“DON’T JUDGE?”
Mt. 7:1
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Missing the Target is the Goal
1. Patrick McSherry told about how his Navy Dad always bragged about the gunners on his ship. Once during target practice, an unmanned drone flew past an anti-aircraft cruiser. The cruiser opened up, shells furiously flying all around the drone but not hitting it.
2. Then came Dad’s ship’s turn. The gunners’ very first shot sent the drone into the water! Forty years later, Dad met the man responsible, and he told him how impressed he had been.
3. “Yeah, I got in a lot of trouble for that,” the gunner said. “Turns out we were supposed to shoot around it, not hit it.” (Some people think we’re supposed to miss the mark!) R.D.
B. TEXT & THESIS
1. I want to talk about the subject of “Judging” tonight. Recently a Christian I know was pressured to approve of a person’s lifestyle which the Bible says is sinful. (A woman sleeping with a man wanted her to say it was ok.) The Christian simply pointed out what God says in His Word about sex outside Christian-marriage.
2. The person who was rebuked went on social media and accused the Christian of judging them and quoted several scriptures like “Judge not, lest you be judged” and “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”
3. The Bible DOES say we’re not supposed to judge:
a. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" Matt. 7:1.
b. "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another" Rom. 14:13.
c. "But you -- who are you to judge your neighbor?" James 4:12.
4. So it looks like Christians are really out of step when they speak out on culturally sensitive points.
5. So we’re going to look at: a. Our Culture’s Perception, b. What the Bible says about Judging, and c. Publicly Speaking Your Beliefs.
6. The title of tonight’s message is, “Don’t Judge?”
I. OUR CULTURE’S PERCEPTION
Everybody from Hollywood to Washington D.C. have endorsed sexual freedom, including almost every expression of it. Even people with Christian backgrounds seem to think it’s out of the church’s purview to condemn some sexual behavior. Case in point:
A. IGNORING THE WORD
1. Dan Haseltine, lead singer for Jars of Clay, once said in a Tweet, "I don't particularly care about Scripture’s stance on what is 'wrong.' I care more about how it says we should treat people." he said. “[Resisting gay marriage] feels akin to women's suffrage. I don't think scripture "clearly" states much of anything regarding morality.” What mindless drivel!
2. Many people who claim to be Christians are “living” with someone, i.e., having sex with them, and they talk about “God putting them together,” etc. Nothing could be clearer, if one reads the Bible, that God considers all sexual behavior outside of Biblical marriage to be sinful, excluding them from Heaven (Lev. 18:6-23,29 spells it out; 1 Cor. 6:9-10).
3. THE REAL ISSUE HERE IS THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE!
a. Either the Bible IS the Word of God, the unchanging standard by Almighty God, whom we’re to fear and obey, or it’s not. If it’s NOT the Word of God, then let’s jettison this whole religious thing from our lives and live for pleasure and for ourselves.
b. But if the Bible IS the Word of God, then there’s a heaven and a hell, there’s a Judgment Day coming where we’ll all stand before God and be judged by God’s Word. If that’s true, we must pay careful attention to what it says!
II. WHAT EXACTLY IS JUDGING?
A. IS JUDGING A SIN?
1. Dolly Parton, who has 7 Grammys, said on October 24, 2014: “But as far as the Christians, if people want to pass judgment [on gays], they're already sinning. The sin of judging is just as bad as any other sin they might say somebody else is committing.”
2. So is all judging a sin? No!
B. THREE WAYS WE’RE TOLD TO JUDGE
1. NECESSITY OF PRIVATE, UNOFFICIAL JUDGMENT
a. Jesus did command us to examine other's fruits ("By their fruits you shall know them,” Mt. 7:6). This means to form judgments about their character. This can’t be a violation of the previous command (7:1) not to judge, since He said it within the same passage.
b. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has put up checkpoints throughout the state to stop invasive bug species. They want to inspect people’s fruit! (What they meet are a lot of nuts!)
c. Unger's Bible Dictionary (621) says, “We must constantly form estimates of the conduct and character of others for our own guidance and safety."
2. WE WILL JUDGE THE WORLD, ANGELS, BELIEVERS
“Do you not know that the saints will judge the WORLD? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge ANGELS? ...Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between BELIEVERS?” 1 Cor. 6:2-5.
3. CHRISTIAN LEADERS -- JUDGE WITHIN THE CHURCH
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside” 1 Cor. 5:12-13. So anybody who claims to be a Christian IS open to scrutiny by church leadership. Shepherds have to be on the lookout for wolves! (Mt. 7:15)
C. JUDGING WE CAN’T DO
1. We can’t usurp God's place as Judge (1 Sam. 24:15).
2. We can’t pass judgment on (condemn) people because WE are sinners and are no better than they are.
3. We also can’t judge people because we have inadequate information. Only God really knows people’s hearts.
4. SUMMARY: We CAN’T condemn PEOPLE, but we CAN condemn ACTIONS. We can’t say, “You’re going to Hell,” but we can say, “What you’re doing is wrong.”
D. HUMOR: DO WE LOOK LIKE A CHRISTIAN?
1. A little old Jewish lady was flying out of New York City on her way to Miami Beach.
2. She looked at the businessman sitting next to her and asked him, "Excuse me sir, but are you Jewish?" The man responded politely, "No, ma'am, I'm not Jewish."
3. After a little while she again queried him. "You're really Jewish, aren't you?" Again he responded, "No, ma'am, I am not Jewish."
4. Barely 10 minutes later, the little old lady asked him once more, "Are you sure you're not Jewish?" To which, in exasperation and in a final effort to shut her up, he replied, "OK. Yes, ma'am, I am Jewish."
5. "Funny," she said, looking puzzled. "You don't look Jewish!"
6. Makes me wonder. If anyone approached us and asked us, "Are you a Christian?" and we answered, "Yes", would they be inclined to say, "Funny, you don't look like a Christian?”
7. So where does this leave us about publicly speaking out about right & wrong? Are we muzzled? No!
III. PUBLICLY SPEAKING YOUR BELIEFS
A. OUR OBLIGATION TO WARN PEOPLE
1. TRUTH: NOBODY IN SIN WANTS TO BE TOLD THEY’RE IN SIN. THEY WANT THE PROPHET TO SHUT UP!
2. In Sodom, when Lot rebuked their lifestyle, they pulled the “Judgment Card.” “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge!” Gen. 19:9.
3. WHEN WE SAY WHAT GOD SAYS, WE’RE NOT JUDGING ANYBODY, WE’RE WARNING THEM.
a. We’re commanded, “Declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin” Micah 3:8.
b. “I have made you a watchman for the people, so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. [If] you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.” Ezekiel 3:17-18. [See also Ezek. 33:6-7]
c. In the N.T., Paul quoted Ezekiel 3 as applying to him; “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned (hesitated) to declare to you the whole counsel of God” Acts 20:26-27.
4. So we have the responsibility, as we have personal contact with people not obeying God, to tell them what God has said. We’re not judging them, we’re just telling them what God has said.
5. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; GO AND SIN NO MORE!” He didn’t condemn her, but He told her that what she had been doing was a sin!
B. OUR ATTITUDE MATTERS
1. Peter said, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” 1 Pet. 3:15-16.
2. God loves the sinner but hates the sin. He reaches out to them while there’s still time, so must we.
3. We can't introduce people in sinful lifestyles to Jesus Christ if we're calling them names and driving them away. They must be welcomed into our churches and made to feel accepted and appreciated.
4. At the same time, we must oppose the promotion of their sin, which is harmful to society, to families, and ultimately to those trapped in these lifestyles.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: JUDGING CHRISTIANS BY A WRONG STANDARD
1. When visiting a remote neighborhood, a pastor stopped at a house and asked the man who lived there to visit his church the next Sunday, mentioning at the same time that the man's neighbor went to that church.
2. On hearing this, the man said he would never go to that church because he wanted nothing to do with a religion that his neighbor would follow. He said that his neighbor was the worst one he'd ever seen.
3. The pastor, seeing that the man had a piano, asked the man's little girl to play a piece by Beethoven that was lying on the piano.
4. The man said that Beethoven's music was far too advanced for his daughter. But the pastor insisted, and the little girl gave it a try. Needless to say, she almost destroyed the piece.
5. After the little girl was finished, the pastor said, "Boy, that Beethoven sure wasn't much of a composer, was he?"
6. On hearing this, the man realized that he’d been judging Christianity, by the player, rather than by the composer.
7. If there’s anyone here who’s been offended by an over-zealous Christian, remember, look to Jesus, not His followers. They often have flaws! Jesus loves you and is reaching out to you!
B. THE CALL
1. Have you been judging people and need more love for people that are messed up and off-track?
2. How many need boldness to say what God is saying, to be unashamed to stand up for the Bible truth regardless of whether people like it or not? (Remember to “speak the truth in love!” Eph. 4:15)
3. Have you been away from God and want to come home to him today?
4. Stand and let’s pray together.
