Is judgment restorative?

Watch the complete sermon here: https://www.bridges.church/messages/gentleness-and-kindness-matthew-11-20-30/

Hey, thanks again for sending in questions related to our recent sermons. This last Sunday, looking at the fruit of the spirit, we talked about gentleness and kindness, and we observed that both with Jesus and Paul, there are instances where I. Where their gentleness and kindness coincides with some pretty severe words. And we’re like, how can we reconcile this? How can they be both gentle and severe at the same time?

And we observed that their severity always seems to be pushing people toward the gospel, toward liberation. In the gospel, toward pushing people toward freedom. In Christ, Jesus says, my yoke is easy. My burden is light. I’m here to give you rest.

Paul pushes Peter toward an understanding that he has missed something about the gospel when he’s afraid of being judged and he’s therefore acting racist toward the Gentiles. Paul says, the real problem is you’re missing the gospel seems to be what Jesus is doing in the gospels as well. He’s pushing people toward an understanding of the liberation available in him. The severity both Jesus and Paul is leading toward liberation. And so the question comes in, is the judgment that we see in scripture also toward liberation?

Because judgment certainly seems pretty severe. Revelation 19, Jesus comes with a sword on a horse, has a tattoo on his leg. King of Kingsley, lord of Lords. You know, he comes with fire. Basically, in Revelation 20, there is the lake of fire and people are thrown in there.

Right. That certainly doesn’t seem like Jesus is using that type of severity to push people toward liberation. And we would say absolutely right. You know, of course, judgment in that sense that we see, especially in revelation 20, is not going to result any kind of liberation. It is resulting in a, in a final, everlasting condemnation, in fact.

But this is what’s key for us. We cannot look at Jesus in revelation 1920 and then use his behavior there as a justification for us acting in condemnation toward others, us being severe with others out of condemnation. We never have justification to act like that. Scripture is remarkably clear on this. John 5:22.

I believe Jesus says all judgment belongs to him. Judgment does not belong to us. Revelation, I mean, sorry, romans twelve. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. Right we are to repay each evil with good.

If God’s going to judge it, God’s going to judge it. That’s not our domain. Judgment does not belong to us. Paul says, 1 Corinthians 5. He says, what business is of it is mine to judge those outside the church.

That’s not our realm either. Or earlier in 1 Corinthians 5, when he is judging someone in the church, read it very carefully. It’s verse five. He says, we’re casting this guy out of the church, which sounds judgy, right? But he says so that his spirit will be saved on the day of the Lord.

The push always for us, if we have any kind of severity, always needs to be toward what we have in Christ, towards Christ finished work on our behalf, towards surrendering to him, toward repentance, toward receiving his worth right of him taking our blame, him giving us his status. The push is always toward rest, freedom in Christ, in his finished work on our behalf, which happened on the cross. There is no justification for us to ever be severe in a condemning kind of way. If we are severe, the only way that we can do that is toward freedom and liberation in Christ, which is the gentleness and kindness that we see in scripture.

So thanks for the question.

We’ll see you next time.