The judging of others
Matthew 7:1-7:5
Introduction-
This morning I have to tell you that this is a bit strange for me.
To be in a chair to preach is a first.
The fact that I have not ripped through this surgery as my other ones has been a challenge and an adjustment.
I just assumed that I would do it quicker and better because of who I am.
We have a tendency to judge others without knowing all the facts involved.
They can’t kick a habit, they are weak!
Don’t heal as quickly as they should, it is because they didn’t do what they were suppose to, or they just didn’t have the drive that is needed.
We judge others based upon what life journey we have or have not been through instead of what journey others are in or have been through-.There is a difference!
Ever been selected for jury duty?
The process alone leaves you wondering if justice will be served.
The jury is presented the facts and kept away from any outside sources that would taint the way they would vote, with the hope that truth would prevail and justice served.
Jesus in the text this morning uses the term “judge not.”
It is obvious that we have to judge some things or we would not be able to stand up for anything because we would be so wishy-washy we could not make simple decisions.
So this morning, we have to find out what things we are to judge and what things that we are not to be judges.
Jesus gives us these words direct from His own mouth in what is called the sermon on the Mount.
Text- Matthew 7:1-7:5
I think this is the most abused scripture passage by Christians and non-Christians alike. Christians want to make everything black and white, and use this out of context.
Non-Christians it is their favorite verse to quote at believer’s everytime Christians get into their airspace and apply pressure to anything that goes on in their life.
The great word of today is tolerance.
That word applied today by society’s standards means that no matter what someone believes and what someone does we are to be tolerant of their decision and not judge them.
The Bible does not teach tolerance in the way society defines it.
The Bible does not teach us to accept everything that comes down the pike, and to put our approval on it. (Salvation of Jesus Christ on the cross is narrow thinking, and we do not have to apologize for God’s Word.)
Hebrews 13:9-A
“Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.”
Matt. 7:15-
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are raging wolfs.”
Ephesians 4:14-
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.”
We are to judge doctrine- to make sure that we are staying pure in God’s Word.
We are to judge teachers, preachers, so that God’s word is not watered down or polluted by individual thought and a mixture of several doctrines to create our own religion.
We are to judge and line up our decisions to God’s Word.
God’s word is the final authority.
God’s Word is the majority in ever decision even if no one else would agree with Him.
Here’s where it can get interesting!
We are not to be tolerant when it comes to our beliefs and everything should line up and match up with God’s word and what He commands us to do.
We can do it with the love of Christ being our motive.
Our motive as believers is to restore our relationship with God and help others begin or restore their relationship with God.
Most unbelievers when confronted with God’s word for change in their lives will cause them to be defensive. They will attack the fact that we (believers) are not perfect and pointing out their faults while living okay with our faults.
They judge their conduct against our unrighteousness. It is hard to show them that it is not us against them. It is living up to God’s word.
They would rather show you your faults than admit that they have sin in their lives or admit that they need to make changes.
“Don’t judge me”, “you don’t know me”, right! In their mind, you have not earn that right to judge them because they feel you do not know them well enough.
Illustration-
Policemen pulls you over for speeding, he comes to the window and asks for license and registration. You begin by telling him don’t judge me, you don’t know me, you don’t know my heart. The cop will look at you and say I’m sorry, I am not judging your motives, I am judging your conduct.
Concrete fact- not abstract
Objective- not subjective
One is inward and one is outward.
The Bible says that we should make judgments based upon God’s Word and truth as we know it.
It very clearly tells us that judgments based upon conduct can be dealt with in a loving but purposeful way but when we are trying to look inside someone else to determine motives we have to be careful because no one knows our hearts except God.
Church discipline is almost unheard of anymore.
Because no one is willing to line up their behavior against God’s word and be disciplined correctly by the consequences of their actions.
They call someone in the church that is not perfect a hypocrite. Let me show you something here.
Hypocrite-
“A person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs.” (church goers)
“A person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.” (Non- believers)
Did you catch that?
Both sides are hypocritical.
Again it amounts to God dealing with sinners and all are welcome.
The church cannot be perfect because you and I attend it.
Jesus loves sinners, died for all sinners and welcomes all sinners.
Self-righteousness leads to fault finding, and a hyper critical spirit and attitude manifests itself and will keep you from receiving what God intends for you in your life.
Illustration-
Heard a story of a five year old boy named Andrew, while visiting a neighbor with his parents Andrew pulls out his kindergarden class picture and began immediately describing his classmates.
Robert- he hits everyone.
Stephen- He never listens to the teacher.
Mark- He runs around and is noisy.
This is me- “I’m just minding my own business.”
Funny how we can look at others critically and ourselves mercifully.
Now that we discussed this for a minute, let’s digest this passage with the right attitude.
“Do not judge or you will be judged. For in the same way you judge others you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Stop a minute)
Jesus is telling us that as believers we are not to judge hypocritically or self-righteously.
One verse I found says it like this-
“Don’t condemn others, and God will not condemn you, God will be as hard on you as you are on others. He will treat you exactly as you treat them.
With little information, we can make some very bad judgments of others. They are made too early and without knowing everything that God is doing or will do in that person.
How a person looks
How we hold unto gossip that we have heard.
Categorize people.
How many here this morning have been hurt by bad judgment rumors or lies?
How quick are you willing to do it to someone else?
Some people will hide behind, “Don’t judge me” to avoid reality of what we know.
But there are an awful lot of people also with a self-righteous attitude that are trying to play God by reading someone’s motives and heart and only God can do that.
(3) “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye. How can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in our eye. You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, then you will clearly see to remove the speck from your brothers eye.”
Jesus is telling us that if we must be critical, don’t waste your time looking around to others, let our critical spirit begin with us. Look in the mirror. Look into our own hearts.
If we do that, we won’t have time or energy to be critical of others, and when we do correctly look at others, it will be with a heart of compassion instead of a heart of self-righteousness.
Conduct can be judged, it is an outward action, but it can be done in the love of Christ instead of a hammer of righteousness.
Let me wind this down,
There is a passage of scripture where a group of religious people cornered a women caught in adultery.
John 8:7-
“When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
We all like to be inspectors, but none want to acknowledge things in our own lives.
There is only one true judge and His name is Jesus. He tells us not to judge by emotions, but by love.
The same grace we desire Jesus to show to us is the same grace we should show to others.
Close,
All sinners are welcome in the house of God.
All sinners need God working in tier lives.
All sinners should show the love and mercy of God to others.
“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”
Jesus is very clearly telling us that self-righteousness is a boomerang that will come back around to us if we are judging others outside the love of Christ.
