Banner of Praise Ministries
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Rev. Dr. Levi Howard Wright, Pastor & Founder
TEXT: ST MATTHEW 7:1-5 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote of thy brother’s eye.”
SUBJECT: “HOW TO OVERCOMING A JUDGMENTAL SPIRIT”
INTRODUCTION
The words of our text today are in red print, which means they were spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Our Savior is here directing us in how to conduct ourselves in reference to finding faults in others. His expressions here seem intended as a reproof to the Scribes and Pharisees, who were very rigid and severe; very egotistic and haughty, in condemning others.
Yes they were proud-minded and self-conceit in justifying themselves; but finding faults in others.
Yes, Jesus cautious us against judging our fellow man. Observe with me here in our text in verse 1 where Jesus prohibit the judging of others.
Jesus said “JUDGE NOT”. We must judge ourselves, and our own acts, but we must not judge our brothers. We cannot assume such judgmental authority over others.
Since God told us to be subject one to another and to be not many masters. James chapter 3 says, “My brethren . be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation, for in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in words, the same is a perfect man, and is able to also keep his whole body in check.
We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bits in his mouth.
And a tiny rudder can make a huge ship turn wherever the captain want it to go, even though the winds are strong.
So also the tongue is a small thing, but, what enormous damage it can do.
A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark.
And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness, and poisons every part of the body.
And the tongue is set on fire by hell itself, and can turn our whole lives into a blazing flame of destruction and disaster.
Men have trained, or can train, every kind of animal or bird that lives and every kind of reptile and fish, but no human being can tame the tongue.
It is always ready to pour out its deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our heavenly Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against men who are made in God’s likeness. From the same mouth comes blessings and cursing.
My brothers and sister this ought not to be so. Does a spring of water bubble out first with fresh water and then with bitter water? Can you pick olives from a fig tree, or figs from a grape vine? No, and you cannot draw fresh water from a salty pool.
We must not sat in the judgment seat, to make our words the Law.
We must not judge our brothers, that is we should not speak evil of them.
We must not despise them.
We must not judge them rashly, nor pass judgment upon them, because of jealous and ill-feeling.
We must not judge uncharitably; unmercifully; nor with a spirit of revenge and with the desire to do mischief.
We must not judge the state of a person by a single acts; nor for what they are in themselves, because in our judgment we are apt to be partial and make mistake.
We must not try to judge the heart of others; nor their intentions; for it is God’s prerogative to try man’s heart.
And we cannot step in as judge and jury.
We cannot judge the eternal state of a man; nor can we call them hypocrites, reprobates and castaways.
Oh, but we can Counsel, Teach, Help, Pray, Fast, and Comfort one another. But we cannot Judge one another.
Why is judging so dangerous and prohibited? Because, if you judge others, others will judge you. Genesis 16:12 says, “He who, like Ishmael, has his hand, and his tongue, against every man, shall like him have every man’s hand and tongue against him”
No mercy will be shown to them that show no mercy.
“God will receive the humble sufferers, but he will resist the haughty scorners.”
God will forgive those who will forgive others, and he will not forgive those who will not forgive others..
“The mercifully shall find mercy”
With what judgment you judge, you will also be judged with the same judgment.”
With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you. Remove the Beam; “The large piece of timber, metal or stone from your own eye first and them you can see clearly enough to remove the MOTE: “A small speck from your brother’s eye.”
Cleanup your own house first, then you can tell someone else their house is dirty.
Wash your face first, before telling someone else their face is motley.
The Bible say that the tongue, that little boneless organ can be one of the most destructive instruments known to man kind. It is small, but some strong men cannot hold it. It cannot be tamed.
HOW DO WE OVERCOME THE SIN OF USING THE TONGUE TO JUDGE OTHERS?
1. We Must Become Judgment Conscious.
A. Jesus said that we are not to judge others, because we are going to be judged ourselves some day. Of course our, destiny is decided when we decides what we are going to do with Jesus Christ in our lives.
B. The Bible teaches that all of us shall pass through some sort of judgment. The Judgment Day will affect our eternal rewards or eternal punishments.
1. We shall all give an account of our lives to God. Galatians 6:5 says, “For every man shall bear his own burden.” Romans 14:11 says “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
2. The Judgment Day will be a time in which God will test all of our works.
I Corinthians 3:13-15 “Every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
For many, the Judgment Day will be a day of shame. Since we all are going to be judged some day by God, it behooves us to refrain from judging our fellow man.
2. We Must Realize That No One Is Capable Of Judging Another.
A. When Jesus spoke of the “MOTE and the BEAM”, he was indicating how ridiculous it is for one human being to judge another.
1. A story was told of a woman who rushed into an office building and said, “DOCTOR, tell me frankly what is wrong with me.” And the man said, “Well, first, of all you are too fat. Secondly, your clothes are too loud. Thirdly, your makeup is all wrong. Fourthly, I am a photographer ----the doctor’s office is one floor up.
2. The Sioux Indians had a prayer that said, “O Great Spirit, help me never to judge another person, until I have walked two weeks in their moccasins.
3. A little girl cried for several hours on board a train with her father. An irritated passenger said to the father, “Why don’t you give that child to her mother?” The father replied, “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Her mother is in the baggage car in a casket.”
SOME PRACTICAL POINTER TO HELP OVERCOME A JUDGMENTAL SPIRIT
A. When you are tempted to criticize someone, think of some good about that person. The Comedian Red Skeleton claimed that when someone irritated him, he and his wife would go out into their tea house, have some iced tea, and think of five things they liked about that person.
B. When tempted to criticize someone, let your heart become the graveyard for gossip. Let it stop at you, let it die with you. Never repeat criticism. Bury it in the love of God in your own heart. Before saying anything about anyone, ask yourself: Is it kind? Is it necessary to repeat? Is it true? What value will it add if I repeat it?
C. When tempted to criticize someone, try to understand that person. Someone once said, “We cannot stand others, because we do not understand others.”
D. If we would stand up for God and speak for Jesus Christ and be a witness on every occasion.
We would find ourselves less and less critical to others. Those who refuse to “GOSSIP”, the “GOSPEL” usually spend much of their time “GOSSIPING”.
CONCLUSION:
A Mexican businessman decided that he would sell Mexican burros by mail and ship them into the United States. He tied a personal identification tag around each burro’s neck and placed the burros in lots of fifty in railroad cattle cars for his first shipment to America .
Several days later he began to receive excited telegrams from the Chicago Railway Express Agency asking what to do with the burros that had reached Chicago.
The Mexican reported, “each burro has its own individual identification and shipping tag hanging on its neck.” He was quite disappointed when he learned that the burros had eaten each other’s identification tags.
The Mexican merchant quickly satisfied everyone by issuing a new identification to each burro, but this time he sealed the ID tags inside a tin can, and tied it around the burro’s neck.
When Christians people nibble at each other’s spiritual identity, they usually end up discrediting all of Christianity before a lost world.
Jesus, said “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use and persecute you. (St Matthew 5:44)
You cannot throw stone if you live in a glass house.
The Pots need to Stop call the Kettle black.
The Goose cannot talk about the Duck, because they both walk the same way.
You cannot talk about my hair because its cranky, just because you are wearing a Jerry Curl, because when your Jerry Curl wear off your hair is just as cranky.
Don’t call me fat when you’re wearing three girdles to hind your rolls.
Don’t talk about me because my son is a drunken when your son is on dope.
Don’t talk about my daughter because she’s a hooker when your son is her pimp.
Don’t talk about me smoking cigarettes when you’re smoking marijuana and crack.
Don’t talk about me not being married when you’re shaking up.
Don’t tell me to stop living like a dog when you’re living like a pig.
Take the beam out of your eye first then you may be able to help someone else take the mote out of their eye. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.. AMEN
When they brought a woman to Jesus that had been caught in the very act of adultery.
Jesus said “Let him that is without sin cast the first stone. And no stone was thrown that day. We all have sinners and fallen short of the glory of God.
We are like filthy rags in his sight. But Jesus is saying, “Go And Sin No More.” The Door of the Church is Open will your come now!
