Are You Trusting God To Judge
Matthew Chapter 7:1-6
Prayer
Introduction
Good Morning. What a great singing we had last night. For those who were not able to come you missed a blessing. I know that some don’t like loud music but we sung some great old songs last night and we also sung some great contemporary songs last night. And do you know something everyone of the songs that graced our fellowship hall last night lifted up praise, honor and glory to our God, our heavenly father. Sometimes we have a tendency to judge things, because it is not the way we grew up with or that is not how we have always done it. I want you to know that I love every single old hymn but I am also beginning to love the contemporary music of today. Those old hymns that we love to sing and hear at one time was the contemporary music of its day. At one point in the protestant reformation musical instruments were not allowed in service and don’t even think about showing joy in your salvation.
We often judge things and others based on our flimsy broken reasons and not based on the word of God. We believe that what we think is correct. In his little book Illustrations of Bible Truth, H.A. Ironside pointed out the folly of judging others. He related an incident in the life of a man called Bishop Potter. "He was sailing for Europe on one of the great transatlantic ocean liners. When he went on board, he found that another passenger was to share the cabin with him. After going to see the accommodations, he came up to the purser’s desk and inquired if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship’s safe. He explained that ordinarily he never availed himself of that privilege, but he had been to his cabin and had met the man who was to occupy the other berth. Judging from his appearance, he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person. The purser accepted the responsibility for the valuables and remarked, ’It’s all right, bishop, I’ll be very glad to take care of them for you. The other man has been up here and left his for the same reason!’" Sometimes when we think we are right we are wrong. We never ever consider the possibility that we might be wrong. How about the time when Richard and Gina came to visit us as Rhino and Sunshine? How many of us judged them by what we saw on the outside? How many in all the churches that they have visited has judged the outside without ever seeing the inside. A schoolteacher decided to travel across America and see the sights she had taught about. Traveling alone in a truck with camper in tow, she launched out. One afternoon a water pump blew on her truck. She was tired, exasperated, scared, and alone. No one seemed interested in helping. Leaning up against the trailer, she prayed, “Please God, send me an angel, preferably one with mechanical experience.”
Within four minutes, a huge Harley drove up, ridden by an enormous man sporting long, black hair, a beard and tattooed arms. He jumped off and went to work on the truck. Within another few minutes, he flagged down a larger truck, attached a tow chain to the frame of the disabled Chevy, and whisked the whole 56-foot rig off the freeway onto a side street, where he calmly continued to work on the water pump. The intimidated schoolteacher was too dumfounded to talk. As he finished the task, she finally got up the courage to say, “Thanks so much.” Noticing her surprise, he looked her straight in the eye and mumbled, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” With that, he smiled, closed the hood of the truck, and straddled his Harley. With a wave, he was gone as fast as he had appeared.
Ultimately, judging has to do with playing God. When we judge someone, we do three things. First, we place ourselves above another as if we were his or her God. Second, we condemn another. And third, we create the standard for another.
When we evaluate someone, we don’t do these three things. First, we do not place ourselves above the other person. Instead, we identify with the person as a fellow sinner and struggler, humbling ourselves as we realize that we are subject to temptations also (Gal. 6:1). Second, we do not condemn another person with the guilt, shame, and wrath of the law. We as sinners are just as guilty and do not have that privilege (Rom. 2:3). Third, we do not make up the standard. We humbly bow to God’s standard in evaluating each other and call each other to repentance.
I. So what is judging
a. As humans we often judge others. Many times this is a judgmental attitude that tears others down in order to build oneself up.
b. As Christians with the filling of the Holy Spirit and under its guidance it is discernment.
i. We are first to see where we fall short and correct that with ourselves.
ii. We are to test our teachers by the Holy Word.
iii. We are to make judgments based on God’s Holy Word under the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit.
II. How are we to judge others.
a. We are first to examine ourselves
i. What are our motives? What are the reasons why we are judging them.
1. Are we judging because we are critical or jealous.
2. Are we judging others because the traits we see in them are the same traits we see in ourselves and don’t like.
3. Unbroken bad habits and behavior patterns we see in ourselves or often times the same ones that we try to change in others.
ii. Before we can judge others we have to correct the mistakes and short comings in our own lives which will not leave much time to correct others.
iii. Many judge others to feel better than others. They are looking for validation here on earth and not in Heaven.
iv. Others criticize to feel important. They tear down others character as that they can try to build up their own.
v. The following illustrates that point. "In a stately church a noticeably untidy man visited the church for the first time. He was met by one of the smartly-dressed ushers who immediately ushered him to a back pew so that his unkept appearance and foul odor would not upset the decorum of the church.
Another first time visitor stood in the foyer. He was neatly groomed and made a striking appearance in his dark pinned stripped suit. One of the ushers strode proudly down the aisle with him and seated him in the front of the church.
Following the service, the president or the congregation invited the man to dinner at his home.
As they were seated around the table, the food was passed. The visitor helped himself to the delicious looking potatoes placing them on his plate. But then he did a strange thing, he scooped the potatoes into his suit coat pocket. The family watched as he proceeded to do the same with the carrots and the meat. Unable to keep silent any longer the father asked, "Why are you pouring the food into your coat pocket?" The visitor smiled and answered politely, "Judging from where you seated the visitor who came in before me I gather that you invited my suit to lunch so I’m feeding it."
III. Why are we to judge.
a. Yes there are times that we as God’s children are to judge.
i. We are to oppose false prophets
1. we are to search the scriptures to insure that no false teaching is coming our way.
2. We are not judging when we are using God’s Holy Word to test by and if they fail the test they are exposed as the false prophets they are.
b. We are to exercise Church discipline.
i. We are to use God’s Holy Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discipline members of the body who stray from the path.
ii. We are not judging when we do this under God’s guidance.
iii. Churches no longer do this out of fear of losing membership but we are to do this to keep dissension from the church.
IV. Does there come a time we stop dealing with those who refuse to listen.
a. Jesus says not to teach things to people who don’t want to listen.
b. It is futile to try to teach a person who is so degenerate the holy concepts.
c. We are not to stop giving God’s word to unbelievers but we are to be discerning in what we teach when we teach so that we will not be wasting our time. In other words we don’t need to be teaching theology when we should be teaching the Gospel.
V. Conclusion
a. There is a hill in the lake district called Rash Judgment Point and that it was given that name by William Wordsworth. The story goes that while he and his sister were standing at the top of this hill one day during the harvest season looking down on the lake below, they saw a man in a boat fishing. Angered by this, because the community needed every able-bodied man to be involved in gathering in the harvest, Wordsworth decided to go down the hill and challenge the fisherman for indulging in a leisure activity when he should have been busy at work for the good of the local community. Having called the man to the shore, Wordsworth noticed as he got out of the boat that he was old and bent over. Several fish lay in the boat. The man explained that having worked for years gathering in the crops from the fields he was now unable to do so because of his age and the pains that he suffered. Instead, in order to contribute to the life of the community at harvest time, he got up well before dawn and spent all day fishing the lake for fish to add to the communities resources. Wordsworth had passed judgment upon a man’s actions without first giving the man an opportunity to explain his actions. Having listened to the man’s explanation he felt so convicted about the hasty judgment he had made that he named the hill from which he had first seen the man fishing, Rash Judgment point.
We all make rash judgments but Praise God His Son will not make any rash judgment on that day when He will sit on the great throne of judgment. Every judgment will be fair and true. Thankful we who are Christians can say that the fire of judgment will not touch us. One day as American pioneers travelled in their wagon train they noticed a long line of smoke that stretched for miles across the prairie. Soon it was evident that the dry grass was burning fiercely, and the fire was moving toward them rapidly. They had crossed a river the day before but they could never get back before the flames caught them. One of them told the others told them to set fire to the grass behind them. Then when a space was burned over, the whole company moved back upon it. As the flames roared towards them a little girl cried out in terror. "We’ll all be burned up!" The leader replied, "Don’t worry my child; the flames can’t reach us here, for we are standing where the fire has been!"
Ironside then went on “The fires of God’s judgment burned themselves out on Jesus, and all who are in Christ are safe forever, for they are now standing where the fire has been.”
What about you where are you standing?
