20.4 Judging Others
Our purpose in this lesson is to consider that incredible human ability we possess, coming out from our true humanity, the Lord Jesus, that enables us to judge another person into LIFE.
Consider this parable. – What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing (Luke 15:4-5). And again. – For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).
Judging to life is a process, and it is costly.
Laying out Our Topic. In our layout of this topic of judging to life, then, we want to consider the following points. First, we must know what lostness and found-ness are, two things that have meaning only in conjunction with each other. Second, we must know our role inside of Christ Jesus in this whole process of judging one individual person to life. Third, we must know our criteria of judgment. And finally, we must know the steps we take in executing judgment that, in the end, leads to life. Yet, in each of these four points, we want to remain inside our purpose of defining what it is to be human judges.
What Lost versus Found Is Not. First, this quality of lostness versus foundness takes place entirely inside of the human soul, which, by definition, is a personal story of words inside of a spirit self-awareness. Being born again and filled with the Spirit have nothing to do with foundness and lostness, although those specific happenings in a person’s life are pre-requisites for moving from lostness to foundness. This is Jesus’ clear meaning in John Chapter 3.
One who is conceived from above is able to see the kingdom and one who is conceived of the Spirit is able to enter the kingdom. The problem is that, at no point, does God ever violate personal integrity or human choice. For the same reason, what a person is doing two weeks after physical death has nothing to do with lostness or foundness.
The Way to Life. The actual passage from lostness to foundness inside of the human soul begins only by Jesus winning your heart. Once Jesus wins a person’s heart, then He can lead them inside the pressed-in way to life. But what is that “pressed-in-ness?” The press is judgment.
Judgment is that press against me that shows me the difference between what is true inside my own soul and what is pretending nonsense (that is, lying). Judgment is light.
Now the life at the end of the way seems simple to describe. Life is knowing the Father. Yet God throws a monkey wrench into that simple concept. – If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar… he who loves God must love his brother also (1 John 4).
Great Contrast. Here is the clearest picture between lostness and foundness. Where are you, Adam? – “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Who told you that? – It was her, it was him, blame, blame, game. Versus – Where are you, Jesus? – “Here am I, standing in Your light, exposed for all to see and unashamed. I and the children whom You have given Me.”
Lostness is lying to hide one’s self in the midst of the church, even while manipulating others through the tricky use of blame. Foundness is honesty of self in the midst of the Church, even while treating all others with utmost respect. And that foundness comes out from one place only, it comes out from a heart won by Jesus.
A Lamb versus a Pig. Why did Jesus use a lamb in his parable of lostness being found? The first reason is that a lamb will not run, and the second is that wool is easy to grab.
In contrast, there was once a sport in county fairs in rural America, of taking a hefty, but not full-grown pig, greasing its body with oil and then sending it out amongst a group of wild teenagers to be caught. A pig twists and turns to run away, and when you think you have hold of it, it slips right out of your grip.
To end up found, you must first be catchable. Just because someone is a Christian does not mean that Jesus will catch their hearts in the present season.
The Law versus Love. Before our resurrection, there remains a continual and great temptation to reach for the law when we are relating with another Christian who hides behind dishonesty and manipulation. This is what Adam chose. In simplest terms, it’s any form of “Get your act together, brother.”
When we use the word, “love,” we are talking specifically about the relationship of integrity between two people, heart to heart. The issue of the law is performance; the REAL ISSUE is always relationship. Dishonesty and performance break relationship. Judgment is always seeking out the full disclosure of one thing only. – For the Word of God… is capable of judging the pondering and purposes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Humans Forever. Let’s go back to our definition of lostness versus foundness. There is a huge difference between no consciousness of sins, that is, no disconnection from God, and treating one another disrespectfully or even dishonestly in the midst of the Church. We are humans forever. We give space to one another forever. That means that, standing in full union with God in all goodness and truth, I can say to you, “I was wrong, please forgive me.”
When I say to you, “I was wrong,” I am NOT speaking out from any consciousness of separation from God. That’s Father and me together speaking to you. But if I refuse to say, “I was wrong,” then that is me being dishonest and manipulative, even LOST, inside the Church.
Sharing with Jesus. That brings us, then, to our role inside of Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus alone is the One who finds; Christ Jesus alone is the One who saves. And He does so by His Word and by His Spirit. Yet our participation with Jesus is also clear in Scripture, that we speak that word of reconciliation and that the sending forth of the Spirit comes out from our metamorphy with Jesus in us.
Our role is sharing together. Symmorphy is sharing together. Synergeoing is sharing together. Life is sharing together. Church is sharing together. – And we also are committed to setting forth our souls for our brothers and sisters. This is our turned-around service, out from all FOUNDNESS.
Our Criteria of Judgment. What, then, is our criteria of judgment as we exercise our authority to judge all, and specifically, each one to life?
To judge by substance and not appearance is not as simple as it first appears. Let’s paraphrase Jeremiah 17:9. – Humans are slippery above all things and desperately manipulative. People are tricky to understand. There is a high probability that what you think you know about them is not accurate. Even when you ask in all respect, you are likely to get a smokescreen and not the true purposes of the heart.
Long-term gain is not as simple as we might think either. Consider the principle of triage. In an emergency, you direct your efforts towards those who can be saved, and not towards those who can’t. You cannot help those who refuse.
One Step at a Time. We cannot fully understand our criteria of judgment unless we first understand the path of judgment, which is the path of life. Moses is the best example. In essence, Moses offered this proposition to God. “Listen, God, banish me from ever knowing You and take these people into knowing You instead.” When put into actuality, we can see how this cannot work.
Then, we can put into words what God did require of Moses. “No, Moses, it’s not that easy. There’s only one way to take these people into life. You must walk with them daily, for years, one step at a time, until all the old is gone and only the new remains.”
God is already all. Knowing God is a long and difficult journey.
Prepare a Path. Passover, receiving Jesus, is instantaneous, out from death and into all that is Christ. Knowing what living inside of God and God inside of us really means takes a long way pressed-in with judgment. Why? Because we humans are so slippery (dishonest) and because we so love manipulating others with deceitful tricks.
My life story, Prepare a Path, is a wonderful layout of this path of Jesus carrying a person all the way through the darkness and into the knowledge of God-with-me. Every word of encouragement, every knock upside the head, every longing cry, every face-in-the-mud embarrassment, every offense and every joy, until my heart belongs to Jesus alone.
I fought God until I fought Him no more.
Sowing and Reaping. Let’s draw our criteria of judgment, then, out from these two lines, one from Psalm 126 and the other from Galatians 6.
Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. – If a man or woman should be caught in some offense or error, you who are spiritual RESTORE such a one inside of a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Carry one another’s great weight of value… whatever indeed a man might sow, that also he will reap. For the one sowing into… the Spirit, out of Spirit will reap age-unfolding life.
Great Value. Someone throws a bunch of stuff at me out from their own style of manipulation. I respond with a few words only. “Dear brother, you are as Jesus to me.” Yet neither I nor God can or would force this one to step out from lostness into the foundness of life inside the Church.
We sow in tears as we, Father and I together, wait upon the Spirit. I judge by substance, but still, Jesus alone must win the heart.
Here, then, is long-term gain. – Carry one another’s great weight of value… Being honest and open with one another daily, bearing, not a burden, but a great weight of value, my brother’s heart, won for Jesus.
Defining the Human Judge. As a human, I am a judge, just like my Father. I am always motivated and guided by the desire of my Father, to bring each individual person into His knowing and to enable each to know God through His Mercy that I am. I never judge by outward appearance, for I know that this one is coming out from Father through the good-speaking of Jesus. But I also understand the desperate psychology of pretending that humans hold onto without reason. I am gentle as well as tough in my judgment, as I share with the Spirit in bringing that specific pressure that enables and persuades this one to cover himself with Jesus.
~~~
Finally, we want to bring in the actions of judgment, wording them as a son of God speaking into the life of one person.
Our Actions of Judgment. In presenting our actions of judgment, let’s merge the “aspects” of judgment into those actions, and let’s place them at the highest level that our human judgment operates, judging to life.
I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given to them (Revelation 20:4). We are seated upon the throne of heaven. We possess all authority upon earth inside of heaven, the authority given to Jesus. And we are the Mercy Seat of God, the entrance of God into our world.
Speak Christ, define the truth, see good, separate the false, set in place, enable metamorphy, call by name, and judge to life. Yet all of this, as grandiose as it sounds, is just daily human life inside the Church.
Speak Christ. You believe in Jesus and you know that He lives inside your heart. Your heart is good, for your heart is filled with Jesus. God knows only the Lord Jesus whom He has sent into your heart and life. Place Jesus upon yourself, upon all that you are in your present humanity.
Place all that you are, especially your sin and shame, upon the Lord Jesus and into His empty grave. He alone carries you inside Himself through death and into life.
Speak Christ made personal as you. Call yourself by Him and by His words. Make the words that Jesus speaks your own knowing of yourself. Say, “Let it be to me,” to every word God speaks and believe by giving thanks that Christ is your only life.
Define the True. Define yourself by the ruling verses of the gospel and by all those verses that flow into them and out from them. Know God in fullness and yourself in weakness as married together. Know the Spirit flowing out from you regardless of what your eyes see. Know that you cast down all accusation; know that the love of God is already poured out inside of your own heart for all.
Then turn and call your brothers and sisters in Christ by the same life of Jesus you enjoy. Receive them in the same way that Jesus receives you. Define your brothers and sisters by the same true words by which God defines you.
See Good. The Father sees you as His own Son; He sees you as good. I also see you as good. I see the joy of an endless life; I see all abundance outpoured.
As you see your own heart as good and filled with Jesus, so see all the circumstances of your life by that same goodness and give God thanks inside of and for the sake of all. Call everything coming your way as pure and intrinsic goodness. Then turn and look at your brothers and sisters in Christ and see them as all good as well. Call them to be so, especially when they offend you, especially when they seem to treat you badly.
Christ is all first, in your own seeing of yourself and of your brethren, before anything not Christ could ever vanish away.
Separate the False. Two things from your former life are not you, not at all. Neither is Christ found in that which is not you. Those two things are your own practices of pretending and falseness towards others and the pet demons whose feelings you have enjoyed and whose thoughts you have called your own.
Place these things into Christ, yes, into His empty grave, but do not call yourself by them, for they are neither you nor Christ. Let the light of God pierce through all you think you are until you are able to see and to state the true intentions of your heart when you relate with any other person. Place what is not Christ into His hands and let Him alone take it from you. Become real and true in all relationships.
Set in Place. You know who you truly are only as you know the place for which God made you and your wondrous function inside that place. You belong, and you belong with Jesus inside of the Father.
Just as you belong with Jesus inside of Father, so you also belong together with your brothers and sisters in Christ as the Father’s dwelling place. You will never know yourself as God made you until you know your place inside His Church. As you see God through you towards your brothers and sisters, and God through them towards you, so you know things about yourself that are beyond wondrous. You know that God All-Carrying is seen and known inside His creation as one thing, as Christians loving one another.
Enable Metamorphy. As you dwell with Jesus inside of the Father, so you know that God shares every moment of your life with you, and that all things you and God do together are for the sake of others. As you relate together with your fellow Christians inside your local church, knowing them as they are knowing you, so you know that God alone is all your relationships together.
As you speak every word that is Jesus inside this place where you belong, in God and with others, far separate from all falseness and dishonesty, so something wondrous is happening to you. As you place the Lord Jesus upon every moment of your life, past and present, so you sing in harmony with Him all through your own self story. You are being metamorphosed; you are coming into harmony with Jesus by being with Him.
Call by Name. The Father knows you by name, and He calls you by your own name as His own. Your own name is brand new inside of Him. The Father calls you by your new name that you share secretly with Jesus. And the Father calls you by His own name as His Word written upon all the thinking of your mind.
Stand with Jesus in His glory; you are the revelation of Christ.
I call you by Father’s name. You are my glory and my joy; my great treasure. You are as Jesus to me. As you stand together with your brothers and sisters, so you call God into your world. The knowledge of God flows through you together into all the knowing of creation. Call every created thing by name into the knowledge of God.
Judge to Life. I judge you to life. I judge you to the resurrection, your physic swallowed up by life. I judge you to immortality inside the power of an endless life. You are the knowledge of the Father inside of and through the Church as you love one another together. You are the revelation of Christ; you are the unveiling of His Kingdom; you are the throne of heaven, His Mercy revealed.
As you speak life into all, as you judge to life, so all things in your world come alive inside of God. You and Father share all of life together. You and Father turn everything towards pure and intrinsic goodness. You and Father together judge all things to life.