Judgmental Free Zone

Judgmental Free Zone Judgmental Free Zone Michael Morse / General CrossFit / Judging; Criticism; Forgiveness; Give; Hypocrisy / Luke 6:37-42 Luke continues Jesus's sermon on the plain and brings the next exhortation for Jesus's disciples. Still in the context of loving your enemies Jesus exhorts His disciples to not be judgmental towards them either. As disciples of Jesus we are called to be a judgmental free zone. These verses descibe 4 things we must do to remain judgmental free zones. Introduction A gym has built its entire philosophy of business around avoiding judgment but in the process has dispersed its own judgment • come here to avoid gym-timidation • paints the picture that serious gym goers are judging you and watching you • in an effort to avoid judgment they became judgmental and exclusive in their own way Luke continues Jesus's sermon on the plain and brings the next exhortation for Jesus's disciples. Still in the context of loving your enemies Jesus exhorts His disciples to not be judgmental towards them either. As disciples of Jesus we are called to be a judgmental free zone. These verses descibe 4 things we must do to remain judgmental free zones. › SLIDE Luke 6:37-38 CSB 37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure-pressed down, shaken together, and running over-will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." › SLIDE Luke 6:39-41 CSB 39 He also told them a parable: "Can the blind guide the blind? Won't they both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 "Why do you look at the splinter in your brother's eye, but don't notice the beam of wood in your own eye? › SLIDE Luke 6:42 CSB 42 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,' when you yourself don't see the beam of wood in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter in your brother's eye. › SLIDE Dont Fault-Find › SLIDE - Luke 6:37ab Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6 37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. 1. Jesus says - "Do not judge" - this is everyone's favorite command/verse to take out of context and use as a shield against anyone calling them out for their immoral behavior a. Usually when doing this they quote it like this › SLIDE Judge not lest ye be judged i. Everybody has this verse memorized in the 1611 KJV I dont know why. b. The belief is that Jesus has commanded His disciples to never, ever judge i. Is that what Jesus is saying here? Is Jesus saying we should never make judgments or use our judgment? ii. Certainly we can all agree that we are called to make judgments in life especially as Christians and disciples of Jesus 1. You cannot live without using your judgment a. we must assess evaluate and review things 2. The Bible and Jesus calls us to use judgment a. The bible calls us to recognize and expose false teachers b. the bible says we are to deal with sin by judging right from wrong c. Jesus says we are to judge the fruit to know the good trees and bad trees c. So what does Jesus mean when He says do not judge? i. Judge - krino - criteria and criticism comes from this word 1. Implies that the action Jesus is forbidding is the habit of being critical or criticizing ii. Jesus is not forbidding judgment - He is forbidding being judgmental › SLIDE judgment vs judgmental Using judgment does not make you judgmental - judgment crosses the line to judgmental when we are being hyper critical to find faults and make ourselves out to be better than them We break this command : • when we think the worst of others • when we only speak to others about their faults • when we judge an entire life by only its worst moments • when we judge the hidden motives of others • when we judge others without considering ourselves in the same circumstances • when we judge without being mindful that we ourselves will be judged › SLIDE Luke 18:9 CSB 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else: › SLIDE Luke 18:11 CSB 11 The Pharisee was standing and praying like this about himself: 'God, I thank you that I'm not like other people-greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. d. Jesus says do not judge and you will not be judged 2. Jesus also commands His disciples to not condemn a. This is a repeat of judge - it means to bring judgment against b. both these terms together show us that this about censoriousness and hyper-critical attitudes › SLIDE - David with the prophet Nathan 2 Samuel 12:1-3 CSB 1 So the LORD sent Nathan to David. When he arrived, he said to him: There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very large flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him. › SLIDE 2 Samuel 12:4 CSB 4 Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man could not bring himself to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for his guest. › SLIDE 2 Samuel 12:5-7 CSB 5 David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan: "As the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb." 7 Nathan replied to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from Saul. Two taxidermists stopped in front of a window where an owl was on display. They immediately began to criticize the way it was mounted. Its eyes were not natural; its wings were not in proportion with its head; its feathers were not neatly arranged; and its feet could be improved. Just when they had finished with their criticism, the owl turned his head . . . and blinked. The moral of the story: It's easier to be critical than correct. › SLIDE Be Gracious › SLIDE - Luke 6:37c-38 Christian Standard Bible Chapter 6 Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure-pressed down, shaken together, and running over-will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you." 1. Jesus continues on and says "forgive" a. Forgiveness is the opposite of being censorious or hyper-critical and to acquit is the opposite of condemn i. Jesus says not only do we not be fault finders - but when we see faults we should forgive 1. Greek word apolyo - which is to release 2. To forgive is to release someone from condemnation ii. He also added that if we forgive we will be forgiven 1. Not putting God into some kind of quid pro quo that God would owe forgiveness › SLIDE Jesus's disciples forgive because God has forgiven them › SLIDE Ephesians 4:32 CSB 32 And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. › SLIDE Colossians 3:13 CSB 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. b. Forgive everyone - no exceptions i. Remember the context is within loving your enemies - so Jesus is calling us to forgive our enemies 2. Jesus next exhortation is to give - without qualification a. Last week we saw how Jesus said to give to everyone who asks of you i. This week He adds to that - dont judge, dont condemn, forgive and then give ii. Do not look for reasons not to give - just give b. Be free in your giving i. Be free from the fear of giving too much ii. Be free from the fear of becoming the loser in your giving iii. How can we be free in this? Remember the promise - "and it will be given to you" 1. We always feel the fool in this because we expect this to be reciprocal from the one whom we give - if we give to them they will give to us back 2. It is God who will give back to us not the person to whom we are giving a. This is true and has been tested when it comes to to generosity with material resources › SLIDE You cannot out give God - He will return more to you, in one way or another, more than you can give to Him › SLIDE Malachi 3:10 NKJV 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. b. God gives back with a good measure - a good and generous amount i. Pressed down - the grain is pressed down to fill in all the empty spaces so the container can be filled to its capacity ii. Shaken together - the measuring container is shaken to fill every empty space iii. Running over - the container is filled and on top rounded - heaping - so great it is overflowing iv. it will be poured into your lap The measuring of the corn is a process which is carried out according to an established pattern. The seller crouches on the ground with the measure between his legs. First of all he fills the measure three-quarters full and gives it a good shake with a rotatory motion to make the grains settle down. Then he fills the measure to the top and gives it another shake. Next he presses the corn together strongly with both hands. Finally he heaps it into a cone, tapping it carefully to press the grains together; from time to time he bores a hole in the cone and pours a few more grains into it, until there is literally no more room for a single grain. In this way, the purchaser is guaranteed an absolutely full measure; it cannot hold more. › SLIDE God returns blessing not equally but far and above - supernaturally c. It will be in proportion to your measure though i. With the measure you use it will be measured back to you 1. measure - meter or standard 2. This should be a powerful motivation driving us to greater generosity A dad asked one son to divide the last bit of cake into two fair pieces. That son was pleased and he divided it unfairly a small portion and a large one he was eye balling for himself - His dad then gave him the small portion and the large portion to the other son. He found out what it means that with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. It is the measure we use that we also bring to God and all He can do is fill it - and fill it overflowingly He will ii. Certainly true with resources but also in this context here - with love, forgiveness and goodness to others 1. If we want more of those things from God we should give them to others also. › SLIDE Human generosity is rewarded with divine generosity which is far greater c. Remember the law of sowing and reaping i. What you give is what you get and how you give is how you receive Many years ago, Chinese farmers theorized that they could eat their big potatoes and use the small ones for seed. Consequently, they ate the big potatoes and planted the small potatoes. As a result of this practice over the years, nature eventually reduced the size of all the potatoes they harvested to the size of marbles. A new understanding of the law of life came to them. They learned through bitter experience that they could not have the best things of life for themselves and use their leftovers for seed. The law of life decreed that the harvest would reflect the planting! ii. Avoid judgmental condemnation that limits your forgiveness and giving - or you will be sowing sparingly - be overly generous in forgiveness and giving › SLIDE 2 Corinthians 9:6 CSB 6 The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. › SLIDE Be the Example › SLIDE Luke 6:39-40 CSB 39 He also told them a parable: "Can the blind guide the blind? Won't they both fall into a pit? 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. 1. Choose carefully who you follow a. Will they lead you in the right direction? i. If you join a gym and sign up with a personal trainer and they are more out of shape than you are - can they really get you to your goals? b. Both will fall into a pit - both will be done for i. If they dont follow nutrition/exercise and you dont know nutrition or exercise it is like the blind leading the blind ii. Neither knows when they are headed for a pit and both will fall 2. Who you follow determines who you will become like a. disciple is not above their teacher b. when fully trained they will be just the same as their teacher 3. Flip this around also since we are called to make disciples a. Are we exemplifying what we want them to become? i. Young converts ii. Our children › SLIDE We can produce in others only that which exists in us b. We must live out what we want to see in others. › SLIDE 3 John 11 CSB 11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. › SLIDE Avoid Hypocrisy › SLIDE Luke 6:41-42 CSB 41 "Why do you look at the splinter in your brother's eye, but don't notice the beam of wood in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,' when you yourself don't see the beam of wood in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter in your brother's eye. 1. Dont see only the faults of others while ignoring or excusing your own a. Jesus uses a humorous picture here of someone with a splinter/speck in their eye and another who has a beam of wood in their own eye, but they are so concentrated on the other's splinter b. Wanting to remove the splinter when you dont even notice your own beam i. This is the mere definition of a hypocrite ii. Only a hypocrite would try to remove a splinter or speck when they have a beam obstructing their own vision 2. Acknowledge and deal with your own faults first a. Then once you have done this you can see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother There is a gym that advertises a judgment free zone atmosphere and promise As well as consequences for those it deems judgmental - which only leads it to being a place of judgment. The hypocrisy is crazy › SLIDE - Lunk Alarm - definition of a lunk A serviceman wrote about a bit of unintended comedy he witnessed in the army. In happened during a company inspection at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. An inspection was being conducted by a colonel. Everything had gone smoothly until the officer came to the man standing next to the soldier who recalled the incident. The colonel stopped, looked the man up and down, then snapped, "Button that pocket, trooper!" The soldier, more than a little rattled stammered, "Right now, sir?" "Of course right now! Was the reply. Whereupon the soldier very carefully reached out and buttoned the flap on the colonel's shirt pocket. We need to check out our pockets before we can help others button theirs. › SLIDE - We need to be as Paul and make sure we are one to imitate 1 Corinthians 11:1 CSB 1 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ. 3. Jesus is not saying that we do not help our brother - but that we do it with the right attitude after we first consider ourselves and judge ourselves and deal with our own issues first › SLIDE 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. Conclusion Jesus commands His disciples to not be judgmental - overly critical and censorious - We should be a judgmental free zone The way we do this is by Being Gracious - forgiving and giving - openly and with great measure We follow our example in Jesus and become the example calling others to follow us as we follow Jesus - avoiding hypocrisy Jesus is our ultimate example - for He did not come in condemnation - but to be gracious and forgiving - giving of eternal life and the blessings of heaven Page . Exported from Logos Bible Software, 2:53 PM December 28, 2019.