Only God can Judge me!! True or False??

Introduction

Only God can Judge Me

Matthew 7:1–5 CSB

1 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use. 3 Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.

Now

Only God can judge me That's right baby, yeah baby Only God Hahahahahahahaha -I can’t judge whether a practicing fornicator will go to heaven, I will leave that to God-Joel Osteen

-This type of thought process did not start at the grass-roots community level, but in the academic elitist level of society, and it then filtered down to the common folks…..Spoken in about 28ad by Pontius Pilate: 

John 18:37–38 CSB

37 “You are a king then?” Pilate asked. “You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 “What is truth?” said Pilate. After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds for charging him.

Pontius Pilate believe in Relative Truth based in power not principle. (The Strongest decide what’s truth)

-Relative Truth or Relativism: is the doctrine that there are no absolute truths, i.e., truth is always relative to some particular frame of reference, such as a language or a culture.

In Western Society Truth is personal, situational, and malleable.

Personal- What I do is my business

Situational-What I do depends on the circumstances

Malleable-What’s true today may not be true tomorrow

Conclusion: Truth is not fixed. Truth is not decided by a transcendant standard.

The Culture has gone from:

There is absolute truth

to

Truth only exist based on the opinion of the individual

to

Who cares(Yolo)

Explain: Objective Truth vs. Subjective Truth

-Impact of (who cares) Postmodernism on College Campus

-  Law is no longer about principles woven into human nature and society. It’s become whatever lawyers and judges want it to be. Education is no longer about passing on a body of truth, but about letting children discover their own “truths.” History is no longer about great people, events, ideas, and movements. It’s about revising history to address imbalances in present-day power structures. And on and on …What are the result? Marriage Laws, Gender Laws, and Sexual Attitudes and Abortion, Violence prevails, then finally ANARCHY.

-Christian have become so scared of confronting sin, that they always qualify their confrontation with “I am not trying to judge you” because we heard Oprah quote one bible verse, so we back down from this critical ministry of diagnosing sin in our Churches and Societies.  

Then

-Chapter 7 of Matthew is the conclusion of a sermon Jesus preached that started in chapter 5.

-In this sermon, Jesus is bringing with him the correct understanding of the OT law and how it is supposed to be interpreted in a practical way.

Matthew 5:43 CSB

43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

Clearly this represent a change notice what

Leviticus 19:17–18 CSB

17 “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him. 18 Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

Proverbs 25:21 CSB

21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

you see this clear example of the Pharisees/teachers changing the OT text to fit their own desires..

‌By the time Jesus arrived on the earth the Law had traveled a long way from what he intended.  The Law had become a creation of man, and not a document written by God’s own finger at Mt. Sinai. This should give you a small insight into the natural tendency of man. We are either subtracting or adding to God’s word!!!!

Always

-Biblical judgement is a science based on sound, and a consistent loving criteria, it is fixed and prescriptive.

Exercise

1.  Use your hand and put it below Matthew 7:1 do not read around it or under it.

2.  Use your hand and put it below John 7:24 do not read around it or under it.

Note:  Looks like a bonafide contradiction in Matthew 7:1 Jesus say “don’t judge”, and in John 7:24 he says “judge rightly” Wrestle with this in your mind until I answer at the end

Transition Statement

-Judging rightly starts with the right attitude.

I.  Right Attitude Matthew 7:1 “1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged.”

(EXP)(v.1) Jesus gives a command “do not to Judge”.  This statement taken by itself without any grammar work, or definition sounds like Jesus is condemning any kind of accountability. In this verse, Jesus is making a general statement, which was not supposed to be taken by itself without evaluating latter verses, as he expounds on this text. 

a. define of Judge: krino: to separate and distinguish between good and evil(wrong or right actions), to judge as guilty, to condemn.

-Judge has a wide range of meaning when this happens you let the context determine the appropriate definition.  In the Western World, the definition we read into this text is “to separate and distinguish between good and evil” When we say do not judge me we are essentially asking people not to evaluate our action and assign a imperative to them. So, when we see Jesus use that word we then read our understanding back into the text. So even unbelievers know this text and will quote it to Christian anytime we say an action is wrong.

-Judge in this text is a verb. The Greek verb is in the present tense which describes an ongoing action. Jesus is prohibiting a kind of judgement this is continual. He seems to be prohibiting a type of attitude where people are putting people in hell before final judgement by Jesus has been render

(v.1) “so that you will not be judged” this is a “what comes around goes around statement.” Jesus tells the audience the same attitude that you display towards folks will be the same attitude he will display at the judgement towards them. 

(v.2) “for in the way you judge” You can see from this phrase in (v.2) that Jesus is not prohibiting judgement.  He is prohibiting a certain type of judgement.  Context determines that Jesus is not prohibiting judgement the distinguishes from “good and evil” what he is prohibiting is condemnatory judgement which is final and gives a person no hope for change, and having a general attitude towards people whereby which when people don’t meet your standard of behavior you are writing them off as unsaved and without hope.

Application

1. Harsh or elitist judgement: Jesus prohibits judgement that is condemning based upon an elitist position of righteousness. 

Galatians 6:1 CSB

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.

2.  Right Attitude “Spirit of Gentleness” (Galatians 6:1) this is an attitude that believes that when you do have to confront somebody that you believe the same mercy that God extended to you he can extend to them; the Goal of confrontation is reconciliation, not destruction.

Transition Statement

-Not only must a person have the right attitude, but they must also judge based on the right standard. 

II. Right Standard Mt. 7:2 “2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”

(EXP)(v.2) Jesus explains that every word of judgment that you pronounce on other people lives will be the same pronouncement that you will receive from him.  In the second clause Jesus uses a weight metaphor to explain his point further.  Notice that Jesus says “with the measure that you use” this comment from Jesus could also say “with the standard that you use” I will use that same standard on you.  The Pharisees did not believe in extending mercy or grace to the repentant sinner, hence when they come face to face with the King there will not be any mercy extended to them.

Definition of Standard- A measure of capacity

a. The Pharisees standard of condemning people was based on their own measurement.  (Explanation of the Talmud) 

b. This scripture was a rebuke to the Pharisees who like to judge/condemn based on their own human standards of morality.

1. They restricted where God said freedom.

a. Tithing

2.  They gave freedom where God said restriction example:

a.Divorce

-All judgement must be based on a right standard that comes right from the Bible not our own opinions, or additions to the word. 

-If you like to use a shovel in the sins of other people lives based on your own strict standard of behavior then God is going to pull out a bigger shovel and judge your behavior based on all of the 600+ commandments in the OT.  

Illustration

1.  The Bible forbids us from pronouncing judgment on anyone based on our own standard of morality. Ex. Interracial Marriage (You have no scriptural grounds for judgment)

2.  Notice Paul said we are to warn:  When you judge someone based on the standard of God, it is not judgment but warning. Explain We play the role of a Lawyer not the judge.

III. Right Person Mt. 7:3-5

Matthew 7:3–5 CSB

3 Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a beam of wood in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.

(EXP)(v.3-5) Jesus is saying that before you judge you must determine if you are in a place to judge anyone, considering the fact that you have a log (2x4) in your eye and they have a little splinter in their eye.  Jesus says that before you step to anyone (remove the log then you will see clearly) you must deal with sins that you are practicing specifically those relate to the one you are confronting someone else on.  Notice: that both the materials are the same; Log vs Splinter (both wood) this tells you that the Pharisees were confronting people openly, but behind closed doors they were doing the same thing. i.e. (Adulterous women). Divorcing their wives for frivolous reason and leaving them to fin for themselves then have the nerve to judge prostitutes or adulterers. Now these folks were wrong but the Pharisees was in no position to actually confront them.

-(v.5) “You hypocrite” Jesus tells the Pharisees you are not position to judge anyone the way you are living.  Now outwardly the Pharisees were as clean as you can get, but behind closed doors they were wicked individuals. 

A preacher who does not preach his sermon to himself before he preaches it to anybody else, is exposing himself to hypocrisy; he is in a very dangerous condition.

The Righteous Judgement of God, 146

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Illustration

Galatians 6:1 CSB

1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.

Notice: Paul says “you who are spiritual” talk to this brother or sister and seek reconciliation.

Application

Matthew 7:1 CSB

1 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged.

John 7:24 CSB

24 Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment.”

Conclusion:

Question to ask yourself before you confront someone related to sins they are committing?

Is my attitude right? Am I seeking to condemn or simple seeking to discern right from wrong?

Is it a sin they are committing based on the bible? or am I imposing my own set of moral framework on them?

Am I the right person? Am I committing the same type of sin in my own life?

If you meet this criteria then you might be the one who God has called to bring life to someone in sin.

What is my role as the Evangelist?

ANALOGY: A good Defense Attorney Knows the Judge and he will warn you what is wrong and right, and how to deal with the judge. As Christian we are to be so close with the judge that we are able to warn, and inform folks how to deal with him.

Open the Doors of the church