"Are We Not to Judge?" (Luke 6:27-38)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Jesus said: “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:36-37).

 

These words of Christ are often quoted. They are rarely ever misquoted. But what we may think of these words are often the opposite of what Jesus is saying here. I’m sure you have heard those words,“Judge not, and you will not be judged” even in Christian conversation. And often unbelieving pagans will use these words of Jesus to us Christians as a way to say, “You are in no position to judge!” So, what is Jesus meaning by those words: “Judge not, and you will not be judged”?

 

Well, first thing to note here is that these words of Christ have been misunderstood for centuries, but for different reasons.

 

In the Middle Ages, the people had a much different wrong understanding of these words of Christ than the popular wrong understanding of today. But both wrong understandings have a common misunderstanding. They are both taking Scripture out of context by cutting and pasting these words of Christ to fit what these false teachers want these words to mean.

 

First, let’s look at the old misunderstanding. In the Middle Ages, these words of Christ, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” was taken by many in the church to mean that we must do something to earn salvation. In other words, Christ’s atoning death wasn’t enough for you and me to inherit salvation, so we have to do something. 

 

These words of Christ were stern law that the Christian had to do so God would love them and then in turn receive His forgiveness. These words were used to scare Christians into submission so that they would get right with God to receive His divine mercy. Luther fought against this wrong interpretation, since there is nothing we can do to ever merit God’s love. We could never get right with God. It is only God who is able to get right with us, through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

For most Christians today, we rarely think about that interpretation. But if you know any Roman Catholics, they still hold on to that way of thinking.

 

But most likely, you have heard those words of Christ “Judge not, and you will not be judged”meaning something entirely different. In this post-modern era, those words have become to mean that we are forbidden to recognize the sins of others and even our own sins. Those words have become to mean that we are to not judge at all, that we are not to discriminate between right and wrong.

 

So, is Jesus forbidding us from engaging in any kind of judgment? Well, if that is the case, then Jesus words here make no sense whatsoever. If we are not to judge, then what do we make of these Scriptural texts?

 

§  Jesus says in Matthew 18: “If your brother sins against you …” (Matthew 18:15a). How would we know what sin is without judgment?

§  Jesus says in John 7: “Do not judge by appearances…” (John 7:24a). Ok, this fits with the idea of never judging. But wait, Jesus isn’t finished, “But judge with right judgment” (John 7:24b). So, how would we know right judgment?

§  Jesus says in Luke 12: “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” (Luke 12:57). So, what is right?

§  Jesus says in Matthew 7: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-16a). How do we know false teachers from true teachers without judgment? How are we to recognize fruits of faith without first judging the fruit?

§  St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes in Romans 13: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1). But don’t governing authorities judge?

§  And what are we to make of the Bereans in Acts 17? “They received the Word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11b). How are we to know the validity of what the pastor says without studying the Scriptures?

 

So, clearly, the idea of never judging is not the case, since we are to judge. You see, the Bible is full of judgments between good and bad. Just think of Cain, Babel, David’s sexual sin, John the Baptist’s preaching, and Jesus judging the seven churches of Revelation.

 

What are the Ten Commandments? They are but God’s Law of judgment, which shows us our sin and serves as our guide in the way we ought to live and want to live. 

 

Another way to think of judging is this: How can you be a judge of a court and not judge the law? How can you be a referee and not judge if play is fair? How can you be a teacher and not judge their student’s homework? How can you pick out which fruit to buy at the grocery store without placing judgment upon that fruit? How can a pastor not judge between false doctrine and true doctrine? How can you be a parent and not also discipline your child?

 

Clearly, we know the difference between right and wrong. We know that truth is different than fiction. So, what is Jesus saying here? Well, Jesus is not forbidding judgment, but when we judge we must think the way God thinks. Jesus is teaching us to become merciful just as God our Father is merciful.

 

You see, God is the ultimate judge, so we are not to judge according to our flawed way of thinking, according to our flawed understanding of things, but we are to think and judge like God. We are to think like God the Father. But how can we do that?

 

Well, when we make judgments, we must do so in the view of the mercy and grace of God. So, when we make any judgment, it should never be toward harsh condemnation or the rejection of the sinner – we never condemn anyone to hell, but we always lead the sinner toward forgiveness and reconciliation. God doesn’t show us our sin because He hates us. He shows us our sin, because He loves us. He shows us our sin, so that we would turn from it and receive His forgiveness.

 

So, we interpret “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you” in light of what is said before them, “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

 

So, we speak what’s right for the sake of your neighbor. True love is always to speak the truth. So, if your child did something wrong, it is your duty to judge his wrongdoing in order to save him.

 

God’s inerrant Word speaks of judgment all the time. But whenever God speaks, He speaks judgment in order to save. He speaks of judgment as a warning. He speaks of judgment out of His love.

 

For Jesus says, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:19-20a). Likewise, St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit writes, “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

 

God is the judge. And He warns us against those evil things that come from the sinful flesh and the sinful heart.

 

Now, none of us here today are as pure as the wind driven snow. We are all filthy as we are stained with sin. And yet, God calls on all of us to judge ourselves and to judge one another. But, again, we don’t judge using our flawed reason and thinking. We judge only as God judges as He has revealed in His Word.

 

So, what does being merciful like God look like in practice? Well, it looks like this: When you judge, first recognize your sin, fully acknowledge your sin, since your first judgment must be upon yourself, but out of your love for the other, it is your responsibility to help the other by speaking of their sin so to lead them to repentance and forgiveness. Now, speaking of judgment is never easy, since no one ever takes delight in speaking words of judgment. So, we speak as sinners to fellow sinners with always in mind the gospel that “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17).

 

At one time, we were all God’s enemies, and we all deserved what was coming to us – eternal death and hell, but He gave us Christ instead, who took upon Himself our judgment as He suffered and died our punishment as He hung on the cross. Because of that judgment, we are now forgiven and reconciled to God. By faith in His Son, God the Father has given us forgiveness out of His divine mercy! So, when we judge, we judge like God our Father, who is merciful, as we confess our sin, speak God’s Word of judgment, and proclaim the forgiveness won for everyone in Christ! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

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Sermon for Reformation Sunday: "The Lord of Hosts Is With Us" (Psalm 46)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Reformation Sunday can easily become a day of celebrating German and Scandinavian heritage. Or it can easily become a day we focus on one man, a sinful man, Martin Luther. 

 

Now, Luther was important, we can’t dismiss that, but he was only an instrument of God. He was only a means God used to proclaim His truth.

 

We are not “Lutheran,” because we worship Martin Luther. We’re Lutheran because that name became synonymous with right teaching. We’re Lutheran because it became synonymous with the sound teaching of the Word of God. We are “Lutheran,” because being Lutheran means it’s all about Jesus. Behold, God is our refuge and strength!

 

Psalm 46 is well known to us. It’s well known particularly because of Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” which is a paraphrase of Psalm 46. This hymn, which we sang earlier, has been a comfort for so many Christians. This hymn and Psalm recognize the real problems we face because of the fallen world, our sinful flesh, and the devil, but it also provides comfort and security to those who are in the fortress of Christ’s protection.

 

The world of Luther’s day was filled with plagues and death, and the devil was recognized as active in the lives of everyday people. Today, the fallen world denies the devil’s existence, but he is still at play as he tricks people into thinking that good is evil and evil is good. This psalm recognizes all these troubles and tumults, while at the same time reminding us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Our God is a mighty fortress, He is our refuge, and all who trust in Him are safe.

 

God is our refuge and strength in the midst of natural disasters. Natural disasters are everywhere. Tsunamis, earthquakes, mudslides, wild fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes plague our planet. Just recently, the fires in Maui, or closer to home, the fires throughout Canada and how that Canadian smoke has affected us here. 

 

The fears that natural disasters provoke are the focus of the first section of this psalm: “Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, through the mountains tremble at its swelling” (Psalm 46:2-3). The earth is giving way. Mountains are falling into the seas. The waters are roaring and foaming. The earth is trembling.

 

It is easy for Christians to say that we will not fear, but doubt is an inevitable result of the sin within each of us. Doubt causes us to fear at the turmoil of the natural world. Some are better at hiding their fear than others. Even we Christians will not overcome the totality of fear in our lifetime since our sinful nature is still part of us.

 

In addition to natural disasters that we face in this fallen world, fallen humanity itself causes us great anxiety and fear. In so many cases, humans cause much more pain than natural disasters do. Nevertheless, God is our refuge against our worldly enemies as “the nations rage, the kingdoms totter” (Psalm 46:6a).

§  Violence, wars, and rumors of wars are all around us: the mass shooting in Maine, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine-Russia war, and the wars that we are not aware of.

§  Civil unrest has become all too common. Murder, abortion, sexual sins, theft.

§  People being told to repent of their skin color, as if we can repent of how God intricately knitted us together in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)

§  People violently protesting against the very foundation of what is good, right, and salutary. 

Sin does not understand itself to be sinful since it looks inward to its own desires – and sin seeks to remove anything that threatens these desires.

 

Not only are people and nations raging, but they are also doing so because the devil and his demons are real and remain active in this fallen world, seeking to do evil and bring despair and death to God’s creation. 

 

But through it all – natural disasters and nations raging – God promises to be our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble. He is our refuge from the powers of evil. The devil is constantly on attack in this fallen world. He attacks through social secularism and spiritualism. He first seeks to remove God from the world; second seeks to provide false gods. 

§  The false gods of manna – trusting in money and possessions. 

§  The false gods of health – trusting only in sinful man for cures, rather than God. 

§  The false gods of celebrity – trusting in the advice of actors, politicians, and social media influencers, rather than God’s truth. 

All of us must repent of falling away from God and into the devil’s lies.

 

Yet, again, God promises to be with us. In the midst of all of this, “The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7). But we still have questions. “Where is God readily found in times of trouble?” “Where is He in the time of my need?” “How is God a refuge and strength?”

 

This confident voice in Psalm 46 sounds very different from the voice of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1) Or Psalm 10: “Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). Or Psalm 13: “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1). In suffering, we often wonder where God is.

 

For some of us, if we are honest, the voice of Psalm 46 may sound hollow. The fact is, in times of deepest need, God seems not to be present. He seems to not be easily found. Where is He when we need Him most?

 

God answers that question. He answers that question by naming a place: a river. “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High” (Psalm 46:4). But how is this an answer for us? What do these words have to do with us? Well, during one Passover, Jesus found men selling cattle and exchanging money in the temple. Angered at the sight, Jesus overturned the tables and threw out the merchants. When the Jewish authorities demanded to know who He thought He was in doing such an outrageous thing, Jesus said: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Then John explained that the temple He spoke of was His body (John 2:21).

 

The voice of Psalm 46 speaks to us when we see that the temple it talks about – the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High – no longer names only a place but also a Person. In Jesus, God is present for His people. He is a help readily found. By healing the sick, feeding the hungry, raising the dead, Jesus began to restore His fallen creation to what God intended in Eden. So, to be around Jesus was to experience God’s merciful presence. No wonder Jesus is the source of “living water” (John 4:10-11; 7:38; Revelation 7:17) and is “the water of life” (Revelation 21:6; 22:1, 17). Christ also tells the Samaritan woman: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

 

This River makes glad the city of God. The “city of God” is no longer a geographical place, but a people. The Church is the “city of God” gathered around the Word that God offers us in the preaching of the Gospel and in the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, which promise us forgiveness, life, and salvation! Here, we come together around these Means of Grace because it is here that God is “very present” as “a help” in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

 

In the Lord’s Supper, we hear God’s grace as He says, “Take, eat, this is My body; Take, drink, this is My blood … for the forgiveness of sins.” We receive His grace through His body and blood in our mouths. We also receive the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sends to live within us and to strengthen us; and in the fellowship of “the city of God,” all these gifts give us foretastes of the feast to come.

 

So, God is “very present”, and He is easily found. He is found as “the River.” This River’s streams make glad the city of God – the Church. In a world full of chaos, there is nothing that can harm those who are in Christ Jesus. The world can torture and kill, but God has defeated the powers of sin, death, and the devil through the death and resurrection of His only Son. All the raging powers cannot stand against the crucifixion of Jesus, His bodily resurrection, and our Baptism that intimately connects us to Him. When Jesus returns in glory, He will say, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a). Then and only then, there will be peace.

 

Until that day, we do live in a fallen world of natural disasters, wars, rumors of wars, protests and violence, and every other kind of sin. Yet, this Psalm reminds us that no matter how chaotic things may seem to be, God stand above all things, and He promises us a place of comfort and safety in the midst of evil. We find this safety in Christ – in His Word and Sacraments. Apart from Him, there is only death, fear, suffering, and the works of the devil. But in Jesus, we have the Mighty Fortress. We have peace that is beyond all human understanding as “the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7, 11). Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.   

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Sermon for Pentecost/Confirmation: "Stay Thirsty" (John 7:37-39)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Imagine yourself walking through a desert. You have been in the middle of nowhere for several days and your water supply has run out. You begin to search desperately for an oasis. As you search, you spot something, but you hope that it doesn’t prove to be a mirage.

 

Imagine a family on a road trip. It’s a long-awaited vacation to the Rocky Mountains. As they drive, they begin to realize that the water they packed was left home. And right when everyone was beginning to get thirsty. As they are in western Kansas, they begin to search intently for an exit sign with a gas station or restaurant.

 

Imagine yourself in school. You are needing your thirst quenched. So, between periods, you walk to the water fountain. Soon, a line forms behind you. You know you need more water to drink, but you also know that those behind you are also thirsty. Even as you walk away, you know that the water fountain would never fully quench your thirst.

 

Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (John 7:37). As Jesus spoke those words, He did something that was not customary of a Jewish teacher. He stood up. When rabbis taught, they taught while sitting down. Here, Jesus stands up to make a point. He stood up so His words would not be missed as He said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”

 

To us, these are comforting, friendly, and charming words. Jesus is saying that He will provide quenching to the thirsty. These words refresh and strengthen those who are thirsty.

 

When Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of living water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). This intrigued this woman, since she was thirsty.

 

But not everyone is thirsty. How could that be? Don’t we all thirst for refreshment? Well, what Jesus is referring to here on both occasions is not a physical thirst, such as felt for water, pop, or beer, but a thirst of the soul, a spiritual thirst, a heartfelt desire. A desire which longs to know on what terms they are with God. This thirst feels sin. It fears God and sees only His Law, His wrath, and His judgment. This is what Jesus means by thirst.

 

We all live in fear of something, and we all face temptation and distress.

 

Jesus says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”

 

Proper thirst is desiring your sins forgiven. But what is the forgiveness of sins dependent on? Are they dependent on something you do? Like performing random tasks to merit forgiveness?

 

As Martin Luther says, “If man is not directed away from himself and toward God, he will never be sure of forgiveness.”

 

If you admit that you are, indeed, a poor, miserable sinner, you are thirsty for forgiveness. If not, you are not thirsty. And where there is no spiritual thirst, the Lord is not received.

 

Back during the Reformation, Luther got a little angry from time to time. When the Gospel was fully revealed again, there was much rejoicing that it was no longer necessary to plague oneself with good works to inherit salvation. The people were thirsty, and the Gospel tasted oh, so good to them. They drank it, for it was a precious teaching. But over time, many of those who thirsted for forgiveness got tired of hearing the gospel: the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Christ crucified and risen for them. They wanted something more. They lost their thirst. Don’t lose your thirst.

 

The Law created a thirst and if that thirst is not quenched, the only destination for you is hell. The Gospel, however, satisfies the thirst and leads to heaven. The Law states what we must do and that we have fallen short of doing it, no matter how holy we may think we are. The Law produces uncertainty and produces thirst.

 

As the Confirmands and all of us know and understand, we fail each day in adhering to God’s Ten Commandments. 

 

God says, “You shall have no other gods.” But we don’t always “fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” We misuse the name of God. We don’t always hold God’s holy day and His Word sacred. We often anger our parents and despise our authorities. We don’t always support our neighbor in every physical need. Instead of protecting our neighbor, we steal his time or take his possessions in a dishonest way. Instead of defending our neighbor, we slander him and his reputation. And we scheme in getting what we don’t have. 

 

When you examine your life, you find that you do not love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself, as you should. We confess: “Oh, dear God, I have not kept your Law. For I do not love You with all my heart today, nor will I love You with all my heart tomorrow. Day after day, I make the same confession. How can I be certain of Your divine grace?”

 

Where will your conscience come to rest and find a sure footing? Where will it find assurance of a good relationship to God? With the Law, there is no assurance. For the Law always remains in force. “You must love God and your neighbor with all your heart.” We all admit that we fail at this. But the Law replies, “You must do it.”

 

The Law terrifies us. The Law makes us thirsty for forgiveness. With fear and trembling, we ask God, “What must I do to gain Your favor? I must obtain Your grace. But how? I can’t keep Your Commandments. What must I do?”

 

Jesus says, “Come to Me. Believe in Me. Hear My words. I will give you drink and refresh you.”

 

But that is too easy! “I have lied to You more times than I can remember. I promised to You that I would be more pious. I promised to You that I would be a better Christian. I have never kept those promises.”

 

To that Jesus says, “Come to Me. Accept this from Me. You may lack piety, but I have kept the Law for you. Your sins are forgiven.”

 

You see, the Law serves no other purpose than to create a thirst and to frighten the heart. The Gospel alone satisfies this thirst, makes us cheerful, and revives and consoles the conscience.

 

You are likely familiar with this ad slogan, “Stay Thirsty, My Friends.” After declining sales, Dos Equis launched a new ad campaign dubbed “the most interesting man in the world.” Unlike other beer ads, these ads featured a man that customers could aspire to be. Each commercial concluded with “Stay Thirsty, My Friends.”

 

So, for Luke, Lily, and Gabe, Jesus says to you today: stay thirsty. Thirst for righteousness. Thirst for peace. Thirst for God’s forgiveness. Satan, the prince of this fallen world, would rather you not be concerned for your soul. Satan would rather you follow his fallen world by removing the triune God from your life. Satan wants you to focus on your wants and your desires, rather than caring for your neighbor. He desires that you despise Jesus and His Word. His goal is to remove any desire for what you really need, which is Christ’s forgiveness for your sins.

 

Every one of us here today is a sinner. We thirst. Christ says to us all, “Come to Me! I will not let you die of thirst, but I will give you drink.”

 

It is only here in the Divine Service that our quench is fully satisfied. This is the place where our thirst is quenched.

 

Jesus quenches our thirst first through the waters of Holy Baptism. He quenches our thirst as we confess our sins to Him and receive His absolution.

 

For the confirmands, today you will receive your first communion of Christ’s body and blood under the bread and the wine. Christ’s words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in the Sacrament of the Altar forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation are given to us through those words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also eternal life and salvation.

 

We all thirst for our sins forgiven. This thirst for forgiveness ought not ever go away. 

 

For everyone here today, stay thirsty, my friends. Stay thirsty in receiving Christ’s forgiveness that He won for you and that He freely gives to all who thirst in His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

 

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