Has any of you ever been guilty of one of the most deadly sins? The sin I am talking about is the one Jesus attacked more often and directly than any other sin. Still clueless? This sin is the most widely justified and practiced sin in the world. I would even venture to say that this is the sin that most people struggle with on a regular basis. Are you still in the dark? Let me phrase it another way; Do you ever have the tendency to be judgmental? This sin can also go by the name of arrogance or self-righteousness but the result is the same. We tear others down in order to make ourselves look better than we really are. When we judge others it always makes us look better than the one who we are judging. After effectively showing that mankind is sinful and deserving of God’s wrath, Paul now changes his focus. Undoubtedly, this caught his readers off guard as it does us. In this section Paul skillfully strips away the misconception that some sins are worse than others. He shows that it doesn’t matter if you have been a murderer, homosexual or an honest hard working citizen, you all are equally sinful. The point Paul is trying to make is that we have no right to make judgments about anyone else because we are all sinners deserving of God’s wrath. The bottom line is that none of us are good enough to save ourselves. Regardless of what we have or haven’t done in our lives we are dependent upon Jesus Christ for our salvation. Our goal today is to discover why Paul made such a strong stand against being judgmental.
I. Paul presents a strong case about being judgmental.
A. Understanding the biblical definition of the term judge.
1. The Greek word used to convey the concept of judging another person is krino.
a. Appears seventy-five times in the New Testament.
b. Krino generally means to pass judgment on, criticize or condemn.
2. When the Bible uses this term it often presents the idea of passing judgment without knowing or caring about all the facts.
3. In Matthew 7, Jesus likens a judgmental person to someone trying to remove a piece a saw dust from someone’s eye with a huge beam stuck in their own eye.
4. Jesus commands us to not judge others because we are not qualified to do so.
B. Paul builds a case that those who judge others are self-righteous.
1. The Jewish readers were nodding in agreement as Paul presented the awful predicament of the Gentiles and undoubtedly they agreed that the Gentiles were deserving of God’s wrath.
2. The problem is that the Jewish readers should have realized that they were in exactly the same predicament as the Gentiles.
3. The picture Paul paints is of honest, hardworking people who attend church regularly.
a. They view themselves as good and respectable people.
b. The problem is that they have become blind to their own faults and sin.
4. Paul’s point is that when you point your finger at someone else there are three fingers pointing back at yourself.
5. Paul’s makes that sobering remark that everyone is without excuse. Since none of us can keep God’s Law perfectly we all stand condemned before God.
C. Why do we have the tendency to be judgmental?
1. Paul shows that we are quite stubborn causing us to believe that our lives are much better than those who are on the outside of the church.
2. The fact is that more often than not the very things people pass judgment on in the lives of others, they are guilty of themselves. It is easier to deal with our own faults when we can see them in others.
3. Paul shows that the other root cause of being judgmental is that we become self-confident and self-righteous by being self-seeking.
4. This person gets so caught up in the good they are doing and maintaining their image that they actually lose sight of God’s truth.
5. We will be judged in the same way that we have chosen to judge others.
6. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1-2—NIV 2011)
II. Paul presents the reality of God’s judgment.
A. God’s judgment is a reality and it is impartial.
1. Each person will be judged according to their character based on things we have or haven’t done.
2. There will be no last minute negotiations or free pass. We know what God requires and we will be responsible for how we chose to obey.
3. God does not play favorites, He will does not favor the Jew over the gentile or the rich over the poor. God will judge each individual the same way. The main question will be; how did we respond to His truth?
4. Peter learned this difficult truth as he was dealing with Cornelius in the book of Acts.
5. Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. (Acts 10:34-35—NIV 2011)
B. God will carry out His judgment through Jesus Christ.
1. God is the only qualified judge, He perfectly knows all the motives and circumstances surrounding each and every one of our actions.
2. Paul shows that nothing is hidden from God including the secrets hidden in the deepest parts of our hearts.
3. For Paul the good news of the Gospel is evident through the fact that God’s judgment will be carried out through the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for all mankind.
4. There will be no reason to fear God’s judgment for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ realizing that He is the source of their righteousness.
5. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2—NIV 2011)
III. How to apply the lessons from this passage to our own lives.
A. Come to terms with the fact that we are not qualified to judge anyone else.
1. Regardless of how hard we try it is impossible for us to know the motives of someone else’s heart.
2. God has made it clear that sin is sin in His eyes. When we judge another person we condemn ourselves because we have sin in our own lives.
3. The main problem with our judgment is that the sins we see clearly in the lives of others are ones that have taken hold in our lives.
4. The only way we have the right to pass judgment on someone else is if we do not have any sin in our own lives.
B. Learn to treat others in the same way that you want to be treated.
1. The world believes that we should do unto others before they have a chance to do unto us.
2. We all have heard of this concept called the “golden rule.” The idea is to treat others in the same way that we expect to be treated.
3. Many have taken the “golden rule” one step farther and instituted the “platinum rule.” This simple concept says that we are to treat others the way that they want to be treated.
4. This "platinum rule" was initiated by Dr. Tony Alessandra. It is associated with the Jung Personality Traits.
5. Whether we choose gold or platinum it encourages us to place value on the lives of others.
C. Extend the same grace God has extended to you to others.
1. We have done absolutely nothing to deserve salvation. We are sinful and incapable of living up to God’s standard.
2. God extended grace by giving us what we did not deserve, salvation through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross.
3. Grace keeps no record of wrongs and requires total forgiveness. God expects us to extend grace in the same way He has extended it to us.
4. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15—NIV 2011)
Closing:
During the American Civil War, a young man named Roswell McIntyre was drafted into the New York Cavalry. The war was not going well. Soldiers were needed so desperately that he was sent into battle with very little training. Roswell became frightened — he panicked and ran. He was later court-martialed and condemned to be shot for desertion.
McIntyre's mother appealed to President Lincoln. She pleaded that he was young and inexperienced and he needed a second chance. The generals, however, urged the president to enforce discipline. Exceptions, they asserted, would undermine the discipline of an already beleaguered army.
Lincoln thought and prayed. Then he wrote a famous statement. "I have observed," he said, "that it never does a boy much good to shoot him."
He wrote this letter in his own handwriting: "This letter will certify that Roswell McIntyre is to be readmitted into the New York Cavalry. When he serves out his required enlistment, he will be freed of any charges of desertion."
That faded letter, signed by the president, is on display in the Library of Congress. Beside it there is a note, which reads, "This letter was taken from the body of Roswell McIntyre, who died at the battle of Little Five Forks, Virginia."
