Sermon of the Mount: Judging Others
Notes
Transcript
Song, Prayer for our heart to open to God’s word.
Reintroduce this semesters topics; Finish sermon on the mount (me), 2 Surprise lessons from Wesley (surprise because He can choose anything, and 4 lessons from one of our Elders, Roger King on “How we got the Bible.” (Variety)
Opener: Tonight we are in Matthew 7:1-2 which talks about judging others. We are going to start a little different. I want to give you a few minute to begin the discussion of our topic amongst yourself by answering a few questions.
But first one preliminary question: Do you believe we our culture is overly critical or judgmental or overly passive? (A: People have always had this problem, but it our world today we so much comparison and can cast criticism and judgments without immediate consequence via social media/internet. Everyone has an opinion and many think their’s is the standard.)
Quick group discussion: (1) What I want you to do is form little groups with the people around you (at your table or seated near you), designate one person as the note taker (on you phone’s notes) and answer these questions: (??)
(Put a countdown timer on Proclaim for 5 min and 5 min.)
(2) After the 5 minutes is up, you have five more minutes to come up and write on the board your groups answers or at least some of them. (And…go!) I’ll move on with the class as things are being written on the board.
QUESTION(S) FOR THE DISCUSSION:
Q: IN OUR CULTURE, HOW OR BY WHAT DO PEOPLE JUDGE OTHERS? (I.E. By what have you been judged by? Looks, where you are from, etc.)
Trans: Now that our minds on the topic? Let’s look at Jesus’ words and we will come back to these answers in a minute.
JUDGE NOT! (Mt 1:1)
“Judge not, that you be not judged.
Q: SO, NOW LET’S DISCUSS THIS: IS IT WRONG TO JUDGE OTHERS? (But before you answer let me throw in a few things to maybe make it a little more interesting and maybe challenging.)
DO NOT JUDGE, YOU SHOULD JUDGE: DEPENDING ON THE CONTEXT
Here in Matthew 7:1 Jesus says do not judge, John 7:24 Jesus says “judge not,” In John 7:24 also says you should judge. Romans 14:4 says, “who are you to pass judgement on another’s servant.” In 1 Corinthians 4:4 Paul says, “it is the Lord who judges me,” and in verse 5 says, “Therefore do not pass judgment before the time, before the Lord comes.”
1 Corinthians 2:15 says “the person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things.”
Many people take Matthew 7:1 and say “you cannot judge me” and “you shouldn’t judge others.” (Often in defense of some behavior they have or they are defending in someone else, or a group of people.) (SLIDE OF “DO NOT JUDGE ME” TATTOO…) THEN (RELIGIOUS PICKETERS)
On the other hand there are so many people whom I have heard say (in defense of not being a part of the local body or church… “the church is so judgmental.” (I feel judged…) (i.e come as you are…)
The truth is in many cases this can be true. This is not a new thing, it has always been a problem. Someone read: James 2:1-4 and James 4:11-12
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Q: SO, NOW, IS IT WRONG TO JUDGE OTHERS?
A: Yes, no, it depends. Good answers! It depends on a number of things. EACH OF THESE VERSES NEEDS TO BE EXAMINED WITH IN IT’S OWN CONTEXT.
IT IS OBVIOUS THAT JUDGING IS SOMETIMES WRONG AND SOMETIMES RIGHT. It is the who are we judging, why are we judging, and by what are we judging.
TO JUDGE OR NOT TO JUDGE, THAT IS THE QUESTION.
In our context: The Greek word for judge here is ‘Krino.’ What English word would you guess we get from this? It is the root word from which we get our English word criticize.)
Q: HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE CRITICIZE? In general it is taken to mean pointing out the flaws in another person. (But, is defined as to express disapproval of but also can mean to evaluate.)
Q: DO YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE CRITICISM? Q: IS ALL CRITICISM BAD?
No, you can give constructive criticism or be a critic and give a good review of something. I.e. A food, movie, book, critic. I always thought it would be great to be a food critic. I AM VERY CRITICAL OF MOVIES AND MUSIC. (Which do not matter in the bigger scheme of things.)
(However, I will say a critical spirit is contagious and toxic and can lead to judging others harshly in ways you would not want to be judged.
But in our context Jesus is not only talking about being critical of others. (Although a critical spirit is often a part of unjust judging of others.) Beyond constructive criticism...
SO LET’S DO IT THIS WAY: WHEN SHOULD YOU JUDGE, AND WHEN NOT?
LET’S START WITH THE DO NOT JUDGE: (as our context has…)
(** Circle the things on the board under question when they match these:)
BY YOUR OWN STANDARDS, this is where much of our judging comes from. Our standard or opinion can not be imposed on others (unless it matches up with God’s word.) (Circle what matches up…)
This is the biggest one. It is what the James 4:12 verse meant in saying, “There is only one lawgiver and judge.” We do not make the standard so judging others and speaking of them as evil by your opinion...
Q: Now how do we know that this does not mean God is the only one who can judge anyone?
Because if we could make no judgments about others within the church, we could not practice other commands such as bringing a fallen brother back, or going to brother or sister who has sinned against you.
If we cut this out then most of the judgments people throw out would never happen. (illustrate with what is written on board…)
HYPOCRITICALLY, telling or saying things of others when you are not willing to look at yourself. Hence our text here.
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.
So some Jews would condemn the Gentiles for their lifestyles while doing the same things or things just as bad. In the Matthew 7:1 context the religious leaders (Pharisee’s for example) judged Jesus but He told them of their hypocrisy and what they were doing in Matthew 23 for example.
BY APPEARANCES, Jesus says in John 7:24 “do not judge by appearances” as so many did Him.
Q: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO JUDGE BY APPEARANCES?
By things on the outside, on the surface, when you do not know all the facts or without examining.
In the context of John 7:24 Jesus is being judged for healing on the Sabbath which on the surface looked like work. But they were looking on the surface of the law and not the heart of it. Doing good on the Sabbath was good.
Q: HOW DO YOU SEE THIS DONE TODAY? (Circle answers…)
But to answer the question; we do this in many ways, even when we come to worship services.
a. We look at how others are dressed and we judge that, (because we do not like the style of their clothing… b. We look others possessions (i.e. cars, ect) we judge their success and even intelligence by their finances. We even think ourselves better if we have more. We judge people according to how we think they ought to be in our minds. We judge others for the mistakes they have made that God has forgiven them of…we would say that they are forgiven as well but in our minds and some of the things we say they are marked…
We can be guilty of judging someone’s MOTIVES AND actions as if we know why they did this or that.
One of the WORST things we do is JUDGE BY ASSUMPTION. We see or hear part of the story and we pronounce a judgment that is wrong and ridiculous and even sometimes harmful to others.
This is when we start our judgment with phrases like, “I bet you this is what happened” or “He or she probably did this because of this” or “you know I heard.”
“Given half a chance, people often crawl out of the boxes into which we've relegated them.”
WE criticize, demean, and even demonize people when we do not know their hearts or the whole story. Because they disagree or are different.
We judge by looks, dress, background, taste, a person’s past, a person’s associations (as with Jesus).
Not doing this would keep us from comparison and believing lies.
Not judging by appearances would keep you from believing things that were never real and from comparing yourself with what appears real.
This only makes you feel bad about yourself. They are smarter, prettier, stronger, more whatever than me…(You see the filtered…)
Or not judging by appearances would keep you from judging others by their faults, mistakes, flaws so that you can lift yourself up.
NOW ON THE OTHER HAND WE SHOULD JUDGE: (when?)
WITH RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Q: WHAT ARE RIGHT JUDGMENTS?
Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live.
and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.
Jesus gives the best example of this in what He says and shows us how.
You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
Telling you God’s judgments
When you consider that our judgments about life and how God want us to live it are to be based not on our own opinions but on God’s judgment, we are not judging according to our own thoughts but God’s standard. So it could be said to someone who is being studied with, “God’s words are what will judge us in the end I am simply telling you what it says.”
YES, ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE YOU, AND I’M TELLING YOU WHAT HE SAID.
TO DETERMINE WHAT IS RIGHT, AND WHO IS RIGHT
Q: Making judgments is essential to the Christian life, why?
(1) Because we must judge what is right and what is wrong. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” 1 Jn 4:1
Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.
(2) We must correct brothers or sisters who are living their lives in error. (Read Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim 4:2; Eph. 5:11) This is what we do according to the word of God and not our own opinions of right and wrong.
For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
If we could not judge anyone’s belief’s or practice by God’s word then the bible would be useless and it would be every man for himself living however he wanted. Furthermore we could not teach anyone the truth. This belief lends to the idea that truth is subjective. There is not a person who calls themselves a Christian who would agree with the worldly idea that truth is subjective but will foolishly promote this truth is subject religiously by saying “you can’t judge anyone religious beliefs” and then that we are all ok as long as you are following Jesus.
(Trans: Jesus is not saying that we can never judge anything that another person is doing, so what does he mean?)
(What Jesus is talking about harsh, unjustified, unkind and unsympathetic judgment on other people because of an attitude that you are better than them…)
TO TEACH OTHERS AND HELP THEM SPIRITUALLY
Q: WHY IN MANY CASES DO PEOPLE JUDGE OTHERS IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Q: In many cases why do many judge in the first place? We tear others down to build ourselves up. In doing so we lie to ourselves about who we are and what we need to change.
YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE.
For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
Q: WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN BY THIS?
For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
“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.”
1. If we judge unjustly out of self -righteousness attitudes and a mean spirit we will judge harshly and without mercy and therefore we will receive no mercy when we are judged.
“The Pharisees “played God” as they condemned other people; but they never considered that God would one day judge them.” [1]
Q: WHAT OFTEN HAPPENS WHEN WE JUDGE SOMEONE AND WE TELL THEM OR THEY HEAR ABOUT IT? (They turn around and judge you…)
2. However the application could also be made that when we start judging others they will quickly retaliate with judgments about us. It is almost our natural reaction. We think “who are you to tell me,” or “isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?” Many relationships are filled with slander because of this. You see this even in the church one person doesn’t like the other and one starts with a comment…and it continues until a lot of things have been said and only 25% of them are true.
3. In judging in this way we are making ourselves out to be the judge. We cannot put ourselves in the place of God and make the law.
[1]Wiersbe, Warren W.: The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1996, c1989, S. Mt 7:1