There are two verses that we hear about frequently.
(1) 1 Timothy 5: 23 seem to be a favorite Scripture for some.
Paul had written to Timothy, who had a stomach condition, and he said to him, “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.”
It is obvious from this verse of Scripture Paul is addressing a physical problem that Timothy had.
From what we read in the scriptures, it had to do with a stomach problem, but he also had other infirmities bothering him. He specifically told him, “DRINK NO LONGER WATER.”
Illus: Often, those who go to foreign countries have to buy water to drink because the water is so contaminated that if they drink it, it will cause some serious pain in their stomach and some other related problems.
This could be the situation with Timothy. Possibly the water was contaminated, and was causing Timothy some serious problems.
But generally when this verse is quoted by some you hear these words only “…Use a little wine….”
They never put this verse of Scripture in the context that Paul knew Timothy had a stomach condition, and he knew of the other infirmities that seemed to be from drinking the water.
Perhaps Timothy had shared with Paul about this physical problem he was having, and how it was preventing him from being the best he could be for the Lord. So perhaps after Timothy told Paul of this condition, Paul told him to drink a little wine for medicinal purposes for this stomach condition.
Alcohol in the days of Paul, like today, was used for medicinal purposes. But those things that are used for medicinal purposes can also be abused. Many medications are abused!
But notice, Paul makes a point to mention that he was to, “…Use a LITTLE wine….”
Illus: For example, NyQuil contains alcohol, and if you drink enough of it, it will make you really enjoy your cold.
There are folks who do not care a thing about what the Bible teaches, but when it is convenient, they do not mind taking a Scripture out of context and using it to promote something they want to promote.
(2) Matthew 7:1-2 is another favorite verse of scripture that is used by folks who know very little about the Bible.
For example, verses 1-2, are often used to forbid ALL MANNER OF JUDGMENT.
Look at Matthew 7:1-2, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
The Bible specifically states we are to “Judge Not”. Is that verse of Scripture teaching us that under no circumstances are we to pass judgment on anyone?
• No, if that verse is teaching that, the Lord could not be the sinless Son of God, because he often judged people to be hypocrites.
• If that is what the Bible is teaching, then it would be wrong for us to discipline church members as the Bible teaches, because we would be judging them. But Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, in 1 Cor. 5, about a morality problem within the church, and even though he was not there, he had heard enough evidence of what was taking place that he said he already had judged this individual.
• If that is what the Bible is teaching, the apostle Paul could not have been the man of God we think he was, because he often judged people as false teachers and spoke out against them.
There are those who do not care a thing about what this Bible teaches most of the time, but when it is convenient, they are quick to quote Matthew 7:1 and say, “Judge not!”
If you believe the Bible is teaching against all kinds of judging, you have a serious problem.
For example, if the Lord is teaching we are not to judge, it would be wrong for us to serve on a jury. Why? Because that is what a jury does, they take the evidence that is placed before them and they pass judgment on someone.
WHAT DID THE LORD MEAN WHEN HE TOLD US TO JUDGE NOT?
As we look at this matter of judging we need to look at two different ways we can judge people. One kind the Lord is pleased with, but there is one kind of judging the Lord speaks out against.
Let’s look at:
I. IMPROPER JUDGING
It is so easy for us to improperly judge someone.
Illus: A lady was at the airport checking in her luggage. After she had completed checking in her luggage, she had a couple of hours to wait for her departure. She decided she would go and get her a drink and a pack of cookies. She got her drink and a pack of cookies, and bought a magazine, and went and found a seat. As she sat down and began to read her magazine, an elderly gentleman came and sat in the same row of seats, leaving an empty seat between the two of them. She opened her magazine and got into some heavy reading. She reached over to the empty chair and pulled a cookie out of the bag and began to eat it. In a few minutes however, she noticed the elderly gentleman sitting near her reached in the same bag an got himself a cookie also. She thought to herself, “The nerve of this fellow”. She continued reading, and in a few minutes she reached over and got another cookie, and the elderly man looked at her and smiled at her. She hardly got her hand out of the bag, when he reached over and took another cookie also. She thought to herself, “The nerve of this fellow, I am getting ready to tell this man what I think of him.” But she kept reading her magazine and never said a word to him, but gave him some awful mean looks. Finally there was only one cookie left, and he reached over and took it. She was so aggravated that she got her purse and moved as far away as she could get from him.
When she got to her new seat, she sat down and she reached into her purse to get her glasses, and she discovered a whole bag of cookies. The cookies she had been eating belonged to the man who was sitting near her.
HOW EASY IT IS FOR US TO MISJUDGE SOMEONE!
Today we hear a lot about RACIAL PROFILING. Life has become very difficult for many of the Arabs in this nation, because some folks can look at an Arab, and simply by the color of his skin he is assumed to be a terrorist.
Illus: When some people see a young man with long hair, they will judge him to be a dope addict, simply because he has long hair. Now it is fair to judge a young man with long hair as having bad taste, but just because he has long hair does not mean he is a dope addict. He may never have taken dope in his life.
Illus: We can hear about a politician that did some crooked deeds, and we judge all politicians to be crooks.
Illus: We can hear about a preacher that ran off with some woman in the church, and judge all preachers to be womanizers.
Listen, it is a dangerous thing when we take people and put them all in the same barrel and judge them to be no good.
The Lord said clearly, “Judge not”.
WHAT DID HE MEAN WHEN HE SAID JUDGE NOT?
He certainly was speaking out against IMPROPER JUDGMENT! For example:
(1) IT IS IMPROPER TO JUDGE SOMEONE WITHOUT THE FACTS
Illus: It was F.B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are three things for us to consider:
• We do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin
• We do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her
• We do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances
In a court of law, a jury takes the facts that are laid out before them, and from those facts they judge if the person is guilty or innocent. And if he is guilty, they determine how severe his punishment should be. If they are a good jury, the greater the crime, the greater the punishment.
But a jury that will ignore the facts and render a false verdict of not guilty, is considered to be a crooked jury.
This is IMPROPER JUDGING. It is sometimes done in a court of law, but it is often done by individuals.
(2) SOMETIMES IT IS IMPROPER TO JUDGE SOMEONE WHEN YOU HAVE THE FACTS
• If the only reason you are doing something is to embarrass someone, YOU SHOULD NOT DO IT!
• If the only reason you are doing something is because you dislike someone, YOU SHOULD NOT DO IT!
• Just because something is true does not mean that it needs to be said.
Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
If there is no virtue in thinking about it, there certainly is no virtue in saying it.
(3) IT IS IMPROPER TO JUDGE SOMEONE THAT HAS A MOTE IN THEIR EYE, WHEN YOU HAVE A BEAM IN YOUR OWN EYE
Look at Matthew 7:3-5, “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 out of thy brother's eye.”
Illus: Can you imagine someone wearing a shirt covered in mud, going to someone who has a little spot on their shirt and pointing that spot out publicly to embarrass them?
It would be hard to imagine that someone would do such a thing. But so often, people pass judgment on others, while they have far worse things in their own life.
God’s Word calls these people HYPOCRITES. WHY DOES GOD CALL THEM HYPOCRITES?
Illus: Suppose someone stood before a judge, and their sins were pointed out to them. And when he sentenced them, he gave them everything he could give them. But suppose this same judge who was so harsh on others in his court room, had done some things that were far worse.
This judge would be classified as a HYPOCRITE! And likewise so often those who are so harsh in their judgment toward others have a lot worse things in their own life. THESE ARE HYPOCRITES!
Focusing on the mote in someone’s life is probably just a diversion to keep people from seeing the evil in their own life. THEY ARE HYPOCRITES!
Someone said, “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones!” Unless you are living the perfect life, you ought to learn to keep your mouth closed about others. (Do I hear an Amen?)
There are times when we must not judge. This is IMPROPER JUDGING.
But there are times when we must judge.
Let’s look at-
II. APPROPRIATE JUDGING
There are times when we must judge. There are times when it is appropriate to point out the faults in others.
WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR US TO JUDGE SOMEONE?
A. IT IS "AFTER" WE HAVE CORRECTED OUR OWN FAULTS
We must remove the "beam" from our own eye. Look at Matthew 7:5, we read, “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”
"The law of Christ" requires us to do this before judging others.
Look at Galatians 6:1-2, we read, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
Notice, these two verses teach that only those who are spiritual (who have removed the beam from their own eyes) have a right to go to others and try to help them.
Listen, a man that can not swim can not help a drowning man. And a man in sin can not help a man in sin.
Illus: That is like when former President Bill Clinton was going through his ordeal with Monica Lewinsky and was being counseled by Jesse Jackson, who was guilty of the same thing.
B. WE MUST LEARN TO JUDGE THOSE WHO ARE "WORTHY" OF JUDGING
Look at Matthew 7:6, we read, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”
Some people have built their lives around people that are a waste of time. Life is time, and when you give someone an hour of your time, you have given them an hour of your life.
We only have one life, and we need to be selective about who we are going to spend these precious hours with.
• There are some folks you can go to and talk to them about things that are wrong in their life, and they will accept it and profit from it.
• There are some folks you could spend the rest of your life trying to talk to about why they do what they do, BUT IT IS A WASTE OF TIME!
Giving your time to such people is like taking a valuable diamond and casting it before a hog to trample on. Some people are not worthy of our time or judgment.
• With those who are receptive, we are to be long-suffering in trying to help them come out of their error.
• But for those who are not, we are not to waste what is good and holy on them!
In Matthew 10:12-15, we read, “And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.”
Some believe that when we shake the dust off of our feet, that the dust particles will be evidence against them on the judgment day, showing that a spiritual person tried to help them but they rejected the truth.
Conclusion:
We have to be careful in judging others improperly, because to do so we may be judging ourselves.
Illus: 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 already been up here and left his for the same reason!'" (Our Daily Bread)
The Lord said it this way in Matthew 7:1-2, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
Now you can be harsh in your judgment toward others if you so choose. But the Word of God makes you a solemn promise, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”
I. IMPROPER JUDGING
II. APPROPRIATE JUDGING
YOUTUBE – You can hear this sermon preach on youtube.
Type Youtube - Lykesland
