Judging and Kingdom Citizens

Introduction: Has anyone ever said the following words to you, “Stop Judging me” or, “Don’t judge me”? What do they mean by those words? They mean that they don’t want you to pass judgment on the decisions they have made for themselves. They don’t want you to stick your nose in their business.

Our text today is a difficult one and has been the discussion of a lot of heated debate throughout the centuries. Some say that we are to set aside all JUDGMENT on others. While others say that this is a particular type of wrong JUDGMENT mentioned in Jesus’ words. How are we to interpret the text before us?

First, always interpret Scripture with Scripture. Scripture is to be taken as a whole. The parallel passage for this text is found in Luke 6:37-38. You might want to take the time to read that text as well.

Secondly, trust the teachings of Jesus completely. His words are always right. We don’t have to question anything that Jesus taught.

So, then, as we come to our text we discover that Jesus is going to teach His disciples about JUDGING and being Kingdom Citizens.

What does Jesus say to His disciples? He says,

I. Don’t JUDGE (i.e., your brother) – 7:1

1“Judge not, that you be not judged.

What does this verse mean? How do we rightly interpret it? We must interpret a verse in its context, and we must take in all of Scripture and not just one single verse. To pull one verse from Scripture and to stand on it as a proof text for one’s personal behavior or decision-making is a pretext.

Wikipedia defines the word pretext: A pretext is an excuse to do something or say something that is not accurate. Pretexts may be based on a half-truth or developed in the context of a misleading fabrication.

Does this verse mean that we are to throw out all judgment?

· Perhaps we should throw out our Judicial system? Judge not.

· Perhaps we should do away with neighborhood watch programs. Judge not.

· Perhaps we should defund the police. Judge not.

· Perhaps we should never fire an employee. Judge not.

· Perhaps we should never discipline a child. Judge not.

How is this verse to be interpreted? By the way, are you aware that Matthew 7:1 is now considered the first verse Christians and non-Christians memorize and quote? It used to be John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…” But now it is Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” How have we come so far?

By the way don’t miss the next few words:The world is not Bible expositors. The world does not rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). We read in 1 Corinthians 2:14 just how much the man without Christ understands Scripture,

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

So, again I ask you, how are we to understand this verse? This verse is speaking about judging someone wrongly and with the wrong motivation. This verse is not teaching us that it is wrong to judge behavior, ethics, or opinions. Scripture clearly teaches that believers are to:

· Examine everything carefully – 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Test all things; hold fast what is good.

· Test the spirits whether they are of God – 1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

· We are to help a brother who has wandered from the truth – James 5:19-20

Believers are to come alongside someone that has been overtaken by temptation and help them.

James 5:19-20 – Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Now, allow me to walk through this verse with you. What do we have before us? Two things:

1. The command to “Judge not” - The Greek word for JUDGE used here is “krino” which means “to judge to the place of condemnation.” Only God has that right.

2. The reason to “Judge not”. The reason is sensible. That you be not judged.

Jesus is now going to build upon the second part of verse 1, “that you be not judged.” So, then, what does He teach?

II. How you JUDGE will be how you are JUDGED – 7:2

2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

We are all good at JUDGING others, aren’t we? We are all quick at finding fault in other people. We might judge people in some of the following areas:

· The way they spend their money.

· The movies they watch.

· The friends they hang out with.

· How they dress (or lack thereof).

· Trips they are always taking.

· Lack of disciplining their children.

Why is it that we find it easy to see what someone else is doing as being wrong, but what we practice we seem to legitimize it? We can make our behavior acceptable but condemn the practice of another. As I was preparing for this chapter I came across the following quote, “Self-righteousness tends to lead to a judgmental spirit.”

Jesus tells the story of two men who go to the temple. One is a Pharisee, and the other is a tax collector. Here is how Jesus told the story in Luke 18:9-14,

9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Next, what do you use to MEASURE another’s behavior? What is your tape measure, or your Plumb bob? Here are some possible tools of measurement:

· The Bible.

· Community standards.

· Laws passed by the society.

· Self-perception.

What we need to remember is that Jesus teaches that how you JUDGE others will be the same way that others will judge you. Tony Evans calls this the “boomerang effect.” Pastor Chuck Smith wrote, “We set the standard for our own judgment when we judge others.”

So, then, are we to live as if we are BLIND? Overlook all things? No, but before we JUDGE others, we must first JUDGE ourselves. Jesus walks through the various steps.

III. Spot a speck, but miss the plank – 7:3-4

3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?

A Judgmental believer can spot the speck (dust) in another brother's eye and be unaware of the wooden beam in his own eye. The Greek word for “speck” here means “sawdust or small fault.” The Greek word for “plank” used here means “a large piece of wood used for construction (stick of timber) or a large fault.”

Note: Sawdust and planks are made from the same material. The point I want to drive home is that we often are good at spotting sin in another but miss it in our own lives. Here we have the same material in both eyes.

The Dot or the Colored Paper

I want to put a pen dot on a half-of-sheet of paper, and on the other half, I want you to color it. Place it across the room. Which can you clearly spot, the pen dot, or the half-colored sheet of paper? The half-sheet, right? Why isn’t this true when it comes to judging another individual? Why can we spot the pen dot in our brother, and not the half-of-sheet of paper in us?

Why is it that we want to surgically remove the speck from our brother, and not deal with the plank in our own eye? Each one of us must deal with our own personal issues before we ever consider pointing out the sin in another believer.

Jesus continues to teach. He says,

IV. Remove the plank from your own eye – 7:5

5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Jesus uses the word “hypocrite” again. Why? Because a hypocrite is a play actor (The word can mean, second face). Did you ever play doctor as a child? Did you have one of those children's doctor bags that had the stethoscope, thermometer, shot, band-aids, and pill box in it? To play-act means that you pretend to be a doctor when you are not.

There are some believers who act as if they are physicians who can help others get healthy when they know nothing about medicine. It may be easy for us to do surgery on another, as we play-act, but to do surgery on ourselves may hurt, but in the end, we would see clearly.

The Pharisees were guilty of JUDGING others while they themselves were practicing the same thing. They could spot the speck in their brother's eye, but they couldn’t see the beam within their own eye. Here is what Jesus said of them in Matthew 23:1-4,

1Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

And in Matthew 23:25 Jesus said,

25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Deal with your own Sin

We must deal with our own sin before we ever seek to deal with the sin in others. This takes some soul-searching. In Psalm 139:23-24 we read,

23Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

We must remove our own plank before we ever try to remove the speck in our brother’s eye.

If we really want to be godly, we must deal with our own sins before we try and deal with our brother’s sins. Here is what the Apostle Paul taught,

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. (Galatians 6:1).

Spiritual Christians keep short accounts with God. They deal with their own issues before they seek to deal with the sin in others.

Finally, Jesus teaches a very important truth in verse 6. Here it is…

V. Don’t give what is holy to the dogs – 7:6

6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces

The New Living Translation – Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”

What happens when we take care of our own sins first? Well, we can then deal with another person. However, Jesus makes it very clear to be careful who you deal with. There are two groups of people whom Jesus tells us to use some discernment before approaching. They are:

1. Dogs. Which in Philippians 3:3 is called, “evil workers”.

2. Pigs (hogs). In Revelation 22:15 they are referred to as the mutilation, murderers, idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Who are these two types of people?They are people who have already rejected the truth of Scripture., and who have made it clear that they want nothing to do with it. These would be outsiders – those outside of the faith.

Pastor John Lowe writes, “In Jewish culture, dogs were rarely pets. Wild animals roamed the streets in packs, looking for food and attacking weaker animals. Dogs were symbols of immorality, barbarism, vulgarity, and ignorance. Pigs were officially unclean, according to God's law (Leviticus 11:7), and likely also scavenged for food. Pigs are voracious eaters and not incredibly selective about food. However, pigs can become aggressive when hungry; giving a herd of pigs something inedible when they expect food merely antagonizes them.”

SEATTLE AUTONOMOUS ZONE

There will be those who will despise your input into their lives.

We saw this played out in the Autonomous Zone in Seattle following the George Floyd riots. A young preacher goes into the autonomous zone to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as he spoke, he was viciously attacked, beaten, and carried outside of the zone. I see this preacher as casting pearls before swine – they trampled him and his message under their feet, and they turned on him and wanted to tear him to pieces.

The first part of Jesus' sermon tells us not to judge, and the second part is that we are to be careful not to give what is holy to dogs, nor are we to cast pearls before swine. What does this mean? How are we to understand this verse?

Solomon wrote, “Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you.” (Proverbs 9:8).

It is one thing for believers to JUDGE another believer, but what about a believer trying to JUDGE a dog or a pig (as used here in this context for those who have already rejected Jesus’ message and His offer of salvation?

Ray Comfort has a statement he often uses when dealing with these two types of people. He says, “Law to the proud and grace to the humble.” However, I would add that there are some people whom we try to reach for Jesus Christ that want nothing to do with Him or His message of life.

Don’t waste what is holy on the unholy. Don’t throw your pearls before the pigs! They will not only trample what is sacred, but they just may turn on you and attack you. An example of this is Stephen in Acts 7:54-60.

By the way, I would have to say that this might be a JUDGMENT call on our behalf. So, again, life is about JUDGING, but we must learn the proper way to JUDGE.

Conclusion: There are four points that I want you to walk away with from this chapter. They are:

1. Don’t JUDGE others wrongly!

2. The measure you use to JUDGE others will be used to JUDGE you.

3. Deal with the plank in your own eye, before you try to deal with the speck in your brother’s eye.

4. Don’t give what is holy to dogs, and don’t cast your pearls to pigs. Use some spiritual JUDGMENT.