Is it Right to Judge?
6th in series of
"Taking Up Your Cross in Today’s World"
2/17/02
The Holy Spirit has been convicting me to preach a sermon on what does it mean to judge and to rebuke. This has been a difficult sermon to prepare, because many may not agree with what I have to say, but I feel it needs to be said. To those whom the gift of discernment has been given by the Holy Spirit, may understand better what I will be trying to get across. There is a lot of evil in today’s world and some of it may even be masquerading as goodness in our churches. We must be able to test the spirits and determine the good from the bad. Thus we must be able to judge the fruits of a person’s works.
Let’s read:
Titus 2:11-15
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope-- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
(NIV)
In the passage that we just read we are told to say "No" to all ungodliness and worldly passions. We should not be involved in anything that is sin and evil. Today there are so many groups out there in the world that are trying to convince us that their views are good and best for our nation. There are the pro-abortion groups that tells us that the taking the life of an unborn baby is OK, because it is just a glob of tissue and the woman has a right to do with her body what she wishes. There are the homosexual groups that are trying to convince people that their lifestyle is normal and acceptable and that they should have all the rights of a traditional married couple and even to pastor churches. There are the sex-crazed groups that are telling us that pornography and sex with children is acceptable. There are the cult groups telling us that Islam is a peaceful religion that worships the same God that Christians worships. There are groups telling us that witchcraft is acceptable to teach to our children. There are groups telling us that we Christian are bad because we are intolerant to all of the above groups of people. Jesus was never tolerant to evil or sin. He rebuked the sinful person and if that person repented, then He forgave and encouraged that person.
In the verses that we read, we are told that while we wait for Christ’s return, we are to do what is good, and also teach, encourage and rebuke with all authority. To be able to say "No" to all ungodliness and to rebuke others, we must be able to make judgments on what is good and what is evil. I have been told so many times that we are not to judge, but if we are not allowed to judge then how can we determine the difference between righteousness and sin?
Let’s look at the verses that most people uses to say we are not to judge.
Matt 7:1-5
1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
4 How can you say to your brother, ’Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
(NIV)
Are these verses really telling us not to judge anyone? I don’t think so. It is telling us not to form a habit of judging hastily, harshly and without an allowance for circumstances. We are to be just and compassionate in our judgments because in the same way that we judge, God will judge us. We cannot judge or rebuke someone else, if we are involved in the same sin. That is why Jesus said first remove the plank out of your own eye, and then you will be able to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. If we are involved in sin and we rebuke a brother for committing that same sin, then Jesus calls us hypocrites. We are first to be sure that we do not have that sin in our lives, then we can rebuke our brother that is committing that sin. So the above verses are not telling us not to judge, but they are telling us to be sure our lives are right with God and then to rebuke our brother justly and with compassion, encouraging him on turning his life around.
We learn more about this in the book of Luke.
Luke 17:1-4
1 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.
2 It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
3 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.
4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ’I repent,’ forgive him."
(NIV)
Here Jesus is telling us to rebuke a brother that sins. To determine if that brother did sin, we must make a judgment. We are to judge our brothers’ actions. In the first verses that we read, we were told to encourage our brothers and now we are being told to forgive our brother if he repents. Even if he sins against you seven times in one day and he comes to you for forgiveness, then you are to forgive him each time. We cannot judge someone’s heart, we can only judge someone’s actions or as the Bible says by their fruits. Now if he doesn’t repent, the Bible gives the procedure to follow in that case, but I don’t want to get into that in this sermon, because that isn’t the point of this sermon.
Let’s read:
2 Tim 4:1-5
1 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:
2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction.
3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
(NIV)
Here again we are told to correct, rebuke and encourage with patience and careful instruction. To correct and rebuke, we have to judge a person’s actions. Today we are seeing some churches falling away from sound doctrines and there are many pastors preaching only what their congregation wants to hear. I don’t believe that this applies to our church because if it did you wouldn’t be hear. Every Sunday morning I walk out limping because the Pastor stepped on my toes so much that they hurt and you know from the series that I have been preaching "Taking Up Your Cross in Today’s World" are sermons that most people don’t want to hear.
The Bible refers a lot to the fruits of our actions, so I wanted to refer to at least one of these many verses.
Let’s read:
Matt 7:16-23
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 "Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
23 Then I will tell them plainly, ’I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(NIV)
In these verses we are referred to as fruit tress, producing fruit. If we are producing good fruit, then we are doing God’s will in our lives. If we are not producing good fruit then we are out of God’s will. These verses also tell us that not everyone that sits in a pew in a church will enter the kingdom of heaven. There are some that may think that they are saved and are trying to enter into the kingdom by doing good works, but Jesus says that He never knew them. We are saved by grace through faith and not by works. Many may have walked the isle and been baptize by water, but unless they believe with their hearts that Jesus is the one and only Son of God and that He is their Savior and Lord, then they may not be saved. Only you and God know your heart.
Let’s read:
Rom 10:9-11
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
(NIV)
Are you hear tonight and have never confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord? Maybe you have confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord when you were a child, but you have never really believed that God raised him from the dead, then you need to make a commitment tonight. We talked about judging people tonight, but there will be one that will judge everyone and His judgment will be true and just. Jesus will judge all people, those still alive when He returns and those that have already died. Everyone that has ever lived will be judged. When you accept Christ as your Savior, your name is in the Book of Life. During the judgment, if your name is not found in the Book of Life, then you will spend eternity in a true, physical hell, where you will be tormented for eternity. If you have truly accepted Christ has your Savior, then you will spend eternity in His presence in a very real Heaven. A perfect place, with no pain, no sorrows, and no hurts. A place that is so perfect, that it is hard to even imagine what it will be like. It is your choice, your future. You judge the two and make up your mind on where you want to spend eternity.
