Sermon Tone Analysis

*God is in Control of our Judgment*

*Matthew 7:1-3 ~/ Revelation 20:11-15*

 

            Today we will wrap up the series that we’ve been in for the past month.

We’ve looked at God’s control over our lives, our trials, the church, the results of our faith, and today we’ll address a difficult subject, we are going to look at who is in control of our judgment.

Since it is such a heavy subject, let’s open this morning with a little something different.

I recently heard and then read this and wanted to share it with you.

It is titled, “Poor RD Jones”:

The following is an ad from a real-life newspaper which appeared four days in a row - the last three hopelessly trying to correct the first day's mistake.

\\ \\ MONDAY: \\ \\ For sale: R. D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale.

Phone 948-0707 after 7 P.M. and ask for Mrs. Kelly who lives with him cheap.

\\ \\ TUESDAY: \\ \\ Notice: We regret having erred In R. D. Jones' ad yesterday.

It should have read "One sewing machine for sale cheap.

Phone 948-0707 and ask for Mrs. Kelly, who lives with him after 7 P.M." \\ \\ WEDNESDAY: \\ \\ Notice: R. D. Jones has informed us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of the error we made in the classified ad yesterday.

The ad stands correct as follows: "For sale -- R. D. Jones has one sewing machine for　sale.

Cheap.

Phone 948-0707 after 7 P.M. and ask for Mrs. Kelly who loves with him."

\\ \\ THURSDAY: \\ \\ Notice: I, R. D.

Jones, have no sewing machine for sale.

I intentionally broke it.

Don't call 948-0707 as I have had the phone disconnected.

I have not been carrying on with Mrs. Kelly.

Until yesterday she was my housekeeper, but she has　now quit.

Can you imagine if an ad like this ran in town?

Everyone and the brother would be pointing a finger at R.D. Jones and Mrs. Kelly all because of a misprint.

We so easily fall into this pattern of misjudging someone without all of the facts.

If you remember a while back, I had asked you to write down what would make this church Christ’s church, and the phrase, “not judging each other,” came up quite frequently.

So let’s talk about it.

Are we the judges of man, or is it God?

The simple answer is that it is God, but just for fun, let’s look into it.

Turn with me to Matthew chapter 7 and verse 1.  Matthew 7:1:

Do not judge, so that you won't be judged.

For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but don't notice the log in your own eye?

Have you ever judged anyone?

Are you prepared to receive the judgment that you just laid on them against yourself?

That is what Jesus is saying here.

How you judge others, you too will be judged in the same way.

Why is it that we are so concerned by others appearance; you know, their clothing, hair style, and shoes, that we immediately dismiss them as not one that we would want around us?  As a society, we have become so judgmental on others, that we often play God with their lives; deciding that they don’t deserve our attention or our care.

We are more concerned with the speck in their eye than the blatant log of sin spewing out from our own.

I once was at a church where a man heard the music and it drew him in to the church.

He walked in 20 minutes late with dirty clothes, smelled like he had spent the last week in the bar, and had a strange look in his eye.

What would the reaction be if someone walked in our church in the same way?

Would we love them and invite them, or would we pass judgment and shun them?

In this church that I was at, I was pleasantly surprised when, as the man walked to the front pew, not one person gawked at him or started whispering.

The man sat through the first few minutes of the sermon and began weeping uncontrollably.

The pastor stopped the service long enough to sit with the man and speak to him about Christ.

I would like to think that if the same thing happened here, that we would be willing to do the same.

Am I looking through rose colored glasses?

Perhaps, but we should strive towards not looking at our fellow man with judgment in our eyes, but with love and compassion to share the truth found in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I recently heard a song that speaks to our constant judgment of each other.

It is by a relatively new artist, and I would like to play it this morning for you.

The song is called, “My Jesus,” by Todd Agnew.

Please listen to the words of the song as it plays.

It is a little convicting, or at least it was to me.

[PLAY SONG]

Does this song hit you like it did me when it says how so many churches of today wouldn’t let Jesus in their church in fear that the dirt and blood on His feet might stain the carpet?

It rings so clear that we live in a world today that is forcing Christians to conform to live a life striving for material things, and judging one and other based off of the world’s pleasures.

Are we going to stand firm on the Word of Jesus that tells us, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.

Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

(Luke 6:37); or are we going to continue to judge each other based on the things of this world?

Jesus Himself didn’t come to judge the world.

In John chapter 3 and verses 16 through 18, Jesus says:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

(NASB) For God did not send His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Anyone who believes in Him is not judged, but anyone who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.

(HCSB) \\ \\

If Jesus didn’t come to judge, what makes us think we have the right to pass judgment?

We as Christians get stuck on verse 16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life,” and we don’t continue on to see that Jesus, from His introduction, didn’t come to judge the world.

If we are to strive to become more Christ like, then we need to heed the example of Jesus in not passing judgment.

There are many that won’t walk through the doors of a church today because they feel that they will be judged, or worse yet, one of us has already judged them in the public eye, and now they are hardened to God’s Word because of the judgment that we passed.

There is only one Judge that has the right and authority to judge anyone, and that is God Almighty.

James 4:10-12 says:

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Don't criticize one another, brothers.

He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes 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 one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy.

But who are you to judge your neighbor?

We don’t have the right to judge, but God does; and He has been gracious enough to write to us who and how He will judge.

Let’s look at the book of Revelation, chapter 20 and verses 11 through 15.  Revelation 20:11-15:

 

Then I saw a great white throne and One seated on it.

Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.

I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.

Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books.

Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works.

Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire.

And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

This is some pretty heavy material.

Here’s what you need to ask yourself as we are going through this: is your name written in the book of life?

[Pause briefly]  Let’s go through this passage, but keep that question in the back of your mind.

Everyone, including those who are living today or have passed on will face this judgment.

Christian and non Christian alike will stand before the great white throne and be examined.

Now, there are two books that are opened: the book of life and the book of deeds.

Wait a minute, I thought we were saved by grace and not works.

Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.”

So why would there be a book of deeds?

Imagine someone implanted a microchip into your brain so that it records each and every thing that you think and do; both the good and the bad.

How scary would that be; every thought and every action.