I want you to see that aspect of where being critical comes from.  It comes from pride, thinking you’re above.  “I’m the judge.”  In fact, James gets a little irritated here, and he makes a statement about if we’re going to go around with this haughty spirit, a condescending spirit, as to how other people do things and how that’s wrong, and “this guy’s an idiot” and whatever else it is.  We get in with our own tight little group because we’re all just family, then it is okay to be critical and make fun of those that are overweight and look a certain way, that live by a certain standard, that dress a certain way.  “My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”  James is very clear of what is behind this kind of conversation, and so he’s making sure that we become aware of the wisdom that’s not from above and that it is earthly, sensual, and demonic.  Let me ask you a question.  Are you comfortable sitting around listening to wisdom that is earthly, sensual, and demonic?  Are you comfortable in that environment?  Reprove it!  We just talked about putting on the armor of God so that we could withstand the lies and the wiles of the devil and all this demonic warfare in the heavenlies.  That person making that little snide remark or that critical spirit, you, like Jesus, can turn around and tell them, “Get behind me, Satan.”  Until we take that kind of approach, we’re not going to win the war.

There’s a passage I think that’s really interesting.  It’s Proverbs 25:23.  It talks about the fact that we need to become violent toward, we need to hate, we need to be angry against those that have a backbiting tongue.  He goes on and makes this statement, and drive them out.  That’s powerful.  It’s the way we’re supposed to respond to this.  We hear words and they just go by.  If they don’t, if our minds and our hearts are not sensitive, it’s sin.  Go back to Galatians.  We were just seeing the very definition of strife, and we’ll look at it in just a moment.  Where we strive and we’re opposing one another, and being critical, being divisive, seditious, is expressed hatred.  If you hate your brother, you’re a murderer.  He goes on to say here in just the next couple of verses, if strife is evident in your life, if you’re allowing people around you to be involved in it, understand this:  You will not inherit the kingdom of God.  I don’t care how many verses on justification you can quote.  You’re not safe.  You’re not saved.  You will not go to heaven.  You will not inherit the kingdom of God.  The little foxes.  We would be horrified.  We would not tolerate anybody in this fellowship living in adultery, and the fellowship having common knowledge of that.  It’s the same list.  Now, listen, here’s what’s dangerous.  Same list, why do you tolerate it?

James says do not be a judge of the law.  How dare we put a different weight on strife than adultery or murder.  Have you become now a judge of the law in how you apply it, or to whom you apply it?  Because the fact is, you’ll apply it to everybody but the people you really love.  Which you really hate, if you don’t apply it.  This is powerful stuff.  It’s going to destroy the church in this last age.  There must be an application of truth, the washing of the water of the Word, the aspect of you and I loving one another.  The Lord chastens those that He loves.  Beloved, if ever there was an hour when we need to stop lying to one another, it’s today.  He goes right on in this context and says, “Stop lying to one another.”  Have you ever wondered, well, what’s that all about?  Read it in the context of the spirit of what we’re talking about here.  That’s what it’s talking about.  Stop lying to one another!  “You’re not right!”  “This is not acceptable!”  Oh, that some of us would rise up and stand in the gap.  I think it’s very interesting that one of the gifts that we need in the church today— We’re asking God to move by the gifts of the Spirit.  It’s operating right now.  It’s called prophecy.  Prophecy is given for the purpose of edification, exhortation, and comfort.  We need more than ever to seek to edify one another; amen?  To build up one another.