Sermon Tone Analysis

“Don’t Be Judging Me”

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Someone has said that America has added an

11th commandment, and it has become her favorite commandment.

In fact America loves his commandment so much she has put this commandment up in every classroom, courthouse, and City Hall in America.

This commandment can be seen on social media, heard on talk shows, news programs, the Oscars, the Grammys, and in the movies and music of our society.

And that commandment is? “Thou shall not judge”

It is Jesus who that first spoke the words, “judge not, and you shall not be judged”?

Jesus spoke these words to his disciples, we are not the ultimate judge; Jesus is the ultimate judge!

Jesus has just told his disciples that they are to love their enemies, and to be merciful, like God is merciful, and now He tells us not to get caught up in judging and condemning people.

One of the things that conservative Christians get blamed for; is being judgmental to those who have different views than we do.

Is it true that all Christians are judgmental?

Is it true that Christians are intolerant and judgmental when they make a judgment call about something they deem right or wrong?

Does Jesus words “judge not, and you will not be judged”: mean that we are not to engage in ethical or moral evaluations?

Another question: Are Christians the only ones that engage in moral or ethical evaluations?

Do irreligious people ever judge, make evaluations, declare something is right or wrong?

Of course they do!

Both religious, and irreligious people make judgment calls on a regular basis.

Living a life on this earth requires that you make evaluations, choices, judgment calls about how you’re going to live life and what you will and will not accept.

So it is not fair, or true, to say that only Christians judge, make decisions about people and issues in our society.

The basis of all judgment is some truth that a person believes in.

There can be no right or wrong, or judgement unless there is truth.

If the Bible is the objective, concrete truth for everything in life, then anything that is contrary to the Bible is wrong.

Who made that judgment call?

Not me, I’m simply sharing what God’s word says about that issue.

If the Bible is the ultimate truth, and it is; what the Bible says about human sexuality is the truth about human sexuality!

The Bible declares that sex is a wonderful gift from God for man and woman in marriage.

Fornication, adultery, and homosexuality are wrong, and a sin against God.

When I declared that, I am not judging, I’m sharing the clear truth of God’s word.

But to say that adultery, promiscuity, abortion or homosexuality is wrong, is not tolerated.

The only sin in America today is calling sin, sin.

When you say that the Bible is the truth, and that it is the standard for spirituality and morality, and what it says is the absolute truth you will be called judgmental, ignorant, bigoted, racist, insensitive and intolerant.

By the way; that is what you call being judged.

The tolerant, aren’t very tolerant.

You say pastor are Christians supposed to be tolerant; yes absolutely; if you use the word tolerant correctly.

Tolerance means, people have a right to their opinions.

Tolerance means, where to allow other opinions.

Tolerance means, we are to forbear, and love others who differ from us.

But we have a new-tolerance today; one that says only what we believe and say is right or allowed.

The new-tolerance says we must endorse all opinions as morally equivalent, which is impossible for a Bible believing Christian to do.

The new-tolerance says, we must affirm, and approve, that which the Bible says is wrong; which a Bible believing Christian can never do.

As Bible believing Christians we cannot, we must not accept anything and everything as okay!

So the idea of judging, evaluating, making decisions based on truth; is not just a one-way street.

Both religious and irreligious people live their life based on moral, ethical evaluations every day.

Is Jesus telling us we no longer have a right to make any judgment call, or discern what is right and what is wrong?

No he is not!

There is a right kind of judgment, and a wrong kind of judgment.

And the way we know right judgment, and wrong judgment is by the context that is used in.

In this context Jesus is bidding the wrong kind of judgment.

Jesus says when it comes to judging:

1. Avoid Having a Critical Spirit!

V:37-38.

Jesus is not telling us that we’re never to discern what is right and wrong, good and bad!

We are to judge what is good and bad, right and wrong; and were to teach our children to discern, evaluate what is right and wrong.

And we teach them to turn from that which is bad, and choose that which is good; that’s making a judgment.

There are many life situations that demand we make a decision, a judgment.

Parents are called to make decisions when their children have conflict.

Teachers have to evaluate their students, and grade them.

Managers evaluate their employees, and perform year in reviews.

Judges render verdicts in courts of law every day.

The rest of the Bible makes it clear that “judge not” is not a prohibition against any and every form of judgment.

Whenever we are called to make moral or theological decisions, it is irresponsible for us not to judge.

Jesus himself taught us to judge.

There are numerous verses in the New Testament, that tell us that we are to judge, discern, evaluate issues that are right and wrong, and people that are good and bad.

-“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment”.

-“You know a good man because he brings forth good fruit; and you would know a bad man, because he brings forth bad fruit”.

In this same chapter he says, you can discern, judge a good man or a bad man by what they do, the fruit they bear.

-“Believe not every spirit, but test the spirits, try the spirits, judge the spirits, whether they be of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world”.

Jesus says you better judge between what is true and what is false; your eternal destiny depends on it!

Not everybody can be right teaching contrary things.

Somebody is telling the truth and somebody is not!

You must discern, judge and find out.

There is absolute truth, and here it is- the word of God! Truth about salvation is found in this book, not in human opinions, philosophies, or the religions of the world; but in the Lord Jesus Christ alone!

When I say- Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven; I will be looked on as intolerant, ignorant and judgmental.

When I say there's only one right sexual preference; and that is sex between a man and a woman who are married.

I will be considered narrow-minded, bigoted, and insensitive and unloving; can you imagine that?

As sweet as I am, bigoted, narrow, prejudice, arrogant, self-centered.

And there will be some who will say, judge not, that ye be not judged.

And my response would be that’s not my judgment!

That's not my standard, opinion, or my rule or my teaching!

I discern, judge, know what is right and wrong because of the Bible, it is not my own opinion, I’m not judging, God’s word is judging.

Adultery is wrong, because God said so.

Fornication is wrong, because God said so.

Homosexuality is wrong, because God said so.

Stealing is wrong, because God said so.

Lying is wrong, because God said so.

Murder, abortion, is wrong, because God said so.

There are those who say that this talk is unloving, hate speech.

But to the contrary, to fail to speak the truth; and to affirm, and gloss over sin is the most unloving thing I could ever do.

-“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, you shall surely rebuke your neighbor”.

What God is saying, to rebuke sin is loving; to fail to rebuke sin is hate.

So when Jesus says, judge not, and you shall not be judged; what does he mean?

He’s not saying that we don’t judge, or discern right and wrong, and that we can never identify someone who’s living in sin.

What he is saying is; that were not to have a critical, harsh, unloving, unmerciful, self-righteous condemnation of another person.

The word judge has several shades of meaning in the New Testament.

Sometimes it means to choose, select, determine, evaluate.

But in this verse it means to condemn; it is the word that means to condemn, to sentence, to punish.

As believers we are not to judge, condemn with a harsh critical judgmental spirit of condemnation other people.

But we are to be loving, merciful, forgiving, seeking to lead that person to Jesus, and restoration.

V:37-“condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven”.

Christians need to keep in mind that apart from God’s grace, you would be no better than the vilest sinner on the earth.