Judge Not or What?
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 5
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality
as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are
puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away
from among you. 3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as
though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5
deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the
day of the Lord Jesus.
6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are
unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the
feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I
certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or
extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have
written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or
covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such
a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who
are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the
evil person.”
Paul is writing to the Corinthians here concerning some things that have been going
wrong within their fellowship since he’s left. He’s begins here speaking of someone
who is living in an immoral way; not someone who has slipped into some sin and have
now repented. This is someone that now has an open relationship with the wife of his
father. Now, just to be clear, it wasn’t his mother. That would open a whole can of
yuck. Still it was extremely tacky, like Absolam with his father David’s concubine; Jerry
Springer tacky. So, here this was someone who was supposed to be a follower of
Yeshua.
I’m going to get back to that man in just a bit. Paul explains that when he told them
not to keep company with sexually immoral people; he wasn’t talking about
unbelievers. Clearly we must go out into the world to witness to them and it would
impossible to do if we held the world to a biblical standard. On the contrary, we are to
have nothing to do with judging those who are on the outside. Why? Because we
know that without Yeshua abiding in a person and without that person abiding in His
word, there is no way they are going to live up to the biblical standard. We should
expect it from an unbeliever. Now, look at what Paul says to do with this man who is
counted a brother. He says they are to deliver him to Satan. Wow! That sounds
harsh, doesn’t it? He says we are supposed to judge those who are inside. But wait,
what about the whole judge not thing? Let’s take a look at it.
Matthew 7:1-5
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged;
and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the
speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you
say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own
eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to
remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
He does say judge not but He also says that whatever type of judgment you use, the
same will be used on you. I believe that is a really big key to understanding what He’s
telling us. He gives us a word picture about the speck in our brother’s eye. If we go
pointing out or brother’s flaw without first taking care of our own, we would definitely
be hypocrites. But consider what He says next. He tells us to first take the plank from
our own eye. So, we need to first remove the sin that we may have hiding. Then, He
says, we will be able to see clearly so we can help our brother remove the speck from
his eye. You see, He’s not telling us not to judge fellow believers. He’s telling us to
judge ourselves first! Let’s see what Yeshua tells us about how we are to judge a
brother.
Matthew 18:15-17
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him
alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one
or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17
And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let
him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
You see, we are supposed to confront each other, in love of course, when we see
each other going astray. Yeshua gives us a definite pattern to follow. And says that if
we follow that pattern and the person still does not repent, we are supposed to let
them go. Now again, this may seem harsh. Like Paul saying we are supposed to
deliver them to Satan, but don’t miss the point. We are not doing this because we
hate the person, but because we love the person..
2 Corinthians 2:5-8
5 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be
too severe. 6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7
so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one
be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.
The man who had been living in a sexually immoral way with his father’s
wife…repented. He repented and that was the point. If someone doesn’t recognize
how far away from abiding in God they have gone, then they don’t know it’s time to
repent and come home. Now that he had repented, Paul was urging them reaffirm
their love for him. You see, the judgment had a positive purpose.
2 Corinthians 7:8-10
8 For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I
perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that
you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a
godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces
repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Paul tells here in his second epistle that he knows he made them fell bad with his first
letter, but he doesn’t regret it because they only felt bad for a while and then it led to
repentance.
Luke 17:3-4
3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents,
forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns
to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
Again, Yeshua tells us that if our brother sins, we are to rebuke him. Most people only
see the forgiveness in this passage but not the rebuke or the repentance that it led
to. They tend to mistake it as a retelling of this passage.
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I
forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
I believe these two disciples are recounting two different though somewhat similar
teachings. In the first, Yeshua is speaking of a brother who is rebuked and then
repents. In this next one Peter is asking about a brother who it does not say has
repented. You see this is more about us than them. We have to learn to forgive all
the time, no matter what. There are many times in your life where the person who has
sinned against you will never repent. That unforgiveness we may harbor is not going
to affect them at all but it will affect us. Notice that there is a different number.
Instead of seven times, He says seventy time seven which is pretty much saying all the
time with the way Hebrew numbers are used as symbolism. Just like we want God to
forgive us all the time, we must be willing to forgive all the time. One is a lesson on
rebuke that leads to repentance; the other a lesson on forgiveness. I was mad at my
father for a very long time. But the only way I was able to move on was to first
completely forgive him. And the funny thing is that once I did, I was able to have such
an awesome relationship with him before he died.
Let’s look at what Scripture tells us about rebuke.
Proverbs 13:18 - Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who
regards a rebuke will be honored.
Proverbs 15:31-32
31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
Proverbs 17:10 - Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool.
Proverbs 19:25 - Strike a scoffer, and the simple will become wary; Rebuke one who has
understanding, and he will discern knowledge.
Proverbs 27:5 - Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.
Proverb 28:23 - He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters
with the tongue.
Learning to receive rebuke is infinitely more important than figuring out how to give it;
like the plank in the eye thing. The one who regards a rebuke will be honored. The
one who hears rebuke will be wise and get understanding and discern knowledge. It
is in our human nature, our flesh, to be defensive and to lash out against the one who
is rebuking us and to not take heed to what they are saying because our flesh
automatically thinks they are just trying to hurt us. But our spirit should know the
truth. Which is why it is so important for us to be walking in the spirit and not the
flesh. If we want to be able to live in the abundant life Yeshua died for us to have, we
must crucify of flesh daily.
Revelation 3:19-21 (to the lukewarm church)
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand
at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and
dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My
throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Rebuke is a good thing when done in love. The world rebukes to laugh at people, to
try to elevate itself by degrading them. That is not the purpose of Godly rebuke.
Scripture says here that as many as He loves, He is going to rebuke. Get ready for it.
And here’s how you can tell if the rebuke you’re receiving is Godly rebuke or worldly
rebuke. Godly rebuke will always line up with God’s word.
Other notable scriptures for this topic:
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 & 17
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness
with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has
Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is
unclean,and I will receive you.”
1 Corinthians 15:33 - Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.
Proverbs 24:25 - But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will
come upon them.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date February 24, 2008
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 5
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality
as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! 2 And you are
puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away
from among you. 3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as
though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5
deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the
day of the Lord Jesus.
6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are
unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the
feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9 I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. 10 Yet I
certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or
extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I have
written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or
covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such
a person.
12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who
are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the
evil person.”
Paul is writing to the Corinthians here concerning some things that have been going
wrong within their fellowship since he’s left. He’s begins here speaking of someone
who is living in an immoral way; not someone who has slipped into some sin and have
now repented. This is someone that now has an open relationship with the wife of his
father. Now, just to be clear, it wasn’t his mother. That would open a whole can of
yuck. Still it was extremely tacky, like Absolam with his father David’s concubine; Jerry
Springer tacky. So, here this was someone who was supposed to be a follower of
Yeshua.
I’m going to get back to that man in just a bit. Paul explains that when he told them
not to keep company with sexually immoral people; he wasn’t talking about
unbelievers. Clearly we must go out into the world to witness to them and it would
impossible to do if we held the world to a biblical standard. On the contrary, we are to
have nothing to do with judging those who are on the outside. Why? Because we
know that without Yeshua abiding in a person and without that person abiding in His
word, there is no way they are going to live up to the biblical standard. We should
expect it from an unbeliever. Now, look at what Paul says to do with this man who is
counted a brother. He says they are to deliver him to Satan. Wow! That sounds
harsh, doesn’t it? He says we are supposed to judge those who are inside. But wait,
what about the whole judge not thing? Let’s take a look at it.
Matthew 7:1-5
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged;
and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the
speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you
say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own
eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to
remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
He does say judge not but He also says that whatever type of judgment you use, the
same will be used on you. I believe that is a really big key to understanding what He’s
telling us. He gives us a word picture about the speck in our brother’s eye. If we go
pointing out or brother’s flaw without first taking care of our own, we would definitely
be hypocrites. But consider what He says next. He tells us to first take the plank from
our own eye. So, we need to first remove the sin that we may have hiding. Then, He
says, we will be able to see clearly so we can help our brother remove the speck from
his eye. You see, He’s not telling us not to judge fellow believers. He’s telling us to
judge ourselves first! Let’s see what Yeshua tells us about how we are to judge a
brother.
Matthew 18:15-17
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him
alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one
or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17
And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let
him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
You see, we are supposed to confront each other, in love of course, when we see
each other going astray. Yeshua gives us a definite pattern to follow. And says that if
we follow that pattern and the person still does not repent, we are supposed to let
them go. Now again, this may seem harsh. Like Paul saying we are supposed to
deliver them to Satan, but don’t miss the point. We are not doing this because we
hate the person, but because we love the person..
2 Corinthians 2:5-8
5 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be
too severe. 6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7
so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one
be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.
The man who had been living in a sexually immoral way with his father’s
wife…repented. He repented and that was the point. If someone doesn’t recognize
how far away from abiding in God they have gone, then they don’t know it’s time to
repent and come home. Now that he had repented, Paul was urging them reaffirm
their love for him. You see, the judgment had a positive purpose.
2 Corinthians 7:8-10
8 For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I
perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9 Now I rejoice, not that
you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a
godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces
repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
Paul tells here in his second epistle that he knows he made them fell bad with his first
letter, but he doesn’t regret it because they only felt bad for a while and then it led to
repentance.
Luke 17:3-4
3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents,
forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns
to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
Again, Yeshua tells us that if our brother sins, we are to rebuke him. Most people only
see the forgiveness in this passage but not the rebuke or the repentance that it led
to. They tend to mistake it as a retelling of this passage.
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I
forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
I believe these two disciples are recounting two different though somewhat similar
teachings. In the first, Yeshua is speaking of a brother who is rebuked and then
repents. In this next one Peter is asking about a brother who it does not say has
repented. You see this is more about us than them. We have to learn to forgive all
the time, no matter what. There are many times in your life where the person who has
sinned against you will never repent. That unforgiveness we may harbor is not going
to affect them at all but it will affect us. Notice that there is a different number.
Instead of seven times, He says seventy time seven which is pretty much saying all the
time with the way Hebrew numbers are used as symbolism. Just like we want God to
forgive us all the time, we must be willing to forgive all the time. One is a lesson on
rebuke that leads to repentance; the other a lesson on forgiveness. I was mad at my
father for a very long time. But the only way I was able to move on was to first
completely forgive him. And the funny thing is that once I did, I was able to have such
an awesome relationship with him before he died.
Let’s look at what Scripture tells us about rebuke.
Proverbs 13:18 - Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction, But he who
regards a rebuke will be honored.
Proverbs 15:31-32
31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
Proverbs 17:10 - Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool.
Proverbs 19:25 - Strike a scoffer, and the simple will become wary; Rebuke one who has
understanding, and he will discern knowledge.
Proverbs 27:5 - Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.
Proverb 28:23 - He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters
with the tongue.
Learning to receive rebuke is infinitely more important than figuring out how to give it;
like the plank in the eye thing. The one who regards a rebuke will be honored. The
one who hears rebuke will be wise and get understanding and discern knowledge. It
is in our human nature, our flesh, to be defensive and to lash out against the one who
is rebuking us and to not take heed to what they are saying because our flesh
automatically thinks they are just trying to hurt us. But our spirit should know the
truth. Which is why it is so important for us to be walking in the spirit and not the
flesh. If we want to be able to live in the abundant life Yeshua died for us to have, we
must crucify of flesh daily.
Revelation 3:19-21 (to the lukewarm church)
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand
at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and
dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My
throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Rebuke is a good thing when done in love. The world rebukes to laugh at people, to
try to elevate itself by degrading them. That is not the purpose of Godly rebuke.
Scripture says here that as many as He loves, He is going to rebuke. Get ready for it.
And here’s how you can tell if the rebuke you’re receiving is Godly rebuke or worldly
rebuke. Godly rebuke will always line up with God’s word.
Other notable scriptures for this topic:
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 & 17
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness
with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has
Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is
unclean,and I will receive you.”
1 Corinthians 15:33 - Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.
Proverbs 24:25 - But those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, And a good blessing will
come upon them.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date February 24, 2008
