Tonight's lesson, a study on judging, we're still in the study on judging and self-evaluation. Judging, self-evaluation. And I told you on judging that we have to be able to before we judge others it started out in Matthew the seventh chapter first second verse says judge not that you be not judged for with what judgment you judge you shall be judged and what measure you meet it shall be measured to you again so it says it's a paradoxical statement in a way because if you follow I gave you some readings and everything. I don't know how many of you are keeping up with the readings. But the Bible is persistent that we are to judge. But the priority for judging is that we would judge ourselves first. So if we judge ourselves first, the only way we can do that is through the Spirit of God and through God's Word. It is paramount, and that's what I say. Everything that we do, we need to be prepared and thought out. As I used to tell y'all, before I go somewhere, if I'm gonna go say the prayer, I'm gonna speak, and that's why a lot of preachers and things don't just like to speak spontaneously or whatever. Because we need to be able to give account for the words we say, especially when we come into the house of God. We need to, because the Bible tells us that we shall give account for every idle word we say. Once we start learning God's word, once we start learning of God, we realize that words are very powerful. And by our words we are judged, we are set free, and by our words we are condemned. the power of life and death lies in words, and we shouldn't speak rashly. So, a standard for judgment, one of the standards for judgment is God's Word. That is the only standard. Can we say that? John, the book of John, the twelfth chapter and the forty-eighth verse says, and if any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not. fought came back to the world to judge but this saved the world so he didn't come in a compassionate to condemn the world that's why we don't can be on the world and that's what it was it says judging dot washington judge the world no way we we should judge other people's sermons is not our job to judge them that are without because what the world's already could be It goes on to say, it says, whoever rejects me and refuses to accept my teachings, the doctrine, whoever rejects the teaching, the instruction, the biblical instructions, has one who judges him. and that they love that for that scripture actually not a major judge the bible says just not you know i got that he is the one who will judge you ultimately you will be judged by god he says the very words that i spoke will judge and condemned you on the last days so the very thing that was speaking scripture The very standard that we preach and teach to the church, that's what will judge man. And no man's going to be able to stand in the day of judgment. But we that are followers or disciples of Christ, we know that we should judge ourselves and that we are judged by the Word of God. So we're looking for judgment. But if you find anybody, and that's one of the most well-known scriptures, better than John 3, 16, is somebody tell you quick. Well, the Bible says not to judge. It says judge ye not. You are correct. You shouldn't even be talking with that person about anything in the world of condemning that person. They're lost already. There's no way you can convince them of the Word of God or anything in the Word of God. But by rejecting that judgment, they're judged already. They're already condemned. that were to rise up in the last day that's why we have to continue to preach god's word that's the sword that's the rod that destroys the world is the word of god that's the standard a criteria for judgment what's the criteria for judgment? judgment is given to his disciples They're given to God's disciples. It says, I'll read that in the amplified version about Judge United, it says, Do not judge and criticize and condemn others unfairly with an attitude of self-righteous superiority as though assuming the office of a judge, so that you will not be judged unfairly. Why? So won't nobody judge you unfairly? But you will be judged. But it tells us not to judge because we are judging from outward circumstances, outward appearances. We're judging from things that are circumstantial and we can't define anybody's intents or motives. The only way we can make accurate judgment is coming from the Spirit of God, is in the Spirit of God. says it says for just as you hypocritically judge others when you are sinful and unrepentant. So if you're not living a repentant life, if your life is not clear, that's why it says get the beam out of your own eye first. So in the process of getting the beam out of your own eye, in the process of living a repentant life, a life turned toward God, you start to do the work that God had called you to do, which does include judgment. But since that includes judgment, you're in a process of cleansing yourself whereby you can do what God called you to do. And that's what he's preparing us for, the saints are to judge the world. He says, so when you judge others, so will you be judged, and in accordance with your standard of measure. judgment will be measured to you so whatever standard you use that's what you will be judged by. So the standard we use is God's word, right? That's what we're judged by. So we're busy trying to live as God told us to live and we're to look at others but not pass a final judgment as we read in the book, in the opening reading of the book of Amos. In the book of Amos. The eighth chapter of Amos. and go to the 11th verse, I think. A lot of people capable of reading the scripture, but they don't understand what they're reading. Now, here's what that says. Behold, the days come, said the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, not a famine of thirst for water, but of hearing the words of God. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east. They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. Because it may be sitting right next to them. It may be a lot of your relatives or people you know that had been going to church or whatever, which says after the second admonition, leave them alone. Well, you go to church all the time. You think you know about church or whatever, and you're not in a church or whatever. Why should I tell you the Word of God? Why should I waste my time? The Bible tells me specifically, don't give that which is holy to the dogs. Now you're lost. Now you can't find God's Word. I don't have time for you. I'm pressing on to something else. The famine is that you're not going out to the secondary admonition. These are your relatives, people you've been known for years that know everything. Now they want you to stop and waste your time teaching them the Word of God. well go to do that by and say all those that you've been followed where do you get that just not for all go back and get that from them let them explain to i don't have time it says laying aside the found date that those the baptisms and laying on of hands and repentance for we're pressing on high in christ jesus so you didn't want to hear it when they rejected jesus what did you do jesus start to speak to them in parable it wasn't for them to hear it that time people will waste your time if anything else the famines will come where as god's people are not going to keep rehashing the same thing with it there's someone else that will preach or teach that to you god may have sent someone else to preach that and teach that to you we should use righteous judgment We should use righteous judgment. Learning what battles to fight. We have to learn what battles to fight. When to intervene and when not to intervene. 12th chapter and 13th verse. When Jesus was out preaching, there was a young man who came up to Him and said, Then someone called from the crowd saying, Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father's estate with me. Jesus replied, Friend, who made me a judge or ruler over you to decide such things as that? Then he says, Beware, guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured on how much you own. In other words, Jesus, there'll come a time that he will judge y'all, but that wasn't the time for him to be talking about inheritances. Dividing between material things between him and his brother. And he told him, beware of greed, now because the law had set out a law of inheritance and how things should be split. That's according to God's Word. But he wants Jesus to be an arbitrator in matters that would have called Jesus into doing something that God hadn't sent Jesus to do. We must realize God sent us to do a lot of things, and we must be aware of our purpose and why we are here. It's not for us to intervene in everything in life. And a lot of people say, well, pray for everybody in the hospital to be healed, or pray for all these people. Well, that's not my place. I don't know why God have him sick. That's why it says, any mom you've sent, let him call for the help of another church or whatever. You can't loose and bound things that God has other things going on with. You don't know, you're intervening in strife that don't belong to you. You don't know what judgment that person's under, what's going on in their life. They could bound to another church and doing something against that church. Oh, you're not in a condition to pray for yourself? If your sickness or something happened to you, that's for a reason or a purpose. see a lot of times probably six months a year to go you're right about the guy that the bus station the people were fighting or whatever and he intervened tried to break the fight up and the guy stabbed and killed him you know to be a peacemaker you have to be stronger than the ones that you that you're breaking up or interfering with you're trying to save somebody you make sure you have that ability to put them down if they don't want to be saved if they don't stop If you intervene to be a peacemaker, you make sure you be able to be that peacemaker. It takes something to be a peacemaker now. So if someone's out there drowning, same thing about judging, you know you have to go and take lessons to be a lifeguard? If someone's out there drowning, you go to save them, they may drown you too. You better make sure you can swim and you have the ability to save someone. The first thing they're going to do is clash you and grab hold to you. and they will have you to wear your arms not free or whatever, and they'll sink both of y'all. And there you go trying to help, so you better make sure you know how to swim and know how to save a drowning person. It's like people saying, the guy, I was taking my wife to the doctor today and he came up to the, you know how the beggars and things up, well sometimes the spirit prompt me to give to some people and some it don't. He asked for something, I said, I don't have it to give to you. Now bad as I wanted to give, I didn't have it to give and the Spirit didn't urge or prompt me to give at that time. You can't go around saving the world. You can't go out wearing your heart on your sleeve. You have to have the righteousness of Jesus Christ because your heart's going to go out to people, it's going to sympathize with them, pity on people or whatever. but see the world is designed a lot of times people say oh man you're a christian you ought to do this well what makes you think that you can dictate to me what i do since i'm a christian you're not my god though god might not be dictating to me to help you do this or do that we have to be led by the spirit we have to be prompted by the spirit of god we have to be accustomed to being following the spirit of god to learn how to judge to learn how to interact as god does we have to know god back into that same chapter of Luke, the twelfth chapter of Luke, two verses above what I just read. Verse 11 and 12, and when you are brought to trial in the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, don't worry about how to defend yourself or what to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that self-same hour and time as to what you say. You don't need to practice or rehearse anything to say the Holy Ghost will guide you and lead you in all truth. You're supposed to be in such tune and in touch with God that the Spirit is guiding you at all times. Those that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. You have to be so in tune with God. In other words, that's why it says in prayer all times, cease not from prayer. That's why I don't like a whole lot of foolish talking and a lot of going on. If I'm not thinking about Jesus or something else, I'm thinking about what Jesus is leading me or telling me to do at that time. That's why I say we're going to grow distance away from the people in the world and the things of the world. And believe me, just sitting here before we begin, it was a whole lot of things. Did anybody form judgment on other people while we were sitting there at that time? I know I did. Because that's what you do. You're spiritual. Because your life depends on everybody and everything you come in contact with. That's what I say. The old saying is loose lips sink ships. And your adversary is watching everything that you say and do. So we should watch everything we say and do. We shouldn't be just given to a whole lot of talking. it should be a god in a circumspect walk and that's to be spiritual the world doesn't understand that first corinthians the second chapter starting at the fourth verse it says that my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom in other words using clever rhetoric but they were delivered in demonstration of the holy spirit operating through me That's what Paul used, not fancy talking and not trying to seem somebody he wasn't or whatever. But in demonstration of the Holy Spirit which was operating in and through him, and of his own power stirring the minds of the listeners and persuading them. Remember, people are listening at every word you say. You remember, like I said, we have to give account of what we're saying and what we're doing. Now it says, storing the minds and persuading them, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom and rhetoric of men, but on the power of God. If you follow the political scene now, we have a man in office now that says everything and not realize it. People are listening at every word you say, and plus they have it on tape now. and come back but you do have the simple in mind that are not paying attention to what's being said and you can say something and double back and come back and lie and change what you say and those people are gullible or naive and go along with that and not realize hey this guy's a liar this guy just talks and talks and he's not a man of character see because people are listening at you and that's why he says he who has an ear to hear let him hear See, that's the judging the Spirit does in His people that we're starting to learn as we're walking in Christ. We learn we have to guard our mouth. We have to watch what we say and watch what we do. He says, yet we do speak wisdom among those who are spiritually mature. Believers who have teachable hearts and a great understanding. That's where, in whom we're speaking to, that's who have the ears to hear. That's why I say, what we become dull of hearing is the world. I don't, I tune things of the world and things out. But I'm listening for the spiritual aspect of things. The spiritual, the spiritual aspect of all these things, that's what I take heed to, that's what I'm focusing on. We have to be continually, continually taking heed to every word that's being spoke or said. You understand that? Don't just say things to be saying things. It is critical we in 1 Corinthians 2 in the 3rd verse. so as i said we've got a spiritual we judge everything that we hear you say as i said book after the book of acts starting with the book of acts all the way back toward the revelations he's talking to the church that's not to the world that should the church all of the officials and the book of acts is to the people in the church that should understand what he's saying you must be born again to hear this. That's why it says that they speak wisdom among those who are spiritually mature. Now there are those that are not spiritually mature that are in the church because they're not coming out of the world. They're not being strengthened. Those are the ones, like I said, some will grow and some won't grow. The sixth verse of 1 Corinthians 2 says, Believers who have teachable hearts and great understanding, but it is a higher wisdom, not the wisdom of this present age, nor of the rulers of the leaders of this age. Now, listen to what Paul says. That's not the wisdom that he's talking about. When he speaks, say he speaks wisdom. And that's why I told you that we have people now that's wise in the world, but not wise in the things of... But when he says we speak, that verse, the last half of that sixth verse, it says, but we speak wisdom and not the wisdom of this present age, nor the rulers of this age who are passing away. Let me see, can I remember what it was or where I was and add on to that so I just won't leave you on a cliffhanger with that. When he's saying he does speak wisdom to those people, look at the book of James. We got two things in James here. James the first chapter and the field verse. But if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that give it to all men liberally and upright at night, and it shall be given to him. That wisdom that we ask God for, that's the ability to understand God's word. Now what I'll have to do is go back and I guess teach next week with that wisdom, because like I said, I had taken it out of my notes for the night, but when I looked out at you, you kind of looked like I had lost you a little bit. But remember, I hate to refer to all the lessons, I tell you there were two or three wisdoms in the world. There's a wisdom of this world, a language of this world, that are for the carnal man, for those of the world. That's why Paul didn't come to the Corinthians church with the wisdom of the world. He came there with spiritual wisdom, a spiritual talking. But there's an earthly wisdom. James, the third chapter, in the 15th verse. Who is a wise man? I'm going to start at the 13th verse. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. This is the wisdom that's talked of in the book of Proverbs. Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, that's not of the world. That's given to us by God, James says. If you're lacking that wisdom, that's what we should be praying to God, for the wisdom that comes from God. Solomon asked God for wisdom. Are you listening yet? But when he asked God for wisdom, God gave him the wisdom to lead the people. That's what he wanted to know, how to come in and go out before the people. Every educational system is the foundations of Solomon's, has the foundations of Solomon's wisdom. But it wasn't spiritual wisdom. Solomon learned a good bit, and that's where Ecclesiastes came from. That was out during the time of his fall, and he wrote Vanity of Vanities. Everything was vain because he looked at the world in a perspective of a man under the sun. He called it all vanity and vexation of spirit. because he was looking at life under the sun whereas the wisdom from God teaches us a heavenly wisdom. Let me continue here. It says, but if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, blur it not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descended not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. for that where there's envy and strife there's confusion in every good work. That's why God hasn't chosen many wise of the world. That's why the intellect in knowledge can't bring you to God. So Solomon's wisdom, as wise as Solomon was, he still disobeyed God and didn't realize that the women caused the destruction in his life. that's what caused destruction in his life and God had warned him twice in a dream but he did over in a bump and I think on sermon audio is a lot of our sermons dealing with Solomon how his wisdom was of the world and it came a lot of it came through observation and learning that's why I said I learned a lot just sitting here before thing before bible study in observing and listening because that's what he that is spiritual dot so they are learning people of the world but that's foolishness the wisdom of this world is foolishness to go it's foolishness We have to learn, we have to get wisdom from God. And when a spiritual man is preaching, and that's why he says that he judges all things. Let me continue here. But this is a wisdom that God has to show you. Wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Those are the three key things that you get through the fear of God. But like I said, that's a larger teaching than I can crunch into the thing tonight. And if need be, I'll do that again next week. But we have to possess those to be able to judge. to be able to judge other people, we have to know ourselves. God has to put us through the ring of firsts, and that's what the preaching will be this week in, judging ourselves. And it's about Peter, Brother Peter, when God says, Satan has a desire to sift you as wheat. See, I have to first purge myself. Sister Hawthorne is in the book of Isaiah, she says. But in the first chapter, you'll see in the first couple of chapters that God first has to purge Isaiah with the lump of coal. We have to get ourselves straightened out before we can straighten somebody else out. so before we judge anybody we have to be free ourselves so that's why it says peter said to try to see if he is weak but he prayed for him that he'd come through and then you can strengthen the brothers but before i strengthen you as i said like swimming before i can save you i have to save myself and says save yourself from this untoward generation it says but we speak god's wisdom in a mystery The wisdom once hidden from man, but now revealed to us by God. Now, you remember I told you about a mystery. A mystery is not Columbo. It's not something we're watching on television that we can figure out. There's the mystery of godliness, and there's a mystery of iniquity. The mysteries of God, God has to reveal them to you. You can't figure God out. so god has to reveal that's why it says through revelation what revelation the revelation of jesus christ jesus christ has to reveal the truth to you the truth is revealed but that's why you have to have the spirit that's why you're a spiritual man that's why you're judging because he's giving you the knowledge to discern between good and evil but you have to be from that root of David. You have to be born of the Spirit. You have to have that seed of faith produced in you, and it's ever-growing. It's hungering and thirsting to be fed, and the only way it's going to be fed is with the Word of God. That's why it says, He who hungers and thirsts after righteousness. But to do that, you have to, just like a baby, to learn to walk, he has to crawl. He has to pull himself up. you have to put you have to be really taking heaven by force you can't sit there passively and this come to you it's something that you have to get aggressive for it's like the big bang you know this boom you know well that theory it's a lot of noise god is it's chaos and god's very busy at this time he's making and performing something in you and if you're not aware that you're way behind But he reveals this to us here, and that's why he says he had to die and go away. He says, but I'll send the Spirit, I'll send the apple back, the Holy Ghost. He'll guide you and lead you into all truths. See, some things, remember I told you it's a timing thing? He says some things you're not ready to receive. You can't receive them at that time. Some things are not to be judged at all time. There's a time and a season for all things. He says, which this wisdom that God give, God predestined before the ages to our glory, to lift us into the glory of his presence. None of the rulers of this age recognized and understood this wisdom for if they had they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory but just as it is written in scripture things which listen at this now is oft quoted but listen closely things which the eye has not seen and the ear had not heard and which have not entered into the heart of man all that god had prepared for those who love him who hold him affectionate reverence who obey him and who gratefully recognize the benefits that he has bestowed now you're listening at that closely but who do it who did he preach to in the new testament in revelation what he's consistently said he who has ears to hear. So even though everybody here has two set of ears, everybody don't have spiritual ears, they'll become dull of hearing. God starts to open up your hearing. He's speaking with a small, silent voice. That voice gets louder and louder as you get close to God. But the lay of the sea in church couldn't hear it because they were self-centered. They were hung up on material things. They were hung up on themselves. And that's why it says, though they said they had need of nothing, they were poor, wretched, and naked. He says that he needed to anoint the eyes that they can see. We can see spiritually because we have the eyes of faith. See, that's what we're looking at. That's what faith is. that we start seeing. That's why I tell y'all, if y'all want to get a vision, you have to be straining. You have to strain to get a vision. It's an effort that's put forth. He says it had not entered into the hearts of men. Because Jeremiah tells us the heart is desperately weakened and who could know the heart? But Jesus gives us a mind. The mind is the heart. That's the noose. That's what our true heart is. It's not this muscle beating here. But it's the noose, it's that seat of one, it's the emotion, the spleen, it's like where your feelings are. Well, God comes in and does that circumcision that he gives you a new heart, in other words, a mind to understand him. He says, by the transforming and renewing of your mind, let that same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. We want to start having his thoughts because our thoughts are not like his thoughts. We want that mind in us, and this is the mind of God here. And it's not to be learned overnight. Listen to what we're saying now, slowly. For God has revealed, God has unveiled them and revealed them to us through the Holy Spirit. What us? Those that are in church, those that receive His Spirit. Those that are His, the Spirit is starting to reveal, but not to all of us. Not to all of us, because the scriptures are applicable to certain ones, those that are called and chosen, and that's why it says, make sure of your calling. There'll be many a call, but only a few chosen. That's why we have to labor to enter in. We enter in through suffering, through sacrifice. He says, for the spirit searcheth all things diligently, sounding and measuring the profound depths of God, the divine counsels and things far beyond human understanding. For what person knows the thoughts and motives of a man except the man's spirit within him? So also no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God, right? and you don't really know what's in you. You don't know what you'll do if pushed to certain limits or whatever. That's why he says he has to take that heart out of you and give you his heart in mine. The circumcised in heart, that's the new covenant, Jeremiah 31st chapter to the 34th chapter. That's the new covenant where he's working in man to cut this new deal with man that he will be their God. The one that he says wasn't his people, now they will be his people. But with Hosea, those that he said wasn't his people, now are his people. See, we were a rejected people. We were in darkness. Now his word, he was giving as a light to the Gentiles. Now he's lighting and searching us, and every dark and wicked thing in us, he's revealing that to us and taking it away, if we're doing that. That you want to do you couldn't do you've got to start making those sacrifices now listen he says Now we have risks we have received Not the spirit of the world and there are a lot of spirits out there And that's why I tell you to try the spirits to see whether they have gone and he hadn't given us a spirit of fear he says now we have not received the spirit of the world but the holy spirit who is from god so that we may no and understand the wonderful things freely given to us by god that we'll know these things that you see that's why i say it's all in being able to discern the intense and motives of man's heart to show you how does, the spirit in the Old Testament moved upon the people. They didn't have the spirit as a possession as we had. You remember what Joseph told his brothers? He says, what y'all did to me, y'all did it for evil, but God intended it for good. See, and I'm going to use a New Testament word here from 2 Timothy, I think it is, evil surmising. When we judge, we use evil surmising. In other words, We give another man's thoughts and intentions, our evil motives of desires, or what's in us. That's not God judging. See, you're judging them then because you said, well, he meant to do this for them. You don't know why he did what he did to you. Unless God had revealed that, you don't know what his intent or motive was. Unless you're like Jesus Christ and Christ showed that to you. You understand that? And so we say, well, she just did that to make me jealous, so why? No, no, you're doing an outward judging. You're judging by circumstance, outward appearances and everything. And so that's wrong judging, and that's how we have to learn not to judge others, because it's coming from self-intent. Like Job's three friends. What they were saying were actually the scripture. What they were saying was the word of God. But it wasn't applicable to Job. Job hadn't did any of those things. It didn't apply to Job. So people would come up to you quoting scriptures all day. But if they don't understand the scriptures and apply them, they're going to do just like Satan that came up to Jesus quoting scriptures. He was misquoting it and taking it out of context. So we need to learn how to handle the Word of God and how to let that Word speak to our hearts and how to use it. You have to be exercising use of the Word of God. That's why I say you have to actually live the Word of God and be able to distinguish the Word of God. He says we also speak of the things not in words taught or supplied by human wisdom. And that's why I said you can't go to MIT and learn this. You can't learn this anywhere because it's not from old wise fables or traditions. It's but in the things taught by the spirit, combining interpreting spiritual thoughts with spiritual words for those who are being guided by the Holy Spirit. That's why I say don't quench or grieve the Spirit. You want the Spirit actually guiding and leading you into those truths and those that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. Now, but by being in an earthly body we have to detect when Satan enters in. Satan can enter in through grandiosity. Satan could enter in at your pinnacle moment, and we've seen that in Elijah and all the prophets, we've seen that in Peter, where Jesus Christ, where God revealed something to Peter. And Jesus said, flesh and blood hadn't revealed that to you, Peter, that didn't come through human processes, it was God who revealed, because he said, thou art the Christ, the Son of God. But see, he got hyped up on himself in that very moment, And then the next moment Jesus said, well, I don't have to go away and die. He said, well, no, that's not. See, now he thinks he's self-confidence. He's got confidence in himself, too much confidence in himself. And what happened, he had a moral failure. Jesus Christ says, get thee behind me, Satan, for you savor not the things of God. In other words, through his humanality, He wanted a conquering Messiah. The Hebrews seen a conquering Messiah. They didn't want a suffering Messiah. So he's seen, just as the American spirit today, that of pride, that of being victorious of all over nations, of all over other people, and that Americans are greater than any other nations it is. And that's why I keep telling you, it's in for a fall. It's in for a fall. I listen to all the time and someone sent me a link that I was listening at. But what do I tell you? How many times have I preached to y'all about the aborigines? Have I told y'all about the aborigines? They're just as important as Donald Trump, right? That's why I said we can't judge anybody in the world because The link that I was listening to, it's Johnny Taylor. I am somebody. Whoever you are, you are somebody. God has created you to be somebody, whether you're a dishwasher. Those dishwashers that got killed in the Twin Towers, they were just as important as the ones that worked for Goldman Sachs or anything else, anywhere else that got killed in there. Every man, every person is before God is somebody, and God has that person here for purposes. A lot of them may have been dishwashers or working a remedial job, but they could have been studying law or anything else to finish college, but that's the work that they've done, was dishwasher or waiter or janitorial or something, but they could have been going Brown or New York University, any of those universities, some very smart people that worked their way through. So we have to realize that everybody is somebody and that we can't just judge people. We have to realize that hypocritically, as this nation is, that their Constitution says that they believe every man was created equal, but yet still you bind and enslave the people. It's hypocritical. Khrushchev said, I'll make you even go against your own Constitution, and that has come true. So we have to see the quality of man, and not judge by outward things, but judge by the spirit. It's a spiritual judgment. So there are no races in God. That's why it says nation would rise up against nation. But before God, we're all the same. There's no male nor female, Jew nor Greek, Scythian nor barbarian. But the natural, unbelieving man does not accept the teachings and the revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness and absurd and illogical to him. And he is incapable of understanding them because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated." You know, Jesus Christ was one of the biggest socialists that there were. And a lot of people was talking about Bernie Sanders because he's a progressive and he believes in socialism. I forgot who Amtrak hired as their CEO, but this nation has come to where we got nothing but billionaires in the president's cabinet. The CEOs are making hundreds of millions of dollars, whereas they're closing factories and plants because they're creating a class war because they're removing the middle class. and they're taking the wages and the competition among the lower classes. So by man's socialism, a man's way of doing things, he have what it was they said one and a half percent was that movement on Wall Street Occupy Wall Street, because the wealth of this nation has us lusting, those that are not spiritual, judging the world by men's socioeconomic class and not by spiritual standards, so thus the nation has moved in that direction. With healthcare, everything else, we see spirits that are operating that we're not able to judge that they're not of God because we hadn't judged ourselves. Are we coveting after something? What are our desires and things? So we don't have that capability. It's overcoming us, and it's going to come as a snare. But that's why Jesus says, first, get yourself clean, and then you can judge the world. Because we are to judge the world, because we can't be entangled in the world of the world's affairs. Well, yet and still, we can't look down on anyone. That guy was important that the police ran over and killed yesterday, but now they're saying, well, he got a criminal record. But if you dehumanize him, then you would say, well, the objective, it wasn't that bad or whatever. That's where they go. They dehumanize Gaddafi or Saddam Hussein or whatever, and then the world feels that they didn't got rid of an evil or wicked man, because you've prejudged him. You've dehumanized him. and said how he tortured and beat his people or whatever, but yet still Rumsfeld and them go out and they string his sons out in the desert to kill his sons before his eyes. But see, that's hypocritical. And see, we can't be hypocritical. We have to first make sure that the repercussions that's going on in this nation aren't justified, that we could be creating those things. By judging other people, you could be creating animosity between you and those people. By judging other religions, you cause that confusion. If that religion's not what it's supposed to be, it's not for you to judge, it's for God to judge. that's why i said about the famine in the land allow it to exist that's what american was created with religious freedoms if it's not of god as gamaliel told the people it'll come to naught but we're not to kill we're not to judge we're not to dishonor man but yet still he who is spiritual judge at all things and it's going to take us years of studying to come to the understanding of how the wisdom of how to judge properly, how to apply knowledge and wisdom. He says, but the spiritual man, the spiritually mature Christian, judges all things. He questions, examines, applies what the Holy Spirit reveals. Yet is himself judged by no one. The unbeliever cannot judge and understand the believer's spiritual nature. It's impossible for him to do that. for who has known the mind and purposes of the Lord so as to instruct him. But we have the mind of Christ, we should be having the mind of Christ, developing the mind of Christ to be guided by His thoughts and purposes. Now, I told you, I steered away from the other teaching, but understanding, you remember I was telling you you have to have a standard of judging against the Word of God. It has to be the Word of God. God has to open up our understanding that we understand the Scriptures. And I've taught that to you on several occasions. Isaiah, the 11th chapter of Isaiah, the first of the 11th verse. This Scripture has to apply to you just like it's prophesying of Jesus Christ. It has to apply to your born-again nature. You have to have that hunger in there. and the living translation superscriptures is a from david's life it says out of the scope of david's family will grow a shoot yes a new branch bearing fruit from the old route and the spirit of the lord will rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding what spirit that of wisdom and understanding when we're born again that we're all be of Christ. We all should be born again. And that spirit that He sends on us is wisdom and understanding. That's why I say pray for wisdom. Ask God for wisdom. He gives it to you. And if you're lining up in His Word, He's continually giving you more. But he says, and the spirit of the Lord will rest upon him, the spirit of counsel and might. Remember I told you there's definitely understanding and counsel. We all need those around us, a multitude of counselors. That's what judgment does, it helps us examine ourselves. If we can't learn from one another, if we can't talk, if we can't question or see that other person's viewpoint or whatever, we have problems because none of us can see everything or understand all viewpoints. That's why the churches in the beginning were house churches, and it did just like I do at the end. You're free to ask questions or say something or maybe contribute something, but not in a stain of showing how much you know or taking it from somewhere else. The open discussions can get out of hand if you have a bad spirit, then you always start seeing those that have a spirit that's operating off pride. Let me show you what I know of this and that, and it's not a genuine spirit. It's not of God. He says, the spirit of counseling might, the spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. That's the first one. It's mentioned last, but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and understanding, according to Proverbs 1 and 7, right? That's where understanding begins with the fear of the Lord. It says, He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance, nor make a decision based on hearsay. So that should be us. That should be our genesis. That's what we should start from. That we're not judging by appearances. We're not judging by what somebody else said or whatever. That spirit of rumor, of gossip, of tail-bearing, of backbiting, it's not how we base our judging upon. He says, he will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. We should be doing that. That's why I told you it's active. We can't be passive in not saying anything. I told you that movement that Bernie Sanders has, that's what they're realizing, that the Tea Party did have something, that they were active throughout the year. The Democratic Party have taken for granted the people to think that we just passively, we got their vote because of what we stand for, this is for that. And not like during the times of Obama, the Tea Party is taking a lot of examples from Obama's administration. Obama had the most aggressive ground game. the most aggressive computer game and that's what we have to have. As people of Jesus Christ, we have to aggressively take God's word out there. We have to commute God's word to each and everybody we meet. We have to let people know where we stand, and that's what that party's doing now. The branch from Bernie Sanders had started, they're starting that because without knowing where you stand, we don't know whose side you are. Those that are on the lower side, make it known whose side you are. If he says he'd be lifted up, he'll draw them into him. It says, The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the weak in it. He will wear righteousness like a belt, and truth like an undergarment. So understanding, when you start to understand God, that's why in Isaiah when God touched his lip with a cold, and he purged him. You notice he says, send me. Whenever God comes into our life, we want to tell somebody. We will witness to somebody. We will tell somebody what God is doing for us. Understanding. The scripture that shows you understanding, if y'all read your notes, is Luke, the 24th chapter, in the 45th verse, where it says, Then He opened their minds to help them understand the scriptures. That's why I tell you, God has to open your mind. He has to give you a mind to understand the Word of God. Without that, we can't understand God's Word or know what it's saying. Proverbs, I told you I was going to go through Proverbs, because it looks like I'm running out of time here. I'm not trying to deviate too much over here and over here. But Proverbs, the first chapter, the first through the seventh verse says, what's the purpose of Proverbs? And I tell y'all, y'all need to read that book at least once a year, the whole book of Proverbs. The purpose of these proverbs of Solomon, David's son, king of Israel, their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline. To help them understand the insights of the wise. Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives. To help them to do what is right, just, and fair. You have to be doers of these things. By doing God's word, you become a son of God. That becomes your second nature. You had a first nature from Adam, the second nature that's from Christ is a spiritual nature. The Word is a living Word. As you assimilate God's Word, and by His Spirit you make it alive, you start defeating that inner man, which starts to crucify the old man. That old man dies. Your old way of thinking, your old way of acting. He says, these proverbs will give insight to the simple. knowledge and discernment to the young. You remember I told you the simple or the naive is the one that allow anything to go. You can tell them anything. You can backtrack. Without judging, you can't say, hey, wait a minute, last year you said this. Now, you know, the news media will bring up a tape and show you where you said something else here. This is not what you said. See, because some people, they tune to a 15-minute news cycle, and you can tell they never get off that Ferris wheel. And he that doesn't remember history is destined to repeat it. You have to start learning where to tell people to get on and off it. You start to have boldness. That's what happened with Peter. You remember when he was whipping and beating on them? And then when Peter started talking, and he says, now look, it is written that man should obey God rather than man. And that's when the leaders and things took note of it and said, hey, These people have been with Jesus. Jesus gives you a certain boldness about yourself. There's a boldness that grows into you. There's a boldness that comes upon you when the Spirit is in you that proclaims. Notice all of his messages stood before kings, leaders, and potentates and told them what thus said the Lord. Can you stand before your people? Can you stand before your parents, your children? Can you stand before your friends and tell them what God says? Are you kind of ashamed that they're going to say you're a religious fanatic? We criticize Islam, but those people are willing to die for what they believe in. Are we here in America willing to die for what we believe in, or are we willing to cheese back and make back and so on and shift blame around? It says, let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and the parables, the words of the wise and their riddles. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge. Jesus, that chief cornerstone, that's where true knowledge lies in Christ. And He'll reveal it to you. He'll give you His wisdom and understanding. But you have to be walking in His Word. And He can see the intent, the discernment of the intent of your heart. He knows why you want to know what you want to know. He knows what you're going to do with it. He knows everything about you. And unlike the world's Santa Claus, he knows when you're naughty or nice. He knows when you're good or bad. That's the real one that knows everything. And that's what the Pharisees was mad because he knows the intents and discern their heart. He said, well, why do you go about to kill me? At that time, they were plotting on how to destroy him. People don't like you understanding their minds and what direction they're going. But fools despise wisdom and knowledge, thoughtfulness. So with these Proverbs, we learn how to live our life. With the Word of God, we learn about judgment. Because that is one thing that's required of us to do. I may have another five minutes to get this for Proverbs 31st chapter. The 31st chapter of Proverbs. Are we there? day through the ninth verse. The 31st chapter of Proverbs, day through the ninth verse, it says, Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Ensure justice for those who are crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless. See that they get justice. That's why a lot of lawyers you see work pro bono, a pro bono case each year or something, once or twice a year. They say they're doing a case pro bono. What we have to do is, we have to actively be doing this. It's not just knowledge that you get and don't use. That's no good. We have to use this knowledge to receive more. Because if we coming in here learning what the word of God said and not a doer of that word is like the guy that Jesus gave two talents to that the Lord, the Master gave two talents to and he wouldn't hear those talents. If God gives you knowledge and insight, use that to defend the poor, the helpless, the defenseless. That's why he so loved the world, because you got organizations out there that's trying to educate people. I was listening on a morning show this morning. They had the President of Planned Parenthood on there. And as I say, by being consciously objective and not getting entangled in the world, but we see the people and the things of the world, they are trying to protect the women's rights and educate women and do things So who are we to judge another man's servants? If they of the world, who are we inside the church to judge how the world is trying to help its own? we will study that in judging the world. In other words, these battles that's going on, we have to objectively look at it and see who's trying to actually do the greater good. One may even say he's with God or following God's way. But in our judging, you remember in the book of Amos I said there's a famine of hearing the words? It's not that you speak into the equation or get entangled into it, the church is observing the world. But some of the things that the lady from Planned Parenthood was saying that they were doing, they are good things. They are noble things. There are more things that they do than abortions and everything. But are we educated? We shouldn't be ignorant and go against something, judge against something because of our prejudices. a preformed idea about something that we've heard somebody else say or do or whatever, but we don't actually know what function they perform or what actually they are doing. It's just like people had a hatred of us because of the color of our skin. that we were prejudged at one time. Now the world is trying to shape and form people to hate people from Islam or Muslim or different. See, don't let anyone pre-program you to be the form of prejudice view of anybody. You have to look at both sides of the matter. You have to be able to judge because all men, all souls belong to God. We're not to judge anything from its time, but we're not to be simple and naive not to know that these things are real and they could become dangerous for us, but that we're not wrestling against flesh and blood. and we need to be doing the purpose for what God has sent us to do, and that may make somebody out of that crowd manifest himself to come to the light of God. But if everybody sees the world, everybody's seeing you, the church, as judgmental, that you're judging homosexuality, that you're judging same-sex marriage, everything that you have an opinion or judgment about, in the book of Romans clearly tells us who are we to judge another man's servant. So the church gets radical because of a pharisaic mind. In other words, they have a self-righteous or a higher opinion of themselves so now they're able to pass judgment on the world. That's the judgment God tells us not to do. So as we preach the word, that's what draws people to us. Michael 6 chapter of Micah, the book of Micah, the 6th chapter and the 8th verse. And we're going to have to start closing it down, it's going to make it too long. 6th chapter of Micah and the 8th verse. He says, He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you? He says, Accept to be just, and to love and diligently practice kindness, compassion, and to walk humbly with your God, setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness. And so I say, we can't be self-righteous or think we more than someone else. We have to see everybody as someone. We can't see them as rapists and criminals and everything. You bring out the human element, human philosophy, by saying that all Hispanics, all immigrants are murderers and rapists. Anybody can play to that human, dark side of people. but as our phrase lady says when others go low we go high we admonish one another we see the better in other people we as god knows that It rains on the just and the unjust and the show justice. We can't get down in the dirt with everybody else and condemn other people and stereotype and call people all kinds of things. And then God will lift us. He'll give us insight on proper judgment. Now, like I said, I'm not going to be able to finish