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| > Sermon Archive > Sermons by Author > Rev. Rodney den Boer > Life in Jesus' kingdom is characterised by charity | Previous Next Print |
| Order Of Worship (Liturgy) Read: James 2:1-13; Sing: Hy 46; Ps 51:1, 2; Ps 119:1,4; Ps 51:3, 5; Hy 79:1, 2, 5 Questions for reflection/discussion
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Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Imagine you walk into a room and you feel very judged. It seems that everyone is staring at you. They are probably condemning you for the shoes you’re wearing or the way your hair looks or the colour of your shirt. They might even make a comment about one of those things. The judgement around you might feel palpable, and so you put up your guard and don’t truly relax. The vibes just don’t feel good.
Or on the other hand, think about a place where you feel very comfortable, your own family, or perhaps some good friends. You just walk in as you are, you know everyone loves you, they’re your family! And so, you don’t worry about how you look, if your hair is perfect or not, or what you’re wearing, but you are just yourself, you know you are loved and accepted. And this second picture is closer to how life in the church ought to be: where we love and accept each other as family. That’s what the kingdom of Jesus Christ looks like, because this is the sort of love and acceptance that he has shown us: welcoming us as his family.
The problem is that the church doesn’t always look like that. Some of you can tell stories of churches you’ve been in that are full of judgement and condemnation between members. We’re not a perfect church here, either, and sometimes we are guilty of judging and condemning each other. It comes out in the way we talk about other people, in a judgemental or critical spirit, it comes out in small comments we make to others who don't meet our standards.
And so, the word of the Lord Jesus comes to us today, and as we submit to his word, he shapes us to be like his family, so that the church becomes full of the good vibes of love and acceptance, of charity. When we think of “charity” we think of a cause that helps poor or needy people, but the word can mean, more generally, good-will or benevolence towards others, and I think this word captures well what our Lord is teaching in this passage. So, I’ve summarised the message of our text:
Life in Jesus’ kingdom is characterised by charity towards one another
- This charity is shown by not judging
- This charity is modelled by humble leaders
1. Charity is shown by not judging
As Christ teaches about life in his kingdom, he continues the theme of radical love. Jesus commands: “Do not judge, and you shall not be judged. Do not condemn, and you shall not be condemned.”
To judge someone is to form a negative opinion about them, to think negatively of them, to put them down in your thoughts, to assume the worst is true about them. You go on from there very quickly to condemn them, to put them down as tried and guilty for whatever judgement you have made.
Luke gives some examples of what this sort of judgement looked like. In ch7, he gives the example of Simon the Pharisee, who invited the Lord Jesus for dinner. And then a woman of the city, a sinner, heard about the dinner party and gatecrashed and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair, and then she anointed his feet with fragrant oil. Now the Pharisee Simon said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would know who or what manner of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” The Pharisee looked down on her, he judged and condemned her.
Another example is found in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, in Luke 18. This Pharisee went to the temple and prayed, and said, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” Again, he looked down on other people and condemned them, just as the Pharisee Simon in ch7.
And we read about one more example in James 2, where the people James wrote to deferred to the rich, they gave them good seats in church, and the poor people had to stand in the corner, or sit on the ground. James says, “have you not become judges with evil thoughts?”
Dear brothers and sisters, isn’t it true that we almost instantly form assumptions about people when we meet them? Very often, we think more highly of ourselves than others. For example, you meet someone at school, they’re a bit “weird.” Somehow, they don’t quite fit in. Maybe they’re not good at sports, maybe they apply themselves well and get good grades, maybe they wear the wrong shoes or clothes. And you judge them; you treat them a bit like an outsider, you don’t include them in your conversations, you don’t invite them to join your friend activities. Or you just make some comments about them to your friends, “did you see what he did?” “Did you hear what she said?” They’re weird, or stupid.
Or maybe someone drives a car that you think is a bit rundown or has a funny colour, and you think less of them. Or maybe someone is wearing the wrong sort of clothes for church, and you condemn them, at least in your mind. Or maybe someone is overweight and you judge them for their unhealthy lifestyle. Or they have different ways of bringing up their children, and you think, what a terrible way to do it, I don’t think they’re very good parents.
The reality is that our judgement is often ill-informed or wrong. We naturally think too highly of ourselves and we often don’t take the time to truly listen and understand where other people are at. For example, if I judge someone for their weight, I might not realise how much effort they’re actually putting in to exercise, or the medication they might be taking, or their genetic disposition.
There is so much depth to every person which we often ignore before making a judgement, but there can be good reasons behind every person’s situation or character. Proverbs 20:5 says that purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out. In other words, if you look down into a well of deep water from the top, you can’t penetrate the depths of it, it looks murky, but when you dip a bucket down into the well and draw the water out, you see what the water is, it’s clear. And so, a person of understanding reaches into a person’s heart and tries to understand him or her before making a judgement from the outside. It’s important to know and understand a person before judging them.
But, even more fundamentally, being judgemental or critical is wrong because it misunderstands the grace of God that he has shown to us in Jesus Christ. Consider how Christ has treated us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We can be an enigma to ourselves. In John 2:24, Jesus did not entrust himself to anyone, because he knew all people… and he himself knew what was in man. He knew that woman was a sinner who wept before him and washed his feet. He knew how the tax collector had stolen from people for his own personal gain. He knows you and me; he knows the depths of your heart, he knows the sin and rebellion that you may have successfully hidden from everyone else.
And how does he treat us? He treats us with the utmost charity when we come with empty hands. His response to the sinful woman in Luke 7 is his response to all those who confess their sins. Jesus said to Simon the Pharisee, “her sins, which are many, are forgiven,” and then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” And in the parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18, when the Pharisee boasted before God in his own righteousness, the tax collector on the other hand beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” And our Lord said, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.” How does our Lord treat sinners who come to him? Does he condemn us? Does he judge us? Does he go around and tell other people how bad we are? He has every reason to judge and condemn us. But instead, he says to us, “your sins are forgiven.”
This is one of the most wonderful statements in all of Scripture. Christ doesn’t highlight our bad things, he doesn’t tell others about them, he doesn’t hang out all our dirty washing, though he knows it all. What did he do? He took those sins upon himself. God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). He takes away our bad and he gives us his good, he makes us beautiful by clothing us with his righteousness.
Do you believe he’s done that for you? Perhaps, dear friends, you worry that Jesus will not accept you. You’re too guilty, you’re too ashamed, you’ve gone too far. You’ve become angry, you’ve watched porn this week, you’ve been judgemental and critical to others, you’ve wanted the power of those around you, you’re full of self-admiration. How could someone so good like our Lord Jesus Christ, how could he accept someone so bad like me? Listen to his words in John 6:37, “Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” I will never condemn you. But I will take away your sin and shame and give you my perfect obedience. Whoever comes to me I will never cast out. Have you come to him?
When you come to him with empty hands like that, begging for his forgiveness, you can be sure that he will accept and love you. And when you’ve experienced the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, it changes you, so that you begin to show that charity to others. It’s an inevitable consequence.
Last week we saw the call to love unconditionally, even those who reject and hate us. And the only way to do that is by knowing the radical love that God has shown us in Jesus Christ. The same is true for this acceptance of each other, we can only value and accept each other when we know and understand how Jesus has welcomed us with open arms into his family.
And as we understand how Christ has treated us personally, it leads to a changed community. You notice how our treatment of others has a reciprocal effect. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. This reciprocal effect works in two ways.
First, it works in a practical, physical sense. You might notice this, when you’re accepting of others, they tend to accept you. When you show humility and forgiveness to others, they show it back to you. When you are generous, others are generous to you. Christ uses an image in v38 of measuring out grain, it will be given to you, a good measure. When you measure flour for baking, you press it down so there are no air pockets and you fill the measuring cup.
A good measure of grain is pressed down into the measuring cup, shaken to fill the loose edges, and running over the top. People in those days wore robes that were free-flowing and had a natural fold somewhere around the stomach which could be used like a pocket, which they would use to carry the grain. I remember collecting eggs with my dad and when there would be too many to carry, he would fold up his shirt and carry them there. A full measure. The point is that when you’re generous to others, you’ll receive richly in return. Practically, there is a reciprocal effect of being charitable to others.
And second, this reciprocal effect is also true in our relationship with God. And here, God is the cause, and we are the effect. God has been so charitable to us in the gospel, as we’ve seen, in giving up his only Son, who loved and accepted us freely. And that will, it must have the effect of making us charitable to others. If there is no change in our earthly relationships as a result of our relationship with God, then we must question whether we have known and understood the charity God has shown to us. That’s why, for example, Jesus says in Matthew 6:15 about forgiveness, if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly father forgive your trespasses. We can extend that and say, if you have no charity to men, God will have no charity to you. If you judge others, God will judge you. If you condemn others, God will condemn you.
You see, our attitude to other people is not the basis for how God treats us, but it gives evidence of our hearts. If my heart has been changed by the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ, that will and that must be shown in a change towards others, in a charitable judgement, by receiving them with open hearts, forgiving them, and being generous to them.
Now, as we study the rest of the Bible, we learn that this accepting does not mean we make no judgements at all. Part of loving each other means we correct each other, we hold one another to God’s standard. For example, Galatians 6:1 says, “brothers if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” We’re called to bring back those who stray or sin. And yet it is done in a spirit of gentleness, in a spirit of charity, in a spirit of love. And this charity is modelled by humble leaders.
2. This charity is modelled by humble leaders
In v39, Christ gives a parable, a word picture, to help us understand the need to see clearly, and this word picture is aimed especially at leaders. Can a blind person lead someone else? You know those games where you get blindfolded and you have to try follow a course. Imagine leading someone else, you’re going to fall into a ditch, and you lead them there. Then he says, a student is not above his teacher, but everyone fully trained will be like his teacher. In Jesus’ day they didn’t have libraries or a wealth of information available at their fingertips on the internet like we have today, and so a student could only ever know as much as his teacher taught him. And if the teacher taught the wrong thing, let’s say the teacher taught his students that the earth was flat, the students would simply believe him. They’d be led into a ditch.
So, it’s important for teachers themselves to see clearly, to know the truth. The teachers in Jesus’ day, the scribes and Pharisees, were blind to the truth. In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounced woes upon the Pharisees, and six times calls them blind. They don’t know God, they don’t know themselves, and it shows in a condemning, judgemental, critical spirit towards others.
Christ then gives a cartoon picture to show the folly of spiritual blindness. Imagine you try and take a splinter out of someone else’s eye, it’s so small you can barely see it, you get out your magnifying glass to find it, but at the same time you have a large wooden plank sticking out of your own eye. Try and imagine that – as a side-note, it shows that our Lord had a sense of humour, it’s the sort of image you might find in a cartoon, you know how they like to exaggerate the facial features of politicians. You could maybe make a meme of this picture.
It’s the nature of sin, isn’t it, that we deceive ourselves and are blind to our own sin, even as we sometimes try and correct others. The Pharisees were examples of that. But this self-deception lies in each of our hearts. I can recognise the tendency in myself, as I preach to you, there’s a danger that I’m not first preaching to myself. I need to first consider the plank in my own eye, before tending to the specks in others. I read a story once about a preacher and it was said that when he was in the pulpit he was so good that no one wanted him to step out of the pulpit; but when he was out of the pulpit, he was so bad that no one wanted him to step into the pulpit. How terrible that is! Jesus said “If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” If you think you are enlightened but are actually in the dark, how great the darkness is! Beware self-deception!
This is true for all leaders, elders, as we watch over the flock, the Lord calls us to take special heed to watch our own lives. He calls us to examine our own hearts and lives before we examine the hearts and lives of others. He calls us to be faithful in our own marriages before we speak into the marriage of others. He calls us to consider our own judgemental spirit before we judge others. Do we know yourselves? Have we humbled ourselves before God for our sins? Are we intimately familiar with the path to the cross of Christ because we’ve gone there so often ourselves?
When we know ourselves loved, valued, and accepted by God through Jesus Christ, we become humble leaders who are truly prepared to serve him, and who model a gentle and sympathetic approach to other sinners and sufferers. Consider how the apostle to the Hebrews writes about high priests, who were taken from the people, Hebrews 5:2 says, “he can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness.” A high priest is not aloof, above the people, but he is of the people, he is one of them, and so he understands and identifies with their weakness.
And the same is true for leaders in the church. When we know our own sin and weakness, it leads to a compassionate spirit towards others, where we truly listen to them, we don’t make assumptions about them, we are understanding of their weakness, because we are acquainted with our own. When others come to us confessing their sin, we will not condemn them, but lead them gently to Christ. We will tread with them the well-worn path to the cross, a path we ourselves know because we have walked if often ourselves.
Dear brothers and sisters, isn’t that the sort of leader you are drawn to, that you want to follow? Isn’t that the sort of leader you want to open your heart to? You just know that they won’t be critical or condemn you. Isn’t that the sort of leader you want to imitate? It is, because that compassion is a picture of the compassion of Jesus Christ, who has shared our nature, who knows us, who will never cast out those who come to him.
And many of you have different positions of leadership, where you are called to know yourselves first, to examine your own hearts and lives. It’s true for you as parents, as you lead your children, that you need to first know your weakness, the log in your own eyes. Parents, do your children know that you are sinners? Have they seen your weakness? Have they seen you apologise to them when you’ve hurt them or lacked patience with them, when you’ve sinned against them, or sinned in a way that affects them? Have you led them, through your own life, to the cross of Jesus Christ? Are they willing to open up to you, because they know you are loving and accepting of them, your life is a consistent message to what you preach, your life bears genuine evidence that you have been changed by Jesus Christ? And the same is true for schoolteachers, Bible study leaders, husbands.
Dear congregation, when this charity is modelled for us by humble leaders, we grow more and more into the family that God wants us to be. Notice in v41-42 that the word “brother” is repeated four times; it could also be “sister.” It shows the family relationships behind Christ’s teaching: we show charity in the family of God. We become more and more comfortable and accepted by one another. Instead of the judgemental and critical vibes that our old nature loves to perpetuate, the church becomes full of the good vibes of love and acceptance, of charitable judgement towards one another, which is modelled by humble leaders.
Dear brothers and sisters, family of Jesus Christ, let’s know together the charity that Jesus Christ has shown to us. Let’s believe his word that he will not cast us out when we come to him in humility. Let’s walk that path to the cross and receive his forgiveness. And let’s submit to his word, showing this same charity towards one another. May he shape us by his Word for his glory. Amen.
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Rodney den Boer, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2026, Rev. Rodney den Boer
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