Attack of the Fruit Inspectors

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Attack of the Fruit Inspectors
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• Romans 14.1 Welcome with open arms fellow
  believers who dont see things the way you do.
  Dont jump all over them every time they do or
  say something you dont agree with even when it
  seems that they are strong on opinions but weak
  in the faith department. Remember, they have
  their own history to deal with. Treat them
  gently. (The Message)

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• Romans 141 Accept him whose faith is weak,
  without passing judgment on disputable matters.
  (NIV )

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Judging is Gods Job

• Let God be God
• Hes the only one in a position to judge because
• As the Father he knows everything
• As Jesus hes walked in our shoes
• Hebrews 415 For we do not have a high priest
  who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
  but we have one who has been tempted in every
  way, just as we are yet was without sin. (NIV)

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• Hes the only one in a position to be absolutely
  just
• But beyond that, Hes the only one whose nature
  makes him absolutely merciful

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Fruit Inspectors
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• Galations 522 the fruit of the Spirit is love,
  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
  faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control.

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• Of course, the fruit of the Spirit is
• a good thing we all want to be like that and
• evidence that the Holy Spirit is being given free
  rein in someones life.
• When we take on the role of fruit inspectors
  of deciding whether or not everyone around us is
  displaying healthy fruit we go right back to
  having an unexamined plank (or a big pile of
  rotten fruit) in our own eye.

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Why do we get tempted to judge?

• to make ourselves look or feel better by showing
  that others are worse
• to seek power or control over others
• to make the rules for who can be in the club
• or, maybe, because we really, really think thats
  what God is like and what He expects of us

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Mushy relativism vs muscular grace
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• Matthew 548 Be perfect, therefore, as your
  heavenly Father is perfect. (NIV)

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• Matthew 1128 Come unto me, all ye that labour
  and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
  (KJV)
• Its not about getting burdened up and stressed
  out, its about letting His muscular grace blow
  in and transform us.

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• When we look at Jesus perfection we see our own
  imperfection more clearly, but thats not reason
  for distress and despair, its reason to start
  growing.

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Why were rarely asked to challenge someone else

• judge not that ye be not judged the speck and
  plank thing
• mostly, they already know the smoking is bad
  for you thing

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Accountability?

• the metaphor is all about counting, about what
  can be measured, about keeping records, about
  double-entry book-keeping of our shortcomings as
  well as our successes
• 1 Corinthians 135 Love keeps no record of
  wrongs.
• accountability by its nature places others in
  the position of judging our performance

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Community/Family

• (a family is just a special kind of community
  where everyone loves one another)
• shared norms of how we live in relationship with
  one another
• learned in community and enacted in community
• each person is responsible for helping to set the
  norms, by choosing to act well (by Gods grace)

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When we are asked, remember

• avoid drive-by judgings

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• we earn the right to work on spiritual growth
  issues with people were already in a
  relationship with
• its much more powerful if were part of a
  community that can work alongside someone in
  their spiritual growth and share the fact that
  were growing too, and still have a long way to
  go

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• Jesus love is self-denying and self-sacrificing
  its all about what the person needs, theres no
  personal gratification in it
• If challenging or correcting someone feels good,
  we might be doing it for the wrong reasons

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• Jesus has discernment that we simply dont have
• 1 Samuel 167 Man looks at the outward
  appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
  (NIV)
• We need to pray for and seek the spiritual gift
  of discernment in our churches, and use it in
  these situations
• Psalm 119125 I am your servant give me
  discernment that I may understand your statutes.
  (NIV)

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• Matthew 18 15"Moreover if your brother sins
  against you, go and tell him his fault between
  you and him alone. If he hears you, you have
  gained your brother. 16But if he will not hear,
  take with you one or two more, that "by the mouth
  of two or three witnesses every word may be
  established. 17And if he refuses to hear them,
  tell it to the church.

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When others judge us

• avoid jumping back into the fruit inspector trap
• accept it with grace they had the courage to do
  it, and they had good intentions, so thank them
  for their concern for your spiritual welfare
• be willing to take a good hard look in the mirror
  to see whether they might actually have a point
• if you take that good hard look and realise that
  their judgement of you is unfair, be willing to
  reject it

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• Romans 14.1 Welcome with open arms fellow
  believers who dont see things the way you do.
  Dont jump all over them every time they do or
  say something you dont agree with even when it
  seems that they are strong on opinions but weak
  in the faith department. Remember, they have
  their own history to deal with. Treat them
  gently. (The Message)