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  1. '“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. '

Matthew 7:1-2

 

  1. 'Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”'

   John 7:24

 

  1. Luke 6:37-42

'“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.'

  1. Charles Spurgeon said “Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite”

 

  1. When we look at the scriptures, we just read we need to think deeply about how we judge and love others.

 

 

  1. They require us to remove the log from our own eye before we attempt to remove the speck from our brother’s eye.

 

  1. They take us to a higher standard of love, a love that is patient, kind, and empty of hypocrisy.

 

  1. A lot of us say well the Bible talks about righteous Judgment, but it is not about pointing our fingers and looking down on others.

 

  1. It’s about knowing biblically what is right and what is wrong in life and helping others do the same, not because we think we are perfect but because of love and our concern.

 

 

  1. We make judgements every day, what is write and what is wrong. These judgements help us navigate life. 

 

  1. The problem comes when we make judgements on bias, prejudice or self-righteousness. That kind of judgement is what Jesus warned us about in Matthew 7:1-2.

 

 

  1. Jesus doesn’t want us to abandon all judgement. He is telling us to be careful about the kind of judgment we use.

 

  1. He is warning us against hypocritical judgment.

 

  1. That is the kind of judgement that focuses on other people’s faults while ignoring our own.

 

 

  1. That judgement condemns others for their sins but ignores our own.

 

  1. It judges others by a different standard than we use for ourselves.

 

  1. Judging others becomes a sinful behavior when we judge with pride, comparison or to belittle another.

 

  1. This kind of judgement can harden our hearts, increase arrogance and can hurt those we judge!

 

  1. Righteous judgment is the same all the time. It uses the same measure for everyone, including ourselves.

 

  1. This is what Jesus means when He said, “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

 

  1. If we are hateful and unforgiving to others that, is what we will get in return.

 

  1. We must be consistent and not judge one person harshly and another leniently based on our feelings. It must be based on the Word of God!

 

  1. Righteous judgment is not based on a person’s outward appearance. This what Jesus was telling us in John 7:24.

 

  1. So many times, we base our judgement on a person’s appearance, behavior, or circumstances.

 

  1. Jesus told us to judge correctly, to look deeper than the surface and see the heart.

 

  1. We do have to look at peoples actions but all to often we jump without looking deeper at what is really going on.

 

  1. Righteous judgment has to be tempered by love. Love doesn’t mean we ignore the sin or excuse wrong behavior. 

 

  1. We have to care about the person though more than we care about being right.

 

  1. It means we are more interested in restoration than condemnation. It means we are willing to forgive as we have been forgiven.

 

 

 

  1. Our judgement must be based on truth, not bias. A judgement that is consistent, not hypocritical.  A judgement that looks past appearances and into a person’s heart.

 

  1. This kind of judgement reflects the heart of our Savior. The heart that died for us even though we were still lost in sin.

A Savior who loves us no matter what and is faithful to forgive us completely. 

 

  1. This same Savior expects us to do the same for others.

 

  1. These verses call for us to dissolve hypocrisy by examining our hearts, actions, and attitudes toward others.
  2. So how do we do this? How do we get the log out of our own eye?  By listening to the teachings of Jesus!

 

  1. We must acknowledge our own faults, our own weaknesses and our own need for grace. This is the first step to getting rid of hypocrisy.

 

 

  1. We must learn to extend the same grace to others that we are now acknowledging our shortcomings require for ourselves.

 

  1. We must resist the temptation to point out faults of others and remember the words of Jesus “Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven!”

 

  1. This grace is not just rolling over and accepting wrong doings, but making a choice to love, to forgive and seek reconciliation.

 

  1. Our heart has to reflect His and be a heart that is full of compassion, mercy and unfailing love.
  2. We can’t go through life talking about people and judging them in private and being different in public. We have to learn to stand on His way and be consistent not a hypocrite. 

 

  1. We have to develop a spirit of humility. This means acknowledging our own need for grace, our own need for forgiveness and our own need to be transformed to be more Christ like in life.

 

  1. We have to be more like Jesus everyday in our interaction with others, particularly in the area of judgement.

 

  1. We need to judge ourselves before we judge someone else.

 

  1. S. Lewis said, “The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”

 

  1. We are all a work in progress, and all fall short of the glory of God. Before we go pointing out the faults of others, we need to take a hard look at ourselves and recognize our own shortcomings.

 

  1. I am not saying we need to condemn ourselves or wallow in guilt. We need to realize our own imperfections, own up to our mistakes and try each day to grow and improve.

 

  1. We must be honest with ourselves and with God and allow His grace to transform us from the inside out. We have to approach others not from the thought of superiority but from a place of humility and understanding.

 

  1. We must judge with wisdom and discernment. Not every situation is the same and not every Christian is at the same point in our walk.

 

  1. We must be sensitive to the struggles of others, and we need to be guided by the Holy Spirit in our judgment

 

  1. We are all on a journey and a work in progress. And isn’t it a relief to know that God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, is patient with us?  He’s not finished with us yet.  He’s still shaping us, molding us, making us more like Him.  As He does, He is calling us to extend that same grace and mercy to others in this life.

 

Everyone please walk with God’s peace!

Pastor Glenn