Here Comes The Judge! Series

• SLIDE #8

• Matthew 7:6 ( ESV ) “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

• In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus tells us that by our fruits we will be known. Matthew 7:20 says, “So then, you will know them by their fruits.

• How will you know someone by their fruits unless you use some discernment?

• Is Jesus condemning making a well thought out evaluation of someone? No because within the context of this passage, particularly verse 6, we are told to be discerning.

• What Jesus is prohibiting is hypocritical, unloving condemning judgment on our part.

• Jesus is not telling us that we are not to examine another person’s fruits (actions) and then make an evaluation, but we are not to pronounce a final judgment upon them.

• As Christians we do want to be guilty of a “critical spirit”, or condemning judgments. The word from which we get the English word “critic” is the same word that Jesus uses here when He tells us not to judge others.

• We need a way to defend ourselves from being critical of people. It is easy for Satan to get us to be critical, therefore losing perspective of how Jesus wants us to deal with people.

• Transitional Sentence: Now that we understand what Jesus is really telling us, we will now consider a couple of DEFENSES that Jesus gives to protect us from having a Critical Spirit.

• SLIDE #9

II. AN EXAMINATION OF YOUR STANDARD OF JUDGMENT (v 2)

• The first question we need to answer is:

• SLIDE #10

A. What standard are you using?

• Are we going to use bitterness? Are we going to use mercy?

• Are we going to compare other people to us?

• How many times do we just look at a person and make a judgment about them.

• When you think of a standard by which you are going to judge others, here is something to think about.

• SLIDE #11

B. The standard we use will be used on us.

• One of the reasons that we need to evaluate the standard that we use is that Jesus said that the standard we choose to use on others will be used against us!

• SLIDE #12

• Matthew 7:2 ( ESV ) For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

• How many different things do we use to judge people? Do we want Jesus uses those standards against us when we stand before Him?

• If we are able to use Jesus as our standard, then we find that we are not even that perfect!

• What we want from God is mercy! What we need from God is mercy! If we want and need mercy, then we need to use that standard when we are evaluating other people.

• SLIDE #13

• Luke 6:38 ( ESV ) give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

• The second line of protection to keep us on the right path is found in verses 3-5

• SLIDE #14

• Matthew 7:3-5 ( ESV ) Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 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.