"Judge Not"

OPEN WITH PRAYER FOR THE FIRE SITUATION IN CALIFORNIA.

I received a video link, a couple of days ago, in which I watched the details about the travesty of the fires that are still raging within California. And out of these, now comes the largest wildfire in California’s history, which is called, The Mendocino Complex Fire in Northern California. It currently, has consumed and destroyed some 284,000 acres in its wake.

And the video that I watched also went on to document other fires, around the world, that are causing unprecedented damage.

These fires are being fueled by severe drought conditions and unheard of heat waves and all time record temperature highs around the world, such as we have never recorded before!

As, I am looking at this travesty and the loss of life and homes and jobs and the rising costs from the damage, just in the state of California itself, my heart is pained by all of this travesty!

And in the midst of this horrible situation that is taking place, I was drawn, in my mind and within the Bible, to another fire that has been burning for thousands of years out of control and that has been causing destruction and damage worldwide and has actually escalated in the last few decades.

I am speaking about a fire that has destroyed homes and jobs and families and churches all over the world and is still raging!

The fire that I am speaking to you about, this morning, is one that is not a physical, natural fire, as we are seeing in the US and around the world, but rather it is a spiritual fire and one that enemy keeps fanned and burning hot all of the time.

I am talking about the spiritual fire of JUDGEMENT this morning!

There is a passage of scripture, that is probably one of the, if not THE single most rehearsed and thrown around verses from the Bible that people use all of the time, to either deflect from others or shield their own actions from others.

If you will, turn with me please in your Bibles to the gospel of . Please stand as we read this passage together. (Say a prayer and then ask everyone to be seated.)

Matthew 7:1–6 ESV

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 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? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

I think that most people have heard this passage being tossed around at some point in their lives, regardless of your age or background.

It is a highly used and a most often misinterpreted verse that people wield in defense of themselves before others.

Actually, the truth is that this verse, like so many others within the Bible, has been edited and used out of context and without the TRUTH and KNOWLEDGE of what the Lord was saying here.

In actuality, when most of us here this passage being used, which part of it do we usually hear people say?

“Judge not”, right? I mean, the first two words are typically what we here people throw around, isn’t it?

I don’t think that I have ever heard someone, in trying to justify their actions or shut someone else’s critique down, ever use the entire passage!

Have you guys ever heard someone start off saying the familiar, “Judge not”, but then actually go into the entire passage?

NO, the answer is usually a resounding “NO” and the reason for it, is because, by themselves, these two familiar words are offer a very subjective and yet inaccurate shield or covering for someone and yet all the while, it is a completely inaccurate approach to the teaching of Jesus in His sermon on the mount!

It’s like me starting off and saying the first three words of our nation’s pledge, “I pledge allegiance” and then stopping.

Now most people know what this is and where it’s from, but still, left open ended like that, it can mean anything you want it to.

“I pledge allegiance.............”

To Taco Bell for that new crunchy burrito they have!

To Walmart because they have the cheapest prices right now on my favorite electronic devices!

To the Tennessee Volunteers, because they are going undefeated this season!

Leaving these words isolated, is dangerously inaccurate because of the high subjectivity that it affords! (For both the speaker as well as the listener.)

You see, the Bible is not a conglomeration of man’s tidbits of wisdom. It is not some manmade book of “philosophy”, like all of the great works of Plato and Socrates and Aristotle.

No, rather, the Bible is the perfect and infallible word spoken to man, by God through His Holy Spirit and the words written in this perfect book are for those who are believers in His son, our great Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ!

You have to take the entire Bible and study it, not fragmented pieces of it and occasional stories and popularly misquoted verses; otherwise, if that is all that you have to base your walk and faith with the Lord upon, then you will end up being the one standing in the middle of a situation that unfolds and who opens his/her mouth and spouts off the words, “JUDGE NOT”!

So, today,we are going to look at this passage and actually gain an understanding of what Jesus meant by saying this and then applying this understanding to our own lives, AMEN?

When we first look at this passage and the wording that it used, it brings to my mind the image of a court setting. To “judge” (the Greek word used here is krino, is to come to a conclusion on a matter, to prefer one thing over another, and also, to CONDEMN), and this is likened to that of a court judge, someone who has the authority to weigh out and condemn another person and their actions.

Since I said that this verbiage tends to remind me of a court and an actual judge, let me share this with you:

A small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness

A small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness

to the stand in a trial -- a grand-motherly, elderly woman.

He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me?"

She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve

known you since you were a young boy. And frankly, you’ve been a

big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you

manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs.

You think you’re a rising big shot when you haven’t the brains

to realize you will never amount to anything more than a

two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he

pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Williams, do you know the

defense attorney?"

She replied, "Why, yes I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he

was a youngster, too. I used to baby-sit him for his parents. And

he, too, has been a real disappointment to me. He’s lazy,

bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. The man can’t build a normal

relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the

shoddiest in the entire state. Yes, I know him."

At this point, the judge rapped the courtroom to silence

and called both counselors to the bench.

In a very quiet voice, he said with menace, "If either of

you asks her if she knows me, you’ll be jailed for contempt!"

So, why would we say that it is OK to JUDGE someone else, if Jesus stated that we are not to judge?

you asks her if she knows me, you’ll be jailed for contempt!"

Well, to answer this we need to look back before this statement and then also look at what comes right after it.

Jesus, in Chapters 5 and 6 of Matthew, just finished telling us that everything that we do, with respect to others, as His followers, is to be done to a much higher and greater measure than what we would do in the natural mind.

For instance, says,

Matthew 5:38–42 NLT

“You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

Or the very next verses in we read of Jesus saying,

Matthew 5:43–48 NLT

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Do you see what I mean that everything that Jesus said that we would do to those around us, should be done, exceedingly above what was expected because God’s great mercy and love and grace, (which are way above and beyond what anyone ever deserves here on earth), were poured out for everyone (the just and the unjust, the good and the bad) and so, we are to show His attributes to the world around us, whether, in the natural, they seem deserving of them or not!

We are told only to “do”, to “give” and to “show” God’s grace and love to EVERYONE and without us trying to determine (JUDGE) who does or doesn’t deserve God’s love and grace!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son!”

God gave to everyone, He gave without limit and He gave generously and without reproach!

So, in this sense, we are not to JUDGE as to whether someone is deserving of God’s love and grace, we are only told to “DO” and to “GIVE” as God has done for us and without bias!

Then, in Chapter 6 Jesus tells us that that our actions and our motives that pertain to our walk with His Father, should always be done for His glory and NEVER for the approval of men!

Whether we give to the needy, or whether we are praying or whether we are fasting, it is ALWAYS to be done for the eyes of God alone and to His glory and never for our own!

We are not to JUDGE that we will we do something for God’s glory and His approval one time, for one situation, but then do it for our own glory in another!

Rather, just as Paul stated in , “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

OK, so we just looked in these last two chapters of Matthew at how Jesus has just shown us that we are to ALL, without exception, or exemption walk as mature and loving followers of God in ALL of our actions and conduct, before EVERYONE we meet, whether we think them worthy or not, right? We now come back to the, “JUDGE NOT” statement that He gave us in chapter 7.

So, here is the million dollar question, “Is Jesus forbidding us to JUDGE?”

Let me read the same passage of to you again from the AMP version of the word.

Matthew 7:1–2 AMP

DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.

What Jesus is doing here, is continuation of what He started teaching us, from the previous chapters, about how we are to engage and interact with the lives of others, as representatives of God.

To better see what He is telling us, you must continue reading the rest of His message, because He opens up the door of understanding and shows us what He is wanting us to learn.

In verses 3-5 we read, “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”

Now we begin to see the truth of JUDGING/CONDEMNING others for their sins as Jesus was teaching us here.

WRONGFUL CONDEMNATION was the more weighty fault of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day and it is the wild fire (as I started off talking about), that burns out of control throughout churches all over this nation and the world today!

Jesus NEVER tells us not to JUDGE, in fact, He goes on in this same passage and instructs us of quite the opposite; that we in fact MUST JUDGE for the good of the kingdom!

Look at the next verse, verse 6, “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.”

He is telling us here that we are to recognize and know where to spend our time and talents in spreading the kingdom message and with who to spend our time with.

We should recognize where the Spirit of God is working and who’s hearts are being responsive to His inner workings.

If a person’s heart is hard and calloused and they are rejecting the TRUTH of Jesus, then you must be able to recognize this take the precious treasure of the Gospel Message and move on.

WE MUST BE ABLE TO JUDGE and discern what is going on for the good of kingdom and not waste any longer, the great and precious treasure, (which is Jesus and His gift of salvation) to those who He likens as dogs, or pigs, as they will not receive it and will in fact tarnish and try to destroy it!

And we, as believers, will know where and when and how to do so, as He goes on and tells in the next verses, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

If you are asking God to reveal to you and guide you in how and when and where to dispense the great treasure of His kingdom and to know when to walk away and move on, then ASK Him, SEEK Him and keep KNOCKING until He answers you, as it is His will for us to come to Him for ALL things and it is His great desire to bless us with all GOOD GIFTS that enable us to effectively spread the gospel message! (Which is what verses 9-11 tell us!)

In fact throughout the gospels and the epistles, we are continually told that we MUST JUDGE to be able to recognise what is of God and what is not and so avoid allowing the enemy any stronghold in our lives.

, Jesus says, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.” (We must be able to recognise and JUDGE right from wrong!)

, – “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” (Paul is saying that we are to look out for, to mark and no which people are DIVISIVE people. Well, how do you know who is like this, unless you use spiritual judgement and discern?!)

, “About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish (to JUDGE) good from evil.” (You must discern and make a judgement!)

, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test ( which means to JUDGE as whether it is good or not) the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (Again, you and I must make a judgement. The thing is, that we must use the Word of God as the lens by which we JUDGE and deem right and wrong, versus the “beam” that is sticking out of our own eye that we are using as a lens to judge through.)

, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test ( which means to JUDGE as whether it is good or not) the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (Again, you and I must make a judgement. The thing is, that we must use the Word of God as the lens by which we JUDGE and deem right and wrong, versus the “beam” that is sticking out of our own eye that we are using as a lens to judge through.)

And there is the very thing that Jesus is warning us of with His statement of “JUDGE NOT”!

Jesus is not telling us to never JUDGE the actions of another believer and be able to recognize if they are falling away in sin. We MUST be able to JUDGE and recognize what is true and what is false for the good of the kingdom!

In this same passage of , , Jesus tells us,

Matthew 7:15–16 NLT

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Matthew 7:15–16 NLT

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Matthew 7:15–16 NLT

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Matthew 7:20 NLT

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

He is telling us to JUDGE and discern the actions and intents of others, because they will come to you acting like a true believer, but their actions will eventually tell you of who and what they are. We must JUDGE their actions to identify them.

What Jesus is FORBIDDING us to do here, is to look at another person’s sin in their life and cast our judgement upon them and appear pious and come to them and say, “let me help you deal with your sin”, when we in fact have sin in our own lives that we haven’t dealt with yet!

We are to be a charitable judge, not a critical judge. If you are judging others CRITICALLY and not CHARITABLY, then, according to Jesus, the measure, the weight that you judge others with, will be judged back on you CRITICALLY.

TELL OF HOW WHATEVER SIN WE STRUGGLE WITH AND DON’T DEAL WITH, TENDS TO BE THE VERY LENS THAT WE USE TO SEE OTHERS THROUGH. (Remember, a splinter, a speck of sawdust comes from the same thing, a tree, which is made up of millions of little specks!)

In and , Paul warns us of passing our judgement upon others when we are doing the very same things, or

A splinter, a speck of sawdust comes from the same thing, a tree, which is made up of millions of little specks!

A splinter, a speck of sawdust comes from the same thing, a tree, which is made up of millions of little specks!

In and , Paul warns us of passing our judgement upon others because of what they believe, or even when we are doing the very same things that we are JUDGING them for!

Our goal for JUDGING and pointing our another’s sin should ALWAYS be for restoring them back to the Father out of love for them and for no other reason.

,

2 Corinthians 13:11 NLT

Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11 ESV

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

MENTION THAT WE DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO WITHHOLD FORGIVENESS EVEN AFTER WE HAVE ACCURATELY JUDGES THE ACTIONS AND SINS OF ANOTHER. (LIKE WITH JOSEPH AND WITH JESUS).