Judge Not - Love Much

This message deals with one of the chief complaints of non-believers... that of "Christians are Hypocrites and Self-righteous." Why do they believe that? Jesus gives a beautiful lesson in non judgmental, non self righteous and unconditional love.

JUDGE NOT – LOVE MUCH

1. TOPIC: HYPOCRISY/SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS

2. QUESTION: ARE WE THE KIND OF PERSON A NON BELIEVER CAN COME TO WITHOUT FEELING JUDGED?

3. OBJECTIVE:TO UNBECOMING SELF RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE AND BECOME APPROACHABLE – CHRIST LIKE

• REVIEW LAST WEEK

o CHOSEN – NEW LIFE – FIRST TEAM – A HOLY TRIBE – CHOSEN PRIESTS WALKING IN HIS LIGHT

• PRAISE BE TO THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. IN HIS GREAT MERCY, HE HAS GIVEN US NEW BIRTH INTO A LIVING HOPE THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD, AND INTO AN INHERITANCE THAT CAN NEVER PERISH, SPOIL OR FADE – KEPT IN HEAVEN….FOR YOU! (1PETER 1: 3, 4)

• WE TALKED MY RECOGNITION OF HOW FAR WE ARE FROM THE WORLD

• CAUTIONED ABOUT COMPARING OURSELVES TO THE WORLD

• USING GOD’S PLUMB LINE AS OUR STANDARD OF COMPARISON.

• REVIEW TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: LUKE 7: 36-39

o A LOT HERE

o WHO WAS THIS WOMAN

 NOT MUCH INFORMATION

• MOST SCHOLARS BELIEVE A PROSTITUTE, JEWISH OR GENTILE... NO INFO AVAILABLE.

 WHAT WE DO KNOW IS SHE IS A SINNER

• HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW SHE GOT THERE

o DIFFERENT CLIMATE, TIME, AND EVERYTHING WAS OPEN.

o CUSTOMARY IN THAT DAY FOR OUTSIDERS TO HANG AROUND DURING BANQUETS SO THEY COULD WATCH THE “IMPORTANT PEOPLE” AND HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

o BUT ARE TO REMAIN SILENT

o ALSO A CUSTOM TO WASH, OR HAVE THE FEET OF THE GUESTS WASHED

 FOOTWEAR WAS SANDALS… FEET GOT DIRTY… ERGO CUSTOM.

• SO NOW WE KNOW HOW SHE GOT IN… WHY WAS SHE THERE?

• WHERE SHE HAD MET JESUS OR WHAT OF WHAT HE SAID HAD BROUGHT HER HOPE, “NEW LIFE” TO HER DEAD HEART AND A SENSE OF DIVINE PARDON TO HER SUFFERING AND GUILT RIDDEN SOUL WE DON’T KNOW.

•

• MOST LIKELY, SHE WAS AMONG THE CROWDS OF “PUBLICANS AND SINNERS” WHOM JESUS DREW SO OFTEN TO HIM AND HEAR HIM SPEAK WORDS SUCH AS NEVER BEFORE SPOKEN.

• THE “HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS” OR IN OTHER WORDS, LOOKING TO ALL THE GOSPELS TO FIND THE TIME LINE OF EVENTS, WE SEE THAT JUST BEFORE THIS EVENT, JESUS HAS SAID THIS:

o (Mt. 11:28-30) “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

• JESUS WORDS SPOKE TRUTH TO HER, SHE BELIEVED, REPENTED.

• HER LIFE WAS FOREVER CHANGED AND SHE WAS ETERNALLY GRATEFUL AND FULL OF LOVE FOR JESUS, HER SAVIOR AND LORD.

• STILL… THIS WAS A WOMAN LOOKED DOWN UPON BY MOST PEOPLE OF THAT TIME.

• SO THE QUESTION IS THIS –

o HOW CAN THIS WOMAN, THIS SINNER WHO SEES JESUS WITH ALL HIS PERFECTION, KNOWING WHAT HE TEACHES, AND NOT FEEL JUDGED?

o HOW DOES SHE, A PUBLIC AND SINNER KNOW SHE CAN COME TO JESUS WITHOUT CONDEMNATION OR REGRET OR FEAR?

o WHEN JESUS SPOKE, WHEN HE GAVE THE INVITATION, HE SPOKE WITH AUTHORITY AND YET HIS WORDS WERE AN INVITATION WITHOUT CONDITION, WITHOUT JUDGMENT.

• SHE SAW IN JESUS, AND HEARD IN HIS WORDS A PROMISE OF HOPE AND SHE BELIEVED. SHE KNEW IN HER HEART THE DEPTH OF HER SIN, YET SHE SENSED SO MUCH LOVE FLOWING FORTH FROM JESUS THAT SHE FINDS HERSELF DRAWN TO HIM AND HER HEART FILLED WITH HOPE AND AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF LOVE FOR THIS GOD OF LOVE.

• SHE HAS LEARNED THROUGH HER OWN SINS AND THE MAGNITUDE OF THEM, THAT GOD IS LOVE.

• SHE DOES NOT YET KNOW FORGIVENESS BUT IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS, HE EXHIBITS THE QUALITIES OF GOD AND THE WOMAN SEES HER WORTH IN THE EYES OF GOD EVEN IN THE MIDST OF HER SINS.

• SHE SEES THE QUALITIES IN CHRIST THAT ARE DIVINE, AND SHE UNDERSTANDS…SHE UNDERSTANDS UNHINDERED BY JUDGMENT BUT OVERWHELMED WITH LOVE AND HIS PRESENCE REVEALED IN HER HEART

• THE DEEP CONSCIOUSNESS OF HER SINS INCREASES… BUT GOD’S LOVE INCREASES IN PERFECT PROPORTION TO THE DEEP SENSE OF SIN AND WITH EACH REALIZATION, LOVE MEETS THOSE PLACES OF SHAME AND GUILT.

o THIS IS GRACE!

o WHAT BRINGS HER TO TEARS IS THE KNOWLEDGE AND PROMISES OF FORGIVENESS.

o SHE WAS EXPERIENCING THE LOVE OF GOD WITHOUT HUMAN JUDGMENT!

• WHAT, AS CHRISTIANS, DO WE HEAR NON- CHRISTIANS COMPLAIN ABOUT MOST?