Judging Ourselves Without Condemnation

When we come to the Lord's table, I am always reminded of 1 Corinthians 11, and I've said this many times, let a man, 1 Corinthians 11, 28, a man must examine himself and thus eat of the bread and drink of the cup. You know the human tendency is always to examine other people and judge other people. We are very merciful to ourselves.

You know, if we do something wrong, we say, well, there was a reason for it. And there's always a reason when we do something wrong. But when someone else does something wrong, we don't think there could be a reason too.

And that's why we need to learn. When Jesus went to the cross, he blamed nobody. I remember years ago reading a poem that says the hands of men always pointing at other people for their sin.

But when Jesus crucified, his fingers were not pointing at anybody. He just let both his hands be crucified. And there's a picture there of that we should not be pointing our finger at others.

That's one area where we really have to. It doesn't come easily because it's a natural tendency. And it came to us from Adam.

You know, the very first words that our forefather Adam, your forefather, my forefather, Adam, his very first words that he spoke that are recorded in the Bible are these. This woman is the cause of all the problem. That's what he said.

She's the one who got me into this trouble. And that, when we say we have inherited a nature from our parents, it goes all the way to Adam, this pointing a finger. But here Christ gave us an example.

That's what when we partake of the Lord's table, we are saying we identify with Christ in his death, which means my hands are crucified. And so that's what I need to examine myself as I come to the Lord's table. One question we can always ask ourselves today.

Is there anybody you are pointing a finger at right now? Or have been pointing a finger at during the week? Well, let's try and get over that habit. And every breaking of bread is a reminder to overcome that habit. Let a man examine himself and then eat the bread and drink the cup.

We don't have to examine others. God is well able to examine people without our help. We are not in the court.

There's a judge. There's a defense lawyer, prosecution lawyer, and a witness. And there's the accused.

These are the different people in the court, the judge, the accused, the accuser, and the defense attorney. And then there's a witness. Which are we among all this? We're not the judge.

God is the judge. We are not the accuser. That's the devil.

I hope we don't hold hands with him. And Jesus is the defending attorney. We are witnesses.

So think of that picture in the court and never get into any of those other seats of the judge or the accuser. We can help the defense attorney. You can pray with Jesus.

That's fine. But never get into the position of accuser. Let a man examine himself.

There's a verse in 1 Corinthians 16, which for many, many years, I got it cut out in letters and had in my house in India for many years. And I have it now in my apartment here. There's this lovely verse in 1 Corinthians 16, verse 14.

Please remember it. Let all that you do be done in love. That's a good word for us to always keep in mind.

I kept it in my office room all the time. I look at it. I say, okay, I'm going to do something, whether I will do something strict or a word of encouragement or a word of correction.

Both are necessary. All of you who have children, you know that you have to encourage them and correct them, but both of them must be done in love. We encourage in love and we must correct also in love.

Let all that you do be done in love. It's a great verse for us to live our whole life by. I think I've had that verse in my house for maybe 30 years or more.

Always, it was in our dining room in our home in India, and it's in my office room here. For me, it's a very, very important verse. Like every other area, we are not perfect in one day.

One day I will be perfect in love, but we must work towards it. Like I said once, I really appreciate the kindergarten boy who, when he was asked, what are you studying for? He said, I'm studying to get my PhD. He's only six years old in the kindergarten, but look at his ambition.

It may take me 20 years to get my PhD, but I want to get it. It may take me 20 years to do everything in love, but I'm going to do it. I'm not going to remain in the kindergarten all the time.

Next year, I will do a few more things in love. The year after that, I'll do a few more things in love. You are afraid that I'll do a few more things in love.

Gradually, I will eliminate from my life everything that is not done in love as I get light. I can't eliminate until I get light on something. It's like the child learns something more in the first grade, in the second grade, in third grade, but in every grade, there's learning something more.

Our Christian life is to be like that. It's a wonderful thing to come to the breaking of bread and say, Lord, I want to learn a little more as I break bread with you, because this is a symbol, that broken bread is a symbol of his body broken and the blood shed was shed for forgiveness of our sins. I often think that the Roman soldier, when he pierced the side of Jesus with his spear, the spear was immediately covered with his blood.

I love that, that when somebody spears me, it must be immediately covered with my love. There shouldn't be a delay there. It didn't take time for that spear to be covered with the blood of Jesus.

It's almost as though the Lord was saying, I forgive you. So, love is different from wisdom. In Philippians chapter one, Paul says, our love must grow in wisdom.

Philippians one, verse nine. The Philippians are a wonderful bunch of Christians, one of the best churches that Paul found. He had tremendous words of appreciation for this church, and he said, I thank God for you, and many things like that.

But he says, in spite of all their good things, is I pray in verse nine, Philippians one, nine, that your love must grow more and more in discernment, that is in wisdom. Our love must grow in wisdom, because there's a lot of foolish love. A lot of parents, for example, are very foolish in their love sometimes towards their children.

Give them a whole lot of things, give the children a whole lot of things that ruin them. Lots and lots of video games to ruin them. You think that's love? That's love without discernment.

Allow their children to go to places and things which are not good. Love must grow. They don't, I mean, the parents love their children, but there's no wisdom there, and the children are ruined.

I've seen lots of children of believers in India and in this country who have gone astray, ruined, not because their parents did not love them. The parents loved them, spent a lot of money on them, their clothes, education, everything, but there was no wisdom. It's better to have to have less gifts that we give and more wisdom in our dealing with our children.

Likewise with one another, when husband and wife relationships, I'm sure all of you husbands and wives here, I believe all of you love each other. I don't doubt it. If you belong to this church, I'm sure you love your husband, you love your wife, but I don't know whether you're always wise in the way you speak to your husband or your wife.

That I don't know, or the way you deal with your husband or wife. It may not be with wisdom, and so Paul says there's no lack of your love, but your love must grow in wisdom, and we must pray for that. Lord, let my wisdom increase, and here is a promise, a promise that you can claim.

James and chapter 1 and verse 5, James 1 5, if any of you lacks wisdom, what should you do? Ask God. You can study the Bible, you get a lot of wisdom from the Bible, but in some practical situation, you need to ask God, what shall I do here? How shall I handle this situation? How shall I deal with my son or daughter in this situation? I love my son or daughter tremendously, but what I need is wisdom. Let him ask God, do you lack wisdom? Do you lack wisdom in relating to some brother or sister who is a little difficult, or some relative who's a little difficult? Ask God, and it says here, God is not stingy.

He may not give you all the money that you need, which you think you need. In his wisdom, he may not give you, because he thinks that money will ruin you. Just like we don't give money to small children.

It will ruin them. So God also doesn't give money, but he gives us wisdom. Wisdom, he'll never stop giving.

It says here, God will give generously. If there's one thing God gives generously, overflowing, it is wisdom. And he will not rebuke you, it says.

It's a beautiful verse. He will not rebuke you. Sometimes we tell our children, oh, how many times I've told you to not to do that, or how many times I've told you to do that.

The Lord never tells us like that. Imagine if the Lord began to speak to us like that. How many times I've told you not to do that, or how many times I told you? We get discouraged.

Our children get discouraged when you say that all the time to them. He never says it. What does it mean, without reproach? Without reproach means you come to him for the thousandth time concerning the same matter.

Say, Lord, give me some wisdom here. He will not say, I've already told you a thousand times. He'll never say that without reproach.

Be encouraged that if you ever go to God saying, Lord, I'm a bit stupid here. I don't know what to do. I've always done a lot of foolish things in my relationship with my wife, or husband, or my brother-in-law, or mother-in-law, or X, Y, Z. We've done a lot of foolish things.

Lord, please give me some wisdom. It says, first of all, he will not rebuke you. And second, he'll give you as much as you want.

And some of you are children. You also need to learn how to speak to your parents. Your children need to learn how to speak to your parents in humility.

One of the biggest characteristics of wisdom is humility. True wisdom is always humble. The wisest person that walked on earth, you know who that was? Jesus.

And he was the humblest. Wisdom and humility go together. So pursue after humility, and you'll have wisdom too.

So ask, and God will give without blaming you. He will give you generously. That means if you ask him for one pound, he'll give you a hundred pounds of wisdom.

I believe that. But it says there's one condition. There's only one condition.

Verse six, you must ask in faith, without doubting. Don't go to God and say, Lord, I want wisdom here, but I'm not too sure whether you'll give it to me. I'll tell you now itself, you won't get it.

Don't even waste your time asking. You go to God and say, Lord, this is a very tough situation, and I really need a lot of wisdom, but I'm not too sure you'll give it to me. I'll tell you now itself, you won't get it.

Don't waste your time asking. Let him ask in faith without doubting. Father, you are my dad.

I'm not asking for money or honor or position. I'm asking so that in this difficult situation, I will act in a Christ-like way. You want to act in a Christ-like way and you mean to say God will not give you? Of course he'll give you.

Why do you doubt some difficult situation you're facing and maybe a decision you have to take, and you want to take a Christ-like decision in that situation? God sees your sincere desire to act in a Christ-like way and to take a Christ-like decision. Why should you condemn yourself saying, oh, I'm not good enough. You may not be good enough, but God is good.

Believe that he'll give you what you don't deserve. You don't deserve an answer, but he'll give you an answer. That is faith.

Faith is to believe that even if I don't deserve it, he'll give it to me. Not because I deserve it, but because he is a good God. I don't get gifts from God because I deserve it.

Christ did not come to earth because we deserved it. No. Christ came to earth to prove that God is good.

And when God gives me an answer, it's not because I'm good, it's because he's good. So please remember that as we break bread today. Lord, what shall we judge ourselves for today? I think lack of faith.

We don't think of that as a sin. You know, when you don't trust somebody, it's one of the greatest insults you can give him. Supposing your wife came and told you, I don't trust you.

That's worse than slapping you. Or if your husband tells you, darling, I love you a lot, but I don't trust you. It's much better that he slaps you than to tell you he doesn't trust you.

See how serious that is in human relationships? And I go to God and ask him for something. I'm not too sure that he'll give it to me, Lord. It's like slapping him in the face.

Let him ask in faith without any doubt. Because it says if you're in doubt, like the froth on the top of the sea, the waves that surf that gets tossed around this way, that way, this way, that way, you'll never get anything. And here is a promise from the Lord for such people.

There is a promise for such people who doubt. Here it is. Verse 7, you will get nothing.

It's also a promise. You will get zero from God. Did you know there was a promise like that? Here it is in verse 7. That man need not expect to get anything.

Do you realize now, my brother, sister, by some situations, you got zero from God? Even though you prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed, you got zero. You know the answer now. You didn't believe that he loved you enough to give you the best.

You kept on thinking how much, how good you are. Will God give it to me? You're not good enough. Forget it.

Think of how good he is. He gives you because he's good, not because you're good. And he sees you in Christ.

Remember that, that when God looks at you, I thank God for that. When my father looks at me, he sees me in Christ, perfect. I'm not perfect.

I know that, but he sees me in Christ. And that is the meaning of, we conclude our prayer by saying, Father, I'm praying for this in the name of Jesus Christ. What am I saying? I'm saying, Lord, I don't deserve this at all.

But I'm in Christ, and you placed me in Christ, so I have a right to get an answer from you. More right to get an answer than if I went to an earthly father. I tell you, when you understand the New Covenant Christian life, it is the best possible life you can ever have.

So all members of New Covenant Christian Fellowship live in the New Covenant. And when you experience goodness from God like that, it'll be easy to be good to difficult people. Yeah.

When you see how good God is to you, it'll be easy to be good to difficult people. It'll be easy, I'll tell you honestly, it'll be easy to forgive anybody in the world. I seek to live in that position where there's no human being in the world whom I'm not forgiven.

All the time, every day, morning till night. I told you the other day about future forgiveness. Whoever does anything against that covenant is already forgiven now, even in the future.

I follow Jesus there. So verse 8, if you're double-minded, you're an unstable Christian. It's like a house that is always shaking.

Unstable. One day you trust God, another day you don't trust him. As if it depends on what you are.

It does not depend on what you are. God is exactly the same always. And that is why I can be stable and unshaken every day.

Because I'm coming not in my name. You need to understand what it means to conclude our prayer by saying, I pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does that mean? I'm not coming in my merit, Father.

I'm not asking you to give me this because I've been a good boy or a good girl. I'm asking you because I come, I am in Christ. And I come in that name.

And to the best of my knowledge, I don't have any sin on my conscience. And to the best of my knowledge, I don't have any bitterness against anybody in the world. To the best of my knowledge, unknown to me, there may be something I can't.

That's one of the great truths I discovered in reading Romans 7 and 8. That unknown to me, there may be something in me which I don't know. But knowingly, I don't have anything. That's all that's needed.

Let me show you those two wonderful verses in Romans 7 and I'll conclude with that. Romans 7. Let me paraphrase this, then you'll understand it. From Romans 7, 22.

I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man. That's what I really am. Deep down in my heart, I think most of all, most if not all of us can say that.

I really want to obey 100% God's law, which is love God with all your heart and love others as Jesus loved me. I want to do that. Do you agree with it? I don't think there's a single person here who disagrees.

I joyfully concur with that law, which tells me to love God first and to love others. But this also we have to say, I see another law in my flesh, sometimes making me a little bitter or disturbed with somebody. Paul is honest.

He says, yes, it is there. That's warring against the law of my mind. The law of my mind, verse 23 is what? I want to love that person.

But there's this thought coming up, but he did this to you or reminding you of what he did to your child or something like that. Oh, he says, oh, wretched man that I am, verse 24, the struggle going on in me. I want to love, but these other thoughts come in.

I want to be pure, but these other thoughts come in. How will I be set free from this? And I'll tell you this, that battle will go on until Jesus comes again. It will not stop.

It's a battle. It's like the giants of Canaan. Joshua had to keep on fighting them till the last giant was killed.

But thanks be to God, because Jesus Christ is our Lord. And does it mean I'm perfect? No. But I'm thankful that with my mind, I am serving only the law of God, verse 25.

That is, with my mind, I'm determined to love God with all my heart and to love every person just like I love myself, to love my fellow believers just like Christ loved me. I am 100% determined in my mind. But in my flesh, what to do? This is other thing that keeps coming up and urging me, but I'm battling it.

So what should I do because of this? Shall I live in condemnation? The next verse is very important. In spite of this conflict, there is no condemnation. Chapter Romans 7.25 without reading Romans 8.1. That is the concluding sentence of Romans 7.25. Very unfortunate that somebody put a chapter division there.

The whole thing should be one verse. Even though my flesh is constantly thinking like this, there's no condemnation. So I don't come with condemnation to the breaking of bread.

I come with great joy because deep down in my heart, I want to love God and love one another. Isn't that how you are? Then come with rejoicing today, brother, sister, to the breaking of bread without any condemnation. Amen.