments. So that’s why the church only has disfellowshipment as the highest form of punishment that the church can do.

Now let’s look at some additional instructions for the judges. Let’s come here to Deuteronomy 16, just across the page, and verse 18. Here is another very important thing to do. If you are asked to make any judgment, you must focus on the circumstances and the situation. You are to remove yourself and your feelings from the problem at hand. Now let’s read it here, Deuteronomy 16:18: “Judges and officers shall you make in all your gates…” every one of your cities “…which the LORD your God gives you, throughout your tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment” exactly the same as Jesus said, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

Now notice, verse 19: “You shall not wrest judgment; you shall not respect persons, neither shall you take a gift: for a gift does blind the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words of the righteous. That which is altogether just…” or righteous “…you shall follow, that you may live, and inherit the land which the LORD your God gives you” (Deuteronomy 16:18-20).

Now let’s stop here for just a moment and ask a question. What happens to any nation that has unjust judges? They soon create a society of lawlessness, and that’s what’s happening in America. And what we are going to see happen in America, and I need to make this very clear, we are moving from common law, constitutional law, to canon law, after the European pattern, and because we have five Supreme Court justices that are Catholic, you are going to see more judgments come down bringing out the basis of canon law rather than common law and the most infamous one this summer was what, “the no-knock” in issuing a search warrant – just bust your door down and come in, and everyone says, “Oh well, if we can’t allow evidence in because these are evil and wicked people and let them go free, we shouldn’t do that.” But then on the other hand, what is it going to be when the true Christians are declared to be enemies of the state? And stop and think a minute. How did they arrest all of those destined for the extermination camps? The judges made judgment that they could come and arrest them with no search warrant, just a sentence from the judge to arrest them and send them off – no due process. And gradually in the United States because of the lawlessness that is being developed here those kinds of laws are going to be coming down and gradually more and more and more and more control which is the opposite of what God wants. God wants the people to be taught how to live their lives the way that God wants them to live them, and to make them responsible for their lives to do what is good to keep the commandments of God. So you see what happens when they get rid of God, and throw away His judgments and statutes and commandments, then you start getting in expediency and you start getting in harsh laws because they don’t teach the people to control themselves and the state must control them, and that is the complete opposite of righteous judgment. You need to realize that, grasp that, and watch and see how that certainly is going to be happening more and more in the future.

All right now let’s continue on since we are in Deuteronomy, let’s look at two more scriptures very quickly. Deuteronomy 25:1 now it says here again, now there are other scriptures that you could add to this and I want you, by all means, to take this new booklet, this revised booklet on Judge Righteous Judgment right here, and I want you to read it. I want you to study it. I want you to make notes in it, and I want you to educate yourself so you can be thinking in terms of righteous judgment according to the love and mercy and kindness of God, and according to the righteousness of His commandments, and statutes and so forth. Now Deuteronomy 25:1: “If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault, by a certain number.” Verse 3: “Forty stripes he may give him, and not exceed: lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then your brother should seem vile unto you.” (Deuteronomy 25:1-3). So that was a punishment that they had, but it was to be administered by the court before the eyes of the judge that even that would be done justly and not as some inquisition that has been executed by religious leaders down through time.

Now let’s come here to Leviticus 19 and let’s see a little bit more of the things that the judges were instructed to do. Leviticus 19 and let’s pick it up here in verse 15: “You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: you shall not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.” And that’s what God wants it to be. That’s the true basis of judge righteous judgment which comes from God.

Now let’s come over here to John 7:24 and let’s read this verse and we will conclude today’s sermon, John 7 and verse 24 where Jesus says, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” That’s how it is to be done. We’re going to learn how to judge now by training ourselves. So think of yourself as this, you are in training you might say, just like an attorney or a judge is attending law school so that when they are trained properly, then they will be able to go out and be attorneys and be judges and things like this.

Now God is going to give us the judgment of the kingdom of God. We are going to judge the world, we are going to judge angels, and so look at part of the things that you are to be training for in this life, is that you are in law school, greater than law school, you are in school being taught by God, day by day on how to become the spiritual sons and daughters of God so that when you enter into the kingdom that God is going to give judgment to each one of us so that we have written in our hearts and our minds and our character the love of God, the truth of God, the mercy of God, the laws of God, the commandments of God, the discernment of God to know what is right, to know what is wrong, to make judgments, and all of this starts everyday with the choices that you make. That’s why Jesus said, “…Judge righteous judgment.”

Feast of Tabernacles 2006 – Day Five

Judge Righteous Judgment #2

Scriptural References

1. Romans 14:1-2

2. Romans 14:3-6

3. Romans 14:7-16, 17-23

4. 1 John 5:14-16, 17-18

5. John 7:24

6. Matthew 18:15-22

7. Matthew 18:32-35

8. 1 Corinthians 5:2-5

9. 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

10. Deuteronomy 7:6-9

11. Deuteronomy 7:10-14

12. Exodus 18:13-20

13. Exodus 18: 21-22

14. Exodus 18:22-26

15. Deuteronomy 1:9-10, 13-17

16. Deuteronomy 17:8-11

17. Deuteronomy 17:12-13

18. Deuteronomy 16:18-20

19. Deuteronomy 25:1-3

20. Leviticus 19:15

21. John 7:24