Hello and welcome to broadcast number six on Understanding of the Times. We'll try to make it plain and we'll try to make it simple. Well, today we're going to talk about the important subject of, is it right to judge? The truth of the matter is we're commanded to judge. Jesus rebuked his listeners saying, judge ye not what is right in Luke chapter 12 and verse 57. In this age of apostasy, some pastors take the position that as long as someone is interested in winning souls, we should remain silent about their compromises. Others have said if a ministry has helped them, then they should remain silent. Well, I was saved under the ministry of Billy Graham. Should I remain silent about his compromises? It's interesting that, oh yeah, you could go ahead and you can, you can judge Billy Graham. You can judge Jack Van Impey and you can judge some of those guys, but those who are in our particular little camp, they can do anything they want. Don't you dare judge them. Well, Jesus said, why don't you judge what is right? Peter, he was winning souls, should we rebuke him at all? Was Paul wrong when he openly confronted Peter in Galatians chapter 2? Was Jesus wrong when he publicly rebuked Peter in Matthew chapter 16? Jesus said in John 7 and 24, judge righteous judgment. And again in Luke 12, 57, Jesus rebuked them saying, judge ye not what is right. Jesus and Paul did not cause disunity. Peter was the cause of the disunity. He was rebuked before them all, and in so doing, neither Jesus nor Paul caused the disunity. He had already done that. Peter had already done that. Peter's response is extremely interesting. When Paul rebuked him, how did Peter respond? It's very important. Peter acknowledged his sin. At the council at Jerusalem, recorded in Acts chapter 15, Peter defended Paul in their discussion concerning the very thing that Paul had confronted him about publicly. In Peter's final recorded words in 2 Peter he referred to Paul as our beloved brother and he made reference to the wisdom that God had given unto him, 2 Peter 3 and verse number 15. Now how can we do this without judging? Romans 16 and 17 tells us plainly we are to mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them. How can we possibly do that without judging? We need to understand that silence gives consent. Silence gives consent. Therefore, we are commanded not to remain silent. We are commanded to judge. Jesus said, why judge ye not what is right? We have a God-given responsibility to defend the truth. When Peter compromised concerning Bible doctrine, Paul publicly withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed, Galatians 2 and 11. Peter was in a very influential position and he was influencing others to follow him in his sin. Peter's compromise caused others to, the Bible says, dissemble likewise with him, insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. The word means hypocrisy. Compromising fundamentalists who refused to follow Romans 16, 17 are influencing far more people than Peter was influencing. Well, is it friendship or truth? Did Paul look the other way, even though Peter was his friend? Truth demands that influential leaders need to be publicly confronted when things are done that are not acceptable unto the Lord. Now why didn't Paul just handle it privately? Paul could have sat down with Peter privately in a room somewhere, but he did not. He handled it before them all and God made sure the account was recorded in the scriptures For our example, God did not put this in the Bible, but he did. First Timothy 5.20 says, them that sin, rebuke before all that others also may fear. The reason why many Christians today think they don't have the right to judge anyone is because they have been indoctrinated with the false doctrine that is wrong to judge. The Bible says, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ, Colossians 2 and 8. It's interesting that under the direction of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 5, 1, Paul publicly judged the behavior of others. In Galatians 2, 11-14, Paul judged and confronted Peter for his compromise publicly. He did that. In 3 John 9, John, who is noted for his love, judged the behavior of deatrophies, named them. God put it in the Bible. Here we are reading about it 2,000 years later. Paul judged and then publicly named those who were unscriptural in 1 Timothy 1.18, 2 Timothy 2.15, and 2 Timothy 4.14. We are commanded to judge those who cause division, Romans 16 and to judge and then refute false doctrine, Titus 1 and 9. We are commanded to judge and then withdraw fellowship from some Christians, 2 Thessalonians 3.6. Pastors are commanded to judge disputes between members in the local church, 1 Corinthians 6, 1-8. Pastors are commanded to judge concerning unrepentant sins of church members and then take the appropriate action, Romans 16, verse 17. Pastors are commanded to judge concerning unconfessed sin, 1 Corinthians 5, 3-5. Christ rebuked the pastor, Thyatira, for not judging a woman's actions in Revelation 2, 20-24. We are commanded to judge the doctrinal teaching of preachers and teachers by the Word of God, Matthew 7, 15, Acts 17, 10, 1 Corinthians 14, 29, Titus 1, 10-16, Titus 3.10, Hebrews 13.7, 1 John 4.1, Revelation 2.20. Those who say we should not judge do not know anything about the subject concerning what the Bible says about the subject. It is impossible to be faithful to all of these scriptures without making judgments about people. Jesus said, judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Well, what about ecclesiastical separation? Ecclesiastical separation, that is having fellowship at a ministry level. Where do we draw the line? Well, God's will is plain and it is simple. Second, Thessalonians 3.6 is not difficult to understand. First, it says, we command you, brethren. Now, what part of that's too difficult to understand? In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's pretty simple. Three, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly. That's simple. All we got to do is figure out what's disorderly and what isn't. And all we have to do is look in the word of God and find that out. Number four, not after the tradition which he received of us. Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly and not after the tradition which he received of us. Now, God's will is easy to understand. God does not make his will difficult to find. If your children came to you and honestly asked you what your will was for them today, would you make it difficult for them to know? Would you say, well, maybe it's downstairs and there's a bunch of boxes back there in the back corner of the basement and maybe look through those boxes and you might find it. That would be ridiculous. It's just as ridiculous to think that God would make his will for his children difficult to understand. The will of God concerning any of his commands are very plain and they're very simple to understand. The reason our children may not want to know what our will is for them is because they don't want to do it. And that's why they don't ask. The same reason is true when it comes to knowing the will of God. If your child comes to you, your teenage son says, Dad, I really want to do your will today. What do you want me to do? Well, I want you to cut the grass Oh, no, I don't want to cut the grass. You go to God and say, what is your will for me today? I want you to cut relationships with those people who are preaching and teaching false doctrine. Oh, I don't want to cut relationships. God's will is not difficult to understand. Our problem is we don't want to do it. The basis for ecclesiastical separation is doctrine. Acts chapter 2 and 42 tells us they continue steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine. Romans 16 and 17 commands us, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them. That's pretty simple. These verses are simple. There's no problem understanding them. The Bible says turn away, and then it says turn away. What are we talking about? 2 Timothy 4 verse three and four, they shall turn away their ears from the truth. All right. The Bible says in this last day, there's going to be pastors who are going to turn away their ears from the truth. That's the context of the first Timothy, by the way, talking to pastors. In second Timothy three five, pastors are commanded from such turn away. When they turn away from the truth, we turn away from them. Now I've been watching these issues for over 50 years. 57 years. During those years, I have watched the issues change many times. Where do we draw the line on today's issues? Perhaps a better question is, what doctrine do we separate from a group or groups concerning our fellowship or ministry level? What doctrine? Well, one thing for sure, before we look at some of these issues, we have it very plain that we are to be doing what we do without partiality. The pastor is told in 1 Timothy 5.20, them that sin, rebuke before all that others may fear. That's a pastor's responsibility. Then in 1 Timothy 5.21, he says, I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. That's pretty simple. This portion of scripture is written to the pastor However, rebuking someone, especially before all, is not something any pastor would want to do. Again, our problem is not that God's will is difficult to understand. Our problem is that we just do not want to do it. Well, if there's things you don't want to do, if you don't want to do what God says to do, get out of the ministry. Go and get an honest job. Now the Bible says here, preferring, that word preferring in 1 Timothy 5.21 is used in the sense of a policeman preferring charges against someone. We might be willing to bring charges against a Christian who is not a personal friend while refusing to do so with someone who is our friend. We are guilty of violating Bible doctrine. do nothing by partiality. The Greek word doing here has been translated bring forth 14 times. The Greek word nothing in this verse has been translated no man 32 times. The Greek word partiality in this verse means simply not to favor one before another. Now let's look at 1 Timothy 5.21 again, considering these words. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing or bringing forth nothing or no man. That's been translated 32 times by partiality. bring forth no man by partiality, that is, by favoring one before another. The context here is plain. When, not if, when we bring charges against someone concerning the violation of Bible doctrine, we are not to favor our friends over others. Now the issues of our day, we are under direct orders to charge, 1 Timothy 5, 7, them that violate Bible doctrine. The command is plain, them that sin, rebuke before all that others may fear. We are not to be partial concerning this. We must consider what the doctrines are that are being violated, and we are to expose those who are violating them, and we are to separate from them at a ministry level. Now, how can you do this without judging? The Bible is very plain. That is why Jesus said, Why judge ye not what is right? That is why Jesus said, Judge righteous judgment. That is why Paul openly exposed Peter for what he was doing. That is why the beloved John judged the behavior of Deuteronomy. Remember, it was Jesus who said in John 7 and 24, Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteously. Yes, we'll continue this again tomorrow and we'll try to make it plain and we'll try to make it simple. you