Latest / The Higher Pursuit Podcast / Judgment or Discernment? How to Know the Difference

Transcript

Judgment or Discernment? How to Know the Difference · The Higher Pursuit Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_00: So judge not that you be not judged.
0:03
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is obviously not um commanding us, he's not commanding us to turn a blind eye, no pun intended, well, I guess pun intended, to evil or to abuse or theft or injustice or trafficking or unrighteousness.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: In fact, before this chapter's finished, Jesus is gonna tell us to recognize false prophets and false teachers and people who sow sin by their fruit.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: So what kind of judgment is Jesus confronting?
0:30
SPEAKER_00: Heart judgment.
0:31
SPEAKER_00: And it's that tendency to judge someone else by their actions while asking God to judge us by ours.com.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: You can also find me on YouTube at Cecily LaChapelle with Higher Pursuit Ministries.
1:15
SPEAKER_00: Okay, now let's dive into the podcast.
1:23
SPEAKER_00: Hey everyone.
1:25
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered where the line is between judging someone and simply having good discernment?
1:34
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever ignored that little check in your spirit about a person, only to find out later that you should have listened?
1:42
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever shared something precious that God was doing in your life with the wrong person and watch them criticize it, gossip about it, become jealous about it, or completely trample on something that was sacred to you?
1:59
SPEAKER_00: Or let me ask you an even harder question.
2:03
SPEAKER_00: Is it possible to be doing all the right Christian things and still be missing what matters most to Jesus?
2:12
SPEAKER_00: I ask this because Jesus says something in Matthew chapter seven that quite frankly scares me.
2:19
SPEAKER_00: In fact, I think it's probably the scariest thing Jesus ever said.
2:23
SPEAKER_00: He describes people who call him Lord.
2:27
SPEAKER_00: These are people who prophesy, they cast out demons, they raise the dead, they do all kinds of mighty works in his name.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: And then Jesus looks at them and says, I never knew you.
2:38
SPEAKER_00: How is that possible?
2:41
SPEAKER_00: And more importantly, how do we make sure that isn't us?
2:47
SPEAKER_00: That's where we're going today.
2:49
SPEAKER_00: So grab your Bible and open it to Matthew chapter seven and grab the handout that I linked in the comments or that you got in my newsletter if you're on my mailing list.
3:00
SPEAKER_00: Because today we're going to ask a really important question.
3:03
SPEAKER_00: What does the life of someone who truly knows Jesus look like?
3:09
SPEAKER_00: Those are the kinds of questions that we wrestle with here at the Higher Pursuit, because we're not looking for comfortable Christianity.
3:16
SPEAKER_00: We're pursuing a life that actually looks like Jesus.
3:21
SPEAKER_00: So welcome to the Higher Pursuit live stream and podcast.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Cecily LaChappelle, and I'm so glad that you're here learning how to pursue more of the Lord with me.
3:33
SPEAKER_00: In this episode, as we come into Matthew chapter seven, we're coming to the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount.
3:39
SPEAKER_00: We're probably not going to make it all the way to the end of Matthew chapter seven, but I'm keeping the couple, a couple things for next time on purpose.
3:50
SPEAKER_00: But in this part of the Sermon on the Mount, my friends, buckle your seatbelts, or I should say, put up your periscopes, because Jesus is taking us deeper and deeper.
4:01
SPEAKER_00: These are mature teachings, guys.
4:03
SPEAKER_00: Matthew 7 isn't Christianity 101.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: They require discernment, which is a word I want you to tuck away because you're going to hear that a lot in this episode.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: Because at first glance, some of these teachings of Jesus can seem almost like he's talking out of two sides of his mouth.
4:20
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus is teaching us how mature kingdom people think, discern, pray, and relate to others and ultimately how they live.
4:30
SPEAKER_00: So I've got Deb Mattis here.
4:32
SPEAKER_00: I've got Lisa here.
4:34
SPEAKER_00: I can see I've got more people that are have tuned in.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: So jump in the chat, say hi, let me know you're here.
4:40
SPEAKER_00: Tell me where you're tuning in from because I totally love to know who is in the room.
4:44
SPEAKER_00: It's really cool to see that I've got people in the room, but I want to know who y'all are if you can.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: I know some people watch on their TV.
4:52
SPEAKER_00: And so you can't jump in the chat.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: I understand that.
4:55
SPEAKER_00: But all right.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: Well, in tonight's episode, you're going to see that the there's an overarching idea in this section of the Sermon of the Mount.
5:03
SPEAKER_00: And that is this mature discipleship requires more than knowing the rules.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: We have to know the heart of the Father well enough to discern how his love, his truth, his mercy, his holiness, and his justice apply in real life.
5:21
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
5:22
SPEAKER_00: We've got Mandy Gorman.
5:23
SPEAKER_00: We've got Whitney.
5:24
SPEAKER_00: We've got John.
5:25
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: So good to see y'all.
5:27
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: And I've got Delisa, woo-hoo, back in Maine.
5:31
SPEAKER_00: She's happy to be able to tune in.
5:32
SPEAKER_00: That's so great.
5:34
SPEAKER_00: Awesome to see you guys.
5:35
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
5:36
SPEAKER_00: All right.
5:37
SPEAKER_00: Well, while I've got you typing in the chat, tell me in the chat what you think discernment means, especially in relation to the things of God.
5:47
SPEAKER_00: What does discernment mean?
5:49
SPEAKER_00: Just off the top of your head, because we're going to dive into this word and we're going to see if your um your definition changes after we do a little diving into it.
5:59
SPEAKER_00: And while you're typing, I'm going to read Matthew 7, 1 through 6, where Jesus says, Do not judge, or you will be judged.
6:08
SPEAKER_00: For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged.
6:11
SPEAKER_00: And with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
6:15
SPEAKER_00: Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but you fail to notice the beam in your own eye?
6:21
SPEAKER_00: How can you say to your brother, Oh, let me take that speck out of your eye while there's still a beam in your own eye?
6:27
SPEAKER_00: You hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you'll see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
6:36
SPEAKER_00: So judge not that you be not judged.
6:40
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is obviously not commanding us, he's not commanding us to turn a blind eye, no pun intended, well, I guess pun intended, to evil or to abuse or theft or injustice or trafficking or unrighteousness.
6:56
SPEAKER_00: In fact, before this chapter's finished, Jesus is going to tell us to recognize false prophets and false teachers and people who sow sin by their fruit.
7:09
SPEAKER_00: So what kind of judgment is Jesus confronting?
7:13
SPEAKER_00: Heart judgment.
7:15
SPEAKER_00: And it's that tendency to judge someone else by their actions while asking God to judge us by our intentions.
7:25
SPEAKER_00: Put a thumbs up in the chat if you have ever noticed that you do that.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: Whitney goes, truth.
7:32
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
7:33
SPEAKER_00: We it is so easy to do that, isn't it?
7:36
SPEAKER_00: But it's he's talking about that harsh, loveless judgment that's rooted in pride and criticism.
7:43
SPEAKER_00: It's basically saying, my failure or my error, my weakness, my hurting your feelings has an explanation, but yours doesn't.
7:53
SPEAKER_00: Yours reveals who you really are.
7:56
SPEAKER_00: Uh, Linda gives a thumbs up.
7:58
SPEAKER_00: Jesus gives this almost comical picture of someone with a giant log sticking out of his eye, trying to perform eye surgery on somebody with a speck in their eye.
8:11
SPEAKER_00: Now listen, notice, Jesus isn't saying that the speck doesn't matter.
8:16
SPEAKER_00: Take it from someone who wears contact lenses.
8:18
SPEAKER_00: One tiny speck absolutely matters when it's in your eye.
8:22
SPEAKER_00: But what he's saying is deal with your own eye first.
8:27
SPEAKER_00: And I want you to give me a thumbs up in the chat if this has ever happened to you.
8:31
SPEAKER_00: What I have found is that most of the time, once I'm done working on that log in my own eye, that speck in someone else's eye really doesn't matter anymore.
8:44
SPEAKER_00: Hi, everybody.
8:45
SPEAKER_00: While I hate to interrupt a good discussion, I do want to tell you about my book, Repurpose Your Pain: Moving from Pain to Purpose and from Instability to Firm Faith.
8:56
SPEAKER_00: In the book, I share 10 pain points that are common to most people, and I share my personal stories, my experiences with those pain points, and how I repurposed that pain.
9:06
SPEAKER_00: Then we dive into what the Word of God has to say about how we repurpose that pain.
9:11
SPEAKER_00: You need to know that this book is really two books in one because it includes workbook activations to help you apply the truth that you've learned to your life.
9:20
SPEAKER_00: So grab your copy today on Amazon, Christian Book Distributors, or any place books are sold.
9:27
SPEAKER_00: Once I've dealt with my own weakness, my own pride, my own sin, my own broken perspective and screwed up lenses, I have so much more compassion on the other person's weakness.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: So give me a thumbs up in the chat if you can relate to any of that.
9:48
SPEAKER_00: So the bottom line for living out this kingdom rule of life of judge not lest ye be judged.
9:54
SPEAKER_00: Whitney gave a thumbs up.
9:55
SPEAKER_00: Yep.
9:56
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I can give two thumbs up on that.
9:58
SPEAKER_00: So the bottom line for living out this kingdom rule of life is learn to hear the voice of God.
10:05
SPEAKER_00: He's going to make it clear when we're standing in judgment against our brother in our heart and we need to repent.
10:14
SPEAKER_00: Linda gave a thumbs up.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: So let me just share a personal story.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: The other day, I was in my tabernacle time, and I had just studied these verses about not judging our brother or sister in Christ.
10:27
SPEAKER_00: And I brought them to the Lord.
10:30
SPEAKER_00: And a lot of times, Lisa gave a thumbs up.
10:33
SPEAKER_00: Um, a lot of times in my tabernacle time, I take communion.
10:38
SPEAKER_00: And part of taking communion is me searching my heart and repenting.
10:43
SPEAKER_00: So I had just read these scriptures on don't judge your brother or sister in Christ.
10:48
SPEAKER_00: So I brought that to the Lord in repentance.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: Well, holy guacamole, I was not prepared for the torrent of memories that came flooding in of all the times and all the people that I have judged over my lifetime.
11:06
SPEAKER_00: And the Holy Spirit showed me hundreds of thousands of tiny judgments, or at least they seem tiny to me, that I had made, along with the big ones that were obvious to me.
11:18
SPEAKER_00: But the Holy Spirit saw every one and I was so wrecked in my heart.
11:28
SPEAKER_00: Listen, guys, God is not playing when He gives us these verses that with the judgment we give, we will be judged.
11:40
SPEAKER_00: Is that what we want?
11:42
SPEAKER_00: Listen, I saw I saw like a stack of legal papers, like legal ordinances against me that could circle the sun and come on back based on all of my judgments.
11:57
SPEAKER_00: And I balled before the Lord as I took communion.
12:02
SPEAKER_00: And I asked for the mercy of God and the faithfulness of his covenant to be remembered on my behalf in the courts of heaven, and that I would be acquitted from these sins based on the work of Jesus on the cross, not based on the fact that I deserved it.
12:18
SPEAKER_00: I deserve for all that judgment to come back on me.
12:21
SPEAKER_00: But 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sin and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
12:32
SPEAKER_00: So, I mean, part of my bawling before the Lord was the sorrow for what had happened.
12:38
SPEAKER_00: And the rest of it was just the gratitude for receiving a mercy I didn't forgive, I didn't deserve, and receiving forgiveness.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: But my friends, there's a takeaway that I that is a side note here that I really just want to bring up about repentance that I want you to understand from my experience.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: There's a level of repentance that we all need to reach in areas of sin before we truly change our minds and realize that it is a poison we can't even get near.
13:10
SPEAKER_00: Because I've been sorry and I've been embarrassed for judging people hundreds of times before.
13:16
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's not the first time I've gone to God and and repented for having judgment, but I don't think that I ever truly had a deep revelatory moment like that where I saw that clearly the complete ramifications and what I really deserve from my sin, which is hell.
13:36
SPEAKER_00: And it scared me straight and it grieved my heart.
13:41
SPEAKER_00: So, friends, there's a depth of repentance where we stop merely feeling bad that we sinned and we truly begin agreeing with God about what sin actually is.
13:53
SPEAKER_00: We realize God is not playing, He's not like a parent that says, if you do that one more time, I'm gonna blah, blah, blah, and they have no intention of doing that.
14:02
SPEAKER_00: God cannot exaggerate, he can't blow things up and make them bigger to try to freak us out or scare us.
14:10
SPEAKER_00: He can't do that.
14:12
SPEAKER_00: He has to tell the truth.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: So when God is so clear about ramifications of our sin, it's so we can repent while we have a chance to do it.
14:24
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I think we repeat sin because we haven't learned to hate it enough.
14:28
SPEAKER_00: We haven't learned to hate what it produces.
14:31
SPEAKER_00: But that experience also showed me something else: the extraordinary patience and mercy of our God.
14:39
SPEAKER_00: He hadn't cut me off, he loved me enough to correct me.
14:43
SPEAKER_00: And his correction itself was mercy.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: And I realized again that God's kindness doesn't mean that he doesn't mean what he says.
14:53
SPEAKER_00: So has God ever corrected you about judging someone?
14:58
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to tell us who, please don't, but just put a yes in the chat if God's ever corrected you about that.
15:05
SPEAKER_00: So moving on, Jesus immediately says something fascinating.
15:10
SPEAKER_00: He tells us not to judge, we covered that, but then he tells us don't give dogs what is holy and do not throw your pearls before pigs.
15:22
SPEAKER_00: Wait a minute.
15:23
SPEAKER_00: How do I know who's a dog or who's a pig without making some kind of judgment?
15:29
SPEAKER_00: And that's where we need to understand the enormous difference between two concepts and two mindsets that Jesus is going to discuss in parallel in order for us to see the difference.
15:39
SPEAKER_00: And that is that judgment, the kind that he was just talking about, that I repented of, is rooted in pride versus discernment that's rooted in relationship.
15:50
SPEAKER_00: Whitney said he humbles our souls.
15:53
SPEAKER_00: And John La Chapelle said, yes, that he has had to repent for that kind of judgment.
16:00
SPEAKER_00: Guys, Jesus isn't forbidding discernment, he is forbidding self-righteous criticism and condemnation.
16:09
SPEAKER_00: So now let's move on to Matthew 7, 6.
16:13
SPEAKER_00: And uh he says, Don't give what is holy to the dogs or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and um turn around and attack you.
16:24
SPEAKER_00: So let me explain this imagery.
16:26
SPEAKER_00: Dogs in Jesus' world weren't like the puppies that sit at your feet, they were scavenging animals, and swine were unclean.
16:34
SPEAKER_00: We're not talking Wilbert from Charlotte's Webb.
16:37
SPEAKER_00: They could be dangerous.
16:38
SPEAKER_00: So Jesus' imagery would have been so much harsher to his listeners than it sounds to us.
16:46
SPEAKER_00: So having this cultural understanding, which is something that I am constantly encouraging you all to look up, either in a cultural historical Bible or in study notes or in commentaries, when you have that cultural understanding, it helps you understand that Jesus is teaching us something mature.
17:04
SPEAKER_00: What he's saying is not everything holy should be shared indiscriminately with everyone.
17:11
SPEAKER_00: Some people have already determined that whatever you give them, they're going to tear it apart.
17:17
SPEAKER_00: And we need to have discernment to figure out who those people are.
17:22
SPEAKER_00: For me, early in my Christian walk, I learned this the hard way.
17:26
SPEAKER_00: There were times when God would show me something and I either unveiled my heart to the wrong person, or I didn't wait to share it before that revelation had finished doing its work in me.
17:39
SPEAKER_00: So eventually I had to learn that just because I received a revelation doesn't always mean that it's time to talk about it.
17:47
SPEAKER_00: Or doesn't mean even when it's time to talk about it, that I'm supposed to tell everyone.
17:52
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes God gives you something because he wants to do something in you, not because he wants you immediately to announce it to everyone around you.
18:01
SPEAKER_00: And this is so important when it comes to social media.
18:06
SPEAKER_00: We do not have to answer every challenge on social media.
18:10
SPEAKER_00: Before you respond, ask Holy Spirit, is this person hungry for truth?
18:17
SPEAKER_00: Or are they hungry for a fight?
18:20
SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes love speaks and sometimes love knows when not to speak.
18:27
SPEAKER_00: And both require discernment.
18:30
SPEAKER_00: So before we move on, if this kind of Bible teaching is helping you go deeper in the word, would you do me a quick favor?
18:38
SPEAKER_00: If you haven't yet, subscribe to my YouTube channel or follow the Higher Pursuit podcast and live stream wherever you are watching and listening to it.
18:50
SPEAKER_00: And if you're watching live, hit that like button because that helps this teaching reach other people who are hungry to understand the word of God.
18:58
SPEAKER_00: And here's the big one: share this with somebody.
19:02
SPEAKER_00: If you know someone who's been wrestling with the difference between judgment and discernment, or somebody who just wants to learn how to study the Bible more deeply, send this episode to them.
19:12
SPEAKER_00: That's one of the easiest ways you can help me get solid biblical teaching into the hands of more people.
19:18
SPEAKER_00: And then also, I need to get to my media asset here.
19:24
SPEAKER_00: Right there.
19:24
SPEAKER_00: I just put up a QR code.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: I'm excited because I'm going to be speaking at the Preparing for the Bridegroom Women's Conference in Elliott, Maine on Saturday, October 24th.
19:35
SPEAKER_00: And I'll link the conference registration in the show notes, but here's the QR code for the registration.
19:40
SPEAKER_00: It's a one-day conference from 8:30 to 3.
19:43
SPEAKER_00: And I really hope that you will all join me.
19:46
SPEAKER_00: Okay, enough of the commercials.
19:48
SPEAKER_00: Let's keep going with the Bible study.
19:50
SPEAKER_00: We keep using this word discernment.
19:52
SPEAKER_00: Remember, I told you up at the top, pay attention to that word because we're going to come back to it.
19:57
SPEAKER_00: So before we go any further, I want to stop and do something a little different.
20:01
SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to just tell you what discernment means.
20:04
SPEAKER_00: I want you to figure it out for yourself.
20:08
SPEAKER_00: I want to show you how you can do a word study in the Bible.
20:13
SPEAKER_00: Because one of the things that I want to accomplish through this Word Alive series isn't just to teach you what I've learned from the Bible, although it's a lot of fun.
20:21
SPEAKER_00: I do enjoy doing that.
20:24
SPEAKER_00: I want to do a quick word study together because I want you to learn how to do it for yourself.
20:31
SPEAKER_00: So the first thing we need to know, step one of doing a word study, is don't just start with the English word alone.
20:39
SPEAKER_00: When we're studying the Bible, we have to remember that our English Bible is a translation.
20:45
SPEAKER_00: And in previous, a previous episode, I explained the difference between a translation and a paraphrase.
20:53
SPEAKER_00: But most of your English Bibles are a translation from either Hebrew and Aramaic or Greek, if it's the New Testament.
21:01
SPEAKER_00: So the New Testament was written in Greek.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: And when I see an important word like discern, I ask myself, what did the biblical writer actually use here?
21:12
SPEAKER_00: What word?
21:13
SPEAKER_00: And here's something important.
21:15
SPEAKER_00: There isn't just one Greek word behind every occurrence of the English word discern.
21:21
SPEAKER_00: That's why we can't simply look up the English definition and assume that we finished our study.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: So I found the word discern in 1 Corinthians 2.14.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: The verse says, the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
21:44
SPEAKER_00: So Paul is talking about receiving and understanding the things of the Spirit of God.
21:49
SPEAKER_00: So depending upon your translation, you might see the words such as discerned, judged, or appraised.
21:58
SPEAKER_00: And I do want you to Tell me what word your translation uses in verse 14 or 15 of 1 Corinthians.
22:08
SPEAKER_00: So that's actually one of the reasons that word studies are so helpful.
22:12
SPEAKER_00: Different English translations can help alert us that there are so many more meanings underneath the English wording.
22:23
SPEAKER_00: So step three is look up the original word.
22:26
SPEAKER_00: So now I'm going to show you how to do this.
22:28
SPEAKER_00: And if you don't catch it all while I'm doing it, you can come back to this video and you can watch it again on YouTube.
22:34
SPEAKER_00: And for those of you who are listening to the audio podcast, I'll link the YouTube video in the show notes so you can watch the demonstration.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: But now I'm going to share my screen.
22:45
SPEAKER_00: And we're going to share screen.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: And we're going to go to here.
22:52
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
22:53
SPEAKER_00: So the first thing that you're going to do is you're going to go to Bible Hub.
23:01
SPEAKER_00: And when you get to BibleHub.com, you can start here.
23:05
SPEAKER_00: You can go right over here where this icon is in the left-hand corner.
23:09
SPEAKER_00: I've already, it's going to take us right back to the same homepage, but I'm just going to click it just to show you.
23:13
SPEAKER_00: So you click on that.
23:15
SPEAKER_00: It brings you to this homepage.
23:17
SPEAKER_00: Now we are looking up.
23:19
SPEAKER_00: What did I say we're looking up?
23:20
SPEAKER_00: First Corinthians or what was it?
23:23
SPEAKER_00: 2 Corinthians 2.14.
23:29
SPEAKER_00: Um what is it?
23:32
SPEAKER_00: Oh, 1 Corinthians 2.14.
23:33
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
23:34
SPEAKER_00: So let me get there.
23:35
SPEAKER_00: So we're in to 2nd 1 Corinthians.
23:38
SPEAKER_00: So over here on this top menu, we're going to scroll down to find 1 Corinthians.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: Now over here, we're going to look for chapter, scroll down to chapter 2.
23:50
SPEAKER_00: And now we've in chapter 2, we're going to go to chapter 2, 14.
23:54
SPEAKER_00: And here you can see all the different translations of that verse.
24:00
SPEAKER_00: But I don't care about that tonight.
24:03
SPEAKER_00: What I care about is going to the Greek.
24:06
SPEAKER_00: So if you see in this light gray menu bar right here, we're going to the Greek.
24:13
SPEAKER_00: And I'm looking for the word discern.
24:17
SPEAKER_00: And it's right down here.
24:20
SPEAKER_00: They are discerned.
24:23
SPEAKER_00: And here's the word that I'm looking for.
24:25
SPEAKER_00: So over here on this left-hand side, the far left bar, you'll see this word right here, strong's.
24:32
SPEAKER_00: This is your strong's concordance number.
24:36
SPEAKER_00: Every word in the Bible has a strong's concordance number.
24:41
SPEAKER_00: And we're going to scroll down to the word discern and hit that number.
24:46
SPEAKER_00: It's 350.
24:47
SPEAKER_00: We're going to hit that and it takes us to this word, anacrino.
24:52
SPEAKER_00: And the word means to examine, to investigate, to question, or to judge.
24:59
SPEAKER_00: But let's go down even further.
25:01
SPEAKER_00: The um New American Standard Bible translates it as examined, appraised, asking questions, examine, examining, appraises, called to account.
25:14
SPEAKER_00: Now we look down more, we see properly to scrutinize, investigate, interrogate, or determine.
25:21
SPEAKER_00: And then when you go down to the strong's exhaustive concordance, you can see where it comes from, these two words together, anna and crino, and what they're saying that it means.
25:32
SPEAKER_00: So it says closely examining, the process of careful study, evaluation, and judgment.
25:38
SPEAKER_00: So this, and then over here on the right hand side, on the Englishman's concordance, you can see all the ways that it was translated by the translators on trial, examined, having examined, searched by examining, uh appraised, discerned, appraises, is judged, appraised.
26:00
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: So that is how you find words in the um, how you do a word study using Bible Hub.
26:11
SPEAKER_00: So exciting, right?
26:13
SPEAKER_00: So exciting.
26:15
SPEAKER_00: So then step five, I mean, all right, so let me go through the steps.
26:19
SPEAKER_00: Step one, you're clicking on the Bible Hub icon.
26:21
SPEAKER_00: Then step two, we chose First Corinthians 2.14 in the white search box in the top menu.
26:28
SPEAKER_00: And then in step three, we selected the Greek.
26:31
SPEAKER_00: Step four, we scrolled to the word that we wanted to look up.
26:34
SPEAKER_00: We clicked on the strong's number in the far left column.
26:38
SPEAKER_00: Step five is take notes on what you discover.
26:41
SPEAKER_00: So check out various definitions, ways the word has been used.
26:45
SPEAKER_00: And that word, we just we talked about what it can, what it can mean.
26:49
SPEAKER_00: It can mean investigating, evaluating, questioning, appraising.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: And then we look up how that word is used in context, which means look at how it's used in other places.
27:02
SPEAKER_00: Guys, never, ever, ever build your theology from a dictionary definition alone.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: Words get their meaning from context, which means seeing how the word is used in other places, not just in one verse.
27:20
SPEAKER_00: So in 1 Corinthians 2, Paul's talking about spiritual realities being understood through the Spirit of God.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: So biblical discernment isn't merely being suspicious of people.
27:32
SPEAKER_00: And it isn't automatically assuming that every instinct we have is from the Holy Spirit.
27:38
SPEAKER_00: Discernment has to remain submitted to the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
27:45
SPEAKER_00: And I liked how one of the ideas that Anacrino can carry, did you notice that word appraisal?
27:53
SPEAKER_00: How many of you have had to have something like a house appraised?
27:57
SPEAKER_00: Give me a thumbs up in the chat if you've ever had a house appraised or maybe antiques appraised.
28:04
SPEAKER_00: In the case of a house, was your appraisal acceptable by a bank or a mortgage lender?
28:11
SPEAKER_00: So could you just walk into your bank and say, yeah, I've I've done an appraisal on my own house and I think it should sell for two and a half million dollars.
28:20
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, no, that 30-year-old roof is fine.
28:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, but you should, so you should accept my appraisal.
28:26
SPEAKER_00: And Delisa gave a thumbs up.
28:28
SPEAKER_00: No, that doesn't work.
28:29
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't fly.
28:30
SPEAKER_00: We have to hire a licensed appraiser.
28:33
SPEAKER_00: Why?
28:34
SPEAKER_00: Because they've been certified and trained to look for things and notice things that the average homeowner doesn't see and that the average homeowner can't put a dollar value on.
28:46
SPEAKER_00: And to put the appropriate value on a home based on its condition.
28:51
SPEAKER_00: So, guys, if we're not making our appraisals of people's motivations by the spirit and the word of God, our appraisal is faulty and worthless.
29:02
SPEAKER_00: It's like us walking into a bank and saying the bank should take our word for it.
29:07
SPEAKER_00: That's not discernment.
29:09
SPEAKER_00: We have standards that we have to discern with.
29:13
SPEAKER_00: And I love how all of this now ties back to what we're learning in Matthew 7 about how to distinguish what is true from what's false, what's holy from what's unholy, and what is from God from what merely appears spiritual.
29:32
SPEAKER_00: So let's look back at Matthew 7 now.
29:35
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is teaching us to discern a speck from a log, people who can rightly handle holy things from those who are going to trample on them, a true prophet from a false prophet, good fruit from bad fruit, a narrow road from a broad road, true discipleship from empty profession.
29:54
SPEAKER_00: Do you see it?
29:57
SPEAKER_00: This entire chapter is talking about a mature Christian who has learned how to hone their godly discernment.
30:10
SPEAKER_00: So write this down.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna give you a banner for this to help you out.
30:17
SPEAKER_00: Biblical discernment is the spirit-led ability to examine and distinguish what is true, right, and from God from what is false, harmless, or contrary to him, according to his word.
30:30
SPEAKER_00: And discernment flows into every facet of our lives.
30:34
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it can be as simple as do I send that email?
30:38
SPEAKER_00: How's that gonna be received?
30:40
SPEAKER_00: Lord, should I respond to that text?
30:43
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's rude.
30:46
SPEAKER_00: Was that person's comment something I should weigh out?
30:49
SPEAKER_00: Or should I just forgive and move on?
30:52
SPEAKER_00: Are you telling me to move in this direction?
30:55
SPEAKER_00: Or is that my own desire telling me that?
30:58
SPEAKER_00: And going back to what Jesus has been talking about regarding judging others, we can be asking ourselves, am I discerning this situation or am I simply judging it?
31:11
SPEAKER_00: So on a scale of one to 10, after we did that little word study thing, how confident do you feel like you you are that you could do that on your own?
31:21
SPEAKER_00: Put your number in the chat.
31:22
SPEAKER_00: One to 10.
31:23
SPEAKER_00: How confident do you feel that you could go back and review what I did and that you could do your own word study using the strongs, using Bible Hub.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: If you're at a two, don't be embarrassed.
31:36
SPEAKER_00: That's why I'm showing you.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: I don't want you, I just don't want you to be dependent on somebody else telling you what the Bible says for the rest of your life.
31:43
SPEAKER_00: I want you to be equipped to dig for yourself.
31:48
SPEAKER_00: So now that we understand what discernment is, now that we understand discernment a little better, awesome.
31:54
SPEAKER_00: I've got a couple sevens.
31:56
SPEAKER_00: I love that.
31:57
SPEAKER_00: That's a good number, you guys.
31:58
SPEAKER_00: That's seven is a great number.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: It's so good because there's always more to learn.
32:04
SPEAKER_00: Well, now that we understand discernment a little better, let's go back to Jesus' warning about dogs and pigs.
32:10
SPEAKER_00: Because knowing what we're supposed to discern is one thing, but knowing what to do with that discernment is another.
32:16
SPEAKER_00: So if you have your Bible open, check out verses seven to twelve.
32:21
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, Ask and it will be given to you.
32:23
SPEAKER_00: Seek and you will find.
32:25
SPEAKER_00: Knock and the door will be open to you.
32:28
SPEAKER_00: Everyone who asks receives.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: He who seeks finds.
32:32
SPEAKER_00: And to him who knocks, the door will be open to you.
32:35
SPEAKER_00: And then he goes on talking about a good father who gives good gifts to his children.
32:39
SPEAKER_00: And then he goes into the golden rule: in everything do to others as you would have them do to you.
32:44
SPEAKER_00: For this is the essence of the law and the prophets.
32:49
SPEAKER_00: Look at where Jesus takes us.
32:51
SPEAKER_00: We have ask, seek, and knock.
32:54
SPEAKER_00: And then we have this phenomenal promise.
32:57
SPEAKER_00: How much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?
33:02
SPEAKER_00: So the foundation underneath asking, seeking, and knocking is not technique, it's relationship.
33:10
SPEAKER_00: Jesus keeps bringing us back to the Father.
33:14
SPEAKER_00: But he's telling us that God isn't a vending machine dispensing answers.
33:20
SPEAKER_00: He's the perfect Father governing his family.
33:25
SPEAKER_00: And kingdom life isn't merely about me and Jesus.
33:29
SPEAKER_00: God is forming a family.
33:31
SPEAKER_00: So that brings Jesus naturally to that golden rule, verse 12.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: Whatever you want others to do to you, then do that for them.
33:39
SPEAKER_00: This is the law and the prophets.
33:41
SPEAKER_00: So he brings us to the whole others component because we're supposed to be connected into a community, a family.
33:49
SPEAKER_00: You don't need discernment if you're going to be isolated on a desert island.
33:55
SPEAKER_00: You don't need to learn how not to judge others if you are never going to be in community.
34:02
SPEAKER_00: But when you're living in community as Jesus wants us to be, we have to grow up.
34:08
SPEAKER_00: And then notice that Jesus makes it active.
34:10
SPEAKER_00: He's not merely saying, don't do bad things to people.
34:14
SPEAKER_00: He's saying, do for them what you would want someone to do for you.
34:21
SPEAKER_00: Jesus wants us to live from the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts.
34:26
SPEAKER_00: And demonstrating that love takes initiative.
34:30
SPEAKER_00: So it's not that we're just going to merely try to stop hurting people.
34:34
SPEAKER_00: Well, that's not a bad thing.
34:36
SPEAKER_00: He wants us to think proactively the way he does.
34:40
SPEAKER_00: Love thinks.
34:42
SPEAKER_00: How can I encourage?
34:43
SPEAKER_00: How can I serve?
34:44
SPEAKER_00: How can I give?
34:45
SPEAKER_00: How can I forgive?
34:47
SPEAKER_00: How can I defend?
34:48
SPEAKER_00: How can I comfort?
34:50
SPEAKER_00: How can I tell the truth even when it costs me?
34:53
SPEAKER_00: Love moves toward people.
34:55
SPEAKER_00: Love is action, not emotion.
35:00
SPEAKER_00: And then Jesus does something sobering.
35:03
SPEAKER_00: After describing this kingdom life, he tells us that there are two roads, and you have to choose one.
35:13
SPEAKER_00: And I don't have time to read all of Matthew 37, 13 to 29.
35:17
SPEAKER_00: So hopefully you're following along in your Bible or your Bible app.
35:21
SPEAKER_00: But from here, Jesus gives a series of contrasts.
35:26
SPEAKER_00: He talks about two ways, two trees, two professions, and two builders.
35:32
SPEAKER_00: And every contrast is asking essentially the same question.
35:38
SPEAKER_00: Can you discern what is real?
35:42
SPEAKER_00: The broad moad looks right, but it leads to death.
35:48
SPEAKER_00: The false prophet might look like a sheep, but it's actually a wolf.
35:53
SPEAKER_00: A profession of faith may sound impressive, but actually not be a genuine relationship with Jesus at all.
36:01
SPEAKER_00: And now Jesus tells us that we must also discern who is leading people down the broad roads that lead to eternal death.
36:11
SPEAKER_00: In verses 15 to 20, Jesus tells us you will know them, meaning the good ones and the bad ones, by their fruit.
36:21
SPEAKER_00: In verse 15, he says, beware of false prophets.
36:26
SPEAKER_00: And in verse 20, he says, You'll recognize them by their fruit.
36:31
SPEAKER_00: So here's where we could get confused if we don't understand what discernment is.
36:37
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was just talking about not judging, and yet now we see clearly see that judge not can't possibly mean never evaluate anything.
36:47
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is commanding discernment.
36:50
SPEAKER_00: There's a difference between judging fruit and condemning a person's heart.
36:56
SPEAKER_00: Judging fruit looks like this.
37:00
SPEAKER_00: This teaching contradicts scripture.
37:04
SPEAKER_00: I can say this behavior is producing destruction.
37:08
SPEAKER_00: Or I can say this person's public fruit doesn't match what they're teaching.
37:14
SPEAKER_00: I can say all those things without pretending that I know God, I have God's complete knowledge of that person's heart or of their motivations.
37:24
SPEAKER_00: So the key distinction between judging fruit and judging a person's motives is that humility examines the fruit, pride assumes motives.
37:36
SPEAKER_00: And that's where we get into trouble in every single relationship we have.
37:42
SPEAKER_00: Especially in those close, intimate relationships where we were living under the same roof with someone.
37:48
SPEAKER_00: It's so easy to mind read.
37:52
SPEAKER_00: My husband and I have this phrase now where we say, permission to read your mind.
37:56
SPEAKER_00: And the other one is like, okay, good luck.
38:00
SPEAKER_00: And nine times out of 10, I'll say, Well, I think you're thinking because I did this, that, blah, blah, blah, blah.
38:07
SPEAKER_00: And he was like, no, not at all.
38:09
SPEAKER_00: You're completely wrong.
38:10
SPEAKER_00: I've lived with this man for 26 years and I'm wrong more than I'm right.
38:14
SPEAKER_00: How much more are we probably wrong when we judge other people's motives?
38:22
SPEAKER_00: And listen, here's another test.
38:25
SPEAKER_00: Discernment protects the, well, let me put it this way: discernment will always protect the reputation of Jesus and the kingdom of God.
38:34
SPEAKER_00: Self-righteous judgment will always protect my reputation and my ego.
38:42
SPEAKER_00: And from there, after talking about that, Jesus moves from inspecting someone else's fruit to something much more frightening, inspecting our own life.
38:54
SPEAKER_00: And now we're coming to the scariest words Jesus ever spoke.
38:58
SPEAKER_00: We're looking at Matthew 7, 21 to 23.
39:03
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.
39:11
SPEAKER_00: Listen, friends, the people that he's talking about here are not atheists because they're calling him Lord.
39:17
SPEAKER_00: And they're not presenting Jesus with a list of terrible things they've done.
39:22
SPEAKER_00: They are presenting him with a ministry resume.
39:26
SPEAKER_00: We prophesied, we cast out demons, we raised the dead, didn't we do all these mighty works?
39:32
SPEAKER_00: And Jesus doesn't say to them, Well, you didn't do enough.
39:35
SPEAKER_00: It's not enough good works.
39:37
SPEAKER_00: And he doesn't say, Oh, well, you didn't do it right.
39:39
SPEAKER_00: He says, I never knew you.
39:44
SPEAKER_00: That should stop every Christian in our tracks.
39:50
SPEAKER_00: Because apparently it's possible to become fascinated with what we can do for Jesus while neglecting life with Jesus.
40:01
SPEAKER_00: Paul makes an absolute parallel, I believe, in 1 Corinthians 13.
40:07
SPEAKER_00: He has his own version of what Jesus just taught.
40:12
SPEAKER_00: And he's talking about saints who have the ability to prophesy, who have all knowledge, who speak with the tongue of men and of angels, who have faith and move mountains, they give all they have to the poor, they even give their bodies to be burned.
40:26
SPEAKER_00: And Paul says, Yet, if I do all these things, but I have not love, I am nothing.
40:35
SPEAKER_00: My friends, it hit me so big this week.
40:41
SPEAKER_00: God's ultimate goal isn't our spiritual performance.
40:46
SPEAKER_00: He's forming Christ in us, not an appearance of holiness, not a platform, not a resume, but humility, tenderness, gentleness, meekness, believing the best, hoping the best, enduring long, being courageous, demonstrating holiness and love.
41:09
SPEAKER_00: And you know, just to bring you behind the curtain in my life, love doesn't come naturally to me.
41:15
SPEAKER_00: I've had to become a student of love.
41:18
SPEAKER_00: I actually am a student of thoughtful people.
41:21
SPEAKER_00: I watch what they do and I'm like, oh, oh, so that's how you show kindness when someone does something for you.
41:28
SPEAKER_00: Oh, so that's how you show honor.
41:30
SPEAKER_00: Okay, oh, that's how you honor your parents, or oh, that's how you talk to your spouse.
41:34
SPEAKER_00: I've had to learn all these things and be a student of all these things.
41:38
SPEAKER_00: And even at 60, I still feel like I miss this more than I hid it.
41:44
SPEAKER_00: But at least I can say I'm seeing growth.
41:47
SPEAKER_00: I'm quicker to repent when I see behavior that was an outward show, but wasn't rooted in genuine love or that was just outright unloving.
41:56
SPEAKER_00: I'm quicker to admit I was wrong.
41:59
SPEAKER_00: That was selfish.
42:01
SPEAKER_00: That wasn't loving.
42:03
SPEAKER_00: I need to make that right.
42:06
SPEAKER_00: So here's the truth that I remind myself often.
42:09
SPEAKER_00: And I want to remind you guys when you look at other people, platform is not the proof of maturity, and giftedness is not the proof of someone's character.
42:20
SPEAKER_00: Spiritual power is not a substitute for knowing Jesus.
42:26
SPEAKER_00: God isn't merely interested in what he can do through us, he wants to form Christ in us.
42:34
SPEAKER_00: First John 2 3 through 6, John says, Whoever abides in him ought also to walk in the way in which he walked.
42:43
SPEAKER_00: So we need to look at the way that Jesus walked.
42:46
SPEAKER_00: Would Jesus show mercy to sinners?
42:49
SPEAKER_00: Would Jesus confront hypocrisy and unrighteousness?
42:52
SPEAKER_00: Was he afraid?
42:53
SPEAKER_00: Was he afraid of a fight?
42:55
SPEAKER_00: No.
42:56
SPEAKER_00: But he knew where he was supposed to pick that fight and where he was supposed to administer love and mercy and be a healing balm.
43:08
SPEAKER_00: So that's our example.
43:10
SPEAKER_00: Jesus was full of grace and truth.
43:12
SPEAKER_00: And if I say I abide in him, it means I have to walk like he did.
43:18
SPEAKER_00: So, guys, as we wrap up this live stream, I have a challenge for you, higher pursued tribe.
43:24
SPEAKER_00: I want you to choose one word from Matthew 7 and do what I showed you today.
43:30
SPEAKER_00: I want you to find the original word, study its range of meaning, look at it in context.
43:37
SPEAKER_00: So that means you're going to compare scripture with scripture.
43:39
SPEAKER_00: You're going to look in that Englishman's concordance and see all the different ways that it was used, all the different verses.
43:46
SPEAKER_00: And then come back and tell me in the comments of this live stream, the comments that will show up when we close this all down, what word you studied and what you discovered.
43:56
SPEAKER_00: Because I don't want to just teach you what I found in the Bible.
43:59
SPEAKER_00: I get more excited finding out that I've equipped you to dig into the book for yourself.
44:06
SPEAKER_00: Amen, amen, amen.
44:08
SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's pray.
44:11
SPEAKER_00: Heavenly Father, we just come to you as your children and we ask you to search our hearts.
44:16
SPEAKER_00: Lord, there was so much heavy content that came out tonight.
44:21
SPEAKER_00: But we thank you that you are a loving and a merciful God.
44:25
SPEAKER_00: The fact that we're listening to this is your mercy because you want to keep us on that narrow path.
44:32
SPEAKER_00: Where there is judgment, lead us to repentance.
44:35
SPEAKER_00: Where we have been naive, give us discernment.
44:39
SPEAKER_00: Where we are being selfish, teach us to love.
44:44
SPEAKER_00: Where we have chosen the broad and easy way, turn our feet again toward that narrow road.
44:51
SPEAKER_00: And Lord Jesus, never let us become satisfied with doing things for you.
44:58
SPEAKER_00: When you want us to be doing things with you, knowing you intimately, root us and ground us in your love.
45:08
SPEAKER_00: And Lord, I just want to lift up my friend Pat to you tonight, who was just released after six hours in the emergency room.
45:15
SPEAKER_00: While I don't know all the details, you do.
45:18
SPEAKER_00: And in the name of Jesus, we command healing to Pat's body right now.
45:22
SPEAKER_00: We command every system to come into alignment with the will and the word of God in the mighty name of Jesus.
45:32
SPEAKER_00: Holy Spirit, form the character of Jesus in all of us until we don't merely speak his words, but we walk the way he walked in Jesus' name.
45:42
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
45:44
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
45:45
SPEAKER_00: Well, everyone, that wraps up this episode of the Higher Pursuit podcast and live stream.
45:50
SPEAKER_00: I am so grateful that you joined me.
45:52
SPEAKER_00: And I'm honored that you're inviting me to be a part of your journey to know the Lord.
45:57
SPEAKER_00: I really am.
45:58
SPEAKER_00: And until next time, this has been the Higher Pursuit, nourishing your faith and sharpening your endurance.
46:05
SPEAKER_00: God bless.
46:07
SPEAKER_00: Hey family, I pray that you were blessed and encouraged by that episode, and that you took away something you can use in your walk with the Lord starting today.
46:18
SPEAKER_00: Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
46:24
SPEAKER_00: So I thank you for making me a part of your pursuit.
46:27
SPEAKER_00: Until next time, abide in Him.