There are THREE ASSUMPTIONS we make that put us at odds with our faith and hinder us from becoming the humble men and women of God that he’s called us to be

• I am the Judge of You
• I am the Boss of Me
• My Life is My Own

FALSE ASSUMPTION #1: I AM THE JUDGE OF YOU

[James 4:11-12]

“Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.  God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?”

So he says there’s three things a Christian should never do:

1. We should never speak evil against another Christian
2. We should never criticize another Christian
3. We should never judge another Christian

What does a Judge do that no one else in the court can do? Pass sentence

• The Prosecutor, the Defender and the Judge are all aware of the facts in any case. Only the judge determines the outcome.
• Jesus said in [John 3:17, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”]
• [1 John 2:1] ““My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.”

If Jesus chooses to play the advocate, shouldn’t that be the role we tried to emulate?

The advocate is the one works on behalf of the accused, who checks in on them afterward and walks with them until they are on track

My job isn’t to be your judge but to be your advocate

• That will require time, commitment, transparency, patience, honesty and love
• From both of us!

FALSE ASSUMPTION #2: I AM THE BOSS OF ME

[James 4:13-1],

“ Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

[Job 14:5]

““You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.”

[Psalms 139: 16]

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”

[James 4:15-17]

“ What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’  Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.  Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”

FALSE ASSUMPTION #3: MY LIFE IS MY OWN

[James 5:1]

“Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you.”

• First thought for ¾ of the room: “that’s not me!”
• If you make $150/week, you’re in the top 15% wealthiest on Earth (ourworldanddata.org)
• If your total household income is above $90k, you’re in the top 10% (CNBC.com)
• The bottom half collectively own less than 1% of the world’s wealth (CNBC.com)

[James 5:2-3]

“Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.” 

[James 5:4-6],

“For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.”

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Application Questions

1. What stood out to you from this message and why?
2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?
3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?
4. How will this message change how you act at home, work and in the your relationships?