INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Can you tell me the one verse in the bible everyone seems to have memorized?
• How many times have we just taken a look at another person and made a judgment about them. We take one look at them and we think that we know everything about them?
• Have you ever felt the sting of being unfairly judged by another person when they did not even know you?
• What about the times when we find out a person has done something and we sit back and think how terrible the person is when all the while we forget about what we have done?
• It is so easy to look around us and make judgments about people while we conveniently forget about our own struggles.
• It reminds me of a story told by Kathy Plate of Orlando Florida. She said, “While visiting a neighbor, five-year-old Andrew pulled out his kindergarten class picture and immediately began describing each classmate.”This is Robert; he hits everyone. This is Stephen. He never listens to the teacher. This is Mark. He chases us and is very noisy." Pointing to his own picture, Andrew commented, "And this is me. I’m just sitting here minding my own business."
• We are most always the one who is just sitting there minding our own business.
• I want us to spend our time together today looking at what Jesus has to say about judgment.
• During Jesus day the religious leaders had a tendency to judge a person by their social standing or their race. We do not do this today do we?
• Jesus makes an interesting shift in thought going from encouraging us to rely on God for our needs to a prohibition against being judging others.
• This passage is one that many people quote, but few people really understand or want to understand what Jesus is forbidding us to do.
• Let’s begin with verse 1.
• SLIDE #2
• Matthew 7:1 ( ESV ) “Judge not, that you be not judged.
• Let us begin by looking at:
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. AN EXAMINATION OF THE COMMAND. (V 1&6)
• What does this mean?
• There are three possible meanings of the word “judge”. In order to be able to do what Matthew 7:1 says. We must understand which of the meanings Jesus intends for this passage.
• Let’s begin by looking at the first possibility
• SLIDE #4
A. Judge as in a court setting?
• Civil court judgments are not prohibited.
• In Titus 3:1 we are told to be subject to our rulers and Romans 13 says that government is ordained by God.
• Church discipline.
• In Matthew 18:16, a judgment is required to know if church discipline is needed to be exercised.
• In Titus 3:10 a character evaluation is needed in order to determine if a person is a factious (a person who causes division) person.
• In 2 Thessalonians 3:6 we are told to determine if a person is leading an unruly life.
• In 2 John 1:10 we are told to make a judgment concerning the teaching of another person.
• Is Jesus is condemning judgment in a judicial sense? Apparently not since we are given instances where this judicial type of judgment is used.
• There is a second possibility
• SLIDE #5
B. Hypocritical judgment?
• Let us look at Romans 2:1-4
• SLIDE #6
• Romans 2:1-3 ( ESV ) Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who do such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
• We have to be careful not to condemn someone who is doing the same thing as we are doing!
• For some reason, it is easier to jump to negative conclusions about people than it is to assume the best about them. When we do this, we ascribe to them bad intentions and evil purposes that may not be true. We also reveal something about ourselves, for the faults we see in others are actually a reflection of our own.
• Jesus tells us that if we judge with a critical spirit that God will do the same for us.
• The third possibility is:
• SLIDE #7
C. Making a discerning judgment?
• A person who is discerning is one who will look at the whole situation and make an evaluation based on the facts of the matter.
• Notice that Jesus within the same chapter that He tells us not to judge, tells us not to cast our pearls before the swine or give what is holy to dogs? How do we decide who are swine and dogs according to this passage if we are forbidden to make a fair evaluation?
• 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.
• SLIDE #15
III. AN EXAMINATION OF SELF. (V3-5)
• This is something that can humble us.
• First we are called to:
• SLIDE #16
A. Clean up your own act! This will help keep our motives pure.
• Notice Jesus tells us we are to make sure our life is in order, this does not mean we have to be sinless, but rather that our hearts are right with God.
• In Galatians 6:1 we are reminded to guard ourselves as we try to help others.
• SLIDE #17
• Galatians 6:1 ( ESV ) Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
• If we are blind, then we will miss lead people.
• In Matthew 15:14, Jesus called the Pharisees blind guides because they thought that they were so holy, they could not properly discern things.
• Faults are like the headlights of a car; those of others seem more glaring than your own.
• SLIDE #18
B. Do not overlook your own issues.
• How often we overlook our own failures and sins while criticizing the faults in others! In fact, our judgment may reflect our own flaws, which usually are more serious than those we see in someone else.
• In 2 SAMUEL 12:1-7 Nathan the prophet went to confront David about his sin with Bathsheba. Nathan told him the following story.
• SLIDE #19
• 2 Samuel 12:1-7 ( ESV ) And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought.
• And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.
• David’s own sin blinded him to the point is clouded his judgment.
CONCLUSION
• Jesus tells us “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine.” To obey that command it is obviously necessary to be able to determine who are dogs and swine.
• Don’t let people keep you from discerning. But remember when we are judging what other people are doing make sure that we are not exhibiting a critical spirit towards them lest God do the same with us.
• I do not want to have God nick pick me to death because no one else would get to make it through the judgment line.
• We are not to be critical in our spirit, but we are to be merciful toward other people. There will be times when we will have to make a judgment, but if we evaluate our standard, our life and motive, it will help keep us from making critical judgments against people. If we do not make judgments, then we will not be able to help people.
• When you we try to lovingly tell people that if they do not change their life and give it over to Jesus, they will not go to heaven don’t let them use this passage as a way to make you feel that you have no right to tell them that.
• The next time we are ready to be judge, jury and executioner of another, remember that God will use the same standard against us.
• Let us look for the best in people. Let us be a people who look to bring out the best in people. Let us be a people who do not right off people.
• The next time you are ready to play the critical spirit card on someone, ask yourself, “Is this how I want to be judged?
• Jesus loves you and wants you to be with Him for eternity!
