Sweep Around Your Own Front Door

Sweep Around Your Own Front Door…

Matthew 7:1-5

1 Do not judge so that you will not be judged.

2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

3 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

4 Or how can you say to your brother, Let me take the speck out of your eye, and behold, the log is in your own eye?

5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

We live in a world today that is very quick to judge or pass judgment on those without looking at themselves first. We are quick to judge people based on race, based on income level, based on where they live and even based on their past.

We find it very easy to judge others based on our own standard of measure. But when we measure ourselves up against God then we see how really low we are.

I have come to even understand that as we work in God’s church that the criticism and judging does not stop. In 20 years of ministry I have seen church folk judging each other, criticizing each other, running each other down, talking on the phone about each other and the list could go on and on. Just because we say we know the Lord, and put on a suit on Sunday, go to church, read Scripture, sing, and shout does not mean we are totally right with God. We will do all of those activities on Sunday then turn right around on Monday and judge and criticize one another.

You see the word judge means to: “Render a decision on someone or something based on either right information or wrong information.”

Survey: “How many in here this morning have been judged based on rumors and lies?”

“How many in here this morning have been judged because of your past?”

“How many in here this morning have been criticized for doing something different or even being different?”

Fault Finding Is Easy

Fault finding is not difficult. Isaac Murray illustrates this in his story on how a dog hitched to a lawn mower stopped pulling to bark at a passerby. The boy who was guiding the mower said, “Don’t mind the dog, he is just barking for an excuse to rest. It is easier to bark than to pull the mower.”

Now when I was in the regular work force I only thought that kind of stuff happened only in the world. But when I came to church I found out that it not only happens in the church but it takes on a whole different meaning and level.

See church folk criticize and find fault but then try to hid behind the bible or their own personal so called righteousness.

You see we try to dog others for what they are doing or not doing but then we forget about what we are doing behind closed doors at home.

You see there are two categories of church related people:

There are SAINTS and then there are CHURCH FOLK.

Saints identify with God while Church Folk identify with the Devil.

Saints have the characteristics of Love, Peace, Joy, Longsuffering, Mercy, Compassion and Forgiveness.

Church Folk have the characteristics of Hate, Annimosity, Jeoulousy, Vindictiveness, Criticism, Castigation and always trying to find fault in others.

Good Quotes

When you throw dirt at people you’re not doing a thing but losing ground. - Zig Ziglar

Lord, deliver me from the lust of vindicating myself. - St. Augustine

Let the man who says it cannot be done not disturb the man doing it. - Chinese proverb

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. - Elbert Hubbard.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism. - Harrison’s Postulate

It is much easier to be critical than to be correct. - Disraeli

He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help. - Lincoln

You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. - Booker T. Washington

If you are a Christian, you can expect folks to criticize, but you ought to live so nobody will believe them.

Dr. Robert L. McKenzie

In Acts 28:3-6, we see how quick people were to judge Paul. First they said he was a murderer, later that he was a god.

The Bible strongly opposes the judging of one another. Judging is a dangerous practice -- it defiles and destroys.

I. Criticism and Judging -- vv.1-2

1 Do not judge so that you will not be judged.