BASIC CHRISTIANITY 101: THE WAY WE JUDGE
PSALM 133/ MATTHEW 7:1-6
LABOR DAY WEEKEND AUGUST 31, 2003
INTRODUCTION: THE CONSERVATIVE CHURCH AND THE LIBERAL UNIVERSITY:email
I LUV YEW: I got your back You got mine, I’ll help you out Anytime. To see you hurt To see you cry, Makes me weep And wanna die. And if you agree To never fight, It wouldn’t matter Who’s wrong or right. If a broken heart Needs a mend, I’ll be right there To the end. If your cheeks are wet From drops of tears, Don’t you worry, Let go of your fears. Hand in hand Love is sent, We’ll be friends Till the end!
TRANSITION THOUGHT: Judging others seems to be a spiritual gift a lot of us have. Some of you wanted the young man escorted out of church. Some of you cheered internally as the elder statesmen sat with the young College student. All of us pictured ourselves there. We have seen similar instances when someone much unlike us entered the room or the conversation and we thought to ourselves, ¡§What are you doing here?¡¨ Our text could be blistering to some, sore toes to others, and for some a pause to say thank you Lord for the help. You see, judging is a part of our lives whether we want to admit it or not. Since I began thinking about this sermon, I have been chastised by the Spirit often. He is revealing to me where I judge and His response to that actions.
THESIS SENTENCE: THE WAY WE JUDGE OTHERS MATTERS TO GOD!
OUR TEXT TEACHES US¡K
I. THE WAY WE JUDGE IS RECIPROCAL VV 1-2
A. Reciprocal does not mean ¡§DO NOT!¡¨ VV. 1
1. The issue here is not a simple mandate, but a major clarification.
2. The term ¡§JUDGE¡¨ here is biblically defined as: a faultfinding spirit and judgmentalism.
3. Let¡¦s hear how scripture addresses this issue:
„« Luke 7: 41-43
„« John 7: 21-24
„« I Corinthians 2: 15-16
„« I Samuel 16:7
4. The real issue Jesus brings to our attention is ¡§RIGHT JUDGMENT!¡¨
B. Reciprocal does mean ¡§Equality!¡¨ VV. 2
1. Why are we to judge rightly? It is reciprocal!
2. There is no double standard here!
3. The way you judge others is the way you are judged!
4. The measure you use on others is the measure used on you!
5. The issue here is accountability. How you hold people accountable for their actions is how you are held accountable for you actions.
ILLUSTRATION: 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 been up here and left his for the same reason!’"
Our Daily Bread.
SADDLE BACK SAYING: "I’ve discovered when I’m walking humbly before the Lord and just being who I am - being honest and depending upon God - I’m immune to most insults. Almost nothing can hurt me. I’m walking before the Lord with the attitude, ’They may be right, they may be wrong,’ but I’m just trying to please the Lord. If you find someone who is very sensitive to criticism, it’s because they haven’t learned this principle of happiness: Be humble in spirit before the Lord." ¡V Rick Warren
TRUTH: JUDGMENT IS RECIPROCAL
II. THE WAY WE JUDGE IS REFLECTIVE VV. 3-5
A. Reflective is a reality check vv. 3-4
1. What are you looking for in others? Are you looking to see the wrong or the right? Lil has often told me that if you are looking for something wrong with a person you will be able to find something.
2. Irene taught me the opposite, if you are looking for something right in a person, something good, and you will find it.
3. The real issue here is denial. Denial states that there is nothing wrong with me, so obviously there has to be something wrong with you.
4. Psychologist say that we find fault with others to build our own self-esteem. If you have a great problem than I do, I must be okay! We elevate ourselves by putting others beneath us!
5. Are you picking lent off someone else¡¦s jacket while yours is covered in mud? ¡§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 (Verse 3)?¡¨
ILLUSTRATION: It was F.B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. Second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances.
Stephen Brown, Christianity Today, April 5, 1993, p. 17.
B. Reflective is self-correcting/soul searching/self examination vv. 5
1. The real request Jesus makes is one of self-examination.
2. What Jesus is saying is look at your own life before you spend all your energy examining someone else.
3. The goal of Jesus¡¦ statement is we are not only to look at our own lives, but we are to use these times of soul searching to correct areas of need.
4. As we allow the light of the Holy Spirit to work on us, we can then uplift and edify our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus says it this way, ¡§First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother¡¦s eye (verse 5).¡¨
5. One question comes to mind, wouldn¡¦t planks and sawdust both be uncomfortable in your eye? Maybe another question would be which should come out first and the answer is obvious.
ILLUSTRATION: It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive, and then support them when they attacked the city. Phipps¡¦ navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints, which adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral. So, he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships¡¦ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the "saints." Mike Ferguson
TRUTH: JUDGMENT IS REFLECTION UPON ONES OWN LIFE!
III. THE WAY WE JUDGE IS REALITY VV. 6
A. Reality is Sacred/ The Pearl of Great Price
1. Matthew 13: 44-45 is our helpful guide here.
2. What is Sacred is the word of God.
3. The Pearl of Great Price is the Gospel truth!
4. The Gospel truth is Jesus and His love that brought Salvation through the forgiveness of all our sins!
B. Reality is Judgment
1. The final issue here then is one of judgment.
2. Who are the dogs and who are the pigs?
3. To make such a statement is to judge between men.
4. The issue is the realization that some will not receive the message and we are not to force Jesus on those who refuse to listen.
5. Matthew 15: 21-28 is our guide here also.
6. Notice that faith was the issue! Without it, Jesus would have wasted His effort. However, trust in her ¡§master¡¨ made the difference.
7. Scholars agree that the issue here is sharing the Gospel with those who reject God. To know not to do so is a judgment call!
8. The real issue of our text is Godly Judgment!
ILLUSTRATION: At a recent gathering of seminary professors, one teacher reported that at his school the most damaging charge one student can lodge against another is that the person is being "judgmental." He found this pattern very upsetting. "You can’t get a good argument going in class anymore," he said. "As soon as somebody takes a stand on any important issue, someone else says that the person is being judgmental. And that’s it. End of discussion. Everyone is intimidated!" Many of the other professors nodded knowingly. There seemed to be a consensus that the fear of being judgmental has taken on epidemic proportions.
Is the call for civility just another way of spreading this epidemic? If so, then I’m against civility. But I really don’t think that this is what being civil is all about. Christian civility does not commit us to a relativistic perspective. Being civil doesn’t mean that we cannot criticize what goes on around us. Civility doesn’t require us to approve of what other people believe and do. It is one thing to insist that other people have the right to express their basic convictions; it is another thing to say that they are right in doing so. Civility requires us to live by the first of these principles. But it does not commit us to the second formula. To say that all beliefs and values deserve to be treated as if they were on a par is to endorse relativism -- a perspective that is incompatible with Christian faith and practice. Christian civility does not mean refusing to make judgments about what is good and true. For one thing, it really isn’t possible to be completely nonjudgmental. Even telling someone else that she is being judgmental is a rather judgmental thing to do!
Richard J. Mouw, Uncommon Decency, pp. 20-21.
TRUTH: MAKING JUDGMENTS IS A PART OF OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES!
CONCLUSION: PSALM 133 IS OUR CONCLUSION. What the Psalmist teaches us is that our ultimate Goal is to live together in unity and this will bring our eternal life. The first issue of this Psalm is the coming together to worship. The second issue is that of the anointing of God upon the priest hood. The third understanding is of the refreshing power of God over His people through Zion! The end result is the salvation of God¡¦s people. The question for us today is ARE WE LIVING IN UNITY OR ARE WE CONSUMED BY A FAULT FINDING SPIRIT. WHERE DOES THE LORD FIND YOU? DO YOU NEED TO REPENT?
BENEDICTION: I THESSALONIANS 3: 12-13
