Please Judge
Romans 2:1-16; Romans 7:1; Colossians 1:28
Listen to the first words of Romans 2:1 and Matthew 7:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else...”
“Judge not that you be not judged.”
Based just on those two scriptures, and some others like them, How many of us were taught that it is wrong to judge others.”
Sure you were. In church... by parents and grandparents.
The term “judgment” is one of those words we have allowed the world to rob from us. It is a very scriptural and Christian word.
However, “judgment” and “judgmental” have been allowed to take on a pejorative meaning.... a negative definition.
Words like “righteous” and “saint” and “wrath” have been allowed to become negative words and the church has tended to drop them like hot potatoes.
In reality, judgment means the assertion of right.
However, it is now used mostly in the negative sense of “to criticize or censure.”
Today, it is a big No-No for any person to pass any judgment or express any negative opinion on the actions or beliefs of any other person.
It is seen as an expression of superiority or “self-righteousness.
In fact, you may see me that way when I tell you that if anyone taught you that it is wrong to judge others for their actions or lifestyle or thoughts or words... THEY WERE WRONG!
See, that makes me seem conceited or stuck-up to say that I am right and they are wrong.
However, you need to understand...
Not all lawnmowers are equal
Not all carpenters are equal
Not all opinions are equal
Not all understandings of scripture are equal
Today I hope to give you a good understanding on the subject of JUDGING OTHERS
First of all understand Romans 2:1-16 does not say it is wrong to judge others for their life or their theology, or their actions.
It says it is wrong to think that you can judge others for their sin and then think that God will overlook your sin.
When verse two says you are condemning yourself... it does not mean you are condemned for judging. It means you are condemned because you held others up to a certain level of accountability... and you did not live up to that level.
The very fact that you know the truth, so you can hold them accountable is proof that you knew to live up to that level.
EXAMPLE: If you see your neighbor bringing home tools he stole from work and you confront him and accuse him of sin... and then you go home and fill out your taxes and don’t report that side job.
READ THE SCRIPTURE— “because you who pass judgment DO THE SAME THING.”
It is not the judgment that was wrong... it was that YOU DO THE SAME THING.
You would not be wrong to go to your neighbor and judge him for stealing.... if you went home and changed your 1040 to report the side job.
So what is the real problem with judging? (V. 5) You are going to force God to bring His wrath on you on the day of judgment.
Look at Matthew 7:1-2. “Judge not that you be not judged.”
Does this mean that if we do not judge the actions of others, but live and let live, that God will not judge us for our wrong either?
NO!!! A thousand times NO!!!!
If we know anything from scripture we know that God will judge every man for his actions.
It is said over and over in the Bible.
Look at v. 6 6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.”
That calls for us to judge others. We have to judge whether others are dogs and pigs... unspiritual, ungodly characters. We are called to evaluate their character on the basis of their actions.... THAT IS JUDGMENT!!!!!!
Verse 1 sounds like Don’t judge... Verse 6 calls for us to judge.
Why do you think Paul spent so much time writing to the churches to describe the false teachers... SO THEY COULD JUDGE THE FALSE FROM THE TRUE!!
Why did Jesus spend so much time preaching about the true kingdom of God? SO WE COULD JUDGE THE TRUE FROM THE FALSE!!!
Does God want us to judge? YES!!!!
Is it wrong to judge? NO!
It is wrong to judge by the wrong standard.
It is wrong to judge with bias
It is wrong to judge others and not apply the same judgment to us.
The Word of God is very plain
1. ALL MEN WILL BE JUDGED..... BY GOD.
Heb. 9:27 It is appointed to all once to die and then the judgment.
2 Cor. 5:10 We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ
Ecc. 12:14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.
Mt 3:17 17“His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.
Mt 12:36 36“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
13:41-43, 49-50 “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42“and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43“Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! 49“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50“and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Acts 17:31 31“because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Rm 14:10-12 10But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11For it is written:
“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”
12So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
2 Cor 5:10 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
2. Every man, lost and saved will give an account of his actions, thoughts, motives.
3. Every Christian deed will bring a reward.
4. Every un-Christian deed will bring loss.... burned up.
5. Every man will be judged by the Lamb’s Book of Life...
Name in it or not
6. We Christians know about the judgment.... Lost do not.
7. We SHOULD warn them and help them to avoid the loss.
8. We Don’t
why?
1. Don’t want to be intolerant, not PC, “judgmental”
2. Think we can avoid judgment if we don’t judge
3. FEAR— that we may not be right,
or May be taken to task
9. You will not cause judgment or avoid it if you judge.
10. God never said “Don’t Judge” He expects us to judge ourself and others and to warn the sinful.
1 Thes 5:15 “We command you bretheren, WARN THEM THAT ARE UNRULY”
2 Tim 4:2 “ Rebuke, reprove, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
Titus 1:13 “Rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith.”
11. You can not warn them, rebuke them or exhort them if you do not first pass judgment on their actions, words, etc.
Judging in not being “judgmental” Judgmental is a negative, prideful, superior attitude. True judgment must come from love for them.
12. Judging rightly means “according to the Word of God”
As Christians we can not help but judge.
We must judge preaching and teaching to see if it is scriptural.
We must judge entertainment to see if it is acceptable.
We must judge person to see if they are acceptable to God as our friends.
We must judge our children in order to rebuke and reprove them
WE ARE CALLED TO BE DIFFERENCE MAKERS
SALT– LIGHT– DOCTORS
We are called to be different so we can make a difference
Titus 2:14 says He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.
Jesus did not leave the glory of heaven, take on flesh and suffer all manner of persecution and be killed so we could be like everyone else... OR LIKED BY EVERYONE ELSE.
He did it so we could be different to make a difference.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Peculiar = strange, unusual, not like the rest.
We are not called to fit in... get along... be liked.... be accepted.
WE ARE CALLED BY GOD TO BE DIFFERENT SO WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
The bible says salt is no good if it makes no difference throw out
Light no good if it makes no difference don’t hide
Doctor no good if makes no difference not to well
How can we make a difference????
1. BE DIFFERENT!! Live by a different standard. Think a different way. Evaluate a different way.
HAVE A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW!!!!!
2. Help them to be different.
First step: Show them where they are wrong.
JUDGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE PROBLEM WITH THE CHURCH TODAY IS NOT THAT IT IS TOO JUDGMENTAL.... BUT RATHER WE ARE NOT JUDGMENTAL ENOUGH.
We are not making a difference because we are trying to be...
LIKE THEM SO WE WILL BE LIKED BY THEM.
A final illustration to drive it home.
2 Sundays ago Kurt Warner was quarterbacking the Rams. He had 6 fumbles and looked just awful. This is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL.
After the game it was discovered that he had a concussion... from before the game.
The medical staff, trained doctors, had missed the signs.
Any armchair quarterback could tell it was not like Warner. The coach knew there was a problem. Warner knew it too, but did not know what.
Who should bear the weight of the blame.
The coach?— He relied on the crack medical staff– he would have pulled him had he known.
Warner?—He is not a doctor, he thought he could play through it, he trusted the doctors.
The doctors?— Trained, experienced, knew the symptoms.
Of course it was the Doctors. Warner could have had his career ended. Because the doctors missed it.
You and I are the doctors... WE KNOW THE WORD. We are aware that the lost are lost, the sinners are sinning.
They don’t know, THEY ARE LOST... their mind is darkened by Satan... they are just doing what is natural.
IT IS OUR JOB TO TELL THEM !!!!!!!!
Warner could have lost his career. Lost people are losing something much more important....their soul.... for eternity!!!!!
One day we will all stand before the throne and be judged. Then the lost will hear those words, “Depart from me I never knew you.”
And they will beg and plead with God. They will plead their case that they did not know. But it will be too late.
Then... they will turn their eyes on us... the ones who went to school with them.... who worked with them... who lived next door to them.... who were in clubs with them
And they will ask... “WHY? WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME?
They will mean, “Why didn’t you judge me.”
What will our answer be? Can you imagine the guilt we will bear? Can you imagine the heart-break of watching them cast into eternal hell?
Let me end with this question–
Who really loves the sinner? The one who accepts their sin, accepts them as a person and with all their warts and never judges them... AND LETS THEM GO TO HELL?
Or the one who comes to them out of love and concern and shows them their sin, and offers them the hope of being set free, forgiven, and saved?
The one who was tolerant? Or the one who JUDGED them?
Which one do you think they need?
Which one do we want to be?
Rick Pendleton @ randdp@peoplepc.com
