3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Overcoming Satan When He Accuses Others to Me Judge Righteous Judgment Try the Spirits
Judge NOT According to Appearance
Am I My Brother’s Keeper?
Judge Not.. But Judge

Chapter 3 Overcoming Satan When He Accuses Others to Me

Now let’s study how to overcome the accuser when he accuses the brethren to you and to me. Note the wording of the Scripture in Revelation 12:10-11:

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. "

Many Christians become ineffective when Satan comes against them in the role of the accuser of the brethren. In this function he accuses the brethren to the brethren. When he accuses us before God, Jesus overcomes that for us every time, perfectly. God would that we overcome Satan in that same degree when he accuses others to us.

We must learn to recognize Satan’s activities when he accuses the brethren to us, and we must learn how to overcome him when he uses our mouth as a tool to accuse others.

Much of the schism and discord in the church today is due to the work of the accuser of the brethren. At times we unwittingly become a tool of the accuser and voice his very words. The greatest hindrance to unity in the church today is not diversity of doctrine and affiliation or differences of creed, but the discord among the brethren.

Satan fights the unity of the church. When the church becomes unified and in full stature as a mature man, then all men will know that we are Jesus’ disciples by the LOVE we have one for another.

How subtly the accuser works to fill our minds with accusations about others. Often we think these are our own thoughts, not realizing that the accuser is whispering in our ear. Sometimes we have thought the accuser’s suggestions about our brothers were insights from God and have called this process the "gift of discernment. " (Know this: there is no such gift as "discernment. "

However, there is a gift of "discernings of spirits. ") The word diabolos from which we get the word "devil, " means one who prosecutes as in a courtroom. Another meaning is "slanderer. " Satan primarily means "adversary, " but secondarily means "accuser. " This is his very nature. To accuse is Satan’s highest role of attack against the church. He is so subtle we often don’t even realize his attacks.

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;. . . variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions. . . " (Galatians 5:19-20). "Seditions" means division or factions. The "works of the flesh" can only come about in the church through the believer. Many times in ignorance we yield to the accuser of the brethren, permitting him to use us as a tool to accomplish "seditions. " The spirit of condemnation has such an inroad into the body of Christ. One reason for this is that the voice of the accuser often comes from the pulpit. God’s people have been served heavy yokes and bondages. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 5:15, "But if ye bite and devour oneanother, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. " All of the biting and devouring going on in the body of Christ is consuming it from within. The preachers are the most guilty. In some ministerial fellowships there is little fellowship but much backbiting and devouring. One brother comes against the other or slanders the name of a more popular preacher.

Mark 7:20-23 tells us in the words of Jesus, "That which cometh out of theman, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an EVIL EYE, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man. "

What is an EVIL EYE? To look at a person and immediately think evil. We look at them to discover what is wrong with them. We desire to see what wrong they reflect. An EVIL EYE is in operation when a person who has no merit for his judgment looks upon someone and instantly judges from the outward appearance. In 2 Corinthians 5:12 Paul talked about "them which glory in appearance, and notin heart. " This is what the Bible calls an "evil eye. " It is looking upon someone with evil suspicion. The accused have done nothing and said nothing. Nothing firsthand is known about the person. This is an evil eye. This defiles not only the individual who has the evil eye, but often the whole body. Suspicion is very contagious. In one church a person said to me, "I have the gift of discernment. I discern a very bad spirit about you. " After a while I realized she didn’t have a revelation from the Lord, just a plain old suspicion, which is an evil eye. An evil eye is a spiritual operation, but one that does not come from the Holy Spirit. Its source is the accuser of the brethren. In Proverbs 6:16-18 Solomon said, "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him. " He is saying that God hates six specific sins but the seventh is in a class all by itself. Mind you, the Lord hates all seven things, but the seventh in the list is a special abomination before God. In that list He talks about pride, murder, lying, wickedness. . but the seventh thing, the greatest abomination to God, is "HE THAT SOWETH DISCORD AMONGTHE BRETHREN. " It is hard to believe that God hates discord sowing in the church more than He despises murder in the world. Yet a man full of wisdom said such is the case.

Judge Righteous Judgment The Apostle Paul reproved those who gloried in appearance and not in heart.

"That ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. . . . Wherefore henceforth know we no man AFTER THE

FLESH. . . " (2 Corinthians 5:12, 2 Corinthians 5:16). We are not to know a man, a minister or a brother in the Lord, after the flesh, after the natural or the outward order of things. Often we evaluate a ministry and its effectiveness by outward growth, or by its numerical size, or by monetary growth, or by some other facet of outward natural things, the car the minister drives, the kind of clothes he wears, etc. We tend to judge ministerial success from the natural standpoint. Just because the ministry has flourished does not mean it is necessarily of God.

Bigness does not necessarily denote godliness, although commercial success is one of the end-time signs in the church. Paul said to Timothy that financial accruement during the latter times would become very popular and that godliness would be a means to gain (1 Timothy 6:5). The more financial accretion a brother amasses in the ministry today, the more godly he is considered to be. By the same token, we should not judge the effectiveness of someone’s ministry by the natural appearance. We should learn how to judge righteous judgment.

Recently I heard a brother say, "Satan isn’t fighting unity. " "What do you mean?"

I asked. He replied, "Satan has the Christians doing it for him."

True, it is Satan behind the Christians who are devouring one another. We need to look to the Word and let the Word show us where we have allowed the accuser of the brethren to use us to aid his work.

John 7:24 states, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judgerighteous judgment. " If you judge by appearance it is the outward, the god of this world, who could be influencing your judgment. JUDGE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT. Know no man after the flesh.

Don’t judge a minister or brother by the flesh. A lady I know was telling me about an extremely obese preacher and what a great blessing she received from his ministry. I said to her, "Sister, you know there is bound to be something wrong because of his outward appearance. " I’ll never forget what she said.

"Yes, but I’ve learned not to evaluate that man’s spirit after the outward appearance. I know that in his personal life there must be something that is not as it should be, but I’ve learned not to judge after a man’s flesh. I’ve learned to receive in the Spirit what God has for me in his ministry. "

She was judging righteous judgment. How slow we are to perceive spiritual things, but not so with Jesus.

Usually when someone asks me to discern something, in the Spirit it takes me awhile to get the understanding.

I told a prophet that I was having sinus problems.

Immediately he replied, "This came on you when you were twelve, " and proceeded to tell me other things. He had no way of knowing that when I was in the sixth grade I had an attack with sinus, was hospitalized and missed twenty-nine days of one semester of school. This brother had such "quick understanding in the fear of the Lord, " it didn’t take him long to receive revelation about my condition. My flow of revelation is not that quick, and I need to learn to judge not after the sight of my eyes. The Lord is having to teach me along this line. A few years ago we were in a grocery store, and we noticed a man with a huge cigar sticking out of his mouth.

It was so big it made his mouth look out of shape, and it slurred his speech. He was talking to my wife’s father, who is a beautiful Christian and who has known this man for some time. You could hear him through his mumbling talking about Jesus, about healings, and about people receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And I thought, "Yeah, uh huh. . . . " Very quickly this pharisaical attitude welled up in me. Dianne and her father were able to rejoice and praise the Lord with him. And I was there with "You know how these Methodists are. If people have a smoking habit, they better get set free. That’s just a terrible ungodly thing!" And the Lord put His finger on me right in the store. If I judge someone in my heart, I need to repent of that criticism. He that sows discord among the brethren is of the seventh abomination. It is the thing God hates most: destroying the body of Christ, being used of the accuser of the brethren to accuse others. How many times we do this.

It is nothing more than Satan talking through us.

Today this man has laid aside his huge cigars, and his words are understandably clearer when he talks about Jesus to almost everyone who comes in his store. He has been instrumental in leading many Methodists in the western Kentucky area to a deeper knowledge of the Lord.

I know a lot of other Christians who never had an outward habit to conquer but who have also told very few people about the Lord.

We say, "Yes, this brother is given to this, or that. He needs this or he needs that. He sure is shallow. " And all the time we think we are dealing in a spiritual realm, when actually we are looking to the natural. If we are going to become perfect and mature, we are going to have to be blind to the natural appearance. We are not to judge by outward appearance but judge righteous judgment.

"What about this man’s ministry?" I’m frequently asked. If I reply, "Well, I heard one thing about him, " I might put a derogatory light upon the man. Even though I don’t realize it, I may have put him in a negative category.

One thing I’ve learned is that every preacher has an off night. I used to say, "I’ll go hear any brother once. " Now I say, "I’ll go hear any brother two or three times before I form an opinion. "

Several years ago I went to hear a well-known evangelist. To me, at the time, pride and arrogance were pouring forth. I went away praying, "Oh, God, how can You be in that? I can’t see God at all in this. I can’t see why others see so much in this preacher. " My peace was gone; and between the Lord and me, my prayer life wasn’t flowing. For several days afterward every time I praised the Lord, it was empty and hollow-sounding. The Lord said, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. "

I repented and got my heart right toward the brother and went to another meeting.

God was able to allow me to properly evaluate the man’s ministry. I got my heart pure toward God and was able to overlook the outward things, leaving them for God to deal with; and did I see God! I was thrilled and saw God do some great works. I learned something important about preachers: there is none who is all wheat. We are all a mixture. There is nothing in our ministries today that is all good or all evil. (There are false prophets, of course, but I am speaking of those who are serving the Lord.) We are to prove all things, to hold fast that part which is good, and to abstain from all appearance of evil—all the chaff. A brother came to me, "I just love your tapes. I’ve heard thirty or forty. But on this one I disagreed so much I’ve not been able to listen to any more of your tapes. " It was such a minor thing he disagreed with, I was surprised at his strong reaction.

I replied, "Brother, you need to realize I’m just a man like yourself. My teaching has some parts of God and some parts of me; and you’ll just have to learn how to weigh, to evaluate, and to judge with righteous judgment. But don’t let the accuser of the brethren throw me out just because of one little thing. "

Ephesians 4:32 tells us: "Be ye kind one to another. " The word "kind" is the same word used in Matthew 11:30 when Jesus said, "Myyoke iseasy. " It should be easy to be yoked one to another.

I have heard some say, "That particular minister has nothing. " And I go to hear him with a preconceived notion and judgment that I have not evaluated from sitting under his ministry. I’ve learned that sometimes that very same brother I’ve heard so much bad about will minister to me in such a beautiful way. I’m learning slowly, but surely, to judge with righteous judgment.

Let’s check in John’s Gospel where Jesus did judge with righteous judgment.

"Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus DID NOT COMMIT HIMSELF UNTO THEM, because HE KNEW ALL MEN, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man" (John 2:23-25).

Every time you say, "What about so and so? What about that sister? What did you feel about her?" think of this verse. Jesus was not this way. He "needed notthat any should testify of man. " He didn’t need anyone to tell Him what another person was like. You would never hear Jesus ask any questions such as: "Peter, have you noticed anything strange about John lately? There is something about John; he doesn’t have the victory lately. I was just wondering. " Jesus needed no one to testify of man, for He knew what was in man. He did not need any person to give evidence about another person.

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him" (2 Chronicles 16:9). We know that His eyes are always upon the righteous, according to Psalms 34:15, and yet He still has to look over all the earth to find those whose heart is perfect toward Him. God judges heart attitudes, and we need to judge with a righteous judgment.

We need to judge with a righteous judgment a brother or a sister who stumbles in sin. When a minister stumbles, immediately you hear all the other ministers talking about him. Be careful what kind of judgment you render, for God is going to let you be judged by the same measure of judgment. When we hear something bad about a brother, how quick we are to evaluate, to surmise, and to formulate our opinion about him, even before we take it to God in prayer. We are so quick to judge after the sight of the eye.

God wants us to use righteous judgment and not to be used by the accuser of the brethren.

I’ve heard some dreadful things about ministers. I’d think that they truly were bad and that those brothers had better repent. After some years of travel, I heard that I had a Cadillac back home, that I owned two homes, and that I did all kinds of terrible things. I’d never even owned a car, let alone a Cadillac. I didn’t even have a home, let alone two homes. I said, "God, those are dreadful things people are saying. They are lies. " The Lord let me ride along for a while as I was praying about this. Then, suddenly I remembered, "Oh, did you hear about brother so and so?

Why he does this, and he does that and the other. "

Somebody saw him somewhere do something or other. The Lord reminded me that I had been quick to believe that report. I repented.

We grow up learning how to assess and judge in the natural, and it’s hard for us to learn how to judge in the spiritual. One example of this truth is found in Acts 9:1-43, but let me preface my remarks about the treatment of Saul.

We often think of the New Testament church as being perfect. IT WAS FAR FROM PERFECTION. In Acts 9:1-43 is an example of Satan’s accusing a brother to the brethren and causing suspicion—an evil eye—and rejection of the brother. If it hadn’t been for one man (Barnabas) who knew how to judge with a righteous judgment, Saul might have been permanently bruised.

Acts 9:1-43 is all about Saul, a hotheaded zealot. Jesus apprehended him on the road to Damascus with a dazzling light.

Jesus appeared to Ananias and told him to "go into the street which is calledStraight, and enquire in the house of Judas for the one called Saul of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth. " Was he willing to go? No, he immediately began to give God a news report: "Lord, haven’t You heard what terrible things this man has done to Your saints in Jerusalem?" Ananias argued with the Lord. But the Lord said to him, "Go thy way. " He wasn’t given much explanation, just "GO THY WAY, " and then the Lord told him of the things that Saul must suffer. That day Saul became a vibrant believer.

"And when Saul was come to Jerusalem [headquarters, for the Gospel was first preached where the outpouring at Pentecost had occurred], he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple" (Acts 9:26). The Scripture doesn’t say, "When PAUL was come. . . " It says, "When SAUL was come. . " He was still unrecognized. It is hard for me to picture Christians who never quoted Paul, but such was the case.

Let us use our imaginations concerning the young convert’s attempt to join the disciples:

"Oh, but I’ve repented! I had a dazzling light out on the road. "

"Were any of the brothers with you when that happened?"

"No, I wasn’t a Christian then, so I certainly wouldn’t be with Christians when that happened. "

"The Scripture says out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. "

"Oh, but come on. I’ve repented. I’m sorry for all the havoc I wrought, and I have been forgiven for having thrown your relatives in jail. "

Imagine all he had to overcome!

There was no forgiveness or trust toward this new brother. They had relatives and friends who were in jail because of Saul’s work against them. We see in them the accusation of Satan. If there was anything Satan did not want, it was for Saul to become a functioning part of the church. He wanted to do everything he could to keep Saul away. Satan went around whispering in their ears: "He’s not a believer!" "Don’t listen to him. " "Don’t believe him. "

"This is the man who is spying out the church. " "He’s the ringleader. " "Be careful, don’t get too friendly with him. "

Whisper. Whisper. The whisperings of Satan caused the brethren to be afraid of Saul.

Saul didn’t get many hugs when he went to Jerusalem.

I know how he felt. I imagine he got some hugs like ones I’ve received! I go to a new place and feel conspicuous.

Then here come the elders. Oh, yes, they want to hug you.

(I’d rather just stick with the old fashioned handshake.) Praise God for the elders! In five seconds they expect me to give a rundown of all my background. They give me a scrutinizing gaze from the top of my head to the soles of my feet and ask, "Are you married?" "Do you have your bills paid back home?" They question me like interrogating detectives instead of praying for me before the meeting. I feel like an ox going to the slaughter, or like a lamb before the shearers. Their line of thinking seems to be that no one can or should cast out devils in Jesus’ name and not follow them. Can you picture yourself in Saul’s place? "They were all afraid of him and believed not that he was a disciple. " And don’t you know he would have finished it all if he had said, "I’m going to preach before kings. Thousands of Gentiles will be saved through my preaching. "

"But Barnabas. . . . " Thank God for Barnabas who overcame the accuser’s lies to his ears, by the merit of Jesus’ blood for that new disciple. "But Barnabas tookhim, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and how he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem" (Acts 9:27-28). This dear brother knew to judge not by outward appearance. He did not judge according to Saul’s past. He knew to judge with righteous judgment.

I was asked to teach in this certain city and a brother said about me: "Well, I don’t know about him. I don’t agree with him on everything. I had a check about him in a certain area at one time. " Another Christian looked at him and commented, "Brother, I’ve had several checks about you all along. "

It is so easy to look for something negative. We go to meetings to see what we can find wrong with that brother or sister. "He’s good in some ways, but. . . . " Romans 14:4asks, "Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own masterhe standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. "

Concerning Christian brothers and sisters—all of them are another man’s servant. They are servants of the Lord Jesus. And who am I to sit in judgment on them? They will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, so who am I to judge another man’s servant? In Romans 14:10 the question is asked, " But why dost thou judge thybrother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?" How frequently we are guilty of asking others, "Did you hear that preacher? Is he all right?" Often the answer is, "Well. . I guess he’s all right. " This answer sets him at nought immediately. A certain popular minister is very silly—acting in the pulpit.

I’ve wondered about him and once asked a very well-known teacher, "Brother so and so, what do you think about him?" The man looked at me and commented, "He is God’s problem!" This is correct, for the man does not have to stand and give an account to you or to me. The pastor, of course, must use wisdom and spiritual discernment in asking guest speakers to fill his pulpit.

"Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way" (Romans 14:13).

There are some people we would rather not sit by in church. We wouldn’t say it, but it is true. There are some people we prefer to avoid.

Jesus was free with everyone. He could sit down with the publican or with the magistrate. He could freely socialize with the greatest to the least.

We have to repent of judging the wrong way, because we have been yielding to the accuser. The only way we are going to overcome is by the blood and by the word of our testimony. We need to ask for the blood to cleanse us and then to confess the merits of Jesus’ blood for our brother and sister. When Satan comes with: "Look at that brother; look at that sister, " we should say, "they accept the blood of Jesus, and they are righteous because of the blood. "

There are some who are weaker in the faith than others, who have obvious spots in their garments; and we turn from them when we could minister to them and restore them. The Christian army is the only army that kicks its wounded. In earthly wars when a soldier’s fellow comrade is shot down, he will risk life and limb right out on the battlefield to pick up his friend and carry him to safety. But let the brother on the front line of spiritual battle drop his shield one way or the other, allowing a fiery dart to hit him, and often his brethren will run out to him and say, "Why did you let the devil do that to you?" and give him a sharp kick in his already-hurting side.

Let a man of God fall one way or the other, and, oh, you’ll hear righteous indignation all over America pounding on that man. All the many years he may have served God, all the many trials and secret burdens he may have carried for the cause of Christ are forgotten. That one tragedy is remembered. Long after God’s forgiven and forgotten it, people remember. We bite each other like cannibals.

"But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another" (Galatians 5:15).

Don’t judge, lest you be judged. Judge with the wrong kind of judgment, and it will come right back to you. In fact, that may be the only reason most of us want to stop judging the wrong way; we don’t like being judged the wrong way!

Try the Spirits What are you to judge when a prophet comes your way? Most people try his doctrine.

"Therefore knowing no man after the flesh. " People knew Jesus of Nazareth by His appearance, by His mannerisms, and by His physical traits for a few brief years. We know Him thus no more; we know Him in the Spirit. We don’t know Him in the natural; we know Jesus by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. That is also how we are to know a brother or sister.

I was in an area and a pastor came to the meeting.

After the meeting we went to eat and fellowship. Soon I found it was going to be a question-and-answer time. It wasn’t a time for fellowship at all. It was a time for finding out what kind of doctrine I believed. 1 John 4:1-4 makes it very clear that we are not to try a person’s doctrine.

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but TRY THE SPIRITS whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). TRY THE SPIRIT. Don’t judge after the natural, for no guest preacher is stupid enough to say, "I don’t believe Jesus was born of a virgin. " A false teacher will have all the right answers at first, slowly introducing heresy as he gains the people’s confidence. Jesus taught that outwardly a wolf appears to be a sheep. No, TRY THE SPIRITS, whether they be of God. You cannot very well do that unless you are in the right spirit yourself. "Judge not according tothe appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).

If we are to be able to overcome the accuser when he accuses others to us, we must remember some good questions Paul gave us in Romans 14:10: "But whydost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother?" If we say about a brother, "Well, he doesn’t have much, " we are setting him at nought. A good principle to follow: "Let us not therefore judge one another anymore" (Romans 14:13). "Judge" means in this sense "to condemn. " We are to judge in the sense of evaluation, weighing those who labor among us. Paul said, "He thatis spiritual judgeth all things" (1 Corinthians 2:15). In a spiritual sense we are to weigh, but we are not to condemn with an evil eye.

If you have been guilty of judging, of letting the accuser of the brethren use you by whispering in your ear, overcome him by the blood of Jesus. Don’t look for the bad in your brother or sister; look for the good. When people come to me with a negative attitude, if I’m not walking in the Spirit; I will react negatively. But when people come with a positive attitude, "Brother, I believe Jesus Christ is in you" (2 Corinthians 13:5), or "I came to see Jesus, " they draw something good right out of me. It is so beautiful when people can get a word from the Lord.

I’ve been in meetings when whole crowds have been swayed by the accuser of the brethren because of the negative binding attitudes. Some have come looking only for the bad.

Sometimes we say, "I feel a check about him. " We can feel that about any brother. There will always be something with which we don’t agree, or with which we are not in harmony. So, instead of looking at that with which we don’t agree, we must start looking for Jesus Christ in that person. We need to bring a good report about the brethren and say, "Brother, Jesus Christ is in you, the hope of glory; and I know that you have areas in your soul the Lord is working on and ironing out, but I’m believing to see Jesus Christ in you. "

We are too quick to judge, saying, "Shape up or ship out. " Let us not therefore judge one another any more.

Judge a righteous judgment.

Believers are not to be in wrangling arguments. "Him that is weak in the faithreceive ye, but not to doubtful disputations" (Romans 14:1). ". . . If in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you"

(Php 3:15). Let us walk by the same rule; let’s all walk in harmony, Paul is saying. Learn to yield not to the accuser of the brethren when he accuses the brothers to us.

Subtle voices also come to us; we have to learn how to deal with the accuser of the brethren who is a whisperer of lies. Let me give you an example:

I’m driving down the highway. Suddenly the thought comes to me: "You know, Brother so and so wasn’t very responsive to you the last time you were there. " (Maybe he didn’t go out of his way to show kindness.) "You really ought to be careful about that man. " Satan whispered that in my ear.

If I don’t discern that that voice is coming from Satan and cast it down, what is going to happen? Satan is going to go to that brother miles away with: "You know, Brother Alsobrook really didn’t have quite enough love toward you, did he?" When we come together the next time, a wall will exist between us. There will be a reserve. My brother-in-law, Jim Maloney, refers to these inward reservations as "heart measles. " No preacher has not had the accuser of the brethren work overtime on his behalf around other ministers, around other Christians, around other fellowships, and has not known what it is to go with every eye on him.

"Let us not therefore judge one another any more. " This doesn’t mean that we are not to evaluate others properly in the Spirit. The word "judge" in Romans 14:30 means in a sense of condemning our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to "judge" each other in the sense that we ascertain a need and minister to it (see Galatians 6:1-2).

Judge NOT According to Appearance

Two passages in Isaiah speak of how Jesus would judge and how He would not judge. To follow the example Jesus set forth is a wise principle.

Isaiah 42:19 records some strange words about the Servant Yahweh was going to send: "Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent?who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the Lord’s servant?" Is it not strange that the Lord’s servant is to be blind? The Lord’s messenger is to be deaf? Think of it: the messenger that God would send would be blind and deaf!

"Who is blind as he that is perfect. " In Isaiah 42:18 we read: "Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. " That is exactly what Jesus did. The deaf heard and the blind saw. Yet the Word says of Him that although He opened the ears of the deaf and opened the eyes of the blind, He is both blind and deaf. We know that this cannot be a blindness and a deafness concerning His physical eyes and ears for Isaiah 42:20 reads: "Seeingmany things, but thou observest not [seeing many things but paying little regard to them]; opening the ears, but he heareth not. "

"He who is perfect is blind. " The prophecy stated of Jesus, "He who is sent by God is deaf. " He opened the ears of the deaf and caused the blind to see, but He is blind and deaf. He sees many things but doesn’t observe them. He opens the ears, but He hears not. This paradox is one of those holy riddles we sometimes find in the Word of God.

Let us see how He is blind.

Turn to Isaiah 11:1-16. The first few verses in this chapter deal with the first coming of Jesus, and the last several verses deal with the Second Coming. Verse one is one of the messianic promises of Jesus, the Branch that would grow out of Jesse’s root. Verse two reads, "And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. " Here are seven spirits of God. John 3:36 states that Jesus had the Spirit without measure; this means not only in quantity but also in all operations.

We read in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:4; Revelation 3:1; Revelation 4:5; Revelation 5:6) of the seven spirits of God, or the sevenfold Holy Spirit.

Jesus had the Spirit of the Lord; the Dove rested upon Him so that He could heal the bruised and deliver the oppressed (Luke 4:18).

He had the spirit of wisdom and understanding so that He would know how to answer the questions of the scribes and the Pharisees.

He used the spirit of counsel and might in His prophetic ministry.

Later we’ll see how He used the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

Isaiah 11:3, "And shall make him of quick understanding (to perceive or tosmell) in the fear of the Lord: andhe shall not judge after the sight of hiseyes."

(WHO IS BLIND BUT MY SERVANT? WHO IS BLIND AS HE THAT IS PERFECT?) How would Jesus be blind? "He shall not judge after the sight ofhis eyes. " (Oh, yes, His physical eyes will be quite able to see, but He won’t make decisions by what He sees.) How is He deaf? "Neither reprove after thehearing of his ears, " that is, He won’t render a decision by what His ears hear.

"But with righteousness shall he judge. . . . "

We have already mentioned that John’s Gospel told how Jesus judged: "Judgenot according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. "

"Appearance" means don’t judge after the sight of your eyes, but judge righteous judgment. Isaiah 11:3 and Isaiah 11:4 fit in so beautifully with John 7:24.

"But with righteousness shall he judge (deliver) the poor. " The problem is that the accuser gets us to sit in judgment. We are guilty of this because we walk according to the appearance.

Let us take one more example from the Gospel of John which shows how Jesus practiced the fulfillment of the prophecies given in Isaiah.

Jesus’ methods of judging are portrayed in John 2:1-25 and John 8:59. Isaiah clearly taught that the Messiah would not judge after the sight of His eyes nor reprove after the hearing of His ears, but with righteousness would He judge. A quick perception (scent), a quick knowing in the fear of the Lord.

John 2:23-24: "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feastday, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them because he knew all men. " This is strange indeed. He is at Jerusalem at the passover on a feast day and has an outstanding meeting.

Many people believe in Him when they see the miracles He does. (If He had had a magazine, it would have been the meeting of the month!) From the natural eye it appears to be an outstanding success. He is so wonderfully received. Many are believing—many seeing tremendous miracles—a great time, yet Jesus shows no elation over the meeting. "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them. " It must have seemed strange to His disciples. Jesus was not carried away with all of this because “he knew all men and needed not that any should testify of man: for heknew what was in man. " Jesus did not need anyone to tell Him what another person was like. The narrative in John 2:25 ends the chapter, but no chapter division should occur there. The words following are actually an example of Jesus’ knowing what was in man. "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of theJews. . . . " This man is really somebody. This is a teacher’s teacher, a preacher’s preacher. This is the elite of the spiritual hobnob of Jerusalem. And yet Jesus said, "Nicodemus, you need to be born again. " Jesus knew what was in him. How did He know what was in man? Because the knowledge of the Lord was upon Him, the quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. He didn’t judge by the sight of His eyes.

Jesus did not judge "after the hearing of his ears. "

Possibly some said of Nicodemus, "He’s one of our most spiritual persons in all of Israel. " But Jesus judged with righteousness. He saw the inward spirit of the man, and it was quite dead.

Another example is found in John, chapter 8, fulfilling the prophecy, "He shallnot judge after the sight of his eyes, nor reprove after the hearing of his ears. "

"Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground,as though heheard them not." He doesn’t make a decision by what His ears hear. He sees many things and pays no attention to them.

"As though he heard them not. " He opens deaf ears and yet doesn’t hear with His own ears.

Some theologians, who are not as smart as they assume they are, purport the idea that this incident was a setup. According to this view the woman wasn’t actually an adulteress, but an actress. The Pharisees were hoping to embarrass Christ by putting Him into a position where He would pass judgment for adultery on an innocent individual. The people would then know He was not a true prophet and His ministry would be permanently discredited. However, if one accepts the Word of God as his standard this woman surely was the adulteress the Pharisees said she was because Jesus exhorted her to "sin no more" (John 8:11), after all her judges had left the scene. The truth is the Pharisees showed their bigotry, hypocrisy, and partiality in that they only brought the woman, and not the man also. "Master, she was taken inadultery, in the very act. " Well, what did they do with the man? They didn’t bring him. Moses taught that both parties were to be stoned. Yet, these scribes and Pharisees brought only the woman.

Notice that Jesus was at the temple (John 8:2), and many people were around Him. The people at the temple knew the law of Moses. These people were conditioned only by the Law. Jesus couldn’t explain the soon-to-come new covenant and the grace of God. In fact, Jesus couldn’t even explain grace and the new covenant to His closest disciples. He said in John 16:12, “I have yet manythings to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. " Since all men were so firmly entrenched in the belief that one must be circumcised to saved, it took the Holy Spirit ten years after Pentecost to teach them that a Gentile could be saved without that rite. Jesus, therefore, could not explain to these people the purpose for which He was sent. These people walked by the Word, and the Word then was only the Old Testament; and it said irrevocably that an adulterer and adulteress are to be stoned to death without mercy.

Jesus was sent by the Father not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:17). He was sent not to reveal the law of God, but the grace of God (John 1:17). He was between a rock and a hard place. If He had said, "Don’t stone her, " then those present would have said, "This man is a false prophet, for it is written. . . . " He would have been opposing the law of Moses and would have been in disrepute by the people. If Jesus had said, "Stone her, " then He would have been compromising His conviction and thwarting the purpose of His mission; for the Father sent Him not into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He didn’t come to destroy, He came to save those which were lost (Luke 19:10). At one time when the disciples said to Him, "They won’t receive You here, do You want us to command fire to come down?"

Overcoming Satan When He Accuses Others to Me answered, "You don’t even know what spirit you are of. "

"Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, AS THOUGH HE HEARD THEM NOT. " I believe He was writing various Scriptures on the ground, about the Lord’s mercy and love. In John 8:7 Jesus gave the perfect answer. "So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. " That is to say, "the sinner shall be stoned. Butthe sinner must be stoned by sinless stone-throwers. That even sounded good according to the law of Moses. Now doesn’t that make sense? If you are going to stone a sinner, you, as stone-throwers, should be sinless. In saying this, He doesn’t refute the law of Moses, nor does He compromise His mission. The "spirit of wisdom and understanding" was upon Him. The Pharisees were men who were not ready to admit their own sins. Usually they said in effect to Jesus, "We see, we are not blind. We are of God, You are of the devil, " etc. But here Jesus did something. In John 8:7 He said,

"Sinless stone-throwers, stone the sinner, " and "again he stooped down, andwrote on the ground.And they which heard it, being convicted by their ownconscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (John 8:9).

"They went out one by one. " Why didn’t they all go out together? "Beginning at the eldest, even unto the last"—beginning with the oldest Pharisee and ending with the youngest Pharisee.

He must have gotten the attention of the oldest Pharisee. Quite possibly when He stooped down and wrote in the sand in classical Hebrew, so that no one standing around could read it but the educated Pharisee, He wrote His chief, most grievous sin. And being convicted by what he had heard—"he that is without sin let him cast the first stone"—and being convicted by what he saw—his own pet sin, his greatest failure before God—he was convicted by his own conscience and went out first.

Then Jesus looked at the next in line. He’s the next super righteous. He’s the one who, if asked, "Are you righteous?" would reply, "Oh, am I righteous! I fast twice a week, I give tithes of everything I own. " Jesus caught his attention and wrote his sin on the ground. Being convicted by what he had heard and by what he had read, he went out also. Perhaps Jesus wrote the name of someone that Pharisee had sinned against. Only that Pharisee understood what the name "Micah" meant as the strange prophet wrote it in the earth.

Those now leaving were the same men who were dragging the woman through the street a short time before, they who would not relax their grip on her wrists as they hauled her before Jesus. Jesus kept on writing on the ground until they all left. They went out one by one, beginning with the oldest to the youngest. What He wrote—every man knew He had no way of knowing—was revealed to Him by God. He couldn’t condone sin, but the sin within their hearts was as great as the sin within her acts, and if one should be stoned, all should be stoned.

Jesus didn’t need any man to tell Him what a person was like, for He knows what is in man. He doesn’t judge according to the appearance, He judges righteous judgment.

Then "when Jesus lifted himself up, and saw none but the woman, he saidunto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (John 8:10-11).

"Where are those thine accusers?" We become accusers, instruments of the accuser of the brethren, whenever we judge after the flesh. We know man after the flesh instead of knowing him by the Spirit. Jesus did not know a person after the flesh; He knew a person by the Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5:16 Paul spoke to the Corinthian church, who were guilty of glorying in appearance and not in heart. They were guilty of thinking they were the super church with super apostles that would come through. They were super-duper wonder workers. They gloried in man. Paul said, "Your glorying is notgood. "

They might have said, "Have you been in so and so’s meeting?" "Have you heard this man?" Then to other ministers who were truly ministers of God, they might have paid little regard. Even of Paul himself they said, "He writes pretty good letters, but his personal presence is weak. He is unimpressive. He’s not even a good speaker. " In response Paul said, "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after theflesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. " That’s why there are no original paintings of Christ today. God knew we would copy after the flesh; whereas He wants to form Christ within our souls. All the things we know about Jesus today are what we’ve learned about Him by the Spirit and the Word. Paul taught us that in the very same way that we know Jesus, by the Spirit, we are to know every man among us.

Am I My Brother’s Keeper? The attitude many Christians seem to have is: "Am I my brother’s keeper?" This is the Cain spirit and a wrong attitude. It robs. We are not to look only after ourselves, but we are to look after our brother also. We are to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. If a brother is not an overcomer, are we to kick him? That is what the accuser wants us to do. If the brother stumbles in some outward sin, we find many Saints who will kick him.

There is a way to identify a fault in a brother or sister which is not in a sense of condemnation. In Zechariah 3:1-10, the angel of the Lord said to Joshua that if he would keep God’s ways, he would deliver His house. "If thou wilt walk in myways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt alsojudge[deliver]my house,and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walkamong these that stand by" (Zechariah 3:7). The Lord wants us to DELIVER His house. He wants us to be able to judge with righteous judgment. He that is spiritual judges all things (1 Corinthians 2:15). We are to judge without a sense of condemnation or retaliation. We are to judge on a one-to-one basis. If our brother trespasses against us, are we first to call our best Christian friend and tell all about it? No.

We are first to go to the trespasser and tell the fault to the trespasser ALONE (Matthew 18:1-35). This is the correct way. This keeps the slanderer from accusing the body of Christ.

God grant that when a brother or sister resists you in a particular truth, you won’t let the accuser of the brethren build within you a wall of defensiveness against him or her.

Three things greatly hinder the power of God in the church. They grieve Christ and quench the moving of His healing power. These hindrances are given in Isaiah 58:6-9.

Israel asked, "Why have we fasted and Thou seest not?"

God then gives three reasons why they were not receiving the healing power:1) the yoke of not letting the oppressed go free (legalism); 2) putting forth of the finger (criticism, faultfinding); and 3) speaking vanities (insincerity in speech). All of these hindrances are the influence of the accuser. The third hindrance mentioned is "speaking vanities, " or insincere speech, or speaking words that we don’t mean. Put these away and then "shall your healing break forth speedily, and your light shall come quickly. "

Sadly, we are quick to judge the wrong way, and slow to judge the right way. A right way to judge does exist.

Matthew 7:1 tells us in these very familiar words: "Judge not, that ye be notjudged. " Sometimes the Word says, "don’t judge, " and sometimes it says "judge. " This is not a contradiction, but a contradistinction. Note Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 2:15: "But he that is spiritual judgeth [discerns]ALL THINGS, yet he himself is judged of no man. " That is, he weighs all things, he judges all things. Note also the wording: "HE THAT IS SPIRITUALjudges all things. "

There are shades of meaning in the word "judge. " One of the most common meanings is "to deliver. " All the judges that God raised up in the Old Testament were literally "the deliverers. "

Believers are to "judge" or "deliver" a brother or sister. In Matthew 7:1 the meaning here is that we are not to sit in judgment, but we are to deliver. The wrong way to judge would be to sit in judgment. There will come a time when we will sit in judgment, we will even judge the angels, but until that time we judge no one. We are not to sit in judgment before the time (see 1 Corinthians 4:5). The Matthew 7:1-29 Scripture is usually read only through Matthew 7:4 : "Judge not, thatye be not judged. . . and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote [a sliver] that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam [the pole] that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?" The sad thing is that we often stop here when we read this Scripture. We need to read Matthew 7:5. If we don’t, we will think God does not want us to behold a fault in a brother. In fact, if we even mention in the right spirit that a particular brother may need prayer about something, someone may be quick to say, "Judge not!"

If we don’t read the total context of these verses, we are left with the misconception that it is wrong to ever evaluate another person, that it is out of order to ever weigh them; because as surely as we find a mote in his eye, we will have a beam in our eye. Therefore, we could conclude that we are not ever to be concerned about our brother’s splinter in his eye. We may think we are doing our brother a service by ignoring the sliver in his eye.

Jesus teaches us the proper way to judge. "Thou hypocrite [play actor], FIRSTcast out the beam out of thine own eye; and THEN shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye" (Matthew 7:5). This passage was opened to me in the following event.

I had been preaching in a small church in Texas. Some carpentry had been going on in the back of the building, and a brother got something in his eye. It was so painful to him. It was only a small splinter, but it felt like a huge rock. People tried to help and he’d say, "Oh, no, don’t bother me. Just leave me alone. " It was a natural reaction because of the pain.

I ran to him and pulled out my hankie and said, "Brother, let me help you. "

"No, no!"

"Yes, let me help you, " I spoke with authority because that splinter needed to be removed. I opened his eye, and there it was. The splinter wasn’t large, but it was dangerous to be in his eye. I couldn’t see it too clearly. I was concerned about what might happen if I accidentally pushed it in deeper. We brought him under the light, and I then could see the splinter clearly. It stuck to the hankie, and I pulled it away. He was so relieved. He grabbed and hugged me, saying, "Thanks!" While the splinter was in his eye, he didn’t want me to bother with it, but when it was out he was very grateful.

Now you are doing your brother a disservice if he is overtaken in a fault, and you do not restore him. His spiritual eyesight will be impaired if the sliver in his eye is not removed. But if you don’t deal with the "timber of self" in your own life, you won’t be able to see clearly to remove the speck. In fact, you may even impair his eyesight and cause spiritual damage because you will push that splinter further into the eye. In order to see clearly we must be able to judge with righteous judgment, which we can do after we’ve first judged ourselves. This is what Paul said in Galatians 6:1:

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself (as Jesus said, "first cast the beam out of your own eye"), lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. "

JESUS WANTS US TO TAKE THE MOTE OUT OF OUR BROTHER’S EYE. But He doesn’t want us to sit in judgment, or we’ll only grind the splinter into the eye.

Judge Not. . . But Judge

There is a way we are NEVER to judge, and there is a way we are ALWAYS to judge. He that is spiritual judges ALL THINGS (1 Corinthians 2:15). We are always to judge that way. That is why Paul said, "You which are spiritualrestore such an one. " For only those who are spiritual are able to judge the right way. John 7:24 tells us, "JUDGE NOT according to the appearance, BUTJUDGE righteous judgment. " This is out of the Master’s mouth.

There is no discrepancy or contradiction here. In 2 Corinthians 5:12, Paul was rebuking those who gloried in appearance and not in heart. We often think, carnal Christians like the Corinthians would gloryin appearance, but no spiritual man of God could fall into such a mistake.

Let us look in I Samuel. Now here is a spiritual man, Samuel. This man had heard God’s voice since childhood.

He had received the revelation of God since his childhood.

He had judged Israel for forty years, and no record of disobedience or rebellion against God exists in all of Samuel’s life. He was a very godly man.

King Saul had been deposed in God’s eyes (1 Samuel 16:1-23). He was still king but God had refused him. The Lord sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to choose Saul’s successor from Jesse’s sons. Samuel went; they offered sacrifice; and then Samuel said, "Jesse, get all of your boys together" (1 Samuel 16:5). Seven of his sons were present. He had eight sons, but he didn’t bother to get the youngest. One of the older sons perhaps would be a successor to King Saul but surely not the youngest.

They had been worshipping God, offering sacrifices. The prophet Samuel should be "in the Spirit. " "And it came to pass, when theywere come, that he [Samuel] looked on Eliab [the oldest son], and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him. " This was Samuel’s decision. Thisis the successor for King Saul. This is the next king of Israel. The Lord’s anointed.

"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him. " Even godly people can still judge after the appearance—the way we are NEVER to judge. Even godly Samuel, when he looked at Eliab, who was so handsome and strong to look upon, said, "Surely this is the successor for King Saul. This is the Lord’s anointed before Him. "

God had to rebuke experienced Samuel. "Don’t look on his countenance, nor his stature, I refused him. For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (paraphrased).

This, too, is how the accuser comes in. I’m not referring only to the physical appearance of a man, but also to the way a situation can appear. You may hear a story about some minister; the way it appears, you should just jump all over him, but you don’t know the full story. You need to pray for God to give you the ability to discern and see what the motives and intents were. Because, while God sees our outward actions, He weighs our actions by our attitude. He judges our methods by our motives. God begins His inspection in the heart. ". . . For theLORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed" (1 Samuel 2:3).

None of the seven sons of Jesse was chosen by the Lord. "And Samuel saidunto Jesse, Are here all thy children?" None of these was Saul’s successor.

Jesse replied, " There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeththe sheep. " So the youngster was called for.

Along came David. He was ruddy in complexion, and somewhat good to look upon. This was the Lord’s anointed. God had to point out to Samuel not to judge by outward appearance. Even a very mature man of God can miss it by judging according to his eyes or his ears. Pray with me:

"Lord, teach us to overcome faultfinding, grudging, repeating hearsay; and even if we are repeating what is true, teach us not to repeat it unless it will do good for the Kingdom.

"Lord, teach us to practicePhp 4:8: ’Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. ’

"I repent of repeating hearsay.

"I repent of gossiping.

"I repent of judgmentalism, faultfinding, and criticism.

"I repent of every way that I have yielded to Satan to use me to sow discord among the brethren. I will no longer tear down my brother or my sister with my tongue. I purpose that the adder’s poison will not be in my lips.

"I ask forgiveness where I have judged with carnal judgment.

"I ask forgiveness for judging men after the flesh, for glorying after the outward appearance.

"I ask for the ability to judge a righteous judgment, that I will not need any man to testify about a man; that I will have true discernment and know what is in man; that I will judge the 72

Overcoming Satan When He Accuses Others to Me heart attitude and only in the sense to deliver Your house, for You alone are their judge; that I shall not judge by the sight of my eyes, nor reprove after the hearing of my ears; that my eyes be blind and my ears deaf concerning outward judgment; that I will judge after the Spirit, and walk in love to the upbuilding of the body of Christ; that I will never again be a tool of the accuser of the brethren.

"Thank You, Lord. "