Judge not? Judge properly

Luke 6:37-42

ICC’s Wednesday In the Word ( DATE \@ "M/d/yy" 4/26/23)

Introduction

Prayers

Scripture memory

Romans 8:20–21 ESV

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Open your bibles to Luke 6

Discussion- What do people mean judge not?

Even people who have never read the bible know that one

Why might be some good reasons to judge?

Say you’re going to a baseball game and someone comes up offering you to buy his tickets? Could there be some good reasons to trust him or not?

We’ll see that Jesus wants us to address certain issues

Review

Verse 37 in Greek begins with “and” as the LSB gets right

Luke 6:37 (LSB)- “And do not judge, and you will not be judged;

The translators know saying and too many times in English sounds funny

But we can think this is an isolated command, but

We must remember we are in the middle of a sermon

Blessings and woes show the wisdom of the disciples’ choice (vv. 20–26)

Being merciful like God loves his enemies (vv. 27–36)

The need for Jesus’ disciples to judge properly (vv. 39–45)

The point of the sermon - listen and obey (v. 46)

The closing appeal and example.

We’ve already seen Jesus points out why we should follow Him and what that looks like in loving enemies to be different

So here, Jesus is also showing all those in the crowd why they need to listen to Him

Thus, I’m trying to argue that he wants to show us the foolishness of juding based on our ways rather than listening to Him

3 guides Jesus gives his followers to judge correctly

Judge only with the same standard for you (37-38)

Explanation

Judge not

The word judge means To separate, distinguish, discriminate between good and evil, select, choose out the good

to form or give an opinion after separating and considering the particulars of a case

So it can refer to legal decisions such as counting someone guilty

But He clarifies more

What will happen if they judge?

The same thing will happen

This is the difference between saying “quiet!” and “quiet, the baby is sleeping.”

and “quiet, the baby is sleeping.”

What is the concern about?

What is the worry here?

The problem is the standard they set will be put back on them

What other words defines judging next?

Condemn

give judgment against a person, to pass sentence

It’s stronger word than before

Instead, we are to

Forgive

It is a infrequent word that we translate into English

It literally means to release or let go

We see Jesus saying this clearly in Luke 17

Luke 17:3–4- Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Let’s use the analogy of faith (what the rest of scripture says) to put this together

Because there are good reasons to judge

In Luke 17 Jesus says rebuke them, which means you had to judge something was wrong.

Paul writes

1 Corinthians 5:11–13- But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

Who are we to judge? What standard do we use?

It is God’s law

Jesus says the same thing in Matthew 7:1–6

Read v 6- does deciding someone is a Dog require judgment?

How about Matthew 18

Matthew 18:15- “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

Jesus requires you to say there is a fault

We should be careful in judging with our standard

If it is not found in the bible, then we should not say so

Romans 14:3–4- Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

The only standard we want to come back on us is Jesus’

Matthew 11:28–30- Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Jesus still has standards for us to follow and rebuke others for

But

Instead he calls to give

Because the measure will come back to us

The image here is of a measuring container into which as much grain as possible is packed; it is then shaken to allow the grain to settle, and more is poured in till the container overflows. Pouring it “into the lap” refers to the fold in the garment used as a pocket or pouch

Illustration

We must not judge with our standard

The measure of sinful judgment we extend to others will be proportioned back to us in like measure. One author said judgment is like a boomerang, it comes back and hangs you on its own gallows

We must give out only what we want given to us

Application

Let’s be careful in our judgments

Many laugh at “infallibility” when it affects a pope at Rome, but are much disposed to believe in it when it affects a pope at home. We should not forget that (1) our powers are limited; (2) our information often very defective; (3) our minds very subject to bias. Our fallibility should lead us: 1. To take heed how we pronounce final judgments. There are some things about which we should not judge at all, as altogether transcending our powers

But why should we want correct judgment?

Because we want sin off us

But how do we want someone to confront the sin they see in our life?

How can do that to others?

When judgment comes on someone else what should our attitude be?

What should we do for our enemies?

In Exodus 32:11- Moses prayed for the people of Israel when they were beign judged

But As David recognized God’s just judgment for his sin in the census, we should acknowledge it as well

2 Sam 24:17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

But Jesus gives us a little more

Do not judge based on what you see, but what Jesus reveals (39-40)

Explanation

Jesus gives a rather humorous parable to explain his point

This is one reason I believe in using illustrations and stories in my sermons, because Jesus did

And this is quite funny, he is not making fun of handicapped people, but it would be quite the foolish blind person to listen to another blind person

Instead, even a child leading a blind parent was better

What happens if he does?

He ends up in a ditch!

You’d be walking along in the city and find a large storage pit like this one used to put the city’s grain

Or in a field

Everyone would have said.. oh yeah, that’s true

So, Jesus brings the point

A teacher is not above his master, he must follow

In a day and palce where there were not large libraries where one could study on your own, the only way to learn was from a teacher who could guide you

So Jesus says ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6). He sets his teaching up as that beacon of light that shows the pathway to people who want to find eternal life.

A disciple will become like his teacher

Like bad company corrupts good morals (1 cor 15:33), so good example guides

RC Sproul states It is a very simple statement, but so often we want to be in the position of leadership even with respect to Christ, forgetting who we are and who he is

Jesus point is don’t let the your own judgment set the standard, instead follow the teacher

Illustration

We must trust Jesus teaching, not our own intuition

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people make excuses for sins because at least they’re not doing something else.

Or a highly paid counselor told them that it was ok because of something in their past

Blind people leading blind destroys us

Application

So, what are some examples of ungodly standards we could use to guide us?

Why will they fail?

But we are to do something for those caught in sin

Judge out of love, not hypocrisy (41-42)

Explanation

WE need to help each other as Galatian says

Galatians 6:1–2- Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s bur

dens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Jesus says don’t be a hypocrite

Speck is the word for sawdust or splinter… it’s a tiny particle

The method of winnowing wheat would involve throwing it into the air, so you could see how easy it would be to get something in your eye

And how does it feel when you get a speck in your eye?

The problem is that it’s really tiny, so could you imagine having one of these in your eye?

How do we know Jesus is trying to be funny?

Because you couldn’t have one of these in your eye… it wouldn’t stay and you’d have no head

Is there any way to not notice?

It’s a great image of the silliness

Why is Jesus point not funny?

Because we judge others with a different standard than ourselves

Mark Dever rightfully said- “It is easier to cry against one-thousand sins of others than to kill one of your own”

Hypocrites were not necessarily bad guys in the Greek world

The word meant “to explain, to interpret, or to expound.” Although the noun “hypocrisy” could mean “answer,” the other noun form, “hypocrite,” almost always meant “actor” and probably came from the verb meaning “to expound

These masks were used by actors to hide their face behind and give one impression that was different

Jesus used the term to address those who did not examine their own life for any sinful words, actions, and attitudes

Some people will say… who are you to judge… you sin too, sometimes the exact same way

But does Jesus just stop in verse 41 and say don’t judge?

No, why does he tell them to remove the log?

But Jesus doesn’t want us to leave the spec in there

God rebukes hypocrites, but he also wants to heal them.

false humility, which refuses to call out hypocrisy because “we’re all hypocrites, after all.” Masquerading as nonjudgmental, this mindset ignores Jesus’s clear teaching that church discipline is necessary (Matt.18:15–19)

If we refuse to rebuke when the occasion demands it (Luke 17:3), our silence is cowardice, not humility

Kevin Deyoung well states

Jesus said, “I reprove and discipline” (Revelation 3:19). He didn’t say, “I love you so much, but I still have to rebuke you.” He said, “Because I love you, I will rebuke you.” The reason we don’t rebuke more often is not because we are so full of love, it is because we do not truly love. We like people to think well of us. We like our relationships to be easy. As one writer said: “the opposite of love is not correction, but indifference.”

Illustration

Is it loving to see food in someone’s mouth and say nothing?

Why do we ignore it?

How about If our children were abusing drugs?

we would make a judgment call.

Why is it any different if a brother or sister in Christ is acting in a destructive manner? Don’t we understand the destructive nature of sin? It nailed our Savior to the cross! Respected pastor and theologian, John Stott, once said, “To [learn of a foreign object in a brother’s eye and] leave it there, and make no attempt to remove it, would hardly be consistent with brotherly love”

Application

SO, 5 steps for removing a sin

Know whom you are rebuking

1 Thessalonians 5:14- And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

Jeusus made a distinction between sheep and pigs

So we should care about who

Know who you are.

Some people hate conflict, some love it

C.S. Lewis said, the hard saying of Jesus are only good for those who find them hard. Anyone who is eager to rebuke is not ready to do so.

Check your heart

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention” (Prov. 15:18).

So, watch your heart… it’s not about you

Check your eye

You don’t have to be perfect, but you need to recognize your own sin

Ask for forgiveness… even say, I’ve struggled the same way

Don’t be loud if you can be soft.

Again, Deyoung

. Galatians 6:1 says restore your brother gently. 2 Timothy 2:25 tells us to correct our opponents with gentleness. A gentle answer, Proverbs tells us, turns away wrath (15:1). It was always Paul’s desire to come in a spirit of gentleness; the rod was only a last resort (1 Cor. 4:21; cf. 2 Cor. 13:10). You see a pattern here? Try gentleness first. Don’t be the one whose rash words are like sword thrusts (Prov. 12:18)

What advice do you have for lovingly addressing sins?

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