To Judge or Not to Judge

Introduction

In 2 Samuel 12:5-7, Nathan the Prophet goes to David to tell him of a horrible thing that has happened in the land of Israel. A wealthy man with great herds had taken the single lamb of a poor man and killed the poor man.

2 Samuel 12:5-7 “Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.”

David had just committed adultery with Bathsheba, and he had killed Uriah to cover up his adultery.

How deceptive the human heart to major in the sins of others and minor in its own sins.

Today, we are going to look at a passage of Scripture that teaches us against hypocricy and judgementalism while showing us the correct way to discern what is right and wrong.

Read Luke 6:37-42

Luke 6:37–42 ESV

“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

Explanation

Judgmentalism, Tolerance, and Judgement

By human nature, we are not very good at moderation in anything - but, especially, philosophically. So often, we are on an ideological pendulum swing. We go really far in one direction, so in return, we go the exact opposite direction. We rarely find the middle.

The church has been known to be judgmental. The pendulum swing is towards what I would call weaponized tolerance. I want to share with you why both of those are bad ways to go while showing you a better way - the righteous, discerning judgment of Jesus.

Judgmentalism: Having or displaying an overly critical point of view of someone.

It is rooted in pride, because causes one to believe they he/she is better than others and causes one to believe that they are in the place of God.

As a result, judgmentalism causes believers to indulge in hypocrisy and withhold mercy.

The consequences of judgmentalism are destroyed churches, maimed hearts, and broken faith. Judgmentalism has completely wrecked the faith of many people.

R. C. Ryle // What our Lord means to condemn is a faultfinding spirit. A readiness to blame others over trifling offences, or matters of indifference; a habit of passing rash or hasty judgments; a disposition to magnify the errors and infirmities of our neighbors, and make the worse of them.

Application: JUDGEMENTALISM

Matt Smethurst said, “self-righteousness is the art of always being bothered by someone else’s sin.” Judgmentalism is rooted in self-righteousness.

Have you ever heard a sermon and immediately thought about who else needed to hear it? In reality, that sermon is always firstly for you.

We are really good at knowing our friends and neighbor’s and family’s sins, but we struggle to know our own OR when we come to grips with our own, we minimize it.

Weaponized Tolerance: The acceptance of a particular virtue (or every virtue) as positively moral. Anything goes, and everything goes.

It is also rooted in pride. It is rooted in pride because it asserts the belief that man knows better than God.

Tolerance causes believers to indulge in sin and withhold truth.

The consequences are cowardly churches, gluttoneous hearts, and corrupted faith.

Deitrich Bonhoeffer // Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe repriment which calls another Christian in one’s community back from the path of sin. “cruel compassion”

Application: TOLERANCE

There is really no such thing as tolerance. Everyone a limit to what we will tolerate.

Where so many Christians stumble is the application of tolerance. When the world does not look like Jesus. We many ways that we could apply this truth, but remember, I am painting in broad strokes today.

I am NOT advocating for you to be hateful for the people around you in the name of Jesus. Do you want to know what people who don’t know Jesus are going to act like? Not like Jesus!

Our goal in this conversation is not to get people to act a certain way.

It is to get people to Jesus. We love people, all people, with the intent that they might come to know Jesus.

We are called to love everyone. Period. But, love means to tell people of the message of Jesus i.e. Repent and Believe the gospel.

Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to (1) go freely and (2) sin no more.

Jesus told her that she was free from the His condemnation, BUT He also told her to go and sin no more.

We are given Biblical commands to encourage one another towards Godliness and hold one another accountable.

Discerning Judgement

It is not prideful, because it has a redeeming view of mankind, and a high view of God’s truth.

Discerning judgement causes one to evaluate their own life before going to another, and it witholds neither the truth of God’s justice or the truth of God’s love.

Discerning judgement results in convictional churches, redeemed hearts, and true faith.

What do you do with a world that doesn’t look like Jesus? How do we apply discerning judgement in a world that doesn’t want it.

We apply firstly to ourselves.

It is hard to be judgmental to others when we have first examined our own lives against the word of God.

Jesus paints a very startling and even comical view of judgmentalism. A man with a plank of wood protruding from his eye is trying to pull a splinter out of another man’s eye? The mental image is comical.

We ought to feel the weight of our sin before going to someone else.

Our discernment and judgement should always be focused on reconciliation. The second portion of Luke 6:37 is to forgive and give.

We want people to be reconciled to God.

We want people to be reconciled to others.

Our discernment and judgment should always be gentle. The fruit of the Spirit includes gentleness. How do we grow in gentlness?

The previous two things I have said definitely help. Apply to ourselves AND seek reconciliation

Don’t ever go to someone that you haven’t prayed specifically for.

Seek to encourage more than you rebuke or criticize.

Matt Smethurst again said to ask the question, “Would your closest friends describe you as more fluent in the language of criticism or in the language of encouragement?”

Everyone is under-encouraged, AND everyone responds better to encouragement than to a harsh word.

We love the person that God has placed before us more than the version of them we think they can be.

Love the person that is in front of you.

Recognize that God is working in them in ways that you cannot see.

Invitation

There is one in heaven today who accuses us before our Father. Satan, Himself stands before the Lord, and he accuses us in our sins. Day and night, He brings our sin before the Lord.

And the problem is… He is right. We have sinned. We are without excuse. And judgement is coming. But… he, deceiver that He is, never tells the whole story.

Because while Satan accuses us, our Saviour King shouts above the noise, “COVERED!” And one day, Satan shall be cast out of heaven by the power and authority of Jesus who nailed the debt of our sin to His cross.

Revelation 12:9-10 “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.”