21: Is it ever Okay to JUDGE? (Luke 6:37-42)

Jackie Watts

The Gospel of Luke: The Greatest Story Ever Told • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

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Scripture & College Finals - My mom asked my buddy Bill, what passage he was leaning on as he prepared for finals. Bill quickly responded: “John 11:35 - Jesus wept”.

I thought about that and found one that explained what I was experiencing preparing for finals: Ecc. 12:12 “Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.”

What memorized passages do YOU lean on?

2 Minutes: Get in a group of 4-6 and Share your favorite memorized passage.

What are YOUR favorite memorized passages?

Here are a 5 I hear quoted pretty regular:

Old Testament: 2 Chron. 7:14 & Jer. 29:11

New Testament: Phil. 4:13 & John 3:16…and one more we will deal with shortly

What is the context? Author & Audience? Most of us don’t have a CLUE

2 Chron. 7:14: If the Jewish people would turn from their sin, God promised to heal the physical land He had destroyed with locusts.

Jer 29:11: God promises to return the Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem - 70 years from that point.

Phil. 4:13: Paul is content in every situation - good & bad - free or in prison - well fed or hungry - because he can ‘do all things through Christ who gives” him strength.

John 3:16: Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus - a religious guy - and Jesus points to the fact that HE needs to be reborn by trusting the gift Jesus would offer…and if He won’t trust Jesus - He will be JUDGED guilty for eternity (see v. 18).

John 3:16 used to be the most quoted Scripture - it’s the 1st verse most of us memorized - but that is no longer the case. Instead, the passage we are going to deal with today contains the best known & most often quoted Scripture of our day. It is typically quoted from

Matt. 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (Notice they don’t quote or consider vss. 2-6)

But does this mean we should NEVER judge?

Our culture has developed an unspoken expectation to stay out of each other's business. Don’t judge me…and I won’t judge you.

It is implied that saying anyone is WRONG….is…WRONG.

Of course, it order to tell someone they are WRONG for judging others…you put your own neck in the noose, because when you say someone is WRONG for judging…you have just JUDGED them!

So are we to dispatch discernment OR…Is it ever Okay to JUDGE?

Today we will discover the answer to that intriguing question.

PRAY

We pick up the Luke Series in 6:37, where Dr. Luke quotes essentially the same thing that Jesus taught in Matthew 7:1.

Luke 6:37 (NIV)

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Before we read the rest of the passage I want to remind you of

2 Important Rules of Bible Interpretation:

Never Read a Bible Verse. There were no chapter & verse divisions. Not meant to be broken up any more than your letters are. In order to honor that…let’s read the rest of this passage and come back to it.

Luke 6:37–43 (NIV)

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. 41 “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? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

View Scripture THRU Scripture. Consider other passages when you run into one that seems a little strange. Interpret what is UNCLEAR in light of what IS CLEAR. Coming back to v.37, this part seems very clear…but when you carry it to it’s logical conclusion it collides with clear teaching. Let me show you what I mean.

Luke 6:37 (NIV)

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Is THIS the our get out of jail free card?

Does this mean that way to stay out of hell and make it to heaven is by NOT judging, NOT condemning & forgiving others?

No need to repent of sin and trust what Jesus did on the cross...just don't judge or condemn others?

No need to seek God’s forgiveness as long as we forgive others?

Of course not.

The New Testament is CLEAR that we must TURN from our sin & TRUST Jesus’ payment.

If you know the New Testament very well, this passage 'do not judge' should leave YOU scratching your head. Here’s why:

Jesus COMMANDED the church to judge those who claimed to be brothers & sisters who refused to repent of their sin.

Matthew 18:15–17 (NIV)

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you.

Jesus COMMANDS this - to approach and judge - “What you are doing is wrong.”

If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Followers of Jesus are not to associate with these who claim Christ…UNTIL they turn from their sin. That doesn’t sound like many people’s cuddly & soft build-a-bear Jesus does it?

Based on what Jesus commanded, Paul reminded the church to do the same.

1 Corinthians 5:1–5 (NIV)

1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! [“We LOVE people here! We don’t judge!”] Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this.

Paul is saying, “I did this in OBEDIENCE to what Jesus taught us!”

4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

The desire is for reconciliation, to see this man come back to obedience. As a parent what is the most loving thing you can do…let your kids get away with disobedience OR discipline them and train them to obey?

1 Corinthians 5:9–13 (NIV)

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

This is not an exhaustive list. It means we are NOT to act as if disobedient believers are okay just like they are.

12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

So, Is it ever okay to JUDGE? Certainly. We are commanded to judge other believers living in disobedience…AND we are to make daily judgements and not dispatch discernment.

You SHOULD JUDGE whether the teenager that wants to date your teenager is the kind of person you approve of.

You can stand on issues like the oxymoron concept of homosexual marriage, abortion, adultery, lying and say these are WRONG. Jesus never taught His disciples to shut up, sit down, & throw discernment out the window.

“If you don’t judge others God won’t judge you” might be the mantra of our culture but this is NOT the meaning of the Scripture.

Now, let’s consider the rest of what Jesus said…and how it fits with what we have learned so far.

Luke 6:37–38 (NIV)

The idea here is taking the grain and putting it into a measuring container and pressing it down with as much as it can hold.

You know…kind of like you do when you go to a Mongolian Restaurant where you can eat as much as you can put into the bowl…that is an ART for some of us!

Now I’m hungry! Back to the illustration Jesus used. After it’s pressed down, you shake the container so that every grain fills every empty space. Imagine the container is filled to the top in a rounded heap so that the grain is running over the container. Finally…all of that was poured into your lap, using the fold of your outer cloak like a grocery bag to carry this grain.

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with the measure you use, it will be measured to you In other words…we are to…

Judge WITH Mercy…Judge WITH Mercy…Judge WITH Mercy…Judge WITH Mercy…

Judge WITH Mercy…

What if you received the amount of mercy…that you gave to others?

Max Lucado, a master storyteller, writes in The Great House of God…

It's as if God sends you to the market to purchase your neighbor's groceries saying, "Whatever you get your neighbor, get also for yourself. For whatever you give to him is what you receive.

"I love thick, juicy hamburger meat, so I buy my neighbor thick, juicy hamburger meat. I love double-chocolate ice cream, so I buy my neighbor double-chocolate ice cream. And when I drink milk, I don't want the skimpy skim stuff...I want Christian milk, just like God made it. So what do I buy my neighbor? Christian milk, just like God made it.

A neighbor has wronged you so God reminds you, "Time to go to the market and buy your neighbor's groceries."

So you grumble and mumble your way to the store, and then it hits you, "I'll get even with the old bum." You go straight to the skim milk (YUCK! That’s just WHITE WATER!). Then you make a beeline to the anchovies and sardines. You march right past the double-chocolate ice cream and head toward the okra and rice. You make a final stop in the day-old bread section and pick up a crusty loaf with green spots on the edge. Chuckling, you drive back to the house and drop the sack in the lap of your lazy, good-for-nothing neighbor. "Have a good dinner." And you walk away.

All your brilliant scheming left you hungry, so you go to your refrigerator to fix a sandwich, but guess what you find. Your pantry is full of what you gave your enemy. All you have to eat is exactly what you just bought.

Could it be that God is giving you exactly what you're giving someone else?

Luke 6:39-40 (NIV)

39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

The danger is that we all have a tendency to be blind to our own faults. We are more quick to judge others than the one in the mirror. People who are blind to their own sin usually develop disciples who do the same. Parents & grandparents - when our family hears us judge others without Mercy…don’t be surprised when they DO THE SAME.

On the other hand, if we follow the example of Jesus - we will be quick to forgive & show mercy to those who ask. Jesus was quick forgave liars, cheats, thieves, sexually impure, and ANYONE who came to him sincerely! He can and will forgive YOU-234950233080 too…if you seek Him in sincerity. HIS FOLLOWERS too…need to

Judge WITH Mercy…Judge WITH Mercy…Judge WITH Mercy…Judge WITH Mercy…

Judge WITH Mercy…

You see…Forgiving & being merciful is NOT how we OBTAIN salvation; it’s how we EXPRESS salvation.

A heart that is quick to forgive is not REWARDED by salvation. A heart that is quick to forgive is the RESULT of salvation.

We are quick to forgive & show mercy…because we HAVE already been forgiven & show much mercy.Then Jesus tells a FUNNY story, one that might have caused his audience to laugh or snicker.

Luke 6:41-42a (NIV)

41 “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? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?

Years ago I was mowing and something hit me in the eye. I couldn’t whatever it was out. Later that night I noticed that I had a small piece of wood STUCK in my eye! OUCH! The next day I went to the optometrist to get some relief…but imagine if he walked in the room & has a big piece of wood stuck in HIS eye!

How in the world could he get that little piece out of MY eye when he has that in HIS? It affects the way he sees everything! He has a lot BIGGER problem than me!

Luke 6:42b (NIV)

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.-234950231549

Jesus is not saying we should never judge. Jesus is saying we should…

Judge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT HypocrisyJudge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT HypocrisyJudge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT HypocrisyJudge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT Hypocrisy

Judge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT Hypocrisy

Notice, that Jesus doesn’t say NOT to try to remove the speck from your brother’s eye…just make sure you do it when you can see clearly.

After my visit to the eye doctor, followed by several days of swelling & eyedrops…I had a new appreciation for my eyesight & the care the doctor took in helping me heal. And if I ever have to help someone with something in their eye…I will be gentle as well.-23495076237

Judge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT HypocrisyJudge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT HypocrisyJudge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT HypocrisyJudge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT Hypocrisy

Judge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT Hypocrisy

I had the chance a few days ago, meeting with a brother who has been disobeying the ONE who died for Him. As we talked I brought up the passages we studied today. I had him read 1 Cor. 5 and let him see exactly how seriously Jesus & His people should deal with the one who calls himself a brother who refuses to turn from his sin. With tears in my eyes I recalled how my God & my bride had been gracious to me when I asked for forgiveness. I showed him where the SAME GUY who was kicked out because he wouldn’t obey the Lord…was WELCOMED BACK, shown MERCY when he turned from his sin.

I plead with you to turn from YOUR sin & turn to Jesus as well.

Will YOU stand with me as I pray?

Heads bowed and eyes closed - pray this: “Jesus, what do YOU want me to do with what I just heard?” [James playing]

God is serious about your sin. It put Jesus on the cross. Are you still living for the things Jesus DIED for?

Hey believer…have you been judging WITH Mercy & WITHOUT Hypocrisy? Or do you need to ask God to remove your pride & sin?

Have you not yet trusted Jesus with your life? Will you surrender to Him? Ask Him…right now…to forgive you…to come in and be your KING.

This is a place where it’s okay to not be okay. If God spoke to your heart today, and you need someone to pray WITH you or FOR you…I want you to grab a Christian friend & ask them to come with you. TJ & Kristy are here.

And just a moment I’m going to give you an opportunity. To pray. Go out the back door.-234950293708

Judge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT HypocrisyJudge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT HypocrisyJudge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT HypocrisyJudge WITH Mercy & WITHOUT Hypocrisy